Category Archives: Cloning

The process of taking existing technology and re-branding it into something different is becoming increasingly popular among startups. Smart phones and tablets are now forever ingrained into our society, and during the last two decades alone, have given birth to the application industry, which is now worth $77 billion. While the process of programming and app development is becoming more accessible and cheaper than ever before, there is also more competition to contend with. While utilizing ready-made applications may seem counter-productive when starting a new business, if executed correctly, this approach can be a viable way to get a foothold in the marketplace.

Take a look at a few of today's most popular applications: Telegram is a clone of Whatsapp, Vimeo is a clone of YouTube, Alibaba is a clone of Amazon, and the list goes on... None of these couplings are doing anything different from each other, they simply have alternative branding the originals are broad while the clones (2nd tier) are niche. For example, YouTube is an all rounder, while Vimeo is geared towards filmmakers.

If you can address the branding of your clone app properly, there's no reason why you can't launch a successful 2nd tier application of your own.

Competing with the Corporate Giants

You simply cannot compete with some of the big players on a broad scale, but you can certainly compete with them on a niche scale. It's all about finding an untapped opportunity that the larger corporations aren't covering, and then filling the gap. For example, Uber may have a worldwide presence, particularly in big cities, but what if you could take the platform and set up a local Uber clone in your own town?

Services such as Appoets make this entire process extremely simple. Just look at how many clones of Tinder have popped up since it took the helm as the world's most active dating app. Applications that use the same swipe right platform are becoming a universal standard; however, there are still plenty of niche groups out there that are yet to acquire their own platform. Find one and you'll start your business half way down the sales funnel from the get-go.

App cloning is faster than outright creation, often taking just a matter of weeks (sometimes days) to launch. In addition, there are less unknowns. You simply use a template that has already located and solved any problems. Beyond changing the color scheme, logos and logistical elements (prices, terms and conditions, etc.) you'll need to do very little.

Cloning is an excellent way to get started, but it's not a shortcut to the big leagues as you will always be number two to the original. But you should never go into business with the intention of completing with the creators anyway as they are not your prime competition the other clones are. In fact, many developers regard the niche clones of their broad app as a benefit as it's a way for them to test new markets for free, and then buy-out the successes.

For example, in 1999 the Samwer Brothers from Germany created the first Ebay clone (Alando.de). Within 100 days of launching its popularity soared and it was sold to Ebay for $50 million. A similar situation occurred in Sweden with a website called Tradera, which also sold to Ebay for $50 million in 2006. In both instances it was a win-win for all involved parties: the clone developers used an existing platform to build a sustainable business model and Ebay managed to break into new territories as a dominant force without having to undertake a marketing campaign or battle the competition.

App cloning may sound simple and the process is but just like any other business, it still requires diligence and hard work. While it can certainly ease pressure in the early stages of development, it's the marketing plan that will have the biggest impact on the app's success.

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How App Cloning Can Open Doors For Specialized Tech Startups - Huffington Post

India's most valuable business is earning money hand over fist from oil. Yet what's exciting investors about Reliance Industries Ltd. are its telecoms losses.

Those should go some way toward creating the Indian equivalent of Verizon Communications Inc., the largest U.S. wireless carrier. Or at least that's what the stock's 38 percent jump this year in dollar terms is all about.

Back on Top

Optimism over its telecom foray has helped oil refiner Reliance displace software exporter Tata Consultancy as India's most valuable company

Source: Bloomberg

Over the past 12 months, Reliance's refinery on India's western coast has garnered $11 from each barrel of crude oil, beating the Singapore refining benchmark by an impressive $5 a barrel. With neither domestic gas production nor overseas shale output doing much, Chairman Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man, is betting on his almost-completed investments in refining and petrochemicals to shore up earnings and cash flow.

The strategy is working, but it's a mere footnote compared with Ambani's more daring gamble on Reliance Jio, the recently launched telecoms unit that's already supplying more than 1 billion gigabytes of data a month, almost as much as all U.S. networks put together.

While a haul of 100 million users over 170 days isn't to be scoffed at, it's thanks to a free trial that only recently turned into a paid-for (though attractively priced) introductory offer.The steady-state average revenue per user is still the big unknown.

With Jio's entry in September, rivals Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Vodafone Group Plc have cut tariffs. A 60 percent slump in fourth-generation, or 4G, data charges has meant that even with traffic surging fivefold in a year, industry revenue growth has been practically flat, according to S&P Global's Indian affiliate, Crisil.

It's hard to know when the dust will settle, though Reliance's assertion that it's"well-positioned" to achieve a share of revenue above 50 percent by 2021, when India's data market will top $46 billion a year, shows Ambani is betting big on a "winner takes all" effect.

Nothing wrong with that. As Crisil researchers say, Verizon's success has demonstrated quite clearly that market leadership is worth bleeding for. For almost a decade, the largest U.S. network has enjoyed a return on capital that's 5 to 10 percentage points higher than its competitors'.

Even by Verizon's standards, Ambani's goal of a 50 percent-plus Ebitda margin for Jio is ambitious, though. The U.S. carrier, which has a customer churn rate of just 1.4 percent -- compared with 4 percent to 6 percent in the hyper-competitive Indian market -- took in 45 percent of its revenue as earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization last quarter.

Reward of Leadership

Verizon's No. 1 position among U.S. telcos has meant a higher return on capital, a strategy India's Reliance Industries wants to copy with its aggressive price war

Source: Bloomberg

In its first six months of operations, Jio's loss tripled from a year earlier to $3.5 million. That's a rounding error for a conglomerate that earned more than$1.2 billion during the March quarter.

The pressure to perform comes from the staggering $30 billion Ambani has spent on the 4G network. Roughly a quarter of Reliance Industries' share price now reflects the enterprise value of the telecoms business, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. As Gadfly has previously noted, investors would be impressed by Jio's ability to get to 200 million stable customers, each spending at least $4 a month.

Ambani's 4G bet

$30 billion

That won't be enough to turn Jio into India's Verizon. At least it will be a start.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Andy Mukherjee in Singapore at amukherjee@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Matthew Brooker at mbrooker1@bloomberg.net

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An Indian Billionaire Is Cloning Verizon - Bloomberg

Debit card cloning: accused used data of foreign nationals - The Hindu The Hindu Mumbai: The Cyber police's inquiries against the Bulgarian national, who was arrested in an alleged debit card cloning case earlier this month, have widened ... and more »

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Debit card cloning: accused used data of foreign nationals - The Hindu - The Hindu

By the time theyre 50, 85 percent of American men will have significant hair loss, says the American Hair Loss Association.

Now, an international team of hair restoration doctors is turning to cutting-edge science to grow more hair through cloning.

Ric Ortega has dealt with hair loss for a while. For him, it's a health concern.

Im outside a lot because I work in the construction industry, and I worry about skin cancer on the top of my head, he explains.

Ric is considering a hair cloning clinical trial with Dr. Ken Williams, a hair restoration surgeon in California.

Williams is working with Hair Clone, a British company that believes it will perfect the science of cloning hair.

The typical candidate would be someone who has had multiple surgeries and cant have any more hair transplantations, but they have lots of areas of balding," Williams explains.

Doctors would harvest 50 hair follicles and send them to a cryopreservation tank in England. Surgeons there would remove the hair shaft from the bulb, which holds cells that control growth. Then, the cells are multiplied, in a special cell culture.

Then, when the patient is ready, they have the actual transplantation. They would let us know and wed go through the process of replication, and getting those 50 cells will now turn into 1500 cells, Williams says.

The trial would cost Ric between $4,000-$10,000 plus air fare to England, where hed get his cloned hair. England is the only western country that allows this type of treatment.

Williams says hair cloning is the next biggest frontier in hair science. Hair Clone hopes to start a small trial in England later this year.

The good news is that companies around the world are racing to start hair cloning trials as soon as they can.

MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS RESEARCH SUMMARY

TOPIC: HAIR CLONING IS REALLY HAPPENING! REPORT: MB #4249

BACKGROUND: By the age of thirty-five two-thirds of American men will experience some degree of hair loss and by the age of fifty approximately 85 percent of men have significantly thinning hair. Hereditary hair loss that comes with age is the most common cause of baldness, and can happen gradually or suddenly. Types of hair loss include gradual thinning on the top of the head (which is most common), patchy bald spots, sudden hair loss caused by emotional or physical shock, or patches of scaling that spread over the scalp which is a sign of ringworm. The most common cause of hair loss is a hereditary condition called male-pattern baldness. The loss and thinning of hair can begin as early as puberty but usually affects men as they age. Hormone imbalances, immune system issues, radiation therapy to the head, medications, and other skin disorders are causes of hair loss. Poor nutrition, certain medical conditions (such as diabetes and lupus), and stress are some of the risk factors leading to hair loss. Some treatments for hair loss include Rogaine (foam rubbed into the scalp), Propecia (prescription pill), surgery, wigs and hairpieces, or a recent treatment called hair cloning.

Source: (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hair-loss/basics/definition/con-20027666)

TREATMENT: Hair cloning is a promising treatment for male-pattern baldness. In hair cloning, a sample of a persons hair follicle cells are multiplied outside the body (in vitro), and then they are re-implanted into the scalp with the hope that they will grow new hair follicles and result in new permanent hair. The main challenge in cloning is that hair follicles cannot grow on their own, yet they are too complex to be grown in test tubes. There may be safety concerns that cells that induce hair may also induce tumors and once this issue is resolved, the FDA still must approve hair cloning for safety and effectiveness. There are plans for clinical trials in the U.S. and will hopefully be approved in upcoming years. Source: (https://www.bernsteinmedical.com/hair-cloning/)

EMOTIONAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH HAIR LOSS: A study revealed that men who had more profound hair loss were more dissatisfied with their appearance and were more concerned with their look than those with minimal hair loss. Studies have shown that in men who suffer from hair loss, nearly 75% of them feel less confident since the onset of hair loss, especially in dealing with the opposite sex. In extreme circumstances, hair loss can cause distress and result in depression. Source: (http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/hair-loss-effects.shtml)

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Hair cloning is promising treatment for male-pattern baldness - WNDU-TV

At the end of a long gravel road in East College Station, the world's first cloned cat -- now 15 years old -- lives in what longtime Texas A&M Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science researcher Duane Kraemer describes affectionately as a "kitty barn."

CC, also known as Copy Cat, was born in December 2001, the result of the 87th attempt at cloning a cat by Kraemer's lab at Texas A&M after several years of trying.

Kraemer, who recently retired from the university, said the success was simply the product of his team's work in pushing the boundaries of what is possible to accomplish.

Still considered among the crowning achievements of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Kraemer said he is proud the achievement has reflected so well on the university.

"It was certainly a pleasure to be a part of the team that did it," Kraemer said. "I seem to get a lot more credit than I deserve for it, but it is pleasing to go over to the veterinary school and see CC's pictures around."

When it comes to questions about CC, Kraemer said the most common is about her personality.

Outside of her unusual origins, Kraemer said CC is just like any other cat with a personality all her own.

"Most people somehow think personality is going to be cloneable, but its not," Kraemer said. "She acts like most any cat, but, of course, cats vary."

Kraemer said CC even had a litter of her own years ago with a male cat named Smokey -- a test to see if she was genetically capable of reproduction. Today, she lives in a small house built by Kraemer and located in his back yard alongside Smokey and her three offspring.

Eleanor M. Green, Carl B. King dean of veterinary medicine, said Kraemer's work is an intersection of the college's history of forward-looking work in the fields of genomics and reproductive biology.

"[Kraemer] has been a pioneer his entire career," said Green, noting that cloning CC is probably his best-known work.

"His work also has contributed to genomics becoming a rapidly evolving discipline, including unlimited potential to change the way health is viewed and addressed in both animals and people," she said.

Green said while "cloning was once considered science fiction," Texas A&M was "quick to master" the process. Today, university researchers have cloned a number of animals including cattle, pigs, deer, horses, goats and more.

Outside of Kraemer's work in cloning, Green said Kraemer has also contributed to "numerous societally important areas," including the study of reproductive control for invasive species and the protection of endangered species.

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First cloned cat 'like any other' 15 years later - Bryan-College Station Eagle

AHMEDABAD: Nine years after Satellite police arrested a gang involved in cloning of ATM cards from a hotel on Ashram Road, an incident of ATM card cloning came to light on Friday. Sandeep Laxman, 28 lodged a complaint that Rs 3 lakh was withdrawn from his savings account from two different ATMs in the city located near Subash Bridge and Sarkhej, even though his ATM card was with him at the time of the transactions.

ACP Rajdeepsinh Zala said the possibility is high that a duplicate ATM card was used to withdraw money from Laxman's account. "These scamsters use a special machine to read the magnetic chip on ATM cards. These machines are often used at some outlets to copy card data and to make a duplicate ATM card," added Zala said.

Crime branch sources said that according to the complaint, Sandeep, who has his savings account in ICICI bank in Chennai on received about nine withdrawal messages from the bank on April 15.

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Rs 3L stolen with cloned ATM card - Times of India

At the end of a long gravel road in East College Station, the world's first cloned cat -- now 15 years old -- lives in what longtime Texas A&M Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science researcher Duane Kraemer describes affectionately as a "kitty barn."

CC, also known as Copy Cat, was born in December 2001, the result of the 87th attempt at cloning a cat by Kraemer's lab at Texas A&M after several years of trying.

Kraemer, who recently retired from the university, said the success was simply the product of his team's work in pushing the boundaries of what is possible to accomplish.

Still considered among the crowning achievements of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Kraemer said he is proud the achievement has reflected so well on the university.

"It was certainly a pleasure to be a part of the team that did it," Kraemer said. "I seem to get a lot more credit than I deserve for it, but it is pleasing to go over to the veterinary school and see CC's pictures around."

When it comes to questions about CC, Kraemer said the most common is about her personality.

Outside of her unusual origins, Kraemer said CC is just like any other cat with a personality all her own.

"Most people somehow think personality is going to be cloneable, but its not," Kraemer said. "She acts like most any cat, but, of course, cats vary."

Kraemer said CC even had a litter of her own years ago with a male cat named Smokey -- a test to see if she was genetically capable of reproduction. Today, she lives in a small house built by Kraemer and located in his back yard alongside Smokey and her three offspring.

Eleanor M. Green, Carl B. King dean of veterinary medicine, said Kraemer's work is an intersection of the college's history of forward-looking work in the fields of genomics and reproductive biology.

"[Kraemer] has been a pioneer his entire career," said Green, noting that cloning CC is probably his best-known work.

"His work also has contributed to genomics becoming a rapidly evolving discipline, including unlimited potential to change the way health is viewed and addressed in both animals and people," she said.

Green said while "cloning was once considered science fiction," Texas A&M was "quick to master" the process. Today, university researchers have cloned a number of animals including cattle, pigs, deer, horses, goats and more.

Outside of Kraemer's work in cloning, Green said Kraemer has also contributed to "numerous societally important areas," including the study of reproductive control for invasive species and the protection of endangered species.

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First cloned cat 'like any other' 15 years later | Local News | theeagle ... - Bryan-College Station Eagle

My friends and I learned SO much more than we expected.

The vulva cloning party I recently hosted was not something Id ever expected to do, but Im so glad I did. It all started, like many things, with a twist of serendipity.

I taught my class, 'Mapping the Vulva: Anatomy, Communication, Touch and Pleasure' at SheBop a couple months ago, and a blogger from Clone-A-Willy was in the audience to write about the class. I knew she was there, but I never got to talk to her. A little while later I found thewrite-up, and it was fantastic.

As I read the article I realized that they could help me address an issue Id been struggling with how to make my vulva class as useful as possible to students when Im doing it without a live demo.

You see, sometimes when I do the class, I have someone up on a massage table and I demo the touch techniques Ive discussed. But at many venues, this isnt possible. So I demo on a fleshlightand sometimes a vulva puppet.

This does pretty well, and I still get great feedback on the demo portion of the class, but Im always looking for ways to improve.

One point that I stress in my classesis the wide variety of forms that genital anatomy can take. I showpictures to illustrate my point, but again, theres always room for improvement.

So I wrote to the Clone-A-Willy folks and asked if theyd send me some kits to use for making teaching models. That way Id be able to show a range of anatomy to my studentsand show demos on different body types. The Clone-A-Willy folks responded immediately and enthusiastically.

Before I knew it I had a box on my doorstepcontaining 6 complete kits and 6 extra bags of molding powder.

Next up was the rather odd task of going through my mental Rolodex of friends and partnersto figure out who to ask if they's be willing to allow me to clone their vulva.I wanted to be sure to find folks who have bodies you dont see as much of in the mainstream, such as people with larger inner labia, or a larger clitoris.

It turns out I have a pretty great group of friends andeveryone I talked to was enthusiastic about the idea. Several people even suggested other folks that might be a good fit.

What was born from these conversations, was what became my #PussyParty.

Although the cloning certainly didnt have to be a group activity, it seemed a lot more fun to do it that way. So I set a date, sent some invites, and planned snacks.

I also told the internet to follow along. Because why not.

The evening started with a just a couple of friends and we had a while to chat. Later, more people showed up, and soon I had six guests in my small living room, all ready for an adventure.

We talked for another hour at least before any cloning started. And we read the directions and reviews online.

Finally, I made the first attempt. Despite the strange feeling of the casting material on my genitals, the mold didnt take. The casting power had clearly set before it ever touched me. As the night went on, it was a comedy of errors. The next several attempts were the same, with no impressions being made.

But as it turned out, that didnt matter much.

We had a room full of women talking and sharing about their bodiesand having a marvelous time.

We got to hear about one woman whod had a labiaplasty as a teenager. We got to hear about one womans particularly sensitive clitoris. And we got to hear about another womans difficulty reaching orgasm.

The Clone-A-Pussy activity was facilitating conversations about bodies and sexuality that rarely happen, and that was the real value of the night.But, we were also a very determined bunch. I was amazed by how committed everyone was to the task at hand. So many of my own hostessing anxieties were quelled by seeing what a good time people were having. We spent a solid three hours just working on making molds.

That extra casting powder came in very handy as each of the 7 of us tried a cast, and then two people made second attempts.

Top two above = duds. Bottom two = the two best (filled with silicone).

Between each attempt, we all brainstormed about what had worked and what hadntand formed a plan for the next try. It was like the best science project that ever happened.

(If only I could have taken this to my high school science fair!)

We tried varying the temperature of the water and varying the mixing time. We tried several different positions.

Ultimately, we came up with two casts that we decided were worthy of silicone.

The silicone had its own challenges. Because the mold presses flush against the body, there isnt any extra space for the silicone, so the finished product is pretty thin. I also wish there was a bit more silicone in each kit for one of the casts I had to use the silicone from two kits. I also used duct tape to build a lip around one of the moldsto try for a sturdier result.

The two finished products are a lot of fun.

But theyre almost beside the point.

What I was most excited about is how this tool facilitated a long evening of exploration, silliness, and body positivity.

I hope everyone decides to host their own #PussyParty!

Sex educator Stella Harris draws from her own passion and life experiences, as well her my professional training, to provide her clients with an expert, grounded, outside perspective. Her work focuses on helping people who feel insecure about their sex lives become more confident and able to get what they want.

This article was originally published at Stella Harris. Reprinted with permission from the author.

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Here's What Happened When I Threw A Vulva-Cloning Party - YourTango

Fox17

Suspects sought in credit card cloning | Fox17 Fox17 ST. JOSEPH, Mich. - Michiana Crime Stoppers is asking for help in finding two people who may be cloning credit cards. A St. Joseph resident reported their ... and more »

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Suspects sought in credit card cloning | Fox17 - Fox17

Lucknow: Probes into the case of mass debit card cloning have shown a common plot. Officials investigating on what appears to be the biggest cyber-heist reported in the city have found two ATM booths maintained by leading public sector banks had been tampered.

Collating crime data on a series of similar frauds, sleuths discovered that all victims had used their cards either at ATM booths located in Shakti Bhawan or Ashok Marg, the two busy locations in Hazratganj. Digging deeper, they found that all the victims had used their debit cards on January 10.

Well aware of the loopholes, the miscreants duped close to 80 victims from April 1. Banking guidelines makes it mandatory for financial institutions to preserve CCTV recordings for 90 days. In this case, the 90-day period ended on March 31 and fraudulent transactions were initiated immediately after the period got over.

"We believe the gang used a skimming device and installed a camera to record PIN codes discreetly. The devices were installed and removed within 16 hours on January 10," said additional superintendent STF and cyber expert Triveni Singh who is working on the case closely.

Though banks are supposed to guard ATM booths in order to protect customers from fraud, it was only three months later that they realized something was wrong when multiple complaints started pouring in on a daily basis. Post that chief manager of State Bank of India, Ashish Mishra lodged FIR against the unidentified miscreants lodged at Hazratganj police station on April 5.

Though the victims held the debit card in their possession, they realised that fraudulent transactions were done through fake ATM cards in Vadodara, Gujarat. Miscreants remained at work 1,100km away from the city between April 1 and 6 and used the confidential data they had managed skim on January 10 to dupe city residents of lakhs of rupees. At least 24 victims are government employees.

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TECHNO TRICK

Probes show miscreant installed skimming devices at two ATM booths

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Exercise for card cloning began way back on Jan 10 - Times of India