The Treasury Department issued additional guidance (#43 on FAQ) on the Paycheck Protection Program. The Treasury department postponed the Safe Harbor repayment deadline to May 14, 2020, as requested by NECA.

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has given its full endorsement to the 2020 edition of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America’s (MCAA) publication Change Orders, Productivity, Overtime—A Primer for the Construction Industry.

With a large salary comes a large tax liability for athletes, and that could be going up following tax reform. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act brought benefits to many individuals, but athletes may notice some negative effects from it.… Read More

The post Tax Reform May Bring Bigger Tax Liability for Athletes appeared first on Anders CPAs.

The NBA recently submitted a formal proposal to its Player’s Association to lower the draft eligibility age from 19 to 18. This move to end the “one and done” era, requiring that players spend at least one season in college… Read More

The post The End of the One and Done Age Limit for the NBA appeared first on Anders CPAs.

Coming off the All-Star break, the second half of the hockey season is in full swing and fans are anxiously wondering if their team will make it to the playoffs. At this point in the season, the playoffs are still… Read More

The post Managing a Professional Sports Team Like a Business appeared first on Anders CPAs.

Professional gamblers and hobby gamblers are now on the same playing field in the eyes of the IRS. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), changes were made to how expenses and losses are deducted against gambling winnings. Previously… Read More

The post Tax Reform for Individuals: Changes in Deducting Gambling Losses appeared first on Anders CPAs.

California passed legislation to allow college athletes to be compensated for their likeness. Under this new legislation, schools would not compensate student athletes, but athletes would be allowed to profit off their likeness via third party businesses. This law would… Read More

The post NCAA Passes Initial Steps for Student Athletes to Benefit from their Likeness appeared first on Anders CPAs.

The new Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction is an area of tax reform that may affect how some business owners structure their entities. This new deduction puts flow-through businesses on a level playing field with C Corporations. In its simplest… Read More

The post Tax Reform for Businesses: Qualified Business Income Deduction appeared first on Anders CPAs.

EA is taking its usual E3-adjacent festivities online through EA Play Live, set to be held during the gap in mid-June left by E3†™s COVID-19-driven cancellation. ...

EA credits its live game portfolio for an overall strong year, with COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen saying this latest report "[proves] the value of the live services path we†™ve been on." ...

Activision Blizzard had a solid Q1, so much so that the company has raised its forecasts for the full year as a result. ...

In this GDC 2020 virtual talk NetEase's Renjie Li discusses the application of reinforcement learning in NetEase games, including problems encountered and how the solutions impacted the final product. ...

Finnish mobile studio Dazzle Rocks has secured $6.8 million in Series A funding to boost development on its unnamed social sandbox MMO. ...

When Singapore gained its independence they went on a mission to re-house the population from densely-packed thatched roof huts into giant concrete skyscrapers. In 1960, they formed the Housing and Development Board, or HDB, and just five years later they had already housed 400,000 people! In Singapore, where land is scarce, it’s not unlikely for apartment buildings to be built on top of land that was graveyards not too long ago. But building on top of a graveyard has its complications.

Life and Death in Singapore

There are many walls in Belfast which physically separate Protestant neighborhoods from Catholic ones. Some are fences that you can see through, while others are made of bricks and steel. Many have clearly been reinforced over time: a cinderblock wall topped with corrugated iron, then topped with razor wire, stretching up towards the sky. Many of the walls in Northern Ireland went up in the 1970s and ‘80s at the height of what’s become known as “The Troubles.” Decades later, almost all of the walls remain standing. They cut across communities like monuments to the conflict, etched into the physical landscape. Taking them down isn’t going to be easy.

Peace Lines

Throughout Joseph Weizenbaum's life, he liked to tell this story about a computer program he’d created back in the 1960s as a professor at MIT. It was a simple chatbot named ELIZA that could interact with users in a typed conversation. As he enlisted people to try it out, Weizenbaum saw similar reactions again and again -- people were entranced by the program. They would reveal very intimate details about their lives. It was as if they’d just been waiting for someone (or something) to ask. ELIZA was one of the first computer programs that could convincingly simulate human conversation, which Weizenbaum found frankly a bit disturbing.

The ELIZA Effect

Make your mark. Go to radiotopia.fm to donate today.

The only truly accurate map of the world would be a map the size of the world. So if you want a map to be useful, something you can hold in your hands, you have to start making choices. We have to choose what information we're interested in, and what we're throwing out. Those choices influence how the person reading the map views the world. But a map’s influence doesn’t end there, maps can actually *shape *the place they’re trying to represent and that’s where things get weird.

Map Quests

In times like these, we could all use a little historical perspective. In this new podcast from Radiotopia, Jody Avirgan, political historian Nicole Hemmer, and special guests rescue moments from U.S. history to map our journey through a tumultuous year.

On this episode of 99% Invisible, Jody talks with Roman about his new show and we play two short episodes of This Day in Esoteric Political History.

Subscribe to This Day in Esoteric Political History on Apple Podcasts

The St. Louis County Small Business Relief Program, (SBR), slated to award $17.5 million to small businesses, was recently announced by County Executive Sam Page. The grants make up about 10% of the $173.5 million in federal relief funds the county received from the CARES Act. The program will provide financial relief to small businesses...

The post $17.5 Million in Grants Available for St. Louis County Small Businesses appeared first on Anders CPA.

What does returning to business look like in a post COVID-19 world? Join us on Thursday, May 14 at 10:00am CDT for a webinar discussing the state of the world after we reach the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll learn about: Economic impact from COVID-19 Best practices for moving your business forward How to...

The post WEBINAR – The Great Viral Recession: Light at the End of the Tunnel? appeared first on Anders CPA.

On November 25, 2019, members of NECA’s Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter met with Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.). The group discussed small business issues, composite plans, and the importance of infrastructure investment. Pictured from left to right are PDJ Chapter’s Aaron Kelley, Dan Hahn of Furness Electric, Christine Meyer of Battaglia Electric, Rep. Blunt Rochester, and PDJ Chapter Executive Jeff Scarpello. 

On December 19, 2019, Peter Butler of NECA’s Northern California Chapter met with Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) in the district.

NECA’s government affairs team wishes you a very happy holiday season and we hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends.

On December 11, 2020, members of NECA’s Northern California Chapter met with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.)

On January 23, 2020, members of NECA’s Northern California Chapter met with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)

1. Administration Calls for Additional Funding for PPP

One of the most popular programs created in the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), has released over $70 billion to small businesses to help them remain viable during this pandemic. Due to the large demand, the Administration has requested additional funding for that program in a letter to Congressional leaders.

NECA’s look Ahead: Senate Democrats requested an additional $250 billion for hospitals and local governments in addition to funding for the PPP while Republican leaders argued that funding for the PPP is the only account that requires additional immediate funding at this time. The Senate adjourned on April 9, 2020 unable to pass additional funding for the PPP under unanimous consent.

2. Treasury Guidance Clarifies Qualifications for PPP Borrowers

With the passage of the CARES Act, many agencies have been scrambling to enact the reforms and programs developed in rapid time. One such program, the Paycheck Protection Program, which allows substantial loans to be granted under favorable terms by the Small Business Administration, came under scrutiny for potentially requiring businesses to meet both size and revenue requirements instead of just the size requirements (under 500 employees) originally required. While this scrutiny came from an over-cautious interpretation of an earlier guidance, the Treasury Department offered additional guidance to make it clear to borrowers that they may meet either the revenue standards listed under a given NAICS code or qualify by having less than 500 employees. 

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA worked with key leaders once the CARES Act was signed into law to attain greater clarity on this issue for our contractors. This new change will give NECA contractors the predictability they need to move forward with the new SBA loan program. We will continue to monitor the implementation of the CARES Act and continue to maintain in constant conversation with Congressional staff and agency officials to communicate the needs of our members. 

3. DOD Releases Rule on Payment to Small Business Contractors

Earlier this week the Department of Defense (DOD) released a final rule on the defining and implementation of accelerated payments to classified small businesses under DOD contracts. The rule (DFARS Case 2018–D068) which finalizes the implementation of a section from 2019’s National Defense Authorization Act urges the federal government to pay small business contractors within 15 days of the receipt of a proper invoice. While this is only a goal for the federal government and not a direct mandate, which NECA advocated for in the past, we view this final rule and its upcoming full implementation as a positive step forward.

NECA’s Look Ahead: We encourage NECA contractors to read the final rule and monitor its implementation on DOD contracts. With your feedback and on-the-ground experiences, we will be better able to make lawmakers and agency officials aware of its progress.

Yahoo has announced the launch of Yahoo Livetext, a video texting app with no audio.

Read more on howtoweb.com

Microsoft is changing its OneDrive storage plan. The changes include the removal of the unlimited storage plan.

Read more on howtoweb.com

Google Maps has added a sharing feature. You can track your favorite places and share them with your friends.

Read more on howtoweb.com

The milestone comes as Epic doubles down on the social elements of Fortnite with additions like the combat-free Party Royale mode and last month's in-game Travis Scott concert. ...

President Trump recently signed a new coronavirus relief bill into law that will help replenish the depleted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), among other initiatives. Below are the details of the relief package.
Details of the New Bill
The new relief… Read More

The post New $484 Billion Stimulus Package Replenishes PPP and Offers Relief for Hospitals and Businesses appeared first on Anders CPAs.

Quality Assurance Manager We’re looking for a QA Manager who has a passion for shipping games and an eye for detail. Your responsibility will be to organize and track the team’s QA process, including playtesting feedback, bug tracking, localization & platform certification. We’re looking for someone who can catch and address problems quickly and effectively, can communicate with anyone on the team to get results, and has a deep understanding of our production process. Come help us build better things! Your Role   Consistently playtesting our levels and helping keep builds updated and maintained Organizing external playtests and tracking resulting bugs and feedback Working with remote QA teams and managing bug-tracking software Managing & tracking localization & platform certification tasks Communicating with project leads to address the QA task backlog Creating and managing tasks while also identifying, tracking and addressing risks Work with the publisher to ship the game on multiple platforms Requirements Experience with bug-tracking systems (such as DevTrack, JIRA or BugZilla) Experience shipping at least one game on PC and/or console Experience with localization & platform cert processes Previous QA experience on games - at least 2 years on PC or console Experience with milestone tracking Knowledge and familiarity with Agile and Scrum development framework Strong reading, writing and spelling skills Strong technical aptitude A passion for games - third person action and platformer games particularly Ample experience with current generation of gaming consoles Excellent organizational skills Independently motivated Excellent communication skills and assertive attitude Authorized to work in the US Currently local to the Los Angeles area, or willing relocate Bonus QA experience in a large team environment Any additional and related skills in games (illustration, modeling, writing, production) Experience with Unreal 4   To apply Send your application to jobs@heart-machine.com with the title "QA Manager".    Please include specific skills you would bring to a new project, as well as any links to current and/or past projects and your resume.

Tripwire Interactive is looking for talented, dedicated, and passionate individuals to join the Tripwire Interactive family! Tripwire Interactive is an independent video game development and publishing company, famous for shooter titles like Red Orchestra and the wildly popular Killing Floor series. With its next project poised to blow previous projects out of the water, Tripwire has solidified its spot as one of the brightest rising stars in the games industry.  At Tripwire Interactive, we pride ourselves in our ability to move to the beat of our own drum. Our existence as an independent studio and publisher means we are able to develop games on a schedule that reassesses what has become the status quo in the industry as a whole. We’re located in Roswell, GA just north of Atlanta; where cost of living is relatively low and opportunities are high. So if you’re looking to work in an environment that changes the game in more ways than one, look no further than Tripwire Interactive. *Note: During this unprecedented time, we are looking for individuals who are able and willing to work from home until all restrictions have been lifted in relation to COVID-19. At such time, the position will be located on site. Responsibilities: Manage publishing production staff supporting external developers as well as serving as primary point of contact between internal stakeholders and external teams. Developing schedules with internal and external teams, evaluating schedules with executive management and then managing projects to schedule, highlighting task priorities, departmental inter dependencies, resource issues and risks. Assist publishing leadership in creating and maintaining product roadmap and in performing product evaluations. Assist in producing and maintaining related budget and cost forecast for publishing projects. Responsible for production-led planning for all project deliverables including milestone review, external build creation and marketing/PR needs. Identify and offer solutions to production issues to solve the resulting schedule, cost, and scope conflicts. Maintain communications with all team members, team leads, and executive management; both internally and externally. Understand and contribute to company goals and core values while bringing a positive and collaborative approach to all project related activities. Suggest and lead process improvement initiatives. All other duties as assigned.  Qualifications: Project management experience, including Scrum, Kanban, and traditional waterfall methodologies and tools, as well as the ability to prioritize and solve problems. Strong communication and inter-personal skills, leading to a demonstrated ability to work within a team structure. Attention to detail and the ability (and desire) to handle potentially stressful development environments. Minimum 5 years production experience including 2+ years as Senior or Lead Producer. Expert level knowledge and ability to mentor staff on project management principles, practices, tools and techniques. Understanding of game development process including demonstrated experience with first party submission requirements and ability to clinically evaluate milestone submissions. Strong resource planning experience; skill in organizing resources and establishing priorities. Minimum 2 shipped product with production credit. Demonstrated ability to maintain focus across multiple concurrent projects.  Benefits Profit Share Medical, Dental, & Vision 100% of premiums for the family covered by Tripwire Up to 30 days of PTO 16 paid Holidays Short Term Disability & Long Term Disability 401k Match Flexible Spending Account Flexible Hours Employee & Family Team Building Events Volunteer Days  Preference to applicants with: Significant Unreal Engine experience Passion for first person shooters Proven ability of tackling challenging projects Experience in full software development lifecycle of shipping a game Excellent written and verbal communication skills Ability to work well under pressure, flexible, positive and focused    

Volition is looking for an experienced Environment Artist to help us build the world for the next Saints Row title! You will work with a tight, collaborative team of artists and designers to create environments that are both beautiful and fun to play in.  You will be making major contributions to our world using our unique approach to world building with our proprietary world editor.  Responsibilities: Create environments from initial rough layout to completed polished spaces Build urban, interior, and natural spaces using our in-house world editor Author game ready assets that work well within given technical limitations Collaborate closely with level designers to create spaces that adhere to gameplay requirements Focus on the "big picture." Understand when details matter, and when broad strokes are more important Qualifications: 3+ years of experience in game development creating environments Strong communication skills. Must be able to be a master collaborator Ability to work with a library of assets to build visually interesting, dynamic gameplay spaces Strong understanding of form, shape, structure, and silhouette in regards to scene composition A keen eye for developing a visual mood as it relates to storytelling Comfortable working within technical limitations such as vertex and object counts, materials (draw calls), streaming conditions, etc. Fluent knowledge of at least one major 3d package (3dsmax preferred) Experience building environments in a game engine (Unreal4, Unity) Well-versed in PBR workflow Pluses: Strong foundation in the traditional arts, including but not limited to figure drawing, environmental development and/or architectural illustration Familiarity with procedural content authoring tools (Substance Designer, World Machine, Houdini) Basic Level Design Knowledge Sample Work Required: Portfolio should demonstrate ability to build fully realized environments. Fully fleshed out spaces are more helpful than examples of individual assets To apply, please send your resume, portfolio/sample work, and a cover letter to jobs@dsvolition.com with “Environment Artist” in the subject line. At Deep Silver Volition we believe in fostering an open, collaborative and diverse environment, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without attention to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, or military status.

Franchises lost the fewest jobs, but overall the unemployment number was unprecedented.

Creating an intelligent digital workforce through automation

Presentation management puts a strategic workflow process around presentation files, such as: PowerPoint, video, images, PDFs, and any other file types you use in business

Since bad data can adversely affect the business, it is crucial to learn proactive measures to combat and treat it at its source

Companies that already have or intend to invest in Microsoft 365 can save significant time and money by simply learning to configure and deploy various tools and features already included in Microsoft 365 to help meet privacy requirements

With RPA, AI-powered robots observe humans using software and then learn to use the software themselves

Companies have a difficult challenge breaking through to the most advanced levels of digital maturity

When deployed separately, robotic process automation and digital process automation technologies add immense business value, but when they are strategically combined, an entirely new level of business optimization is possible

Humble's latest charitable bundle has ended its run, and raised over $6.5 million for COVID-19 relief efforts in the process. ...

Lots of great things to see this week, from Streets Of Rage's surprising comeback to an Animal Crossing talk show & far beyond. ...

Dodge Roll's Dave Crooks reveals how the studio has polished its bullet hell dungeon crawler Enter the Dungeon and revised its design to create spin-off dungeon climber Exit the Dungeon. ...

So your game has a lot of Steam wishlists, but then it launches... and it doesn't sell many copies! What happened? We try to delve into it within... ...

For Celia Hodent, a psychology PhD, author, and freelance user experience consultant whose credits include Fortnite, Assassin's Creed games, and more, UX is everywhere. ...