Windows 10 will undo 8’s miscues

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 10 platform is a promising attempt to make up for a trail of unhappy consumers and businesses who were force-fed a touchscreen-centric interface that they never asked for nor wanted.

Windows 8 constituted one of the most serious market misreads since Segways. But to Microsoft's credit, it has spent the past two years with its ear to the ground, if the early beta version of Windows 10 is an indication.

Although a preview of Windows 10 is available for download, don't rush to grab it. Only programmers and computer enthusiasts who have a throwaway PC lying around should even consider loading unfinished, buggy software onto their machines. What you see today isn't necessarily what you'll encounter when you go to buy your next PC.

Domestic sales of Macs and Google's Chromebooks are on the rise and Windows PC sales are declining. This year, Windows PCs slipped 4 percent in the U.S. — from 72 percent to an estimated 68 percent, according to the NPD Group.

But Microsoft's business model is much more dependent on the enterprise market. The success of Windows 10 will almost entirely rest on whether chief information officers decide to upgrade. Far too many took a pass on Windows 8. Of the 715 million copies of Windows installed in businesses worldwide last year, only 16 million — or just 2 percent — were running Windows 8.

If those 98 percent of businesses still clinging to old software don't like Windows 10, it's hard to imagine anything but a catastrophe taking hold in Redmond, Wash.

And it's hard to imagine that Google and Apple won't make a giant play for those business customers, that is if they aren't already preparing to do so.

Windows 10 appears to be a case of what's old is new again. The familiar start menu and desktop setup is back. The search option within the Start Menu is back, and it's in the task bar too.

One of the biggest problems with Windows 8 was that apps take up the entire screen when they're open. With Windows 10 they are resizable. And an improved "snap" feature allows users to more easily organize multiple tasks at once. A feature allowing users to create and open multiple desktops at once shows huge promise in a world where workers increasingly use their personal devices.

And by eliminating an awkward so-called "charms" feature for desktop users and keeping it only on touchscreens, Microsoft seems to have accepted a difficult truth: the market wants to keep its mouse and cursor.

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App for T parking hits 1M payments

The MBTA's new mobile payment provider has processed 1 million transactions, the company said.

PayByPhone, an app available for Android phones and iPhones, lets riders pay for parking in 83 MBTA-owned parking lots rather than stuffing cash into honor boxes.

"This milestone is a result of how convenient mobile payments are over the old style honor boxes and parking meters," the company said in a statement.

Users put their payment information in the app, and can select the parking space and lot where they are parked. The parking information is relayed to MBTA parking enforcement.

In February, the MBTA switched to PayByPhone, saying the company was the low bidder when the old contract expired.

The app also is used in San Francisco, Miami 
and city parking lots in Plymouth.

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Chrysler 200 stands out from crowd

The mid-sized sedan market is a challenge to shop as cars become indistinguishable when comparing features. Then there's the 2015 Chrysler 200, which stands out from the crowd with a comfortable, quiet ride and an abundance of state-of-the-art, easy-to-use technology.

Its rounded exterior corners and flowing lines give the Chrysler 200 a coupe-like appearance and a tasteful amount of chrome trim on the grille, bumpers and around the windows add just a touch of sophistication.

Chrysler offers the 200 with two engine choices, a 3.6-liter V6 that churns out 295 horsepower and a diminutive, fuel-sipping, 2.4-liter, inline-4 that produces 184 horsepower. My 200 with the smaller engine yielded 28 miles-per-gallon in combined city and highway driving, thanks in part to a 9-speed automatic transmission that reduces the gaps between shifts. While the boost in fuel economy was appreciated, it was short on punch. A smooth ride with lively handling through the corners compensated for the deficiency in power.

The Chrysler 200 starts at $21,700. The top-of-the-line C model, with the character of a luxury sedan, reached $30,475, which included a $1,295 safety technology package and a $1,395 package that bundled together navigation and an upgraded sound system.

The safety technology package is highlighted by lane departure warning with lane keep assist, forward collision warning, park assist with stop and adaptive cruise control. Adaptive cruise control, an advanced feature once reserved for the high-end segment is now available on just about everything, and is one feature that I'm finding difficult to live without.

The off-white soft leather interior was accentuated with conspicuous stitching. A blue bezel surrounding the instrument panel glowed from behind a leather-wrapped steering wheel. An 8.4-inch touchscreen provided easy access to the 200's radio and navigation features without overwhelming the center console.

Full electronic gear shifting via a rotary shift knob created additional storage space within the center console. The area was further enhanced with sliding cup holders that provided storage flexibility and an opening to run cables through for smartphone connections.

Both driver and passenger seats were firm, yet comfortable. While the back seats needed an inch or two of additional leg room, the trunk had plenty of storage space.

The 2015 Chrysler 200 is worth a test drive when considering the Accord, Camry, Fusion, Mazda 6 or Passat. I like the options that Chrysler has to offer with the 200. If the standard engine is too small, they offer a best-in-class for horsepower V6 and if you're worried that front-wheel-drive might be inadequate for New England winter driving, there's an all-wheel-drive model.

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Company proposes a safer Zohydro to FDA

The maker of the controversial painkiller Zohydro is seeking federal approval of a harder-to-abuse version, but its lawsuit against the state is "ongoing," even though a judge struck down Massachusetts' ban of the drug and some of the subsequent restrictions the state put on it.

San Diego-based Zogenix said it has submitted a supplemental application to the Food and Drug Administration for a new form of Zohydro extended-release capsules that is more difficult to snort or inject. If it is approved, as the company expects, in the first quarter of 2015, the drugmaker would replace the current version of Zohydro in the second quarter.

The company still, however, is challenging U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel's July 8 decision upholding a state Board of Registration in Pharmacy regulation requiring that only pharmacists handle Zohydro in a drug store.

"That legal action is ongoing in federal court, and the company will provide additional updates as it moves through the process," Zogenix said yesterday in a statement.

A hearing on the company's complaint is expected in December.

"Our office has urged the FDA as well as manufacturers to make abuse-resistant and tamper-resistant formulations of their drugs, especially potent opioids," Christopher Loh, a spokesman for Attorney General Martha Coakley, said in a statement yesterday. "That continues to be an important tool in the fight against abuse and a minimum safeguard that should be employed by manufacturers of painkillers."

The FDA approved Zohydro last October. But in late March, Gov. Deval Patrick declared a public health emergency because of a growing number of opiate overdoses and banned the prescription and sale of hydrocone-only drugs, of which Zohydro is the only one.

The company sued, arguing that it was being singled out unfairly, and in April, Zobel lifted the ban. Within days, the boards of registration in medicine and pharmacy and the Board of Registration of Physicians Assistants passed regulations placing restrictions on how the drug could be prescribed and sold.

In July, Zobel struck down a requirement that doctors or physicians assistants certify in a "letter of medical necessity" that "other pain management treatments have failed" for a patient who has been prescribed Zohydro.

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JPMorgan breach heightens data security doubts

LOS ANGELES — New details on a cyberattack against JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s computer servers this summer add to increasing doubts over the security of consumer data kept by lenders, retailers and others.

The New York-based bank disclosed Thursday that the breach compromised customer information pertaining to roughly 76 million households and 7 million small businesses.

Among the customer data stolen were names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, though only customers who use the websites Chase.com and JPMorganOnline and the apps ChaseMobile and JPMorgan Mobile were affected, the bank said.

JPMorgan stressed that there's no evidence that the data breach included account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers or dates of birth. It also noted that it has not seen any unusual customer fraud stemming from the data breach.

The server breach follows data thefts that have hit financial firms and major retailers this year, adding to consumer concerns over the risk of identity theft and fraud.

The Chase heist is even more disturbing than the recent retail breaches because banks are supposed to have fortress-like protection against intruders, said Gartner security analyst Avivah Litan.

"This is really a slap in the face of the American financial services system," Litan said. "Honestly, this is a crisis point."

JPMorgan Chase, the nation's biggest bank by assets, has been working with law enforcement officials to investigate the cyberattack.

The bank discovered the intrusion on its servers in mid-August and has since determined that the breach began as early as June, spokeswoman Patricia Wexler said.

"We have identified and closed the known access paths," she said, declining to elaborate.

She also declined to comment on whether JPMorgan has been able to determine who was behind the cyberattack on its servers.

In response to the data breach, the company has disabled compromised accounts and reset passwords of all its technology employees, Wexler said.

In a post on its Chase.com website, the bank told customers that it doesn't believe they need to change their password or account information. It also noted that customers are not liable for unauthorized transactions when they promptly alert the bank.

The breach is yet another in a series of data thefts that have hit financial firms and major retailers.

Last month, Home Depot said that malicious software lurking in its check-out terminals between April and September affected 56 million debit and credit cards. Michaels and Neiman Marcus also have been attacked by hackers in the past year.

A data breach at Target in December compromised 40 million credit and debit cards. TJX Cos.'s theft of 90 million records, disclosed in 2007, remains the largest data breach at a retailer.

Chase's assurances that it hasn't found any evidence of the personal data being misused shouldn't be misinterpreted as a reason to rest easy. The information still could be used in a variety of ways to rip off people in the months and years ahead.

That means consumers and business owners need to be more vigilant than ever, making sure to pore over their financial statements each month for any sign of suspicious activity. People also should be more leery than ever of unsolicited phone calls from purported bank representatives, emails fishing for their financial information and even uninvited guests knocking at their doors.

"You have to be paranoid now. You can't slack off," Litan said. "There is no such thing as data confidentiality anymore. Everything is out there."

Jamie Dimon, the bank's CEO, said in this year's annual report that despite spending millions on cybersecurity, JPMorgan remained worried about the threat of attacks. By the end of this year, the bank estimates that it will be spending about $250 million annually on cybersecurity and employing 1,000 people in the area.

In August, the FBI said that it was working with the Secret Service to determine the scope of recent cyber attacks against several American financial institutions.

Last month, JPMorgan began notifying customers that it would reissue credit or debit cards in the wake of the data breach at Home Depot. Wexler said the bank doesn't plan to reissue cards as a result of the breach of its servers, noting that customer account information was not stolen.

____

AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.

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Baker Chocolate complex has sweet condos

If you're looking for an alternative to the Hub's astro­nomical condo prices, you may want to stop looking along the Charles River and set your sights on the Neponset.

The Baker Chocolate complex, a 14-acre village of brick factory buildings along the Neponset River in Dorchester's Lower Mills, has some new high-end condos that start at just $450,000. Owners have access to an indoor lap pool with a hot tub, a fitness facility, a conference room and a dog park. Units come with deeded parking out back and condo fees include heat.

The Lofts at Lower Mills were transformed into one- and two-bedroom market-­rate apartments with historic preservation tax credits five years ago, and now Hub owner Winn­ Develop­ment has been converting them to condos as the credits expire.

Three buildings are being transitioned into 77 condos, with 58 of them in a six-story Romanesque Revival building built in 1891 and known as the Baker Mill. The developer is adding hardwood floors, some updated appliances, and even opening up some unused loft spaces on the top floor.

The condos have 13-to- 18A-foot-high wood-beam ceilings, tall windows, exposed brick walls and lots of original detailing.

We took a look at model Unit B-601, a 2,000-square-foot one-bedroom-plus duplex that's on the market for $660,000. The sixth-floor unit's living room has soaring 18A-foot ceilings and a large multipart arched window that overlooks the river. Its one bedroom, reachable by a newly added steel and wood staircase, is a remarkably large 750 square feet. The unit has two full bathrooms with glass-enclosed showers and a soaking tub, an in-unit washer/dryer, a dining room/den space and an open kitchen with quartz countertops, wood cabinets and stainless-steel appliances.

The Baker complex is within a short walking distance of Dorchester's Lower Mills retail area and Milton Village just across the Neponset, but it feels self-contained. Out back there's the picturesque Baker Dam and you can connect with Neponset River Walk that leads down to the Pope John XXIII park. There's a Red Line trolley stop to Ashmont just across the street, making for an easy city commute.

"It's got a neighborhood feel, and it's affordable," said Jonathan Keith of Keith Brokerage in Canton, who is exclusively marketing the units. The building was rehabbed into apartments by his family's construction company.

Condo fees range from $600-$900 a month, and include gas heat from a central system. Owners also get access to the complex's renovated lap pool and fitness facility.

"We're attracting a lot more empty nester buyers than we thought we would," said Keith, who said 32 units have closed. "We're getting people from suburbs like Hingham and Cohasset who want to be close to the South Shore but are looking for a city feel. The complex has really developed into a friendly neighborhood with a great mix of people."

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Wayfair raises IPO price

Boston home furnishings online retailer Wayfair Inc. was set to start trading today at a higher than ex­pected share price on the New York Stock Exchange — the 20th Massachusetts company to undergo an initial public offering this year.

Wayfair last night said it would offer 11 million shares at $29 a share — higher than the $25 to $28 range it had set in regulatory filings — in a deal that will raise $319 million.

As a high-growth com­pany with no profits to show, Wayfair comes with pluses and minuses for investors. On the positive side, it has lots of room for growth. Its 6 percent market share makes it the leading company in the under-penetrated online home goods market, which accounts for just 7 percent of total home goods sales, said Kathleen Smith, principal of Renaissance Capital, an IPO exchange-traded fund manager.

And Wayfair has been growing fast, with a nearly 50 percent revenue increase in the first half of the year to $574.1 million, and 52.4 percent year-over-year growth to $915.8 million in 2013.

"And they're pricing at a fairly reasonable (price) relative to other similar companies," Smith said.

Wayfair is not making money, however. It lost $51.4 million in the first half of the year, after a 2013 loss of $15.5 million, primarily due to increased adver­tising spending. And those losses are expected to persist for a couple of years.

"This is the dark side," said Rett Wallace, co-founder of Triton Research, a financial data and intelligence firm. "It's not clear that they can ever be profitable."

But losses aside, Wayfair is a "valid business," according to Smith. "Investors are looking for these high-growth companies, figuring that they can figure out their model," she said. "Even Amazon doesn't earn money, and investors have been tolerating their negligible earnings."

Wayfair formerly operated through hundreds of niche websites before consoli­dating under Wayfair.com in late 2011 and changing its name from CSN Stores. The company holds little inventory, shipping to customers directly from its suppliers.

The company, which was in a quiet period yesterday, was unable to comment.

Wayfair's IPO is the 20th by a Massachusetts-based company this year and the largest since Samsonite International raised $1.3 billion in its June 2011 IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange, according to Dealogic,­ a New York financial software company that tracks IPOs.

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Ebola, manufacturing woes shake Wall St.

The first case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the U.S. sent ripples through Wall Street yesterday, as airline stocks slid while shares of drugmakers with potential treatments soared.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day down more than 200 points as it was hit with disappointing economic news in addition to Ebola worries.

At first stocks were driven lower by word that German manufacturing had slowed last month. The selling accelerated after a separate survey indicated U.S. manufacturing slowed as well.

News that a Liberian man visiting family in Dallas had been diagnosed with Ebola caused investors to dump airline stocks out of fear that people would be reluctant to travel.­ JetBlue, Delta, American and Southwest Airlines all fell by more than 3 percent.

"The worse the news headlines get about this, the more risk there is to airlines," Joe Denardi, a Stifel financial Corp. analyst, told Bloomberg.

But shares of drug­makers with potential vaccines or treatments for Ebola rose. Shares of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, whose TKM-Ebola drug was given to Holden physician Richard Sacra after he contracted the disease in West Africa, soared more than 18 percent. Meanwhile, shares of Cambridge-based Sarepta Therapeutics, whose experimental drug AVI-7537 showed promise before federal funding dried up, rose 3.70 percent.

Other companies that fared well due to the Ebola news included Lakeland Industries, which makes hazmat suits, and Alpha Pro Tech, which makes face masks and eye shields. Lakeland shares soared 29.64 percent, while Alpha Pro Tech rose 10.46 percent.

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Asian stocks down on recovery, Ebola worries

SEOUL, South Korea — Asian stocks fell Thursday amid worries about the strength of U.S. and European recoveries and the first American case of Ebola.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 1.7 percent to 15,815.45 points and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.9 percent to 1,973.31. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.7 percent to 5,295.7. Stocks in Southeast Asia also lost ground. Markets in Hong Kong and China were closed for a public holiday.

SLOW GERMAN DATA: A survey showed German manufacturing unexpectedly contracted in September for the first time in 15 months, the latest sign Europe is being hurt by sanctions imposed on Russia over its role in Ukraine.

US MANUFACTURING: A closely watched monthly survey by the Institute for Supply Management came in below expectations, helping to drive a selloff on Wall Street.

EBOLA: U.S. airlines were among the hardest hit as investors fretted people would be discouraged from traveling after reports of the country's first case of Ebola.

ANALYST TAKE: "Confirmation of a case of Ebola in the U.S. has joined a growing list of bad news stories with geo-political tensions in Ukraine and Hong Kong, and growth concerns around China and Europe sapping risk appetite," said Niall King of CMC Markets in a commentary.

WALL STREET: The Dow Jones industrial average index lost 1.4 percent to 16,804.71. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 declined 1.3 percent to 1,946.16 and the Nasdaq composite fell 1.6 percent to 4,422.09.

EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK FOCUS: Caution prevailed among investors ahead of a meeting of European Central Bank policymakers. Though no change in interest rates is anticipated, there will be great interest in what ECB President Mario Draghi says about possible monetary stimulus following recent weak economic news in Europe.

US DATA: The U.S. Labor Department is due to report the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. Economists forecast that weekly applications rose a slight 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 298,000. The Commerce Department will report August factory orders. Orders in July rose 10.5 percent in their biggest one-month gain since 1992.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. oil added 17 cents to $90.90 per barrel in electronic trading in New York. The contract fell 43 cents to settle at $90.73 on Wednesday. The price of oil was pushed down by plentiful supplies and a rise in the U.S. dollar — in which oil sales are priced — against other currencies.

CURRENCIES: The dollar fell to 108.65 yen from 109.07 yen. The euro rose to $1.266 from $1.262.

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App teaches kindergartners basic computer coding

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Researchers in Massachusetts have created an app that teaches basic computer programming to kindergartners.

Children as young as 5 can use the app to craft their own interactive stories and games. They don't even have to know how to read.

In the free app ScratchJr, children can snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters and other elements move, jump, talk and change size.

The co-developers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University say ScratchJr teaches kids to think creatively and helps them become confident in their skills in math, science and technology.

Kindergartner Talia Levitt has started using the app at the Eliot-Pearson Children's School in Medford.

She says it has taught her to concentrate and use her imagination.

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Revel auction still taking bids, did not adjourn

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The bankruptcy auction of Atlantic City's former Revel Casino Hotel ground into its third day early Wednesday as lawyers for the bankrupt resort continued to weigh bids.

Late Tuesday night, the attorney for Florida developer Glenn Straub said the auction was adjourning until Monday. But both sides later agreed to continue the auction and by early Wednesday a Canadian firm had submitted the high bid thus far.

Straub attorney Stuart Moskovitz said rival bidder Brookfield Asset Management, which owns casinos in Las Vegas and the Bahamas, had increased its offer from $98 million to more than $110 million, but was making that bid contingent on it being accepted by 6 a.m.

The two companies were vying for the right to buy the $2.4 billion casino hotel for pennies on the dollar.

Brookfield representatives did not return messages seeking comment.

Straub's initial $90 million bid set the floor for the auction. He was weighing whether to submit a bid in excess of the $110 million Brookfield had on the table, but had not decided by early Wednesday.

Brookfield owns the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and the Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The company's website says it is a global firm with headquarters in Toronto, with $200 billion in assets under management.

Revel closed on Sept. 2 after just over two years of operation. It is one of four Atlantic City casinos to shut down so far this year as the seaside gambling market continues to crumble. A fifth casino, the Trump Taj Mahal, may close on Nov. 13. So far, 8,000 casino workers here have lost their jobs.

The auction began Tuesday morning in the New York offices of Revel's bankruptcy attorneys, and quickly had to deal with some acrimony from Straub.

In a motion filed Monday but added to the court docket on Tuesday, Straub said revel reneged on a promise to share information on rival bids with him, and asked a bankruptcy court judge to compel the former casino's management to do so. He also wanted the auction halted for two days.

The court refused both requests, but scheduled an Oct. 20 hearing on his complaints.

Straub said he envisions using the sleek glass-covered tower as a so-called "genius academy" at which tenants would address the world's pressing problems. It may or may not have a casino, he said.

___

Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC

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N.Y. owner cuts deal to sell decrepit Charlestown marina

The Long Island, N.Y., owner of a derelict Charlestown marina just a few piers away from Old Ironsides has agreed to sell the defunct yacht basin and to pay a $250,000 penalty to settle a host of public safety and environmental violations, Attorney General Martha Coakley said yesterday.

Charles Lagasse Jr., owner of the Boston Yacht Haven on Commercial Wharf, is buying the Shipyard Quarters Marina and has agreed to return it to a functioning marina, according to Coakley.

"After suffering years of neglect, Shipyard Quarters Marina will no longer pose a threat to public safety," the attorney general said in a statement.

Lagasse could not be reached for comment. The marina's current owner, Martin Oliner, a New York lawyer and mayor of the Long Island village of Lawrence, did not return messages yesterday, nor did his attorney, Nicholas Carter.

"It's a great thing if it comes to pass," Charlestown resident and licensed taxi boat captain Charles Fluhr said yesterday.

Fluhr was so troubled by the marina's condition, particularly its decaying piers, that he wrote Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh in June warning they could become dangerous projectiles if dislodged in a hurricane.

The Department of Conservation in 2012 cited the marina for violations, ordering its owner to make repairs or face fines.

On Monday, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Fahey approved a consent judgment that forces Oliner to pay a $250,000 penalty within 21 days. He also faces another $200,000 fine if he does not meet certain deadlines.

Lagasse and his Charlestown Marina LLC also face a $250,000 penalty if he does not meet specified commitments to restore the marina.

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Asian stocks mostly lower after US declines

BANGKOK — Asian stocks were mostly lower Tuesday after Wall Street's losses overnight and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, a major financial center, added to worries about political risk.

KEEPING SCORE: Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index tumbled 1.2 percent to 22,945.80 points after protesters blocked streets in the business district. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 plunged 1.5 percent to 16,070.90 and China's Shanghai Composite Index was flat at 2,357.91. Sydney's S&P ASX 200 gained 0.2 percent to 5,275.60 while Seoul, Taipei, Singapore and New Zealand declined.

HONG KONG PROTESTS: Thousands of people have blocked streets in the territory's business district to protest government plans to require candidates in the territory's first election for its leader to be approved by a panel dominated by business leaders who support the communist mainland government. Some banks and schools closed temporarily and some public transit was suspended but analysts say they see no large-scale impact yet on the territory's economy.

JAPAN: Government data showed Japan's industrial output fell by 1.5 percent in August, much weaker than the modest increase expected by forecasters. Wage growth slowed to 1.4 percent over a year earlier from the previous month's 2.4 percent. Analyst Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics said the labor market is likely to weaken further and earnings growth could settle at about 1 percent.

UKRAINE UNREST: Ukraine suffered its deadliest violence in more than a week as fighting in the east between pro-Russian rebels and government troops killed at least 12 people and wounded 32. That came despite a Sept. 5 cease-fire agreement and assurances by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko last week that "the most dangerous part of the war" is over.

THE QUOTE: "U.S. stocks fell overnight against a geopolitical backdrop that was worsened by the ongoing protests in Hong Kong and the highest casualty count in Ukraine since a ceasefire was agreed upon," said Desmond Chua of CMC Markets in a report.

WALL STREET: Stocks slid in choppy trading amid concern about Hong Kong and high equity prices. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.2 percent and the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index ended down 0.3 percent. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1 percent.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude shed 23 cents to $94.34. The contract lost 3 cents on Monday to close at $94.57.

CURRENCY: The dollar declined to 109.31 yen from Monday's 109.40 while the euro was steady at $1.269.

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The Ticker

Mass. colleges get $22.5M for job training

A consortium of community colleges led by Massasoit Community College in Canton will receive 
$22.5 million in federal job training funds, as Vice President Joe Biden yesterday announced almost a half-billion dollars of grants yesterday to community colleges working with employers.

Linking training to industry demand is key to the Obama administration's strategy for improving wages and reducing unemployment. The Bay State training program will focus on science and technology with Massasoit receiving the largest grant of $7.6 million.

A Maryland program will receive $15 million to work with companies like Raytheon and IBM to train workers with little education for jobs in cybersecurity or information technology. Schools in Kentucky will get $10 million to expand online learning for degrees in computer and medical fields.

Bank of America to pay $7.65M 
to SEC for overstating capital

The Securities and Exchange Commission says Bank of America will pay $7.65 million to settle allegations that it overstated how much capital it had on its books. Bank of America Corp. said in April that it had made an error in how it how it valued securities obtained in its acquisition of Merrill Lynch during the financial crisis in 2009. Banks are required to have enough capital on hand to protect them against adverse market conditions. The SEC says Bank of America overstated the amount of capital it had on hand. It says that overstatement eventually reached the billions.

Today

 Standard & Poor's releases S&P Case-Shiller index of home prices for July.

 The Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for September.

TOMORROW

 Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for September.

 Commerce Department releases construction spending for August.

THE SHUFFLE

Laura Spressert has joined the Boston office of commercial real estate services firm Avison Young as vice president of marketing. Spressert will direct Avison Young's marketing, public relations and branding efforts throughout Greater Boston. Prior to joining Avison Young, Spressert served as director of marketing for Colliers International's Boston office.

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Baxter opening big lab in Cambridge

Baxter International Inc. yesterday announced plans to open a global innovation and research-and-development center in Kendall Square and move 400 employees there from California and Europe.

The Illinois-based company expects to open the first phase of the 200,000-square-foot space it's leased at 650 E. Kendall St. later this year and will continue to move work to the new facility over the next two years.

"Critical elements to our success as an independent biopharmaceuticals company will be our ability to accelerate innovation, optimize R&D productivity and deliver on our promise to patients," Ludwig Hantson, president of Baxter BioScience, said in a statement. "Joining this unmatched biotech community is an important step."

Baxter BioScience develops treatments for people with rare conditions, chronic diseases or limited treatment options. It has a broad pipeline built on innovation in bleeding disorders and immunology, and is expanding to address emerging opportunities in niche areas of oncology.

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Fighting diseases via genome editing

The human body is pretty great, but it could use a few tweaks from time to time.

That's the philosophy of a group of scientists developing a way to edit genomes, a cutting-edge field that could be the answer to many significant diseases and help researchers better understand the human body.

Thanks to these discoveries, scientists can now replace specific parts of the DNA of cells, making a disease weaker or a person less susceptible to the disease, for example. In the case of HIV, which is unable to infect people without a specific protein, genome editing can modify the specific part of the genome so the person no longer produces the protein and the person can no longer be infected with HIV.

"We take out cells, correct it ... and put the cell back into the person," said Feng Zhang, a researcher at the Broad Institute in Cambridge. "It's a biotechnology that allows us to go into the genome, the DNA of a cell, and make very exact changes within the DNA."

It is process that can take weeks, requiring the removal of — in the case of HIV — all of the blood cells so the change can be made to the cells.

Zhang said sickle cell anemia is another disease that could be tackled by genome editing, but any virus — including Ebola — that has a mutation that can be exploited at the genetic level could be addressed by the process.

He is credited with developing CRISPR, a new method of genome editing that his colleagues say made the practice dramatically more widespread.

"Any lab with any biological expertise can do it," said Charles Gersbach of Duke University, who is studying genome editing for genetic diseases.

By breaking the DNA in a specific place, the cell's self-repair mechanism is triggered, but instead of reforming the same DNA sequence, CRISPR provides a new template.

"When you make a cut in the region you want to fix, you can fool the cell into putting in the right information," Zhang said.

Genome editing could also have massive implications for the understanding of the human body. While the human genome has been completely mapped, there are still many aspects that scientists don't understand, Gersbach said.

"We still don't know what most of that sequence means," he said. "You want to treat it like a machine and start disconnecting different parts."

It also could be used to make plants more resistant to diseases or change the immune system in pigs so organs can be used in humans.

"There should be discussion around what can and can't be done," Gersbach said. "That can has been opened, and now we have to figure out what to do with it."

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Connectivity offered once in a Blumoo

Blumoo ($129.99 & up, various retailers)

These days it seems like everything wants to be a remote, but nothing works just right.

Is Blumoo the solution?

The good: Blumoo is simple to connect to your iOS or Android mobile device, and it streams audio services like a breeze via Bluetooth and infrared signals.

From iTunes to Spotify to Pandora to your home theatre, this attractive little device controls your entire living room.

Blumoo really does allow you to lose your remote and never think twice. It supports a whopping 200,000 devices.

The bad: The app is nothing to write home about, but it gets the job done.

Bottom line: If you're tired of that collection of remotes cluttering your coffee table, Blumoo is worth the investment.

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Pediatricians urge IUDs or implants for teen girls

CHICAGO — Teen girls who have sex should use IUDs or hormonal implants — long-acting birth control methods that are effective, safe and easy to use, the nation's most influential pediatricians' group recommends.

In an updated policy, the American Academy of Pediatrics says condoms also should be used every time teens have sex, to provide protection against sexually transmitted diseases that other forms of birth control don't provide, and to boost chances of preventing pregnancy.

Condoms alone are the most common birth control choice among teens, but with typical use they're among the least effective methods at preventing pregnancy. Both long-acting methods are nearly 100 percent effective, with lower failure rates than birth control pills, patches and injections, the academy says.

IUDs and hormonal implants cost more, usually hundreds of dollars, because inserting them involves a medical procedure typically done in doctors' offices. But they're less expensive in the long run than over-the-counter condoms or prescription birth control pills, said Dr. Mary Ott, an adolescent medicine specialist and associate pediatrics professor at Indiana University. She is the policy statement's lead author,

Teens have to remember to use pills and condoms consistently. By contrast, IUDs typically work for three to 10 years after insertion, while implants typically last three years.

The new guidance was published Monday in Pediatrics. It echoes 2012 recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The policy emphasizes that abstinence is 100 percent effective at preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and says pediatricians should encourage teens to delay sexual activity "until they are ready." But since many teens don't heed that advice, the policy also says pediatricians need to provide birth control guidance.

IUDs — intrauterine devices — are small, T-shaped devices containing hormones or copper that are inserted into the womb to prevent pregnancy. Hormone-containing birth control implants are matchstick-size plastic rods placed under the skin of the upper arm.

"All methods of hormonal birth control are safer than pregnancy," Ott said.

These include pills, patches and injections.

The academy's new advice updates a 2007 birth control policy that didn't recommend specific methods other than condom use.

For the first time, the new policy addresses obese teens because pediatricians are seeing increasing numbers of patients whose excess weight may affect birth control effectiveness, Ott said. For example, hormonal patches may be less effective in girls weighing more than 198 pounds, the policy says. Also, obese girls are more likely to gain weight with hormonal injections than with birth control pills.

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Online:

American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: http://www.acog.org

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AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner

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Groceries from local producers

There's a new player in the grocery delivery game, and it's mixing the tech-savvy of Instacart, local sourcing of Whole Foods and low prices to attract Hub consumers.

It's called Watershed Exchange and was launched this month.

"The way we differentiate ourselves from everyone else, is that we want to be a platform for local producers to sell direct to consumers. It's taking a farmer's market to another level. Why shouldn't you be able to access farmed products seven days a week 24 hours a day?" said Ryan Schoen, 32. He and Jeremy Stanfield, 34, came up with the idea while living in New York and working in operations for upscale grocer Dean & DeLuca. They greenlighted the idea in April, raised about $200,000 from angel investors in August and officially launched Watershed Exchange.

Here's how it works: Consumers order food from such vendors as Red's Best Seafood in Boston, or Maple Heights Farm in Westminster from Watershed's mobile-enabled website and then set a delivery window, typically between noon and 5 p.m.

Anything Watershed can't source directly is fulfilled by Pemberton Farms in Cambridge — mainly items such as beer, wine and spirits as the startup doesn't have a liquor license.

When they do source items that are not local, such as oranges, avocados or coffee, their aim is to use Fair Trade products.

"This (service) appeals to anyone who wants to connect more with their food," said Stanfield.

Schoen and Stanfield fill the orders and deliver the goods themselves in a custom bright blue and wood paneled refurbished school bus. So far, they've delivered more than 100 orders in their first three weeks.

Convenient, tech-savvy, local — but how are the prices?

Right now they have fresh Cape Cod scallops on their site for $13-per-lb. vs. Costco's $18-per-lb. frozen. They also have local apples for $1 per lb. "You shouldn't have to pay a premium for convenience," said Schoen.

Local farmers and artisans get 75 cents on the dollar versus the industry standard of 20 cents.

Chalk it up to seriously low overhead. Technology handles most of the transaction, there's no expensive real estate, store front, food waste, register clerks, shelf stockers, etc. And they reduce the distribution cost by dealing directly with the artisan.

"We are trying to create an alternative system to other food delivery services where it's better for the producer of the food to communicate their products directly to the consumer," said Schoen.

Delivery areas include Boston, Metro West, Somerville and Cambridge, with a plan to expand to more communities. The delivery is free for September but will be $5-$10 after the introductory promotion is over.

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APP helps EMTs alert hospitals

For emergency medical technicians, every bit of information can be the difference between life and death.

A MassChallenge finalist called Twiage has developed a mobile app that can help. With just the touch of a button or voice-activated Google Glass, EMTs can use the app to send hospitals videos of patients and any injuries, voice memos with their symptoms and vital signs, and electrocardiograms, or EKGs, a test that checks for problems with the electrical activity of the heart.

All of the information is then pre-transcribed on a dashboard for doctors and nurses to see before patients arrive at the hospital.

"With a two-way radio, 20 percent of the time the hospital couldn't hear what I was saying, so they couldn't prepare for the patient until we arrived," said Crystal Law, an MIT-trained engineer and former EMT. "I thought, what if we could use the technology people use today for fun, for something as important as an emergency?"

Law teamed up with Dr. YiDing Yu, a Harvard physician, and John Rodley, an Android and Google Glass developer, to found Twiage, one of 128 finalists now competing for a share of more than $1 million in prize money through the MassChallenge start-up accelerator.

For the past two months, the app has been tested by South Shore Hospital and three paramedics, with plans to expand it to more, said Eugene Duffy, emergency medical services manager.

"It's been fantastic," Duffy said. "The quality of information coming from ambulances now is second to none."

Dr. William Tollefsen, the hospital's medical director of emergency medical services, said Twiage has proven especially useful in cases such as acute stroke, where doctors have only a 4 1⁄2-hour window from the time a patient was last seen normal to administer a "clot-busting" drug to prevent damage such as loss of speech or the ability to walk.

"The faster I can get information like the severity of the symptoms and the last time the patient appeared normal, the faster I can activate a neurologist, nurses and a pharmacist," Tollefsen said. "It can make all the difference between a good outcome and results that can be catastrophic."

Twiage also can save hospitals thousands of dollars in false alarms and save patients and their insurers thousands more in unnecessarily long hospitalizations, Law said.

Advance notification of a stroke, for example, can allow hospitals to prepare and reduce the cost of hospitalization by half, or by $10,000, said Dr. Yu, Twiage's chief medical officer.

Twiage will be offering the app to five other hospitals through the end of this year, Law said, and it will be available to all hospitals for a subscription fee by next summer.

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Jeep’s brake rotors seem to be failing at warp speed

I have a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 160,000 miles on it. The problem is with the brake rotors warping. Every time I've had the brakes worked on, they start to pulsate again after a few thousand miles. Last time the dealer installed new pads and rotors, but the same thing happened. Are there certain types of rotors or pads I can use to prevent this?

First, let's review the primary causes of brake rotor warping — excessive heat or manufacturing defect. Seems unlikely you and the many other Jeep owners who've complained about the same problem would continually get faulty replacement rotors.

Thus, focus on excess heat. If a driver consistently brakes late and hard for stops or drags the brakes while driving, the heat buildup in the rotors can eventually cause distortion, uneven wear and warpage. Always brake early and brake lightly whenever possible. And here's a little tip. Once stopped for a light, let the car roll a foot or so forward to move the pads off the "hot spot" on the rotor. During a long stop, do this a couple of times — safely, of course. This reduces "heat soak" in the rotors, where one section is significantly hotter than the rest of the rotor.

Design, manufacturing and mechanical issues can certainly contribute to warped rotors. Undersized calipers and rotors may not be able to dissipate heat fast enough during aggressive braking to prevent eventual warpage. Better quality replacement rotors and pads may help this type of issue. If a mechanical or hydraulic issue is preventing the brake proportioning valve or rear brakes from doing their share, the front brakes can be overworked and overheated in "normal" driving.

Sticky caliper pistons and/or binding caliper slider pins are a primary cause of rotor warpage and uneven rotor wear. An often overlooked cause for warped rotors is improper or uneven torque on the wheel lug nuts. Always — every single time — make sure the wheels are tightened in a symmetrical order in stages to the proper torque specification. Similarly, rust or corrosion between the hub face and rotor can lead to uneven brake wear.

Remember, you will feel a vibration in the pedal or steering wheel when rotors have much more than two-thousandths of an inch of lateral run-out — that's .002"!

A final thought. Proper rotor and pad "bedding" or break-in when new can significantly affect brake performance and life expectancy. Here's how I do it: Find a lightly traveled 45- to 50-mph road. With no vehicles behind you, accelerate up to 45 mph, then brake very firmly down to rolling speed. Repeat this a few times until you smell the tinge of brake heat or feel the beginning of brake fade. Then just cruise along at the speed limit, allowing the brakes to cool back to normal temperature. This process "beds" the brakes, making the pad and rotor surfaces "happy" with each other. Once properly bedded, the brakes should perform well for their full service life.

Need some advice for my daughter and her husband. They bought a 2006 Nissan 350Z — smart folks, 'cause they won't let me drive it. No problems with it, but a headlight quit working. The Nissan dealer wants $1,300 to replace it. Any comment or suggestions? This seems sort of excessive.

I'd suggest that you offer a much less expensive fix in exchange for driving privileges! According to my Alldata automotive database, this Nissan is fitted with xenon HID headlamps. Nissan service bulletin NTB10-061A dated June 2010 suggests that a failed headlamp bulb, about $180, or HID control unit, $400-$500, is the most likely cause of an inoperative headlight. Even with an hour or so of labor, that's a far cry from $1,300 to replace the entire headlight assembly. There's a very good chance you can solve the problem, save them money and, most important, end up with driving privileges! Remember, I'm an instructor for the Skip Barber Racing School — you'd have lots of fun learning how to properly drive that performance car!

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@
startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number.

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