A weekly collection of design, data and interactive links.
Design/Data viz
Commoditized Warfare | Part of Yosuke Ushigome's Commoditised Warfare series.
Confusion of the Stars | Soviet Lithuanian children's book illustration.
Patatap | Visualize sounds with your keyboard.
Cyber Warfare | Real-time map.
Flipboard Design Process | A look at how Flipboard automates its layouts.
Photo/Video
Romain Laurent | Animated photography.
Nintendo History | A look at Nintendo's 124-year history.
Point Cloud City | Google Street View depth map and openFrameworks.
Crazy Furniture | Making classroom furniture go crazy.
See last week's links
Have a nice weekend!
@dubly and @talyellin
5 Best Transportation Stocks To Invest In Right Now: The Greenbrier Companies Inc (GBX)
The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (Greenbrier), formerly Greenbrier Oregon, Inc., incorporated on October 24, 2005, are the designers, manufacturers and marketers of railroad freight car equipment in North America and Europe, a manufacturer and marketer of ocean-going marine barges in North America and a provider of wheel services, railcar refurbishment and parts, leasing and other services to the railroad and related transportation industries in North America. The Company operates in three business segments: Manufacturing; Wheel Services, Refurbishment & Parts; and Leasing & Services.
The Manufacturing segment, operating from facilities in the United States, Mexico and Poland, produces double-stack intermodal railcars, conventional railcars, tank cars and marine vessels.
The Wheel Services, Refurbishment & Parts segment performs wheel, axle and bearing servicing; railcar repair, refurbishment and maintenance activities; as well as production and reconditioning of a variety of parts for the railroad industry in North America. The Leasing & Services segment owns approximately 11,000 railcars and provides management services for approximately 219,000 railcars for railroads, shippers, carriers, institutional investors and other leasing and transportation companies in North America. The Company produces rail castings through an unconsolidated joint venture.
Manufacturing
The Manufacturing segment manufactures a broad array of railcar types in North America which includes railcar types other than coal cars. The primary products offered by the Company include Intermodal Railcars, Conventional Railcars, Tank Cars, European Railcar Manufacturing and Marine Vessel Fabrication. The Company manufactures a range of intermodal railcars. The important intermodal product is articulated double-stack railcar. The double-stack railcar is designed to transport containers stacked two-high on a single platform. The Company produces a range of boxcars, which are used in t! he transport of forest products, automotive, perishables, general merchandise and commodities. It also produces covered hopper cars for the grain, energy, sand and cement industries as well as gondolas for the steel and metals markets and various other conventional railcar types, including Auto-Max car.
The Company�� European manufacturing operation produces a variety of railcar (wagon) types, including a line of pressurized tank cars for liquid petroleum gas and ammonia and non-pressurized tank cars for light oil, chemicals and other products. It also produces flat cars, coil cars for the steel and metals market, coal cars for both the continental European and United Kingdom markets, gondolas, sliding wall cars and automobile transporter cars.
The Company�� Portland, manufacturing facility, located on a deep-water port on the Willamette River, includes marine vessel fabrication capabilities. It manufactures range of Jones Act ocean-going and river barges for transporting merchandise between ports within the U.S. including conventional deck barges, double-hull tank barges, railcar/deck barges, barges for aggregates and other heavy industrial products and dump barges. It focuses on the ocean-going vessels and coal carrying river barges although the facility has the capability to compete in other marine related products.
Wheel Services, Refurbishment and Parts.
Wheel Services, Railcar Repair, Refurbishment and Component Parts Manufacturing segment operates in the independent wheel services, repair, refurbishment and component parts networks in North America, operating in 39 locations. The wheel shops, operating in 12 locations, provide complete wheel services including reconditioning of wheels, axles and roller bearings in addition to new axle machining and finishing and axle downsizing. Its network of railcar repair and refurbishment shops, operating in 23 locations, performs heavy railcar repair and refurbishment, as well as routi! ne railca! r maintenance. It is engaged in the repair and refurbishment of railcars for third parties, as well as of its own leased and managed fleet. Its component parts facilities, operating in four locations, recondition railcar cushioning units, couplers, yokes, side frames, bolsters and various other parts. It also produces roofs, doors and associated parts for boxcars.
Leasing and Services
Leasing-The Company offers flexible financing programs including operating leases and by the mile leases to the customers . The Company leases are full service leases whereby the Company is responsible for maintenance and administration. Maintenance of the fleet is provided, in part, through its own facilities and engineering and technical staff.
Management Services- management services business offers a broad array of software and services that include railcar maintenance management, railcar accounting services, such as billing and revenue collection, car hire receivable and payable administration, total fleet management including railcar tracking using software, administration and railcar remarketing. The Company provide management services for a fleet of approximately 230,000 railcars for railroads, shippers, carriers, institutional investors and other leasing and transportation companies in North America.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Top Headline
The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) reported a 13% gain in its fiscal second-quarter earnings. Greenbrier's quarterly profit surged to $15.6 million, or $0.50 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $13.8 million, or $0.45 per share. Excluding one-time items, it earned $0.51 per share. Its revenue climbed 88% to $502.2 million. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.60 per share on revenue of $508.69 million. - [By Dan Caplinger]
Finally, Greenbrier (NYSE: GBX ) fell more than 4% after beating earnings estimates, but falling well short on overall sales. The railroad-services company said that deliveries fell 27% during the quarter, leading to a decline in revenue of nearly 8%. Perhaps, more importantly, Greenbrier shareholders seemed dissatisfied with the way the company has moved forward after rejecting a merger bid with American Railcar Industries (NASDAQ: ARII ) that activist investor Carl Icahn had tried to broker. Even with expectations of better sales ahead and a cheap valuation, Greenbrier can't seem to inspire confidence among investors.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc(TMO)
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. provides analytical instruments, equipment, reagents and consumables, software, and services for research, manufacture, analysis, discovery, and diagnostics. Its Analytical Technologies segment offers analytical instruments to analyze prepared samples, software interpretation tools, laboratory information management systems, and laboratory automation systems; environmental instruments and integrated systems for environmental monitoring, safety, and security applications; and process instruments, integrated systems, and measurement solutions. It also provides diagnostics products used in healthcare laboratories to prepare and analyze patient samples; and biosciences products comprising reagents and consumables used in life science research, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical production. The company?s Laboratory Products and Services segment offers laboratory equipment, including sample preparation, environment storage and handling equipment, and laboratory workstations; laboratory consumables; research market solutions consisting of chemicals, instruments and apparatus, liquid handling pumps and devices, and capital equipment and consumables; and healthcare market products comprising analytical equipment, diagnostic tools, and reagents and consumables. It also provides workplace and first responder equipment, protective gear, and apparel; and packaging, warehousing, distribution, labeling, pharmaceutical and biospecimen storage, and analytical laboratory services in the area of drug discovery and pharmaceutical clinical trials. The company serves pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions, government agencies, and environmental and industrial process control settings primarily in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Top Headline
General Electric Co (NYSE: GE) announced its plans to acquire some assets from Thermo Fisher (NYSE: TMO) for around $1.06 billion. - [By Sean Williams]
Two names worth considering here are Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO ) and Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN ) . Thermo Fisher makes the list as it's in the process of purchasing Life Technologies (NASDAQ: LIFE ) for $13.6 billion. In early 2012, Life Technologies introduced the Benchtop Ion Proton Sequencer, which is capable of delivering same-day genome results for just $1,000! Illumina, on the other hand, has researchers' bases covered from all ends. It offers four high-end sequencing machines, a lower-priced sequencer (MiSeq), and can handle cloud-based data to formulate decoding. These two companies could be the cornerstone of nCoV research!
- [By Rich Smith]
The�megabillion-dollar buyout�of Life Technologies (NASDAQ: LIFE ) by Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO ) grabbed a lot of headlines earlier this week. Fool contributor Rich Smith, however, has a different story to tell.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Daimler AG (DAI)
Daimler AG (Daimler), incorporated on May 6, 1998, develops, manufactures, distributes and sells a range of automotive products, mainly passenger cars, trucks, vans and buses. It also provides financial and other services relating to its automotive businesses. The Company offers its automotive products and related financial services primarily in Western Europe and in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region, which consists of the United States, Canada and Mexico. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company derived approximately 46% of its revenue from sales in Western Europe and 21% from sales in the United States. It operates in five segments: Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services. Its other business interests consist primarily of its equity investments in the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (EADS) and in Tognum AG. In October 2009, Deutsche Bank AG completed the disposal of its interest in the Company. In June 2011, Daimler AG and Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC had secured around 94% interest in Tognum AG-DJ.
Mercedes-Benz Cars
Mercedes-Benz Cars designs, produces and sells Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, Maybach luxury sedans and smart micro compact passenger cars. During 2009, Mercedes-Benz Cars contributed approximately 51% of the Company�� revenue. The Company offers Mercedes-Benz passenger cars with a range of diesel and gasoline engines. Under the AMG brand, it offers versions of Mercedes-Benz vehicles with V8 or V12 engines in all classes, except in the A-, B-, R-, GL- and GLK-Classes. The Mercedes-Benz passenger car product range consists of S-Class, E-Class, C-Class, A-/B-Classes and ML-/R-/G-/GL-/GLK-Classes.
The S-Class is a line of luxury sedans, which are available in short and long wheelbase versions. In June 2009, the Company introduced a new generation of the S-Class sedans, including a hybrid version, the new S 400 BlueHYBRID. The S-Class sed! ans are complemented by the CL, a top-of-the-line two-door coupe, and the SL, a luxury roadster. The E-Class is a line of luxury sedans, coupes, convertibles and station wagons. It also offers the CLS, a four-door coupe based on the E-Class. The C-Class is a line of compact luxury sedans and station wagons. The CLC Sports Coupe and the SLK, a two-seat roadster, complement the C-Class product family.
The A-Class is a front wheel drive compact and the B-Class is a front wheel drive 4-door Compact Sports Tourer (CST). The Company does not offer the A- and B-Classes in the United States. The ML-Class is a line of sport utility vehicles with permanent all-wheel drive. The R-Class is a line of SUV Tourers, which is available in a short and a long wheelbase version. The GL-Class is a line of seven seat luxury sport utility vehicles. The GLK-Class is a line of compact sport utility vehicles. The G-Class is a line of cross country vehicles with permanent four-wheel drive that come in a short and a long wheelbase version, and as a convertible. Under the Maybach brand, the Company offers a line of luxury sedans with outstanding luxury, comfort, and individuality. Maybach sedans are available in a short and a long wheelbase version, including the Maybach 57S and 62S as sportier variations. The smart brand represents a micro compact car concept. It offers two models, the smart fortwo coupe and the smart fortwo cabrio.
Daimler Trucks
Daimler Trucks manufactures and sells trucks and specialty vehicles under the brand names Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses and Fuso. During 2009, Daimler Trucks contributed approximately 21% of its revenue. During 2009, the Company ceased production of trucks under the Sterling brand name. The Company�� European Mercedes-Benz truck lines consist of the Actros and the Axor in the heavy-duty category, the Atego in the medium-duty category, and the specialty vehicles Econic and Zetros. The Unimog, a four-wheel drive ve! hicle for! special purpose applications, complements the line-up. In Turkey and Brazil, it manufactures heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks for the respective local and certain export markets. Its Mercedes-Benz trucks range from 6 metric tons gross vehicle weight (GVW) to 41 metric tons GVW.
The Company�� United States subsidiary, Daimler Trucks North America LLC, manufactures trucks and buses (based on truck chassis) in Classes 3 through 8 (from 9,000 lbs. GVW to 160,000 lbs. GVW) and sells them under the Freightliner, Western Star, and Thomas Built Buses brand names, primarily in the NAFTA region. It also manufactures chassis for trucks, buses, walk-in vans and motor homes in Classes 3 through 7 (from 10,000 lbs. GVW to 33,000 lbs. GVW). During 2009, Freightliner introduced a new version of the Coronado, an on-highway truck. It Japan-based subsidiary, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), offers a truck portfolio and several bus lines, primarily for the Japanese and other Asian markets. The line-up includes the Canter trucks (light-duty), the Fighter trucks (medium-duty) and the Super Great trucks (heavy-duty) and also certain bus models (Rosa and Aero). MFTBC also sells trucks in Africa, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States.
Mercedes-Benz Vans
Mercedes-Benz Vans designs, manufactures and sells vans under the brand names Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner. During 2009, Mercedes-Benz Vans contributed approximately 8% of its revenue. The Company offers three lines of Mercedes-Benz vans between 1.9 metric tons (t) and 7.5t gross vehicle weight (GVW): the Vario, the Vito/Viano and the Sprinter. In the NAFTA region it sells the Sprinter under the Freightliner brand name and, since January 1, 2010, also under the Mercedes-Benz brand name. As of December 31, 2009, subsidiaries of Chrysler Holding LLC sold the Sprinter in the United States under the Dodge and Freightliner brand names, and in Canada under the Dodge brand name.
Daimler Buse! s
!
Daimler Buses is a global supplier in the worldwide bus market. During 2009, Daimler Buses contributed approximately 5% of the Company�� revenue. Its product portfolio includes city buses, coaches, intercity buses, midi buses and bus chassis. It sells complete buses under the Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands in Europe, under the Mercedes-Benz brand name in Mexico, and under the Setra and Orion brand names in the United States and Canada. In addition, Daimler Buses produces and sells worldwide a range of bus chassis under the brand name Mercedes-Benz.
Daimler Financial Services
The Company�� financial services activities contributed approximately 15% of its revenue during 2009. It consists principally of financing and leasing services supporting its Mercedes-Benz and other vehicle businesses. The financial services the Company offers consist mainly of customized financing and leasing packages for its retail and wholesale customers in the automotive sector. It also provides financing to its dealers for vehicle inventory and property, plant and equipment purchases, and it offers insurance brokerage and fleet management services, including dealer property and casualty insurance. In Germany, the Company operates a licensed bank, the Mercedes-Benz Bank. The Mercedes-Benz Bank offers financial services to its customers and employees in Germany. These services include leasing and sales financing services, car savings plans, credit cards and demand deposit accounts. In addition, the Mercedes-Benz Bank operates branches in Great Britain and Spain to refinance the local dealer portfolios.
The Company competes with BMW, Volkswagen, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, PSA, Renault, Tata Motors, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, Scania, Iveco, Volvo, DAF, Navistar International, Paccar, Hino, Isuzu, MAN Commercial Vehicles, Irisbus and Agrale.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Namitha Jagadeesh]
Herro�� fund has beaten 96 percent of its peers in the last five years, data compiled by Bloomberg show. He owns shares in Daimler AG (DAI), the Stuttgart, Germany-based maker of luxury cars, and Fiat Industrial SpA (FI), the maker of commercial and agriculture vehicles spun off from Fiat SpA in 2011.
- [By Tom Stoukas]
BMW fell 1.6 percent to 71.29 euros. Daimler AG (DAI), the world�� third-largest maker of luxury vehicles, slipped 1.6 percent to 51.92 euros. Preferred shares of Volkswagen AG (VOW) fell 1.2 percent to 172.10 euros. Continental AG, Europe�� second-largest auto-parts supplier, lost 1.9 percent to 114.20 euros. A gauge of automakers was the worst performer among the 19 industry groups on the Stoxx Europe 600 Index.
- [By Jonathan Morgan]
Daimler AG (DAI), the world�� third-largest maker of luxury cars, lost 1.4 percent to 49.65 euros, falling for the first time in seven days. Volkswagen AG (VOW), Europe�� biggest automaker, slipped 1.3 percent to 171.60 euros.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Adams Golf Inc.(ADGF)
Adams Golf, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, assembles, markets, and distributes golf clubs for various skill levels primarily in the United States and internationally. Its products comprise Speedline Fast 12 drivers, Fast 12 LS drivers, Speedline Fast 12 fairway woods, Idea a12 OS irons and hybrids, Idea a12 hybrids, Idea Pro a12 irons and hybrids, Idea Tech V3 irons and hybrids, Redline irons, Idea a7 and a7 OS irons and hybrids, and Speedline 9088 UL drivers. It also develops products under the Yes! Putters, Women's Golf Unlimited, Lady Fairway, and Square 2 brands. In addition, it offers a range of golf bags, hats, and other accessories. The company sells its products to on- and off- course golf shops, sporting goods retailers, and mass merchants, as well as to international distributors. Adams Golf, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Plano, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Geoff Gannon]
Adams Golf (ADGF) was a net-net. It got bought out by Adidas. By the way, it�� not the only net-net to get bought out this year. Swank (SNKI) was also a net-net that looks like it�� going to be bought out. Last I heard, they received an alternative proposal during their ��o shop��period and haven�� acted on it. The Ben Graham: Net-Net Newsletter�� model portfolio doesn�� own either stock. Though we do own another net-net where a company in the same industry bought a block of shares. Who knows what that means. But clearly net-nets sometimes attract control buyers.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Rocket Fuel Inc (FUEL)
Rocket Fuel, Inc., incorporated on March 25, 2008, is a technology company that has developed an Artificial Intelligence and Big Data-driven predictive modeling and automated decision-making platform. Its technology is designed to address the needs of markets in which the volume and speed of information render real-time human analysis infeasible.
The Company�� Artificial Intelligence (AI), system autonomously purchases ad spots, or impressions, one at a time, on these exchanges to create portfolios of impressions designed to optimize the goals of Its advertisers, such as increased sales, heightened brand awareness and decreased cost per customer acquisition. Its solution is designed to optimize both direct-response campaigns focused on generating specific consumer purchases or responses, as well as brand campaigns geared towards lifting brand metrics.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
Cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE) and advertising technology company Rocket Fuel Inc. (NASDAQ: FUEL) both launched initial public offerings Friday morning, and both are posting share price gains of more than 90%.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Northwest Pipe Company (NWPX)
Northwest Pipe Company manufactures and markets large-diameter, high-pressure steel pipeline systems for use in water infrastructure applications, primarily related to drinking water systems. Its pipeline systems are also used for hydroelectric power systems, wastewater systems, and other applications. The company also manufactures smaller diameter, electric resistance welded steel pipes and other welded steel pipe products for use in a range of applications, including energy, construction, agriculture, industrial, and traffic signpost systems. In addition, it manufactures products for various structural piling applications and in-plant pipeline systems for power plants and other industrial applications. The company sells its water transmission products to public water agencies directly or through installation contractors; and tubular products to distributors and original equipment manufacturers through a network of direct sales force personnel and sales agents in the Unit ed States and Canada. Northwest Pipe Company was founded in 1966 and is based in Vancouver, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Aaron Levitt]
Enter Northwest Pipe (NWPX).
NWPX is the leading supplier of high-pressure steel pipe used in wastewater, hydroelectric power and potable drinking water applications. While Northwest�� steel pipes are more expensive to install and use than similar concrete ones, water authorities in dryer climates prefer them as they have zero evaporation rises.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Maximus Inc (MMS)
MAXIMUS, Inc., incorporated on October 18, 2007, provides business process services (BPS) to government health and human services agencies under its mission of Helping Government Serve the People. The Company is primarily focused on operating government-sponsored programs, such as Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), health insurance exchanges and other health care reform initiatives, Medicare, welfare-to-work, child support services and other government programs.
The Company is one of the pure-play health and human services administrative providers to governments in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The Company�� segments include Health Services and Human Services. Effective July 1, 2013, MAXIMUS, Inc. acquired Health Management Ltd.
Health Services Segment
The Company's Health Services segment provides a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services, for state, provincial and federal government programs, including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and Health Insurance BC (British Columbia). In this segment, the Company's BPS and consulting services include government health insurance program administration; Health insurance program eligibility and enrollment services to improve access to health care for citizens and help beneficiaries make the best choice for their health insurance coverage; Eligibility and enrollment modernization for government health benefit programs; Health insurance exchange design and operations; Consumer outreach and education, including multilingual customer contact centers and multi-channel self-service options, such as Web-based portals, for easy enrollment; Application assistance and independent enrollment counseling to beneficiaries; Premium payment processing and administration, such as invoicing and reconciliation; Objective, evidence-based health appeals; Independent medical! reviews; Health plan oversight; eHealth solutions with the Medigent product suite; Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) planning and oversight, and Specialized program consulting services.
Human Services Segment
The Company's Human Services segment provides federal, national, state and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education and K-12 special education programs. The Company's services include welfare-to-work services, including eligibility determination, case management, job-readiness preparation, job search and employer outreach, job retention and career advancement, and selected educational and training services, to help disadvantaged individuals transition from government assistance programs to sustainable employment and economic independence; Full and specialized child support case management services, customer contact center operations, and program and systems consulting services; Management tools and professional consulting services for higher education institutions; K-12 special education case management solutions; Program consulting services, including independent verification and validation, cost allocation plans, repeatable management services and other specialized consulting offerings, and Tax credit and employer services.
The Company competes with Serco, Atos Origin and Ingeus.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Michael Flannelly]
Analysts at Jefferies initiated coverage on business process services provider Maximus Inc. (MMS) late on Thursday, giving the stock a bullish rating because it has several competitive advantages and should benefit from the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
The analysts rate MMS as “Buy” and see shares reaching $47. This price target suggests a 20% upside to the stock’s Thursday closing price of $39.14.
“MMS is a leading government outsourced contractor that produces consistently strong results,” Jefferies analyst David Styblo commented. “The company has several competitive advantages and is highly focused on health and human service projects. This positions MMS to enjoy multi-year growth from the ACA and other opportunities with limited risk. The company’s predictable business model, solid balance sheet, and EPS visibility into FY2014 also support a Buy and $47 PT.”
Maximus shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Friday. The stock is up 23.83% year-to-date.
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