GM recalls 92K trucks, SUVs for ignition lock defect

DETROIT — General Motors is recalling 92,221 full-size trucks and SUVs for a defect in ignition lock systems that can cause safety problems in hot conditions.

Thursday's recall covers certain 2011-2012-models and certain 2007-2014-models that were repaired with defective parts. The recall is for U.S., Canadian, Mexican and exported vehicles.

The affected models re Chevrolet Silverado light-duty and heavy-duty pickups; Avalanche, Tahoe and Suburban; GMC Sierra light duty and heavy-duty pickups; and Yukon and Yukon XL; Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT.

GM says the ignition lock actuators may be too wide, making turning the key difficult when it's hot inside the cab. No crashes or injuries have been reported.

Last year, GM recalled 2.6 million small cars for defective ignition switches, linked to at least 42 deaths and 58 injuries.

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Smart devices prey to hackers

An unprecedented boom in wearable technology and smart homes will make 2015 a year of huge rewards for American consumers — and terrifying opportunities for hackers.

Did you think North Korea's hack into Sony Pictures was bad? Try a hack of your insulin pump, your heart monitor, your light bulbs or your door locks.

Data thefts are about to hit us where we live. As sensors on your wrists and your walls become ubiquitous, the data derived from them is being collected and stored — and its security is about to be tested in a major way in 2015.

Central to the year's digital plot line is what is known as the Internet of Things — think of it as a revolution akin to the World Wide Web in the 1990s.

Instead of wiring computers together, we're wiring devices together, bringing online nearly everything that was previously inert.

Exhibit A: Google has acquired digital thermostat-maker Nest. Exhibit B: Apple's upcoming release of the iWatch.

From your thermostat to your health tracker, everything will start to have its own Internet protocol, or IP Address, starting this year.

The opportunities for the tech industry are huge.

Cable companies and wireless providers alike are trying to dominate in this space, offering monthly smart-home packages with huge install costs and monthly fees. But they'll fail.

What's likely to win out are the easy-setup piecemeal options that communicate well together. Those include the Philips Hue connected light bulbs, Microsoft's Kinect sensor, which straddles the line of smart home and fitness devices, the Apple HealthKit platform and, of course, Nest.

Eventually, smart home technology and wearables will work seamlessly together and you'll think of both as part of one big category, the Internet of Things.

But here's the spark that will ignite a revolution: The biggest providers of cloud computing, Amazon and Microsoft, have made it easier than ever for smaller startups to have the capability to analyze the reams of data coming from all those sensors.

Within the past several months, smaller companies have been able to take these massive quantities of intel — streams of data so big and so smart they're more like neural networks — and apply a type of artificial intelligence known as "machine learning" to them. That's when computers become so smart they program themselves.

That would usually take millions of dollars in capital investments. But advances in cloud computing mean the cost is close to zero.

In 2015, companies will start to be able to provide amazing services we can't even anticipate today, driving the entire smart home and health revolution forward and solidifying it as a central part of our consumer culture.

But as all this data is pulled and stored, access points for cyberattackers increase. And no matter what these companies tell you, our security capabilities have not caught up — and won't in 2015.

Devices that digitally secure your home may seem smart now, but what if a state-sponsored group implanted them with a virus programmed to lay dormant until one day it unlocks all the homes in a particular city? Or those smart thermostats that provide great intel on when people are home and even in a particular room? They might give rise to smart burglars.

So while corporations are worried about being the next Sony Pictures, my concern for 2015 is an attack on the Internet of Things — the digital epitome of a double-edged sword.

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US stocks post sixth straight year of gains

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks ended a strong 2014 with moderate declines Wednesday.

Even with the losses, the Standard & Poor's 500 index finished the year up 11.4 percent, or 13.7 percent when dividends are included. It was the sixth straight year of gains for the stock market.

Oil, by contrast, had its worst annual performance since 2008, ending down 45 percent for 2014 after a sharp slump in the second half of the year.

The market's annual gain exceeded even most optimistic forecasts made at the beginning of the year.

"It turned out to be a great year for U.S. economic growth, which got us higher corporate profits as well," said Cameron Hinds, regional chief investment officer for Wells Fargo Private Bank.

Most strategists believe the stock market will also rise in 2015, but they expect more modest gains of between 4 percent and 6 percent.

There was no major catalyst for Wednesday's selling. Trading has been slow all week because of the holidays and most fund managers have closed their books for the year. However, some investors do reshuffle their portfolios in the last few days of the year for tax purposes.

Roughly 2.6 billion shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, compared with the 3.6 billion traded on an average day.

Energy stocks edged lower as the price of oil fell. Benchmark U.S. crude dropped 85 cents to $53.27 a barrel in New York. Oil has plunged by half since June amid abundant supplies and weak global demand.

Oil drillers fell the most Wednesday. Diamond Offshore was the biggest decliner in the S&P 500, declining 3.6 percent. The energy component of the S&P 500 is down 10 percent this year

"I think most of the selling you're seeing today is related to the fall in oil, as well as repositioning before the end of the year," Hinds said.

U.S. markets will be closed Thursday for New Year's Day and will reopen on a normal schedule on Friday.

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 160 points, or 0.9 percent, to 17,823.07. It ended 2014 up 7.5 percent, lagging behind the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.

The Nasdaq lost 41.39 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,736.05. The Nasdaq rose 13.4 percent in 2014.

The S&P 500 fell 21.45 points, or 1 percent, to 2,058.90.

Prices for U.S. government bonds rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged down to 2.17 percent. Bonds were an unexpected strong spot for the market in 2014. The 10-year note started 2014 at around 2.99 percent. Bond yields fall as prices rise.

Gold fell $16.30 to $1,184.10 an ounce. The precious metal barely budged in 2014, falling 0.2 percent, compared with its drop of 28.3 percent in 2013.

Silver fell 68 cents to $15.60 an ounce and copper fell three cents to $2.83 a pound.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

— Wholesale gasoline fell 1.8 cents to $1.435 a gallon.

— Heating oil fell 2.2 cents to close at $1.847 a gallon.

— Natural gas fell 20.5 cents to close at $2.889 per 1,000 cubic feet.

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Hasbro to replace penis-shaped Play-Doh toy

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — It was an embarrassing Christmas for Nivea Cabrera after she was accused by her fiance's mother of letting her 5-year-old granddaughter play with a sex toy. A mortified Carbrera asked the child where she got the penis-shaped plastic cylinder.

"It's from my Play-Doh," the girl replied.

Hasbro, the Pawtucket-based toy company, is now doing damage control over the extruder tool in its Play-Doh Cake Mountain toy. The two-piece syringe-like tool, which includes a tube with corkscrew-type ridges around the outside and a dome-shaped top with a hole at the tip, can be used to squeeze Play-Doh to look like decorative cake frosting.

Complaints have been surfacing since at least November, when Tulsa, Oklahoma, TV station KTUL showed the tool to parents and asked them what they thought. The station blurred the image of the tool during the piece, saying it was due to parents' reactions. One woman told the station it was "a pretty phallic cake-decorating piece."

After Christmas, comments started pouring in to Play-Doh's Facebook page, including from Cabrera, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She said Hasbro called her after she posted a photo of the tool and asked about the shape on Christmas Day. She said the company offered to send her a replacement tool in a different shape, which she has not received.

Erin Rivers, a mother of two from Melbourne, Florida, thought it was hilarious when she helped her 6-year-old daughter open the box.

"I pulled out this extruder tool, and I just started cracking up at it, I couldn't help it. Then I immediately put the Play-Doh in it and took a picture of," she said.

Then, she posted it on Facebook.

"My friends have just as dirty minds as I do," she said. "It was hysterical to me. And then I gave it my daughter to play with."

She said her daughter and 4-year-old son don't notice anything strange about the toy.

Hasbro Inc. has received thousands of comments on the Play-Doh Facebook page pointing out the obvious.

"We are in the process of updating all future Play-Doh products with a different tool," it said in a statement posted on the page Tuesday.

It also offered to replace the tool for anyone who has complaints.

Rivers, who works in a pediatric dental office, says she's not upset at all. But she is flabbergasted that the toy slipped past so many layers of people at Hasbro.

"They have to have someone who creates it, someone who makes the plastic mold, someone who plays with it," she said. "I can't imagine that as many people that probably saw the toy, not one person said, 'Does anyone else think this looks like a penis?'"

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Alert issued after likely HIV porn set infection

LOS ANGELES — California public health officials issued an alert Monday after finding "very strong evidence" that an adult film actor became infected with HIV as a result of unprotected sex on an out-of-state film shoot.

The Department of Public Health said the male actor tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS after engaging in unprotected sex with several other male actors during two separate film shoots. He had tested negative before the shoot.

"During the second film shoot, he had symptoms of a viral infection," the alert states. "The actor went to a clinic and had another blood test that showed he had recently become infected with HIV."

One actor from the second shoot has since tested positive for HIV. According to the health department, lab results indicate the first actor who tested positive "probably transmitted" HIV to the second.

A health department official was unable to immediately release further details regarding the lab testing and investigation. The alert notes that very early in an HIV infection, the test can be negative "even though the actor really does have HIV."

"In this case, the actor and production company thought he was HIV-negative during filming," the alert states. "Shortly after his negative test, HIV levels in his body rose rapidly to where he could infect other actors through unprotected sex.

A California-based trade group for the adult film industry declined to comment.

A health department official declined to release any information regarding when the transmission had taken place or which company it involved, citing privacy restrictions, but said the apparent transmission occurred in Nevada.

"It's happened before, it's happened now, and it will happen in the future," said Michael Weinstein, president of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "The big lie the industry has been saying all these years, there are no on-set transmissions, has been proven to be untrue."

The foundation championed an ordinance adopted by Los Angeles County voters in 2012 requiring actors in pornographic films to use condoms. The porn industry has fought the ordinance, saying having actors use condoms would interfere with a film's fantasy element by subjecting viewers to real-world concerns like pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

A federal appeals court recently ruled the ordinance does not violate First Amendment rights.

Several porn companies have moved shoots out of the county over the last two years in response to the ordinance. The number of porn filmmakers applying for permits in LA County has declined sharply, from 485 in 2012 to 40 in 2013.

The last confirmed on-set HIV infection was in 2004. After that, the porn industry adopted monthly testing for a range of STDs. Last year, the industry increased testing to every 14 days after a woman who performs under the name Cameron Bay contracted HIV. Her diagnosis triggered a moratorium on adult film production until all performers who worked with her were medically cleared.

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Chipotle apologizes for NY worker's police protest

NEW YORK — Two Chipotle chief executives have apologized to New York City police officers who were greeted by a restaurant employee making the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture popular with protesters.

Co-Chief Executive Officers Steve Ells and Monty Moran said in a statement Monday that the employee's action appeared to be spontaneous. They said it happened at one of their Brooklyn restaurants on Dec. 16 when a group of nine police officers entered. They said the officers were not refused service, but chose to leave after encountering the gesture while in line.

The executives said appropriate actions had been taken toward the crew member after the Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. reviewed video footage from security cameras. They said they could not discuss what actions were taken.

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Somerville program helps young adults develop skills for employment

A Somerville workforce development program has teamed up with a jobs website to match low-income young adults with local businesses.

Although anyone can post or apply for one-off jobs or part-time work for free on HelpAroundTown.com, young adults age 18 to 24 in the city's Pocket Change program can signify their membership by using a badge on their profile, and employers can give preference to those applicants if they choose, said program manager Amanda Maher, the city's senior economic development specialist.

Pocket Change members get alerts when new jobs become available, and their case managers help them to apply and act as contacts if a job-poster wants to provide feedback.

Through a $7,500 contract, Somerville will pay for improvements to the Help Around Town website, which will allow the city to continue to use it for the Pocket Change program, Maher said.

Reem Yared, chief executive of Help Around Town, said Somerville initially approached her for advice, but it became clear that both sides were on the same page.

"We had exactly the same goals," she said. "I started Help Around Town with the specific purpose of helping youth find local jobs and build a reputation."

She said many employers will go the extra mile if they know they will be helping someone who really needs a job.

"It's really out of good citizenship, they know they are hiring local youth who want to make it," Yared said.

Funding for the contract and the program is provided through a $100,000 Working Cities Challenge Grant, awarded to Somerville early this year by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

The city applied for the grant after a 2013 report by Commonwealth Corporation and the Drexel University Center for Labor Markets and Policy found that many young adults lack the "soft skills" needed for a job, such as knowing how to write a cover letter and resume, showing up for work on time and not talking on their cellphones on the job, Maher said.

"Many employers were saying, 'If you can send us someone with those skills and a good work ethic, we'll train them to do the rest,' " she said. "So the whole idea behind the program using Help Around Town is to provide young adults with pocket change while we work with them on soft-skill training. It also provides them with work experience for their resumes, as well as references, so that they'll be ready some day for full-time permanent employment."

The partnership between Pocket Change and Help Around Town has already paid dividends, Maher said. Several young adults who applied for one-off jobs with Somerville businesses through the site have since moved into more permanent employment with a local business.

In the meantime, the city has been seeking additional funders to sustain the program, she said.

For more information, contact Amanda Maher at amaher@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600, ext. 2528, or go to HelpAroundTown.com.

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Amazon quick-delivery plans threaten small stores

Bay State convenience stores could be in for a world of pain in 2015 if Amazon speeds up and expands its same-day delivery services.

All signs point to Amazon vastly growing its Massachusetts footprint in the next year, and CEO Jeff Bezos has made no secret that instant delivery of goods to consumers is the end-game of America's biggest e-commerce giant. That means we may see the same one-hour delivery window that is currently being piloted in Manhattan — and that spells disaster for the sales volume of corner marts, which will simply no longer seem convenient.

A 1-million-square-foot fulfillment facility in Fall River, with part of the land located in Freetown, is on track to begin construction in 2015. Another 328,000-square-foot warehouse is planned for Stoughton, fueled by $2.89 million in state tax breaks over the next decade.

It's hard to blame the state for luring Amazon: The proposed facilities and its already existing properties stand to create many Bay State jobs, including an estimated 1,000 positions in Fall River and another 125 in Stoughton.

Amazon has been growing its same-day delivery service for years, and it's already available in parts of Boston and a dozen other U.S. cities. It's unclear how popular the service is locally. I've never used it, and you have to hunt around the website to find what's available for same-day delivery. But expect Amazon to start heavily promoting the service as part of its Prime subscription loyalty program in 2015.

"Our long-term vision is that customers can order and receive a sellers' product the same day anywhere in the world," reads a job listing posted by Amazon in late October, one of several open positions that point to a major hiring blitz to extend the same-day strategy across 
the globe.

Manhattan appears to be the test city for that strategy. One week before Christmas, Amazon launched the Prime Now app, which enables one-hour delivery for Prime members in parts of Manhattan. With more than 25,000 items available, delivery within an hour costs $7.99 and Prime members can select a two-hour delivery window from 6 a.m. to midnight for free. Amazon's video commercial for the service says customers can order everything from coffee grinders to TVs and have them within an hour.

Considering Amazon's shipping costs were more than double its shipping revenue for most of 2014, I'm skeptical that they'll find a way to make money on same-hour delivery anytime soon. Let's just hope they don't put too many convenience stores out of business before they raise their prices to the intended rates.

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