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Zurich (Financial Times) — Philipp Hildebrand has resigned as chairman of the Swiss National Bank, following allegations that his wife profited from currency transactions just weeks before the central bank introduced a price target to weaken the Swiss franc.

“I came to the conclusion that it’s not possible for me to deliver a definite proof that my wife requested the currency transaction without my knowledge,” Hildebrand said.

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LAS VEGAS – Talking to the TV is usually a sign of extreme agitation, mental instability or loneliness. LG Electronics is set to make it a more rational behavior this year, with a range of TVs that respond to speech.

The company will sell a remote with its high-end flat-panel TVs that contains a microphone. You’ll be able to speak into the microphone to enter text on the TV for Twitter updates and Web searches. You won’t be able to change the channel or control the volume by yelling at the TV.

TV makers will be showing off many variations of so-called smart or Web-connected TVs at this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. LG Electronics USA revealed its new TVs on Monday, a day ahead of the show’s opening.

Smart TVs have been around for a few years, but two things are holding them back.

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Orlando’s hotel market continued to show improvement last month, as demand for hotel rooms drove prices up.

Hotels in the Orlando area filled 63.8 percent of their rooms during November, compared with 60.2 percent during the same month a year ago. The average daily rate climbed 4.3 percent to $92.66, according to data released Tuesday by Smith Travel Research.

The year-over-year improvement came on top of big gains a year ago. Last November, Orlando-area hotels posted their best showing for the month since 2007, as the nation was headed into a record-long recession.

“Across the board, everything looks good. Occupancy has increased over last year.

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With Facebooks IPO on the way, Mark Zuckerberg is looking to the future. Over the past year and a half, the sites CEO has worked toward a more mature company, reports the Wall Street Journal. Hes seeking blue-chip status and beyond. “There was a period in Microsofts evolution where they said, we want to put a computer on everyones desk,” he tells the newspaper. “Thats the way that I want to run Facebook,” with a “longer vision of where we think the world should be.”

To that end, the firm has been practicing for a bigger stage. In addition to hiring a strong executive and legal team in recent years, Facebook workers have been training for the IPO, taking simulated analysts questions and writing up scripts for earnings calls.

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At this time of year, mid-season network television shows are coming to a small screen near you. Returning hits like American Idol premiere along with a batch of new shows launched to replace canceled titles from the fall. Jim Hibberd, who covers television for Entertainment Weekly, talks to Linda Wertheimer about some of the new replacement shows.

YAKIMA — A Boeing Co. subsidiary that designs and builds aerial drones announced plans Wednesday to expand and centralize its operations in southwest Washington.

Insitu Inc. had been considering proposals from other states to move its operations, but the company said it will build a 70,000-square-foot production facility and a 30,000-square-foot engine testing building in Bingen.

Once those facilities are occupied, the small town in the picturesque Columbia River Gorge that has been home to Insitu for years will be the sole location for all of the company’s production operations.

The company employs about 800 people in the area straddling Washington and Oregon.

“Insitu has achieved extraordinary growth due in no small part to its agility,” President and CEO Steve Morrow said. Read full post…