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Chrysler Group Australia isn’t ruling out ditching its Dodge brand as it aims to establish itself as a viable business in the competitive local new-car market.
The company this week launched its first all-new model, the latest-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, since its split with Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler and last year’s takeover by Italian car maker Fiat. But while Jeep continues to be a picture of health in Australia, the Dodge and Chrysler brands are struggling with a dearth of new product.
Chrysler and Dodge sales fell by a fifth in 2010 compared with a 43 per cent increase for Jeep. It follows a 26 per cent decrease in Chrysler sales in 2009.
The Chrysler range, halved last year with the discontinuation of the popular retro-infused PT Cruiser hatch and Cabrio and slow-selling Sebring mid-size sedan, sold the fewest cars within the group (1464 versus Dodge’s 1917 and Jeep’s 5975), though it’s the future of the sportier Dodge brand the company admits is more precarious.
Chrysler Group Australia boss Clyde Campbell says he can’t guarantee all three brands will continue in Australia. He says the company will focus on Jeep in 2011 and Chrysler in 2012 – when it will be boosted by the arrival of a new 300C sedan.
“We’re working hard on a Dodge strategy, but if we can’t get reasonable product at reasonable volume we have to look at the overall business case,” says Campbell. “Dodge is part of our planning for this year and for next year, but the only [models] we can confirm [for the future] are the current three models on the shopping list.
“[Fiat boss Sergio] Marchionne is a businessman at the end of the day. If we’re selling two to three thousand Dodges a year [in Australia], it would be a hard proposition to walk away from.
“But if we’re not going to sell that sort of volume, and with the resources we’ve got we can allocate them elsewhere to get a better result, whether that be Chrysler or Jeep, then a businessman would say let’s have strong, viable brands that our dealers want to represent and that our customers want to buy. And if we can’t have that, let’s not have that.”
With the axing of the slow-selling Avenger medium car, struggling Caliber hatch - which introduced the brand in 2006 - and underperforming Nitro compact SUV, Dodge’s 2010 sales relied heavily on the Journey crossover.
Campbell says Dodge is unlikely to work as a one-car brand and that it needs great products such as the 300C-based Challenger and Charger muscle cars, as well as the Durango SUV that’s twinned with the Grand Cherokee. None, however, are currently available in right-hand drive.
“There’s some terrific product that, from engineering perspective, no-one has been able to explain why we can’t have it,” says Campbell.
“And if we can get that product, then we’ve got a viable brand. Because we know we’re going to get the pricing support if we can show a business case that there’s some reasonable volume in this at this price.”
Campbell is also keen to import Dodge’s famous RAM utes, which for now are also left-hand-drive only.
“I reckon there’s a real hole in the market for those big trucks at the moment,” he says. “That hole is being filled by privateer importers who convert, but there’s an ageing fleet of those big trucks and they don’t really have a credible new-car [offering, with factory warranties].
“At the moment Australian demand is not enough to get that done. Is there enough international demand for RHD in those trucks? That’s the process we’re working through now, as there’s a serious tooling cost involved.”
Campbell says the plan for Lancias rebadged as Chrysler models to come to Australia is also unlikely to happen any time soon.
Chrysler Group Australia is aiming for a record sales year in 2011, based on new Jeep product that includes the new Grand Cherokee, facelifted Wrangler and updated Compass.
“We have 2000 Grand Cherokees guaranteed for 2011 but we’re desperately trying to secure more – to get a commitment from later this year for 5000 a year,” says Campbell.
“In previous years we sold 2500 Grand Cherokees with different (higher) pricing and (less) equipment.
“The new model puts us in a new area. With the [$45,000] base Laredo, we’ll be talking to Ford Territory and Toyota buyers."
CGA sold 9356 vehicles last year but believes it can “far exceed 12,000 sales” in 2011.


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LittleBigPlanet will ship three days late so developers can remove the material, inclusion of which could be offensive to Muslims.
Sony has recalled a new video game because its use of passages from the Koran could be offensive to Muslims.
The release of the PlayStation 3 title LittleBigPlanet is postponed by at least three days so that its developers can remove scripture from the Muslim holy book that's accompanied by music in one level.
Sony and developer Media Molecule, which on its Web site called the incident "a slightly surreal turn of events," did not say how the passages from the Koran came to be included in the game
LittleBigPlanet lets players lead tiny characters called Sackboy through puzzles, jumps, and other challenges. Media Molecule said the game would ship by Oct. 27 in North America, while shipments in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand are delayed until Nov. 3. The company has not changed Japan's Oct. 30 release date.
Preorders will ship on time, according to Media Molecule.
"Thanks to everyone for your patience and continuous support on the release of LittleBigPlanet," the company said in a blog post. "It's been a tough time for gamers, LBP fans, and MM alike, but it seems that there's only about 1 week to wait -- so thank you for your patience. It'll be worth it!" the company said.
"Everything will work as if none of this had ever happened," the company explained. "I think in the end, everyone will be happy. In the coming weeks until launch, as a way of saying thanks for your patience to our loyal MM readers, we'll make sure we've got some great content on this site for you, so stay tuned."
2014 Next-Gen WAN SurveyWhile 68% say demand for WAN bandwidth will increase, just 15% are in the process of bringing new services or more capacity online now. For 26%, cost is the problem. Enter vendors from Aryaka to Cisco to Pertino, all looking to use cloud to transform how IT delivers wide-area connectivity.
Server Market SplitsvilleJust because the server market's in the doldrums doesn't mean innovation has ceased. Far from it -- server technology is enjoying the biggest renaissance since the dawn of x86 systems. But the primary driver is now service providers, not enterprises.
Top IT Trends to Watch in Financial ServicesIT pros at banks, investment houses, insurance companies, and other financial services organizations are focused on a range of issues, from peer-to-peer lending to cybersecurity to performance, agility, and compliance. It all matters.
Join us for a roundup of the top stories on InformationWeek.com for the week of September 25, 2016. We'll be talking with the InformationWeek.com editors and correspondents who brought you the top stories of the week to get the "story behind the story."

domain: news


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Two National Dessert Chains Unite for New Stores in MemphisMarch 08th 2016
Two dessert chains with a global presence will combine under one roof in Memphis. A co-branded concept between Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery is headed to the Bluff City thanks to a new franchisee. Carl Greenway purchased franchise rights for West Tennessee and North Mississippi, and now he plans to open two to three of these combo locations in the next 18 months. "I think it is a fantastic thing," Greenway said. "The quality of the product is really good, and it is going to be a fun place to work, a place where people can come and have a good time."


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A sultry new perfume ad is putting Nicole Kidman atop a cold mountain of cash.
The screen siren, one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities, has inked a nearly $4 million contract to appear in a four-to-five-minute spot for Chanel No. 5, according to the Sunday Times of London.
Minute for minute, it’s the most lucrative advertising deal ever for an actress, the paper reported.
The commercial, which will be shown worldwide at theaters during movie previews, is a mini-love story with Kidman, 36, starring opposite Brazilian soap opera star Rodrigo Santoro.
Kidman – who raked in a cool $15 million for the box office hit “Cold Mountain” – is wearing a feathered, pink gown when the ad opens outside a New York building.
Besieged by the paparazzi, she retreats inside the building for a romantic fling with Santoro.
She emerges at the end of the spot to the roar of her fans and only then does the camera focus in on her pendant bearing “No. 5.”
Set-siders likened her look in the spot to Marilyn Monroe, who famously stated that all she wore to bed was Chanel.


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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As digital devices and services continue to transform the shopping journey – in-store and online – understanding what consumers want and how they feel remains key to turning disruption into opportunity.
In a presentation at next week’s Shopper Insights & Retail Activation event, GfK retail experts Joe Beier and Susan Stacey will share a wealth of insights into the new shopping landscape, in a presentation titled “The Future of Retail: 2020 and Beyond.”
Presented by Informa Connect (formerly KNect365), Shopper Insights & Retail Activation draws insights leaders from brands and retailers alike. The conference will take place July 15 to 17 in Chicago.
In their session – set for July 15th at 2PM – Beier (EVP, GfK Consumer Insights) and Stacey (SVP, GfK Retail & Consumer) will cover such essential topics as
- highlights of the revolution – profiling the transformative forces
- the ongoing interplay between “bricks” and “clicks” and the shifting shape of physical retail
- emerging fulfillment models to solve the challenges of “the last mile”
- technologies and tactics that are being deployed to reduce shopping friction and win the customer experience battle
- top “calls to action” for shopper professionals/retailers in light of these disruptive trends
Beier joined GfK in 2010 after his sales and marketing consulting firm, Interscope LLC, was acquired by GfK. Prior to Interscope, he spent four years at Euro RSCG Meridian, where he was an Executive Consultant. His background also includes product director and manager roles at Johnson & Johnson, Church & Dwight and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Stacey joined GfK in 2015 with a corporate background in consumer-focused marketing services solutions. She spent nearly two decades at IRI, where she handled multiple roles, including New Business Development, Area Manager of an OTC healthcare client vertical, and Account Management/Client Service Leader. Subsequently, Stacey was VP, Client Solutions/Service, at shopper intelligence provider Spire.
To learn more about GfK’s presentation and insights, write to firstname.lastname@example.org.
GfK connects data and science. Innovative research solutions provide answers for key business questions around consumers, markets, brands and media – now and in the future. As a research and analytics partner, GfK promises its clients all over the world “Growth from Knowledge”.


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Facebook disclosed on Friday that about 50 million of its users' accounts were left susceptible to potential security breaches. The company said that the breach in the security was found as early as Tuesday following which complaints to the police were made on Friday.
The company said that the accounts which were hacked were done so after the potential hackers were able to exploit the website's 'View As' feature which allows users to see how their individual profiles would seem to others viewing it.
Facebook, however, clarify which accounts were hacked but stated that it had provided necessary information to its data subsidiary based out of Ireland. Likewise, Facebook also noted that it had resolved the problem. The users whose accounts were open to threats were asked to login into their accounts again.
Likewise, the company also had another 40 million users login again to their accounts as a precaution. Facebook's product management vice-president Guy Rosen commented on the problem and said, "Since we’ve only just started our investigation, we have yet to determine whether these accounts were misused or any information accessed.
We also don’t know who’s behind these attacks or where they’re based. People’s privacy and security are incredibly important, and we’re sorry this happened." It has also emerged that the accounts of Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg and its CEO Sheryl Sandberg had also been left exposed to vulnerabilities.


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All the latest casino bonus information.
December 6th, 2011
One of the reasons Microgaming is so popular with online casino players and manages to stay ahead of the game is by always looking to improve.
After last month’s launch of Android Air mobile platform, the online casino software company have followed up with the release of three new games.
The first of these is the Immortal …
December 5th, 2011
Everything needs updating from time to time, especially when it comes to online casinos. Technology is improving so fast and there’s so much competition that operators are always trying to remain one step ahead of the competition.
It must have been this desire that led Betfair to re-do what was already a pretty good looking casino …
December 2nd, 2011
Players at PartyCasino are in for a treat as of Monday when the Up and Away promotion kicks off.
Unlike other online casinos, PartyCasino are steering clear of Christmas promotions for the moment as this promotion takes on the theme of flying through the air with a hot air balloon.
More importantly though is the large amount …
December 1st, 2011
It’s very unlikely that you’ve ever had any problems anyway, but now you can be safe in the knowledge that there’s even less chance of 32Red Casino suffering any technical problems.
The Gibraltar-based online casino has struck a new deal with Spook Ltd which will allow them to receive early warnings about weather and other factors …
November 30th, 2011
At Jackpot.co.uk we like to think that we bring you some of the best online casinos around. According to the EGR Awards that are taking place tonight in London it would appear that this is probably true.
In total four of the casinos that we offer are up for the big award in our eyes – …
November 29th, 2011
You would have thought that winning a jackpot worth £3,291,184 would have been enough of a prize for anyone’s entire lifetime.
However, when A.D struck big on the Mega Moolah slot, not only did he receive a rather sizable cheque, but he was even flown out to Australia to do so.
Once A.D and his partner were …
November 28th, 2011
VIP players have a pretty good life in general. Sure they have to deposit a bit more but in return there are bigger bonuses and more often than not big wins.
Those that are signed up to the VIP Palladium scheme at PartyCasino will certainly know what we’re talking about.
They receive some of the best treatment …
November 25th, 2011
Betfred, the Warrington-based betting company and self-proclaimed ‘Bonus King, has signed up Soccer AM’s popular Helen Chamberlain to be the face of an upcoming marketing push for Betfred’s Goals Galore promotion.
The promotion, essentially an accumulator, challenges punters to choose a minimum of 3 football games where they think both teams will at least score 1 …
November 23rd, 2011
Genting, the biggest operator of casinos in the UK, has bought London’s only fully licensed poker club, Fox Poker Club, according to Gaming Intelligence.
The acquisition, which was for an undisclosed sum, further cements the company’s position as one of the biggest gaming operators in the UK, adding to their existing collection of 45 casinos in …
November 18th, 2011
Slots are often the most popular games in online casinos and it’s easy to see why. Their ability to provide huge prizes from small bets are just one of their many benefits and contribute to them paying out more than any other game in the casino.
At the moment 32Red slots fans can now win from …


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Apple May Release Keyboard with iPod Docking
December 4, 2006 10:37 AM
comment(s) - last by
Excitement stirs in the Apple camp but Razor's been there
According to a report over at
may be on the verge of announcing a keyboard with integrated iPod docking
. The details come from sources close to Apple who have identified several recent cases where Apple had sent the new prototype keyboard out to customers who were waiting for regular replacement keyboards. Customers who were waiting for their keyboards that were out for repair or replacement ended up receiving a different keyboard than what they were expecting. Integrated iPod docking was definitely not part of the original repair checklist.
Apple of course has not confirmed that such a keyboard exists as the company itself has been traditionally tight-lipped about unannounced products.
broke news about Apple's bluetooth Mighty Mouse
. Apple officially announced the mouse a day after our initial report.
According to the original report, users who received the prototype keyboard were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements that they had received such a product. Apparently Apple would not send them the correct keyboard if the users did not sign. Interestingly, we're wondering if anyone would really want to return the prototype at all.
Razer, the manufacturer of the famous line of gaming oriented mice also has what it calls the Pro|Type Multimedia Keyboard, which has integrated iPod docking.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
12/4/2006 12:11:40 PM
According to this source:
the people who claimed to have gotten the keyboards made up the story. While it seems like the source is fake, I do think this to be a logical next step for Apple.
"We’re Apple. We don’t wear suits. We don’t even own suits." -- Apple CEO Steve Jobs
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California approved a massive increase in funds to help school districts buy locally grown foods. But money is just one of many obstacles to success.
January 29, 2010
On Wednesday, Michael Pollan appeared on Oprah to discuss the food system and the film Food, Inc. At the beginning of the program, entitled “Before You Grocery Shop Again: Food 101,” Oprah said that she saw Food, Inc., and it inspired her to host this discussion. “We all have to start paying more attention to what we’re putting in our bodies,” she said. “Do you know where you food really comes from? What’s been added, what’s been taken out? What goes down before they put a label on it?” Interspersed throughout the show were clips of the film, including the film’s introduction on the disconnect between our idea of food production and its reality; chicken production, featuring a farmer speaking out against the industry; and a family that can’t afford to eat real food and is forced to choose fast food.
Pollan explained how “the less we spend on food, the more we spend on healthcare,” siting statistics that show that in 1960, we spent 18% of our income on food and 5% on healthcare nationally, while we now spend 9% of our income on food and 17% on healthcare nationally. They got into the nitty gritty about the western diet and its pitfalls, and Oprah got a laugh when she exclaimed, “the low-fat kick made everybody fatter!”
When Oprah asks Pollan what he eats, and he speaks in favor of cooking: “I think cooking is really key because it’s the only way you’re going to take back control of your diet from the corporations who want to cook for us,” he said. “The fact is, so far corporations don’t cook that well. They tend to use too much salt, fat and sugar—much more than you would ever use at home.” The best line in the program came from Oprah: “We need a food revolution, because people want the corporations to cook for them because it all boils down to convenience.” Pollan agreed, saying that when you understand what it takes to make the food we are currently eating, “you lose your appetite.”
Oprah later asked Pollan if he eats meat, and he talks about being “picky” about the meat he eats and making sustainable choices, saying “I don’t eat feedlot meat.” Oprah then provoked a laugh by asking “you’re not worried about saying bad things about beef?” referring to the lawsuit filed against her by the beef industry 1996. (That episode focused on mad cow disease, and one of her guests described the industry’s practice of feeding processed livestock back to the cows, to which she responded to by saying that it “just stopped me cold from eating another burger.”)
The full episode is worth watching, and we’ve posted the available videos from around the web below:
…which gets cut off, and the ending is very worth watching:
June 28, 2022
August 15, 2022
August 10, 2022
August 11, 2022
August 1, 2022


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Survey: 560 Products Developed Since April; GSK And Chugai Top Anti-Cancer Drugs; Takeda Makes Breakthrough
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Among 560 new products developed by 64 pharmaceutical companies, anti-cancer drugs comprise one-third of the drugs.
You may also be interested in...
FDA seems poised to approve the drug for the orphan eye disease called TED, but remains concerned about labeling for some adverse events.
The apparently first-ever FDA press release for an advertising warning letter underscores importance of opioid issues – and the agency’s changing approach to media relations in general. FDA objects to Alkermes journal ad that excludes risk information about its opioid dependence treatment drug.


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The Lagos State Government, under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unveiled a relief initiative, the Lagos Market Trader Money, to support 15,000 low-income traders spread across the state’s 57 local council development areas (LCDA).
Governor Sanwo-Olu announced this initiative during the inauguration of the Fresh Food Agro Market in Mushin. The scheme aims to alleviate economic hardships faced by traders and empower small businesses by providing N50,000 business grants to each of the 15,000 selected traders.
The governor emphasized that these traders are crucial to the state’s economic progress, asserting that their well-being is a primary focus of his administration. The initiative also intends to foster a thriving market environment for all stakeholders within Lagos.
Moreover, the newly launched Food Agro Hub, situated in Mushin, symbolizes a pivotal moment in Lagos’ food distribution system. It marks a stride towards enhancing logistical efficiency and modernizing local markets, aiding in the production, processing, and distribution of farm produce at affordable rates for consumers.
Governor Sanwo-Olu reiterated the state’s commitment to a coordinated food security network, focusing on increasing food production, processing, and marketing. This modern facility, spanning 6400 square meters, aims to resolve challenges related to inefficient food distribution from surplus to deficit regions, thereby reducing post-harvest losses, inflation, and traffic congestion.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, highlighted the significant impact of the middle-level agro-hub in addressing food insecurity and inefficiencies in food distribution, enhancing storage capabilities, and optimizing logistical operations.
This initiative marks a strategic step by the Lagos State Government to bolster economic sustainability, empower small-scale traders, and ensure food security through innovative and modernized agricultural practices.


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Just when you thought the various Twitter controversies were over, a hacker claims to be selling the data of 400 million users.
The data is said to have been intercepted in 2021 and was obtained using an API vulnerability that has since been fixed.
The actor, who calls himself “Ryushi”, advised Elon Musk and Twitter to buy the data for the asking price of $200,000 or face an even higher GDPR fine.
Twitter data leak 2022
A threat actor who allegedly joined the Breached hacking forum in December 2022 wrote:
“The best option to avoid paying a $276 million fine for violating the GDPR as Facebook did (due to scraping 533 million users) is to purchase this data only… after that I will delete this thread and not sell this data again.”
Sample data of over 1,000 users, including many celebrities, was leaked, including email addresses, usernames, number of followers, creation dates, and phone numbers of some users.
Unless an exclusive sale to Twitter (or another site seeking information) is made for $200,000, the hacker says he will sell the data to multiple buyers for $60,000 each.
Beeping computer (opens in a new tab) reports that the API that caused the vulnerability was fixed in January 2022, however it has been confirmed that it was used by many cybercriminals, exposing over 400 million users to fraud and phishing attacks.
Elsewhere, WhatsApp has come under pressure recently as a data leak leaked the personal information of more than 500 million users, although it is now believed to have been a reuse of an older 2019 Facebook leak.
TechRadar Pro contacted Twitter for further comments on the threat.


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October 29, 2020 2:12:05 pm
Xiaomi has introduced that it’s going to launch a brand new variant of its Mi NoteBook 14 in India. It already has launched 4 completely different fashions of the Mi NoteBook 14 powered by Intel 10th technology Core i5 and Core i7 processors.
The firm through a tweet introduced that it’s going to launch a brand new Mi NoteBook 14 variant powered by the Intel 10th technology Core i3 processor. This when launched will develop into the model’s most reasonably priced laptop computer providing within the nation positioned under the Mi NoteBook 14 10th technology Core i5 variant with 8GB RAM.
— Mi India #Mi10TSeries5G (@XiaomiIndia) October 29, 2020
Xiaomi has not revealed the launch date of the Core i3 powered Mi NoteBook 14 in India, it has simply said that the machine will launch soon. It is predicted to be priced underneath Rs 40,000, contemplating that the Mi NoteBook 14 with the Intel 10th Generation Core i5 processor is priced at Rs 41,999.
In the tweet, the corporate revealed a number of key specs of the upcoming variant of the machine. The new variant will weigh 1.5 kgs and can come with an in-built webcam. It will likely be powered by the 10th technology Intel Core i3 processor paired with a 256GB SSD. We count on it to function 8GB of RAM.
Also Read: We tried Xiaomi’s flagship Mi 10T Pro, right here’s what we take into consideration the smartphone to date
We count on the Mi NoteBook 14 Core i3 variant specs to be comparable to the opposite variants. It is predicted to function a 14-inch full HD disolay with a decision of 1920×1080 pixels. It may come bundled with an Nvidia GPU.
The new variant can also be anticipated to function a 46Wh battery, which is able to ship up to 10 hours of utilization on a single cost.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and keep up to date with the newest headlines
For all the newest Technology News, obtain Indian Express App.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd


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Fusion Marine Entertainment launches new product series
“The days of putting average on a boat are simply not there anymore,” said Fusion Marine Entertainment’s Managing Director Chris Baird, in a past interview with Boating Industry.
Fusion has maintained its above average stature with the introduction of its new Apollo Series.
Following the purchase of Fusion by Garmin, Baird said that Fusion has more than doubled the size of its engineering team in the past couple of years.
The expanded engineering team, capital from Garmin and three years of research, development and production lead to the release of the new Apollo series, which Baird called the best of the best from Fusion.
“We have spent a lot of money and a lot of time to design engineer this product, and we’re absolutely sure the market’s going to love it,” Baird said.
First out for Fusion’s Apollo Series is a pair of head units, the RA770 and the SRX400.
Both units feature the first marine entertainment system one-piece glass touchscreen display, built-in Wi-Fi streaming, digital signal processing technology (DSP), and Fusion’s new PartyBus capabilities.
The Fusion Apollo RA770 and SRX400 feature a 4.3-inch and 2.7-inch display, respectively, are IPx7 rated for dust and water protection from the front when installed correctly, and include an internal Class-D amplifier. The RA770 features two RCA auxiliary inputs, one SPDIF port for TV audio output, one Ethernet port, one USB 2.0 port for phone charging and media playback, one SiriusXM port, one Motorola antenna connector port and it is DAB+ ready. The SRX400 has one Ethernet port and one Motorola antenna connector port. Both devices offer multi-language support and include English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch and Italian settings.
“For many years our head units have defined marine audio entertainment,” Baird said. “While there has always been an ability to add features, no one has created a paradigm shift in this space, until now. After listening to our customers and closely examining trends and innovations in other industries like touchscreen and glass helm systems, we knew it was time to change everything.”
The use of DSP was something focused on very heavily with the new series. Through DSP, Fusion created a stereo unit that can sense peaks in music before they happen, thus making it impossible to blow speakers or get distorted sound from a system. The DSP technologies in the Apollo Series also allows the user to load preset optimized system profiles for specific boat zones on specific boat brands.
“We spent about a year-and a-half profiling different speakers in different environments in order to create the perfect custom OEM profiles for all of the boats we are in partnership with,” said Fusion Marketing Manager Marcus Hamilton.
Also new for the Apollo Series is Fusion’s PartyBus capabilities, which allow users to link multiple head units in different zones of a vessel. For example, the main RA770 can link to one or more smaller SRX400s in other parts of the vessel to play the same music as the main unit, or conversely the units in another zone can break off from the “party” and play their own audio source.
The new head units were unveiled to the American market at an event in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where Boating Industry and other members of the marine media were in attendance.
In addition to the presentation on the new series, members of the media were taken out on six boats — a Sea Ray SDX290, a Regal 2500 RX, a Jupiter 38 HFS, a Grady-White Freedom 325, a Streamline 26, and a Leopard 51 catamaran — to highlight various aspects of the new head units, as well as different speaker, subwoofer and amplifiers in Fusion’s production line.
Since joining the Fusion team, Baird has put a large emphasis on partnerships between the company and OEM boat builders. During the event Baird recognized some of Fusion’s older partners like Regal, and also announced a new exclusive partnership between Fusion and Sea Ray.
“By leveraging the complete line up of premium Fusion Apollo source units, Signature Series speakers and amplifiers, Sea Ray will have a complete system of components designed to provide the ultimate listening experience for our Sport Yacht and L Class owners,” said Ron Berman, vice president of product portfolio, Sea Ray Boats.
Fusion used the event to also unveil their new Panel Stereo — an all-in-one stereo product with a thin profile for flexible installation options — and release the new, free Fusion-Link smartphone application. The application can be used to wirelessly update stereo units, control audio settings and sources, and upload various DSP profiles to their stereo, all from the convenience of the user’s smartphone.
The new head units were only the first release for Fusion’s Apollo Series. Baird said that Apollo Series speakers and amplifiers would follow within the next year.
Check out Boating Industry’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/boatingindustry for an exclusive interview about the new product series with Fusion’s Managing Director Chris Baird.


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News & features
Marketing firm fined £70,000 for unsolicited phone calls
The ICO has fined a marketing company £70,000 for making unsolicited phone calls.
Free data protection tool for SMEs
The ICO has launched a self-assessment toolkit to help SMEs assess their compliance with the Data Protection Act.
Mitigating the risk of data theft by employees
The Information Commissioner has called for stronger legal powers to combat personal data theft by employees.
ICO orders Alzheimer’s Society to take action over data protection
The ICO has issued an enforcement notice to a national dementia support charity over serious failings in the way volunteers handled personal data.
Business legal news in our December 2015 Business Brief
The December 2015 edition of our online business newsletter, the Business Brief, is available now.
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In 2006, New York became the first city to ban artery-clogging trans fats from restaurants. At the time, the restaurant industry cried foul, claiming the ban was overly burdensome.
“We don’t think that a municipal health agency has any business banning a product the Food and Drug Administration has already approved,” Dan Fleshler, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association, told MSN at the time.
It was too late, however. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had already declared war, vowing to rid the city’s restaurants of fats that had been linked to heart disease. He calmed the nervous city, though, by promising that the steady supply of foods that New Yorkers love would continue. “Nobody wants to take away your french fries and hamburgersI love those things, too,” he said.
Six years later, the efforts of cities and health officials are paying off. Unlike other food advice campaignseat eggs, no don’t eat eggs, now cut your carbs, but not too muchthis one has measurable results.
Between 2000 and 2009, the level of trans fats in the blood of white Americans decreased by 58%, according to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who carried out the study.
“The 58 percent decline shows substantial progress that should help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults,” said the CDC’s Christopher Portier, PhD, on the agency’s website.
While the study examined only white Americans, the CDC is currently analyzing the results from other race and ethnic groups.
Trans fats are still lurking in your supermarket, but the CDC recommends avoiding those foods. You can, however, enjoy your trans fat free hamburger and fries in NYC, courtesy of Mayor Bloomberg.
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Roku and Amazon have other ideas about this concept, given their respective Streaming Stick and Fire TV Stick devices actually pull content from the internet only upon the command of a remote control or mobile app. That makes the Roku Streaming Stick or Fire TV Stick a better choice for viewers who prefer to hold a traditional remote in their hands, which are powered by a pair of AA batteries. Roku’s RF-based remote resembles the one that comes bundled with its current-generation set-top boxes, complete with shortcut buttons for favored nation channels M-GO, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix and Blockbuster on Demand; unfortunately, Roku skimped on the headphone jack featured on its more expensive hardware.
Deal for Prime Members
The company hopes to grab headlines with a special offer to Prime Members and maybe boost some initial sales figures. The Fire TV Stick will sell for $19.00 for Amazon Prime members
Remote: The moment Chrome cast was released more than a year ago, Google was quick to point out that no remote control would be required – after all, the required Smartphone, tablet or Chrome browser on a desktop computer essentially already offer complete control over playback. Amazon likewise cheaper out on the remote for its Fire TV Stick, which offers only basic navigation and playback buttons and none of the voice search or game controller functionality full-sized Fire TV owners enjoy. However, Amazon is separately offering both the $29.99 Fire TV Voice Remote so happens to be fully compatible with Fire TV Stick right out of the box. For those looking to toss hardware remotes in a desk drawer and forget about them, the news is even better: All three devices can be controlled from mobile apps on iOS or Android; although at this writing Amazon’s free Fire TV Remote app is a no-show on Apple’s App Store.
Roku has the best app selection, including access to Amazon Prime. However, Amazon Fire TV stick has the best games selection. Even though Chromecast has an awesome user interface, there is no advantage in the apps and games realm, especially since Amazon Prime is nowhere to be found. However, Google’s ‘Cast’ feature is super cool because at any moment play whatever is on any of your devices right on the big screen with no trouble.
|Google Chromecast||Amazon Fire TV Stick|
|Physical remote control||No||Yes|
|Phone/tablet app remote control||“Cast” apps only||Android (iOS “coming soon”)|
|Gaming support||Yes||Yes (optional $40 controller)|
|Voice search||Via select “cast” apps||Via remote app, optional physical remote ($30)|
|Screen mirroring||via Chrome browser or Android||via Kindle or Android (coming soon)|
|Wi-Fi antenna||Single-band||Dual-band/Dual antenna (MIMO)|
|Works with “captive portal” Wi-Fi sign-in*||No||“Coming Soon”|


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|Coming clean on the risks of using antibacterial productsPosted: 26 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT
When was the last time you cleaned your hands, washed some dishes or used a wipe with the term “antibacterial” in its name? With the public’s growing fear of germs and increased desire for fierce sanitation, the number of new antibacterial products has exploded to the point where most people use these kinds of products, and the chemical triclosan, on a daily basis.
Interestingly enough, you might not realize how often you are exposed to triclosan. Products containing the chemical can be found in many consumer products, from cosmetics such as soap and deodorant to dish soap, facial tissues, bed linens and toys. This hit home personally a few months ago when I discovered I had been using toothpaste containing triclosan.
Rachel Brown and Katie van der Sloot are two high school students in Medicine Hat, Alberta, who noticed a flood of these products in their community after the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. They wondered whether our massive defense against germs is actually riskier than the germs themselves. So they launched an ambitious science fair project to find out.
First, they found triclosan-resistant bacteria in their local water. And they’re not alone; Environment Canada has also found triclosan in the Saint Lawrence River. What does the presence of triclosan in our ecosystems mean? I was surprised to learn that it can poison aquatic life, persist in the surrounding environment, and bioaccumulate in animals. As a result, the David Suzuki Foundation placed triclosan on its Dirty Dozen list of chemicals to avoid in cosmetics.
In addition to the environmental effects of triclosan, the chemical can also promote antibiotic resistance. Rachel and Katie found evidence of this when the environmental and human bacterial samples they collected for their experiments showed signs of cross-resistance with triclosan. The antibacterial is also a suspected endocrine disruptor and may form carcinogenic substances, such as chloroform, when mixed with chlorine (this could happen when any product containing triclosan gets used with chlorinated tap water, such as when brushing teeth or washing dishes). As we increase the number of antibacterial products we use, our exposure and the risks to our health grow — triclosan has been found in human blood, urine, and breast milk.
While you can look for triclosan in the fine print of personal care product ingredient lists, manufacturers are not required to disclose ingredients in other types of products. Until this changes, the best thing you can do to avoid triclosan products (PDF) is avoid products that make antibacterial claims. Check out and sign the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Pledge to go Triclosan-Free.
Since conducting their research, Rachel and Katie have become advocates against the use of triclosan by posting a video on YouTube. In an e-mail to the David Suzuki Foundation they state: “We believe these findings should be broadcast internationally for the health and protection of our society.” The pair is well on its way to doing just that. They earned a place at the National Science Fair and took home a bronze medal. They also won the UNESCO Peace and Development award and are on team Canada in an international competition in Slovakia this week. “We highly encourage all members of society to stop their use of antibacterial products altogether and turn back to good old soap and water for cleanliness.”
The Canadian Medical Association agrees; it passed a resolution (Resolution 74) to call on a federal ban on the sale of antimicrobials in consumer products, citing the effectiveness and adequacy of using plain soap in households to prevent infection. The chemical is on the Government of Canada’s radar as a part of the Chemicals Management Plan. The David Suzuki Foundation will be supporting a ban on this chemical.
From the David Suzuki Foundation


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Stampede will kick off its fifth annual Mobile Technology Showroom tour in southern California from March 2-13, with more dates and locations coming soon.
From its introduction in 2016, the teched-out Stampede Mobile Technology Showroom has traveled to locales all across the country, where it has assisted hundreds of resellers in presenting integrated technology solutions to their customers, according to Stampede president and CEO Kevin Kelly.
Hosting targeted demonstrations alongside local integrators “helps to increase sales and drives home the message that Stampede is 100 percent dedicated to helping its customers succeed,” he said in the Stampede announcement of the first 2020 Mobile Technology Showroom tour stop.
“The Stampede Mobile Technology Showroom is the perfect venue to bring high-tech experiences right to dealers and end users in local markets nationwide,” said Kelly in the Stampede announcement. “It’s no secret that hands-on demos can greatly increase sell through rates and help land contracts.
“By bringing the demo to the customer instead of requiring them to travel, we remove all obstacles and doubts, which benefits our suppliers through greater product awareness and more sales,” he said.
Why Stampede’s Mobile Technology Showroom Works
The Mobile Technology Showroom is as much an educational tool as a showroom, said Kelly. Stampede uses it as a centerpiece for Lunch & Learn meetings, where resellers and integrators get information about new products and capabilities, from either a manufacturer rep or a Stampede sales professional.
“Stampede is famous for its annual Big Book of AV Tour & Conference series, but AV is only part of the product catalog we offer,” Kelly said. “In industries such as hospitality, the MTS is helping us show integrators that we are a true soup-to-nuts technology distributor.”
Manufacturer participants in the Stampede Mobile Technology Showroom include Bose, Christie, Kramer, Lumens, Oculus, OneLAN, Optoma, Peerless, Samsung, Sharp and Yuneec, among others.
Stampede installs new products in the Mobile Technology Showroom every year to keep it as fresh as possible, said Kelly.
“The bottom line is that the Mobile Technology Showroom is a huge value-added tool for our sales team and the brands we carry,” he said. “It’s an event space that’s also a mobile marketing machine.”


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In the future, utilities will pay you to plug-in your vehicle. Millions will plug-in their electric vehicles (EV), plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and fuel cell vehicles (FCV) at night when electricity is cheap, then plug-in during the day when energy is expensive and sell those extra electrons at a profit. Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology is a bi-directional electric grid interface that allows a plug-in to take energy from the grid or put it back on the grid. V2G helps solve the major problem that demand for electricity is high during the day when everything from industrial plants to air conditioning is running full blast and then excess electricity is wasted at night.
Several early models of passenger vehicles have enough energy stored in advanced batteries to power several homes for hours. Hybrid electric buses and heavy trucks could power many homes or a school or a hospital in an emergency. Recent announcements demonstrate that electric utilities and some auto makers want to make V2G a reality.
The Smart Grid Consortium, established in December 2007 by Xcel Energy, will select a community of approximately 100,000 residents to become a Smart Grid City using V2G. Potential benefits include lower utility bills for residents, smarter energy management, better grid reliability, improved energy efficiency, and support for EVs and PHEVs.
Current consortium members include Accenture, Current Group, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and Ventyx. Smart Grid City will use a realtime high-speed two-way communication throughout the distribution grid. Smart meters and substations will be integral. Installation will be made of thousands of in-home control devices and the necessary systems to fully automate home energy use.
The current electrical grid is poorly designed for distributed generation of power. Individuals and businesses lose months and connect fees when they add solar and other forms of renewable energy to the grid. Smart Grid City will easily support up to 1,000 easily dispatched distributed generation technologies including PHEVs, distributed batteries, solar and wind.
In addition to Smart Grid City, another major EV/V2G initiative is unfolding.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Project Better Place have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a mass-market for electric vehicles in Israel which is an excellent target market: it has a sales tax exceeding 60% for gasoline vehicles, gasoline costs over $6 per gallon, most driving fits the range of electric vehicles, and the government strongly supports energy independence.
Project Better Place plans to deploy a massive network of battery charging spots. Driving range will no longer be an obstacle, because customers will be able to plug their cars into charging units in any of the 500,000 charging spots in Israel. An on-board computer system will indicate to the driver the remaining power supply and the nearest charging spot. Nissan, through its joint venture with NEC, has created a battery pack that meets the requirements of the electric vehicle and will produce it in mass volume. The entire framework will go through a series of tests starting this year.
The Israeli model is different than the rapid battery swap model that Better Place has promoted as better than “dangerous” fast charging. For the future, Renault is working on development of exchangeable batteries for continuous mobility.
As part of the solution framework, the Israeli government will provide tax incentives to customers, Renault will supply the electric vehicles, and Project Better Place will construct and operate an Electric Recharge Grid across the entire country. Electric vehicles will be available for customers in 2011.
Just as wireless service providers offer smartphones at discounted prices, Project Better Place will offer discounted electric vehicles with usage pricing plans. Pre-paid 600 kilometer cards are one approach that is suggested. A free car on a four-year plan in France is another idea mentioned by Shai Agassi, CEO of Project Better Place. Annual use of an EV should be less than the average cost of $8,000 per year for using a gasoline in many countries including the USA.
Shai Agassi predicts that Israel will have over 100,000 electric vehicles in use by 2010. This will be five percent of the nation’s vehicle population. The number represents a significant step towards energy independence.
Project Better Place has already received over $200 million of venture capital investment. Shai Agassi presented their new business model at Davos. Mr. Agassi was an executive at SAP that lead the software company to being the enterprise software leader ahead of Oracle, IBM, and all others. Agassi’s Davos Insights
Success with V2G would be a double win for electric utilities. Millions of EVs and PHEVs would expand the sale of electricity as an alternative to oil. Utilities could avoid building more dirty peaking power plants. Instead they could buy back electricity at peak hours from vehicle drivers. Clean Fleet Article It would be a financial win-win for all.
John Addison publishes the Clean Fleet Report with archives of over 60 articles and reports about electric vehicles, V2G, biofuels, fleet success and more.
Save Gas, Save the Planet
Now that your home is more sustainable, it’s time to take on your car. In this presentation, John Addison shares how people ride clean, ride together, and ride less. It’s not all or nothing. You have more choices than you think in fuel efficient vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles. Understand how Americans are driving fewer miles each month due to demographic shifts, flexwork, employer commute programs, public transportation, and high-speed rail. People are being rewarded with a smaller carbon footprint, saving thousands of dollars, and having more time to enjoy life.
Ride Cleaner. Be Cooler. Save the Planet
John Addison made this presentation at the University of California San Diego. Slides include vehicles with lowest greenhouse gases, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell vehicles, biofuels, and ways that people are adjusting their work and play to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Future of Vehicles and Renewable Fuels
John Addison made this presentation at the FRA Renewable Energy Investor Conference. Included are auto maker plans for new electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Also included is a phased implementation of vehicle to grid. The presentation details the issues in becoming a dominate fuel platform. Currently the winners are gasoline and diesel. Will the #3 slot go to hydrogen, electricity, or biofuels? Will one of these eventually be #1?
Fuel economy was on display at the Detroit Auto Show. Starting Saturday, even more exciting vehicles will be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, also in Detroit. $100 per barrel oil and new CAFÉ standards have made improved fuel economy mandatory for auto makers.
Most popular with individuals and fleets is the four-door sedan. Over the next three years, there will be a number of affordable offerings with fuel economy from 40 miles per gallon, to infinite miles per gallon.
General Motors continues to draw considerable attention with its Chevy Volt, which will offer 40 mile range in electric mode before its small 1L engine is engaged. 40 miles accommodates the daily range requirements of 78% of all U.S. drivers. The Volt uses an electric drive system with a small ICE in series that is only used to generate added electricity, not give power to the wheels. GM hopes to take orders for the Volt at the end of 2010.
World hybrid leader, Toyota, is likely to beat GM to market with a new plug-in hybrid also using lithium batteries. Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe discussed Toyota’s vision, “Sustainable Mobility addresses four key priorities. First, we must address the vehicles themselves and the advanced technologies. Highly advanced conventional engines, plug-in hybrids, fuel cells and clean diesels, as well as many other innovative new technologies, will all play a part. Second, we must address the urban environment, where these new technologies will live. In the future, we foresee ‘mixed mobility,’ combining intelligent highways and mass-transit, bike paths and short-cut walking routes, recharging kiosks and hydrogen fuel stations…. By 2010, we will accelerate our global plug-in hybrid R&D program. As part of this plan, we will deliver a significant fleet of PHEVs powered by lithium-ion batteries to a wide variety of global commercial customers, with many coming to the U.S.” President Watanabe’s Remarks
A new offering from China’s leading battery manufacturer, BYD, will bring a plug-in hybrid to market sooner than Toyota and GM and at a lower price. BYD executive Mr. Lin said BYD Auto plans to launch the plug-in hybrid during the Beijing Olympics at a price of less than $30,000 (200,000 Yuan). The company sold about 100,000 cars in China in 2007, he said. The F6DM (Dual Mode, for EV and HEV), is a variant of the front-wheel drive F6 sedan that BYD introduced into the China market earlier this year, actually offers three modes of operation: full battery-powered EV mode driving its 75 kW, 400 Nm motor; series-hybrid mode, in which a 50 kW, 1.0-liter engine drives a generator as a range-extender; and parallel hybrid mode, in which the engine and motor both provide propulsive power. Expect the BYD F6DM to be selling in the U.S. by early 2010. Green Car Congress
Ford announced EcoBoost – this new 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engine family features turbocharging and gasoline direct injection technology. The EcoBoost technology will deliver approximately 20% better fuel economy and 15% fewer CO2 emissions. The company will introduce EcoBoost on the new Lincoln MKS in 2009. Eventually the technology will be integrated into a range of flex fuel vehicles, which currently suffer from poor gasoline mileage, and 27% worse mileage with E85 ethanol.
Europeans are already enjoying 25% mileage improvements with new turbo diesels with direct injection. Exciting models will be available in the U.S. this year. Daimler, Audi and Volkswagen, all partners in the BLUETEC clean diesel marketing initiative showed a new Tier 2 Bin 5 compliant (i.e., able to be sold in all 50 states) BLUETEC model at the North American International Autoshow in Detroit
VW is the diesel passenger car sales leader. The Tier 2 Bin 5-compliant 2009 model year Jetta TDI, equipped with the clean diesel engine option, will be on sale later this year. Some drivers may experience over 40 miles per gallon with the Jetta’s efficient 2L four-cylinder engine.
Will we see the combined efficiency of diesel and hybrids? Yes. The Mercedes S 300 BLUETEC HYBRID is a 4-cylinder diesel a with hybrid module that gives it the performance of a V-8. The luxury saloon delivers 44 miles per gallon (5.4L/100km).
The Detroit shows unveiled a dazzling array of muscle trucks, loaded SUVs, hot sport cars, concept electric vehicles, and many model improvements.
Over the next three years, the biggest impact on reduced fuel use and lowered emissions will be in the every popular four-door sedan. Toyota has a commanding lead with over one million four-door Priuses on the road. Soon, Toyota will be selling one million hybrids per year.
Fuel economy improvements in the new vehicles are the result of using lighter materials, better aerodynamic design, lighter and more efficient engines, replacement of more mechanical components with electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid designs.
While some auto executives still think that the key to financial success is yesterday’s big heavy and low-mileage cash cow, others recognize the path to sustained profitability is to deliver great fuel economy in popular full-featured cars. The global race is on. The sure winner is the customer.
John Addison publishes the Clean Fleet Report.


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Submitted by Blake on April 13, 2016 - 1:01pm
So how did they end up in bookstores? Look to Russia and a special decree issued by Empress Elizabeth in 1745 looking for “the best and biggest cats, capable of catching mice” to be sent to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg to protect the treasures contained within from rats (this tradition lives on to the present day, with dozens of strays living in the basement of the museum). Not long after, sometime in the early 1800s, with Europeans still sure rats caused the Black Death (this idea has been mostly debunked, although now scholars believe gerbils might be to blame), and rat catchers unable to stop the rodents from overrunning filthy urban centers, governments started to pay libraries to keep cats in order to help bring down populations of book-loving vermin.
From Why Do Cats Love Bookstores? | Literary Hub
Submitted by Blake on February 24, 2016 - 9:30pm
That novel, once a prized possession of Van De Carr’s, is now gone, along with around 400 of his other books worth well over $350,000. Someone stole his van while it was parked outside a friend’s Oakland home this week.
“The thing about that book is it was as new as the day it was published. Just a perfect, perfect copy. It glistened,” Van De Carr lamented.
“It’s my livelihood, it’s how I make a living,” added Van De Carr, owner of Booklegger’s Books in Chicago. “Now, I have nothing.”
From Van filled with $350,000 in rare books stolen in Oakland - SFGate
Submitted by Bearkat on January 7, 2016 - 1:03pm
"In recent years, as academic history has taken a turn toward the cultural and social, producing more and more works about women, minorities, and everyday life, the kinds of history books you see on the New Releases table at a Barnes & Noble have begun to feel like throwbacks." http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2016/01/popular_history_why_are_so_many_history_books_about_men_by_men.html
Submitted by Blake on December 28, 2015 - 10:59am
Riverby Books D.C., a used-bookstore on Capitol Hill, closed last year after owner Steve Cymrot was hit by a truck and killed. His son Paul reopened the store in the fall — and didn’t hesitate. “The business side of it never gave us a moment’s pause,” he said. “We’ve never had better business.”
And it’s a business with good economics. Used bookstores can beat Amazon and other online booksellers on price, offering shoppers both a browsing experience and a money-saving one. Also, profit margins on used books are better than new ones — so good that many indies are adding used sections.
Sensing a good deal, entrepreneurs are jumping in.
From In the age of Amazon, used bookstores are making an unlikely comeback - The Washington Post
Submitted by Blake on December 16, 2015 - 10:31am
Submitted by Blake on November 27, 2015 - 9:10am
Submitted by Blake on November 15, 2015 - 9:12pm
So there you have it! We made history today. Allison Stieger became the first person in the world to reverse-showroom Amazon Books, and she bought the world’s first reverse-showroomed book at Queen Anne Book Company. Congratulations, Allison Stieger and Queen Anne Book Company! You’ve showroomed the showroomer
From The Seattle Review of Books - Independent bookstore fan showrooms Amazon Books
Submitted by Blake on November 5, 2015 - 6:08pm
The staff are drawn from within Amazon, from local bookstores, from libraries. Robert Sindelar of Third Place has said that some of his staff were contacted by Amazon recruiters through LinkedIn. Pam Cady, manager of the general books department at University Book Store was contacted as well. Cady received LinkedIn messages and an email. It was very personal in tone, but ended with a simple choice: a button to indicate whether or not she was interested in the offer. “I clicked not interested.”
From My 2.5 Star Trip to Amazon's Bizarre New Bookstore | The New Republic
Submitted by Blake on November 4, 2015 - 3:08pm
Amazon Books, as the new store is called, will be like any other Main Street bookstore (remember those?), except that Amazon will use the troves of data it collects from its online customers to stock the shelves. That means its book displays will feature real Amazon book reviews, and the store will showcase books that have amassed the most pre-orders online. The books will also come with Amazon’s trademark low price tags.
From Amazon Killed the Bookstore. So It's Opening a Bookstore | WIRED
Submitted by Blake on October 20, 2015 - 4:07pm
Submitted by Blake on September 3, 2015 - 9:55pm
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Submitted by Bibliofuture on May 29, 2015 - 9:20am
Technology Of Books Has Changed, But Bookstores Are Hanging In There
If the book is dead, nobody bothered to tell the folks at Capitol Hill Books in Washington, D.C. Books of every size, shape and genre occupy each square inch of the converted row house — including the bathroom — all arranged in an order discernible only to the mind of Jim Toole, the store's endearingly grouchy owner.
Visitors are greeted by a makeshift sign listing words that are banned in the store, including "awesome," "perfect" and, most of all, "Amazon." The online giant has crushed many an independent bookstore — but not Toole's. "Hanging in here with my fingernails," he says with a harrumph.
Submitted by Blake on February 20, 2015 - 5:42pm
Submitted by Bibliofuture on December 6, 2014 - 5:18pm
Submitted by Bibliofuture on October 30, 2014 - 1:41pm
Two Important Publishing Facts Everyone Gets Wrong
October 27th, 2014 | Hugh C. Howey
Almost everything being said about publishing today is predicated on two facts that are dead wrong. The first is that publishers are somehow being hurt by ebook sales. The second is that independent bookstores are being crushed. The opposite is true in both cases, and without understanding this, most of what everyone says about publishing is complete bollocks.
Full post here: http://www.hughhowey.com/two-important-publishing-facts-everyone-gets-wrong/
Example infographic from post:
Submitted by Blake on June 16, 2014 - 7:15am
Paperback Trading Post will close next weekend after nearly four decades in business.
By next Sunday evening, the store’s old, metal cash register will have rung up its final sale.
Gerry Maciuba ran the shop for 38 years, mostly in the first floor of his home, which he dubbed “the big yellow house on Seneca.”
He suffered from muscular dystrophy and died on Jan. 5 at age 66.
Rose Maciuba, 62, walked around the store Saturday morning, rattling off all the genres offered. Tens of thousands of used paperbacks fill wooden shelves stretching from floor to ceiling.
Submitted by Bibliofuture on June 5, 2014 - 9:29am
Commentary on the Amazon-Hachette fight by publishing consultant Mike Shatzkin.
Shatzkin says - My “position” on all this is that it reveals an imbalance that only the government can fix.
Another point he makes: Amazon, at great expense and with great vision, made the ebook business happen. Before the Kindle, the ebook marketplace was small and unambitious. The biggest player in terms of sales was Palm, which wasn’t really interested. The most interested party was Sony, which repeatedly tried over more than a decade to establish some sort of ebook device and ecosystem. But Amazon made a significant corporate commitment — creating the Kindle device, pressuring the publishers to make much more of their catalog available as ebooks, and investing heavily in discounted sales and screen real estate to build the consumer market. When B&N with Nook in late 2009 and Apple with iPad and iBookstore in early 2010 entered the market, they were attempting to capitalize on a product class that Amazon had pretty much single-handledly created.
Submitted by Bibliofuture on June 5, 2014 - 12:08am
Last week, we talked about how Amazon was delaying orders of Hachette books as a negotiation tactic in a pricing argument with the publisher. Walmart has now announced that they'll offer customers 40% off on all Hachette books and quick shipping.
Full piece at -- On The Media
Submitted by birdie on May 30, 2014 - 2:29pm
From Shelf-Awareness a report on author James Patterson's address to conference participants:
"Amazon seems out to control shopping in this country. This ultimately will have an effect on every grocery and department store chain and every big box store and ultimately put thousands of mom and pop stores out of business. It sounds like a monopoly to me. Amazon also wants to control bookselling, the book business and book publishing. That's a national tragedy. If this is the new American way, it has to be changed by law if necessary."


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QR Codes have landed in Springfield thanks to a new ad campaign launched by Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAI) for longtime client, the FieldEddy Insurance Network. While some are still trying to decide whether QR Codes, otherwise known as Quick Response Codes, are the latest fad or in fact a game changer, GCAI has begun to adopt the new technology for virtually all the projects it undertakes. With close to half of the US population using smart phones, QR Code use is expected to expand rapidly. Essentially, anyone with a smart phone can download a simple to use, free app that will allow them to scan a QR Code and be immediately linked to Internet based content. Already, most major retailers are using them to link to videos, special offers, and additional product information that would not fit in conventional printed space.
According to John Garvey, president of GCAI, “The FieldEddy Insurance Network ‘Shopping’ ad was the perfect way to leverage other Internet-based media that was available. Last year, the boys at viz-bang! produced a terrific commercial for us. It built upon the popular ‘Shopping with Wendy’ campaign we launched in 2009. By employing QR Code technology, we were able to leverage that popular video and essentially add Internet capacity to a print ad.” GCAI already has several other QR Code projects on the design table and will launch several additional ads employing the technology this spring.


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|A passenger walks past an electric sign of the nation's largest private moneylending brand, Rush & Cash, operated by Apro Financial, in central Seoul in this file photo. Yonhap|
By Lee Min-hyung
Private moneylenders are teetering on the brink of collapse, as their profitability keeps worsening in the aftermath of the government's movement to lower the maximum interest rates they can charge.
Apro Financial, the nation's largest private moneylender best-known for its brand Rush & Cash, will close its loan business by the end of 2024.
Other lenders, including the Japan-based Sanwa Money and Lead Corp, are also reducing their moneylending businesses amid worsening earnings. Starting from March 2019, Sanwa has stopped offering new loans to private borrowers, focusing only on retrieving existing ones. The two companies are the second and third largest private moneylenders here, respectively, in terms of assets.
Industry insiders said the market players are scaling down and withdrawing from the moneylending business, largely due to the unfavorable market conditions caused by the continuous reduction in the maximum interest rate.
For the past decade, the government has drastically cut the rates to protect consumers ― in 2007, the maximum interest charged was an annual 66 percent. The government has since cut this to 24 percent.
"The rate decline is the biggest reason behind the downfall of the loan services provided by major private moneylenders," a spokesman at the Consumer Loan Finance Association said.
The rise of the second-tier loan service providers, such as savings banks and credit card companies, has also been a continuous threat to private moneylending.
The official raised concerns that borrowers with low credit ratings would have to turn to illegal moneylending services in the future.
"Private moneylending services were the de facto last resort for such people to legally borrow money," he said.
Major commercial and savings banks are reluctant to lend money to people with low credit ratings. But with private lenders opting to halt their services, these people are expected to seek out illegal lenders, he said.
"This may cause social problems, as the people will not be able to find any official and legal routes to borrow money in the aftermath of business pullout by private moneylenders," he said.
As of now, the private lenders have little interest in resuming their loan business, viewing it as less promising because they cannot charge higher interest rates.
Things are no different at other existing top-tier local private lenders such as Welcome Creditline and Joy Credit. The latter has recently joined the move to shutter its loan business.
The nation's fifth-largest private moneylender stopped offering new loans at the beginning of the month.


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Details have been released at Rick Armon’s “Ohio Breweries” blog concerning Jackie O’s 7th Anniversary bottle release on December 15. For those of you not in the know, Jackie O’s is a brewpub located in Athens, Ohio. Their head brewer, Brad Clark, is one of the most creative and talented brewers in the United States. He is big on barrel treatments and sours, which has drawn a large amount of attention in the national craft beer scene (he was featured on the cover of Beer Advocate Magazine). These events tend to be “beer geek” pilgrimages, with folks coming from all over the U.S. to gather, share great beers Friday and Saturday, and then buy bottles on Saturday.
This will be my third release I’ve attended and I’ve had a fantastic time at all of them. I will have more details/background next week, since I’ll be bunking with a fellow local beer blogger and will be putting together a joint post covering the event afterwords.
Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery in Athens will hold its seventh anniversary party combined with a bottle release Dec. 15. The brewpub will have an eye-popping 40 Jackie O’s beers on draft for the celebration and will have seven bottled beers available for purchase.
“We’re going to have a big weekend,” brewer Brad Clark told me during a visit to Athens this week. “We’re packaging a ton of barrel aged beers.”
The seven bottled beers will be: Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Apparition, Bourbon Barrel Aged Brick Kiln, Rum Barrel Aged Brick Kiln, Bourbon Barrel Aged Skipping Stone, Rum Barrel Aged Oil of Aphrodite, Thorogood and Oaky Golden Pucker, a sour that was aged for 46 months.
As usual, the brewpub has several tasty and unusual beers on draft. They include Dark Apparition Nuts, a Russian imperial stout aged with pecans, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts and almonds; Dark Apparition Kopi Luwak, the imperial stout aged on the world’s most expensive coffee; and Moustache Melter, a pale ale infused with habanero peppers. (If you’re not familiar with Kopi Luwak, it’s the coffee bean gathered from the excrement of the civet, a wild cat-like animal.)
Meanwhile, the Jackie O’s production brewery is getting closer to opening. The majority of eqiupment is in place, including the 20-barrel Newlands Systems brewhouse. Owner Art Oestrike said he hopes to be producing beer there before the end of the year but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s early next year.
The production brewery will include a tap room — which features a gorgeous bar crafted by American Elm Workshops — and outdoor patio area. The plan is still to distribute draft beer at first to the Athens and Columbus areas, and then in a month or so offer cans as well. When asked when Jackie O’s might hit the Cincinnati, Cleveland another other markets, Oestrike said it’s important to serve the local community first and not overextend the brewery. The production brewery will offer three beers initially for distribution: Firefly Amber Ale, Mystic Mama and Chomolungma.


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Looking to shed some kilograms? Jason Snell highlights some apps and gadgets that can help with your exercise regimen.
Stories by Jason Snell
For years, many Mac app developers have had to design their own ways to get your attention. But with Mountain Lion, a true systemwide notification service will finally arrive.
Two of the new iOS-flavored apps to move to the Mac with the release of Mountain Lion this summer are Notes and Reminders. Here’s a sneak peek at how they work.
iChat is dead—long live Messages. With Thursday’s announcement of Mac OS X Mountain Lion comes the news that iChat is being upgraded and renamed to Messages, with support for the iMessage chat system introduced with iOS 5.
Apple updates its iOS mobile operating system once a year. But why should the iPhone and iPad have all the fun? Apple has announced that it will release a new version of OS X—Mountain Lion—this summer, just a year after the release of OS X Lion.


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In 2018, the global market capitalisation of the cryptocurrency market fell sharply by nearly 60% between January and early February. In this report discover which established digital currencies have the worst online reputations and how they can combat this problem?
How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
the Global Market
How a Lack of
Blockchain is a technology synonymous with transparency,
traceability and trust. However, does trust really exist from
the perspective of an outsider looking into the blockchain
industry? Can protocols built upon trust truly evolve without
first gaining public trust?
In 2018, the global
of the cryptocurrency
market fell sharply by
nearly 60% between
An Overview of the
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to
ruin it,” said billionaire investor Warren Buffet. “If you think
about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Bitcoin and other digital currencies have only been around
for 10 years. Yet despite their chequered and often negative
reputation (volatile and opaque, according to some critics),
they’ve grown fast.
In early January 2018, the cryptocurrency market reached a
peak market capitalisation of nearly $800 billion.
There are now more than 2,000 cryptocurrencies,
including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin (according to
CoinMarketCap), which are traded by millions of people on
over 200 exchanges.
Experts predict that a small number of select
cryptocurrencies will eventually become globally adopted,
replacing traditional, government-backed fiat currencies.
Not bad for a new and unregulated financial asset. Yet 2018
has been a bad year for digital currencies, which have lost
three-quarters of their value since their peak at the start of
blockchaindefender.io 02How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Finally, why does the cryptocurrency industry have a bad reputation and how can
cryptocurrencies combat this problem?
How does market sentiment (the proportion of news/comments about digital currencies in the Google search
results that are positive or negative) affect a cryptocurrency’s market capitalisation?
Which established digital currencies have the most positive online reputations (and which have the worst)?
How does the online reputation of digital currencies vary by country or region?
Is the sentiment surrounding digital currencies more negative or positive in different countries?
What types of website is negativity most commonly published to?
Initially, the fall was attributed to South Korea’s
government, suggesting that it planned new regulations for
cryptocurrency trading. However, as time has passed it has
become more apparent that the fall cannot be attributed to
any one factor.
Politicians have likened the cryptocurrency industry to the
“Wild West” and said that it should be regulated to protect
In September 2018, the global market capitalisation of
cryptocurrencies fell further after media reports that Wall
Street financial institutions - including Goldman Sachs -
were shunning cryptocurrencies.
Yet despite persistent concerns about the long and
medium-term future of digital currencies, relatively little is
known about the link between their online reputation and
their financial value (market capitalisation).
May 17 Aug 17 Aug 18Nov 17 Nov 18Feb 18 May 18
How does the online reputation of digital currencies compare to an established financial asset/market such as
traditional exchange markets?
What impact does a crisis have on the price of a cryptocurrency?
In this report, ReputationDefender will aim to answer the following questions:
blockchaindefender.io 03How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
The Impact of Google Search Results
So, how does the prominence of content about a
cryptocurrency or crypto exchange in the Google search
results affect its reputation?
The higher a website ranks in the Google search results the
more clicks it will get and the more potential investors will
read about it.
Our research analyses how users interact and form
opinions on the information they find via a Google search
for a cryptocurrency.
In the online reputation industry, it’s widely accepted that
75% of search engine users will choose whether or not
to engage with a brand, product or service based on the
search results shown. However, this percentage is likely to
increase for digital and online services due to a lack
of offline material.
Therefore, if 1,000 investors read negative content about a
cryptocurrency, wallet or exchange, we can safely assume
that 750 (75%) of them will choose not to invest.
Also, it’s important to remember that a lack of positive
search results has the potential to be just as damaging as
negative search results.
This knowledge helped us measure each cryptocurrency’s
online reputation and compare it to their financial
performance (market cap).
At a time when digital currencies are under growing
scrutiny, how they manage their online reputation can
affect their growth and whether they attract enough
ReputationDefender has conducted extensive research into the online reputation of thousands of digital currencies
- including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin - in four countries: The United States, Germany, Japan and the United
Arab Emirates. These countries were chosen because they have large and growing cryptocurrency markets, and
because ReputationDefender services blockchain clients in these countries.
The team at ReputationDefender used its expertise to analyse and quantify online sentiment about digital
currencies and track any connection with their financial performance.
First, ReputationDefender calculated the total search volume for cryptocurrencies based on Google AdWords data.
Then, using pre-determined criteria, online mentions of each crypto brand were categorised into positive, neutral
and negative categories.
Two pages (positions 1-20) of Google search results about each cryptocurrency were analysed in the research.
Negative online content included keywords such as ‘hack’, ‘scam’ and ‘Ponzi’ when they were used in articles about
Other types of negative content can include abusive comments about a cryptocurrency on an online forum or the
comment section of a news article, or on a company’s Wikipedia page.
Positive content included words and phrases such as ‘ICO’ (Initial Coin Offering), ‘ROI’ (Return On Investment),
‘sound investment’ and ‘milestone’.
This market sentiment was then cross-referenced with the market capitalisation of digital currencies.
Market Trend, Market Sentiment & Market Capitalisation
blockchaindefender.io 04How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
The Results of Our Analysis:
The graph below shows the digital currency market between 1st January 2017 and 31st July 2018
The graph tracks three metrics:
• The blue columns shows Google’s ‘trend data’, the anonymised data showing how often people searched for the term
• The orange line shows ‘sentiment’ about digital currencies; whether online content about digital currencies was positive or
• The red line shows the market capitalisation for the digital currency market
The first section, on the left of the graph, shows three things happening simultaneously :
• Google searches for digital currencies became more common (shown in Google’s ‘trend data’)
• Positive online sentiment about cryptocurrencies increased
• The global cryptocurrency market cap increased
In the second section of the graph (between September 2017 and December 2017) this trend continued.
However, between January 2018 and March 2018, the opposite occurred.
As search volume declined and online sentiment about digital currencies became much more negative, the market entered a
bearish trend and market capitalisation fell sharply as a result.
Feb 17Jan 17 Jun 17 Oct 17 Feb 18Apr 17 Aug 17 Dec 17 Apr 18Mar 17 July 17 Nov 17 Mar 18May 17 Sep 17 Jan 18 May 18 Jun 18 Jul 18
blockchaindefender.io 05How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
In the final phase, between April and July 2018, all three factors (trend data, sentiment and market
capitalisation) stabilised and plateaued.
An increase or decrease in the search volume of cryptocurrencies - and whether online sentiment about them is positive or
negative - directly correlates with market capitalisation.
By analysing a cryptocurrency’s online reputation, investors may be able to better predict its future financial performance.
Key Research Findings:
• There’s a clear correlation between an increase in
negative online sentiment about cryptocurrencies
and a fall in their market capitalisation.
• If there’s high search volume and positive sentiment,
a cryptocurrency’s market capitalisation increases.
• If there’s negative sentiment about a cryptocurrency
that becomes more prominent, market capitalisation
blockchaindefender.io 06How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Crypto Reputation by Country
Our research analysed online sentiment surrounding digital currencies (whether coverage is positive or negative) in four
countries: the United States, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.
ReputationDefender carried out this analysis using the native language of each country ( English, USA, German, Germany etc.).
As you can see from the graph below, there were significant differences in sentiment between the countries surveyed.
Sources of Negativity
The most common online destinations ReputationDefender found for online negativity towards
• Cryptocurrency industry news websites
• Social media platforms and blogs
• Discussion forums e.g. Reddit, Bitcointalk
• Cryptocurrency review websites
• Cryptocurrency company websites and directories
United Arab Emirates
10 20 30 40 50 60
Negative Count Leaderboard
blockchaindefender.io 07How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Bitcoin’s Global Reputation
ReputationDefender analysed online sentiment towards Bitcoin in the US, Germany, Japan and the UAE.
The UAE had the most positive search results for Bitcoin, followed by Germany, the US and Japan.
The US had the most negative search results, followed by Germany, the UAE and Japan.
USA Germany Japan
Possible Negative 2 4 4 6
Positive 5 4 2 3
Neutral 6 6 12 7
Negative 7 6 2 4
United Arab Emirates (Arabic)
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
USA Germany Japan
Negative 37.25% 19.65% 10.70% 17.95%
Neutral 29.25% 16.50% 64.45% 23.85%
Positive 19.40% 27.20% 16.10% 35.35%
Possible Negative 14.10% 36.65% 8.75% 22.85%
blockchaindefender.io 08How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Crypto Market Social Media Blog Client Owned Direct Site
News Forum Review Directory
Crypto Market Blog Pricing News
Exchange Encyclopedia Social Media Other Forum
Positive - Iconomi - Highest Number of Positives
Negative - BitcoinCash - Highest Number of Negatives
Positives Split by Count
Negative Split by Count
Negative Split by Impact
Current Owned Direct Site
Current Owned Direct Site
0 5 10 15 20
0 2 4 6 8 10
12 14 16
Positives Split by Impact
1 1 1
blockchaindefender.io 10How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
If an exchange isn’t trusted and respected, traders
will often choose to use a competing exchange.
Coins listed solely on these exchanges will potentially
inherit this negative sentiment and could therefore
underperform at crucial stages in their development.
Traders have increasing options and new exchanges
are appearing daily.
Crypto exchanges aren’t only in competition with
each other either; they also compete with more
established traditional financial exchanges and
trusted trading platforms.
ReputationDefender studied and compared the online
reputations of 10 cryptocurrency exchanges and
10 traditional exchanges in four countries: the US,
Germany, Japan and the UAE.
Our research found that there was far more negative
content in the Google search results about crypto
exchanges than traditional exchanges.
Solid Reputations, Well Managed
Traditional exchanges have more control over their online reputations. This control is largely driven by positive ownership such
as official exchange websites and social media channels. Over one third (34.38%) of the content is officially owned.
Our analysis also shows that traditional exchanges benefit from a healthy volume of positive commentary from third party
websites. Nearly 30% of the online content we studied can be categorised as positive in sentiment.
Official Neutral 3rd
Study Reputation Matters:
Crypto Exchanges vs Traditional Trading Exchanges
blockchaindefender.io 11How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Official Neutral 3rd
A major contributing factor to this is the additional channels of negativity which traditional exchanges do not suffer from, such
as social media, blogs and pricing websites.
This lack of control has resulted in potential investors and customers being faced with 275% more negative coverage about
crypto exchanges than they would about traditional exchanges.
In addition, crypto exchange ownership of search results is just 17.75%, which is nearly half that of traditional exchanges.
In comparison, crypto exchanges seem to be struggling
to protect and improve their online reputations.
blockchaindefender.io 12How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Where Is Most of the Negative
Sentiment Coming From?
For traditional exchanges, just over half (51%) of negativity comes from review sites, which is typical for a consumer industry.
Market Specific 4%
Negative content about crypto exchanges comes from more sources than negative content about traditional exchanges.
Crypto industry websites account for about one quarter of negative search results, followed closely by blogs, forums and social
media channels, which together account for 23% of overall negative content.
In some ways, crypto exchanges have become a victim of their own success. Their rapid growth and excitement about their
future means that they are subject to far more scrutiny from bloggers, crypto enthusiasts and the media than the traditional
Social Media 8%
Crypto Market 24%
blockchaindefender.io 13How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Before the digital currency’s crisis, there was little to no negative content (1.3%) published about it in the five countries we analysed.
In fact, the cryptocurrency in question had one of the better online reputations within the industry.
The amount of positive content shared online about the company (16.4%) was significantly better than the industry average.
Official Neutral 3rd
Immediately after the crisis was made public, there was a big increase in negative sentiment (up 22.1%) about the company in
five countries. At the same time, positive content about the digital currency decreased by 14%.
Negative Official Neutral 3rd
ReputationDefender analysed the online reputation of a cryptocurrency which faced a crisis in 2018 after it was
Our research was based on a before and after crisis analysis of the brand search term in five countries: the US,
the United Kingdom, Japan, the UAE and Germany.
Study Case Study: A Crypto in Crisis
blockchaindefender.io 14How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
East vs West
Interestingly, there was a significant difference in how the crisis was perceived in different parts of the world.
There was a huge swing in negative sentiment about the currency in the West compared to the East.
GOOGLE UNIVERSAL JAPAN
GOOGLE UNIVERSAL UAE
GOOGLE UNIVERSAL UK
GOOGLE UNIVERSAL USA
Negative Official Neutral 3rd Party Positive
blockchaindefender.io 15How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Negative News Sources
We analysed the search results for the digital currency in question before and after the crisis. The charts below break down
and categorise the sentiment of the sites in the search results.
In one week, we can see how positive search engine ownership decreased from 22% to just 3%. On the other hand, negative
search engine ownership increased dramatically from 2% to 28%.
By breaking down negative search engine ownership we can see that:
20% of negative sites have been categorised as crypto market news e.g. cryptocompare.com
5% of negative sites have been categorised as mainstream news e.g. Bloomberg.com
3% of negative sites have been categorised as forums e.g. Reddit.com
The combined average search volume for the brand was 250,000 searches per month. The increase in negative content about
the brand may have deterred nearly 65,000 potential engagements.
Negative Neutral Official 3rd Party Positive Potential Negative
blockchaindefender.io 16How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Coin Price During the Crisis
How did the crisis affect the coin’s trading price?
Our analysis of the week during the crisis shows the devastating effect a crisis can have on the market value and share price of
a digital currency.
The coin price fell sharply overnight and by about one third during the week, resulting in the loss of tens of millions of dollars
from the company’s value.
Market Cap: 160,313,254 USD
Price USD: 3.20
Price BTC: 0.00047549
Market Cap: 104,760,132 USD
Price USD: 2.05
Price BTC: 0.00032773
Market Cap: -55,552,520 USD
Price: -1.15 USD
Price BTC: -0.00014776
blockchaindefender.io 17How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Why Does the Blockchain Industry Have Reputation Issues?
The blockchain industry has earned a bad reputation as a result of the numerous scams, hacks and shady characters operating
within it. There is a continuous spread of misinformation, commonly referred to in the space as fear, uncertainty and doubt
(FUD). This has resulted in a severe lack of trust.
The industry has been tarnished by the very problems it sought to eradicate in the world of finance, and as a result the public
has been burnt. It is essential that investors regain confidence to achieve mainstream adoption.
How Can Cryptocurrencies Combat Reputation Issues?
It is crytical for cyrptocurrenices to focus on building a credible and durable online reputation. A shift in reputation sentiment
– or a PR crisis which damages your brand online – can devastate the price a coin is trading at and deter adoption.
Blockchain projects pride themselves on being community driven and funded. For this reason, it is essential that community
members feel like they are active participants of the project and that their voices are heard.
To achieve this, any respectable blockchain project should have a clear and robust social media strategy that interacts and
engages with its audience.
A Global Approach
The majority of blockchain projects aim to be adopted internationally. A key part of this is to interact with the target audience
in their native language, adhering to cultural practices and differences.
85% of search engine users expect to see information in their own language before deciding whether or not to engage
with a brand.
As a result of ReputationDefender’s research, it is clear that
potential professional investors and the public are researching
blockchains, cryptocurrencies and tokens online. They’re making
investment and adoption decisions based on what they find.
blockchaindefender.io 18How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry
Being Heard for the Right Reasons
Due to the prolonged bear market, many blockchain projects have halted or slowed down their marketing efforts. Doing this
can be extremely detrimental to the success of a project and can lead to the collapse of a coin.
Cryptocurrencies must broadcast their news, updates and progress in a clear and concise manner to authoritative and trusted
industry websites. This not only helps to cement and maintain a positive reputation for the project; it also makes it stand out
from the competition as a respectable project with a long-term vision.
BlockchainDefender by Reputation Defender
BlockchainDefender is a new product offering from ReputationDefender that offers a tailored reputation management
solution for the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry.
Your brand search results are your online shop window. They define what potential clients think about you within seconds.
Current clients, associates, prospective business partners, employees, investors and your network are measuring you against
what appears online, and what they discover can be the difference between losing or winning their trust. Don’t let critical
articles, misleading blogs and outdated news ruin your reputation.
By creating a global framework of relevant content about your business hosted on new and established assets in multiple
languages, ReputationDefender will promote material which will limit the coverage and visibility of any harmful information.
Industry Expert – Opinion
Pascal B van Knijff, CEO & Founder Future of Trust
Proposition Builder and International Keynote Speaker
Trust is often time perceived as an intangible property; it is hard to
quantify and prove, yet it is one of the most important pillars in the
marketplace today. However, this industry report does a good job of
visualising and even quantifying trust.
Throughout this report it is very interesting to see how the
cryptocurrency and blockchain industries have failed to deliver
the solutions to the very problems they sought to eradicate.
Another important takeaway is the need for blockchain, token and
cryptocurrency projects to have a long-term vision and understand
the need for a post-launch strategy. As the industry matures and
more organizations adopt blockchain propositions, it is important to
demonstrate what trust looks like.
As a cryptocurrency industry professional, token proposition
builder and international speaker, I want to encourage every reader
to include the key learnings and insights of this report in their
communication and online strategy. I am certain we will!
blockchaindefender.io 19How a Lack of Trust Affects the Global Market Capitalisation of the Cryptocurrency Industry


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Thanks to falling gas prices, the Toyota Prius may not reach its target growth in 2013.
Read This Article
Toyota has just revealed a slew of new concept cars slated for this month's Tokyo Motor Show, including a concept version of its hydrogen car.
After not doing too well in IIHS testing, Toyota is taking more steps to up the safety in its vehicles.
Since its inception in 1970, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has handled the task of mandating regulations for highway and road safety.


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Apple device users are no longer able to use Siri for voice calls, voicemail messages, and email management. With the release of iOS 15, Apple has pulled a handful of Siri integrations that support visually impaired users as accessibility shortcuts.
The company has removed in total seven commands that provide details on voice calls, call history, voicemails, and email creation.
- Do I have any voicemails?
- Play my voicemail messages
- Check my call history
- Check my recent calls
- Who called me?
- Send an email
- Send an email to [person]
It is unclear when and why Apple took this step, but MacRumors on Wednesday reported having received multiple reports about the issue over the past two weeks. According to MacRumors, the Siri feature removals have been documented on AppleVis, a website that serves as a forum for blind and low vision users of Apple products.
A person on AppleVis contacted Apple support on this matter and was told that the company is aware of the issue. This could mean that a solution might be in development.


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Novatti Group will join the S&P/ASX All Technology Index on 20 September 2021, an index featuring Australia’s leading and emerging technology companies.
Australian buy now, pay later player humm group has entered into a partnership between bundll and Velocity Frequent Flyer.
SWIFT’s KYC Registry will become the first global utility to integrate the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Sustainable Trade Finance Guidelines.
eftpos, BPAY Group and NPPA propose to amalgamate for the benefit of Australian consumers and businesses
The proposal for eftpos, BPAY Group and New Payments Platform Australia to amalgamate will see tangible benefits for Australian consumers and businesses.
FlexiGroup announce a partnership with Mastercard to expand the application and distribution of bundll, the world first BNPL platform built by humm.
Melbourne-based fund manager Nucleus Wealth and Martin North’s ‘Walk the World’ (WTW) brand today announce new partnership.