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These people spoke off record, citing confidentiality issues and non-disclosure commitments. ET could not independently verify the complete contours and details of the discussion.
The key player here is Alibaba, the world’s largest ecommerce company, which has a 40% stake in Paytm and around 3% in Snapdeal. Paytm has spun off the marketplace business into an entity called Paytm E-commerce Private Limited, which is raising capital from Alibaba and SAIF Partners.
In the event of a merger between Snapdeal and Paytm’s marketplace, Alibaba will emerge as the new entity’s largest shareholder, assuming no other big, new investor comes on the scene.
The other important player will be Japanese major SoftBank, which is a major investor in Snapdeal, and also has a substantial stake in Alibaba.
“Snapdeal and Paytm have held talks to merge and this deal is driven by Alibaba,” said one person familiar with the matter. Paytm, which has a payments bank licence, has a deadline of March 31 to spin off its marketplace, as mandated by the Reserve Bank of India.
According to another person with knowledge of the development, the recent capital infusion by Alibaba Group in Paytm’s marketplace will also be a factor in any deal.
ET sent questions to all the companies concerned. In response to an email, SoftBank said, “We don’t comment on speculation”. Paytm did not respond to ET’s questions. Snapdeal and Alibaba, in their responses, said no such transaction was being planned.
ET had earlier reported that Alibaba is leading an investment round of Rs 1,350-1,700 crore in the online retail marketplace of Paytm, marking the formal entry of the Chinese major into a market where it will now compete with America’s Amazon and India’s Flipkart.
“The managements of Snapdeal and Paytm are waiting to see how the two companies fare in the first two months of 2017,” said the person quoted above. Snapdeal, which has seen value erosion in the past few quarters, is now being valued at $3-3.5 billion, down from the last fund-raising round that pegged it’s valuation at $6 billion.
- Front Page
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A group of lenders, who claim to collectively own more than 85% of a $1.2 billion term loan taken by Byju’s, has termed the suit filed by the edtech company against their demand for an “accelerated” repayment “meritless”.PM Meets Altman, says ‘We Welcome all Collaborations’
India welcomes all collaborations that can accelerate its digital transformation and empower its citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after his Thursday meeting in New Delhi with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who is currently on a tour meeting world leaders across Europe and Asia.Adani’s Proposed Air Works Deal has Passed Long Stop Date: Crisil
Adani Group’s proposed acquisition of Air Works has passed its long stop date and the two companies are not in discussions to extend deal timelines, ratings agency Crisil said in a recent note, potentially adding to the list of purchase plans that have been halted.
ETPrime stories of the day
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AI vs. India’s demographic dividend: Three questions we must answer to come out on top
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Apple Removes Christian Ministry App After LGBT Activists Complain
Apple has removed a Christian ministry’s app from its app store.
The removal comes from a complaint that was filed through the petition website Change.org.
According to the petition,
The app falsely portrays being gay as an “addiction”, “sickness”, and “sin”. The American Psychiatric Association warns that attempts to change one’s sexual orientation can lead to “anxiety, depression, and self-destructive behavior,” including suicide. Why would Apple allow its online store to be used as a platform to promote such dangerous, homophobic garbage?
This is not the first time Apple has had to confront this issue. In 2011, Truth Wins Out launched a Change.org petition that gathered almost 150,000 signatures to successfully remove the Exodus “ex-gay” app from the Apple Store. Let’s demand that Apple does the right thing again, so LGBT youth won’t be tormented by hateful bigots and bullies.
In a letter from Living Hope Ministries, they told The Christian Post in an email:
“We are saddened by Apple’s and Microsoft’s removal of our app because of a single person’s false accusations. Regardless of their decision we will continue to make the app and our services available to those who seek them,” said Ricky Chalette, executive director of the ministry.
“We are a ministry that for nearly thirty years has helped individuals resolve their feelings they deem incongruent with their faith,” he continued. “We help people deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ through Bible study and accountability. We walk with them to align their lives with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Through support groups they realize they are not alone and are able to share honestly and openly in a non-condemning atmosphere about their struggles, passions, and victories. From chaos and confusion they often find peace, hope, and a deeper sense of personal wholeness. Our ministry is free and strictly voluntary.”
He added, “In a day when diversity and tolerance is celebrated I would hope it would be extended to issues of faith and practice.”
Censoring the Christian worldview and biblical beliefs is not anything new or completely unexpected, and believe me there is being much done to combat the intolerant views of the secular world against Christianity. When the time is right, they won’t have a leg to stand on.

domain: news


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Can you guess teens’ favorite social network?
Monday, June 11, 2018
In 2013, Facebook saw its engagement declining among teens. But even a year later, Facebook remained the most popular and frequently used social platform, according to Pew Research Center.
That’s why when Facebook offered to buy Snapchat in 2013 for $3 billion in cash, everyone thought it was ludicrous. $3 billion for an app that made no money and had 33 million users? It shocked the industry — especially since that was nearly twice what Google paid to buy YouTube in 2006.
In hindsight, it looks like Facebook may have had a crystal ball. Now, according to the latest Pew research from 2018, Facebook is now the fourth most popular network with teens (down three spots in a list of seven).
Read on to what social network is now teens’ favorite, where they’re spending the most time and more marketing insights.
Note: Unless otherwise mentioned, all below data is from the latest Pew research. Teens refer to those between the ages of 13 and 17.
The biggest change from the last Pew Study on teens in 2015?
Almost all teens (95 percent) have a smartphone or have access to one. That number holds up across different genders, races and ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Because of that nearly universal access, roughly half of teens (45 percent) are online on a "near-constant basis." That’s almost double what it was in 2015.
Also, because of their omnipresent cellphone, a computer is no longer a must. Only 88 percent of teens have one.
Marketing takeaway: If this group is your target demographic, go all in on mobile. That should be your No. 1 priority. Make that experience as user-friendly as possible.
Then, experiment by posting social content or sending marketing emails at odd times of the day. See what sticks!
Where the Teens Are
As you know, Facebook is no longer the platform with the most U.S. teen users.
Instead, here’s the breakdown.
- 85 percent are on YouTube.
- 72 percent are on Instagram.
- 69 percent are on Snapchat.
- 51 percent are on Facebook.
- 32 percent are on Twitter.
- 9 percent are on Tumblr.
- 7 percent are on Reddit.
- 3 percent are on none of the above networks.
Marketing takeaway: While YouTube isn’t a social network in the traditional sense, its top spot means your brand should be creating more videos. From there, invest your time creating content for Instagram and Snapchat.
While those are the accounts that have the most teen users, the order switches a bit when asked which platforms teens use the most.
- 35 percent use Snapchat most.
- 32 percent use YouTube most.
- 15 percent use Instagram most.
Girls use Snapchat more while boys prefer YouTube. Also, black teens say Facebook is their go-to network four times more than white teens.
Lower-income teens (whose annual household income is under $30,000) are five times more likely to use Facebook most, compared to higher-income teens.
Marketing takeaway: Plan to spend your ad dollars in the top three platforms — YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat.
As you divvy up your time on networks, spend the most time cultivating content for Snapchat since it’s one of the most popular and most-used platforms. Delve deeper into how different demographics use social networks here.
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In a world where helmets are the new smartphone cameras, there’s no shortage of companies looking to capitalize on the emerging wearables craze.
Moto’s own Moto 360 helmet, for instance, came in at number four on the list of top 10 most-watched brands last year, and its $150 Moto 360 Pro is now available in the U.S. from Google and others.
So why is this wearable technology still a niche product?
The answer may lie in the fact that it’s still a relatively new technology.
With helmet sales declining steadily for years, there hasn’t been as much innovation in the way that people wear them.
The only helmet companies that have managed to innovate are the ones that use proprietary materials, like helmets made by companies like ASOS and Bose.
“There are many other companies that are making helmets for the smartphone market,” said Adam Jaffe, director of marketing at the Bicycle Institute.
“They’re still using proprietary materials and they’re not changing that much.”
In the end, though, it’s not that different from other wearables.
If the Moto 360 doesn’t have the technology or the design, it doesn’t make much of a difference.
But for the helmet industry, it is a very important step forward.
“The Moto 360 is an important step,” said Jaffe.
“We have a lot of products in the market that are very similar.
They’re just different in the design.
They have the same features.”
One of the biggest reasons that helmet companies are moving forward with wearable tech is because of the potential for consumers to be able to see them when they wear them, which is a big part of the appeal of the technology.
“It’s a much safer product,” said James Brough, head of product marketing at Fitbit.
“When you see someone wearing a Moto 360, you see it as a smartwatch and you can see them in the environment.”
If that technology proves to be successful, the helmet market could continue to expand rapidly.
“I’m optimistic about this technology,” said Brough.
“People are going to want to wear helmets and that’s going to make this market even bigger.
I think we’re going to see this technology really spread to more people than we’ve seen before.”
With the Moto360, Brough hopes to get more people wearing helmets on the road.
In fact, Bough is working with Fitbit and others to develop a helmet for their upcoming Fitbit Charge.
He’s also working with several companies to make helmets for a new smartwatch called the Fitbit Star.
Brough expects that there will be an explosion of wearables products over the next few years.
“A lot of the wearables we’ve been using are going into wearables and fitness trackers and so on,” he said.
“These are going for a fitness tracker or fitness tracker,” Brough said, referring to the Fitbits Star, “but you’re going into wearable wearables.”
“The technology is here,” said John Kiely, president of the American Society of Testing and Materials.
“With the development of smartwatches and wearable technology, there is the opportunity for new technologies and we are seeing more of it.”


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How to avoid weight loss scams
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Many people resolve to lose weight in the new year and scammers are targeting people looking for an easy way to do so.
A 2018 Better Business Bureau study reported consumers filed nearly 37,000 complaints and the BBB scam tracker found the average victim lost $186.
Cat Viglienzoni spoke with the BBB’s Paula Fleming about what you need to watch out for.
Copyright 2022 WCAX. All rights reserved.


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Industrial hemp gaining traction in ag industry
The Greeley Tribune
GREELEY, Colo. — Two years ago, Rick Trojan and his team at Colorado Cultivars found a wild hemp plant growing on the side of the road. It looked kind of like a Christmas tree, he said. They brought it into their greenhouse and began doing research, cultivating different strains of hemp, so they could plant each section of their field in Eaton with one specific type.
That one plant turned the company into one of the largest hemp operations in the country, the Greeley Tribune reported.
This past year, the company grew about 300 acres of hemp in its first growing season. This year, Trojan said they’ll plant between 1,500 and 2,500 acres — more than all of Colorado planted in 2015.
In a few months, as 10-foot-tall corn plants dry in nearby fields, hemp will stretch as far as the stalks, ready to become clothing, supplements, paper and more.
The farm is an extreme example — it’s expected to be the largest operation in the country again this year — but its growth represents Colorado’s hemp industry. Duane Sinning with the hemp division at the Colorado Department of Agriculture said from 2014-15, the number of acres of hemp planted increased from 200 to about 2,000. He doesn’t know what to expect this year — hemp-growing registrations are still rolling in — but he knows the state will see another huge jump.
That first year, many people got permits to grow just, so they could scoff at the federal government, he said. Now, when people get a permit, they’re hoping to grow a business.
One thing he knows for sure is hemp is putting down roots into the state’s ag scene and, as it grows, so will the already budding acceptance of the crop.
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
The demand for hemp was already high, Sinning said, and, now that Colorado farmers are allowed to grow it, it will serve a market currently being addressed by Canada.
“The U.S. imports a lot of hemp material,” he said. “Hemp hearts, hemp protein powder, full-on clothing, material to make clothing. That demand has always been there. It hasn’t really changed.”
The demand may have been high, but the reason U.S. farmers weren’t meeting it is pretty simple: People still think it’s pot.
Hemp has been illegal for years in the U.S. It was first aligned with marijuana in 1937 and specifically outlawed in 1970. In recent years, many states have passed laws allowing for the research or cultivation of industrial hemp crops. When Amendment 64 passed in Colorado in 2012, it instructed Colorado’s Legislature to create a hemp policy. Laws governing industrial hemp in Colorado went into effect in 2014.
Mike Sullivan, a hemp grower from Johnstown who grows in Brighton, and other hemp growers in the state hope to continue to educate the most conservative folks in the agriculture industry about the differences. At first, hemp growers faced a lot of pushback since the plant is similar and closely associated with marijuana. Both are cannabis, but, through careful plant breeding, different strains were derived. Hemp has low THC content, which is the intoxicating chemical in cannabis, and was bred for its fibers and oils. Marijuana was bred for the THC content. Hemp has no hallucinogenic properties and as regulated by the state, can’t contain more than 0.3 percent THC. You could smoke hemp for hours, in other words, and all you’d get out of it is a headache.
A NEW CASH CROP
He said not long ago, someone from another state approached him and told him hemp would never grow well in Colorado. It grows like a weed in wetter climates, so how would it do in a dry place such as Colorado?
Well, corn grows well in Iowa, too, Sinning said.
Ever since Trojan first found that little plant by the side of the road, he knew it had potential. Despite the plant being federally illegal for years, the little wild strain was still sticking around. That showed hemp has a will to live, he said.
When Colorado Cultivars planted their fields in Eaton, he said the crop was robust from the start.
As it turns out, hemp may thrive in Colorado even more. It’s a drought-resistant crop that doesn’t seem to need a lot of water to grow.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture is also working on a certified seed program, like it has for other major crops. Sinning said the department plans to have a limited number of seed by next year, and a respectable amount by 2018.
As existing hemp farmers have seen successes with the crop in Colorado, Sinning said he’s getting more and more calls from traditional farmers asking questions about the crop.
The crop looks like marijuana. It smells like marijuana. Yet Sullivan will grow about 80 acres of hemp, and he doesn’t keep a fence around his field. He isn’t worried about some kid coming and stuffing a trash bag full of his crop. Hemp isn’t pot.
Trojan did a project he called the Hemp Road Trip earlier this year, where he traveled across the U.S. to teach people the benefits of hemp, the difference between hemp and marijuana and to advocate for national legislation to legalize the plant. He said in 2015, when he talked to farmers across the Front Range and plains, they gave him a lot of guff, but now, they ask questions as if it were any other legitimate crop. He thinks commodity prices are directly to blame for the shift: Corn prices are so low that farmers are opening their minds to growing something else.
The growth of the NoCo Hemp Expo, which took place at The Ranch in Loveland, shows not only the ballooning industry in Colorado, but also the rapidly changing attitude toward hemp. Morris Beegle, the organizer of the event, said when the expo started out in 2014, it was at a small venue in Windsor. The next year, it moved to an outbuilding at the Budweiser Events Center. Now, it’s in a building at The Ranch three times the size of this past year, and it sold out vendor space. People are coming from all over the world.
“This has turned into the biggest hemp event on the planet for 2016,” he said.
The conversations around hemp are changing, he said.
“Here in Colorado, we live in this marijuana bubble, and we hear about it all the time,” he said. That’s something he wants to change — why just talk marijuana instead of also talking hemp, a crop with hundreds of possible uses?
That’s not to say he doesn’t think the battle for the legalization of recreational pot wasn’t worth fighting. It’s just not his fight.
“We’re fighting the battle of the other plant,” he said. “It’s amazing how difficult it’s been to separate the two.”
Zimola, founder of Happy Hempo, fights the battle on the retail side, too. He has people come up to him in his store or contact him online, outraged that he’d sell “marijuana products.” He said he even had people come into his store and pick up a hackey sack and ask if they could load the entire thing into their bong.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 28 states have a statute in place to regulate industrial hemp growth or research, but the crop, much like pot, is still illegal federally. The 2014 Farm Bill allowed universities to start researching industrial hemp, though, and in 2015, legislation was introduced in both houses of Congress to take steps toward legalization. Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat, was a bill sponsor.
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New BT Plus. Our best connection in and out of the home.
What is Facebook's cryptocurrency Libra?
British company unveils jet suits ahead of planned race series
Uber to test flying taxis in Melbourne
Keanu Reeves makes surprise appearance at video game expo E3
Motorola Moto G7 Power: Hands-on
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Smartphone newcomer? 5 reasons why the Doro 8035 is the perfect phone for you
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5G is here! Faster downloads, high-speed gaming, better connections and much more
A parents' guide to game streaming services, from Google Stadia to PlayStation Now
What devices are compatible with Google Home?


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Honda Unveils the All-New 11th Generation Civic Sedan for the First Time. “The 2022 Civic Sedan is the most fun to drive and technologically advanced sedan in the model’s nearly 50-year history,” Honda promised in a statement, without providing any additional information.
The new Honda Civic will have a 9-inch infotainment screen, which is excellent, as well as a physical volume knob. Furthermore, the device can support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly. The rest of the feature list hasn’t been released yet, but the car will have a completely digital instrument cluster, LED headlamps, tail lamps, and other standard features.
The car’s powertrain specifications are yet to be revealed, but expect it to retain the current version’s engine options, which means it will most likely come with 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre petrol engines, with other engine options possible.
The sedan version of the 11th generation Civic will hit the market this summer, followed by the hatchback a few months later. According to reports, the base price of the 11th generation Civic would be $22,245, or just over Rs. 3.4 million.


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Beginning early next year, Verizon Wireless will allow placement of banner advertisements on news, weather, sports and other Internet sites that users visit and display on their mobile phones, company executives said.How can that be? Big Business only cares about money, why would they care what consumers want?
Advertisers “are crazed to get information” onto the phones, Mr. Goodrich said. But the effectiveness “will be really limited until you’ve enabled site, sound and motion.”
That will not be happening anytime soon on Verizon, according to Mr. Harrobin. He said that during extensive tests the company did in determining whether to run ads, and how to run them, it determined that consumers find short, stand-alone video advertisements to be intrusive.
Because Big Business only cares about money, that's why. If consumers don't like advertisements on their phone they will simply find another carrier causing Big Business to lose money.
The cell phone industry is highly competitive (thanks, in part, to hefty deregulation I might add) so companies will do anything to please the consumer.
Ah, the wonders of capitalism.


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When you've had enough egg hunts, family visits and chocolate bunnies on Easter Sunday, a good flick on the big screen just might hit the spot. Easter tradition, an uncertain economy and Hannah Montana all make the movies a favorite this weekend
hen you've had enough egg hunts, family visits and chocolate bunnies on Easter Sunday, a good flick on the big screen just might hit the spot.
While many don't know it, Easter weekend is a big movie weekend. Many top-grossing movies have been released during the holiday, and one movie expert feels that this might be another stellar movie weekend.
"Easter weekend is looking like a pretty good weekend for movies," said Harry Medved, spokesperson for Fandango.com. "There is a lot of variety at the box office. There is something for the kids, tweens and adults."
Kids and tweens everywhere are happy that "Hannah Montana: The Movie" is releasing today, just in time for Easter weekend.
"We are already selling lots of tickets for it," Medved said. "We think this movie will be as big as the Hannah Montana 3-D movie. We expect big things for this one. It accounts for 12 percent of all tickets sold so far."
Bushkill resident Brittney Virtue is one of the many excited to see it.
"I think the movie looks really good. I am hoping to go see it on Easter," she said. "I think that going to the movies on a holiday is a good way to get together and have a good time."
The Casino Theater in Mount Pocono is hopeful that Easter weekend will bring in some movie fans.
"Last year for Easter, we had some people come in for movies, but it wasn't too busy," said owner Karen Struckle. "The days leading up to Easter are busier than Easter Day itself."
Foxmoor 7 Cinemas in Marshalls Creek is gearing up for what it hopes will be a busy day.
"I have no idea what to expect for Easter," said owner Kasey Gittleman. "I think that as soon as church lets out, and everyone's meals are done, we will be packed."
Gittleman remembers when Easter was a big movie day in New York City. "My husband used to own theaters on 42nd Street in New York, and people used to come all dressed up to see movies," she said. "There is still a good culture left, taking their families out to see a movie."
There are a few promising movies set to release on Easter weekend in addition to "Hannah Montana," including "Observe and Report" and "Dragonball Revolution."
"'Observe and Report' with Seth Rogan looks good, but tickets aren't on sale yet," Medved said.
There are also plenty of recently released movies to choose from.
"'The Fast and the Furious' has been 40 percent of all ticket sales at fandango.com," Medved said. "It's a new model with the original parts, with the same director and original cast. Reports say the movie just moves."
Another hit has been "Monsters vs. Aliens." Kids of all ages, as well as adults, tend to love a 3-D movie such as this one.
"If you go see 'Monsters vs. Aliens,' you want to see it in 3-D or on the Imax screen," Medved said.
Other movies making waves are "The Haunting in Connecticut," "I Love You, Man," "Race to Witch Mountain" and "Watchmen."
If independent films are more your speed, Pocono Community Theater in East Stroudsburg is showing two movies that other theaters are not showing.
"We are showing two movies — 'Sunshine Cleaning' and 'The Great Buck Howard.' I am not sure if we will be busy on Easter because we aren't premiering anything that weekend," said executive director Eric Hantson. "I worked on Easter Day once in the past, and it was pretty slow. I am anticipating that the days leading up to Easter will be busier."
Movies are one of the less expensive outings.
"During tough times, people want to escape. There is a lot of hassle with traveling anymore. More and more consumers are cutting back on travel plans, but they still need a means of escape," Medved said. "A movie is the cheapest way to escape for a while."
Fandango recently did an online survey, and 64 percent of movie-goers said that they are more likely to escape to the movies.
"They just aren't giving movies up," Medved said. "On Easter, you can get together with your family, and then have a little adventure by going to see a movie."


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Date: Aug 04, 2014
On August 1, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report on mobile shopping apps finding that many of these apps provide inadequate information about how the apps work and their privacy and security practices. The report, What’s the Deal? An FTC Study on Mobile Shopping Apps, is based on a survey of 121 different apps used for comparing prices, purchasing in-store products, and redeeming and collecting discounts. The survey examined data collection and retention policies, as well as disclosures made at the time the apps are downloaded. The FTC found that many apps did not adequately inform consumers about their payment liabilities, the handling of payment-related disputes, or how the apps collect and use information.
The FTC made several recommendations to mobile shopping app providers, including:
1. Disclose Potential Liability: Where apps permit payments, companies should disclose what potential liability, if any, consumers have for unauthorized transactions. Stored value payment transactions conducted using apps do not have the same protections as credit and debit card purchases, so adequate assurances should be provided before the app is downloaded and used to pay for a product.
2. Have clear data privacy policies: Data collection, use, and sharing practices should be described in detail.
3. Ensure strong data security practices: Companies should not only employ strong data security measures, but also honor any promises and commitments they make relating to data security.
For more information about privacy, data security, product safety, and other consumer protection–related issues, contact Sheila A. Millar at email@example.com or 202 434-4143; or Tracy P. Marshall at firstname.lastname@example.org or 202 434-4234.


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An Israeli kibbutz located north of Eilat is not alone in seeing the potential of one of its products. Its Algatechnologies business, which commercially cultivates microalgae to supply one of the world’s most powerful antioxidants available for human consumption (astaxanthin), has been bought by a leading UK investment firm.
Two Israelis have won the JC’s first Young Entrepreneurs’ Challenge. Nitzan Yudan and Tomer Kalish, now based in London, were chosen by the judges to receive the unprecedented prize: £10,000 from the judging panel, £10,000 from Investec Specialist Bank, £5,000 of strategic consultancy from Albion London and free accountancy advice from leading north London firm, Berg Kaprow Lewis.
Last week, we revealed the first three finalists in the JC’s Young Entrepreneurs’ Challenge. Today, we introduce the final two, in with a chance of winning over £20,000.
Backed by some of the biggest names in business, including Investec Specialist Bank, the competition aims to find the start-up stars of the future.
Six months ago, the JC launched its biggest — and most rewarding — business competiton to date.
Backed by some of the biggest names in business, including Investec Specialist Bank, the initiative aims to find the start-up stars of the future.
Times are a-changing. Social media has been influencing many areas of the business world, and is now gaining ground in the insurance market.
The insurance industry, typically old-fashioned in its practice, is heading for an unprecedented overhaul as the emerging influence of social media takes hold.
Helping to drive the revolution is financial services expert, Steven Mendel.
Advertisers, and companies alike, take heed; product placement is set to soar this year. The format - paying for brands to appear on screen – has already been adopted by the film, and more recently, television world, but industry experts predict it will really take off this year.
You can now search for a job the same way you would search for a holiday.
A revolutionary new business has been launched that is heralding a change in UK recruitment. TheJobCrowd, founded by husband-and-wife team Keren Mitchell and Natasha Freeman, enables recent graduates to review and rate their own positions.
It might seem an unlikely comparison but Gershon Cohen, the chief executive of infrastructure funds at Lloyds Bank, believes that the UK is similar to leading supermarket chain, Tesco: they are both successful in some areas and not so hot in others.


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According to Spotify founder Daniel Ek, the value of a company is “the sum of the problems you solve.”
The problem of bot farms playing the same tracks over and over to manipulate streaming data may not be entirely new. However, as generative AI tools become increasingly mainstream, it is taking on a new dimension for the music industry.
This will require streaming service providers to vigilantly predict and plan ahead not to be left playing a game of reactive whac-a-mole, desperately beating down issues as they arise. Otherwise, apart from dealing with obvious copyright controversies, they may end up paying large sums of money for millions of bot-boosted “fake streams.”
According to a report in the Financial Times, Universal Music Group (UMG), which controls about a third of the global music market, has been sending takedown requests “left and right.” Stockholm-headquartered Spotify has obliged – at least to some degree.
Last week, the music streaming giant temporarily ousted hundreds of thousands of songs generated on the AI platform Boomy. The California-based startup’s tool lets users create tracks by picking from a selection of styles, such as Lo-Fi or EDM, and then customise them and either record or add vocals, before uploading them to streaming services.
However, this is not a case of making Drake rap on your track – the vocals must belong to the user. As such, the tracks were not greyed out because of copyright infringement concerns, but due to the discovery of widespread “suspicious listening activity.”
Meanwhile, this does not mean that Spotify has completely blocked Boomy users and forbidden them from uploading new tracks. Indeed, the AI platform announced this weekend that “Boomy artists” had their curated delivery to the streaming giant re-enabled.
We are pleased to share that curated delivery to Spotify of new releases by Boomy artists has been re-enabled.
Supporting our artists and creators who use the Boomy platform is our top priority, and we greatly appreciate your patience these past few days.
— Boomy – Create AI Music (@boomy) May 6, 2023
Reportedly, the two sides are still in negotiations over the reinstatement of the rest of Boomy’s catalogue.
Fake stream farms an industry-wide issue
Spotify’s crackdown is part of an ongoing battle against bot streaming farms. Essentially, this is when a bunch of digital devices are logged in on various platforms, and simply play music 24 hours a day, often playing the same track over and over again.
Obviously, this impacts the number of listens, directly generating revenue for the owner of the track. Meanwhile, it also affects data driven features such as charts and playlists.
According to the streaming giant, “Artificial streaming is a longstanding, industry-wide issue that Spotify is working to stamp out across our service.”
Earlier this year, France’s Centre National de la Musique (CNM) released a study on music streaming fraud, in which Spotify participated. However, CNM called out other major streaming platforms Apple, Amazon, and YouTube as “unable or unwilling” to take part in the study.
The first-of-its-kind study established that, in France, in 2021, between one and three billion streams, at least, were false, i.e. between 1% and 3% of total listening. Of course, plenty has happened since.
The CNM says it will launch a new study into the matter in 2024, which may better reveal the implications of the recent revolution in access to generative AI – and the ability of Spotify to mitigate it.
Grimes stands alone in the pro-AI camp
Over the past few months, the music streaming market has experienced a significant rise in AI-generated tracks. According to Boomy, its users have already “created” more than 14 million songs.
Services such as those provided by Boomy, Aiva, and Soundful leverage machine learning to allow users to generate unlimited tracks and even monetise their creations on streaming platforms, to the chagrin of artists, producers, distributors, and other industry stakeholders.
Grimes has launched an AI platform specifically for people to use her voice to make new music, stating that “Copyright sucks. Art is a conversation with everyone that has come before us. Intertwining it with the ego is a modern concept. The music industry has been defined by lawyers, and that strangles creativity.”
Needless to say, she is quite the exception in her pro-generative AI stance in the global artist community.
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The capsasusun online uangasli games are becoming popular among all the gambling websites and land-based casinos. But in some countries especially Indonesia the rules are very stringent and the government imposes a ban on the online casinos. But these bans do not stop the gambling players from enjoying their play. However, there are 3 main reasons because of which capsa susun online uang asli is flourishing and land based casinos are diminishing. Although the TV shows and news headlines show that the gods of Vegas and casino are on the high the land-based casinos have seen a huge decline.
Here are three reasons why this is happening:
Competition – the state and government regulations are imposing a huge amount of restrictions on the land-based casinos. At the same time, online casinos and mobile apps are gaining popularity which adds a competition to the land-based casinos. Now people prefer to play at places that are near to their home or mostly from the comfort of their home. Also, capsa susun online uang asli offers a lot of discounts, joining bonus, free spins etc which is not available in the land-based casinos.
Money and maintenance problems –
With recession striking most parts of the world, there is less money to be spent and so people spend less in the casinos. In recent years many nations of the world have seen problems such as loss of jobs, increase in the cost of living, inflation, and poor economic growth. With these problems, few people can afford to cross the limits of their personal experience and play at casinos. This has reduced their revenue. Also, the land-based casinos have a higher maintenance cost as compared to the websites. Also, cost of playing at an online casino or in a mobile app is less than that on a land-based casino.
Criminal element – The crime rate in and near the land-based casinos is increasing considerably. Also in the online casino scenario, there are a lot of websites that are scamming the people and in which people lose their money. As a result of these situations, people are losing their trust in the gambling world. No one wants to get robbed or scammed of their hard earned money and so they sometimes choose not to play. The best alternative is to read all the reviews on a website and ensure that it is genuine and first played with a small amount of bet.
However, the best websites of Judi online dewavegas are changing the trend and are maintaining the trust of gamblers in the gambling. Choose a website wisely and carefully. Happy gambling.


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Facebook has launched Watch, a new platform for television shows on Facebook, initially only available to a limited group of people in the US. It is intended to combat rivals such as Google’s YouTube and Snapchat video.
The Dutch anti-piracy organisation Brein has settled with a trader of stolen passwords to legal SVOD services.
Despite now having 2 billion users a month, it has been a year of angst for Facebook as it has realised that connecting people is not enough.
Facebook will stream more than a dozen matches from the Champions League across the United States.
Facebook is in talks with Hollywood studios with a view to producing scripted TV quality shows that could be available as soon as the summer.
The prospect of a ban on VPNs has prompted Google and Facebook to seek negotiators to interact with the Russian authorities.
Google is now the largest media owner in the world, attracting three times more ad revenue than the second largest Facebook.
The new Facebook video app for TV is now available on Samsung Smart TVs.
Facebook has announced a new app, Facebook Video, for several major TV platforms: Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung smart TVs.
Facebook is planning a video-based app to deliver content onto the TV screen.


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Cardi B and Nicki Minaj have a history of fighting at fashion events. Who can forget when Cardi left a NYFW event last year with a giant bump on her head, after getting into an altercation with Nicki. But this time their feud may have taken on a much more sartorial slant. At least according to Nicki’s fans, who took to Twitter to accuse Cardi B of copying her style. Last year Nicki wore an exquisite Oscar de la Renta gown featured a plunging neckline, dramatic red headpiece and a super long train. Flash forward to 2019 and Cardi chose an equally dramatic red gown with — you guessed it — a super long train. And just like Nicki she also wore a headpiece, only hers was a bejeweled swim cap.
Fans were quick to all out Cardi for the similarities with one fan tweeting a side by side pic and writing, “Cardi’s inspiration for today was Nicki”. Another fan replied, “Nicki is an obsession”. But, not everyone on Twitter agreed. Plenty of fans jumped to Cardi’s defense with many calling the accusation a “reach”. And one fan even tweeted, “except Cardi kinda did it better.” Still more fans pointed out that it was actually Rihanna who really started the super size dress trend with her unforgettable — and enormous — yellow Dior gown at the 2015 Met Gala.
We have a feeling Cardi will not take kindly to fans saying she stole Nicki’s look, especially since this is not the first time she’s been accused of it. Back in Dec. 2017 fans were convinced Cardi’s look in the music video for the remix of G-Eazy‘s “No Limit” was too close to Nicki’s style. And then Nicki herself chimed in on the conversation and wrote: “I’m glad ya’ll peeped.” But the odds of Nicki speaking out this time are low because as HollywoodLife previously reported she has moved on from her feud with Cardi and has put their beef “aside”. Hopefully their truce will last though the night since they’re both attending the Met Gala this year and no one wants a fight at the museum!
HollywoodLife previously reported about Cardi’s excitement over this year’s Met and the super-extra theme Camp: Notes on Fashion. Cardi kept all the details about her glam gown top secret but a source close to the “Money” rapper reveled that she would be going all out for fashion’s biggest night. “Cardi knows how to make an entrance, and the Met Gala of all things will be a big fashion moment for her.” And it sure was!


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TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) shares were hammered in early November after the company missed earnings expectations for its third quarter. After those rough results, which followed other lackluster quarters over the past year, investors might be rightly wondering if the company's growth days are behind it. Here are three reasons TripAdvisor could have plenty of growth left after it undergoes its current transition.
TripAdvisor's rough quarter
For the recent third quarter, TripAdvisor reported sales of $421 million, up just 1% year over year and missing guidance. Earnings for the quarter were flat from Q3 2015, and as a result, TripAdvisor's stock fell around 15%. After similar drops in January and August, the stock is now down 42% year to date.
Three reasons the company could climb back up
TripAdvisor is in the middle of transition right now. From its early growth as a review site, TripAdvisors is working now to be a more substantial online booking agent. While the sales numbers above look discouraging, there are certainly some bright spots in the company's growth strategy that could help the stock to rebound.
1. Instant booking: As TripAdvisor seeks to be a full-service online travel agent (OTA) competing more directly with companies like Priceline, it rolled out "instant booking" over the last year. Since many guests currently visit TripAdvisor to plan their trip, and then book the actual travel plans elsewhere, TripAdvisor hopes that this option to view reviews, then immediately book the airfare, accommodation, or whatever else was being reviewed will help customers to stay on TripAdvisor's platform for their whole transaction.
TripAdvisor is still improving and expanding this new offering, including how the option appears on different devices and what happens when TripAdvisor's partner sites can offer lower prices. The adoption of instant booking and its ability to increase sales has been slower than expected, but so far the numbers are encouraging. During Q3, conversions grew year over year in the U.S., where Instant Booking has now been live for more than a year, according to management during the earnings call.
2. Mobile conversions: TripAdvisor management also said during the earnings call that about 50% of its traffic is from mobile devices. One of the most frustrating parts of TripAdvisor's earnings recently is the slow growth of mobile sales, not for lack of mobile visitors, but because of a low conversion rate. Earlier this year, TripAdvisor management said that mobile traffic converts only about 30% as well as desktop.
However, that looks like a growth opportunity for TripAdvisor to figure out how to increase that conversion and drive more sales from mobile users. Increased focus on mobile apps, which currently make up about half of mobile traffic, could help to increase conversions by having stored credit cards either in-app or through mobile wallet options linked to the users phone, as well as making TripAdvisor a service of choice by having its app right on a user's phone instead of having to start by searching in an online search engine.
3. Cash for acquisitions: TripAdvisor has certainly been spending money in 2016 to help grow its instant booking platform and increase mobile conversions, and fortunately the company is in a good cash position to do so. Other than building out its own apps and updating its own platform, TripAdvisor has also been buying up smaller brands to help grow its total influence of the market.
TripAdvisor now includes around 25 various brands, such as JetSetter and Viator, that all help to increase offers from hotels to luxury accommodations, tourist attractions, and much more. With plenty of cash and a solid balance sheet, TripAdvisor should be able to continue that acquisition strategy to increase its market share and diversification further. In the most recent quarter, the company had $756 million in cash and cash equivalents and less than $100 million in total debt.
There will certainly be competitive risks for TripAdvisor going forward. One of the biggest risks is established hotel brands such as Marriott (NASDAQ:MAR) that are seeking to have customers book directly and avoid giving a cut of that booking fee going to third-party OTAs. As hotel brands use loyalty programs and included amenities to those that book directly, this could be a problem for TripAdvisor trying to grow as an OTA. Additionally, while TripAdvisor is transitioning from review site to also being a booking agent, many other booking agents are working to increase their own review offerings to also be a one-stop shop for customers.
Still, TripAdvisor is an industry leader with nearly 400 million monthly unique users, up 11% from this time last year, with user reviews and opinions that grew nearly 50% year over year to 435 million total by the end of the recent quarter. This shows that TripAdvisor is certainly still a top site for travelers, and by developing the three points above and completing its transition to a more full-service online review and booking site that better monetizes that traffic, TripAdvisor could have plenty of room to grow.


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The number of email campaigns Target sent between Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 rose nearly 87%.
Consumers’ inboxes didn’t get a reprieve from retailers’ marketing emails in the week after Christmas.
Six out of eight large retailers (Amazon.com Inc., Toys R Us Inc., Macy’s Inc., Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., Best Buy Co. Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Kohl’s Corp. and Target Corp.) boosted the number of emails they sent from Dec. 26-Jan. 2 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data released today by digital marketing vendor eDataSource, which gathers email marketing data from a panel of about 1.4 million consumers around the globe.
Wal-Mart, No. 4 in the Internet Retailer 2016 Top 500 Guide, and Kohl’s (No. 19) were the only retailers that sent fewer emails this year than they did a year earlier. Wal-Mart sent 219 million emails the week after Christmas, down 18.0% from 267 million a year ago, and Kohl’s sent 111 million emails, down 6.7% from 119 million, according to eDataSource estimates.
Read the full story as published by Internet Retailer, to see how Amazon’s email efforts stack up against other major retail brands — and why.


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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Supported by growing demand and low inventory, home prices continued to run ahead in April, when year-over-year growth hit the fastest pace in more than seven years, according to data released Tuesday. Home prices rose 3.2% compared to March levels, CoreLogic said. Including short sales and other distressed properties, home prices in April were up 12.1% from the same period in the prior year, the highest rate since February 2006, according to CoreLogic. "Increasing demand for new and existing homes, coupled with low inventory, has created a virtuous cycle for price gains, most clearly seen in the Western states with year-over-year gains of 20% or more," said Mark Fleming, CoreLogic's chief economist.
Read the full story: Home price boom continues into April


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The report states that the majority of this hiring will happen in the R&D segment of the auto industry, wherein the focus would be in the areas of design, engine and fuel. In comparison to last year’s numbers, this segment is expected to see an increase of about 12-15 per cent.
Additionally, the hiring for these roles is happening increasingly for segments requiring new age talent and skills. One such segment is that of electric vehicles.
Shailesh Singh, VP & Head- Recruitment Business, PeopleStrong, said: “The R&D sector of the auto industry seems to be on a hiring boost, especially for roles that require an individual to be equipped with differentiated skills. Since these skills are niche, there has been about a 15 per cent increase in the average compensation that is being offered to R&D roles.”
Also Read: Do the data show India is creating jobs or not?
In manufacturing and sales marketing roles, the hiring increase might not be that significant and range around 8-10 per cent. Almost 50 per cent of this hiring would happen in the experience range of 1-10 years.
Another trend expected in the year, is in the passenger vehicle segment which would see more hiring activity than the commercial vehicle segment.
“With the kind of push that the government is putting on infrastructural development, the commercial vehicle segment would catch up in the next 8-12 months. However, in this segment the hiring would primarily be driven by Manufacturing and Sales and Marketing roles. While there will be jobs in the R&D roles as well, this number would not be significant,” added Singh.


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The iMac Mini has been the topic of discussion over at Reddit. The forum users have been talking about that rumour which hints on the iMac Mini debuting this October.
The iMac Mini is one of the most anticipated Apple products. Previously, MacRumours revealed that this machine will be released last October which didn’t happen. Now, there is no clue to when it will be arriving.
The last Mac Mini we saw was back in 2008. Analyst believes that Apple is probably waiting for Broadwell to give the device 4K display. On the other hand, Haswell will be doing the product design.
The Apple community are worried that the upcoming design will give them hardship when needing to repair it. Apart from that, the fans are hoping the Mac Mini won’t have any ridiculous look such as the time capsule design.


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Toyota’s best-selling hybrid, the Prius, is getting a few new car friends and the once standalone Toyota Prius is now part of the Prius family. The third-generation Toyota Prius is available now at retailers across the nation and the roomier Prius v will be available this fall. In spring 2012 the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid and Prius c Concept vehicles will be officially joining the new Prius family.
So what are multiple Toyota Prius models to be called? The public voted earlier this year and the winning plural term was Prii. Prii received 25 percent of the approximately 1.8 million votes. Other contenders included Prius (24 percent), Priuses (20 percent), Prien (18 percent) and Prium (13 percent).
Toyota’s media campaign for the new Toyota Prius family includes a website dedicated to current and future Prius models. Website visitors can learn more about each of the different Prii, read about the hybrid roller coaster project and find out how Toyota technology is being repurposed via the Ideas for Good campaign.


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Our motoring future is a digital one. We aren’t just referring to autonomous vehicles or advanced in-car connectivity features, either. Even our driver’s licenses will one day ditch plastic and ink in favor of a touchscreen display.
Starting 2022, some Apple users in the US will be able to present their driver’s licenses using their iPhones.
Apple is rolling out the feature as part of an upcoming iOS 15 Wallet update. Besides driver’s licenses, iPhone users will also be able to use their device to present other state IDs. Some of the advantages include shorter waits at airport security checkpoints, as well as integration with privacy and security features like Face ID and Touch ID.
Implementation of this feature won’t be done in one swift update, though. According to Apple, it will initially only be available in select states that have yet to be named. We also reckon there’s still a while to go before you can present a phone instead of a plastic license card if you’re stopped by authorities on the road.
This is tech that we’re definitely looking forward to seeing in a local setting. Well, in the distant future at least. We’re guessing our country still has some catching up to do with the rest of the world when it comes to cybersecurity.
What do you think? Would you trust a company like Apple with this kind of personal information?


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The Department of Agriculture has released a new procedure allowing certified organic meat and poultry producers to obtain approval of non-GMO label claims, based on the products organic certification. Announced by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the change was made because of the newly passed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Act, or GMO labeling bill. The Act states organic certification is enough information to make claims about the absence of bio-engineered ingredients. Meatingplace reports USDA’s organic regulations already require certified operations to obtain approval for labels that use the term “organic” or display the USDA organic seal. Now, a certified organic meat or poultry processor can modify or add a label claim to a previously approved label under the update. However, non-GMO label claims must be carefully worded so they do not confuse or mislead consumers, according to USDA.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.


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, a specialist apparel licensee, has collaborated with
to launch a new National Football League (NFL) U.K. clothing collection.
“This is a fantastic trifecta,” says Elliott Matthews, managing director, Poetic Brands. “A true trend-leading branded range, a wonderful fashion partner and a strong, recognizable brand – all working together. Watch this space … more to come.”
The 26-piece set of products, featuring items from all 32
teams, includes men’s T-shirts, sweats, joggers, hoodies, denim jeans and full varsity jackets.
The clothing line launches ahead of three international games lined up for the U.K. at Tottenham and Wembley this year.
“I have wanted to collaborate with the NFL, an iconic global sport organization, for some time now and can’t wait to show our consumers this exciting new collection,” says Samir Kamani, chief executive officer, boohooMAN.
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Sony is tipped to announce yet another two new concept imaging devices when IFA 2013 kicks off in Berlin next week. The pair of new ‘lens-camera’ devices which will arrive has already been spotted in the past – and they are the DSC-QX10 and the DSC-QX100 (whose user manual has already leaked out), where they happen to toy with the idea of being mounted onto a smartphone, while containing a […]
At Ubergizmo, in addition to our two Canon EOS-50D we carry the NEX-5N – we bought all those devices – to shoot videos during briefings and conferences, and we are overall very happy with the photo quality and the high quality microphone that can be attached to the body. So we were quite excited when we could briefly get our hands on the new Sony NEX-5T that has a similar […]
We do know that Sony’s upcoming Honami smartphone will most likely feature a 20-megapixel shooter to go along with it, and Sony has certainly been doing their bit to ensure that their smartphones’ cameras get better and better with each iteration, but who would have thought that one day, the digital camera module on smartphones would be a whole lot more improved, so much so that Sony could very well […]
Thanko lets you capture shots from above with a new aerial camera add-on.
The stock camera app for the Google Edition HTC One and Galaxy S4 has leaked out.
An alleged manual of the Sony RX100 MKII camera has leaked.
The WNBA used the referee camera recently, giving viewers a first-hand look at the game.
Scientists from Glasgow have managed to come up with an unprecedented discovery, by successfully creating a single-pixel camera for 3D images. This unique discovery would comprise of a projector which displays patterned light on the face on a mannequin, where these patterns will then be used to produce a 2D image. A 3D image is subsequently formed by making use of a technique that is known as “shape from shade”. […]
The Raspberry Pi is definitely a hobbyist’s wet dream come true, as it offers decent computing power without breaking the bank. In fact, someone recently came up with the novel ideal of introducing a water-cooled solution for a Raspberry Pi set up, and here we are with another module from the Pi Foundation that is sure to whet your appetite for whatever future Raspberry Pi specifications upgrade that might come […]
When it comes to the eyes of a bug, bird and human, they all share one common feature, that is, the shape of being round. Just about any ocular organ that can be found in nature would feature a certain degree of curvature, leading one to ask, how come man-made cameras rely on flat lenses and inflexible silicon chips? After all, many inventions and leaps in the realm of science […]
It is said that plenty of science and medicine fields do rely on microscope and flow cytometry use, where the former see action in numerous medical fields including identifying pathogens and examining tissue samples for aberrations among others. As for flow cytometry, it is used for cell sorting, counting and biomarker detection, and comes in handy to diagnose different disorders, where among them also include hematological malignancies. The thing is, […]
Sometime at the beginning of March, we saw the manual of the Samsung NX1100 released, and fast forward slightly more than a month later, you no longer have to spend your time reading PDF manuals when you have the opportunity to hold the real thing in your hands. The Samsung NX1100 SMART camera has been announced, where it will come equipped with built-in Wi-Fi and AutoShare, and will also carry […]
Originally, GPS was used by the military, and ever since the technology has made its way to the masses for peaceful and civilian use, we have seen our fair share of GPS navigation systems. Of course, these dedicated GPS navigation systems were once considered to be a “must have” device, but the proliferation of more affordable and yet capable smartphones with integrated GPS capability, alongside powerful mobile mapping software, rendered […]
No, Ph.D does not mean Permanent Head Damage, although there are some folks who think that this is the case, and more often than not, it would be those Ph.Ds who churn out inventions and discoveries that make life a whole lot better. In fact, a Ph.D student in Wales was the one behind what is deemed to be the world’s first ever Digital Lo-Fi Fisheye camera, and the entire […]


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Apple resumes online shopping in Turkey, but product prices increase by 25% due to heavy lira
Apple ‘s online store previously suspended sales of products in Turkey to avoid theimpact of large fluctuations in the exchange rate . It is now open to local consumers again, but the product prices have increased by an average of about 25% in response to the Turkish currency lira. The situation of a heavy depreciation of the U.S. dollar.
The technology website 9toMac reported that the local media Report found that Apple’s online store has resumed sales of products, but sold the products more expensively, without offering “Black Friday” discounts.
For example, the official website of the iPhone 12 mini is priced at 10,999 lire on the evening of the 25th local time in Turkey, but adjusted to 13,999 lire (approximately US$1,150) on the morning of the 26th. USD) is still high.
The iPhone 13 mini rose from 11,999 lire to 14,999 lire, an increase of 25%, which is higher than the 19.89% annual inflation rate in October indicated by official data.
Although Turkey’s inflation rate remains high, the country’s President Edoğan recently announced a low interest rate policy, which has caused economic turmoil because this approach is different from the traditional methods of most central banks that raise interest rates to curb demand and inflation.
After Edogan delivered a speech on the 25th to defend his unorthodox economic policy, the lira depreciated sharply against the U.S. dollar. In order to cope with the heavy fall of the lira that day, Apple’s online store suspended local sales in order to gain time to adjust product prices.


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Posted Tue Apr 3, 2012 at 07:30 AM PDT by Dick Ward
Based on Nintendo's typical release window, this seems completely plausible.
Nintendo's first ever high definition system will be hitting shelves on November 18th if rumors are to be believed. According to Wii U Daily, an internal email from one of Japan's retailers confirms this date. The Japanese date allegedly written in the email is a full week later.
Late November is pretty typical for a Nintendo console release as Venture Beat's Mike Minotti points out. Both the Wii and GameCube were launched on the third Sunday of November, so it seems likely that the Wii U would be as well.
Source: Venture Beat
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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We are getting widespread reports of Hulu being down. As best we can tell the outage started 2 hours ago and is now becoming more widespread. As best we can tell the outage is affecting their live TV streaming service.
*Update some are reporting that restarting the app is fixing the Hulu outage.
— amanda rodewig (@amandarodewig) September 27, 2018
— Anne (@AnneStahl05) September 27, 2018
— Brooke B. (@WhitGrittG) September 27, 2018
Cord Cutters News is reaching out to Hulu for comment and will update this story as we learn more.
Did you know we now have a FREE app for iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire? Click HERE to download our app.


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Mumbai, Dec 5 (IBNS)
Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, displayed a strong performance in November by crossing its sales target of 8000 cars for 2012.
The luxury carmaker registered a total sale of 805 units in November 2012, a strong growth of 89 percent over the same period last year (November 2011: 425 units).
The brand with the four rings recorded a 58 percent growth rate YTD with 8072 vehicles sold from January to November 2012. (January-November 2011: 5117 units).
?We had set a goal of 8000 cars sold by the end of this year. But we have achieved our target even before the year ended and have revised our sales target to minimum 8600 cars even as the industry faces flat growth," said Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India.
"We are constantly enhancing our product line, network growth and creating wider brand awareness; this is creating larger customer base and is reflecting clearly in our sales, every month. Besides, our top-down strategy for India (A8L, A7, A6, A4 / Q7, Q5, Q3) has worked very well for us.
"In a demanding economic environment to achieve targets even before the year ends clearly testifies the strength of the brand Audi and the affinity and aspiration it carries within its enthusiasts and customers," said Perschke.
"By 2015, we aim to be the No. 1 luxury car brand in India, and based on our current performance we are well on track to achieve that objective," he said.
Globally, Audi started the fourth quarter of the year with another double-digit increase in sales with significant contribution from the SUV models Q3, Q5 and Q7, together with the A5 model family.
Worldwide sales in October were up 13.9 percent year on year, to around 123,600 automobiles.
This means some 1,221,150 customers have already purchased a new Audi since January, a rise of 12.9 percent compared with 2011.--IBNS


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WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — U.S. agricultural exports are projected to total $141.5 billion in fiscal year 2019, while agricultural imports are expected to total $127 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Services’ (ERS) latest outlook for U.S. agricultural trade.
The $14.5 billion surplus projected for fiscal year 2019 is the lowest since fiscal year 2007, when the United States exported $12.2 billion more in agricultural goods and services than it imported. Unlike overall U.S. trade in goods and services, U.S. trade in the agricultural sector consistently runs at a surplus.
While agricultural exports have increased in value since 2016, the value of imports has risen at a slightly faster rate, leading to a declining trade balance.
“The forecast value for U.S. agricultural exports in fiscal year 2019 reflects a $3 billion decrease from the previous forecast and a $1.9 billion decrease from fiscal year 2018,” the ERS said. “At the regional level, exports to East Asian countries are forecast to decline by $6.7 billion — the result of an expected decrease of $7.3 billion in agricultural exports to China from the 2018 total of $16.3 billion. Chinese demand for U.S. soybeans is expected to drop sharply because of China’s retaliatory tariffs, which also curb demand for other products, including sorghum, pork and products, and dairy. The decline in export value to China is being countered by higher expectations for exports of wheat and horticultural products like fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts. Those products are expected to increase in value by $3.2 billion relative to fiscal year 2018.”


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Today in London, the home to the Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters, baristas from across the region are settling in ahead of the biggest multi-country championship the company has ever hosted. All with one goal, to be crowned best barista across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The Starbucks Barista Championship were born in EMEA and 2019 sees the most countries competing, ever! It’s a record year for the most nationalities in one Starbucks Barista Championship - from Saudi Arabia, to Spain, Sweden and South Africa - these are just four out of the 30 nations competing.
Each barista is already a champion, having been crowned as National Champion of their home country. The search has taken nearly nine months and involved approximately 15,000 Starbucks baristas who entered this year’s competition.
Over the next two days, each Barista Champion will share their knowledge of Starbucks ethically sourced coffee along with showcasing their coffee craft. The competition will be whittled down by almost 50% on Thursday before heading into Friday, when the final 16 will battle it out in the nail-biting latte art throw-down. The latte art throw-down was invented in Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks, and sees competitors go head-to-head – only the best latte art, created with perfectly steamed milk, makes it through.
The latte art throw-down will determine the final four, then a panel of experts will decide the overall champion and name 2019’s best barista from over 30,000 Starbucks partners (employees) in EMEA.
Starbucks EMEA Barista Championship 2019 in numbers:
Stay up-to-date with all the action by following @EMEACoffeeTeam on Instagram and, share you own content using the hashtag #StarbucksEMEA


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Registration takes less than 1 minute.
Once the proper water levels are achieved, tests will begin on the new gates' operations, the canal authority said.
Gulftainer will make its U.S. debut at Canaveral as the operator of the new box terminal.
The logistics provider opened the new 150,000-square-foot Texas warehouse and office facility June 18.
Retailer Target used proactive planning to divert cargo to East Coast ports, create a dedicated chassis fleet, and use untapped drayage capacity to combat West Coast port congestion in late 2014 and early 2015.
Port disruptions caused by contentious dockworker contract negotiations likely reduced real export growth 1.5 percent in the first quarter, according to a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
A new whitepaper from CarrierDirect says 3PLs can become strategic partners of LTL carriers in tight capacity environment by reducing a major pain point for carriers.


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Feb 18 French IT consulting group Atos
said on Thursday it was aiming for a sales rebound in 2021,
recovering from a dip caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but
its margin guidance disappointed investors, sending shares
Linde is considering targeted investments in hydrogen, the U.S.-German company said on Thursday as it raised its full-year earnings forecast after increased industrial gas volumes and higher pricing led to a better-than-expected third quarter.
U.S.-German industrial gas maker Linde plans to continue investing in healthcare and electronics as it reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday, saying higher operating margins helped offset a virus-hit drop in volumes.
Austrian construction materials firm Wienerberger aims to reopen all its manufacturing operations by the end of June, predicting a return of most construction in Europe that will bring back 80% of demand, its CEO said on Thursday.
German specialty chemicals maker Lanxess reported slightly stronger-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, with firm demand for disinfectant ingredients offsetting a coronavirus-driven slump in engineering plastics.
* CEO sees no significant coronavirus impact
(Updates after conference call, adds quotes, context)


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Toyota and Tesla Motors have confirmed that, beginning in 2012, their jointly developed RAV4 electric vehicle will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. (TMMC) in Woodstock, Ontario. Despite what consumers may have heard to the contrary, Toyota is assuring electric car buyers that the 2012 RAV4 EV will definitely be sold to the general public, saying "We anticipate robust public interest in the RAV4 EV and are keen to inform consumers that their future vehicle options include a battery electric Toyota."
As previously announced, Toyota will pay Tesla approximately $100 million to supply the electric powertrain, which includes the battery, motor, gearbox, and power electronics for the RAV4 EV. Tesla will build the electric powertrains at its production facility in Palo Alto, California, and then ship them to TMMC for final assembly.
The production model is based on a collaboration between Toyota and Tesla to convert 32 conventional gas-engine RAV4 compact SUVs into fully functional RAV4 EV prototypes; the vehicles were displayed at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. The fully engineered vehicle is expected to have a range of 100 miles in actual road driving patterns, in a wide range of climates and conditions. As for on-road performance, even though the concept vehicle weighs approximately 220 pounds more than the current RAV4 V-6, it accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour nearly as quickly. The interior features custom seat trim, multimedia dash displays, push-button shifter, and dashboard gauges. As far as utility, electric car fans will be pleased to discover that no cargo space was lost in its conversion to an electric powertrain: the electric RAV4 platform still boasts a 73-cubic-foot cargo area with rear seats folded down.
The RAV4 EV will be sold at U.S. Toyota dealers through Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Details including pricing, volume and regional distribution will be determined and announced at a later time.
Toyota is currently the only manufacturer bringing two battery electric vehicles to the market in 2012. While the RAV4 EV will be available to the public, an electric version of the Scion iQ EV will be marketed to fleet and car sharing programs only.
Shopping for an Electric or Hybrid Vehicle?
With TrueCar you can research vehicles with electric and hybrid powertrains and find the latest, most comprehensive, and unbiased pricing information, including complete specifications, trim options, and the lowest prices on new alternative powertrain cars in your area.
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For the study, EcoAlign defined "smart grid" as a "larger network of interconnected devices in homes, businesses and communities that will allow service providers to offer new applications, including new billing and payment options." Based on this definition, 55 percent of the survey respondents believed that they would benefit from a smart grid, while 50 percent found the ability to review their own energy consumption to be "extremely or very appealing." One quarter of respondents think they would use the smart grid capability either daily or weekly; on average, respondents think they would use it about 12 times per month. EcoAlign says these are "strong findings of consumer good will and expectation with regard to rolling out the smart grid."
At the same time, the study underscores major potential stumbling block to consumer acceptance. Perhaps most significantly, and potentially most troubling, the respondents saw smart grid as "primarily a means to lower and/or manage rising energy bills." But what it that is not, in fact, a realistic expectation? As the study notes:
Energy bills are increasing and are expected to increase even more in the foreseeable future. Seventy-four percent of Americans surveyed are extremely or very concerned about the rising cost of utility bills. But will utility bills increase more than any potential cost savings or management options enabled by smart grid? In other words, after the smart meter has been installed and the consumer has access to the smart grid, what happens if the consumers’ bill is bigger, and perhaps, substantially bigger due to any number of factors external to smart grid: rising fuel input costs, increasing utility rates to replace and/or bolster aging infrastructure, new costs [relating] to renewable or nuclear power generation, or even if the consumer herself consumes more energy because of new devices or a changing lifestyle.
EcoAlign also sees a need to decouple smart grid smart meters. The study states that while smart grid represents "the entire ecosystem of hardware and software that allow for greater networking, interconnections, integration and bundling of products and services," smart meters are primarily geared to measuring and controlling the electric use. "For now, consumer perceptions are anchored by the smart meter’s commodity focus, and more specifically, the billing function, rather than a platform for a much broader array of management possibilities including the commodity, security, entertainment, and so on."
Finally, insofar as smart grid represents a two-way communication platform, EcoAlign states that "consumers have a reasonable expectation that communications coming to them from this platform will also be 'smart.'" But EcoAlign is concerned that the current ability of utilities and energy suppliers to deliver and communicate the way consumers increasingly prefer is limited by "back office infrastructure, and as importantly, by an industry culture that has not had to be consumer-focused for decades."
The EcoAlign study is one more piece of evidence that, for all its promise, smart grid development may not be totally aligned with consumer expectations.


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The growing Kitchen United network of virtual kitchen facilities has closed on a $40 million Series B funding round that will bring the concept into the nation’s No. 1 restaurant delivery market: New York City.
Pasadena, Calif.-based Kitchen United said Wednesday the round was led by New York real estate company RXR Realty, along with GV, formerly known as Google Ventures, which led a $10 million Series A funding round last year. Also participating in the latest round were funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, DivcoWest and G Squared, as well as existing investors and co-founders John Miller and Harry Tsao of the tech-focused Cali Group.
Launched in 2017, Kitchen United operates the delivery-focused commercial kitchens in Pasadena and Chicago, and locations are scheduled to open soon in Scottsdale, Ariz. And Austin, Texas. Another 13 locations are in the pipeline. By the end of the year, the company expects to have eight Kitchen United locations open.
As part of the new relationship with RXR Realty, Kitchen United will open kitchen centers throughout the greater New York tri-state area, the company said.
Jim Collins, CEO of Kitchen United, said the first New York location will likely be in Brooklyn, and it could open in the first quarter of 2020.
“Our expectation is, over time, as many as 11 locations in Manhattan proper, and locations in the surrounding boroughs as well,” he said.
Each of the facilities are designed to house 10 to 15 restaurant brands looking for kitchen space to expand their pickup and delivery reach into new markets, test new concepts or otherwise build their off-premise business. According to Wall Street firm William Blair, off-premise restaurant sales in 2018 were $279 billion, and the expectation is it will reach $402 billion by 2022.
Collins said most restaurant operators using Kitchen United so far are taking advantage of “all three legs” of off premise, including offering food for pickup, delivery through third-party providers like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub, as well as building catering operations.
“To me, that’s a very healthy way to get after this market because it gives the restaurant different dayparts,” he said.
For RXR, the investment recognizes a shift in consumer behavior.
“We share Kitchen United’s vision for the future of the restaurant industry and believe the consumer shift toward off-premise dining is already having a huge impact on both residential and commercial real estate,” said Scott Rechler, chairman and CEO of RXR, in a statement. “We are thrilled to be an early supporter of Kitchen United and look forward to working together to change how New Yorkers live, work, play and stay.”
As a real estate operating and development company, RXR manages 68 properties and investments with aggregate gross asset value of about $18.8 billion, including about 24.5 million-square feet of commercial property, about 6,300 multi-family and for-sale units in the New York metro area.
Kitchen United is not the first of the growing population of virtual kitchen facilities to open in New York.
Zuul Kitchens launched this month. The 5,000-square-foot facility will be home to nine kitchens, including delivery outlets for the chain Sweetgreen, as well as Junzi, Sarge’s, Naya, Stone Bridge Pizza & Salad and Positive Foods.
Collins said there are also some independent facilities competing for the same market. But he said he’s not worried about the competition.
“I’m relieved there’s competition,” said Collins. “The market we’re serving is so big and there’s so much demand. If we were the only ones doing it, there would be a lot of frustrated restaurants right now.”
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter: @livetodineout


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As we’ve said before, placing nutritious foods on your plate is only one step in living your most Nutritious Life. That’s why we believe in the 8 pillars created by Nutritious Life founder and our resident guru Keri Glassman, which are: Eat Empowered, Sleep Deep, Drink Up, Nurture Yourself, Live Consciously, Sweat Often, Love More and Stress Less. (You can read up on what they all mean and how incredibly integrated they are here.)
And since we’re all about stepping up our game, we decided to dig into the latest health science, trends and consumer preferences to see how they relate to our 8 pillars and, in turn, you and your most nutritious life.
Read on for the latest innovations for 2022 as we offer you the ultimate guide to self care and a truly nutritious life.
The Ultimate Guide to Self-Care and a Nutritious Life
After examining patterns in consumer preferences and learning about upcoming innovative items to hit the shelves, Whole Foods Market released their first Top 10 Anticipated Food Trends for 2022. A small but powerhouse food is currently being added to numerous products, such as crackers, creamy cheeses and ice creams—the mighty sunflower seed. It’s not surprising since this seed (which comes from the yellow, daisy-looking plant) is packed with nutrients, including vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, iron, folate and other B vitamins, along with offering protein, fiber and anti-inflammatory unsaturated fats. Sunflower seeds hold numerous health benefits, where one study from Harvard School of Public Health found an association between seeds (including sunflower) and a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as a “significant reduction” in blood pressure and cholesterol.
Toss them into smoothies and salads, grab some for a snack and keep an eye out for some new sunflower-based foods. Needless to say, we’re nuts about seeds!
Sleep is an essential function for both physical and emotional health. While it revolves around this delicate balance of figuring out how much your body needs, how to doze off faster and how to stay in Snoozeville until the sun comes up, researchers from the European Society of Cardiology may have uncovered the best time to hit the sheets. With the help of a digital wrist device, study authors followed the sleep habits of more than 88,000 adults for one week (who had filled out questionnaires about their lifestyle, health, etc.). Nearly six years later, during the follow-up portion of the trial, the investigators found that 3.6% of the participants had been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, ranging from heart attack, heart failure to stroke. After taking a number of factors into account (such as sex, age, smoking status and whether someone labeled themselves as either an early bird or night owl), the researchers concluded that those who went to bed between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. had the least incidences of heart issues while those who put their head on a pillow at midnight or later had the highest occurrences. So if you’re a sleep procrastinator, now is the time to put an end to it!
Another item—well, technically flower—that stood out in the Whole Foods Market top 10 list is hibiscus. A blend of hot pink and ruby red in color, these tart petals are being transformed into more than tea in the new year. Think unsweetened, flavored water and Italian soda. (This tropical plant will also be popping up in foods, such as yogurt and fruit spreads.) Whether you try one of these new beverages or go the traditional tea route, hibiscus contains free radical-fighting antioxidants and is most known for helping to reduce blood pressure. According to a small study published in the Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research, two cups of hibiscus tea per day showed to be an effective form of natural medicine for adults living with stage 1 hypertension (a systolic pressure ranging from 130 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure ranging from 80 to 89 mm Hg, as defined by the Mayo Clinic).
WGSN, a leading consumer global trend forecaster, has predicted that “waterless washing” beauty and hygiene products will take the spotlight in 2022. Everything from showerless shampoo and conditioner to dry face masks, these items (sometimes referred to as zero-waste beauty) are made without H2O. According to a report by Forbes, these products are usually more concentrated and made instead with either butters, oils or waxes and oil-soluble actives. Plus—and this correlates blends with our “Live Consciously” pillar— saving water reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, water-free items tend to weigh less and require simpler packing, which equates to reducing their total carbon footprint. So as a result, both you and Mother Nature will be glowing.
Yes, while many of us may be dealing with a serious case of Zoom fatigue (we’re coming up on almost two years of this platform becoming our new normal!), researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have recently concluded that virtual conferences can offer personal, professional and environmental perks. For starters, online events are keeping us at a (very) safe distance from each other during the latest phase of this pandemic. Videoconferencing has also provided more opportunities for women—a.k.a. moms—to take a seat at the table. In fact, data shows that female participation at virtual conferences increased by 253% compared to in-person conferences. And thanks to fewer trips via planes, trains and automobiles, study authors calculated that one person’s attendance at a virtual conference in 2019 had the same carbon footprint as 7,000 online attendees! Even though we’re looking forward to being more social again, it would be wise to keep video-based meetings in our future.
It’s not news that lacing up and doing your favorite workout can lead to a whole slew of physical and mental benefits, including smaller waistline, increased muscle tone, more energy, better sleep, better concentration, longer lifespan and improved mood. Now, but a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that moderate and strenuous exercising can actually “significantly” reduce symptoms of chronic anxiety disorder. Considered one of the largest studies to date in this area, more than 280 volunteers (who were 70% female) living with anxiety syndrome were instructed to take part in group workout sessions (one-hour classes, both cardio and strength training, three times a week) over the course of 12 weeks. The majority of adults reportedly went from daily levels of moderate to high anxiety to low anxiety at the end of the trial. So, if worrisome thoughts start to control your day this year, do your body and mind a favor by sweating it out any way you like.
All you need is love—and if you’re an old-school romantic looking for a partner, 2022 could be your year! Data collected by Match.com (which surveyed of 5,000 singles between the ages 18 and 98) and analyzed by the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University, indicates that some pandemic-inspired dating trends are likely to continue into the foreseeable future. The big takeaway: Casual sex is out and commitment is in! Over the last two years, the desire to walk down the aisle has gone from 58% to 76%. Random hookups have become less appealing while a deeper connection with a significant other has become more attractive. “The so-called bad boys and bad girls are out; emotional maturity is in,” says senior research fellow Helen Fisher in a press release.
Add “grab phone” as part of your 2022 wellness plan. Stress isn’t something we can magically make disappear, but if you’re finding yourself wiped out from attempting to deal with work, finances, kids, relationships and news updates, you may want to consider taking advantage of “digital interventions” this year. While teletherapy involves a private, face-to-face online session, digital interventions involve the user opening an app, software program or website in order to read, watch, listen to and interact with structured lessons monitored by mental health professionals. (You may even be given some homework!)
Researchers from the American Psychological Association conducted a meta-analysis of 83 studies testing digital applications for treating depression. The studies dated as far back as 1990 and involved more than 15,000 participants (of which nearly 70% were women). They compared digital interventions to either an inactive control group (those on a waitlist or receiving no treatment) or an active comparison (those receiving face-to-face psychotherapy) and found that digital interventions were better than no intervention but not as effective as face-to-face. Bottom line: While in-person therapy remains the gold standard, the good news is that digital interventions can and do work, offering a promising alternative to address the growing mental health challenges spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Self-Care Your Way
As we begin a new year in an ongoing global pandemic, it’s more important than ever to take a whole-person approach to wellness and health. Our best advice is to take stock of what aspect of your own well-being needs support right now, and then find the information and tools to reinforce the 8 pillars of your life. Let these findings we shared be your starting point.


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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
Time for All Tech Considered now. And our tech team is venturing along with many big companies these days into the realm of artificial intelligence. It's an industry that evokes science fiction. For instance, writer Isaac Asimov once wrote these rules for a fictional race of robots: Don't hurt humans, obey them and protect yourself unless that would require hurting a human or disobeying one. Well, today perhaps a fourth rule is in order: Don't be evil.
NPR's Steve Henn reports that Google is investing heavily in robotics, buying up more than half a dozen firms.
STEVE HENN, BYLINE: Google is on a robot buying binge. So Google has acquired...
BRIAN GERKEY: So, Redwood Robotics, Shaft...
MELONEE WISE: As far as I know, Boston Dynamics...
PAOLOA SANTANA, CO-FOUNDER, MATTERNETI: Well, they've disclosed publicly that they bought...
RICH MAHONEY: Bot and Dolly...
GERKEY: Buying Mecca...
HENN: That's Brian Gerkey, CEO of the Open Source Robotics Foundation, Rich Mahoney, director of the robotics program at SRI, Melonee Wise, CEO of Unbounded Robotics, and Paola Santana, co-founder of Matternet, a start-up drone delivery company.
Google's recent purchases of more than half a dozen little robotics companies has set the industry abuzz. But when I asked Google what they're up to with all these robots, the company wouldn't say a thing.
MAHONEY: They are very careful. They haven't disclosed. Nobody knows what they are doing, so expect that something good and powerful is going to come out of that.
HENN: Rich Mahoney was on the board of Redwood Robotics, one of the companies Google bought.
MAHONEY: So, if I had information that wasn't proprietary, I would share it. But right now, they are being pretty careful about what they are telling people.
HENN: So you signed and NDA?
MAHONEY: That's correct.
HENN: As I poked around, talking to folks at companies that hadn't been bought, these NDAs - nondisclosure agreements - kept popping up. Here's Brian Gerky at the nonprofit Open Source Robotics Foundation.
GERKEY: We are under NDA with Google. But even under the NDA, they won't tell us anything.
HENN: And again, with Melonee Wise at Unbounded Robotics.
Have they tried to buy you?
WISE: Well, if they had, we couldn't disclose that.
HENN: Theories about what Google is working on range from the wildly ambitious - picture a self-aware C-3PO - to the mundane, like factory automation. But one thing is clear: There are a couple trends in robotics that have captured the imagination of executives at Google. The first is that building robots is getting cheaper.
So, who is this?
WISE: This is UBR-1, our buddy.
HENN: UBR-1 is a friendly, little orange and white robot on wheels. He's a little bit like R2-D2 size. It has one arm that can reach around and grab stuff and when it stops...
WISE: We make the robot get taller.
HENN: It's spine goes up.
WISE: Like, oh, it gets bigger like E.T.
HENN: UBR-1 is designed to work right next to people in warehouses and small business, doing things like sorting packages. The previous generation of robots like this cost up to $400,000. But UBR-1 and its competitors costs just a tenth of that. And a decade ago, Brian Gerkey says if you wanted to build a robot to do anything, like clean up after your kids, it was pretty tough.
GERKEY: To get a robot to do something useful, you actually need to be an expert in many, many areas.
HENN: You'd have to be a mechanical engineer, a computer vision expert and a wiz at motion planning. But today, free open source robotics software has many of these solutions baked right in.
GERKEY: What you want, in order to be able to really innovate in this area, is to have all the basics, the things that everybody needs, just taken care of.
HENN: And that has freed up folks like Melonee Wise to tackle harder problems, like trying to teach a robot to plug itself into an electrical outlet.
WISE: Just to recognize one type of outlet in different lighting conditions was a very difficult problem.
HENN: Roboticists approach problems like this like this by feeding their machines reams of data. They show them thousands of pictures of different electrical outlets in different lighting conditions, and create software to help the machines recognize these patterns. And it turns out this is also how Google teaches its search engine to anticipate your needs, and offer you search results before you've even finished typing.
It is exactly this kind of data-driven statistical analysis that is one of Google's core strengths. And this skill set may well be why Google is suddenly feeling so much love for so many robots. If so, Melonee Wise understands.
WISE: I'm affectionate towards all robots. Actually, there is this growing series of pictures with me, like basically spazzing out and hugging robots.
HENN: Google executives seem to know that feeling. Steve Henn, NPR News, Silicon Valley.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


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4J Studios, developers of the game Minecraft has revealed that the game is currently in its testing phase and will roll out for PlayStation 3 soon. The PS3 version of the game has moved ahead of the PlayStation 4 version, which was expected to release along with the console this month but has now been delayed.
"We're hard at work getting Minecraft: PS3 Edition ready for testing just now. The other platforms & TU14 will be later," the studio said on Twitter.
It was in August 2013 that Minecraft was announced for Sony consoles PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
While fans were eager to get their hands on the game along with the PS4 console, 4J Studios has confirmed the delay in their tweet "No, it won't be a launch title," it said.
The developers are also currently unsure about the release date of the game for PS4. "No confirmed dates yet - we'll let you know when we have dates for the other platforms," it tweeted in reply to a fan's question.
Presently the game is exclusive on Xbox 360 consoles and has sold over 8 million copies. The game will be releasing for Xbox One soon.
A 2012 documentary titled, "Minecraft: The Story of Mojang" that tells you about the game itself, its creator and the effect it had on the gaming culture as a whole is now available on You Tube for free. The video is one hour 45 minutes long and fans can relax and enjoy this video.
2 Player Productions were in charge of the documentary where the game is analysed through different perspectives. Developers of the game, Tim Schafer and Peter Molyneux and writers like Stephen Totilo tell us what they think in the documentary.
(YouTube Courtesy: 2PlayerProductions)