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The official Disney Parks Blog has posted a lengthy Q&A with the new Walt Disney Imagineers and Disney’s Animation Studios team that will be posted on Thursday, February 12.
The question, in the form of a Q&A session, is one of many that have been floated by the Imagineers, who are hoping to present their visions for a new Disney theme park in 2019.
The new theme park is a joint venture between Walt Disney Animation Studios and Imagineering, which will take on a greater role in the creation of the new park.
The park is set to open in 2019, which is a little more than a year after the last Disneyland Resort opened.
There are still many questions about how the park will play out, as the first two Disney Parks will still operate, but Disney seems to be on the path of a theme park with an expanded storyline and an interactive experience, as opposed to the simpler, one-off park that Disney is known for.
According to the Imagineering Q&a, some of the questions posed to the team included:What kind of characters will be appearing in the new Disney park?
Will the new theme parks storyline be centered around the Zootopian story line?
Will there be any major plot twists in the theme park?
What kind a storyline would be in place in the park?
Are there any major characters from other Disney Parks?
What would be the biggest challenges and/or surprises for the new attraction?
Will this park feature more than one theme park-themed attraction?
What type of attractions would be added to the park at this time?
What kinds of attractions will be featured in the Disney parks that will not be featured elsewhere?
Will we see more themed water rides?
What will be the theme of the park and will it be themed to one of the existing attractions?
Will guests be able to enjoy some of their favorite Disney movies, shows and other content in the parks?
Will guests be allowed to purchase merchandise or collect Disney merchandise?
Are guests able to enter the park in a theme they have created?
Will Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot be added as attractions to the parks, as Disney has said it is?
Is the new Disneyland Resort set to be more family friendly, with new rides, food and beverage options, and more?
Will Walt Disney World be a destination park, like Disneyland?
Is this park set to include a larger scale, interactive park that would expand the park’s character and storyline?
Will all the park-related attractions be built to scale, like at the new Epcot?
Are there plans to expand the Magic Kingdom’s character?
Will any new rides or attractions be featured at the park, and if so, what are they?
How would the new parks new theme be structured?
How will the park be themed for Disney theme parks?
How big of an attraction will be in the Disneyland Resort?
Are any attractions or rides scheduled to be removed from the park this time around?
What attractions or attractions will still be in operation at the old Disney Parks, like Animal Kingdom, and how many of them?
Will they be removed completely?
What changes are planned for the Disney Springs theme park, including the park entrance, the rides, and the entertainment?
Will new parks like Disney Springs be a standalone attraction that will take guests to new areas of the parks like the Disney Islands or Epcot, or will the new attractions and entertainment be integrated into the existing parks?
Will Mickey Mouse be an attraction, or do you think the attraction will return to its original form, like it did in Disneyland, or Disney’s Florida Adventure?
Will Mickey Mouse also be featured on the new Park at some point?
What are the major challenges the Imagineer team is facing?
Are they planning on addressing those challenges in the future?


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Marsa-based company Salvo Grima Group announced that Steven Gouder and Joséf Fenech have acquired new roles within the group.
Steven Gouder has been appointed General Manager – Group Projects, whilst Josef Fenech has been promoted to General Manager – Vladex B.V. In said capacity, Mr Fenech will be heading Salvo Grima Group’s wholesale subsidiary, based in The Netherlands.
The company congratulated them on their appointments.
Founded in 1860, Salvo Grima Group’s operations nowadays touch upon eight different countries in Europe and Africa. The group operates in the industries of ship supply, luxury yacht supply, wholesale and distribution, and travel retail.
Before his latest appointment, Mr Gouder served as General Manager at Vladex B.V. – a Netherlands-based wholesaler acquired by the Salvo Grima Group in 2015. The company was launched in 2001, originally supplying just two major clients: United Nations Missions and Military Bases.
Since then, Vladex B.V. has stretched its horizons and entered the ship supply and wholesale industries with its vast array of food and non-food products.
Mr Gouder joined said company as a Senior Manager in March 2019. He held this role for a year before being promoted to General Manager. Before that, he served as General Manager at Rimus Trading and BDI Group Ltd, Director at Hudson Holdings Ltd, and Algeria Country Manager at Time International Ltd.
Josef Fenech was Deputy General Manager; he was jointly sharing the GM responsibility with Steven Gouder. Josef is now the sole GM. Amend accordingly.
Prior to his latest appointment Mr Fenech had been heading Vladex B.V. as General Manager for around four years – a position now held by Mr Gouder.
This comes after Martin Saliba’s term ended after three years at the helm.
He first joined the organisation in 2015 as Head of Business Development
He leaves Esports Entertainment Group after a year as Vice President of Information Security.
Co-Founder Jörgen Nordlund will take over the position on an interim basis until a replacement is found.

domain: news


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Major accolades for Kiwi success story Bookme
Trail-blazing Kiwi online travel booking company Bookme has been acknowledged on both sides of the Tasman in two separate prestigious awards.
Bookme was last week announced the winner of the Best Online Travel Agent category at the Adventure Tourism Awards in Australia. The Adventure Tourism Awards recognises large and small businesses from Australia and New Zealand for their contribution to the tourism industry across 30 categories.
In addition, Bookme was a winner at the Deloitte Festival of Growth for the seventh consecutive year. Making the Master of Growth Index ranked 12th overall, Bookme is the fastest-growing tourism business represented in the category for 2019.
The accolades coincide with Bookme marking nine years in the market – first going live on November 16, 2010, from Queenstown.
“We are absolutely honoured to receive these two awards in the same week,” Bookme founder CEO James Alder says. “Not only has the company experienced significant year-on-year growth, Bookme has now been acknowledged for its contribution to and excellence within the tourism sector throughout Australia and NZ.
“Since being established nine years ago, Bookme has been dedicated to providing better prices to customers by increasing efficiencies and sustainability for activity and attractions operators. Our goal is to make the experience a win-win for both,” Alder adds.


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Source: Nick Sutrich / Android Central
What you need to know
- Double the number of apps and games have achieved $1 million in revenue since the launch of the Oculus Quest 2 four months ago.
- Six titles have now amassed more than $10 million in revenue each, marking a new developer success milestone.
- Some huge success stories include studios like Dante Buckley, who went from a one-man team to a million-dollar development studio.
When it comes to success stories in the gaming industry, it's less common to hear about indie developers making their way big with a new platform. Sure, it's happened in the past with development houses like Rovio, who turned a $2 game into a billion-dollar franchise, and the Oculus Quest looks to be paving the way for more stories like this. Oculus' VP of Content, Mike Verdu, wrote a post on the Oculus Blog detailing the many success stories of Quest developers, particularly since the Oculus Quest 2 launched.
Developer success means more opportunities for those same developers to continue creating great new titles. It also opens the door for expansion to create bigger and grander titles, thus likely pulling in even more players as a result. More players mean more developers can get in on the action which, in turn, helps create a thriving ecosystem of apps and games. Facebook's latest Quest update adds Oculus App Lab to for indie developers to use as a way to distribute their apps officially and cut down on the need for complicated sideloading.
Source: Resolution Games
Based on what Mike Verdu said in his post, and the developers that have reached out to us since the launch of the Quest 2, the successes just keep rolling in. In fact, there are simply too many success stories to list individually, and that's a beautiful truth for the VR industry and its development community. The chart above shows just how much companies like Resolution Games, developers of Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, have grown over the past two years and, in particular, the past four months.
"At Resolution Games, we are seeing our titles reach significant revenue milestones more quickly than ever before, and I can confidently say that current headsets are contributing to it. The onus is now on the developers to continue to develop the type of content that more mainstream gamers are used to in order for VR to attract the broader audience that it deserves, which is what we strive for at Resolution Games."
Tommy Palm, CEO of Resolution Games
Facebook says that part of the reason it opened up App Lab and is working on enhancing its submission guidelines is that it has been "swamped with new submissions" of titles. Existing games have seen massive growth in the past four months alone, with titles like Supernatural seeing more than double the number of subscriptions and an impressively even spread of subscriber demographics during that time, as well. There are now double the number of developers who have achieved the milestone of $1 million in revenue since the Quest 2 launched, and dozens more have made their way even higher. Now Oculus gamers can look forward to everything that will surely come from this wild success.
Forget the cord
Easy as it gets
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The February 2021 Oculus Quest update, also known as Oculus firmware v25, brings a massive list of new features including Facebook Messenger and the new indie App Lab.
Control Ultimate Edition is a gorgeous technical showcase on PS5, but the DualSense support it was given is pretty minimal. If anything, it's just a taste at what Remedy can pull off in the future.
The Oculus Link cable is undoubtedly the best way to play SteamVR and Oculus Rift games on the Oculus Quest 2, but it costs a whopping $79. There are alternative cables that cost far less while hitting the same benchmarks, but some that you'll find on Amazon can't be trusted. Here are the ones you should try first.


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A report in The Korea Herald has confirmed some of the specifications of LG G Pad that we had heard earlier this week. The site notes that LG G Pad will come with 8.3-inch full HD display, Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM. LG didn’t have a good run and history with Tablets, with previous tablets being already in the kitty of “Fail”.
According to The Korea Herald, the company plans to manufacture 500 prototypes of the tablet in September. However there is no hearsay, when is the actual manufacturing going to take off. Earlier reports indicated that LG would unveil their tablet at September’s IFA FAIR Event. But taking The Korea Herald news in mind, it can be said we would get the glimpse of the tablet later this year.
The report further states that LG aims to sell 100,000 units of LG G Pad, which is a very modest target and should not be very hard to achieve.
“For LG, the G Pad is the culmination of its so-called “G Project,” through which the tech company hopes to regain its fame and reputation as one of the strongest electronics makers in the world,” The Korea Herald adds.


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Food and drinks are completely free, but diners pay for the amount of time spent at the café. Customers are charged three pennies (6 cents SGD) per minute for the time they spend there.
Ziferblat Café in London has come up with a novel café concept where customers have unlimited free food, coffee and wifi. They can also bring their own food or drinks (except alcohol) if they want.
The café provides biscuits, bread and crudités (such as raw vegetables with dips) – free to diners.
But café patrons are required to wash their own dishes and make their own beverages.
What do Singaporeans actually think of such a café – if one were to be set up here?
Interesting and ingenious concept
Some, like Hoe Zong Huan, 29, a yacht rental specialist, felt that the concept is interesting. He said, “This is very interesting and ingenious. People always like free things, especially Singaporeans.”
Auditor Neo Wei Siang, 27, agreed, “Payment based on the amount of time spent in the café is very innovative.”
Said David Tan, 60, who is semi-retired, “For a chat and a break, I should say that it’s great.
He added, “But for that kind of price, I suppose I cannot be picky on food quality.
Cool and Unique Café Concept
Some Singaporeans would be willing to give the café a try.
As occupational health executive Melissa Tan, 27, said, “I would check out the café at least once to see if their food and drinks are any good.”
Zong Huan agreed. He said, “This café concept is so cool! So I would ask a couple of my friends to eat at the café just to experience this concept.”
And Wei Siang added, “This concept is unheard of in Singapore. Also, because it’s new, people are going to want to visit the café and have the unique experience of going there.”
Do Not Want to Pay For Time
However, other Singaporeans were strongly against such an idea and do not think that it would take off. Student Daphne Lim, 22, said, “There are many places in Singapore which are inexpensive. So why do we even have to pay for the time spent there?”
Banquet server Davis Yin, 23, agreed. He said, “I don’t like the idea of the café charging diners for the time spent there.
And despite the minimal costs, you would not see Davis visiting such a café. He said, “If this café was in Singapore, I would not eat there.”
Crowds and Cleaning Up
Added David, “Singaporeans are known for being ungracious. So in Singapore, such a café would be crowded and there will be a queue. I for one, would not eat at any place that is crowded and has a queue, even if you paid me to eat there.”
Daphne also felt that “the idea of cleaning up at a cafe is not very practical. And there’s no reason to bring your own food to a café either.”
Food Too Simple
Others were not too happy about the type of food available.
Angela Chan, 31, an office manager said, “I think I’ll get sick of the food that’s available there. For example, Ziferblat has only bread, biscuits and crudités. Usually for lunch or dinner, I would want more substantial food – especially when I’m hungry.”
“And I certainly would not want to go to a café to make my own coffee – even if it’s free,” she added.
Other Blog Posts
- Why Singaporeans Love To Queue
- Fan Comments on Barclays Premier League at Community Clubs
- New Year Resolutions With A Difference
- Speaking Singlish Or Good English


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Facebook's head of network operations has great expectations for software defined networking (SDN), though he may not be relying on commercial hardware vendors to bring SDN to the social networking giant's own infrastructure.
- Automated security testing helps developers clamp down on IoT, open-source threats
- Google’s G Suite gets new dashboard to spot new threats
- Is your PC vulnerable to Meltdown and Spectre CPU exploits? InSpectre tells you
- Despite their app appetite, Australian businesses still struggling to extend compliance to the cloud
- Nasty Android spyware will record audio when you reach a specific location


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E-commerce, helped by mobile phones, accounted for 25% of consumer spending over three days through Black Friday
Wall Street Journal
By: Suzanne Kapner
As the holiday spending season kicks off, online shopping is emerging as a clear winner, helped by increased use of mobile phones.
E-commerce accounted for 25% of consumer spending on Black Friday and the two days prior, up from 18% last year and nearly double the figure for the same period four years ago, according to First Data Corp., which analyzed point-of-sale data at nearly one million merchants.
Online shopping is more popular during the holiday shopping season, which starts around Thanksgiving. By contrast, e-commerce sales in the third quarter accounted for just 8.4% of total retail sales, according to data from the U.S. Commerce Department.
During the three days through Black Friday, total retail spending, including at brick-and-mortar stores, grew 9% from a year earlier, slightly less than last year because more stores opted to remain closed on Thanksgiving, First Data said. As a result, overall spending dipped early Thursday, but picked up around 6 p.m. that day, when many large chains opened their doors.
Much of the online traffic was driven by mobile phones. Adobe Systems Inc., which analyzed 23 billion website visits, said mobile phones accounted for 36% of Black Friday’s online sales this year, up from 26% in 2014. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said 60% of its online orders on Friday came through mobile devices, up from 50% last year.
The pace of online spending continued into Cyber Monday, when e-commerce sales rose 12% from a year earlier to $3.45 billion, according to Adobe.
The surging levels of web orders will test retailers’ fulfillment and logistics operations and put added pressure on shipping companies like United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp., which will have to deliver millions of packages to consumers’ homes in the weeks leading up to the year-end holidays.
Sales got off to a strong start in the week leading up to Black Friday, when they grew 5.3% from a year earlier, according to First Data. Much of the growth occurred on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as consumers started their shopping earlier.
RetailMeNot, which analyzed proprietary data that tracks discounts, found that 70% of retailers started promoting Black Friday offers before Thanksgiving, and that the average duration of the offers was 10 days.
Electronics and appliances were the best-performing category on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, with sales up nearly 27% from a year earlier, First Data found. Clothing and accessories grew 10%, as did sporting goods, while health and personal care was up nearly 8%.
Sales in the Eastern U.S. were helped by a cold snap, while sales in states west of the Mississippi were hurt by warmer than usual temperatures, according to Planalytics, which analyzes historical weather patterns and industry sales data. For instance, sales of women’s boots were up 12% in Hartford, Conn., but down 19% in Denver, Planalytics found.


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For fervent Vogue and GQ lovers, food and beverage outlets dedicated to these much revered lifestyle publications will soon open in Dubai. Condé Nast Restaurants, under the aegis of Condé Nast International, has announced its first ventures in the Middle East, with Vogue Café set to open in December 2012, and GQ Bar confirmed for 2013.
Condé Nast Restaurants has partnered with Inspired Group, one of the Middle East’s most experienced food and beverage management companies. Ginza Restaurants will be the joint operating partners for Vogue Café which is to be situated in The Dubai Mall. The GQ Bar will be located within an international five star hotel whose name is yet to be confirmed. “Vogue Café Dubai is our first step into the Middle East market, and together with the GQ Bar, forms an integral part of Condé Nast International’s strategy to expand its celebrated media brands into restaurants and bars around the world,” stated Stuart Nielsen, Director of Condé Nast Restaurants.
The Vogue Café will be situated within the Level Shoe District at The Dubai Mall comprising 96,000 square feet of luxury retail space dedicated to the world’s most coveted designer shoe brands. The Café will offer a selection of international cuisine with the menu created by Condé Nast Restaurants’ Chef, Gary Robinson. “We are proud to bring such respected brands to the region,” remarked Roger John, Co-Founder of Inspired Group. “This development further cements the UAE’s footprint as a key market for international luxury brands.”
Other Condé Nast Restaurant openings include the GQ Bar Istanbul launching in November 2012, and Vogue Café Kiev opening in early 2013. Sister establishments Vogue Café, GQ Bar and Tatler Club are already in operation in Moscow, where they cater to a high-end clientele. The programme is not limited to the markets where Condé Nast publishes magazines, but also encompasses new and emerging markets where the Condé Nast brand does not yet possess a presence.


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The Dexter payment card skimming malware discovered last year has resurfaced in South Africa, resulting in millions of pounds lost to fraud.
A variant of the malware – named after US television show Dexter – has infected thousands of point of sales (POS) systems in some of the country’s biggest fast food chains and restaurants, including KFC.
As a variant, the malware was able to evade detection by signature-based anti-malware systems.
The Payment Association of South Africa (Pasa), that oversees local card transactions, said South Africa had been hit by one of the biggest cyber fraud attacks in its history.
The Dexter malware was linked to a series of attacks on point-of-sale systems in the UK, US and more than 30 other countries towards the end of 2012, according to the BBC.
The malware is designed to skim and transmit data from the magnetic strips on payment cards, to enable cyber criminals to clone the cards and commit fraud. The criminals are believed to be based in Europe.
Read more about POS security
- At 2013 PCI annual meeting, hot topics include POS security, EMV chips
- Verizon data breach report highlights continuing POS vulnerabilities
- Mobility rewrites the rules for POS system services
- PCI-compliant POS: Retail chain nears PCI compliance in the UK
- M&S picks whitelist software to protect POS system
The first signs of fraud emerged in the first two months of 2013. But only when the volume began to increase beyond normal levels did Pasa order a forensics investigation.
By the time the cause of the fraud was identified and infected, and organisations were able to clean up their systems, huge losses had been incurred.
Pasa said it is still unclear exactly where the criminals behind the fraud are based, but Interpol and Europol said they are making good progress towards making arrests.
According to Pasa, the losses will be borne by the banks and not payment card holders or infected businesses.
The attacks highlight the vulnerability of POS systems that are not designed with security in mind and are open to attack, particularly when running on systems connected to the internet.
Pasa is working with the banks and card schemes to block potential card data exposure and ensure merchants comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).


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The Greeting Card Association met with Royal Mail ahead of postal strikes taking place on 26 and 31 August and 8 and 9 September.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has called on its members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to take strike action. Royal Mail has said it will do everything it can to minimise disruption and get its services back to normal as quickly as possible, but greeting cards won’t be delivered on strike days.
GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson told Greetings Today: “The message to all consumers is to post greeting cards early for occasions around this period. The GCA are in regular contact with the Royal Mail, representing the interests of the greeting card industry.’’
Royal Mail said retailers should advise customers to post items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates and to continue to post items at post boxes or Post Offices, noting that collections will be less frequent on days when strike action is taking place.
Royal Mail told the GCA: “We’re really sorry for the disruption that this strike action is likely to cause. We want to reassure you we will do everything we can to minimise disruption and get our services back to normal as quickly as possible. We will be doing what we can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption.”
For updated information head to www.gca.cards/gca-talks-with-royal-mail-update/
For more detail on deliveries around the strikes visit Royal Mail.


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Pork has been revealed as the fastest-growing meat in ready meals as sales of red meat in preprepared meals have grown 2.4% in the last year, with the number of shoppers choosing ready meals reaching a five-year high.
According to a new article by AHDB, time-poor consumers are returning to convenience meals after a huge drop in sales during pandemic. Now, 11.5% of all meals consumed at home have little or no preparation time.
As total retail volumes of meat, fish and poultry fell by 6.3% in the 52 weeks to February 2022, preprepared meals were up 3.2%, according to Kantar, with ready meals driving most of the growth – up 4.3%.
Italian was the most popular ready meal cuisine, representing 66 per cent share of chilled pork ready meals. Italian cuisine also makes up the largest share of chilled beef ready meals at 65 per cent.
AHDB retail insight manager Grace Randall said: “At the start of the pandemic, we saw a rise in homemade meals cooked from scratch as people had more time at home. But with everyday life become busier, shoppers are turning back to easy meals.
“This change in consumer needs has had an impact on the types of foods shoppers buy from the supermarket and some of the quickest and easiest meals to cook are preprepared meals.”
The growth of preprepared meals has been recorded across all age groups. Consumers under the age of 28 increased volumes by more than half, whilst empty nesters represent the largest growth when looking at different life stages.
Ms Randall added: “There are definitely opportunities to grow the red meat convenience market in the future, especially as a cheaper option compared to the eating out and takeaway markets.
“However, it’s also important to note, that as budgets get squeezed over the next year, for some consumers prepared meals may have to justify their higher price, as on average, they cost 68 pence more per person than scratch cooked meals.”


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This year’s London Design Week is set to be the best and biggest yet. The event, taking place at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour on 12 to 17 March, 2017 will welcome designers, architects and tastemakers from the UK and internationally to discover and revel in this year’s most coveted design trends.
The theme for 2017 will explore the science behind design, exploring methods, makers and materials that shape design. The event promises a packed programme of highly immersive and interactive displays.
Take part in as much or as little as you want, visitors are free to tailor their time spent there. Opportunities to join discovery tours and trials, brainstorm ideas with experts at workshops, take part in new exciting demonstrations and receive rare insights from an ‘all-star line-up’ at the Conversations in Design sessions will be open to everyone throughout the week.
The event will be overflowing with new innovative ideas and guarantees to have something for everyone, whatever your speciality. From botany, geology, chemistry, zoology and much more, there will be plenty of opportunities to connect with thought leaders and explore new perspectives.
With over 600 brands taking part at the 120 Design Centre Showrooms and with an abundance of entertainment on hand, including their specially commissioned restaurant, thought-provoking installations and pop-ups, it’s thought to be a fantastic week for design aficionados.
Read more at http://www.designcurial.com/news/science-of-design-at-the-forefront-of-london-design-week-2017-5755052/


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The head of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox video-game division is leaving the company for a top job at game publisher Electronic Arts Inc.
At the same time, the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant tapped another former EA executive to fill the post.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Microsoft
Mattrick replaces Peter Moore, who has joined EA ERTS as head of the company's sports division, according to a separate statement from the Redwood City, Calif.-based video game maker.
According to Microsoft, Moore decided to move back to the Bay Area "for personal reasons."
EA said Moore would begin his duties in September and will report to CEO John Riccitiello. His appointment completes EA's recent reorganization into four business groups: EA Sports, EA Games, EA Casual Entertainment and The Sims.
Mattrick's appointment at Microsoft will become effective July 30. He served in various roles at EA from 1991 until his resignation in February 2006. While at EA, he worked on popular franchises such as "Need for Speed," "Harry Potter" and "The Sims."
Microsoft shares rose 75 cents, or 2.5%, to close Tuesday at $30.78, while EA shares added $1.38, or almost 3%, to end the day at $49.47.


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Tech sell-off redux, is Instagram the next Facebook, and the Vacuum King takes on Tesla’s Iron Man
This week there was a major sell-off in tech – including Facebook and the rest of the FAANGs, Instagram announced it has reached 800 million users and at this pace could be larger than Facebook, and Tesla has new competition in the Electric Vehicle market from Dyson.
Tech sell-off redux
“Was Monday’s major sell-off in tech the beginning of the sector rotation that everyone is waiting for? No its not, and it won’t be. People want growth, in a low interest rate low inflation environment no one is going to buy anything but growth.” – Senior Internet Analyst at a global investment bank when we met this week.
His comment was after a roller-coaster of a week. On Monday there was a sharp rotation with the S&P tech sector falling 1.4% and the energy sector rising 1.5%. Facebook and Alibaba were down almost 5%, and many other high profile tech stocks were down 3-5%, including semiconductor stocks AMD and NVIDIA and the computer game stocks EA and Activision. But the sell-off only lasted a day, and the tech index is now back above its level last Friday.
This internet analyst conceded that virtually every stock is close to his price target, and that every stock is crowded with fundamental investors structurally overweight. Australian investors aren’t immune – some of the largest Australian based global funds have technology holdings 20-30% higher than the index weight (some use their own industry classifications rather than the standard GICS classification so appear more diversified than they are).
Despite not having valuation upside and being crowded, the internet analyst can’t imagine that anything could go wrong. This week the sell-off has been a head fake, but it pays to be aware of the risks. Investors crowding into a stock or a sector isn’t a catalyst for a sell-off, but it is a warning of the damage when a catalyst does come and everyone rushes for the exit at the same time. And the potential catalysts for a shift in sentiment are building:
- Apple’s iPhone X may not be as popular as expected, and this would affect not only Apple but also the many technology companies that are suppliers. My thoughts on this from last week are here: (VIEW LINK)
- Taxation. Governments around the world are trying to find ways to tax the technology giants and other companies that manage down profit in taxable jurisdictions. One proposal is to tax revenue as it can’t be manipulated like profits: (VIEW LINK) . On the positive side the US may allow a one-off concession for US companies to repatriate profit at a low rate, which helps tech companies who have large untaxed overseas profits
- Regulation. Google was recently fined by the EU for anti-competitive behaviour, Facebook, Google and Twitter are testifying to US Congress about facilitating Russia’s election manipulation and many other companies are in the headlights abroad and at home
- A macro economic shift, and more specifically US rates rising or global growth improving
All are important to monitor, but I am most worried about this last point. US 10 year interest rates have increased from 2.04% in early September to 2.33% yesterday. The last time rates rose this fast was in June, and before that was last November when Trump was elected. Both times the technology sector sold-off sharply as investors shifted to buying Financials and other cyclicals. For more on this please read my article from June: (VIEW LINK)
Who is right?
Investors have strong views – the bulls argue this is a unstoppable secular trend and you can’t own enough, and the bears say prices have gone up too far too fast and some companies are expensive. Both sides make good points, and I am not in either camp. I think you need to be selective, owning some of these secular winners but only buying where valuations are supported by earnings and where share price increases are supported by fundamental improvements.
Facebook is a good example. Over 2 years its share price is up 90% but this is fully justified by earning. Analysts have revised their forecasts for 2017 earnings by 118% and 2018 earnings by 81%, illustrated in the following table. Keep in mind that most companies struggle to meet analysts longer term estimates – for example Apple’s estimates are down 17% over the same period Facebook’s are up 118%.
Imagine if Facebook’s earnings expectations hadn’t increased and its shares were down 13%, following the PE derating, rather than up 90%. Would the commentary then be how cheap Facebook is even though it is on the same valuation? Apple is up ‘only’ 35% vs Facebook up 90%, but which one is more justified?
Is Facebook’s valuation expensive?
Facebook grew revenue by 50% and EPS by 97% in the year to June. Of course growth will slow, but likely not as fast as some think. Google shows that it can get 20% growth from advertising on its mature search platform, and it is reasonable that Facebook’s core platform could settle out at a similar rate. On top of this you need to layer on:
- Instagram, which is ramping users and engagement extraordinarily quickly and is still in the middle stage of monetisation potential
- investments in video content which will start to pay off next year
- Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, each with over 1 billion users. They make no revenue but have plans to make more money per user than Asian peer messaging platforms. This should start to impact revenue in 2019
- investments in Virtual Reality (Oculus), Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence
Facebook is valued at 27x 2018 GAAP EPS, and lower if you back out the investments in video, augmented reality and messaging which generate no earnings but have significant potential; and lower still if you account for the acquisition of WhatsApp as a purchase cost rather than employee share amortisation. It is trading on <20x 2019 consensus earnings, and 16x 2020 earnings, with a track record of doing much better than consensus.
For more detail about the WhatsApp adjustment see: (VIEW LINK)
Is Instagram the next Facebook?
Facebook’s Instagram social platform has reached 800 million monthly users, revealed on Monday at AdWeek. The table below shows Instagram’s user growth.
Consider this growth profile. From 2014 to mid 2016 it was consistently taking 9 months to add each 100 million users, and because of the larger base the annual growth rate had dropped to 35%.
Then something changed around the middle of last year. Critics point to Instagram copying Snapchat features like Stories and there is some truth to that, but who gets the credit is less important than the observation that Instagram introduced a number of new features and increased the pace of innovation and experimentation.
Since then user growth has accelerated – adding 100 million users every 4-6 months, or about half the time. The annual growth rate has re-accelerated to 40-50% from 35%, quite amazing for a platform of its maturity and size. (Don’t put too much weight on the last observation showing a slowdown in the monthly rate or the annual percentage as they may have held off the announcement to make a splash at AdWeek. Take off a couple of weeks and they are back at 4.5 months per 100 million with growth in the 40s)
How does it pass Facebook?
Facebook has over 2 billion monthly active users. In less than 3 years Instagram will have more users than Facebook has today at a 40% growth rate. What is perhaps under appreciated is not the potential user base of Instagram but the monetisation opportunity. Its focus on photos and videos, as well as the newer personal features, has the potential to be more engaging and attract even more user time. Users on the platform are spending twice as long on average watching video than a year ago, a statistic also announced at AdWeek. That means more ads and more revenue.
What is Facebook’s stock worth if Instagram grows to be as large as Facebook and is even more profitable?
Tech Crunch: (VIEW LINK)
The Vacuum King takes on Iron Man: Dyson vs Tesla (and everyone else)
Dyson announced in an internal company email this week that it is developing an electric vehicle, set to be launched by 2020. It wasn’t exactly a surprise as there were rumours for years – Dyson started in 2015 and it is hard to keep the hiring of 400 engineers, including two executives from Aston Martin, a secret.
Media coverage is focused on how difficult it is to enter the automotive market: cars are expensive to develop, take years of testing to be approved for sale, scaling manufacturing is challenging and competition is intense not just from Elon Musk’s (aka. Iron Man) Tesla but every existing car manufacturer as well as other tech giants and startups.
A few give Dyson credit for its engineering and marketing expertise, but probably don’t go far enough. I wouldn’t want to underestimate this company. After all, it has been making battery powered appliances with electric motors for longer than anyone. It is hiring an extra 3,000 engineers by 2020 and works with more than 40 universities globally. Dyson has budgeted around £2.5 billion for its EV project.
Dyson’s Battery IP
But it is their battery IP that might be most interesting and give them a real shot. In 2015 Dyson paid $90 million to buy Sakti3, a solid state battery company. The company is headed by Ann Marie Sastry, a former professor at the University of Michigan who left in 2012 to focus on her start-up. Solid state batteries could improve the energy density of Lithium-Ion batteries by 2-3x, replacing the liquid electrolyte with a thin film of solid material. If someone is first to market with that sort of improvement they would have an enormous advantage. Tesla’s famed Gigafactory would be obsolete. Consider also that Dyson first invested in Sakti3 as a minority shareholder, bought out the other investors in 2015, and is just now deciding to scale its EV project and invest £2.5 billion. This is a calculated investment, and James Dyson is literally betting the firm on its success.
There is some mystery here as Dyson abandoned its $200,000-a-year license for Sakti3’s patent portfolio from the University of Michigan. Perhaps Sakti3 has pivoted and the initial patents are no longer valuable?
Tech Crunch: (VIEW LINK)
Forbes on Dyson’s battery technology: (VIEW LINK)
Quartz on Dyson abandoning Sakti3 battery patents: (VIEW LINK)
Author: Lachlan MacGregor, Portfolio Manager


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Barney’s to Pay $525K in Racial Profiling Settlement
(NEW YORK) — Barney’s has agreed to pay more than half a million dollars to settle racial profiling allegations.
The settlement stems from incidents in which customers reported they had been followed through the Madison Avenue flagship store in New York City. Others said they bought expensive items and were detained by police afterwards for credit card fraud. The customers all complained the incidents happened because of their skin color.
Now, Barney’s, where $2,500 tote bags and $390 mens’ shirts aren’t unusual, has agreed to pay $525,000 to settle the racial profiling allegations.
As part of the agreement with the New York State Attorney’s Office, Barney’s will also hire an anti-profiling consultant to help update and improve employee training on security policies.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio


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Have you ever wondered why people love California wines? If so, you should join the Ideal Wine Company this week, as we take some time to celebrate California Wine Month!
History of wine in California
The US state of California was first settled by Spanish colonisers hundreds of years ago. The Spanish settlers were Catholic, and they soon realised that they needed to produce wine for religious purposes. This inspired Spanish monks to plant the Golden State’s first grape vines over 240 years ago.
It didn’t take producers long to realise that California is an ideal wine making region. This caused the Golden State’s wine making industry to boom, turning the region into the largest wine producer in the United States by the end of the 20th Century.
Golden State wine making
Today, the Golden State boasts some of the world’s most famous wine makes regions including Napa Valley, Sonoma County and Paso Robles. Estates across California produce a wide breadth of grape varietals including, but not limited to, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel.
California vintages are typical new world wines. As the Ideal Wine Company recently explained, “the climates of new world wine regions are often warmer, which tends to result in riper, more alcoholic, full-bodied and fruit-centred wines.” With a description like this, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that California wines are some of the most popular vintages in the world.
California Wine Month
The California wine harvest arrives in September, and current Governor Jerry Brown has honoured the occasion by designated September “California Wine Month.” FINN Channel reported that California Wine Month 2015 will be the 11th annual Wine Month. Industry players across the state will celebrate the occasion with a series of festivals, wine tasting classes and other events.
Robert P. Koch, president and CEO of Wine Institute, spoke out on the imminent arrival of California Wine Month. He said that “we appreciate Governor Brown recognizing the contributions of vintners and growers to our state’s economy, culture and lifestyle.” Koch went on to comment, “whether you’re a novice or an expert, California’s diverse winegrowing regions offer plenty of activities in America’s leading wine destination.”
Celebrate with Ideal Wine Company
If you’re not planning to fly out to the Golden State any time soon, you may be wondering how you can celebrate California wine month. You can buy California Wines from the Ideal Wine Company; if you do you’ll soon discover why this sun-drenched region has become the largest wine producer in the United States!


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Uptake of e-commerce to complement retail stores on the rise, and proving an asset for some companies.
It's official: more Kiwi small to medium-sized enterprises are claiming their place in cyberspace. Figures released last week as part of the MYOB Business Monitor Digital Nation Report show 41 per cent of SMEs operate a business website, up from 34 per cent in March last year.
As part of their online presence, an increasing number of small businesses are also transacting online.
Richard Miles, co-founder of 3 Wise Men, says the men's shirt and accessories business was started with a retail shop and an online store in 2005. However, customers didn't initially take to web sales.
Several factors have since put rocket boosters under the e-commerce side of the business, he says, including greater consumer trust in online shopping and better internet connectivity. The company predicts online sales will account for 30 per cent of its business by 2016.
But how do you strike the balance between growing online sales and a retail presence? Turet Knuefermann, owner of women's fashion brand TK, which has two retail stores and an online shop, says having physical stores complements an online presence.
"We've found customers are searching online for products and that then draws them to come and try garments on in store. Many of the online TK shoppers are existing customers who already know and trust our product who have moved out of town or overseas, or they are friends of those customers who have been recommended our brand by them," Knuefermann says.
Many say developing their e-commerce capabilities has required significant investment in both time and money. But it's interesting to note there can be huge variation in the different approaches business owners take to designing and building an e-commerce site.
For example, Tanya Carlson, founder of the Carlson women's fashion brand, says her business made its first foray into e-commerce in 2012 using the Smallfish platform.
"For a small monthly fee we were able to build our own store, which we can update and edit as much as we like, and the platform is so user-friendly no coding or website-building experience is required," Carlson says.
"It has been a great way for us to venture into e-commerce without a large financial commitment, which is ideal for us as a small business."
For Robert Ewan, founder and managing director of T-shirt and lifestyle brand Mr Vintage, going online in 2004 was an easy choice given that he started the business as a cash-strapped university student.
"After a year of Trade Me sales the first website launched. I didn't have the funds to invest in a retail store, so building the brand slowly and organically online was the logical choice." And Mr Vintage now has retail stores.
"Our latest store, at Auckland Airport, is performing really well, so there is a huge amount of potential growth with our retail stores."
But online development continues, Ewan says.
"Since late last year we've been working with PocketSquare.co.nz, which specialises in online fashion and has been great to deal with.
"The biggest change we've seen has been the increase in conversion rate on mobile devices, so stripping back our mobile site and making it easy to navigate on a mobile has really helped."
Q & A - Richard Miles is a co-founder of 3 Wise Men, a men's shirts and accessories brand
Richard Miles, co-founder, 3 Wise Men.
We started the business in 2005 with a retail store in Newmarket, Auckland, and our online offer at the same time. One of the things we found quite early on was we would refer people to our website, but it didn't generate a lot of business because people weren't comfortable buying clothing online then.
Given online menswear retail was at a pretty nascent stage then, why did you make that investment as a startup?
To some extent we were following what we were seeing happening with men's shirting businesses internationally. We always assumed e-commerce was going to gain momentum and we wanted to be in a position where we weren't scrambling to do something.
How did you develop that first e-commerce site?
Like all small businesses, and particularly startups, you try to do things on the sniff of an oily rag. I had a great mate who had been involved in doing some e-commerce stuff overseas and had come back to New Zealand, so he built our website. At the time it was about a $10,000 investment, which for a small business was quite a lot of money - especially when it wasn't generating income for some time.
How has your e-commerce presence grown?
It's gone from zero to being a $500,000 piece of business at the moment and there are a number of factors that have driven that growth. We've built a trusted brand over the years. We've also encouraged e-commerce as a way for guys that hate shopping, or do shopping as a biannual event, to avoid dragging themselves around retail stores. Internet speed has also become a lot faster, so loading imagery online is not so cumbersome, and as more retailers have started to do e-commerce the whole movement has gained momentum.
What are your future e-commerce plans?
We've just made a really significant investment in a new website and we're hoping to double online sales in the next two years. We've completely de-risked the process, offering free returns and free delivery, and I think that will drive more business for us. There are also a lot more digital marketing ideas we're only just starting to learn about, which will give us the opportunity to become more known to a lot more people. We really want to push our e-commerce site in Australia.
How did you go about building your new site?
I spent a lot of time researching and looking at best practice for apparel e-commerce. We spoke to some quite big web development and digital marketing businesses that do end-to-end design and build solutions and we also looked at some of the proprietary e-commerce stuff you could buy off the shelf. We decided not to go down the off-the-shelf route; we wanted something a bit more bespoke that worked for our brand. I actually ended up getting some really good advice from a guy who had extensive experience in the UK with men's online retail - I just met him when I was in the Newmarket store one day - and he's come on to help oversee the project. We found a good designer, then took the design to a firm called Webfit to build it. They wanted to bring it to life online, as did the design guys.
Any e-commerce advice for other small business owners?
Get into it - but don't just leap at it straight away. Do your research and speak to a whole bunch of people that have done e-commerce.


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A British computer scientist believes he is the first person ever to infect himself with a computer virus.
Dr Mark Gasson from the University of Reading says he has demonstrated a means for an RFID tag implanted in his hand to pass a virus to a nearby reader device.
The chip was similar to ones used to tag household pets, but Gasson has rigged it to open electronic locks and allow access to his mobile phone.
Gasson told the BBC he is concerned that in future similar technology used in medical devices such as pacemakers could be similarly compromised.
He is due to present his findings to the IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society in Australia next month.


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As first reported by the New York Times, we’ve launched a new eBay Green Team website this week and are also raising awareness for sustainable shopping through a number of magazines over the next few weeks.
There are a lot of pretty cool features to the new website including tips and suggestions for “greener” ways to approach buying and selling, but what I find the most compelling is the open invitation for people to participate in an interactive discussion right there on the site, called Green Team Talks, about sustainable shopping and sharing ideas with each other. Team members also are invited to take “eBay Green Team Challenges” to learn how small, everyday changes can have a large, positive impact on the environment.
I’ve been following this one internally for a little while now and was looking forward to being able to announce it here on Ink. What began as a proactive effort by 40 eBay employees in 2007, has grown into a full-blown company-wide initiative. The eBay Green Team (of which I became a member only recently) now boasts over 1000 employees worldwide and, when the company needed more office space, they were the driving force behind the construction of “Mint”, the first building built to LEED Gold Standards in San Jose, CA, including the city’s largest solar panel installation.
To help kick off the campaign both offline and into a broader community, eBay is working with Hearst Magazines to launch “30 Days of Green,” a month-long initiative to raise visibility among Hearst readers around the issue of sustainable consumption.
I’ve talked in the past about how I felt that eBay and its community of buyers and sellers essentially represents the biggest recycler on the planet with people buying and selling used goods on a previously unprecedented scale. eBay CEO, John Donahoe agrees:
“eBay’s global community of more than 86 million active buyers and sellers support more sustainable commerce every day,” said eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe. “The greenest products are often ones that already exist, and eBay creates a global market for used, refurbished, vintage and even new products from excess retail inventory. eBay buyers and sellers trade $2,000 worth of goods every second, a majority of which are used, refurbished or vintage. The eBay Green Team effort, which was inspired by our own community and employees’ accomplishments, will continue to encourage these behaviors and promote new ways of thinking about shopping green.”
I’ll keep an eye on the discussion board over on the new website. It will be interesting to see a public conversation that is driven primarily by content from the Green Team members both inside and outside the company. I will also be intrigued to see if a dominant voice evolves there over time into a kind of moderator role for the group… right now it looks very unregulated and unstructured – most likely designed that way to promote a discussion actually worth having.
Kudos to the folks involved in making this happen. I know this labor of love was a big project to bring to life. Congratulations!


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California Assembly Bill 1346, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 9, 2021, seeks to eliminate the retail sale of new gas-powered, small off-road engines (SORE) as early as January 1, 2024.
It now becomes the responsibility of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop and implement a plan to enforce the law. CARB defines SOREs as “spark-ignition engines rated at or below 19 kilowatts (25 hp).”
The list of impacted equipment, according to the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), includes:
- Hand-held and backpack leaf blowers
- Hand-held grass trimmers
- Hand-held hedge trimmers
- Hand-held pole pruners
- Hand-held and ground-supported edgers
- Pressure washers
- Snow blowers
- Wood splitters
- Chain saws (less than 45cc displacement)
- Walk-behind lawn mowers
- Riding lawn mowers
Only the sale of gas-powered SORE equipment at retail locations is to be banned, not the use of it.
Air compressors, larger chain saws, brush cutters (greater than 40cc), chippers, shredders, grinders, stump grinders, pumps (greater than 40cc), and welders are federally exempt from state regulations.
CARB data states there are 16.5 million SOREs in use in California, 76 percent of which includes residential lawn and garden equipment, and that operating a leaf blower for 1 hour generates the emissions equivalent of driving a 2016 Toyota Camry from Los Angeles to Denver (approximately 1,100 miles).
CARB’s goal is an 80 percent reduction of carbon emissions from mobile sources by 2031. “Significant emission reductions will be achieved through a combination of regulatory and incentive approaches, and a major shift to zero- emission electric equipment will be needed to meet the 80 percent reduction goal,” CARB states.
State regulators currently have an available budget of $30 million to offer rebates for those looking to make the transition from SORE to zero-emissions equipment (ZEE), reports OEM Off-Highway.
Regulations beginning in California have a history of being adopted by other states and even on a federal level, which is why industry organizations pay close attention to California legislation.
Industry concerns regarding SORE legislation are:
- Costly impact: New ZEE equipment costs twice as much as SORE equipment.
- ZEE equipment is less powerful.
- Batteries on ZEE equipment have less running time than gas-powered SORE equipment.
- Recharging ZEE equipment during the day will be burdensome to many small businesses.
“Transitioning to zero-emission equipment, as outlined in the California law, requires a significant upfront investment,” states a press release issued by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). The budget for upgrades is “woefully inadequate” and offers “a rebate of only $15 per piece of equipment compared to the hundreds to thousands of dollars each piece of equipment would cost to purchase new. Tax incentives and a much larger fund are needed to help professional landscape companies make the transition.”
“The proposed implementation, by the year 2024, does not take into consideration the deficiencies associated with current zero-emission equipment for commercial uses,” continues the press release. “It is less powerful, doesn’t work as well on slopes and grades, and takes significantly more time to complete the same task as existing equipment.
“Additionally, California lacks the infrastructure necessary to make the transition. Rolling blackouts in California demonstrate that the electric infrastructure needed to maintain charges on battery-powered equipment is insufficient … There is a lack of dealers and mechanics capable of servicing zero-emission equipment, which, because it is newer technology, requires a large number of highly experienced technicians to handle what will be a significantly increased demand for product servicing. Also, landscape companies would need to upgrade and redesign facilities to support a large number of charging stations and greatly increased electrical loads.”
Others, such as California Senator Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, have protested the law because of its ban on generators in a state prone to power loss where the loss of electricity means no power to charge batteries, reports Lookout Santa Cruz.
California Assemblyman Marc Berman authored the legislation and said concerns about not being able to operate generators have been taken into account, “and the law specifically requires [CARB] to adjust the restrictions on generators based on their ‘expected availability’ of that equipment on the commercial and retail market,” the Lookout article adds.
While industry organizations such as the NALP, the TCIA, and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) welcome emissions reductions and agree battery technology is the future, their concern is the “truncated timeline” for the California regulations.
“As an industry, we care deeply for the environment,” states the NALP press release. “At the same time, we value our businesses, employees, and the customers and communities we serve. We must chart a path forward to move beyond gas-powered equipment, but we must do so responsibly and equitably in a way that does not punitively single out the landscape industry and its tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and employees.”


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EU wary over Russian dairy quotas
Union dairy products such as butter and cheese, EU officials have
Russia is considering a move to restrict import quotas of European Union dairy products such as butter and cheese, EU officials have reported.
The consideration is being made to protect the country's booming dairy industry in the home market, where a number of the larger players have shown remarkable growth in recent years.
The proposals have not been confirmed by the Russian government yet, but EU officials did confirm that they had had an indication of the intention to introduce the quotas - a Reuters report said. The report said the quotas would include EU cheese and butter, which is currently subsidised.
The EU has previously protested over Russia's meat quotas which are currently in place to block out the threat of competitively priced EU meats from flooding the Russian market. And a similar spat now looks likely to unfold for the dairy segment.
The Reuters report also pointed out that one of the country's likely to be hit badly by any possible trading sanctions on dairy produce is Finland. It currently exports some 38,000 tonnes of butter to third countries every year.


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Vámonos Spanish Center in Tangletown is now offering virtual Spanish classes. It’s a great way to support a local business and make good use of your extra time at home. I’ve been taking classes with them for a few months now and they’ve done a great job transitioning from in-person to virtual classes. I really […]
The post Vámonos Spanish Center is now offering virtual Spanish classes appeared first on Wallyhood.


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Experts: Fed rate cut will have marginal effect on LI
The latest Federal Reserve System interest cut will not free up credit for Long Island businesses, according to at least one economic analyst.
The Federal Reserve cut lending rates Wednesday by a half point.
"It is not going to matter," says economic analyst Martin Cantor.
According to Cantor, banks are still not giving credit unless recipients prove they are low risk. Cantor also expects no change to come to mortgage rates.
"Nothing the Fed will do in terms of reducing interest rates is going to have an impact on people's ability to get mortgages," he says.
Credit counselors say the rate reductions could have marginal results on personal credit rates. Allen Fritz says fixed-rate credit cards don't have to lower rates, but variable ones may go down slightly.
"The credit cards will stay put," says Fritz. "It will cost them less money to buy the money and charge you more."


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- Amazon Shipping is reportedly planning to forgo fees, including fuel surcharges and extra charges for home deliveries, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed an email Amazon sent to New York-area shippers.
- This move is an attempt to "woo shippers" and compete with larger carriers including UPS and FedEx, according to The Wall Street Journal.
- The most recent fuel surcharge for ground vehicles at FedEx and UPS was 6.5% and 7%, respectively.
Amazon Shipping is not the first player to enter the my-fees-are-lower-than-yours fight. Last year, FedEx decided not to charge any residential surcharge for the holiday season, while UPS charged a $0.28 peak fee — a one-cent increase over 2017's holiday surcharge.
When news of Amazon's entry into the carrier market became public last year, it was reported the company planned to undercut its competitors' prices in an attempt to bring in business. "3PLs aren't able to drive down costs as quickly and effectively as Amazon can," AArete's Director of Retail Practice Sean Maharaj told Supply Chain Dive last year.
Amazon is not saying much about these plans, other than telling The Wall Street Journal it is "always working to develop new, innovative ways to support the small and medium businesses who sell on Amazon, including testing shipping programs that help these businesses get packages to their customers quickly and reliably."
An Amazon spokesperson, when contacted by Supply Chain Dive, declined to elaborate on what fees the company plans to cut and how these cuts fit into the company's goals.
One worrying sign for UPS and FedEx is retailers don't seem especially tied to their current carriers. A poll by Internet Retailer Research conducted soon after Shipping with Amazon (the original name for Amazon Shipping) was announced found 55% of respondents would consider switching carriers.


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(FOX/CNS) - Manhattan Beach police today sought public help to identify two women who used another woman's stolen credit card to buy items at various stores.
The credit card was in the woman's wallet, which was taken from her purse on Oct. 10 while she shopped at a Trader Joe's store in the 1800 block of Rosecrans Avenue, said Manhattan Beach police Detective Shawn Thompson.
Police released security video that showed the two suspects later that day in a Best Buy store in El Segundo, where they bought an Apple MacBook with one of the victim's credit cards, Thompson said.
"The suspects were said to have been portraying a mother and daughter relationship to store employees," Thompson said.
Other items were bought at the Manhattan Village Mall and at a Vons supermarket on Manhattan Beach Boulevard.Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Thompson at (310) 802-5124, or via email at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Chinese police raided the Hangzhou office of Hong Kong-listed online credit card management platform 51 Credit Card Monday morning as part of a wider regulatory clampdown on fintech companies’ illegal scraping of personal information online.
The company confirmed with Caixin that its founder and Chief Executive Officer Sun Haitao and Chief Financial Officer Zhao Ke are cooperating with police.
The company didn’t disclose the reason for the raid, but industry participants speculated that it’s related to activities such as illegal collection of user information, using violence to collect debt and high service fees.
Shares of 51 Credit Card plunged nearly 35% Monday. The company halted trading of its stock in the afternoon.
Founded in 2012, 51 Credit Card started as a credit card bill management application and now also provides peer-to-peer lending through several platforms. The operating entity for the platform is Hangzhou Enniu Network Technology Co.
In July, 51 Renpin Loan, another lending platform operated by the company, was criticized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for collecting personal information without users' consent.
On a third-party complaint platform, some users reported that 51 Renpin Loan used vicious debt collection methods, such as exposing lenders’ contacts and harassing their families and friends. Some complaints reported that Yacolpay, an online payment service operated by 51 Credit Card, was involved in investments in illegal online gambling platforms outside China.
In a statement Monday afternoon, 51 Renpin Loan said its business operation and financial status remain normal and asked users not to believe rumors.
Contact reporter Denise Jia (email@example.com)


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What is happening this summer??
Considering only a few weeks ago it was revealed that the former couple were buying a mansion together, this comes as a bit of surprise!
The 30-year-old confessed to IG:
[Image via WENN.]
It's a happy family!!!!
Unkle Karl with two of his favorite pets, Ashley and Mary-Kate.
The Olsens were in Paris and attended the Unkle's Chanel fashion show.
We love the freaks!!!
And, look, Ashley is ALMOST SMILING.
[Photo via Getty Images.]


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Sales of new homes fell for a third straight month in June, dropping by 6.6%. to the lowest level in more than a year. The Commerce Department reported Monday that the June sales decline left sales at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 676,000. That followed a 7.7% sales decline in May and a 10.1% fall in April. The June sales pace was down 19.4% from a year ago and was the slowest pace since April 2020. Housing has been a stand-out performer since the economy began emerging from the steep but short pandemic recession in April last year.
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With inflation uncomfortably high and the COVID-19 Delta variant raising economic concerns, a divided Federal Reserve will meet this week to discuss when and how it should dial back its ultra-low-interest rate policies. For now, the U.S. economy is growing briskly in the wake of the pandemic recession, and the pace of hiring is healthy, which is why the Fed’s policymakers will likely move closer toward acting soon. In particular, the officials are expected to discuss the timing and mechanics of slowing their $120 billion-a-month in bond purchases — a pandemic-era policy that is intended to keep long-term loan rates low to spur borrowing and spending.
LOS ANGELES, July 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UCLA Anderson economists Leila Bengali and William Yu have created a pioneering index to track the …
PHOENIX, July 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GradGuard, one of the largest providers of student insurance programs in the country, has broken anothe…
LOS ANGELES, July 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Summer 2021 Allen Matkins/UCLA Anderson Forecast California Commercial Real Estate Survey shows…
Asian shares have fallen as worries grow that a faster-spreading variant of the coronavirus could upend the global economic recovery. Benchmarks in Japan, South Korea, Australia and China declined in early trading. Worries about the pandemic continue in Japan, with three days to go before the Tokyo Olympics open. Several athletes and more than 60 non-athletes affiliated with the Games have tested positive. Just about 22% of the Japanese population is fully vaccinated. Wall Street indexes skidded, with airlines and other companies seen as most threatened from renewed pandemic restrictions.
It hit like derailed train, was hugely destructive but short-lived. The pandemic recession ended in April of 2020, making it the shortest downturn on record. That's according to the committee of economists that determines when recessions begin and end. A committee from National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the economy reached a peak in February 2020 and the recession began the following month. It ended in April. The NBER said the recession ended that month because that is when the economy reached its lowest point in terms of jobs and output. The economy began to recover in May.
FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2020, file photo, a person passes the office of the California Employment Development Department in Sacramento, Calif. The recession that broke out with onset of the coronavirus pandemic officially ended in April 2021, making it the shortest downturn on record, according to the committee of economists that determines when recessions begin and end. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
With the U.S. economy humming, corporate profits flowing and stock prices peaking, investors on Wall Street are beginning to pose an anxious question: Is it all downhill from here? Financial markets are always trying to set prices now for where the economy and corporate profits are likely to be in the future. Even though readings across the economy are still at eye-popping levels, investors see some areas of concern. New variants of the coronavirus are threatening to weaken economies around the world. Inflation is raging as supplies of goods and components fall short of surging demand. And the beginning of the end of the Federal Reserve’s assistance for markets is coming into sight.
Worried about surging prices for everything from food and gas to airplane tickets and clothes? Well, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had a straightforward message in two days of congressional hearings this week: Just give it more time, and those price gains should slow, or even reverse. Still, the Fed chair also acknowledged that the U.S. economy is engaged in an unprecedented reopening after the sharp pandemic recession, making it much harder to anticipate how things like inflation and unemployment will play out.


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Tesla Cybertruck is set to be the first solar-powered Tesla vehicle. A recent design video of deployable solar from the electric pickup truck may look ridiculous but it may not be too far-fetched.
Elon Musk shocked everyone after the launch of the Cybertruck when he said Tesla’s new electric pickup truck will have a solar roof option which will add 15 miles of range per day.
This was surprising as many car manufacturers, including Tesla, had previously been considering the application of solar to electric vehicles, but most of the projects haven’t come to production or provided any significant power.
Musk said he urged his Tesla engineers to look at adding solar cells on Model 3 in 2017, but they decided it wasn’t worth it then.
Solar cell performance has since increased, and by designing the solar roof, Tesla has gained expertise in embedding solar cells in its own right.
3D artist Slav Popovski wanted to make what a Tesla Cybertruck would look like with deployable solar:
While the idea might sound crazy, it might not necessarily be that far-fetched based on Musk’s previous statements.
After announcing that the Cybertruck would be given a solar option, the CEO also indicated that deployable solar wings could be added for even greater solar power.
Musk had previously addressed the concept for electric vehicles to have a “deployable solar shield like a retractable hard top.”
Tesla plans to launch the Cybertruck onto the market in late 2021.
Reported by Electrek.
Want to buy a Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Model S, or Model X? Feel free to use my referral code to get some free Supercharging miles with your purchase: http://ts.la/guanyu3423
You can also get a $100 discount on Tesla Solar with that code. No pressure.


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China’s aggressive stance in containing the virus enabled it to better control new cases, with the measures including travel restrictions, strict lockdowns and a fast rollout of health facilities, CNBC said.
The kind of measures in the country has really helped in this circumstance, said Tobias Adrian, director of the IMF’s monetary and capital markets department, to CNBC.
After drawing a comparison with the global financial crisis of 2008, Adrian said that China has fared very well again at the second time with a major crisis.
“They have cracked down on the pandemic very aggressively, very early and the economy really already came back to normal levels at the middle of last year, so way ahead of any country in the world,” CNBC quoted Adrian as saying.
According to IMF’s latest forecast that the country’s economy will grow at 8.4 percent in 2021 which is 0.3 percentage point stronger than in its January forecast, and the global economy growth will be 6 percent this year.


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Sky invests $10m in US marketing analysts DataXu
Sky, the British television company, has invested $10m (€9.2m) into Boston-based marketing analytics firm DataXu.
The move comes as Sky prepares for the launch of its new set-top box, Sky Q.
DataXu partners with advertisers and media agencies to help them engage with customers across all devices. The investment will see Sky work with DataXu to explore new advertising opportunities and products.
Speaking about the investment, deputy managing director at Sky Media, Jamie West, said that the deal will help further the firm's advertising knowledge.
"This investment will help us develop a deeper understanding of programmatic advertising, and play our part in shaping the market as it progresses.
"Combining Sky's knowledge, experience and innovation in advertising with DataXu's programmatic marketing expertise will provide exciting opportunities for both businesses, and most importantly, for Sky's advertising partners," Mr West said.
The deal is the latest in a line of investments that Sky has made in diverse areas. In December Sky invested $300,000 in California-based Netflix rival, TV4 Entertainment.
According to DataXu co-founder, Mike Baker, both it and Sky "have a strong alignment on the future of programmatic and advanced television".
"This strategic investment allows DataXu to partner with a true, global leader in television and media, and ensures our two companies continue to learn and grow together," Mr Baker said.
January has proven to be a busy month for Sky, which announced its biggest ever re-design of its on-demand service, Sky Go.
Sky has made changes to the homepage of the site while it aims to make the online viewing experience more practical on mobile and tablets.


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We went to a Gap store and saw why its sales have been struggling
- Gap Inc. reported that same-store sales of its namesake brand decreased by 10% in the first quarter of 2019 as a result of inventory woes and declining foot traffic.
- After Gap announced plans earlier this year to spin off its Old Navy brand into a separate company, the off-price brand posted its first decline in three years.
- We visited a Gap store to see what's going wrong.
Three months after Gap Inc. announced it would split into two publicly traded companies - Old Navy as a standalone entity and a still-unnamed company that would include Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, Hill City, and Janie and Jack - the retailer continues to face an uncertain future.
On Thursday, Gap reported that same-store sales of its namesake brand decreased by 10% in the first quarter of 2019. Meanwhile, comparable sales slumped by 4% across all brands in the portfolio during the same period, including at Old Navy, which posted its first decline in three years.Read more: Old Navy splits off from Gap
In a call with investors, Gap CEO Art Peck cited a variety of external factors - including unseasonably cold weather, late holiday schedules, and lower tax refunds -before acknowledging significant issues related to inventory and foot traffic.
In the last quarter, Gap was particularly focused on improving these weak spots and reducing expenses, Peck said. This effort includes shuttering more than 230 stores over the next two years and shifting marketing efforts away from its namesake retailer, with plans to roll out new advertising in coming quarters.
While Gap executives remained tight- glipped regarding updates on the Old Navy separation plan, Peck said that the team is "pushing, in many respects, harder than the comfort level is of the organization to move forward." The break-off is slated to be complete in 2020.
We visited a Gap store in New York City and saw why the brand continues to face an uphill battle:


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Until WWDC last year, there were two popular schools of thought about Apple’s relationship with Macs: some held that Apple didn’t want to make Macs or computers any more, but to concentrate on more lucrative iOS devices and pure consumer products; others claimed that macOS was going to be swallowed up into iOS, which would then become the single OS to run on Macs, iPads and iPhones. In just a few exhilarating months, Apple has demolished both stories, leaving a third still alive and kicking, in which Apple intends to stop macOS from running all software other than apps purchased in the App Store.
Even with the arrival of the new M1 Macs, I’m still told not infrequently that, as Macs and iPads now have the same processors, Apple is merging those products in the future. This only arises among those who think “ARM processor, so they must be doing the same thing”. The fact that ARM processors are also used in servers and Apple Watches seems to have escaped them, or perhaps they’d come to the inescapable conclusion that Apple wants everyone to go around with personal servers on their wrists.
The most cursory glance at what’s in an M1 SoC confirms that this is much more than the A14 to which it’s related. Just counting transistors, it has 16 billion compared with the A14’s 11.8. Many of those are in the area termed Fabric, which is concerned with I/O and interfaces. Apple’s declared plan to replace its current Intel models with Apple Silicon versions is equally compelling of the conclusion that it intends to be selling what are recognisably Mac computers for many years to come.
Those who are sure that macOS is going to disappear in favour of a unified iOS-based operating system can’t have studied what has happened in Time Machine, for both Intel and Apple Silicon models. If there’s one part of macOS, apart from its human interface, which is completely distinct it’s Time Machine. It’s worth reminding ourselves that it wasn’t introduced in 2007 out of the goodness of Apple’s heart, but as an essential pre-requisite for new hardware products which were launched three months later: the Time Capsule.
Although Apple discontinued selling Time Capsules almost three years ago, and Time Machine’s days appeared numbered, instead of leaving it to decay slowly as some of us were beginning to suspect a year ago, Apple has continued to invest in its development, so that (as of Big Sur) it can now make backups to APFS volumes. The last time that this scale of engineering effort was put into Time Machine was prior to that first release in October 2007, when Apple added support for directory hard links to HFS+. Without those, its backups simply wouldn’t have worked.
Once again, the changes required to enable Time Machine backups to be made to APFS volumes appear to have required modifications in the file system. Before macOS 11.0, we’ve always thought of snapshots as being straightforward copies of the metadata for a specific volume, something essentially generated by making a copy of those file system metadata. If that was what Time Machine relied on in Big Sur, then it could only back up whole volumes.
Instead, when backing up to an APFS volume, Time Machine now creates snapshots of individual folders when necessary, a feature which hasn’t yet been made available through the command tool
tmutil. Not only that, but during the process of making a backup, Time Machine copies snapshots between volumes and seems able to assemble a backup snapshot from its file system metadata and constituent items, including changed blocks within a file.
This isn’t the sort of coding that’s knocked together in a couple of days. It demonstrates that, just as in those halcyon days back in 2006-7, Apple continues to dedicate its engineers to development which is primarily for macOS and unlikely, for the time being at least, to see any application in iOS or iPadOS. But there will still be those who believe that just because APFS backup volumes are required to be in case-sensitive format – that used in iOS/iPadOS but seldom in macOS – this is iOS development in disguise, despite the obvious explanation that case-sensitive APFS can cope with backups that case-insensitive volumes can’t.
I suspect that over the last five years or so, Apple has invested more money and engineering effort into the Mac than at any other time in its history.
Finally, those whose glass is half-empty and falling fast assert that Apple is moving towards a walled garden for macOS apps, pointing at the new requirement for Apple Silicon Macs that all executable code must be signed in order to run natively on the M1 SoC. This claim carefully elides the detailed explanation, of course, that the signing requirement isn’t about validating identity using an Apple-issued certificate, but about instant access to a hash of the code, which can equally be accomplished by an ad-hoc certificate, available to every Mac user, and a process now automatically built into almost every method of generating ARM-executable code.
I hate to spoil anyone’s fun at doomspeculation, but everything we’ve seen and used in the last year has only served to underline Apple’s intentions, that the Mac is going fast forward in its own right, and Apple wants you to keep building your own code, whatever the origin of your signing certificate. And that’s just what I intend to continue doing. Roll on the new Macs.


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Marqeta, a global modern card issuing platform, has revealed a groundbreaking AI solution for its customers.
Generative AI has swiftly risen to the forefront of technological innovation, and Marqeta has stepped up to harness its potential. With the prime aim to reduce time to value (TTV) for its patrons, the unveiling of Marqeta Docs AI is a significant move.
A pioneer in its field, Marqeta offers businesses ground-breaking embedded finance solutions that encompass various features, including virtual and physical card issuance, processing, digital banking, and more. Their platform stands out for providing embedded financial services solutions, promoting instantaneous revenue generation and bolstering customer loyalty.
Marqeta Docs AI serves as an AI-driven question-answer tool, built using OpenAI’s Large Language Models. This transformative tool allows customers to effortlessly sift through the Marqeta Docs site, providing them with quick solutions tailored to their individual use cases. It equips users with a rapid grasp of the platform’s vast offerings and intricacies surrounding payment solutions. Reflecting Marqeta’s commitment to continuous innovation, this tool facilitates a seamless integration with Marqeta’s APIs. Presently, Marqeta Docs AI is in its beta phase, with plans for wider availability in the upcoming quarter.
The surge of interest in generative AI across various industries in 2022 is undeniable. With Market.us projecting that the generative AI market in FinTech could touch $6.25bn by 2032, Marqeta’s move towards releasing its external-facing generative AI solution is timely. This not only showcases the company’s agility in fostering innovation but also hints at the introduction of more such AI tools in the future.
Marqeta Senior Vice President of Emerging Technologies Wendy Li commented, “Generative AI has become a global phenomenon. The majority of companies today are thinking about how they can leverage it to increase productivity and output. Marqeta is investing in emerging technologies and the potential impact they can have on our customer’s business, and generative AI is one of the top roadmap items. The launch of Marqeta Docs AI opens the door to the possibility of additional tools that reduce time to value for our customers and increase the speed at which they see results from their Marqeta-powered programs.”
Further, Wendy Li stressed the company’s emphasis on security, stating, “While these first solutions are examples of the opportunities we have to use generative AI to improve the way our developers and customers interact with our platform, we are deeply focused on creating a trustworthy and secure experience for our users. We’re following security protocol and laying out thoughtful plans for taking care of people’s data. We are keeping the natural bias present in generative AI in mind as we develop our tools and are being careful about our approach to best serve and protect Marqeta, our customers, and our people.”
Keep up with all the latest FinTech news here.
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Wednesday, September 29
We have seen the 2011 REV'IT! Spring Line. We posted a thread on ADVRider.com today about the best of the new collection. We are still unable to show pictures, but wanted to make sure that folks had the opportunity to know whats on the horizon when making their fall purchases.
There are some exciting new mesh and leather options as well as a fully functional 4-season ladies textile adventure outfit called the VENTURA Jacket and Pants.
To see the breakdown of the full line, check out the REV'IT! Spring 2011 Sneak Preview on ADVrider.com
More to come as we get pics and video to share.


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Gorillas also use the dark shops to promote artists
Darkstores – In some cases, the municipalities want to ban darkstores from the city centre. Therefore, Gorrilas leaves five locations in Amsterdam in the hands of creative director, stylist, photographer and director JeanPaul Paula. But you can also, like fellow company Getir, transform the location into a supermarket.
The Getir supermarket is located on Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat in De Pijp. Customers can shop there themselves in part of the building, but the courier will also continue to deliver groceries from the building.
The conversion to a supermarket is related to the permit system in Amsterdam. The municipality has not given permission for a dark shop on the site, because the distribution center for lightning delivery is not a retail store in the eyes of the municipality. By now setting up part of the building as a supermarket with a cash register, the activity on the site meets the permit requirements.
Getir is not the only camera operator who has been criticized by some municipalities for the taped windows in the dark shops, the nuisance for bicycle couriers and the supplies. A number of municipalities are working to ban dark shops. That is why there are also delivery services that start a charm offensive. For example, Gorillas use artists in a number of dark shops. For example, the windows of five Gorillas locations in Amsterdam will be in the hands of creative director, stylist, photographer and director JeanPaul Paula in the near future. During the year, rotating works by various artists will give the art shops a unique look. The rush is started by the branch in Amsterdam East (Weesperstraat 61), where the artworks are now installed. The artworks of JeanPaul Paula will also be exhibited at the locations in Buitenveldert (AJ Ernststraat 799), De Baarsjes (Baarsjesweg 242), Watergraafsmeer (Kamerlingh Onneslaan 22b) and Nieuw-West (Koningin Wilhelmiaplein 33).
Author: Steffen van Beek
Flash delivery – Flash delivery service Gorillas stops its services in six Dutch cities. An analysis has shown that the cities of Alkmaar, Almere, Apeldoorn, Breda, Enschede and Hilversum cannot be made profitable for the German service department.
Flash delivery – On Tuesday morning, Team Jumbo-Visma celebrated the victory in the Tour de France together with Gorilla’s employees. Jonas Vingegaard visited the Gorillas branch in Weesperstraat in Amsterdam.
Tour de France – Flash delivery riders Gorillas and Team Jumbo-Visma open a pop-up location at Alpe d’Huez to supply cycling fans in the Tour de France. In addition to the groceries on the mountain, Gorillas also sell cycling gear.
Analysis – Flash suppliers, who have been delivering groceries to Dutch consumers at lightning speed since the beginning of 2021, are now seeing their turbulent growth slow down. Partly as a result of the closures, Gorillas, Getir, Zapp and Flink have seen their revenue explode since the latter half of last year, but now that all shops and restaurants are open again, growth is stagnating. ABN AMRO signals this in a…
Research – Speed camera delivery companies are gaining a lot of fame, but their usage is not increasing accordingly. A periodic market impact measurement shows that awareness has increased by 32% since December 2021. For example, more than 4 out of 5 Dutch people (82%) are familiar with the principle of “flash delivery”. Gorillas are the best known, but Flink is used most often.
Home Delivery – Flash delivery company Gorillas today announced the launch of four of its own private label brands: “Gorillas Daily”, “Gorillas Premium”, “Hot Damn Coffee” and “”. It concerns around 50 products in 11 of the most popular categories.