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Returning to our extensive coverage of Entertainment Attraction & Gaming Expo (EAG’22) we look at the other elements that are shaping the amusement and entertainment experience. With the conclusions of this return to a physical trade gathering – and the issues shaping the industry.
EAG saw the largest gathering of e-Payment systems for the FEC and Adult Entertainment Center (AEC) businesses in recent years – showing the establishment of this payment infrastructure in the modern market. The BANDAI NAMCO Amusement booth represented Embed and their latest range of platforms and applications, including a new kiosk.
Nayax and their operation Tigapo showed off their e-payment platform, readers, and apps. Focused on street routes, malls and FEC, the company is supporting the latest smart apps such as Apple Pay and others. Another prominent developer of smart payments for amusement consideration was Kashing with their ‘Kurvey Contactless Reader’ series, along with their mobile POS support. International developer Semnox also had a strong presence at the EAG event, having secured several FEC installations in the territory – such as in Scotland at the Codonas Amusement Park, installing the ‘Parafait’ and ‘Tixera’ systems. Another exhibitor was Sacoa Cashless System, celebrating their 30th anniversary of the division, and some 65-years in business. The company presented their new ‘K4’ kiosk, along with their ‘Spark’ latest RFID reader.
The growing deployment of frictionless payment infrastructures was represented by the UK’s own platform. Game Payment Technology presented their payment app platform at EAG, developed in collaboration with the trade association BACTA. The ‘Game Payment’ app is installed onto the guest’s smartphone and, with registration and age verification, the guests e-wallet is topped up with credits able to play activated games. The system is developed for amusement and gaming machines, with the app able to collect prize winnings via the e-wallet (transferred back onto the guest’s debit card). The platform has already been installed at several venues, such as ‘Brighton Palace Pier’ (in their Dome arcade) and AEC sites in the UK.
Game Payment Technology undertook, at the beginning of the year, the dropping of their subscription model for operators and reverted to a selection of payment packages that took a percentage from the generated revenue. This system is being rolled out across the market, with initial deployment in AEC and hospitality. It is being deployed on fruit machines, pinball, jukeboxes, and amusement platforms, as well as a new unit which works with pool tables. The trade association BACTA both owns a percentage of the operation and is presenting the system to its members. Many observers are watching closely to see how this marriage between the not-for-profit trade association and the payment app developer will grow.
The latest impact of cryptocurrency on the amusement business seemed to have been missed by much of the Western media. However, during the end of February, it was announced that Warner Music Group (WMG) had entered partnership with Splinterlands, a specialist in blockchain game development. The project is to develop a first-of-its-kind “Play-to-Earn” (P2E) arcade-style blockchain game. WMG will see its artists develop unique P2E games that will incorporate NFTs and be distributed only in an Out-of-Home gaming format (not for consumer deployment), running on the DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) app called ‘Splinterlands’ (with an estimated 1.8m registered users).This will employ tokenized games, unlocking new revenue streams for the artists, and allowing fans to be part of the experiencing through the P2E element. The arcade-style-games will be available only through amusement venues and details are still limited, with more information expected soon.
In other blockchain developments, it was announced that VR arcade operation CTRL-V would be adding a cryptocurrency mining program to its franchise offering. This will allow facility operators to use their VR PC hardware to franchise cryptocurrency mining, enabling operations to participate in the blockchain and earn additional revenue. CTRL-V was one of the first operations to establish the modern VR arcade model, with their chain of franchised Canadian venues. The franchisor is now offering a means for their operators, coming out of a considerable lockdown period in the country, to maximize their down time and enter the cryptocurrency revenue scene. It is expected others will be following their lead.
The ability to offer retail operators an entertainment option, especially for those with empty units available, has seen technology attempt to offer a strong revenue solution. Away from the EAG’22 show floor, there was a solution of this approach developed by the partnership of Darabase, outdoor media technology company, and Bewonder*, a brand and digital services specialist, to open ‘Up Your Alley’. This is an innovative AR bowling game and retail experience that sees its first opening in a vacant retail unit at the ‘Churchill Square’ shopping centre in Brighton. Encouraged by signage on the unit, patrons can scan a QR code on their smartphone and then take part in an Augmented Reality (AR) bowling experience. Scores appear on a leader board, and high scorers can gain a £50 ($67) gift card. This is the same shopping mall in Brighton that plays host to the ImmotionVR virtual reality arcade.
Mixed Reality (MR), which is also defined as Cross, Extended or Extreme Reality (XR), depending on your preference, has continued to gain momentum. It has been accelerated by the latest projection and screen technology, thus alleviating the need for head-mounted displays, and offering the level of immersion of placing the guest in the digital experience in a physical space.
Projection mapping and immersive enclosures have been seeing an increased investment in recent months, especially the sports-related applications, as we have reported with TOCO Social, Electronic Gamebox, and the Clays, social entertainment (“Competitive Socializing”) venues. EAG’22 reflected this with exhibitor Sports Simulator – the company was showing an enclosure running their suite of object tracked sports games. The company has added to their library of over 40 games, with a new experience based on tenpin bowling, with the players rolling the ball at the screen that represents the alley and pins, which then tracks the player’s ball and represents the ball hitting the virtual pins.
Continuing the investment in Mixed Reality (MR), we saw the launch of a new game platform called ‘Valo Arena’. This is a projected environment which superimposes the players into the game. Developed by Valo Motion, it is based on the same technology employed for ‘Valo Jump’ (the trampoline experience). It is now available in a special enclosed arena, where six-players take part in mini-games, with their whole body tracked and represented into the game on the main display via MachineVision. The platform is presented as an unattended system and as a highly active game experience.
Many of our long-term readers will be familiar with the concept of a superimposed player experience in the game, tracing its first appearance as a LBE concept as far back as to the 1984 ‘Turbo Kourier’ from Vivid Group – a company that promoted their superimposed Blue-Screen highly-physical game experiences. We have seen others look towards this approach, including the motion tracked fighting game ‘Combatica’ from Holoplex, back in 1999. We have also seen other examples of trying to place the player in the heart of the game, with the likes of Scale-1 Portal’s ‘Vortex’. It is hoped this latest example from Valo Motion will capture player interest.
EAG’22 saw the appearance of an innovative MR amusement platform. Covered in our IAAPA Europe 2021 report, Interactive 365 took a booth at the London show to present the ‘Augmented Reality Air Hockey’ system. The machine offers several projected experiences onto the air hockey surface, while also tracking the movement of the puck represented in the experience. The system is a unique concept for the traditional amusement product, and it will be interesting to see who will be first to employ this in their social entertainment venue.
Regarding Gamification on the show floor at EAG’2, exhibitor Heddleworth Amusement showed ‘FidoDarts’ – the latest in an innovative application of the traditional game. Using a tracked darts board, a gamified experience has been created that combines darts with a digital series of minigames (based on boardgame classics) and supplied on an accompanying screen. The players’ shots account for their dice throw. This social entertainment electronic darts platform is aimed at hospitality venues such as pubs and clubs – one of the clearest examples of the crossover from traditional amusement to social gaming (“Competitive Socializing”).
An aspect of the post-COVID market has been the appearance of “Capsule Vending” – best illustrated in the Japanese market that has seen an explosion in deployment (in a recent article in News-Posteven, the industry was valued at ¥45b ($38m) in the country). A perfusion of vending capsule arcades has blossomed in malls, offering a safer business for those corporations suffering from the privations of lockdown. Capsule vending (called “Gachapon” machines) offers a simple stock-item, a cheap toy purchase for families, along with a collectability element (monthly updated toys offered). The business can chart its history in the market back some 57-years, although this year sees the largest growth rate.
Japanese amusement factory BANDAI NAMCO Amusement has amassed a chain of some 20 of the “Gachapon” capsule vending business (the company opened a flagship facility in Ikebukuro, during 2021, with a record 3,000 machines). The market is in continued growth in the territory with, only recently, the announcement that operation Luluarq is expanding its over-140 capsule toy venue business, ‘Gacha Gacha’. These businesses are superseding profits during this period from more conventional amusement.
EAG’22 continued to illustrate the growth of the capsule vending business in the Western market. Spurred on by the same conditions seen in establishing its Japanese explosion. Capsule vending was represented at the London show from exhibitors such as All Things Nice Vending, and Tubzbrands.
Merchandizing and prize elements are an important part of the guest experience and the takeaway, and embracing the latest IP and brands is essential. EAG’22 continued to reflect the importance of brands in the entertainment landscape. Exhibitor Whitehouse Leisure presented a range of licensed merchandizing items, prizes and plush. This included official licensed products for IP holders such as Marvel, Walt Disney, Universal, Sony, Dreamworks, and others. Across the floor, PMS International, a wholesaler and distributor of brand products from prizes to decorations and toys for the amusement business, also represented an extensive range of the latest brands and characters. An under-reported skill for many facility operators is the ability to populate their prize center and crane games with the latest populate merchandizing, to draw the holiday guests to try their skills. In a constantly changing fashion parade, this year’s hot-ticket-items seem to be Sonic and Jurassic World.
The use of videogame IP to sell merchandizing and products has continued apace, reflected at EAG’22. The success of the ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ film properties has seen the signing of the third movie between SEGA and Paramount Pictures. This being weeks before the second movie is to be released. And at the same time, the corporations have signed an agreement that will see the universe of Sonic expanded, with Paramount+ (the corporation’s streaming service) launching an original live-action series called ‘Sonic’. This comes at another point of change as the owners consolidate operations, dropping the Viacom and CBS (ViacomCBS) name, and now all will be known under the Paramount Global banner. This comes as stock in the corporation suffered a one-day plunge as investors questioned the direction of certain IP, including the confusion regarding ‘Star Trek’ properties. Likewise, another videogame property, ‘Uncharted’ (based on the Naughty Dog developed and Sony Interactive published game), is seeing its debut as a big budget movie made by Sony and, even following mixed reviews, took a first place at the box office with $44m across some 4,200 North American theaters.
The hunger from streaming services for content has seen a number look towards specially commissioned programs based on well-known videogame IP. Along with Sonic, the character from the smash game ‘Cuphead’ (published and developed by independent Studio MDHR), turned into an animated series, has taken Netflix by storm with ‘The Cuphead Show’. This is the latest investment in unique content. Meanwhile, the toy division of LEGO has started to roll out a selection of toy kits based on the ‘Horizon’ console videogame.
The cinema sector continues to consolidate in the face of the continuing questions on the viability of the market. This question has increased with the explosion of the streaming service business, and the alphabet soup of new subscription services. The impact of the debts incurred over the lockdown and before had been best illustrated by the announcement that the $79m debt, to former shareholders of the Regal cinema chain, now owned by Cineworld, would be given a stay on payment after the previous court settlement. This is a limited reprieve for Cineworld who, after another court ruling, has a $700m damages bill to pay to competitor Cineplex for a failed 2018 takeover. All the debts are starting to grow, and no matter returning to big movie box offices, the need to consolidate the business under reinvestment has grown.
EAG’22 had expected to see over 5,000 buyers over the three days of the trade event. The show had attracted over 60-corporations. Obviously smaller than in previous years, the postponement, post-lockdown market, Brexit, and the limited exhibition spend from manufacturers also mindful of the IAAPA EMEA show in London in September, all played their part. There was an obviously heavy gaming bent to the show, with amusement and entertainment feeling to have been lessened on the floor. A question was of how much of this was due to current conditions, the impact of ICE’s own postponement, or the trade association (BACTA)’s greater emphasis on the Adult Entertainment Center (AEC) sector – they all played their part. However, show organizers felt positive with the attendance and confirmed a return to a January (10-12) date for 2023.
Regarding the other big amusement and gaming event for the London season, ICE (International Casino Expo) had also moved its dates under the pressures of the beginning of the year. It is now scheduled for April, and several EAG exhibitors will be making their way to take part in that gathering. But there were some questions hanging over ICE’22 – sources revealed that several key exhibitors for ICE had decided to take a back seat, with a number of prominent exhibitors deciding not to make the trip to London at all. We hope to get more information on the status of ICE’22 from the show floor in April – and if this could be the first trade event impacted by post-Brexit positioning.
For the rest of us, in March, a crowded calendar of returning physical trade events continue. And with that a return to the States for many international travellers in the sector. First, we will be covering new trends and developments in the market, and then following will be reporting from Amusement Expo (AE’22) and Bar & Restaurant (BR’22). This will be followed by a momentous Amusement360 – becoming an essential bootcamp for developers and operators in the FEC, amusement and attraction scene, hosted by Creative Works, and which will also be seeing a presentation from Stinger Report owner and Spider Entertainment co-founder. Watch this space for the full rundown.
The brainchild of two location-based experience enthusiasts, Christine Buhr and Brandon Willey, the LBX Collective aims to inform and educate, create opportunities to connect with industry peers, and to spur collaboration, discourse, and cross-pollination of ideas.
Are you a location-based entertainment or family entertainment center subject matter expert?
Do you have specific knowledge, ideas, successes or failures that you want to share with the LBC Collective community?


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EngadgetHD is reporting about this tiny new chip from JVC, “for use in projectors that offer up more than four times high-definition resolution.”
The company says that its device can find a perfect niche in medical visualization:
The 4K2K D-ILA device offers the world’s largest number of pixels, 4096 x 2400 — about ten megapixels — and a high 20,000:1 contrast ratio, providing images at an unparalleled resolution.
“Introduction of a 4K2K device this small is truly a breakthrough in the industry and a much needed technology,” said Jack Faiman, vice president of JVC’s display division. “An extremely high contrast ratio provides the stability and resolution needed in crucial applications such as flight simulators and robotic surgery.”
In the medical device industry, the high native contrast, accurate grayscale gradations, and unmatched resolution of JVC’s 4K2K D-ILA technology, will allow systems that have been traditionally film-based to migrate to digital technology. This is especially important in medical education, and robotic surgery.
Press release: JVC Develops World’s Highest Pixel Density Projection Chip …
Press release: JVC Develops the World’s Smallest 1.27-inch 4K2K D-ILA Device …

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Tag Archives: Sweetwater Wetlands Park
Explore the outdoors as part of #OptOutside, a national movement started by REI in 2015. Rather than open its stores on Black Friday (Nov. 23), REI gives its employees a paid vacation day and encourages them — and the rest of us — to get outdoors.
By 7:30 a.m., we were on the trail at the Sweetwater Wetlands Park, and the birds were there to greet us. We started by checking a location along the boardwalk where we’d seen purple gallinule a few weeks ago. We heard the purple gallinules and caught a few glimpses of them as they slipped through […]


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Prepaid credit card stings user with fees, despite rule changes
Published Tuesday, October 10, 2017 6:00AM PDT
If you want to give money as a gift, watch out for prepaid credit cards. You may find that fees could eat away at your gift, leaving the recipient with less money than you'd hoped.
Three years ago the Canadian government introduced rules to help control monthly maintenance fees from whittle away the balance on prepaid credit cards. But that didn't help Jessica Liew because the rules don't apply to all cards.
Liew was given a prepaid PayPower Visa worth $500 from a relative.
“I thought that until I activated it that the amount would be safe on there. I kind of just forgot about it," said Liew.
That was a big mistake. After more than three years, there was just $311 on the card when she cashed it in. Monthly maintenance fees had eaten away at the balance.
“I was shocked,” she said, “Even though I hadn’t activated it, the money was still being deducted.”
The federal government has recently cracked down on the fees. Banks are now blocked from charging monthly maintenance fees in the first 12 months. And for reloadable credit cards they need permission to charge a fee.
“All the key information needs to be disclosed on the exterior of the package and is done so in a very clear fashion," explained Richard Bilodeau with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.
But the rules only apply to federally regulated banks. Liew’s card was issued by a credit union so all bets were off.
“It's incredibly important people understand what they're getting into before they purchase them," said Matt Schulz with CreditCards.com.
There are some prepaid cards that won't charge fees. But reloadable credit cards will charge if you agree, and after a year the clock can start ticking on monthly maintenance fees.
"If there are cases where banks are charging these maintenance fees or violating the regulation in any way shape or form, we'll investigate and take the appropriate action," said Bilodeau.
Home Trust has now taken over the PayPower brand and told CTV News in an email statement, “All the rules on PayPower cards in Canada are now set by Home Trust and are fully compliant with federal rules on fees."
The credit union that issued the card is no longer in business. However, Liew received two cheques after McLaughlin on Your Side got involved.
One was from Home Trust which refunded half the fees as a good faith gesture. And then the credit union that took over the old one picked up all of the fees for a total of $288.90.
That’s $100 more than she lost.
"You were actually able to get in contact with people which was something I wasn't able to do on my own so thank you," said Liew, “Never tuck it away, spend it right away.”


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At the beginning of the year, Android users were upset to notice that Microsoft had removed the “Hey Cortana” feature. For many Windows 10 users, this is the bread and butter of the personal assistant’s functionality. The ease of being able to ask Cortana the time, date, weather, traffic report, and to set a reminder without the touch of a button has nearly limitless efficiency. It wasn’t until six months later in June 2016 that Microsoft re-enabled the “Hey Cortana” in the Android application.
Today, Microsoft has updated their favorite AI for Android, including some tweaks to improve the voice recognition and reponses. Also, Cortana is now able to use the reminders feature that Windows 10 users have grown so attached too.
With Cortana version 1.9.0 we have:– Ask Cortana to remember things for you and she’ll save it in your reminders– Overall improvements to the experience including improving the “Hey Cortana” functionality


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Thanks to the hit Netflix show Squid Game, a Korean candy engraved with shapes called dalgonahas gone viral on TikTok. And it's also flying off shelves in shops around the world — including in Montreal.
Whether you just want a taste or you're hoping to play the game featured on the show (hopefully minus all the blood and gore), check out these six Montreal spots that sell the sweet and spongy honeycomb treat, made with sugar and baking soda.
Depanneur Chez Claude et Claudette
Courtesy of Robert Kim
This Saint-Henri depanneur told MTL Blog that their homemade dalgona is selling like hotcakes. It's no surprise that they've really gotten into the Squid Game spirit, even decorating their dep with Squid Game Halloween balloons.
Marché Oriental Jang Teu sells dalgona at its three Montreal locations, but a spokesperson told MTL Blog they have limited quantities so they recommend reaching out to the branch you plan to visit for exact stock information.
DÉCARIE JANG TEU - 2116, boul. Décarie, Montreal, QC
DOWNTOWN JANG TEU - 2109, rue Sainte-Catherine O., Montreal, QC
ST-JACQUES JANG TEU - 6785, rue Saint-Jacques O., Montreal, QC
This Korean grocery store sells dalgona, along withother Korean grocery items and ready-to-go lunches. But, if you want dalgona,get there early. A spokesperson for the NDG location told us they sell out later in the day and the best time to get it is in the morning.
Address: 6151, rue Sherbrooke O., Montreal, Quebec
Bad news, folks. Your binge-watching adventures are about to get a little more expensive. So you may want to adjust your monthly budget planning.
On Friday, January 14, Netflix Canada announced that its prices are going up for two subscription plans and these new rates are already effective for new subscribers. "Current members will receive an email notification 30 days before their price changes, unless they change their plan."
You'll have to pay an extra $1.50 for the Standard monthly subscription plan and $2 more for the Premium subscription, while the basic subscription plan remains at $9.99.
"We're updating our prices so that we can continue to offer a wide variety of quality entertainment options," a spokesperson from Netflix told Narcity. "As always we offer a range of plans so members can pick a price that works for their budget."
If you've been subscribing to Netflix for a while now, you know prices raises are nothing new.
Not too long ago, back in October 2020, Netflix Canada's monthly plans also saw an increase. Oh, the price we pay to stay entertained during these unprecedented times...
But, if the updated Netflix prices are still fit into your budget, you'll be able to watch a myriad of exciting new seasons of trending shows this year, such as Too Hot To Handle and RuPaul's Drag Race. For those into true crime, you'll be happy to know The Puppet Master: Hunting The Ultimate Conman and How I Fell In Love With A Gangster are being added to Netflix in 2022.
This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Just a couple of months to go until Montreal gets its own real-life Bridgerton ball, transforming a local venue into Regency-era London. While much remains to be seen — such as which guests will win the queen's favour — we now know exactly where the event will take place.
True to the elegant and regal ballrooms featured on the hit Netflix show, Montreal's "The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience" will be held at Le Windsor Ballrooms (formerly known as the Windsor Hotel), located near Dorchester Square on rue Peel.
The Regency era, during which the show is set, was the period from 1811 to 1820 — not too long, relatively speaking, before the Windsor Hotel was built in 1878.
According to the website, the venue features two "Victorian-style French renaissance ballrooms," separated by a long marble alley. "The rich architectural detail will surely transport you back to another era," it says.
But the ambiance of the ballrooms is not the only thing that will make you think you're in another time and place. The immersive experience includes actors dressed in period costumes, dance performances, cocktails, a string quartet playing music inspired by the Bridgerton soundtrack, acrobatic performances, romantic love stories and interactive moments based on the series.
These details alone could likely make you feel like a Bridgerton cast member, interacting with elite members of high society, but it's also worth noting that this isn't the Windsor's first brush with royalty. It's hosted actual royals in the past.
For instance, a state banquet was held to honour King George VI and Queen Elizabeth — who were staying at the hotel — in 1939. In 1951, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited the hotel, appearing twice on the hotel balcony "to respond to the crowd who had come to welcome them," according to the Windsor website.
"The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience" is set to open on January 29 and run until March 6. Tickets are on sale now. You must be at least 17 years old to attend.
Single All The Way is Netflix's first gay rom-com and IMDb describes it as a movie about a guy, Peter, who — "desperate to avoid his family's judgment about his perpetual single status" — convinces his best friend, Nick, to come home with him for the holidays and pretend they're now dating.
It stars Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler's mom from American Pie) and Jennifer Robertson (Jocelyn from Schitt's Creek), both of whom spent time in Montreal while shooting the film.
If you watched the movie, did you recognize any of the locations as being in Montreal? The movie was also shot in a couple of other parts of Quebec: Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and Bromont. You can check out Netflix's interactive map of all the locations for more details. Or check out the Montreal spots in person, using the list below.
About The Scene: "McKibbin’s, a cozy Irish pub in the heart of Montreal, stands in for Lisa’s pub, where Peter and James go for a drink after the Nativity play," Netflix in Your Neighbourhood explains. The production used the rue Bishop location near Concordia University but there are four McKibbin’s locations in the Montreal area.
Scene: "Peter hints to his sister on the phone that he might be bringing a 'surprise' home for Christmas from a trendy L.A. bakery. The location used for this scene is actually the interior of Maman, a charming patisserie and restaurant," Netflix in Your Neighbourhood says. Maman, a famous bakery that's originally from New York City, opened its Montreal location in Griffintown in 2019.
Address: Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame Montréal, QC
Scene: "Parc Jean-Drapeau is a stunning park made up of two islands in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, and is used as the New Hampshire forest where Peter takes photos of Nicholas for his client’s marketing campaign," says Netflix in Your Neighbourhood. Of course, if you're a Montrealer, you probably already knew how gorgeous and versatile this site — home to Jean-Doré Beach, Osheaga and, now, Peter and Nicholas' photoshoot — truly is!
Scene: The West Island also makes an appearance in this holiday rom-com. "In Single All the Way, Peter shows up at Bridgewater Spin & Fit for a blind date, where he meets James for the first time. Filming for this scene took place at Custom Conditioning, a full service health & fitness studio located just outside of Montreal in Pointe-Claire, Quebec," according to Netflix in Your Neighbourhood.
Even the premier of Quebec has something to say about the wildly popular — and extremely violent — Netflix show Squid Game. Asked about his thoughts on schools banning Squid Game Halloween costumes, Premier François Legault said the move was "extreme" and "not acceptable," linking it to cancel culture.
Legault was asked the question at a press conference on Friday, following a Journal de Québec report that an elementary school in the Charlesbourg borough of Quebec City banned Squid Game Halloween costumes because they do not "correspond to the values and rules of life of the school."
"We are now in a society where soon we will no longer have the right to do anything," Legault said.
He said this is why Quebec's minister of education wrote an open letter with France's minister of education. Their joint opinion piece in Le Devoir, "The school for freedom, against obscurantism," calls acts of cancel culture "assaults on freedom of expression and civic sense."
Legault also recalled the Halloween costumes he wore when he was growing up.
"When I was young, we dressed up as witches, we dressed up as monsters. But it's not because we wanted to support witches and monsters," he said. "To me, we need to have a balance."


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There is nothing like taking scissors to an old purpose in pursuit of a newer, fresher you.this Elf It’s a classic for a reason, whether you’re accustomed to short hair and looking for a refreshment, or you’re looking for a change to long, flowing hair.
With the trend of short haircuts, it is now one of the most popular hairstyles you can have. In fact, according to L’Oreal Paris, searches for “pixie cut” have increased by 160%, and if this season’s red carpet is anything to go by, celebrities are going all out. Florence Pugh, Saweetie and Lea Seydoux have all worn the cut recently.
In 2022, the Pixie gets a makeover, so expect to see the editing get more creative. “If we look at the pixie crop, it’s more diverse,” says hairstylist Larry King. Specifically, “We’re seeing more length in the back to make it softer or longer in the front and sides.” Actually, it’s less jagged and feels a little bit furier and more life– But still very chic.


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Fox Sports will bring back the original version of ‘Chromecast Virus’ as part of the new game, the Fox Sports Live Extra app, the channel’s senior vice president of product and digital affairs said on Thursday.
The app will be free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Chrome virus: The virus is a game that was played by the world’s biggest social network, Facebook, to help users find each other.
The game is a classic puzzle-platformer where you play as a hacker with the goal of stopping a mysterious virus from spreading across the internet.
Chromagate: The viral threat to the internet came from a virus that infected a large number of computers in the US in 2016.
It was named “Chromatica” after the Greek word for “charm”.
Facebook: The social network has been the target of multiple investigations over the past year.
The company has been in a constant state of lockdown, with some users reporting their accounts had been compromised, as well as the theft of their private data.
Chronicle of the game: The original version, for those who have never played it, was the most popular game on Facebook.
It featured an elaborate maze that required the player to find hidden characters to get through.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a new version.
We’ll bring back some old favorites for our fans to enjoy and have fun with, said Joe Ganten, senior vice-president of product.
Channels like Fox Sports and Fox Sports GO will be the first to get the app.
The new game will also include a new twist on the game, allowing you to buy and download virtual items for your characters.


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Ad tech company Say It Now plans to introduce actionable smart-speaker ads for TV later this month, and out-of-home next year.
This is in addition to its actionable audio ads and form part of founder and CEO Charlie Cadbury’s “overarching mission to make it possible to engage with every advertising message using your voice”.
These actionable ads, based on using voice commands with smart speakers, have been used by brands such as Tesco, Specsavers, Pizza Hut and Berocca within the last year and are typically used to for response advertising around products with high awareness, such as reducing the friction of booking appointments or purchasing products.
Cadbury (pictured, left) told The Media Leader that the company had taken out trademarks on actionable audio, TV and outdoor ads in 2019 when the company was set up.
Actionable ads, he says, respond to evolving behaviour in households and “solve all of those problems or challenges” around engagement, attribution and measurement of ads on these media channels.
“We can show when people are engaging. No one is going to say “Alexa, open pizza delivery” unless they’ve seen the ad, and we know the benchmarks of how many ads you need to run in order to get a certain kind of voice-through rate or response rate. So we can say with some level of confidence how many of these ads have actually been shown. It’s another way to verify that those ads are running.”
The actionable ads, whether they run on audio, TV or OOH, operate with “exactly the same” two sides to their tech stack. One is a visual “builder” tool which creates a branded voice experience. This will be opened up to partners to use themselves later this year.
The second side is a live dashboard showing where the ad has been served, which conversational routes consumers are coming through and a campaign optimiser option. Cadbury added that this real-time data changes the way agencies can plan and buy in audio, for example, as the feedback loop for an audio campaign historically was around a quarter or two to three months.
Cadbury explained: “What we can now do is we can start to have an early-bird campaign report on the first day it starts to run, but usually after the first week we can say: look, these are the creatives which are running which are being engaged with the most, this is the time of day or even the location that people are engaging with the most, so maybe let’s up-weight our media spend there and down-weight in areas which aren’t performing so well. Thus, every advertising pound then goes further.”
In terms of creative, he also said Say It Now “haven’t done anything clever on the creative”.
Cadbury said: “The only difference is that if you hear one of our ads, it’d be: “Today’s pizza night, if you’d like to get 50% off your pizza tonight, just say Alexa, open pizza delivery”. You then have this back and forth conversation with Alexa, and she says: “can I send you a coupon to get your pizza?”, then you say “yes”. And then you continue listening to the radio.”
TV focus using audio playbook
Cadbury said he is “focussed on TV for this year”, using the “playbook” the company developed last year with actionable audio.
Say It Now has finished “a six-month exclusive partnership” on connected TV in January, and is set to launch its first big connected TV campaign across the whole of the US this month for “a big state trying to entice you to go to this state”,
He said: “We’ve got this base level of understanding of voice can be a landing point. It’s quite a natural leap to say we understand that the audio was just a driver to the voice landing point, and it makes sense that TV is just another driver to that landing point.”
When actionable ads launch on connected TV, there will be options to target by postcode, for example, so the argument is brands can target areas they are active in, for instance delivery areas for quick-service delivery advertisers, and thereby minimise media wastage.
On actionable outdoor ads, Cadbury said: “The behaviour is not there quite yet, but within the next year or two when you buy your next car, it will have a voice assistant baked in.”
He cited research from Arianne Walker, “chief evangelist” for Alexa Auto at Amazon, that showed when a consumer chooses a voice assistant at home, they will then take that with them in the car, especially as cars are increasingly connected to the internet and, it is argued, becoming like mobile phones.
“So when we’re turning on the outdoor piece, which which will be in the next year most likely, when you’re driving into London past Global’s big outdoor signs on the M4 and one of them says: ‘Hey, come to Mauritius to find out more and to book your holiday there then just ask your system to open to Mauritius’ and as you drive it along, you will say “Hey Alexa, open to Mauritius” and you’ll have a conversation about booking your holiday and by the time you get home there’s a booking confirmation and itinerary in your inbox.”
“That then turns on the lights and delivers attribution because we get that location data attribution for outdoor which is the last big bastion of digital attribution as a whole rising tide of digital out of home.”
Adwanted UK are the media experts operating essential services for the OOH and audio industry. SPACE, a collaboration between IPAO and Outsmart, is the most comprehensive and up-to-date list of OOH inventory in the UK.
J-ET, a collaboration between the IPA and the Radiocentre, is the UK audio industry’s trading platform and Audiotrack is our audio distribution service.
All of these are supported and complemented by analytical processing via our RAJAR and Route data engines.
Contact us for more information
on SPACE, J-ET, Audiotrack or our data engines.


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Merrill cuts U.S. growth outlook
2.5 percent annual pace now forecast for next six months
Updated 10:00 pm, Monday, September 30, 2002
WASHINGTON -- Merrill Lynch & Co. has slashed its forecast for growth in the U.S. economy from October to March because of the increasing possibility that a war with Iraq would hurt consumer confidence and boost oil prices.
The economy probably will grow at a 2.5 percent annual pace in the final three months of the year, Merrill said in a report. Merrill's previous estimate for fourth-quarter growth was 3.5 percent.
"Repeated shocks to the U.S. economy are delaying the onset of a full-fledged recovery," Merrill Chief Economist Bruce Steinberg reported. "At this point, any economic forecast needs to make explicit assumptions about an Iraq war."
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From January to March, the economy probably will also grow at a 2.5 percent annual rate, almost half Merrill's previous forecast for a 4.1 percent expansion.
A war might send oil prices to $40 a barrel next year, from recent prices of $30.53 a barrel for crude oil delivered in November, Steinberg said.
"That would slow the global economy but wouldn't induce renewed recession," he said.
Consumer spending, a pillar of the U.S. economy, might retreat if war breaks out, Merrill said.
"For now, we assume that spending will remain sluggish through winter," Steinberg said.
Last week, Merrill changed its forecast for interest rates, predicting the Federal Reserve will lower the overnight bank lending rate by a quarter percentage point at both its meetings Nov. 6 and Dec. 10. That would bring the benchmark U.S. interest rate to 1.25 percent.
Merrill also cut its forecast for growth in the 12 countries that use the euro to 0.6 percent from 0.8 percent in 2002 and to 1.8 percent from 2.4 percent in 2003.
A weaker U.S. economy "is an added negative for already tepid recoveries in Euroland and Japan," Steinberg and Merrill international economist Matthew Higgins said.
Morgan Stanley also pared its forecast for global growth next year to 3.1 percent from 3.4 percent, citing "massive" current account imbalances and gloom over the outlook for European economies.


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Good morning and welcome to the week. Here’s today’s news:
- HP is making another big acquisition, paying $1.5 billion for ArcSight, a security software company.
- Google reportedly bought Israeli startup Quicksee, which does 3D video, for $10 million.
- The head of Nokia’s smartphone division is stepping down as a new CEO takes over the company.
- eBay’s CEO made one too many short jokes about Alibaba’s chairman, at Alibaba’s annual conference.
- A new Microsoft job listing suggests the company might build its own phone at some point.
- Samsung has deals in place with Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon to carry its tablet. No price has been set, but after subsidy (and with a big wireless contract) it could be $200-$300.
- Mark Zuckerberg said on Facebook that Facebook would not go public anytime soon.
- YouTube experiments with being a TV channel for the next few days. It’s offering live streaming of a different shows.
- The iPad could be showing up at Target in the weeks to come.
- The New York Times takes a look at the growth of “social search,” and its potential.
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Florida gas prices increased as projected last week. The state average jumped 11 cents per gallon, reaching a new 2023 high of $3.85 per gallon on Thursday.
But according to AAA, pump prices are moving lower again. The state average declined 4 cents over the past four days. Sunday’s state average was $3.82 per gallon.
That’s 27 cents per gallon more than what drivers paid this time last year.
In the news:Florida Purple Alert Issued For 45-Year-Old Jennifer Cooke
“The volatility in prices at the pump will likely continue throughout the next couple of months, now that the tropics are beginning to heat up,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Pump prices typically increase if a tropical system threatens refineries along the Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi coastlines. These refineries are the primary supplier of gasoline for Florida. The extent of the price hike varies, depending on the severity of the storm and extent of any damages sustained by the refineries or supply chain.”
- Most expensive metro markets – West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($3.96), Naples ($3.89), Gainesville ($3.89)
- Least expensive metro markets – Crestview-Fort Walton Beach ($3.52), Pensacola ($3.55), Panama City ($3.57)
Ways to Save on Gasoline
- Combine errands to limit driving time.
- Shop around for the best gas prices in your community.
- Pay with cash. Some retailers charge extra per gallon for customers who pay with a credit card.
- Remove excess weight in your vehicle. Every 100 pounds taken out of the vehicle improves fuel economy by 1-2 percent.
- Drive conservatively. Aggressive acceleration and speeding reduces fuel economy.
We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps


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June 5, 2018: Saudia Cargo has signed the dotted line with three major companies to construct a new 75,000-square-metre cargo handling facility at King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA).
The cargo carrier has signed deal with Al-Bawani who will be in charge of construction and implementation of the project, represented by CEO Fakher Al Shawaf.
Siemens will supply the facility with state-of-the-art mechanical equipment and advanced cargo handling systems, represented by CFO Mohammed Mohammed. And AECOM will act as the supervisor of the new facility’s engineering works, represented by CEO Ian Manser.
The new facility will enhance carrier’s handling capabilities for hazardous material, pharmaceuticals, frozen materials and different goods. The project comes in line with the Saudia Cargo Strategy 2020, launched recently in alignment with Vision 2030.
Fawaz Al-Fawaz, chairman of the Board, Saudia Cargo and Omar Hariri, CEO, Saudia Cargo signed the agreements during a ceremony attended by Dr. Ghassan Al-Shibl, chairman of the Board at Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation; Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, director-general of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation; and Muhammad Abunayyan, member of the Board, Saudia Cargo and chairman of Executive Committee.
“The 75,000-square-metre cargo handling facility has double area of the current one, estimated at 35,000 square metre. The first phase of the project commences June 2018 and is expected to end November 2019 while the second phase begins June 2020 and ends December 2021 as per the implementation plan,” explained Hariri.
“We will strive to turn the Kingdom into a global logistics and economic hub,” Hariri stated.


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Article by WHAM
Rochester, N.Y./Washington, N.Y. – A local tech company will receive more than $1 million in federal funds.
OLEDWorks of Rochester, which manufactures organic light-emitting diode lights, is receiving the funds through the Department of Energy’s Small Business Innovation Research Program.
A joint statement from Representative Joe Morelle and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand says the funds will be used to boost the efficiency of flexible OLED panels.
OLEDWorks Chief Technology Officer Michael Boroson says the funding will help keep the company competitive in the global economy.
Read the full article here.
Read the full press release here.


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Yahoo Groups will be shut down on December 15, but Yahoo Mail will continue to function normally.
On October 14, 2020, Yahoo Customer Care told a concerned netizen on Twitter that the Yahoo Groups website would be shut down, but that change would not affect Yahoo Mail services, as Yahoo Mail is a different product.
Yahoo Mail services will continue to function as usual, and there will be no changes to a Yahoo Mail account, photos, or other features. The only difference is that a user who is a part of Yahoo Groups will no longer send or receive emails from Yahoo Groups. Any emails sent and received in the past will also remain in the email account.


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- The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)—the central bank of the Philippines—said it is conducting research into creating a central bank digital currency.
- This is the first time the country has expressed interest in a CBDC.
- But the bank’s governor said that cash still rules—and the country is a long way behind Japan and China.
Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub.
The Philippines is the latest country to express interest in developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC).
A committee has been created by the Philippine central bank, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), to study digital currencies, Bloomberg reported today. The report added that the central bank would examine their research before launching its own CBDC.
Many countries around the world are working on CBDCs or at least researching whether or not they can benefit their economies.
CBDCs—centralized forms of digital currency pegged to fiat money and controlled by governments—can have benefits, policy makers around the world are discovering. The Dutch central bank in April said that a CBDC could be “backup to payments made in private money” and a replacement for cash. Lower transaction fees and fast speeds are also perceived upsides of a CBDC.
The Philippines had not publicly expressed an interest in CBDCs until now, while neighbors China and Japan are racing towards development of their own digitalized fiats.
Today’s Bloomberg report added that the governor of the BSP, Benjamin Diokno, said findings from the study would be ready for next month.
But the report quoted Diokno saying that the demand for fiat currency in the Philippines was not going away anytime soon and that blockchain technology was what the government was really interested in.
Despite showing an interest in blockchain, the Philippines has not been friendly towards the crypto sector as of late. This month the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commision labelled the most popular Ethereum dapp in the world as an unregistered security and potential Ponzi scheme.
In Asia, China is by far the furthest ahead in the race to create a CBDC. The People’s Bank of China has stepped up efforts to release its Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP) due, at least initially, to the perceived threat of Facebook’s Libra.
And in Japan, the central bank’s department director-general said earlier today that talks of a digital yen have moved "beyond the preparatory stage."


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Kim Kardashian Muslim Fashion
Hot Celebrity, E! Reality Star, Kim Kardashian in a Burqaa in Dubai. The reality star is famous for her perfect curve but she is looking good with Muslim fashion, covered all, too.
Yesterday the ladies treated themselves to a shopping excursion, which is when Kim picked up the traditional black burqa. She tweeted a picture of herself wearing the burqa, saying, “That’s me!”


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DMCC, the Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise have announced the completion of three rough and polished diamond tenders hosted between 16 and 23 July 2019 by the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE), a subsidiary of DMCC.
Over 200 companies convened in Almas Tower to take part in the three separate tenders hosted by Rapaport, Stargems and Trans Atlantic Gem Sales (TAGS).
“It has been a challenging year for the diamond industry overall. However, the success of these tenders serves to show that there remains healthy demand for rough diamonds if the quality and price on offer are right,” said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC.
Anthony Peter, Owner, Trans Atlantic Gem Sales said: “The Dubai Diamond Exchange has assured that professional and safe standards are maintained. This week, we welcomed more than 75 companies and generated sales of around USD 20 million.”
Shailesh Javeri, Chairman, Stargems Group added: “We have hosted several tenders at the Dubai Diamond Exchange in the past, all of which have been successful. In addition, the infrastructure and facilities available alongside the safe and regulated process are unmatched, and this is why we continue to select DDE as the setting for our sales. We look forward to continued collaboration with DMCC in our growth journey.”
Michelle Ickowics, CEO, Rapaport Diamond Corporation, commented: “Aside from Dubai’s strategic location, we have chosen to conduct our tenders at the Dubai Diamond Exchange on account of its safe environment, strict regulation and the team of industry experts. Given the success of our tenders here, there is little doubt that we will be returning to Dubai for additional tenders in the near future.”
The DMCC also stated that though the DDE is currently under renovation it had no impact on its business operations, with tenders regularly taking place during this period. On completion, it will be one of the biggest tender floors in the world with up to 40 tables.
The newly refurbished facility will be unveiled ahead of DMCC’s flagship Dubai Diamond Conference, taking place at Almas Tower on 26 September 2019.


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US agri-food business Land O'Lakes has appointed former PepsiCo and Pepsi Bottling Company executive Beth Ford as its new CEO and president, effective from 1 August 2018. Read more
Synlait Milk has appointed former Fonterra executive Leon Clement as its new chief executive officer, effective from mid-August 2018. Read more
Alpla has announced that it will appoint two new board members – a new chief technology officer and a new chief operations officer – expanding the company's board to five members. Read more
UK meat producer 2 Sisters Food Group has promoted its finance director Craig Tomkinson to the role of group CFO, effective from 1 July 2018. Read more
Mondelēz International has appointed its senior vice-president of corporate finance Luca Zaramella as its new chief financial officer, effective from 1 August 2018. Read more
Arla Foods UK has announced that Ash Amirahmadi will succeed Tomas Pietrangeli as the company's new managing director, effective from 1 July 2018. Read more
Kellogg has announced that it will appoint new presidents at both its North American and European businesses to help fuel growth in both markets. Read more
Mars Incorporated has appointed Andrew Clarke as the new global president of its Mars Wrigley Confectionery business. Read more
Heineken has announced that it has appointed former Heineken Ireland CEO Maggie Timoney as the new CEO of its US division. Read more
Glanbia has appointed Martin Keane as its new group chairman, who will succeed Henry Corbally with immediate effect. Read more
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2018
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Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
Dallas-based indoorDIRECT, a national in-store television show that delivers short clips of sports, music, entertainment, and lifestyle content, has recently entered into agreements with several record labels and artists to air their music videos on indoorDIRECT’s in-store television show ‘theBITE’.
The music industry is in the midst of change as traditional music mediums are reducing the number of hours dedicated to programming music videos and focusing more heavily on ‘unscripted’ or ‘reality’ programing. indoorDIRECT’s ‘theBITE’ is emerging as a viable option for many artists and music marketing companies to reach the mass audience needed for optimum sales and in a medium on which viewers are used to watching videos: television.
‘theBITE’ is viewed by 13 million viewers each month and aired in over 1,000 quick-service restaurants nationwide. Music has always been a key segment within the company’s programming strategy. In the most recent Nielsen viewership study, more than half of the survey participants stated that they like music videos on ‘theBITE’ the most.
“The desire of consumers to consume media when they want it and where they want it and the music industry’s desire to syndicate their artists’ music and videos across multiple platforms has made ‘theBITE’ the hottest and fastest growing music platform in the nation,” says Jonna Birgans, vice-president of strategic alliances, indoorDIRECT. “With over 1,000 locations today, and plans for 700 additional locations by the end of the year, we are just getting started, and are in the process of developing a website for our viewers that will provide additional exposure for the music videos and other content seen on our show.”
In addition to providing exposure for artists to millions of music lovers each week, indoorDIRECT is contributing directly to the sale of electronic downloads for these featured artists. Viewers are encouraged to download the tracks to the videos they see on ‘theBITE’ by incorporating a keyword and short code that viewers can send via text messages to an adjacent companion banner that airs simultaneously while the video is playing.
Currently, indoorDIRECT is using both Amazon and iTunes for downloads, but is looking to work with a single partner going forward that will receive brand recognition each time the call to action to download a song or album is shown on ‘theBITE’ – in addition to a revenue share from the transaction.
“Gaining exposure for the artists that we work with is paramount to not just our success, but the artists that we work with,” says Lisa Frank, president of marketing, Bedford Music Marketing. “indoorDIRECT’s ‘theBITE’ provides us with a reasonably priced way to reach millions of music lovers in the key 18 – 49 demographic that frequent quick-service restaurants and that otherwise might have never seen or heard of the artists that we represent.”
Among the more than 1,000 major quick-service restaurants nationwide showing indoorDIRECT are: Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Denny’s, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, McDonald’s, KFC and Arby’s. Free Wi-Fi is currently being provided to customers in select locations and plans are underway to expand free Wi-Fi access across the U.S..


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India’s Future Retail plans 35 new stores
Kishore Biyani-led company Future Retail is to open 35 new stores over the next 18 months.
Future Retail, a unit of Future Group, currently operates 165 Big Bazaar stores.
Future Retail says it is targeting revenue of Rs110 billion ($1.7 billion) this year and Rs130 billion ($2.1 billion) the following year.
Biyani is focusing on his FMCG businesses and divesting stakes in ‘non-core’ businesses like AND and Biba.


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Indian automobile sales slid roughly sixteen percent in Jul from a year ago, their greatest dump in scarcely 3 years, as tall seductiveness rates kept buyers out of a showrooms, interpretation showed Wednesday.
Car sales — noticed as a barometer of India’s altogether mercantile illness — plunged final month by 15.76 percent to 133,747 units from 158,767 in a same month final year, a Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said.
“People wish cars, they wish mobility, yet they might be postponing their purchases anticipating seductiveness rates will go down,” Vishnu Mathur, senior manager ubiquitous of SIAM, told reporters in New Delhi.
The dump was a steepest given Nov 2008 when sales fell over nineteen percent as countries worldwide were strike by a tellurian monetary crisis.
The decrease was a ultimate pointer of a weakening of India’s manage to buy which is approaching to be exacerbated by renewed tellurian monetary turmoil.
Last week, a HSBC Purchasing Managers’ Index, keenly watched as a heading enlargement indicator, showed a gait of prolongation enlargement strike a 20-month-low in July.
Mathur pronounced automobile sales could collect up with a flurry of arriving indication launches commencement this month as great as a eremite legal holiday deteriorate starting in Sep — seen as an portentous time for Indians to have ultimate purchases.
The slack comes as tellurian manufacturers such as Ford, Renault-Nissan, General Motors as great as alternative companies have been relying upon India as great as beside rising marketplace hulk China to assistance equivalent jam-packed markets in a West.
Rising automobile costs upon a behind of steeper commodity prices, aloft fuel prices as great as eleven seductiveness rate hikes by India’s senior manager bank given Mar 2010 to tame nearby double-digit acceleration have total to strike demand, SIAM said.
Earlier this month heading Indian automobile maker, Japanese-owned Maruti Suzuki, reported a 25.3 percent dump in sales, a sharpest-ever monthly fall, due to aloft borrowing costs as great as prolongation disruptions.
The SIAM senior manager executive pronounced a organisation was adhering to a enlargement foresee raised a 10 to twelve percent climb in newcomer automobile sales for this mercantile year.
The foresee has already been revised downward once.
Car sales grew by a peppery thirty percent to 1.98 million units during a final mercantile year to Mar 2011, a many in over a decade, as an increasingly abundant center category snapped up ultimate models when borrowing costs were lower.
Year-on-year sales of motorcycles as great as alternative two-wheelers jumped 12.6 to 1.06 million units in Jul whilst blurb vehicles sales climbed 23.70 percent to 84,241.
Mathur pronounced a longer-term opinion for a automobile zone remained certain interjection to India’s rarely underpenetrated market.
Just a singular in 10 households in civic areas as great as a singular in 50 in farming areas owns cars, as great as a nation has a singular of a world’s fastest-growing automobile markets.


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Digital Railway strategy to increase speed and convenience
May 4, 2018 4:49 pm
According to preliminary estimates, the total economic effect from the implementation of the strategy will be 110 billion tenge (US $331.3 million) by 2025
Transport makes up 8 percent of Kazakhstan’s gross domestic product and has been increasing by at least 4.5 percent each year.
The 2018-2022 Digital Railway strategy sketches the implementation of 21 projects, two of which are being implemented under the Digital Kazakhstan state programme. The Digital Railway project aims to reduce traffic violations up to 85 percent, increase the average speed of travel around the city, improve passenger transport safety and reduce the environmental footprint of KTZ’s transport options.
An eight-component process has been laid out to meet these goals. The first component is the further application of modern information systems in KTZ’s critical operating segments – cargo transportation, passenger transportation, railway infrastructure and transport logistics.
Other components involve controlling cost optimisation, launching digital road diagnostics and implementing Traffic Management and Digital Services Centres at 17 railway stations. Internet ticketing options and another 17,000 ticket terminals are to be available in the near future, and waiting list and train rating programmes have already been launched. E-ticket sales currently make up 64 percent of all sales; by 2020, it is hoped that they will make 90 percent.
“It is planned to realise a 24/7 system of centralised management of customer appeals for prompt feedback to customers through timely response to complaints and suggestions,” added Alpysbayev.
Likewise, a single electronic exchange platform is being created for multimodal transport, particularly transit container movements with the account of more than 1,700 customers-participants. Automated processes are underway at Khorgos-Eastern Gate on the border with China that can potentially reduce traffic checkpoint time from 10 minutes to 30 seconds, and diminish registration costs from $2,395 to $239.50 per every registration, which in turn cuts the risk of corruption offences.
Information systems are also being introduced in freight rail transport to increase the efficiency of the organisation of transportation processes, ensure the timely delivery and safety of goods and simplify procedures for crossing the borders of other railway administrations.
The overall long-term effects of the programme are hoped to be a 20 percent reduction in travel time, availability of information up to 70 percent, an 8 to 10 percent reduction in traffic accidents and a drop of harmful emissions by 24 percent. The positive economic impact of all of this is expected to be 380 billion tenge (US $1.14 billion).
Source URL: http://eurasiatx.com/digital-railway-strategy-increase-speed-convenience/
Copyright ©2019 eurasiatx unless otherwise noted.


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It’s an abrupt end to a tie-up envisioned as a billion-dollar opportunity to revitalise the Gap brand.
By guest author Marc Bain from Business of Fashion.
It was meant to last 10 years; it made it barely more than two.
On Thursday, Gap said it would end its partnership with Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) in an internal email viewed by The Business of Fashion. It was sent just hours after the Wall Street Journal reported West’s lawyers had notified Gap that he wanted to terminate the deal.
“Simply put…while we share a vision of bringing high-quality, trend-forward, utilitarian design to all people through unique omni experiences with Yeezy Gap, how we work together to deliver this vision is not aligned,” said the email, which was sent to Gap Inc. employees by Mark Breitbard, president and chief executive of the Gap brand. “We are deciding to wind down the partnership.”
The move marks an abrupt end to a partnership with billion-dollar ambitions that was originally meant to last 10 years. Gap had hoped the tie-up could help revitalise its struggling brand. But the collaboration was slow to release products. In roughly the first year and a half after its launch in 2020, it yielded just two items: a puffer jacket and a hoodie that were only available online.
Earlier this year, Balenciaga teamed with Yeezy Gap on a bigger collection “engineered” by the luxury house. Those items were more widely distributed and rolled out to Gap stores, but the clothes and their merchandising felt jarringly disconnected from Gap’s core offering.
The partnership faced doubts from the start, with former Gap CEO Mickey Drexler saying the deal didn’t make sense. It was also marked by internal tensions, according to a report from The New York Times.
Lately West had been airing his frustrations about the Gap partnership, as well as his long-standing relationship with Adidas on social media.
The termination letter sent by West’s lawyers Thursday alleged that Gap breached the terms of the deal by not releasing apparel from the collaboration and failing to open retail stores. It stated that Gap was supposed to have begun selling 40 percent of the Yeezy Gap collection in physical stores in the second half of 2021. The letter also claimed that by July 2023 Gap is supposed to have opened as many as five stores focused on Yeezy Gap products, though it hasn’t opened any to date, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“Sometimes I would talk to the guys, the leaders, and it would just be like I was on mute or something,” West said during an interview with CNBC Thursday. “Our agenda, it wasn’t aligned.”
In his email to Gap employees, Breitbard indicated that the company would continue with the rest of the Yeezy Gap launches already in the company’s pipeline.
“We are truly grateful to our Yeezy Gap team members who have given so much to build this brand, and we will take the new, hyper-entrepreneurial ways of working we learned through this process with us as we move forward,” the email said. “We will focus on our strategies to strengthen the brand and continually push the boundaries of what Gap can deliver.”
But the failure of the deal is undoubtedly an unwelcome turn for Gap Inc., which despite its efforts has been unable to turn around its namesake brand.
“Kanye’s decision to terminate his partnership with Gap will come as a blow to the brand, which had pinned its hopes on Kanye’s magic to help revitalise interest in its ailing business,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData, in an emailed statement. “It is also an embarrassment for Gap which announced the deal with the iconic artist with much fanfare.”
Editor’s Note: This article was amended on Sept. 15, 2022, to add additional details and amend the duration of the partnership.


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Cars that share their location, speed, and other information over cellular networks will be commercialized by 2020, according to a report released Thursday by the 5G Automotive Association.
The 70-member group said that car manufacturers would start to test hardware for cellular vehicle-to-everything or C-V2X next year. They would install it in vehicles the year after that to help cars automatically avoid crashes in low visibility situations, send collision warnings to drivers, and contribute to traffic and weather reports.
C-V2X technology connects to the same networks used by modern cars to stream music to the dashboard display and send diagnostics to the cloud. But it also supports direct V2X communications without using cellular infrastructure in the 5.9 GHz band and without the need for network assistance, subscriber identity module or cellular subscription.
That puts it into competition with dedicated short range communications, or D.S.R.C., with which cars can send standardized messages to each other directly ten times per second. Companies that make chips that can support the technology include NXP Semiconductors and Autotalks, a startup that last year raised $40 million to prepare its second-generation of chips.
C-2VX technology can be embedded in vehicles by packaging hardware into modules alongside cellular chips from Qualcomm, Intel and Huawei. (All three of these companies were founding members of the 5GAA). The goal is to include the technology in the international 5G standard.
The association released its report after many companies grumbled over a proposal in the United States to mandate D.S.R.C. in all new vehicles. The mandate could be in danger though as the Trump administration drags its feet to nominate a commissioner for National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, which could approve it.
Qualcomm and other companies that stand to benefit if the mandate is scrapped say that C-V2X can provide the same vehicle to vehicle communications as D.S.R.C. The systems could also allow cars to send messages more securely and over longer distances than the 1000-foot range of D.S.R.C., flagging accidents further up the road in a blizzard or warning a driver about a car speeding around a blind corner.
C-V2X technology has the potential to scale faster. It could be included in cellular chips already used to enable telematics and wireless software updates in cars. The 10 global automakers in the 5GAA operate more than 20 million cellular connected cars. The 5GAA estimates that about 120 million such cars will be on the road globally by 2020.
The automotive association expects the first commercial chips that support C-V2X to roll out in China and Europe, followed by the U.S. and other parts of Asia.
D.S.R.C., which has been tested in tens of thousands of vehicles to date, has an early lead. General Motors has built Cadillacs that support D.S.R.C. and Volkswagen plans to use the short-range communications technology in cars by 2019. Autotalks is supplying chips to Denso and is in talks with other Tier 1 auto suppliers.
Autotalks argues that D.S.R.C. is cheaper. A recent report from ABI Research, commissioned by Autotalks, said that adding C-V2X to a 4G module would cost between $13.50 and $15 more than adding D.S.R.C., which has been in development almost two decades. The additional costs stem from the hardware required to precisely synchronize cars with cellular base station as well as patent licensing fees for 4G technology.


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Nagpurians get ready for a beauty-cum-personality contest Miss Maharashtra Queen 2017, which is scheduled on July 23 at Naivedhyam Eastoria (Chikhli-Kalamna road, Nagpur) from 7 pm onwards.
Deepali Mishra, in association with Rajdhani-Victoria Foods Ltd and Jaipuria Health Care Ltd, has organised the contest. The contest, which aims at discovering the leading and the most beautiful faces from across the state, would be hosted in Nagpur. Eminent personalities from the fashion and entertainment industry would judge the contest.
The shortlisted contestants would be invited for a city audition that will be held at INIFD (Ramnagar branch) on July 16 at 12 pm.
“Finding one’s own identity to stand out among the crowd is the ‘in’ thing nowadays. This competition is a platform to promote new faces for modelling in the fashion industry. ‘When you have got it, just flaunt it’ will be the flavour of this season’s edition”, says prominent event manager Dinesh Mishra, who has been successfully organising the event from more than a decade now.
The designing of the outfits for the finalists will be done by ‘Khushi Collections’ as well as by the students of INIFD. The finalists would undergo a special grooming programme by well-known fashion choreographer Shakir Shaikh. While Enrico Heights, Vedom’s, Green Emotion Films Ltd and The Art of Living power the event, Studio Hair Habits would be the style partner with Pepsi as the beverage partner.
The event is conceived and coordinated by Dinesh Mishra whereas celebrity anchor for the event will be Aasma Syed. For further details, the organisers can be contacted on numbers 9850324439 and 9975434407.


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Lauren Schnipper, an early video executive who previously worked with Shane Dawson, and who for the past four years has served as head of creator partnerships at Facebook, has departed the social network.
Schnipper has been named VP of creator partnerships at Next 10 Ventures, an investment firm focused on incubating and accelerating “new businesses, content, products, and services within the global creator economy and ecosystem,” it says. Founded by YouTube‘s former head of top creator partnerships, Benjamin Grubbs, the upstart launched last year on the heels of a $50 million funding round and has thus far released two incubators to help digital creators build businesses: one for education-focused creators and another for those in the bustling Southeast Asian market.
Schnipper joined Next 10 last month, reports Variety, and will be based out of the company’s Culver City, Calif., offices. Next 10 also has offices in Singapore.
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At Facebook, Schnipper served as a liaison for digital creators, encouraging them to utilize its Facebook Live and Facebook Watch products. She also was in charge of strategizing the company’s presence at VidCon. While working with Dawson as head of production and development, Schnipper helped him produce content for his YouTube channel, co-hosted his Shane And Friends podcast (which was one of the first times a YouTuber tried his hand at the medium), and also co-produced and post-supervised his feature directorial debut, Not Cool (which was also featured in a Starz reality series called The Chair).
“I had a great run at Facebook and learned a ton,” Schnipper told Variety. “I’m very entrepreneurial at heart. What I love doing is finding an idea and molding and shaping it to success.”
Other recent hires at Next 10 include VP of finance Peter Cho (who previously held financial roles at IAC and Disney’s Maker Studios); eBay veteran Cynthia So Schroeder, who serves as VP of marketing; and Paul Condolora, Next 10’s COO, who was the former co-head of the Harry Potter franchise at Warner Bros.


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CarParts.com’s CFO-COO David Meniane is one of an increasing number of financial executives bulking up inventory and pushing back on the long-time trend toward just-in-time lean inventory management.
The e-commerce company’s inventory, which focuses on gaskets and brakes and other parts for car owners, has risen to $131.7 million as of the third quarter, nearly 3x the size it was before the pandemic in December 2019, according to SEC filings.
Meniane believes the approach has helped grow the company’s market. The company expected a 33% increase in sales to $582 million in fiscal 2021 compared to the year-earlier.
“In this environment [just-in-time] doesn’t work. The longer the lead time, the less reliable the supply chain, the more inventory you have to carry, ” he told CFO Dive. Otherwise “we lose the sale to whoever has inventory and is more aggressive.”
Meniane is part of a surge of companies that have reconsidered their leaner approaches to supply chains as clogged ports, soaring container costs and scarcity has led to bare shelves and threatened sales. Lean inventory management, or just-in-time inventory planning, is the practice of trying to match inventory level to consumer demand and it has taken hold in recent decades, with U.S. companies adopting a method that Toyota is often credited with.
Against the grain
Loading up on inventory is a concept that Meniane agrees goes against the instinct of CFOs to optimize returns and reduce carrying costs, but he sees it as necessary now, although it's likely “transitory,” he said.
Lean inventory management will come back into vogue again, probably by 2023, he said. ”I think it’s going to ease up in the next two years. As lead times compress, you’re going to see more firms having less inventory.” His hope is that his firm will ultimately have less inventory but maintain higher sales.
Meniane arrived at the company, formerly known as U.S. Auto Parts Network, in 2019 after spending nearly three years as executive vice president of L.A. Libations and prior to that about six years as CEO of Victoria’s Kitchen. Since he joined, the company has pursued a strategy focused on building a streamlined vertically integrated supply chain, which puts the inventory closer to the customer for a competitive advantage.
As part of the new strategy the company, which gained a tailwind during the pandemic as customers flocked to online shopping, has been investing in its real estate and technology, both designed to help it control its future rather than rely on other vendors or outsourcing.
CarParts.com has gone from having two distribution centers in 2019 to six, helping to reduce the average time that products get to customers to 1-2 days — down from an average delivery time of nine days three years ago.
In addition, the company has invested in AI, machine learning, tools and software. It has also hired a 12-person forecasting and data science team to examine trends in inventory, freight and labor management and pricing. Among their immediate tasks: use technology to identify trends that signal which products he needs more or less of with the goal of ultimately moving to an era of leaner inventory.
“We’re building a system based on machine learning and artificial intelligence and when lead times start compressing we’ll get our capital back,” he said.


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Organic farming & Agricultural Development : Agriculture in India is the means of livelihood of almost two-thirds of the work force in the country. It has always been India’s most important economic sector. VSSU has already collected more than 100 acres of land to be used for livelihood promotion. VSSU has also provided 12% of its total loans to the agriculture farmers. Recently VSSU is implementing a organic farming programme in collaboration of Agriculture dept of WB viz. Parampragat Krishi Vikash Yoyona ( of NAMSA), for which #50 local farmers are implementing a organic farming demonstration & awareness center over 150 acres of land , where VSSU will cultivate and make arrangements for the organic produces.
Fishery Traditionally, fish is an important part of the West Bengal diet and fish production is a major industry in the coastal states. There is a strong consumer preference for fresh-water fish, but marine fish is also preferred in the coastal areas. In South 24 Parganas 2.5 lakh people are involved in fisheries and most are Scheduled Caste (SC); also 50% of them are BPL. VSSU assists the fishermen financially by providing them with loans so that they can invest money in their business. Even more, VSSU has also collected 34 acres of ponds and canals to build an educational centre for the fishermen.


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We have listened to lots of rumors regarding the Snapdragon 835 SoC, the upcoming updated chipset by Qualcomm, scheduled to boost most of the smartphones we’re gonna see by the end of the year. The processor will retain the same GPU and CPU as its predecessor, but it will stick to the tradition and offer a full set of overclocked cores!
Gizchina News of the week
At first rumors said that the SD836 SoC would power the Galaxy Note 8 model but as you might have found out by now, this is not the case. What we do know is that the upcoming Google Pixel 2 flagship is expected to be equipped with this specific chipset, just like Google did last year when the Pixel was unveiled with a Snapdragon 821 SoC for the first time. Starting with Google, Qualcomm plans to cooperate with most manufacturers with this chipset: Xiaomi will use it in its Mi Note 3/Mi MIX 2 models, OnePlus plans to do the same when they launch their OnePlus 5 successor (named OnePlus 5T or 5s) by the end of the year and other companies like Sony, HTC etc.
However the big guns will appear next year when the Snapdragon 845 SoC powers most of the flagship models of 2018 starting with Samsung’s Galaxy S9. Note that we have seen a quad core SD840 variant of this upcoming chipset appearing in some Samsung models, but we don’t know what it’s purpose and if it will be unveiled anytime soon.
Oooooo queue the quick launch of the OnePlus 5t now then too haha
Yup, very likely OP5(t) variant will come. Just please, put this time screen right way!
Has a OP5 T been confirmed officially ?


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Water quality engineer Panton McLeod has received another SCOTTISH PR boost after being featured in the construction press.
Building.co.uk – a major online news site for the UK construction industry – ran a story about how the firm had appointed a new business development manager to aid its UK expansion.
Panton McLeod have hired former Metoc Plc business development manager Colin Gibbs to help build and strengthen its sales base across southern and central England. Colin is a well-known and respected figure in the water industry, with experience in senior positions within many major players during the past two decades – including as UK sales Director for Ionics (now GE) and Southern Sales Manager for Purac (now Enpure).
The full article can be seen on the building.co.uk website and was the result of a Scottish public relations and social media campaign by Holyrood PR PR in Edinburgh.


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Nottingham’s leading tourism hotspots will feature in a brand new self-guided walking trail aimed to help visitors discover key attractions in and around the city centre.
The guide will appear in the mobile phone app GuidiGo and feature 16 of the city’s top landmarks in one easy-to-follow trail with audio guides, videos and pictures.
It is the first online guide of its kind to highlight all of Nottingham’s leading tourist locations and will include historical buildings such as the childhood home of poet Lord Byron and Nottingham Castle, alongside contemporary sights like the Sky Mirror and the National Ice Centre.
Other locations include the Old Market Square, the Theatre Royal, City of Caves, St Mary’s Church, the Adams Building, the National Videogame Arcade and Nottingham Contemporary gallery.
It is being developed by Nottingham City Council and the promotional group Marketing Nottingham & Nottinghamshire.
Paul Southby, the group’s chairman, said: “It will help visitors discover the leading tourist attractions and locations in the city centre and enhance the overall visitor experience, helping us to achieve our aim of growing the local visitor economy.
“Nottinghamshire is a leading tourism destination with a world-class reputation for its legends, local traditions, culture, sport and heritage – and this new free trail showcases the best that Nottingham has to offer.”
The trail will take between one and two hours to complete, and is available through GuidiGo alongside trails for top international destinations such as Barcelona, Florence, San Francisco and Buenos Aires.
It can also be viewed online at www.guidigo.com, or picked up as a leaflet from the Tourist Information Centre on Smithy Row, which is the starting point of the trail.
Councillor Nick McDonald, Portfolio Holder for Business, Growth and Transport, at Nottingham City Council, said: “The Nottingham Trail will be a great way for both local residents and visitors to see the city and some of our top attractions.
“We have some amazing places to visit in the city and some real hidden gems.
“This new walking trail will help people get to know the city and learn all about our history.”


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The German trios, BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, have decided to reach to those customers, who cannot go to showrooms. With its new move, these auto makers have decided to take their showrooms to buyers of small towns who have the potential to buy a luxury model but often feel hesitated to go to showrooms. Industry experts believe that this move is the need of hour in such competitive market and thus, the auto makers are also trying to tap the potential buyers of the country.
Reportedly, the German trios are luring buyers by taking their collapsible showrooms in the towns of Nashik, Vapi, Madurai, Jamshedpur and Agra, among others. According to reports, these showrooms get assembled in just 24 hours and are made up of prefabricated material. These new kind of showrooms are packed with all comforts of a mortar and brick unit, comprising the display area of around 4 to 5 cars. Such collapsible showrooms have air conditioning system, VIP lounge, reception area and facilities for instant test drives to interested buyers.
With these mobile showrooms, the auto makers are anticipating to at least sell one car each day. It must be noted that BMW said that it sold four units on the very first day of its mobile showroom, when it started the programme last year in Dehradun. Reportedly, sales in these regions mostly occur in cash against what is generally seen in the urban areas wherein more than 70 per cent individuals resort to financial institutions.
On this move, industry experts said that it is not new, as earlier the initiative was undertaken as a part of experiment, which is now carried on a regular basis. A main advantage of these showrooms is that the cost of construction has been significantly reduced, which has facilitated the auto maker in employing its investment in other fields for promotion of their models.


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The top Chinese brand is Huawei, which sold 28.9 million units. It might be a long way behind Samsung with its 81.5 million sold and Apple’s 51 million but the fact that the other spots are taken up by other Chinese makers indicates that the market has shifted.
No longer are HTC, Microsoft or Coolpad in the top ten and of course, Blackberry is nowhere. LG dropped to seventh.
The figures, compiled by IC Insights, show OPPO leaping from eighth place in 2015 to fourth, as it shipped 16.1 million affordable, mid-range Androids.
Xiaomi was fifth, Vivo surged from tenth to sixth, while ZTE, Lenovo, TCL, Meizu and Micromax wrapped up the top twelve.
IC Insights says that the rankings will probably stay the same until the end of the year.
Huawei, OPPO, Vivo and Meizu, plus India’s Micromax, are tipped to register massive year-to-year growth of between 29 and 74 percent. However Samsung, Apple or LG should see shipment declines ranging from one to five percent.


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The evolution of the digital industry: Looking back on the last 25 years
Rewind the clock 25 years… 1994 was the year of fax machines, SyQuest disks and video cassette recorders but it was also the year that gave birth to the beginning of digital advertising. With the creation of the first banner ad – for a website called HotWired.com – the industry entered a new age of innovation and changed the course of advertising forever.
Adobe's webinar explores the research and insights from their 25th Anniversary report
To celebrate the digital advertising’s quarter-of-a-century anniversary, Adobe has released its ‘Now we’re 25. Digital advertising grows up’ report which features a range of interviews and research to reflect on how far digital has come and predict where it’s headed.
Adobe’s senior account manager Lizzie Blundell will highlight some of the report’s key findings in a webcast hosted by The Drum. In the session, she will trawl digital’s history and recall various milestones, such as the birth of DoubleClick, Apple’s first iPhone release and the recent changes to GDPR regulations to consider what effect the dotcom movement had for marketers. She will also assess what problems were solved for advertisers and think about how global advertising spends have changed over this period.
Obviously, the digital landscape has completely changed in the last 25 years, with personalisation and targeting becoming essential parts of the creative process – something Adobe Advertising Cloud Creative now enables.
The webcast will also reveal some of the key challenges that have evolved throughout this timeframe, citing ad fraud and a lack of consistent metrics as some of the pitfalls marketers are dealing with. Blundell will look at the total spend of digital ads across various social media platforms to work out how marketers can maximise their coverage and get around these platform’s walled gardens.
Data has become increasingly important in recent years – both for measuring and capturing consumer information – yet Blundell will remind advertisers of the power and responsibility they now have. The report also expects personalisation and increased data protection to be consistent areas of focus for marketers, and Blundell will discuss the industry’s need for more connected metrics to improve measuring customer engagement.
She will also consider the changing structure of the industry and the effect of advertisers increasingly creating internal teams for traditionally outsourced functions and how this will change client-agency relationships.
Predictions for the future
The webcast will also explore the opportunities that will become available to marketers in the next 25 years – taking us up to 2044. Fusion power, virtual telepathy and China’s space program are expected to be new spaces for advertisers to explore.
Although it’s difficult to predict just how advertising will evolve in that time, there’s no doubt that the industry is on course for another evolution.
“The current climate for digital advertising conjures up a flurry of industry woes over data privacy, security, and ownership. But the silver lining is the dawn of redefined digital experiences that turns advertising into an essential part of an experience-led strategy and makes the most of a market worth more than half a trillion dollars,” said Keith Eadie, VP and general manager of Adobe Advertising Cloud.
Find out what the future of the industry will look like by tuning into the webcast, that’s taking place on 6 November 2019.
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The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 and Mega 5.8 ‘phablets’ a.k.a smartphones with humongous screens were revealed by the company back in April. We’ve already gone hands on with Galaxy Mega 6.3 and both of these devices have already turned up at the FCC. These phablets were supposed to be launched in May, the month is half over and still they’re not available in the market. Rumor has it that the release of both of these devices has been delayed by at least one month.
The Samsung Mega 6.3 released was pegged between May 6 and May 12 where as the Mega 5.8 was due between May 13 and May 19. Furthermore, retailers in Europe have already confirmed that they won’t be having the devices in stock this month. A UK based retailer is saying that Mega 6.3 won’t be in stock till July, whereas one in the Netherlands has the same device pegged for release in the first week of June. It is not entirely known for sure as to what is causing the delay in release, Samsung is yet to officially confirm it and provide an alternative time-frame for the release.
|Key Specs||Galaxy Mega 6.3||Galaxy Mega 5.8|
|Display Diagonal||6.3" (16.00 cm)||5.8" (14.73 cm)|
|Processor/Soc Name||Snapdragon 400||Yes|
|Street Price (Approx)||~ $-1|
Search low Galaxy Mega 6.3 price (Amazon)
Search low Galaxy Mega 5.8 price (Amazon)
|Max. Total Storage Capacity||80 GB||72 GB|
|Megapixels||8 Megapixel||8 Megapixel|
|Battery Capacity (mAh)||3200 mAh||2600 mAh|
|Complete product data||Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Full specs and details||Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 Full specs and details|


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CHARITY: Employees of Arco, the UK's leading distributor of safety products, have raised £5,000 for three national charities in their annual Christmas raffle. This year's charities were British Red Cross, Cancer Research UK and Shelter.
Employees across the UK bought tickets to be in with the chance of winning one of 25 prizes, including a Kindle Fire HD, iPad Mini, shopping vouchers and the top prize of an extra week's annual leave.
The raffle was held at the Arco Clothing Centre (ACC) in Preston.
Thomas Martin, joint managing director of Arco, said: "As a business, we try to be a force for good and our people are extremely charity-focused and fundraise for causes close to their hearts throughout the year.
"I'd like to thank the ACC team for the tremendous job they did of hosting this year's raffle.
"I'd also like to thank our suppliers and partners who donated prizes and helped us to raise a fantastic amount of money."
The raffle raised £2,500, which was matched by the Arco Charity Committee to create an overall pot of £5,000.


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304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Tesla is adapting its autonomous car technology to give Optimus abilities like walking safely or working in a factory.
Elon Musk on Friday showed off the latest version of a humanoid robot that the world’s richest man said could one day eliminate poverty.
The Optimus prototype on stage during Tesla’s annual AI Day presentation was mounted on a small platform. The robot, which remains a work in progress, waved to the audience and raised its knees.
“Our goal is to make a useful humanoid robot as quickly as possible,” billionaire tech pioneer Musk told an audience at an event in Silicon Valley.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Tesla is adapting its autonomous car technology to give Optimus capabilities such as walking safely or working in a factory, company engineers said during the presentation.
Another version of the robot, built from off-the-shelf components rather than Tesla-made parts like Optimus, slowly walked onto the stage, pumping its fists and briefly bucking its hips to the music as if dancing.
“The robot can actually do a lot more than what we just showed you, we just didn’t want it to fall on its face,” Musk joked.
Tesla is designing the Optimus robots to be produced at high speeds, which will push the price down to perhaps less than $20,000, Musk said.
“This means a future of abundance; a future where there is no poverty, a future where you can have whatever you want in terms of products and services,” Musk said.
“It’s really a fundamental transformation of civilization as we know it,” he said.
Musk, who once warned of artificial intelligence being a threat to humanity, said Tesla wants to make sure the transition to a society where robots do the work and humans reap the benefits is safe.
“We always want to be careful not to go down the Terminator route,” he warned, referring to the killer cyborg blockbuster, noting that Tesla is building in safety features including a stop button that cannot be tampered with.
He said Tesla will begin testing Optimus in factories, doing simple tasks like carrying parts, and that the general public should be able to purchase the robots in three to five years.
Musk argued that Tesla, as a publicly traded company, will be held accountable by its shareholders if they think it is not being socially responsible.
“It’s very important that I can’t just do what I want. Tesla’s structure is perfect for that.”
Musk was reprimanded by the Securities and Exchange Commission after he posted a tweet in 2018 saying he had raised funds to take Tesla private, but failed to provide evidence or file paperwork with the SEC.
Musk is now locked in a lawsuit with Twitter over his bid to end a $44 billion deal he struck to keep the messaging platform private.


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Windows 7 was officially unveiled to developers at its Professional Developers Conference 2008. The new Microsoft OS which is due to be launched on 2010 is already on beta and hopefully it will be a version that will please many. When ever Microsoft comes up with a new OS there is too much scepticism but i personally am looking forward to the new version which i hear will be lighter and give users the “work how you want to” experience.
Im no expert IT guy but the very interested to learn and use IT solutions that is easy on the system and the pocket while providing the maximum value to the customer. But my wish list are :
- Simplified versions and not too many choices like its predecessors Continue reading »