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The Pearland Chamber of Commerce will unveil a "permanent artistic monolith" created by Houston artist and gallerist Lori Betz at 4:30 on Thursday, July 15, as a prelude to its annual Patry on the Patio featuring food, cold beverages, music, and networking opportunities. The monolith, a tribute to Perland businesses, will be unveiled at 4:30 P.M. on Thursday, July 15, as a prelude to the annual Party on the Patio, from 5-7pm. The "bronze, aluminum" [sic] monolith will list major contributors, suppliers, and contractors who provided products and services at reduced prices for The Pearland Commerce Center. Betz is founder of Betz gallery in Houston.
also by Bill Davenport
- Lego My Art! - January 30th, 2016
- Archive: Painting on My Planet/The Top Ten Painters in Houston - January 1st, 2016
- Archive: Tire Iron 0: Cropduster: Hills Snyder/Chris Sauter - December 28th, 2015
- DMA Crane Flip Video - April 26th, 2015
- Helmreich New Dean of Fine Arts at TCU - April 25th, 2015


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Coinbase filed a petition to compel the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to respond to a months-old petition that asks whether the securities regulator would allow the industry to be regulated using existing SEC frameworks, the exchange firm said on Monday, escalating its tensions with the regulator that has increased enforcement actions and warnings against crypto firms, including the American giant.
Coinbase petitioned the SEC to “propose and adopt rules to govern the regulation of securities offered and traded via digitally native methods” in July 2022. SEC ignored the petition.
“The rulemaking process allows agencies to develop regulation with public input and be judged by the courts. In a blog post, Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal stated that more than 1,700 companies and people have commented on the petition requesting clarity.
Grewal claimed that the SEC’s public pronouncements and crypto enforcement action indicate that the agency had already decided to refuse Coinbase’s petition, “but they haven’t told the public yet.”
The petition, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Monday, is the latest opposition the SEC has gotten in recent months as it pursues lawsuits against crypto businesses Bittrex, Gemini, Genesis, and entrepreneurs like Justin Sun and Do Kwon.
The SEC threatened to sue Coinbase for its goods last month. Coinbase is the gold standard for crypto exchange compliance, but it has suffered over the years since it couldn’t expand and roll out new products due to legal uncertainty while its rivals scaled in other markets.
Coinbase co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong has indicated the exchange may move its headquarters abroad unless regulation changes. “Anything is on the table, including relocating or whatever is necessary,” he stated last week.
Coinbase takes lawsuits seriously, especially when it involves a regulator. Our sector needs regulatory certainty. Yet Coinbase and other crypto startups are facing possible SEC regulatory enforcement proceedings, even though we have not been notified how the SEC feels the law relates to our business,” Grewal wrote.

domain: news


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Blue Apron has introduced a brand-new offering called Knick Knacks, which are specialty recipe ingredient kits that let people combine a chosen protein and produce. They also come with step-by-step recipes to prepare the meal, according to reports.
John Adler, VP of culinary at Blue Apron, said the company is going to launch the product on eCommerce site Jet’s City Grocery platform, “where consumers can conveniently add Knick Knacks, bundled with their choice of protein and produce, during their shopping routine.”
Adler said he wants to influence and motivate home cooks with the product.
“Our promise, through every product we create, is to inspire and support home cooks by bringing quality, discovery and convenience to their meal experiences,” Adler said. “We are proud to introduce Knick Knacks as our latest culinary innovation, which gives consumers the ‘secret sauce’ – from our test kitchen to their home – to create a delicious meal, while allowing for the flexibility to customize certain ingredients based on their personal preferences.”
Jet is the first to have a slew of different Knick Knacks for same-day or following-day delivery across the New York City area.
Walmart acquired Jet in 2016 in an aim to target urban areas and millennials with spending power, which are two markets that Walmart would like to penetrate.
“We are excited to expand our relationship with Blue Apron by being the first retailer to offer the new Knick Knacks recipe kits via Jet City Grocery,” said Simon Belsham, president of Jet. “With the flexibility of the Knick Knacks portfolio and Jet’s ability to bundle the additional needed grocery items, we are able to offer a seamless and convenient shopping experience for our urban consumers.”
The first recipe kits will include Creamy Shrimp Gnocchi, Japanese-Style Steak & Rice Bowl, Mexican-Spiced Chicken Quinoa Bowl and Za’atar-Spiced Chicken.


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Here is Sprint’s response, attributed to Vonya McCann, Sprint’s senior vice president of government affairs:
There’s nothing surprising about AT&T’s motion to dismiss this litigation. AT&T promised to take this step more than two weeks ago but only filed this motion today because it was ordered to do so by the Court. AT&T’s motion is without merit, and Sprint will respond to it next Friday and continue to cooperate with Judge Huvelle (U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle of the District of Columbia) as she seeks to efficiently try both this case and the Justice Department’s case against AT&T.
The Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit to block AT&T’s proposed $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile.
Bellevue startup Likewise Software is hiring, with openings for 10 positions, including software engineers, the company says.
Likewise is a software platform provider for identity, security and storage.
“Storage software is an explosively-growing market segment due to virtualization, cloud computing, and strong proliferation of unstructured data in the enterprise,” CEO Barry Crist said in a statement. “We are witnessing big shifts in the landscape of storage providers, which have created strong market opportunities for Likewise. We need to continue to grow our team accordingly.”
Likewise Software recently sold its Active Directory Bridge business unit, including its Likewise Open and Likewise Enterprise software products, to BeyondTrust. Likewise did not disclose the price, but said it was using the proceeds to accelerate investment in its storage software business.
Likewise Software is backed by Ignition Partners, Trinity Ventures and Intel Capital.
Seattle startup ZionEyez has developed a pair of eyeglasses with an 720p HD video camera embedded in the frame. And now the co-founders of ZionEyez have been nominated for a prestigious international award for their technology.
Brent Burroff and Evan Lindquist of Seattle finalists for the 2011 World Technology Awards in the IT-Hardware category.
Winners will be announced Oct. 26 at the World Technology Summit’s black-tie gala awards ceremony at the United Nations in New York City.
Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, is one of the six individuals chosen as finalists along with Burroff and Lindquist, who were nominated as a team.
Investors.com has an item out on how Best Buy is slashing the price of tablets in response to Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire. HTC Flyer is now $299 down from $499. Research In Motion’s PlayBook also has been discounted.


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On October 20th, the Solar & Storage Live UK 2022 completed its 3-days solar exhibition. As a leading and ambitious solar enterprise, SOLARPARTS has gained a great harvest through this exhibition.
Solar & Storage Live UK 2022 has long been the largest gathering of UK solar and storage manufacturers, developers and installers – encouraging the collaboration of the two industries to firmly establish the place of both technologies in the future energy system. In virtue of this big platform, SOLARPARTS displayed hot products like micro-grid solar balcony system, off-grid home solar system and upgraded integrated solar folding bag, which helped customers to have a further understanding of our products.
With the enthusiasm of many solar photovoltaic industry exhibitors and visitors, the exhibition successfully set up an efficient and mutually beneficial platform for business procurement and business exchange. SOLARPARTS and many other enterprises gathered at the exhibition, and there was an endless stream of business and customers coming and going between booths.
As a leading enterprise in the solar energy industry, SOLARPARTS will continue to adhere to the corporate culture principle of "absorbing sunshine, focusing on energy and return the earth a green place", and strive to become the most potential photovoltaic + technology-based company in China and make due contributions to the development of the world photovoltaic industry. This exhibition is just the beginning. In the future, SOLARPARTS will continue to deepen solar energy technology and show its development potential to all walks of life. Let's meet at the next exhibition!
Facebook: Shenzhen Solarparts Inc
Email address: Philip@isolarparts.com


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Alfa Romeo Crossover
Crossovers are popular and Alfa is looking to boost sales worldwide. It's unfortunate for enthusiasts, but it shouldn't be a surprise.
"There will certainly be an SUV in the next two or three years," said Damien Dally, head of the Alfa Romeo brand in the UK, speaking to The Telegraph. We've known for quite some time that Alfa Romeo had plans for a sport utility vehicle – the automaker has gone so far as to produce a concept of what such a machine may look like, as seen by the Jeremy Korzeniewski
Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta concept by Pininfarina – Click above for high-res image gallery
Chrysler may not have a host of solid new products in the pipeline, but the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee looks promising. With that in mind, it shouldn't come as a great surprise that the new bosses in Auburn Hills want to take advantage of the opportunity to get an Italian version of the upcoming sport-ute on the market. According to a report from Car and Driver that goes right along with whispers we've heard through the gra
Several high-ranking executives from Alfa Romeo were keen to see how the launch of the new MiTo materialized. While they were there, we had the chance to talk with one of Alfa's top marketing officers over dinner and discuss the latest news churned out of the rumormill concerning upcoming products from Alfa and its sister-brand Abarth.


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The listing on Amazon described it as a “4 in 1 Baby car seat and Stroller” and featured images of a popular brand called Doona, including a photo of the US President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, with hers. Listed for $299, this copycat was $200 cheaper than a real Doona. It was also potentially dangerous for children.
The car seat broke into pieces in a 30 mph crash test commissioned by CNN, failing to meet the basic standards set by US regulators. Video of the test shows the toddler dummy twisting as the car seat fractures and slides forward, with plastic pieces that have broken off it flying through the air. In an identical crash test scenario, an authentic Doona met federal requirements, with the car seat remaining in one piece and in place around the dummy.
Dr. Alisa Baer, a pediatrician and nationally certified child passenger safety instructor, reviewed the test results and said in a real crash such a car seat failure could put a child in “grave danger,” and lead to injuries to a child’s chest, neck or head, including a traumatic brain injury.
CNN bought the copycat Doona and had it crash-tested at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute as part of a months-long investigation into the sale of counterfeit and patent-infringing children’s products on Amazon. Seven different business owners told CNN their products were being actively targeted by counterfeiters using Amazon’s marketplace for third-party vendors. The businesses said Amazon put the onus on them to report suspicious listings and that this often amounted to a game of “whack-a-mole,” in which new listings appeared almost as soon as flagged ones were taken down.
Under current US case law, Amazon is not liable when third-party products sold on its site directly infringe on intellectual property or have safety defects. The liability lies with the third-party seller. This is fundamentally different from how the law treats brick-and-mortar retailers like Target or Walmart or even your corner grocery. If you find a product at a physical store that infringes on your trademark, or you buy something defective there, you can sue the store even though they didn’t make the product.
Counterfeits are a problem for many ecommerce platforms, not just Amazon, but Amazon is the world’s largest ecommerce platform and its dominance is growing. According to an estimate from data firm eMarketer, Amazon controls 37.7% of US ecommerce sales and that share is expected to grow. Many of the brands that spoke to CNN told us they can’t afford not to sell their products on Amazon. As an Amazon spokesperson said to CNN in a statement, “our customers expect that when they make a purchase through Amazon’s store—either directly from Amazon or from one of its millions of third-party sellers—they will receive authentic products.”
Amiad Raviv, the commercial manager of Doona, said the company has found more than 40 Amazon listings this year that contained fake versions of its products or versions that infringed on its intellectual property. Doona flags the listings they are concerned about to Amazon, which then removes them. According to Raviv and the other business owners CNN spoke with, this piecemeal process means listings are often online for several days, leading to a significant window when consumers can buy the potentially dangerous product.
The imitation Doonas are sold through Amazon’s website or app, but not by Amazon directly. According to Amazon’s 2018 annual report, 58% of Amazon’s sales came from its millions of third-party sellers, many of whom ship directly to consumers. Many legitimate brands, including Doona, sell products through authorized third parties. However, items purchased this way may never be checked by Amazon employees or pass through an Amazon warehouse.
“A lot of people on the Amazon platform think that because it’s on Amazon, it is a genuine product. And that’s actually really not the case,” said Raviv.
The product CNN bought was listed by a seller called Strolex and shipped from China. All US car seats are required to be certified according to NHTSA standards, but this seat did not have any US certification labels. On the Amazon listing, it claimed to have European certification, but when it arrived it was missing a required European certification label and the European registration number in the instruction manual was a copy of Doona’s.
Baer examined the car seat before the crash test and pointed out several things she saw as red flags. The word “always” was misspelled “aiways” on the anti-rebound bar, the seat featured European warning labels instead of American ones and a safety label was sewn through the webbing of the child harness straps, which she believes could potentially weaken them.
The Strolex listing disappeared from Amazon shortly after CNN ordered the seat, but the seller Strolex remained on the site though with no active listings. When reached by phone in China, a representative of Strolex said in English “my products are safe,” but refused to give his name or answer any other questions.
The results of the crash test were sent by CNN to Amazon for review. A week later, Amazon sent an email to customers who bought the product, warning them of a safety issue and saying it “may not be a genuine product.” The email urged customers to stop using the product immediately and offered a full refund.
Amazon told CNN safety was a top priority, but also that sellers are responsible for meeting Amazon’s “high bar” for the quality of products. “We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations and have developed industry-leading tools to prevent unsafe or non-compliant products from being listed in our stores,” an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Alex R. Hernandez Jr. represents clients injured due to dangerous products, call today.


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Britain requests ‘standstill’ on Northern Ireland protocol
British government says ‘significant change’ to the trade agreement is needed to avoid triggering Article 16
The British government has requested a “standstill period” on the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol as part of a proposed overhaul to trade agreements made as part of Brexit just last year.
Both David Frost, the Brexit Minister, and Brandon Lewis, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, made statements to the British parliament on Wednesday proposing a freeze on any further implementation of the protocol and stating that “significant change” would be...
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British not yet ready to trigger Article 16 over Northern protocol
British government is proposing a complete renegotiation of the trade agreements during a ‘standstill’ period before autumn
EU import rules ‘not fit for purpose’, says British food industry
Policy advisor Peter Hardwick says fresh meat product regulations were designed for long-distance trade and should not apply to the North
Analysis: Full extent of Brexit’s impact on business is becoming clear
The drop in activity recorded in new CSO figures, including a 65 per cent hit to imports, is substantial and sobering
Neale Richmond: Why preparing for April 1 is no joke for Irish exporters
From the start of next month, businesses that export any product of animal or plant origin to Britain must deal with an additional round of import controls due to Brexit


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Recent news reports have suggested that a Federal Trade Commission is in discussions with Google to settle a long-running antitrust investigation, with a group final that there is deficient evidence to pierce an antitrust censure on hunt issues. If these reports are true, a FTC’s preference to equivocate lawsuit in preference of a offset allotment will not customarily advantage consumers and innovation, though also attest a agency’s repute as a satisfactory judge of a nation’s mostly confusing foe laws.
While a timing and inlet of any allotment is still really many unclear, we do know that some of Google’s competitors – that have prolonged pressured a FTC to salary fight on a hunt association – are already great foul and doubt a agency’s integrity. In fact, a totalled proceed a FTC seems to be holding illustrates that a commissioners and staff are putting consumers and a order of law above all else, and a complainants’ beating that a FTC couldn’t be bullied is small some-more than green grapes.
The fact is, a FTC has been looking delicately during a law and a contribution for a final 19 months. The group has been besieged by orderly Google critics, including tip tier authorised talent. But a group is also crowded of some or a best foe lawyers and economists in a country. If it suspicion a law upheld a box conflicting Google over a hunt results, a enterprise to be during a forefront of law coercion would have driven it to pierce such a case. The Commission’s preference not to would advise that it realizes that Google’s hunt formula advantage users, even if some other websites don’t like them.
What is mostly mislaid in these exhilarated and difficult cases is a tangible justification is during a core of a argument. In this sold examination into Google’s hunt practices, justification of consumer mistreat was lacking. Without any justification of antitrust violations or consumer harm, a authorised hurdles would be too high to pierce a hunt box that would fundamentally outcome in long lawsuit with small possibility of success. Also, a FTC might wisely comprehend that feeble recognised lawsuit can repairs a repute and outcome in bad authorised precedents that mistreat a agency’s ability to military genuine foe problems in a future.
Many giveaway marketplace critics of a FTC have settled that a fast-paced inlet of a tech attention has rendered antitrust law as ineffectual or even obsolete. CCIA, a classification we lead, continues to say a opposite. However, a dynamics of a Internet attention are critical to cruise before holding action. No dual industries are accurately alike. The FTC’s reported enterprise to settle with Google, with a ostensible acknowledgment that hunt issues are relocating off a table, shows that antitrust coercion is amply open to comport to a realities of Internet foe and digital innovation.
Furthermore, a insights gleaned from a a Google examination will not go to waste. The commissioners and pivotal career staff do many some-more than pierce cases. They are repositories of antitrust believe who use their singular positions to update foe process in obliged ways. They issue cutting-edge, sermon moulding reports on argumentative topics and control open hearings to benefit a viewpoint of mixed stakeholders. For example, a Google examination hinged on the misleading definition of “unfair methods of competition” embedded in a FTC’s lenient statute. Although, during slightest in theory, a FTC has a management to go over normal antitrust research and box law when regulating a authority, a courts have been unkind when a group has selected to do so mostly since it has never released transparent superintendence on what indeed constitutes astray methods of competition.
Moving forward, a FTC should use a insights gained in this examination and emanate petrify superintendence — with submit from a open — on what “unfair methods of competition” mean. In fact, creation “new” foe process should customarily be finished in precisely this demeanour — as opposite to box specific coercion — so that educational and attention feedback can safeguard that manners crafted are in line with stream mercantile and business realities.
The final section in this examination clearly has nonetheless to be written, and many might change over a entrance weeks and months. If a rumors infer true, a FTC’s actions will send a vigilance to all tech companies that they contingency act responsibly, though also that they can continue innovating and flourishing but consistent fear of a potentially deleterious coercion action. Additionally, this will hopefully spell a finish of a judgment of a “search neutrality” box that a Department of Justice already deserted dual years ago in a examination of Google’s ITA Software acquisition. The really inlet of foe in this space is around who can make a best clarity out of a huge volume of information on a Internet. A strong marketplace now exists in providing consumers with answers and targeted information. Google is only one tool. If “search neutrality” was mandated by a supervision agency, a energetic foe in this space would be threatened. After all, a really core of this foe is who has a best algorithm or height for “discriminating” conflicting irrelevant or remaining information and afterwards translating a applicable information to a user in a many useful format possible. If Google can't fast tell me a best Mexican restaurants in DuPont Circle and give me accurate ratings and reviews (that lane with my experience), afterwards we will use Yelp or ask Siri.
A allotment that concludes this 19-month examination will concede a FTC to solve a concerns, equivocate an costly and legally-questionable lawsuit, and give Google a certainty it needs to pierce a business forward. It lessens a cloud of doubt over other Internet companies and signals a scold approach to kick a aspirant is by foe in a marketplace, not by employing armies of lobbyists, lawyers and PR advocates. Attempting to accurate a bruise of strength from a association but justification of consumer mistreat would delegitimize a FTC for decades to come. In this instance, patience serves a best interests of consumers, bolsters a firmness of a FTC and creates a plans for destiny antitrust cases.


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American Express said that an unidentified third-party service provider used by merchants experienced a breach back in 2013 that may have exposed account information on card holders, according to a notification letter that American Express filed with the California Attorney General's Office.
Check out the hottest mobile IT news for Nov. 4, including a team up between Microsoft and Dropbox, Disney streaming service now available on Android, a rock climbing drone that zips to hard to reach places, the potlitical savvy's move to mobile and a new payments system from American Express.
Sometimes, the way to prosperity is to stop throwing good money after bad.
The bottom line from a business perspective is that U.S. banks are impeding growth for many companies by over-culling the pool of potential buyers and users.
Microsoft is competing with American Express and other potential suitors to purchase an equity stake in mobile social network foursquare, Bloomberg reports.
Isis, the Near Field Communications-based mobile commerce network spearheaded by Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile US, is adding American Express' Serve digital commerce services to its mobile wallet, slated to roll out nationwide later this year.
While credit card companies and retailers team to sift through every morsel of data they have about their customers, one positive by-product of this exercise for consumers is coming from American Express.
It is good to see a Fortune 500 company such as MasterCard concerned with the competitive capabilities of small businesses and pushing for their ability to leverage big data analytics like it does.
American Express unveiled a new program enabling Twitter users to tweet special hashtags to purchase gift cards and products.
Walmart is teaming with American Express for Bluebird, a new mobile banking and payment platform designed for lower-income consumers.


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It looks as if 2008 could be a very tough year. Oil prices have been going through the roof, the dollar has fallen to all-time lows against the euro, and worrisome signs of inflation have begun to appear. Worst of all, the biggest economic clouds, the subprime lending crisis and the deterioration of the real estate market, are casting troubling shadows. Little wonder that many economists and corporate chieftains are less than thrilled with the economic outlook and exude levels of pessimism not seen in years. But entrepreneurs see the world through a different lens. In fact, many of them are as optimistic as ever.
To get a sense of how top-performing small businesses are positioning themselves for a downturn, we spoke with five entrepreneurs whose companies have ranked in the top five of the Inc. 500 over the past decade. Some of these CEOs are still running the same fast-growing companies, which are now each approaching $100 million in revenue; others have sold those businesses and have started new ones that are picking up momentum. What these people have in common is a sense of confidence that, if it's played right, an economic downturn can work in their favor.
It's Not the Economy
"I am not a woe-is-me kind of guy," says Kevin Grauman, who founded the Outsource Group, which was ranked No. 1 on the Inc. 500 in 2002 (and was subsequently sold), and now owns Emportal, which sells a suite of Web-based human resources tools. Grauman is as busy as ever cold-calling midsize companies to pitch his online work force management applications, which help track employees, contractors, and vendors. "These troughs in the economy are out of your control, so you have to look at what you can control," Grauman says. What he can control, he figures, is coming up with an innovative, cost-effective technology to help companies track their far-flung work forces. "I think there are many more opportunities today than there were a year ago, and if you can open your mind to the opportunities, you will do well regardless of what the economy does."
Though the other CEOs we interviewed were a bit more worried about an economic downturn than Grauman, none are planning to lay people off, close up shop, or scale down their businesses. Instead, some are looking to profit from other companies' outsourcing. Others are making the most of softening real estate prices to open new locations. And one is expanding overseas to lessen the effects of a possible recession at home.
Let Them Eat Chocolate
It's a truism of economic cycles that they don't treat every company the same way. Tariq Farid, founder of Edible Arrangements, a Wallingford, Connecticut--based franchiser of stores that sell fruit and chocolate arrangements, plans to expand no matter what happens in 2008. He's looking to add 200 locations to his existing 800 and to launch a national advertising campaign for the first time. "If you think the sky is falling, it's falling," says Farid, who started Edible Arrangements in 2001 and led it to No. 4 on the Inc. 500 in 2006. "We plan to gather market share while times are tough."
Chances are that plenty of people will also be looking for work. That, too, meshes with Farid's ambitious growth target. The rising number of layoffs from big corporations has meant an increase in the number of former managers who are interested in becoming franchisees. These former corporate types usually have no problem getting financing for the roughly $200,000 required to launch a franchise. The softer real estate market, moreover, means there are more retail locations available in hot neighborhoods at better prices. Finally, though a decline in overall consumer spending is making many retailers nervous, Farid figures that even if consumers cut back on big-ticket items, they may actually spend more on such small pleasures as a basket of chocolate. "People will still have birthdays and anniversaries, and people will still be in love," he says.
What's true for chocolate is also true, it turns out, for silicon. Sunnyvale, California-based eSilicon, which designs and manufactures microchips for such customers as Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Kodak (NYSE:EK) and was ranked No. 3 on the Inc. 500 in 2005, is similarly gaining from a slower economy. Big chip makers already outsource chip design, and eSilicon's CEO, Jack Harding, expects the trend to accelerate in 2008. Once a company starts outsourcing, moreover, it tends not to bring the function back in-house, he says. What's more, larger chip companies often overreact to slowdowns by cutting their own staffs too deeply, only to call up companies like eSilicon in a panic with a rush order. "Decisions are more reactive and short term," Harding says. "We have people calling us and saying, 'Will you take over this product midstream?' " This "emergency outsourcing," as Harding calls it, accounted for as much as 20 percent of eSilicon's $80 million in sales in 2007.
Go East, Young Man
For CEOs worried about a slump in the domestic economy, there's always the option of heading abroad. This option looks especially appealing amid signs that the global economy no longer lives and dies on the strength of the U.S. economy. Dan Weinfurter, CEO of Capital H and former CEO of Parson Group (the No 1. Inc. 500 company in 2000), is one of those small-business executives looking overseas. Last year, Chicago-based Capital H, which helps companies hire and manage staff, acquired a London firm specializing in executive coaching. The London company had sales of $20 million in 2001, so it was a big bite for Capital H, a $50 million company. The move was designed, in part, to buffer the coming downturn in the United States.
Weinfurter says he began worrying about the economy in early 2006, after trying to sell his family's house in suburban Chicago and seeing it languish on the market. (It eventually sold after a year and a half.) He repositioned Capital H to focus on profits rather than sales, a turnabout from how he'd run Parson Group in the boom years. "My view of the economy has become a bit more conservative, and I have become more conservative in how to grow the business," he says. "If I would have been smarter a year ago, I would have changed strategies sooner and emphasized profitability over growth."
Andy Paff, CEO of Cedar Point Communications, a voice over Internet telecommunications company that ranked No. 2 on the Inc. 500 in 2007, is in a very different business but is taking a similar tack. With new markets in Latin America and Europe "starting to pop," as he puts it, the company expects to increase its overseas revenue to 30 percent of total sales in 2008, up from 5 percent in 2006. "The idea," Paff says, "is to diversify the revenue and diversify the product. It is not a time to turn back."


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08:27 27th Jan, 2020
It’s Pouring AirDrop Equivalents on Android | TechTree.com
It’s Pouring AirDrop Equivalents on Android
Apple launched a file transfer file capability between its products in 2011 and it has taken nine years ago for Android phones to follow suit
When Apple launched the AirDrop between two iOS devices, between two Mac computers or between a Mac and an iPhone using TLS encryption that makes it safe, the world sat up and took notice, though the typical Android fanboys pooh-poohed it off as just another feature that would have little value to the customer.
Over a period of close to nine years, the AWDL (Apple Wireless Direct Link) protocol, currently installed in more than 1.3 billion devices, has been trashed for a variety of reasons, none as critical as its security vulnerabilities that experts claim could track users, crash devices and worse still, intercept files transferred between devices.
Based on some smart reverse engineering of the AWDL protocol carried out by US and German researchers, the team of academics at TU Darmstadt and North-eastern University of Boston concluded that the system contains “several security and privacy vulnerabilities ranging from design flaws to implementation bugs enabling different kinds of attacks.”
Which is probably good bad news for the billions of Android phone users as Google is all set to launch its file share protocol, this time beyond their own Pixel series smartphones. A new hands-on video shared by XDA Developers suggests that Nearby Sharing (earlier called Fast Share) has resolved several usability quirks of its predecessor Android Beam.
It appears to have let go of near-field communication (NFC) in favour of Bluetooth in the latest protocol which means one doesn’t really require the two devices to be looking into each other’s eyes. And setting up the devices also appears simple as users need to just visit the quick settings menu on Android to get started. Also, users can restrict who can send a file besides allowing the phone to use data connection to assist the process.
Looks like 2020 is going to be a year of the air drop (no pun intended) for smart devices as in addition to Google’s own attempt, there is also Samsung that is coming up with its own file sharing protocol between Galaxy devices. Called Quick Share, the feature is likely to be part of upcoming devices lined up for launch this year.
Just in case you thought that’s about all there is to this story, here is another bit that confirms our view that the next twelve months would render Apple’s hegemony in this area redundant. Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo recently announced that they’re developing a peer-to-peer transmission alliance that allows users of these brands to share files across phones.
This alliance is the first instance of a cross-brand alliance in the space that has been missed for all these years. Reports suggest that other brands can join in once the feature rolls out in February.
Wonder whether the researchers at TU Darmstadt would once again come to the fore to check for security loopholes right away, given their experience with Apple which has a CEO who swears by privacy and security.
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According to reports, in a setback to the government’s bid to encourage domestic solar cell industry, solar power project developers have told the government that they would continue to import solar cells from different countries and would not source domestically, if an anti-dumping duty on solar gears is imposed.
In May, the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping had recommended imposing high anti-dumping duty on solar imports coming from China, the US, Malaysia and Taiwan. To circumvent the anti-dumping duty, manufactures say they will now import from countries that don’t attract the duty, such as Japan and South Korea, which manufacture “better quality solar cells” than Indian manufacturers.
“The power producers have conveyed that they have an option of buying solar cells from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Germany, Italy and France, which cumulatively manufacture around 6,000-8,000 Mw a year. Indian manufacturers don’t have the capacity to meet the demand of the growing solar power production industry,” said a senior official with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
According to the recent MNRE data, out of the installed manufacturing capacity of solar cells of 1,260 Mw, only 240 Mw is operational, while India’s annual demand is 3,000 Mw. This is slated to go up with about 4,000 Mw of solar power projects tendered recently across the country. According to the data shared by the solar power producers, the cost of Chinese solar cells is 58-61 cents per watt, which is set to go up to $1.20 per watt, once the anti-dumping duty is imposed. Indigenously-manufactured cells cost 44-48 cents per watt. Power producers say the cost of cells coming from Singapore, the US, Canada, Japan and European Union countries would cost between 75 and 90 cents.
“Even though they (imported solar cells) cost more, their quality is better. The whole issue being racked up by domestic manufacturers stands wasted then because the power producers would prefer imports as the domestic industry cannot meet their growing demand,” said a senior executive of solar power production company.
The domestic manufacturers are, however, of the view that the cost of solar power would remain at Rs 7.5 a unit by 2020 if indigenous solar cells are used. The current cost of solar power in the country is the Rs 6.5-8 a unit.
Earlier, MNRE had raised concerns that the cost of solar power would double if high anti-dumping duty on imports of solar cells was imposed. Piyush Goyal, minister for coal, power and renewable energy, also on several occasions had issued statements against the imposition of dumping duty on imported solar cells. He also urged the finance ministry to review the decision on dumping as it would “escalate the cost of solar power”.
He also said that India needs to promote its own manufacturing capabilities as domestic equipment capacity is inadequate to meet the demands of the country’s ambitious solar power mission.


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Coca-Cola Amatil has withdrawn its full year earnings guidance, warning the coronavirus epidemic was crimping beverage sales in convenience stores and other on-the-go outlets.
2020 was to be the year Australia's largest non-alcoholic beverage bottler finally achieved its target for mid-single digit earnings per share growth.
CCA reiterated the target less than a month ago after sales grew in its largest market, Australia, in 2019 for the first time in seven years.
However, group managing director Alison Watkins said on Tuesday CCA felt it was no longer appropriate to continue providing earnings guidance amid unprecedented uncertainty.
In Australia and New Zealand, CCA had seen strong sales growth in the grocery channel as consumers stocked up bottled water and soft drink as well as pantry staples and cleaning products.
"The good thing about our product is it's a very expandable category - the fact people have it in their pantry means they're quite likely to drink it whereas there's only so much toilet paper you can use," Ms Watkins told The Australian Financial Review.
However, the growth in supermarkets had been offset by falling sales in on-the-go channels, where volumes had already been soft after the January bushfires.
"It varies a lot but the (stores) most exposed to tourism have been hit quite hard - people are just not out and about and not eating at quick service restaurants and bars and restaurants," she said.
"We would expect [on-the-go] weakness to accelerate given consumers’ likely preference for staying at home as well as the widespread cancellation of major sporting, entertainment and cultural events."
The rapid escalation of measures to control the pandemic was likely to impact on sales during the important Easter trading period in Australia and New Zealand and during Ramadan in Indonesia.
"In Indonesia we are seeing a reduction in foot traffic as people stay home with Bali volumes impacted by the severe decline in tourism," Ms Watkins said.
CCA will make another update at its annual meeting on May 26 and is making arrangements to provide online access to the meeting for shareholders.
“As the situation continues to unfold, Amatil’s overriding priority is the safety and wellbeing of our people," Ms Watkins said.
"We will continue to support our customers and our local communities, and at this stage we expect we can continue to operate our business and avoid significant supply chain disruption, while maintaining our workforce
during this challenging time.”
CCA shares fell 2 per cent to $9.82. The shares have fallen about 18 per cent since February 19, compared with a 30 per cent drop in the S&P/ASX200 index.
As part of its response to the pandemic, CCA is encouraging the use of video conferencing and reconsidering travel plans, commencing large-scale work from home trials for all non-frontline workers, cancelling large-scale gatherings and stepping up hygiene measures in all its markets.
How the coronavirus is changing markets, business and politics.
Coronavirus: Need to know. Our daily reporting, in your inbox.
- Patrick Durkin
Workers and investors - including one Rich Lister - have been reminded that firms in trouble before this crisis will struggle to emerge from it.
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With 225 stores, 1300 staff and brands including Review, Black Pepper and Yarra Trail, the company has hoisted the white flag.
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Hershey said its second-quarter performance would also be hit due to a decline in its food service business and stunted candy sales at airports and stores.
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The recent cooler weather has been wonderful, and it’s reminded me that breweries are coming out with their winter beers, some of which are already on the shelves. Pumpkin ales have been out for a while, but I prefer old ales, barleywines, imperial stouts and winter warmers. We’ll see these trickle out over the next few months. Winter is my favorite beers season, and some of my favorite winter seasonals are Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (already available), Samuel Adams Holiday Porter (part of the brewery’s winter variety pack, available now), Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine and Bell’s Hopslam (both coming in early 2013).
Locally, the Sarasota Brewing Co. (6607 Gateway Ave., 925-BEER) will serve its Winter Ale in early to mid-December, according to brewmaster Vince Pelosi, who changes the recipe each year. He says this year’s batch is one of the strongest he’s made at about 9 percent and will remind drinkers of a honey oatmeal raisin cookie.
At Darwin’s on 4th (1525 4th St., 343-2165), brewmaster Jared Barnes says once his Pumpkin Spice beer is gone he’ll debut a weizenbock (a German-style strong, dark wheat ale) brewed with plantains. He also hopes to have a 14 percent Zurich lager ready in January and will bring back his Lazy Pirate Stout that’s brewed with molasses. He’s also working on a version of his Betrayal imperial stout that’s aged on vanilla beans and cherries, but doesn’t have a release date set.
And remember, Florida’s archaic laws prohibit brewpubs from packaging their beers, so if you want to drink them you’ll have to go to the restaurants.


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AirAsia’s BigPay card has just announced that its monthly credit card top-up limit has been reduced by half. Prior to this, BigPay prepaid card users are able to top up a maximum of RM10,000 per month via credit card but now the new monthly limit is set at RM5,000.
According to BigPay, they are doing this to keep their costs low in order to pass more savings to its users. They shared that credit card companies charge them fees which BigPay has to absorb in order to provide more top-up options to its customers.
The maximum balance size for the card is still RM10,000 and you can still top up unlimited times via debit cards and online banking. BigPay also shared that more top-up options will be introduced in the coming weeks.
In case you missed it, Bank Negara Malaysia has announced an automatic 6-month moratorium for all bank loans. However, this isn’t applicable to credit card balances.


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New Bluetooth Vulnerability Discovered But iOS 11.4+ And macOS 10.13.5+ Users Don’t Need To Worry About It
A new and potentially worrying vulnerability within the implementation of Bluetooth has been discovered and published this week by Intel. The vulnerability comes with the potential to allow hackers to intercept transmissions and relay malicious signals back and forth between two affected Bluetooth-compatible devices.
According to the report, the issue is extremely widespread and can affect Bluetooth implementations and drivers within Apple, Broadcom, Intel, and Qualcomm systems, which goes to show exactly how far this has the potential to spread and how many users and devices it could potentially affect.
According to the Intel report, the malicious individual would need to be within 30 meters of the target device(s) and could potentially affect how that device performs:
A vulnerability in Bluetooth(R) pairing potentially allows an attacker with physical proximity (within 30 meters) to gain unauthorized access via an adjacent network, intercept traffic and send forged pairing messages between two vulnerable Bluetooth(R) devices. This may result in information disclosure, elevation of privilege and/or denial of service.
The potential number of affected devices appears to be quite huge in terms of scale but actual devices are somewhat smaller according to experts at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). In order to attack a vulnerable device, a hacker would need to be within Bluetooth range of the hardware and would need to hijack the affected devices at the exact time that both pieces of hardware were going through a pairing process.
Because of that requirement of being part of the pairing process, the whole exchange, which involves intercepting the public key exchange and blocking and forging transmissions, would need to be done within an extremely narrow window of time.
For those who have Apple devices and are potentially about the implications, be aware that the Cupertino-based company has already introduced a fix for this problem in earlier software versions, meaning iOS and macOS users don’t actually need to be worried as long as they have iOS 11.4 or macOS 10.13.5/6. The other affected manufacturers have also introduced fixes meaning that the whole Intel report appears to be one of an informative nature rather than something designed to spark concern amongst device owners.


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MILKING THE BRAND
It was in 2015 that Agastya Dalmia, grandson of Ramkrishna Dalmia and scion of the illustrious Dalmia family, decided to revamp the iconic brand ‘Keventers’.
MARWAR takes a look at the 27-year-old’s journey so far.
AGASTYA DALMIA CLAIMS THAT HIS JOURNEY HAS BEEN FAIRLY interesting so far. He says, “I remember, sometime in 2015, my friend Aman Arora and I were generally having a conversation about things that we grew up with. Aman and I had a good working relationship since we had already collaborated to establish Delhi Street Football, a concept through which we organised matches in Delhi and Rajasthan for football enthusiasts.” A revamp and relaunch of the iconic ‘Keventers’ brand was a culmination of that casual conversation.
For those who may be unfamiliar with the name, Keventers is a nonagenarian brand known for its milkshakes that date back to 1925. The story behind its legacy began in 1880s when Edward Keventers, a Swedish dairy technologist, made his way to Indian shores. He took over the running of the Aligarh Dairy Farm in 1894 and turned it profitable. Business was expanded to other cities soon, including Calcutta (now Kolkata), Darjeeling and Shimla.
Eventually, a huge dairy plant was set up in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area. People soon came to associate the brand with butter, cheese and milkshakes.
After Independence, Keventers was acquired by the Dalmia Group, under Ramkrishna Dalmia. It went on to become a supplier of milk powder for the Indian Army. The government later acquired the land from Keventers, leading to the closure of the dairy factory and the dissolution of the brand. However, Ramkrishna Dalmia’s grandson, Agastya Dalmia, had other plans.
A scion of the illustrious Dalmia family, Agastya Dalmia did his schooling from Sanskriti School in New Delhi. He then went on to pursue a BA (Hons) in English from Hindu College, under Delhi University. Being part of a business family, he had spent most of his life among generations of entrepreneurs. Hence, his decision to start something of his own was only natural.
The 27-year-old says, “The Marwari community as a whole is known for its business acumen, knack for numbers and an inherent enterprising and entrepreneurial nature. That said, in my case, I also come from a family that has a rich business legacy of its own and since childhood, I have been well acquainted with the tricks of the trade.”
Look and feel
Dalmia and Arora decided to revamp and reintroduce the brand with a new look and feel. However, reinventing Keventers was a challenging task, as was converting the company from a manufacturing unit to a retail business. When the team started out, all they had was an iconic name, its legacy and a bunch of recipes. Going with what they had, the first outlet was opened at Pitampura. It didn’t do as well as was expected. However, this didn’t deter them. The team decided to reopen the outlet at Select Citywalk instead. A complete overhaul of the brand and products was also planned.
By 2016, Keventers had established four company-owned outlets and roped in well-known hospitality expert Sohrab Sitaram as CEO and director, to aid the company in its growth. Additionally, they revised their business model and started to open franchise outlets, which led to phenomenal growth. In just two years, the company grew to 140 outlets across India and Nepal.
Dalmia says, “Honestly, I never imagined that Keventers would receive such an overwhelming response. I am grateful for all the love the brand has received. When we were working towards reviving Keventers, we had perceived that with its history and legacy, it would be well-received amongst Gen X. However, the response from Gen Y too has been phenomenal.”
The road ahead
Dalmia and Arora wanted to create a business that had the inherent ability to be scaled on a global level. Furthermore, since their specialisation and historical business was in the dairy sphere, they were familiar with the sector. In addition, customers had always associated Keventers with dairy, so a conscious decision was made to not get into something that would take them away from the pre-existing connect.
Moreover, there were few or hardly any companies specialising in milkshakes. This highlighted a clear opportunity in the beverage segment, which was largely dominated by juices. Additionally, the team wanted to create a distinct identity for their milkshakes as a viable beverage for today’s customer, especially Gen Y/millennials, by creating a modern, cool and aspirational avatar.
There were a range of issues though. There was a strong pre-defined belief in the market that a QSR (quick service restaurant) specialising only in milkshakes could not be profitable by itself. Additionally, Keventers was popular with Gen X, but not Gen Y. In order to succeed, the focus had to be shifted to Gen Y and transform the Keventers milkshake into a preferred beverage option for this target audience. This was a challenge since, in the first place, they were not aware of the brand. Finding great quality milk was another major issue. Dalmia says, “We looked in every nook and corner of India as well as abroad and understood the current fat content of milk and ice-creams before finally choosing the kind we would use for our milkshakes.”
Then, unearthing traditional recipes for the milkshakes was a difficult task since most of the people associated with it were long gone. But what was most difficult was finding the right joint venture partners—someone with similar business spirit.
It has been two years since Keventers entered the market, and the corporate team has grown from 20 to 100 employees. Along the way, they have also created and put in place a host of protocols and processes to standardise products and methods of milkshake preparation. Training sessions and workshops have been introduced to ensure that all outlets maintain uniformity and utmost quality in the shakes served. Lastly, warehouses have been established across four cites in India to ensure easy availability of ingredients across all cities.
Today, Keventers has over 140 outlets in India and Nepal. These include Tier-1 and 2 cities such as Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Dehradun, Ludhiana and Jalandhar, among others. Since its inception, the brand has grown seven times and the hope is to double this figure by the next year. Dalmia says, “My journey with Keventers has been wonderful. From the time we decided to re-establish the brand, no single day has been the same. This has been a great learning experience.”
The F&B industry in India is evolving at a rapid pace and an interesting thing to note is that one needn’t have a large product portfolio to grow. Brands that have a single product to offer or a specialsed category of products are doing equally well, or maybe even better than others in the market.
“Although the F&B segment has always been a customer’s market, it has now evolved to become a customer experience-centric market. Brands are now trying to grab attention and loyalty by appealing to a customer’s emotional quotient and enhancing his or her interface with the brand and its experience. Globally, too, there has been a shift in consumer preferences towards healthier food options as well as beverages. Additionally, milk-based beverages are fast gaining prominence amongst consumers,” says Dalmia.
In his free time, Dalmia loves playing tennis and organises tournaments and fundraisers to support young sports enthusiasts who might not have the means to pursue their dreams. Besides that, he also spends a large part of his time working with the Amba Dalmia Foundation Trust, where he oversees diverse projects that are focused on uplifting citizens from economically weaker backgrounds. Currently, he is also working to build a social enterprise geared towards providing driving skills to illiterate and semi-literate women, and creating job opportunities for these women drivers.
Coming back to the company that is currently his focus, Dalmia says, “When we started Keventers, our focus was not just to revive an iconic and historic brand but also create a distinct identity for the milkshakes. This has been possible because we refrain from setting long-term goals for the brand and instead set achievable short-term goals to accelerate our growth. The end goal is simple: to create a distinct presence across the world by expanding and entering key markets.” To this end, for 2017 in particular, the plan is to enter the Middle East region, including the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
This will be followed by regions in North America and Africa.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
- For any business to succeed, it is imperative to understand your customer’s needs.
- Garnering confidence in your brand is important.
- No amount of luck can make up for hard work and dedication.
- Good communication and people skills are an important asset.
- The people you associate with are the most essential part of your journey to success. Nothing in the world can compare or add more value to your business than the people you employ/partner with.


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Samsung is one of those brands that makes kickass televisions. Their panels are among the best ones in the market, and there's hardly anything out there that comes even close. And Samsung is also a brand that often makes us realize that luxury doesn't come cheap.
The company's new range of Smart TVs for India is something we think only the Elite will be able to afford. We say that because Samsung's new Smart TV can cost you up to Rs 12 Crore. Yes, you read that right.
Samsung has officially announced the launch of a new large-formal MicroLED display with a new range of 'The Wall' Smart TV. We're looking at three different variants including 146-inch in 4K resolution, 219-inch in 6K definition and 292-inch in 8K definition. Again, it's not a typo. It is indeed 292-inches and supports up to 8K resolution.
For that price, you'll be getting an immersive viewing experience and never seen before picture quality at the comfort of your home. The MicroLED display technology, for those of you who don't know, uses AI up-scaling, Quantum HDR technology along with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. It also supports a 120Hz video rate, which means you'll get a rich and superior visual experience.
The TVs also come with a 100,000-hour lifetime of self-light emitting diodes, with the help of which it will always be on. Add Ambient mode to that, and you are looking at a panel that can display art from paintings, photographs and more just like a digital frame.
The new Wall TVs also come with Quantum Processor Flex technology, which is essentially a machine learning-based picture quality engine that analyzes millions of image data to automatically calibrate a low-res image.
So, what about the pricing? Well, the prices for the latest TVs range from Rs 3.5 Crore to up to Rs 12 Crore. And, these are exclusive of taxes, which means they'll be more if you decide to bring them home. That's what you have to pay to bring home one of the most sophisticated pieces of technology.
The Wall Luxury Edition will be exclusively available at Samsung's briefing Centre in Gurugram and you can also book private viewings from starting today.


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Oklahoma Forestry Services will be in downtown Tulsa tomorrow selling seedlings. It’s one stop in a month-long, statewide truck sale for conservation purposes like erosion control.
Nursery manager Scott Huff says the minimum order is 100 seedlings.
"We have several varieties of pine trees. We have several varieties of oak trees. We have shrubs. We have lacebark elm. There's several different varieties that we have," Huff said. "You know, Oklahoma's a great state, and it's pretty big, so we try to provide a little bit of everything that will grow throughout the state."
The agency is selling trees at cost for people to use for conservation purposes such as windbreaks, wildlife habitat and erosion control.
"We look at trees as being a tool to help conservation," Huff said. "Not a catchall and endall of everything we do, but trees are — if used properly — a good tool to help enhance these things."
The sale will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the M.e.t. Recycling Center, 1101 S Cincinnati Ave. Huff said 100 trees cost about $88, and they come in bundles of 50.


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|By Kevin Benedict||
|February 14, 2013 07:00 AM EST||
Also read Enterprise Mobility Asia News Weekly
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During the three-month average ending in December 2012 (Q4), 54 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers owned a smartphone, according to the latest figures from comScore MobiLens. That represents a 19.2 percent rise from the three-month average ending March 2012 (Q1 – 45.3 percent). Read Original Content
According to Canalys, in the smartphone market, Android handsets accounted for 69 percent of the 216.5 million shipped. Android’s share did, however, dip sequentially from 74 percent as Apple’s share grew from 15 percent to 22 percent on the strength of the iPhone 5. Read Original Content
BlackBerry executives have opted against launching two new smartphone models in Japan, in blunt acknowledgement that competitor Apple is beating them on sales and grabbing up market shares. Read Original Content
ClickSoftware is an SAP mobility partner and the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. This newsletter is sponsored in part by ClickSoftware.
According to Canalys the total mobile phone market, at 438.1 million units, was flat year-on-year, while the worldwide smart phone market grew 37 percent. Android smart phones accounted for 34 percent of all phone shipments and iOS phones 11 percent. Smart phones now represent almost 50 percent of all the phones that shipped in Q4 2012. Read Original Content
In an interview with German magazine Wirtschafts Woche, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak noted he thinks Apple is "somewhat behind" with the features of its iPhones in comparison to the rest of the smartphone business. "Others have caught up," he said. "Samsung is a great competitor. But precisely because they are currently making great products." Read Original Content
Read Original Content
The smartphone gained two percent market share in the U.S. between October 2012 to December 2012, according to recent to comScore data. During those three months Apple held 36 percent of the market, making it the number one smartphone maker in the U.S. Read Original Content
More than 50 percent of U.S. smartphone owners who say they have unlimited data showed interest in plans that allow customization, speed guarantees, or sharing of data on family plans for multiple devices, according to a new report from research firm Strategy Analytics. Read Original Content
The BlackBerry Z10 is "selling almost three times better" than previous BlackBerry models have in their first week, according to a Bloomberg report that cites company Chief Executive Thorsten Heins as the source. Read Original Content
It looks like Microsoft and Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei are gearing up to release a new smartphone for the African market. The Huawei 4Africa phone features a four-inch screen and five mega-pixel rear camera. Microsoft also plans to bring Nokia into the game with two custom African Windows Phones from the Finnish handset maker. Read Original Content
Smartphones running the open source Ubuntu operating system will be available to customers beginning in October 2013, according to Mark Shuttleworth, founder and CEO of Canonical Ltd. Read Original Content
Research In Motion Ltd sales of BlackBerry OS have lagged behind sales of the competing Windows Phone software offered by Microsoft Corporation. The news augments a shift in concentration from the top two spots on the smartphone food chain, onto the battle for third place. Read Original Content
T-Mobile USA MVNO Solavei is offering U.S. customers a chance to buy the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone at least a month before any other U.S. customers. The catch, however, is that the device is unlocked and will cost $999. Read Original Content
According to IDG News Service, HTC and Nokia are preparing to go head-to-head with new cameras on upcoming smartphones, as they hope to steal market share from Apple and Samsung Electronics. Read Original Content
Apple's iPhone remains the top choice for enterprise customers as they think about their next smartphone purchase, but Microsoft should take heart as more business users are thinking about purchasing a Windows tablet over an iPad for their next tablet purchase, according to Forrester Research. Read Original Content
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If you’re responsible for an application that depends on the data or functionality of various IoT endpoints – either sensors or devices – your brand reputation depends on the security, reliability, and compliance of its many integrated parts. If your application fails to deliver the expected business results, your customers and partners won't care if that failure stems from the code you developed or from a component that you integrated. What can you do to ensure that the endpoints work as expect...
Sep. 27, 2016 05:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,652
So, you bought into the current machine learning craze and went on to collect millions/billions of records from this promising new data source. Now, what do you do with them? Too often, the abundance of data quickly turns into an abundance of problems. How do you extract that "magic essence" from your data without falling into the common pitfalls? In her session at @ThingsExpo, Natalia Ponomareva, Software Engineer at Google, provided tips on how to be successful in large scale machine learning...
Sep. 27, 2016 05:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,983
In his general session at 18th Cloud Expo, Lee Atchison, Principal Cloud Architect and Advocate at New Relic, discussed cloud as a ‘better data center’ and how it adds new capacity (faster) and improves application availability (redundancy). The cloud is a ‘Dynamic Tool for Dynamic Apps’ and resource allocation is an integral part of your application architecture, so use only the resources you need and allocate /de-allocate resources on the fly.
Sep. 27, 2016 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,753
If you had a chance to enter on the ground level of the largest e-commerce market in the world – would you? China is the world’s most populated country with the second largest economy and the world’s fastest growing market. It is estimated that by 2018 the Chinese market will be reaching over $30 billion in gaming revenue alone. Admittedly for a foreign company, doing business in China can be challenging. Often changing laws, administrative regulations and the often inscrutable Chinese Interne...
Sep. 27, 2016 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 279
Enterprise IT has been in the era of Hybrid Cloud for some time now. But it seems most conversations about Hybrid are focused on integrating AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google ECM into existing on-premises systems. Where is all the Private Cloud? What do technology providers need to do to make their offerings more compelling? How should enterprise IT executives and buyers define their focus, needs, and roadmap, and communicate that clearly to the providers?
Sep. 27, 2016 05:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,592
Complete Internet of Things (IoT) embedded device security is not just about the device but involves the entire product’s identity, data and control integrity, and services traversing the cloud. A device can no longer be looked at as an island; it is a part of a system. In fact, given the cross-domain interactions enabled by IoT it could be a part of many systems. Also, depending on where the device is deployed, for example, in the office building versus a factory floor or oil field, security ha...
Sep. 27, 2016 04:45 PM EDT Reads: 382
SYS-CON Events announced today that Commvault, a global leader in enterprise data protection and information management, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Commvault is a leading provider of data protection and information management solutions, helping companies worldwide activate their data to drive more value and business insight and to transform moder...
Sep. 27, 2016 03:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,759
The many IoT deployments around the world are busy integrating smart devices and sensors into their enterprise IT infrastructures. Yet all of this technology – and there are an amazing number of choices – is of no use without the software to gather, communicate, and analyze the new data flows. Without software, there is no IT. In this power panel at @ThingsExpo, moderated by Conference Chair Roger Strukhoff, panelists will look at the protocols that communicate data and the emerging data analy...
Sep. 27, 2016 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,691
Digital innovation is the next big wave of business transformation based on digital technologies of which IoT and Big Data are key components, For example: Business boundary innovation is a challenge to excavate third-party business value using IoT and BigData, like Nest Business structure innovation may propose re-building business structure from scratch, as Uber does in the taxicab industry The social model innovation is also a big challenge to the new social architecture with the design fr...
Sep. 27, 2016 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,267
Fifty billion connected devices and still no winning protocols standards. HTTP, WebSockets, MQTT, and CoAP seem to be leading in the IoT protocol race at the moment but many more protocols are getting introduced on a regular basis. Each protocol has its pros and cons depending on the nature of the communications. Does there really need to be only one protocol to rule them all? Of course not. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Matthieu, co-founder and CTO of Octoblu, walk you through how Oct...
Sep. 27, 2016 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 2,207
Is your aging software platform suffering from technical debt while the market changes and demands new solutions at a faster clip? It’s a bold move, but you might consider walking away from your core platform and starting fresh. ReadyTalk did exactly that. In his General Session at 19th Cloud Expo, Michael Chambliss, Head of Engineering at ReadyTalk, will discuss why and how ReadyTalk diverted from healthy revenue and over a decade of audio conferencing product development to start an innovati...
Sep. 27, 2016 02:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,009
Data is an unusual currency; it is not restricted by the same transactional limitations as money or people. In fact, the more that you leverage your data across multiple business use cases, the more valuable it becomes to the organization. And the same can be said about the organization’s analytics. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Bill Schmarzo, CTO for the Big Data Practice at EMC, will introduce a methodology for capturing, enriching and sharing data (and analytics) across the organizati...
Sep. 27, 2016 01:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,715
There is little doubt that Big Data solutions will have an increasing role in the Enterprise IT mainstream over time. Big Data at Cloud Expo - to be held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA - has announced its Call for Papers is open. Cloud computing is being adopted in one form or another by 94% of enterprises today. Tens of billions of new devices are being connected to The Internet of Things. And Big Data is driving this bus. An exponential increase is...
Sep. 27, 2016 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,662
IoT is fundamentally transforming the auto industry, turning the vehicle into a hub for connected services, including safety, infotainment and usage-based insurance. Auto manufacturers – and businesses across all verticals – have built an entire ecosystem around the Connected Car, creating new customer touch points and revenue streams. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Macario Namie, Head of IoT Strategy at Cisco Jasper, will share real-world examples of how IoT transforms the car from a static p...
Sep. 27, 2016 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,600
SYS-CON Events has announced today that Roger Strukhoff has been named conference chair of Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo 2016 Silicon Valley. The 19th Cloud Expo and 6th @ThingsExpo will take place on November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. "The Internet of Things brings trillions of dollars of opportunity to developers and enterprise IT, no matter how you measure it," stated Roger Strukhoff. "More importantly, it leverages the power of devices and the Interne...
Sep. 27, 2016 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 3,219
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with the 19th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world and ThingsExpo Silicon Valley Call for Papers is now open.
Sep. 27, 2016 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 4,563
SYS-CON Events announced today that China Unicom will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. China United Network Communications Group Co. Ltd ("China Unicom") was officially established in 2009 on the basis of the merger of former China Netcom and former China Unicom. China Unicom mainly operates a full range of telecommunications services including mobile broadband (GSM, WCDMA, LTE F...
Sep. 27, 2016 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,792
"My role is working with customers, helping them go through this digital transformation. I spend a lot of time talking to banks, big industries, manufacturers working through how they are integrating and transforming their IT platforms and moving them forward," explained William Morrish, General Manager Product Sales at Interoute, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Sep. 27, 2016 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,889
Video experiences should be unique and exciting! But that doesn’t mean you need to patch all the pieces yourself. Users demand rich and engaging experiences and new ways to connect with you. But creating robust video applications at scale can be complicated, time-consuming and expensive. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Zohar Babin, Vice President of Platform, Ecosystem and Community at Kaltura, will discuss how VPaaS enables you to move fast, creating scalable video experiences that reach your...
Sep. 27, 2016 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,076
In his keynote at 18th Cloud Expo, Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise, provided an overview of the evolution of the Internet and the Database and the future of their combination – the Blockchain. Andrew Keys is Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise. He comes to ConsenSys Enterprise with capital markets, technology and entrepreneurial experience. Previously, he worked for UBS investment bank in equities analysis. Later, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of life sett...
Sep. 27, 2016 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,506


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Hollywood stars taking up veganism is nothing new: plenty of celebs -- Jessica Simpson and Olivia Wilde among them -- value forgoing animal products in favor of a plant-based diet. Last January, even our former cheeseburger-loving president, Bill Clinton, jumped on the bandwagon as a health precaution.
But vegan babies? Yes. Alicia Silverstone has been raising her three-month-old baby, Bear Blu, on a strictly vegan diet. And they're not just in Hollywood: Many parents are raising their children on a meat, fish, dairy and yes, even honey-free diet (don't forget about those bees).
"To raise our kids vegan was never really a question," said Caity McCardell, 43, a mom of two and blogger who lives in Oceano, Calif. McCardell and her husband have raised their daughter and son vegan since they were born (the children are now 6 and 8-years-old).
In January, the Associated Press reported that estimates put vegans in America at around 1 percent of the population. But while the diet may be more mainstream than it once was, some still wonder how women like McCardell manage to make it through pregnancy and breastfeeding without any animal products. (It may be especially difficult to grasp for moms who remember craving cheeseburgers and Oreo milkshakes during pregnancy, both off-limits if you're vegan.)
McCardell acknowledges she struggled: She even confessed to a vegetarian magazine about having dreams of Jack in the Box sandwiches and requesting that a manager at a natural foods store find her some cheese from "happy goats." (She didn't buy any, but still cried the whole way home). During a particularly intense craving for meat and cheese as she made her way through the Taco Bell drive-through window, she almost caved.
"I was in this crazy place of hunger, and I ordered some tacos with no cheese and no meat. I can remember wanting to tell her, 'If you leave cheese on it's really okay,' " she said.
McCardell cheated only once during two pregnancies (she ate some feta cheese on a salad but besides that, she remained animal free). She says her kids turned out perfectly healthy.
"My kids are above average at school and they're super tall," she said. "It's not like they're these twiggy, skinny, little people who don’t get all the nutrients they need."
Getting past the idea of a vegan pregnancy is one thing, but a child who doesn't drink milk? That image is harder for some to accept.
"I have recently met 3 separate moms planning on raising vegan babies... is this a new trend? Can this possibly be healthy? WTF?" one user wrote last month in a community forum on urbanbaby.com last month.
"This is ridiculous," answered one respondent.
"I think its criminal," said another.
Some level of skepticism and concern is understandable: The idea of milk being one of the magic ingredients that makes children grow has long been ingrained in our culture (not to mention that kid-food basics like string cheese and chicken fingers tend to be convenient).
A March article from NaturalNews.com goes so far as to instruct parents to lie to Child Protective Services and say they're giving their children meat and dairy to avoid the harsh judgment that often comes with the lifestyle choice. Misguided vegans have invited negative attention over the years, which may have caused some of this hesitation, and several infant deaths have been associated with uneducated veganism.
In 2007 in Atlanta, two vegan parents were sentenced to life in prison after their son died of malnourishment. They'd been feeding him a diet of soymilk and apple juice. And in April, an 11-month-old baby died after suffering complications from vitamin deficiencies. The parents weren't giving her any solid foods (the mother was vegan and exclusively breastfeeding the child, even though traditional pediatricians and vegan doctors alike recommend introducing solid foods at around six months).
Veganism didn't cause the deaths. A baby fed only cow's milk and apple juice would have also been seriously malnurished. But, these instances highlight the risks of pairing a nutritionally restrictive lifestyle with inadequate education.
Following the Atlanta case, food author and ex-vegan Nina Planck argued in a controversial New York Times op-ed that vegan mothers were irresponsible and that it's not possible to raise a child healthily on a plant-based diet. Many readers, including an expert witness for the prosecution in the Atlanta case, were outraged and wrote to debunk her claims.
Those in favor of veganism argue that for every nutrient found in an omnivore's diet, there's a plant-based equivalent.
"In our culture we learn to associate certain foods with certain nutrients: beef with iron and protein, and cows' milk with calcium," said Tracy Wilson, a restaurant manager living in Washington, D.C., who is also raising two vegan children. "People don’t say, 'Make sure you eat your kale for your calcium.' "
Wilson attributed some negative perceptions of veganism to many Americans' confusion about the nutritional value of various foods.
"It's hard to break down the social prejudice around food and realize that there's a perfectly healthy way to live -- and be pregnant -- while being vegan," Wilson said.
Sure, there's never going to be a "Vegan McDonald's" on every corner, Wilson said, but maintaining a plant-based diet is not as hard as people think. Most of her friends are vegan, and her kids' public charter school even lists vegan as an option on its medical questionnaire right along with food allergies.
Vandana Sheth, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (and a vegetarian herself) said she's seen an increase in vegan and vegetarian clients in the last five to 10 years and said the trend doesn't concern her. Further, the ADA supports well-planned vegan diets as healthy for infants and toddlers.
"Vegan eating patterns can be healthy for anyone at any stage of life as long as it well-balanced," Sheth said.
She said vegan eaters should be particularly cognizant of iron, calcium, vitamin D and zinc intake, as well as getting enough vitamin B-12. Without proper food planning or supplementation, vegan women's breast milk is at risk of being low in Vitamin B-12, which is important for neurological development.
Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, head of the nutritional committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the health benefits of a vegan diet include lower rates of heart disease, obesity, cholesterol and certain types of cancer. But educating yourself as a parent is key to making the diet work for a child.
"There are advantages, but it has to be done properly," said Bhatia. "If you want to choose a lifestyle there's nothing wrong with it, but don’t make the assumption that you can do it without knowing exactly what you're feeding your child and yourself."
Bhatia suggested that vegan moms consult a nutritionist or registered dietitian to make sure they're aware of what they might be lacking and how to compensate. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit physicians organization that promotes veganism, has guidelines for pregnant vegans and suggestions for how they can get more of these nutrients.
Kristen Suzanne, a blogger and cookbook author living in Arizona, eats a vegan diet, and her 14-month old daughter does as well. She's never heard backlash on her blog from anyone who opposes her lifestyle, and she in part attributes that to the vegan lifestyle becoming more mainstream.
Of course, at 14-months, it's easy to dictate what a child eats. But what about what about when these vegan babies are all grown up?
"I really hope to share my passion for the animals and the earth with her. ... My hope is that she follows that," said Suzanne, who acknowledged there is going to come a point when her daughter will be making her own decisions.
"When she's old enough to go out for dinner with friends, she can chose on her own. I'm not going to say 'You can't be my daughter because you chose chicken.' "


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If Turnbull wants to really unleash Australia's potential, he should hire Martin Parkinson.
Lucy Battersby Google+
Lucy Battersby is Trends Reporter for The Age. Prior to this, she worked as a technology reporter. She worked on communications policy for the federal government before joining Fairfax in 2006.
Lucy Battersby THE Tasmanian and federal governments have quietly killed off a secret joint venture that would have given the state government shares in NBN Co's privatisation in return for granting free access to...
Lucy Battersby TELSTRA risks a damaging hit to its credit rating unless it can make new mobile products and internet services as profitable as the fixed telephone network had been.
Lucy Battersby THE Reserve Bank's surprise decision to increase the official cash rate yesterday lifted banking shares and sent the Australian dollar above parity with the US dollar.
Lucy Battersby Australia's dollar pushed through parity with its US counterpart for the second time in three weeks after a shock lift in rates by the Reserve Bank.
Lucy Battersby Macquarie Group has hit back at claims it acted improperly by taking on equipment leasing deals designed by telecommunications companies.
Lucy Battersby TELSTRA will axe 950 executive and middle-management jobs in corporate offices around Australia in a bid to cut costs and reduce bureaucracy, the company announced yesterday.
Lucy Battersby Telstra will slash almost 1000 jobs across the country.
Lucy Battersby THE futures market froze for almost two hours yesterday when three products tripped up the wider market just seconds after key economic data was released.
Lucy Battersby NBN Co and the competition watchdog will consult the telecommunications industry for two weeks on a controversial engineering recommendation aimed at making broadband services available in rural...
Lucy Battersby THE communications regulator is to overhaul Australia's telephone numbering system after noticing an increase in the use of phone calls on the internet, as well as general consumer apathy about the...
Lucy Battersby The communications regulator is set to overhaul Australia's telephone numbering system after noticing an increase in the use of internet-based phone calls, as well as general consumer apathy about...
Lucy Battersby TELSTRA may be forced to charge lower wholesale prices for fixed broadband services as the competition watchdog considers backing out of a 2008 decision not to regulate wholesale services.
Lucy Battersby NBN Co is overwhelmed by the number of households in mainland test sites signing up for an optical fibre connection to the national broadband network.
Lucy Battersby AUSTRALIA POST has set aside $150.2 million for redundancies over the next five years as it is restructured to reap more revenue from retail products, providing services for the government and...
Lucy Battersby Optus has fired a defensive shot ahead of Telstra's anticipated grab for lucrative prepaid customers with a new pricing strategy offering calls for $1 a day.
Lucy Battersby OPTUS has fired a defensive shot at Telstra's expected grab for lucrative prepaid customers with a pricing strategy offering unlimited calls for $1 a day.
Lucy Battersby NBN Co is close to signing up a satellite provider to supply broadband to remote households, delivering on a promise that helped Labor secure the support of the independents to form government.
Lucy Battersby TELSTRA has hired a former banking e-commerce specialist to improve its online capabilities as part of a plan to increase self-service among its customer base.
Lucy Battersby MINING earnings are at risk if the Australian dollar remains strong against the greenback, as retail investors look for opportunities to benefit from the currency's historically high levels.
Lucy Battersby THE competition regulator says slowing broadband speeds after customers exceed a download limit on an ''unlimited'' plan is like selling them a Ferrari with one gear.


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Considering leaving the falling BlackBerry
The falling sales of BlackBerry devices has been much publicized in recent times as the likes of the iPhone and Android platform have been taking away RIM’s market share. The company is seemingly working hard to turn things round though, but many users may be considering leaving the BlackBerry platform.
It seems RIM are looking at new ways to tempt users to either stay or join the platform after recently being awarded a new patent, which according to Engadget could make history. The patent in question is described as an adjustable acoustic speaker output that is “based on an estimated degree of seal of an ear about a speaker port”.
This means that the speaker volume would automatically adjust itself depending on how far the device is held from the ear, and the description details “at least one touch sensor”. This would be used for working out the distance between the handset and the user’s ear, and the connecting method of adjusting audio depending what the sensor picks up.
We have already reported previously that a growing number of business users are now favouring Apple’s iPhone over the BlackBerry platform, which was once the handset of choice amongst business users. Even staffers up at Capitol Hill are switching to the iPhone in growing numbers as the BlackBerry popularity continues to wane.
RIM are now looking at taking a new direction as it looks to launch the BlackBerry 10 operating system sometime this year, which should be showcased at May’s BlackBerry World event. This comes as the company slashes prices of its handsets in an attempt to grab a bigger market share in India.
As an article over at the Hindustan Times is reporting the company has cut prices by up to 26 percent with the entry level Curve 8520 now costing Rs 8,999 compared to Rs 10,990 previously, which is a drop of more than 18 percent. While the price of the Curve 9380 and Curve 9360 has fallen to Rs 16,990 and Rs 18,990 from Rs 20,990 and Rs 19,990 respectively.
Are you thinking of leaving the BlackBerry platform for a rival phone brand despite a new patent being granted that will make calls better? With shares and prices falling is it time to move on or stay put with BlackBerry?


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Thanks to newly leaked CAD files, we know the front of the Galaxy S21 Ultra will be almost 100% display thanks to record breakingly-small bezels. The CADs were obtained by popular Samsung insider Ice Universe:
“Galaxy S21 Ultra CAD shows that the chin and side bezels are basically the same. It will be the narrowest chin mobile phone in history,” the tipster explained.
And the CADs are stunning. Close up images (example below) show the bottom bezel of the Galaxy S21 Ultra is essentially nothing more than a lip to hold the display in place. While some will worry about accidental touches and durability, the upside is it will likely mean that the new Galaxy flagship can retain the same massive 6.9-inch display but within a smaller chassis.
On the flipside, early leaked renders suggest these advances will not be carried over to the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus. Which, if true, would be a serious error in my opinion given the plaudits Apple is currently receiving for making the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max more compact, while also introducing the new iPhone 12 mini for the many smartphone owners who prefer to be able to use their devices one-handed.
And this isn’t the only area where the Galaxy S21 Ultra looks set to stand out from its stable mates. New leaks confirm it will support Samsung’s S Pen, something which has put the future of the Galaxy Note series in doubt. Such a move would be risky, but it appears we won’t have to wait long before Samsung reveals its plans.
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To celebrate 110 years of business, Hotpoint Through the Ages campaign will be run on social media by the domestic appliance manufacturer.
Consumers are being asked to share images and stories of themselves or their family members with old Hotpoint appliances on Instagram.
The best story or picture shared on Instagram, tagging @hotpoint.co.uk and using the #Hotpoint110Years hashtag, will be in with the chance of winning £1,000 of Hotpoint appliances.
The company will also be showcasing the history of the brand through the ages, with flashbacks to its retro Hotpoint adverts on social media.
Additionally, the company will be releasing a limited-edition version of its logo to mark the occasion, which will replace the modern logo on social media for the duration of the competition.
Hotpoint was officially founded in 1911 and the company’s name originated from the main product in the brand’s offering at the time, the electric iron, which was designed to stay ‘hot at the point’.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Hotpoint went on to develop its first washing machines and refrigerators, while also manufacturing kettles, portable clothes dryers and vacuum cleaners.
Hotpoint expanded its portfolio during the 1970s and 1980s to include dishwashers, cookers and built-in appliances, and the brand also increased its colour palette, marking an end to just manufacturing ‘white’ appliances.
Hotpoint is now the most recognised white goods brand in the UK, according to Kantar 2020 Brand Health Tracking Report and 92 per cent of its customers state that they would buy from Hotpoint again finds Revoo.
It has also received several awards and accreditations across its range of appliances, from Quiet Mark, Which? and Good Housekeeping, as well as the iF Design Award.
Hotpoint also works closely with the Youreko energy-saving tool, which is installed on the brand’s website, and rates products according to running costs and demonstrates an appliance’s lifetime energy financial savings.
Hotpoint brand manager Kimberley Garner said: “We are delighted to be celebrating Hotpoint’s 110 year anniversary.
“Hotpoint has been by UK families’ sides for 110 years and, while our company has evolved over the years to adapt to the changing times and ever-evolving marketplace, our message throughout this time has remained consistent.
“We are passionate about being a brand that cares for its customers, manufacturing high quality, innovative and reliable appliances that have been a staple in consumers’ homes for 110 years.
“Our Hotpoint Through the Ages campaign will enable us to connect with both new and existing customers while showcasing the diverse history of our brand.
“We are proud to continue to deliver outstanding results for generations of families in the UK, and we are excited to hear the stories behind our appliances from our valued customers.”


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Minnesota Vikings fans can now enjoy breakfast with starting quarterback Kirk Cousins of the Vikings. Midwestern grocer Hy-Vee, Inc. announced this week that its new private brand cereal created in partnership with Cousins and the Julie and Kirk Cousins Foundation will begin appearing on store shelves across the state of Minnesota beginning Oct. 15.
The cereal—Cousins CinnaMINN Snaps—will be available in select Hy-Vee stores throughout Minnesota and only for a limited time.
This limited-edition collector’s product is expected to raise $21,000 for the Julie and Kirk Cousins Foundation. The Foundation plans to donate the proceeds to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, which has 11 club sites throughout the Twin Cities.
“Kirk Cousins is a true inspiration both on and off the field,” said Matt Nickell, group vice president, sports marketing for Hy-Vee. “His dedication to not only his team but also the Minnesota community is why we are excited to partner with him and the Julie and Kirk Cousins Foundation to launch this new cereal, while providing much-needed support for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities.”
“Since joining the Vikings, Julie and I have been embraced by Minnesotans and have seen first-hand the supportive nature of this community,” said Cousins. “This partnership with Hy-Vee is another opportunity for us to reciprocate that support and give back to an impactful Minnesota organization like the Boys & Girls Club of the Twin Cities.”
Cousins CinnaMINN Snaps cereal was developed in partnership with Hy-Vee by PLB Sports, Inc. The cereal will only be available while supplies last.


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"Our cover story is an exclusive look behind the scenes at Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. The game's leads, Haden Blackman and Julio Torres discuss their vision for the franchise, the problems with the original, its critical reception, and the challenges of developing new storylines in the Star Wars universe. We also learn why feathered hats, Wookiee-based superhero games and daddy issues were instrumental in the creation of the new franchise."
Rebelscum Breast Cancer Awareness Charity Patch Posted By Philip on November 25, 2014: Thanks to everybody that ordered patches. I sent a check for $1,600.00 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation on Monday. While it's not as much as I hoped for, it's still very much appreciated. They will remain for sale in the store for anybody that still wishes to purchase them. Details after the jump.


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Twitter is raising the price of its Twitter Blue subscription it launched in select markets last year. In an email to current subscribers (via Techcrunch), the company announced that the price increase will happen in October, and in the US, Twitter Blue will go from $2.99 to $4.99 per month. The price hike will also impact new subscribers immediately.
Twitter Blue is currently only available in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The subscription provides access to premium features such as Undo Tweet and ad-free articles from partners, though Twitter Blue subscribers don’t get an ad-free experience on the social network.
“At launch, we felt strongly about keeping the cost of the subscription as low as possible while we tested, learned, and gathered feedback. We’ve since refined the vision for this product, conducted significant research, introduced new enhancements with more in development, and as such we are updating pricing,” a company spokesperson said in a statement shared with Techcrunch.
With no ad-free experience or Edit button (the latter is currently in development), Twitter Blue isn’t exactly a must-have for hardcore Twitter users right now. However, the company’s statement hinting that new features are incoming may help to make the price hike slightly easier to swallow.
Twitter has yet to disclose how many of its users subscribe to Twitter Blue, though the service can’t be a huge money maker if it doesn’t expand to more markets. Anyway, the company announced last week a 5% decline in Q2 revenue compared to its previous quarter, citing advertising competition and uncertainty over its pending acquisition by Elon Musk.
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