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While Disney s exit from the self-publishing video game business earlier this month was bad news for fans of its toys-to-life Infinity series, it could be good news for lovers of the classic The Secret of Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion franchises.The titles co-creator, Ron Gilbert, has asked Disney to sell the rights to the games back to him.Gilbert sent out the following Tweet yesterday:Dear @Disney, now that you're not making games, please sell me my Monkey Island and Mansion Mansion IP.I'll pay real actual money for them.— Ron Gilbert @grumpygamer May 23, 2016This was followed by another Tweet that explained he got the name of his own game wrong because he s incapable of proof reading his posts, which is "part of the charm in following him."Five months later, Disney shut down the studio, saying that LucasArts would better serve the company by licensing properties instead of developing them in-house.
First, the robots came for our factory jobs, then for our fast-food jobs.On Thursday, the audio-processing company Landr founded in 2014 announced its partnership with the hugely popular self-publishing music platform SoundCloud.Landr's landing site describes the mastering process as "complicated and elusive," then insists that its product, which is almost entirely algorithm-driven, delivers a quality product for small-fry musicians by intentionally limiting how many options they can pick from.However, Landr's version of Flato's composition saved us some trouble.Whatever Landr has cooking in its "micro-genre detection" algorithm failed to acknowledge that Flato's music lacks anything in the way of vocals, drums, rhythm, or even key changes.Jones' brief tinkering with SoundCloud and Landr left him wondering why the service was so insistent on its less-is-more philosophy: "If there are certain things I like about a Landr master—and thus would like to retain—but other areas that are in need of specific improvements or complete changes, it is important that the musician is able to communicate those exact things and then to expect specific results based on those parameters."
1 hit in the Chinese iOS mobile game market, but it accomplished it by self-publishing the title.Kabam s free-to-play Marvel: Contest of Champions has generated well over $100 million in the West to date, and the company was eager to take it to China.How that happened is an instructive lesson for Western game companies who want to succeed in China, which has the largest mobile game market in the world with $7.1 billion in revenue.Kent Wakeford, the chief operating officer of Kabam, said in an exclusive interview with GamesBeat that the company initially partnered with Longtu to make the game.But Kabam saw that the opportunity on Apple devices, where file sizes could be larger, could enable a big game and a big investment.In China, it s OK to create pay to win free-to-play games, where players who spend a lot of money can gain VIP advantages over those who don t. We had to redesign the game so that it catered to the VIPs, Wakeford said.There s a feature dubbed auto-fight, where you could skip the fight and then move on to the loot grinding and the meta game.We sensed a different perspective working with a different third-party.We have the marketing infrastructure set up, the customer support system, and we have now tested the devices and operating systems and worked through all of the quality assurance and certification issues in China.
Photos at a polling station - bad idea?PhotographyThe commission strongly advises against taking photographs inside a polling station, whether it is of yourself, of your ballot paper, or anything else.Ahead of the 2014 European elections, police warned that those found sharing a photo of a ballot paper could be prosecuted under the 1983 Act, which allows for a prison term of up to six months or a fine of up to £5,000.Although the 1983 Act says publishing any statement relating to the way in which voters have voted is forbidden, the commission says self-publishing how one voted or intends to vote is permitted.According to the commission, A voter may volunteer information about how they voted, provided no undue influence is exerted on them to do so.Where social media users or publishers could run into trouble is breaking rules on exit polls by collating several tweets in a way that might be construed as representative.
But now he s going solo and revealing his new company as MetaArcade, a platform for self-publishing story-based adventure games, GamesBeat has learned.Reid s MetaArcade is creating a self-publishing platform for narrative-based adventure games.And its first title will be a digital remastering of the classic tabletop role-playing game Tunnels & Trolls.The MetaArcade Adventures platform is inspired in part by platforms like WordPress and Twitch, which have enabled massive communities to create content and find an audience, and doing it with tools that are free, easy, fun, shareable, and potentially lucrative, Reid said in an exclusive interview with GamesBeat.You could always do those things, but you needed technical skill.A prototype is in development, and Reid said it will be available for testing this summer.Meanwhile, Reid has secured the rights to Tunnels & Trolls for mobile and computer platforms.Originally created by Ken St. Andre at Flying Buffalo, the game was a reaction to the complexity of Dungeons & Dragons, and so the system was much simpler, Reid said.
For authors and would-be authors, the long wait is over.The beloved writing app Scrivener has finally released an iOS version — and fans in the writing community are stoked.It organized chapters, research material and word processing, all under one roof.The passionate support around the app has only grown over the years.But some of that interest has waned in recent years — as calls for an iOS version of the app went unanswered, and competitors popped up to meet the mobile needs of the self-publishing community.Ulysses, which was released in 2013 and recently won an Apple Design Award, has emerged as a strong desktop alternative to Scrivener.
While he s had hundreds of ideas, someone always shoots them down.But that s not a problem for the 25-year industry veteran.The company has been quietly redefining the traditional role of a video game publisher.Through a mix of other people s ideas and its original intellectual properties, the company hopes to highlight games that would otherwise never get the attention they deserve.In an exclusive interview with GamesBeat, Howe talked about the company s philosophy when it comes to working with developers, the changing landscape of publishing, and the process of creating its own games.After working at big companies like Maxis and Activision, Howe cofounded 505 Games a subsidiary of Italian publisher and developer Digital Bros in 2006 in his spare bedroom in the U.K. For its first five years, 505 was more of a glorified distributor of games that other people already made, Howe told me.It was just a function of the supply chain process.But in 2011, when Howe relocated to 505 s U.S. headquarters, a combination of different events made him realize that the company needed to change its approach.At the time, physical sales at retailers were declining.And self-publishing on digital stores like Steam, Xbox Live, and the PlayStation Network were becoming more and more popular among independent developers.
When I first scheduled the interview with Chris, our intent was to focus on the differences in the publication process between large press, self-publishing and publishing traditionally through a small press.He s made appearances on Global National TV, CBC Newsworld TV, CBC Radio and is a co-founder of Really Awful Movies, a website and podcast that celebrates the very best of low budget cinema.His first book, The Man Who Scared a Shark to Death and other true tales of drunken debauchery , was traditionally published by a large publishing house and he had access to the kind of professional public relations help that landed some significant national press.He second book, Tastes Like Human: The Shark Guys Book of Bitingly Funny Lists, was self-published, and he used what he learned from his traditional experience to do public relations for the second book.The third book, Death by Umbrella!The 100 Weirdest Horror Movie Weapons, was traditionally published in April, by BearManor Media, a small niche press that describes themselves as A small publisher of BIG books about the entertainment of bygone years.
The rise of online self-publishing also means that voracious readers can find unknown indie works on iTunes and the Google Play Store, though, the quality may vary.However, although books downloaded from the iBookstore will automatically be saved in the ePub format, you want to ensure you download the correct file when using other ebook services.Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenAusten s razor wit and dialogue are arguably best in Pride and Prejudice.However, The Scarlet Letter gets extra credit because it was written 160 years ago.Even if the once-controversial title doesn t strike the same kind of controversy now as it did in Hawthorne s day, the book remains important for its harsh rendering of a woman s life in a limiting Protestant community.
London Comic Con is one of the biggest in the UK.Held twice a year at the ExCeL in London's Docklands, the event attracts tens of thousands of comics, anime, and gaming fans from across the country.With this weekend seeing the winter event taking place, WIRED tours the show and takes a look at what's worth your time.Whether you're dressing up for the occasion or just enjoying the parade of heroes, monsters, and video game characters, Comic Con sees some of Europe's best cosplayers wandering the halls.A relatively new addition to Comic Con is the food area.Our personal recommendation is the pumpkin korokke, but if you're feeling brave there's authetic takoyaki octopus-stuffed dough balls .
Blurb, the San Francisco-based book and magazine self-publishing company, launched its first mobile app on Monday.Simply called Blurb, the free app allows iPhone and iPad users to design and order high-quality photo books right from their mobile devices.We wanted to ensure the app we developed is fast and easy to use, while maintaining professional-quality, and allows users to share with friends and family, Blurb CEO Todd Larsen said in a statement.Blurb simplifies the normal photo book design process by providing a streamlined set of options.Users can select from just two sizes, either 7 x 7 or 5 x 5 inches.Simply choose the desired photos contained on your iPhone or iPad and Blur automatically loads them onto virtual book pages.
Related: How This Self-Published Author Sold 10,000 Books with Almost No Money and Zero ConnectionsThat said, authors still have to get creative with marketing.They grow their following before they release their book.Carbonaro released her book a little over a year ago, in October 2015.She accomplished this by following the 80/20 rule: focusing 20 percent of her effort on writing, and 80 percent on promotion.This makes focusing 80 percent of her efforts on promotion a challenge, but she has managed to make it work by being engaging and interactive on social media -- Evan Carmichael and Nexus have both listed her as a top finance expert to follow on Twitter.
When it comes to time management, many bloggers find it difficult to keep up to the plan and the follow ups.After circling the globe for the past five years, I am literally forced offline to fly, bus, or take the train to far off destinations.No way could I become a full time, pro blogger unless I worked for a set period each day then spent 4, 6 or 8 hours offline, enjoying my travels or simply going from Point A to Point B.Factor in that I once wrote and self-published an eBook every day for three months straight I ve written 126 eBooks collectively and I have no wriggle room to waste time.I write and submit 1-3 guest posts weekly.No Infographics, no in-depth podcasts, no adding minutes or hour s worth of work to my day.
In the $36 billion mobile gaming market, Russian developers and publishers are on the rise.And one of the fastest-growing companies is Playrix, which quietly became the No.2 game publisher in Europe in mid-September, according to market researcher App Annie.Playrix is a rare company because it has produced three international hits Township, Fishdom, and Gardenscapes , and it has also been successful self-publishing its games in China and Japan — a rarity for non-Asian game companies.But that s not the only thing that helps them stand out.Quality prevails in everything we do, said Dmitri Bukhman, in an interview.We pay a lot of attention to the details to get players to keep coming back, said Igor Bukhman, cofounder of the company, in an interview with GamesBeat.It s been a long journey for the 12-year-old company, which competes with the likes of Zynga, Jam City, and King.About 15 years ago, during high school, brothers Igor and Dmitri Bukhman started selling shareware programs on the internet in their hometown, Vologda, Russia.
However, while business experts have piles of valuable information they want to share, few have the skills, time or energy needed to put pen to paper and write the book or article.As thought leadership and ghostwriting is on the rise, so are platforms and startups like CreateSpace and Upwork, which are offering the option of hands-off, "book in a box" style ghostwriting or self-publishing contracts.But if someone else writes your book or your content without meeting or speaking to you, what are the chances of that material conveying your true voice and expertise?I spoke to TED Talk contributor and Blooming Twig founder, Dr. Kent Gustavson about the best tactics for working with a ghost to create valuable content that will really make an impact.Kent Gustavson talks about the priceless yet worthless value of well-written and well-crafted books.But the book will also be worthless if it is poorly written, poorly marketed, and sits alone in the author s basement, or at the bottom of Amazon.com.
The digital self-publishing platform will release a consumer subscription product in the next month, Medium CEO Ev Williams announced at the Upfront Summit Thursday.It's going to be an upgrade to your Medium experience."The news comes almost a month after Medium laid off 50 people, a third of its total staff, and closed its offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City.Medium, now over four years old, does generate revenue through advertising, but it hasn't been enough.The company had a shakeup, including layoffs, in June 2015, where, again, Williams took to Medium to share his vision on digital media: "Medium is not a publishing tool.The number of posts nearly quadrupled from 1.9 million in 2015 to 7.5 million in 2016, according to Medium's year in review.
It's a big question in the business space: Is it better to self-publish a book or pitch it to a big publisher?And with self publishing becoming easier than ever, Amazon has become loaded with best-sellers.Books published in 2016 only have about a 1 percent chance of ever seeing the shelves of a bookstore, begging the question: Why publish at all?In 2015, Jared Kleinert published 2 Billion Under 20, a book highlighting millennial entrepreneurs making world-changing moves.The book did well at first, but as with most large publication books it had a limited life cycle and Kleinert had limited rights.On Jan. 17, 2017, Kleinert released his follow up, 3 Billion Under 30.
E-commerce and payment platform Xsolla is launching Xsolla Capital, a $30 million fund that will invest in projects by independent game developers in exchange for royalty rights.The Los Angeles-based company plans to give developers the money they need to finish their games in exchange for getting dividends on royalties once the games start selling.Xsolla Capital will help developers by using knowledge from Xsolla s industry access, global reach, technology infrastructure, and deep market expertise.I am so pleased to launch Xsolla Capital as I have always been passionate about the gaming industry and finding ways to help smaller, independent game developers and publishers succeed, said Aleksandr Agapitov, the CEO and founder of Xsolla and partner in Xsolla Capital, in a statement.By partnering with Xsolla Capital, independent developers will have the capital to finish their potentially industry-changing titles and reaching diverse gaming audiences.In turn, investors will gain from the video games successes and grow this niche within the lucrative industry as a whole.With the unprecedented success of independent titles like Minecraft — with well over 100 million copies sold since 2011, and the growth of video game market revenues reaching $100 billion in 2016 — the consensus is that the market value will increase in revenue by 6 to 8 percent yearly for the next three years.Xsolla Capital will focus on the largely underserved independent game development and self-publishing sector.Along with capital, the developers will have access to all of Xsolla s menu of services from user acquisition, payment solutions, game-store building and management, fraud protection in the gaming industry, international year-round customer support, worldwide marketing, and in-depth data analytics/visualization.Xsolla was founded in 2006 in Russia by Agapitov.
E-learning market size was valued over USD 165 billion in 2015 and is likely to grow at over 5% from 2016 to 2023, exceeding USD 240 billion.If you are looking for a profitable side hustle, creating and self-publishing courses might be a good idea.It's a great solution for busy learners and a great business idea if you have something to teach other people.The potential is great, but like anywhere else, you'll have to work hard and create something valuable people are willing to pay for.Once you're settled, you'll need a platform to host your courses.For each subscriber, the website offers a free ebook about course creation, preparing content for videos, slides and much more.
“A funny thing happened on the way to my retirement…” It’s the first sentence in Julie A. Gerber’s and Carole P. Roman’s book, “Navigating Indieworld: A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book.”Roman goes on to say in the book's introduction that “Indieworld”—a term she coined to describe the world of independent- or self-published writers—is “a vast entity filled with a universe of people driven to do the same thing…A different breed of people live there, yet we all have the same agenda.Oh yes, and make a small fortune in the process.”She said people in Indieworld are seeking what she calls the three F’s: Fame, Fortune and Fulfillment on their way to a dream of “Fifty Shades of Gray” status “without getting screwed.”The “Fifty Shades of Gray,” trilogy was that once-in-a-lifetime self-publishing phenomenon of 2011 that has sold more than 125 million copies in 52 languages worldwide, with two movies to its credit so far.Roman said she “fell through the rabbit hole of independent publishing” in 2012 when her oldest son encouraged her to attempt to write a book—a new direction to take in life that might ease the pain of her mother’s death.


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Are the days of the desktop numbered? Perhaps, but if there's one group that'll keep it alive, it's the hardcore gaming crowd. For those who simply cannot be without the latest and greatest pushing the newest titles out of their Steam library, Alienware has updated its Aurora gaming desktop this week. Starting now, gamers can build one with Intel's latest Core i7 processors
, including an Extreme Edition option. These chips have up to six cores and 15MB of cache, with overclocked speeds reaching a blistering 4.3GHz using Turbo Boost.
These chips are, of course, a part of the new Ivy Bridge-E 4000 family, announced this week at IDF in California. The Alienware Aurora will be available on Dell.com in the United States and select countries around the world starting today, with entry builds offering twice the storage (from 1TB to 2TB) over the prior generation. You'll also get a Core i7-4820K with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX760 (1.5GB DDR5), all for $1399. Not a bad entry-level machine nor price, huh?

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COLDWATER (WTVB) - It appears the bandits that knocked off the Verizon Store in Coldwater on St. Patrick’s Day making off with more than $25,000 worth of smart phones and tablets are still at it. A gang of five thieves broke into three phone stores early yesterday in Muskegon and Ottawa Counties. They had the same main objective as the break in of the business on Coldwater’s east side. They were highly organized, wore hoods over their heads and kept their faces down to avoid the video security. They got in and got out within two minutes, taking dozens of high end smart phones and other devices from each store. Detectives say it appears they hit a Sprint store in Muskegon County, then robbed another Sprint and a Verizon outlet in Allendale all within an hour. The phones have since been disabled so their resale value and use is limited, but they could be sold to some unsuspecting buyer over the internet. Authorities say similar crimes have also happened this year in Ohio and Indiana.
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Ambassador Moin ul Haque paid a visit to Kuaishou Headquarters' in Beijing
Ambassador Moin ul Haque paid a visit to Kuaishou Headquarters' in Beijing. He was received by Mr. Liu Zhen, Vice President and Ms. Yin Lu, Director of International Relations.
The Ambassador was briefed about Kuaishou's presence in Pakistan with the name of Snack Video, which has over 07 million viewers. The Ambassador was invited to participate in their "Ambassador's Live Streaming" Program to showcase Pakistan's culture, Products and domestic places. Later Ambassador was given a tour of the facilities at Kuaishou Headquarters including state of the art live streaming studios.
Kuaishou is a popular social-media platform of China with a strong e-commerce business as well. The Ambassador's account on Kuaishou has over 110,000 followers and promotional content of Embassy is seen by millions of viewers in China.
Beijing 21 June, 2022


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Mountain of debt
WHAT HAPPENED THOUGH SOUTH AFRICANS’ domestic debt has risen to its highest level (73,75%) of disposable income ever, according to the SA Reserve Bank’s bulletin for the last quarter of 2006, the Bank has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 9% for the time being. Governor Tito Mboweni said the Bank expects the CPIX inflation rate could rise to around 5,9%, which is just inside the inflation target, and will remain there. BEELD said consumers are happy, but that a further rate increase may have been a good thing, because there are no indications of debt levels and credit extension falling. The Citizen said many would merely feel their minds have been set at rest and simply keep spending. It’s unhealthy that more people in SA have credit than have jobs or savings accounts, the paper reported.
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AZUSA, Calif. (AP) -- Swander Pace Capital is taking cosmetics and skin care company Physicians Formula private in a deal that the companies value at about $65 million.
Swander Pace, a private equity firm, said Wednesday it will pay $4.25 per share in cash for each share of Physicians Formula, which is based in Azusa, Calif. The price represents a 15 percent premium over the stock's closing price Tuesday of $3.68. Company shares topped $4 in May and have stayed below that since then but are still up 15 percent so far this year.
Products from Physicians Formula Holdings Inc. are sold in more than 25,000 stores, including those operated by large chains like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and CVS Caremark Corp. The company said its board of directors has unanimously approved the deal, but shareholders still need to approve it. The acquisition is expected to close later this year.


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Staples to close 10 percent of North American stores
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Staples Inc. plans to close 225 stores in North America by the end of 2015, or about 12 percent of its locations on the continent, the company said today in announcing fourth quarter and full year financial performance.
Locations of stores to be shuttered haven't been announced.
The moves are planned to save $500 million in total as customers increasingly shift to the internet, the company said. About half of Staples sales are now online.
Staples said in its earnings filing: "The savings are expected to come from supply chain, retail store closures and labor optimization, non-product related costs, IT hardware and services, marketing, sales force, and customer service."
Staples CEO Ron Sargent has spoken openly of the need to reinvent the company given the changing way consumers buy office supplies and related products.
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Those interested in owning a Sturgeon Bay Police Department squad car now have a chance to place a bid.
The department is auctioning off six of its used vehicles -- five squads and a pickup truck -- in an online auction.
The squads are all Ford Crown Victoria four-door sedans -- two 2009s, two 2008s and one 1999. The pickup truck is a 1995 Chevrolet S10.
You can find more information here: http://www.maxanet.com/cgi-bin/mndetails.cgi?rlust99
The auction started Monday. Bidding ends November 5.


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Animaze is the free successor to FaceRig, allowing users to become 2D and 3D avatars using only a webcam. As of today, the new Animaze update grants free subscription tier users access to more advanced features. These include audio lip-syncing and the iPhone Bride feature, with more to come at a later date. As a result, for better or worse, it’s now easier than ever to become a VTuber anime girl on platforms like Twitch, Discord, Zoom, Skype, and more.
How to get a webcam avatar overlay (2021)
Animaze is arguably the easiest way to become a 2D or 3D avatar using a webcam or iPhone (iOS) device. The free software is available on PC via Steam, and also on mobile via the Apple App Store.
Following the most recent Animaze update, users’ avatars will lip-sync by picking up on spoken audio. Previously, this was a premium tier reward exclusive to paying customers. Future Animaze patch notes promise to include further improvements, including additional tracking technologies like Leap Motion hand tracking.
Hand tracking is a paid feature right now, so, as a means to keep paying customers happy, Animaze is giving them free cosmetics. Users that subscribe to either of the paid tiers now have access to all original Animaze avatars, backgrounds, props, and emotes as standard. Formerly, these would require a premium currency to unlock — said currency is now reserved exclusively for voice skins.
The Animaze software isn’t just for content creators and VTubers, though. Holotech Studios touts it as a means to overcome on-camera anxiety and for people to express their true selves. Additionally, there’s a range of fantasy skins perfect for role-playing an online Dungeons and Dragons campaign.
For anyone seeking fortune and fame, however, utilizing Animaze to become an anime VTuber is probably the way to go. Many VTubers have an incredibly devoted fans base, though, with this being the internet, there’s also a good chance of courting controversy.


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Housing, Consumer Confidence moving in right direction
Posted November 27, 2012
The good news continues for housing prices across the nation according to two reports out Tuesday. The Case-Shiller Home Price Index delivered two strong metrics: the sixth consecutive month of home price gains and a 3.6 percent improvement in year-over-year prices from the third quarter of 2011 through the third quarter of 2012.
The FHFA also released its Home Price Index findings Tuesday, indicating strength throughout the GSE housing price sector. Their report indicated that prices rose 4.4 percent in the twelve months prior to September 2012.
Consumer Confidence numbers hit their highest reading in four and a half years Tuesday, as was announced by the Conference Board. The reading of 73.7 in November is an increase over the October reading of 73.1, and the momentum associated with improved statistics will hopefully translate into stronger retail sales this holiday season.
The “fiscal cliff” will remain a market concern as we head into the final month of 2012, as will the overall economic well-being of Europe.
Any major announcements in either category could bring market volatility and mortgage rate movement.


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Pentax has confirmed to WDC that it will be making some changes to the sensor in its new DSLR, the K-7, before it goes on sale.
The news follows our review of the model, which was written using a sample containing the v.1.0.0 firmware update that was made available last week.
WDC acquired our sample of the K-7 at the official Pentax UK launch of the camera, where we were informed by Pentax that adding the Firmware update 1.0.0 would make it a full production sample suitable for review.
Pentax UK has now acknowledged that this was an error. A Pentax UK spokesperson told WDC Editor Nigel Atherton today:
‘We gave out the cameras for review in good faith, on the understanding that these were production cameras that could be distributed to the press for review, but have since learned that the engineers have decided to make some very small changes to the sensor before releasing the camera.’
We have amended the wording of our current Pentax K-7 review accordingly, and will post a new version of the review once we receive a new body containing the revised sensor.
WDC apologises for any confusion this has caused to our readers.


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Most of the world's dictators share a common fear, and it's not of
Originally designed as enhanced online chat forums for young Americans,
Baranakov is hardly the only example.
But the sad truth is, the dictators whose people are the most repressed -- locked in abject poverty -- don't have to worry about the social-media problem. In
Other states are catching up.
At the same time, though, the government allowed one of the state's biggest companies, a telecom provider named Zain Bahrain, to sponsor a major business conference there, undoubtedly because it will be quite profitable for the island's hotels, restaurants and other travel-related businesses.
What was the conference about? It's title:


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Protecting user-operated devices, including smartphones, laptops and tablets.
The latest blog on NCSC's own IT, this time how we protect our Windows end user devices from malware.
Intel's report this week of security vulnerabilities emphasises the importance of automating firmware updates
How to keep your shiny new tablets and phones secure
Secure configuration for devices running iOS 11


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The Digital Marketing Institute will host Ireland’s first mobile marketing conference in Dublin on August 16th.
The conference, which will take place at the Lighthouse Cinema, in Smithfield, will feature speakers on mobile marketing from Ireland and the UK.
With smartphone ownership anticipated to rise to 71% in Ireland this year, mobile marketing should be at the core of Irish businesses across many sectors. The conference is aimed at businesses that are looking to develop a mobile marketing strategy.
The panel of speakers includes John Milne, general manager of Europe Celtra UK, Eric Duff from EvolveMobile, Gavin Duff of Amplify, Michelle O’Keefe, MD Yappy and Media Brokers, Julian Douglas, MD Entertainment.ie and Patrick McConville, Head of Media ICAN.
The half day event will cover topics such as planning a mobile strategy, practical tips to get started, the impact of apps on business and successful case studies on the companies who have managed to capitalise on the smartphone and tablet revolutions.
For more information go here.


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Christmas is ages away, right? We’ve got Halloween and Bonfire Night, plus US expats have Thanksgiving to celebrate before the festive countdown even begins. Well, not according to Selfridges, which yesterday whipped out in front of all three of those celebrations to unveil its Christmas windows and full in-store displays, 67 days ahead of December 25.
It’s pipped every other department store on the planet to the post via its ‘With Love From’ windows being the first festive ones to appear in 2017. It meant drafting in a team of 500 people across its London, Manchester and Birmingham sites over the last year to produce the designs, with 100 of them working in non-stop 24-hour rotating shifts across the eight days leading up to the grand reveal. No biggie.
A second selection of windows will be unveiled in London at the end of November too, plus glitter cannons will be releasing confetti from the atrium on a daily basis (Nov 27-Sat Dec 16), and 15,000 metres of LED lights will keep the Oxford Street store sparkling well into the new year.
Want more festive fun? Take a look at these Christmas lights in London or discover what's going on at the Southbank Centre this winter.


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As previously announced, we are thrilled to continue spreading our positive energy through a new commercial with our long-term banking partner, Bank of America! The campaign, titled “Life’s Better When We’re Connected,” will highlight several clients of Bank of America worldwide to show why the connections we make are important to success.
Last week, Bank of America released the long form version of our commercial. This version provides a look into our company’s history, which is deeply rooted in Rhode Island’s former status as world capital of the jewelry industry.
Designer Carolyn Rafaelian, Founder and Creative Director, describes her determination to keeping her family jewelry factory afloat as the industry began to disappear. She discusses how her original collection of cocktail rings started it all and eventually lead to the creation of Alex and Ani.
Our commercial is now airing nationally and will run through the end of March 2014.


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To accommodate production of the new compact Colorado and Canyon pickups, the auto maker has launched a $380 million expansion of its Wentzville, MO, assembly plant.
Buick-GMC dealers receiving total of nine new or significantly refreshed vehicles by end of 2013.
confirms plans to build an all-new GMC Canyon midsize pickup, one of nine fresh vehicles from Buick-GMC in the next 15 months.
“There are buyers out there that want a right-sized truck,” Tony DiSalle, vice president-marketing at Buick-GMC, says during a Thursday conference call with journalists. “There is certainly an opportunity there.”
A redesigned Canyon has been widely anticipated, given the auto maker’s earlier announcement of a new Chevrolet Colorado for production at its Wentzville, MO, assembly plant.
DiSalle confirms the Canyon project ahead of an annual meeting with the Buick-GMC dealer body at GM’s Milford, MI, proving grounds, where the franchise owners drive new product and hear plans for future cars and trucks.
The dealers also learn the two upscale brands, which often share retail space because their customers are so closely linked, will receive nine all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles by the end of next year.
DiSalle counts the Buick Enclave large CUV and LaCrosse large sedan, as well as the GMC Sierra large pickup and Yukon large SUV, among them. Each of the nine products was expected.
GM also releases pricing today on the Buick Encore, saying the small CUV will start at $24,950 including destination charges. Known as the “Baby Enclave,” the Encore occupies an emerging segment with few competitors.
“Judging by our dealer comments, social-media buzz and visitors to Buick.com, there is a lot of pent-up demand for a vehicle of this size, price and character,” DiSalle says.
The marketing executive says the Encore has drawn twice as many requests for additional information by prospective buyers than the Verano small sedan, which has posted nine consecutive months of sales increases since launching late last year.
Through August, Buick sales in the U.S. were down 3.1% to 122,589 units, according to WardsAuto data. Officials blame the decline on an intentional reduction in fleet sales. The brand’s share of the U.S. market in the first eight months slipped to 1.27% from 1.5% in like-2011.
GMC sales through August rose 4.4% to 273,366 units on the strength of demand for the Sierra, although the brand’s U.S. share has ticked down to 2.8% from 3.1% year-ago.
To accommodate production of the new Colorado and Canyon pickups, GM is investing $380 million into the Wentzville facility. Ground broke for the expansion earlier this year. The plant also is home to the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana large cargo and passenger vans.
The midsize-pickup segment has lost popularity in recent years, because large pickups deliver competitive fuel economy and cost only fractionally more. After selling the Ranger for years,has chosen to exit the segment in the U.S., leaving sales leader and as the key players.
In just the past four years, the segment shrunk to 2.3% of industry sales from 3.2%, and unit sales fell to 297,895 in 2011 from 516,875 in 2007.
But GM introduced the new Colorado to Asia/Pacific markets in late 2011 and shortly afterward revealed plans to build the truck in Wentzville as part of a new labor agreement with the United Auto Workers union.
The auto maker’s Shreveport, LA, assembly plant built the trucks until just weeks ago, when the facility went dark as part of GM’s U.S. manufacturing-capacity reductions.
It remains unclear exactly when GM’s new midsize pickups will hit U.S. showrooms, although a WardsAuto forecast schedules the Colorado and Canyon for 2014 as ’15 models.


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BY Staff Reporter | Nov 29, 2014 01:28 PM EST
Actor Kim Soo Hyun attended a fan-signing event at the Lotte Department Store last Friday, an event hosted by the clothing brand Bean Paul Outdoor. Bean Paul Outdoor hosted the event in celebration of the brand's premium jacket Matterhorn down jumper. Actor Kim Soo Hyun met with fans and gave autographs to them at the event. In related news, actor Kim Soo Hyun and actress and singer of the girls' group Miss A Suzy recently filmed a couple fashion shoot, as part of the Bean Paul Outdoor advertisement.
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Honda reveals the 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback, offers new design and more cabin space
Japanese carmaker Honda has officially unveiled the 2022 Honda Civic Hatch back in global markets today. With this launch, the Honda Civic has moved into its 11th generation. Even though the earlier generations of Honda Civic were sedans, the new hatchback is expected to continue the legacy of the Honda Civic.
The new Civic appears more compact visually, gets a new grille and the roofline slopes towards the end while giving it a coup-ish shape. Honda has also claimed that the new civic is quite safe as it gets a 19 per cent increase in torsional rigidity.
The new Civic hatchback gets a 2.0 litre petrol engine coupled with a 6 speed manual transmission, which offers a peak power of 158 hp while offering 187Nm of torque.
The 2022 Honda Civic is offered in eight colour options including two new colour options of New Boost Blue Pearl and Smoky Mauve Pearl.
Also read: Tata Nexon EV Receives New Alloy Wheels & Other Upgrades; Check Details
In terms of size, the 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback is shorter than its predecessor. However, the 11th generation is wider than the 10th generation. This means that the new Civic Hatchback will offer more luggage space than the sedan. On the other hand the current generation car has a longer wheelbase that the outgoing model.
The hatchback features a digital instrument display of 10.2 inches along with a touchscreen of 9 inches. The interior design of the car is similar to that of the sedan. However, the legroom in the rear area of the car is improved.
The Civic hatchback is expected to go on sale initially in Europe and US late this year on in 2022.
Keeping in mind about the low sales of Honda Civic sedan in India, it is unlikely that the 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback will launch in India in the near feature.


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The bulletin notes that while the "C30 successfully achieved its goal to attract new customers to the Volvo brand, pulling a high percentage of customers from brands like Mini, Mazda and Volkswagen," its end is necessitated by the need to develop "high volume products to better sustain our brand health and network viability moving forward," presumably in the U.S. market. Autoblog reached out to Volvo for comment, and they confirmed the news, remarking "...we have made the decision to discontinue C30 production to better position Volvo for the future and the next stages of our model portfolio." (Their full statement is available by scrolling below).
We've been hearing about this transition for years, but frankly, we still don't know what those products might be. The effacing of the C30 leaves the S60, S80, XC60, XC70 and XC90 in the U.S. lineup – the C70 convertible is expected to bow out early next year. From everything we've heard out of Volvo, we're not getting the excellent new V40 or V40 Cross Country, but there have also been rumors of a C90 and an S100 luxury flagship that aren't anything like high volume. We've also heard that company CEO Stefan Jacoby is contemplating a Mini rival, but isn't that what the C30 was supposed to have been?
Perhaps the C30's biggest problem is what it costs to get in one. According to the company's consumer website, there are only two models offered, the base T5 starting at $25,500 and the R-Design at $27,850. The C30s were well equipped, but the Mini Cooper starts at $20,400. For those volume buyers fixated on the bottom line, that stat led to some open minds slamming shut on the C30. The little hatch also could have used a lot more advertising. While we wait for something to take a spot under the S60, the dealer bulletin suggests that the C30 Polestar Limited Edition promised for the U.S. will figure into dealers' final allocations.
Here's hoping that an eventual C30 successor will make a better go of it.
"Launched as a model year 2008, the Volvo C30 is a dynamic, fun-to-drive car that helped us connect with enthusiasts and also fulfilled its purpose in supporting Volvo as a luxury brand with performance credentials. Looking ahead, however, we have made the decision to discontinue C30 production to better position Volvo for the future and the next stages of our model portfolio. We encourage C30 fans to consider the new Limited Edition model currently available, of which only 250 specially numbered cars will be built. With a design that pays homage to the vintage 1800ES, we expect both collectors and enthusiasts to embrace it and carry on the C30 legacy."


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Brewery, pub to open downtown
A new brewery and pub is coming to downtown Sioux Falls.
WoodGrain Brewing Co. plans to open at The Plaza, 101 S. Phillips Ave. later this summer. That's the former CNA Building where Pappy's just opened its café in the lower level. Other tenants include Frontier Bank and DocuTap.
"We're really excited to get going," said Jason Currie-Olson, who co-owns the business with his friends Steve Hartman and Ryan Van Tol. "We want to help cultivate the craft brew culture that's already here."
Currie-Olson has been a home brewer for the last decade and taught several friends how to do it. The dream of opening a brewery "has been percolating a couple years," he said.
They started looking for space early last year but had some trouble finding one that could accommodate the needs of a brewery. They found one when 2,4000 square-feet spot became available in the Plaza. WoodGrain will be located on the first floor next to Frontier Bank in a space that will include a lot of outdoor seating.
"We've got about a third of the space set aside to be a small brew house," Currie-Olson said. "You'll be able to sit in the tavern and actually see the brewery. And we'll have lots of patio access. We're really excited about that."
The lease leaves about 5,000 square feet left on the market on the building's first floor. It could still accommodate another restaurant, said Raquel Blount of Lloyd Companies, who has the space listed. It's the part of the building that's closest to the Phillips Avenue Diner and also would include outdoor access.
"I think it's a well laid out design with a lot of modern flair," Blount said. "So you have a great location with beautiful common areas that make it really conducive for 'Class A' uses."
WoodGrain isn't planning to serve food, but the owners have talked with the owners of Pappy's about ways to partner in offering food and beverages.
The business also will serve craft South Dakota wine. For now the plan is to only sell what's brewed in the pub or in growlers to go, although the owners aren't ruling out broader distribution in the future.
They say they hope to find other ways to partner with area businesses as they become part of the downtown community.
"Downtown is such a vibrant place," Currie-Olson said. "I grew up in Brandon and have known Sioux Falls the last 30 years, and part of our mission is to help continue that grow. We're hoping to pull Phillips Avenue further and further toward Falls Park."


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Refugee appeal organisers have been “amazed” after well-wishers touched by the migrant crisis donated mountains of clothes and other goods.
The items have virtually filled up St Michael’s Church in Llandudno Junction, where they are being temporarily sorted.
Now the Syrian Sisters Cymru group, which ran the impromptu campaign, need somewhere to store the goods before they personally deliver them to refugees - probably in Greece.
Barbara Jones who founded the Syrian Sisters Cymru, and Conwy councillor Julie Fallon who joined it have been taken aback at the public’s outpouring of support for their campaign.
Cllr Fallon said: “It was overwhelming, amazing and emotional.”
“I turned up at the church at 5.45pm (on Monday) and the place was empty. But by the end of the night it was unbelievable.
“There were queues of cars all the way down Glyn y Marl Road waiting for their turn to drop of donations. The clothes were almost up to the ceiling.”
The public also donated nappies, toothbrushes and sanitary products.
Cllr Fallon has been in touch with the Greek Embassy to work out how best to distribute the goods with the Syrian Sisters Cymru in the Greek islands.
To offer temporary storage space call Julie Fallon on 07860 232641.


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Coca Cola Domination of The Beverage Market. Question: Why Coca-Cola Still Dominates The Beverage Market?
Why Coca-Cola Still Dominates the Beverage Market. Two Powerhouses of carbonated soft drink (CSD) Coca-Cola and Pepsi Inc dominate the global market share. With more than 1.9 billion drinks served everyday Coca-Cola is one of the world’s largest beverage companies.
The Coca-Cola Inc began its journey as a drugstore selling a single product for 5 cents a glass. In 1886 pharmacist John Pemberton created Carmel coloured syrup. The mixture contained lot of caffeine, sugar and a few leaves of cocaine. Thus the origin of the name Coke, now the company has over 200 brands which include Coke, Fanta and Sprite. With increase in wellness and trendy lifestyle how is a 135 year old company still managing to dominate the world in CSD?
According to a report in CNBC the company was forced to pivot after the soda consumption saw a decline in the United States largest consumer of CSD. In 2021 Coke launched Topo Chico hard seltzer the company’s first alcoholic beverage in the US almost four decades. The company also made investment into sports performance drinks Body Armor and the purchase of UK’s Costa.
While the pandemic has caused major disruptions in the first quarter of 2021 Coke’s net revenue was up 5% to $9 billion. Coke CEO James Quincey has attributed the success to improving the marketing, cut the portfolio of brands by half, worked with the bottlers to really support the customers in new and different ways they’re open. And result of all that along with a new organisation we’ve stood off has allowed us to say come back to the pre-pandemic days.
Meanwhile the company also worries about further COVID-19 disruptions and ongoing tax with the IRS. In November 2020 a US tax court said that Coca-Cola has to pay the bulk of its $3.4 billion tax bill. Coke has said it would ultimately prevail in litigation with the IRS.
So after 135 years in business how is the soft giant stay in top with decline in CSD consumption. The soda market i the US is $38.5 billion dollar business according to IBIS World. With the pandemic customers are stuck at home with no major sporting or concerts or together events the pandemic has been a mixed bag for soft drink giants. Despite this Coke has exposure to McDonalds and sports venues that its competitors Pepsi or Keurig Dr Pepper.
Coke is sold in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. This diverse representation helps the company in steady growth. Coke also has one of the world’s largest distribution networks and derives more than 40% of sales from developing and emerging economy with the growing middle class. In 2020 Coke reported net operating revenue of $33 billion almost 66% came from outside of the US.
In 2020 environmental group Break Free from Plastic did a global audit of plastic trash with the help of 15,000 volunteers in 55 countries collecting plastic bottles, coffee cup lids, shampoo bottles and surgical masks in a two month clean up. The group said the soft drink giant Coke emerged as the largest polluter with over 14,000 branded Coca-Cola plastics collected in 51 countries. Now Coke has announced the company will recycle the bottles and cans by 2030.
The company has also announced a bottle made of 30% plant based material. They have also tied with Danish Company Pabaco to develop a 100% paper bottle. Another criticism the company faces that it operates in water stressed regions. For this reason the company is working with environmental groups to return 100% of the water used back to the local communities. Coco-Cola’s innovation and concern to address the criticism makes it a leading carbonated soft drink giant globally.


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So a little over a year ago I blogged about Amazon testing a grocery store where you don’t need cashiers and now they have finished testing with just their employees and are opening it to the general public. So now we’ve got shelf-scanning robots at Walmart, self-driving shopping carts, and floor-cleaning robots to replace janitors along with a store that doesn’t even need cashiers. Now they just need a robot to clean up the poop from the fake service dogs and I think they’ve got everything covered.
From USA Today.
SEATTLE – After a year of testing with its own employees, Amazon opens its store that lets you browse, grab and walk out — skipping the checkout line, but not the bill — to the public Monday.
The convenience store and its proprietary technology, made up of hundreds of cameras and sensors and requiring a new Amazon app, dangled the promise of solving a bedrock complaint for shoppers — long checkout lines — when it was unveiled just over a year ago. The high-tech approach, crafted by the company that’s most visibly changed how Americans shop in recent years, suggested grocery shopping was on the cusp of its biggest breakthrough since bar codes.
The change spurred by Amazon Go may be more gradual than that. The technology behind it, called Just Walk Out, is proprietary and Amazon is expected to keep its details secret while it tests it on a small but more varied customer set than the Amazon employees who’ve been using it. It was originally scheduled to open to the public in early 2017 but was delayed in part due to the complexity of the technology.
“This is the definition of disruption. This is Netflix replacing Blockbuster, this is Uber replacing taxis,” said Brendan Witcher, principal analyst with Forrester Research, who shopped in the store last week.
Critics note the disruption could also end up meaning fewer jobs as lines of checkout clerks give way to smart stores that do their own checking out.
The technology comes as huge changes are already rocking the grocery business, including Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods, plus rising numbers of customers who want to order online and have their groceries delivered and shifting tastes that have pushed stores to stock more organic and locally-grown items.
But in the 100 years since the first modern supermarket was opened, no one has ever solved the problem of long lines at checkout.
“Seventy-three percent of consumers we’ve surveyed say one of the things they most want from a company is that it values their time. Amazon Go does that,” said Witcher.
To shop in the store, which is about the size of a 7-Eleven, customers must first download the Amazon Go app and link it to a payment method. Then they open the app on their phone and scan it at the four turnstiles to enter the 1,800 square foot store.
Once inside, cameras in the ceiling, sensors on the shelves and a massive amount of computing power track every item they pick up and what goes into their pockets or bags.
As they move through the store, each item is added to their digital tab. If they pick something up but then put it back, the store knows it and removes the item from their virtual shopping basket.
To check out — there’s a reason it’s called Just Walk Out technology. You just walk out.
“The store knows you’re leaving and it tallies up your items and charges your account,” said Gianna Puerini, vice president for Amazon Go.
The company has no plans to open any more Amazon Go stores or export the technology for the time being, despite intense interest from the public. Even when it was only open in beta mode for staff, tourists stopped occasionally to snap photos of the bright orange “beta participant” sign and peer in the windows.
The last year has been about working the kinks out of the system as Amazon staffers shop. Now that it will be open to the general public, the goal is to learn more about how to make it work for everyone, said Puerini.
“We want it to be effortless and magical,” she said.
Amazon’s been working on the technology for five years, an investment of time and money that Witcher doesn’t think any other retailers would be able to make, and he expects Amazon to hold it close for a long time.
“The smart move is to make this Amazon-only. What an amazing service, to be able to remove something that’s been a huge pain point for consumers. ” he said.
He also doesn’t expect it to show up in Whole Foods stores, the high end grocery chain Amazon bought last year.
A large, full-service supermarket, which typically carries around 38,000 items, would be a very different and difficult problem from the small size and limited selection offered at Amazon Go. “This works in a special type of format and a special store,” he said.
What it’s like
They sit on shelves that look no different than any other store shelf, though perhaps a tad cleaner. But they’re full of hidden sensors that note when an item’s been removed or when it’s been put back.
Above, hundreds of cameras, painted matte black to blend in with the ceiling, are trained on every potential space, capturing movement.
One difference in the selection is that there are no individual pieces of fruits such as apples or bananas and no items that vary in weight or size.
Ready-made sandwiches, salads and other items come in plastic containers, a small subset of which are tagged with a dot-based readable system similar to a bar code that in some cases help the Just Walk Out Technology identify products.
Items of the same kind, such as a certain kind of salad, all weigh and cost the same amount. That way the technology only has to know the customer grabbed a tabouli salad, not which specific tabouli salad container they chose.
The store also offers a basic lineup of grocery items, including milk, condiments, coffee, tea, toilet paper and the like. In the back, a small wine and beer corner is presided over by an Amazon staffer who checks ID.
A popular item among Amazonians — or Amazon staff —is a wall of ready-to-cook meal kits. They offer everything needed to cook a dinner for two in 30 minutes. “People grab them on the way home,” said Puerini.
The store is relatively small, and by fire code is only allowed to hold 97 people including the associates who stand ready to help customers, stockers and the staff in the attached kitchen who make up salads and sandwiches, she said.
For Amazon, the space offers an unparalleled chance to gather customer data about likes, dislikes and even what people pick up and then put back, all which can be crunched and turned into future stocking decisions.
For the public, at least at first, Amazon Go could well become another “must-see” for those visiting Seattle, along with riding the monorail and a trip to the Pike Place Market.
How possible hordes of new customers will interact with Amazon staff now used to grabbing a fast lunch remains to be seen. Puerini admits that among a few staffers it’s become a bit of a game to see just how quickly they can pop in and then out with their noontime repast.
Some of the trip times are down to a minute, she says.
But after a year of getting ready, they’re eager to see how the technology works with the public.
“We welcome them with open arms,” she said.
And, likely, long lines, at least to start.


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Showing results for tags 'android smartphones'.
mood posted a topic in Mobile NewsFancy toaster company Balmuda is making an Android phone Now if only the phone could toast bread... If you’ve ever spent some amount of time trying to find a really good toaster, then you’ve probably heard the name Balmuda. The Japanese company’s $329 bread heater has something of a cult-like following due to its fancy design that uses steam for an enhanced texture. But according to Nikkei Asia, the company is getting ready to enter an altogether new product category: smartphones. To be fair to Balmuda, it doesn’t just make a high-end toaster; the company produces all sorts of home appliances, from fans, to lanterns, to air purifiers. But a smartphone is another beast entirely. Balmuda CEO Gen Terao said the phone would “not merely be a stylish appliance” but promised to create proprietary apps and offer “great everyday-use handsets.” The company is also partnering with Kyocera to make the phones, which will run on Android and support 5G connectivity in an exclusivity agreement with SoftBank. Unfortunately, the company didn’t reveal much about what to expect from the phone in terms of design or price range. The phone also appears to be planned as a Japanese exclusive, although there’s always a chance it could make its way to other markets eventually; the company’s toasters only made their way to the US last year after all. It’s tremendously hard to successfully break into the mobile market – many have tried and failed. But who knows, maybe Balmuda can figure out how to toast bread with a phone. Now that’s a gimmick I’d pay to see. Source: Fancy toaster company Balmuda is making an Android phone
The AchieVer posted a topic in Security & Privacy NewsNew attack creates ghost taps on modern Android smartphones Academics abuse NFC-enabled devices with capacitive touchscreens to induce fake screen taps. Image: Maruyama et al. Modern Android smartphones are susceptible to a new type of attack named "Tap 'n Ghost" that can induce fake finger taps to take unwanted actions. The attack exploits flaws at both the software and hardware level and has been proven to work even against the most recent smartphone models. It works against most NFC-enabled smartphones with capacitive touchscreens -- which is the most common smartphone touchscreen technology today. GENERATING FAKE SCREEN TAPS The Tap 'n Ghost attack -- discovered and documented by three academics from the Waseda University in Tokyo -- works using an attack rig that consists of a 5mm thick copper sheet connected to a DDS signal generator, a high-voltage transformer, a battery pack, NFC readers/writers, and a small computer (laptop, Raspberry Pi). This rig might look bulky, but the research team says it can be embedded inside regular tables, coffee tables, or any other furniture object on which a victim might place their smartphone. Image: Maruyama et al. The attack itself consists of two steps. Once a user has placed their smartphone near the attack rig to be in the smartphone's NFC range (of 4 to 10cm), the NFC readers/writers can get basic info about a device and trigger one of three actions. It can make the user's smartphone open and access a specific URL (doesn't require any interaction), it can ask the smartphone to pair a rogue Bluetooth device (requires interaction), or it can ask the user to connect to a malicious WiFi network (requires interaction). This works because, by default, Android devices always look for nearby NFC transmissions, at all times. At this point, the attack moves in the second phase where the attacker can use the copper plate to induce electrical disturbances into the touchscreen. Because capacitive touchscreens are a collection of electrodes that exchange small currents between each other during a touch interaction, the extra induced noise can cause ghost taps on the screen, either on a vertical or horizontal axis. Image: Maruyama et al. These fake taps can be used to hijack a user's original tap on a "No" button and apply it on the "Yes" one, allowing the smartphone to connect to a rogue WiFi network, or approve a malicious Bluetooth connection. The Waseda research team says it tested the Ghost 'n Tap attack on seven smartphone models and were successful on five. Image: Maruyama et al. The attack doesn't work only on smartphones, but also on any NFC-enabled device with a capacitive touchscreen, such as ATMs, voting machines, display screens, and others. The research team says it worked with the Japan Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to notify the several smartphone manufacturers about this new attack vector. "We demonstrated the attack to them and confirmed that the attack is applicable to their latest model," researchers said. NOT A UNIVERSAL THREAT Fortunately, the Tap 'n Ghost attack isn't something that can be used against any user. First and foremost, the range of the attack is limited and requires that the user place their device(s) near a disguised attack rig. Second, because each smartphone model uses different capacitive touchscreen technologies, special signals at different frequencies are needed per phone model. This means that the attacker needs to know a victim's smartphone model beforehand and configure the attack rig accordingly. Furthermore, the Waseda team says the attack can be easily mitigated at both the software and hardware level. For example, the Android OS could be modified to introduce a popup that asks the user for permission before a device initiates any NFC operation. Second, signal noise protection can be added to capacitive touchscreen technologies. More on this research can be found in a whitepaper named "Tap 'n Ghost: A Compilation of Novel Attack Techniques against Smartphone Touchscreens." Source


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Twenty-five Ottawa-area pharmacies, including some with single entrances into their stores, are now approved to begin offering COVID-19 tests to people with symptoms after the Ontario government expanded testing this week.
Some pharmacists, though, say they feel like they have been left to work out the logistics on their own to ensure safety.
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Georgeta Botehkan, owner of Richmond Village Pharmacy, said it would likely take a couple of weeks “to figure everything out.”
Botehkan said she filled out a survey asking if her pharmacy would be interested in offering testing. She said almost everyone who expressed an interest seemed to have been approved for testing.
“It is left up to us to figure out how to do it safely.”
She said she was considering how best to offer the service. A pharmacist at another pharmacy with just one door said she saw her pharmacy was on the province’s list of those offering the service, but they had yet to determine if they could do it. Other local pharmacists say they are considering offering testing in their parking lots or at the end of the day, when there would be fewer customers around.
Guidance from the Ontario government says that pharmacies should have a separate space for testing “designed to minimize contact between the specimen collection area and the rest of the commercial area through the use of Plexiglass or other physical barriers” and that ventilation should be maximized.
It also says there should be enough space inside pharmacies for physical distancing, that patients should enter from outdoors, as opposed to walking through commercial space “whenever available,” and that separate points of entry and exit are preferred “when possible.”
Botehkan said no one asked how many doors her pharmacy had.
Botehkan said she wanted to offer the service because she operated in a rural community and it might make it easier for people to get tested without travelling longer distances.
“You want to offer the service so it is easier for people to get tested and it spreads less, but you want to make sure you and your staff are safe.”
Neha Patel of Limebank Pharma Plus on Spratt Road said her pharmacy was starting to perform COVID-19 testing as of Friday, after being approved, but just on asymptomatic patients so far. Her pharmacy has two separate doors and an attached clinic. They will also do testing at the end of the day.
She said there were logistics to work out before she began offering testing to people with symptoms.
Previously, some Ontario pharmacies were offering testing to people without symptoms. The expansion to symptomatic patients has been criticized by some who expressed concern about the possibility of vulnerable customers coming into contact with COVID-19 while in the same store. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called this week for a pause on the plan.
But Tim Brady, chair of the board of directors for the Ontario Pharmacists Association, who owns drug stores in the Windsor-Essex region, said he had been doing asymptomatic testing for months and, because of that, didn’t find the expansion to symptomatic testing such a challenge.
He is, however, only offering it at one store and doing testing in the parking lot.
Still, Brady said the risks had been overstated.
Even with asymptomatic testing, one per cent of people tested positive. The current positivity rate in Ottawa for testing at assessment centres and elsewhere is around two per cent.
Brady said the biggest benefit was to help people get tested more easily and closer to home so that they could get isolated more quickly and prevent further spread.
“It takes 30 seconds to do a test. At the end of the day, if we can test one person who potentially didn’t know they had it and get them out of circulation, the benefits outweigh the risks,” Brady said.


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A handful of farmers in Ohio’s Mahoning County are getting an unpleasant lesson in government power at the hands of a local park district. Mill Creek MetroParks, a public agency governed by five unelected commissioners, wants to take over an abandoned railroad line running through about a dozen local farms for a recreational bike path. Last year, when landowners balked at the idea of strangers wandering across their properties, the park district decided to invoke eminent domain and gain right of way.
“I asked the park representatives if there was any way we could negotiate on this, and they told me, ‘The time for talking is over. We’re taking this property,’ ” says Ohio state Rep. Don Manning, who tried to intervene on the farmers’ behalf. Rep. Manning, a Republican, has sponsored legislation that would limit the use of eminent domain in Ohio.
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Search Results for 'financial director'
4 results found.
The Galway Advertiser rolled out its newest digital product this week with the launch of the region’s largest classified ad website.
Kelly’s Hair and Beauty, Castle Street, Castlebar has been selected as a finalist in the 10th annual Schwarzkopf Professional Irish Hairdressing Business Awards which will take place in the Mansion House, Dublin on Monday, October 22. The salon will compete in the prestigious category of ‘Connacht Salon of the Year.’
More than 400 guests are expected to attend the 19th Carlow GAA awards presentation which will be held on Saturday December 6 at the Dolmen Hotel at 7.30pm. Sixteen individuals will be honoured for their outstanding contribution to Cumann Luthchleas Gael. There are six special awards up in recognition for outstanding work taking place in schools, organisations and clubs.
A local company - which successfully married the traditional and contemporary to create a celebrated organic seaweed based bodycare range - is set to launch three new products in September.


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New Delhi: The Central government is taking steps to reopen India to foreign tourists, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, adding that Goa, with its 100 per cent coverage of the first Covid-19 vaccine dose, could play a big part in the revival of the country’s tourism industry.
“The Central government is taking steps to welcome foreign tourists back. The government has taken a decision to give five lakh tourists free visas. Travel and tourism stakeholders will be given loans up to Rs 10 lakh with a 100 per cent guarantee by the government.
“Tourist guides are being given the facility of taking a loan of up to Rs 1 lakh… In the future too, the Central government will be ready to help those who take the tourism sector forward,” Modu said during a virtual interaction with health workers, ruling politicians, administrative officials and a cross section of people from Goa.
“India’s vaccination drive is not a cover for health, but a cover for livelihood too. It is important that tourism destinations open as soon as possible. The ‘Char Dham’ yatra will begin soon in Uttarakhand.
“Goa’s 100 per cent vaccination will become important to revive the tourism sector. If hotel industry workers, taxi drivers, hawkers, shopkeepers are vaccinated, it will give peace of mind to the visiting tourists.
“Goa is a part of a select group of tourist destinations where people are vaccinated,” the Prime Minister added.
While encouraging the revival of tourism, Modi however said that the pandemic should not be taken lightly.
“Domestic and international tourists can take pleasure in coming here… Numbers have come down, but we still cannot take this virus lightly. You will get as many tourists and travellers depending on how much importance you give to safety and hygiene.”


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Chief execs with all three top carriers have confirmed that they'll support devices on RIM's all-new operating system set to launch in coming weeks.
With BlackBerry 10's big debut coming at the end of this month, three major U.S. carriers have confirmed that they will carry devices on this new platform, according to Reuters.
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile USA all said that they plan to support BlackBerry 10 handsets on their networks.
"We're extremely optimistic that it's going to be a successful product and our business customers are extremely interested in it," T-Mobile USA chief executive John Legere told Reuters.
Verizon's chief executive Lowell McAdam also confirmed the carrier will support BlackBerry 10 devices. And AT&T's handset executive Jeff Bradley told Reuters that, "It's logical to expect our current [BlackBerry] customers will have the best BlackBerry devices to choose from in the future."
BlackBerry 10 is Research In Motion's all-new operating system for its smartphones. RIM, which has steadily been losing customers to rivals Google Android and Apple
RIM announced at this week's Consumer Electronics Show that the company also plans to hit all "price points" with the new devices. The official BlackBerry 10 launch event is scheduled for January 30 in New York.


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by: WOOD TV/Nexstar Media Wire
Social distancing measures are putting a damper on the usual summer activities this year, so Walmart is providing some big-screen relief.
Walmart and Tribeca Enterprises are turning 160 of Walmart store parking lots into pop-up drive-in movie theaters.
Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s chief customer officer, said in a statement, “Summer hasn’t really felt like summer yet, and I know I hear every day, ‘Mom, I’m bored!’”. Through our digital means and vast footprint of stores, we’re hoping to bring some summer fun to families across the country. We know Walmart plays a role in our communities that extends far beyond getting them necessary supplies, and we see that now more than ever.”
Walmart officials say their drive-in tour is set to begin in August and will run through October. Walmart said additional details will be announced closer to the start of the tour.


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Appliance, electronics, and furniture retailer, hhgregg began a brand transformation initiative intended to better serve and engage customers. The effort started May 6 and will continue throughout 2014, and will include changes to its retail stores and its online presence. The U.S. company has 228 stories in 20 states.
Dennis May, president and CEO, said the brand transformation will be the foundation of the retailer’s differentiation from other retailers.
"By eliminating pain points that most often frustrate customers buying large appliances, electronics, furniture, and similar items from big box and DIY retailers, we can help bring the joy back to making these purchases and create lifelong customers," said May. This includes "flawless execution and customer service."
The retailer said it is developing vendor partnerships that will create compelling in-store venues showcasing products and technology innovations.
to Daily News


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Latest Passports Stories
Basing your security system on photo identification checks could be a big mistake, unless you hire staff members who specifically have an aptitude for matching unfamiliar faces, according to the authors of a new PLOS ONE study.
Transparency Market Research has published a new report titled "Electronic Access Control Systems Market: Forecast, Market Share, Size, Growth and Industry Analysis 2014 - 2019" to its
LONDON, July 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportbuyer.com has added a new market research report:
Elyctis oem MRZ scanner IDx provides an easy-to-integrate solution to read ePassports and eID cards.
DUBLIN, April 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets ( http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vx836c/epassport_trends) has announced the addition of the "Global
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- News reports that stolen Austrian and Italian passports were used to book two airline tickets on the disappeared Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 intensifies
GIA announces the release of a trend report on e-Passports.
While one can pay the passport office an extra fee to have their passport rushed, even this system can only ensure that they will have ones passport in two to three weeks.
Seoul, Nov 15, 2012 - (ACN Newswire) - Suprema Inc., a leading provider of biometrics and ID solutions, announces today that the company has won a nationwide electronic passport project of Mexico Government.
- The act of burning, scorching, or heating to dryness; the state or being thus heated or dried.
- In medicine, cauterization.


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Quantum dots to replace CMOS image sensors?
Toronto University spin-out InVisage Technologies, the developer of QuantumFilm camera sensors, has launched its first product at an event in Beijing.
Based on a quantum dot semiconductor film made from a metal-chalcogenide material, the Quantum13 camera sensor is believed to be the world's first electronic image sensor that uses quantum dot film instead of silicon to capture light. QuantumFilm is said to have a natural light response curve matching the human eye.
As part of the recent product launch in China, InVisage exhibited Quantum13-enabled smartphones running on both Qualcomm and Mediatek platforms. Shipments to smartphone vendors will start this quarter.
Conventional sensors rely on a photosensitive layer made of silicon that also incorporates circuitry for reading the electric output from the detected photons, as well as barriers isolating each pixel in order to prevent crosstalk. Invisage's image sensor uses a dedicated QuantumFilm layer to maximise light sensing capability.
Light passes through a colour filter array to be detected by the quantum dots in the QuantumFilm layer. According to the company, the higher positioning of the photosensitive layer allows the QuantumFilm pixel to detect more photons, store more electrons, and reproduce colors more accurately than a silicon device - all with a thinner camera module.
"The launch of Quantum13 marks a new era for the smartphone camera industry," said Jess Lee, CEO of InVisage. "For the first time, smartphones will capture images on an entirely new medium. Not silicon. Not film. QuantumFilm. We are thrilled to showcase the capabilities of Quantum13 to the richest and most vibrant ecosystem for smartphones. And we are delighted to share that several smartphone vendors have already adopted Quantum13 for upcoming release."
Quantum13 is a 13-megapixel, 1.1 micron pixel camera sensor that fits in an 8.5 x 8.5mm module. With light absorption said to be eight times faster than silicon, QuantumFilm creates an ultra-thin light capture medium that accommodates much higher incident angles of light, resulting in a 4mm camera module height.
"InVisage is targeting the mainstream 13-megapixel smartphone camera market," added Tetsuo Omori, senior analyst at TSR. "According to our research, the worldwide volume of the 13-megapixel camera sensor market is projected to increase from 408 million units in 2015 to 995 million units in 2020."
Founded in 2006, InVisage Technologies is based in Menlo Park, Caliornia and is venture funded by GGV Capital, Nokia Growth Partners, RockPort Capital, InterWest Partners, Intel Capital, Oceanwide, and OnPoint Technologies.


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|BPA: A Partial Reversal From the FDA|
In this opinion piece, Dr. Roy Benaroch highlights the confusing position the FDA has taken on BPA. In banning the chemical from baby bottles and children's drinking cups, they recently reversed the previous policy they had announced in March. Meanwhile, because of public concern, most manufacturers had already chosen to remove BPA from their baby bottles and other products, so the “ban,” in fact, just told companies to keep doing what they’d already been doing. Still, the FDA maintains that the chemical is safe, and it can continue to be used in other food packaging, including packaging for infant formula, and they’re still looking into it. Says Dr. Benaroch, "I’m not sure that their partial ban is going to help anyone feel more confident about that."


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The Fossil Group is currently the primary manufacturer of Wear OS devices with 14 different fashion brands leveraging the same underlying technology. Google today announced that it was acquiring a portion of Fossil’s R&D team and intellectual property related to smartwatches.
The Fossil Group is specifically selling $40 million worth of “intellectual property (IP) related to a smartwatch technology currently under development” to Google, with the deal expected to close this month.
As part of the transaction, a portion of Fossil Group’s research and development (R&D) team currently supporting the transferring IP will join Google. Fossil Group retains more than 200 R&D team members to focus on innovation and product development.
A “portion” of Fossil’s R&D team will be joining Google in a deal that is somewhat reminiscent of Google’s purchase of the related HTC division working on the Pixel lineup. According to Fossil, it will “continue to unlock growth in wearables” and work with Google.
“We’ve built and advanced a technology that has the potential to improve upon our existing platform of smartwatches. Together with Google, our innovation partner, we’ll continue to unlock growth in wearables.”
Speaking to Wareable, Google is specifically acquiring a “new product innovation that’s not yet hit the market.” This technology originated from an acquisition of Misfit in 2015, with Fossil having since developed and “evolved” it. No details were provided, but it’s claimed to allow “features and benefits that aren’t in the category today.”
Fossil is currently finishing development of the product, and will make it available across it existing lineup over time. According to Google, it purchased the technology so that it could be made available to other partners in the wearable ecosystem.
As Google is just purchasing technology, the Fossil Group will continue to manage the existing brand relationships. Wear OS head Stacey Burr notes that this deal “demonstrates [Google’s] commitment to the wearables industry.”
“The addition of Fossil Group’s technology and team to Google demonstrates our commitment to the wearables industry by enabling a diverse portfolio of smartwatches and supporting the ever-evolving needs of the vitality-seeking, on-the-go consumer.”
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Lots of people are accustomed to watching television while simultaneously posting updates to Twitter or Facebook or looking up information online, or what is known in media circles as “the second screen experience.” But why watch two screens when you can start with one?
To showcase its new fall season, the CW network will use Twitter as a platform to preview the season premiere of the show “Emily Owens, M.D.” To promote the show, CW will include an insert in the Oct. 5 issue of Entertainment Weekly that will feature what is essentially a small cellphone screen that will wirelessly display a short video showing stars of new CW shows and then a live Twitter feed of the network’s account, @CW_Network.
Rick Haskins, CW’s executive vice president for marketing and digital projects, said the screen would feature the six most recent posts to the network’s Twitter handle. An in-house social media team managing the feed will delete only messages that include profanity or other unacceptable language, he said. And if someone posts saying they don’t like the show or the network?
“To me that’s what starts the dialogue,” Mr. Haskins said. “We will not editorialize that out. We no longer own our brand. The consumer owns the brand and the more people that embrace that and entertain it, the stronger the brand is going to be with their audience.”


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The giant clock on top of the Parker Hannifin Corp. — Sporlan Division’s ZoomLock® Roadshow truck counted down during the 2019 AHR Expo, keeping track of the time left until the next live demo. Every 40 minutes, Sporlan would bring attendees up to physically make the connection themselves.
Many end users, as well as refrigeration engineers and contractors, attended Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI’s) 2018 Energy & Store Development Conference in Atlanta, looking for advice on how to respond to these trends.
Refrigerant regulations are another reason why change is coming, as HCFCs will be phased out by 2020, and given their high global warming potential (GWP), HFCs will likely be phased down in the near future as well. At some point, supermarkets will need to start considering low GWP alternatives such as HFO blends, as well as so-called “future-proof” refrigerants such as ammonia, CO2, or propane.
Amazon is set to usher in the next generation of “smart” convenience stores with the launch of its Amazon Go concept, replacing traditional checkouts with smart technology. The store concept works by automatically logging purchases to the user’s Amazon account when a product is removed from the shelf.
Growing food safety concerns are expected to boost the demand
December 9, 2016
The global refrigerated display case market is expected to garner $20.8 billion by 2022, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8 percent during 2016 to 2022, according to a new report published by Allied Market Research titled "Global Refrigerated display cases Market - Opportunities and Forecasts, 2015-2022."
The global commercial refrigeration market was valued at $34.43 billion in 2015 and is likely to reach $45.06 billion by 2020, reaching a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.53 percent during the forecast period, according to a report from Technavio.
Gains will stem primarily from the rising number of food retail outlets in developing countries
October 31, 2016
World demand for refrigerated display cases is expected to increase 4.2 percent per year through 2020 to $7 billion, approximating sales advances for commercial refrigeration equipment as a whole, according to a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry research firm.
There is growing demand for frozen and chilled products, expansion of cold chain capacity, technological advancements
October 24, 2016
The U.S. commercial refrigeration systems market is projected to expand at a healthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2 percent in terms of value through 2025, according to a report from Future Market Insights.
The AHR Expo is the largest event in the HVACR industry, offering educational sessions, award-winning products, and networking opportunities galore. It’s impossible for attendees to see everything, but you can check out some of the highlights in this issue of The NEWS.


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This could mean that the DualSense will soon be officially supported on Steam.
There’s no denying that the PS5’s DualSense is the most advanced console controller the world has ever seen. From its adaptive triggers to its renowned haptic feedback, everyone who’s used the DualSense says it’s simply a step above every other controller on the market. And it may soon be fully functional in Steam.
The Gaming Leaks & Rumors subreddit noted recently The Steam database has been updated with the DualSense firmware manifest earlier this morning. DualSense drivers have been around for Windows PCs since 2020, but this only allows the DualSense to be used as a regular controller and does not use the advanced features of the DualSense. With this manifesto update, Steam developers will soon be able to access and enable these advanced features in Steam games.
This is something PC gamers have been looking to do for quite some time. A modder managed to get the DualSense triggers and haptics working on Cyberpunk 2077, but due to the mess of working without proper firmware information, the mod does not work with all weapons available in the game. Now that the firmware is here, we could see both more mods and more games making full use of the DualSense.
PlayStation recently launched a new app that will allow you to update the DualSense firmware on Windows PCs. The firmware updater is only 10 megabytes and updates the DualSense when connected via USB. This firmware update means PC gamers can update the DualSense without needing to own a PS5, and is just another small step PlayStation has taken in the PC gaming market.
A bigger step will come with Spider-Man Remastered, coming to PC on August 12. The former PlayStation exclusive game joins God of War, Uncharged, and Horizon Zero Dawn in making the leap from console to PC, and it’s a game fans have been asking for. Expect higher frame rates and improved visuals in the remaster, and maybe even some DualSense features.
Next: Hideo Kojima’s Horror Game Took Years To Prepare


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- Daily Zen
The upcoming Rivian IPO could spark more EV investment in the coming months.
You may wonder why the Rivian IPO has been making headlines lately. There are enough reasons behind the popularity of this electric automaker, and we now have one additional reason to follow Rivian until its opening bell is rung at NASDAQ. Rivian plans to go public around Thanksgiving this year, and is reportedly seeking a valuation of around $80 billion.
Rivian is planning to expand in the coming years, and the recent success on the EV market shows off all of the advantages of current electric car manufacturers. Rivian IPO is one of the hottest subjects in the automotive market right now, and this is why so many amateur investors are excitedly searching for terms like Rivian IPO, Rivian automotive, and similar subjects to find out if the investment into the Rivian stock is worth it.
So, what is exactly happening around the bush?
Rivian is planning to open many plants around the world and US. At the moment, the company has manufacturing processes in Normal, Illinois. This plant was acquired from Mitsubishi a few years ago, and this is where the main Rivian manufacturing happens.
Now, the plant has an output of 150,000 vehicles per year, and additional expansion is planned in this plant. Rivian aims to produce electric vehicles, drive units, battery packs, vehicle components, and fast chargers.
This American automaker plans to produce 200,000 vehicles per year by 2023. Another factory in Illinois is located in Bloomington, and this factory also focuses on automation technology and electric products.
The main representatives of the Rivian manufacturer say that the company will focus on constant improvement and product quality at the highest level. They employ only the trained and professional workers who know how to assemble all of the parts into one unit.
It is not a secret that Rivian plans to open new factories in international cities, which means that many parts for its vehicles will be produced worldwide. The automotive market needs this kind of production because dislocation to the worldwide markets brings versatility and quality to the end products.
All of these plans and achievements have created a positive atmosphere for the company to go public. Rivian IPO is meant to have a value of $80 billion. This brings a huge potential to investors and shareholders who want to use the resources of the company to gain profit.
At the same time, the Rivian company has become the main competitor to Tesla in the automotive market. Both Tesla and Rivian produce electric cars and people are searching for both companies when they want to find their ideal electric vehicle.
Tesla has been established itself as a company with great integrity, and the overall potential for growth is huge. Similarly, Rivian has so much to offer in the industry where constant innovation is a necessity. If a company like this wants to survive, it has to follow the recent trends and innovations. This is something that both companies apply in their daily operations.
When it comes to the popular vehicles that Rivian produces for the public, we have a few models that catch our attention. The commercial production of the R1T begun in September 2021 and two additional models will come in December 2021. These are R1S and EDV.
There is also a Rivian Amazon delivery van that is made to carry packages all over the country. The main three models of the vans are made to have the space for carrying 500, 700, or 900 cubic feet of packages. With these multinational vans, the packages are easily delivered and protected. Also, the vans are filled with electric batteries that are charged easily.
The functional vans, super-powerful SUVs, and sports cars are the main stars of the Rivian brand. It is no wonder why so many people are looking at these cars as the main potential on today’s automotive market. Rivian is here to stay and some of their cars will be there to prove the quality and efficiency in the years to come.


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ITV online revenues up 24%
November 13, 2014
Adam Crozier, chief executive, said that online, pay and interactive revenues would show double-digit growth again next year. VoD viewing also grew strongly, up 24 per cent to £497 million (€627m) in the first nine months. ITV’s total revenues rose 8 per cent in the first nine months of the year to £1.8 billion, with advertising revenues up 6 per cent to £1.16 billion.
Crozier has admitted the commercial broadcaster must address a slump in ratings, after revealing that primetime shows, such as Downton Abbey and The X Factor, had lost viewers this year.
Crozier said the broadcaster would see TV ad revenue up 5 per cent for the full year, which will be ITV’s “best outperformance of the market for five years”.


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udaanCapital partners with Northern Arc Capital to fund 50,000 kiranas
udaanCapital, one of India’s leading fintech players, said it has partnered with Northern Arc Capital Limited and facilitated the disbursement of credit to over 50,000 kiranas and small retailers. udaanCapital, which is the fintech arm of e-commerce company udaan, enables these retailers to make purchases for their stores from a wide range of vendors on the udaan platform with lines of credit provided by its lending partners. Thus, udaanCapital also catalyzes kirana trading on the udaan platform.
“Our mission has been to strengthen and boost Kirana’s e-commerce by providing formal credit to small retailers in our country. We have always believed that the right solution to closing the working capital gap at small retailers is to take a business-centric view of risk management – and equally important to help our lending partners take a similar view. said Chaitanya Adapa, head – udaanCapital. “At Northern Arc, we found a like-minded partner who shared our vision and joined us early on. I am very pleased to see our partnership take this important step of putting productive capital in the hands of 50,000 small businesses.”
Today, more than a third of sales on udaan, which is India’s largest B2B (business-to-business) commerce platform, is powered by udaanCapital. udaanCapital is currently facilitating the disbursement of over Rs 8,000 crore of credit per year to over 150,000 kiranas and small businesses across the country. The credit limits offered range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25 lakh and the credit terms offered are short term.
“At Northern Arc, we aim to be pioneers in finding innovative solutions to enable financing for MSMEs and the next billion households. We do this directly and through exciting partners like udaan,” said Ashish Mehrotra, MD and CEO of Northern Arc Capital. “We are delighted to have joined forces with udaanCapital since its inception and to serve the credit needs of over 50,000 kirana stores across the country.”
Northern Arc is a financial services platform with a diversified business model that provides credit to MSMEs, households, financial institutions and emerging businesses. Over the past year, it has disbursed over 5 million loans for business, personal loans and BNPL facilities, through a fully digital journey. By leveraging its data insights and dashboards, Northern Arc has accrued over Rs 1 trillion in funds for its clients since launching its platform in 2009. With its asset management subsidiary which manages seven AIFs (alternative investment funds), the company manages a total AUM (assets under management) of over Rs 9,000 crore.