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Peoples’ attention spans are changing. More than ever, they don’t like being put on hold; they just want an answer.
That’s Aaron Kleinhandler’s specialty.
These days, people are used to instant gratification — they’re able to go to the Web to get info,” says Kleinhandler, CEO of Oldsmar-based Spectrio. But the phone isn’t going away, he says. “There’s something about connecting with a human voice — the only way is through a phone system.”
Spectrio is a marketing company that provides custom on-hold messaging, in-store music and digital signage. With 75 employees and at least 40 contractors at any given time, the company provides services to big brands including Starwood Hotels, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, LabCorp, Papa John’s Pizza and Raymond James Financial. For on-hold messaging, Spectrio provides the message content, voice talent, background music, studio recording and assistance with audio installation and maintenance for its customers.
“The phone is one of your main touch points with your customer,” Kleinhandler says. “So when people are calling into your office, in some ways that’s your front door. The image you are projecting when people are on hold is very important.”
Kleinhandler, 41, believes both big and small businesses have become more brand-aware. Companies want to have a consistent customer experience from in-store to online to on the phone.
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide hired Spectrio to help it maintain this kind of consistent brand experience over the phone for hundreds of its locations worldwide. In the company’s on-hold messaging, it uses the same music and company “voice,” whether it’s a message for a W hotel in Paris or Qatar, the Westin Lake Resort and Spa in Las Vegas or The St. Regis in Miami.
“‘Thank you for holding, we’ll be right with you,’ repeating over and over again — that’s not OK anymore,” Kleinhandler says. “The harder you make it to find a live person, the more upset the person is when they actually connect.” That’s why it’s important to make the on-hold experience as informative and easy to navigate as possible, he adds.
In the past two years, Spectrio has branched out its services to include digital signage and videos for use in-store and online.
For example, the company is working with a large tire dealer to create a series of videos to explain different car repairs, such as why customers need to get their tires rotated, or why they need to check their differential. That way, when customers are in the store, they can learn from informative, easy-to-understand videos with animations on an in-store tablet, rather than trying to make sense of a mechanic’s jargon.
Videos are similar to websites, according to Kleinhandler. People visiting websites tend to “jump on a page for two-three seconds. If they don’t see what they want, they jump off,” he says. “People are doing this with video now, too.”
Because Spectrio has created videos for some big-name brands, it has access to statistics from a large data pool. Some of its videos have more than 100,000 views each month, Kleinhandler claims. According to these stats, there’s a noticeable drop in people’s attention span during an online video after 45 seconds. After two minutes, almost 90% of people have dropped off, he says. Sharing this information with clients, Spectrio encourages customers to focus on concise, high-quality, relevant videos to capture viewers’ attention.
Spectrio’s approach to brand strategy seems to satisfy its clients. More than 85% of the company’s clients have been customers for more than three years. With most services structured in a subscription-based format, Spectrio’s churn rate is a low 6.5%.
The company’s growth the last couple of years has come largely from acquisitions, Kleinhandler says. He says the company expects to add to that growth in 2013, with expected revenues of about $17.5 million (see chart, right).
About half of Spectrio’s business comes from clients with one or two locations, such as local restaurants, dentist offices, or law offices, and half are multi-location accounts. Subscriptions range from $19 to $500 monthly, depending on the services requested. For example, creating a basic one-minute video with a spokesperson would cost around $600.
Most of the company’s clients receive multiple services. According to Kleinhandler, the company provides on-hold messaging for about 30,000 customer locations, video for 1,500 locations, and in-store music for 4,000 locations.
Despite its continued specialty in on-hold messaging, Kleinhandler says more businesses are gaining interest in the place-based marketing such as in-store videos and digital menu boards. To Kleinhandler, it only seemed natural for them to include these services as well. “We’re a content company, we’re a marketing company, and we’re also a technology-enabled service company,” he says. “Customer experience is what we do.”


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This weekend only, get our new Marketplace zip up hoodie when you donate $8/month instead of $16/month. Don’t wait — this offer ends at midnight Sunday!
Stories You Might Like A new tax deadline for the entire country Marketplace Tech for Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday, March 17, 2016 Marketplace Morning Report for Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Marketplace Tech for Monday, October 17, 2016 What this country thinks of women
Segments From this episode
We'll take ours protein-style. It isn't hard to find regulars at some well-known fast-food restaurants ordering "secret" menu items. And allowing this off-the-menu behavior can be a very smart business move, Pat Loeb reports.
The NBA is capitalizing on its growing international appeal and opening up shop in London. The league says it wants to be closer to its European fans, whose numbers are growing by leaps and bounds, so to speak. Pat Loeb has details.
Britain is beginning to see hints that its economic bubble could burst, so perhaps Gordon Brown's less cheerful disposition will be an apt fit for the nation's mood when he takes over as prime minister next month. Stephen Beard reports.
Both Republicans and Democrats seem to be having regrets about last week's free trade agreement, but some are hoping the fleeting moment of bipartisanship will last long enough to push a couple deals through. John Dimsdale reports.
Lawmakers will soon consider whether to insure crops that could serve as important sources of alternative fuels, but there are a lot of unanswered questions. Jeremy Hobson reports.
Toyota is betting big on the future of the hybrid vehicle market with a super-deluxe luxury Lexus model, available in the U.S. sometime this summer. It's part of a growing "green" trend in the auto industry. Janet Babin reports.

domain: news


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SMEs Foolish to Ignore Cloud
Article date: Thu, 19 May 2011 10:08 GMTNo business can afford to ignore the opportunities that cloud technology presents and those that do will quickly lose their competitive edge. This was the warning issued by a panel of business IT experts who gathered at a round table event held by hosting firm UKFast this month. Cloud technology is easily accessible to businesses of all sizes, the panel said. And the benefits it offers - including increased efficiencies, competitiveness and reduced IT costs - should be an "obvious sweet spot" for SMEs. Companies in every industry can reap the benefits of an internet-based IT infrastructure that allows them to extend their reach in the market and play for business prospects that were once beyond them. "It's very difficult to see why or how any business would not benefit from a cloud strategy," says Simon Howitt, channel business unit director at Outsourcery. "How quickly they deploy it and what type of applications they use it for are other questions but thinking of the broadest use of the cloud as a delivery mechanism, I struggle to see how it can't have an appeal to all businesses." Commenting on research carried out by The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) that showed a high rate of adoption of cloud technology amongst UK organisations, Andy Burton, the CIF's chairman said: "It is as open to a single person or one-man-band firm as it is to an enterprise or government. The barrier to entry is so low because users pay for what they require for as long as they require to use it. "Early adoption has been seen to have been driven by people needing to do something more quickly than on-premise implementation would enable or something they don't have the skills in house to implement. They are demonstrating that they can be agile in the adoption of new capability for their organisations. Typically, it's also much easier and cheaper than they imagined and because of the benefits they are looking to expand their use of it." According to figures from the CIF, 48 per cent of UK organisations have tried a cloud service in some form. Of those, 94 per cent have already achieved satisfaction and 85 per cent plan to invest more this year. Only six per cent of the 450 firms asked said they won't adopt cloud over the next three years. Burton suggested the business community's attitudes towards the technology are changing from "hype and early adoption to pragmatic expansion". Despite concerns around data security, privacy and sovereignty, many bosses are realising that cloud technology can help them solve common business problems quickly and affordably. The flexible nature of the on-demand service makes it invaluable to firms that experience seasonal fluctuations in trade including many retailers. Howitt says: "Business people don't wake up in the morning thinking they have to get into the cloud, they wake up with other business issues that need a solution and the cloud becomes a means to deliver that solution easily." Ian Moyse, IT security expert and EMEA Channel Director at Webroot commented on the opportunities cloud creates for businesses: "It flattens the availability to businesses because they can access applications that they couldn't before because to use a particular vendor app you might have required four servers and database storage and the implementation was too expensive. Now they can get a five user pack of that application that previously only an organisation of 500 users and above could afford." Andrew Corbett of the UK IT Association added: "I think that presents SMEs with a whole load of different challenges. At a certain size you know and accept that you can't access stuff like that. Now, your competitors are looking at it and suddenly the question becomes, am I going to become a leader, a follower or a failure? If you are ignoring it, your competitors certainly aren't." Lawrence Jones, managing director of UKFast agreed that firms should consider how they can use cloud technology but they should invest time in finding out what type of cloud is most suitable to their business needs. He said: "For some organisations a public cloud with some elements of shared resource is fine. For others, only a private cloud with wholly dedicated resources is appropriate for their requirements. In any case, business owners need to research the marketplace thoroughly. "Don't be fooled by slick websites of firms you don't know or trust. The incredible popularity of cloud technology means there will be cowboys taking advantage of businesses that don't know everything about this kind of technology so it's wise to adopt some caution."
Entering the cloud?5 top tips for businesses considering the cloud.
- The one-size-fits-all solution doesn't apply, even with something as flexible as cloud. Choose the service that's right for you
- Do your due diligence on suppliers. Look for memberships/accreditations including the Cloud Industry Forum Self Certification www.cloudindustryforum.org
- Check the terms and conditions in the supply contract and service level agreement (SLA) to ensure your commercial and operational needs are met.
- Ask if they will provide out of hours support
- Understand how the service will integrate (if required) with your wider IT strategy.
- Check where the data is stored (UK, Europe, elsewhere?) and assess the implications on your business.
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By Randall Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Oliver Stormshak tells WSB that he and business partner Sam Schroeder were excited to choose West Seattle for their fourth location, the company’s first outside of Olympia.
“Sam grew up a few blocks from the new location, and his parents still live there,” says Stormshak. “When we first started looking at possible locations in Seattle, West Seattle was high on our list. … We love it there. It feels like home to us.”
Though the cafe will not open for nearly five months, West Seattleites and others in our city will not have to venture all the way to Olympia to get a taste of the espresso beverages and brewed coffee they can expect to get in their neighborhood this fall. Olympia Coffee will have a residency at the La Marzocco Café at Seattle Center in September, which will provide opportunity for a sneak preview of the coffee that earned Olympia Coffee the title of 2013 Micro Roaster of the Year from coffee-industry magazine Roast.
The accolades do not stop there. Schroeder was the 2015 Barista of the Year for the northwest region in the industry’s top competition.
Getting back to the new West Seattle location: In addition to coffee, the café will offer an assortment of pastries from Olympia bakery Left Bank Pastry. It will also be the first foray into Seattle for Left Bank.
Stormshak says they have yet to determine their specific hours of operation, but knows they’ll be open early, seven mornings per week.
Though each location is slightly unique to suit its neighborhood, visitors to the café can expect a “super-inviting” space with a bright and airy feel. The designer that worked on the company’s original Capitol Boulevard location has been tapped to help bring the company’s dedication to inspiring aesthetics and sustainable practices to their West Seattle operations.
“It will feature big windows that will open out onto the street, weather permitting, to give it an outdoor café feel to the interior,” says Stormshak. “The building is LEED certified. We also use refurbished lumber from wind-felled trees. … We aim for beautiful spaces to inspire our customers.”
The passion for sustainability reaches all aspects of Olympia Coffee’s operations. The company is dedicated to fair-trade practices in securing their coffee beans. Stormshak says working and trading directly with farmers in Africa and Latin America has been an important aspect of Olympia Coffee’s identity from the very beginning.
The company’s practices naturally extend to its staff members. Thurston County has cited Olympia Coffee as an Employer of the Year in consideration of the company’s benefits, work-life balance, opportunities for advancement, and overall culture.
“We have a very strong mission as a company,” explains Stormshak. “We exist to improve the quality of life of those around us.”
Hat tip: Olympia Coffee’s West Seattle plans were first reported by Sprudge.


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Major change is occuring at McGrath Estate Agents with its chief executive officer Cameron Judson and almost its entire board resigning after another profit warning, with founder John McGrath to take back the reins of the company as interim executive chair when the company’s interim results are released next month.
In an ASX announcement today McGrath Limited said the “half year earnings had been adversely affected by underperformance in the company owned sales division, including project marketing.”
“Based on currently available information, the board anticipates the company’s EBITDA for the half year ended 31 December to be $1.63 million before one-off items and a small loss of $50,000 post one-off items,” the statement said.
“These estimates exclude any potential goodwill impairment which may arise when the carrying value of each division is reviewed in the course of preparing the half year accounts.”
The franchise, property management and other businesses are said to be “performing largely to expectation.”
The company said, as part of a structural review, CEO Cameron Judson and head of corporate services and company secretary, Morgan Sloper, would depart after serving their notice periods.
“Cameron and Morgan were engaged when we anticipated a higher volume of corporate activity,” Chairman Cass O’Connor said.
“Their skill sets are broader than the company currently needs.”
Nigel Dews has already resigned from the board after being appointed chief executive officer of Message Media last year and as part of the review.
Ms O’Connor and non-executive directors Elizabeth Crouch and Cath Rogers also announced their intention to resign following a transition period, after which John McGrath will take the role of executive chair.
“The board is disappointed with the recent performance of the company and its share price,” Ms O’Connor said.
“The issue of historically low listing volumes finally seems to be abating, but it and other factors and their contribution to the underperformance, primarily in the company owned sales divisions, have been well publicised. The cost cuts have gone as far as they can while leaving the company with the resources to benefit from market improvement.”
Pending interim executive chairman John McGrath said he was disappointed with the company’s performance over the past two years but it was time for change.
In that time its share price has lost more than 70 per cent of its value.
At midday McGrath shares were 6.14 per cent down at 53.5 cents.
“Now is the time for a new approach,” Mr McGrath said.
“Despite the challenges we have endured since listing, McGrath remains one of the best real estate businesses in Australia with outstanding talent throughout the company. I am very excited and proud to once again be leading the team in the future.”


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The Crisis Will Make Tesla King
Why Tesla will Thrive while others Falter
First, Tesla’s retail model is vastly different than Ford or GM, customers who want to buy a new Chevy are expecting to go to an auto dealer to see what is on the lot, maybe they search online through something like Kelly Blue Book’s website to see what is available nearby.
Tesla is different, it has designed its entire sales operation online. You choose what you want in your model, the prices are set, there is no outrageous commission charge, there is no coercion to buy extra protection or undercoating or whatever the dealership wants to offer to gouge an extra buck out of the customer.
Tesla does not have to adapt to the new ‘social distancing’ world that exists today.
Second, Tesla has a passionate consumer base that understands the value of the product.
Tesla customers know that they are getting the safest vehicle ever manufactured, with the least amount of maintenance required.
Tesla’s do not require oil changes, there are no fuel injectors clogged or mufflers falling off.
There is no need to stop at a gas station to refuel (and only those traveling interstate are likely going to have to drive to a recharge station) with Tesla models varying from 275 to 400 miles in range (selectable when purchasing the vehicle) chances are good that one can complete one’s daily drive without worrying about recharge.
Tesla has the safest vehicle that requires the least amount of maintenance and never requires you to stop and fill up on gas.
Third, the competition is shutting down, a new influx of EVs was supposed to be entering into the marketplace in 2020 and 2021. Everything from Mustang to Humvee EVs were just on the horizon.
As automakers like Ford and GM cut back on their production investments and shut down their operations, Tesla continues to dominate the EV marketplace without any real competition Stateside.
Automaker’s research and design efforts into EVs will decline, while Tesla will continue to pioneer and innovate in the field.
Fourth, in terms of demographics, Tesla’s customers tend to skew a bit wealthier, and this is going to help Tesla.
It is a well known fact that even during hard economic times, those that are well off continue to buy new houses and new vehicles as if nothing unusual is going on.
And those that do their research will know the resale value of Tesla’s hold up far better than other vehicles. Making the purchase of a Tesla almost an investment one can sink their money into that will hold value better than most things during uncertain economic times.
This all comes at a time when automakers were investing billions into catching up to Tesla, to delay now is almost to cede the market to Tesla forever. Tesla already had an almost insurmountable advantage and was a full lap ahead of the competition, this crisis will only increase that advantage, Tesla will continue to race ahead, while the competition stands still.
© 2020 Ken Burgess


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Broadband and landline customers who suffer poor service could get millions of pounds of money back automatically under a new scheme proposed by Ofcom.
OfCom has published proposals to make providers pay for slow repairs and missed deadlines and appointments.
It estimates that as many as 2.6 million customers could receive up to £185m in compensation payments each year under the proposed scheme.
“When a customer’s landline or broadband goes wrong, that is frustrating enough, without having to fight tooth and nail to get fair compensation from the provider,” said Ofcom’s consumer group director.
“We’re proposing new rules to force providers to pay money back to customers automatically, whenever repairs or installations don’t happen on time, or when people wait in for an engineer who doesn’t turn up.
Ofcom has launched a consultation on its proposals, which would see customers receive automatic compensation in the form of a cash payment or credit to their bill for failings in three specific areas:
If a customer’s landline or broadband is not fixed quickly enough
If new services are not up and running on the day promised
If an engineer fails to arrive for a scheduled appointment
Ofcom said it would set payments “designed to reflect the degree of harm suffered by consumers”, and gave a number of examples.
If a broadband connection or landline is not fully fixed after two working days the provider would have to pay £10 a day until it is repaired.
If an engineer does not turn up for an appointment or cancels with less than 24 hours’ notice, the payment would be £30.
If a provider fails to start a service on the agreed date, it would have to pay £6 for each day of delay, including the missed start date.


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Here comes the good news as the ZTE finally announces the latest version of Android, Android 7.1.1 Nougat is nowhere! Google has released to date.
With the latest update, while using T- mobile’s network on this latest device, you will automatically get excellent benefits like making calls over Wi-Fi which is an excellent feature. With Android 7.1.1 Nougat, you will never again fear bad cell reception areas… this will be automatic and excellent in whichever area.
ZTE has as of now begun updating their ZTE Axon 7 leader cell phones with Android 7.0 Nougat a month ago, and the organization has recently declared that Android 7.1.1 Nougat is not taking off to the ZTE Axon 7.
Android 7.0 Nougat conveyed various new elements to the gadget a month ago, including a support for the Google Wander off in fantasy land stage. Indeed, Android 7.1.1 Nougat pushes things somewhat assist by including various new elements and changes.
Android 7.1.1 Nougat is the most recent modification of Android, Google has released it to date. With this update, those of you who are utilizing T-Portable’s system on this gadget will have the capacity to exploit Wi-Fi Calling.
You will have the capacity to both send instant messages as well as receiving over Wi-Fi in case you’re on T-Portable, which is a significant helpful element, particularly in case you’re in a zone where cell gathering is terrible or not, in any case, accessible.
Not to forget how this update brings a huge amount of new emojis of the gadget, Google’s ‘gender-equal’ level with’ emojis are coming. After the update, you will likewise have the capacity to send gifs specifically in your console on bolstering applications, while Google’s Stare off into space stage additionally got further advancements through this refresh.
On top of all that, this latest update brings Google’s security patches for February, and the update itself (Android 7.1.1 Nougat) likewise raises the stakes in the security office. This is for sure an amazing Android update!
Presently, on the off chance that you’d get a kick out of the chance to get this update, tap on the ‘System Update’choice in your Settings and check whether the update is accessible on your handset.
On the off chance that it’s not, don’t give up, it may take a while for an OTA update winding up distinctly access your unit, so be slow. The ZTE Axon 7 was initially declared back in May a year ago, and it is as yet the organization’s top leading cell phone.
This gadget brandishes a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED show, 4GB of Smash and 64GB of expandable inward stockpiling. The gadget is energized by the Snapdragon 820 SoC, and a 3,250mAh battery is additionally incorporated into this bundle.
A 20-megapixel OIS snapper is set on the back of this telephone, while an 8-megapixel camera is accessible on the telephone’s front side. In the event that you’d get a kick out of the chance to find out about the gadget, look at our details article.


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Prepare to feast on amazing food at our Food Festival, hang out at our Chill Areas and refresh yourself with cold beer, Gin & Tonic’s, non-alcoholic juices, and other drinks! Shop at the Craft Market and let your kids enjoy our big Kids’ area! Over 50 vendors will bring you the best of FOOD, DRINKS, CRAFT, DESIGN, ART, CHARITY, and much more!!！
Go enjoy the unique Mexico gastronomy and experience the healthy lifestyle!
1. Anti-Hunger Combo: A beautiful burrito stuffed with your choice of protein, rice, and vegetables. It’s super satisfying and convenient – no need for utensils. Dig in and enjoy!
打工人扛饿搭配 = 卷 X（蛋白+米饭+蔬菜）
无辣不欢搭配 = 任意搭配+蕃茄红辣椒辣莎莎酱+辣椒圈
“While we’ve found success in helping Chinese members find jobs and economic opportunities, we have not found that same level of success in the more social aspects of sharing and staying informed. We are also facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China,” said the senior executive.
LinkedIn will launch InJobs, a new, standalone jobs application for China, later this year. “InJobs will not include a social feed or the ability to share posts or articles,” LinkedIn mentioned.
Meanwhile LinkedIn said it will also continue to work with Chinese businesses to help create economic opportunities.
“Our decision to launch a localized version of LinkedIn in China in February 2014 was driven by our mission to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful and we’ve been providing different kinds of product values and services to members and customers over the past seven years. While we’ve found that job seeking is a primary reason our members in China use our localized version,” said Lu Jian, LinkedIn China President, in a letter sent to the Global Times.
The sunset of the current LinkedIn app version marked the end of the last major US-operated social network operating in China.
Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016.
LinkedIn announced in March that it would temporarily suspend new member signs-up in China as it works to ensure it remains in compliance with local laws.
“We are a global platform with an obligation to respect the laws that apply to us, including adhering to Chinese government regulations for our localized version […] in China,” LinkedIn said.
It also noted that the move is not related to an alleged hack on Microsoft Exchange Server, which the US company claimed was done by “state-sponsored hackers based in China”.
LinkedIn entered China in 2014. By 2019, it had 44 million users in China, making it LinkedIn’s third-largest user base after the US, with 150 million users, and India with 52 million, according to media reports.


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The employee of a currency exchange shop counts U.S. dollar banknotes, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico November 10, 2017 - REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
CAIRO, March 8 (MENA) - The US dollar exchange rate was relatively stable at Egypt's major banks on Thursday.
The dollar rate reached LE 17.55 for buying and LE 17.65 for selling at the National Bank of Egypt and Banque Du Caire.
At Banque Misr, the dollar price stood at LE 17.54 for buying and LE 17.64 for selling.
The dollar exchange rate registered LE 17.57 for buying and LE 17.67 for selling at the Arab African International Bank.
At the Commercial International Bank (CIB) and Bank of Alexandria, the dollar price stood at LE 17.56 for buying and LE17.66 for selling.
The dollar exchange rate reached LE 17.58 for buying and LE17.68 for selling at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.


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Egypt to launch campaign to attract UK visitors
The Egyptian State Tourist Authority is to launch a new UK campaign to capitalise on renewed and growing interest in the destination.
With summer over and travellers on the hunt for winter sun bargains, the campaign is timed to coincide with the optimum period for Egypt to remind travellers of its year-round, summer-like conditions. UK visitation to Egypt rose by more than 25 per cent in the first six months of 2017, with travellers discovering the many other popular locations that Egypt offers. Overall visitation from all markets leapt by more than 50 per cent year-on-year.
Amr El Ezabi, director UK & Ireland for the Egyptian State Tourist Authority, said: “Immersion in unparalleled history has of course always been at the core of our brand, but Egypt is also a sun-drenched oasis twelve months of the year.
“Few places can offer such a harmonious combination of ancient history and modern luxury.”
Airlines including EasyJet, Thomas Cook and Tui still operate regular flights from most British cities to popular holiday spots across Egypt. All three fly to Hurghada, while airlift to the up-and-coming Marsa Alam resort town is about to increase with Thomas Cook launching flights from London Gatwick and Birmingham before Christmas, joining the current Tui service from London Gatwick.
With Brexit likely to cause a weakened British pound for some time, Egypt offers outstanding value and was named the second most price-competitive destination in the world in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017. With a recent ONS report showing Brits are abandoning fortnightly holidays for week-long, mid-haul destinations instead, year-round destinations such as Egypt have an opportunity to fill those demands.
“There are destinations that claim to offer winter sun but actually just offer weather that allows you to wear shorts in the colder months,” added El Ezabi. “Egypt offers actual beach weather even in the middle of winter and all less than six hours away from the UK.”
Comprising an outdoor campaign and digital channels with a PR and media hosting programme by Rooster PR, the new campaign will be unveiled at the start of 2018. It will primarily showcase the beachfront city of Hurghada with its bustling markets, buzzing nightlife and glamorous, yacht-lined marinas alongside world-class resorts, restaurants and boutiques.
For those seeking a little more isolation, Hurghada is bordered to the north and south by resort bays such as El Gouna, Sahl Hashish, Makadi Bay and Soma Bay that offer private beaches and an array of water sports and activities – not to mention arguably the world’s best snorkelling and diving.
The fast-growing Marsa Alam on the south western shore of the Red Sea will also feature, with a slew of new accommodation openings and the upcoming UK flight launches making this resort town increasingly attractive. Marsa Alam offers a similar array of sand and sea experiences in a more remote, untouched location ideal for desert safaris, snorkelling and swimming with dolphins, though still within a few hours’ drive of the ancient city of Luxor for those that want to take in some history.
For more information on travelling in Egypt, visit http://www.egypt.travel/
You can watch the This Is Egypt video below.


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Here are a short wrap of the latest news and the tech analysis of EUR/USD, AUD/USD, and gold.
Will the US CPI boost the USD?
The American CPI is announced on Wednesday at 15:30 MT time.
Instruments to trade: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD, USD/CAD
Consumer prices are the indicator and the main component of country inflation. Inflation, above all, is the indicator of economic activity. More consumer demand – higher prices, lower consumer demand – lower prices. Consumer demand, in turn, is the basis of domestic economic health and prosperity. Therefore, if the US CPI is higher than the forecasts, that would mean that the US economy is recovering faster than projected. Such a scenario would boost the USD.
- If the CPI is better than though, the USD will rise.
- Otherwise, it will drop.
The Australian economy has been on a steady recovery path, and now we have a very symbolic confirmation that S&P ASX 200 is about to cross 7000!
Jump in to know the latest market news and trade ideas for today!
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will hold a meeting on Wednesday, April 14, at 05:00 MT.


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Shares of Equifax Inc. (EFX - Free Report) fell yesterday after the website — Ars Technica — reported that the credit information provider may have been subject to another cyber attack. Per Ars Technica, Randy Abrams, an independent security analyst, discovered that the company’s web site is prompting to install Adobe’s (ADBE - Free Report) Flash updates which has been found containing malware.
Following the above discussed report, the company’s shares were seen tumbling around 3% during mid-day on Thursday. However, later in the day, the stock recovered almost half of the loss, after Equifax announced that it is not subject to any another cyber attack and its systems have not been compromised.
Equifax’s spokesmen Wyatt Jefferies said that the company was “aware of the situation identified on the Equifax.com Web site in the credit-report assistance link.” He further added, "Our IT and security teams are looking into this matter, and out of an abundance of caution have temporarily taken this page offline."
The company in a statement noted that, “The issue involves a third-party vendor that Equifax uses to collect website performance data, and that vendor’s code running on an Equifax website was serving malicious content.” Equifax further stated that the vendor’s code has been removed from its webpage and it is conducting further analysis on this matter.
Notably, the brand image and creditability of Equifax has already been in question ever since the company announced last month that very sensitive personal data of approximately 143 million consumers has been stolen from its database.
Since then, Equifax has been facing huge customer criticism, while cybersecurity companies are questioning its preparedness and response to this massive data breach. Moreover, with lawmakers and investigating agencies probing the mishap, its troubles are unlikely to end any time soon.
Shares of Equifax have lost approximately 24% of its value from the Sep 7 closing price. In the year-to-date period, the company has lost 8%, significantly underperforming the industry to which it belongs to, which has recorded growth of 31.7%.
Investors seem concerned that the entire issue may result in loss of customers and the company may also have to make huge compensation to its clients. It is feared that this will have an adverse impact on the company’s financial performance in the near term.
Sensitivity of the information exposed in Equifax’s data breach case makes it one of the worst cases in recent times. The latest data breach at the company will likely have a lasting impact as criminals can use the stolen resources for opening new accounts, applying for credit cards or loans, buying insurance, renting an apartment or even for tax frauds.
It should be noted that banks and financial institutions rely on the United States’ three main consumer credit reporting agencies — Equifax, TransUnion (TRU - Free Report) and Experian. Therefore, with access to social security, driver’s license and credit card numbers, criminals can make such frauds due to which consumers will have to suffer for longer periods of time.
Hence, we believe investors’ concerns are justified as the mishap will have a lasting impact on Equifax’s results, in the form of financial costs relating to settlement of lawsuits and litigation expenses. Moreover, it will be very tough for the company to repair its brand image, as well as retain the current customer base.
Currently, Equifax carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
A better-ranked stock in the same industry is Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS - Free Report) which carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The stock has a long-term expected EPS growth rate of 12%.
4 Stocks to Watch after the Massive Equifax Hack
Cybersecurity stocks spiked on recent news of a data breach affecting 143 million Americans. But which stocks are the best buy candidates right now? And what does the future hold for the cybersecurity industry?
Equifax is just the most recent victim. Computer hacking and identity theft are more common than ever. Zacks has just released Cybersecurity! An Investor’s Guide to inform Zacks.com readers about this $170 billion/year space. More importantly, it highlights 4 cybersecurity picks with strong profit potential.
Get the new Investing Guide now>>


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New MD at Service Graphics
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Service Graphics has appointed a business transformation expert as the firm’s new managing director, with plans in place to “realise the full potential” of the business including investment in new equipment and premises.
The large-format graphics specialist has also decided to phase out the ‘SG’ branding that was implemented by its former owner St Ives, and has reverted to the original Service Graphics name.
“We wanted to put service back at the heart of the message, and graphics is the core of what we do,” explained marketing manager John Cornfield.
New owner Landry Kouakou, who acquired the business from St Ives in March through investment vehicle SelmerBridge, has installed business transformation expert Alex Penner as managing director of the business.
He took over after previous incumbents Katy Bonnor and Martin Hutchings left the business in the intervening period after the acquisition.
Penner comes from outside the industry and has a long track record working in a variety of business leadership roles involving company turnaround and transformation scenarios.
Kouakou said Penner’s brief at Service Graphics was “to complete the turnaround – this is going to mean some internal change and leadership development for the rest of the management team.”
Penner said the business had previously suffered from a “chronic level of underinvestment”, and described the journey out of PLC ownership as “challenging”, but said that since the summer there had been a seven-figure investment in new equipment, training and development.
The new kit across the business included EFI Vutek 5r and FabriVu large-format printers, a brace of SwissQprint Nyala printers and an Esko Kongsberg C64 cutting table.
“Landry and I are clear that we have a great business with great people. The strategy and funding are now in place to help realise the full potential of Service Graphics,” Penner stated.
The firm employs around 300 staff across four sites: Chessington, Nottingham, Skelmersdale and Glasgow, and is set to relocate its Skelmersdale operation to more modern premises in Q1 2019.
It works for a host of blue-chip brands and also holds a Royal Warrant as supplier of graphics and signs to HM Queen.
SelmerBridge refocused on Service Graphics and field marketing firm Tactical Solutions after SP Group was shut down over the summer.


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Bandai and Toei have recently announced that they will be releasing a new line of toys for Dragon Ball Super in 2017. The toy line will consist of action figures in the 3.5 Inch, 6.5 Inch, and 7 Inch Scale. They will also be releasing roleplay toys such as the Deluxe Scouter and the Deluxe Kamehameha Shooter. The toys will hit US shores Summer 2017.
“Bandai’s creative ambition is at full force with the release of their exciting ‘Dragon Ball Super’ catalogue,” says Masayuki Endo, president, Toei Animation. “The toys recognized the ‘Dragon Ball’ franchise’s long history and appeal to a wide variety of audiences and we look forward to aggressively building out the licensing component of this franchise.”
“Dragon Ball Super” reunites the franchise’s characters and follows the aftermath of Goku’s battle with Majin Buu as he attempts to maintain Earth’s fragile peace.


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Bisola Aiyeola Wins Brand New Car at AMVCA 2018
Singer cum actress, Bisola Aiyeola, has just been honoured at the ongoing Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) 2018 as she walks home with the Trail Blazers Award.
The actress did not just take the award home but also walked home with a car key as the award comes with a brand new car courtesy of Multi Choice Nigeria.
It would be recalled that Bisola was part of the contestants at the 2017 reality TV show, Big Brother Naija (BBN) which she came of out with a prize even though not winning.
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Laos' border towns struggle
The yuan is flowing into towns along Laos' border with China. But Chinese construction investment cannot equal the cash flow that once came from casinos that have been forced to close.
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Google Fiber in Nashville is open for business
Google Fiber is open for business in Nashville, connecting four apartment and condominium buildings in Nashville’s core to its gigabit-speed Internet and launching a Fiber Space in the Gulch.
The milestone comes 15 months after Google Fiber announced Nashville as a new market. In the meantime, existing providers AT&T and Comcast have upped their own fiber rollout in Middle Tennessee and have begun offering the ultra-fast connection to area homes and apartments.
Martha Ivester, who leads Google Fiber's Nashville operations, did not provide updates on neighborhood connection or on how the sign-up process will work, but she emphasized the company’s commitment to customer service and to connecting as many homes as possible.
“Our goal really is to connect the lion's share of Nashville," Ivester said. "Not just apartments and condos but all residents, whether they are in a single-family home or a multi-dwelling unit, and small businesses as well."
Nashville apartment dwellers are able to track their access to Google Fiber through the company’s online "apartment finder" feature. Rhythm at Music Row, Element Music Row, Bristol on Broadway and Icon in the Gulch are among those buildings that offer access to residents.
The initial selection of the four buildings was driven by engineering, Ivester said. Those were the easiest to reach by aerial connection and through a new method called micro-trenching that allows for less invasive, more shallow digging.
"As we continue to roll that construction out, that engineering and deployment will dictate which buildings we can connect," she said.
The Fiber Space, at 1108 Division in the Icon building, was opened to give customers a chance to learn more about Google Fiber products and experience gigabit speeds. Designed with couches, big screen TVs and soft chairs, consumers can come in with customer support questions or anyone can come in to use the in-store Internet.
Residents in those four apartment and condominium buildings can sign up at the Gulch store or online, and they can choose to pick up a self-installation kit or schedule an installation.
While Comcast and AT&T have a leg up on their new competition, with gigabit service underway and a long-established foothold in the Nashville market, Google Fiber has a clean track record of customer service that could help them win over consumers eager for improvement.
It’s an opportunity the company doesn't plan on squandering. The company relies significantly on data to make staffing and scheduling decisions so as to meet its installation appointments, Ivester said.
“When we tell you someone is going to be there at 8:35, they are there at 8:35,” she said. "We really measure customer service. That's something we want to always overdeliver on."
In addition to the Google Fiber Internet and television, the company is offering Nashville consumers Fiber Phone, a $10 a month service for making local and international calls that connects to a mobile phone and transcribes voicemail.
The company has also begun installing fiber in Edgehill Apartments, part of the federal ConnectHome initiative aimed at addressing the digital divide in nearly 30 metro areas. The service will be free to residents.
Beyond Nashville, AT&T and Comcast have adjusted pricing and expanded their gigabit offerings in other cities after Google Fiber expressed interest in those markets. The additional competition and increase in high-speed Internet access have meant more choice for customers, as well as more ad revenue potential for Google's search engine.
“A year ago people in Nashville had no gig opportunities," Ivester said. "As of (Wednesday), there will be three options for people. That is a great thing for Nashville. Philosophically, the more innovation that can happen in Nashville is a great thing for the city and a great thing for Google Fiber."
What is the Fiber Space?
The Fiber Space, at 1108 Division St. in the Icon building, will showcase the gigabit product to customers. Consumers can come in with customer support questions and users without gigabit access at home can use the in-store Internet.
How much will Google Fiber cost?
• Fiber 100: $50 a month for up to 100 megabits per second speed.
• Fiber 1000: $70 a month for up to 1000 Mbps, or 1 gigabit per second, speed.
• Fiber 1000 + TV: $130 a month for 1-gigabit speed, DVR, 150-plus channels.
Installation is free as long as a customer stays with Google Fiber for a year. If they cancel during that time period, they will pay a $100 fee.
How does that compare to competitors?
Comcast offers Internet for as low as $50 a month for its 10 Mbps service or as high as $130 a month for 150 Mbps. Its 2-gigabit speed offering, available to some Nashville homes, is $299 with a promotional rate of $159. The company has not listed the price of its modem gigabit speed technology.
AT&T offers Internet for $42 a month at speeds of 3 Mbps and $87 a month for 75 Mbps. AT&T’s GigaPower fiber begins at $70 and is at least $120 for TV and Internet.
What is Fiber Phone?
How does the apartment finder work?
The site features a map illustrating where Google Fiber is available and where it is on track to be available. Blue dots mean a building is connected, and red dots mean the building is on track to get fiber.
Will all of Davidson County be able to connect?
Not necessarily. Ivester said the company will try to connect as many homes as possible, but some areas are more difficult to connect, at least in the short term because of engineering challenges.
When will other counties beyond Davidson be connected?
There is no plan to go beyond Nashville at this time.
“The important thing is we deliver on our commitment to Davidson County," Ivester said. "That is the focus right now."
How to contact Google Fiber?
For construction issues, call 877-454-6959.
For questions about Google Fiber, visit google.com/fiber/nashville.
For jobs: https://fiber.google.com/careers/
Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.


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While scientists still scramble to find cure for COVID-19, the Cebu Provincial Government turns to traditional ways in boosting the patients’ immune system to help them recover from the disease.
Some 24 COVID-19 patients at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) are given calamansi juice, turmeric tea, and Vitamin C. They were also asked to gargle with salt and do steam inhalation twice a day.
Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief Dr. Cristina Giango said that the 17 CPDRC inmates and seven jail guards, who were monitored daily, no longer showed any COVID-19 symptoms like fever and cough.
However, they still have to be tested again to ensure that the virus is already out of their body.
“Tinud-anay gyud ni. That is documented, naayo ang atong CPDRC inmates (It’s true. Records show no more COVID-19 symptoms among them). So, we are pushing for home remedies,” Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said, adding that these remedies can give Cebuanos a fighting chance against any sickness.
“Simple ra, doable, unya affordable steam inhalation. Magkuha lang mo’g planggana, basta naa la’y init, magtabon lang mo’g habol or tualya twice a day. Unya paimnon og lemonsito og turmeric tea two times a day pud, vitamin C three times a day,” she added.
The governor also asked provincial and district hospitals to plant calamansi and ginger nearby for faster and easier access to these products when preparing the drinks for their patients.
Garcia shared that numerous testimonials from Filipinos based in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) who had COVID-19 vouched that steam inhalation helped them recover.
“I am really advocating this sa atong probinsya og nanghinaot ko nga i-adopt gyud ni sa mata’g panimalay kay kaya man ni, mahimo raman ni, di mani ingon mamalit ta og special equipment, mamalit ta og special ingredient, di baya,” she explained.
As more Cebuanos try these home remedies, Garcia advised to report stores who sell calamansi fruits beyond its set ceiling price of P60 per kilo so the Department of Agriculture (DA) can take action.
Meanwhile, Garcia convened the Provincial Price Monitoring Council on Friday, May 8 for an update on price hikes of basic needs.
She lauded the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for their serious monitoring and inspection of the prices of commodities sold at commercial establishments, supermarkets and groceries.
DTI even issued notices of violation to some commercial establishment, she said.
“Duna may price ceiling unta. We would wish atong supermarkets and groceries mo abide by that or else you will be in violation of the law. Unya dagkoa baya og multa,” Garcia added. (Mylen Manto)


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The auto industry may be desperate for a cut in the goods and services tax (GST) on cars from 28 to 18 per cent, but the bleak revenue position has prompted the GST fitment committee to hold back from approving such a reduction. “With the revenue situation quite grim, one cannot recommend a rate cut on autos at this stage, which is one of the highest revenue contributors.
In fact, the panel has not made any recommendation but only placed on record the revenue loss it will entail,” said a state government official and committee member. (Read more here)
2) In a first, Maruti Suzuki to lease 100 sales outlets to car dealers
In a first for a passenger vehicle maker in the country, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) will soon start leasing nearly 100 outlets for showrooms and workshops to its principal dealers, based on a lottery system.
In the past few years, the carmaker has acquired land parcels to build showrooms as part of its strategy to expand its reach in rural and semi-urban markets and deploy the surplus cash on its books, said a top official at the company. At the end of 2018-19, Maruti had cash and equivalents worth Rs 37,668 crore. (Read more here)
3) Indian consumers remain confident despite economic slowdown: Nielsen
Notwithstanding the slowdown, Indian consumers seem confident about the future, the data from market research agency Nielsen shows. India topped the global consumer confidence index in April-June at 138, the highest in six quarters, coming at a time when domestic economic growth has fallen sharply.
The Nielsen findings are in contrast to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) consumer confidence index and gross domestic product growth numbers released by the government last week, which showed that India’s economy had slowed to 5 per cent — a steady decline over a year. What’s more worrying is that growth in private consumption — the key engine of growth — fell sharply to 3.1 per cent. (Read more here)
4) Opposition to RCEP grows within government, now from dairy ministry
Opposition to India’s ongoing negotiations on the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) from within the government continues to get stronger.
After a significant pushback from the dairy industry, voices of discontent have now emerged from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy, because it is felt that the RCEP will be detrimental to the country’s strong and growing dairy sector. (Read more here)
5) Fewer online offers likely to boost offline sales this festive season
Government scrutiny on deep discounting and predatory pricing by e-commerce companies might finally give a boost to sales of bricks-and-mortar players this festive season.
According to experts, offline players might see between 20 per cent and 30 per cent rise in sales over the last year as customers might again start venturing out and buying this festive season. This year around, sources said, online marketplaces are planning to cut down on deep discounting on millions of products to stay off the radar of the commerce and consumer affairs ministries. (Read more here)
6) Reliance Jio's broadband offers won't impact wireless tariff growth
Reliance Jio is expected to start monetising its fibre services, which have been offered without any free service period, much earlier than it did with the wireless business.
Analysts, however, do not see this effort offsetting slowdown in its wireless revenue growth and any hike in tariff in telecom wireless services is not expected before end of 2019-20 (FY20). “Jio has announced a no-upfront free period for fibre services, and so this segment is likely to start contributing revenues for the company in FY20 itself,” wrote Manish Adukia, analyst Goldman Sachs. (Read more here)
7) Used commercial vehicle sales see uptick amid auto sector slowdown
At a time when new commercial vehicle (CV) sales are coming down, those of used vehicles are seeing some momentum. This is mainly owing to a pick-up in light CV (LCV) and Intermediate CV (ICV) demand.
Those in this space have reported positive growth and a key reason is increase in realisation. According to industry estimates, while the organised sector is selling 10,830 units a month, the unorganised one is selling five times this. (Read more here)
8) Renewable firms can take discoms to NCLT: Power ministry to Andhra govt
Fearing loan default and burgeoning stress in the renewable energy sector, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh has asked the Andhra Pradesh government to clear dues of power projects at the earliest.
In a latest letter to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Jagan Mohan Reddy, Singh said the delayed payment by the state could land its own power distribution companies (discoms) in the soup. (Read more here)
9) Coffee Day group puts Sical Logistics on sale
Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd (CDEL), founded by late coffee tycoon V G Siddhartha, has put its Sical Logistics unit on sale as it seeks to reduce debt, LiveMint reported on Monday, citing three people directly aware of the matter.
On the condition of anonymity, the sources cited above told the financial daily that the company has hired ICICI Securities as the adviser for the potential transaction, which could see the group holding company raise Rs 1,000-1,500 crore.
10) Binny Bansal to set up $400-mn VC fund
Binny Bansal, Flipkart co-founder, is firming up plans to launch his venture capital (VC) fund with a target corpus of $300-400 million and a focus on start-ups that need growth capital, the Times of India reported on Monday, citing two sources familiar with the development.
Bansal, who left the role of Flipkart group CEO in November last year, is likely to roll out the new fund, which will be based out of Singapore, by the end of the year, added the report.


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Evonik and partners jointly develop bio-based silica for sustainable development of the tire industry
● 30% reduction in CO2 footprint, supporting tire industry customers in achieving sustainability goals
●Meet market demand for renewable raw materials
Evonik, the world’s leading specialty chemicals company, and Austria’s Pörner Group, Thailand’s Phichit Bio
Power Ltd. has entered into a strategic partnership to supply sustainable precipitation ULTRASIL® silica to the tire industry. The key raw material for this sustainable product, sodium silicate, is made from agricultural waste rice husk ash, and the entire production process uses green energy.
Silica plays a key role in the manufacture of green tires. Compared to conventional passenger car tires, green tires can reduce energy consumption by up to 8%. The demand for sustainable raw materials in the tire industry is currently increasing significantly. The new sustainable ULTRASIL® silica is made from bio-based sodium silicate and uses green energy throughout the production process. As a result, the carbon footprint of this new sustainable precipitated silica will be significantly reduced.
Evonik and its partners are committed to further improving the sustainable benefits of tire manufacturing and increasing the use of renewable raw materials in the tire industry. The Pörner Group uses leading production processes to generate silicates from rice husk ash and uses biomass energy. Thanks to this, the CO2 footprint of Evonik’s sustainable silica can be reduced by 30% compared to conventional silica products. Thai biomass energy producer Phichit
Power Co., Ltd. and Pörner Group have signed a technology licensing agreement to invest in the construction of a new rice husk ash-to-sodium silicate plant in Thailand. This move will increase the supply of bio-based sodium silicate, so Evonik can increase the production capacity of sustainable silica to meet the needs of the global tire industry.
Emmanuel, Head of Evonik’s Silica Business Line
Auer said: “This collaboration is a very strategic first step in the next development of our product portfolio. For the first time, Evonik is introducing a more sustainable ULTRASIL® silica product to support customers in achieving The goal of carbon reduction and circular development. Currently, our other production sites around the world are also developing related plans to expand the supply of renewable products to meet global demand in a more sustainable way.”
Gerhard, CEO of Pörner Germany
Bacher said: “Our pre-qualification cooperation with Evonik in our demonstration plant in Germany has confirmed that the bio-based silicate is of superior quality. Using shell ash as raw material, Pörner’s bio-based silicate technology is organically combined with the original technology in the rice mill to produce a variety of high-quality sodium silicates, which can be used to produce silica for tires. Through this cooperation, We have achieved industrial production of bio-based silicates with a significantly lower carbon dioxide footprint compared to conventional processes. We have begun to drive the decarbonization of the global silicate industry.”
Banjong, President of Phichit Bio Power Co., Ltd., Thailand
Tangjitwattanakul said: “The environmental benefits of producing silicate from rice husk ash are excellent. In addition, this partnership will bring benefits to local development. For example, the new factory can create jobs for the local community and farmers can also access our Power generation network. We are proud to be part of this collaborative project to help reduce the carbon footprint of the silica production process and protect the planet.”


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The Australian automotive industry is still feeling the effects of the semiconductor shortage as it experiences the lowest sales numbers in 19 years.
The Australian automotive market recorded new car sales at 74,650, which is a decrease of 8.1% (6,570) compared to October 2020 (81,220).
The decrease is representative of the impact of the ongoing semiconductor shortage on international supply chains, however, the supply of cars to Australia is expected to stabilise in 2022.
All states and territories in Australia bar Victoria experienced a decline in sales compared to October 2020. Victoria saw an increase of 6.3% compared to the same time last year. See the table below for state and territory sales figures.
FCAI Chief Executive Office Tony Weber said it was clear that manufacturers were struggling with supply chains.
“Automotive manufacturers like all those in the global manufacturing sector are dealing with a microprocessor shortage which is leading to longer wait times to get products to market. Australians are continuing to purchase vehicles, and carmakers are working to deliver products to our shores,” Mr Weber said.
Despite sales figures being down overall, the number of electric vehicles sold continues to rise. It comes as no coincidence as more states and territories are offering incentives for EVs.
“We have seen Victoria and NSW release comprehensive legislation to support electric vehicles which was followed just last week by South Australia.
“All of these jurisdictions worked proactively with industry to provide infrastructure investment and consumer incentives. We look forward to working with Governments at all levels to form nationally consistent policies which will make electric vehicles more accessible to the Australian motorist,” Mr Weber added.
Toyota was the market leader in October with 15,395 cars sold. Second to them was Hyundai with 6,115 and Ford with 5,462. Mazda was in fourth place with 5,181 cars sold and Kia in fifth with 4,853.
Utes came out on top again with the Ford Ranger selling 4,135 units and the Toyota Hi-Lux with 3,961. The Toyota Landcruiser was third with 2,031 units, Toyota Corolla fourth with 1,989 and Hyundai’s i30 in fifth with 1,946 sold.
Toyota came out as the market leader in October with 9,280 cars sold and a 12.4 per cent market share. The second was Korean car manufacturer Hyundai followed in third place by Ford.


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- Countdown starts for launch of inaugural All Nippon Airlines direct flight from Japan
- Flights will grow Japanese tourist numbers by 76,000, boost economy by $175.5 million in three years and create hundreds of jobs
- Japan Business Forum told new route is part of WA's strategic engagement with Asia
- Forum is the fifth in Asia Business Series aimed at boosting trade, investment and tourism
Perth is gearing up to welcome its first planeload of visitors on the inaugural All Nippon Airways (ANA) direct flight service from Tokyo on September 1.
The historic nine-hour ANA flight - the first to fly direct between Perth and Japan since 2011 - is fully booked with 184 passengers and is due to touchdown in Perth about 8:15pm next Sunday.
Multiple media platforms in Japan are promoting the flights through a Tourism WA, Tourism Australia and ANA advertising campaign featuring popular singer and actor, 'Nissy' - touring the Pinnacles, Kings Park, Rottnest Island, Fremantle and the Swan Valley.
Trade familiarisations and travel agent training will also raise awareness of the direct service and Western Australia as the holiday destination of choice.
The importance of the new route, not only to WA's tourism sector but also for its wider trade and investment opportunities, will be flagged as part of the discussions at the Japan Business Forum held in Perth today.
Asian Engagement Minister Peter Tinley and Tourism Minister Paul Papalia will speak at the forum which will focus on WA's trade relationship with Japan - WA's biggest export market for petroleum and second biggest market for iron ore and nickel.
Japan's leading status as 'investor in Southeast Asian infrastructure' highlights its importance of to our State's trade - crucial to WA's increasing trade relations with rapidly expanding Asian markets.
Other speakers due to address today's forum will include Ryo Sadayuki, Managing Director - All Nippon Airways, Hitoshi Okawa, President Director - INPEX Australia and Masaki Takahara, Managing Director - Japan External Trade Organisation.
The Japan Business Forum is co-ordinated by the Department of Jobs, Science, Tourism and Innovation in partnership with the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Perth, the Consulate-General of Japan in Perth, Japan External Trade Organisation and the Australia Japan Society.
It is estimated that over three years, the ANA direct flights from Perth to Japan, will bring around 76,000 new visitors to Perth and provide a $175.5 million boost to the WA economy.
Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Paul Papalia:
"The discussions of the Japan Business Forum are particularly timely given the inaugural ANA direct flight coming into Perth from Tokyo in just over a week.
"ANA showed their willingness to work with us to grow WA tourism - by committing to the Tokyo-Perth direct flight services - which we are confident will be a win-win arrangement.
"We know visitors from Japan rate both modern facilities and natural wonders high on their travel wish lists.
"The direct flights will make Perth's modern accommodation and dining options, our stunning coastline and unique flora and fauna, much more accessible to this important market.
"We look forward to a successful ongoing relationship with ANA that will mean more Japanese tourists have the holiday of a lifetime here in WA."
Comments attributed to Asian Engagement Minister Peter Tinley:
"WA's tourism sector will not be the only beneficiary of direct flights between Perth and Japan. There is a direct correlation between direct flights and increased trade and services - including international student numbers.
"The Asian Business Series is part of the McGowan Government's plan to build relationships and trade with the rapidly growing and dynamic economies of Asia, to diversify our economy and create jobs.
"The Japan Business Forum is particularly important given WA's long and prosperous history of trade and the evolving nature of our respective economies.
"As a mature and technology-based economy, Japan presents a very different set of opportunities to many other Asian countries, and the forum will play a vital role in increasing our mutual understanding about where and how to increase trade and investment.
"The example of the new ANA direct flights between Perth and Japan demonstrates that the McGowan Government and WA are open for business and eager to build even stronger relationships with Japan's trade and business leaders."
Tourism Minister's office - 6552 5600
Asian Engagement Minister's office - 6552 5300


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Microsoft and Yahoo in suspense of EU decisions
The deal between Microsoft and Yahoo was thought to be a formality in Europe because even when joined in forces they wouldn't be a big player in Europe. A Microsoft spokesman however stated on Wednesday that both companies are still in suspense about the decisions the EU will make about the deal.
Spokesman Jack Evans told the press on Wednesday that Microsoft and Yahoo are "determining whether or not the deal requires formal notice before the (European) Commission and if not, do we need to file notice".
The two companies are said to have been talking to the European Commission: "We have had informal discussions in Europe about the agreement just as we indicated we would when the deal was announced,"
Microsoft and Yahoo have filed paperwork for regulatory clearance in the U.S. Expectations are that the deal will be under more fire in the US where they have a much bigger market share than in Europe.
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Anil Ambani owned Reliance Communications (RCOM) is providing unlimited calling plan at Rs 149 bundled with 300 MB of data valid for 30 days. The plan allows any RCOM subscribers on 2G/3G/4G to make unlimited free calls to any landline and cellular network pan-India including on STD. Subscribers can also make additional data recharges and still have unlimited calling live on their SIMs.
Competition and bundled plans
The unlimited calling pack by RCOM is a response to Jio’s threat which largely bets on bundled data packs. Jio is also providing a similar bundled pack starting at Rs 149 with 300 MB of 4G data along with unlimited calling. But what differentiates Jio from RCOM and every other telecom operator is that all of Jio’s tariff packs are bundled with data+free calls. This has pushed several other telecom operators to offer bundled plans:
-In this month, Vodafone India started testing unlimited local calling packs for Mumbai and Maharashtra subscribers bundled with data starting at Rs 297.
-In August Airtel unveiled unlimited free calls bundled with 1GB of 3G/4G starting at Rs 1599 in August for postpaid customers. Similar bundled calling plans with unlimited local/STD/ calls were then announced for prepaid cellular customers as well by September.
-In September, Aircel announced an unlimited calling plan costing Rs 449 with a validity for 29 days along with 500 MB data for UP East subscribers.
-In the same month, state owned telco BSNL also introduced an unlimited calling pack of Rs 1125 bundled with 1GB of 3G data, according to this TelecomTalk report.
During Q2 2016, RCOM reportedly lost 3.8 million data subscribers. This was the same quarter that Reliance Jio made its entry with free calls and data. RCOM’s Consumer Business CEO Gurdeep Singh admitted during an analyst call that it in fact lost some subscriber to Jio. Singh added that less than 10% of RCOM’s 4G subscribers using voice regularly “have reduced or dropped their data consumption dramatically.” The loss in subscribers is also attributed to the company’s migration from CDMA to 4G, which was carried out in early April.


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A new report published by tech blog ‘9to5Mac’ on Thursday claims that Apple has stated that the battery life of its newest gadget is set to last 19 hours on a single charge. On the other hand, it also claims that while in constant use, the battery will die after just four hours and will need to be charged nightly. Now set to be released in March, it seems Apple has some more than anticipated work to do to reach its impressive goal.
This has understandably caused a delay in the launch and has gotten people talking and eager to test out the new product.
The S1 chip in the Apple watch is reportedly similar in power to the A5 processor in an iPod touch, giving it a great performance rate and clear visuals but under heavy usage, a shorter battery life. The 19 hour goal is meant to be reached through a combination of active and passive use. It seems that it depends on what you will be using it for on a daily basis that will determine how often it needs to be charged.
The device was tested and reported that it will long last from 2 ½ to 4 hours of run-time (when the users are using various applications in it) and it longs for more than 19 hours of standby time when you’re letting the clock at rest.
Smartwatch success in the past has been greatly determined by battery life and is an important factor that Apple is no doubt trying to stay on top of to keep up with the competition. In this case, it could be a bold move for the company to under promise and then perhaps over deliver with these not so clear expectations being promoted. According to 9to5Mac, it seems that Apple might land right in between its competitors that have also launched their own watches, such as LG’s G Watch and Motorola’s Moto 360.
The watch is designed to come to life when an incoming text message, alert or phone call is received. When in use, the carefully designed clock face will last for several hours and when not in use, the display will shut off which preserves the battery life.
Apple executives have answered that Apple Watch users should charge their device every night and in the meanwhile, frequent charging of the device may disappoint few users. While comparing the device with smartphones, the endurance of the device will be less than other smartphones that are available in the market.


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We Can Do Better Than “Cash For Clunkers” Redux To Stimulate Car Sales
Sometimes even bad ideas should be explored to see if there is a solution hidden there. But sometimes bad ideas are just bad ideas. The “Cash for Clunkers” vehicle sales stimulus program back in 2009 was a bad idea. So, why is Ford bleating about doing it again? Because it was effective for car manufacturers. But was it really successful? With ten years of hindsight, it appears at best to have been a wash. We can do better than a Cash for Clunkers program to help stimulate car sales in these bleak times.
American car companies have been talking to congress about another Cash for Clunkers program
The American car companies, especially Ford, have been encouraging Congress to devise a plan to help spur vehicle sales. That could potentially be a good idea. What’s worse is that Ford is pushing a plan similar to the Cash for Clunkers program of 2009. Ford’s vice president of US marketing Mark LaNeve told Bloomberg, “We think some level of stimulus somewhere on the other side of this would help not only the auto industry and our dealers, which are a huge part of our overall economy but will help the customers as well.”
We get it. Vehicle sales have tanked due to the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, everything is tanking over the “stay at home” directive most are heeding. So Ford is looking at how it can get out of this huge hole that gets deeper day by day.
Cash for Clunkers offered vouchers to help stimulate car sales
The plan during the recession to crank up car sales was for the Feds to offer up vouchers between $2,500 and $4,500. It was called the Car Allowance Rebate System. These vouchers would be used to buy a new, more fuel-efficient car. But you had to have an older car to trade in; a clunker. The twofold effect was to help Detroit sell cars and also clean the environment, all good things.
Congress provided $1 billion to kick things off. Soon, it pitched in an additional $2 billion. During the period that the cash held up sales were up. On the surface at least it was successful. But once the funds were gone the sales slowed way up.
The stimulus plan had its drawbacks
You can understand why. If you were thinking about getting a new car around $4,000 in the hood was a good incentive to spring. Also, after the money was gone would you still be up for buying a car you know you’re paying $4,000 more for than last week?
After just a few months the results were a wash. Everything evened up once sales were spread out over half a year. Numerous studies indicated the same thing. The Journal of Environmental Economics and Management found about 50% of the sales were by people intending on purchasing a car anyway. So any figure you see touting the program you can immediately cut in half.
There was a lot of waste connected with scrapping so many good cars
Something not factored into the success of the plan was the carbon footprint. By taking a car, even a polluting car, and scraping it wastes the resources and energy it took to produce it. Engines and transmissions were emptied and then sodium silicate was run into them until they seized. Now, there was no opportunity to sell engines and transmissions to rebuilders. What few components were left had little value in the secondary market.
Even though there was no benefit to crushing the cars turned in there was a downturn in carbon emissions attributed to the program. It is estimated that between 10-30 million tons of emissions were taken out of the atmosphere. Some give credit to the combination of a recession and high fuel prices tipping things in a cleaner direction before the program even started.
The newer the vehicle the cleaner it will be. So, now that we’re eleven years hence from the first Cash for Clunkers if the rules were the same then much cleaner cars will be turned in. This time around the environmental improvements could be very small.
Lower economic groups couldn’t afford new cars
Probably the cars polluting the most were owned by people in lower economic groups that can’t afford to spring for a new car. So, there may have been cars scrapped that were better than many that were being used in lower economic situations. At the very least someone should be able to go into a compound area and if they select a car that gets better mileage and is in better condition they should be able to trade without paying a dime.
Finally, though this should be at the bottom of the list it is near and dear to many car enthusiasts. Some cars turned in have collectible value. To the program’s credit, some cars were set aside and later resold. The Hot Rod Magazine “Crusher Camaro” 1967 Camaro was but one of many cars turned into the program that was ultimately saved.
We are coming up on a terrible economic crisis from the pandemic shutdown, not to mention the loss of life. All businesses large and small will be looking for help. Let’s hope that when it comes to car manufacturers a better plan than Cars for Clunkers surfaces.


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While Buzzfeed and Facebook are the full expressions of content personalization, delivering relevant content to website visitors is becoming more important for the rest of us, too.
As the web and how we use it continues to evolve, personalization is becoming more and more prevalent. It’s not just the pair of shoes or watch that follows you around the web after daring to glance at it on Zappos or Amazon. Now, it’s the fundamental content of a website as well.
While it may be “taking off,” marketers are still having a hard time executing and implementing content personalization programs. It’s worth the challenge, though: Hubspot found that displaying content to users based on content personalization increases engagement rates by 42%.


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Toyota sold 247,230 units of the Prius around the world, that too in the first quarter of this year. Doesn’t this look like a record? Yes it indeed is one.
That makes the automobile the world’s third-best-selling car model for the first three months of 2012. The sales were considerably higher in the US and Japan. So, Prius is now one among the most popular car models.
Well, if we dig further into these estimated rates, we can see this success is majorly because of the fact that new Prius models such as C, V and Plug-in were introduced.
Also, the Prius C has become the most popular one among the entire lot. The introduction of new models and increased sales are being seen as a “Prius surge’.
The cars that sold more during the first quarter of this year are the Toyota Corolla, which accounts for sales of 300,800 units and the Ford Focus, which sold 277,000 copies of the model.


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Google's Slides presentation app can now be used without an Internet connection on iOS devices, joining the two other core office productivity tools in the company's suite, the Docs word processor and Sheets spreadsheet software.
With the move, announced Monday, Google also offers an alternative to Microsoft's native Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for iPhones and iPads.
Under pressure from Microsoft's Office 365, Google has launched a premium edition of Apps with unlimited cloud storage and extra IT controls, and it has improved the Docs office productivity suite.
Although this new edition is essentially Apps for Business with an extra set of features, Google has branded it differently, shifting the spotlight from "apps" to storage by calling it Drive for Work.
The message to developers at Google's I/O fest this year was crystal clear: Android software will power everything from phones and cars to TVs and beyond. Android was the star of the show at Google's developer fest on Wednesday, with executives pitching the mobile operating software as the driving force behind everything from connected TVs and cars to new wearable devices.
Docker 1.0's release couldn't have been more eventful, with new services making use of the fast-evolving application packaging ecosystem and the latest version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux becoming more Docker-centric.
Add another major name to that list: Google, per its announcements yesterday. Not only is Google adding support for Docker images to Google App Engine, the company has open-sourced a container management tool for Docker that is theoretically capable of running outside of Google's cloud services.
During his WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook defiantly lobbed jabs at Google and Android as he hadn't before. Between taunts about malware, fragmentation, and inferior devices, Cook announced that the company further cut ties with Google by picking Bing as the backbone of its search efforts on its operating systems.
SFR exploite le business des jeux vidéo intégré dans une dimension multi-supports (TV, smartphone) avec l’aide de Google Play. Un segment en croissance, selon l’opérateur.
SFR propose une nouvelle offre convergente dans le domaine des jeux vidéo pour les utilisateurs de son décodeur SFR TV avec Google Play Store. Le principe est simple : tout jeu acheté sur mobile est disponible gratuitement sur le décodeur télé sous Android 4.2.2. Et vice-versa.
Google is throwing its weight behind containers, an increasingly popular virtualization technology that can ease the process of spinning up applications in the cloud.
Google previewed a virtual machine for its Google Cloud service based on a popular open-source container technology called Docker. Docker provides a container for an application and its supporting libraries and programs, so that the application can be moved easily from server to server.
About 8 million students and 400,000 teachers in Thailand will be given access to Office 365, the biggest deployment yet for Microsoft's cloud apps suite in the education sector.
The Thai education commission has signed a five-year agreement with Microsoft to provide Office 365 free to students and teachers in the agency's jurisdiction.
Wednesday's announcement doesn't say which edition of Office 365 will be used.
Nobeysco Web Conferencing


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Taiwanese PC maker Acer confirmed that the company has terminated the operations of its eMachines brand, which was gained during the company's acquisition of
South Korean electronics company Samsung will apparently outsource the production of its laptop products for the first time, and the company has allegedly delivered
During the fourth quarter of 2011, PC shipments from major manufacturers saw significant changes in China with HP dropping to fifth place.
Chinese electronics group Haier has signed an agreement with the government of Guyana to provide laptops for the "One Laptop Per Family" initiative of
Ericsson has sued companies, including D-Link, Acer and Netgear, in Texas, U.S., for infringement of wireless products.
Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Beijing in May 2010, the Chinese mainland Founder Group and the Taiwanese Acer have jointly
The National Labor Committee from the United States has released a report in which it reportedly calls Dongguan Kunying Computer Goods Company Ltd, a
Shenzhen-based Huntkey Enterprise Group has announced the launch of a 90watt Energy Star universal notebook adapter that the company says can reach the Energy
Chinese PC maker Lenovo plans to cut 200 jobs in its Beijing headquarters, of which about 5% are senior managers and directors.


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OnePlus in an official tweet, announced that OnePlus Nord 2 would launch in India on July 22. The company has already revealed some of the key details of the upcoming smartphone ahead of its launch. The revealed specs include: the smartphone will feature a 6.43-inch of AMOLED display, and it will run on a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 AI SoC. The tweet reveals the device’s back design along with the design of its camera module.
The tweet, accompanied by a photo of the upcoming OnePlus Nord 2, reveals that this smartphone would come with a triple-camera module design, very similar to that of the OnePlus 9. There is a small sensor placed inside the rectangular module along with the LED flash.
As for the details of the camera sensors, the smartphone giant has already confirmed that the smartphone will come with a 50MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor. Interestingly, this is also used as the ultrawide lens available on the OnePlus 9 series of smartphones. Furthermore, OnePlus had also revealed that the primary sensor would support Optical Image Stabilisation or OIS. Apart from the 50MP primary lens, the triple camera module will also consist of an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP tertiary sensor. At the front side of the smartphone, there is a 32MP Sony IMX616 front camera.
OnePlus has already revealed that the smartphone will run on a Dimensity 1200 AI SoC. Additionally, it will feature 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage; however, if the internal storage could be expanded, a microSD is unknown yet. A massive 4500mAh battery will power the smartphone. Some sources have confirmed that the Nord 2 will come with support for Warp Charge 65.
The OnePlus Nord 2 5G smartphone will be launched in India on July 22nd at 7:30 pm IST. The smartphone is expected to come in two colors, but official confirmation on this front is awaiting.


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Microsoft Excel Becomes a Proper Programming Language
It may be the oldest piece of software still in widespread use. It was 34 years ago, just three years after Apple introduced its very first Macs, that Microsoft released the first version of its familiar Excel spreadsheet app, initially a rough copy of Dan Bricklin’s VisiCalc. Fast forward to the future, and the Irish Times noted in 2017 that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was calling Excel Microsoft’s most important consumer product, pointing out that it had over 750 million users.
So it feels almost historic when one of the world’s largest corporations augments a crucial component of its Office software suite — yet sure enough, Excel has been upgraded with a major new feature.
Microsoft’s researchers believe they’ve now finally transformed Excel into a full-fledged programming language, thanks to the introduction of a new feature called LAMBDA. “With LAMBDA, Excel has become Turing-complete. You can now, in principle, write any computation in the Excel formula language,” a Microsoft blog proclaimed.
“Being Turing complete is the litmus test of a full-fledged programming language,” explained a new article in Visual Studio magazine. And it adds that “early community response has been encouraging,” noting that Microsoft researchers are enthusiastically envisioning skilled Excel users creating functions “that appear seamlessly part of Excel to their colleagues, who simply call them.”
Hey, Office Insiders— LAMBDA for #Excel is now available!
✔ Define custom functions in Excel’s formula language.
✔ Transform custom functions and wrap them up in a LAMBDA function.
— Microsoft Excel (@msexcel) February 3, 2021
Here’s a look at these changes, and what they portend for the future of Excel, as a programming language.
Programming with Excel
But now all those users can write actual programs without leaving the world of Excel formulas. More specifically, formulas written in Excel can now be “wrapped” inside a named LAMBDA function — and it can then be called from anywhere else in the spreadsheet. And yes, it supports recursive programming, so you can even call your named function from within your named function.
The names are supplied in the “Name Manager” choice tucked away in Excel’s Formulas toolbar. And just like git, users can enter a comment when creating their function.
As Microsoft Senior Researcher Jack Williams described it at POPL 2021, “In Excel, it is now possible to build real, full-fledged programming experiences… We can now start to build things that look like real programs.”
The blog post provides an example: a cell whose value includes the name of a function.
The value ultimately displayed in that cell is the output of the specified function — and that function’s argument is…the address of another cell.
A function can also send back an array as its return value, with its values “spilling out” into multiple cells. In his video presentation at POPL, Williams writes a function that instantly generates a calendar.)
And Excel’s blog post promises more array manipulation functions are coming in the future. Microsoft’s Research blog even promises the company is working on “efficient implementations of array-processing combinators, such as MAP and REDUCE” to be used on the output of named functions.
And Excel’s program manager Chris Gross hinted about even higher hopes for the future. “I would love to see us add much-needed tools for debugging and authoring formulas,” he wrote in a comment. “Akin to what you get with great IDEs.”
A Dream From 2004
For Simon Peyton Jones, this represents the fulfillment of a long-standing dream. Speaking at POPL 2021, the long-time Microsoft researcher and functional programming advocate told the story of visiting Microsoft’s Excel team way back in 2004. “I learned that Excel is like a supertanker. It has a very high value. It has a very large mass. And it’s operated by a surprisingly small and heavily-overworked crew. So it’s not easy to change course!”
But 10 years later he discovered that one of the mid-level program managers, “those friendly, receptive folk that I mentioned, had since been promoted to be the great boss of Excel… Suddenly we begin to get senior, executive-level buy-in for some of these ideas.” And, even more importantly, the engineering support to make it happen.
Microsoft’s Research blog calls this new LAMBDA feature “a qualitative shift, not just an incremental change.” Named Lambda functions offer programmers the high-quality language-like attributes of “composability” and “re-use,” respecting one of the long-standing principles of good coding, namely not repeating work.
A named function can even become part of another named function elsewhere in the spreadsheet. But that’s just the beginning of what could be even more elaborate constructions, according to the Research blog post. It ultimately envisions “sheet-defined functions” where several different functions, each defined in different cells, are collectively used to define a larger function.
And interestingly, the concept of sheet-defined functions was first described in a 2003 research paper co-authored by Jones. “Our case study is unusual in that it highlights the way that programming language insights can be applied to a product not normally considered as a programming language,” Jones had written.
Also speaking at POPL 2021, Advait Sarkar, a senior researcher from Microsoft Research Cambridge, envisioned additional cells being used for commenting the code and adding formatting flourishes. “We view programming language design as a research discipline whose goal is to create more usable human-computer interfaces,” Sarkar says at one point.
Last year, Sarkar co-authored a paper imagining a new Excel concept called Gridlets — in which a selection of cells could be copy-and-pasted, allowing the reuse of a group of formulas, ultimately offering a kind of object-oriented counterpart to sheet-defined functions. Gridlets could be instantiated again and again, each with its own unique parameters or “properties,” while changes in the original parent gridlet will propagate to its children.
It’s the work of the “Calc Intelligence” team at Microsoft Research Cambridge, which has as its stated goal enhancing Excel as a programming language. Right now it’s only available to members of the “Office Insider” program’s beta channel. Although even within that program, eager users complained that they weren’t rolling it out fast enough, remembers Excel’s head of product Brian Jones in his POPL 2021 appearance. Williams said the feature had generated a lot of interest. “Even within the first few weeks of LAMBDAs being released, there were videos with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. There’s really big space to explore how spreadsheets and higher-order functional programming can co-exist and produce a unique experience.”
The post on Microsoft’s Excel blog ends by promising named LAMBDA functions are just the beginning, adding “join us for the journey.”
- Tweet BASIC code to this Arduino exec‘s Twitter bot — and it shares a video of the code executing.
- Legendary programming guru Alan Kay is answering questions on Quora.
- Bloomberg interviews founder of SaaS customer experience management platform Sprinklr.
- A Wired editor’s 25-year bet on whether technology would destroy civilization.
- Kroger tests smart shopping carts that accept payments to avoid checkout lines.
- “Things I wish I’d known before leaving California for Austin.”


text: There's a chance that Ethan, Mia, and Rose Winters won't show up in Resident Evil 9. Director Kento Kinoshita has stated that the Winters family will receive a fitting conclusion in the upcoming Resident Evil Village DLC, Shadows of Rose. \n \nLater this year, players can look forward to the release of Shadows of Rose, the lone DLC pack for Resident Evil Village. In addition to meeting Rosemary, Ethan, and Mia's kid, and returning to Castle Dimitrescu, players will say farewell to all the new characters introduced in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village. \n \nIGN Japan spoke with Capcom's Kento Kinoshita, who confirmed that the studio is working on a new story called Shadows of Rose to wrap up the Winters family saga. It appears that the next installment in the Resident Evil series, about which we know next to nothing, will explore uncharted territory. \n \nThere is, of course, always the chance that Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, and possibly even other characters from previous games, will return for Resident Evil 9, however, the game could also have an entirely new cast. As for what comes after the impending Resident Evil 4 remake, producer Masachika Kawata said the team could "absolutely not" reveal any details. \n \nBased on the conclusion of the primary story in Resident Evil Village, some players might have guessed that Ethan Winters wouldn't be the protagonist in the next installment. In spite of this, it appears like Capcom has decided to conclude his family's story with the impending downloadable content. All we can do now is wait for the answers to our many remaining questions. \n \nYou need not worry that returning to Castle Dimitrescu in Shadows of Rose would make you feel like you're playing a side quest if you already played the main game. Eric Switzer, our features editor, described the mansion's new pace and tone in a review. Starting on December 2, you can play Resident Evil: Village Shadows of Rose on the cloud on your Nintendo Switch if you preordered the game on October 28.


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Lego finds itself in ad limbo as the toy brickmaker reacts to the continued protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis cop by pausing its advertising for building sets and a line of products including police stations, city police vests and the White House.
According to a report by trade website The Toy Book, an email sent to some online companies selling Lego sets requested that marketing for some products be halted.
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In excess of 30 products were listed in the email, which read: “In light of recent events, Lego has requested the below products to be removed from sites and any marketing ASAP.”
A company spokesman reached out to CNBC by email with the following statement: “We would like to clarify that we have not removed any sets from sale. The misunderstanding is the result of an email that was sent on our behalf to members of our affiliate marketing programme. The intent of the email was to ask that they pause promoting and marketing a selection of Lego products on their sites. We paused all marketing across our own social channels earlier this week in response to the tragic events in the U.S.”
Floyd’s death on May 25 has sparked nation-wide protests in the United States, including outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
Lego, per a post on its Twitter account, said it would donate $4 million US to education non-profits that teach children about racial equality.