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This article was updated on March 27, 2024 at 5:00 AM EST.
LONDON — Rosie Huntington-Whiteley joins a new company known as The Equity Studio, founded by investor Anna Sweeting with the aim of providing financing and strategic advice to entrepreneur-led, consumer-facing businesses.
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The Equity Studio is launching with a lead investment vehicle backed exclusively by Sweeting and Huntington-Whiteley. The partners plan to put their power behind brands in the US, UK and Europe, with revenues between $3 million and $20 million.
Sweeting said ideal investment targets would be in the early to mid-stages of their development.
As part of the new venture, Sweeting has also formed an advisory board made up of global business leaders, strategists and entrepreneurs, including Huntington-Whiteley, who will put their diverse skills into action by advising founders and helping companies scale.
The Equity Studio plans to invest in beauty, wellness and lifestyle companies, and the focus will be on value creation and entrepreneurial empowerment. Sweeting and Huntington-Whiteley plan to announce their first investment soon.
In an interview, Sweeting said The Equity Studio’s goal is to work closely with founder-entrepreneurs and scale brands that have “a proven track record of revenue generation, a clear path to profitability and growth potential. ”
She also wants to build “connectivity and trust” with the founders.
“The landscape is changing enormously and these entrepreneurs need capital, but they also need capital [advice] of people navigating the landscape in real time. We are positioned to help them refine their existing strengths and continue to grow their market share. It will be a magical combination if we can invest and also guide them on their journey,” said Sweeting.
She believes there is a gap to fill in the current landscape by backing successful, growing consumer brands that may be overlooked by other investors.
The macroeconomic environment, the cost of living crisis and more cautious consumers have made raising funds even more difficult for these brands, which need money to scale.
Sweeting argues that founders need investors who believe in their operating principles, and who can be equipped with a “specialized and supportive ecosystem” to keep up with all the changes in the market.
Her approach is extraordinary. Private equity firms can sometimes force companies to grow too quickly, load them with debt, and then forgive them at a loss if the strategy doesn’t work. Sweetening is a different approach. “We are patient, creative and flexible.”
She and Huntington-Whiteley said they are looking for founders “who have an impact, who are determined, people who can seamlessly integrate marketing with cultural cachet and create entertainment. Those are the brands we are aiming for,” she added.
Ideal investment targets should also have a strong product offering and superpower, whether it is research and development, scientific or supply chain expertise, or proprietary data.


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The Post and Courier recently reported that two expert economists agreed at the 2012 Year in Review Residential Market Update that as long as job growth continues, Charleston home sales and prices will continue moving upward. Dr.
Joseph Von Nessen from the Moore School of Business at USC and Steve
Slifer of Charleston-based NumberNomics presented their
staticstically-backed forecast to the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors this week.
article also stated that the Charleston housing market has been
showing an upward trend. According to the association, 10,574 homes
sold in 2012, the most since 2007, when 12,921 homes were sold. The
median home price last year increased almost 5 percent higher than 2011
to $190,065. Â Local home sales are rising again as inventory levels
are dropping, putting upward pressure on prices.
to the article, Slifer said he predicts 30-year mortgages rates will
dip down to 3 percent this year. And, Von Nessen said home sales have
already hit bottom, which will help move the market along.
Association provided its members with slides from the Market Update.
The slides highlighted these additional points of interest:
Demand has created a shortage of rental properties which is pushing
rent fees up. Â Rental vacancy rates have fallen sharply and are the
lowest in a decade.
After a big drop, home prices hit bottom in January 2012. Since that
time they have been climbing at a 7 percent annual rate. As prices
climb, fewer homeowners will be upside down and fence-sitters will be
encouraged to buy.
Slifer offers his take and forecast on what our current government
administration needs to do to bring down the deficit and achieve a
balanced budget. Â

domain: news


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Software piracy in Australia costs vendors $264 million a year in lost sales, according to the fifth annual benchmark survey on global software piracy conducted by International Planning & Research (IPR).
In the five years to 1999, the survey, on behalf of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), estimated that Australian industry lost $1.4 billion in retail software revenue due to piracy. Australia's piracy rate fell slightly from 33 per cent to 32 per cent according to the latest global study. However, chairman of the BSAA, Jim Macnamara, said having one third of all PC software stolen was an unacceptable situation for the industry.
"Those who feel that illegal copying of software at that rate is acceptable are ignoring the fact that it is not only software manufacturers who are losing out. According to BSAA research, local distributors and retailers lose another $286 million a year in sales revenue through piracy. This is costing Australian businesses and costing jobs," Macnamara said.
"It is also a threat to Australia's future in the information age," he warned. "Consumers and businesses understand and accept that stealing physical property such as cars or groceries are serious offences, but we harbour a Robin Hood attitude towards intellectual property. However, it is intellectual property that is driving economies in the information age and it needs to be valued and protected," Macnamara said. "If Australia wants to be a smart country' and take part in the new economy, it needs to reduce its intellectual property piracy rates which are higher than other developed countries," he warned. Australia's software piracy rate of 32 per cent compares with 25 per cent in the US. Revenue losses to the global software industry due to piracy were estimated at $21.1 billion ($US12 billion) in 1999. North America, Asia and Western Europe accounted for most (83 per cent) of the revenue losses. These regions are the predominant users of software, leading to the most significant losses. The 10 countries with the highest dollar losses due to software piracy are (in rank order): the US, Japan, the UK, Germany, China, France, Canada, Italy, Brazil, and the Netherlands. Total losses for the top ten countries were $14.8 billion ($US8.4 billion), or 70 per cent of worldwide losses. In terms of piracy rates, the study estimates that more than eight in 10 business software applications are pirated in 19 countries including Vietnam, China and Russia.
Study: corporate software piracy topped $21b By Todd WeissLost revenue to software vendors because of piracy by corporate users reached $21 billion ($US12.2 billion) last year and has amounted to more than $59 billion over the past five years, according to a study released by two software industry trade associations. And that's not the worst of the news for vendors, according to the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) and the Business Software Alliance (BSA). They said the total losses from software piracy are far greater because the study only included unauthorised use of products in corporate workplaces and not in homes or smaller businesses around the globe.
"I think that this is the tip of the iceberg," said Diane Smiroldo, a spokeswoman at US-based BSA. "This is a conservative estimate when one looks at the impact of online piracy." Peter Beruk, vice president of antipiracy programs at the SIIA in Washington, said solutions to the piracy problem exist but software makers aren't taking universal advantage of them. "The industry has the capability to protect its works from unauthorised usage," Beruk said. Most promising, he added, is the emergence of application service providers (ASP) that store programs on central servers for access by end users instead of having customers install the software on their own systems.
By controlling access to the software at the server, piracy essentially could be eliminated, Beruk said. The ASP model "will probably go farther" than any other approach in making software piracy less of an issue, Beruk said. However, Microsoft gave up its membership in the SIIA earlier this year after the trade association filed a friend-of-the-court brief taking the side of the US government in its antitrust case against the software giant. The SIIA filed another brief this week, along with the Computer & Communications Industry Association, arguing that Microsoft should be broken up into three separate companies.


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Up to 50,000 mobile and telephone customers once tied to the collapsed telco ispONE could have their services reconnected in coming days after Vocus Communications bought the collapsed assets.
Corporate receiver Ferrier Hodgson has been negotiating with parties since Sunday to sell off the customer base and other assets of AsiaPac Communications, iBoss and One Telecom, which entered court-approved administration on Friday.
Some customers had been without service for weeks as suppliers including Telstra, AAPT and Vocus all began disconnecting the services amid claims of unpaid bills.
One Seniors, a retail brand associated with the collapsed entities, told its customers on Saturday of the administration and assured them services would be reconnected last Monday.
However, protracted negotiations over the sale delayed that reconnection.
It came amid an ongoing court battle between ispONE founder Zac Swindells and Conec2 chief executive Cameron Adams, who had originally bought the assets for $1.75 million in September last year.
It is understood the purchase price for the sale to Vocus was less than the $500,000 previously mooted, as the number of customers associated with the sale were disconnected.
Vocus chief executive James Spenceley says the company would work through reconnecting customers this week but not all customers would necessarily be reconnected.
“It’s a very messy and over-complicated corporate structure; it’s just a mess on the telco industry," he told The Australian Financial Review. “It’s going to take a while to sort through the process.
“There’s a lot of people that haven’t had service because of the actions of the owners, their in-fighting and legal battles."
The sale process did not include the iBoss billing software which is used by German supermarket chain ALDI’s low-cost mobile services.
Ferriers Hodgson administrator Stewart McCallum, who has overseen the sales process, confirmed they were looking to sell the billing platform separately. It is understood executives from ALDI have been in Australia meeting with administrators, Telstra and other suppliers.
The three companies entered administration with a claimed creditor’s debt of $4 million to Conec2 and further debt from other creditors including SingTel-Optus.
“It’s rising by the day; when final accounts are set this month it will be much larger than that," Adams says.
It is the second time assets associated with ispONE have entered administration in less than a year. The company went into receivership in August last year after contractual disputes with Telstra and Kogan Mobile.
At the time, creditors claimed they were owed more than $73 million in unpaid bills and other fees.
Swindells told the Financial Review at the time that he was not associated with AsiaPac Hong Kong or Conec2 Australia, the Australian parent company.
However, in an affidavit to the Victorian Supreme Court, obtained by the Financial Review, Swindells said he and Adams had a heads of agreement, signed before ispONE entered administration, to buy the assets of ispONE and share ownership of the merged entity.
According to affidavits from Swindells and his lawyer Anthony Watson, the acquisition of the ispONE assets by AsiaPac was funded by Swindells himself, and an $800,000 loan from ALDI subsidiary Medion, which operates the ALDI Mobile service.
A court hearing is still to be heard over the dispute between Adams and Swindells around the agreement.


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(The game-maker portrays Apple and Google as monopolies with comic book villains.)
Millions wondering about- “Is Fortnite dying?”, “Is Epic Games Shutting Down Fortnite?” “Is Epic Games Safe Now?”. If you’re not watching the tech news last week, you missed the worth of cramming handfuls of popcorn in your mouth a whole afternoon as you stared broad-eyed at the screen wondering what madness was coming next. Thrilling baited both google and apple to remove “Fortnite” from their app store and play store and did so with a robust game strategy in mind — including an anti-Apple video incident in the game and two very public lawsuits.
Epic Games put the millions of dollars it has raked into some use from its hit Fortnite video game, causing Apple and Google to drop their title from their respective platforms, then blitz them with a couple of lawsuits and an online video that mocks the two tech giants. And in doing so, Epic attracted the attention of the tech community to antitrust issues that plagued both companies at just the right moment.
“Epic Games has overcome the hegemony of the App Store,” Epic said in his video recreation of the famous Macintosh Super Bowl commercial from Apple in 1984, referencing the same name’s dystopian book. In Epic’s version, posted online and the developer fashioned himself battling the evil overseer in his video game Fortnite Thursday. Epic said its game, which counts more than 250 million players worldwide, has now been blocked from more than one billion devices around the world.
Fortnite-maker Epic Games, after being removed from the Google Play app store, takes legal action against Google, just after doing the same with Apple.
When Epic Games bypassed their payment schemes, Apple and Google both pulled the popular game from their app and played stores to avoid giving them a sales cut. Both companies have on their app stores a minimum of 30 per cent of purchases.
Google said it would run a “open” system and bring Fortnite back to its official app store.
There are app stores available on Android phones other than Google Play, and it is still possible to install Fortnite from Epic Games’ launcher app and the Samsung Galaxy app store, allowing it less restrictive than Apple’s framework.
Fortnite’s new update gave all players a 20 per cent discount on their V-bucks in-game currency-but only if they paid Epic Games directly instead of using payment mechanisms from Apple or Google.
This broke the rules both stores were applying. Apple removed Fortnite from its App Store on Thursday, leaving new players with no way to access the game.
Epic Games had expected this to happen, immediately releasing a video mocking Apple’s famous 1984-themed television commercial about battling a police state. This almost instantly released papers in court.
The app also vanished off the Google Play store hours later. Contrary to the high-profile promotional blitz she was prepared to mock Apple and rally support, Google’s Epic was quiet.
Officially, Fortnite has only tweeted that the Google Play app is inaccessible and that “more information will soon be open.”
What is the case in court?
Details available via the U.S. court papers system show that in a California court, Epic Games filed complaints against Google, just like it did against Apple.
Much of the petition is about Google’s compulsory 30 per cent cut from Play store sales, similar to Apple’s. The text stresses that the slogan of Google once was “do not be bad.”
“Google has reduced its slogan to almost an afterthought and is using its power to do evil to rivals, innovators, consumers and users in a multitude of markets where it has become a monopoly,” it states.
- Apple estimates that the smartphone economy is half a trillion dollars
- Apple loves payments via its App Store
This outlines an arrangement reached by Epic Games with OnePlus, the phone-maker, to make its games “seamlessly” available on their smartphones.
“But Google has pressured OnePlus to renege on the deal, citing Google’s ‘extreme concern’ about Epic having the freedom to install and upgrade mobile games by ‘bypassing the Google Play Store’,” it said.
It said L.G. had also disclosed its contracts with Google to keep it from adding apps for Epic Games to its phone.
What does Epic want?
Epic Games says it needs the mobile app stores changed to be fairer for all players (Developers).
Both in legal papers from Apple and Google, it claims it’s not expecting a cash award or a more favourable offer for itself. Using the social media tag #freefortnite, it has started a consumer-rights focused campaign.
However, any reduction in Apple and Google’s 30 per cent cut would greatly benefit Epic Games.
Google pointed out in a statement that users can theoretically install apps from other places, saying that using the Google Play store is a “option.”
It added: “The open ecosystem on Android helps developers to distribute applications across multiple app stores,” it said.
“We have clear policies that are fair to developers for game developers who want to use the Play Store and keep the store safe for users.
“While Fortnite is still available on Android, we can’t make it available on Play any more because it violates our policies.”
Apple said in an argument: “Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and has profited from the ecosystem of the App Store-including the tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers.
“Epic readily agreed with the terms and conditions of the App Store, and we are pleased that they have built such a production company on the App Store. The fact that their commercial interests are now pushing them to lobby for a special deal doesn’t change the fact that these rules provide a level playing field for all developers and make the store accessible for all customers.
What’s more to come?
Apart from the litigation, the ability of Epic and Spotify to draw attention to Apple and Google is likely to cause further scrutiny, say industry watchers. In addition to ongoing attempts by U.S. regulators at the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission, as well as Congressional lawmakers and both presumed presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden to find ways to rein in the two tech giants.
“These corporations have market control as they exist today,” said U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, at an antitrust hearing in July involving Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google parent Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, as well as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. “All need to be split up. Everyone wants good supervision and transparency.”


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The TRUEX BLOGGERS CHALLENGE has taken a different shape as the price money has now been raised to N100K as confirmed on TruexGOLD’s official Facebook page.
The urgent increment was made as a result of so many complaints which the MGT received from Bloggers across the country when the challenge was launched yesterday stating that the initial N50K was too small for such a promotion.
If you are a Blogger and want to participate, here is what to do;
- Simply put up any good blog post/article on any of TruexGOLD’s services E.g. “How to Buy/Sell Perfect Money via TruexGOLD Nigeria” or “How to Buy/Sell
BITCOIN via TruexGOLD Nigeria” and publish it with a link to their official website http://www.truexgold.com
- then send them a link of the blog post/article which you have published to this email address : “email@example.com”.
You may want to create little awareness of your post via any of your social media channels to get readers to comment on the post.
By August 15th; the blog post/article that got the MOST comments will win the N100,000.00
The MGT also stated that Spam comments will not be tolerated.
For more update on the challenge, you may want to check the following pages:
or use the hashtag #TRUEXBLOGGERSCHALLENGE to rather monitor events as they unfold.


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We already know that Chinese people are capable of producing almost anything, but now Chinese Researchers reported that they’ve produced human-like milk from genetically modified dairy cows.
Ning Li says “Our study describes transgenic cattle whose milk offers similar nutritional benefits as human milk” and “The modified bonnie milk is a possible substitute for human milk”.
The researchers say that this new milk tastes a little stronger than normal cow milk and they hope it can be commercialized within 3 years or less.
A real important concern is that mothers may substitute their breast feeding with is product and might put in danger the babies well being, because natural human breast milk is the most important source of vitamins, minerals and immunologic defenses for infants. In other hand, this can be a help to mothers that have trouble breast feeding.
This Scientist, Ning Li, has created cows that can produce important substances that are present in human breast milk, like lysozyme (protein with a role against bacterial infections) and lactoferin (role in immune cells) and are vital for a good baby growth and health.
One British biologist said to the Daily Telegraph that “Genetically modified food, if done correctly, can provide benefit for consumers in terms of producing better products”.
Ou concern is: Will they always think about people’s wellbeing above all? Or will they start to think (as most producers) about how to make more money and stop concerning so much about human or animal health?
Do the cows suffer with this modification? Are they healthy or suffer some problems and die early?


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WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday stepped back from opening another front in his global trade war, delaying for six months a decision on whether to impose tariffs on foreign cars and auto parts.
The delay gives a temporary reprieve to global automakers and their suppliers, which had been bracing for punishing tariffs on cars sent into the United States. The decision, which will primarily benefit car exporters like Germany and Japan, comes as the White House struggles to resolve an escalating trade fight with China.
Still, the move does not signal a final cease-fire in the trade war. The president has seized on tariffs as a source of leverage in negotiations with trading partners like Japan and the European Union, and he is likely to hold out the possibility of tariffs as he pushes for trade pacts that benefit the United States.
Friday morning’s announcement said that conditions for the American industry must be improved by reducing imports and that the United States Trade Representative would pursue negotiations to address the situation with the European Union, Japan and potentially other countries.
The delay gives the administration until November to determine whether to impose the tariffs, which could be as high as 25 percent.
A decision to impose auto tariffs would have been Mr. Trump’s most aggressive trade measure yet. His administration has already imposed stiff levies on steel and aluminum and $250 billion worth of Chinese goods. But a tariff on cars and car parts was seen as an economically damaging escalation in the president’s quest to revise trade terms to benefit the United States.
The prospect of a 25 percent tariff on foreign cars and car parts, as the president has threatened, provoked an outcry from both industry and foreign governments.
But that opposition did not appear to be the primary reason behind the Trump administration’s decision. Instead, United States officials believed it was not the right time to pursue the tariffs, given time-consuming trade negotiations in China, as well as talks with Europe and Japan, and a continuing effort to pass the revised North American trade agreement into law. Almost all of the president’s advisers were united in that view, people familiar with their thinking said.


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Mike Tyson’s cannabis brand, Tyson 2.0, appointed Jackie (Northacker) Guarini as chief marketing officer to lead the company’s marketing strategy.
Guarini has more than a decade of professional experience in digital marketing, consumer connections, branding, and media initiatives. Prior to joining Tyson 2.0 team, she was head of commerce media for Anheuser-Busch InBev’s BUD U.S. portfolio, where she built a first of its kind connected commerce strategy integrating shopper marketing, e-retail, and direct-to-consumer programs. She was in charge of social and programmatic partnerships working with companies including Google GOOGL, Meta Platforms FB, Pinterest PINS, Snapchat SNAP, Twitter TWTR, Code3, Apollo Global Management’s APO Yahoo, and The Trade Desk TTD.
“Tyson 2.0 has achieved an impressive distribution scale in only seven months. It is a testament to the strength of the brand and the human connection fans feel to Mike's authenticity," Guarini told Benzinga. "We are hyper focused on delivering premium quality cannabis that fits every occasion, lifestyle and need to consumers everywhere, both in retail locations and online."
The appointment of Guarini as the first CMO of Tyson 2.0 is part of the brand’s commitment to developing its house of brands strategy. Following its launch in November 2021, Tyson 2.0’s line of premium cannabis products is now available for purchase in the US and will be available in Canada starting in early June. U.S. consumers can find Tyson 2.0 products across 13 states.
“This is a big moment for Tyson 2.0,” Adam Wilks, CEO of Tyson 2.0 stated “Jackie brings extensive experience building award-winning brands and cultivating mission-aligned partnerships. We are thrilled to have her join us as we continue to expand our portfolio with game-changing products and marketing campaigns as we did with Mike Bites.”
Guarini also won several industry accolades including Cannes Reach Lions and D&AD Pencil awards for her marketing innovations. She is an avid activist, having served as a commissioner on the environmental policy board of the Village of New Paltz, and currently volunteers advocating for cannabis reform.
“Mike is a legend and it’s an amazing experience to be able to work with him and in an industry I’m so passionate about,” Guarini said. “His story is inspiring to consumers and fans alike because he found healing through plant-based medicine and hopes to share these benefits through Tyson 2.0 products. Not only are we aiding the body and mind through cannabis, but our whole ethos is built on accessibility. We are in the business of greater wellbeing and that’s extremely powerful.”
Photo: Courtesy of Tyson 2.0
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
- Earn global recognition for your achievements.
- Shine a spotlight on the people around you that deserve their moment.
- Celebrate with the newest, hottest and most successful in the cannabis industry.
Join us on September 27-28, 2023 at Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago, IL.


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Cloud computing is an increasingly broad topic that encompasses everything from Google Apps to data center services to virtualization to software-, infrastructure- and platform-as-a service. Technology executives are increasingly interested in cloud computing as a way to save money. Nevertheless, cloud adoption remains in the single digits amid security concerns. Rest assured that cloud computing is a game changer. Key players include: IBM, HP, Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Salesforce.com, NetSuite, VMware as well as dozens of others.
Articles about Cloud
When the electronics giant merged CRM systems for three divisions, it tapped Cloud Sherpas to make the migration to Salesforce.com happen over a nine-month time frame.
Azure doesn't only come from Microsoft now; suddenly it's a much bigger cloud with a lot more choice
The Citrix CTO has said the virtualisation player is successfully transitioning its business to the cloud.
Microsoft has brought together 25 cloud providers to host its services to customers around the world.
In the fourth quarter, Adobe ended with 1.44 million Creative Cloud subscriptions, up 402,000 from the third quarter. Enterprises continue to tap into Adobe's subscriptions.
Apple eliminated the option to manually sync contacts to an iPhone or iPad in OS X 10.9 and it has drawn the ire of security minded Apple users worldwide.
The file-sharing platform has managed to secure millions in a fresh round of funding.
More global companies could follow Google's lead in rolling out a data center in Taiwan, according to its government, which will help further grow the cloud industry.
HP has quickly made itself a key supplier of some of the most important technologies of the present corporate era: cloud computing and big data processing.
Everyone now wants to bring their own cloud to work. Obviously, security is a risk. There are other concerns as well.
For 15 years, the developer has served hundreds of global companies including Bank of America, Sears, eBay and McDonald's. Deals with Heroku and Salesforce.com should accelerate enterprise mobile app delivery.
Previously considered to be completely closed off, Oracle is now integrating OpenStack components into its products.
India's leading e-commerce business, Snapdeal, and auto-loan business Bajaj Finserv have bet on cloud-based marketing apps. The CMO and CTO of both businesses discuss their experiences.
The National Australia Bank (NAB)'s technology transformation delivered significant benefits in 2013 – paving the way for even greater change in 2014 as its new CIO takes the reins of one of the country's most ambitious IT transformations.
BitYota's service will allow you to analyze mobile, Web and gaming apps through standard SQL databases without modifications.


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Receive the latest news from Raymarine
A massive 45% discount for RYA test centres
Raymarine’s Evolution™ wins again
2013 NMEA-BWI Technology award goes to Raymarine’s Evolution™ autopilot
Raymarine is delighted to announce that its award-winning Evolution™ autopilot has won the coveted 2013 NMEA-BWI Technology Award at the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) annual convention held in San Diego, CA.
The NMEA-BWI Technology Award recognises recently introduced products and singles out the “best” based on a combination of innovative design, benefits to boaters, practicality and value. Judging is carried out by Boating Writers International (BWI) which reviews what’s new in the world of boating and electronic products.
Bill Bishop, this year’s head judge, said, “The new Raymarine autopilot, after a simple dockside set-up, automatically teaches itself how to steer the boat and linearizes the compass. This artificial intelligence-feeling system eliminates the traditional seatrial autopilot calibration and, when coupled with the mount-almost-anywhere heading sensor, made it a technology stand-out.”
Grégoire Outters, Raymarine’s General Manager, said, “The NMEA-BWI Technology Award further recognizes Raymarine’s passion for creating innovative products that benefit the boating industry and public as a whole. It’s a huge boost for everyone here to have our revolutionary new Evolution™ autopilot recognized in this way.”
Evolution™ was launched earlier this year and has attracted the attention of boat owners and boat manufacturers everywhere for its great performance, simple Automagic™ calibration, and ease of installation. Evolution™ combines advanced aerospace guidance technology with Raymarine’s marine autopilot expertise to deliver a breakthrough in autopilot intelligence; Raymarine’s Evolution™ autopilot also won the Innovation Award at IBEX last month.
About FLIR Systems
FLIR Systems, Inc. is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of sensor systems that enhance perception and awareness. FLIR's advanced systems and components are used for a wide variety of thermal imaging, situational awareness, and security applications, including airborne and ground-based surveillance, condition monitoring, navigation, recreation, research and development, manufacturing process control, search and rescue, drug interdiction, transportation safety, border and maritime patrol, environmental monitoring, and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) threat detection. For more information, visit FLIR’s web site at www.FLIR.com.
Raymarine, a world leader in marine electronics, develops and manufactures the most comprehensive range of electronic equipment for the recreational boating and light commercial marine markets. Designed for high performance and ease of use, the award-winning products are available through a global network of dealers and distributors.
The Raymarine product lines include radar, autopilots, GPS, instruments, fishfinders, communications, and integrated systems. Headquartered in Fareham UK, Raymarine is a division of FLIR Systems, a world leader in thermal imaging. For more information about Raymarine please go to www.raymarine.com.
For further information contact Haley Ellison – FLIR Systems Tel: +1 503/919-0696 or email: firstname.lastname@example.org. For high resolution images please go to www.raymarine.com/media


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By Judy McKinnon
Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NAS:LULU) said first-quarter earnings climbed 40%, beating analyst and company expectations, which the maker of high-end yoga wear attributed to increased inventory levels that helped bolster revenue.
Vancouver-based Lululemon said earnings for the quarter ended April 29 rose to $46.6 million or 32 cents a share from $33.4 million or 23 cents a year earlier.
The Thomson Reuters mean estimate was for a profit of 30 cents a share in the latest quarter, while the company had guided for 28-29 cents a share.
Revenue of $285.7 million outpaced analyst expectations of $271 million, and was up from $186.8 million a year earlier. Lululemon had guided for revenue of $265-$270 million.
First-quarter same-store sales were up 25% on a constant-dollar basis, the company said.
"Our strategy to increase inventory levels led to strong revenue growth and earnings performance in the first quarter as our guests responded well to our spring styles and colors," Chief Executive Christine Day said in a statement.
For the second quarter, Lululemon said it expects net revenue of $273-$278 million and earnings of 28-30 cents a share. Projections are slightly below analyst calls for revenue of $290 million and earnings of 33 cents a share next quarter.
The company also updated guidance for fiscal 2012 and said it now expects revenue of $1.32-$1.34 billion and earnings of $1.55-$1.60 a share. It previously guided for revenue of $1.3-$1.325 billion and earnings of $1.50-$1.57 a share.
Premarket on Nasdaq, shares are off about 13% at around $61.00


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The Dow Jones industrial average fell 101.47 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 16,613.97, while the S&P 500 index lost 8.92 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 1,888.53. Nasdaq fell, too, by 29.54 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 4,100.63.
A selloff in home-builder shares helped drag down the S&P 500’s consumer-discretionary sector by 1.1 per cent.
Department store Macy’s shares dipped 0.2 per cent to $57.83 after its operator reported sales that missed expectations.
But the biggest drag on both the Dow and the S&P 500 was IBM, whose shares shed 1.8 per cent to $188.72.
IBM said it expected hardware profit to be flat year-over-year over the coming year.


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Now, as the industry accumulates customers, chargebacks are on the rise. Inflation squeezes consumers, making it harder to pay off debt. Some borrowers do not budget properly, especially if persuaded to take out multiple loans, while others may have been credit risks to begin with.
“You have an industry with a higher concentration of subprime borrowers in a market that hasn’t been effectively tested (that kind of economy), and you have a kind of toxic brew of worries,” Michael Taiano said. , an analyst at Fitch Ratings, who co-authored a report in July highlighting some of the industry’s concerns.
The most popular type of buy now, pay later loan allows for four payments over six weeks – one payment at the time of purchase and three more that borrowers often try to synchronize with pay periods. Longer term loans for larger purchases are also available. Most short-term loans bear no interest. Companies that charge interest can clearly state in advance how much a borrower will pay in finance charges.
Given these characteristics, consumer advocates and financial advisors initially saw buy now, pay later plans as a potentially healthier form of consumer debt if used correctly. The main concern was late fees, which could be a heavy financial burden on a small purchase if a borrower was late on a payment. Fees can reach $34, plus interest. But now that chargebacks are on the rise and companies are more aggressive in marketing their products, advocates see the need for additional regulation.
The industry is showing growth rates not typically found in financial services. Klarna customers purchased $41 billion worth of products on its service globally in the first six months of the year. up 21% from a year ago. PayPal’s revenue from its buy-it-now and pay-later services more than tripled in the second quarter to $4.9 billion.
Jasmine Francis, 29, a technology analyst based in Charlotte, North Carolina, said she first used a ‘buy now, pay later’ service in 2018 to buy clothes from the fast fashion brand Forever21.
“I remember I just got a cart,” she said. “At first I thought, ‘Something has to go back’, then I saw Afterpay at checkout – you don’t pay for everything right now, but you get it right away. It was from music to my ears.
It is unclear to what extent clients are using buy now, pay later loans healthily. Fitch found that chargebacks on these services rose sharply in the 12 months to March 31, while chargebacks on credit cards remained stable – although chargebacks at AfterPay, which focuses primarily on cash loans. short term, have fallen slightly over the past two quarters.
Credit-reporting firm TransUnion found that borrowers are using buy-it-now, pay-later plans, even as they rack up credit card debt as well. A Morning Consult poll released this week found that 15% of buy now, pay later customers use the service for routine purchases, such as groceries and gas, a pattern of behavior that is ringing alarm bells at home. financial advisers.
“If these buy now, pay later plans aren’t budgeted properly, they can have a cascading impact on a person’s entire financial life,” said André Jean-Pierre, a former Morgan Stanley wealth adviser who now runs his own financial planning company focused on helping black Americans save and budget properly.
Another concern of consumer advisors and advocates, as well as lawmakers and regulators in Washington, is the ease with which consumers can layer on these installment loans.
Speaking at a Tuesday Senate Banking Committee hearing on new financial products, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, highlighted the benefits of plans that allow consumers to pay for things in installments. But he also criticized the way the industry promotes the plans.
“The ads encourage consumers to use these plans for multiple purchases, across multiple online stores — racking up debt they can’t afford to pay off,” Brown said.
Short-term loans are potentially problematic because they are not reported on a consumer’s credit profile with Transunion and Experian. Additionally, buy now, pay later, industry customers are young – meaning they have little credit history to begin with. In theory, a borrower could take out multiple short-term loans across multiple buy-now, pay-later businesses — a practice known as “loan stacking” — and they would never show up on a credit report. If a person puts in too many buy now, pay later items, budgeting can be difficult.
“It’s a blind spot for the industry,” Fitch’s Taiano said.
The industry trade group buy now, pay later has pushed back on the characterization that its products could burden borrowers with too much debt.
“With zero to low interest rates, flexible payment terms and transparent terms and conditions, BNPL helps consumers manage their cash responsibly and live healthier financial lives,” said Penny Lee, CEO of the Financial Technology Association, in a statement.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is studying the popularity of buy now, pay loans later and is expected to release a report soon with its findings.
Francis, the technology analyst, said it has become common for his friends to pay for their trips with installment loans, so as not to completely empty their bank accounts in the event of an emergency.
“If I come back from vacation and I have two flat tires, and I just spent all that money on plane tickets, that’s $400 that you don’t have right now,” he said. she declared. “Most people don’t have savings. They’ve got just enough for those flat tires.
Meanwhile, “buy now, pay later” service providers view rising chargebacks as a natural consequence of growth, but also as an indication that inflation is hitting the Americans most likely to use these services. the hardest.
“I wouldn’t call it some kind of preamble to a potential slowdown, but it’s not the same kind of smooth sailing that it’s been,” said Max Levchin, Founder and CEO of Affirm, the one of the biggest buy now, pay later companies. Levchin said Affirm takes a more conservative approach to lending.
Despite concerns, the consensus is buy now, pay later, companies are here to stay. Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, which is owned by Block Inc., as well as PayPal and others are now widely integrated into internet commerce.
Moreover, the growth of the industry attracts more and more players. Tech titan Apple announced earlier this summer Apple Pay Later, where users can make purchases on a four-payment plan over six weeks.
“I usually schedule the purchases I make using PayPal ‘Pay in 4’ so that my due dates for purchases land on my payment dates because due dates are every two weeks” , said Desiree Moore, 35, of Georgia.
Moore said she tries to use buy-it-now, pay-later plans to cover purchases that aren’t part of her usual monthly budget, so as not to take money away from her children’s needs. She is increasingly using the plans with inflation making items more expensive and so far able to keep up with the payments.
Buy now, pay later took off in the United States after the Great Recession. Analysts said the product was largely untested during a major period of financial hardship, unlike mortgages, credit cards or auto loans. Even financial executives have recognized the new challenges facing the industry.
“We’ve seen some stress (among those with the lowest credit scores), and those are starting to struggle.” said Levchin.
AP Personal Finance Reporter Cora Lewis contributed to this report from New York.


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New blood joins local BMW management
BMW Manufacturing has announced that Gerald Degen has been named the new vice president of logistics and production steering for its Spartanburg County plant in Greer, the largest BMW Group plant worldwide.
Degen succeeds Philip Heinrichsdorff, who has returned to Germany to direct material control and delivery assurance for BMW Group.
BMW’s South Carolina plant is in the midst of a $1 billion investment to increase capacity by 50 percent by the end of the year. This investment and expansion will enable the plant to add a fifth vehicle model, the X7, to the X3, X4, X5 and X6.
The plant produces more than 1,400 vehicles each day and has led the company to become the largest U.S. automotive exporter by value.
Degen has been with BMW Group for 18 years. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Munich. He began his career as a quality engineer in BMW Plant Munich in Germany and then joined the launch team to start-up BMW Plant Leipzig as director of final assembly.
In 2007 he was appointed vice president of BMW Plant Shenyang in China. During his time there he served as a visiting professor at the College of Ophthalmology & Visual Science and gave lectures for master’s of business administration students at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
In 2011 Degen became vice president of Value Added Production Systems, responsible for the Lean Manufacturing Program of BMW Group until the end of 2012. He then moved to Brazil in January 2013 as director of BMW Plant Araquari. While in Brazil, Degen received honorary citizenship of Santa Catarina from the state government in 2015.
BMW began manufacturing vehicles in the U.S. in 1994 and has produced more than 3 million vehicles in the last two decades. With an export value of nearly $10 billion annually, BMW is the largest U.S. automotive manufacturer.
The company exports 70-percent of its Greer-made vehicles to more than 140 countries around the world.
Four local management changes were announced by the company last fall. Karl Loessi became vice president of Body In White. Rich Everly became vice president of Paint. Dirk Hilgenberg became vice president of assembly. Richard Morris became vice president of Project Integration.
- Follow Michael Burns on Twitter @MikeNearGreer


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Celebrity chef makes Rs 1.6 Lakh pizza for client, netizens say 'I'd rather spend the money on flight to Italy'
A celebrity chef has shared a unique request she received from a client - they wanted a pizza that cost $2,000 (Rs 1.63 lakh).
"My celebrity client wants a $2,000 (£1,590) pizza appetiser for the dinner tonight, let’s go to Erewhon," Brooke Baevsky said in an Instagram video.
Brooke then goes shopping for the pizza ingredients, which included a range of organic produce, almonds, gluten-free flour blends and $30 water, among many other unconventional ingredients.
The total bill amounted to $944. There was a shipment of organic Manuka honey worth $250 from New Zealand and of caviar amounting to $200.
"Let’s make a $2k pizza for a celeb client #chefbae," the video is captioned.
Brooke posted behind-the-scenes clips showing her making the pizza. She topped the dish with vegan pesto which contained 24-carat gold flakes.
"Lastly, I make an organic date and fig balsamic reduction and then top the pizza with even more 24-karat gold flakes," she said.
In another video, Brooke is seen serving the extravagant pizza to her celebrity client.
One user said, "The way the pizza is more than my rent." Another wrote, "This seems so extra for no reason lol."
A third user commented, "I’d rather spend 2k on a flight to Italy for pizza." Someone added, "It’s crazy how rich people choose to spend their money."
Yet another asked, "Do these people not know caviar isn’t vegan??"


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Ace Hardware Store at Windermere is celebrating its third year in business and is giving away a new Weber Genesis EP310 grill to one lucky winner.
“We want to thank our customers for three great years,” said Steve Newton, store owner. Stop by for free pop corn and hotdogs every Saturday through the month of August.
To enter the drawing, just fill out the address form below and either drop it by the store or mail to: Ace Hardware on Windermere, 3835 Windermere Parkway, Cumming GA 30041.
Congratulations to Steve and the staff!
Enter to win a Weber® Genesis ® EP310. Drawing exclusively at Ace Hardware Windermere.
City: ________________________ State: ________ Zip: ________________
RETURN THE COMPLETED FORM TO: Ace Hardware on Windermere, 3835 Windermere Parkway, Cumming GA 30041. Drawing will be held on August 31, 2012 at 7 pm. Do not have to be present to win.
Literacy Forsyth and Barnes & Noble are partnering to raise money for our adult literacy and GED programs. We are having our annual bookfair..
Forsyth County government is asking the community: ‘Tell us about YOUR Forsyth County.’ The public is being asked to take a brief online..
2014 Boulder Dash 5K/10K & Spring Fling Saturday, April 26 – http://www.boulderdash5k.com/


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By Cristina Roca
Shares in First Sensor AG soared Monday after TE Connectivity said that it will launch a takeover offer for all outstanding shares in the sensor manufacturer, a transaction valued at about 307 million euros ($342.8 million).
First Sensor and TE on Monday signed a business combination agreement. Following the agreement, TE will make a voluntary public tender offer of EUR28.25 per First Sensor share, the German company said in a press release.
At 0748 GMT, shares in First Sensor traded 11% higher at EUR28.05.
"The transaction with TE allows First Sensor with its market-leading product portfolio to become part of a global technology and manufacturing leader for connectivity and sensor solutions and provides the scale, customer base and existing sensor expertise to create a more comprehensive offering to a deeper and broader customer base," First Sensor said.
The tender offer won't have a minimum acceptance threshold, First Sensor said, noting that shareholders owning about 67% of all outstanding shares in the company have already agreed to accept TE's offer.
The deal should close by mid 2020 at the latest, the First Sensor said.
First Sensor Chief Financial Officer Mathias Gollwitzer said he will resign from his post after the takeover offer is completed.
Write to Cristina Roca at firstname.lastname@example.org; @_cristinaroca


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If Tupelo leaders continue to try to regulate these businesses in an effort to protect the brick and mortar restaurants, it is very likely the same scenario will play out in the city that gave us Elvis. The constitution specifically prohibits such economic protectionism. Our legal arm, the Mississippi Justice Institute, has already cautioned the City Council against such actions.
Rather than making the case by leveraging the consequences of a legal challenge, I would like to appeal to the leaders of Tupelo to consider the practical reasons why being on the side of economic liberty is the prudent choice. This is not a partisan issue. It is an issue of free enterprise, consumer choice, and the proper role of government in a system of capitalism.
It is not the role of government to protect any business, brick and mortar or otherwise, from competition. The free enterprise system operates correctly when consumer choice, not political blessing, is the basis of choosing the winners and losers.
From a practical standpoint, it is also a mistake to thwart a powerful economic trend like food trucks. These businesses are examples of entrepreneurs responding to market signals. In so doing, they are contributing to the local economy by serving a customer niche. Brick and mortar restaurant entrepreneurs can do the same, and many have. All of these entrepreneurs, new and old, are creating unique options and that work to build a more diverse and appealing food marketplace in Tupelo. In turn, this attracts more consumers to the downtown – creating a bigger, healthier and more prosperous local economy.
In a properly functioning economy in America, the success of a food company should be based on how good the food and service is; not on how well connected it is to the political class. In a system of capitalism, competitors respond to consumer trends with innovations and improved offerings, not by seeking government help to build a moat around their businesses. We should be encouraging entrepreneurs and risk-takers, not creating hurdles out of a misplaced sense of obligation to protect existing businesses.
In many ways, the food truck controversy is similar to those disputes we’ve seen around the country where local governments are determining how to regulate Airbnb and Uber. Rather than government looking to create new and restrictive regulations for these emerging businesses, they should be thinking about how to reduce the existing regulatory burdens on brick and mortar restaurants and hotels. The local economy would be the beneficiary of such actions and no one would argue against a policy that spurs economic growth – especially not in a state where we have struggled to experience sustainable growth in our private sector.
On behalf of customers, competition, and consumer choice, I hope this appeal to the political leaders of Tupelo does not land on deaf ears. Cites across the country are realizing these kinds of cases are very hard to defend. However, the City Council should not vote to keep the regulatory burden for food trucks low out of a fear of the legal consequences; they should do it because it’s in the best economic interests of Tupelo.
This column appeared in the Daily Journal on October 28, 2018.


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A new Star Wars game has been confirmed for Xbox 360 motion device Kinect at Microsoft’s E3 press conference.
Attendees were treated to a brief trailer on the main stage’s big screen. The video displayed a player-controlled Jedi taking out a group of stormtroopers and a mech before going head-to-head with Darth Vader.
Players will be able to swing their arm to wield an in-game lightsaber using the Kinect device. It was also confirmed that LucasArts and Terminal Reality will be working on the untitled game for Xbox 360, while Microsoft will publish the title.
Head of Microsoft Game Studios Phil Spencer said: LucasArts and Microsoft Game Studios will bring the extraordinary Star Wars action to living rooms around the world.”
The Xbox 360 Kinect Star Wars game is on course for a 2011 release.


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According to developer Hello Games, No Man’s Sky is still on track to land this summer on Nintendo Switch — in fact, the title could be coming even sooner than anticipated as the game is seemingly in its final stages of development.
While audiences have not been informed about the port’s development in quite some time, a new press release from Hello Games detailing No Man’s Sky’s upcoming Leviathan Expedition expansion had the following to say about the upcoming Switch release:
“In the background, the rest of our small team have been hard at work putting the finishing touches to, among other things, the Nintendo Switch version and some large upcoming updates.”
Previously, No Man’s Sky was announced for Switch during February’s Nintendo Direct broadcast. Plenty of gameplay for the title was shown off during the presentation, however, no concrete release date was provided at the showing.
No Man’s Sky is still set to release sometime this summer. When more news about the Switch port of the title is available from Hello Games, we’ll be sure to let you all know!
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Every week, we bring you an overview of the most important executive changes from around the world. Last week, Facebook announced another leadership reshuffle as the company’s Chief Product Officer, Chris Cox, is stepping down. Read more about this and other notable executive changes:
Facebook's Chief Product Officer is leaving the company
Chris Cox, Facebook's Chief Product Officer and key lieutenant of Mark Zuckerberg, is leaving the company amid a leadership reshuffle. The change comes following an announcement last week that the social media giant is shifting to a privacy-focused vision for social networking. The role of chief product officer will not be filled by anyone. Instead, the heads of Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram will now report directly to Zuckerberg, which is an interesting move because it brings product decision power even closer to the CEO. Read more here.
Tesla promotes Vaibhav Taneja to Chief Accounting Officer
Vaibhav Taneja and Zachary Kirkhorn have been appointed Chief Accounting Officer and Chief Financial Officer respectively according to a securities filing by Tesla. Kirkhorn’s new role was mentioned during the company’s earnings call in January when Elon Musk announced that Deepak Ahuja would be retiring as CFO. Taneja will report to Kirkhorn in their new roles. Read more here.
TripAdvisor appoints two women to its Board of Directors
TripAdvisor has announced that Betsy L. Morgan and Trynka Shineman Blake were elected to its board of directors. The appointments will provide the board with additional industry, technology and marketing expertise to further the company's objectives. Read more here.
John Standley to step down as CEO of Rite Aid
Rite Aid has announced a major leadership reshuffle to "better align its structure with the Company’s operations and to reduce costs." In the past couple years, Rite Aid has seen multiple mergers fall through and the drugstore recently sold almost 2,000 stores to its long-time rival Walgreens. As part of the leadership transition, John Standley will step down as chief executive officer. The Board will promptly commence a search process for a new CEO, and Standley will remain CEO until the appointment of his successor. Read more here.
Walmart executive joins Coupang as General Counsel
Coupang has announced that Jay Jorgensen will join the company as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Jorgensen most recently served as the Global Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer of Walmart where he created the company’s first global program to manage regulatory compliance for the entire business. In 2016, the New York Stock Exchange Governance Services recognized that program as the “Best Governance, Risk and Compliance Program at a Large-Cap Company.” Read more here.
Check out our profile of Ghazaleh Mobkie, Vice President of Customer Success at Dixa, who was selected as “Rockstar of the Month" for March here. You can nominate someone for next month's Rockstar by emailing us at firstname.lastname@example.org.
As always, please contact us if you want to be featured on The Org with an article about a new hire, promotion or personnel change at your company.
❤ The Org Team


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With the legalization of cannabis less than 10 weeks away, the B.C. government has found its first location for a government-run retail store.
The first store will be located in Kamloops, at Columbia Place Shopping Centre in the Sahali area.
The Liquor Distribution Branch will operate the 3,000-square-metre store. The LDB still needs to apply for municipal approval, when the city begins accepting applications in September, and legalization is expected to occur on Oct. 17.
“Kamloops city council supports the work of the provincial government as they map out the future retail cannabis landscape in B.C.,” Kamloops mayor Ken Christian said.
About 20 employees will be needed to staff the store. Postings for these jobs are expected to be posted here within the next week.
The province says the choice of the Kamloops location was based in part on the city’s “readiness for the zoning of cannabis retail operations.”
In B.C., the LDB will be the sole wholesale distributor of cannabis, while retail sales will be offered through private and government-run stores.
All Biz Releases Stories


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Verizon is already getting smart meters and other smart grid devices to talk to one another. A new joint venture between Verizon Wireless and leading wireless chip maker Qualcomm, targeting opportunities in the broader "machine-to-machine" market, could expand that.
Executives with both companies provided few details on the focus of the new joint venture in a Tuesday morning press conference at Qualcomm's San Diego headquarters. Nor did they discuss the financial backing the venture would get from both companies – or even the name it would go under.
"What we're doing now is looking across every vertical," said Tony Lewis, Verizon Wireless' vice president of open development.
But the two did list utilities as one of the industries the new joint venture would target, along with healthcare, manufacturing, distribution and consumer products. They also made a point of highlighting smart grid technology, "which enables utilities to wirelessly connect to their grid assets, such as circuit breakers, transformers and other sub-station equipment," in their press release.
Also noteworthy is the presence of executives with smart meter maker Elster, Southern California utility holding company Sempra Energy and Swiss power distribution and transmission equipment maker and power automation services provider ABB at Qualcomm's Tuesday Smart Services Leadership Summit event.
Let the speculation begin. Verizon, for one, has been making moves into the smart grid space, with deals such as one announced in April with smart meter maker Itron to link Itron's smart meter networks to utility control centers via Verizon's wireless networks. That's similar to work the wireless provider is doing with utility Duke Energy, and potentially other utilities (see Green Light post).
Cellular networks are already one key option for utilities looking to link distribution and transmission grid sensors and controls (see AT&T Links Cooper Power Systems' Smart Grid Devices).
Using cellular networks to link smart meters and other devices at customers' premises is a popular option in Europe, but less so in North America, where utility-owned wireless mesh networks have taken the lead (see RF Mesh, ZigBee Top North American Utilities' Wish Lists).
Still, some analysts see cellular networks as a natural medium for carrying data from devices utilities are installing at customers' premises and amidst their electricity grids, since it avoids the cost utilities face in installing and maintaining their own communication gear.
In search of such opportunities, AT&T is working with smart meter communications provider SmartSynch to connect residential smart meters, something the two already do with SmartSynch's more prevalent services for commercial and industrial smart meters (see Your Electrical Meter Becomes a Cell Phone and
KORE Telematics uses AT&T's wireless network to connect smart meters being installed by utility Arizona Public Service (see Green Light post). Smart meter maker Echelon has a similar deal with T-Mobile USA (see Echelon, T-Mobile Team on Smart Meter Contracts).
Qualcomm, for its part, hasn't made any overt moves into the smart grid space as of yet.
Steve Pazol, the vice president of global smart services at Qualcomm who will lead the new joint venture, noted that linking consumer electronics via cellular networks will be a focus of the new effort.
"Qualcomm has products that are really optimized for those connected consumer devices," he said.
Theoretically, that could include various home energy monitoring and management devices Verizon may be looking at bringing to homes in the coming months. The idea is to link appliances, heating and air conditioning systems and other home energy-using devices to networks that could allow homeowners or utilities to power them down to mitigate peak electricity demand loads or save energy (see The Smart Home, Part I).
That includes the potential for Verizon to add energy management services through its FiOS broadband home router (see Verizon to Add Energy Management to FiOS). AT&T is rumored to be looking at a similar strategy (see Telecoms Eyeing Home Energy Management?).
While Verizon hasn't said when it might start supporting energy management, companies like OpenPeak, a Boca Raton, Fla.-based maker of touch screen and voice-over internet protocol (VOIP) devices that is adding energy management services to the applications it hosts on its devices, have said telecoms will be rolling out those systems this year (see The Telco Home Energy Invasion).
But just how much the new Qualcomm-Verizon joint venture will focus on smart grid and home energy management, versus the plethora of other opportunities in linking devices to one another – a market representing a potential 85 million devices by 2012, Pazol noted in a press release – remains to be seen.
The two companies did say the new joint venture would use cloud computing solutions to automate device provisioning, and to track, monitor and manage assets, as well as support for other device manufacturers and data integration and back office support.


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According to the results of a new survey from August Home and Comcast Xfinity Home, security remains the largest motivating factor for consumers interested in purchasing smart home technology. In fact, of the 1,300 U.S. adults surveyed for “The Safe & Smart Home: Security in the Smart Home Era” study, 63 percent indicated that family safety was the biggest motivator for them in adopting the technology. Convenience also ranked high on the list as 54 percent said that being able to turn on lights after dark was important in their decision to buy smart home products, followed by the ability to provide remote access to service providers at 22 percent.
“Smart home technology is creating a new paradigm for home security,” Jason Johnson, CEO of August Home Inc, said in a statement. “The new era of smart security and smart home products offer consumers visibility and control over their homes that previously had not been available with traditional security systems.”
When asked what events would cause them to get a home security system installed, neighborhood break-ins (46 percent) topped the list among survey respondents, followed by moving into a new house (26 percent), home remodeling (14 percent), managing a rental property (six percent), and having a baby (five percent). Among the most coveted smart home features were connected cameras (40 percent), video doorbells (26 percent), connected light bulbs (19 percent) and smart locks (13 percent). The survey also found that home security adopters continue to value traditional features such as 24/7 call center monitoring that have served as the bedrock of the home security market for decades.
In addition, nearly 18 percent of survey respondents said they’d likely buy a new smart home product over the next 12 months, including 56 percent of those who already have installed at least one smart home product in their home. In addition, 12 percent of those without smart home technology said they were planning on buying a smart home product in the next 12 months, which would effectively double smart home ownership over the next year to 30 million households.
“The smart home industry is still a young market,” said Michael Wolf, chief analyst for NextMarket Insights, which conducted the survey. “But consumer awareness is growing rapidly as new offerings with clear value come to market. This research reinforces our belief that product categories which provide tangible help in meeting consumer needs such as family safety or work-life balance will experience significant growth in end user adoption over the next five years.”


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Instead, you’ll have to travel up Route 394 to the businesses new location.
Located at 21 South Erie St., Mayville, Sadie J’s Café can be found in the building which formerly housed BonJour Café. Open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the restaurant features breakfast and lunch items, a variety of baked goods and a selection of coffee and teas. The establishment also offers vegetarian and healthy options.
“We don’t do any deep frying; no burgers, no fries, no chicken wings,” said owner Louise Johnson. “There’s nothing over $6 on our menu, so we’re really reasonable priced for the area. I tried to keep the prices low.”
This is also Ms. Johnson’s second go-around owning the business, as she recently took a couple of years off.
“I actually sold it in 2006, so I’ve been out of the restaurant business for three years,” she said. “This came about the beginning of June, so I jumped right back at it.”
While the café was usually packed with people when it was on the Institution’s grounds, Ms. Johnson said she is hoping the same result will happen at her new location and local residents will visit.
“It’s not as busy as we were down there,” she said. “We used to jokingly call that restaurant the never-ending line because there was just a line all day long as opposed to here where it’s just 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – the lunch hour.”
When asked what was the best part about owning her own business, Ms. Johnson said signing the paychecks, having the responsibility and knowing the finished product is on her shoulders, and, of course, being her own boss.
“I have wonderful people working for me,” Ms. Johnson said. “A lot of the same girls that worked for me down at the Institution came with me here.”
Sadie J’s Café is located at 21 South Erie St., Mayville. The café features a variety of breakfast items, including bagels, muffins and breakfast wraps, as well as many different sandwiches and wraps for lunch. There are also vegetarian options, a variety of salads from which to choose and fresh-baked goods such as cookies, Danishes and cinnamon rolls.
The restaurant can be reached by calling 753-3311.
Louise Johnson, right, owner of Sadie J’s Cafe in Mayville, stands with her employees, who are, from left to right, Barb Nickerson, Jamie Crandall and Teri Lyon. The business is open every day of the week and features a variety of lunch and breakfast items.


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A New Smishing Trojan is Out and About
Researchers at Pradeo have observed a new Android malware campaign that uses text messages asking victims to pay a small fee for a delivery. The messages contain a link that will install a phony, malicious version of Google Chrome. The victims are also asked to enter their payment details, which are sent to the attackers.
“Our team has come across an advanced mobile attack campaign that uses a phishing technique to steal victims’ credit card details and infects them with a malware that impersonates the Android Google Chrome app,” the researchers write. “The malware uses victims’ devices as a vector to send thousands of phishing SMS. Pradeo’s researchers qualified it as a Smishing trojan. By combining an efficient phishing technique, a malware to propagate actively, and methods to bypass security solutions, this campaign is particularly dangerous. We evaluate that the speed at which it is spreading has enabled it to already target hundreds of thousands of people in the last weeks. “
The malware spreads via smishing messages sent from infected phones, which racks up victims’ phone bills.
“Independently, once installed, the fake Chrome app sends more than 2000 SMS per week from its victims’ devices, every day during 2 or 3 hours, to random phone numbers that seem to follow one another,” Pradeo says. “This mechanism ensures a successful propagation of the attack campaign. To stay undetected, the malware hides on mobile devices by using the official Chrome app’s icon and name, but its package, signature and version have nothing in common with the official app. For victims, banking fraud and massive phone bills may ensue.”
The researchers stress that users should constantly be on the lookout for unsolicited messages asking for sensitive information.
“Mobile users should never provide credit card details when it is requested by an unknown sender,” Pradeo concludes. “If uncertain of the source of the request, they should consult their package delivery with the tracking number provided by the carrier, on the official app or the website. Besides, they should exclusively download apps from official stores (Google Play on Android and the Apple store on iOS) and always update them from there.”
It’s a self-propagating scam with a few revenue streams, starting with the chickenfeed charged to release the package-that-isn’t and progressing through various forms of fraud. New-school security awareness training can help your employees recognize social engineering attacks.


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GAH!!!! NARF!!! SQUEE!!! *collaspes on floor from pure fangirl overload*
I'm sorry but it's been one of those months. First this and now I just found out that Monkey Island has been spotted on a Germany USK rating board as a "Special Edition Xbox 360 Re-Release" which means that Monkey Island is probably coming to Xbox Live Arcade or it could be coming out as an actual revamped game disc.
What the Special Edition means no knows is sure of, but speculation is that the game could be redone with better graphics or just come with a pretty poster in the box ... who knows, right?
This is great news, aspecially on the tail of the rumor that Lucas Arts is bringing back a old franchise like Monkey Island or Day of the Tentacle. Who knows maybe this is the franchise they're bringing back and they're starting with a revamp of the original Monkey Island?
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My favorite website, http://www.sugarbank.com/ has now added another site to its many sister sites called SugarJoy. ht...


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Flippa and Sunrise Steam Media are pleased to announce a huge opportunity has been made available to purchase an exciting domain name. Sunrise Steam Media, who owns the domain name IoTFutureTrends.com has put it up for auction on the domain name buying and selling platform.
This is an incredible opportunity to launch a successful business, but it’s not only IoTFutureTrends.com that is being offered. Sunrise Steam Media are also giving the winner of the auction the domain name IoTFutureTrends.net, and to help provide a positive social media marketing campaign the twitter account @IoTFutureTrends is also included.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is technology that allows physical devices to connect to each other and with the internet. Everyday devices are embedded with sensors and chips to make them aware of their own state and environment.
The IoT industry is poised for explosive growth in the next 4 years. Around 29 billion connected devices are forecast by 2022, of which around 18 billion will be related to IoT. Source: https://www.ericsson.com/en/mobility-report/internet-of-things-forecast
According to research firm IDC, worldwide spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) is to reach $772.5 billion in 2018, an increase of 14.6% over $674 billion in 2017. IDC also forecasts IoT spending to sustain a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4% through 2017-2021, surpassing the $1 trillion mark in 2020 and reaching $1.1 trillion in 2021. Source: https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS43295217
The industry is receiving heavy investment the hardware, software, services, and connectivity that enable the IoT. Use cases that are expected to attract the largest investments include manufacturing operations, transportation, health care, freight monitoring, production asset management, smart grid technologies for electricity, gas and water and smart building and home technologies.
“Our research shows that there is no clear leading authority on the growth of IoT” said Michael Lansing, Director of Communications, Sunrise Steam Media “With the growth this industry is facing, there is a great opportunity for a thought leader to emerge. A brand name like IoTFutureTrends.com could be the differentiator to separate from the rest of the pack.”
There is strong interest in the topic, according to Google search analytics, close to 700,000 searches a month are done on the phrases “IoT” or “Internet of Things”. “We anticipate the search volume to skyrocket as this industry booms over the next couple of years.”
This is not an opportunity which will come around again, so for those serious owning a credible and important domain name, they need to put a bid in now and beat off the competition. To learn more about the auction, please visit www.IoTFutureTrends.com
About Flippa: https://flippa.com/about
Flippa is the entrepreneur’s marketplace, where you can discover new business opportunities. We are the world’s number 1 destination for buying and selling online businesses.


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The Sleep Company all set to disrupt mattress market
Mumbai Sept 26, 2019:Mumbai-based start-up, The Sleep Company today announced the launch of Smart Grid mattress, a unique product in its category. The patent pending Smart Grid structure and the super stretchable material enable it to takes the shape of the body - buckles down on the hips and shoulders while stays firm on back, keeping the spine straight. This helps in reducing pain points and ensuring a comfortable sleep all night every night. Placed in the premium category, the mattress is available in two models designed especially to cater to the consumer needs. These are The Sleep Company 1.0 and 2.0, which have received a thumping response from consumers across the country within few weeks of its launch because of dual benefits i.e. comfort and positive effect on health of the customer.
The Company is of the view that Lifestyle coupled with an increased awareness will propel the growth of the brand. Priyanka Salot, Co-founder, the Sleep Company said, “According to a study, after Poland, India reported the highest average number of sick days due to body pain. Our patent pending Smart Grid mattress distributes weight and gives pain relief to different body parts. With the unique offering we are hopeful to make waves in the mattress market.”
As per estimates, about 70 per cent of Indians suffer from some form of body pain or the other. According to her, the issues that confront this industry are a lack of innovation in the mattress segment in India. Without any product innovation in the space, Salot saw the potential that the market held. She added,” We all continue to use same old mattresses made of foam, spring, coir, memory foam which was developed in the 1960s. So, with a vision to transform the Industry, we undertook the whole process of developing a consumer product from scratch – even working with DRDO scientists to develop the technology. The result is a mattress that comes with a Smart Grid aimed to relieve body pain.”
Harshil Salot, Co-founder, The Sleep Company said, “Consumers are changing too, as they are willing to pay for better products. Since the quality of mattresses available in India lags far behind similar products in other countries, there is an opportunity for us. We have created a new segment, without compromising on the health aspect of the customers and at the same time ensuring comfortable sleep to them.” Salot, pointed out that consumers use a mattress for almost a decade compromising either on health or comfort. So, it is critical to raise awareness about it.
The company continues to invest heavily in research and development to ensure they stay a step ahead of the competition. The company is targeting to have a lion share of the Indian mattress industry which would reach Rs 14,000 crore by 2021 at a compound annual growth rate of 9%. The company products are also available on e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Flipkart.


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The budget high-street retailer is set to extend their Disney range after huge demand saw sold items being flogged on eBay.
US clothing chain Nordstrom has launched a line of 'dirty' jeans which come with a 'crackled, caked-on muddy coating'.
These Royal photobombs prove that the Queen and her family really do have a cheeky sense of humour!
A rare northern white rhino has gone onto the Tinder dating app in an attempt to keep his species alive.
This is the latest wacky hair trend taking the internet by storm. We think it's pretty impressive!
A handwritten parchment of the US Declaration of Independence - only the second known to exist - has been found hidden away in a small English city.
Woolies could be returning to your local high street soon!
Fossilised dinosaur eggs from 70 million years ago have been unearthed on a building site in China.
While the country enjoyed sunny weather over the Easter break, temperatures have plummetted to as low as -1C in some areas.
The Space Agency say they have identified two huge objects flying through the solar system and heading in our direction!
Nasa has announced some huge news that could aid our quest for alien life!
The asteroid is due to pass us tonight in what has been labeled 'the fourth close shave of the year'.
Calling all dog lovers, prepare to hear a tale that will revive your faith in human nature.
There's something extra special about father's and the little ladies in their lives. It's a kindness and generosity that can't be replicated or replaced and one talented artist has captured the magic perfectly.
Jennifer Saunders can't resist annoying one of the Kardashian sisters, but which one? Plus guess which Prince ruined model's photograph with a goofy photobomb...
Songstress Meghan Trainor took a dramatic tumble on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'...
The tennis star, 35, made the announcement on Wednesday where she showed off her pregnant belly in an Instagram photo. The athlete is engaged to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian.
Stevie Wonder is planning a beachside ceremony when he marries Tomeeka Robyn Bracy.
Will Young doesn't look like this any more! Not after THIS drastic new hair do.
Janet Jackson separates from her husband just months after giving birth to their son.
Could this be 2017's best mash-up?
Step this way to hear about the latest furry fashion item...
If only we could all be so content in life just by playing with a plastic bird...
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They famously aren't allowed to interact with tourists, but this guardsman just couldn't resist this angelic little tot on a birthday day out with his mum...
The hilarious moment when this tiny tot accidentally ruins his parents tender group photo is the best thing we've seen all year.
The McFly pop rocker has shared his top family fitness tips with his fans on Instagram.
The incredibly moving documentary can't help but have EVERYONE sobbing with joy...
The Victoria's Secret Angels are back for 2016! Check out the incredible bejewelled underwear creations paraded down the catwalk this year...
Prepare to be dazzled as we countdown 48 of the sexiest pictures of the beautiful model, actress and socialite in a fabulous selection of photos from her very best magazine shoots, catwalk shows and parties.
It might be cold outside, but one thing guaranteed to raise the temperature is the gorgeous models at Victoria's Secret, as they ring in the festive season in serious style!
They've been busy sunning themselves on holiday in their favourite destination, Dubai! Meanwhile we've got hold of a little sneak peek into their holiday album snaps!
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The Heart Angels were transported back in time at the Victorian Festival. Take a look at what they got up to and see if you can spot yourself!
Deposit £10 to get a £40 Welcome Bonus - That's £50 to play bingo, slots and more!*
Over 50 tracks to make you feel-good. New album out now...


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Samsung Expects Profits to Double from Smartphone Boost
Samsung Electronics has said it expects its profit for the first three months of the year to almost double as its smartphone sales continue to grow.
The company said it expects an operating profit 5.8 trillion won (US$ 5.1 billion; £ 3.2 billion) for the period.
The success of Samsung’s Galaxy range has seen it become the world’s biggest-selling smartphone maker.
Analysts said the firm had benefited from keeping its margins healthy, despite growing competition.
“There was a big surprise in profit, while revenue was in line, which suggests a stronger-than-expected profit margin from the handset division thanks to robust sales of high-end models like the Galaxy S and Note,” said Choi D-Yeon of LIG Investment & Securities.
“Handset margins are estimated to have topped 20% and profits from the division also topped 4 trillion won.”
Continue reading at BBC News.
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How should brands tackle Innovation? Start with good ideas say Disney, Unilever & IBM execs
How do brands take on innovation? Is it through acqui-hires of a small nimble start-up or a structured corporate program to nurture it? That was an issue tackled during a panel session “Transforming Brands” at Innovfest Unbound 2017 in Singapore.
Brands give their take on innovation
For Disney, where innovation is at the heart of the business, that is built around storytelling according to Robert Gilby, managing director, The Walt Disney Company, South East Asia. There it centralises innovation into small groups within the company.
“The way we go about it is to look for hubs or clusters of innovation and in the process create smaller groups who can get together and focus on different facets of innovation,” said Gilby
As for Dell EMC, Paul Henaghan, president, South Asia & Korean, Dell EMC, innovation is about listening to people outside of the industry.
“Listening to people outside of your world is what really drives innovation,” said Henaghan.
While big established brands can’t follow Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s early motto to “move fast, break things,” there has to be a balance between taking risks and maintaining status quo according to Disney’s Gilby.
“We don’t always think of it as fail fast, we talk about learning fast, and as part of learning, we fail sometimes, we have to accept that, learn really quickly, move on and try something else,” said Gilby.
Good ideas then aren’t confined to the west, as Tanay Misra, global brand director (Lifebuoy), Unilever proclaims Singapore’s innovation hub status for Unilever.
“Singapore is a big hub for Unilever, it is one of our global centres with diversity, talent, brand control and R&D processes. Globally as well Singapore is one of the top 10 innovative places,” said Tanay.
Indeed, some brands have Asia lead the way for the rest of the world, as Disney Gilby noted that there’s "no monopoly on good ideas."
He added: "The idea of getting smart people together and getting them to dream big is key."
Susan Jain, chief marketing officer, IBM APAC, concurred, especially in the areas of fintech (financial technology) and blockchain.
“IBM invested in opening its first fintech hub in the world, here in Singapore. We’re very proud of that and we believe in the potential that’s here,” said Jain.


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It seems Tesla is on the cusp of achieving its original goal – “to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass market electric cars to market as soon as possible.”
But, how will that win impact the overall health of Tesla as a business?
According to a study by the London-based PA Consulting Group, the manufacturer’s leadership position in electric cars will be overtaken by legacy automakers by 2021.
The study predicts that by that year, Tesla will be surpassed by Daimler (maker of Mercedes-Benz and Smart), as well as BMW, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, Volkswagen, Volvo and Toyota, leaving it in seventh place.
Still, the good news is that a greater share of cars on the road will be electric. Policies that encourage drivers, fleets and municipalities to purchase clean-running cars is expected grow the number of EVs worldwide to about 125 million by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.
“The uptake of electric vehicles is still largely driven by the policy environment,” the IEA said in the report. “The 10 leading countries in electric vehicle adoption all have a range of policies in place to promote the uptake of electric cars.”
China is an example of a country overhauling its fleet of gas-burning vehicles. New electric car sales surged by 72 percent (580,000 units) in 2017, pushing total ownership to more than a million vehicles. Meanwhile, Norway remains the leader in electric car market share. Electric vehicles accounted for 39 percent of Norway’s new car sales last year, and 6.4 percent of the country’s cars are powered by electricity. While only about 1 percent of U.S. vehicles are electric today, some forecasts have them as high as 65 percent of new U.S. vehicle sales in 2050.
With that growing consumer demand, more automakers have quite competitive EVs planned in the next couple years. Volkswagen has said 25 percent of its sales will be all-electric by 2025. BMW figures up to 25 percent of its sales by 2025 will be electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, while Mercedes has similar projections.
So, the upcoming 2019 model year may be the first time that Tesla loyalists are truly tempted to stray from the brand, as a number of well-appointed all-electric cars are slated to hit the market. Buyers will be able to choose from vehicles ranging from compact cars to SUVs. We’ll see automakers like Audi, Porsche, Hyundai and Kia get in the game. It’s definitely an exciting time for EV fans.
Here are a few highly anticipated vehicles that may give Tesla a run for its money.
The I-Pace, with a 90 kWh battery capable of 240 miles of range, is actually currently on sale in the U.S. The car boasts 394 horsepower from two electric motors. The car has a price tag of about $70,000.
The vehicle has already earned some bragging rights over Tesla. A 2019 I-Pace HSE First Edition recently set the fastest known lap time for a stock four-door electric vehicle at Laguna Seca. The previous best time was set by a Tesla Model 3 in March.
Audi has experienced tremendous growth in popularity in the U.S. in recent years. Sales grew 7.8 percent in 2017, setting a new annual record with a total of 226,511 deliveries. Next year, Audi plans to challenge Tesla with a five-passenger all-electric SUV. The vehicle will have a 95-kwh battery with an expected 248 miles of range. The car is said to be priced at around $40,000. Given Audi’s current popularity in the U.S., many of its existing customers may be open to trading up for an electric version of a vehicle they already like.
The Taycan, previously called the Mission E, is a stunner. The sporty four-door, four-seater is said to retain the soul of the gas-burning Porsche cars, but with 300 miles of all-electric range. With a 100 kWh battery pack, the car is expected to be priced around $80,000.
“The Taycan drives like a Porsche, looks like a Porsche, and feels like a Porsche; it just happens to have a different type of drive,” the automaker’s head of battery electric vehicles, Stefan Weckbach, said in a recent interview with Porsche’s customer magazine.
Mercedes plans to debut their all-electric SUV next month. Range is expected to be about 250 miles from a 70 kWh battery. Equipped with two electric motors, the car is expected to do 0-60 in under five seconds. Price is expected to be around $70,000.
Mercedes offered a glimpse this week of what to expect from the first EQ models. An Instagram video from Mercedes-Benz showed the rear end of the vehicle with its LED lights glowing red. The clip confirms the official launch will take place in Stockholm on September 4.
Volvo’s first all-electric car to hit the market will be the XC40 SUV. Range will be about 240 miles from a 70 kWh battery. Price is expected to be about $45,000.
Volvo actually plans to be a significant player in the EV game. The company says every car in its product lineup will be fitted with an electric motor from 2019 forward, either a hybrid or plug-in hybrid variant being sold alongside all-electric models. The XC40 chassis was designed specifically to accept a variety of powertrains.
The Kona SUV will sport a 64 kWh battery pack capable of an estimated 250 miles of range. With 201 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of peak torque, the Kona will hit 62 mph in 7.6 seconds. Top speed is governed to 104 mph. The price is expected to be about $30,000.
Kia plans to offer in 2019 a crossover EV dubbed the Niro. Specs for the U.S. market are expected to be offered closer to the debut, but it’s planned to have 64 kWh battery pack. Kia states a range of 280 miles. A single electric motor will deliver 201 horsepower and a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 7.8 seconds.
Will Tesla Owners Stay Loyal?
There’s no doubt that Tesla makes excellent cars and has innovated across the whole auto experience – from purchase to maintenance. Satisfaction among Tesla owners is the highest in the industry, with the automaker topping Consumer Reports’ annual Owner Satisfaction Survey.
But, it will be interesting to see how consumers respond to more EV options.
Will you be considering EVs from other automakers soon? Is there a particular vehicle you’re anxious to see in showrooms?


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McDonald’s 'world famous fries' may be the cure for more than just hunger. A Japanese stem cell research team may have found a way to eliminate baldness by using an ingredient in McDonald’s french fries, reported the New York Post.
The scientists from Yokohama National University discovered the chemical dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone used in McDonald’s fry oil to prevent splashing, can be used to mass produce hair follicles on mice.
The “simple method” has proved widely successful in creating “hair follicle germs” (HFG), or cells that help grow hair follicles, according to the study.
The research team credits the use of dimethylpolysiloxane in the ground-breaking experiment that has resulted in thousands of simultaneous hair follicle germs.
Arid university trains 94 in food processing
“The key for the mass production of HFGs was a choice of substrate materials for the culture vessel,” Professor Junji Fukuda said in the study. “We used oxygen-permeable dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) at the bottom of culture vessel, and it worked very well.”
Once the HGFs were transplanted into the backs of the mice, new black hairs began to sprout in those areas.
“This simple method is very robust and promising,” Fukuda said. “We hope this technique will improve human hair regenerative therapy to treat hair loss such as androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness). In fact, we have preliminary data that suggests human HFG formation using human keratinocytes and dermal papilla cells.”


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Coronavirus situation numbers are dropping in the United States, but the pandemic is even now raging. Ford shut down a plant in southern India this week not since of the semiconductor shortage that has been upending creation plans all year, but simply because employees staged a sit-in protest demanding go away and health and fitness added benefits following 230 staff caught the coronavirus. At least two of the afflicted workforce died.
This 7 days in Sheetmetal
We observed far more of the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The hatchback will direct Hyundai’s planned EV sub-brand, Ioniq, has an angular style, and should have all over 300 miles of selection in rear-drive format, a little bit considerably less when it really is all-wheel travel. Seem for it in showrooms this fall.
McLaren declared it would make some examples of its stripped-down supercar, the Elva, with the windshield that the prototype vehicle eschewed. Purists can continue to have a display-free of charge Elva if they so want, but buyers with a minor widespread perception (or people who are living in a spot the place it is unlawful to sell automobiles without the need of windshields) will certainly value this 44-pound addition.
Rolls-Royce declared Coachbuild, a new assistance for potential buyers who want a car or truck that’s built accurately for them, and we do not just imply they get to paint-match their childhood bedroom. The challenge introduced with a a few-off four-seat roofless pleasure-cell dubbed the Boattail. If you’re prosperous enough to purchase something from Coachbuild, Rolls-Royce has in all probability now achieved out to you. The rest of us will just have to watch from afar.
Clean off the achievement of past week’s launch of the F-150 Lightning, Ford doubled down on electric powered autos. The enterprise stated this 7 days that it wants EVs to account for 40 per cent of its gross sales by 2030, and that it would spend a lot more than $30 billion bucks in that aim (up from a preceding guarantee to devote $22 billion in EVs by the finish of this 10 years). Of course, hoping EVs will make up a massive share of gross sales will not imply the firm will really discover consumers for that a lot of EVs in the up coming 9 several years. Ford’s upcoming engage in to carry its shoppers into the EV environment will likely be an Explorer EV, and hints about a line of “rugged” EV SUVs strongly suggest that Ford will give an electric Bronco at some upcoming day. The firm’s stock is up on the news of its financial investment in EVs, and Ford has already notched 70,000 reservations (at $100 each and every) for the belle of final week’s ball, the F-150 Lightning.
Hyundai is also on the EV bandwagon. Reuters described this 7 days that the firm would reduce by 50 % the amount of designs it builds that count on fossil fuels, and devote closely in electrical motors, batteries, and fuel cells, aiming for an fully electric lineup by 2040.
Justin SullivanGetty Photographs
Spy vs Spy
In March, the Chinese authorities banned Teslas from specified armed forces bases since of issues that the cars’ cameras may possibly be sending video clip back to servers centered in the United States wherever the films may be susceptible to spying eyes. Tesla strenuously objected to the notion that its autos or its data centers were anything at all but secure, but it would seem China was really serious. A draft of a new rule proposed by Chinese regulators would involve automakers to get drivers’ consent right before accumulating driving facts and would require carmakers to retail outlet all the facts they gather within China’s borders. Reuters experiences that a lot of auto organizations already do that, among them BMW, Daimler, General Motors, Nissan, Volkswagen and, now, Tesla.
Further Looking at
If all this news about EVs has acquired you apprehensive about a war on vehicles, then you can really like this meditation from the New York Situations on how towns would improve if we eradicated the interstate highways that run by them.
Are you a sucker for a fantastic offer? Then get on your own to this northern Virginia Nissan dealership, in which you can get two (wildly unique) automobiles for the value of just one.
Or if personalized finance is extra your design and style, browse about the ever more incredible lengths American purchasers will go to in order to finance their beloved SUVs.
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