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EE are going to dole out a load of new features to their TV service, in the battle to win the hearts, minds, arses and eyes of the UK. Seems like everyone is getting involved in television at the moment.
So what’s going on? Well, next week, EE will launch new features in a ‘My TV’ section, which will let you personalise your televisual experience. Basically, you’ll have options for your favourite channels and programmes.
There’s also going to be a companion screen function, so you can use a secondary screen for additional information and interactivity, which relate to whatever you’re watching. EE are also promising a better search tool and functionality.
EE have also said that there’s going to be some new channels too, including a film channel called Mubi.
“The new EE TV features take the personalisation capability that all smartphone and tablet owners are familiar with, and incorporates it to create what we believe is the best multi-screen TV service available today,” said Simeon Bird, director of home broadband and TV at EE.
So there you have it. Another thing to try and win your TV affections. When BT take over EE, this could all change, or indeed, it might be merged with BT Sport. One to keep an eye on, that’s for sure.
Apple have had to put back the release of their internet TV service that they basically copied off Netflix, but with added live broadcasts. The company announced their plans a while back, and the service would revolve around the Apple TV set-top box, and offer you films and some live TV.
These plans have been pushed back to 2016, thanks to the tricky and difficult world of TV executives and getting the rights for shows.
It was thought that the TV service would launch in September with a new phone, as well as an updated version of their Apple TV hardware.
What will the new hardware be like? Well, it seems that it’ll have a redesign remote, bigger storage and Siri voice control. You can expect Apple to give it a specific bit off the App Store as well.
Of course, Apple have got form when it comes to getting rights and dealing with awkward CEOs – just look at the way Apple have become a major player in the world of music. If they can do for television, what they’ve done for music, then Apple are going to make a frightening amount of money in the process.
How much will Apple charge for a monthly subscription, that’s the big question.
Sky have more than doubled their annual profits thanks to a load more people subscribing to them. This is according to their own figures. They were also keen to point out that profit after tax jumped to £1.957 billion in the year to the end of June compared with £865 million for 2013/14.
This was the first results they’ve put out since Rupert Murdoch’s empire brought together BSkyB with Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia, to create a European pay-TV behemoth.
“The past 12 months have been an outstanding period of growth for Sky,” chief executive Jeremy Darroch said in the results statement. ”The UK and Ireland, where our strategy is most progressed, put in a particularly strong performance. We passed the 12 million customer milestone with the highest growth in 11 years.”
Seems like throwing all that money at football coverage is still doing them rather well.
While it performed very well in the UK and Ireland, it is elsewhere that Sky are most pleased about. ”Germany delivered its highest-ever customer growth, while Italy maintained its subscriber base in a tough market.” added Darroch.
Those rascals over at Sky are preparing to drop a new set-top box within weeks, like it’s their latest mixtape. So what’s new about it? Well, according to blabbermouths, it will offer you the kind of experience you’ve had with Netflix (or Apple, if you prefer).
What does that mean exactly? Well, this thing is called SkyQ, and will let customers watch and record at least four things simultaneously, on multiple devices, and will wirelessly send content to your smartphones and tablets. And of course, it’ll be able to deal with ultra-high definition (UHD or 4K) broadcasts, because that’s what everyone in TV is talking about these days.
Apparently, it is all ‘really very slick’ according to one insider who has seen it working in action. They said that the interface is similar to Netflix, with a virtual carousel being used rather than the crappy old interface that Sky have been using on their current Sky+ HD box.
Like Netflix, it will try and pick up on what your tastes are, so it can make suggestions and all that.
Sky are also going to be launching a new Now TV box next month and, while the exact details about it are being kept under wraps, we’ve heard that it will be “faster and smoother”. Take from that what you will.
To celebrate the second birthday of Chromecast, there’s free rental on a bunch of films, so how do you get at them? Well, open up Chrome on your desktop and through the Chromecast extension (install it if you haven’t), visit this website and ‘redeem all offers’.
You’ll then need to click the Google Play offer in the top corner of the page, and boom! You’ll have a rental voucher for free. It can be applied when you checkout any film on the Play Store.
Now, it doesn’t work in all countries, but seeing as it is such a simple process, you may as well see if it works for you. It might tell you that you’ve “redeemed the maximum number of free rentals”, so it seems there’s a limit on the offer too. It has worked for some UK-dwellers.
HD movies are available too, so knock yourself out with some free films.
What does that mean? Maybe it’ll offer highlights to people while the game is still running? Or maybe you’ll be able to get updates with all the goals, almost as they happen? One thing you can bet on, is that it will cost you money as Sky don’t do owt for free.
Sky says that this 3-year deal kicks off in time for the 2016/17 season, and will cover their mobile and online users.
It looks like News UK has chipped in with some of the money to pay for this, which means you could be getting video content through The Sun and The Times.
Sky Sports MD Barney Francis said “This will allow us to offer our customers even more content across mobile and online. The way people watch sport is changing rapidly and this agreement ensures Sky Sports will continue to offer the best coverage across TV, mobile, online and social media.”
Paywalltastic, but could be right up the street of some people, that’s for sure.
If you wanted to leave Virgin and didn’t want to wait until the end of your contract, this is good news, as you can now ditch them without a charge. You’ll have until 31st August to hand your notice in.
For new customers, who aren’t phased by all that, there’s a bunch of codes floating around where you can get up to £50 off on online orders. You can see those here.
That said, Virgin have form with this, and have been warned about mid-term price increases by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), concerning some broadband and phone deals. Basically, the ASA found that Virgin could raise the price above what they had already promoted their services for, which is a breach of the regulator’s rules.
Concerning the latter, the ASA said that even though the contracts that have been complained about were variable, consumers were still mislead over the notion that they were being offered fixed-prices during the minimum term of the contract.
The ASA ruling said: “We considered that the monthly price of a contract was likely to be material to consumers when deciding on a telecommunications package, and that they might not choose a particular package if they knew that the monthly cost could increase beyond the amounts stated in the ad, during the minimum term. Therefore, we considered that the price claim should have been immediately qualified to explain to consumers that it was not fixed throughout the minimum term, and that the contract was a variable one in which the price could rise.”
“Because subsequent price rises meant the advertised price claims for the packages did not represent the prices that consumers would pay throughout the minimum term of the contract, across both the promotional and standard periods, and because it was not made clear that the contract was a variable one in which prices could increase, we concluded that the ad was misleading.”
Virgin’s wrists might get slapped over these new TV prices too, if they’re not careful.
Netflix is about to get more expensive. According to the CEO, that’s the price for more original content. Considering the successes of Orange Is The New Black, House of Cards, Daredevil, BoJack Horseman and others, you could argue that they know what they’re doing.
The gaffer of the company, Reed Hastings told investors that they’ll be shunting people toward more expensive plans, and not only that, they’re going to try and make it more difficult for people to share their passwords.
So, while you can have four profiles on one account, that might soon become a thing of the past, as they want more people paying for the service.
Hastings said: “We want to take it very slow. Over the next decade I think we’ll be able to add more content and have more value and then price that appropriately.”
Of course, Netflix put prices up this year, by 50p, for new subscribers in the UK, but it looks like everyone is going to be paying more. Will it be an increase that puts people off the TV and movie service, or is everyone in too deep?
You may have thought that you were completely at your ease, to rip CDs and the like, but think again! That’s because a spectacularly pointless law has been brought back! That’s right, a challenge from those forward thinking people of the music industry, has seen the UK’s High Court overturning regulation that allows you to rip your own CDs (and DVDs) for personal use.
Even though most people take stuff straight from other places and load them straight onto their phones and other devices and haven’t really needed CDs for ages now.
Apparently, the government was wrong when they didn’t implement compensation for copyright holders when you put your albums on your hard-drive.
99.9% of people will be thinking; ‘Aye, good luck catching me in the act, you stupid berks’.
The industry, which is desperately out of touch in many cases, think this is a big win for themselves and artists. They have been saying that ‘format shifting’ has been robbing the upright citizens of the music business out of £58 million, every year. The idiots.
Anyway, you carry on living your life exactly as you please and ignore this thoroughly pointless ruling.
On the new channel, the rollout will be pretty slow, with BT Sport Ultra HD (a stupid name for a channel) showing two extra Premier League matches, the FA Cup, Aviva Premiership Rugby and the Silverstone MotoGP. It’ll kick off on August 2nd, with the FA Community Shield match between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Richard Halton, CEO of YouView chirruped: “We are immensely proud of the partnership with BT to deliver the first Ultra HD set top box in the UK.”
What is this Ultra HD nonsense? Basically, the picture quality is better than the usual HD TV. In fact, it’ll give you a picture that is four-times better. There’s a good chance you’ll be able to watch a game of football where you can see the goalkeeper’s blackheads or the traces of cocaine hanging from a club owner’s nostril hair. It will be scintillating stuff, clearly.
The Entertainment Ultra HD package will be going on sale on July 24th, and will be available to those on BT Infinity 2 (or better) where the approximate speed is 44 Mbps or faster.
You’ll obviously need a new set-top box which is able to handle 4K broadcasts, but with this bundle, you’ll also get a voucher for up to £500 off an LG 4K UHD TV, which is something. They will have invariably tied-up up the money-off-a-TV deal with someone, but still, money off is money off.
It’ll cost you £15 per month and you’ll get all the BT sport channels thrown-in - BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2, BT ESPN and BT Sport Europe – as well as 47 premium channels including 13 channels in HD and 9 kids channels. So there.
TalkTalk are offering people a new deal with their TalkTalk Plus TV service, where they can get Netflix for no extra charge, for a limited time of 6 months. You’d assume there’s an auto-renewal going on here, so if you’re thinking of signing up, make sure you read the t&cs.
This is good news for anyone who was thinking of switching to TalkTalk Plus TV, as you’ll now be able to get stuck into Orange Is The New Black or House of Cards, or whatever. You already know that there’s a load of films you can watch on there, too.
The offer is available until July 23rd, so hop to it if this sounds like your thing. This deal gives you access to Netflix Standard, which is usually £7.49 a month.
On top of that, TalkTalk have cut the cost of its Plus TV, broadband, calls and mobile SIM bundle to £10 a month plus line rental, which the company think is their best ever offer. Through this service, you also get six Sky entertainment channels, including Sky One, Sky Living and Sky Arts, totally unlimited broadband, a YouView+ box, anytime calls to UK landlines and a free mobile SIM.
So there. Worth a look.
Auntie Beeb is going to cut 1,000 jobs, thanks to a £150m shortfall in licence fee income, according to director general Tony Hall. He told BBC staff that the corporation were adjusting to a reduction in the number of people watching live television, which in basic terms, means that there are fewer people paying for the licence fee.
Hall said to staff: “A simpler, leaner, BBC is the right thing to do and it can also help us meet the financial challenges we face. We’ve already significantly cut the costs of running the BBC, but in times of very tough choices we need to focus on what really matters – delivering outstanding programmes and content for all our audiences.”
This is all part of a plan that sees the BBC havin to make £1.5bn of savings a year by 2017, which is a terrifying amount of money. The corporation, as well as job losses, are looking at reducing the amount of cash spent on property and sports rights.
The BBC said in a statement: “Despite the progress already made, and the realities of the licence fee being frozen for seven years, a new financial challenge means additional savings must now be found.”
“The licence fee income in 2016/17 is now forecast to be £150 million less than it was expected to be in 2011. This is because as more people use iPlayer, mobiles and online catch-up, the number of households owning televisions is falling.”
“It also provides further evidence of the need for the licence fee to be modernised to cover digital services.”
Now, hands-up if you’re thinking that the British Broadcasting Corporation could save millions and millions from paying a number of their big stars a bit less money?
Well, the movie streaming service has launched PAYG top-ups, which is great if you don’t know how to work a torrent or, indeed, a fine last-minute gift for someone who you can’t be bothering thinking about for too long.
It appears that it’ll work in the same way you top-up a PAYG mobile, where you can buy £15, £25 or £50 in credit which will be added to your Netflix account. Then, you can spend it on a Netflix package or whatever.
So if you’re annoyed that you can’t watch Netflix exclusives like Orange Is The New Black, or House of Cards, then this is your way in (if you want to do everything above board). This will be good for parents who don’t want to give their kids their credit card to pay for Netflix too.
There you have it. Pay as you go movies and TV shows.
When Tidal launched, the assembled musicians stood around Jay Z, nodding gravely about how they were collectively going to save the music industry. In fact, the way they were going on, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they were going to save the world.
Well, everyone didn’t take too quickly to the service, preferring to stay with Spotify or indeed, waiting for Apple to get their thing going. It was seen as an immediate flop.
And now, a mere 3 months into the job, the chief executive of the service has quit. Peter Tonstad took on the gig after Tidal sacked previous honcho Andy Chen. At the time Tidal said Tonstad “has a better understanding of the industry and a clear vision for how the company is looking to change the status quo”.
At the moment, Tidal has around 800,000 subscribers. If you compare that to Spotify’s 20 million, you can see what a difficult job they’ve got on their hands. When Apple get going, the competition will be much, much tougher.
In a statement Tidal said: “We are thankful to Peter for stepping in as interim CEO and wish him the best for the future. Tidal will be transitioning to a permanent CEO as part of our strategic plan to create a leading platform, and current executives in New York and Oslo will continue to lead our rapidly developing innovation and content initiatives until our new CEO is in place.”
Should they just hang up their headphones already?


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Apple is reportedly in the preliminary stages of developing a cheaper version of its popular Vision Pro headset. According to industry insiders, this new version would feature fewer external cameras and would not include the EyeSight feature found in the original model. In an effort to reduce manufacturing costs, Apple is also considering replacing the current Mac chip with an iPhone chip.
The primary motivation behind this move is to make the Vision Pro headset more accessible to a wider audience. Currently, the headset starts at a hefty price of $3,500, which may be out of reach for some potential customers. With the introduction of a cheaper model, Apple hopes to bring the price down to a more affordable range of $1,500 to $2,500, thus making it accessible to a broader consumer base.
In addition to potential cost-cutting measures, the cheaper version of the Vision Pro headset may also come with lower resolution displays, hinting at possible compromises in the overall visual experience. There are even indications that Apple could eliminate the external display that enables the EyeSight feature. EyeSight is a remarkable capability that projects the wearer’s eyes onto an outward-facing OLED display, providing a unique and immersive experience.
While Apple is focused on developing a budget-friendly alternative, it is important to note that the company is simultaneously working on a follow-up to the premium Vision Pro headset. This upgraded version is rumored to retain the EyeSight feature while boasting a more lightweight and refined design. Furthermore, Apple may opt to include built-in prescription lenses, eliminating the need for separate Zeiss inserts for users requiring corrective eyewear.
It is important to note that these developments are still in their early stages, and Apple has not yet confirmed any specific details or release dates for either the cheaper version or the upgraded model of the Vision Pro headset. However, the news of a potentially more affordable iteration is certainly exciting for technology enthusiasts and consumers alike, as it could pave the way for a more widespread adoption of virtual reality experiences. Stay tuned to The News Teller for any further updates on this story.
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domain: news


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Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC (SSB) recently announced the appointment of Melanie Huet as chief marketing officer, following an extensive search. The appointment was effective January 22. Huet will report to SSB CEO Michael Traub. Huet brings several years of marketing experience in consumer packaged goods,...Read more
Diamond Mattress, a manufacturer of sleep wellness products, has appointed senior marketing and sales executive Adam Ziegelman to the role of vice president of marketing. In this new role for the fourth-generation company, Ziegelman will be responsible for the development and implementation of branding and marketing strategies as well as go-to-market initiatives across...Read more
Restonic Mattress Corporation recently named Julia Rosien vice president of brand and digital marketing.
Reverie, a sleep technology brand, is returning to CES, an annual consumer technology show, in January to display its innovative sleep products to a wider technology-focused audience. Following its successful debut at the January 2018 event, the 2019 show will mark the company’s second time as a CES exhibitor. “We left that show...Read more


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Nike’s two-year-old partnership with Amazon to sell sneakers and clothes directly on the site is over.
The company offered a limited number of items on the site as part of a pilot it launched in 2017. But as Bloomberg first reported, Nike decided to end the program as it focuses on sales straight to consumers through its website, stores, and various apps. Nike confirmed the news and said in a statement, “As part of Nike’s focus on elevating consumer experiences through more direct, personal relationships, we have made the decision to complete our current pilot with Amazon Retail.”
The strategy, which offers Nike better margins on its sales and allows it more control of its image, has led Nike to cut back on the number of retailers that carry its shoes and clothing. Mostly they’ve been smaller, independent stores and chains Nike felt weren’t adequately differentiating its products from everything else they carried. The company, meanwhile, has maintained strong relationships with vendors such as Foot Locker. Nike said it “will continue to invest in strong, distinctive partnerships for Nike with other retailers and platforms to seamlessly serve our consumers globally.”
The relationship with Amazon was one Nike always approached cautiously. It announced its pilot program to test sales on the site only after years of watching others peddle vast quantities of its products through Amazon’s third-party marketplace. A 2017 survey by Morgan Stanley found Nike to be the most-purchased clothing brand on Amazon, even though Nike wasn’t behind any of those sales itself.
In the past, Nike reportedly raised concerns about these unauthorized sellers, as well as counterfeits on Amazon’s marketplace—an issue that prompted sandal maker Birkenstock to pull its products from Amazon in 2016. According to a source who spoke with the Wall Street Journal at the time of the deal between Nike and Amazon, the companies were in talks for weeks before agreeing Nike would provide some products to Amazon in exchange for Amazon cracking down on sales of fakes and unauthorized Nike listings from third parties. Total listings for Nike products on Amazon subsequently dropped, according to a 2018 analysis by research firms Coresight Research and DataWeave.
But Amazon has also continued to struggle with stemming the flow of counterfeits on its site. Earlier this year, it announced Project Zero, an effort to eliminate fakes from its site using methods such as automated protections and allowing brands to remove counterfeits themselves. But even a quick search on Amazon for Nike’s Air Force 1 sneaker brings up customer complaints about possible fakes.
Nike offered no comment on the issue of counterfeits. We have reached out to Amazon and will update this story with any reply.
Nike said it will continue to use Amazon Web Services “to power a suite of services on Nike.com and within Nike’s ecosystem of apps.”
With its immense reach, Nike may not need Amazon, and its decision may not help Amazon’s efforts to attract other big labels to sell on its site. But Amazon still owns a giant share of US e-commerce. “I don’t think as many brands can be as selective as Nike,” Neil Saunders, an analyst at GlobalData Retail, told Bloomberg.


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HootSuite Continues Global Expansion with Apps for Tencent Weibo, VK.com and Russian Language Version
HootSuite’s newest apps Tencent Weibo and VK.com empower customers to reach broader global audiences within the HootSuite dashboard.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – April 25, 2013 - HootSuite, makers of the market-leading social media management system, extends their App Directory with the introduction of two major social media networks: Tencent Weibo, China’s prevailing microblogging platform with over 540 million registered accounts, and VKontakle, more commonly known as VK.com – Russia’s largest social media network with over 200 million registered accounts. A new Russian language version of the dashboard has also been added.
Tencent Weibo and VK.com users can now manage their localized social media accounts alongside other networks including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ Pages, Foursquare, and more within the HootSuite dashboard. These new integrations empower HootSuite’s over six million Free, Pro, and Enterprise users to reach broader global audiences.
Similar to Twitter and Facebook publishing networks, the Tencent Weibo and VK.com apps are especially useful for community managers, content producers, marketing professionals, public relations practitioners, and more who already use HootSuite to engage through social media with global audiences. Knowledge shared on these networks help social businesses strengthen relationships and gain valuable insight about their customers and prospects.
Tencent Weibo (install now): Tencent Weibo is a popular Chinese microblogging website that enhances social communication.
Using HootSuite, Tencent Weibo users can schedule and post status updates to their networks (including photos), as well as view and leave comments on other Tencent Weibo posts.
Searching and filtering functionality is also supported, enabling users to find and share Tencent Weibo content to their other social networks in HootSuite. The app also allows for multiple Tencent Weibo profile support, a popular feature among business users.
Major brands who use Tencent Weibo include NBA, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Lipton, Red Bull, Vogue and Canon.
VK.com (install now): VK.com is the most popular social media network used by Russian-speakers around the world and is the fourth-fastest growing major network.
The VK.com app allows users to post status updates and photos to their network, view and post comments on status updates, and like status updates within the HootSuite dashboard.
Users can search for content on the VK.com network, monitor news and updates from the companies, groups and people they follow, and share status updates to their other social networks.
Major brands that use VK.com include Nikon, National Geographic, Victoria Beckham, BBC, Coca Cola, Pepsi, and more.
“With our newest app integrations, you can use HootSuite to connect with hundreds of millions of users on the biggest social networks in China and Russia. Adding Tencent Weibo and VK.com to our lineup lets our users expand their reach around the world,” says Ryan Holmes, CEO of HootSuite. “Social has no boundaries. In fact, HootSuite has users in nearly every country worldwide, and is available in 15 languages and counting”.
HootSuite’s App Directory features more than 50 social networks and tools, including an arsenal of internationally-focused app integrations like Orkut, Viadeo, Xing, Sina Weibo and Renren. Built and maintained by third-party developers and companies alike, each unique tool expands the social content ecosystem of the HootSuite dashboard. Visit the App Directory to see all available apps, or install Tencent Weibo and VK.com now.
Tencent Weibo Blog Post: http://blog.hootsuite.com/tencent-weibo-release-eng/
VK.com Blog Post: http://blog.hootsuite.com/russian-release-hootsuite-eng/
App Directory: https://hootsuite.com/app-directory
Media Kit: http://media.hootsuite.com/media-kit
Tencent Weibo is a popular Chinese microblogging website with 540 million registered accounts that enhances social communication. Users can share photos, videos and text within a 140 character limit and more from the HootSuite dashboard.
VK.com is the most popular social network in Russia with over 200 registered accounts. Users can message contacts publicly or privately, create groups, public pages and events, share and tag images, audio and video, and play browser-based games from the HootSuite dashboard.


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Germany's KarstadtQuelle, owner of tour operator Thomas Cook, agreed Monday to merge with British package holiday company MyTravel.
Currency issues are expected to take center stage this weekend as finance ministers and bankers from the world’s seven richest nations gather for a meeting in Essen, Germany. Weakness in the Yen will likely spark a debate involving Germany, who wants the G-7 nations to prevent hedge funds from having too much influence over currency markets.
Germany's Deutsche Bank's profit tripled in the fourth quarter over the same period the previous year, part of a sharp rise in full-year profits, the Frankfurt-based bank said Thursday.
Germany's unemployment rate jumped in seasonally unadjusted terms to 10.2% from 9.6% the month before, as some 239,000 more people were out of work, the government labor office said Wednesday.
German real wages declined in 2006, rising at a slower rate than inflation, the Federal Statistics Office said Monday.
Germany's Porsche forecast it would be able to maintain profits this fiscal year after first-half pretax profit easily beat analyst expectations on Friday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that Germany would seek to remove exchange rate imbalances, boost hedge fund transparency and launch a new dialogue with emerging powers during its presidency of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations.
Germany's leading breweries all posted increased sales for 2006, partially due to an increase in domestic beer consumption credited to a hot summer of partying surrounding the soccer World Cup.
Germany's budget deficit dropped more than expected in 2006 to 1.9 % of gross domestic product, Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said Friday.
German gross domestic product grew 2.5 % in 2006, a significant improvement over the previous year, the Federal Statistics Office reported Thursday.
German consumer confidence has fallen back from recent highs as shoppers in Europe's biggest economy worry about the impact of an imminent increase in value-added tax, a survey showed Friday.
The project, codenamed "Herkules," foresees the modernization of the administrative information technology system and of communication networks for the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr.
IBM and Siemens have been commissioned by the German armed forces to oversee a 7.1 billion-euro ($9.3-billion), 10-year IT modernization project, the two companies confirmed on Thursday.
German sporting goods firm Adidas will not enter a bidding war with rival Nike to keep its sponsorship of Germany's national soccer team, Adidas's chief executive told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Swedish truck maker Scania -- subject to a hostile takeover offer by German rival MAN --_ will report its full-year results earlier than planned in a move to give shareholders more information on its finances, company officials said Friday.


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The kind of impact Mario has made on our life, you ask? Well, that could be easily deduced from the fact that every time the Mario tune turns up, you can't hold yourself back from humming it. But there's more to the super Italian plumber than meets the eye, and more than the usual catchy tune.
Popular side-scrolling games from the 80s and 90s, including Mario, have always preferred running left to right, and there have been times when we stopped and asked ourselves: "why is this guy not running the other way around?" Now, it seems like the reason has finally been found.
As it turns out, Mario always skips from left to right because he was programmed to run forever that way; that's the way gamers' brains have developed to the notion of side-scrollers in the business. According to Lancaster University psychologist Peter Walker, our brains vastly prefer left to right motion.
"What artistic conventions are used to convey the motion of animate and inanimate items in still images, such as drawings and photographs?" Walker said in a press release.
"One graphic convention involves depicting items leaning forward into their movement, with greater leaning conveying greater speed. Another convention, revealed in the present study, involves depicting items moving from left to right," he added.
The release said how this bias does not apply to people or objects which are stationary. "Whereas a rightward bias is found for photographs of animate and inanimate items in motion (more so the faster is the motion being conveyed), either no bias or a leftward bias is found for the same items in static pose. This could indicate a fundamental left-to-right bias for visual motion."
It adds that this left-to-right bias is also observed when designers italicize text to convey notions of motion and speed, apart from applied typography in Hebrew where the reader's eyes scan from right-to-left.
The conclusion, talking about how our brains vastly prefer left to right motion, based on Walker's analysis of thousands of images of people and objects in motion, is published in the journal Perception. Stay tuned for more updates!


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In the week that Facebook finally went public, General Motors has axed its paid-for advertising on Mark Zuckerberg's social network. GM said today that it was still going to have a Facebook page and everything, but it wasn't going to buy any more ads because they just aren't shifting enough cars. It reportedly spent $10m on the site last year, contributing towards Facebook's $3.7bn ad revenue in 2011.
"We are reassessing our advertising, but we remain committed to an aggressive content strategy through all of our products and brands, as it continues to be a very effective tool for engaging with our customers," the vehicle manufacturer, one of the US' biggest advertisers, said in an emailed statement.
To be fair, GM had said earlier this year that it was reviewing its ad spend in a bid to save $2bn over the next five years, so something had to go - but to yank all paid-for ads off Facebook indicates the firm didn't think it was getting a good return.
The news came just hours after Wordstream, an internet marketing firm, published an infographic that showed Facebook was way behind the Google Display Network, which is just 20 per cent of Google's ad revenue.
Wordstream agrees with a Webtrends report that puts the Facebook click-through-rate (ad clicks versus impressions) at just 0.05 per cent, half the average for banner ads and ten times less than Google Display, which has a 0.4 per cent CTR.
"Facebook had pretty good marks for huge audiences and growth, where they got really killed was in two areas - ad formats and ad targeting," Larry Kim, founder and CTO of Wordstream, told The Register.


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Alli–the first weight-loss drug to be approved by the Food and Drug
Administration for sale in the U.S. with no prescription necessary–will be
introduced in stages by seven agencies over the next year to the tune of $150
GlaxoSmithKline owns the rights to Alli, which is pronounced
like “ally,” as in a helper or associate. It works by preventing the body from
absorbing some of the fat one eats.
The campaign is centered on an
elaborate Web site, myalli.com. There are also television commercials, direct
mailings, print advertising, books, online ads, displays in stores and
information being provided to health care professionals.
appeals to potential Alli customers to educate themselves on using the product
and improving their dieting techniques, as well as their eating habits. The
myalli.com Web site takes a just-the-facts tone: “You don’t just try Alli–you
commit to it,” one Web page declares. And the dedication page of a 152-page
book, “Are You Losing It?”, published by GlaxoSmithKline, refers to “the most
important element of successful weight loss: you.”
Telling Dieters a Pill Works Only if They Work, Too – New York Times
FOR decades, the beauty industry was described as — or accused of — selling “hope in a jar.” Now, a marketing blitz with a budget estimated at more than $150 million in the first year will try to persuade dieters to seek hope in a pill bottle despite widespread skepticism about the grandiose promises of diet pills, plans and potions.


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Nutraceuticals for autism
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive SummaryProduct brokerage and Internet marketing company Market America plans to introduce a line of nutraceutical products for children with autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions. The Greensboro, N.C.-based firm says children with autism often have sub-optimal levels of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids, and parents are often frustrated by the lack of available supplements. Autistic children need easy to take, complete nutritional supplements, the firm says, noting its Isotonic delivery system meets those requirements...
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Revolution Software just announced that Broken Sword: The Serpent’s Curse will make its debut on PlayStation Vita, Sony’s latest handheld, later this year. This is the first time a game in the Broken Sword series is released on PS Vita.
“We are very proud at the reception that our Kickstarter appeal received. As well as funding a core part of development, it has brought together a wonderful community of Broken Sword fans”, says Charles Cecil, Founder and Managing Director, Revolution Software. “We are thrilled to be bringing the game to PlayStation Vita”.
“For fifteen years the escapades of George and Nico have challenged and delighted millions of fans. Celebrated for its thoughtful mysteries, ingenious puzzles, loveable characters and witty dialogue, the series continues to appeal to a wide contemporary audience yearning for compelling story-driven games”, says Noirin Carmody, Founder and COO of Revolution. “We are excited to bring the latest adventure to gamescom in Cologne and show it to media all over Europe for the first time”.
The game will also be available on Windows PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and of course PlayStation Vita sometime in late 2013.


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Can a collaboration between industry and innovators produce a new approach to safety?
Join us for the launch of the Shield-X Challenge, a week long hardware hackathon kicking off at CORE and open to participants from across the globe.
Shield-X is Unearthed’s first online hardware hackathon. Participants are challenged to design and prototype a 'Safe-Stop' wearable PPE device for autonomous mining equipment, with the chance to win over $20,000 in cash and attend a technology workshop with the Shield-X partners to assess their design.
Participants can submit their prototypes from anywhere around the world with space available for prototyping here in Perth at CORE.
Learn more at the Shield-X Launch event and network with the heads of technology of our global industry partners BHP Billiton, Barrick Gold, Caterpillar and find out why they are involved with this challenge.


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In April, Apple announced that it will release its iOS-powered in-car system, CarPlay, later this year. CarPlay would reduce distracted driving by allowing drivers to use their iPhone without actually touching or looking at their phone. Instead, they could access their phone using a voice control or a car’s touchscreen or display.
But Apple’s CarPlay could potentially minimize distracted driving even further, according to Appleinsider.com. In fact, an Apple patent document that recently surfaced reveals that Apple has been intentionally working on in-car technology designed to prevent distracted driving for years.
According to the patent document, the in-car technology would be able to determine whether an iPhone user is driving, then turn off distracting phone functions. On-board sensors would detect when a user is driving while an in-car technology would transmit blocking signals to an iPhone. The signals would prevent the phone from receiving and sending texts and from operating other phone functions.
While it’s not clear if Apple will include the feature on CarPlay or even in a future version, the fact that the company is working on an in-car technology that combats distracted driving is promising, especially at a time when distracted driving is increasing enough to be considered as dangerous as drunk driving.
At the least, such a device would allow parents to monitor their teens’ driving behavior. In the same way they can use an interlock to make sure their teens aren’t drinking and driving, parents could use in-car distracted driving technology to make sure their teens aren’t using their smartphone while driving. At the most, such a device could lead to legislation requiring distracted driving offenders to install a phone-use monitoring device in the same way some drunk drivers are required to install an interlock. Eventually, all cars could be equipped with technology designed to disable phone functions that distract drivers.
While there are certainly some security flaws (what if you miss an emergency phone call or text?), we hope to see Apple or other companies go further with in-car phone-use detection technology development. Too many lives were lost to drunk driving before we were able to create the technology needed to save lives. With the technological advances we have today, the same advances that increased distracted driving, we could stop this dangerous driving behavior before it reaches the magnitude that drunk driving has.


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We might not understand consumer prices as well as we thought we did.
Consumer prices may be more volatile than previously thought, based on current indexes, according to a new report from researchers at the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
The researchers analyzed how housing rent is currently factored into official price indexes, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index (CPI) and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s index for personal consumption expenditure (PCE).
Both of those indexes are designed to show price moves, based on the prices of a certain collection of consumer goods. But information about housing rent that both bureaus collect might lead to errors in the inflation rates, the Penn State researchers found.
Those bureaus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here’s why: Both indexes use results from questionnaires that are sent out to existing tenants.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics sends out the questionnaires to the same people over time. As a result, they are usually collecting information from renters who are renewing their leases, and the price of renewing is usually less volatile than renting a new place.
“Landlords tend to increase rents when tenants change,” said Jiro Yoshida, an associate professor at the Penn State Smeal College of Business. “The official rent surveys, then, tend to miss that big change.”
That may seem like a small difference, but rent makes up a large part of inflation indexes, the researchers said. In 2016, housing made up one third of the CPI and 42% of the core CPI, which excludes food and energy. Rents account for 15.8% of the PCE and 17.7% of the core PCE.
As a result of their observations, the researchers came up with a new method for estimating inflation in housing rent, by using data including the Moody’s/RCA Commercial Property Price Index.
When they used their new method, they found that the official inflation rate was overestimated by 1.7% to 4.2% every year during the Great Recession. It is now underestimated by 0.3% to 0.9% annually, during the current period of economic expansion.
The findings could have important implications, Yoshida said. Cost-of-living adjustments are based on CPI. And using the new method, cost of living would be higher. For senior citizens who have retired, the new calculation could add substantial funds to their monthly benefits.


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EY, Microsoft, and ConsenSys believe that given strong security and the right tools, businesses will embrace public blockchains as they look for ways to work together.
Blockchain solution Kaleido, which is backed by ConsenSys, is working on a way to make privacy more of a reality in the enterprise blockchain sphere. While Kaleido made even the traditional financial news headlines last May for its collaboration with Amazon Web Services, the startup’s recent partnership with privacy tech firm QEDIT for zero-knowledge proofs implementation is a decidedly less-recognized name. Modern Consensus spoke with Kaleido’s co-founders, CEO Steve Cervency and COO Sophia Lopez, on this deep tech topic.
A new report by the European Parliamentary Research Service takes issue with the idea that blockchains are incompatible with the EU’s new data privacy laws.


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ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- UMS Advisory, Inc., a leading global management consulting firm, today announced it has changed the company name from UMS Advisory to Trascent Management Consulting, LLC. The new corporate brand is a reflection of the company's enhanced capabilities, global footprint, and a new corporate structure that positions the firm for continued growth and capability expansion.
As a result of this rebranding, Trascent has officially launched a new corporate web site, www.trascent.com.
"It's an exciting time for a company that's rapidly evolving and making a tremendous impact on the RE/FM industry on a global level," said George Bouri, Trascent managing principal - Americas. "In 2014, we plan to continue introducing innovative and differentiated services into the marketplace to help our clients transform their operations and build a solid platform for future growth. Our new brand captures the essence of what we do: partner with clients to bring proven thought-leadership and results-driven approaches to assist in the overall performance improvement of their operations," said Bouri.
Rakesh Kishan, managing principal - EMEA added, "Over the years, we built a global, leading position in RE and FM consulting. But with a switch to a new corporate structure that positions us for growth, expanded capabilities with the recent acquisition of IWMSconnect, and a broader set of next generation client solutions, a new brand is needed to reflect our vision for the firm."
Inspiration for the brand came from the words "transform" and "ascent", which represents how Trascent can help leading blue-chip companies elevate their operational performance and maximize results.
The new corporate brand continues to reinforce the company's current tagline, "Thought Leadership Driving Results."
About Trascent Management Consulting
Trascent, a premier global management consulting firm, drives measurable performance improvements in Real Estate and Facilities Management (RE/FM). The firm partners with leading companies in biopharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, diversified industrials, financial services, high technology and other sectors to develop breakthrough solutions and generate quantifiable results. Main areas of focus include sourcing strategy, outsourcing, implementation, technology strategy, supplier governance solutions, performance benchmarking, operational excellence and market intelligence. Trascent's top-rated industry conferences have been attended by senior RE/FM and business leaders from more than 80 companies in the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.trascent.com or contact Yvonne Liu, email@example.com.
SOURCE Trascent Management Consulting, LLC


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A new study carried out by JCDecaux New Zealand and neuroscience research company Neuro-Insight reveals travellers are more receptive to advertising in the airport due to the uniqueness of the experience, space and emotional intensity of air travel.
The Airport Mindset Study conducted late last year aimed to understand the emotional mindset of passengers during a typical airport traveller experience, and measure how JCDecaux AIRPORT touchpoints influence travellers throughout their journey.
Matt Kum, National Sales Manager – Airport, JCDecaux New Zealand, said: “Emotions run high when you are in an airport – from checking in and clearing security, through to shopping and dining while waiting for your flight. It’s this heightened emotional intensity that leads to high levels of memory encoding.
“This is a powerful insight, as memory encoding equals memory storage, which is proven to influence future behaviour. Our brains store information for future use, so in a moment of need, such as when faced with a purchase decision, the brain recalls detail. With 95 percent of decision making driven by the sub-conscious*, media channels that deliver high levels of memory encoding, including airport advertising, present a great opportunity for brands.”
Brian Hill, General Manager, APAC Neuro-Insight said the results are significant for how this influences subsequent consumer behaviour. “The high memory encoding scores tells us that advertising in airport environments create new memory structures, or reinforce existing ones, that build mental availability and drive future consumer behaviour.”
The study also found that memory encoding in the airport is comparable to that of other media channels studied by Neuro-Insight, proving the airport environment is an effective platform to drive memory encoding, or assist memory encoding for an omnichannel advertising campaign.
The study observed a unique neuro-state during the airport experience of changing between detailed memory encoding – capturing micro elements such as facts, details, words or price – along with global memory encoding – capturing macro elements such as meaning, connotation and feelings.
Victoria Parsons, Senior Insights and Strategy Specialist, JCDecaux New Zealand said these findings will be valuable for advertisers: “The airport environment is highly effective at driving meaningful connections with brands but is also strong at encoding the key messages within the creative. Using creative that has a mixture of imagery, faces and text, will enhance effectiveness of airport advertising as the brain switches between detailed and global memory encoding.
“Brands that are present on high performing Large Format sites on the airport approach will prepare customers’ subconscious to be more receptive to similar creative as they pass through the airport terminals. Investing in multiple airport Out-of-Home sites can help to encode many different aspects of the creative to support both a long-term meaningful connection with a brand, or to encode a more detailed short-term activation. Large Format external airport sites also reach drop-off and pickup audiences as well as those travelling through the precinct, with impactful communications.”
Key implications for brands:
- Airport touchpoints over-deliver memory encoding, building mental availability for brands and driving future consumer behaviour
- A combination of different airport assets delivers versatility in memory encoding bias reflecting the unique neural-state of the journey
- Key airport touchpoints produce high emotional intensity which, when taken advantage of, will drive stronger detail and deeper connections for brands
- Brands that use external Large Format assets create more mental availability and this is likely to enable the subconscious to process the creative within the terminal quicker.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Meta’s decision to stop paying for Australian news is “not the Australian way” and that he is “very concerned” about the announcement. Meta today confirmed it will walk away from funding Aussie journalism once the current content deals expire in what is a significant blow to Australia’s largest publishers. […]
The Australian media industry has responded to Meta’s decision to walk away from funding Aussie journalism once the current content deals expire. In a blow to local media outlets, Meta said it will not enter negotiations to extend deals to pay Australian media companies for the news that appears on its platforms. Michael Miller, News […]
Free TV has said that today’s announcement by Meta that it will not be renewing any of the deals struck with Australian media companies for use of news content on its platforms should be met with swift action by the government. Meta today revealed it will walk away from funding Aussie journalism once the current content […]
NOVA Entertainment has today announced the launch of a refreshed brand identity for FIVEAA, Adelaide’s premier commercial talkback station. The forward-looking brand refresh reflects FIVEAA’s new lineup and vision while paying homage to the station’s previous logo and rich heritage. Built upon the new tagline of Always Adelaide, the new direction celebrates the ‘AA’ branding […]
Australian social and content marketing workflow platform Fabulate has won big at the industry’s annual AiMCO Awards, taking out the highly competitive Best Influencer Marketing Technology Service category. Lead image: Fabulate team at Aimco Awards The win saw the start up platform, which has a team of around 50, receive the industry recognition against competitor […]
Australia’s newest transformative TV technology, Hubbl, will be on sale from March 10 in Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi retail stores nationally and via Hubbl.com.au. Lead Image: Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany at Hubbl Launch. Also from March 10, Hubbl will unveil a national advertising campaign starring brand ambassadors Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. The multi-channel […]
Marking a historic moment, THE LUME Melbourne will welcome original pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus to Australian shores for the first time, as they touch down on March 9, before going on display to the public from March 16, when Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius presented by Webuild opens to […]
Eyeota, a Dun & Bradstreet company and a global source of data for digital marketing, have selected Proximic by Comscore, a leading provider of audience and content targeting solutions for programmatic activation, as its preferred partner for making its full taxonomy of audience segments available for contextual cookieless targeting.


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BOSSES from Warwick International's American-based parent company have toured the group's Mostyn plant to mark 25 years of operations on the site.
Sequa Corporation chairman Norman Alexander and vice chairman and executive officer John Quicke were among a group of directors from the New York-headquartered parent which visited the Dee Estuary site and met staff.
From two employees and a portable office back in 1979, Warwick has invested more than £100m in its manufacturing site and today employs 230.
The company, which makes detergent additives, is one of the fastest expanding speciality chemical companies in the UK. Group sales in 2003 hit a record £120m and Warwick's products are sold in more than 63 countries worldwide, with total sales exceeding £1bn since 1979. Sequa chalked up sales of about £1bn last year.
Warwick held celebratory events for staff and suppliers - including a dinner at Soughton Hall and a day out at Chester Races - in recognition of the quarter-century milestone.
Company managing director Bob Ellis said: "We are very proud of the business we have built from scratch at Mostyn. Thanks to the skills and hard work of our dedicated employees over the last quarter of a century, our product has become a world leader.
"With Warwick's recent expansion into chemicals distribution, the group is growing into brand new areas."
The Flintshire-based company has established itself as the world's leading manufacturer of tetra acetyl ethylene diamine, an oxygen-based bleaching system for the detergent and biocide industries. The key ingredient has revolutionised laundry detergent products, enabling clothes to be washed at lower temperatures.
The company has twice won the Queen's Award for Exports and was awarded the inaugural Wales Exporter of the Year Award in 2001.
During the 1990s, the company expanded into speciality chemicals distribution and today Warwick International Group employs 120 staff in its network of businesses in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Slovenia.
It also has sales offices in Brazil, Malaysia and South Africa and last month announced the opening of a new office in Shanghai, China.


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When Rent the Runway, a New York start-up hoping to make high-end fashion as accessible as renting a movie from Netflix, first introduced its service in late 2009, it wasnâ€™t clear how successful the venture would be. In the past 18 months, since Rent the Runway came out of its beta testing phase, it has enticed a million members to join the service. Each week, another 40,000 new members sign up, the company said. The company has raised $16.5 million from venture capitalists, and grown from a few employees to 51 staffers, prompting a move to larger offices in downtown New York.
1.Â Assume that the company rents two dresses a year to each member.Â If the dresses rent for $50 and variable costs are $20 per rental and the companyâ€™s fixed costs for the year total $1,620,000, how many dresses must be rented in order for the company to break even?Â
2. Assume that during the current year Rent the Runway reported total revenues of $891,640 and profit of $91,486.Â Fixed costs were $332,043, and 44,000 dresses were rented.Â If costs and prices are expected to stay the same next year, but the company expects to increase rentals to 50,000 dresses, what will be the companyâ€™s budgeted profit?
3. From an entrepreneurial standpoint, do you think this plan would work for any other type of product? Explain.
Fox Business Video (2011). Rent the Runway: Designer Dress Rental Catching On, Fox Business News.com February 8 (Retrievable online at http://video.foxsmallbusinesscenter.com/v/4529267/rent-the-runway/)
Wortham, J.(2011) Rent The Runway Takes Flight, The New York Times, May 2 (Retrievable online at http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/rent-the-runway-takes-flight/?ref=business)


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The entertainment industry is grappling with numerous challenges, with the SAG-AFTRA/WGA strikes standing as a clear sign that the current model is not sustainable. However, blockchain technology could be the key to addressing these challenges, potentially saving the industry billions of dollars.
According to Leo Matchett, Co-founder and CEO of the Decentralized Pictures Foundation, “the blockchain has the potential to revolutionize the entertainment industry. It can help create a more transparent and equitable industry, and it can also connect fans with their favorite artists in new and innovative ways.”
This isn’t a superficial statement for Matchett. With more than 20 years of experience as a software developer and film producer, he is spearheading efforts at the company co–owned by director Roman Coppola, whose father, the Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola, is a household name.
To understand the scope of this potential change, it’s crucial to comprehend what blockchain technology is. At its core, the blockchain comprises blocks of data, similar to a bank ledger that records transactions. It’s secure, transparent, and immutable, meaning that transactions are irreversible once they happen. This concept has its benefits and downsides, which are continually being explored and addressed as the technology evolves and becomes more mainstream.
Importantly, the blockchain extends beyond the headlines about FTX or NFT pyramid schemes. Here are six ways this technology could be a game-changer for the entertainment industry.
Piracy, the unauthorized copying and distribution of copyrighted material, is one of the biggest challenges facing the entertainment industry. It can devastate the industry, costing billions of dollars in lost revenue each year. Add AI tech to the mix, and we could see piracy on steroids.
Blockchain can counter piracy in several ways. It can create a secure and transparent record of digital content ownership, simplifying the process of tracking and prosecuting pirates. Furthermore, blockchain can implement digital rights management (DRM) systems, which complicate the copying or distribution of copyrighted material without authorization.
The entertainment industry is also susceptible to fraud. Internet-based fraudsters often sell counterfeit tickets, merchandise, and other products, resulting in significant financial loss for the industry.
Blockchain technology can combat fraud in several ways. It can establish a secure and transparent record of transactions, making it harder for fraudsters to counterfeit tickets and other products. Consumers can verify the origins of a ticket and confirm its authenticity. Additionally, blockchain can facilitate the implementation of smart contracts. These self-executing contracts automate payments and other transactions, making it more challenging for fraudsters to commit theft.
The entertainment industry is experiencing declining revenues, due in part to the rise of streaming services, the fall of traditional media outlets and the implosion of advertising.
Justin Alanis, CEO of StoryCo, a blockchain-based entertainment platform, has been testing ways to connect creators and fans through his company. He believes that “blockchain technology… can create new revenue streams, such as the sale of digital collectibles or non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and reduce costs by eliminating the need for intermediaries like record labels and distributors.”
New companies, like Theta Network, are also experimenting with video streaming models that incentivize users who create and consume video content with tokens. Additionally, producer Ramon Govea is focusing on potential revenue streams, including using his popular Bored Ape NFT as IP for new series or films.
New Funding Methods
Blockchain can create innovative funding methods for the entertainment industry. For example, blockchain-based crowdfunding platforms allow fans to invest in their favorite artists and projects.
Josh Frazin, Co-Founder of Hollywoodland, believes that “this can provide much-needed financial support for creative projects, and it can also give fans a sense of ownership in the success of their favorite artists.”
The founder shared that his production company is not just a business, but an “ethos” with a focus on full-length features and TV content. Plus, it’s decentralized, which means any IP, content created, equity, or revenues from films or TV projects is owned by the Hollywoodland DAO and fractionally shared with their community of token holders. Think of a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) as a self-governing club. To join, you typically need to engage in certain activities or purchase a type of digital asset. Their token, for instance, can only be granted to filmmakers and content creators. Besides equity, holders also get discounts on tools and resources from studio time to camera rentals and human resources.
Filmmaker Sherry McCracken, who became interested in smart contracts in 2018, has been all in ever since. She founded the Web3 film studio, Never Alone Xperience, as a way to make the world a better place for filmmakers and creators. Community members can participate in everything from supporting a project through funding to voting on what script should be made.
Blockchain can be used to track royalties for artists and creators. This can ensure that artists are paid fairly for their work and help reduce fraud. Blockchain-based platforms can track the ownership of digital content and automate the distribution of royalties to the rightful parties.
This could be an effective solution for tracking the use of your work or likeness by AI, or the amount of plays your show gets across various streaming platforms. The smart contract could include all parties at different percentages and automatically distribute earnings as money comes in.
SoundXYZ is an excellent example for the music industry, allowing artists to mint their songs as NFTs, creating a unique and valuable asset that can be sold or traded directly to their fans.
An Equitable and Sustainable Future
Mike Musante, Co-Founder of Decentralized Pictures, and a seasoned film producer, is optimistic about “the potential to make the entertainment industry more transparent and equitable.” He also commented on the industry’s current opacity, noting, “it’s difficult for fans to know where their money is going or how their data is being used. Blockchain can change that.”
Despite the promising potential, issues such as complexity, cost, and regulation limit the evolution of this technology and its scalability. Only time will tell whether the entertainment giants will adopt this technology or whether it will take disruptive newcomers and creative individuals to solve these problems.
This story was written in collaboration with ChatGPT.


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Mark Cerny, a high-ranking PlayStation employee, has recently mentioned some of the features which should make an appearance when the upcoming console will be released.
The device will be quite powerful as the specifications include a mighty eight-core CPU, a high-performance SSD, and an 7nm SoC. It seems that Sony aims for maximum performance and many will remember the fact that the PS4 offered a superior experience before Microsoft released the Xbox One X.
A highly-reliable news outlet released a piece that offered questionable information and appeared to be quite convoluted. A part of the article claimed that Sony would use a 7nm 8-core Ryzen CPU manufactured by AMD. The chip should support 8K and ray-tracing, and it will be linked to an AMD Navi GPU. The outlet then suggested that it is likely that Sony will opt for the AMD Ryzen 46000 which was showcased at CES 2019. The estimated $200 cost per CPU would make it a great candidate for the console.
As many may have guessed there are several mistakes which undermine the validity of this theory. We can start with the fact that ray tracing and 8K capabilities are usually linked to graphics cards, not CPUs. This is a minor mistake, and it can be overlooked easily, but there are bigger caveats.
AMD did not announce or reveal the Ryzen 3600G. It is also unlikely that Sony would spend $200 on APU alone and even if it did, it wouldn’t opt for a chip that will be sold on the open market. While the APUs used by for the PS4 and Xbox One consoles are based on AMD technology, they are developed and produced exclusively for Microsoft and Sony. Since we are looking at custom solutions, it is likely that both companies paid AMD a handsome price for the development costs and any losses that could stem from the decision to keep exclusive.
Even the 8K capabilities are quite far-fetched since 8K TVs represent less than 1% of the market. It is likely that Sony will reveal more details in the future.
Nora Reynolds is a major in biology and a minor in Biological Basis of Behavior, writing about science in general. She also likes to try new gadgets and sports about the AI new era.


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At least four payments companies are set to participate in a consortium formed by Facebook Inc. to launch a cryptocurrency next year aimed at commerce rather than exchange trading, according to a report Friday in The Wall Street Journal . Facebook is expected to officially announce the initiative next week.
The consortium, called the Libra Association, will manage what will be called the Libra coin, the Journal reported, quoting sources familiar with the initiative. Mastercard Inc., PayPal Holdings Inc., Stripe Inc. , and Visa Inc. are among more than a dozen companies putting up $10 million each to fund the association, according to the story. One other participant identified by the report is ride-share pioneer Uber Technologies Inc., which relies heavily on mobile payments funded by passengers’ cards on file.
Contacted by Digital Transactions News , a spokesperson for Mastercard said the network would not comment on “speculation.” PayPal, Stripe, and Visa did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Facebook will not comment in advance of its expected announcement. Details remain sketchy, but at least some of the participating companies could serve as so-called nodes on the new network, according to the Journal report. Nodes verify and record transactions. McKee: “While it remains to be seen if this will be more than just a high-profile science project, the consortium members give this initiative immediate [credibility] and potential.” “While it remains to be seen if this will be more than just a high-profile science project, the consortium members give this initiative […]
Goldie Blocks is a custom trained AI that scours the internet daily to bring you the hottest blockchain and cryptocurrency news, so you can make the best informed decisions.


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Nvidia (NVDA) surpassed Wall Street's lofty expectations for its fiscal second quarter late Wednesday and projected higher than estimates for the current month.
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A visit to a Kura Sushi USA (KRUS) restaurant may be your best chance if you want to witness how artificial intelligence has crept into ordinary life.
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Fluence Energy (FLNC), today's IBD 50 Stocks To Watch selection, is having its better fiscal performance eroded by an unfavorable outside day for the growth company.
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A glitch in year-over-year comparisons prompted headline inflation to jump for the first time in more than a year in July, but underlying data indicated that the rate of increasing prices continues to slow.
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AMZN is a stock owned by Amazon.com.On Friday, O rose 9% on signals that both of its growth engines, e-commerce and cloud computing, were performing well in an uncertain environment.
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The 30-year average mortgage rate rose for the third day on Thursday, while the 15-year rate rose to its highest level in four weeks. On the other hand, the 30-year refinancing average fell to conclude a five-day rally.


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ALBERTON -- Good weather and a productive harvest will be two things Island potato growers will be able to declare when they sit down to a Thanksgiving dinner this weekend.
Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board said some growers have already completed their 2013 harvest but most growers are still in their fields. He estimated about two-thirds of the Island’s 89,000-acre crop will be in storage by the end of the day Saturday.
Growers were hit with a wet spurt of weather just as the harvest was about to go into full swing late in September, but Donald noted conditions for digging have been perfect for the past two weeks.
If anything, he said, some fields are getting so dry that not enough clay is being picked up by the harvesting equipment, thus creating a risk of bruising. He said some areas of the province would benefit from a bit of moisture.
While there is not normally much shipping during the harvest period, Donald said sales are actually a bit ahead o normal. He said it looks like North American supply will be more in line with demand than last year as indication is production is down a bit. That’s the case in P.E.I, too, where acreage is down about 500 acres from last year.
If the current weather pattern holds, Donald predicts most of the crop should be in storage within another two weeks.


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The last couple months have seen a welcome change in the wireless industry. Instead of massively confusing bills and data caps, we’ve had prices slashed across the board and unlimited data plans for all. But thanks to the unending drive for consolidation and profits, the good times aren’t going to last.
During the recent 600MHz spectrum auction, which ran from the end of 2016 all the way to last week, the government imposed a “quiet rule” on carriers. They couldn’t talk about the auction, their plans with any spectrum, and they couldn’t talk with anyone about merging. But now that quiet time is over, it’s just a matter of time until some blockbuster deals happen.
Rumors suggest that T-Mobile, Sprint, and Dish are all in talks for partnerships, acquisitions, or mergers. For Sprint, it’s a fight for survival: recent financial results have been dire, and since the company didn’t buy any new spectrum in the FCC’s auction, the network won’t see substantial improvements in the near future. SoftBank, the Japanese company that owns Sprint, has been looking for a chance to unload Sprint for years.
The most-talked-about target is Deutsche Telekom, the majority owner of T-Mobile. The idea would be to merge T-Mobile and Sprint, the third-largest and fourth-largest networks in America, to form one super-network.
Although that might lead to slightly improved coverage, it would be terrible for consumers in general. The fight between T-Mobile and Sprint for customers has led to lower prices, the ending of multi-year-contracts, and a host of other consumer-friendly moves in recent years. Losing Sprint, which offers the cheapest contracts of any of the big networks, would mean losing the one company that applies downwards pressure to prices.
The alternatives aren’t much better. One of the few other companies with the money and desire to build out a US-wide cell network could be Amazon. Owning a wireless network would give Amazon direct control over delivering some of its services, like Prime Video, straight to consumers without having to go through an existing internet service provider. A wireless network could also be invaluable in the future for Amazon’s drone delivery service, which would need some kind of national command-and-control network.
It’s not just T-Mobile and Sprint that are rumored in merger deals, either. Dish Network, the satellite TV provider that also owns Sling TV, bought up $6 billion of spectrum at the FCC’s recent auction, and now sits on one of the largest spectrum holdings in the US. It’s possible that it could be bought out by a company like Comcast to build out a brand-new wireless network, or merge with an existing wireless network for further expansion. Any of those options would involve losing the country’s biggest independent TV provider to a major cable company, which would be more bad news for consumers.
Analyst Tim Farrar sees a combination of all these scenarios being the logical option: a three-way deal between T-Mobile, Amazon and Dish to build out a new network, using T-Mobile’s new spectrum and Dish’s spectrum holdings. Using Amazon’s capital, they could quickly build out a fast and wide-reaching network with brand-new technology, which could be used by T-Mobile for cell service, by Dish for internet TV, and by Amazon for world domination/any of Jeff Bezos’s pet projects.
The bottom line is that the status quo isn’t here to stay. Between Sprint’s financial woes, T-Mobile’s desire to build a giant new network at speed, and Dish’s unused spectrum, it seems that a deal is likely. The only questions are when, and how badly it will affect wireless customers.


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By The Associated Press
General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC at a glance:
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
ASSETS: GM, founded in 1908, sells its cars and trucks under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. It also owns the OnStar network and its Service and Parts Operations. GM owns 49 percent of longtime financing arm GMAC.
EMPLOYEES: About 266,000 worldwide.
FINANCIALS: In the second quarter, GM posted a $15.5 billion loss, the third-worst quarterly performance in its history. Revenue totaled $38.2 billion, down about 18 percent from a year earlier.
CARS SOLD: In September, GM sold 284,300 vehicles in the U.S., down more than 15 percent from September 2007.
ASSETS: Chrysler LLC, founded in 1924 by Walter P. Chrysler, owns the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicle brands, as well as Mopar, a distributor of parts and equipment. Its financing arm is Chrysler Financial.
EMPLOYEES: 66,409 worldwide
FINANCIALS: In August, Chrysler said it posted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of about $1.1 billion for the first half of the year. Daimler AG has indicated that Chrysler lost an estimated $510 million in the first quarter. Privately held Chrysler is not required to break down its results.
CARS SOLD: Chrysler sold 107,349 vehicles in the U.S. during September, down 32.8 percent from September 2007.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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The Nokia Devices and Services business helped boost Microsoft's revenue, but hurt profits read more »
Apple's doing great in China, not so well in tablets, and R&D spending is increasing read more »
Wireless has passed 100 percent penetration in the US and six other countries, according to the OECD read more »
iPhones and iPad sales were both slower than expected read more »
ARM's Maya and Artemis chips are already being licensed to mobile device makers read more »
Cisco sees its effort to bring small cell devices to businesses leading to explosive growth of the technology read more »more news ..
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Following HP's dispute with Autonomy, we look back at other HP acquisitions in this Computerworld UK slideshow.
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Demotion of desktop OS to second half of mission statement leads some to wonder about changes at Microsoft read more »
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Marwako Fast Food’s public relations manager has dismissed the findings of the Food and Drugs Authority’s (FDA) investigation into the recent incidence of food poisoning at its East Legon branch.
The FDA, in a statement on Monday, said it found poor sanitation, poor storage and microbial infestation as causes of food poisoning.
However, the restaurant’s public relations manager, Mohammed Amin Lamptey in an interview with JoyNews noted that the company may need an independent investigation into the FDA’s actions.
“We can even say that we would disagree with the FDA for all intents and purposes. We may need an independent investigation into what they have also done and as I said earlier when it comes to catering anyone who understands this business knows there is certain items or ingredients that when you use them in one day, you can’t use them the next day,” he said.
Mr Lamptey thinks the FDA action is “like something that was done to totally damage the brand of Marwako Fast Food”.
In a statement released Monday, June 13, the FDA explained that based on its findings, the restaurant failed to observe proper sanitation practices, resulting in widespread food poisoning, reported by affected customers.
“Analysis of food samples, certain juice drinks and exchanges taken from the environment at the East Legon branch of Mawarko Fast Food Limited indicate that there was a high microbial load (agents pathogens) that may be related to the reported foodborne illness.
Samples taken from Abelenkpe and La branches were also found to be contaminated. Sanitation and hygiene levels in food preparation areas at all three establishments were poor,” the statement read.
The FDA statement continued, “It was also determined that there were poor storage practices. Freezer and refrigerator temperatures were well above acceptable ranges. Handling practices for ingredients used in cooking, cooked and ready-to-eat foods were also very poor.”
On May 12, 2022, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) closed the East Legon branch of the Marwako Restaurant, following numerous reports of food poisoning on social media.
In a tweet, the FDA said the decision to close the restaurant was to allow the Authority to investigate customer complaints.
“The FDA is aware of public complaints regarding suspected food poisoning at the East Legon branch of the Marwarko restaurant.
“We have closed the restaurant and, along with other relevant agencies, have opened investigations,” the tweet read.
The FDA has taken note of public complaints about suspected food poisoning at the East Legon branch of the Marwarko restaurant. We closed the restaurant and, together with other relevant agencies, launched investigations.
— FDAGhana (@fdaghana) May 12, 2022


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SiriusXM today announced at the annual National Automobile Dealers Association Convention and Expo in San Francisco that it has surpassed 15,000 auto dealers enrolled in the SiriusXM Pre-Owned Program. This program is designed to give SiriusXM another shot at activating satellite radio's in used cars. The program offers a free trial to buyers of these cars.
"The SiriusXM Pre-Owned Program launched in the summer of 2011, giving auto dealers the opportunity to provide subscriptions to all of their customers purchasing satellite equipped vehicles. Major OEMs have supported the program with their franchise dealerships, and many of the nation's top auto dealer groups have followed with 100% of their locations participating in the program," said Joe Verbrugge, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Automotive Remarketing and Retail Sales, SiriusXM. "We are thrilled that there are now more than 15,000 dealers that have taken advantage of this no-cost program, giving their customers access to SiriusXM's unparalleled lineup of commercial-free music, plus premier sports, comedy, news, exclusive talk and entertainment."
Customers purchasing any pre-owned vehicle with a factory-installed satellite radio from a dealer enrolled in the SiriusXM Pre-Owned Program will receive a three-month subscription to SiriusXM's "All Access" package.
In addition, the SiriusXM Service Lane program has surpassed 6,000 dealers enrolled since the program launched in 2013. Dealers enrolled in Service Lane can provide a 2-month subscription to SiriusXM's Select package to qualifying customers who have their satellite radio-equipped vehicles serviced.
The concept here is simple. The company has already paid to install a satellite radio receiver into a car. Subsequent owners of that car may be experiencing satellite radio for the first time. The program gives a second, third, or even fourth life to the satellite radio. New customers that come out of this program are very profitable because the cost side of the associated radio was absorbed previously. SiriusXM has made a concerted effort in maximizing potential by tapping into this new pool of potential subscribers.


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Food manufacturing giant, Nestle Ghana has organised a forum to interact and dialogue with its consumers on healthy living, good eating habits, exercise and the importance of dairy products.
Nestle engaged about 150 consumers on the value of their products while taking consumer feedback.
Nestle Ghana has been in operation for 63 years.
The company is a household name popular with quality food products like Cerelac, Ideal Milk among others.
The Nestle Consumer Forum has been an annual tradition which has been running for about 10 years now.
It targets different associations and people of diverse age groups.
Today’s forum in Kumasi engaged consumers on healthy living, good eating habits, exercise and the importance of dairy products.
Mark Okyere Mensah is Nestle Professional Manager.
“The Nestle Consumer is where we interact with our consumers. We appreciate you consumers because you have kept our brand strong. We would not have clocked 63 years without your constant purchasing. Nestle produces quality products like Nan, Lactogen, Milo, Maggi among others. Nestle has fortified nutrients like Iron and Diary with helps in good metabolism. This event is to let you know the benefits of iron and diary in our health and wellness,” he said
A chef was on hand to demonstrate how to cook with Nestle products.
Participants were also treated to an aerobic session.
A nutritionist with the University of Ghana Legon, who spoke with participants, recommended the consumption of iron-rich products from Nestle to reduce iron deficiency.
Obed Acquah Harrison noted that Nestle products fortified with 80 percent iron is a perfect solution to nutritional challenges.
“The processed milk products Nestle produces are fortified with iron, zinc among others. It helps with brain development of children especially. Without these essential nutrients, the child’s growth is stunted. Pregnant women have to take in more iron to prevent being anaemic. We all have to be cautious with the storage of milk. Milk should not be stored in warm places. Micro-organisms can find its way if milk is not stored in a freezer. It can be harmful when consumed,” he advised.
Marketing Services Manager for Nestle, Samantha Wuta-Ofei was in-charge of the forum.
In attendance were members of the Christ Apostolic Mothers Union, Anglican Mothers Union and the Beauticians and Hairdressers Association.
Nestle Ghana Limited is sponsor of Nestle Nutrition line a weekday consumer education radio programme on JOY and ADOM FM.
It provides basic nutritional information to develop sound nutrition knowledge.


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Some of the area’s best known companies will be in Livonia today for a giant job fair. WWJ’s Rob Mason has the story.
More than 40 companies will be on hand looking for new hires including Quicken Loans, Art Van Furniture, and AFLAC.
The career fair goes from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Livonia. Over 600 jobs will be available and representatives will be there to accept resumes.
As always, you are advised to dress for success for the event.
To find more information about the Job Fair and the companies that will be there, click on here.
Tips for a successful job search, here.
The Holiday Inn Hotel
17123 North Laurel Park Dr.
Livonia, MI 48152


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The program of the conference “Fruit & Vegetable Business of Russia – 2013” will traditionally include the presentations on all key segments of the Russian fruit and vegetable sector delivered by its leaders.
Russian fruit and vegetable production forecast for the season 2013/14 and price development prospects up to April 2014 will be delivered by Ms. Tetiana Getman, Head of Fruit-Inform.
The subject of the Russian apple market structure changes in the light of the country’s accession to the WTO and expectations from the oncoming season will be covered by the presentation of Mr. Konstantin Shvets, General Director of Fito-Mag.
Mr. Aleskey Krasilnikov, Executive Director of Potato Union of Russia, will present his view of the Russian potato market development as well as key risks connected with the potato business.
The Russian greenhouse sector trends will be included in the presentation of Mrs. Natalya Rogova, General Director of Association of Greenhouses of Russia, who will also speak on the greenhouse business state support system.
The subject of the Russian market for fresh and frozen berries will be covered by the speech of Mr. Aleksandr Samokhvalov, Managing Director of Yagody Karelii, the leading company in the Russian berry market.
This year the conference program will for the first time include the subject of the Russian market for fresh-cut vegetables and leaf vegetables covered by the presentation of Mr. Viktor Semenov, Founder of Belaya Dacha Group of Companies.
Registration of conference participants goes on. For the present, there are more than 50 professionals of the domestic and foreign fruit and vegetable business to have confirmed their participation. Altogether, the conference will be attended by more than 150 delegates from 15-17 countries of the world.
The conference will be held in conjunction with World Food Moscow 2013 Exhibition, Expocentre Fairgrounds, Moscow, September 17.
On September 18, the conference delegates will be able to take part in the business-tour to Belaya Dacha Trading, the company dealing with manufacturing ready-to-eat lettuces and vegetables. Pay your attention that a number of business-tour participants is limited.
Full information about the event (program, participation conditions, advertising and sponsoring opportunities) is available here. To take part in the event, please fill out a registration form.
For more information see www.fruit-inform.com


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The standards of the office have changed as technology has advanced. Computers brought on the end of the typewriter. Those big, bulky desktops found themselves gradually slimmed down and phased out with the advent of laptops. Tablets are now making desk space even easier to find. But new technologies in the near future are expected to build things up even further than the current market may expect.
Essential hotspots in the office
According to a recent survey by Intel Security, one of the biggest trends in the marketplace will soon be found in the growth of mobility. In the future, it will become crucial for businesses to work around customer service needs in an environment where workers can perform their duties from anywhere. In effect, this will make offices not a thing of the past, but in need of immediate change. It's likely that investments in immediate technology will drop and use of employee-owned devices will grow accordingly, which will have a side effect of minimizing necessary office space.
The survey even goes on to mention what it calls an "office revolution," where offices install secondary locations separate from central offices. These would be easier for employees to get to and give them more opportunities for collaboration. More than 60 percent of workers believe they become more creative and have better work output when they join coworking spaces.
Internet of Things weighs on market
Another corner of growth expected in the near future has been a popular point of emphasis in recent technological news. A report from IT networking company Spiceworks found that up to 86 percent of IT professionals believe the Internet of Things, which refers to the rapidly growing trend of almost every conceivable device having the ability to connect to the Internet, will likely create new trends and worries alike in the current market.
The Internet of Things – a wide variety of wearable devices, electronic peripherals and building sensors to name a few – is developed with the intent of information collection. It's also changing the ways companies will conduct themselves. They will be able to more readily track employees and customers alike, but they may need to update their office areas to ensure connectivity is at its highest.
Office technology industry piece brought to you by Marlin Equipment Finance, leaders in office technology equipment financing. Marlin is a nationwide provider of equipment financing solutions supporting equipment suppliers and manufacturers in the security, food services, healthcare, information technology, office technology and telecommunications sectors.