text:
Nearly a decade ago, TheStreet’s founder Jim Cramer coined the acronym FANG, later updated to FAANG, for companies supremely dominant in their respective markets and their stocks’ resulting proclivity for outperformance.
For the nascent streaming industry, Netflix’s (NFLX) position was among the most secure in the shorthand slang for tech titans Facebook (FB) in social media, Apple (AAPL) in consumer devices, Amazon (AMZN) in e-commerce and Alphabet (GOOGL) in search.
However, as more and more players enter the streaming space, perhaps Netflix's dominance and therefore its place in Cramer’s coinage might be more tenuous.
Indeed, while the Los Gatos, California-based company still leads the pack in terms of subscriber share, the lead is shrinking. Per a recent report from Ampere Analysis, Netflix’s market share was cut by nearly one-third, from 29% to 20% of the total market, as competitors like Disney (DIS) have challenged for the streaming crown and seriously damaged the company’s growth story.
“I think it’s been disconnected from the [rest of the FAANG] group for a while now given its business is extremely different from other members,” Joel Kulina, SVP of Equity Trading at Wedbush Securities said. “It's still a good proxy for large cap growth sentiment but that’s about it.”
Microsoft Moving In?
Given the shortcoming of Netflix in terms of fitting in with the rest of FAANG, debate has been kickstarted over a potential replacement.
While FAANG was built upon dominance in a particular industry by Cramer, each of the companies that encompass the acronym, save Netflix, have become diversified companies with benefits from multiple industries and strong network effects.
Apple’s pivot to services has been well-publicized and undergirded its long-term bull thesis; Alphabet has expanded very successfully into video through its acquisition of Youtube and rapidly grown its cloud business while it continues to make many bets in fields as disparate as video games and autonomous vehicles; Facebook has acquired to assert dominance in social media; and Amazon’s cloud dominance has overshadowed its retail beginnings to bolster all of its businesses.
Through these platforms that branch across numerous industries, each company has been able to benefit from mutualistic business models that cement their status as a dominant tech player. The same cannot be said for Netflix. In order to correct for this glaring dissimilarity, Microsoft (MSFT) might be a perfect replacement.
While the Redmond, Washington-based company has long held a stranglehold on operating systems as its core business, its forays into gaming, advertising and especially cloud computing have taken the company to new heights. In fact, about one-third of the company’s overall revenue is now derived from its cloud business, building upon its longstanding dominance in software.
Indeed, as CEO Satya Nadella teases a major update to Windows operating systems at the company’s Build 2021 event in late May while signaling an intention to dive deeper than ever into cutting edge technology in cloud, the dominant and well-diversified company is clearly more similar to Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google than Netflix’s decidedly concentrated business. Like those other companies, Microsoft is dominant in one area of the business while still growing rapidly in others.
Further, while Cramer did not envision the group as a valuation-based grouping, the staggering gap between Netflix and the rest of its FAANG peers is becoming only more notable. While Netflix sports a still healthy market cap of just over $200 billion, it pales in comparison to the market cap’s of the rest of the grouping, which range from just under $1 trillion in Facebook's case to in excess of $2 trillion for Apple.
In terms of market-moving ability, this leaves Netflix as somewhat of a laggard and therefore less useful for the grouping’s service as a market indicator.
Addition, Not Subtraction
Still, part of the ubiquity of the FAANG name is not entirely based upon its application to markets. A great degree of credit belongs to the catchiness of the name itself, meaning FAAMG or FAMGA might leave a great deal to be desired in terms of catching on.
As a result, Wedbush’s Kulina argues that Netflix need not be removed. Instead, he argues for the addition of both Microsoft and his chosen semiconductor stalwart Nvidia (NVDA) to result in the catchy FANGMAN.
“Many have tried to include Microsoft in with others but it doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily,” he commented. “FANGMAN has been one of the better ones I’ve come across, easy to say; includes large cap growth names across various pockets of tech.”
Certainly Nvidia would also fit in well as its dominance in graphics chips has helped the firm assert a dominant market share in graphics cards, clocking in at a whopping 82% market share per Jon Peddie Research.
In terms of diversifying, CEO Jensen Huang’s acquisition strategy has helped the firm branch into the automotive industry through high-profile partnerships through its NVIDIA drive network as well as data centers, aided by the acquisition of Mellanox, as well as AI technology through its anticipated takeover of Arm.
While the semiconductor industry is certainly crowded, Nvidia has managed to set itself apart beyond its firm base in gaming and graphic chip dominance. As such, it might also be a perfect candidate for mention alongside the long-time tech leaders. Also, its market cap is a healthy $400+ billion, adding to its potential to fit with the rest of the group.
As such, Netflix may not need to be removed from FAANG as it still clings to a lead in streaming amidst the wave of entrants to the industry, but it may need to at least move into a slightly more crowded market mnemonic.
Facebook, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Microsoft and Disney are holdings in Jim Cramer’s Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells these stocks? Learn more now.


text:
For years, Nike Inc. was one of the biggest holdouts against Amazon.com Inc., refusing to provide its sneakers and athletic clothing for sale on the hulking e-commerce site. Its products were so cool, the company reasoned, it didn't need or want the help.
Recently, Nike reversed course. Behind that decision lies a dramatic shift in the balance of power between brands and Amazon.
For decades, big consumer brands carefully controlled which retailers could sell their wares and at what prices. And for years, Amazon left the brands alone.
Lately, the explosion of third-party sellers on the site has led to authentic goods from companies such as Nike, Chanel, The North Face, Patagonia and Urban Decay being sold on Amazon even though they don't authorize the sales, undercutting their grip on pricing and distribution.
Even though Nike didn't send Amazon its products either directly or through approved wholesalers, Nike is the most purchased apparel brand on the site, according to a Morgan Stanley survey. A recent search for Nike products on Amazon turned up roughly 73,000 items.
These days, there are so many third-party resellers, who generally are allowed to resell goods they have lawfully acquired at whatever price they want, that companies see few ways to stop them.
"It's a Whac-A-Mole situation," said Robert Payne, an attorney who works with companies on the issue.
Nike's recent deal represents one strategy: Add Amazon as a distributor to drown out the flood of third-party sales. Nike agreed to start selling some products directly to Amazon in exchange for stricter policing of counterfeits and restrictions on unsanctioned sales, according to a person familiar with the deal.
Amazon told sellers this month that they won't be allowed to sell certain Nike items, including sneakers and apparel, starting July 13.
Nike and Amazon declined to comment.
As traditional stores close and shopping moves online, Amazon's dominance in retailing has grown, leaving even the most powerful brands unable to ignore it. Some companies disdain Amazon's site design, which doesn't conform to the tailored image they want to project, according to lawyers and consultants who work with them. They consider it a site that sells items, not one that builds brands.
One reason for their capitulation is the collapse of a retail distribution network they could better control, as malls flounder and chains like Sports Authority Holdings Inc. shutter.
A company's power to dictate who could sell its products and how, penalizing retailers that step out of line by withholding inventory or other measures, has been a critical tool to preventing unwanted discounting, which damages the ability to sell at full price.
Controlling their distribution "eliminated the exposure and much of the risk of having excess inventory in the market," said Ken Seiff, a venture capitalist at Beanstalk Ventures and a former retail executive.
Amazon, on the other hand, often gives third parties wide leeway on products sold on its site. Its goal is to offer the widest possible assortment of goods and bring down prices.
That has made it the first stop for e-commerce searches. Amazon pulled even with Foot Locker Inc. as the preferred U.S. retailer for buying sneakers in a spring consumer survey, according to retail analysts at Cowen & Co.
And while some retailers offer discounts in certain markets and stores, lower prices on Amazon can be seen by shoppers around the world.
When Julie Wyatt, 32 years old, wanted to buy Nike sneakers recently, she turned straight to Amazon. She filtered the selection by shoe size and color, and knew she would find a low price with free shipping. She ended up purchasing a $50 pair of gray and pink basic running shoes.
"I feel like Amazon is just the go-to," said the Atlanta resident, who estimates she does more than half of her total shopping on the site. "It's just so much more convenient."
Adidas AG added Amazon as a distributor in 2014, part of its strategy to grow in the U.S. Its market share of the U.S. athletic footwear market jumped from 7% to 11% this year through May, according to retail industry tracker NPD Group.
Amazon is where the U.S. consumer is, said Adidas Chief Executive Kasper Rorsted, who estimates that nearly a fifth of the sporting-goods market is now online. "Amazon is the best, without any comparison, transaction platform in the world," he said. "It might not be the best brand-building platform in the world, but that's why we...separate crudely between transaction and brand-building."
In addition to the merchandise Adidas allocates to Amazon, more Adidas products end up on the marketplace without its permission through third-party sellers. "We can't police that," Mr. Rorsted said, adding that the company tightly controls supply of its most-desired shoes, like Yeezys, to minimize reselling.
In recent years, Nike has focused on bulking up sales via its roughly 1,000 named stores, its apps and its own website.
When the sportswear company first started selling on Nike.com in 1999, it didn't see Amazon -- then a 5-year-old Seattle startup still selling mostly CDs, DVDs and books -- as a threat.
Nike, after some experimentation, "ended up deciding that direct-to-consumer was stronger than using a third-party entity" for online sales, because it allowed it to better differentiate its offerings and was more profitable, said Vada Manager, a former Nike executive who worked on developing the company's online strategy and left in 2009. "That was the right decision" at the time, the now-consultant said, allowing Nike to sell online at higher margins while keeping its traditional, brick-and-mortar retail partners.
That year, Jeff Wilke, a top deputy to Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, flew to Nike's headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., to explain the merits of a direct sales relationship with Amazon, according to a former Amazon executive who was briefed on the meeting. Third-party sellers were already selling thousands of Nike items on the site.
Other sports names such as TaylorMade and Under Armour were eager to take advantage of Amazon's rapid growth and were signing on. Baltimore-based Under Armour initially joined as a third-party seller and later became a direct seller to Amazon, which Chief Executive Kevin Plank in an interview called a "great partner."
Nike executives balked, saying the online retail giant was a product pusher that didn't know how to treat premium brands and goods, according to the former Amazon executive.
These companies typically expect control over everything from the arrangement of a product display on the wall to the way brands are marketed and described online.
Nike held firm year after year when Amazon executives returned to Beaverton. Amazon hosted Nike executives in Seattle around the turn of the decade, shortly after Amazon bought online retailer Zappos.com, which had a selling relationship with Nike.
While the meetings were friendly, Nike was clear: It had no plans to add the online retail giant as a distribution partner, according to another former Nike executive. It wanted to maintain its branding and sell through its own stores, website and existing partners.
In 2012, Nike launched a new product, its FuelBand fitness tracking device, and wanted to try a new distribution strategy. In addition to using electronics retailers like Best Buy Co., Nike decided to experiment with selling on Amazon.
The online retailer, it conceded, was a major marketplace for selling electronics, and therefore a necessary partner for the FuelBand, the former Nike executive said.
But while Amazon's distribution was key, Nike wasn't thrilled with its merchandising strategy. Scrolling through the site's "Activity Trackers" page showed row after row of black- and neutral-colored wristbands. Click on one, and the landing page looked the same.
Ultimately, Nike scrapped the FuelBand in 2014, deciding it couldn't make enough headway in the fitness-tracker industry, and instead partnered with Apple Inc. on a smartwatch released last year. Selling FuelBand through Amazon reinforced Nike's opinion it had better options for retail partners.
Around the same time, the sportswear market started to take a turn. Nike's dominance as market leader was under attack as Adidas, Under Armour and Puma all found success with new celebrity endorsers. The athleisure boom took off, giving rise to nontraditional competitors like Fabletics. Traditional retailers were also under pressure, and the liquidation of major U.S. chain Sports Authority last summer sent sportswear companies scrambling for new ways to reach customers.
Meanwhile, more and more of the sales of Nike and other goods on Amazon's site were by third parties. The growth in the third-party segment had been fueled by rapid adoption by sellers and an offering in which Amazon warehouses and fulfills orders.
These days, analysts estimate third-party sales in total have surpassed Amazon's own sales on the site, and the number of sellers has swelled to over two million. Amazon doesn't report the value of sales by third-party sellers, but it confirms that about half of units sold on its site are from third-party sellers.
Third-party sales are generally more profitable to Amazon than its own, because it collects fees from the sellers without having to take on inventory risks. Amazon said its revenue from such sellers jumped 34% in the latest quarter from the previous year to $6.44 billion, nearly a fifth of total revenue.
The third-party sellers typically buy legitimate merchandise from distributors, big box stores such as Wal-Mart, or discount retailers such as T.J. Maxx, circumventing the retail networks companies have built up. The sellers then offer the items on Amazon at a slightly higher price than they bought them for, but typically lower than the suggested retail price, undermining companies' control over pricing.
Two years ago, Mike "Reezy" Rezendes II started selling footwear on Amazon. Already a seasoned book reseller, the 33-year-old heard shoes were easy to get and profitable. So he and three full-time employees started scouring Marshall's, Ross, Nike Outlets and even Nike.com.
"Nike is a large focus for us. We just keep sending them in and they keep selling," he said. Nike makes up more than half of his current 2,500 pairs in stock. He said he makes an average of $20 per pair of shoes.
Nike has added controls to try to keep resellers away, limiting the amount a consumer could spend in one go, according to several resellers. Mr. Rezendes found ways around the restrictions. He pays other mall customers $20 apiece to make his transactions, and he places small online orders of about 10 pairs of shoes during sales on Nike.com to get around detection, since large orders are flagged.
The bankruptcy of Sports Authority, one of Nike's biggest wholesale clients, unleashed a flood of Nike products on Amazon. An estimated $400 million worth of merchandise in total was liquidated, according to Edward Stack, chief executive of competitor Dick's Sporting Goods Inc.
Sam Cohen, a New Jersey-based seller, waited for discounts of 80% to 90% to buy roughly $200,000 worth of merchandise, including Nike shoes, hoodies, sports bras and golf equipment. Within a few months, he grossed about $1 million from his Sports Authority bounty, he said.
Nike is his best-selling fashion brand, helped by its lack of direct presence on the website. "That's how I make my money. Amazon is the No. 1 marketplace. Nike is the No. 1 brand," said Mr. Cohen. "If they're not in bed together, that's my opportunity."
Nike noticed. In recent months, Nike realized it was losing negotiating leverage to argue for better brand presentation or eliminate counterfeits as long as Amazon could make money off unsanctioned sales of its product, according to one of the people familiar with the deal. That triggered internal conversations among senior Nike executives about its relationship with Amazon, according to people familiar with the deal.
In recent weeks, Nike and Amazon executives held intensifying talks about cracking down on the proliferation of unsanctioned third-party sales and counterfeit products on the site, according to the people.
In the new deal, Nike will sell a small amount of product to Amazon in exchange for Amazon telling resellers not to sell those products, according to one of the people. The agreement is likely just the first step in a broader partnership, although Nike remains concerned about how its products will look on the site, the person said.
Unique product numbers should immediately identify the blocked items when a seller tries to list one. Last year Amazon also started requiring third parties to provide more information to list certain popular names, including Nike, requiring in some cases proof of permission to sell and a one-time application fee.
On the night of June 13, Amazon seller Mr. Cohen started getting hundreds of automated emails from Amazon informing him that he had 30 days to sell off certain items from his Nike inventory before the products would no longer be allowed.
Mr. Cohen immediately told his staff to stop buying swoosh products for resale. "I have a bad feeling that Nike and Amazon are about to get into bed together," he said.
Write to Laura Stevens at email@example.com and Sara Germano at firstname.lastname@example.org
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 28, 2017 11:22 ET (15:22 GMT)

domain: news


text:
The precision medicine space is expected to grow to over $216.75 billion by 2028Read more...
By comparison, Apple sold 5M iPhone 5 units in its first weekend
If you were waiting in the breadline at Apple to get an iPhone 5S, you’re probably immensely disappointed to learn that you’re going to have to starve wait another couple of weeks to get it, since initial inventory has sold out. LIKE WE ALL KNEW IT WOULD.
Apple announced Monday that weekend sales of the iPhone 5S and 5C have topped nine million units, beating out the iPhone 5, which sold more than five million units in its first weekend. True to form, Apple didn’t break down the numbers to show which phone sold more, but the company did say that it sold out of initial iPhone 5S inventory.
But then again, word on the street was that iPhone 5S inventory was “grotesquely low” to begin with. So maybe this was all part of the master plan.
“This is our best iPhone launch yet―more than nine million new iPhones sold―a new record for first weekend sales,” said Tim Cook, in a statement. “The demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and while we’ve sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5S, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough new iPhones for everyone.”
Analysts had estimated sales to hover around five million to eight million units.
"Apple, under Tim Cooks leadership, did a phenomenal job increasing its phone manufacturing ability to meet the demand in the market," wrote BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk, noting that Apple's first weekend sales are more about how many iPhones Apple can manufacture rather than how much demand actually exists in the market.
Nevertheless, Apple still sold three million more phones in one weekend than BlackBerry sold in an entire quarter.
Apple also announced that iOS 7 has been downloaded on more than 200 million devices, despite Miley Cyrus’s efforts to derail the iOS 7 PR train. That sounds about on par with Chitika’s estimates. A report from advertising network Chitika revealed last week that within the first 24 hours of iOS 7’s release, it was on 18.2% of iOS devices visiting the sites in Chitika’s network. By comparison, iOS 6’s adoption rate reached 14.8% within its first 24 hours. And as of September 4, adoption of Google’s Jelly Bean, which was released in July 2012, has penetrated only 45% of the Android ecosystem.
Also worth noting: more than 11 million people have tuned into iTunes Radio, with the most listened to song being “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake. So now you know.
Apple shares were up 3.6% Monday morning to $484.30 as of 9:15 am PT.
Image source: Baltimoresun.com
Read more from our "Trends and news" series
Mixpanel analyzed four billion actions across multiple websites to gather the dataRead more...
Only patients who have already seen a doctor in person will be able to connect via phone or videoRead more...


text:
'Sharknado' picture. Photo: SyFy.
LOS ANGELES -- The sharks will be bigger and the dialogue louder and you can bet audiences will be commenting when "Sharknado" is shown in theaters at midnight tonight.
This is for one night only.
In case you missed its initial airing on SyFy, "Sharknado" is about killer sharks that get sucked into a tornado and land in Los Angeles.
Despite its crazy concept, the film was a feeding frenzy on social media with 5,000 tweets per minute during its premiere.
Meanwhile, SyFy is going to be selling "Sharknado" merchandise.
Things like fashion tees, bags, posters, accessories and costumes.
There will also be "Sharknado" video games.
A partner with the producers says he wants to see "Sharknado" on every T-shirt, umbrella and chainsaw in America.
A "Sharknado" sequel is in the works for a 2014 release. This time, the sharks will chomp down on New York City.
Associated Press / WKYC-TV


text:
Nexus One may not single-handedly slay iPhone, but Google’s Android 2.0 operating system has certainly turned a lot of heads since the release of Motorola’s Droid loaded with version 2.0, according to a new survey by ChangeWave.
Responses from 6,048 polled showed that 21% planning to buy a smartphone said they would prefer it to have an Android operating system, a 15-point jump from ChangeWave’s previous survey in September. Four percent of respondents are currently using Android, a 3 point improvement since September.
Motorola and HTC, which make or are introducing handsets featuring Android, have both seen impressive increases in future buying. Motorola witnessed a 12-point jump to 13% of future buyers, while HTC saw its future buyers increase from 5% to 9.
But I wouldn’t go heralding Android as the great mobile conqueror just yet. Though it slipped four points from September, iPhone OS X was still the most popular choice for 28% of potential smartphone buyers.
Smartphones with Research in Motion’s operating system continues to be the most widely used, down a point to 39%, followed by Apple OS X at 31%, which was up a point.


text:
Major cyber assaults are seeing on the rise again, Kaspersky Lab report claims.
DDoS attacks are on the rise again as criminals turn to brute force attacks once more, new research has claimed.
The latest DDoS Intelligence report from Kaspersky Lab, covering the third quarter of 2017, says there has been an increase in the number of countries where resources have been targeted.
The number of attacks against gaming and new financial services has also grown.
Kaspersky Lab says resources in 98 countries were DDoSed this quarter, up from 86 the quarter before. Looking at the top ten countries in terms of number of targets, Russia is up from seventh to fourth place, while France and Germany pushed Australia and Italy out of the list.
The top 10 most popular host countries for botnet command servers include Italy and the UK, moving Canada and Germany out of the picture.
The share of Linux botnets is growing, and they are now accounting for 70 per cent of all attacks in Q3, up from 51 per cent in Q2.
The report also says cybercriminals are moving to more sophisticated attacks. It gives an example of the WireX botnet that spread via legitimate Android apps, or the Pulse Wave tech that increases the power of DDoS attacks through vulnearibilities in hybrid and cloud tech.
Kaspersky has also observed an increase in variety of targets.
“Entertainment and financial services – businesses that are critically dependent on their continuous availability to users – have always been a favourite target for DDoS attacks. For them, the downtime caused by an attack can result not only in significant financial losses but also reputational risks that could result in an exodus of customers to competitors,” says Kirill Ilganaev, Head of Kaspersky DDoS Protection at Kaspersky Lab.
“It’s not surprising that gaming services with multi-million turnovers attract the attention of criminals and that new types of financial sites have come under attack. What is surprising, however, is that many companies still don’t pay enough attention to professional protection against DDoS attacks. The recommended approach for these companies is to delegate protection from DDoS attacks to a reliable supplier with deep knowledge of cyberthreats and the methods of combating them, and to reassign the IT resources that are freed up to the development of the business.”


text:
An upcoming update to PS4 will allow users to lower the light emitted from their DualShock 4 controllers.
GameTrailers journalist Geoff Keighley had claimed on Twitter that users would be able to shut off the light completely, but he was corrected by Sony Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida who clarified that only dimming of the light would be allowed.
Sony said earlier this year that turning the lightbar off is not an option it intends on offering.
The lightbar, aside from some gimmicky use in some games, is primarily used to allow the PlayStation Camera to track the DualShock 4’s movements. Those without the camera, therefore, have no need for it and have repeatedly asked for the ability to turn it off to reduce battery consumption and eliminate screen reflection glare.
Some retailers have taken matters into their own hands by offering light-blocking decal stickers.
@geoffkeighley no, I said dim the LED, not turn off
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) March 20, 2014


text:
If your favorite snack as a kid was a plate of Oreos and a big glass of milk, you'll be happy to hear that the grown-up version is finally here: Oreo. Beer.
While that combo might sound strange, the Veil Brewing Company decided to throw caution to the wind and condition their 7% Hornswoggler chocolate milk stout with "hundreds of pounds of Oreo cookies," according to their Instagram.
Turns out that experiment was a totally genius idea.
"An hour wait for these, but it's mad worth it," wrote Instagram user @beer_rawn, while @dominicbascone called the Oreo beer, "nuts in the best possible way."
Due to overwhelming popularity, the four-packs sold out within one day but they have "a decent amount of it on draft" if you can make it to their taproom in Richmond, Virginia soon.
Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.


text:
2021 has been one of the most successful years for the cryptocurrency market. After two years of stagnation, interest in cryptocurrencies has skyrocketed, leading to an unprecedented rise in their market valuation. The reason for such an industrious year for cryptocurrencies was the downturn in the world of traditional finance caused by the pandemic; which led to significant volatility in the digital asset market, and opened up many new opportunities for traders around the world.
Thanks to the growing support of retail and institutional investors, Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have proven to be considerably resilient in the face of the economic crisis. The new surge in the cryptocurrency market has quickly turned them into one of the best-performing assets of 2020 — a resource more popular than traditional investment solutions such as gold or the stock markets.
Mr. Sanjay Jain, CEO of Bitxmi said “the Covid-19 pandemic has rocked the whole world, including our industry. We were deeply worried about the consequences of Black Thursday on March 12 and the fall in the bitcoin rate, but we did not give up and instead worked hard on our development. Thanks to our efforts, BitXmi has expanded significantly this year.”
BitXmi has had tremendous success as of late in relation to their exchange:
BXMI Token: On July 28th, an IEO was held for the BXMI token; the native token of the exchange. At the time of launch, the token was trading at $0.1. At the time of writing, it is trading at $0.70
BitXmi IEO Launchpad: On June 30th, 2020, BitXmi launched its own IEO Launchpad. This is a platform through which startups can declare themselves through the BitXmi crypto exchange by placing their tokens. The exchange provides marketing services for all projects.
Listing on BitXmi Crypto Exchange. Over the last year, BitXmi has added more than 20 new topical coins to their trading platform. The BitXmi team carefully selected each project that applied for listing.
Funding an Account with a Credit Card: In June 2020, it became possible to fund a trading account using credit cards on the exchange. The function is available for more than 30 world currencies.
Soft & Margin and OTC Trading on BitXmi. From December 25th, users can trade with a leverage of 3x, buy and sell high-volume cryptocurrencies with OTC trading, and make instant spot trades.
Bitxmi plans for the future
Add American Express, Visa Credit and Debit cards: Adding new transaction systems will significantly simplify the process of replenishing the trading balance for platform users.
Staking: With this feature, any user will be able to receive passive income simply by holding certain types of coins that support PoS mining on the account.
Online Webinars: The exchange plans to launch its own webinars based on the platform for teaching cryptocurrency trading.
BXMI as Mode of Payment (MOP): The developers of the exchange are working on implementing a function whereby users can pay trading commissions in BXMI tokens.
New BitXmi Website Interface: In the near future, the exchange will move to a brand new user-centered design. All existing functions will remain, and several new features will be added.
The success of BitXmi to date is largely accredited to the consistent introduction of innovative products and improved user experience, as well as the transparent operation of the platform; the stability of which users can confidently rely on.


text:
Microsoft, HP to push corporate services
Published 10:00 pm, Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Microsoft Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. will spend $300 million over three years to bolster a Microsoft marketing strategy to win corporate customers from International Business Machines Corp.
Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest personal computer maker, will develop consulting services and work together on sales and marketing, the two companies said Wednesday.
The effort is part of Microsoft's "people-ready" business strategy, unveiled in March, to sell more business software by convincing customers it's the best and cheapest way to make workers more productive. The agreement extends a 20- year partnership between the companies and could help Hewlett-Packard sell more personal computers, servers and services.
- Analyst Notes Challenges for New Tesla TruckAP
- HSA v. FSAFox5Atlanta
- United Way hosting career fair for DPSCD studentsFox2Detroit
- Kellogg’s Will Open a NYC Cereal Café Five Times Bigger Than Its Times Square Pop-UpFAWTime
- Lyft is going internationalWibbitz
- Chinese FinTech CFO on IPO Day: Mobile, Blockchain Will Drive Industry InnovationCheddar
- All the Black Friday deals that matter right nowWibbitz
- Buena Vista winery hopes visitors will return in droves after the wildfiresKTVU2
- David Does It: Coca-cola StoreFox35Orlando
- This Company Wants You to Get Beach-Ready at HomeCheddar
- Newly-Public Aquantia Is Now Coming For Self-Driving CarsCheddar
- Conde Nast shuts down Teen Vogue magazine
- 8 fast and easy ways to make extra money
- Geo Group revenues up for quarterSunSentinel
- Lennar to merge with CalAtlanticSunSentinel
- Why Nexa Resources CEO Tito Martins Says Now Was the Right Time to IPOCheddar
- Regal Cinemas To Charge Moviegoers MoreWochit
- Akamai CEO Tom Leighton: Video Traffic Grew 40% in Q3Cheddar
- Google Training AI to Understand Human Actions with Movie ClipsBuzz60
"It's about selling our portfolio and about selling HP's portfolio," Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner said.
The services will help customers use software for tasks such as unified communications, which combines e-mail, instant messaging, computer-based telephone calls and other methods of connecting workers. Services also will focus on helping employees collaborate on projects, managing business content and running business intelligence software for data analysis.
Software in these areas will generate $49 billion in sales in 2007, market research firm IDC said.
"We think we are uniquely competitively positioned to grab a large part of that opportunity," said Microsoft Vice President Peter Boit.
Hewlett-Packard, based in Palo Alto, Calif., will have more than 22,000 workers trained to work with the Microsoft programs and will boost the number to 30,000 over three years. The companies have already been providing such services to Barnes & Noble Inc. and the Weather Channel.
Shares of Microsoft rose 12 cents to $29.55 in Nasdaq stock market composite trading. They have gained 13 percent this year. Hewlett-Packard fell 16 cents to $39.67 on the New York Stock Exchange and has gained 39 percent this year.
Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have more than 20,000 customers in common.
Both also compete with IBM and Sun Microsystems Inc. Hewlett-Packard passed IBM in sales for the first time this year to become the largest information technology provider.


text:
Apex Legends Developer Respawn Entertainment has been accused of removing the design of the game’s latest character, Fuse.
The independent study NOWAA states that Fuse, which will be presented in the next edition Apex Legends Season 8, is a knockoff of his character named Game Hunter BulletVille. The developer said so NintendoLife that the two characters “[seem] to share many similarities ”.
The study also noted comparable features between Fuse and Hunter, such as: patch, biker suit, skull belt, mechanical arm, mustache, grenade belt, gloves, necklace, vest jacket with circular symbol on the back , leg covers, red / gray color scheme and characteristic gray hair stripe.
See what Hunter looks like here:
“It simply came to our notice then Apex Legends the team liked Hunter’s style to the point of wanting to recreate it Apex Legends“However, we fear that, as a small independent game producer, whose game has not yet been released, we are called a Apex Legends, which is certainly not true “.
This was later explained by NOWAA CEO Yohami Zerpa PC player that the studio had also been in contact with EA’s independent label, EA Originals, over an editorial agreement BulletVille. By context, EA is the parent company of Respawn Entertainment and also publishes Apex Legends.
He said Zerpa NintendoLife that this link “reinforces the theory of a“ potential ”inspiration drawn from Hunter by Respawn. However, he added in an independent statement to PC player that he “[doesn’t] I necessarily think there is a connection between EA Originals and the people of Respawn, but suffice it to say that EA is aware of us at least ”.
Both publications point out that EA has not yet made official comments on the situation. It is also currently unclear whether NOWAA plans to take legal action for the alleged eliminatory character.
In other Respawn Entertainment news, the developer may be working on a new game, according to an already deleted to-do list. Respawn claimed he was looking for a “generalist software engineer” to join his “new IP incubation team.” However, details about the project are still scarce, apart from a reference to “practical new technologies that allow you to” venture forever “.


text:
At least two companies are taking a stab at marrying the widespread use of wireless phones and "call to action" campaigns in a fresh format that gives advertisers solid feedback on whether listeners actually respond to their ads. By tapping simple three-number hits on a cellphone, radio listeners can follow the cues at the end of a commercial and become active shoppers from the (dis)comfort of their gridlocked cars.
Zing Interactive Media is testing its Zing321 system at two radio stations in its hometown of Philadelphia. In Chicago, wireless entrepreneur Dean Becker has scrapped his first foray, using #333, but plans to re-enter the race via his company, ewireless.
The target audience is huge-80 million-plus Americans are wireless users. But the services are particularly targeting those cooped up in their cars with the radio on and a cellphone at their side. Some 42.1% of radio listeners over 12 are getting their daily dose of radio in the car, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau.
Advertisers generally are keen on the idea of giving radio listeners an immediate opportunity to buy a product or learn more about the marketer, media buyers say, and the simplicity of a three-digit response at no charge to listeners' wireless phones is appealing. Accountability is built into the strategy through computerized logging of all calls.
"The trend toward making marketing accountable for sales is irreversible," said Jim Nail, a senior analyst at Forrester Research. "But so far it's been very hard to get any good data around radio audiences."
Even if these services for radio ads provide some useful information, it's still unclear just how much advertisers are willing to pay for that commercial add-on, analysts and media buyers say.
"It's a great idea, but I don't think anybody has found a way to make money at it yet," said Ralph Guild, chairman-CEO of Interep, New York, the largest radio-ad-sales rep in the U.S.
Eastern retail chain Robbins Diamonds is one of the advertisers trying out Zing321 in Philadelphia, where the service is available on Clear Channel Communications stations WJJZ-FM and WLCE-FM. Robbins is using a radio spot that offers a $200 discount coupon to listeners who hit #321 on their cellphones after hearing the ad.
Callers are connected to a voice-activated computer system that directs them to the right advertiser, said Zing CEO Chris Claus. Zing pays for the cellphone user's airtime, and listeners can call up to 1 1/2 hours after hearing the ad. Zing tracks caller responses and reports to advertisers the number of calls by radio station.
Ewireless a year ago began offering #333 cellphone response to radio advertisers in about 15 markets in the U.S. and Canada. But by late spring 2001, it had retreated from the marketplace for unexplained reasons. The company is working on a revised business model, said Mr. Becker, ewireless chairman and founder. An ad service using #333 will debut this fall, said Mr. Becker.
The potential success of any direct-marketing effort in radio hinges on the ability to make it simple and user-friendly for listeners, said Natalie Swed Stone, managing partner-director of national radio services at Omnicom Group's OMD USA, New York.
"Just because the technology excites the developer doesn't automatically mean the consumer has a need for it," Ms. Swed Stone said.
Station owners are excited by a marketing strategy that could include many of their advertisers and potentially strengthen listener loyalty to the station, said Drew Hilles, senior VP-sales in the Philadelphia market for Clear Channel, the U.S.' largest radio company.
However, radio stations need to be watchful that advertisers don't try to link the rates they pay for their spots to the number of phone calls generated by the ads, warned Interep's Mr. Guild, contending that radio ads with direct-marketing offers could then degenerate into the radio equivalent of clickthrough rates used to calculate the cost for some banner ads on the Internet.
Said Mr. Guild: "That would be a disaster for radio stations."


text:
Weeks after Nissan and Infiniti recalled more than 1.2 million vehicles for a potentially dangerous programming oversight in the backup camera settings, BMW has issued a recall for similar problems. The recall, which covers 257,481 vehicles, includes numerous BMWs, as well as two Rolls-Royce models, and the 2020 Toyota Supra.
In total, the recall potentially affects 51 different products. This includes the 2018 BMW 540D, 2018–2019 BMW 640I, Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2018–2020 BMW 530e, 530i, 540i, M5, M550i, X3, 2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, 2019–2020 BMW 330I, 740Le, 740Li, 745Le, 750Li, 840i, M340i, M850i, X4, X5, X6, X7, Z4, and 2020 Toyota Supra. On certain BMW models, xDrive variants are also included.
According to NHTSA campaign No. 19V684000, "The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rearview image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse." If there is no display image when backing up, drivers can't properly see, and the car no longer meets modern safety regulations. Specifically, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
The recall was filed on September 27, 2019, and BMW plans to begin notifying affected owners in November. BMW, Toyota, and Rolls-Royce dealers will update the vehicles' software, which should fix the problem.


text:
Australian discount electronics retailer Ryda.com.au has published a listing for the as-yet-unannounced Nikon D600 digital SLR
Camera blog Sony Alpha Rumors has what it says are leaked pictures of a new camera that promises to shake up both the compact and DSLR camera markets: a new Sony RX1, fitting a full-frame imaging sensor into a body not much larger than the compact NE...
Daily deals website Catch of the Day is running its Technothon until midday today, with low prices on a wide range of technology products.
The Nikon vs. Canon battle rages on, this time in the mirrorless octagon. Announced today, the Nikon 1 J2 isn't a radical departure from Nikon's first mirrorless model, the Nikon 1 J1. Not surprisingly, the J2 announcement comes hot on the heels of C...
Panasonic today announced the release of a new high-end Lumix FZ-series camera, the Lumix DMC-FZ200. It's a 12.1-megapixel compact camera (not a pocketable camera though) that puts a focus on high-speed performance when it comes to burst mode shootin...
Back in January, Eye-Fi CEO Yuval Koren caused a bit of a stir with a post criticising the SD Association on his company's blog. According to Koren, the SDA was ignoring its own procedures in announcing a new specification, iSDIO, that would allow st...
Alongside the new 15-inch MacBook Pro with its shiny new Retina Display comes a brand new version of Apple's Aperture photo management program, designed to enhance your photo editing artistry and efficiency.
We flew down to Melbourne on Friday, courtesy of Epson, to check out the Digital Show.
Epson showcased a new dry lab at the Digital Show in Melbourne over the weekend, a first for the brand and a product that the company says could be a game changer. Unlike traditional wet labs, the Epson SureLab D3000 uses inkjet technology similar to...
Canon is celebrating the birthday of its iconic EOS SLR range by giving away $25000 worth of cameras -- or 25 EOS cameras.
The Canon PowerShot G1X is a lovely little camera that has automatic as well as manual features. The latter are very implemented and allow you to take total control of the exposure in an intuitive way. It's a camera that also has big, high quality se...
NASA’s Hubble telescope is celebrating 22 years as a space discovery icon
Nikon Australia has issued a recall for a battery used in digital SLR cameras and compact system cameras including the Nikon D7000 and Nikon 1 V1.
Toshiba will launch its new line of Wi-Fi enabled SD memory cards in the U.S. from summer, a company executive said Thursday, in a challenge to established makers of such cards like Eye-Fi.
Graphics professionals have grown accustomed to using Adobe's Photoshop suite to get the most out of their photos and visual designs. While most artists take the utmost care in their work, some do not and mistakes happen. Patrick Budmar tracked down ...
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Ford Focus ST (2015) review: Absolutely mental styling, engine, handling
- 2 LG 65-inch UHD TV (65UF950T) review
- 3 Playing chicken with a Tesla Model S
- 4 Audi TT (2015) review: A smarter take on the sports coupe
- 5 Microsoft Lumia 640 review: Honouring Nokia's legacy
Join the Good Gear Guide newsletter!
Deals on Good Gear Guide
- Networking, Wireless & VoIP
Deals on Good Gear Guide
Latest News Articles
- GoPro Hero4 Session: half the size, waterproof to 10 metres
- Sony wants to bring 4K video capabilities to more digital cameras
- Sony brings 4K capabilities to new Cybershot cameras
- Google teams with GoPro in broad virtual reality push
- The Olympus Tough Stylus TG-4 camera can record RAW files
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
- CCAccount Strategist | Sales Executive | Global Search EngineNSW
- FTBusiness Development Manager & Account ManagerVIC
- FTDesktop Engineering ManagerNSW
- FTDevOps Consultant - Microsoft Experience - Digital ConsultancyVIC
- FTField EngineerNSW
- CCLead Generator - Software SolutionsNSW
- CCMarketing Coordinator - World's largest search engine!NSW
- FTSenior Network EngineerNSW


text:
While holiday retail seasons have long been dominated by big-box retailers, small businesses and one-of-a-kind goods are in big demand this year.
This weekend's Small Business Saturday attracted its biggest crowds and sales. Shoppers spent $16.2 billion at local retailers and restaurants across the country. That's nearly $2 billion more than $14.3 billion spent in 2014, or a gain of more than 13 percent compared to last year, according to data from American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business' Consumer Insights Survey.
The number of Small Business Saturday shoppers also gained 8 percent to 95 million from last year's 88 million. More local businesses also participated this year, with 4,100 businesses, chambers of commerce and local groups supporting the "Shop Small" day in their communities.
Shoppers returning to Main Street, in full force, is a good barometer of a recovering U.S. economy. "It's very encouraging to see small businesses participate every year, and more shoppers giving local entrepreneurs a chance to compete for their business," said NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner in a prepared statement. "Americans are returning to Main Street for the things they need and ultimately that's a very healthy economic trend."
Plus, shoppers are willing to spend a little more to support their local retailers. About 80 percent of consumers report more willingness to spend a bit more on items from mom-and-pop shops, according to American Express.
The demand for local products is in line with changing consumer tastes, said Sonia Lapinsky, director in consulting group AlixPartners' retail practice. As mall traffic has declined and shoppers continue to flock to the Web to purchase goods, shoppers want to make a connection when hitting up a brick-and-mortar retailer.
"The consumer we see is looking to connect more with the retailer they're patronizing," Lapinksy said. "They want experiential engagements as well as connections via social media, and I think Small Business Saturday gives them that as well."
It's this personal feel that big-name retailers and celebrity entrepreneurs are trying to replicate, sometimes using the pop-up business model.
Pop-up businesses are booming, with a projected $2.2 billion in sales this holiday season, according to PopUp Republic, an industry watcher. This year Lands' End, American Girl, West Elm, Nike and even Tesla Motors are trying their hand at pop-ups.
The success of Small Business Saturday could be a "warning to big retailers that they have to change their strategies," Lapinksy said. "Everything has to be much more localized if they want to compete."


text:
Wilhelmsen Ships Service: Mastering complex logistics
Last summer, Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) was contracted to source ocean transportation options for the return of offshore marine equipment from the United Arab Emirates to Germany. The cargo consisted of 10 packages of pile driving accessories for onshore and offshore installation, including 13 metres long, 123 tonne hydraulic hammer.
According to Niju Joseph John, Sales Development Manager for WSS in Abu Dhabi, the project represented a genuine challenge. "The massive weight and huge dimensions of these components required a very specialised set of skills that few of our competitors can manage,” he says. “Our ability to combine both our ship’s agency and maritime logistics competence is a significant advantage for complex logistics projects like this.”
John notes that most logistics providers tend to specialise in different segments, such as agricultural equipment, automobiles, military hardware or rolling stock, but WSS’ long history in the region has given the company the experience moving a broad range of equipment and goods -- no matter how large or complex.
“Moving specialised equipment requires detailed planning and coordination between the loading site, transporters, customs officials, port officials and the cargo owner,” he says. “It also requires engineering competence. Anyone can offload a bulldozer from a trailer, but moving a 123 tonne hydraulic hammer safely from a man-made island in the Gulf to a workshop in Hamburg takes a different set of skills.”
John notes that for specialised equipment, no two jobs are the same. “On this project, a mechanical failure on a crane forced our team to change the offloading sequence and due to some performance issues, we had to replace the initial ocean carrier hired for the job,” he says. “We noticed that some of the gears arranged by the carrier for lifting certain heavy pieces from trailer to vessel did not match the lifting points, but we worked it out and the process went smoothly.”
Another challenge familiar to all cargo owners in the region is navigating overlapping regulatory and documentation issues. “In some ways, the most difficult part of a job like this is managing documentation,” John says. “In this case, the equipment arrived in Abu Dhabi on temporary basis, leaving us to manage the documentation process for export. Fortunately, our experienced operations team was able to anticipate and complete documentation requirements to get the job done, with time to spare.” John adds that since the client was based in Europe, WSS teamed up with colleagues in Germany to support the effort and secure a part-charter for the ocean leg back to Hamburg.
Christer Bonde, Regional Maritime Logistics Director for WSS in the region, says that Wilhelmsen has been in Dubai for almost forty years, so knows the specific logistical and regulatory challenges of operating successfully in the Middle East. “The pace of economic development in the region has allowed us to get involved in some interesting projects,” he says. “We’ve moved everything from Formula One powerboats to mega yachts, massive steel pipelines to windmill towers and blades.”
Bonde says that the company is also recognised as a preferred logistics provider to the oil and gas industry, especially offshore. “We are teaming up with ship owners and operators that can provide articulated tugs and modular barges suitable for the ocean transportation of oilfield equipment,” he says. “That allows owners to transport large modules from supply locations in the Far East and Europe directly to the installation, thus avoiding trans-shipping via local ports.”
While WSS may be best known for managing complex jobs, most of the company’s business is providing affordable and comprehensive logistics and warehousing services for more manageable goods, such as timber, steel, aluminium and all kinds of bagged cargo. “Being recognised as quality logistics provider doesn’t mean we only move specialised equipment,” he says. “It means we offer all our customers seamless logistic services that are more flexible and cost-effective than the competition – no matter what the cargo.”
FACT BOX: WSS Scope of Services
Moving cargo including 13 metre long, 123 tonne hydraulic hammer and 10 packages of pile driving accessories for onshore and offshore installation requires coordination between multiple stakeholders. For this job, WSS managed the following tasks :
- • Receiving packages on trailers from supplier vessel
- • Inland transportation to Musaffah port, Abu Dhabi
- • Export customs clearance and inspection of material
- • Shifting cargo under hook
- • Vessel inward and outward clearance
- • Stevedoring operations
- • Ocean freight to Hamburg


text:
Sign up for our newsletters
Receive the latest in Footwear, Fashion, Music and Creativity in our newsletters.
In lieu of his first NBA Championship, LeBron James and his retail outlet UNKNWN has been honored to collaborate with five influential brands whose ethos aligns with that of its owner and shop. With a release coming each day this week, the first drop comes by way of Pharrell and his Billionaire Boys Club line. Embossed with each brand’s signature motif, this jersey-like T-shirt is adorned with James’s number “6″ and accented by a Miami Heat colorway. Available exclusively through UNKNWN and its webstore, be on the lookout for each additional release from Staple Design, 10.Deep, No Mas and Undrcrwn.


text:
Authorities in the Indian state of Kerala have shut down a restaurant of fast-food giant KFC after a customer complained that he had been served a chicken meal containing live worms. … Authorities say they found worms in the chicken when they inspected the eatery.
Why did KFC fail in India?
Also, the anti-KFC movements claimed that KFC sold food that was cooked and fried in pork fat. Given all these accusations against KFC, the fast food restaurant did not reap sufficient revenue to continue its operations in India. As a result, KFC had to abandon the Indian market.
Is KFC India safe?
At present, KFC India has over 400 restaurants operational in the country. … KFC acted immediately, implementing new processes and operational protocols which make up the KFC 4 X Safety promise (Screening, Social Distancing, Sanitization and Contactless) – that meets both WHO and the Government guidelines, he said.
Why did KFC stop original recipes in India?
Indians have generally preferred spicier(hot-chilli) dishes than the mellow flavors of the secret herbs that comprise the original recipe. I assume that KFC did not find enough volume demand to justify the keeping the dish in the menu. I am from Bangalore, and if memory serves me right they used to serve it until 2013.
Why is KFC unethical?
The regulatory authorities found that KFC’s chickens did not adhere to the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. … PETA accused KFC of cruelty towards chickens and released a video showing the ill-treatment of birds in KFC’s poultry farms.
Why did McDonald’s fail in India?
Following the termination of McDonald’s India’s franchise agreement with CPRL (Connaught Plaza Restaurants Ltd) due to alleged breach of franchise terms, 169 of the US-based fast-food major’s 430 outlets in India were shut down early last month. All these outlets were located in north and east India.
Is KFC halal in India 2020?
Chicken used by KFC is procured from big suppliers and highest safety standards are maintained, and due to safety and sentimental reasons all the suppliers are halal certified , so there is no doubt that KFC chicken served in India is Halal.
Is Mcdonalds halal?
“All our restaurants have HALAL certificates. … Many questioned why McDonald’s was serving halal meat in India where 80 percent of the 1.3 billion people are Hindus. The McDonald’s menu in India has no beef or pork products, serving instead a range of vegetarian options as well as chicken and fish.
Is Burger King in India halal?
BurgerKingIndia on Twitter: “Yes, Azeem! the meat we serve is 100% HALAL. We hope to see you soon at Burger King! @shaikh_azeem”
Is it safe to eat at KFC?
KFC foods are not good for health. We should avoid their regular use to stay healthy. One of the recent controversies involved the new grilled KFC products that have beef. Reportedly, it is being served in all parts of the world, and is unhealthy for human Health.
Who is the CEO of KFC?
Who is the owner of KFC?
Is KFC an ethical company?
KFC has been praised by animal welfare campaigners for its willingness to make public the data in its first ever animal welfare report. The data will be used by the company to track its progress in tackling various welfare measures, including mortality rates, antibiotic use and stocking density.
What is the Kentucky Fried Chicken logo?
The KFC logo entails a picture of Colonel himself smiling with a bright red chef apron and a red background. Also there are thick lines used to define his facial features to make him look as if he’s popping out at you, which initially attracts people’s attention.
How many outlets does KFC have in India?
KFC India operates 380 stores, of which 20% are company owned.


text:
The US Producer Price Index declined 0.5% month-over-month in September, much farther than the 0.2% drop expected by economists (statisticians, really). With retail sales providing little positive emphasis even among the large segment of commentary focused exclusively on the monthly variation rather than the intense consequence of wider context, the idea that the Fed will confirm the final stage of recovery by raising rates is all but extinguished. It has been an alarming slide, as expectations for a rate hike in the now-forgotten euphoria of 2014 were “sure” for March 2015. Now, standing upon global wreckage that can no longer be denied and derided as “trivial” or “impossible”, expectations are deliriously subdued having the FOMC put off the good news until March 2016 (at the earliest).
Interestingly, the dollar as exposed via various ETF’s and indices appears much weaker on that front (lower for longer) but the “dollar” as a broad survey of funding and wholesale finance is decidedly not (I’ll get to that in the next post). Once more, the deciding factor is the real state of the economy and how that might affect, possibly in dramatic fashion, eurodollar balance sheet factors such as anticipated and modeled volatility; particularly with eurodollar banks already under immense pressure, this they don’t need:
U.S. wholesale prices fell a seasonally adjusted 0.5% in September. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had predicted a seasonally adjusted 0.2% decrease in the producer-price index—an important inflation indicator—while September retail sales rose 0.1%, in line with estimates.
Those lackluster readings suggested to some that Federal Reserve policy makers will continue to face stubbornly low inflation readings, fueled by a sustained drop in commodity prices. The U.S. central bank’s mandate centers on maximizing employment and keeping inflation at a 2% target level, which is considered a healthy level of price increases.
Poor results pose a dilemma for investors because they imply that the Fed won’t be quick to raise interest rates soon—a fact that has helped drive up the value in so-called risk assets like stocks—but they also point to an economy that may not be firing on all cylinders.
That view is relatedly perched by the same productive disdain emanating from China. While economists and “experts” were expecting a slight improvement in China’s PPI, it came out at the same -5.9% as August. The correlation with not just the US PPI but retail sales has been ignored until recently. China’s oversupply and overcapacity is directly related to its ability to send goods overseas to especially the US; and the US, despite all the GDP euphoria here and there, has been quite amiss in perking up demand that was supposed to follow enormous monetary “stimulus” aimed at nothing more than “aggregate demand.” China’s reform agenda is really all you need to know about the state of the US economy.
The Fed expanded its balance sheet by $4 trillion and China still crashes anyway; seemingly worlds apart but really the same eurodollar pathology that demands, no matter how belated, appreciation. That message is just now starting be accepted and factored even though the “dollar” turned well more than a year ago. Denial is a strong facet of orthodox thinking.


text:
In recent years, pressure has been building in the UK’s energy sector. Many suppliers have adopted a muscular approach to winning new customers: charge as little and scale up as quickly as possible.
But this risky strategy has left a number of companies with virtually no safety net, according to public financial records and interviews conducted with industry executives.
There is now growing concern among energy suppliers that vulnerable customers will not be able to pay for their gas and electricity in coming months if they are unable to return to work due to Covid-19. A number of suppliers have already seen some customers cancel direct debits – an early indication that they are struggling to make payments.
Commercial customers such as restaurants and shops are particularly at risk of delinquency as their revenue flatlines. “Suppliers with a large share of industrial and commercial customers in their portfolio will suffer the most from the plunge in power use, the increase in working capital due to payment delays and the rise in bad debt,” says Elchin Mammadov, senior utilities analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.
Since the announcement of the nationwide lockdown on March 23, power demand has averaged 14pc below the five year average, according to data provided to The Telegraph by S&P Global Platts. Much of this decline can be attributed to the shuttering of businesses and commercial spaces, including heavy industry such as factories, says Glenn Rickson, head of European power analysis at S&P Global Platts.
But it is not just suppliers with more commercial customers that are in trouble. As jobless numbers and benefit claims soar, one supplier says it has seen payment cancellations increase by 300pc. This spells huge trouble for suppliers if people don’t return to work soon and has led to calls from the industry for a bailout.
“Without the Government’s help, we’re set for a bloodbath,” says Mammadov. “But I believe that the Government will want to avoid a surge in bankruptcies of energy retailers by offering them financial support, or by offering cash directly into business customers affected by the crisis.”
Mammadov says he prefers the latter option, as it will avoid supporting reckless and inefficient suppliers. This echoes a feeling shared by a number of smaller, profitable energy suppliers, who are frustrated that large loss-making firms appear to be seeking ways to get a bailout without having their bank approve a business plan.
These large firms counter that they are unable to get the right credit rating to access Government support. “There should be no need for further intervention at present,” says Doug Stewart, chief executive of provider Green Energy. “The Covid-19 measures are not about supporting companies with poor business models.”
Last year, large challenger brand Bulb Energy made losses of £129m as it grew its customer base substantially. Meanwhile, Octopus Energy lost £30m, despite increasing its revenues by 256pc. Ovo Energy, one of the largest suppliers in the country after its recent acquisition of SSE’s retail business, lost £45m.
Sources at Bulb say that the company has no plans to furlough a single member of staff or lay anyone off, in direct contrast with the likes of Ovo, British Gas and Npower, which have furloughed thousands of employees in recent weeks. Executives at the company will take a pay cut, however.
It is not clear how Bulb is funded, but the company has a close relationship with venture capital firm DST Global, which has previously injected tens of millions of pounds into the firm. In a statement, the company said it was not “seeking additional equity funding from existing or new investors”, adding that it made “a fair and healthy profit on each of our customer, and we’re reinvesting this in growth”.
Octopus, meanwhile, is expected to make more than £300m over the next few years from its software licensing deals, industry sources say. The company is currently in talks with more than a dozen companies for similar licensing deals, they add. But despite these positive indicators, many companies in the sector are still struggling. They blame the price cap imposed by the Government for not allowing them to make more money.
With wafer-thin margins, energy companies say they are at risk of bad debt. Last year alone, at least nine suppliers went out of business. “Pre-coronavirus, we would’ve seen other suppliers exit the market,” says Martin Young, a utilities analyst at Investec.
“[The pandemic] has potentially exacerbated all of that.” To ease this tension and avoid a wave of supplier bankruptcies, the industry regulator softened its grip on the sector last week.
In a letter to suppliers on Wednesday, the chief executive of Ofgem said that the watchdog would introduce a flexible framework for governing the energy industry until July.
Jonathan Brearsley, chief executive of Ofgem, said: “We will be pragmatic in our approach to compliance during this period and companies should not be afraid to do the right thing for their customers.”
Where licensees can demonstrate that any compliance issues have resulted from prioritising efforts to protect customers, Mr Brearsley said the regulator would take full account of this in its decisions.
But still, even with support from the Government and a light touch by the regulator, this crisis represents a huge challenge for the sector, says Young. With many firms already on thin ice before the pandemic slammed into the UK’s economy, he says the outlook for the sector is bleak. “Would it surprise me to see more supplier failures? No, it wouldn’t.”


text:
October 28, 2016 Manufacturing Month: Five Questions with Polyset Company, Inc.
To celebrate Manufacturing Month 2016, we are spotlighting several Saratoga County-based manufacturers and the work they do. Today’s feature – and the last in the series – is Polyset Company, Inc. Polyset is a manufacturer with a philosophy of designing system engineered products around customer needs in order to maximize their performance and minimize their total cost of ownership. Incorporated in 1985, Polyset currently employs 37 people at its 55,000 ft2 facility in Mechanicville, New York and ships its products anywhere from Albany to Australia.
What do you manufacture?
Much like one of our suppliers (and sometimes competitor) BASF said in their iconic late 1980s/early 90s ad campaign, “We don’t make a lot of the products you buy, we make a lot of the products you buy better.” Polyset manufactures coatings, adhesives, and sealants for a variety of industries, including construction, filtration, petrochemical, and microelectronics.
Polyset’s customers and products can be found in our backyard and around the world. This week an expansion joint system that we fabricated in our plant was installed literally down the street in Mechanicville on the Rt. 67 bridge that is currently being rehabilitated. Concurrently, we shipped out an electrical insulating compound Polyset manufactures under contract for 3M to China.
What does your ideal workforce look like?
Polyset is in its second generation of family ownership, and that closeness has permeated through its workforce, there are multiple indices of related people working at Polyset, brothers and sisters, uncles and nephews, etc. I feel this has been a tremendous advantage to our environment, and one of our challenges is to maintain that environment as we pursue more growth.
What’s the biggest challenge you currently face?
Polyset invests considerably in R&D, and we are looking to continue the diversification of our products and the markets we serve. Our greatest challenge currently is planning for that growth and diversification; Polyset is a company that makes adhesives, and not buildings. Working with groups like the Partnership has been helpful to navigate the waters as we look to expand.
What makes Saratoga County attractive as a business location for you?
Saratoga County has always been Polyset’s home; from a garage in Round Lake, to industrial parks in Clifton Park and Ballston Spa, to our current facility in Mechanicville/Stillwater. Throughout that experience, we have found good people, a great environment, and easy access to send our goods wherever they need to be.


text:
Scammers could be targeting you.
Scammers don’t discriminate. Anyone can fall for a scam, especially as scams become increasingly sophisticated.
Consumer Affairs Victoria is working with Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand to coordinate its Scammers don’t discriminate campaign commencing from Mental Health Week. No one expects to be scammed, but anyone can fall for one, especially as scams become more sophisticated.
The campaign highlights the support services available if people are feeling anxious or depressed as a result of being scammed.
If you’ve been scammed, you’re not alone. According to the ACCC, over 19,000 Victorians reported a scam last year, although the actual number of people who have been scammed is likely to be higher as many scams go unreported.
Visit the Consumer Affairs Victoria website for:
• tips on how to be scam savvy
• a handy quiz to test whether you can spot a scam
• videos of real stories from Victorians who have been scammed
• an opportunity to share your story to help others.
There are also educational videos about romance, lottery, online selling, investment, rebates, rental and business scams.
If you’ve been scammed, it can help to talk about how you’re feeling with someone you trust. If you need professional support, help is available. The campaign is being supported by beyondblue, SANE Australia, headspace and the Victorian Men’s Shed Association.
Visit bit.ly/ScamSavvy for more information, or to share your story.


text:
Steve Jobs was a stickler for detail, requiring final approval on everything from ads to wording on his Keynote presentations. It’s no surprise then that the company he built places similar attention to detail when choosing apps to highlight in its ads and new product promotions. Apple (AAPL) won’t talk about the selection process (a spokesman declined to comment), but there’s little doubt that inclusion in an Apple commercial, or better yet, a launch video at one of Apple’s major press events, can help boost an app’s popularity. Developers agree to the company’s Program Licensing Agreement before apps move to the App Store, giving the company full license to use material as it sees fit. Many app developers are therefore pleasantly surprised when their apps become part of Apple’s marketing campaign. Tread through the comments section of any Apple commercial uploaded to YouTube, and you’ll find numerous requests from viewers trying to identify the featured apps.
Astronomy apps Star Walk and Solar Walk, both created by Vito Technology, have been featured in multiple Apple advertisements, including the iPad 3 presentation. Vito CEO Victor Toporkov says that inclusion in Apple promotions doesn’t dramatically increase app sales for his astronomy apps, but it does help them retain a top position in the App Store. (Star Walk currently sits at No. 7 on the list of Top 10 education apps in the U.K. and routinely holds a Top 10 rating in the U.S.) Apple highlights apps from a number of categories, including travel, education, music, news, and games. But some simply appear more often, or with more fanfare, than others. Here’s a look at some of the company’s favorite apps.
We have all heard the story of Apple’s Maps debacle. The highly publicized app was released with major flaws back in September, prompting Apple CEO Tim Cook to issue an apology and encourage users to test competitor apps while the bugs were worked out. Apple often highlights its own apps in both commercials as well as product announcement videos, and Maps has been no different. Of course, this generates more excitement for the app, but also pushes Apple fans’ already lofty expectations even higher.
If you want to pay with a Starbucks card (which many people do), then the Starbucks app is a simple way to carry your card balance around on your smartphone. The app was utilized more than 2 million times per week on average, according to CEO Howard Schultz during Starbucks’ (SBUX) fourth-quarter earning call in October. Want to simply use your phone to pay with a credit card? Then try …
Starbucks accepts Square payments as of late 2012, but Apple has also highlighted Square in commercials, an obvious choice considering small businesses can now use Apple products as registers. Square has taken the small business world by storm, enabling mom-and-pop shops across the country to accept payment via credit card where cash was previously required. Small businesses think it’s a good idea; apparently Apple agrees.
Designed by a bunch of ex-Microsoft employees, Paper by FiftyThree may be the best drawing app for iPad. Silicon Valley evangelists range from Square CEO Jack Dorsey to Flipboard CEO Mike McCue. “I’ve been looking for an application like this for the last 20 years!” McCue recently told Fortune.
Last August, the No. 1 social network introduced a native iOS app that brought with it speed improvements and eventually, newer features like Timeline. Given that 157 million-plus Facebook (FB) users sign on via mobile on a daily basis, the app update was a welcome one.
Flipboard represents the future of media consumption. The personalized magazine app allows users to filter their content, receiving only the news, updates, and photos that they want. The company recently announced it has reached 50 million users across iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, and has a valuation of more than $200 million.
Solar Walk and Star Walk
Both apps have appeared in numerous Apple commercials. Solar Walk allows users to take a 3-D trip around the Milky Way Galaxy, hopping from plant to planet. Star Walk helps smartphone users pinpoint specific stars or planets by simply holding their phones up to the night sky. An Apple Design Award winner for 2010, Star Walk has more than 5 million downloads since 2009. Solar Walk has been downloaded 2 million times since 2011.
This teaching app helps students from all grade levels better understand basic math techniques. The app falls under a category of new interactive learning apps that have become popular alongside tablet growth. Children are able to write on the app’s “chalkboard” by using their fingers as the writing utensil.
Yelp’s mobile app is just plain practical. The app allows users to better connect with local businesses by offering up customer reviews for nearly everything in their communities from hair salons to restaurants to doctors’ offices. Yelp has been vocal that its mobile presence will take priority as the company moves forward, and more than 9 million unique users utilized the mobile app every month during the company’s fourth quarter. The fact that it’s free is simply a bonus.
Lonely Planet’s mobile app gives users extensive travel guides for exploring new cities, including Barcelona, Berlin, and London. As smartphones have quickly replaced physical maps when it comes to needing directions, Lonely Planet’s app is eliminating the need for clunky travel guides, too. Some of the app’s basics, like maps, top locations, and search features, come free, but the more extensive guides cost $3.99 per city.


text:
South Africa is the youngest country to study the possibility of creating its own sovereign digital currency.
According to a statement released on Tuesday The Reserve Bank of South Africa has started preliminary feasibility studies on the “attractiveness and desirability” of a digital currency from a central bank for retail customers.
As part of your advertising, The SARB defined a retail customer CBDC as a sovereign cashless digital currency issued by the central bank that is suitable for electronic payments.
“The aim of the feasibility study is to examine how the issuance of a general purpose CBDC is incorporated into the political position and mandate of the SARB,” said the Central Bank of South Africa in its announcement.
According to the SARB The preliminary study will focus on issues related to a possible issuance of a CBDC for retailers in South Africa:
“The feasibility study will include hands-on experimentation on various emerging technology platforms, taking into account a variety of factors, including the policy, regulatory, safety and risk management implications.”
The South African CBDC study is expected to last until 2022 and may be in line with the existing institutional pilot project for digital payments under the aegis of the “Khokha Project”.
Like other central banks currently studying CBDCs, The SARB also stated that its current exploratory studies are in no way indicative of any plans to issue a digital edge in the future.
In June 2018, the SARB launched a pilot project for the Khokha project, the country’s symbolized fiat interbank payment system. As Cointelegraph has already reported, the project uses the Ethereum-based quorum infrastructure to test digital clearing and settlement of interbank payments.
The global field of CBDCs continues to grow, with China being the de facto market leader, at least among the major economies. In South Korea, the country’s central bank recently announced plans to partner with a technology company to build a sovereign digital currency for their test protocols, which are set to begin in August.


text:
Pity the poor luxury CEO in Francois Hollande’s France: no sooner is your wife speaking to a foreign real estate agent than the rumour mill is rife with speculation that you are about to flee the country (and maybe all those proposed wealth taxes), and set up home somewhere else. What else to conclude from the recent furore over the sight of actress Salma Hayek, aka Mrs Francois-Henri Pinault, aka wife of the CEO of Kering, the second largest French luxury group, lunching with a UK broker earlier this week? Read more
Just as the Chinese government cracks down further on luxury spending at home, and more company results demonstrate a flattening of the local market causing fear and trauma in heritage luxury brands with major capex in Asia, enter Antonio Tajani, EU Vice-president and commissioner for industry, to attempt to stem the pain. Their hero! Mr Tajani, aka luxury’s friend in Brussels, has “an action plan on the competitiveness of the European fashion and high-end industries”. Or a kind-of action plan. A beginning action plan? A small movement plan? You know what I mean. The point is: there’s a plan. Read more
One of the weirder moments in the already surreal event that was the public confessional/press conference Toronto mayor Rob Ford held yesterday to admit smoking crack cocaine was, it has to be said, his tie. Unlike most such accessories sported during such penitent moments, which tend to dark, drab, night-of-the-soul shades and prints (see pretty much any white collar defendant in court) — or at the very least, a peaceable blue (see pretty much any banker testifying before a government sub-committee) – Mr Ford wore a souvenir number, spotted by brightly coloured logos from NFL teams. It provoked an immediate reaction. And therein lies a lesson. Really. Read more
And you thought the recent municipal jockeying to nab a glamourous, potentially global-identity-changing event ended when the IOC announced Tokyo had won the bid to host the 2020 Olympics. Hah! Apparently, London is still in campaign mode, even post-its successful Olympic Games, and now Mayor Boris Johnson has turned his eyes toward fashion. Read more
The great and witty Simon Doonan has a new book out next week – “The Asylum”, about the fashion world, natch – and in the process of promoting it has gotten up on the hustings to mount a campaign against writing about politician’s clothes, most recently in an interview with The New Republic. You can read it yourself, but here’s the thing: in taking this stand, Mr Doonan is missing a crucial point. Read more
Fashion month is fast approaching – the NY shows start (gulp) on Sept 5, which means it’s also time for the now-standard action piece about why there are no black models on the runway. This season’s call to action comes from the New York Times, though there have been similar pieces over the years, from various different outlets including Vogue. Here’s my question, though: if we are really going to look at this issue in a serious way, and we should, no question, why stick to the runway? For truth is, rack my brain though I do, I can’t think of any luxury CEOs, at least of the mega-brands, who aren’t white. Or designers at the head of mega-brands, for that matter. We’re focusing on the wrong place. Read more
Today Michael Kors announced that Hillary Clinton would be the first recipient of the God’s Love We Deliver Michael Kors Community Service Award at the big GLWD awards shindig in October. The gong will be presented to her by…guess who?…Michael Kors! In case anyone needed any more re-inforcement of the fact that if HRC does decide to declare her candidacy for President, the industry will be right there in her corner.
President Obama has just nominated Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg as the ambassador to Japan. Assuming the Senate confirms her, you know what this means: the crowning of a new style icon. It’s not quite as big a deal as a royal baby, but it’s going to take Prince George awhile to grow into his Look and start influencing clothing sales, while Mrs Kennedy-Schlossberg will have to unveil her own pretty soon. Let the who-will-dress-her wars begin!
If ever there was an event that highlighted the complicated politics of fashion nationality in a global world, it was something that happened last night. Specifically, there was a big party in Medellin attended by the mayor, his wife, the First Lady of Colombia, and other assorted luminaries in honour of designer Haider Ackermann, who held a retrospective catwalk show to mark 25th anniversary of inexModa, Colombia’s fashion and textile industry showcase, and who was given the keys to the city. Now, Mr Ackermann was born in Colombia, but adopted as a baby by a French couple who raised him all over the world, but mostly in the Netherlands,trained in Antwerp, and has based his brand in Paris where he shows. Which makes him…what exactly?
Apparently a potential pawn in the fashion game of a number of countries.
I did an interview in tomorrow’s paper – it will be up soon on-line – with Christiane Amanpour, the ABC anchor, CNN correspondent, war reporter, mother, and all-around very impressive woman, that I really hope everyone will read (and I think that’s the first time I’ve ever written those words in a blog). Not because I wrote the piece, but because for the first time I can remember, a really powerful woman has been secure enough in her own intelligence and position; secure enough in the level of respect she commands; to be absolutely comfortable talking, at length, about clothes.
Specifically her clothes, and why she wears what she wears when, say, she is in the field, or in the studio, or interviewing various Presidents, or going to the White House Correspondents’ dinner. It’s a breakthrough, and I don’t say that lightly. Read more


text:
The Bengaluru-based Fintech company Velocity recently launched ‘Lexi’ – India’s first ChatGPT integrated AI assistant. The company integrated the coming-of-age/ sensational AI advancement with its existing analytics tool–Velocity Insights.
In conversation about the product, Abhiroop Medhekar, Co-founder and CEO of Velocity.in stated, “At Velocity, we strive to provide leverage to eCommerce founders. Ever since ChatGPT launched, our product teams have been brainstorming on how it can be leveraged to benefit our founders. Since Velocity customers already use Insights on a daily basis, we integrated ChatGPT with the same interface that they leverage for driving business decisions.”
Velocity Insights is considered India’s largest eCommerce analytics platform, trusted by 3000+ Indian eCommerce brands to make well-informed business decisions. Brands utilizing Insights receive a daily business report on Whatsapp. Moreover, these brands can also access benchmarks to evaluate their performance against industry standards.
Velocity Insights helps D2C brands keep a tab on key business metrics like Net Sales, Orders, AOV, Ad Spends, CAC, etc right from their WhatsApp.
The company claims that leveraging this platform to its full potential for tracking metrics frees up as many as 3 hours from their work day—saving time for other business functions. This is huge for growing D2C brands that have enough on their plates to take care of.
ChatGPT–What is the hype about?
Released in November 2022, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by San Francisco-based AI research company OpenAI. Trained on a vast compilation of content and websites, mostly in English, the AI model disrupted the tech industry within a few weeks of its launch.
The model’s size, which surpasses the previous largest models by several orders of magnitude, and its high performance make it a popular choice among researchers and developers in the field of natural language processing.
Moreover, to make the best use of this AI advancement and provide convenience, Velocity integrated ChatGPT in the same Whatsapp interface making it super easy for them to use Lexi.
Speaking about Velocity Insights and the ChatGPT integration, Mohit Mohapatra, CEO and Founder of Naturepro added, “Since its launch Velocity Insights has helped our brand monitor revenue and marketing spends. Now with the ChatGPT integration, I am also able to leverage AI as a personal assistant whenever I need help with my business. For example, I have been leveraging the integration for writing copy as well as collating answers to questions related to performance marketing on a daily basis.” – as stated in their website blog.
Velocity Insights saves up time and democratizes access to analytics for Indian eCommerce businesses. In a short 1.5 years, Insights has sent over 6 lakh analytics reports.
Velocity.in is a Bengaluru-based startup that is reimaging financial services for India’s digital first businesses. The fintech startup offers a wide array of products including non-dilutive financing, credit cards, payments, and analytics to Indian eCommerce businesses. Since commencing operations in early 2020, they have worked with over 3,000 e-commerce businesses and have made over 1000 eCommerce investments.


text:
February 15, 2012 filed under Technology
As Microsoft reposts with a one-liner in their press blog, the Windows 8 Consumer Preview will be available at the end of the month, February 29th. Watch our for the Mobile World Congress 2012 for further informations, this will be a big one combined with Windows Phone 8 later this year. So, if ou are a developer it’s time to submit your applications to the Microsoft Store, you can get more informations about that over here.
‘Nuff said! (OK, there’s a little more to say: watch for much more information about the Consumer Preview at the end of the month.)


text:
To evaluate the entertainment industry’s current state and the attitudes and behaviors that are guiding it, The National Association of Production Accountants (NAPA), recently conducted a study with over 500 industry professionals, including producers, accountants, finance executives, and other key industry players.
The study, sponsored in-part by GreenSlate, revealed that while production office professionals recognize the opportunities and benefits of going digital with better features and capabilities for optimizing workflows, the industry is driven by opposing forces: enthusiasm and inertia.
Digital adoption in the production office has the potential to drive efficiency, simplicity, and accuracy for production teams everywhere.
Outside of the entertainment industry, most industries have already realized the productivity gains and other benefits of digital adoption: they are now exploring new ways to leverage big data and building tools that can help inform better business decisions. Will the business of production follow a similar path as other sectors?
The industry acknowledges that digital solutions have a lot to offer production offices. Most respondents are already using digital solutions in some capacity and are generally satisfied with what they’ve seen. This satisfaction, along with the possibility of further improvement from new features, has created a positive sense of enthusiasm around digital.
But while digital solutions have a lot to offer and industry professionals are aware of these advantages, few are using digital solutions in all areas of production. Whether it is because they lack time to conduct research, are uncertain about change, or don’t have consensus on priorities, there is a palpable sense of inertia.
Industry professionals overwhelmingly agreed that they could benefit from digital solutions (93%), but what will it take for production office decision-makers to translate this enthusiasm for digital solutions into action?
Explore the study’s findings, essential takeaways, and tips for today’s production office professionals at http://info.gslate.com/the-evolution-of-the-production-office-2019
For more information or questions about this study, contact research (AT) napaus (DOT) org.


text:
Innisfil Council was sworn in Wednesday night (dec 5).
Some new faces took their seats around the council table, along side some re-elected councillors.
New Councillors include Kevin Eisses in Ward 1, Bill Van Berkel in Ward 2, Alex Waters in Ward 4 and Kenneth Fowler in Ward 5.
Returning from the previous council is Donna Orsatti in Ward 3, Carolyn Pane in Ward 6 and Rob Nicol in Ward 7.
The Deputy Mayor’s position was filled by Dan Davidson.
Innisfil CAO Jason Rynar says he is excited to work alongside new Mayor Lynn Dollin, and the other new members of council.
Mayor Lynn Dollin says the first order of business will having the results of the cannabis survey brought forward to council in January.
Residents are being asked if the want retail cannabis stores in Innisfil.


text:
This has totally made my day.
Young Horses have announced on Twitter that Octodad: Dadliest Catch will feature a local co-op mode, with a total of four players able to take control of the dapper gentlegangly octopus at one time.
Our last unknown gameplay feature? Local Co-op for 2-4 players! Fight to control Octodad like Voltron! pic.twitter.com/RtOJQdjDEP
— Octodad (@octodadgame) January 29, 2014
So are there any more surprises in store from the innovative young developers? ‘Local co-op for Octodad is pretty much one of our last surprises for launch,’ tweeted Kevin Geisler (Producer, Young Horses), so it looks like we’re all clued up ahead of the launch on January 30th. Wait, I don’t think I said that loud enough: AHEAD OF THE LAUNCH ON JANUARY 30TH! THAT’s TODAY – IT LAUNCHES IN SIX HOURS TIME!
Available on Mac, PC and Linux through Humble, Steam and good old GOG. Launching on PS4 sometime in March.


text:
Today, on October 5, the Second Ministerial
Meeting on the Digital Economy of the Eastern Partnership community
wound up. First Deputy Prime Minister/ Minister of Economic Development and
Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv,
Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for the
Single Digital Market Andrus Ansip, ministers, representatives of international and governmental
organizations took place in it.
In his address Stepan
Kubiv confirmed digitization of Ukraine is viewed as momentous
as part of its integration with the European Union.
"The digital economy has been and still remains
a priority for Ukraine. It is the driving force behind economic growth and raising of competitiveness. Therefore, Ukraine is interested
in deepening and expanding cooperation with the EU in the digital sphere and
maximum utilization of the opportunities provided for by the Association
Agreement with the European Union," Stepan Kubiv emphasized.
The participants exchanged views on six joint priority topics:
electronic communications and infrastructure, trust and security, e-trade,
digital skills, ICT innovation and startup
ecosystems, and e-health.
The participants agreed on specific targets for 2020 as part of a
roadmap for future digital cooperation in the EaP,
ensuring concrete benefits for citizens and businesses this way. They proposed
their adopted declaration as input to the November 2017 Eastern
For more details


text:
Epic Games Store might come to both Android, iOS
Epic Games plans to get its game store on both the Google Play Store and on the Apple App Store
Epic Games is one of the biggest names in the industry and the company is known not just for the titles but also for the epic Unreal Engine that many, many other games use. And this kind reputation has given Epic Games enough industry clout to be heard on issues like revenue splitting and app stores.
While Epic Games had to give in to get Fortnite to the Google Play Store, it might now be looking at a one-up by bringing the Epic Games store to mobile.
If this comes through, this is Epic's second attack and Google and the Google Play Store system. Epic Games did not agree with the 30% store tax that Google levies on paid apps, though ironically, they seemed to have no issues paying that to Apple for the iOS App Store.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney had reasoned that it was fair for Apple to charge that because of the innovations and security measures it puts in place for the App Store. That's something that cannot be controlled on the Play Store thanks to the vast and incongruous Android ecosystem.
If Epic Games manages to bring its store to Android and iOS, that's going to be big. The intention behind this, as Sweeney explains, is an “interesting alternative” to what currently exists. What he means by this is essentially a different kind of revenue sharing that will give developers a larger sum of money overall.
Epic itself does not have too many mobile games of its own, the Unreal Engine, however, continues to compete with Unity 3D both on desktops and mobile.
Epic Games Store on mobile could clash with many security policies these app stores have in place. Apple, for one, does not allow any third-party store on its App Store. Google has a more relaxed policy for the Play Store but it often tags apps that have been downloaded from outside the Play Store as suspicious and potentially harmful.


text:
ALL-NEW JEEP RENEGADE SIGNED BY THE ROLLING STONES NOW UP FOR AUCTION
Jeep was the Presenting Sponsor and exclusive automotive partner of the Rolling Stones' spectacular "14 On Fire" European Tour that ran this year.
The Grand Cherokee, Jeep's most awarded SUV played a key role through the 26 May to 2 July and was a great opportunity to preview the new Renegade which was signed by each member of the band: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts.
The Jeep is currently being auctioned until the 23 December for Charity Buzz a charity that raises money for nonprofits around the globe by auctioning off unique items and experiences.
The vehicle in question was signed in Rome, against the spectacular backdrop of the Circo Massimo, on 22 June at the only Italian date of the tour. Previewed for the first time was the new Jeep Renegade in Italy in the ancient Roman stadium following its international début at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.
An ideal location for its Italian preview, given that Renegade is the first ever model in the brand's history to be built in Italy and the first Fiat Chrysler Automobiles vehicle to emerge from the collaboration of Italian and US designers.
Sold in over 100 countries around the world, the SUV has unique personality and boasts class-leading off-road capabilities and more than 60 innovative safety devices. It is the only car in the segment to offer 9-speed automatic transmission, two drive systems, rear axle disconnection device and an instrument panel complete with 7" display.
The first Compact Jeep SUV in the EMEA region comes in four different trim levels; The Sport, Longitude, Limited and Trailhawk and goes on sale early next year in the UK.
by: Becca Chaplin