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Coronavirus Cited For Minecraft Festival Postponement
Minecraft Festival tickets were planned to go on sale as soon as this week
Less than an hour ago the official manufacturing PMI for November came in at 49.6, the fourth consecutive month of contraction and below the 49.8 reading economists were looking for. Analysts at ANZ said, in relation to that PMI series:“With soft growth momentum and deflation pressures creeping up, we expect the authorities to further ease monetary policy and continue to implement an expansionary fiscal policy in order to prevent further slowdown of the economy in 2016.”
What makes this cancelation worse is that the event was announced just last week. It was set to be the first Minecraft Festival in four years, taking place this September in Florida. Supposedly, the event was also planned to entertain more ticketholders than previous Festivals. According to an涂料市场“水进油退” 调查显示八成网友青睐“水漆”, tickets for the Minecraft Festival were set to be released this Friday. However, Mojang staff wrote that “after careful consideration and much hand-wringing, we have decided to postpone the event until next year.” This news comes just as officials in Florida announced 国务院：自今年起将每年农历秋分设为“中国农民丰收节”
The post then goes on to cite the numerous other events – such as GDC and multiple e-sports events – that have either been canceled or postponed as justification for Mojang’s preventative actions. Another unusual part of this case is also brought up – the sizable gap in time between now and the former Minecraft Festival launch date. The post goes on to explain that the decision is simply cautionary, as Mojang is “not making any predictions about how long it will take to put the outbreak behind us.”
For fans still looking for a Minecraft event, Minecraft Live will still be airing and promises “epic announcements.” It currently has no announced date or time.
CareerCast.com是Adicio Inc.旗下的求职网站。该网站基于体能要求、工作环境、收入、工作压力和职业前景这五项因素，对200种职业进行了先后排名。在确定排名次序时，网站采用的是美国劳工统计局(Bureau of Labor Statistics)等政府部门的数据。与前些年一样，之所以选择这200个职业，是因为考虑到它们在当前劳动力市场的需求程度以及是否能获得相关可靠数据。
"The CPI just went up two percent year on year in 2016, less than the three-percent predictive index. It was a moderate inflation, and reflected the price level was effectively controlled and basically stable," said Jin.


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Facebook will now compete with Amazon as WhatsApp is set to offer online shopping
WhatsApp businesswas introduced in India in January 2018.
- The company’s payments platform WhatsApp pay is live in India in its beta version.
Facebook will soon allow businesses to add a product catalogue on WhatsApp. “With catalogs, businesses can showcase their goods so people can easily discover them,” claimed Facebook.
WhatsApp business had been successfully running in India. It has been available on Android since January 2018; iPhone users got the feature only in April 2019.
Ever since the launch, many big businesses had added to ride WhatsApp’s immensely popularity in India. It has over 200 million active users in India and over 1.5 billion users globally, as of February 2019. So much so that Mark Zuckerberg himself recently expressed fears that the messaging app may overshadow Facebook in India.
The most significant part of the Facebook’s evolving deck in India is WhatsApp pay. While most digital wallets took years and spent millions to acquire customers, WhatsApp will begin with an existing customer base of over 200 million in India.
The feature is live in its beta version in India, and having seen a successful phase in India, Zuckerberg announced that the payments feature will soon be available in other countries.
This puts WhatsApp in the Indian e-commerce space, which is already led by players like
WhatsApp had also faced a few hiccups in India, with the RBI asking the company to store data locally. The company had then agreed to save the data of WhatsApp pay users on servers in India.
Zuckerberg claims that WhatsApp has the power to 'cannibalise' public social platforms
Finally, WhatsApp will demand ‘consent’ before adding people to random groups
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Date: 25 May 2021
With the release of iOS 14.5, the iPhone software asks customers whether they want apps to follow their digital behavior. While it may appear to be a minor move, it has already caused ripples throughout the app economy, notably at Facebook and Google, the internet’s two largest ad companies.
Date: 13 May 2021
Disaster can strike at any time. Will you be ready to react quickly and efficiently? This article aims to show how the application architecture, especially the deployment architecture, can help us prepare for DR.
Date: 06 May 2021
What are your associations when someone talks about a catastrophe? Hurricane, flood, etc. However, we are aware that our data may also be exposed to various threats. In this article, I will explain what types of threats our data is exposed to, what DR plans are, and how to protect your data from disasters.
Date: 22 Apr 2021
Recently, the world has been informed about another „leak”. According to the Cyber News portal, the database of over 1.3 million records from Clubhouse was published by hackers. Is the so-called data scraping a fresh trend among cybercriminals who want to earn money by selling data? It’s another cybersecurity topic in addition to the most […]


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Amber Gets the Green Light to Japan
AMBER KELLY at Express Travel Group will be packing her bags for a holiday in Japan after winning a major incentive prize.
Amber completed section 3 of the Tokyo Tourism Expert program and walks away with the grand prize of flights to the city and a five-night stay at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo.
Three other lucky winners will receive Tokyo artisan cut glass Edo kiriko glassware: Josie McPaul- Bayview Travel, Belinda Ferguson- Savenio, Benjamin Simpson- Flight Centre.
“There is much more news to share from Tokyo, we plan to launch future initiatives for the trade to help keep up to date on the dynamic city where old meets new, so watch this space,” said Alison Roberts-Brown, Tokyo Tourism Representative in Australia.
Tokyo’s next live update with Destination Webinars (prizes will be available in the live sessions only) will be on March 28.


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This is a special number, because if bitcoin reaches this price level, its market capitalization will be equal to golds market valuation. But if that insane price materializes, McAfee will end up looking like even more of a madman genius than he already. Bitcoin, and thats no surprise, seeing as how the number one cryptocurrency had an absolutely explosive price performance in 2017. Think about how when the price of oil surges, more companies begin producing oil, which then increases the supply and acutely deflates the price of oil accordingly. Now, we cant count our eggs before theyve hatched.
At this point, all we need is to divide 50 trillion by the number of bitcoins in existence. Indeed, he stated that he and his brother believe that bitcoin disrupts gold. Whats the BTC Price if Crypto Market Reaches Stock Market Size? Bitcoin boom in general as his mid-term BTC price projection suggests. During an interview with cnbc he said: So if you look at a 100 billion market cap today, now last week it might have been more like 200, so its actually a buying opportunity, we think that theres. To that end, the scarce, deflationary quality. There is a major bullish trend line in place with support at 6,750 on the 4-hours chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). And so a lot of people are starting to se that, they recognize the store of value properties. That would put Bitcoin as having around a 50 trillion market cap. There are not so many vendors right now who can accept cryptocurrencies but theres huge adoption on the black market.
But thats just Falkvinges conservative estimate. Max Keiser Projects 15k Soon, 100,000 On The Horizon. Bitcoin price rallied significantly above 6,800 and 7,000 against the US Dollar. Specifically, the tens of billions as he argues: Thats certainly the most aggressive price prediction anyones made for BTC yet. BTC seems to be following a nasty uptrend and it could even test 7,800 or 8,000 in the coming sessions. Going much more long-term, Novogratz said it was within the realm of possibility that the bitcoin market cap could one day reach the current market cap of gold, which is around a whopping 8 trillion USD. Bitcoin climbed to a fresh 2019 high, approaching the 6,000 level for the first time since November on most cryptocurrency exchanges. Mr Singh commented: If you look at Microsoft of Apple when they went public their stocks were very volatile because the market wasnt mature.
But that doesnt mean he doesnt respect the beast that BTC is and could. When he explained that bitcoin could reach that price (10,000 the cryptocurrency was traded just at 413 dollars. But maybe its possible in 30 or 40 years. Jeet Signh An important portfolio manager that worked for more than six years in the cryptocurrency world, predicted this year that Bitcoin could reach 50,000 dollars. Hes also become a Bitcoin aficionado over the past several months, and he never hesitates to voice his opinions on the cryptocurrency craze accordingly. Once renowned for being a prominent Wall Street hedge fund manager, Mike Novogratz has now set his sights on the cryptocurrency space, and hes not turning back. Bitcoin makes it totally unlike traditional fiat currencies, which are usually prone to inflation and even hyperinflation in the worst of cases. The price even spiked below the 7,000 level, but the 6,850 level acted as a support. At the same time, he said that in the future Bitcoin could keep growing. And its his opinion that the next major target for the bitcoin price to hit is 100,000, echoing Max Keisers aforementioned prediction.
7,826.11 872.09(12.49) 1H 24H 1W 1M 1Y, aLL, may 13 7:16 PM 7:16 PM 11:12 PM 3:08 AM 7:04 AM 11:00 AM 2:56 PM 7:04 PM, cointelegraph 22 hours ago, bitcoin. And lets also say that BTC maintains its current position as hovering around a 50 percent share of the entire crypto market (though, of course, theres no reason to believe itll stay at 50 percent forever). Bitcoin is the future currency. And I am really excited about all the extraordinary things that can happen because of crypto and bitcoin. According to him bitcoin and blockchain technology are one of the best things that happened for businesses. There was a sharp upward move above 6,800 in bitcoin price against the US Dollar. An immediate resistance is at 7,220, above which the price may test the 7,350 level. And for Novogratz, theres no confusion as to why that particular price point may end up really materializing. Theres a reason Satoshi Nakamoto reached out to Back (and Wei Dai) first in starting up Bitcoin. Round up, and thats 3 million per bitcoin. There will never be more than 21 million, and even contemporary estimations say more than 3 million BTC have been lost for good, making BTC considerably scarcer than many realize. That means as more investments pour into BTC, its price will likely continue to see upward pressure because there will be no supply response. However, the bulls remain in control and they are likely to aim a new high above 7,500 in the coming sessions.
Tim Draper The cryptocurrency expert and venture capitalist, Tim Draper, has also given its opinion about the future price of Bitcoin. Looking at the chart, bitcoin price is clearly in a strong uptrend above 6,850. The BTC/USD pair surpassed many hurdles near 6,000, 6,200 and 6,400. The price traded to a new 2019 high at 7,457 and recently corrected lower. He knows the ecosystem as well as anyone. Adam Back Agrees: 100k Coming Love him or hate him, Adam Back is an OG cypherpunk whos made incalculable contributions to the cryptocurrency space as a whole. Cameron Winklevoss Cameron Winklevoss is one of the two popular Winklevoss twins. Why would I go and grab some weird fiat subject to the will of some governments? And his opinions are exceedingly bullish, to say the least.


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DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Office Depot Inc., the nation's second-largest office supply retailer, hired a former auto parts executive yesterday to be its new chairman and chief executive, seeking to keep the momentum gained since his predecessor's departure.
Steve Odland, who had been the chief executive and chairman of AutoZone Inc. since January 2001, replaces Bruce Nelson, who was pressured to resign in October after four years leading Office Depot.
Office Depot shares rose more than 8 percent in trading yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange, while AutoZone shares fell nearly 13 percent even as it moved quickly to name replacements for Odland.
''Steve's track record in delivering strong operating performance and excellent financial results in challenging business environments makes him the ideal person to lead our company to the next level," said Neil R. Austrian, an Office Depot board member who had served as interim chairman and chief executive since Nelson's departure. ''With his background in marketing and merchandising, his demonstrated focus on building loyalty through customer service and satisfaction, and an unparalleled record in the creation of shareholder value, we could not have found a better fit for our company."
Odland, 46, called Office Depot ''an excellent franchise." Before AutoZone, Odland was chief operating officer of Ahold USA Inc., a leading supermarket retailer; president of the food service division at Sara Lee Corp., and an executive at Quaker Oats Co.
''My focus will be on driving profitable growth by exceeding the expectations of our customers and building shareholder value by making Office Depot an industry leader in efficiency and productivity," Odland said in a statement. ''It's a great opportunity and I'm ready to get started."
Office Depot, which has annual sales of almost $14 billion, has 969 stores in North America. Internationally, it owns 78 stores in 14 countries and operates another 153 stores under licensing arrangements. It is second to Framingham-based Staples Inc. in office supply retailing.
Memphis based AutoZone disclosed the appointment of its founder, J.R. Hyde III, as nonexecutive chairman of the board of directors on an interim basis, and William C. Rhodes III, previously executive vice president of store operations and commercial, as president and chief executive.


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Ether and other major cryptocurrencies follow bitcoin higher after Elon Musk says Tesla may accept it as payment again
cryptocurrenciesrose in lockstep with bitcoinafter Elon Musktweeted that Teslamay accept the popular coin as payment.
tether, binance coin, cardano, and dogecoin, all edged higher over the last 24 hours.
- An expert said she is unsure whether the most recent pop signals a continuing upward trend, but she does know one thing: "Musk is responsible."
Major cryptocurrencies rose on Monday, moving in lockstep with bitcoin's jump after Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla would accept the cryptocurrency as payment again once mining can be done using cleaner energy.
Bitcoin edged higher Monday following the tweet, inching closer to $40,000, its highest level in two week.
Here's where the major cryptocurrencies stood in the past 24 hours as of Monday morning ET:
- Ether: up 5.03% to $2,489
- Binance Coin: up 6.4% to $359
- Cardano: up 5.1% to $1.52
- Dogecoin: up 3.6% to $0.323654
Alexandra Clark, sales trader at GlobalBlock, a UK-based digital asset broker, said that Sunday, when the Tesla chief tweeted, was a turning point for bitcoin, whose movements often influence the broader market.
"A number of analytic tools, including the spent output profit ratio and stock-to-flow, all firmly point to an undervalued bitcoin at current prices, although many analysts are still on the fence when it comes to determining whether the digital asset is ready to continue its uptrend," she said in a note. "What we do know, is that Musk is responsible."
The cryptocurrency market has yet to recover from its May crash when it suffered a sharp sell-off, wiping out 47% of its entire value. Most coins have been moving sideways as of late, after peaking to their record highs earlier this year.
Yet a recent finding from crypto-asset broker Voyager revealed that 81% of respondents in a recent survey are more confident in the future of cryptocurrency following last month's crash. Steve Ehrlich, CEO of Voyager, said this increase was a much higher percentage compared to the last survey conducted in April.
But for Pankaj Balani, CEO at Delta Exchange, the surge is temporary. He said that given the market's little appetite to own risk, most traders would be inclined to own bitcoin risk rather altcoins.
"We have seen altcoins underperform bitcoins in this bounce and we expect the same to continue over the next few months," he said. "Capital has been rotating out of altcoins into bitcoin."
Bitcoin market capitalization dominance, which had hit a low of 40% has already bounced to 46%.
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- The world's 5 richest tech tycoons — including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates — have already lost about $85 billion this year amid a brutal market sell-off
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- Indian crypto exchanges, influencers fall prey to hacks promoting crypto scam
- Brands celebrate Republic Day with patriotic fervour
- OPINION: Tax consolidation schemes is the need of the hour for India’s renewable energy sector


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The latest in the growing number of efforts directed at reducing, repurposing and ultimately eliminating waste in all its forms.
William McDonough & Michael Braungart’s newest book, The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability — Designing for Abundance, is an updated version of their manifesto Cradle to Cradle, published over a decade ago. The Upcycle goes one step beyond the t
Each week leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 5th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote at SB '13, we will feature an article on one of our SBIO semi-finalists. This week, we re-introduce you to local innovators Back to the Roots. There’s nothing like attractive design for turning people on to something new and unusual.
HP last week announced it is launching a new line of sustainably sourced paper and partnering with several major office supply retailers to expand its customer recycling options.
Each week leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 5th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote at SB '13, we will feature an article on one of our SBIO semi-finalists. This week, meet the SBIO Public Vote Semi-finalist winner, PrintEco.
Recyclebank, which offers discounts and deals from local and national businesses as rewards to individuals and groups who take green actions in their everyday lives, this week announced its backing of some 27 environmental projects at schools across the country through the Recyclebank Green Schools Pr
Textile and clothing recycling has always lagged behind the sustainable disposal of other household products such as glass, aluminum and even plastic. The numbers, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, are disturbing.
BASF has teamed up with the Seattle Mariners for the second season of Sustainable Saturdays at Safeco Field, which aims to divert ballpark waste from the landfill.
On Tuesday, Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced that it recycles, repurposes or converts 100 percent of the waste at 45 manufacturing sites around the world and claims less than one percent of raw materials currently leave its plants as waste.
Incorporating post-consumer materials into products has become common practice for numerous brands. But a growing number of companies and NGOs are going a step further, looking to upcycle harmful plastic debris from the ocean, even if it means creating a supply chain and tapping new technology. Aquafil, a company that makes nylon textile fibers, recently joined the Healthy Seas Initiative to retrieve and recycle nylon fishing nets. The company already is one of the world’s leading recyclers with an insatiable demand for plastic waste.
Over 125 billion rigid plastic containers are produced and consumed in the US every year, but according to the EPA only 28% are recycled, with the rest piling up in landfills and oceans. There is an undeniable packaging waste problem in today’s society, which suggests that innovation opportunities are plenty in the packaging industry.
This article first appeared on edie.net on March 26, 2013.
This article first appeared on edie.net on March 20, 2013.Environmental Data Interactive Exchange (Edie), an online sustainability resource based in the UK, has published an exclusive white paper highlighting the opportunities and challenges of circular economy realization, for both businesses and the waste management industry.The report, published in association with sponsor FCC Environment and sister title Local Authority Waste & Recycling magazine, investigates the implications of closed-loop thinking as businesses start to take back waste-derived materials and energy into their supply chains.
Researchers at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom say they have discovered a way to make a new kind of decomposable and recyclable bioplastic from the thin wrappers found in eggshells.
Last week marked the official launch of an innovative initiative supported by Ecover, maker of non-toxic cleaning products, and Closed Loop Recycling (CLR), a UK operation that takes discarded soda and water bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and milk bottles made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and recycles them back into food-grade plastic for use in new packaging (rHDPE). The collaboration will use waste plastic collected from the seas around the UK by EU fishermen and recycled at Closed Loop’s Dagenham facility for reuse in new packaging.
In 2008 Philips Consumer Lifestyle started a program for sustainable innovation with a series of workshops to investigate possibilities around closing the loop of its products. People from different functions and departments brainstormed around business model possibilities, alternative materials and value chain management.
How many times have you finished a meal at a restaurant and felt guilty about the amount of food left on the table? So, in order to ease your mind about the waste of food, you take your leftovers home with honest intentions of eating it later. Fast-forward to cleaning out your fridge.
A BioViper™ biological pretreatment system by wastewater treatment systems provider Baswood Corporation is now operating at the Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) Group’s Houston bottling plant, Baswood announced on Tuesday.
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) announced it has met its three-year global environmental goals on water, energy, carbon emissions and recycling operations.The company reached its goal of reducing its water usage by nearly 20 percent, the equivalent of 25 billion cans of AB InBev products. Energy consumption decreased by 12 percent and carbon emissions were reduced by almost 16 percent in breweries and soft drink facilities worldwide. The company also increased its recycling rate to just over 99 percent for solid waste and by-products.
Ford announced plans to reduce the amount of waste it sends to the landfill by 40 percent per vehicle over a five-year period from 2011 to 2016. This would reduce landfill waste to an average of 13.4 pounds per vehicle worldwide, the company said.
To prepare for this year's Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) competition, we're catching up with some of our favorite entrepreneurial ventures from competitions past ...


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Dogecoin has been successfully used on the Reddit platform, and dogetipbot will launch its beta version on Twitch this weekend. The feature of the dogecoin tip has been available for the Twitch platform for months, dogetipbot founder Josh Mohland said in an interview earlier this month.
Dynamic . . . Tesla CEO tweeted "200K" Netizens guess it's BTC price prediction.
Bitcoin Price Prediction: BTC/USD falls below $8,000, with a danger ahead - Bitcoin convergence.
Cryptocurrencies Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin - US Inventory - December 9.
Dog Coin (DOGE) icon Dogecoin was born out of a tweet, a joke. In 2013, dog dog image was so popular that Palmer, a flat-shooting and marketing expert at Adobe Sydney and a cryptocurrencies researcher, tweeted semi-jokingly, "Invest in Dogecoin, this is the next big opportunity." After the tweet, there was a lot of support, and Palmer was very effective in buying the domain name dogecoin a week later. Meanwhile, in another part of the globe, Markus, a programmer in Brandt, has been trying to create a cryptocurrencies. Markus came across the site and contacted Palmer for help. Before Palmer replied, he set out to transform the source code of Bitcoin, adding elements to Doge Mene. Palmer quickly replied to Markus, and the two clapped together. Eventually, dogecoin was born more than a week after the half-joking tweet. Dogecoin was born and developed so smoothly that it can even be described as hot. For Dogecoin itself, there are two main reasons for the boom: First, Dogecoin brings its own social attributes. On social networking sites such as Reddit, Dogecoin's content was very popular before it was born. When Dogecoin was born, it was greatly assisted by sites like Reddit. Dogecoin has far more attention on social networking sites than Bitcoin, Litecoin and other shanzhai coins. Second, Dogecoin's tip and charitable culture are recognized. Dogecoin advocates a tip culture, which has been used by many people for activities such as rewards in just one week, showing the level of recognition of its tip culture. Dogecoin is also more recognized in terms of philanthropy, and its charitable support is already extensive.
Hong Kong-based crypto-financial services provider PayPal Financial has announced the official launch of its high-end service brand PayPal PRIVATE's app-side APP for online testing, which is expected to go online soon. PayPal PRIVATE is a new service brand created by PayPal Financial that will primarily target qualified investors with high net worth and ultra-high net worth, providing private banking-grade encrypted financial services, PayPal Financial said. At the same time, PayPal PRIVATE's head, Zhai Lei, has worked in the private banking department of China Merchants Bank for many years. According to people familiar with the matter, the threshold for participating in PayPal PRIVATE holdings is 100 bitcoins.
The price of Ethereum gas soared between March 12 and 13. Data from etherscan.io.Bitcoin Cash and Dogecoin are rising.
On June 16, 2020, Gif search engine Flash is celebrating its 4th birthday. Flash is the world'Chinese's largest gif motion map search engine, the domestic mainstream social platform app uses the vast majority of emoji packages are from flash.
Assuming that the user wants to entangle with CZZ with Doge, a certain amount of DOGE coins can be entered into the Doge address published by CZZ. After the deal was confirmed on Doge.net, the user posted a entanglement request on CZZ.
BTCPay Server, the free open source bitcoin payment processing server, announced new features that make it easier for online merchants to process cryptocurrencies payments on their sites.


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Nike sales jump 7% in Q2 despite China slowdown
Nike Inc. on Thursday posted a 7 percent jump in second-quarter sales and beat analyst forecasts on profits.
But the attention will likely be focused on the company's continued struggles in China, where its once-meteoric rise has reversed itself, with sales falling by 11 percent in the quarter after years of double-digit growth.
Nonetheless, the company's shares jumped nearly 4 percent in after-hours trading to $102.81.
The Washington County-based sporting goods company (NYSE: NKE) posted a profit of $521 million, with earnings per share up 11 percent to $1.14. Sales reached $6 billion, up 7 percent from $5.5 billion in the same quarter last year.
Analysts polled by Thomson Financial projected Nike to reach sales of $5.99 billion with a profit of $1 per share.
The company posted a loss of $137 million from those businesses, of which $107 million was recorded as a loss from the Umbro sale. Nike acquired the brand in 2007 for $565 million, but only sold it for $225 million.
The company's gross margin in the quarter shrunk by 30 basis points — or three-tenths of a percent — as higher labor costs and changes in foreign exchange rates overpowered lower material costs and increased prices on Nike products.
Nike executives during their last conference call with analysts in September discussed plans to alter the company's distribution strategy in China, one of the company's most important markets, where sales are flagging and inventory levels — particularly with apparel — have ballooned.
Erik Siemers is managing editor of the Portland Business Journal.
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Screenworks has appointed Karen Winter as its new marketing director.
In her new role at the promotional clothing and textiles supplier, Karen will be managing marketing strategy, initially focusing on brand positioning, to support the company’s growth plans over the next 10 years.
Duncan Gilmour, managing director of Screenworks, said: “I have always sought to introduce real industry experts as senior team members to help continue driving growth. Karen Winter is no exception, she has worked hard behind the scenes to develop a sound marketing strategy to help underpin growth.”
Karen has over 30 years of marketing experience in a variety of sectors, including roles in events and exhibitions, software development and data analytics, where she oversaw business development and strategy in the EMEA and Asia Pacific. She said: “I am excited by Screenworks, a UK manufacturing success story which has already grown rapidly in the last few years and which continues to have huge potential.
“What I have found so far is how refreshing it is to work with colleagues who want to push boundaries and show how they are different. Exciting times lie ahead.”


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Chanel raising prices to halt European bargain huntingFrench luxury brand Chanel announced it will raise the prices of flagship handbags such as the Boy Chanel, Chanel Classic and Chanel Grand Shopping Tote starting Sunday. According to Chanel Korea, the biggest increase will be on the Boy Chanel small size, which will increase to 5.01 million won ($4,400) from 4.7 million won, up 6.6 percent. In terms of price difference, the Chanel 2.55 medium bag and Chanel Timeless Classic jumbo bag recorded the biggest increase, from 390,000 won to 6.39 million won. The average increase is about 5 to 6 percent.
Chanel proposed they will equalize their product prices worldwide earlier this March. The policy is to prevent Asian customers from purchasing in European markets because of the price differences in Europe and Asian markets stemming from the weaker euro.
While the price change is also taking place in China and Singapore, some shoes and wallet prices will be cut by 21 percent.
The handbag prices are being raised because Chanel has already lowered their prices in March, but prices of other products excluded from the previous discount will be lowered to an appropriate level, according to Chanel.
Since there have been rumors that Chanel will increase handbag prices, and the company informed its VIP customers in advance, some of the products that are subject to inflation were sold out at many stores.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - On its first day in bankruptcy court, General Motors Corp said it would ask a federal judge to approve its proposed sale of its strongest assets in just 30 days.
At a bankruptcy court hearing in Manhattan, GMs’ lawyer Harvey Miller asked the court to set a sale hearing for June 30, in a move that will put the company’s proceedings on the same break-neck pace as rival carmaker Chrysler LLC’s bankruptcy sale.
Miller, of the law firm Weil, Gotshal and Manges, described the circumstances leading to GM’s descent into bankruptcy and told Judge Robert Gerber that a quick sale would be necessary to preserve the value of the iconic U.S. automaker.
“General Motors could no longer continue without the relief it seeks in this court,” Miller told a standing-room-only courtroom.
“In what one sense is a sad event, in another, is the occasion to begin a new era,” he continued.
The bankruptcy has become one of the most carefully orchestrated Chapter 11 filings in the history of U.S. business, but Miller said he did not expect this case to follow the same script as that of Chrysler.
“I don’t want to necessarily do everything that was done in Chrysler here,” Miller told the court.
Under a government-backed restructuring plan, the Obama administration would take a 60 percent stake in the newly-formed company made up of GM’s most profitable assets. The UAW would have a 17.5 percent stake, the Canadian government would own about 12 percent and GM bondholders would receive about 10 percent.
GM said it had no other bidders, and the deal had also gained support from about 54 percent of GM’s bondholders.
The court gave interim approval for GM to access $15 billion of debtor-in-possession funding provided by the U.S. government, as the automaker only has $2 billion of cash on hand. It is expected to seek final approval for its full $33 billion DIP financing package at a hearing later this month.
David Jones, an assistant U.S. attorney representing the U.S. Treasury, said the government was the only source of DIP financing for GM and without it the company would be forced into “immediate liquidation.” The government set a July 10 deadline for GM to complete its sale.
Judge Gerber also granted a series of administrative motions that will allow the company to pay its employees, its vendors, and continue to offer dealer incentives and honor consumer warranties.
“This is serious to a lot of people’s lives,” Gerber said, adding he believed the case to be about “saving the business, saving as many jobs as we can, saving as many suppliers as we can, and saving as many dealers as we can.”
The U.S. Trustee Diana Adams said GM would hold its organizational meeting to form an unsecured creditors’ committee on June 3 at the Hilton New York Hotel.
The case is In re: General Motors Corp, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, No. 09-50026.
Reporting by Emily Chasan and Phil Wahba, editing by Leslie Gevirtz


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News - Jaguar - F-Type
Jaguar ‘reviewing’ F-Type range
Circa-$100K entry turbo-four F-Type on cards as Jag refocuses on sportscar range
8 Nov 2016
JAGUAR Land Rover Australia managing director Matthew Wiesner has flagged plans to reignite sales and awareness of its F-Type sportscar range – particularly at the lower end of the line-up – following a mammoth launch period that shifted focus to the new XE and XF sedans and the F-Pace mid-size SUV.
Although tagging the previous 12 months as “very much a year of Jaguar”, Mr Wiesner said the premium British brand runs a risk of falling into a lull due to fewer major product launches going forward, unless measures are taken to sustain interest in particularly halo offerings.
“I think we’ve had so much on, we’ve gone from XE to XF, new F-Pace, we’ve got preparations going on for new (Land Rover) Discovery coming in and sometimes with the resources we have in place the focus is just chopping and changing a bit too much,” Mr Wiesner told GoAuto at the launch of the Range Rover Evoque Convertible in Queensland last week.
“I think we need to get more out of cars like F-Type, and not just from a (sales) number point of view, but also to tell that story.
“We’ve got some ... opportunities coming which I think we can use better (to) actually start talking about our entry offerings which are pretty affordable around that $100K mark.
“If you look at that market, around the $90K to $115K space, you’ve got (Porsche) Boxster/Cayman, you’ve got the Audi TT S and RS, there’s actually quite a lot of activity in there that and we need to make sure that we’re seen to be competitive in and around there.” Asked whether such opportunities might include lowering the pricetag of the F-Type coupe and convertible range, which currently starts from $119,545 plus on-road costs, Mr Wiesner replied: “We’re looking at a couple of things there.
“We’re reviewing what we can offer around that space,” he added.
Speculation is rife that the F-Type will adopt a turbocharged four-cylinder from JLR’s new Ingenium engine family as part of a facelifted sportscar range expected next year, which would follow Porsche’s reduced cylinder count for the 718 Boxster and Cayman that start from $113,300 and $110,300 respectively.
Mr Wiesner’s other target, the Audi TT S, starts from an even lower $100,858.
“We’ve been sitting down and making sure next year we’re very clear of certain roles of certain products, and obviously F-Type from a Jaguar perspective is one that has a halo across everything,” he said.
“It dials up the whole performance story beautifully and we just want to make sure we constantly use it to tell that story.” More imminently the F-Type will get a boost at the other end of the pricing scale with the flagship SVR models arriving shortly priced between $289,590 (coupe) and $308,470 (convertible) – premiums of $47,310 and $47,490 respectively over the existing F-Type R AWD range-toppers.
“With SVR F-Type just arriving now, that’s a gorgeous drive, it behaves very, very differently to an AWD R but there’s a lot more we can get out of those products to constantly tell that Jaguar story,” Mr Wiesner said of the 423kW model that claims a 3.7s 0-100km/h sprint time.
The current F-Type coupe and convertible line-up includes the 250kW/450Nm 3.0-litre supercharged V6 standard model, the 280kW/460Nm S version of the same engine, and the 404kW/680Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 R, with the latter two in rear- or all-wheel drive and the 423kW/700Nm SVR still to come.
Although the Jaguar sportscar’s 159-unit sales so far this year (to the end of October) is up 7.4 per cent, the Boxster/Cayman near-twins have managed 433 sales.
The Road to Recovery podcast series
17th of February 2016
Geneva show: Jaguar confirms 3.7-second F-Type SVR
Australian order books open for fastest production F-Type, the 323km/h SVR
27th of January 2016
Geneva show: Jaguar F-Type gets SVR treatment
Jaguar Special Operations creates fastest F-Type to date
10th of June 2015
Driven: Jaguar adds AWD to fearsome F-Type
New drivetrain and tech for Jaguar’s F-Type sportscar duo grows range to 12
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Motor industry news


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Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world. Every week we read reports about the how AI will fundamentally change the nature of work, replacing numerous jobs and leading to the creation of jobs that don’t yet exist. However, for many of us, AI seems to belong to a distant future rather than today’s reality. But independent hotels should be fully cognizant of the capabilities of AI and how it can help streamline processes, improve customer retention, deliver a better customer experience and provide valuable insights.
In today’s AP Voice we delve into just a few ways that AI is already impacting the hotel industry and how independent hotels can leverage the various technologies available to drive their business goals.
Booking platforms: Technology providers specialising in booking solutions are looking at how to adapt AI to deliver smarter and tailored booking experiences for guests and hotels. Hotel technology provider Avvio recently launched Allora, the world’s first direct booking platform powered by AI. Allora encourages direct bookings and guest loyalty by orchestrating better online experiences. To do this, she relies on learning models to analyse large volumes of data to identify which variations will yield the best booking engine configuration. This enables Allora to provide more personalised interactions with guests, rather than the current cookie-cutter approach. Earlier in 2018, Sabre Corporation and Microsoft announced the pilot launch of an AI-powered chatbot, “Ella,” that explores how artificial intelligence can help travel agencies better serve travelers by fulfilling their most common service and support requests with smart technology. Amistad Partners uses Sabre as our go-to booking solutions provider.
Reputation management: A poor review or any delay in responding to a question asked on social media by a customer could lead to negative consequences for a hotel. In our industry, reputations matter. What our customers say, think and feel matters. AI is being used by industry leaders to monitor social media to respond quickly and avert potential public relations issues. But it’s not all about the negative, as AI-powered tools can also flag favourable comments, allowing you to make the most of positive feedback.
Digital concierge and virtual assistants: AI has become a household item with the introduction of Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. We are used to having information available at our fingertips without needing to actually go look for it ourselves. So it comes as no surprise that this is what guests are looking for as part of a superior hotel experience. In the UK, guests at all twelve of the Edwardian Hotels-owned Radisson Blu locations can interact with an AI-based chatbot, Edward, via text using a smartphone. They can order room service or request a late checkout. They can source details about the hotels’ spas and restaurants as well as hotel specials and details about local attractions. Hilton Worldwide Hotel’s AI-based concierge Connie is powered by IBM’s own sophisticated AI, Watson. An AI-enabled robot and performing tasks like a human concierge, Connie can assist arriving hotel guests at front desk standing on its bipedal support.
Business intelligence: Data is essential in remaining competitive. AI solutions can help hotels collect, clean and save data. They can also help hotels analyse data by parsing through multiple databases to give insights that can help shape strategy and make business decisions. Sabre has developed an analytics platform to use artificial intelligence to help maximize total hotel revenue. Its SynXis Analytics Cloud identifies opportunities for revenue and guest-experience improvement and helps hoteliers avoid lost revenue by analyzing data from operations, finances, room-stay production, ancillaries and rate-room-channel configurations to deliver targeted actionable insights.
At Amistad, we take technology seriously. We’re big believers in applying data-driven insights to enhance client relationships. AP Digital is a multi-faceted web and app technology that serves as a CRM tool, a client portal, an agent portal, a professional services automation platform, a contract manager and a virtual assistant. Every AP engagement is measured in minute detail to gauge the effectiveness of our delivery and the efficiency of your dedicated team, to get and assess client feedback to drive continuous improvement and profitable engagement. Do get in touch to find out how you can use AI and technology to further your sales and marketing goals.


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EA Sports may soon regret its decision to leave the image of its Madden franchise in the hands of online voters. Yesterday, the publisher announced the two football star finalists vying for a coveted spot on Madden 12’s cover; one of which could put EA in an awkward position.
The tournament style promotion, which began with a representative from all 32 NFL teams on March 21st, has resulted in a final face-off between the Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. And while the argument can be made that Hillis is a few accomplishments shy of deserving a Madden cover, the real controversy in EA’s online tourney is the inclusion of Michael Vick, who was convicted of running a dog fighting ring back in 2007, and has yet to shake off the stink that’s followed him since.
Yeah, yeah, he paid for his crimes, stop being such a whiny pansy and all that. Fair enough. The man paid his dues as deemed by society. But even putting the horrific animal abuse aside (not something I ever thought I’d write), there’s also the small fact Michael Vick already graced the cover of EA’s football series for Madden 2004. If he wins, it will be the first time a player has made a repeat appearance. Surely there are other more deserving players who deserve the honor, no?
The online voting is open until April 25th, after which the winner will be revealed on ESPN’s SportsNation on April 27th.[Source: ESPN Sportsnation (opens in new tab) via Kotaku (opens in new tab)]
Apr 19, 2011
Seven things we want to see in Madden 12
It’s time to deliver excellence
EA cracking down on concussions in Madden 12
Publisher aims to educate players of the true risks of the game
Real-world NFL drama won’t affect Madden 12
That’s the best thing about virtual football players


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Carolina Fibre Attends the Annual Plastics Recycling Conference
At Carolina Fibre Corporation, recycling is our top priority, which means it’s important to stay on top of the latest issues and trends facing our industry. This is precisely why our vice president, Keith Ayscue, recently attended the Plastics Recycling conference in New Orleans.
The Plastics Recycling conference is one of the biggest meetings for the plastics recycling industry, which has become more and more complex over the years. For the last 11 years, this conference has brought together plastics reclaimers, equipment manufacturers, brand owners, brokers, government officials and leading sustainability voices from around the globe to deepen connections and push our sector forward.
One of the reasons we like this conference so much is that it offers us a chance to learn from leading experts in the field, connect with other companies in our industry, and network with clients, colleagues, and the wider recycling community. All this results in a better, stronger company, which is good news for all of us!
One of the issues currently facing the world of recycling is falling oil prices. What does oil have to do with plastic? A lot! Oil is one of the components of plastic, which means all the plastic things you use, from your shampoo bottles to your Barbie dolls, contains oil. While most people are happy to see oil prices dropping, it has at least one negative effect on the plastics industry. Suddenly, it’s cheaper to make new plastic items than it is to recycle used ones!
This means that landfills are filling up at a faster rate, and that businesses who sell recycled plastics are feeling the crunch. In this sense, falling oil prices can be bad for business and are definitely bad for the environment.
It’s our hope that by continuing to share the importance of recycling, consumers will understand that their own wallets are only part of the picture. Saving a few dollars is a short term solution, but living our lives in a more sustainable way, by supporting businesses that make recycling a priority and shopping with an eye toward the future, is the right and moral thing to do.
No matter what happens in the recycling industry, you can count on Carolina Fibre Corporation to keep you updated and in the know. For more great tips and timely news stories, make sure to like us on Facebook!


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Sono Motors’ first product, the Sion e-car is primarily designed for car sharing applications and is to be delivered with the appropriate software. In addition, the developers of the electric car have come up with a special highlight: Thanks to solar cells in the car body, the Sion can travel distances of up to 34 kilometers on pure solar energy. In addition, like other electric cars, it can be recharged at the socket. 10,000 interested parties have already ordered the car, which is available for around €25,000, the company announced. Series production is scheduled to start in 2022.
This is already the second major crowdfunding campaign by Sono Motors. Founded in 2016, the company had gotten off to a good start with this type of financing, brought in private investors and secured contracts for contract manufacturing at the former Saab factory in Trollhättan.
But then Sono backed out of the financing round for the series production: Sono had broken off negotiations with financial investors for a further round of financing in December of last year, which it said had reached an advanced stage, and at the same time announced the €50 million crowdfunding campaign.


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GV Connect app for Google Voice now available
GV Connect, the Google Voice client for the iPhone and iPod touch that caused quite a stir when it was pulled by Apple last year, has unexpectedly returned to the App Store. Developer Andreas Amann resubmitted the app last week following Apple's new documentation on App Store acceptance.
GV Connect is now available in the App Store for a cool $2.99.
Software Updatesmore updates
- Apple Remote Desktop updated with Yosemite support
- OS X Yosemite 10.10.2, iOS 8.1.3 updates now available
- Sports Illustrated 120 SPORTS channel comes to Apple TV
- Logic Pro X update brings AirDrop support, new effects, tools, and more
- Parallels Access 2.5 released, adds file manager, computer-to-computer remote access
- The Google Translate iOS app is about to get a lot smarter


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Lego rolls out a bearded, stay-at-home dad figurine
Lego is getting a father figure.
The toy company is rolling out a stay-at-home dad figurine — complete with jeans, a red plaid shirt and a scruffy beard — as it continues to create characters that “mirror the world we live in today.” To ensure that the dad isn’t confused for just a blogger from Brooklyn, Lego is pairing it with a working mom wearing a Hillary Clinton-esque pantsuit.
Lego points to the growing number of stay-at-home dads out there: Pew Research pegs the figure at 2 million three years ago — more than double since 1989. Still significantly less than the 10.4 million stay-at-moms, Lego is clearly attempting to mirror the cultural landscape as it evolves.
“We need to stay in tune with the world around us,” Soren Torp Laursen, Lego’s president, told Fortune. “We aren’t responding to demand from anyone. We are trying to portray the world around us and listen to our consumer base.”
Toward that end, Lego has also recently released a kid in a wheelchair, along with a guide dog, as part of the City Line that will include the new parent figurines. The disabled Lego marked a landmark moment in toy manufacturing world when it was released late last month: The little guy won praise for the fact that, although there are 150 million children with disabilities worldwide, few have ever seen themselves positively represented in the toys they play with.
For his part, the new stay-at-home dad is also earning applause online. Though for some, the dad dude looks a little too … hip:
— Leah Rumack (@leahrumack) February 21, 2016
Another person suggested that all it’s missing is a man bun. That, and a green juice.
How (and why) agencies are adapting to stay relevant in the metaverse
To get more comfortable in this new environment, some agencies are getting involved in experimental projects to stake their claim to the metaverse.
‘Reach a totally different audience’: With Sundance virtual once again, marketers pivot to online experiences
Until earlier this month, this year’s Sundance was meant to be a hybrid festival with attendees returning to Park City to participate in-person as well as virtual elements for attendees to tune-in online.
Pepsi launches app and short ‘trailer’ to hype Super Bowl halftime show
The soft-drink giant will promote its Super Bowl Halftime show with a newly launched app and a short film directed by F. Gary Gray.
SponsoredHow the relationship between live events and mobile devices is evolving in 2022
Sponsored by AdColony The pandemic has accelerated changes in the way people consume content — and live events are part of that transformation. For advertisers, the questions are the kind on which campaign success depends: In what ways (and numbers) have people returned to watching sports, e-sports and events such as the Grammys? Are they […]
In Graphic Detail: The great gaming consolidation
Gaming is in the midst of an M&A arms race. The protracted pandemic has made sure of that.
‘The business is at a level of scale now’: The Brandtech Group CEO David Jones on building a business for the ‘post-advertising’ world
Not only is the holding group past the hype cycle peak these businesses usually encounter, it’s skipped right over the trough of disillusionment that tends to follow and is straight into growth mode.


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Nokia hints at a gesture-controlled UI and claims "maybe touch is not good for everything" - Tech Digest
I grabbed the opportunity to speak to the Director of Product and Technology Marketing at Nokia, Sari Ståhlberg, about the still-unconfirmed Touch Tube handset and the patent application for a gesture-controlled UI (pictured), who unfortunately couldn't say too much about it, but did "confirm there will be a touch device coming out later this year." She acknowledged that "touch is something the market wants...it's a great thing, it is a way to access all the things we have in the S60 platform", but that "maybe touch is not good for everything". That gave me the opportunity to ask about the patent application that was flying around the internet a few weeks back, showing a gesture-controlled UI involving sensors and emitters sending out soundwaves. "Sensors are a big thing for us, like motion in the Nintendo Wii...we have been announcing we'll be bringing sensor frameworks for the S60 platform, a framework where you can plug in some kind of sensor, like motion, light, humidity and sound"....
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GFMM desk: On Thursday (January 16, 2020) Bangladesh’s agriculture minister Dr. Abdur Razzak said Bangladesh would increase its wheat procurement from Ukraine if Russian grain was not available due to Moscow’s new export ban.
Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, said on Tuesday (January 14, 2020) that it intends to set non-tariff quotas for export of 20 million tons of grain in the first half of 2020. The government has not yet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture.
“This kind of restriction is unfortunate,” Dr. Razzak told.
Bangladesh is the third largest buyer of Russian wheat after Turkey and Egypt. Bangladesh imported 1.2 million tons of wheat in July-November 20.
Russia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), competing with Ukraine to supply wheat to Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Under WTO rules, countries are not supposed to set export restrictions except for a short time to prevent a critical shortage of food or other products, or to help the international marketing of a product, such as by spreading exports over time.
“We are not going to lodge an official complaint, rather we’ll shift to Ukraine to meet our demand,” Dr. Razzak said.
Russia’s agriculture ministry has said it does not want potentially favorable conditions for Russian grain exporters at the moment to lead to a shortage of grain in the domestic market in the first half of the year.
The ministry did not respond to a request for comment about how export restrictions would correlate with WTO rules. But the WTO declined to comment.
Russian wheat exports are currently at the highest level for the season and trade margins are slim.
One trader focused on Russian wheat said it would be better to have a formal quota mechanism than be subject to the kind of informal limits Russia imposed in 2015, as those curbs made it difficult for traders to meet their forward contracts.
“At least it is going to be official. And the game rules are going to be set,” the trader said.
The quota proposal was published this week before the Russian government resigned. It is not yet clear, when the new government will be fully formed and what the response to the proposed export sanctions will be.


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As part of their latest ‘Women Of The Year… All Year’ special, Glamour Magazine has named Beauty Influencer Jackie Aina as their 2019 ‘Power Influencer Of The Year’.
Being an influencer is a competitive and hard field where getting followers is an everyday struggle. A few of them actually can make a living with their social media life.
Nigerian American Jackie Aina is well-known for her beauty tips, her sense of humour and friendly personality, and thanks to her impressive video channels, she has achieved more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
The social media star’s friendly smile and her continuous jokes have made her incredibly viral. “What if people really got to see how weird and crazy I am?”, she told Glamour Magazine last year. Well, we can say that showing her solely version she has increased her followers. Check it out for yourself with her ‘Doing Makeup With My Baby’ vlog, one of her videos with the most views.
Aina use her voice with the intent to create change instead. She criticised brands that do not have inclusive values and highlight the importance of the colourism in the industry. “I truly mean this wholeheartedly, whenever I talk about brands, I want them to actually implement that feedback and use it to their benefit”. The influencer push the other brands to be more inclusive and her voice always has power.


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Yuzu is a free emulator released in 2018, months after the Nintendo Switch first came out. The same lot who made Citra, a Nintendo 3DS emulator, made this one. Basically, it's a piece of software that lets people play Nintendo Switch games on Windows PC, Linux, and Android devices.
It also runs on Steam Deck, which Valve showed -- then deleted -- in a Steam Deck video clip.
Emulators aren't always illegal, but nicking games to play on them is. But Nintendo said in its lawsuit that there's no way to legal way to use Yuzu.
Nintendo argued that Yuzu runs codes that "beat" Nintendo's security measures, including decryption using "a nicked copy of prod.keys." "
Without Yuzu's decryption of Nintendo's encryption, pirated copies of games could not be played on PCs or Android devices," Nintendo wrote in the lawsuit.
As to the alleged damage caused by Yuzu, Nintendo pointed to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Tears of the Kingdom leaked almost two weeks before the game's May 12 release date. The nicked version of the game spread fast; Nintendo said it was downloaded more than 1 million times before Tears of the Kingdom's release date. People used Yuzu to play the game; Nintendo said more than 20 per cent of download links pointed people to Yuzu.
Though Yuzu doesn't dish out pirated copies of games, Nintendo repeatedly said that most ROM sites point people toward Yuzu to play whatever games they've downloaded.
Nintendo said it's spent loads of dosh to stop the illegal copying, marketing, sale, and distribution" of its Nintendo Switch games. It says that Yuzu earns the team €26,000 per month on its Patreon from more than 7,000 patrons.
Nintendo said the company has earned at least €43,000 in paid Yuzu downloads. Nintendo said that Yuzu's Patreon doubled its paid members in the period between May 1-12, when Tears of the Kingdom was released. Nintendo is asking the court to shut down the emulator and for damages.


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I think Apple has a huge hit on its hands. It’s just not the Apple Watch.
As I said in my column today, I think Apple’s new smartwatch has some serious shortcomings that could keep it from being a mainstream success. But that doesn’t mean the company’s event yesterday was much ado about nothing.
In addition to the new watch, Apple unveiled two larger-screened iPhones. The iPhone 6, with its 4.7-inch screen, is likely to rival the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One m8. Meanwhile, the iPhone 6 Plus, with its 5.5-inch screen, is clearly targeting so-called “phablets” like Samsung’s Galaxy Note series.
I think the new phones are going to sell like hot cakes.
Over the last couple of years, there’s been a big shift in the market toward larger-screened phones. In the United States, more than a quarter of the smartphones sold in the second quarter of this year had a screen that was 4.7 inches or larger, according to NPD Group. That was up from just 2 percent two years earlier.
Worldwide, 40 percent of smartphones shipped in the second quarter of this year had screens that were 5 inches or larger, according to Canalys. That was up from 18 percent in the same period last year and less than 1 percent in the second quarter of 2012.
Until now, Apple fans interested in a bigger screened phones faced a tough choice. If they insisted on getting a bigger-screened phone, they had to buy an Android or Windows Phone device, because Apple didn’t offer what they wanted. Apple likely lost sales due to the screen factor and it’s a good bet that it played a role in the iPhone’s loss of market share in recent years.
The situation reminds me of Apple’s decision when it launched the iPhone to only sell it through AT&T. Consumers who wanted a smartphone but weren’t willing to switch to AT&T had no choice of an Apple product. So they bought Android phones instead. By leaving out Verizon and other carriers, Apple arguably helped jump start the market for rival devices.
When Apple finally did bring the iPhone to Verizon, its iPhone sales surged. I’m betting a similar thing is going to happen now that it’s offering big-screened smartphones.
Apple could also get a boost from the carriers. Immediately after Apple’s event on Tuesday, Sprint announced a new service plan just for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus customers. The company plans to charge $50 a month — not including the cost of the phones — for unlimited calling, texting and data usage. It also announced an “iPhone for life” plan, that allows users to pay a $20 monthly fee to essentially lease their phone, with the right to trade it in for an upgrade every two years for no additional charge.
Verizon, meanwhile, announced that it would give customers a new 16-gigabyte iPhone 6 for no money down if they traded in an old iPhone and signed a two-year contract. T-Mobile announced its own iPhone trade-in offer and is expected to announce new service plans later on Wednesday.
I’m not a huge fan of phablets, and I’ve long been resistant to bigger phones in general, because they can be difficult to hold and use in hand. But in recent years, manufacturers like Samsung and HTC have succeeded in making bigger-screened phones that are actually comfortable to hold. They’ve done so by making the devices thinner, by decreasing the border around the gadget’s screens and, in some cases, by giving them a rounded back that fits more naturally in a user’s palm.
I still think the devices with 5.5-inch and larger screens like the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy Note series are comically — an uncomfortably — large. But I really liked the size of the iPhone 6 and how it felt in my hand. In fit and finish, it reminded me a lot of HTC’s One, which is my favorite recent Android device.
So I think Apple did announce a hit new product or two yesterday, even if they weren’t the ones everyone was waiting for.
Photo courtesy of Apple.


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Students and staff in the Technology faculty at Reading College are to benefit from a new partnership with BW: Workplace Experts.
BW: Workplace Experts, fit out and refurbish workplaces to high-spec standards for big brands in the UK. Specialising in quality, sustainable construction and creating the perfect setting for their clients’ employees to flourish and their businesses to grow, the company has worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Selfridges and Amazon. They have recently entered into a partnership with a blue chip retailer to refurbish and fit out their UK headquarters in Reading.
By signing an MOU with BW, Technology faculty staff will have the opportunity to attend CPD events, while students will be able to arrange workplace visits. BW will also work with Reading College to design a bespoke project for construction students. Students will get the chance to visit BW’s site to see the development in action.
Alex Warner, Career Pathway Director at Activate Learning, said: “We are extremely excited to be working with BW, which will offer students and staff alike some fantastic opportunities. In particular, our students are looking forward to visiting the BW’s site to see how BW will completely change the environment whilst operating within an occupied building. This is a major project and the building must remain fully functional as employees will remain working in the building during the works. I am delighted that our students will experience working with such a dynamic and innovative company and I look forward to seeing the work that they will produce as a result of their upcoming project.”


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Business News›samsung micromax
IT minister to meet top electronics, gear makers
About 16 selected firms are expected to have these individual meetings that will focus on their investments in the country and the hurdles they face, people aware of the development said.
Samsung applies for Rs 900 crore sops under PLI handset scheme
Samsung India Electronics Ltd’s FY20 standalone net profit was Rs 2,902.30 crore on revenue of Rs 78,651.20 crore, as per data provided by business intelligence firm Tofler. The company gets around 70% of its India revenue, or around Rs 55,000 crore, from the mobile phone segment. The company’s India revenue from mobile phones for FY21 is also in the same range, said people aware of the matter.
Global, local handset brands expect JioPhone Next to expand upgrade market
Xiaomi’s managing director Manu Kumar Jain had earlier told ET the brand is eyeing the upgrade opportunity which arises out of the new smartphone user base buying Reliance Industries’ affordable 4G smartphone.
Hardware incentive scheme gets proposals worth Rs 2,350 crore
These proposals are expected to bring additional investments worth Rs 2,350 crore in electronics manufacturing
Pandemic-induced curbs, parts shortage drain smartphones
Smartphone sales are taking a beating due to covid-induced restrictions, while a shortage of key components and a depreciating rupee are jacking up their prices.
Mobile makers invest Rs 1,300 crore under PLI Scheme in 2020 Dec qtr: GovtThree companies -- Foxconn Hon Hai, Wistron and Pegatron -- are contract manufacturers for Apple iPhones. Apple and Samsung account for 37 and 22 per cent of global sales revenue of mobile phones.
Lower discounts, lesser offers on smartphones likely this year amid supply shortagesAnalysts said that price cuts will also be scarce this year as companies are unlikely to have high inventories given disturbance in supplies. They added that the smartphone industry – riding on record demand since the festive period of 2020 - is currently watching for any impact of the renewed surge in Covid infections, with offline retailers in Mumbai already flagging slowing sales in March.
Samsung Electronics sole company to hit targets under PLI schemeAs a result, other handset makers including Apple contract manufacturers Foxconn and Wistron, Optiemus, Dixon, Lava, Bhagwati, UTL, Sahasra, AT&S and Neolync may miss out on incentives worth ₹5,334 crore earmarked for the year ending March 31. However, a government official said a final call on the matter is yet to be taken.
PM for innovation, technology, less compliances for India's bigger role in manufacturing value chainIn this year's Budget, about Rs 2 lakh crore was earmarked for the PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme for the next five years and "there is an expectation that the scheme would result in increasing the production by about USD 520 billion in the next five years", Modi said in a virtual meet with manufacturing industry leaders on ‘PLI - Linking India To Global Value Chains’ on Friday.
Record 100 million smartphone shipped in H2 2020 in India: ReportSamsung was the leader in the overall mobile market with a 19% share in 2020, while Xiaomi led the market in the October-December quarter.
India's smartphone market contracts 4% in 2020, 150 million units shippedXiaomi recaptured the number one spot with 26% market share in the October-December quarter, followed by Samsung's 20%, Vivo's 15%, Realme's 11% and Oppo's 10% share.
150 million units shipped: Smartphone market contracts 4% in 2020Although the top five brands remained resilient, others including Apple, OnePlus, Poco, Transsion group (Itel, Infinix and Tecno) and Micromax recorded their best-ever quarters.
Smartphone market down just 4% in 2020 on higher demand in second half of the yearXiaomi recaptured the number one spot with 26% share in the October-December quarter, followed by Samsung’s 20%, Vivo’s 15%, Realme’s 11% and Oppo’s 10% share.
Components shortage hits launch plans of domestic phone makersThe supply constraints, which started in mid-2020, have driven up prices sharply of key components such as displays, which is making it difficult for brands to manage bill of materials, especially for sub- Rs 10,000 phones.
Can’t meet FY21 target, roll over PLI milestones, handset makers tell govtICEA represents Foxconn, Wistron, Lava and Micromax among others. Samsung, which is not a member of the body, also held discussions with the government along similar lines.
India's smartphone segment set to script double-digit growth story in 2021After the lockdown was eased, the industry saw a never-seen-before level of demand. Shipment in September quarter is estimated to have touched an all-time high of over 50 million units. Pent up demand, coupled with people rushing in to buy devices to ensure continuity of work and studies, saw tech brands literally struggling to keep up.
Chipset shortage forces govt to reach out to Taiwan supplierThe Indian companies allege that MediaTek is discriminating against them by diverting a major portion of chipsets to Chinese smartphone vendors amid a global supply crunch, allegations that the Taiwanese company has denied.
Handset makers want a 2-3 month extension on PLI targets amid supply crunch, pandemicIn early October approved the government cleared 10 companies to avail of benefits under the production-linked incentive or PLI scheme – five foreign firms including two units of Foxconn, Wistron, Pegatron and Samsung and Indian companies Lava, Micromax, Karbonn, Dixon and Optiemus.
Handset makers may hire around 50,000 people by March 2021, driven by PLI schemeRecruiters say the blue collared workforce returning to the cities and the push for diversity, has mobile makers set up hiring mandates with assurance of safe workplaces amidst Covid-19 outbreak.
Micromax sees 10% sales volume coming from own digital platform by fiscal-end"The intent is to drive at least 10 per cent of the overall volumes from this platform by the end this financial year," Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma told .
PLI scheme approval a challenge for local manufacturers to scale up: IndustryThe government, on Tuesday, approved applications of 16 electronics companies including 10 mobile phone manufacturers for reward under the product-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for total disbursement of Rs 40,000 crore, expected to attract investment of Rs 11,000 crore in next five years.
Affordable smartphone sales shoot up as demand grows due to e-learning needsThe $100-200 (₹7,350-14,700) smartphones in India have always been the biggest category by volume but exponential growth of budget- and mid-range devices these days is primarily because of the economic impact and emergence of new use-cases that do not require high specifications.
Incentivise electronic product design to make India self-reliant, says IESA's Satya GuptaFor this, the government could set aside 15-20% of the funds currently being allocated for incentivising largescale electronics manufacturing in the country, said Gupta, who took over as chairman of IESA in April this year.
Diversifying supply chains: Apple vendor eyes production shift to IndiaThe establishment of the facility is expected to generate employment for around 55,000 Indian workers over a year or so, sources familiar with the exercise told TOI. The vendors may expand the operations beyond phones to include tablets and even computers and laptops in the coming years.
Apple vendors, Samsung, others propose Rs 11 lakh crore mobile phone production under PLI schemeThe proposals submitted by the companies to the Ministry of Electronics and IT to avail benefits of the Production Link Incentives (PLI) are expected to create 12 lakh employment opportunities -- 3 lakh direct and around 9 lakh indirect jobs, a source told PTI.
Indian smartphone companies, MNCs plan revival strategies to combat Chinese companiesHomegrown mobile phone makers are scaling up to make the maximum of the anti-Chinese wave.
Amazon Freedom Sale: Samsung 43” TV at 35% discount, split ACs at 30% offThe e-tailer has brought several premium quality air conditioners at steal deal prices with up to 40% discount.Load More
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Google Being Sued By The Justice Department
The Justice Department and 11 states have filed an antitrust case against Google, accusing the company of using anti-competitive tactics to monopolize the online search and search advertising markets. Google calls the lawsuit “deeply flawed”. The suit comes two weeks before the election and at a time when the Administration is putting pressure on Silicon Valley. NBCLX talks to Matt Schruers, President of the Computer & Communications Industry Association for more context.


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China Airlines has placed an order for four more Boeing 777F freighters, the company stated on Thursday (27 January).
The deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2023, and China Airlines has been operating six 777F freighters since 2020. The addition of four new 777F freighters to the fleet will raise the overall number of 777F freighters to ten.
China Airlines’ cargo carrying capability will be boosted by this addition of the 777F freighter fleet, which will join the world’s largest 747F freighter fleet.
China Airlines is the world’s fifth-largest freight airline. By balancing network development and market movements against the aircraft replacement schedule, the continuous fleet purchase program will improve operating performance.
In December 2020, China Airlines began receiving six 777F freighters. Three have already been delivered, with two more scheduled for delivery in 2022 and one in 2023; delivery of the four freshly planned 777F freighters will begin in 2023 and end in 2024.
The 777F is a twin-engine freighter with great performance and fuel efficiency, making it ideal for trans-Pacific routes with less payload constraints and better use of hold space.
The cargo holds aboard the plane are entirely temperature-controlled.
Cargo pallet restraint systems for hauling semiconductor machinery and engines can be installed in the main cargo hold, ensuring that high-value cargo such as precision instruments and temperature-controlled commodities receive optimal carriage services.
Due to the high demand for cargo during the COVID-19 epidemic, China Airlines benefited from the cargo-carrying capability of its 18 747F and three 777F freighters.
These planes, as well as passenger plane cargo in the belly hold, produced outstanding outcomes. In 2021, several milestones were achieved, including dispatching over 100 cargo charter flights in a single month, exceeding TWD15.4 billion (US$553.8 million) in single-month cargo revenues in December, exceeding TWD10 billion in cargo revenues for five consecutive months, and sweeping past TWD100 billion in cargo revenues for the entire year.
The freight market is where China Airlines is concentrating its efforts. The greater capacity provided by the new freighters will be used to seize global economic possibilities once they are gradually placed into service.


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The scarcity of chips has been a headache for HP, laptop and automotive companies in the world for a long time. However, it seems that this condition will not be resolved, it could even get worse and make the price of laptops so that the price of smartphones is threatened to rise. What caused it?
The Chinese government initially tried to strictly monitor energy use in order to reduce emissions. However, it led to a shortage of silicon production needed to make computer chips.
The scarcity of fuel causes the silicon production to be disrupted. The reason is that several large factories have stopped their operations because the price of coal fuel, which is considered the source of pollution, is getting higher. China has declared carbon-free by 2060, but its implementation has caused chaos.
There has been a drastic cut in silicon production in China. In fact, the elements that are actually abundant from Earth are important for producing technology that is used daily such as smartphones, cars and laptops.
Silicon is used in making semiconductors for cellphone and smartphone chips and four-wheeled vehicles, so they are the ones most affected. "Increasing demand due to the global pandemic and energy crisis means that silicon shortages are inevitable," said Seda Memik, Professor of Computers at Northwester University.
Apple is already feeling the impact. One of Apple's key chip suppliers, Taiwan-based TSMC, has reportedly raised component prices due to the shortage of silicon, which has the potential to increase prices for iPhones and other Apple products or delay production.
The same is true in the computer industry. "The PC industry continues to be plagued by supply and logistics challenges and unfortunately this issue has not seen much progress in recent months," said Jitesh Ubrani, researcher at IDC.
Glenn O'Donnell, research director at market research firm Forrester Research, said the shortage of chips due to supply constraints resulted in higher prices that producers needed to absorb or pass on to consumers. This is likely to happen next year.
"They have to raise prices because supply prices are also going up. This is a shortage of chips. It's a classic problem of supply and demand," O'Donnell was quoted as saying by The CIO Dive.


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US study finds carcinogens in kids' bath products
Dozens of popular children's bath products marketed in the United States contain two cancer-causing chemicals, a consumer safety watchdog group said in a report published Friday.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics commissioned an independent laboratory to test 48 top-selling children's products for 1,4-dioxane and 28 of them for formaldehyde.
Used for embalming corpses and, in the United States, as glue in chipboard, formaldehyde is a by-product of a preservative added to the products to prevent bacteria growth and extend their shelf-life.
The 1,4-dioxane chemical is used as a foaming agents in some products.
Twenty-three of the 28 products tested for formaldehyde were shown to contain the chemical, and 17 of those products contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.
Among those were the highly popular Johnson's Baby Shampoo, L'Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 shampoo and Pampers Kandoo foaming hand soap, which contained enough formaldehyde to trigger a skin reaction in highly sensitive people, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said in its report.
According to the US National Cancer Institute, studies of workers exposed to formaldehyde have linked the chemical to cancers of the nasal sinuses, nasopharynx, brain and possibly leukemia.
Thirty-two of the 48 products tested, or 67 percent, contained 1,4-dioxane.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has said that even trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane give "cause for concern," while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Health and Human Services have both identified dioxane as causing cancer in animals and as a "probable human carcinogen."
"If chemicals are causing cancer in animals, we really shouldn't be putting them on babies' heads," said Stacy Malkan of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
The Personal Care Products Council dismissed the study's finding as "patently false" and accused the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics of "preying upon parental worries."
"The levels of the two chemicals the group reportedly found are considered to be 'trace' or extremely low, are well below established regulatory limits or safety thresholds and are not a cause for health concern," the US trade association for the cosmetic and personal care products industry said.
"When present, these chemicals would likely be found at very low levels precisely because companies have gone to great lengths in the formulation and manufacturing processes to ensure that the products are safe and gentle for children and also protected from harmful bacterial growth," the organization said.
Malkan said the study gave cause for concern because "children are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of chemicals."
The two chemicals are "completely unregulated" in the United States, while 1,4-dioxane is banned in Europe and formaldehyde is restricted, she said.
"I don't think parents need to be alarmed but I feel outraged because there's no need for these products to contain carcinogens," she added.
(c) 2009 AFP


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Fast-fashion brands are notorious for stealing other brands' and celebrities' ideas, likeness, and overall concepts. And while it's become a commonplace practice, celebs have had enough and are fighting back. That's why Ariana Grande is taking Forever 21 to court, and demanding a massive amount of money for stealing her likeness for a campaign earlier this year.
Looks like Forever 21 is having quite a year — and not a good one.
Trouble is brewing for clothing retailer Forever 21.
And she means business.
The singer is suing for a massive $10 million in damages. Court documents filed at the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California revealed that after Grande declined an endorsement deal by Forever 21 and its beauty line, Riley Rose, Forever 21 chose to move forward with the collection rather than paying the singer.
But that's not all.
The court documents also revealed that Grande knew about the campaign in February, and upon asking the retailer to take down the posts, the request was not fulfilled until April. In addition to the $10 million, Grande is also requesting an injunction prohibiting Forever 21 from using her name, images, and likeness in any future campaigns.


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“Reduce” and “Eliminate”: Two Effective Messages For Reducing Meat Consumption
Animal welfare advocates, health care practitioners and environmentalists use a wide range of appeals to encourage people to eat less meat, even though there has been little research done on the effectiveness of these appeals. A study from the Animal Welfare Action Lab aims to address this lack of research, showing that appeals asking readers to reduce or eliminate their meat consumption lead to significant reductions in eating meat up to five weeks later.
The study randomly assigned 3,076 participants to one of three groups: reduce, eliminate, or control. Each group was given a different news article to read followed by a “lifestyle and dietary choices” survey. The article given to the reduce group discussed factory farming and emphasized that a growing number of people are reducing meat consumption while encouraging readers to do the same.
The eliminate group was given a similar article that highlighted the number of people eliminating meat consumption altogether, and were also encouraged to eliminate meat from their diets. The control article highlighted the benefits of walking as a form of exercise and didn’t discuss diet or meat consumption in any way.
After reading their article, each group was given a short survey about their attitudes toward factory farming and whether they planned to change their meat consumption. Five weeks after the initial survey, participants also completed an additional survey about their current meat consumption and attitudes. Each group of participants—reduce, eliminate and control, was given the same survey.
Both the reduce and eliminate messaging strategies resulted in readers actually reducing their meat consumption (by 7.1% and 5.8%, respectively), although there was no significant difference between the two types of appeals. In addition, reading the articles also increased the number of discussions individuals had about these topics.
More research is needed, particularly to examine the effectiveness of appeals beyond five weeks from exposure and test more types of messaging. But it’s clear that reduce and eliminate appeals are effective tools for changing individual meat consumption and attitudes. Animal welfare advocates, health care practitioners and environmentalists who wish to draw attention to these issues should continue to use them.


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Analysts are turning their attention toward the Marc Jacobs turnaround efforts as the broader business at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton clicks along with solid first-quarter sales growth, despite worries about an overly “exuberant” luxury market.
On a conference call to go over the company’s 15 percent top line gain in the first quarter of this year, HSBC analyst Erwan Rambourg noted that “there’s very little not doing too well” outside of the Marc Jacobs business and asked if the company had “a plan B if the repositioning doesn’t bear fruit.”
Chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Guiony stood firm in his support and told Rambourg it’s “probably one of the few negative performances we have in the group.”
“The company, in my view, is making a big improvement in its product,” Guiony said. “What they do, what they have been doing over the last season or two seasons is much better than before, particularly on the handbag business. Obviously, this takes a little bit of time to pay off, but we are extremely confident and in the meantime, we have to reduce the cost base. There is no plan B. There is no plan C. And it will take the time it takes to fix this business, which we think is a very promising business [that] has proven quite complicated to develop, but we are great believers of the future of Marc Jacobs.”
Exane BNP Paribas’ Luca Solca followed up on that, noting that the read on the Marc Jacobs outlook seemed “more positive,” but Guiony made clear there’s plenty more to do and that LVMH is committed to helping the brand hit its potential.
“I’m not positive about the outlook,” Guiony said. “I’m positive about the brand and the teams. That’s all. We are very confident that we will make it. We have always been confident, how long it takes, and what it costs is another question, which unfortunately I don’t want to share in a public way. I mean, we’re working very hard to make this brand up to its potential and we are really working on it.”
Marc Jacobs’ repositioning has led to the demise of the label’s men’s collection.
“In connection with the transition of our brand to focus on the core women’s business, we have concluded our license agreement with Staff International SpA for our small men’s business, following the fall 2017 line,” the brand said Tuesday. “We are grateful to Staff International for their work over the past eight years, and thank them for their commitment.” The license covered ready-to-wear, bags, accessories and footwear.
While men’s is on the back burner for the time being, the company may integrate some select men’s pieces into the line in the future, but not immediately.
Marc Jacobs stepped down from the creative helm of Louis Vuitton in 2013 to focus with on his namesake brand, with an eye toward an eventual IPO. That was just two years after Michael Kors Holdings went public with great fanfare, reminding investors of all stripes about the riches to be had by floating a fashion company, when things go right. The market has since changed, though, with stocks at a high and investors more reticent to get behind apparel brands, particularly as consumer habits change and e-commerce grabs a bigger share of the market — and investor bandwidth.
Analysts were keen to talk about LVMH’s digital game plan.
Guiony said LVMH has been thinking about how to expand, including through a digital push under the auspices of the firm’s luxury department store, Le Bon Marché, but that plans were not set.
Asked about how much of Louis Vuitton and Sephora’s sales came through the web, Guiony said: “I will give you the answer when the competition gives the answer. I understand that everybody is talking about online, but I don’t see many numbers. So, I have them, but for the time being, we shall keep them for ourselves.”
He did note that digital sales are more profitable than brick-and-mortar sales — once a certain critical mass has been reached.
“So it depends very much on the degree of maturity of the online business of a given brand,” Guiony said, noting Sephora in the U.S. had reached that threshold.
Despite the general strength at the luxury giant, Guiony told analysts on a conference call that the company was “not in the mood” to release additional funds for capital expenditures or operating expenditures for the second half of the year, noting the first-quarter’s growth rate “should not be extrapolated for the rest of the year.”
“Our visibility is not particularly good,” the cfo said. “This current environment, which is quite exuberant, calls for cautions.”
He pointed to prior statements from chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault, who has warned investors that he was “extremely cautious for 2017.”
Separately, Christian Dior Couture — which like LVMH is part of the Christian Dior group — posted first-quarter revenues of 506 million euros, or $539 million at average exchange rates, up 18 percent versus the same period a year ago. At constant exchange rates, sales rose 17 percent, compared with 12 percent in the previous quarter.
Retail sales revenue rose 19 percent at actual exchange rates and 18 percent at constant exchange rates, boosted by the positive reception for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first rtw and accessories collections for the house, it reported.
The company’s last financial year exceptionally ran from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2016, and it moved back to reporting in line with the calendar year in 2017.


text: Guest post by Erica Rae Chong Alissa Chavez is no typical 17-year-old. She's been inventing products since she was 11, owns her own small business called Assila and has had a patent approved for a recent invention that could potentially save lives. Chavez, who lives in Albuquerque, calls her invention The Hot Seat— a safety device that alerts parents and passersby if a child has been left in a vehicle. The device is a sensor pad that can be attached to any infant, toddler or booster seat. It connects wirelessly to a fob that can be fastened to a parent's car keys, and a smartphone app that parents can download. If a parent leaves a child unattended in a car, he or she will only get 40 feet (about 12 metres) before The Hot Seat triggers a piercing alarm on the fob and the smartphone app. The Hot Seat also has a car alarm that can be attached to the car itself which will go off too if parents stray too far, alerting anyone nearby. In the United States, an average of 38 people die each year from being in overheated cars (no Canadian data is available). The Canada Safety Council reports that a small car exposed to the sun on a 35ºC day can reach temperatures of 50ºC and soar to 65.5 ºC within 40 minutes. To put things in perspective, watch Terry Bartley, a North Carolina father of three, sit in a hot car in June to raise awareness about leaving children unattended in a car. "I want to know how it feels to be left in the car, sitting in the back seat, strapped into a car seat with the windows up and doors probably locked," Bartley says in the video clip. It was 90°F (32°C) as Bartley sat in his car, windows rolled up and sweat dripping down his face and neck. He could only endure 20 minutes. Chavez’s project was motivated by stories not unlike Harris's. She wrote on her Indiegogo campaign page that The Hot Seat was inspired by the children she grew up with in her mom's childcare business. "They show me every day what a blessing they are and how they can fill our lives with happiness and I can't imagine losing a child to such a terrible accident," she wrote. Her product is still in its infancy stage and she is seeking funding on the popular crowdsourcing site, Indiegogo, to create a prototype of her invention. In two months, her crowdsourcing campaign has raised over $14,500, blowing past her goal of $5,000. Check out why this accident can happen to anyone and how to prevent it.


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International announced Feb. 16 that it is the first lab to include a QR
barcode on its reports, which will allow suppliers, retailers, and consumers
real-time verification of GSI diamond reports.
Using any smartphone, a person can scan the barcode on the
report and instantly be directed to the GSI webpage that shows the
document. GSI is the only gem lab that
offers an image of the actual grading report online.
“QR technology provides a rapid, third-party verification
for the consumer and others, which can help overcome considerations regarding
authenticity at the sales counter,” said GSI CEO Mark Gershburg in a statement.
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