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TAIWAN-BASED global logistics service provider Dimerco Express Group has promoted Edward Lin as its new chief executive officer.
He replaces Paul Chien, founder and chairman of the company. Lin is currently Dimerco’s chief operating officer.
This change represents ‘inheritance by generation’, says a statement.
Prior to joining Dimerco 10 years ago, Lin worked in the air cargo, ocean and road freight industries for more than 25 years.
Chien will continue as chairman.
Latest asia news
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Vietnamese logistics firms are struggling to compete with foreign peers. (Photo: Internet)
The BizLIVE newspaper and the Vietnam Logistics Association (VLA) will co-organize a conference where attendees will take a deep look into Vietnam’s logistics industry, in the context the country is accelerating integration into regional and international trade blocs including the ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC), which will take shape by the year-end.
Guests from logistics associations in ASEAN countries will also share their experiences in developing this sector.
The event will drive the participation of representatives of Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the VLA and logistics associations of the other nine ASEAN countries.
Vietnamese logistics providers are facing fierce competition from 25 foreign peers, who control a 75% share of the local logistics market, valued at some $40 billion. The rest is held by 1,300 local firms.
BizLIVE will bring the conference live to readers.

domain: news


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TORONTO, ON and VANCOUVER, BC, August 19, 2014 – Vancouver-based startup accelerator GrowLab Ventures and Toronto’s Extreme Startups have announced their merger and the launch of HIGHLINE, the first pan-Canadian accelerator platform, at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) this morning. MERGER OF EQUALS TO CREATE NEW POWERHOUSE ABOVE THE 49th... more.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – Appcelerator®, provider of the leading enterprise mobile engagement platform, today announced a $22 million round of Series D funding led by new investor Rembrandt Venture Partners. Union Grove Venture Partners, also a new investor, and existing investors Storm Ventures, Sierra Ventures, Mayfield Fund, Translink Capital, Relay... more.
By: Gillian Shaw Imagine you arrive early for work, and as you park your car, a coupon pops up on your phone rewarding you with a free coffee. Or you’re rushing to a meeting and as you unlock your car, a message displays on your phone saying your teen has... more.
TORONTO, August 7 2014 – Leading mobile sports app theScore (TSX Venture: SCR) has been named the best sports app on iPad by The Tabby Awards, the only global competition for the best tablet apps and games. theScore won both awards it was eligible for – overall Winner for Sports on... more.
By: Katherine Duncan After skipping four grades in elementary and high school, graduating from college at 18, then landing a business-development position at news aggregator Digg, Brian Wong was on the fast track to success. But five months later, he found himself jobless–and trying to determine what to do next.... more.
By Tim Bradshaw, Andrew Ward and Richard Waters Walter de Brouwer’s life changed when his son fell 35 feet from a window. Spending anxious months in intensive care, the entrepreneur became all too familiar with the machines that tracked his son’s vital signs. But for 23 hours a day he... more.
TORONTO and MENLO PARK, Calif. – June 23, 2014 – Relay Ventures today announced that Google Inc. has acquired mDialog, a video advertising technology startup in its investment portfolio. In sharing the acquisition news last week, Google said it plans to integrate the mDialog technology and expertise into its DoubleClick... more.
Partnering with the New York Academy of Sciences to deliver world-class science content, Galxyz offers kids a chance to hunt for sequenced curiosity particles while fighting epic battles using knowledge gained from the particles. On April 29th, 2014 in New York City, Silicon Valley startup, Galxyz, Inc., announced that it... more.
Programmatic buying is one of Madison Avenue’s hottest trends and today Jelli will formally launch its programmatic ad platform RadioSpot, targeting FM/AM stations. It uses technology the company says will streamline and automate the buying and airing of radio ads. By year’s end Jelli executives say they also expect the... more.
by Tyler Loechner Jelli, a programmatic ad platform for the radio industry, on Thursday formally launched its platform for broadcast advertisers, dubbed RadioSpot. This is where the definition of “programmatic” becomes important. While some associate it with real-time bidding (RTB), “programmatic” is more of an umbrella term for the automation of... more.


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SweepSouth Pauses Operations In Nigeria
The South African home cleaning startup has established a presence for itself in each of Africa’s four major tech markets
SweepSouth has announced it’s shutting down operations in Nigeria. The company described the decision as a very difficult one via a statement shared on its Twitter page. The company said it cannot sustainably operate due to economic pressures, as the home service industry continues to be hit hard by the unfavourable global macroeconomic environment.
The venture capitalists-backed company commenced operations in South Africa in 2021 and later expanded its services to Kenya and Egypt. In 2022, the company launched its services in Nigeria.
According to SweepSouth, the closure of its operations in Nigeria will take effect from Friday, November 25, 2022. In this regard, all bookings scheduled after the date mentioned above will be cancelled. The company revealed that customers will receive full refunds for any bookings that have been paid for in advance and full refunds for Sweepcred loaded in the customers’ accounts.
The statement reads: “This has been a difficult decision to make considering our passion for serving the Nigerian market. We know this decision will negatively impact our SweepSouth community and SweepStars. Therefore we ask for your support and understanding as we navigate this time. All bookings scheduled to take place between now and November 25th will remain in place.”


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Dell gets EU approval to receive euro54.5 million from Polish government for new plantBy AP
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Dell wins EU OK to get euro54.5 million Polish aid
BRUSSELS — Dell Inc. won EU approval Wednesday to receive a euro54.4 million ($80.4 million) subsidy from the Polish government to build a new plant there, replacing Ireland as the computer maker’s new European manufacturing hub.
The European Commission said it could allow the government aid the company because the new factory would create jobs in a disadvantaged part of Poland — Lodz, the country’s third-largest city — where there is an unusually low standard of living and high unemployment.
The state will pay just over a quarter of the total investment of euro189.58 million in the plant which will eventually employ up to 3,000 people to make desktops, notebooks and servers, including Latitude and Inspiron models.
Open since January 2008, the factory currently employs 1,700.
EU regulators said they investigated the subsidy carefully because they initially doubted that the plant needed state help and wanted to check that it didn’t enrich Dell or help it make more of a product that wasn’t selling.
When Dell announced plans to build the plant in Poland, it was hailed as a landmark project for bringing high-skilled work to the country where hundreds of thousands of young, educated people were leaving for higher-paid jobs in other parts of the EU.
Round Rock, Texas-based Dell said it had picked Poland as a manufacturing center because it was close to a large, growing customer base in central and eastern Europe where it expected sales to increase by nearly 14 percent a year.
It also helps the company cut manufacturing costs, as profits decline and it loses its status as the world’s No. 1 PC maker to rival Hewlett-Packard Co.
Dell said earlier this year that it would shift its European manufacturing center from Limerick, Ireland to lower-wage Poland with the loss of some 2,000 Irish jobs and another 840 in local supplier companies.
Dell was Ireland’s second-largest corporate employer, its biggest exporter and in recent years has contributed about 5 percent to the national gross domestic product. Economists warn that each Dell job underpins another four to five jobs in Ireland.
Some 1,000 Irish workers will remain in Limerick to coordinate manufacturing throughout Europe and research and develop new products. Dell also employs another 1,300 people in a Dublin-based marketing and sales center for Europe.
Tags: Brussels, Eastern Europe, Europe, European Union, Ireland, Poland, Products And Services, Western Europe


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Cold, Winter Weather Impact January Soybean Crush
**Bob Lane was out of the office today and will return on Monday, March 4, 2024.**
U.S. soybean crushing volumes totaled 195 million bushels in January, the USDA reported on...
Hide trading was quiet today and participants agreed with current price ranges. Additionally, market participants continue to express optimism regarding the improvement in leather demand after prices have been under pressure over the past few weeks.
Trend Continues in 2023 to Replace Natural Leather with Alternatives in Shoes
Footwear hide tanners in the Chinese domestic shoe sector continue to purchase minimal volumes of US hide material and report weak leather orders from brands. Regular weight Heavy Texas Steer (HTS) hides, a commonly used selection in footwear leather, lost 76 percent of value from nine years ago,…


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Sharp Eyes Profit From Small Displays, Books Charge on TVs
Japan's Sharp Corp forecast an unexpected jump in operating profit as demand for smartphones and tablets boosts sales, but said a temporary production halt at two TV panel plants earlier this year would force it to book an extraordinary charge.
For the year ending March 2012, Sharp expects operating profit to rise 23 percent to 97 billion yen ($1.2 billion), substantially above the consensus of 56.8 billion yen, based on the average of 30 forecasts by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
As part of a strategy aimed at tapping the burgeoning tablet market, Sharp said it will switch most production at its Kameyama liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel plant in western Japan to smaller panels used in popular devices such as Apple's iPad.
Once a mainstay of the company's LCD TV business, the plant is increasingly seen as redundant as competition heats up from rivals including LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics.
Sharp says it has a technical advantage in manufacturing larger panels of 60 inches or more, as well as the small panels used in mobile devices, but will scale back production in the commoditized middle sector.
"South Korean companies are losing money in the 30 to 40 inch market," Sharp President Mikio Katayama told reporters in Tokyo on Friday. "Sharp is not going to do battle in a market where we lose money even if we win."
Analysts expect global tablet sales to soar to more than 50 million units in 2011. Apple boasts 80 percent of the market, but it is attracting many new entrants.
Separately, Sharp said on Friday it would source midsized panels from cost-competitive alliance partners in China and Taiwan. Katayama told reporters talks about a plan for Sharp to build its own cutting-edge TV panel plant in China had stalled.
The Nikkei business daily reported that Sharp is in talks with Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision to jointly procure parts for LCD production. Katayama declined to confirm the report, but said Sharp would work with overseas companies to cut costs.
Sharp was forced to suspend output at two TV panel plants in April, after the March 11 earthquake triggered a plunge in demand and shortages of a gas used in the production process.
The company said on Friday it would take a 27 billion yen extraordinary charge in the April-June quarter following the stoppages.
For the current business year, Sharp expects to sell 15 million flat-screen TVs compared with 14.8 million the previous year.
Like many of its rivals, Sharp delayed its annual earnings guidance as it weighed the impact of the disaster on consumption and on its supply chain.
"We know we cannot let our guard down, given the tough situation that is expected to continue following the earthquake and the nuclear crisis," Katayama told reporters. "But there are also positive signs, such as the growing demand for smartphones, increasing interest in energy-saving devices such as LED lights and an increase in demand for solar panels."
Sharp's shares jumped immediately after the earnings forecast announcement, trading up as much as 4.2 percent to a nearly two-month high of 768 yen, but fell back to close up 0.1 percent at 738 yen in a broader market down 0.7 percent fall.


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Blockchain initiatives will span the enterprise architecture and have the potential to. secure document exchange and support funds.Please update your payment information to continue enjoying the Nikkei Asian Review.Find a live Bitcoin price chart, exchange rate data and Bitcoin news.Instead of the currently expensive and lengthy title review and. at the advent of the blockchain revolution,.
JP Buntinx is a FinTech and Bitcoin enthusiast living in Belgium.Review Cryptocurrency. 475 companies that have filed offering documents with the Securities and Exchange.Revain Deploys Blockchain to Improve User Reviews of. more reliable reviews,. the Revain crowdsale and serve as a currency for exchange trading at a.Blockchain Exchange Bitsane Introduces Ripple Trading at Consensus 2017.
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Salaries, reviews, and more - all posted by employees working at Blockchain.How to Slip Some Blockchain Exposure Into Your Portfolio. a leading digital wallet and exchange in Argentina. Blockchain Capital.
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View detailed information and charts on all Bitcoin transactions and blocks.The article looks at the most recent enforcement actions and regulatory guidance from the Securities and Exchange. a review of existing.Bitsane, the Irish Blockchain trading platform adds Ripple trading support on its.
Blockchain application and outlook in the banking industryWe review the Blockchain wallet for Android, which lets you transfer bitcoins directly from your mobile.Don and Alex Tapscott have published an article on Harvard Business Review about how the impact of the blockchain will not be limited.
Dogecoin-generator.net Review: The Options Coin
Lykke Blockchain-powered Exchange Coin Offering DoublesSteptoe is among the leaders in the evolving legal and regulatory landscape surrounding the advent of the blockchain, the distributed ledger technology that powers.Bitquence is a Palo Alto-based cryptocurrency wallet platform.Borsa Italiana, the Italian subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), says it is using IBM Blockchain to help European SMEs access credit and link into.
Bitzco - Bitcoin & Crypto NewsBlockchain technology comes to advertising this year as Nasdaq prepares to unveil its dedicated cloud-based exchange.
Like the internet in its early years, blockchain technology is hard to understand and predict, but could become ubiquitous in the exchange of digital.And yet even these measures could not prevent hacking of a Bitcoin exchange and theft.Founded in 2011, Bitcoin Magazine is the oldest and most trusted source of news, insight, reviews, guides, and price analysis on bitcoin, ethereum, blockchain.DCORP 700 Crowdsale, a form of derivatives exchange powered by the Ethereum market,.


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Social media influencers have power in the marketplace at any given time, directing attention on chosen products, brands and experiences. However, in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak, as marketing budgets grow thinner, earnings of social media influencers have also dropped by about 60-70%, said Amit Nagpal of Bloggers Alliance.
“There has not been any new influencer marketing campaign or brand deals in the past two months. However, a new trend of inviting influencers for live streams, webinars and podcasts to talk about their trade and experiences has emerged,” he added.
To read more, click here.


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In February last year Google announced that it would start to give a boost to sites labelled as ‘mobile friendly’ in search results as of the 21st April.
This prompted a lot of speculation that Google might start to announce its algorithm updates in advance, since it has never really done this before.
Google quickly proved that this would not be the case.
The mobile friendly update, despite being billed as ‘Mobilegeddon’; despite being covered on publications such as the WSJ and The BBC; and despite the hype wagon rolling on for months in advance…didn’t really have much of an impact at all.
Around a week later Google quietly rolled out an algorithm that had a huge impact in search rankings – taking visibility from sites as large as MoneySupermarket in some sectors – but flat out refused to admit it had done so for two weeks after the event.
I think the reason the mobile friendly update was announced in advance is not because Google expected the impact to be particularly big, but because of sign off levels.
Initially dubbed ‘Phantom’, but more recently referred to as a ‘Quality Update’, is very much an SEO problem. It affects the (content based) tactics the SEO industry has been using for a few years now.
Tactics that are very effective, and that are not necessarily wrong, but that may not be executed as well as possible and result in the best quality content.
Because these tactics are used to increase visibility and SEO performance, it’s the SEO Manager or Team’s prerogative to continue to use them, or to stop. (To clarify, I wouldn’t suggest that any website stops creating content, just to make sure the quality is high enough that you could not label it just for SEO).
The mobile friendly update affects search performance based on factors that may be out of the SEO Team’s control.
Making a website responsive, for example, might represent a big investment for a business if it does not currently have a mobile optimised website.
Often, the bigger a business, the bigger the investment.
Google wants websites to be mobile friendly in order to meet its own KPIs. The search engine wants to move towards being truly mobile first because it’s terrified of the experience offered by apps.
Google can’t rely on being the first thing a user sees when she loads up her browser (which will probably be Google’s own Chrome browser) because regardless of whether she’s using an Android or an iPhone she could easily just open her Amazon app and start searching there.
So Google has to provide a good experience on mobile devices.
To do this it needs buy in not just from SEO Teams, but from the people who sign the cheques. It needs to arm the SEO Teams with the knowledge that their businesses could lose 20% of traffic overnight if they don’t go meet the criteria it sets.
You can stop buying links immediately and disavow all the damage you might have done.
Often it’s possible to take down pages in a CMS within minutes that might not be the best quality.
When it’s something as fundamental as your website, that doesn’t change overnight.
Even if it has been the year of the mobile since 2010.


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An MSP has been named by Vogue as one of the top 12 woman leaders who changed the world this year.
Labour’s Monica Lennon – whose period poverty campaign made history – is on a list that includes New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and US vice-president elect Kamala Harris.
Fashion bible Vogue said: “Whether guiding a nation with a steady hand or rising up against injustice, these leaders offer a glimpse of how to make progress under difficult circumstances.”
Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Lennon, 39, shared the No10 spot alongside First Minister Nicola Sturgeon after Scotland became the first country to make sanitary products free.
Vogue said: “Half of the world’s population menstruates. And yet almost no society has come to grips with the fact sanitary products such as pads and tampons are as essential as toilet paper.
“That changed when, thanks to Monica Lennon and Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland became the first nation in the world to make sanitary products free.
“Lennon has long been a champion against period poverty that leaves too many people unable to afford the basic products they need to menstruate with dignity.”
Vogue’s list also includes German chancellor Angela Merkel.
While Ardern made the top spot – thanks to her handling of Covid-19 and also selecting New Zealand’s diverse Cabinet – Merkel was runner-up for taking in almost 3000 refugees, prompting other EU nations to do the same.
Lennon and Sturgeon pipped Finnish PM Sanna Marin and Ecuador’s Waorani indigenous leader Nemonte Nenquimo into the top 10.
Lennon said: “The Period Products Bill will ensure no one in Scotland has to face the indignity of period poverty ever again.
“It is already influencing politicians and campaigners around the world and I am thrilled to be collaborating with many of them.
“We still have a long way to go to achieve equality for all women and girls but it’s humbling that free period products legislation has been recognised as an important part of that journey.”


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Jerry Seinfeld once said that public speaking is people’s top fear and death is No. 2. “This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy,” Seinfeld said.
Afflicted marketers are hindered from progressing in their career as they need to present campaign ideas to brand clients. In order to promote team building and advance presentation skills, two ad executives at Horizon Media — Alison Joseph, TrendSights strategist, and Chelsea Ramsey, brand strategist — initiated a program called “yesAND@horizon” that will offer twice-monthly improvisational comedy classes within the agency.
Joseph and Ramsey came up with the idea around a year ago when comedian Matt Besser visited the Horizon office to discuss his experience as an improviser and how that skill could benefit ad executives. “Right after that we took some improv comedy classes and figured that we should provide our colleagues some opportunities to try improv, as well,” said Joseph.
Starting this month, everyone at Horizon Media can sign up for the class, either as an individual or as a group. Joseph and Ramsey will lead each session. In a 90-minute class, between eight and 12 participants will be divided into several groups and assigned a task where they are required to create an ad pitch, play a group game or develop a fun story together. “It’s not a presentation class so not everyone is required to present,” said Ramsey. “This is a way for people to get out of the comfort zone, listen to each other and support each other.”
Joseph and Ramsey conducted a few trial classes within the agency before this month’s official launch, and those sessions were well-received. “I personally had an amazing time at the improv session,” said Michele Donati, svp and managing director for Horizon Media. “It was a great opportunity to flex some different muscles and to be more creative – or at least creative in a different way.”
Prior to this comedy class initiative, Joseph and Ramsey piloted “yesAND@Horizon” with the “Media 101” course that asks Horizon’s new employees to put together a media buying plan in a short period of time. The duo will continue offering this comedy program to “Media 101” participants.
The ad business is a stressful one. Study shows that laughter and humor can increase happiness and intimacy. Ramsey believes that this comedy class will offer an opportunity for participants to be a little silly and relieve some stress. Aside from this comedy initiative, Horizon and other shops including Havas, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi and Big Spaceship have all developed wellness programs to keep their employees happy.
For the time being, Joseph and Ramsey don’t plan to invite any comedians as guest speakers or roll out the comedy program outside of Horizon Media. “This is just focused on internal development,” said Ramsey.
‘The worst of both worlds’: Confessions of an agency HR exec on the push and pull of returning to the office
In the latest edition of our Confessions series, in which we exchange anonymity for candor, we hear from an agency HR exec on the current Catch-22 situation many employers find themselves in.
Snapchat’s limitations are finally catching up — and marketers are noticing
If Snapchat really wants to push past the competition to be a leader in the ad space, it still faces an uphill battle to get its ads business back on track.
‘Taps into nostalgia’: Why Elysian Brewing is leveraging NBCUniversal’s Chucky to tout new beer
In celebration of all things Halloween, this beer is a limited release that celebrates the holiday and the horror genre just in time for season two of Chucky to premiere on Oct. 2.
SponsoredHow marketers are responding to shoppers’ wants this holiday season
Matthew Tilley, executive director, marketing, Vericast With the holidays right around the corner, the economy may force some consumers to adjust their plans and stretch their dollars even further. While some shoppers may rein in their spending, others will still go all out despite a cloudy economic outlook. Given the current economic climate, consumers are […]
Ex-Deloitte and Merkle execs form a new consultancy targeting middle-market companies
UpperRight has set its sights solidly on middle-market clients, and is guided by co-founders who both have decades of consulting and agency chops between them.
Inside Penguin Random House’s play to reach avid readers on TikTok’s BookTok
Curated recommendations inside of bookstores have helped guide readers toward new titles. Now the publisher is aiming to do so with TikTok.


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Internet business firm Myntra has chosen to change its logo after a grievance was lodged with the Mumbai Cyber police claiming it to be disrespectful and offensive towards females.
The complaint was filed by one Naaz Patel of NGO Avesta Foundation in December last year, demanding the expulsion of the logo by Myntra and proper action against the firm. Patel had likewise taken up the issue in different forums and platforms on social media. After the complaint, the officials of the e-commerce company came to talk and resolve the issue. Later decide to change the logo for good.
“We found that the logo was offensive in nature for women. Following the complaint, we sent an email to Myntra and their officials came and met us. The officials said they will change the logo in a month’s time,” said DCP Rashmi Karandikar, Cyber Crime Department of Mumbai police.
Myntra said they will modify or change their logo on their website, app, and packaging material. It is also informed that Myntra already issued printing orders for packing marital with a new logo.
How is Myntra Logo Offensive?
According to Naaz Patel, the Myntra logo resembles naked women. Suddenly after reading the Myntra controversy Social media users started to implement Patel’s logic on other company’s logos. Logo’s that were used as memes were Amazon, Renault, Byjus, Lupin, Doordarshan channel logo, and many more.
Little about Myntra
Myntra was established in 2007 to sell personalized gift items but later included other products too. In 2014 Myntra.com was acquired by Flipkart. The companies headquarters is in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Myntra is considered to be one of the best choices of youth in India for online shopping for clothes. It is one of the biggest online e-commerce sites after amazon and flipkart in India. Myntra is mainly focused on the clothing and fashion accessories of men and women.
In June 2016, Myntra’s logistics workers went on a strike alleging a lack of basic employee benefits and poor wages.
Trending Myntra Logo Memes on Social Media
The whole conflict is going viral across social media. Twitter and Instagram users started posting memes about Myntra Logo. You can see some of the most liked Myntra Logo Memes.
Here are some Twitter users posting about other company’s logo and connecting them with the Myntra logo meme. The point that these users are making here is liked by thousands of twitter users.
Myntra logo Memes are trending on Twitter. The hashtag #Myntralogo is number one in the twitters trending section. The same is happing on Instagram where pages dedicated to memes are posting new and extremely funny posts every next minute.


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China wants to dismantle Alibaba’s media empire: reportsMarch 17, 2021
Over the years, Jack Ma has accumulated a media portfolio in China that rivals that of Jeff Bezos in the United States. But now the future of Ma’s media empire is in the crosshairs of the Chinese government, which is wary of the billionaire’s increasing media clout.
The Chinese authorities have ordered Alibaba to divest some of its media assets due to growing concerns about the company’s sway over public opinion in the country, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported citing sources.
Alibaba’s expeditions in media investments came under scrutiny when the firm announced the buyout of the South China Morning Post, an English-language newspaper launched 118 years ago in Hong Kong. Its notable media holdings in mainland China include New York-listed technology news site 36Kr, which is backed by Alibaba’s fintech affiliate Ant Group, as well as state-owned Shanghai Media Group, which has a strategic agreement with Alibaba.
Critics have questioned Alibaba’s stake in the South China Morning Post, a prominent paper in Asia. To assuage worries, Jack Ma has pledged to preserve the editorial independence of the news outlet.
In other media deals, Alibaba often focuses on the potential for digital collaboration with the publications. For example, it promised to utilize its data and cloud computing expertise to help the Shanghai Media Group, an influential financial media conglomerate, develop a financial data platform.
Alibaba has also sought out new media upstarts, taking substantial stakes in China’s Twitter equivalent, Weibo, and a video site popular amongst Chinese youths, Bilibili, which counts Alibaba nemesis Tencent as a major shareholder.
Concerns grew when Weibo appeared to have deleted scores of posts about an Alibaba executive‘s extramarital affair last June. Soon after, China’s top internet regulator reprimanded Weibo for “interfering with online communication order” without identifying a case.
The Chinese government has already initiated a wave of crackdown on concentrated power in the internet economy. In December, antitrust regulators slammed a small fine on Alibaba and Tencent respectively for failing to report past acquisitions for clearance. It remains to be seen which of Alibaba’s prized media assets needs to be shed.
Read more: feedproxy.google.com
A quick note about the reviews I do on this site. The product vendors may give me access to their products for free in order for me to do my review, alternatively, I may have bought the product myself. However I make no promises to vendors regarding what I write in my review. Should you click a link that takes you to a sales page for a paid product for sale this link will be an affiliate link and I will be paid a percentage of the sales price should you decide to invest in it.


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Inca Digital has reinforced their commitment to development and flexibility by launching the Columbia Turbo Plus printer. The new model incorporates two additional print modules that increase the total number of print heads to 96 compared to 64 on a four color Columbia Turbo. The extra printheads enable the Columbia Turbo Plus to incorporate white or two additional colors which can be selected from light cyan and light magenta as well as green, orange or violet.
EskoArtwork has announced that its Esko Kongsberg i-XE series digital dieless cutting table is now available in two, larger sizes: the Kongsberg i-XE32 with a working area of 51”x63¾” (1300x1620mm) and the Kongsberg i-XE54 (63”x120”; 1600x3050mm). These two new models join the compact Kongsberg i-XE10.
FESPA, at its 2007 General Assembly in Athens, further increased its community of international affiliates welcoming the Screen Printing Association of Korea (SPAK) to the organisation as an Associate Member.
The Océ Arizona 250 GT UV-cured flatbed printer won top honours in the recent Innovation Awards at the Viscom International Trade Fair in Germany, being described by judges as “a truly innovative product”.
NUR Macroprinters will be presenting their advanced NUR Expedio Inspiration at SGIA 2007.
Here's an idea for our state and federal governments to explore, it may not be the total answer to our energy problem, but it surely could be an eco-friendly answer to some of our expanding energy requirements.
3M Touch Systems has announced the expanded product offering of MicroTouch DST touch screens for large-format interactive digital signage (IDS) applications in popular 32”, 40”, 42” and 46” screen sizes. Based on 3M’s patented Dispersive Signal Technology (DST), MicroTouch DST touch screens offer an ideal solution for large-format interactive applications that require fast, accurate, reliable touch response. Other unique features include operation unaffected by surface contaminants and “dynamic touch”, which ignores static objects on the screen and allows for multi-user touch capabilities.
Good news for those who are still processing film. MacDermid Autotype, has released its latest offering of Autotype Delta II, a low-cost, double-sided, frosted film that can be imaged on either side in a laser printer.
EskoArtwork has appointed Celmac Pty Ltd as its new authorised dealer for the Australian market. Celmac will represent EskoArtwork’s Kongsberg i-XL series in Australia.
SPOS, a leading signage and point of purchase solutions has announced that Mr David Evans has been appointed as a Managing Director of the Company effective 15/10/07.
SA International, developers of the Flexi sign software have released version 8.5.
Gandinnovations has improved its Graphic User Interface (GUI); now, they claim, operators can access a faster and more powerful program that will quickly and easily, drag and drop, as well as manipulate and manage artwork files.
Roland DG has announced new EcoXtreme LT ink for its AdvancedJET series of industrial inkjet printers including the 104”-wide AJ-1000 and 74”-wide AJ-740.
With the 2007 Australian and New Zealand exhibition season for the graphics industry at a close, it is still going strong in the US and Europe. Digital Print World opens at Earls Court in London today and promises to be one of the best ever.
Spandex has announced that, as an authorised dealer for Mimaki printers, it is now selling the new JV33 Series inkjet printers in Australia.
muBio ink is a non-petroleum-based ink and is composed of more than 80% plant derived substances. The environmental load is small, and is subject to the rules for handling organic solvents described in the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Nice work if you can get it!! The UK's Manchester-based large format digital print specialist, The Image Group, has successfully installed the largest vinyl print in the company’s history, in fact most printer's history.
Due to the success of the ClipsIn large framing system, Gravograph have now released a compact version of this profile. The dimensions are 50 mm wide and 25mm deep.
EFI has introduced a new member of its award winning Vutek QS family of superwide format UV printers, the QS3200r.They say it is an exceptionally high quality, high-speed roll-to-roll UV printer that produces images up to 3.2 metres wide at 1,080 dpi with High Definition Print (HDP), at the rate of up to 1,850 square feet per hour.
Ron Preston the sales manager for Melbourne’s Eastern Press is currently in Hawaii competing in the Iron Man Competition.


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— The cost of a stay at a major Orlando travel company has dropped to $5.75 per night in recent months.
A study published Monday by hotel management firm Hilton HeadCount International found that for rooms booked through March 2017, the average stay was $11.84 per night.
For rooms booked for May through October, the rate dropped to just $7.55 per night, according to the study.
That is a 40 percent drop from the $14.50 per night that Hilton Headcount found in its March study.
Hilton HeadCount said that when it comes to the cost of hotels, the biggest cost savings comes in the form of savings from fewer roomings and lower rates.
They’re also seeing that the overall costs have dropped substantially.””
So we’re seeing that a lot of people are taking advantage of these savings.
They’re also seeing that the overall costs have dropped substantially.”
For now, it remains unclear how much of the savings will go to the company or how much to hotels.
Hilton Head Count has not disclosed the amount of savings, but a study from the International Business Times found that hotels were the biggest source of profits for Hilton Head count.
Hotels, however, are also responsible for some of the most expensive hotel rooms.
The study found that hotel rooms at Marriott International in New York City cost an average of $10,000 a night.
Hotel stays at other hotels were much cheaper.
For example, a room at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco costs just $2,300 a night and stays at the Holiday Inn Express in Orlando cost $5 per night for a single night, the study found.
Hospitality industry watchers say that the low cost of staying at hotel properties and the relative ease of booking new stays at hotels will ultimately benefit travelers, as they can spend more time at the resort, which can make up for some roomings lost to travel.
For now the cost savings will mostly go to hotels that have been experiencing a slowdown in occupancy and lower occupancy rates, said Rob Schulte, senior vice president of consumer insights at hotel booking website TripAdvisor.
But hotels will also benefit from increased hotel occupancy due to increased travel demand, he said.
For example, the popularity of the holiday season is expected to boost hotel occupancy in the spring and summer months, and then some hotel occupancy will fall to a trickle in the fall and winter months, according in a report by the National Association of Realtors.
TripAdvisor said it has seen the decline in occupancy rates as well as room occupancy.
It expects occupancy to drop in the coming months.
“Hilton headcount is projecting that the occupancy rate will fall by about 15 percent from March 2017 to March 2018,” said TripAdvisory CEO Joe Ritter.
“The occupancy rate is going to be lower than what we had projected.
The hotel occupancy rate, for the most part, is a function of whether you’re buying more rooms and whether you have fewer people coming into the hotel.”
For more on hotels, check out the stories below:


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Ryanair has suffered a drop in revenue since December 2023, when major online travel platforms suddenly removed the Irish company’s flights from their sites.. Despite recording a decline of 1% to 2% compared to previous months, the company welcomed the platform’s move and announced new discounts for passengers who purchase tickets directly on its official website.
The online travel agencies involved, such as Booking or Kiwi, did not explain the reasons for the sudden cancellation of flights. According to Ryanair, it could be the result of the work of consumer protection agencies or as a result of a recent decision by the Irish Supreme Courtwhich issued a permanent injunction against Ryanair’s illegal data collection by these platforms.
Reactions and strategies for the future
Therefore, in his official statement society talked about one “welcome the removal of our flights from the websites of pirate travel agencies”, which accused them of imposing hidden fees and markups on customers who rely on their services. The news comes as a lawsuit is pending in the United States that Ryanair initiated against Booking and all its subsidiaries such as Kayak, Agoda and Priceline.
The company subsequently explained that it would respond to the change “reducing fares where necessary to encourage all passengers to book directly on Ryanair.com, where they are guaranteed to always get the lowest prices without online travel agency overcharging, false contact information or other price or refund scams“. It will continue to be possible to purchase tickets for Rynair flights on platforms that, according to him “they add no hidden costs” like Google flights.
The company is therefore not affected by the actions of online travel agencies that they represent only one “small part” of all Ryanair bookings, however, grew by 9% year-on-year., according to the latest published report. The company also claimed that it would not affect its financial forecast for 2024 either.


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Bootlegging has historically been slung firmly at the lowly end of the fashion spectrum. Whether on the playground or in a bustling market, fake designer gear was something people sneered at, and often unwittingly betrayed signs of income and class.
There are exceptions to every rule, though. The best known bootlegger is undoubtedly Dapper Dan, the Harlem designer who clothed a breadth of hip-hop stars in the 80s, and later attained cult status during the 2010s. He famously ripped logos from high fashion labels such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Gucci, coming full circle with the latter when creative director Alessandro Michele referenced a Dapper Dan rip in a collection. The two went onto work together on a joint Gucci-Dapper Dan menswear collection launched in 2018, before Dapper Dan opened a store in his Harlem home turf in partnership with Gucci.
Dapper Dan is just one figure of broader bootleg culture, which seems to be enjoying a recent resurgence among fashion communities openly sporting fakes. Yet, as shown by Anastasiia Fedorova, writer and curator of a new exhibition at London College of Fashion’s Fashion Space Gallery, bootlegging has also been adopted by a generation of contemporary creatives as a technique for interrogating systems and structures in society.
The exhibition inevitably features references to Dapper Dan, however, there’s a firm focus on the present-day in the show, which kicks off with a range of Instagram AR filters that allow users to adorn their faces with famous brand logos.
Some works on display position bootlegging in response to environmental issues, whether Ancuta Sarca’s upcycled Nike trainers-turned-kitten heels, or May Hands’ clay sculptures, which are modelled on Louis Vuitton bags as a comment on overconsumption. It also features pieces by clothing label Hypepeace (no doubt a riff on Hypebeasts) which has referenced the likes of Palace, Comme des Garçons and Vetements as part of its initiative to raise awareness of social and geopolitical issues.
Bootlegging has also been adopted by artists seeking to involve communities in contexts historically outside of these brands’ target audiences, according to Akinola Davies Jr, whose video project Boot/Leg features in the show. “It’s about the women on Kingsland Road in knock-off Chanel hijabs, and the rudeboys with luxury wallets in their pockets,” he said. Elsewhere, Hassan Kurbanbaev’s photo series Logomania interrogates how Western symbols figure in his homeland Uzbekistan’s search for its identity.
Perhaps most interesting are the works that show how bootlegs can go beyond the logos and slogans of well-known fashion brands. Designs by London-based studio Sports Banger demonstrate that any recognisable symbol is up for grabs – even those that aren’t coveted luxury brands but are firmly in the public domain, whether the NHS or tabloids. “Some said my NHS Nike T-shirt was a comment on the commercialisation of the NHS. NHS is free. NHS with a Nike tick is £19.99. Read it however you want,” creator Jonny Banger said in the exhibition guide.
“Luxury brands and logos have always been the ultimate symbol of status in fashion, but as long as the real items have existed, so have the fakes,” explained Fedorova in a statement. “My first memories of fashion were knock-offs – Versace jeans and Gucci belts commonly sold at markets in 1990s Russia. Even though I had no idea what these brands were, I could feel the power they had and the aspiration they represented.
“The duality of real and fake has always fascinated me and through years of working in the fashion industry as a writer, I became more and more interested in bootleg as a subversive creative practice,” she adds. “This exhibition will explore how the culture has become more than just imitation – forming an artistic language which is incredibly relevant for the 21st century.”
The Real Thing is on at Fashion Space Gallery, London until 25 April; fashionspacegallery.com


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Despite this week’s rout in tech stocks, enterprise software company Anaplan is going ahead with its market debut on Friday after pricing the initial public offering at the high end of its range.
Anaplan’s announcement Thursday that it would offer 15.5 million shares at $17 per share came hours after the Wall Street Journal reported that Tencent Music would be delaying its IPO amid the market sell-off that pushed the Nasdaq to its lowest close since May.
The offering raised $263.5 million, with the $17 pricing giving Anaplan an implied valuation of $2.07 billion.
“While recent trading signs are ominous, Anaplan is riding a longer-term wave that’s seen cloud companies hit the public markets with fanfare,” CNBC said, citing the IPOs this year of Dropbox, Docusign, Avalara, and Elastic after a lull in tech IPO activity in 2017.
Anaplan is betting that its “connected planning” concept will make it as attractive to other investors as other cloud software companies have been lately. Connected planning software helps companies manage their finances, sales and workforce. Anaplan’s customers include Adobe, Dish, Sonos, United Airlines, and Del Monte.
“We believe connected planning is the next essential cloud category,” the company said in its prospectus.
Anaplan on Wednesdy had raised its price range to $15 to $17 per share from $13 to $15 per share, suggesting strong demand for the stock.
“This elevated pricing range is indicative of an extremely healthy appetite for Anaplan’s shares among public equity investors,” Rohit Kulkarni, head of research at SharesPost, told Investor’s Business Daily. “This is clearly a golden time for private tech growth companies to go public.”
For the six-month period ended July 31, Anaplan reported revenue of $109.4 billion, up 41% from the year-ago period, and a net loss of $47.2 million.
The company is going public with a new CFO, Dave Morton, who resigned from Tesla on Sept. 4 after only a month at the troubled automaker. CEO Frank Calderoni and Chief Revenue Officer Steven Birdsal are also new to the company.


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Tuesday is the day Egg McMuffin fans have been waiting for: Since Oct. 6, McDonald’s in the United States will serve breakfast all day. It’s a movement that the fast-food chain has been making for decades and introduced the popular sandwich in the mid-1970s.
Like Silly Putty and Penicillin, Egg McMuffin has an origin story that only adds to his mysticism; In this case, it’s the story of how Ray Kroc, the McDonald’s franchisee, had to have fun. Let me try the first, knowing that Kroc may have rejected the idea differently.
How much delicious it is?
Kroc told the story in his 1977 autobiography, Grinding it Out: Making McDonald’s right after the sandwich was introduced. It all started in 1972 with a fateful trip to Southern California. Herb Peterson, the owner of a McDonald’s in Santa Barbara, asked Kroc to check it out. But no matter how much Kroc asked, Peterson didn’t want to say what it was. Meanwhile, Patty Turner, the wife of the McDonald’s manager, found the name Kroc, which was attributed to the location of the new item on the previous menu: Egg McMuffin. Although Kroc discovered that the McMuffin egg was fully integrated into the McDonald’s system, TIME praised the 63rd sandwich in late 1973 as an example of how the chain “pays close attention to suggestions behind the counter.
Egg McMuffin opened the entire fast-food breakfast market. It was special to view how our research and progress team, our marketing and advertising experts, as well as our operations and supply experts, came together to launch a breakfast program, Kroc wrote in his book Five Years After Ei McMuffin.
People just love enjoying the McMuffin at the premises of the McDonald’s. McDonald’s has been innovating this dish at regular intervals. Every time, it brings out the best.


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Navios hails loan success despite weaker profit
NAVIOS Maritime Holdings, the New York listed dry bulk and logistics company, has said it is “very comfortable” with its current newbuilding commitments, as well as its dividend as it reported reduced earnings for last year, writes Nigel Lowry.
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Techreport.com had a chance to stop by OCZ and check out the previously announced RevoDrive Hybrid, a PCI-Express x4 card that combines SSD and HDD.
The new RevoDrive Hybrid has an SSD component that can use multiple Sandforce controllers in RAID 0 that will serve as cache for the HDD. OCZ didn't specifiy which HDD you need to use but according to the report over at Techreport.com, it appears that even with a 5,400 RPM drive the RevoDrive Hybrid works like a charm.
OCZ is using Nvelo Dataplex software in order to manage both read and write cache and will work with up to 120 GB of SSD storage. According to Nvelo, Dataplex software offers better pefromance when compared to Intel's recently announced Smart Response tech on Z68 Express chipset. The spec list states that OCZ RevoDrive Hybrid is capable of sustained read and write speeds of up to 575MB/s and 500MB/s, while the random 4KB write is set at 30,000 IOPS.
It appears that OCZ didn't finalize the specs as it still looking for a prefect combination, but early predicitions puts a base model with 500GB HDD and 60GB SSD, while the more expensive one should feature a 1TB HDD and a 120GB SSD. OCZ plans to put the RevoDrive Hybrid on the market as of July with prices at around US $350.


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THE country’s manufacturing sector capacity utilisation increased to 56,52 percent in 2021 from 47 percent in 2020 largely driven by increased investments in the sector.
According to the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) 2021 manufacturing sector survey report launched in Harare yesterday, surveyed firms invested US$147 million towards new capacity, with the funds largely coming from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)’s foreign currency auction system.
“37,8 percent of the manufacturing sector undertook investments to increase their production capacity in 2021 and this resulted in additional capacity of 25,6 percent,” Dr Cornelius Dube, CZI chief economist, said while presenting the survey report.
He said about 57 percent of the manufacturing sector firms registered an increase in sales with the drinks and tobacco subsector recording an 82 percent in output and had the highest percentage of firms registering an increase in sales.
Industry and Commerce Minister, Dr Sekai Nzenza, in her remarks, said growth in capacity was in response to an enabling business environment and the ease of doing business reforms prioritised by the Second Republic.
“Testimonial to this, the manufacturing sector has realised a 5,5 percent increase in exports from US$383 million in 2020 to US$404 million in 2021,” she said.
“In addition, we welcome the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) timely figures on provincial GDP with Harare having $294 billion out of $1,157 billion in 2020, thus contributing 24,4 percent to national GDP.”
Minister Nzenza noted that the survey comes soon after the holding of a successful ZITF in Bulawayo last month, which showcased the country’s local products, attesting to the fact that 75 percent of shelf space occupancy in the retail sector is coming from local manufacturers.
She said the 2021 annual manufacturing sector survey report showed positive signs of sustained growth of the manufacturing sector with the average increase in output being 30 percent.
“In addition, in response to the enabling business environment, about 38 percent of companies in the manufacturing sector undertook investments to increase their production capacity in 2021 and these investments created additional capacity of 25,6 percent,” said Dr Nzenza.
Minister Nzenza said Government was pleased that CZI conducted the survey in collaboration with the University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State University, Solusi University and Africa University for data collection, which involved physical visits to identified manufacturing sector firms.
She said this closely aligns with President Mnangagwa’s approach, which also sees universities and businesses innovating towards the 4th industrial revolution.
With respect to employment creation, the Minister noted that most firms at 53,5 percent created new jobs in 2021, with the new jobs constituting about 19 percent of total employment.
She added that 16 percent were retrenched while the rest maintained their employment levels.
“This strong manufacturing sector performance in 2021 can be attributed to the favourable Government policy of allowing foreign currency access to industry, which had been one of the key constraints in previous years,” she said.
“In addition, the Government recently announced measures to curtail runaway inflation and stabilise the foreign exchange market.
We trust that business will continue to support Government policies as we remain focused on our long-term growth trajectory,” said Minister Nzenza.


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Fashion and booze have always intertwined. Just look at how Grand Marnier has partnered with New York Fashion Week or when Absolut Vodka staged a sustainable runway at London Fashion Week.
It makes sense, as the cocktail hour has practically become its own runway show. Buzzy fashion designers have the power to sway the fashion crowd to one booze brand or another—especially when complimentary drinks are at play during their cocktail soirées.
In fact, fashion designer Vera Wang has her own line of vodka with Chopin, and beachwear brand Tommy Bahama has its own line of spirits, too. And now, one haute tequila brand 21 Seeds is popping up all over the fashion scene—whether it’s store openings, VIP parties, or fashion week events hosted by designers like Kidsuper, Dion Lee, Rebecca Vallance and most recently at the Bronx & Banco party at New York Fashion Week.
Salma Hayek recently posted on Instagram where a bottle of 21 Seeds sits on her kitchen counter. Stars like Jessica Alba, Katie Couric, Ingrid Andress, Tinx, and fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, all love the brand. As the fashionista’s drink of choice, 21 Seeds is a woman-led tequila brand hails from San Francisco.
They recently partnered with TV personality and jewelry designer Kristin Cavallari, who hosted one of their star-studded events in Los Angeles for their tequila recipe cookbook launch, and Kat Hantas, the co-founder of the brand, says they’re turning to the fashion world for exposure because 80% of their clientele is female. “We go where women are, and women are in fashion,” she said. “We’re doing more store opening parties and VIP fashion week events than ever.”
Hantas has worked alongside luxury brand Veronica Beard, serving up drinks for their Los Angeles store opening, and have partnered with fashion brand Love Shack Fancy for parties, too. The brand is huge fans of stylish Brazil fashion brand, Farm Rio, and have co-hosted magazine launches with Hamptons-based magazine, Social Life. Influencer Andrew Warren was on the cover with 21 Seeds.
Her brand has been disrupting the spirits industry since 21 Seeds was first founded in 2019 with her sister Nicole Emanuel and friend Sarika Singh. “Women-led fashion brands love the fact we are female-founded,” said Hantas. “We are focused on what fashion-forward women want to be drinking—which is drinking light and clean, not with too much sugar, nothing heavy.”
Fashion played a key role in putting together the brand design. “Most tequilas are being marketed like scotch and whisky to a male consumer,” she said. “We’re a breath of fresh air, on purpose.”
“We wanted to bring a fun, bright and beautiful bottle to your home bar,” she adds. “We wanted to stand out.”
Design-wise, the main inspiration for 21 Seeds tequila bottles were perfume bottles, says Hantas. “We were inspired by perfume bottles, from Chanel No. 5 to the more decorative, vintage perfume bottles from 19th century France with atomizers and tassels,” she said.
As we celebrate women’s month, the best part of raising up a glass is honoring the strength of women together. It makes sense their hashtag is #GirlsCallTheShots, as in tequila shots in life. And sometimes shots, but more often a haute cocktail.
“We want women to crack open one of our bottles, gather with their girlfriends, and share their stories,” she said.
The company is not only female-founded but works with a family-owned and predominantly female-run distillery out of Mexico to make their tequila, too. “It’s about the experience that women have with their girlfriends, whether it’s celebrating a girl’s night out, a girl’s trip, or even celebrating with herself at the end of a long day,” said Hantas.
“But most importantly, we want to celebrate with each other,” she said. “It’s about a sisterhood that supports each other’s wins, and what better place to do that than in fashion?”


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Kia Motors and Hyundai Motor have today announced plans to introduce ‘solar roof’ charging technology on selected Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. Electricity-generating solar panels will be incorporated into the roof or the hood of vehicles, and will support internal combustion, hybrid and battery electric vehicles with additional electrical power, increasing fuel efficiency and range.
Toyota has started production of hybrid electric transaxles at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland’s Wałbrzych (TMMP) plant. It is the first time this core component of Toyota’s hybrid electric powertrains has been manufactured outside Asia. The transaxle will be fitted to the new Corolla Hybrid, built at Toyota’s Burnaston factory in the UK, and the C-HR Hybrid, produced in Turkey. The start of production marks the first stage in Toyota’s introduction of its advanced hybrid technology and the Toyota New Global Architecture to its Polish manufacturing facilities
The new Toyota Corolla Touring Sports will make its first appearance at the Paris Motor Show on 2 October, joining the new Corolla hatchback revealed earlier this year. According to Toyota, this all-new model has “a dynamic design which clearly differentiates it from the hatch as a sleek, refined and versatile wagon”. The new car was developed and created in Europe.
At this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, luxury British sportscar and supercar maker McLaren Automotive has announced the wide-ranging business plan that will take the company to its fifteenth anniversary.
DS Automobiles has announced its electrification strategy at the 2018 Paris ePrix. From 2025 onwards, all new DS models will be electrified, either hybrid or electric, or both. This programme is already under way with the imminent arrival of DS7 CROSSBACK E-TENSE 4×4, boasting 300 horsepower and a 30-mile EV driving range. The first 100 per cent electric DS model is due to be launched at the next Paris Motor Show.
Volkswagen will be enhancing its model range with an innovative spectrum of completely new drive systems. These include affordable mild hybrid drives with 48V technology, new high-tech diesel engines that will also be available as hybrid variants and what is currently the world’s most cutting-edge natural gas drive. Volkswagen has now announced initial facts as part of the Vienna Motor Symposium (26 to 27 April). The technologies showcased in Vienna as world premieres form a vital part of the progressively aligned Volkswagen drive strategy. It involves the combination of state-of-the-art petrol, diesel and natural gas engines, new hybrid systems and purely electric drives. With this combination, Volkswagen will among other things meet the CO₂ fleet emissions target of 95 g/km prescribed in the EU as of 2020.
World premiere I: 48V mild hybrid. One of the most important, new drive systems is a 48V mild hybrid. Volkswagen will initially launch this variant on the market for the next Golf generation. With the new 48V technology, Volkswagen aims to make hybrid drives affordable to an extremely large clientèle. The drive systems drastically reduce consumption and emissions while at the same time offering extra dynamism and comfort with an electric boost function and exceptional drive performance. Volkswagen will gradually extend the electrification of conventional drives to the entire fleet. The next Golf represents the starting point in this worldwide electric campaign.
World premiere II: 1.5 TGI Evo natural gas engine (EA211 Evo). Another technical highlight in Vienna is the new 1.5 TGI Evo natural gas engine. The 1.5-litre direct injector, fitted with VTG forced induction (latest-generation turbochargers with variable turbine geometry), is based on the 1.5 TSI ACT¹‘²‘³‘⁴ engine. Like its counterpart, the equally powerful natural gas engine, at 96 kW/130 hp, uses the efficient TSI/TGI Miller combustion process. For Volkswagen, the new 1.5 TGI Evo is a linchpin in its natural gas campaign. Its stated objective: further increasing the volume of natural gas engines operating efficiently and largely without generating particle emissions. On the German market, natural gas engines already represent the drive type with the strongest growth. Moreover, the TGI petrol engines can be run on e-gas – renewable CNG based on methane obtained from wind, solar, hydropower or biomass power generation processes. Note: This engine is not scheduled to go on sale in the United Kingdom.
Production of the 1.5 TGI Evo engine will start this year. With an estimated average consumption of 3.5 kg/100 km (CNG) in the current Golf⁵‘⁶ featuring dual clutch gearbox (DSG), the agile turbocharged engine will be as efficient as it will be cost-effective to run. This results in a range of 490 km in CNG mode. Thanks to the automatic switch to petrol mode, the range is extended by an additional 190 km (all data has been calculated on the basis of the NEDC cycle). In addition to its efficiency, the engine offers dynamic performance and torque vales: 200 Nm of torque are already available at 1,400 rpm (up to 4,500 rpm).
World premiere III: 2.0 TDI diesel engine (EA288 Evo). Volkswagen is also launching the diesel engine into the future. In Vienna, Volkswagen demonstrates the great potential of this drive type with the completely new EA288 Evo product line 2.0 litre TDI engine development. For the first time at Volkswagen, the Group’s TDI four-cylinder engines will also be available in conjunction with hybrid systems; the EA288 Evo will already start as a mild hybrid drive with 12V belt starter generator on its first use. In conjunction with a lithium-ion battery, the mild hybrid system reduces fuel consumption and increases comfort. In general, what sets the new TDI engines apart is their extremely low emissions in all driving cycles. It goes without saying that they meet current and future emission stipulations for WLTP/RDE certification. The output ranges from 100 kW/136 hp to 150 kW/204 hp. The TDI engines developed by Volkswagen will initially be used at Audi in vehicles with longitudinally installed drive train. The new TDI engines will also be used transversely in the MQB vehicles of Volkswagen and other Group brands in the future (MQB: modular transverse matrix).
With the EA288 Evo engine family, Volkswagen has developed a TDI range that is technologically at the forefront of the competitive environment. The combustion process of the engines has been redesigned and improved both in terms of efficiency and in terms of raw emission behaviour. What is more, the efficiency and response behaviour of the turbocharger have been significantly increased. Exhaust aftertreatment components – including diesel particulate filter (DPF) and SCR components (NOx treatment using selective catalytic reduction) – have been re-dimensioned and improved in terms of their effect and ageing stability. It was possible to reduce frictional losses, heat losses and engine weight. Volkswagen has also cut the CO₂ emissions of EA288 Evo engines by up to 10 g/km compared with the predecessor generation. As a result of said measures, these new TDI engines generate values below the limits laid down in current emissions legislation. Meanwhile, the power and torque values have increased by up to 9 percent.
Lexus chose the Geneva Motor Show for the world debut unveiling of its new UX model – a free-spirited crossover crafted expressly for the modern urban explorer who seeks a fresh, contemporary and dynamic take on a luxury lifestyle.
The addition of a new RX L model to the Lexus RX range offers owners significantly more space on board, thanks to the provision of a third row of seats, making this the first seven-seat Lexus to be sold in Europe.
Honda is set to reveal the European production version of the all-new CR-V at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. The new generation of the world’s best-selling SUV will include, for the first time, the option of seven seats


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Hyundai Announces Price Hike of up to Rs 9,200 Across Range from August 1
Hyundai announced that the price hike was in light of the new safety regulations in cars by the government.
Hyundai Venue. (Image: Manav Sinha/ News18.com)
Hyundai Motor India Ltd. has announced a price hike of up to Rs 9,200 on account of increase in input costs due to new enhanced safety regulations in cars by the government. The new prices will be effective from August 1, 2019 across all models. The company recently introduced its foray into the compact SUV segment with the Venue. Since its launch, the car has returned healthy sales for the company, trailing close to leading old-timers such as the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza in the compact SUV space. For the month of June, however, Hyundai witnessed a 7 per cent decline along with almost all manufacturers. Its domestic sales were down to 42,007 units during June and were recorded soon after the launch of Venue and Santro.
Auto giant Maruti Suzuki, for the fourth consecutive month in June, recorded a drop of 15 per cent to 114,861 units compared to the same month last year. The company’s compact segment including models such as Wagon R, Swift, Baleno and Dzire took the major was hit with a 12 per cent dip while the bigger models such as Ertiga and Brezza witnessed a decline of 8 per cent. Similarly, Mahindra and Mahindra reported a 6 per cent fall in total sales to 42,547 units in June. The company had sold 45,155 units in the corresponding month last year. In the domestic market, sales were down 5 per cent to 39,471 units last month, compared with 41,689 units in June 2018. Exports dropped 11 per cent to 3,076 units, against 3,466 units in the year-ago month.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) reported a 19 per cent decline in total vehicle sales to 11,365 units in June this year. In the domestic market, the company reported sales of 10,603 units last month, down 19 per cent, as compared to 13,088 units in June 2018, TKM said in a statement. During January-June 2019, the company reported sales of 68,652 units, down 10 per cent from 75,992 units in the same period last year.
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Gamification a promising and untapped market: MDeC
By A. Asohan July 11, 2014
- Great potential for companies to transform themselves, says MDeC
- Opportunity for ICT players to explore new markets and sources of income
THE Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) believes that gamification is a potentially disruptive technology that can help companies transform themselves, and urged Malaysian ICT companies to explore this relatively untapped market.
Gamification is essentially the use of game thinking and mechanics in areas outside of games. It is increasingly being touted as a method for promoting desired behaviour among customers and employees.
It’s enough of a thing that MDeC will be integrating gamification into its various programmes and funds, according to the national ICT custodian’s chief operating officer Ng Wan Peng, saying that it was being woven into MDeC’s DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
While MDeC doesn’t have any gamification-specific programmes, “we’re expanding our various programmes, funding options and market access platforms to include gamification.
“We’re helping companies identify markets, and will also connect local entrepreneurs and companies to experts in the field,” she told a recent media briefing at MDeC’s headquarters in Cyberjaya.
Ng noted that many of the accelerator programmes that MDeC supports also cater to gamification startups. These include BootstrapAccelerator Asia, its partnership with Silicon Valley-based the Founder Institute, and the MSC Malaysia Startup Accelerator Lite programme with Singapore’s JFDI.Asia.
She added that gamification companies can also qualify for MDeC’s MAC3 (Malaysia Animation Creative Content Centre) lab in Cyberjaya, which was formed to provide technology and resources and offer funding, to content developers.
There are compelling reasons for MDeC, which manages and oversees the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC Malaysia) project that aims to boost the ICT industry in the nation, to explore gamification.
Ng cited US research and analyst firm Gartner Inc as reporting that by the end of 2014, more than 70% of Global 2000 organisations will have at least one gamified application.
M2 Research predicts that the size of the global gamification market, currently estimated at around US$100 million (RM318 million), will grow to more than US$2.8 billion (RM8.9 billion) by 2016.
“That’s huge, but the 70% use in organisations is more critical because it shows that more people will be using gamification,” she said.
Ng also cited the Gartner Gamification 2020 report which predicts that gamification, combined with other emerging trends and technologies, will have a significant impact on innovation; the design of employee performance; and the globalisation of higher education.
Gartner also believes that gamification will give rise to the emergence of new customer engagement platforms, and will play a great part in personal development.
“Malaysia is still in the very early stage, based on what MDeC has gathered after speaking to players on both the supply side and the potential demand side of the equation,” said Ng.
“We have a few companies at the forefront, including Nettium and Terato Tech, but let’s not forget that the more than 300 companies in the Creative Multimedia Cluster (CMC) [of MSC Malaysia] can also look into gamification.
“There is much opportunity for growth that these companies can tap into,” she said, adding that on the customer or demand side, gamification use is still “very training-centric.”
The MDeC briefing also saw presentations from the aforementioned companies already playing in the gamification space: Nettium, which has integrated gamification into its own operations; and Terato Tech, which has developed some gamified apps.
Ng argued that gamification can be important for Malaysia in more ways than one.
“It is a disruptive model. The companies in our CMC which are now doing game development, entertainment content, digital animation and so on, now have an opportunity to tap into new and bigger markets,” she said.
Gamification spells an opportunity for companies in the creative industry to diversify beyond entertainment and into new industries. The five that MDeC has identified as the most promising are: Education; healthcare; industrial; oil and gas; and banking and finance.
Gamification would thus enable MSC Malaysia companies to move up the value chain, Ng said. It would also make the ICT industry more robust and dynamic, “with more than one source of income.”
For its part, MDeC will use MSC Malaysia’s strong base in games development, animation and digital content creation to help companies in this space expand and diversify their offerings towards gamification, said Ng.
The agency will also work with subject matter experts to increase MSC Malaysia companies’ knowledge and awareness, and give them an international platform to showcase their offerings.
Finally, MDeC will look into garnering more support from the public and private sectors, and will work on getting them to explore adopting gamified solutions in their various fields.
Next Page: Gamification concepts and considerations in building gamified apps


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Flying Southwest will soon come with more perks than just two free checked bags.
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has announced it will let passengers view TV for free on their personal devices when flying on the airline's Wi-Fi-enabled planes, reports USA Today.
This addition to their in-flight offerings comes as part of the "TV Flies Free" program, which started on Monday. Through the program, Dish Network (NASDAQ:DISH) provides customers with 14 live TV channels and close to 75 on-demand TV show options. This is available on more than 425 of Southwest's planes.
The content will be available to be streamed on iPhones, iPads, iPod touches and basically any other version of a Wi-Fi- enabled personal device.
"Southwest Airlines continues to innovate and evolve our on-board customer experience," Kevin Krone, chief marketing officer, said in a release. "We started with Wi-Fi and now have expanded to television. This new offer puts free television in the hands of our customers."
This program, which once cost passengers $5, is a direct challenge to carriers like JetBlue Airways and Virgin America. Both airlines offer free TV, but only on screens on the back of plane seats.
As an added bonus, those who sign up for the Dish Hopper Whole Home DVR and programming package will receive 12,5000 frequent flier points from Southwest Airlines as well as the option to receive an iPad 2 in place of one year of Dish programming discounts, reports PC Mag.


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A once in a lifetime opportunity for the Cuban cigar industry
Cuba currently exports around 100 million cigars annually, which is roughly 20 percent of the handmade cigars sold around the world each year. Americans are the most voracious consumers of cigars, buying up $4 billion worth of cigars annually. Although this market has been off limits to Cuban manufacturers since 1962, it’s estimated currently about 3 percent of premium cigars sales in the U.S. are of Cuban cigars, mainly ordered from foreign vendors online (nevermind it’s not technically legal). As of early 2016, Americans are also allowed to carry back up to US$100 worth of cigars from Cuba as souvenirs. So it’s not difficult to spot the huge opportunity for Cuban cigar companies when the U.S eventually lifts its embargo.


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Food Science Club has developed a new milk formula with milk derived from dairy cows, cows from Europe, and the United States.
The new formula, called Milk for Baby, is 100 percent milk and is the first milk made with dairy cows.
The formula uses milk derived through the use of a proprietary cow’s milk extract to create milk.
Milk is derived from the milk of cows that are raised in the dairy industry for at least 10 years.
The process allows the milk to retain its taste, texture and milk quality, as well as be safer for the health of the cow.
Milk for baby is available now from the Food Science, Arts, and Maths Club of America.


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Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a new smart vision EQ fortwo urban mobility concept vehicle. This autonomous, flexible-use, public transportation vehicle is an on-call taxi cab that requires no driver. The car can be individualized by its passengers through smartphone connections and front grille and side panel projectors. The show car is the first vehicle from the Daimler Group to take the logical step of dispensing with a steering wheel and pedals.
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Published Mar 4, 2020
The 12th Shorty Awards Feature A Full Sail Grad
D’Juan “Deejay Knight” Irvin is one of twelve streamers currently nominated.
The Shorty Awards have honored the best in social media and digital since 2009. This year, the award show has expanded to highlight content creators and influencers around the world, encapsulating internet pop culture under one digital roof.
Air Force veteran and Digital Arts & Design grad D’Juan Irvin (better known as Deejay Knight) is one of a select few being nominated this year under the “Team Internet” category for Twitch Streamer of the Year. Known for streaming games like Star Citizen, Warframe, and Temtem, D’Juan is not just an advocate of gaming, but he also inspires young people to turn science-fiction into reality by pursuing STEM as a partner and host with FIRST.
You can currently catch him planeswalking in the world of Magic: the Gathering Arena, Wizards of the Coast’s digital import of their flagship trading card game.
Tune in the stream of the Shorty Awards on YouTube on May 3, 2020 to find out who the winners will be. Check out the rest of the categories and be sure to tune in to Deejay Knight’s Twitch channel to watch him live.


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Some Rivian vehicle owners have reported high battery drain while their vehicles are idle, leading to discussions on forums and Reddit. According to one R1T owner from Phoenix, Arizona, who goes by the name “shrink” on the RivianForums, he left his truck plugged in and parked for an entire week and it drew 32 kWh, equivalent to around 4.6 kWh per day or 8 miles per day.
The vehicle had a 70% charging limit set, was connected to a 240-volt 48-amp home charger, had Gear Guard turned off, but remained connected to the WiFi network. The owner contacted Rivian to confirm if this level of drain was normal, and the manufacturer scheduled a service visit to check for any issues with the truck.
Rivian owners have reported excessive battery drain, also known as “vampire drain,” for months. Owner “OverZealous” posted on the RivianForums that he believes the most recent update may have caused the increase in drain, stating that his daily drain went up from 1.8% to almost 4% with the update, and others have reported a similar correlation.
Another owner reported that a Rivian technician told him that 1% drain every 12 hours was acceptable and recommended plugging in the vehicle if it will be unused for a while. However, some owners have observed that the drain increases when the vehicle is plugged in and is lower when it sits unplugged. Some speculate that the extra drain may be caused by accessing the Rivian app or the vehicle’s reaction to the key fob being too close to it, causing it to wake up and drain more current.
The reader eliminated the possibility of the key fob causing the drain by placing it in a special signal-blocking box, but it had no impact on the level of drain observed. Another forum user suggested that turning off the climate control before leaving the vehicle to sit can reduce drain, although it is unclear why it would have an effect since the vehicle should not be heating or cooling the cabin when unoccupied, unless it is instructed to do so through the app.
Some suggest that the drain could be caused by outside temperatures and the vehicle using extra power to maintain the battery pack temperature above a certain threshold, but owners have reported that this does not seem to have a significant impact on the drain they have observed. Since Rivian vehicles have been delivered, some owners have complained about high drain and the manufacturer is looking into the issue on a case by case basis. Rivian has not acknowledged that there is a problem with the vehicles and has not announced any solution to fix it, but they are aware of the issue.


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Virtual architecture firms are springing up to fulfil these dreams but at a price.
Companies like Microsoft and Meta (formerly Facebook) have invested billions in the metaverse, an interactive version of the internet that integrates business and entertainment. Digital land grabs like the Sandbox and Decentraland have attracted a lot of attention from investors recently, with portions on these platforms selling for up to $4.3 million.
A new question arose: What do you do with all this digital real estate? With clients including Sotheby’s and ConsenSys, the makers of the MetaMask cryptocurrency wallet, Voxel Architects has created over 40 digital structures this year.
A virtual gallery was launched by Sotheby’s in June. Banksy and the Bored Ape Yacht Club, an elite group of NFT owners, were the subject of a previous exhibition. There was also a virtual gallery and exhibits that were created as well.
In contrast to real-world architecture, which is bound by human resources, money, and physics, in the metaverse, almost anything is possible. In the digital Sotheby’s show, the Bored Ape Yacht Club transformed the whole second floor into a swamp full of the project’s distinctive primate For ConsenSys’ new metaverse headquarters, Voxel was asked to build an amphitheatre with a floating bar and a Roman amphitheatre. Decentraland-based structure MetaMask hired Voxel to renovate and add a forest to mark the milestone.
There is a lot of overlap between architecture and video games when it comes to creating something fresh and exciting, says Voxel Architects’ chief design officer George Bileca.
The land development process in the metaverse is quite similar to the procedure in the real world. Voxel delivers a questionnaire to the consumer after getting a request. Sketches and modifications of the project are drawn up once a customer is given an estimate. Metaverse platform physical constraints, such as the size of a digital parcel, are addressed by a 3D modeller when an architectural design is completed. Prior to a final launch, a developer from the firm will design and code features like opening doors or running elevators. According to Bileca, a project typically takes roughly a month to get from concept to launch.
Bileca explains that a design firm has an architect, a builder, and an engineer who work together to create the project. “Engineers have been replaced by programmers.”
With the help of NFT Studios CEO Leandro Bellone, Bileca created Voxel Architects in 2019.
In the metaverse platform Cryptovoxels, two years ago, the two men launched an NFT automobile business. The style of their car dealership caught the attention and attracted new consumers. One concept artist and 12 3D modellers make up the current staff of 20 at Voxel Architects. Project enquiries have risen since Facebook rebranded as Meta and stated in October that it will invest $10 billion in its metaverse business.
“Sometimes, life throws you a curveball,” Bileca said in an interview with Fortune.
According to Bileca, the company used to get around 10 design quote queries each week, but now it gets about 30 per week. According to Bellone, a project might cost anything from $10,000 to $300,000.
By forcing people to immerse themselves in virtual environments, “Covid accelerated growth,” Bellone said.
Voxel Architects are being challenged by a growing number of independent designers and new metaverse design groups. Over 20 design businesses, according to Bileca, are vying for a piece of the multi-trillion-dollar pie that investor Cathie Wood refers to as the “Internet of Things.”
By the end of the year, the business wants to quadruple its workforce and tweak real-world building concepts to develop virtual twins in the metaverse.
Bileca added that the disease had spread. “Virtual is the new normal.” “Everyone wants a piece of this action.”
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The tactics include placing two chocolate bars into the hands of a potential customer who may have diabetes and stating “I understand, sir or ma’am, that you’re diabetic but you could offer it to one of your loved ones.”
CBC Montreal Investigates has obtained a copy of the one-page tip sheet for employees of the organization.
It says they should ask clients to buy “two, four, eight or ten” of the $5 chocolate bars to encourage them, and adds teens should “place two chocolate bars” into the hands of potential customers.
“It's like pushing it down their throat,” said Nathalie Pelletier, a Lachine mother whose son Dylan Ruff worked for Ado-Boulot for two days. “To shove it in their face, it’s not necessarily the best thing,” she said.
Ruff told CBC he was let go following his second day after being unable to meet a 25-chocolate bar quota, and for asking to leave before the end of his shift as he was ill.
“It shouldn’t be fair on the second day that you get fired because you didn’t sell enough chocolate bars,” he said.
No quotas: company
Ado-Boulot declined our repeated interview requests. We nevertheless obtained some information over the phone.
In that conversation, we spoke with a supervisor, who said there is a sales sheet for new employees to memorize, and confirmed teen door-to-door salespeople make a dollar off of each $5 chocolate bar they sell.
He said there are no quotas imposed, though.
Sales techniques divisive
Concordia University marketing professor Robert Siroca said he found the script on the Ado-Boulot sales sheet “dangerous.”
“You’re putting a child in a situation where they may have to fend off an aggressor, where they may have to fend off someone whose intentions are not really to buy a chocolate. Is the company teaching the associate how to avoid those types of situations, how to get out of those situations?” He said.
A counterpart at the Desautels School of Management, McGill University professor Karl Moore, said the sheet was “great training for young people.”
“The ability to sell and persuade in an ethical manner is one which is a very valuable skill,” Moore said.
Where the money goes
On its website, Ado-Boulot says it donates a part of its proceeds to a registered charity called Fondation d’Adolescents en Difficulté du Québec.
Ado-Boulot also says it helps pay for activities for its teenage employees,including field trips to water slides or La Ronde.
The company also says it organizes humanitarian trips to Cuba and other countries.
Also on HuffPost:


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The content offering now available to Amazon Prime users in the UK and Germany has increased. The new Amazon Channels service means some TV channels will be available to Amazon subscribers for an additional fee but outside of the usual bundle charges. This page on Amazon.com explores some of the options. The service launched in the US in December 2015.
In the UK some of the channels will include: Discovery, Eurosport, ITV Hub, MGM, Shudder and Comic Con HQ.
Amazon Channels will be available via your Amazon Video app to watch on smart TVs, iOs and Android mobile devices, as well as through Amazon Fire sticks, sending the programmes to your television.
Alex Green, managing director of Amazon Channels for Europe says: “For the first time, Prime members in the UK and Germany will be able to choose to watch premium TV channels without having to sign up to a bundle or a contract, giving them the freedom to pay for only what they want to watch.”
This is clearly a new approach for viewers in the UK and additional value being added to the Amazon Prime proposition (even with the extra charges). The sports options will be of particular interest to sports fans.


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Costco is bringing back its free samples — a store feature that was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic.
When is Costco bringing back samples?
Per CNN, Costco said it will be “beginning a phased return to full sampling” in early June.
- About 170 Costco locations will add free samples in the first week of June. And “most of the remaining locations” will have samples by the end of June.
Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti in an investors call this week said the free samples will take safety into account, too.
- “Increased safety protocols are and will be in place, including all samples prepared behind plexiglass, prepared in smaller batches for better safety control, and distributed to members one at a time” he said, according to Fox News.
Why did Costco end free samples?
Free samples were a hallmark of the Costco shopping experience before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a change in safety protocols, which led to the warehouse chain shutting down free samples.
The company said it was optimistic about the future of its company, including sales of high-margin items like jewelry, as restrictions have eased, according to Reuters.
When will there be food court seating again?
Costco also plans to add some indoor seating in 560 different locations in June, too. Outdoor seating will be made available in some food court locations, too. For now, Costco plans to add about half of its seating capacity compared to the old days, according to CNN.


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Each January, countless Americans resolve to get fit or lose a few extra pounds in the new year. (No surprise that ClassPass, which offers access to fitness classes across several U.S. cities, reports that Jan. 13 was its members' most active day last year.) Meanwhile, fitness companies offer deep discounts in an attempt to win new business.
Between traditional gyms, boutique studios and the aforementioned ClassPass, consumers have a growing number of fitness options to help them fight the battle of bulge.
While discounts on annual memberships can be tempting to the money-conscious, Benjamin K. Glaser, features editor of DealNews.com, urges consumers to think carefully before committing. "As people are starting new workout patterns this winter in January, it's worth it to not invest too heavily," he says. "Maybe [don't pay] for a full year's membership at a gym until you're sure that you'll really use it."
Of course, it's not just how much you're spending per month but how much value you're getting out of that membership. A pricier gym or yoga studio that's closer to home or that offers longer hours might be a better option than an inexpensive gym in an inconvenient location with limited hours.
Here's a comparison of three popular fitness options.
Gyms vary widely in cost, hours and amenities. At the low end of the spectrum is what Glaser describes as a "treadmill farm." "You have machines and free weights for $10 to $15 a month, maybe a $50 annual fee," he says. These no-frills gyms may not offer group classes or child care, which is more common in mid-tier and above gyms. Higher-end gyms may offer amenities such as a pool, spa and tennis or squash courts in addition to cardio and weight equipment, and these can cost upwards of $120 per month in cities like New York or Los Angeles.
At gyms that offer classes, the quality of instructors and the level of personal attention in those classes can be hit or miss. "You can find good instructors everywhere, but when you have 30 to 50 people in a room, that instructor is not going be able to reach everybody, and new people tend to hide in the back," says Melissa Fernandez, a former director of group exercise at several gyms in the Los Angeles area. This approach may work for a self-directed person, but if you're a serious yogi looking for help with your crow pose or you need hand-holding to start a new fitness practice, you may want to look elsewhere.
Of course, traditional gyms do have a few key benefits. "They're open most of the day, and there are locations everywhere," Fernandez says. "Group exercise is [usually] free, and there's a lot of offerings at a lot of different times." Plus, if you belong to a national gym chain, you may be able to use your membership in other cities when you travel.
Boutique Fitness Studios
If you're dedicated to a specific type of workout (spin, yoga, CrossFit or Pilates, for example), plenty of smaller boutique studios cater specifically to those interests. Some also cater to specific demographics. "They have bridal boot camps, or conversely, they also have some for the really obese who feel uncomfortable in a public gym," explains Dr. Scott Schreiber, a chiropractor in Newark, Delaware, who is certified in rehabilitation and clinical nutrition and often helps patients find a suitable exercise program for their needs.
At a smaller, more specialized studio, you may not find as much variety as you would at a large gym that offers lots of classes, but instruction is often more personalized since classes tend to be smaller. Plus, a boutique studio will likely offer more specialized classes than a large gym. "If you go to LA Fitness, you're going to get a very standard hatha yoga, it's very general," Fernandez says. Meanwhile, a studio specializing in yoga might offer classes in aerial yoga, prenatal yoga or paddleboard yoga, in addition to more introductory classes.
Some studios offer a punch card option so you can pay for, say, 10 classes at a discount and use them at your convenience rather than pay for a monthly membership. That option could appeal to frequent travelers, since their local Pilates studio may not offer classes in other cities.
When choosing between the punch card or membership option, try to forecast how often you'll go per month with an unlimited membership, and compare that to the cost per workout of a punch card or drop-in class (note that some studios offer a free or discounted class for first-timers). This time of year, some studios also offer promotions through daily deal sites like Groupon to attract new customers.
For those who want maximum variety and workout options, ClassPass is available in over two dozen U.S. cities and gives members access to classes at multiple studios in each city. Costs vary by location (for instance, $79 in Columbus, Ohio, and $125 per month in New York), and members can attend unlimited classes (with a maximum of three classes per studio per month). You can also access classes in other cities using the ClassPass app when you travel, similar to how you might use a chain gym membership in other cities.
Membership may cost more than some gyms or fitness studios, but "ClassPass [makes sense] for someone who thinks they're going to be spending a lot of money trying to get lots of different fitness experiences," Glaser says. In fact, members logged over 10 million hours of class time in 2015, according to ClassPass spokeswoman Ashley Hennings.
In the end, choosing to exercise regularly is more important than choosing a specific gym or fitness studio, although the choice of venue (and its level of convenience) could impact your frequency. "As long as you can get into a gym," Schreiber says, "any type of exercise will reap benefits."
More From US News & World Report


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Yesterday, Alibaba’s Singles Day sale racked up $30 billion just in a span of 24 hours. Alibaba recorded about $1billion in 85 seconds and then $10 billion sales in the first hour past midnight. Singles’ Day, also known as Double 11, is the world’s biggest online sales event which managed to outpace the sales of U.S. shopping holidays Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The idea behind this event comes from the Singles Day, which is an informal holiday celebrated in China by the people who are not in relationships. The date November 11 is observed as Singles Day in China.
In 2009, Alibaba started offering Singles Day discounts and since then has turned the day into a 24-hour bonanza of online shopping in China. Alibaba’s Southeast Asia subsidiary Lazada also offers Singles Day discounts in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
This year the top three products in the early sale were Apple, Dyson and Xiaomi. In the first hour, the countries selling to China were Japan, US and South Korea. A glimpse of consumer sentiment was seen because of the tensions between US and China.
Daniel Zhang, Alibaba CEO told reporters in Shanghai, “We can feel that merchants are fully embracing the internet and helping with consumption upgrade.”
The China-US trade war likely to hamper Alibaba growth story
China’s economy is getting affected because of its trade war with the United States getting worse. According to BBC news, the US has imposed three rounds of tariffs on Chinese products this year, totaling $250 billion worth of goods. This war is going beyond and in future, if the US decides to work on the idea of import taxes, then all the China’s exports to the US would be subject to duties. This year, China’s quarterly growth was the weakest marking just 6.5%. It’s already indicating a downfall.
CNN reported in September 2018 that Jack Ma, the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, said “It’s going to last long, it’s going to be a mess. The US-China trade war will last not for 20 months or 20 days, but “maybe 20 years.”
Despite the booming record, the annual sales growth rate fell from 39 percent to 27 percent in a year . It was the smallest in the event’s 10-year history. It would be interesting to see Alibaba’s next move.