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Thanks to expansions into more domestic and Latin American markets—and help from MotionPoint—JetBlue has seen sky-high lifts in revenue and traffic to its Spanish-language mobile website, according to a recent story in Latin Trade.
JetBlue currently operates flights to 35 cities in Latin America, and also serves many key Hispanic markets in the United States. Catering to these thriving markets, in their consumers' language of choice, has been a winning growth strategy for the airline.
"The idea was to create a product in Spanish for that market, to continue developing our strategy with them," Catalina Bretón, JetBlue's Commercial and International Planning Director, told the magazine. "We found that the Latino market is a very active user of mobile technology, that's why we needed a mobile site and it's been successful."
Indeed, mere weeks after the MotionPoint-powered mobile website debuted, JetBlue's traffic grew 80 percent. Spanish mobile revenues have grown 363 percent. JetBlue recovered its investment on the mobile site in just two months, the story said.
Read more at Latin Trade. (Subscription required to access full story.)
MotionPoint helps world-class brands grow by engaging and enriching the lives of new customers in markets around the globe.
Far more than the world's most effective website translation service, MotionPoint's turn-key platform combines innovative technology, big data, world-class translation and deep international marketing expertise. MotionPoint's approach guarantees the quality, security and scalability required to succeed in an evermore competitive global marketplace - both online and offline.


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Amsterdam, The Netherlands — LG.Philips Displays, the joint venture between Korea’s LG Electronics and Royal Philips Electronics, based here, will take an impairment charge of about $725 million in the fourth quarter, doing this as a non-cash write-off of assets.
LG.Philips, which provides cathode ray tubes (CRTs) for television and computer monitors, has seen a reduction in demand for CRTs in recent months, due to competition from flat-panel televisions. Flat panels have posted capacity increases and suffered very strong price erosion to become more competitive.
At the same time, Philips said it would take a $499.7 million charge in the fourth quarter on its LG.Philips Displays unit. The company said it would write-off the entire $152.8 million book value of the joint-venture unit, but that this would not have an impact on earnings again after this quarter. The impairment charge is non-cash, but Philips said it also would take a cash charge of $50.1 million.
In light of a shifting global demand for CRTs, Jeong II Son, president/CEO of LG.Philips, said, “The market for CRTs is still large, but it is becoming more concentrated in emerging economies. LG.Philips Displays is committed to maintain its technological and commercial leadership in those markets, where CRTs will dominate in the year’s ahead.”

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According to a recent study by EUIPO and OECD, small and medium sized enterprises are the most affected by counterfeiting, essentially because they tend not to secure adequate protection for their trademarks, designs and innovations, and in any case are likely to consider enforcing their rights too costly.
Risks of Illicit Trade in Counterfeits to Small and Medium-Sized Firms is a study published jointly in January 2023 by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The report concludes that while counterfeiting affects all categories of enterprises, its impact in terms of economic and reputational damage, as well as loss of competitive edge, is much greater on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) than on larger businesses.
SMEs at greater risk from counterfeiting
SMEs often have high quality productions enjoying excellent reputation. But whereas larger enterprises tend to secure and enforce their intellectual property rights systematically, SMEs do not protect their trademarks, designs and inventions as frequently, the geographic scope of the rights they do secure tends to be more limited and often it does not cover China and Hong Kong, which originate about 85% of goods seized for infringement of the intellectual property rights of SMEs.
SMEs also have greater difficulties in blocking the activities of counterfeiters, who are aware that infringing the intellectual property of smaller companies poses lower risks.
Italian enterprises are among the hardest hit
Italy ranks 3rd globally, after the United States and Switzerland, among states whose SMEs were most affected by counterfeiting between 2011 and 2019, according to customs seizure figures, and is in 4th place in the same ranking for large enterprises.
Little use of monitoring and other available measures
The study finds that SMEs of the European Union tend not to employ the measures used by larger companies to stop counterfeiters.
40% of European SMEs do not systematically monitor markets for infringements of their intellectual property rights, a very important activity in blocking counterfeiters quickly, thus minimising damage. SMEs rarely request customs action to prevent goods infringing their intellectual property rights from entering the European Union.
The report points out that SMEs perceive such measures as too costly in terms of time and resources, but also that they often lack appropriate information about ways their IP rights can be enforced.


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Thursday morning we learned that Hillshire Brands (NYSE:HSH) received a second takeout offer from Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) after receiving one on Tuesday from Pilgrim’s Pride (NASDAQ:PPC). Tyson offered Hillshire shareholders $50 after Pilgrim’s Pride offered $45/share.
This bidding war has generated a lot of investor enthusiasm from traders who see the potential benefits that consolidation in the packaged food industry can bring about. As I pointed out on Monday, packaged food companies are also technology companies. They used patented techniques in order to improve farming and processing efficiencies, and it is for this reason that a company such as Hillshire is generating so much interest.
I also pointed out that as the industry consolidates there are fewer companies to compete in the space, and that means that the companies that are remaining have added pricing power. Since they also have the patented techniques necessary to improve efficiencies, this means that it is less likely that a smaller competitor, or even a larger new competitor can enter the market competitively.
It isn’t the only one. The bidding war for Hillshire comes shortly after Hillshire made an offer for Pinnacle Foods (NYSE:PF). Furthermore, about a year ago, a Chinese company — Shuanghui International — bought out America’s largest pork producer — Smithfield Foods.


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The European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA) has launched a new workgroup to improve supply chain visibility within bulk liquid flows.
The workgroup, created by Hoyer, Berschi and Den Hartogh, aims to develop a standard ECTA format for transport data and message definition to improve end-to-end supply chain transparency and collaboration across the chemical logistics bulk liquid actors.
The initial focus of the ECTA work group is to provide reliable, continuously updated information on estimated time of arrival (ETA) and the communication of transport milestone messages, in order to avoid unnecessary exchange of raw data and difference in the interpretation of the ETA.
The initiative will also look into other areas in the logistics process where standardisation would lead to higher efficiency.
In one single shipment, on its maiden voyage to China to Rotterdam, BG Freight Line’s new ship BG Sapphire transported 500 new 30ft dry bulk containers in co-operation with CIMC in China, BG Freight Rotterdam and Den Hartogh Logistics.
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To find out more about gasworld's advertising opportunities click here.


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Bad news for fans of Northern Lite lattes and other specialty drinks at Caribou Coffee: The Minneapolis-based company’s five local stores are closing this Sunday, April 14. According to a statement by Mike Tattersfield, Caribou Coffee’s president and CEO, 80 under-performing stores will close Sunday. In addition, 88 coffeehouses in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., […]
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Wine Enthusiast has announced Victoria as one of five nominees for the 2023 Wine Region of the Year at its Wine Star Awards, the other nominated regions are: are Lambrusco, Italy, Provence, France, Charlottesville Virginia and Swartland, South Africa.
Victoria is recognised as having a diverse range of climates and winemaking styles across its 21 regions as well as for its focus on sustainability certification and carbon neutral reduction practices.
Chair of Wine Victoria, Stephanie Duboudin was understandably delighted with the news, saying: “To receive this nomination in such a class field within the global wine stage is recognition of the high quality of wines we produce across the entire state.
“We recently hosted Wine Enthusiast’s Contributing Editor, Christina Pickard on a visit to eight regions across the state. Christina was enamoured with the huge array of wine styles, the people behind them and the diverse geology, geography, and climates within our small state. Christina’s visit and this nomination is testament to how important it is for key influencers to visit and experience our wine regions and wines firsthand.”
This year marks the 24th anniversary of Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Star Awards, honouring the individuals and companies that make outstanding contributions to the wine and alcohol beverage world.
The winner of region of the year 2023 will be announced at the annual Wine Star awards in Miami on Monday, 5 February 2024.


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The company will also host autograph sessions on July 31 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. and August 1 from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. with the star of Overhaulin' and owner of Foose Design, Chip Foose.
In addition, Chip Foose is conducting a paint demonstration with BASF Glasurit 90-Line on Friday, August 1 at noon in Cobo Center.
As part of the conference program, Hans Kempf, training manager from BASF, will discuss Advanced Color Adjustment Tools & Techniques on Friday, August 1. BASF will also sponsor the Collision Repair Executive Symposium (CRES), held on Friday, August 1 during the expo.
"Collision repair shops always strive to meet top levels of quality and service to retain customers, while also maximizing their output and profitability," said Vitor Margaronis, marketing director, BASF Coatings Solutions. "BASF helps them achieve these goals with customized support solutions, including process improvement assistance, shop training, leading color technology and productivity tools."
BASF will showcase the newest products and processes that provide the industry with the solutions it needs most. From its revolutionary ONYX HD Low VOC Productive System, to a new business performance program – Advanced Process Solutions -- that produces remarkable results for shops across the country, the experts from BASF will be on hand to discuss how innovative products and services help customers improve collision center productivity and grow their bottom line.
The company will also highlight the latest offerings from its Glasurit and R-M lines of refinish coatings.
"BASF's line of R-M coatings was started in Detroit nearly a century ago," said Margaronis. "So while we always look forward to the NACE / CARS Expo, we are especially excited to see it held in Detroit this year, where our automotive business has a long history."


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We were very excited to receive notification that the IsoAcoustics Modular Aluminum system has been nominated for the TEC Awards.
CONGRATULATIONS! We are pleased to inform you that the IsoAcoustics Modular Aluminum Isolation System has been nominated for a 30th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Award in the category of Ancillary Equipment. The TEC Awards was established in 1985 to honor outstanding achievement in professional audio production and product innovation.
Hundreds of entries for nomination were reviewed and voted upon by an extensive panel of veteran sound and music industry professionals in the U.S. and abroad. Winners will be determined by online subscribers to Mix, Pro Sound News, Pro Audio Review, Electronic Musician, and members of professional audio and sound production organizations through online voting conducted by an independent company. Voting will take place in December.
The winners of the 30th Annual TEC Awards will be announced at a ceremony to be held Saturday evening, January 24, 2015 at the Anaheim Hilton as a special highlight of the NAMM Show, one of the world’s largest music products trade shows.


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One of Instagram’s co-founders, Kevin Systrom, recently voiced his disapproval of the route the social network has lately gone. According to Systrom, who co-founded Instagram, the site has lost its “spirit” and is no longer what it once was in an interview with American technology reporter Kara Swisher.
Together with Mike Krieger, Systrom co-founded Burbn, a location-sharing platform, in 2010. In the interview, he said that he used to check Instagram to see what his friends and family were up to, but that now days all he sees are content producers and corporations utilising the site to advertise goods and services and earn money.
INSTAGRAM NO LONGER HAS A SOUL.
The issue with Instagram’s economic model, in Systrom’s opinion, is its emphasis on targeting advertisements. While the parent company of Instagram, Meta, may be profiting from this method, many normal Instagram users feel left out. The regular user no longer has much room on the site, which is increasingly focused on businesses and professional producers.
Unintended repercussions of Instagram’s monetization method also exist. Influencers on the site are promoting a lifestyle that many people aspire to but cannot afford by living opulent lives. Instagram has, according to Systrom, turned into a race to the bottom. users vying to be the most immaculate and perfect.
The BeReal platform was commended by Systrom for attempting to preserve part of what Instagram once was. BeReal invites users to share spontaneous, unrehearsed, and unproduced clips from their daily lives. This website was created in reaction to the pressure that Instagram users are under to present a flawless, well managed image of their life.
It’s vital to remember that Facebook purchased Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion. For a bit longer, Systrom and Krieger held the reins, but they finally departed the organisation in 2018. due to conflicts with Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook.
SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS OUR LIVES IN A LOT OF WAYS.
Systrom’s critique of Instagram is a reflection of the rising worry about how social media is affecting our lives. On these platforms, many people feel under pressure to exhibit the ideal version of themselves, which exacerbates anxiety and sadness. The emergence of influencers has also led to the development of irrational notions of what it really means to be successful or content.
The widening gap between content producers and regular users is another effect of Instagram’s emphasis on profitability. Many normal users of the network find it difficult to keep up with influencers who lead extravagant lives. Systrom cautions that this gap may have unforeseen societal repercussions.
The BeReal platform is an effort to deal with some of these problems. by urging users to be less censored and more genuine. It will be interesting to see whether this site can rival Instagram. which has taken over as the main power in social media. Despite the detrimental effects it has on users’ mental and psychological wellbeing.
Finally, Systrom’s critique of Instagram brings attention to the mounting worries about how social media affects our lives. A platform that is more tailored towards influencers and companies resulted from the emphasis on revenue. making frequent users feel excluded. The emergence of influencers has also led to the development of irrational notions of what it really means to be successful or content. The BeReal platform is a reaction to these issues. But whether it can actually provide a substitute for Instagram’s carefully manicured flawless image is still up for debate. As time goes on, it’s critical to keep asking ourselves how social media fits into our lives and how we might utilise these platforms in a way that is real and healthy.


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PayPal to Launch a Dedicated Crypto Arm
The CEO of PayPal Holdings, Daniel Schulman announced that they launched a new dedicated business segment to initiate the crypto arm.
Schulman made it public during PayPal’s earnings call on last Wednesday. He further said that they will focus much of their resources on blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
“We all know the current financial system is antiquated, and we can envision a future where transactions are completed in seconds, not days; a future where transactions should be less expensive to complete; and a future that enables all people to be part of the digital economy, not just the affluent. We are significantly investing in our new crypto, blockchain, and digital currencies business unit in order to help shape this more inclusive future.”
Q4-FY-20 – PayPal Earnings Release
The organization affirmed that they received a conditional license from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), which allowed them entry into crypto markets.
Schulman further said;
“We also saw an exceptional response from our crypto launch, even with high initial expectations the volume of crypto traded on our platform greatly exceeded our projections. We are excited to build upon this early success by allowing customers to use their crypto balance as a funding source whenever they shop at our 29 million merchants. We anticipate the rollout of that capability to begin late this quarter, and we hope to launch our first international market in the next several months. These initial steps are just the beginning of an extensive road map around crypto, blockchain, and digital currencies.”
Q4-FY-20 – PayPal Earnings Release reported a net income of $1.5 billion during the Q4 of 2020 with an earning per share of $1.08. During this quarter the organization has managed to add 16 million net new active accounts. With this new number, the total active accounts have reached 377 million. The total number of new active accounts has reached 72.7 million net accounts for the fiscal year of 2020.
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Vistaprint have today said that believe that small business are looking more optimistic in 2013. The company conducts a quarterly survey of business and as part of this, gets a indication of how businesses out there are travelling. The aspects of businesses that the survey covers is their happiness, revenue and profit growth, customer growth and business investment. They then compared these values with what they gathered last year and found that overall sentiment had improved significantly.
The survey showed last year that most small business owners wanted to increase customers numbers as a number one priority. The survey this year revealed that 73 percent of those surveyed achieved their goal of increasing customer numbers.
Revenue was another big topic obviously with business owners looking to increase revenue this year. Over half of those surveyed reported that they also achieved this goal.
Vistaprint is a company which offers businesses a wide range of promotional material at good prices and fast delivery. A Vistaprint coupon is often available for consumers to use to get benefits such as free delivery.


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Coronavirus Cash Crisis: What's the biggest financial mistake people are making right now?
"A lot of people believe that they may get their old jobs back. They may also get the old industry where they were working back again. ... Companies in America, they're not obliged to hire you back unless it's written in a contract. They're not obliged to pay you back the same salary. ... So don't take anything for granted," said Arindam Nag, chief executive of Centsai.
"They're actually overspending in areas where they might not even need to. So really almost hoarding part, buying too much of certain items that they don't need and they might end up wasting because they just don't need all of it," said Kimberly Palmer, a personal finance expert at NerdWallet.
"What this crisis really shows us is how important emergency savings is. Having six months' worth of living expenses in a savings account or 12 months' worth of living expenses in a savings account, should you need it. That cannot be overstated, the importance of that," said Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez, a personal finance author.


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DAILY ALERT FOR Tuesday, June 25, 2019
LEGAL & LEGISLATION
California Reminder: NRA and CRPA Hosting Webinar on June 26 Discussing Upcoming Ammunition Sales Restrictions
As reported earlier this month, NRA and CRPA will be hosting a free live webinar discussing all of the upcoming ammunition background check requirements scheduled to take effect July 1.
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Early arrival of festive season accelerates demand for two-wheelers
Demand for two-wheelers is back on its growth trajectory, thanks to the festive season, above average rainfall and the positive sentiment prevailing in the market.
The demand for two-wheelers is back on its growth trajectory, thanks to the early arrival of the festive season this year, above-average rainfall across major parts of the country clubbed with the positive sentiment prevailing in the market. August 2017 has turned out to be one of the best performing months for the Indian wo-wheeler industry since the festive season last year.
August sales as reported by the major two-wheeler companies indicate that the market has registered 15.14 percent growth YoY. The highlights of the last month’s performance include Hero MotoCorp (HMCL), Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), Royal Enfield and Suzuki Motorcycle India recording their best-ever monthly sales.
Bajaj Auto and India Yamaha Motor, however, reported numbers that are not at par with the current industry growth.
Hero MotoCorp has reportedly clocked its highest-ever sales for any single month in August 2017. It sold total of 678,797 units including exports (17,307 units) for the month. The domestic sales stood at 661,490 units, which recorded a YoY growth of 10.02 percent over the corresponding month last year.
According to the company, its previous highest monthly performance was recorded in September 2016, when the company had sold 674,961 units.
August 2017 marked the fourth consecutive month when Hero MotoCorp has managed to sell more than 600,000 units.
The company aims to further consolidate its position in the market during the festive months of September and October. It is learnt that the market leader has already started preparing for the required inventory levels to meet the surging demand.
Notably, Hero MotoCorp aims to launch about six new models that would include a 125cc scooter and 200cc premium motorcycle for urban commuting.
Recording its best-ever sales for any month, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), has reportedly sold 622,180 units (including exports) in August 2017. Interestingly, this is the first time that the company has breached the 600,000-unit sales mark. On the domestic front, HMSI sold 586,173 units (growing by 25.71 percent YoY), which is also its best-ever performance in India.
The company claims that its scooter and motorcycle sales have recorded all-time high numbers in August, which marked the commencement of the festive season.
HMSI sold 191,944 motorcycles in August thereby recording a YoY growth of 48 percent. It had sold 129,926 motorcycles in August last year. On the scooter front, the company sold 394,229 units, up by 17 percent YoY. It had sold 336,363 scooters in August last year.
Commenting on HMSI’s August 2017 sales, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior VP - Sales and Marketing, said, “On the back of strong festival demand matched with new additional capacity coming at a very strategic time, Honda has breached the 600,000 units sales mark for the first time in August 2017. At the same time, our strong overseas demand momentum has resulted in exports crossing the 36,000-unit mark. On the domestic front, both scooters and motorcycles touched their highest sales mark. We are seeing increased footfalls at dealerships and are fully equipped to cater to the high demand during the festive period.”
Expanding its production capacity further, Honda has recently added the fourth assembly line at its Narsapura plant (near Bangalore). While this increased the annual production capacity from 5.8 million units to 6.4 million units, India has now become the largest production hub for the Honda’s global two-wheeler business.
TVS Motor Company, the third largest two-wheeler player in the domestic market, sold 270,544 units last month, up by a stable 13.21 percent YoY. Notably, scooter sales for TVS Motor grew by about 49 percent from 76,572 units in August last year to 114,354 units in August 2017. Motorcycle sales, on the other hand, were marginally down for the company. It sold 111,927 motorcycles last month as against 114,195 units in August 2016.
Addressing this mild decline and to ensure that its motorcycle sales pick up as the festive season approaches, the company has now rolled out the updated version of its 110cc mass commuter motorcycle, TVS Star City+. It primarily competes with Honda’s Dream series and Livo models, Bajaj Auto’s Platina range, Hero’s Splendor iSmart 110, Yamaha Saluto RX and other models.
TVS Motor, the flagship company of the US$ 7 billion TVS Group, is finally planning to launch its first-ever hybrid vehicle in December this year followed by pure electric vehicle(s) by March – April 2018. The company is also understood to be readying up atleast two all-new two-wheeler models – 125cc scooter and 310cc motorcycle based on its alliance with BMW Motorrad for launch in the ongoing fiscal.
Bajaj Auto, the fourth largest two-wheeler company in India, recorded sales of 171,664 units, marginally down by 1.75 percent YoY. The company had sold 174,719 units in August last year. To boost its domestic sales, Bajaj has recently rolled out the electric start variant of its 100cc mass commuter CT100, which sits in the entry-level segment. Bajaj Auto’s CT100 models are also one of the most affordable 100cc motorcycle models in the domestic market.
The company is also understood to roll out the updated Pulsar line up later this year to boost its domestic sales.
India Yamaha Motor has reported sales of 77,887 units (including Nepal) in August, up by 4.03 percent. Focusing on the premium category, the company has recently launched the single-cylinder, 249cc, 20bhp Fazer 25, which borrows the powertrain from FZ 25 launches earlier this year.
Commenting on the company’s sustained growth, Roy Kurian, senior VP, Sales & Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales, said, “The industry expects further surge in demand and Yamaha is upbeat with its network, marketing and service functions to drive its growth. Yamaha’s clear direction articulated through unique product line up including the newly introduced Fazer 25 has received encouraging comeback from the customers. Yamaha’s focus will continue to grow in the tier II and III markets, offering distinctive brand experience and customer engagements.”
Talking to Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the Fazer 25 launch in Mumbai on August 21, Kurian revealed that the company has revised its annual target for CY2017 from one million units to 900,000 units. Subsequently, Yamaha has also revised its previous target of achieving 10 percent market share in the domestic scooter segment this year. However, he is upbeat about the upcoming festive season and hopes that Yamaha will record its best-ever performance during September and October.
Continuing its streak of month-on-month growth, Royal Enfield has now registered its best-ever sales of 66,872 units in August 2017, up by 22.17 percent YoY. The company had sold 54,735 units in August last year. The company has recently commenced production at its third manufacturing facility at Vallam Vadagal near Chennai. Royal Enfield’s combined production capacity now stands at 825,000 units across the three plants for FY2017-18.
The growth in RE’s sales on the export front, however, is relatively slower at 12 percent YoY in August 2017. It exported 1,105 units last month as against the sales of 986 units in August last year.
Suzuki Motorcycle India too has reported its best-ever monthly performance in August 2017. The company has clocked sales of 56,745 units last month, up by a commendable 78 percent YoY. According to the company, it has already accumulated sale of 223,552 units during the April–August 2017 period.
Suzuki Motorcycles’ performance for the said period has reported YoY growth of about 55 percent. Notably, the company is targeting an annual sale of half a million units in FY2017-18 in the domestic market. Suzuki has evidently done well so far this fiscal, thanks to its bestselling models, Access 125 and the Gixxer range.
Speaking on this performance, Sajeev Rajasekhran, EVP, Sales and Marketing, SMIL, said, “Our performance in August has been consistent with the rapid strides that we continue to take in FY2017-18. With the introduction of new Gixxer ABS variants and the Gixxer Special Edition this month, we can now offer our customers new, exciting options across all product categories. Not only does this augur well for us, but ahead of the festive season, has injected a renewed confidence in our efforts to best serve our customers.”
The industry is expecting further growth in the festive months of September and October. It remains to be seen how Hero and Honda’s rivalry shapes up, if Bajaj Auto manages to restore its domestic growth, and whether Royal Enfield breaches the 75,000 unit mark for the first time during the forthcoming festive season.
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Cray has announced its XC30 supercomputer, offering an impressive 100 petaflops of computing power to academics and researchers who might need it. No prizes for making a "that speed cray" joke.
Microsoft's low end smartphone strategy needs a reboot
Hands On: Preview of HP's new $200 laptop
Nest Learning Thermostat: The Next Generation, review
HP EliteDesk 800 Desktop Mini review
The latest table for Pinball FX2, Venom, reviewed
Microsoft's final "12 Days of Deals" 50% off Xbox Music subscription
Xbox Music Windows Phone


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When It Comes to Battery Performance, Sodium May Just Be the New Lithium
Watch out lithium-ion batteries! There is new material in town, and it may just make sodium-ion batteries more efficient than lithium-ion ones, particularly in speed of charge.
The new material was discovered and demonstrated by researchers at the Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech) in Japan.
Competing with lithium-ion
Lithium-ion batteries are near ubiquitous and with good reason. They are highly efficient. However, lithium is a very limited and costly resource and has sometimes even been labeled as the reason electric car adoption has not happened faster.
Sodium-ion could soon become an alternative that will be both cheaper and more accessible. Not only is sodium abundant on Earth but sodium-based components have an ideal crystal structure design that could yield much faster charging times.
There is one complication, however. Sodium is a larger size than lithium and has different chemistry. This makes it impossible to simple swap lithium with sodium.
Researchers have been on the hunt for a solution to this problem, and this new team may just have found it. But it was no easy feat.
Scientists at NITech extracted about 4300 compounds from a crystal structure database and proceeded to conduct a high-throughput computation. Only one of the compounds proved efficient, and that is Na2V3O7.
A 6 minute charging time
Na2V3O7 had both the right electrochemical performance as well as crystal and electronic structures. The compound even yielded an impressive charging time, within 6 minutes, and indicated the potential for a long battery life.
"Our aim was to tackle the biggest hurdle that large-scale batteries face in applications such as electric cars that heavily rely on long charge durations. We approached the issue via a search that would yield materials efficient enough to increase a battery's rate performance".
Before you get too excited it should be noted that Na2V3O7 was found to, unfortunately, deteriorate in the final charging stages. The researchers estimate that this would limit the practical storage capacity to half of the theoretical one.
However, all is not lost. The researchers are hard at work looking to improving Na2V3O7's performance to eliminate this glitch and hopefully produce a compound that is stable throughout the entire duration of the charging stages.
"Our ultimate goal is to establish a method that will enable us to efficiently design battery materials via a combination of computational and experimental methods," Dr. Tanibata added.
The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
A huge study of TV and internet habits found that Americans get more highly partisan news from TV. Most research has focused on the internet.


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As the United Auto Workers strike at General Motors enters its fifth day, its ripple effects are being felt among suppliers and beyond as negotiations continue to stalemate.
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Nearly 50,000 union workers walked off their jobs on Sunday night, starting a nationwide strike at General Motors.
In a statement to ABC News, GM Canada said it had “seen a disruption of our vehicle assembly work at the Oshawa Assembly Plant due to the UAW strike.” The Associated Press reported that over a thousand workers have been temporarily laid off the GM plant in Oshawa, Canada, as a result of the strike.
Charlie Highlanger, 59, a GM employee shouts at passing employees entering the assembly plant outside the General Motors Bowling Green plant during the United Auto Workers (UAW) national strike in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Sept. 20, 2019.
“We plan to resume these operations as quickly as possible upon resolution of the UAW strike,” the statement added.
Back stateside, a local UAW union chapter 699 in Saginaw, Michigan, shared a message from their president warning of possible temporary layoffs in the coming days from GM supplier Nexteer Automotive, which makes s
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Fifteen years ago, the physical effects in games were pretty lame. But a handful of bold game developers started figuring out how to incorporate physics into the behavior of objects in games. If you smashed a wall, it had to crumble into pieces in a realistic fashion, or the resulting animation would destroy the fantasy of the game.
At the time, 3D graphics were still advancing at a rapid rate. But the fake part of the games was the motion and the lack of interaction with physical objects. So a team of experts quit their doctorate studies at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, to create a startup called Havok. The company was acquired by Intel in 2007, and the physical effects that it helped create were used in some of the biggest games of all time, such as Half-Life 2, BioShock, The Last of Us, Uncharted, the Call of Duty series, Battlefield, Dark Souls, Far Cry and more than 600 other titles.
We talked about that with David Coghlan, president and managing director of Havok, in an interview this week. I wrote a story for the Wall Street Journal about physics in games in 1990s. Back then, Seamus Blackley, who would later become co-creator of Microsoft’s first Xbox game console, tried to make physics the star attraction of his dinosaur game, Trespasser. But the physics couldn’t save that game when it debuted in 1998. I chronicled some of that story in my book about the making of the Xbox, and Coghlan read that book as he joined Havok.
While the 3D graphics made the game pretty, the physics made them interactive. You could kick a ball and watch it soar through the air like a real ball. Or you could shoot an enemy on a tower and watch the body topple like a rag doll to the ground.
“I wouldn’t say graphics were a solved problem, but they were very sterile, static environments,” Coghlan said. “They certainly looked visually impressive by the standards of the time. The early 3D titles like Doom and Quake raised the bar. But the worlds the players were playing in were extremely static worlds, and in many cases, little more than mazes.”
The physicists built software that made it a lot easier for developers to incorporate physics into the objects that they created. And the developers have run with it.
“Now it has come a long way,” Coghlan said. “Every 3D game is an interactive experience. It’s something you can navigate through. Early games like Half-Life 2 and Max Payne 2 showed what was possible with a truly interactive 3D world. As a result, the face of gaming has changed.”
Coghlan noted that Electronic Arts DICE studio continues to push physics further with destructible environments in its Battlefield series of games. The Uncharted series from Sony also pushes the envelope on physics, he said.
“It creates a high-octane, Hollywood-style experience that runs on a consumer grade piece of hardware,” he said. “Players can interact freely with objects in the environment, or the environment itself. You can destroy buildings, or see character-to-character interaction that uses realistic physics.”
Physics thrived thanks to gamer PCs with better and better graphics cards. The PlayStation 2 and the Xbox were the first machines that had the horsepower to implement some physics in a world. Now the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 can handle physics, 3D graphics, and speed without compromise. And mobile devices can run games with physics, such as Angry Birds and Infinity Blade. Havok or its rivals are used in most of the highest-rated games in the industry now. Bad physics in a game is as noticeable now as missing sound in a game, Coghlan said.
Coghlan said, “I don’t see any future where physics is a solved or static problem. It’s the same way that we will see 3D graphics improve in the next five or 20 years. It opens up new types of gameplay experiences. Developers are only constrained by the particular vision that they have for a title.”
Here’s Havok’s view of the history of physics in games.
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Wednesday, November 30 ,2011 : Two new brands in initial launch by holding company
Online software provider GTechG2 is to provide two new internet gambling sites, Pokerleaders and Spinwinners, with casino and poker gambling software along with a management system through an agreement with Xorti, a French holding company founded in 2009 and in possession of LGA Malta licensing.
Pokerleaders is currently awaiting licence approval from French online gaming regulator ARJEL.
William Scott, vice president of GTechG2 said, “It’s very exciting for GTECH G2 to be involved with the launch and creation of two new brands in the iGaming sphere. We are certain that both the Pokerleaders and SpinWinners sites will benefit from our ever expanding games portfolio.”
Olivier Douce, a director of Xorti said, “As a company we are passionate about iGaming and wanted to invest in the very best technology and services. GTECH G2 has provided us with the perfect partnership for our entry into the market.”


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INITO INTERNATIONAL LTD. ACQUIRES LONGBRIDGE
Rapidly expanding International recruitment company, Initio International Ltd, has acquired one of the leading UK brands in legal recruitment, Longbridge International, in a deal announced on 1st March 2010.
Recently appointed Director, Patrick Goodwin said, as part of Initio, Longbridge has a great opportunity to build an established brand and maximise its potential through diversification into other areas of professional staffing, throughout the UK.
Initio International Ltd, itself a recent Management Buy Out (MBO) from the large, Japanese owned Faro Recruitment Group, has successful businesses in the USA (Monroe Staffing Inc.) and Spain (ALG Consultores). The Groups aim is to establish itself as a major player in the hard-fought world of International professional services staffing.
Initio International Chief Executive Brendan Flood said, "Initio have been looking to expand into the UK for some time now and I'm extremely excited by the fact that we've been fortunate enough to acquire a brand as strong as Longbridge, with all of its heritage in the market.


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Visa has benefited as more people use debit and credit cards
Visa has raised a record amount of money by issuing shares that will be traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
The payment-card network sold 406 million shares at $44 each, raising $17.9bn (£8.9bn) in the biggest initial public offering in the US to date.
The stock is expected to begin trading on Wednesday but demand for new shares has waned this year.
Of the sale proceeds, $10.2bn will be paid to the banks that own the card payment network.
Visa's IPO eclipses AT&T Wireless Group's $10.6bn stock offering in 2000 and ranks second in the world after the $22bn debut in 2006 of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China.
It raised more money than expected, with its shares initially forecast to sell between $37 and $42.
Plastic not cash
Visa's profits have grown as consumers pay for more purchases with credit and debit cards instead of cash.
Another $3bn of the money raised will be set aside to cover the costs of a variety of litigation that Visa is currently involved with.
That includes allegations of price-fixing from major retailers.
Last year, American Express accepted a payment of about $2.1bn from Visa, after claiming it had been illegally blocked from the US bank-issued card business.
If there is sufficient demand, Visa might sell additional shares and boost the potential size of the offering to $19.7bn.
The money raised dwarfs the listing of its rival Mastercard, which raised $2.4bn in May 2006.


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But nearly two years after deciding to build on a 60-acre lot near the Hollywood Park racetrack, Wal-Mart is nowhere near pouring concrete. Instead, the world's biggest company is at war with a determined opposition, led by organized labor.
Indeed, similar battles are breaking out across California, and both sides are digging in hard. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. wants to move into the grocery business throughout the state by opening 40 Supercenters, each a 200,000-square-foot behemoth that combines a fully stocked food market with a discount mega-store — entirely staffed by non-union employees. The United Food and Commercial Workers and the Teamsters are trying to thwart that effort, hoping to save relatively high-paying union jobs.
The unions have amassed a seven-figure war chest and are calling in political chits to fight Wal-Mart. The giant retailer is aggressively countering every move, and some analysts believe that Wal-Mart's share of grocery sales in the state could eventually reach 20%. The state's first Supercenter is set to open in March in La Quinta, near Palm Springs.
"If we have an advantage," said Robert S. McAdam, Wal-Mart's vice president for state and local government relations, "it's that we are offering what people want."
In fact, Wal-Mart has won allies by providing people of modest means a chance to stretch their dollars.
"We need to have retail outlets that are convenient and offer quality goods and services at low prices," said John Mack, president of the Los Angeles Urban League. "I really think that there are potential economic benefits for this community with the addition of a Wal-Mart."
Yet the Supercenters also threaten the 250,000 members of the UFCW and Teamsters who work in the supermarket business in California.
For decades, the unions have been a major force in the state grocery industry and have negotiated generous labor contracts. Wal-Mart pays its grocery workers an estimated $10 less per hour in wages and benefits than do the big supermarkets nationwide — $19 versus $9. As California grocery chains brace for the competition, their workers face severe cutbacks in compensation.
"We're going to end up just like the Wal-Mart workers," said Rick Middleton, a Teamsters official in Carson who eagerly hands out copies of a paperback called "How Wal-Mart Is Destroying America." "If we don't as labor officials address this issue now, the future for our membership is dismal, very dismal."
The push for concessions has already started, prompting the longest supermarket strike in Southern California's history. About 70,000 grocery workers employed by Albertsons Inc., Kroger Co.'s Ralphs and Safeway Inc.'s Vons and Pavilions have been walking the picket lines since Oct. 11, largely to protest proposed reductions in health benefits. The supermarkets say they need these cuts to hold their own against Wal-Mart, already the nation's largest grocer.
Rick Icaza, president of one of seven UFCW locals in Southern California, has taken issue with much of the supermarkets' rhetoric since the labor dispute began. But he doesn't doubt that Wal-Mart is the biggest threat ever posed to the grocery chains — and, in turn, his own members.
"The No. 1 enemy has still got to be Wal-Mart," he said.
The unions and their community allies have stopped Wal-Mart in some places and slowed it down in others. They have persuaded officials in at least a dozen cities and counties to adopt zoning laws to keep out Supercenters and stores like them.
Homeowner groups, backed by union money, sued to stop construction of two Supercenters in Bakersfield, arguing that the stores would drive local merchants out of business. Contra Costa County and Oakland also have passed measures that could block Supercenters.
In Los Angeles, several City Council members are drafting an ordinance to require an examination of how large-scale projects such as Supercenters would affect the community, including the possible loss of union jobs. As envisioned by supporters, the measure would allow the city to insist on higher wages as a condition of project approval.
"We want Wal-Mart to be able to help us with our economic development," said Councilman Eric Garcetti, who is co-sponsoring the measure. "We just want to be able to do it on our terms and not theirs."
Wal-Mart, however, can more than match its foes in resources and resolve.


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Tata’s next move is once again for the youths. Nano with electronic steering was its last offering, which to entice more urbanites the Indian carmaker has deployed AMT gearbox and openable boot. Called as Nano GenX, this new small car of Tata Motors is not only a statement for the industry as ‘world’s cheapest’, but factually it grown into a trendy statement – all thanks to the marketing strategy.
Stated to launch the Nano GenX on May 19, 2015, the new car also holds redesigned front and rear bumper, a bigger fuel-tank and steering drawn on the inspirations of Bolt and Zest. The maker has approved smoked headlamps and alloy wheels. One can also find the rear speakers and Bluetooth for the music system inside the cabin.
Interested buyers can book their Nano GenX for a booking amount as low as Rs 5,000. Four trims said to go on sale XE, XM, XT and XTA (AMT), where the top-end is the only model boasted with AMT. Particularly, there is also a specific distinction between manually transmitted and AMT models. The buyers of latter can derive only 94 litres of boot space, where the manual-operated cabin frees up 110 litres for the boot.
No amendments reported in the engine. It continues to don the same 625cc petrol engine of 37.5bhp.
Thus, once again Tata Motors seems on the spree of achieving the world’s cheapest title of automatic car category with the Nano GenX.


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Huawei Gets Support From Chinese Consumers
Chinese consumers are backing and showing support to the tech giant Huawei. The consumers even indicated that the U.S. is bullying the company. Some social media users are stating they will buy Huawei products instead of Apple.
Recently, the U.S. moved Huawei on a blacklist. The Chinese telecom can’t do business to any American firms unless a license from the government is issued. And it affected supply on essential components of Huawei.
Earlier this week, Alphabet’s Google announced the suspension of business with Huawei. However, the U.S. changed some of its restrictions. It gave American firms a 90-day period to continue their transaction with Huawei.
Heat in Social Media
Many Chinese social media users, especially those patriotic on home-grown brands, are rallying to support Huawei. The Weibo, a Twitter-like social media site, has a trending hashtag saying chip of Huawei doesn’t need the help of U.S. supply chain.
One of the Weibo users posted, “I will change my plan from buying an Apple Watch into a Huawei product.”
As of now, it is still uncertain of how widespread the anti-Apple sentiment is in China.
Vice president of devices research at market research firm International Data Corporation, Bryan Ma stated, “I won’t be surprised if Apple takes a bit of heat as a result. But many users in China still aspire for Apple’s prestige and products.”
Moreover, Greater China made about 17% of Apple’s net sales. In the fiscal second quarter of the company, the net sales of Greater China dropped over 21% year-on-year.
After that, the company sees big competition in China from Huawei and other players like Xiaomi. Aside from that, it also struggled to think of pricing strategy for its newest products and retailers are pressured to cut prices on some models this year.
If escalating political tension between the U.S. and China continues, Apple would be damaged more.
“I think the Chinese believe they have a very good alternative in Huawei and their other homegrown and homemade handsets,” President and founder of the Riedel Research Group David Riedel said.
Huawei is behind Samsung in being the largest smartphone maker in the world.
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Made in the South awards honor craftsmanship, quality
Not that long ago, it was the prevailing ethos in the South: Create something of value, with as little waste as possible, never sacrificing quality over quantity. That mindset has resurfaced slowly in recent years. If you experienced Alabama's Southern Makers event last month in downtown Montgomery, you saw firsthand the resurgence of "made" culture — putting local farmers, artisans, chefs and designers front and center of Southern life.
Now it is being celebrated once again, on an even wider scale.
Garden & Gun's fifth annual Made in the South Awards, accepting nominations through Aug. 1, recognizes outstanding Southerners making top-of-the-line products in five categories: food, drink, style and design, outdoors and home.
The grand prize winner in this year's competition wins $10,000 as well as a prominent feature in the regional magazine's December 2014/January 2015 issue — no small reward.
Garden & Gun, the Charleston, South Carolina-based lifestyle brand, is anchored by its eponymous magazine. Launched in 2007, it focuses on Southern culture in all its forms and now boasts more than 1 million readers.
This year, two of the five judges for the Made in the South Awards are Alabamians. Helming the food category will be James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Hastings of Birmingham's Hot and Hot Fish Club; selecting winners in the design category is designer Natalie Chanin of Florence, who left Manhattan's fashion scene to create hand-stitched garments in her native state and whose Alabama Chanin has grown from a design firm to an multifaceted phenomenon of its own.
They join Brooks Reitz, founder of Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. and owner of Leon's Oyster Shop in Charleston (drink); T. Edward Nickens of Raleigh, North Carolina, expert sportsman and author of "The Total Outdoorsman Manual" (outdoors); and Celerie Kemble of Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City, renowned international interior designer, partner in Kemble Interiors, and author of "Black and White (and a Bit in Between)" (home).
David DiBenedetto, vice president and editor-in-chief of Garden & Gun, said Chanin and Hastings represent what the awards are all about.
"Both Natalie and Chris are pioneers in their fields, who have made a national impact by planting their flags in the South, in Alabama," DiBenedetto said. "And not just because they live and work there — though that's important — but also because they serve their communities, find inspiration in their surroundings, and infuse their work with a sense of place. And that's what the Made in the South awards are all about."
The "South" in the context of this event ranges all the way from Maryland to Texas and Oklahoma. That's a lot of ground.
But Alabama also made its mark on the awards in 2012, when the overall winner — among all categories — was the Lookout Mountain Rocker from Wood Studio in Arley. Each of proprietor Randy Cochran's hand-crafted rocking chairs, built from air-dried Southern native hardwoods, is unique. When the opportunity arose for the company to expand, Cochran visited some existing production woodworking operations. He was dismayed.
"It just struck me in every one of those plants I went to, how soulless the product that was coming out the other end way," Cochran told organizers. "It just seemed to me there had to be room in the world for somebody to make things by hand, of high quality."
All things Southern
It seems that over the past decade or so, there has been a resurgence in age-old approaches to creating quality goods, design, food and drink. Especially in the South.
"This spirit has always been part of the South," DiBenedetto said. "We have an uncommonly rich history of quality craftsmanship and production. There's a tradition of making things that serve a purpose and fill a need, products with a story and a relationship to the place they were made, products that will last until the next generation, and that's something people everywhere can relate to. People have access to an unprecedented range of consumer goods, and they want to feel proud of and connected to the choices they make."
But will this dedication to quality craftsmanship — on the part of both makers and consumers — continue to draw only fragments of communities, or will it grow as more products come to the fore?
DiBenedetto believes it is an expanding phenomenon.
"In the four years we've been hosting these awards, we've seen the commitment to craftsmanship become a way of life," he said. "There's a rising class of passionate Southern artisan entrepreneurs who believe in what they're doing and who are finding real success doing it."
Around here, it seems to be catching on like wildfire, with events like the second Southern Makers event drawing record crowds. In 2013, organizers set a capacity for 1,500 visitors to the downtown train shed, and sold out. This year, they extended the capacity to 2,000 guests, and the event sold out even faster.(Proceeds went to the local non-profit EAT South.) All this to sample local cuisine, watch crafters at their stations and take part in workshops like Urban Bee Keeping, Cheese Making, Foraging and Sewing.
This movement has an increasing number of people craving authenticity in what they use and consume every day. And the way things look, in the not-too-distant future, they will come to expect it.
About the Made in the South Awards
Who should enter? Any Southern artisan or business with a product that will be available through January 2015. Products must be made in the South and fall under the categories of food, drink, outdoors, style and design, or home. The deadline for entries is Aug. 1. To download an entry form and for more information, go to madeinthesouthawards.com.
About the categories
Food: Examples of entries could be masterful twists on old-school pies and cobblers, bringing seasonal bounty to the masses by the jarful, packaging last year's venison as this year's jerky, crafting artisinal cheeses or producing any other product for the pantry.
The 2013 Food winner — also the overall winner — was Southern Craft Creamery of Marianna, Fla., for its small-batch ice cream. (www.southerncraftcreamery.com)
Drink: Entries could be vintners, distillers, master brewer or cocktail mix-makers, but also makers of iced tea, small-batch sodas, juices and more.
The 2013 Drink winner was Bittermilk of Charleston, S.C., a line of mixers that streamline and upgrade home cocktailing. (bittermilk.com)
Outdoors: This category includes items such as fly rods, fishing baskets, shotguns, leather gear, packs, gun cases, decoys, game calls and bikes and boats of all types — products (whether for sport or recreation) that encourage folks to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.
The 2013 Outdoors winner was Red Forageworks of Timmonsville, S.C., for its Fillet knife. (redforgeworks.com).
Style &Design: Entries could be, say, a line of clothing — blue jeans, hats, handbags, jewelry, shoes, button-downs, a collection of bespoke eyewear (one of 2013's runners-up) — but makers of stringed instruments and custom paper also fall within this category.
The 2013 Design winner was Cedar Mountain Banjos of Brevard, N.C., for its open-back Banjo. (cedarmtnbanjos.com)
Home: Entries could be lighting, linens, dishware, bar ware, pillows, blankets, candles, vases, from rustic farm tables to contemporary porch swings — any thoughtfully crafted item that turns a house into a stylish home.
The 2013 Home winner was Moran Woodworked Furniture of Charleston, S.C., for its Charred commode. (moranwoodworked.com)
Source: Garden & Gun, www.madeinthesouthawards.com


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Rich for Christmas
Updated: Monday 20th July 2015
A Lotto prize worth £909,414 has been won by a couple from Colchester after they matched all six numbers to take a one-third share of the £2,728,242 jackpot for Wednesday 14 November.
Gerald and Eileen Strange are both in their early sixties and were already planning to retire in February. The win will not only make that retirement a lot more comfortable, it will also make this coming Christmas extra special. The couple intend to make it a Christmas to remember for their family, and in particular for their three grandchildren Danielle, Gemma and Liam.
Other plans for the money are currently being worked on. Gerald said that his wife has been talking about getting a new car for some time, so a brand new Audi or BMW may be on the cards in the near future. Gerald himself, who is a keen golfer, will be treating himself to new set of clubs.
Eileen has played the lottery since it was launched in November 1994. She has persisted with the same set of numbers (4, 5, 21, 35, 37 and 42) for thirteen years. The numbers were originally selected at random and have now proved that – in her case at the very least – persistence pays.
The winner didn’t find out about her win until Saturday 17 November when she went to her local garage to buy her tickets for the draw that evening. Gerald said that she was in shock when she got home and told him about her discovery.
Eileen was planning to take a shopping trip in New York with her daughter, and the Lotto win now means that they can explore luxury stores like Macy’s without worrying too much about price tags.
“We’re only now really starting to believe this has happened,” Eileen said. “It’s just wonderful.”Published: Wednesday 28th November 2007
Lottery News News Archive


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Habito selects My Home Move as conveyancing partnerSeptember 18, 2017
Free online mortgage broker, Habito, has today announced a partnership with My Home Move, the UK’s leading provider of conveyancing services.
Habito entered the market in April 2016, with the intention of facilitating real time mortgage approvals alongside applications. In that time it has helped 50,000 customers better understand their mortgage, and processed over £250m in mortgage applications. As a company which is committed to rebuilding the mortgage industry with the customer at its centre, Habito was seeking a conveyancing partner which shared its vision.
My Home Move has a mission to revolutionise the customer experience of conveyancing through expertise, care and innovative technology – values which resonate with Habito’s business model and long term strategy.
Dev Malle, Group Distribution Director, of My Home Move said, “Habito has set their customer journey based on changing consumer behaviours, wants and needs, so it was essential that the conveyancing process could be aligned to that journey. Habito’s interaction with Introducer eWay and most importantly the customers’ interaction with our award winning eWay portal was a critical requirement which allows a 24/7 service and customer interaction at a time that suits them. As consumer behaviour continues to change, like Habito, we are not complacent and soon we will be releasing the next phase of eWay innovation for Introducers.
Daniel Hegarty, CEO at Habito said, “Our customers use us because they want a quality mortgage broking service that is free, online, accessible and transparent. Once our human experts have secured a mortgage, customers ask about the next step in the home buying process – their conveyancing. By partnering with My Home Move, we will be able to recommend a partner that shares our digital, customer-first mentality and continue to help people on their journey to owning a home. “
Dev Malle said, “We will continue to revolutionise the conveyancing sector as we know consumers no longer compare us to others in the legal sector but to their experiences with brands such as Amazon. We are delighted to be selected by Habito as they continue to grow their market presence.”


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Intel's Amber Lake Chips Appropriate For Apple's 12-inch MacBook Air 2018 Revealed
In the past few months, we’ve heard so many interesting rumors about the 12-inch MacBook Air 2018. This time around, reports suggest that it could be packed with Intel’s upcoming 14nm++ Y-Series Amber Lake chips.
According to reports, 3 Amber Lake chips that are appropriate for the 12-inch MacBook have been spotted. The name of the chips are:
- Base Clock of 1.1 GHz
- 2-core Turbo of 2.7 GHz
- 1-core Turbo of 3.4 GHz.
- Base Clock of 1.3 GHz
- 2-core Turbo of 3.2 GHz
- 1-core Turbo of 3.9 GHz.
- Base Clock of 1.5 GHz
- 2-core Turbo of 3.6 GHz
- 1-core Turbo 4.2 GHz.
As for when will these chips will be released, it’s still unknown. In fact, after Intel announced its upcoming Amber Lake chips during the recent Computex event which was held from June 5 to 9, 2018, no further information about the chips has been given.
When Is The 12-inch Laptop Coming?
There hasn’t been any official announcement from Apple in regards to its release date. However, Mac Rumors reports that Apple could unveil the laptop on September along with the 2018 iPhones, and then hold an event in October or release them on a random date.
Rumored Specs & Features
According to a report last month, not only will the price come down, there will also be a 13-inch screen option available. However, reports are on the mix whether this 13-inch version will be a refresh to the 12-inch or an entirely new model.
In fact, there was even a recent filing at the Eurasian Economic Commission (ECC) of A1931 and 1932 which many believe is a 12-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air 2018. If this is true, then we can assume that the 12-inch and 13-inch are two separate models.
As for the design, a patent was reported last May. The patent was discovered by Patently Apple suggests that the Cupertino company is working on a hinge design that would allow it to make a clamshell MacBook.
Another interesting patent spotted was for a pencil-compatible trackpad. The pencil features a number of sensors that could detect movement, orientation, and depth. It could also be used with a Mac as an ‘air mouse’ or a joystick for gaming.
Furthermore, the device is rumored to feature a new USB Type-C port that will support Thunderbolt 3. It will also have LTE connectivity,
Are you excited to the upcoming 12-inch MacBook Air 2018 from Apple? We would like to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.


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Tesla Files Trademark For Elon Musk's Restaurant Concept
Looking towards its future, Tesla recently filed a new trademark for “Restaurant services, pop-up restaurant services, self-service restaurant services, take-out restaurant services.”
Officially filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the USTPO application covers the signature “T” logo, “Tesla” and a stylized version of the brand name. Tesla’s application is now awaiting examination and will be reviewed by an attorney near the end of August.
The trademarking looks to make good on public disclosure of plans to turn Tesla EV charging stations into full-service locations with food and seating back in 2017. Tesla has already tested out lounge areas at select locations including its Kettleman City, California Supercharger station.
In case you missed it, increased demand is making Uber and Lyft cost as much as a plane ride.
Source: Read Full Article


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Tech ties the knot: New tools ease wedding planning
It’s official: After years of flirtation, weddings and technology are finally getting hitched. Matchmaking credit goes to today’s digitally savvy couples, who increasingly want the arduous process of planning their big day to sync up with the rest of their lives.
Take San Francisco couple Nica Rognmoe and Jason Dorfman. He surprised his longtime girlfriend with a proposal on Christmas Day by getting down on one knee as the sun set over the Pacific just beyond Point Lobos in Monterey County and asking Rognmoe to spend the rest of her life with him.
Dorfman, a hotel general manager, used Google to help find the perfect spot to propose. After sharing the news with close friends and family via texts and calls on smartphones, the couple announced their engagement on Facebook. Rognmoe plans to create a wedding website, and she’s likely to use Pinterest for feedback from friends and consider online-only Weddington Way for bridesmaids’ dresses instead of land-based stores. “I have a couple of friends in Alaska, and they’re not going to be able to go to a location,” she says.
Rognmoe and Dorfman are like so many couples today: older than the newly engaged of decades past, at ease with technology, living apart from friends and family spread out in different time zones, and planning a wedding they’ll pay for themselves. They face what has traditionally been a complicated, expensive, time-consuming endeavor that easily “becomes a second job if you let it,” according to Carolyn Gerin, co-founder of the WedTech Summit conference being held May 18 in San Francisco. (See By the Numbers, Page 8.)
It’s a situation not lost on Silicon Valley, which is “really starting to rally around weddings,” says Gerin. Bay Area companies Honeybook, Wedding Spot and Weddington Way received multimillion-dollar investments last year.
Each hopes to tap into tech-savvy couples.
“These are folks who are used to hailing a cab with a smartphone. They’re used to paying bills online, to planning vacations online and shopping online,” says Honeybook co-founder Shadiah Sigala. “So when it comes to one of the biggest occasions in their lives, it doesn’t make sense not to be doing things the way that they’re used to doing them.”
Along with emphasizing the practical, the latest crop of online and mobile wedding tools indulges modern couples’ hunger for the personal and unique.
Says Gerin: “The No. 1 thing that’s going to drive everything is personalization. Millennials are not looking at tradition. They don’t care if Martha Stewart says it’s all about pink cupcakes.”
Already overwhelmed? Ease the burden with our list of wedding must-dos and tech tools to match. Some new and noteworthy local companies:
Honeybook: Currently open only by invitation to wedding event pros, $10 million in funding secured last fall has this local startup poised to extend its wedding planning and logistics tools to consumers in 2015. www.honeybook.com.
Weddington Way: Mastermind your bridal-party style and scope out looks for the rehearsal dinner and other events with a private online showroom, where brides and bridesmaids share, vote on and buy dresses in over 1,000 styles and a sea of hues that can be mixed and matched. Along with extras like coordinating accessories for groomsmen, a new rental feature now in beta from the company, which received $9 million in investor funding last year, offers commitment-free styles. www.weddingtonway.com.
Lady Marry: A new project management tool for tying the knot, this startup aims to deliver simple, personalized timetables, checklists and to-do items for the big day. www.ladymarry.com.
Wedding Lovely: Get planning advice, collab with your other half, access printable checklists, and find wedding vendors with a free account on this 500 Startups accelerator grad’s platform. http://weddinglovely.com.
Honeyfund: The recent winner of a $400,000 deal on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” the Sebastopol site lets you crowdfund your dream honeymoon — or raise cash for other big-ticket asks on your wish list. www.honeyfund.com.
Wanderable: This slick online registry for honeymoon travel ups the ante by allowing users to send gift messages wrapped in signature envelopes or boxes and for couples to say thank you with personalized postcards sent through its iPhone app. www.wanderable.com.
Lorraine Sanders is a San Francisco freelancer. Twitter: @DigitalStyleDig
Wedding tech checklist
Start planning Simplify with online tools. One to try: Wedocracy combines calendars and seating charts with social network-inspired features. www.wedocracy.com.
Create an app and/or website If generic, prefab sites aren’t your thing, try a user-friendly service like AppyCouple, Squarespace, Wix or Bliss & Bone, which offers gorgeous, customizable templates as unique as your love story.
Crowdsource inspiration From attire to hair to the signature cocktail, gather ideas from loved ones — and total strangers — on Pinterest or Lover.ly, where you can also shop and connect with vendors.
Secure the venue For site-stalking 2.0, Venue Report (www.venuereport.com) and San Francisco’s the Wedding Spot (www.wedding-spot.com) offer images and pricing for locations from luxe private estates to rustic barns for hire.
Hire vendors Planning from afar? Hire local sources for everything from catering to videographers online with Carats & Cake (http://caratsandcake.com).
Ready, set, register Sites such as Newlywish (www.newlywish.com) and Zola (https://www.zola.com) are bringing more variety and flexibility to online registries than ever before, whether it’s boutique brands you seek or a group fund for a home down payment.
Invite Beyond paper invitations from go-to sources such as Minted (www.minted.com) and Etsy, issue digital invites to the WedPics app to secure easy access to guests’ photos and videos taken during your wedding and related events.
Brave the bachelorette Cut pre-party anxiety and unwieldy group e-mails with a planning tool like the Bach (http://thebach.com).
Be image conscious Creative add-ons to traditional photography might mean a GoPro on your bridal bouquet or budgeting in a drone to snap aerial shots of the venue.
Say thanks Avoid cramped fingers and digitize the chore with Postable’s custom cards (https://www.postable.com) or Touchnote’s postcards (www.touchnote.com) made from your images.


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HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Barbie has launched an Elvis Presley doll in celebration of Elvis Week.
Elvis Presley changed the music industry with his unique sounds and signature moves. Elvis Week is celebrated from August 11 to August 17.
The doll features Elvi’s iconic “American Eagle” jumpsuit and it is emblazoned with red, gold and blue sparkling eagles.
A Little People Collector Elvis Presley figure set will also be available.
The set will feature Little People characters styled in different iconic looks to the rock and roll legend, including 50s-era Elvis with guitar, 60s-era Elvis in all black “leather”, and his 70s-era white jumpsuit with lei, said a release.
Little People Collector set will retail at $14.99 and Elvis as Barbie retails at $50.


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Nokia released the Nokia Black update for Lumia with Windows Phone 8
Nokia has announced the promised update for Lumia with Windows Phone 8. Update Black Nokia creates new opportunities for users, provides access to new corporate applications and improve the processing algorithms of the photo.
Nokia Black includes improvements to the Nokia Glance – the information that is displayed on the lock screen of the smartphone. In addition to hours, Nokia Glance will now show notifications from five selected applications – for example, missed calls, SMS, WhatsApp messages and more.
The update also brings support for Bluetooth LE to all Lumia smartphones with WP8. This will allow them to connect to various accessories at a lower energy consumption.
The new feature is Nokia Refocus will be available on Lumia smartphones with 1GB of RAM or more. With its help, users are able to change the focus on your photos after they are shot.
Nokia Storyteller organizes photos by date and location, and shows them on the map. In accordance with Nokia, it will be easier to tell your friends where you were and what you saw.
Nokia Camera – updated interface for camera, which was previously available only for models with the PureView technology, now released for other smartphones. It combines Nokia Pro Camera and Nokia Smart Camera, and offers all the features in a more convenient representation.
The owners of the Nokia Lumia 1020 will get the ability to shoot RAW format (DNG). Overall, with Nokia Black the manufacturer promises higher quality pictures, especially on the Lumia 1020.
The update also brings new items from Microsoft, including comfortable Driving Mode for drivers, the choice of a personal ringtone for contacts and more comfortable multi-tasking with the ability to shut down applications.
Distribution Nokia Black started today. In Russia, it has get the owners of the Lumia 1020 and 925. For the other models the launch will take place in the coming days or weeks.


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There is so much happening in the Web world that I went into this year's annual O'Reilly Web 2.0 event hoping it would be like Aladdin's Cave of Wonders--full of bright shiny new companies that did amazing things, each more enticing than the last.
Instead, the conference was more like a United Nations conference, full of important people talking about important issues, but not a lot of surprise or dazzlement. The name "summit" really does fit. That’s not the fault of the folks at O'Reilly; their conference has just grown in stature so much that it attracts CEOs from huge companies as speakers. By definition those people are very careful about what they say, and don't make major announcement at an industry conference.
So while it was interesting to see people like the CEO of AT&T, we didn't necessarily learn a lot. But there were a couple of highlights worth passing along…
The full article is on the Rubicon Consulting web site, here. There's no registration required. From a mobile perspective, the highlight (or lowlight) is a quote from VC Ram Shriram on what a mobile software company has to do in order to get funded.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Lenovo expands Indian factory to meet booming local demand for PCs and smartmobes
Buys in to 'AtmaNirbhar Bharat' self-sufficiency drive and ups capacity for servers while it's at it
The PC market is on the rise in India, prompting Lenovo to expand its local manufacturing capabilities, the company announced this week.
"Lenovo is expanding in India across all business lines, including PC and smart devices, smartphones, infrastructure solutions, and especially in the newly established services & solutions group," said Lenovo in a canned statement.
The expansion includes a third manufacturing line in Puducherry, which will double the facility's capacity to two million PCs a year. It also includes a partnership with Wingtech Technology to manufacture tablets in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, and a partnership with Dixon Technologies to manufacture nearly all of Motorola's India-bound smartphones in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The three manufacturing plants employ around 1500 workers directly and indirectly. Lenovo has, however, emphasized the automation capabilities of the new production line.
Analyst firm International Data Corporation predicted the total India PC market to rise from ten million units in 2020 to 15 million by 2022.
India's smartphone market also experienced a stunning amount of growth in Q2 2021, rising 86 per cent year-on-year as consumers caught-up on their purchases following the second wave of COVID.
India wants to satisfy local demand for electronics with kit built within its borders under the nation's "AtmaNirbhar Bharat" self-sufficiency drive. Lenovo is therefore buying in to that policy.
- India to build home-grown supercomputers, from the motherboards up
- Indian app that deleted Chinese apps from Androids deleted from Play Store
- Russia's Elbrus has a RISC-V competitor as Yadro prepares native chips for launch
Neighboring Pakistan's also enjoying the success of in-country tech manufacturing, yesterday announcing that locally-built smartphones outnumbered imported kit in the first half of 2021.
During Jan-July 2021, the production of mobile phones by local manufacturing plants was 12.27 Million and imported mobile phones was recorded at 8.29 Million.— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) August 26, 2021
While that's a good result, Pakistan's Telecommunications Authority also pointed out that just 4.7 million of the total were 4G phones. ®


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The Moto Z appears to be a popular handset for Lenovo as the company has announced that they have now sold more than one million units of the handset around the world.
The one million handsets included all versions of the Moto Z and the news was announced on Twitter by Lenovo’s CEO Yuanqing Yang.
Thank you x 1,000,000 to everyone that helps us drive innovation forward. pic.twitter.com/8T1Iy6wtsu
— Yuanqing Yang (@Yuanqing_Lenovo) November 4, 2016
The Moto Z has ended up being one of the company’s most popular smartphones, the device was made available ublocked in the US a month ago and this has probably helped the company increase sales of the handset. The device is currenrly available in the US with $150 off.
Source GSM Arena
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Cover-letter-sample-warehouse-worker, "while amazon is a trillion dollar company run by the richest man in the world permanent part time employees working 8 hour. It can also serve as a de facto writing sample and glimpse at your ability to put sentences together without spelling or grammatical mistakes apart from precision recruiters and employers agree that, there are all kinds of exciting parcels and letters to look forward to this christmas joining as a christmas temporary worker warehouse jobs are also on offer to keep the wheels turning on busy. Carolyn kaster ap as nearly 800 000 federal workers are affected by the government shutdown the trump administration's office of personnel management sent out a document with suggested cover letters, on the morning of december 4 2016 edgar maddison welch a warehouse worker and a father of two from salisbury that the plotters had gone to such lengths to cover their tracks showed just how.
Two months after amazon warehouse workers across the globe staged a one day more than 8 000 amazon employees signed an open letter in april deriding this plan as inadequate and calling on the, some workers at the warehouse planned to walk off the job for three hours part of amazon employees for climate justice the group in april published an open letter signed by nearly 8 000 workers.
Costco jobs come with the downside of sometimes having to deal with incredibly rude customers and annoying shopper habits, stripped of their collars and cassocks they went unnoticed in this tiny midwestern town as they were escorted into a dingy warehouse march letter to the michigan attorney general maher's. Stripped of their collars and cassocks they went unnoticed in this tiny midwestern town as they were escorted into a dingy warehouse march letter to the michigan attorney general maher's, whether you're new to the job market or are a seasoned worker seeking a change keeping in mind that some services might extend their scope to include things like cover letters and interview.
Amazon uses an automated system that tracks warehouse workers' productivity and can issue termination publisher cite an attorney for amazon describing in a sept 4 2018 letter to the national


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Original article (French only) : La Presse
“Right now, it’s our most logical option,” says CEO Charles Boulanger.
Developing the LeddarTech platform is very expensive, and the company needs capital to achieve its goals.
“Financing the company $50 million at a time isn’t the ideal scenario,” notes Boulanger.
“We need to pick up the pace and look at how to raise more money. We’re exploring different options, and going public is definitely one of them,” he says, adding that the company has just strengthened its board of directors. “The stars are aligning.”
Since the fall, several of LeddarTech’s competitors have gone public or announced plans to do so. Luminar, Velodyne, Aeva, Ouster, and Innoviz have all taken the same path: merging with special purpose acquisition corporations already listed on the stock market.
These moves by LeddarTech’s competitors are a promising sign for Boulanger.
“It gives you an idea of the appetite of investors in our sector,” he says.
“When you see competitors raising 400 or 500 million dollars, you can’t stay on the sidelines forever.”
The global automotive industry is changing rapidly. Electric vehicles are getting a lot of attention, and the development of autonomous vehicles could be disruptive. LeddarTech is front and centre in tackling the connectivity challenge in the automotive sector.
“A battle of the titans is coming with regard to automotive technology. The next 25 years will be very interesting. There are some tremendous business opportunities.”
- Charles Boulanger
According to Boulanger, people won’t be flying from Quebec City to Toronto or Boston to Washington in the not-so-distant future.
“There will be cars designed for sleeping and working. You’ll see new modes of transport popping up that will free up people’s time. Cars will become a place to do lots of other things while travelling,” he says.
“What’s coming is huge. And once your technology gets integrated into a vehicle, you’re in it for the long haul. The barriers to entry are very high.”
The CEO of the 14-year-old, 250-person company says LeddarTech’s technology for merging data collected by multiple sensors gives it a unique business model.
“We offer a platform for OEMs and automakers to manufacture finished products using our technology. Partnerships are fundamental to our strategy. People build on our technology by bringing in complimentary software. It’s a powerful model. We’re at least five years ahead of the competition,” he said.
“Our goal is to become the Android of car sensors.”


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Bidders can win a lunch date with billionaire investor Warren Buffett in an auction that benefits the Glide foundation.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- For the 13th year in a row, the opportunity to share a power lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett will go to the highest bidder.
The annual online auction for a chance to dine with Buffett began on Sunday evening. All bidders must be prequalified and prepared to shell out at least $25,000.
Proceeds from the auction benefit Glide, an organization that alleviates poverty in the San Francisco Bay area.
The opening bidder, who anonymously posted on the special eBay page on Monday morning, came in at the minimum entry with $25,000. Last year's anonymous winner pledged $2,626,411, topping the $2.6 million record set in 2010.
The winner and seven friends will have the chance to break bread with the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway BRKA (Fortune 500) at Smith & Wollensky in New York. Over the last decade, Buffett has raised more than $11.5 million for Glide, which he called "maybe the most effective organization...for people down on their luck.",
"They took the people that the rest of the world would have forgotten, people who had given up on themselves. And they felt every human being had a potential, no matter what their circumstances," he said.
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Fertilizer Prices Increase as Spring Moves In
The price of almost everything has gone up, but as we move toward gardening season, the price of fertilizer has gone up, too.
Not only does the rise in gas prices make shipping costs higher, a lot of the fertilizer ingredients use oil- based products to make them.
“A lot of our fertilizers come from overseas, so you have increased freight costs there, as well,” said Morgan Composting Agronomist, or Soil Scientist, Theo Medendorp. “On top of that, for things like nitrogen fertilizers, a lot of them take quite a bit of energy to produce, and because that energy comes from oil-based products, the prices of that goes up.”
Medendorp said their rise in fertilizer prices do come from gas prices, but not in the way you think.
“Most of ours come from demand. There’s just been an increased demand for alternative fertilizers and that’s going to continue,” he said. “People see the price of everything else going up, and they’re looking for other options, so and thankfully we’re here to help with that.”
Medendorp said it’s better to get your supplies earlier in the season rather than later, as prices are expected to continue increasing.


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April 4, 2017, North Coast Technical, Inc., a Matrox® Imaging distributor (Chesterland, OH), is on hand at Automate 2017 demonstrating both 3D scanning and defect detection using Matrox Imaging technology.
March 27, 2017, At the first ever UKIVA Machine Vision Conference & Exhibition (MK Arena, Milton Keynes, UK — April 27, 2017), Matrox® Imaging will be on hand, alongside UK distribution partner Clearview Imaging, to demonstrate dot-matrix text reading using Matrox Imaging Library (MIL) based Matrox SureDotOCR technology running on the Matrox Iris GTR smart camera, as well as a multi-camera inspection scenario, managed by a Matrox 4Sight GPm vision controller and created using the Matrox Design Assistant 5 development environment.
March 14, 2017, At Automate 2017, (Chicago, April 3–6, booth 2424), Matrox® Imaging will demonstrate the latest version of Matrox Imaging Library (MIL) vision software, and add-ons, paired with the high-performance, cost-effective Radient eV-CXP CoaXPress® frame grabber to create and analyze high-quality 3D profiles of an industrial component.
March 3, 2017, Matrox® Imaging will be offering classroom training on the recently released Matrox Design Assistant 5 flowchart-based machine vision software at its Montreal, Canada headquarters from May 1 to May 3.
Beschreibung von Fallstudien
Discover how real-world applications are solved using Matrox Imaging hardware and software.


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We're already on December 7, which means that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be available today in all stores, something Nintendo wanted to celebrate at the 2018 Game Awards with an ad that took us by surprise to reveal what will be the first character to come in the form of DLC for the best Nintendo Switch video game this year.
Breaking all the pools that circulate through the net will be nothing more and nothing less than Joker of Persona 5, which leaves the door open for the next additions to be third-party characters, although this makes us think in passing, will be the fantastic RPG for the Nintendo hybrid console?
At the moment we do not know when this first character pack will be available, although we remember what you can do with the season pass Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to get the five that will arrive in the next months and that will give access to another series of elements.


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Listen now – latest episode – lots of fun but with a serious (and educational!) side.Read More S3 Ep30: AirDrop worries, Linux pests and ransomware truths [Podcast]
Researchers say they reported what they consider to be a privacy hole to Apple in 2019, but never heard back. They worked on a fix anyway.Read More Apple AirDrop has “significant privacy leak”, say German researchers
Users of Apple products have long loved the ability to wirelessly share files with each other, using AirDrop to transmit files between their iPhones and Macbooks.
But researchers have discovered that security weaknesses could allow an attacker to ob…Read More Apple AirDrop flaws could let hackers grab users’ phone numbers and email addresses


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As most of us are looking down the barrel of a bleak January where we desperately try to stick to our resolutions, it looks like Tesco have plans to remove sweets from the checkouts to try and help us out.
The supermarket chain announced that they would be making the move in May of last year, but they will begin to implement sweet-free checkouts this month across their 148 stores in Ireland. The move comes as a result of shoppers saying that they find it hard to not grab a little chocolate bar here or there, and that kids are particularly likely to pester parents in to getting them a treat when at the checkouts. Strange, it's almost as if that's what they want us to do...
Anyway, a recent survey by watchdog Safefood showed that 47% of shoppers find junk food at the tills hard to resist, while 32% admit that they do tend to grab something while they wait in line. However, the possible cause behind the move from Tesco's point of view as the stat that showed that 29% of shoppers were more likely to go to a shop if they knew that there would be a sweet-free checkout so that they can avoid all the hassle that comes with that.
While the move has been welcomed as one that will help people to make healthier choices, Tesco don't plan to leave the shelves empty and will instead be stocking some healthy snacks there instead that will replace the sweets.


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CDW STATEMENT ON THE SAVE LOCAL BUSINESS ACT
Bill clarifies joint employer standard to protect small and local businesses
Washington, D.C. – The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), composed of hundreds of organizations representing millions of businesses that employ tens of millions of workers nationwide in nearly every industry, released the following statement today in response to Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) introducing legislation clarifying the definition of the joint employer standard. The bill serves to counter the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would expand the definition of the joint employer standard in a manner that business leaders say would cause confusion and harm millions of small businesses.
The following statement is attributable to CDW Chair Kristen Swearingen:
“Efforts by PRO Act advocates to redefine and expand the joint employer standard would disrupt millions of business operations throughout the country and threaten the ability of workers to achieve the American Dream of becoming employers.
“Labor bosses are pushing this expansion to boost union membership to pad their coffers at the expense of workers, small and local businesses, entrepreneurs and Main Street consumers. It’s part of the Big Labor playbook to force millions of American workers into a union against their will.
“The PRO Act’s expansion of the joint employer standard would also upend the entire franchise industry, putting hundreds of thousands of small, local businesses and millions of employees at risk. Small business owners would be turned into middle managers between their brands and union bosses, inhibiting existing owners from making a living and killing the dreams of budding entrepreneurs of owning their own business. Data shows that this provision of the PRO Act would cost the economy between $17.2 to $33.3 billion annually from lost economic output from the franchise industry alone.
“At a time when businesses are struggling to keep their doors open and employees retained during the COVID-19 pandemic, rewriting our nation’s labor laws solely to benefit Big Labor bosses would cause irreparable harm to our country’s economic recovery efforts.
“CDW thanks Senator Marshall and Representative Comer for introducing this critical legislation to ensure stability in the economy and help small and local businesses across the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. We support the Save Local Business Act and urge Congress to act swiftly to pass it and reject the job-killing and business-shuttering PRO Act.”
Click here for more information on the negative impacts of the PRO Act.
About The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace
CDW is a broad-based coalition of hundreds of organizations representing hundreds of thousands of employers and millions of employees in various industries across the country concerned with a long-standing effort by some in the labor movement to make radical changes to the National Labor Relations Act without regard to the severely negative impact they would have on employees, employers, and the economy. CDW was originally formed in 2005 in opposition to the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) – a bill similar to the PRO Act – that would have stripped employees of the right to secret ballots in union representation elections and allowed arbitrators to set contract terms regardless of the consequence to workers or businesses.


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Connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles at GamesBeat Summit 2023 this May 22-23. Register here.
It seems like the WWE isn’t very happy with how Take-Two Interactive’s wrestling games have turned out recently. Wrestling News caught a report from the Fightful Select Patreon account which stated that WWE has been in talks with EA for years.
The wrestling company previously signed a 6 year contract with Take-Two in 2016. The contract has an option to extend the length, but now it seems like it hinges on the success of WWE 2K22. The next installment of the WWE 2K series launches on March 8, and a market failure could see WWE seek greener pastures with EA.
WWE feels that other games in the 2K series receive more resources and attention than the wrestling series. It believes a direct link exists between this disregard and the series’ lack of sales and high review scores. The company claims the budget for the WWE 2K series has decreased every year since the release of WWE 2K15.
The biggest question right now is what WWE considers a success. The WWE 2K series has historically landed pretty average review scores across the internet. The two most recent games are counter-examples; WWE 2K19 was well received, while WWE 2K20 was maybe the worst game of the entire franchise.
GamesBeat Summit 2023
Join the GamesBeat community in Los Angeles this May 22-23. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry to share their updates on the latest developments.
If WWE is looking for a big Metacritic score, all Take-Two needs is to put out a good game. Take-Two’s Visual Concepts took a year after the release of WWE 2K20 to try and come up with something great. Maybe it pulled it off.
Take-Two might be sweating if WWE wants big sales numbers, though. The series has seen declining sales with almost every release for years.
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