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Spec Your Tank to Perfection and Roll Out in Online and Offline Game Modes
Mountain View, CA – Sept. 5, 2019 – Atypical Games today launched its latest tactical war game, Battle Supremacy – Ground Assault, for Nintendo Switch. Boasting thousands of customization combinations, dynamic maps and a variety of missions, Battle Supremacy – Ground Assault is the definitive tank simulator for Nintendo Switch. Continue reading Atypical Games’ Military Simulator, Battle Supremacy – Ground Assault, is Now Available for Nintendo Switch
Ethan Stearns Promoted to EVP Content; Alyssa Padia Walles Joins as SVP Publishing
LOS ANGELES – September 4, 2019 – MWM Immersive, the interactive entertainment division of MWM, has today announced that it has expanded to form a new video game publishing arm and rebranded as MWM Interactive.
Continue reading MWM Immersive Expands into Video Game Publishing, Rebrands to MWM Interactive
Node Wars, Conquest Wars, New Musa and Dark Knight Classes and the Kzarka World Boss now available in open-world action MMORPG
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – September 4, 2019 – Less than two weeks after the launch of Black Desert on PlayStation®4, Pearl Abyss announced that the first major update is now available as a free download. The open-world action MMORPG introduces two new character classes, two large-scale PvP feature modes, and a monstrous world boss for adventurers to defeat.
Watch the content update launch trailer here: https://youtu.be/0fap_wT8KFw
Continue reading First Major Update Hits Black Desert on PlayStation 4
Milestone Represents Downloads Worldwide Across Android and iOS Devices
TOKYO—September 3, 2019—DeNA Co., Ltd., in partnership with The Pokémon Company, today announced that the popular mobile game Pokémon Masters has surpassed 10 million downloads worldwide across Android and iOS devices since launching on August 29, 2019. Continue reading Hit Mobile Game Pokémon Masters Surpasses 10 Million Downloads In Just 4 Days
Hopoo Games Surprises PAX West Attendees with a Console Launch for the Hit Co-op Shooter
FRISCO, Texas – Aug 30, 2019 – During Gearbox’s Main Theater Show at PAX West today, Hopoo Games and Gearbox Publishing made the surprise announcement that Risk of Rain 2 is now available on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One for $29.99. Starting today, console players can download Risk of Rain 2 and join the growing community of over one million PC players in the game’s signature co-op chaos from the comfort of their couches. Continue reading PAX West 2019: Risk of Rain 2 Now Available on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One
‘Triviatopia’ also has a new trailer and an original song by multi-Grammy winning musician Jared Faber
BUENOS AIRES – Aug. 29, 2019 – Etermax, a leading social game developer and maker of the global phenomenon Trivia Crack, today announced its animated series “Triviatopia” will come for free access to YouTube and YouTube Kids on September 12. The series, based on the beloved characters from the hit mobile game, also has a new trailer and original song. Continue reading ‘Triviatopia’ Animated Series Featuring Characters Inspired by Trivia Crack Arrives September 12 on YouTube and YouTube Kids
Pokémon Strategy and Battling Game Now Available to Download, with Special In-Game Events and Rewards Available for a Limited Time
TOKYO — August 29, 2019 — Today, DeNA Co., Ltd., in partnership with The Pokémon Company, launched the highly anticipated mobile game Pokémon Masters worldwide for Android and iOS devices. The game is now available for download using the links below. Continue reading Embark on a New Pokémon Adventure Today with the Launch of Pokémon Masters Worldwide on Android and iOS Devices
Open-world MMO with VR support gearing up for launch later this year on Viveport, later on Steam and Oculus Home
GUANGZHOU, China – August 27, 2019 – NetEase Games today announced that a Closed Beta Test for Nostos, the post-apocalyptic survival MMO with VR support, will be held from September 5 – 9, 2019, for selected applicants. In this visually-stunning, anime-inspired open-world, players must evade extinction, solve mysteries, and uncover secrets lying dormant amongst the crumbling ruins of civilizations past. Launching later this year, Nostos will first launch on Viveport, and later roll out to Oculus Home for Rift and Quest, as well as on Steam without requiring a VR headset.
Continue reading Nostos Closed Beta Coming Sept. 5 – 9 and Now Accepting Applicants


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Intel may have beaten AMD to the punch with the launch of its Pentium III 1.13MHz chip, but UK consumers will face a challenging mission if they actually want a PC based on the processor.
Following the shortages of Intel’s 1GHz processor, the chip giant has also limited the numbers of the 1.13GHz version, which was launched on 3 August.
Hans Juergen, Intel technical program manager at Intel Europe confirmed that: “end users will have no access to the 1.13GHz [chip itself].” He added that only selected manufacturers would receive shipments.
Juergen would only confirm Tiny Computers as a UK manufacturer with access to the chip. However a survey of a number of the retailer’s stores revealed a wait of about a month to receive a 1.13MHz based machine - three weeks longer than the rest of its models.
Manufacturers planning to use the latest Pentium III will face more challenges than just availability. The slot one chip will only work with a few compatible motherboards and a special BIOS update is also needed.
Gateway, Mesh, IBM, Dan and Dell currently have none of the processors. Previously Dell had received exclusive access to the 1GHz Pentium III’s when launched in April.
AMD is to launch a 1.1GHz Athlon on 28 August. This processor will be available to all manufacturers and the public with no restrictions on supply.

domain: news


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By Joshua Kirby
Puma SE said Tuesday that Arne Freundt will take over immediately as chief executive, ahead of schedule, after incumbent CEO Bjorn Gulden was named to lead rival Adidas AG.
Puma said last week that Mr. Freundt, currently chief commercial officer of the German sportswear company, would take over as CEO from the beginning of 2023. However, with Tuesday’s announcement that Mr. Gulden will become Adidas chief from Jan. 1, Mr. Freundt will take over with immediate effect, Puma said.
Write to Joshua Kirby at firstname.lastname@example.org; @joshualeokirby


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ETW STAFF – Mumbai
Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) has appointed Mumbai-based Blue Square Consultants (BSC) as its official representative in India with immediate effect. BSC will conceptualise implement and promote marketing strategies for Seychelles in India. Elsia Grandcourt, chief executive officer, Seychelles Tourism Board said, “India is turning into a strong outbound market in the world and is also an emerging source market for us. We are excited to enter this dynamic market and look forward to welcoming Indians to our country.” She further added, “With more visibility in the Indian market, we are confident that Seychelles will be considered as an exotic destination to travel to as Indians continue to look for new exciting destinations.”
Lubaina Sheerazi, head- Business Development, Blue Square Consultants stated, “We are very thrilled to represent Seychelles in the Indian market. With visa on arrival for Indians, we foresee Seychelles as a destination that appeals to newly-weds, experiential, luxury and adventure seeking travellers.” Disclosing her marketing plans, she added, “Our plans in India this year will be predominantly to get the trade allied and on board through road shows, participating in trade fairs/exhibitions and conducting FAMs for travel trade and media to experience the destination first hand. We are confident of building a strong presence for Seychelles in the Indian market.”
Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles minister responsible for tourism and culture said the Indian remains a target market for the Seychelles tourism industry. “We have a long relationship with India. Before our airport was officially opened in 1972, it was the BI Shipping Lines of India that provided us with our regular service to the outside world. India knows Seychelles and the Indian travellers know that Seychelles remains their new destination. We can only but reassure would be holiday makers from India that in Seychelles they will feel at home. Our very own Indian community is part and parcel of us and our food today has many an influence from India,” he said.


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The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic has forced many sectors of the economy to close in 2020. The art world is also suffering, with many galleries forced to close. As a result, artists are unable to present their works. According to Statistics, the art market is worth $ 50 billion, down $ 14 billion from last year. In addition, global art sales transactions grew from 40 million in 2019 to 31 million in 2020. Artists needed an alternative to survive, and NFTs emerged.
Blockchain technology has proven useful in this time of crisis. Thanks to NFTs, new digital artists have emerged, and artists familiar with the web3 space have been able to tokenize their works and sell them in an NFT marketplace. But what happens to the unique works of art by traditional artists who are not digitally savvy?
Bringing art galleries and artists to the metaverse
Metaverse is a vast virtual world that transforms social interactions, shopping, gaming, and other activities. By emphasizing NFTs, the metaverse creates a digital economy in which businesses, influencers, brands and users participate. Undoubtedly, the driving factors behind the hype in the metaverse are NFTs and the fact that they are decentralized.
The pandemic has made many artists aware of the power of blockchain technology and the urgency of establishing their presence in the digital world. However, many lack the basic knowledge to get started. Traditional art galleries have also disappeared from the increasingly fast-paced digital landscape and need help adapting to NFT’s multi-billion dollar market.
ArtMeta has emerged as a platform for mainstream artists and galleries, with a mission to bring them into the metaverse. As a digital signage solution and transaction platform, artists and galleries can use the tools to enter the market. Galleries create their unique metaverse spaces with their artists, showcasing art in a new way, beyond the limits of standard gallery walls.
CEO Roger Haas said he and his team seek to bring galleries and artists into the digital space by providing the tools they need to tokenize and sell their works as NFTs, transfer of ownership rights and digitization of works to prove originality. In addition, he envisions ArtMeta as a platform that will provide the crypto community with the highest quality proven digital and physical art.
Haas said ArtMeta will partner with leading galleries and artists who attend world-class art fairs to deliver the most exciting digital experiences for viewers looking to purchase artwork. According to him, ArtMeta is a place to hang out, learn about culture and art, and experience new things.
ArtMeta held IDOs for its $ MART tokens on Trustswap and Polkastarter, in December 2021 and January 2022, respectively. This sign serves as a medium of exchange in the metaverse, especially for land leases, and opens up exclusive access within the metaverse as well as live events and NFT drops.
The launch of $ MART will be followed by token listing on centralized and decentralized exchanges. These events are scheduled for the second quarter of 2022.
The team is currently working on developing the alpha version of the metaverse, integrating galleries and level 1 artists, and hosting NFT events and exclusive releases. Finally, the metaverse beta will launch in 2023.


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Latest News Thu, May 18, 2017 10:22 AM
Trade bathroom supplier, Easy Bathrooms, has expanded with the launch of its 12th showroom, following £250,000 of investment.
The site, in Birstall, Leeds, officially opened on 8 April 2017, and is situated on Oakwell Way, close to IKEA.
With over 250 bathroom and tile displays on offer, the store is one of the largest retail units in Yorkshire with a 12,000 sq ft showroom and 110,000 sq ft warehouse and distribution centre.
The launch of the showroom and trade counter has created 12 new jobs for the area and forms part of the company’s ongoing expansion plans.
Neil Bell, spokesperson for Easy Bathrooms said: “We were delighted to open this site as it has such great links to the M1 and M62, making it a perfect location. It offers easy access for our trade customers throughout the region and further afield.
“This is our 12th store throughout the country, with our other outlets positioned across Yorkshire and the Midlands. But we won’t stop here — we’re continually looking for new locations where we see a shortage of quality bathroom and tile suppliers!”
Neil continued: “Since we started the business, we’ve grown rapidly and our old space was nearing full capacity. So to support our ambitious growth strategy, we obtained this new warehouse, which is double the volume of our previous one.”
Easy Bathrooms launched in 2012 with its first store on Royds Lane, Leeds, which is still open today. Its other Yorkshire retail spaces are located in Sheffield, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Doncaster.
The total value of construction contract awards in September2020 was £5.4billion...
The Movement of People Workstream of the Construction Leadership Council Brexit...
BUILDING PRODUCT LIBRARY - LATEST BROCHURES
BUILDING PRODUCT DIRECTORY - LATEST PRODUCTS
CONSTRUCTION VIDEOS - LATEST VIDEOS


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The last model launched by Maruti is the classy Celerio hatchback which like every other car of this company is being applauded by customers on a higher scale since its launch in February this year. The reason of its much popularity is also few newly equipped features in it like AMT (automated manual transmission) which are making the car trendier than ever.
Well, the bad news is if you are one of those very excited plenty no. of customers who are considering buying Celerio AMT then you will have to wait for long coz company has extended the estimated delivery time period of this car by approx. 8 months.
As per R C Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki India, “You are likely to get delivery only next year. Over the past week, the waiting period for the popular Celerio with AMT has crept up to seven-eight months and beyond from the earlier six months.”
Reportedly, the total bookings of this AMT Celerio have increased to 50 percent of the total 36,000 bookings so far. This AMT gearbox is being supplied currently by one overseas supplier – Magneti Marelli of Italy and as per the reports supplier seems to have difficulty this time to match with the current demand of AMT Celerio. But good news is that Magneti Marelli is planning to shift the production plant of AMT gearbox to India only in Manesar, Haryana.
As per the company, then it will be easy to match with the demands of customers in India. Further, company is also in mood to equip this popular gearbox in its upcoming new models.
Talking about this new AMT gearbox, the main reason of its popularity is it doesn’t require pressing the clutch in it which will make driving much easier in city or traffic roads.
|Comparison of Maruti Suzuki Celerio|
|Comparison of Maruti Suzuki Celerio variants|


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Gold Futures Market News and Commentary
Dec Comex gold (GCZ19) this morning is down -3.7 (-0.25%), and Dec silver (SIZ19) is down -0.063 (-0.37%).
Precious metals retreated from a 1-1/2 week high in overnight trade and moved lower as a stronger dollar sparked long liquidation in metals. Increased trade tensions between the U.S. and China had pushed Dec gold and Dec silver up to a 1-1/2 week highs.
A recovery in stock prices also pressured precious metals as a rally in retailer stocks lifted U.S. stock indexes from their worst levels. Retailer stocks rose as Target jumped 8% and Lowe's rose 6% after both stocks raised their full-year adjusted EPS estimates.
Precious metals prices rallied in overnight trade to 1-1/2 week highs after the U.S. Senate late Tuesday night passed legislation supporting Hong Kong protesters and warned China against a violent suppression of the demonstrations. China responded by threatening unspecified retaliation if the bill becomes law. Precious metals rallied on increased sa... Read more


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by Michael Fisher | July 17, 2012 3:40 PM
About a week ago, some smartphone news dropped that was either earth-shattering or completely irrelevant, depending on your point of view. It's my bet that most of our readers fall into the latter camp, as most of our coverage is devoted to the top three platforms in the mobile world. In fact, we didn't even run a story on this piece of news, so tangential was it to the modern mobile landscape. The news in question: the MeeGo platform isn't quite as dead as the world thought it was. Specifically, a team of ex-Nokia employees has leapt from the wobbly deck of the beleaguered phone ...
Posts tagged with: jolla


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Camlist , the video marketplace for pets, is the first app of its kind in the US, offering safety and peace of mind to pet parents, sellers, and their furry friends.
Camlist announced the launch of its in-app community for all users, an exciting addition to the video marketplace which aims to be the safest way to rehome a pet across the US and the world.
About the launch of the community in the app, Camlist CEO Moustafa Mahmoud said: "We designed Camlist to be a social marketplace from day one, ensuring all members of our community have the tools to communicate and interact with each other is a fundamental part of our DNA. The launch of our in-app community provides unlimited possibilities for our users to leverage the power of the Camlist community. Whether it’s asking for advice, looking for a play date for your fur baby, or asking any sort of questions to other pet parents and breeders, it’s all available at your fingertips.”
Since their launch in the US just a few months ago, Camlist has already gained significant popularity in the pet space with thousands of US pet breeders flocking to the platform on a daily basis. "We’re humbled by the adoption we received amongst US pet breeders in such a short time, it means we’re on the right track. We’re redefining the pet ownership journey for both buyers and breeders. Every feature we release is carefully tailored for the needs of our community, with a primary focus on safety and animal welfare", said Moustafa.
This is a major next step for the marketplace which has already introduced several innovations to the pet industry with the most recent being live streaming, in addition to other innovations for pet breeders and parents such as a rating system for breeders, video listings, video calls, 0% financing, a cashback club for pet parents, and several others. This unique blend of features solve many of the problems that both pet parents and breeders face during the process of rehoming a pet.
To raise awareness to their mission, Camlist offers several perks to any buyer who gets their fur baby through the app such as 1 year of free pet food , access to a cashback club that helps them get cashback of up to 30% on any purchase they make for their pet (including food, supplies, toys, etc), special discounts on insurance, and much more. Moustafa said: "We started offering these perks to promote our mission of safe rehoming. Any pet rehomed through Camlist will come with one full year of free pet food for a limited time. We hope this brings awareness to our mission across the community."
He also hinted on a new exciting feature that will be announced soon: “We’re about to announce a major feature that will bring an unparalleled level of care for our pet parents and their furry friends.”
Camlist believes that their video-first app has the potential to change the way people rehome pets in the US and across the world, making the entire process much safer for all participants with a special focus on animal welfare. They hope that more people opt in to use the app when they’re considering rehoming a pet to support this mission and enjoy a safer and more convenient experience.
About Camlist: Camlist is the world’s first video marketplace for pets. Having launched in early 2020, they’re now active in 3 countries with the most recent being the US. Camlist now supports thousands of buyers and sellers on their app and has introduced their unique 0% interest pet financing product as well as a host of features that provide buyers and sellers with a safer and more convenient way to rehome their pets. The app is available on both iOS and Android.
Email: [email protected]
This content is published on behalf of the above source. Please contact them directly for any concern related to the above.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.


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Two big players in Wisconsin’s food world are now an item. They were introduced at a CALS anniversary party earlier this year and are now sought-after for all the best campus events. We’re talking about Happy Cranniversary, the harmonious blend of vanilla ice cream and cranberry that the Babcock Hall dairy plant created in honor of CALS’ 125th anniversary.
A lot of people helped arrange this marriage. The name and basic idea came from Allison Dungan, an outreach specialist in the CALS soil science department who submitted the winning entry in a “name the anniversary ice cream” contest that drew 434 contenders. Concocting the flavor was the job of Bill Klein, manager of the Babcock dairy plant, and research intern Sandy Hughes.
Klein knows a thing or two about inventing ice cream flavors—he’s developed dozens of great ones— but in this case he decided to get some help with the key ingredient. He turned to Marcy Berlyn, co-owner of Rubi Reds, a firm in Wisconsin Rapids that has found ways to incorporate cranberries into pretty much every food group, from trail mix, honey, vinegar and mustard to bratwurst, cheese, wine, vodka and many more.
“Rubi Reds sent us a total of 10 to 15 different ingredient samples to evaluate,” says Klein. “We tested syrups in the basic ice cream mix until we found the intensity and type we were after. We then hand-mixed different variegates into the ice cream and evaluated for flavor and viscosity.”
The final product has three cranberry ingredients: a syrup for flavor, a thicker, sauce-like “variegate” to form cranberry swirls, and sweetened cranberries.
Happy Cranniversary is a perfect union, mingling sweet and smooth with tart and chewy. It’s been a
big seller in the Babcock Dairy Store and at both UW student unions—and of course it’s been a hit in cranberry country. Rubi Reds has sold it by the scoop at outdoor events and by the carton at its retail store.
“We’ve made multiple runs to Madison to restock,” Berlyn says. “It’s a very popular product. We all love it.”


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This chapter includes the following articles.
The manufacturing industry is a central part of Egypt’s economic engine, producing goods for the huge domestic market and for export across the world. Manufacturing industries accounted for 15.6% of GDP in the fiscal year 2013 (July 2012-June 2013). The sector was affected by the difficult post-revolution period, but as of 2014 the outlook seemed more positive. The sector’s recovery has been supported by a more favourable global economic climate, as well as by a return to greater stability following the presidential elections in early 2014. While the domestic market is the primary focus for many investors, Egypt’s relatively low costs, decades of experience in many sectors and skills base all make it an attractive location for production for export. Egypt has benefitted from particularly strong trade ties with Europe and the Middle East, but is now also turning its attention to Africa and Asia. Egypt’s retail market has continued to expand despite the economic and political challenges of the past few years, though consumer spending patterns have shifted in some areas towards lower-cost goods. Household retail spending was worth about $90.3bn in 2013, according to the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, and is expected to keep rising at a steady clip over the next few years. Modern retail outlets are taking an increasing share of the market, benefitting from an expansion in dedicated commercial space, although traditional retailers – and indeed the informal sector – will continue to account for a large portion of Egyptians’ spending.
This chapter contains interviews with Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, Minister of Industry; Raouf Ghabbour, Chairman and CEO, Ghabbour Auto; Mark Duffelen, Regional General Manager, Xerox Middle East and Africa; and Basil El Baz, Chairman and CEO, Carbon Holdings.


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A new year means a new Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event. The E3 is arguably one of the best events for gamers to get in-the-know with everything related to gaming from possible consoles to future game releases and even demos. Bethesda has just recently announced its showcase date and here is what many gamers can expect from the video game company.
Bethesda, the developer behind popular series such as “Elder Scrolls” and “Fallout,” will be featured on the third day of E3, which is on Sunday, June 10, 2018. For most, this will not come as a surprise since Bethesda usually has the same Sunday slots in previous years. What everyone wants to know is what the developer has in store for fans and gamers.
Unfortunately, but understandably, the folks over at Bethesda did not mention anything about what they will showcase. They did, however, upload a short 30-second video of famous characters from their games in paper cutouts. Gamers could probably expect some news from them but fans will know more specifics.
“The Elder Scrolls” fans, specifically, could highly expect a new expansion for both “The Elder Scrolls Online” and for “The Elder Scrolls Legends.” As for the latter, if not an expansion or downloadable content (DLC), at least a huge update should be expected to come to the game. According to IGN, they could also be almost quite certainly be revealing something related to virtual reality (VR) that gamers will find out during the event.
Last year, Bethesda released “Fallout 4” on the VR. This came after they announced “The Creation Club,” “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus,” more details on “The Evil Within,” “Skyrim” for the Nintendo Switch and a DLC for “Dishonored 2.” That said, fans are expecting the same caliber of surprises from them for this year.
This year’s E3 will happen on June 9 to 11, 2018. It will be held at the Hollywood Palladium.


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WILH. WILHELMSEN INCREASES THIRD-QUARTER PROFIT
Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA, the Scandinavian shipping group that owns 50 percent of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines, reported its net profit for the third quarter doubled, to $10 million, from $5 million in the same quarter in 2001.
Net operating income increased slightly to $20 million, from $19 million. Gross revenue was virtually unchanged, at $147 million, as compared to $148 million in the third quarter of last year.
“The liner and car-carrier business in Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines recorded a positive third quarter,” Wilh. Wilhelmsen said.
The parent company reported that Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines is enjoying good availability of cargoes on most routes at present, but its operating income for the final months of the years is expected to be “rather weaker as a result of restructuring costs relating to ship conversions and to reorganizing part of the liner network.” These measures will eventually have a positive impact on results.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen recently restructured its “round-the-world” service. It is withdrawing from the transpacific container trade and adding a Far East/Middle East service, as well as an intra-Asia service.
Wilh. Wilhelmsen and Wallenius are also acquiring Hyundai Merchant Marine’s car shipping division and setting up a Korean corporation that will take over these activities.
The cash price for the acquisition of the Korean business is $1.3 billion, and loan agreements totaling $1.05 billion were signed in Seoul on Oct. 31 with Korean and international banks, Wilhelmsen said.
The Scandinavian group said synergies between the Korean car transport company and its own activities could raise the profit results of Wallenius Wilhelmsen.


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The Global PC market increased by 35 percent year-over-year as shipment hits 143.7 million units in Q4 2020.
A new report from Canalys reveals that total shipments for 2020 increased by 17 percent to reach 458.2 million units, which is the highest volume since 2015.
“The holiday quarter brought continued strength to tablets, with shipments hitting an all-time high of 52.8 million units, for a 2020 total of 160.6 million units and 28 percent growth over 2019,” the report outlines.
Lenovo led the market in the last quarter of 2020 and for the full year, as it reached shipments of 28.8 million and 87 million units, respectively.
“On the back of a stellar performance in iPads, second-placed Apple managed to close the gap with Lenovo and shipped 26.4 million Macs and iPads in Q4, a total of 81.4 million units for the full year,” Canalys notes.
HP, Dell and Samsung rounded out the top five, as all three manufacturers posted double-digit shipment growth in Q4 2020.
Interestingly, Apple furthered its dominance in the tablet market, as it saw shipments increase by 40 percent. The tech giant had its best iPad performance since Q4 2014.
Samsung maintained its spot in second place in the market with 9.9 million tablets shipped, up from 41 percent from Q4 2019. Amazon reached third place amid the strong holiday season demand and shipped 6.5 million tablets.
It’s not surprising that PC and tablet shipments are increasing, especially since people all around the world are continuing to work and learn from home amid the pandemic.
Image credit: Canalys


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By Onome Amuge
The management of The Coca-Cola Company has confirmed the appointment of Alfred Olajide as its new vice president and managing director of operations in Nigeria following a global restructuring aimed at furthering the leading multinational beverage company’s aspiration to emerge stronger amidst a fast-changing global business environment.
- IMF’s $50bn trust fund for low, mid-income countries, Nigeria too
- Portfolio investors drive 18.55% rise Nigeria’s Q3 capital importation to $1.7bn
- Nigeria dithers as SA Mitsubishi launches affordable entry model
- Nigeria, US sign pact to protect Nigerian cultural property
- Equity investors put N2.62trn market valuation on Nigeria’s top lenders
The new structural adjustment sees its former 17 business units compressed into nine operating units focused on strategic local and regional business objectives supported by the company’s recently established platform services.
James Quincey, the company’s chairman/CEO, while announcing the new development, said that the company’s restructured operating model will enhance its marketing potential to drive more growth and put execution closer to customers and consumers while prioritising a portfolio of strong brands.
Speaking about his new role as managing director of the Coca-Cola business in Nigeria, Olajide expressed his readiness to contribute further to the business as Nigeria is a huge market which offers growth opportunities that can be effectively managed and exploited alongside the bottling partners.
Olajide holds a first-class bachelor’s degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and an MBA from University of Leicester, United Kingdom. His extensive experience in leading market growth, strategy, and operations management built from years in management consulting and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) has enabled him to help drive business growth, strategy formulation, and market execution in the Coca-Cola Nigeria franchise operations where he has amassed over nine years of experience within the Coca-Cola system.
Prior to his current appointment, Olajide served in different capacities across the African continent, including franchise director for cluster markets in the Southern and Eastern Africa region, director of revenue growth management in the East and Central Africa region, and strategy head for Nigeria franchise.


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Words by Valeriya Safronova, New York Times News Service
Until now, most of Condé Nast’s food videos were made in its test kitchen in the company’s headquarters at One World Trade Center or in Airbnb rentals.
At the Kitchen Studio, Condé Nast’s new 7,000-square-foot space in Industry City in Brooklyn, four to six of these “hands and pans” videos are shot daily. It is the type of video on which Tasty, BuzzFeed’s famous recipe offshoot, has built a very large audience. Condé Nast’s food brands, Bon Appétit and Epicurious, have heartily embraced the format too.
During the last two years, Bon Appétit’s YouTube subscriber base increased from 34,000 to more than 1 million. In the same period, the number of monthly unique viewers for the videos on its website grew by nearly 2.5 million, according to comScore.
Bon Appétit has attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers with human-first series like one in which children react to various foods, or another where the magazine’s deputy editor swaps out his office for 24 hours of hands-on labour at fast-paced casual restaurants like Katz’s deli in New York.
To optimise the new test kitchens for filming, they have been outfitted with overhead lights, blackout curtains and acoustic paneling to muffle outside sound.
All the stovetops are gas. “People want to see the flame,” said Eric Gillin, the digital general manager of The Lifestyle Collection. The kitchen studio features countertops from Caesarstone., small appliances from Braun, furniture from Crate & Barrel and smart fridges from Samsung.
And though the test kitchen at Condé Nast’s headquarters has served well as a shooting location, it will now go back to being primarily a workspace for editors who are trying out recipes.
Featured Image: Ryan Lowry, The New York Times


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A dozen new shops selling doughnuts, soap, jewelry, tea, coffee, leather goods and more will open next month inside Norfolk's historic Selden Arcade.
The new "Selden Market," which aims to help startup retailers get off the ground, will be operated by the Downtown Norfolk Council. It will open Oct. 4.
The council announced the opening date and the names of the tenants on Wednesday morning.
The hope is for shops that succeed at Selden Market to find permanent spaces elsewhere in Norfolk. As spots in the market come open again, the council will take applications from prospective tenants.
The city-owned Selden Arcade sits between two of downtown's newest anchors: the Slover Library, which opened in 2015; and The Main, the hotel and conference center that opened this year.
There were never any games in this "arcade" – the word is used in its historic sense, meaning an arched, covered passageway.
The Selden was an arts center until a 2015 explosion caused heavy damage. In April, the city and the Downtown Council announced a plan for a new market inside the repaired building.
Besides the shops, it will have a high-tech "maker studio" run by the Slover Library that includes "a sound recording studio, 3-D printers, a laser cutter and sewing machines," according to an announcement.
New covered connectors allowing people to wander between the market, the library and The Main should be finished by the end of this month, city spokeswoman Lori Crouch said.
The council is leasing the space from the city for $26,955 a year through September 2019, and it can renew the lease for up to two years. The city has not decided what will happen to the building after that.
The goal is to mix "incubator" spaces for new businesses with "mentor" spaces for more experienced shops. In addition to the dozen storefronts, there will be pop-up booths that people can rent by the week or month to test new concepts.
Monthly rents are $225 to $325 for incubator spaces or $550 to $900 for mentor spaces. Pop-up spaces will go for $100 a week or $300 a month.
The council, a nonprofit organization that advocates for downtown improvements, gets more than $1.8 million a year in city funding through a surcharge on downtown real estate taxes.
Selden Market is part of the council's "Vibrant Spaces" program, which offers startup money, discounted rent and other help to new businesses. Vibrant Spaces helped Muddy Paws, Lamia's Crepes and Prince Ink open, and it has since given grants to other businesses.
The council took applications for Selden Market spaces over the summer and notified the winners last month.
The arcade's site between Plume and Main streets has a long and dramatic history. In 1930, a fire destroyed the Academy of Music building. The next year, Selden Arcade opened with tenants including a barber shop, a furniture store and a shoe shop.
The arcade hosted offices or shops over the years. The city bought it in 2003 after the owner threatened to tear it down and it served as a cultural arts center for a decade.
In April 2015, a contractor's accidental strike of a power line caused an explosion that sent shattered glass flying through the arcade. No one was hurt, but several interior walls collapsed, and an exterior wall cracked and shifted. A later review by an engineering firm turned up unrelated structural problems.
The repairs cost the city about $800,000, though insurance reimbursed all but about $69,000, a city spokeswoman said.
The d'Art Center, which had its home in Selden Arcade, has since moved to the NEON arts district.
Selden Market shops
The first dozen tenants in Norfolk's new "Selden Market" will open Oct. 4:
Flutterby Soap Company (handmade vegan soaps, lotions and skincare products)
Food, Clothing & Shelter ("A curated retail experience where culture and community meet.")
Merchant's Reserve (nuts, chocolate and specialty foods)
P.O.P. ("Enriching children's lives through the Power of Play.")
Velvet Witch (gifts)
Werther Leather Goods (locally made bags and wallets)
Eric Hartley, 757-932-7511, firstname.lastname@example.org Follow @ethartley on Twitter and HartleyEric on Facebook


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In the middle of the stage four restrictions, popular food spots in Melbourne are delivering their items to customers past the 5km limit to cope with demand and offer extended delivery.
When asked about this, Premika Tanpat, the owner of Jina Thai restaurant, said “We were shocked at how quiet the restaurant was. In Stage 3 we were doing OK, but as soon as our customers couldn’t travel more than five kilometres to pick up food, we realised they didn’t just live in Abbotsford, Richmond and Collingwood. We decided we have to go to them.”
The strategy involved selecting a limited amount of suburbs every week, then reaching out promoting their delivery service via the popular social media app Instagram. This has allowed them since to cover Preston, Epping, Essendon and Footscray and Keysborough. More suburbs are always getting adding to their list of requests each day.
Tanpat also stated how its a way of showing gratitude to ongoing customers. “When we were packed and there was a queue outside, I never thought that people would have travelled so far to get to us. We feel these people are really amazing.”
By accident she also discovered that each suburb has different order preferences.
“In Footscray, everyone ordered tom yum soup,” she says. “Keysborough had deep-fried fish and when we went up to Epping where there are a lot of Thai people, everyone was ordering boat noodles. I can see the flavours of each suburb.”
Kate Reid, the owner of Lune, chose ‘hot suburbs’ in stage 4. Her strategy was to deliver to people who couldn’t reach her outside of the 4km. First of all, she trialled Doncaster and Donvale.
In a surprise move, all 75 slots sold out in an hour and she found out she got more deliveries due to the concentrated postcodes. Sometimes, she even does the deliveries herself. “You feel like croissant Santa,” Kate says. “And also a little bit like the Easter Bunny because contactless delivery means we text when we’re close, drop pastries on the doorstep, then ring the doorbell and run off like Usain Bolt.”
Vue de Monde
The renowned Vue de monde bistro is going to the bayside this coming weekend, which was announced by their Instagram page. Their executive chef Hugh Allen highly approved of this strategy saying “It’s a logical move. A lot of our guests live along there.”
Since the 20-30% own on the lockdown at first, Vue found Bayside had worked out well. They said, “They seem to be bigger orders, and they’re buying more expensive wine which is great for us.”
All deliveries which exit the bistro is managed by front-of-house staff, which includes competent French wine waiter Dorian Guillon. “They have no idea where any of the suburbs are,” says Allen. “They are constantly on Google maps working out where they’re going, but it’s not too bad having a master sommelier dropping off your dinner.”


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Scion VP Jack Hollis has great plans for the distant future even as the automaker is currently busy with the launch of its iQ mini-car as well as with preparations for the anticipated surge in exposure related to the FR-S sports car. Hollis said during the SEMA Show that the company is working on various concepts.
He declined to provide more details about these concepts but then, Scion has two models that are due to be overhauled very soon. In addition, the brand is hoping to widen its product offering. Hollis has said during previous interviews that he is hoping to offer a mini-truck that’s compact and is based on a car.
In particular, he said that this model will be one size smaller than the Toyota Tacoma. He said that it isn’t the No. 1 priority but he is “very interested” in it. Hollis already has a plan for a model that could change into something that’s a lot like the Toyota-Subaru tie-up that made the FR-S (FT-86/BRZ).
He said initially that he sought to carry over a small truck from Daihatsu (a Toyota subsidiary) but then, there’s no business case for it due to the regulations that it would have to meet.
What Hollis wants to do now is to collaborate with Daihatsu. Hollis thinks that the Scion brand has room for more models in the compact and sub-compact range. He also said that he sees a trend towards small cars. [source: Autoguide]


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Next CPI numbers on August 10th.
So i am an Europoor resident and i am not seeing the prices coming down here, what’s up in the US? wondering what could be the next CPI read, a lot of people thinks that 9.1% was the peak and we will see a lower number, which is probably what the market anticipates as well.
My take on the possibilities are:
Inflation comes in at a lower % than 9.1, which means the current rate hikes was enough to tame inflation, so the market keeps on being bullish.
Inflation comes in at a lower, but not low enough % that would justifie slowing down with the hikes, so the market probably will trade somewhat sideways until the next FED meeting in september where we will get a clearer image.
Inflation comes in at an even or higher level, market probably will panic and causes another sell off, and the intensity of it will be decided on how big the number is.
What do you see in the USA? Prices coming down? still going up? Will the CPI coming in hotter than ever or does the rate hikes work?
Submitted July 31, 2022 at 07:45PM by Adventurous-Iron251
via reddit https://ift.tt/P5xmOZh


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MOSCOW — In a rundown concrete building with cracked windows outside Moscow, Intel Corp. President Craig Barrett listens for an hour to the problems facing his company's largest local customer, Russian personal computer maker VIST Ltd.
It was Barrett's first trip to Eastern Europe, and it won't be his last. The No. 2 Intel executive is planning annual visits to customers in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, the battlegrounds where America's chipmakers are trying to win the next wave of computer users.
While Intel holds 85 percent of the chip market in the United States, Western Europe and Japan, the business is up for grabs in China, India and Russia, markets where demand for chips is rising fastest.
"If you are looking for growth, you have to be focusing on the emerging markets," said analyst Drew Peck of Cowen & Co., who follows chipmakers.
Companies such as Advanced Micro Devices and Cyrix Corp., also-rans in the United States, have a head start in markets where a cheap price traditionally was more important than cutting-edge technology.
Barrett knows this, and it's the reason he spent a string of grueling 18-hour days last spring meeting customers, retailers and Intel employees in Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic.
"We need to establish our presence, our brand name and our technology in all the places around the world that are growing," he said during the tour. Intel now is considering building a $500 million chip plant in the Czech Republic.
North America is the largest single market for chips and PCs and Japan is No. 2. Yet sales in countries such as China and Brazil are expected to rise far more than in established regions. By some estimates, PC sales in China will nearly double next year and are on track to surpass Japan by 2001.
Many of the chips in those computers will be made by AMD and Cyrix, which focused on emerging markets because they were too frail to compete in more developed countries.
"We couldn't play in the mainstream," said Rob Herb, vice president of marketing for Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD. "But we did pretty well in the emerging markets."
AMD, with less than 10 percent of the global market for the brains that run PCs, has as much as 40 percent in countries such as Brazil, Russia and Poland. Intel's share is as low as 30 percent in some of those countries, analysts estimate.
Other U.S. chipmakers also are targeting these markets. Motorola Inc., for example, is building a chip plant in China as part of an agreement to make computers with China Panda Electronics Group.
"In the past, Intel was willing to cede these markets," said analyst Bruce Stephen of International Data Corp. "Going forward, their tentacles are reaching out further than ever."
Intel knows that it's joining the race late, and only started turning to emerging markets in the past year.
"We shouldn't have waited this long," said Earl Whetstone, head of Intel's European operations. "If we'd put more effort in three years ago we'd be ahead of the market today."
To make up for years of neglect, Intel is running TV ads in Russia, establishing brand identity with marketing in China and helping PC makers lobby for lower tariffs in Poland.
Intel's rivals aren't standing still, either, and companies such as AMD are stepping up marketing in emerging countries. For example, when AMD introduced its high-powered K6 chip in early April, it staged media events featuring company executives in Hong Kong, Latin America and Russia.
Cyrix, too, is poised to be a stronger competitor, gaining better global distribution and access to more manufacturing facilities through its pending $550 million sale to National Semiconductor Corp. The companies expect to complete the transaction in November.
AMD and Cyrix have another advantage in their overseas fight with Intel: For the first time, they both boast chips that rival Intel's top-of-the-line Pentium MMX chips, which boost the appearance of the sound and images for computer games and other programs. AMD and Cyrix chips also carry prices that are half as much as Intel's. That's crucial for luring customers in these countries, particularly consumers, analysts said.
"These are people who have yet to be convinced that a PC is worthy of their hard-earned dollars," Peck said.
Intel's rivals also are well ahead in developing relationships with manufacturers.


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Maserati franchisees are readying themselves for a “hell of a ride” over a coming 10 months set to bring an influx of new products and a new corporate identity (CI) promising to transform their dealerships’ fortunes. For Peter Charters, general manager of the Maserati’s North Europe operation, one of the victories will be emerging from 2023 with a network of franchised partners in profit for the first time in a very long time.
“Half of my experience has been in network development, so the dealers and how they perform is something very close to my heart,” says Charters, who has been at the helm of Stellantis-owned Maserati GB for three years, having previously been Vauxhall’s retail network development director and head of sales.
Asked how long it was since Maserati retailers made a profit, Charters admits: “I've not been here long enough to tell you how long it’s been.”
But he is confident about retailers’ future prospects. “It’s been a tough period for dealers within the Maserati brand, there’s no getting away from that,” Charters says.
“We came close to breakeven for the network last year and this year, with the introduction of the new models, our anticipation is that the dealer network as a whole will be into profitability and then grow from strength to strength.”
At the end of February, Stellantis’ full-year trading results for 2022 revealed Maserati had delivered a second year of profitability after years in the doldrums. Profits of €201 million (£177m) were delivered on revenues of €2.3 billion (£2bn) after margins reached 10.1% in H2 as the impact of sales of its new Grecale SUV started to be felt.
“Maserati is back, doing the right things in the right way,” said Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares at the time. Stellantis reported that the Italian brand’s near-doubling of its 2021 profits last year was helped by higher average pricing resulting from sales of its MC20 supercar.
That trend is set to continue as Maserati’s range expands exponentially this year with what Charters describes as “a massive product offensive”.
While Charters is coy about the prospect of a six-figure average selling price, such a significant shift – and the margin opportunity that comes with it – is not out of the question. In 2022 retailers benefited from the first full year of sales of the £190,000, 200+mph MC20 supercar.
This year that will be joined by a topless MC20 Cielo version of that car and Charters tells AM the 12-month order bank for that model is already full.
The Maserati GranTurismo will celebrate its 75th anniversary with the arrival of an all-new £145,000 version of the two-door GT, meanwhile, with a GranCabrio on the way and the GranTurismo Folgore set to become the brand’s first fully-electric vehicle with an expected price tag of around £200,000. Maserati will make an electric version of all its models by 2025.
Moving still further up the price scale, Maserati will also introduce a MC20 GT2 race car priced at around £350,000 this year along with its 740PS, track-only Project24 hypercar – of which just 67 will be made.
“Grecale is arguably the most important car for us, for the dealer network, though,” Charters tells AM. “Pre-ordered customer cars are just starting to come through and building up in terms of volume.
“That’s a huge opportunity for us. Grecale is currently in ICE (internal combustion engine) only, but by the end of the year, beginning of next, we anticipate a fullelectric vehicle as well.”
Grecale positions Maserati in an SUV segment which is still Europe’s most buoyant. It sits below the Levante with a starting price of £58,500 and the anticipated best seller, the Grecale Modena, priced at £64,500. Showrooms will also continue to feature the Ghibli and Quattroporte saloons.
Accompanying the new broader range offering, a recently introduced Fuoriserie personalisation programme allows Maserati customers to choose from an array of bold colour options and decals, ensuring that the new models are sure to stand out.
Charters played down the upsell opportunity of Fuoriserie for retailers, however, suggesting that the aim was to offer more choice to customers. He is clearly keen to not to detract from a drive to make the brand feel more accessible and affordable, despite its new crop of six-figure sports cars and supercars.
Since 2019, the brand has backed away from the fleet and rental sectors and Charters says that the “vast majority” of registrations are now retail, with 90% of its finance offering accounted for by PCP. Across the same period all Maseratis have also come with three years’ servicing as standard (offer excludes V8 models) and, increasingly, a stronger standard specification which has helped to boost residual values. “People think we are much more expensive than we are,” he says.
“That’s great in some respects because they obviously put a value to the Maserati brand. On the negative side, we need to say to people that, while we’re really pleased that they’ve got that view of our brand, they can actually afford one. “Particularly with Grecale, we want to get that message across because it is an affordable car with a strong residual value.”
According to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data, Maserati registered 720 vehicles last year. That is more than double the 309 units registered a decade earlier, but just 42% of the 1,701 delivered in 2017. Despite the clear excitement at the opportunity presented by a rejuvenated model range, Charters will not comment on projected volumes for 2023, but says: “(Retailers) will see enough volume that it will make a difference for them.
“It is our intention, 100%, not to oversupply the market with any of the new products. The first year, we’ll just be keeping up with demand.
“If I think of GranTurismo in particular, the opportunity is really promising with UK volume in the hundreds. Just look at that car’s history and – even though the price is substantially going up – the fact is that there’s hundreds of orders taken already. “In isolation, that car alone represents a huge increase for the dealer network.”
This year’s GranCabrio could be more successful still with UK customers. “We like wet heads”, Charters tells AM of the nation’s strong appetite for convertibles.
DEALER PARTNERS AND RETAIL MODEL
A leaner car retail network has been central to Maserati’s drive to deliver improved profitability for its retailers. When AM profiled the brand in 2016 it had recently increased from 12 to 19 sites, with 26 sites mooted as the potential future scale.
Now the network is back to 12 locations with Rybrook appointed to the Bristol territory and Hendy Group adding a site in Poole during the past 12 months. Constellation Automotive-owned Marshall Motor Group, which had operated in Peterborough, was among the departures.
“To have a healthy network, we anticipate only one more UK site,” says Charters. “We will substantially increase our volume, but we're not growing the network.” Charters told AM that Maserati’s network plan had not been influenced by the approach taken by parent company Stellantis, adding that the OEM giant “hardly touched” its operational business.
He did not discount following Stellantis’ planned move to agency model in the future, however. “There is no current plan to go agency. However, you know the situation with the rest of the group with the rest of the industry, so it would be foolish to say it'll never happen”, Charters tells AM.
“At the moment, we were just getting up and starting to jog. When we can run, then we can look at those things. At the moment, we've got plenty on our plate to deal with.” The added volume expected by Maserati has already prompted Sytner Group to create a number of solus Maserati dealerships – separating the brand from its former sister brand Ferrari in Edinburgh and Solihull – with a further solus location set to be opened in Ascot.
Charters says solus sites are “the direction of travel” as the brand pursues growth with a new CI, but adds that it is not a prerequisite.
“We’re not completely against multi-brand opportunities and (HR Owen’s site at) Hatfield is a great example of that,” says Charters. “If you make it big enough, bold enough and clear enough in terms of brand separation, that can also work.”
Maserati welcomed new chief executive, David Grasso, just months ahead of Charters in 2020. Grasso was previously CEO and president of Converse, having been vice-president of global brand marketing at Nike. Charters said Grasso had brought an entirely new mindset to selling luxury.
That will soon be translated into a new CI with a warmer brand experience and omnichannel consumer journey. HR Owen’s sprawling, £30m multi-brand luxury car retail facility in Hatfield, which also features Lamborghini, Bentley and Ferrari franchises, will be the first location to fully realise the new CI this month.
Charters says that half of the network will be either finished or well into the process of installing the new CI by the end of 2023. The “pretty substantial change” features a warmer atmosphere, defined by darker colours which help to deliver an “immersive experience”, according to Charters.
Charters says that, although there will be more digital touchpoints for customers, no direct online sales channel will be launched alongside the new CI, with the focus remaining on attracting customers to showrooms. “Digital in the showroom is going to change significantly because we’re going to have massive LED backdrops to our cars and, this month, we've introduced 360-degree configurators,” he says.
“It’s a real sea change in how the customer experiences the product once they’re in there.
“But it is not a dive in at the deep end. Our view is that Maserati customers actually enjoy, and should enjoy, the experience of going into the showroom, so we will gently move towards an online sales presence.”
One area where Charters concedes Maserati retailers might suffer from a lack of presence is in the used car market. The decision to withdraw from fleet and contract hire in 2019 has left it with limited stock for franchised forecourts and Charters says: “While retailers would like more, there are no more.”
There is now an established funnel of used car stock ready for the brand’s higher volumes, however. High PCP penetration gives it reasonable control of its used car stock, while that complimentary three-year service plan should ensure vehicles have been maintained within the network.
Right now, Charters’ focus is on delivering high-quality model launches and establishing a new-look retail network. Asked what his hopes were for the end of 2023, he says: “I want to see a profitable network for everybody this year but I also want to see half of them with the new corporate identity and the new customer experience. It’s gonna be one hell of a ride, the next 10 months.”
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Looks like users aren’t as enthused about revenue generation as Instagram is.
On Friday, luxury brand Michael Kors became the first brand to display an ad on Instagram, with this picture of a golden wristwatch placed next to a plate of macarons (luxury!)
The picture was uploaded to the Michael Kors Instagram account and also started showing up in the feeds of people who weren’t following Michael Kors, which inspired some less than complimentary reactions:
nikitasaurus Why the eff would I want to see this?
genevieve1219 Nobody wants to see this. I’m not buying the watch, can I buy my old instagram instead??
the_walking_deaders SPONSORED F*** THIS GET IT OUT OF MY FEED
saccitylyss GET OFF OF MY NEWS FEED. TRESPASSER. Seriously though, sponsored posts. Really?
As of today, the ad has over 1750 comments, most of them negative, but tellingly, it also has 229,000 likes. Given that the Michael Kors Instagram account has nearly 1.3 million followers, it isn’t surprising to see such a large number of likes, since those people chose to see Michael Kors pictures in their feeds. The complaints are mostly from those who opted not to follow Michael Kors but ended up still seeing its pictures, in the form of ads. That was enough to inspire them to take to the comments section and voice their opposition.
However, before everyone panics, it’s important to note this is still just the first ad on the platform, and the picture has been lauded for its visual aesthetics. That’s an important criteria for brands that get to advertise on Instagram., and as long as the company stays true to those guidelines, much of the resistance can be overcome. And eventually, Instagram algorithms will figure out, and personalize the kinds of ads people want to see, so that users don’t complain about the “trespassing” element.
Other brands expected to debut their ads on Instagram soon include, PayPal, Adidas, Ben & Jerry’s, Burberry, General Electric, Levi’s, Lexus, and Macy’s.


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From the Wires Jul. 31, 2015 02:20 PM CHICAGO , July 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- RnRMarketResearch.com adds Syringes and Needles - Pipeline... ...http://in.sys-con.com/node/3393912
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Google, besides announcing the feature to dictate messages to third-party apps via Google Now, has also introduced a new Google Search function... ...http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NDTV-Tech/~3/Pd2VlEU03Lk/story01.htm
There are a lot of expectations from Windows 10. After getting it completely wrong with Windows 8, Microsoft has worked really hard on Windows 10.... ...http://techtree.com.feedsportal.com/c/33242/f/556751/s/487fd304/sc/15/l/0L0Stechtree0N0Ccontent0Cfeatures0C95440Cbest0Efeatures0Ewindows0E10A0Bhtml/story01.htm
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Robo-Dogs Scan Ford Plant
Ford has unleashed doglike robots to sniff around one of its Detroit-area factories.
The mechanical pooches—named Fluffy and Spot—are being used to snap hi-res photos and make laser scans of the plant floor at Ford’s Van Dyke (Mich.) Transmission Plant.
Half the Cost, Half the Time
Such surveys are used to update factory floor schematics. Ford notes that, over time, adjustments to equipment occur that aren’t always documented but need to be accounted for ahead of a major retooling job.
Normally, manufacturing engineers perform a survey by trundling around equipment on tripods, setting up for a five-minute scan before repeating the process at the next location. It’s a routine that can take two weeks and cost $300,000 per factory.
The 70-lb electric canines, which Ford is leasing from Boston Dynamics, cost less than $75,000 and can do their job in half the time.
Fluffy goes for a walk (Image: Ford)
And yes, Fluffy and Spot can sit, shake hands, dance and roll over. But Ford isn’t interested in dog tricks. The company points out that being able to scan quicker means shorter retooling times that can help get new models to market sooner.
The robots stroll around at about 3 mph for as long as about two hours per charge. They’re also able to scamper up and down 30% ramps, negotiate stairs, crouch or stretch for a better view and pick themselves up if they topple. Ford notes that the mechanical dogs are able to get in and out of tight areas that would be difficult for a human to access.
To save power while traveling along smooth aisles from one scanning location to another, Fluffy and Spot can sit on their haunches and hitch a ride aboard a small shuttle nicknamed Scouter.
Initially, Ford is programming the robotic creatures to follow predetermined routes. They’re also tailed by a plant engineer equipped with a gaming-like controller. The device also lets the robot’s handler see what the robot sees.
Ford’s longer-term goal is to monitor the mechanical pooches remotely as they autonomously canvass a plant floor.
Japan’s SoftBank Vision Fund is investing $2.3 billion in General Motors Co.’s Cruise Automation unit.
This is the Case IH 8000 Series Austoft sugar cane harvester: According to CNH Industrial, which owns Case, in Brazil, where equipment like this is used, sugar cane harvesting, which had once been a labor-intensive process (as had been the production of cars and components), workers had been able to cut cane at a rate of up to 500 kg per hour.
General Motors Co.’s Cruise Automation unit says it puts backup drivers and auditors through extensive training before allowing them to participate in real-world autonomous vehicle tests.


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During the CES 2023 event, Acer has made a number of fresh announcements. New gaming laptops and monitors from its well-liked Predator series are among the most recent new revelations.
Predators Helios 16 and 18 from Acer
The new Predator models are the company's most potent gaming notebook series, as opposed to the Nitro series' entry-level midrange gaming laptops, which were also unveiled at CES. The company has updated the cooling design for better thermals and introduced two new Predator Helios models. Either a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 or Core 9 HX series processor, along with an up to 165W MGP Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, can be used to buy the Predator Helios 18 and 16 processors.


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Two recently published studies that pointed to adverse results with the consumption of dietary supplements have raised questions and concern among industry leaders. While one study indicates an association between dietary supplement intake and increased mortality risk, the other suggests that supplementation with vitamin E significantly increased the risk of prostate cancer among healthy men. Many experts believe otherwise. Here are some insights that bring the shortcomings of these studies into the limelight.
Santa Cruz, CA—Supplement maker Rainbow Light marked its 30th anniversary this year, and kicked off the celebrations in March with a festive Expo West booth and later a private party for its employees in Santa Cruz. Founder and president Linda Kahler recalls this festive event and says, “It’s pretty important to step back and take a moment to look at our achievements.”
A new industry standard currently under development by the Natural Products Association (NPA) is set to help fill what many see as a troublesome gap in the market. Sometime next year, the trade association plans to roll out a definition and certification program for some “natural” food products.
New York, NY—The NSF/ANSI 305 standard for personal care products has a new adherent in Avalon Organics, a brand of Hain Celestial Group, whose entire line of skin, hair and bath care offerings now contains at least 70% organic ingredients.
Washington, D.C.—Activities for the second annual Non-GMO month, a multi-faceted advocacy campaign directed against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in food, went off without a hitch this October, and drew more attention to the growing movement.
A 23-person clinical trial conducted at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, has confirmed that brown seaweed (InSea2, innoVactiv, Inc., based in Quebec, Canada) positively affects glucose and insulin levels after eating.


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New for 2016?
Mokka X and facelifted Zafira Tourer (both for delivery Q4), 1.6 CDTi BiTurbo 160hp engine for Astra
What new initiatives are you introducing for fleets?
Vauxhall has developed its aftersales service for fleets with the introduction of its premium SMR+ package. This package for routine servicing includes additional items such as brake fluid changes, maintenance work (brake discs, pads and clutches), and mechanical/electrical warranty work.
What are you hopes for 2016?
“Our focus for 2016 is to build on the great product that Astra is and has been recognised to be whether that’s through awards from Fleet News, other titles and or being names European car of the year,” says Paul Adler, fleet marketing manager for Vauxhall.
“We will see our true fleet sales gain momentum this year when we get full availability of Astra Sport Tourer, we are starting to see traction in Astra and I think there’s more to come because people are revaluating the model. One of our hopes for 2016 is to build on that momentum created by new Astra and the launch of new cars in Q4.”
What’s the biggest automotive issue facing fleets this year?
“The issue of NOx could have a big impact,” said Adler. Company car tax is based on CO2 emissions, but air quality concerns could see NOx be taken into account, he added.
“That will make a fundamental difference to clean petrol engines being taken up,” says Adler. “A lot of people already want to know about efficient petrols.
“They are aware there have been some challenges with diesel within the industry, and are keen to look at, perhaps reconsider petrol, and our own research shows that more fleets that were diesel-only are going to be looking at that policy than six months ago.
“The diesel growth came from the CO2-based tax culture, so it will be Government-led changes which will lead the industry.”


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The domestic market remained stable in May with total revenue from goods retail sales and services exceeding 354 trillion VND (15.6 billion USD), up 1.5 percent against the previous month and 10.4 percent year-on-year.
The 'Luc Ngan-Bac Giang Lychee Week in Hanoi' just opened at BigC Thang Long on June 13th as part of Bac Giang's activities to promote lychee consumption this year.
Hanoi authorities on March 16 held a meeting to seek measures to help farmers boost sales of daikon radishes which are facing incredibly low prices.
(VNF) - The cultivation sector of Vietnam has set goal to reach over 21 billion USD in export turnover in 2018, representing a year-on-year rise of 2.2-2.3 percent.
(VNF) - Vietnam’s first electric vehicle quick charger system opened on November 20 in the central city of Da Nang.
Vietnam will be the first country in the world that is allowed to export star apple fruit to the US.
The first batch of Vietnamese dragon fruit has been exported to Australia by the Hoang Phat one-member Ltd Co in the southern province of Long An, announced the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Long An authorities on September 20.
Biotech products from the Republic of Korea (ROK) are being introduced at an exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, organised by the Chuncheon Bioindustry Foundation (CBF) in collaboration with Lien Hoa Group.
Toyota Vietnam will start recalling 20,015 cars, including Vios and Yaris models, across the country from August 28 in order to replace airbags produced by the Japanese firm Takata, stated the car manufacturer.
The Ministry of Finance is proposing the levy of a special consumption tax of 10-20 per cent on sugary drinks to combat obesity rates, though a similar proposal was rejected by the government three years ago. VIR’s Van Thu offers insight into the hot debate surrounding the new proposal.
The Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association received a decision from the People's Committee of Kien Giang province on August 18th in recognition of Phu Quoc fish sauce as a traditional craft. In addition, the fish sauce making village on Phu Quoc Island has been recognised as a traditional craft village.
(VNF) - Vietnam’s main fruit import market is Thailand, which accounts for 57% market share; followed by China with nearly 17%.
(VNF) - The changing shopping habits of consumers has made retailers in Singapore - the shopping paradise struggling more than ever.
Brewers and pubs are thriving thanks to Vietnamese wine and beer consumption.
With favourable climatic conditions endowed by nature, Ca Mau has led the Mekong Delta provinces in shrimp production. Currently, nearly 300,000ha in the province are dedicated to shrimp production, with a turnover of nearly 150,000 tons and an export value of nearly US$1 billion.
(VNF) - The High Quality Vietnamese Product Business Association, for the first time led a business delegation that will participate in the 2017 ASEAN-India Expo and Forum held in Bangkok from August 2-5.
Vietnamese firms have won deals to supply 175,000 tons of rice to the Philippines at a tender on July 25, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).


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Fans have inquired on Twitter about the expected relationship between Cyberpunk 2077 and Epic Store, and the developers ’response is marrowy and reassuring.
- There will be no Epic Store exclusive to Cyberpunk 2077
- This was confirmed by the developers on Twitter
- Their official position is, “Jaaaa… I’d rather miss it.”
A very serious scandal erupted around Metro Exodus when it was revealed that a PC version of the game would be available on Epic Store instead of Steam until 2020. Valve, THQ Nordic and players have also spoken out in the case, indicating how unhappy the decision has been in the evaluations of the previous two Metro games.
The mood has seemingly subsided a bit since then, but the announcement still planted the idea in more than one person’s mind: what other games will be more Epic Store exclusive in the future? Probably this idea also preoccupied the Twitter user, who not so long ago nailed the issue to CD Project RED: right now, Cyberpunk 2077 will not be an exclusive title. However, based on the marrowy and reassuring response from developers, we don’t have to worry about that. As they write in their four-word answer, they would rather miss something like that.
Yeaaaaaaaaah …. Pass on that.
– Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) Feb 8, 2019


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Li & Fung, Ltd. has tapped Deepika Rana as chief customer officer, a new role. She will add this title to her current responsibilities as president of supply chain solutions.
In her new position, Rana will leverage Li & Fung’s global network in 50-plus production markets and integrate its diverse supply chain solutions to create a focused customer-centric offering.
Rana joined Li & Fung in 2003 and was promoted to executive director of Indian Subcontinent and Sub-Saharan African in 2014, where she oversaw $2 billion in turnover across nine production countries. She previously worked at J.C. Penney Purchasing Corp., India, and earlier was head of May Department Stores International Inc., India liaison office.
She reports to Joseph Phi, executive director and group president of Li & Fung. Rana, who is based in Hong Kong, will also join the company’s global executive board.
Li & Fung, headquartered in Hong Kong, specializes in managing the supply chains of high-volume, time-sensitive goods for leading retailers and brands worldwide.


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The government may be shut down, but Facebook is still up and running, to the tune of more than 45 million interactions related to the issue this week, from more than 17 million users.
When Facebook users aren’t sending Pitbull to Kodiak, Alaska, they are engaging with the hip-hop superstar’s Facebook page at a rate 60 percent to 80 percent higher than some of the social network’s most-liked celebrities, including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Eminem, and Justin Bieber, according to social publishing firm theAudience, which helps Pitbull program his page.
It’s a new year and a new U.S. Congress, and new and old members are taking to Facebook to share their photos and their thoughts commemorating the start of the 113th Congress.
Last year, retail giant Walmart announced that it would try to deepen its market share on Facebook by setting up individual local pages for 3,500 of its stores across the U.S. Walmart knew that it needed to go local to really resonate with customers, but after nearly one year, an overwhelming majority of the local pages have been duds. According to a study by social media company Recommend.ly, 96 percent of these pages have fewer than 1,000 fans. Most of the pages also lack pure engagement, not giving fans any kind of reason to return to the page.
Miami-based rapper Pitbull calls himself Mr. Worldwide and mentions exotic locales such as Rio de Janiero, Madrid, and Puerto Rico in his songs. Thanks to some pranksters who flexed their muscles through a Facebook contest, Pitbull will probably struggle to find bottle service at one of his future locations — Kodiak, Alaska. The Walmart Facebook page of that town received the most likes in an Energy Sheets-sponsored contest, earning Kodiak an appearance from the popular musician.
Walmart and Energy Sheets teamed up for a simple Facebook contest: The individual Walmart store page to get the most likes will get a visit from rapper Pitbull, an Energy Sheets brand ambassador. However, thanks to a grassroots social media campaign, the Miami native might need to bring a coat. The current leader? Kodiak, Alaska.


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Cadence Design Offers Microchip Independence To Defense OEMs
FARNBOROUGH—“This industry has woken up,” says Frank Schirrmeister. “It has come to realize it can actually win quite a bit by doing digitalization themselves.”
Schirrmeister is senior director for the solutions and ecosystem group at Cadence Design Systems, a California-based company taking steady but considered steps to promote itself to aerospace clients. The firm, which provides a wide range of digital design services, already counts a number of major aerospace and defense OEMs among its client base. But the benefits it offers do not readily lend themselves to eye-catching displays in air show halls.
“We provide the software, hardware and intellectual property,” Schirrmeister says. “Think of it as the Lego blocks for chip design. We extend into computational fluid dynamics and digital twins.”
Cadence provides defense and aerospace OEMs with the opportunity to avoid reliance on third-party microelectronics suppliers by helping them design and build their own chips for bespoke applications. The benefits include greater agility during product development and increased responsiveness to changing customer requirements. And, by bringing chip-level design in-house, OEMs can streamline through-life support as well.
Building a reputation has required patience, as the industry and its customers adapt their thinking—and as Cadence develops the trust necessary to supply technology at such an early stage of the development of complex and commercially (and politically) sensitive products.
“It takes this industry time to transform. It also takes a company like us time to prepare,” Schirrmeister says. “Over the last couple of years we’ve done a lot of work toward becoming a trusted supplier to [the U.S.] Defense Department.”
James Chew, senior global director for aerospace and defense, describes Cadence Design as “the Home Depot of electronics development.” Just as do-it-yourself builders will get more out of a visit to the store if they are clear on what it is they want to make, so Cadence’s defense and aerospace client base is increasingly becoming a more intelligent and informed customer.
“We happen to sell—I believe—the best design tools out there for electronic systems,” Chew says. “But the thing is, we have to train you. Home Depot’s slogan is, ‘You can do it—we can help.’ We don’t want to be a performer within the [Defense Department], but we’ll show you how to do it and then you do it yourself.”


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Discount Retail Chain Lidl Spain (owned by the German Schwarz Group) grew 9.7% last year in the Spanish market.
Lidl, the German discount retail chain, closed fiscal year 2020 with a new turnover record in Spain, in a year in which confinement and restrictions on leisure outside the home triggered domestic consumption. In this context, the company registered net sales of euro 4,825 million (US$5.8 Billion), which represents a growth of 9.7% compared to the previous year and is increasingly close to US$6 Billion. A barrier that, given the trajectory it has been showing in recent years, should be overcome with relative ease in 2021.
"In an extremely complicated year for all of us, we have learned to adapt to the circumstances and react by focusing our efforts on ensuring the health and safety of our employees and customers, guaranteeing the supply of our stores and redoubling our commitment to Spain", he explains in a statement the general director of Lidl Spain, Claus Grande, who thanked his staff for their efforts "for making it possible for Lidl to continue providing an essential service to the population and to our customers for having continued to trust us, allowing us to contribute decisively to the economic reactivation of a country for which we will continue betting in the future.”
During the past fiscal year, which Lidl concluded on February 28 of this year, the chain opened 40 new stores, exceeding 630 stores. As reported by the company, it allocated 350 million euros (US$ 420 mio) both in these openings and in the inauguration of a new logistics warehouse in the town of Agüimes, in Gran Canaria, which already has 11 logistics centers in the country. With all these actions, it created a total of 2,000 new stable jobs during the past year. In the last five years, Lidl has allocated euro 1.7 billion (US$2 billion) to growth in Spain and has added nearly 5,900 new jobs, increasing its workforce by 36% and exceeding 17,000 people.
An effort that will continue, and with greater force, in 2021. As reported, during this year it will make a record investment of € 400 million (US$480 mio), to add another 40 new stores to its chain and to expand its logistic centers. At the beginning of the year, it acquired land in Parla, and during 2021 it will begin work on the new warehouses in Escúzar (Granada) and Martorell (Barcelona) and in autumn it will launch what will be its new benchmark logistics platform for northern Spain in Nanclares de la Oca (Álava).


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What the business landscape in Yellowknife will look like once the evacuation order is downgraded is anyone’s guess, but one thing is clear: businesses in the capital haven’t had the best of times since the city was evacuated nearly three weeks ago.
Rami Kassem, the owner of Javaroma, talked about the financial strain he’s gone through.
He said that despite not generating any sales after Aug. 16, he still had to pay rent and suppliers.
“You don’t make sales, you still pay your rent,” said Kassem. “We have four locations when paying rent, no matter what.”
As September approached, the same financial obligations are looming with not much relief in sight. Kassem hopes that more attention will be given to supporting businesses affected by such emergencies in the future.
Kassem also shared his frustration with the lack of support for business owners, such as the $5,000 support package for businesses from the GNWT.
He said that’s not enough to cover the expenses of food waste, utilities, rent, and taxes.
He emphasized that business need immediate support instead of loans, as they are already struggling with debt from the pandemic.
Adrian Bell, president of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, said many business owners have reached out to express their concerns and seek assistance with lobbying for solutions.
“This is a very uncertain time,” he said. “People are very worried. They’re terrified. People are losing sleep in recent days.”
He said that the shutdown of the economy has hit businesses hard, with many having to lay off their workforce.
There’s also the worry about not being able to get all of them back once things reopen.
“A lot of employees can’t afford to take three weeks or a month off with no pay, so they will have likely taken jobs wherever they’ve been evacuated to,” said Bell.
He added that the wildfires caught many business owners off guard and has raised fears that something like this could happen again.
“The idea that the entire town could be evacuated is something that not that long ago, we didn’t (think was possible),” he said. “I know that a lot of the businesses didn’t have business interruption insurance, and that means they have to eat the costs themselves. They can’t afford this again.”


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HONG KONG (July 9): Shares in Chinese technology company QuantumCTek Co saw an over-tenfold increase on their debut, the latest indication of the optimism surrounding Chinese equities, particularly in the high-tech STAR board in Shanghai.
Shares in the quantum-technology product maker leapt to a high of 399 yuan from its initial offering price of 36.18 yuan and closed the day at 370.45 yuan, up 924%.
That made QuantumCTek the strongest debutant on the STAR board since its launch last year, exceeding the record 614% jump from medical-equipment firm Tinavi Medical Technologies Co.
The STAR board, formally known as Science and Technology Innovation Board, has strengthened significantly this month with three newly floated stocks, including QuantumCTek and Tinavi Medical, rising over 400% in their maiden sessions this week.
The special board does not impose limits on price-move ranges for a stock's first five days of trading. For all other listings in China, moves are limited to 44% on the first day and 10% thereafter.
The recent wave of upbeat STAR board debuts came as China's broader equity market continued to rise in recent weeks. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index yesterday breached the 3,400 level to hit the highest closing since early 2018. It ended 1.4% higher at 3,450.59 today.


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Update Google Chrome – Chrome Help – Google Help
To make sure that you're protected by the latest security updates, Google Chrome
can automatically update if it detects that a new version of the browser is …
Text-to-Speech engine arrives to Google Play". Android Authority. Retrieved 23 November 2014. Bogdan Petrovan (6 March 2014). "Google updates Text-to-Speech engine
Samsung to acquire BlackBerry, Google updates, Project Ara & more – Pocketnow Daily
Stories: – Project Ara market pilot coming to Puerto Rico this year http://pocketnow.com/2015/01/14/project-ara-market-pilot – Google Translate picks up new real-time image, speech tools http://poc…
Penguin and Panda: Thriving with Google’s Updates
from globerunnerseo, ago in News & Politics
In this talk we took a look at the Google Penguin and Panda updates of 2012 and how that affected SEO. Also we covered SEO strategies that are long lasting.
Nexus Android 5.1.1 Update: 5 Things to Know in April
With the month of April coming to a close, we want to take a look at what owners of Google's Nexus smartphones and tablets need to know about the Nexus Android 5.1.1 update and release as we head into the month of May.


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Facebook is not only the main source of everyday internet social interactions, but also the up and coming advertising markets for businesses small and large. According to the newest update in September 2016, Facebook's newsroom have reported over 1.1 billion daily users. With one-seventh of the world's population actively using Facebook daily, it would be a massive squandering of resources to not properly advertise to your companies' target audience.
Forbes magazine wrote a December 2016 article on Facebook's Marketplace; specifically what that could mean for digital marketing. The Marketplace is available to all users via the smart phone app, allowing the buying and selling of items through Facebook. This strategy keeps users online longer without the need to use Craigslist, eBay, or Amazon. Forbes urged companies to expand to all platforms of digital advertising to include smart phone devices to maximise coverage to more consumers.
HubSpot recently posted a few articles on the emphasis of visual content marketing and provided an impressive list of marketing statistics in regards to online marketing and specifically Facebook marketing. From this list is a report by Internet Retailer that 30% of commerce comes directly from mobile phone purchases. Additionally, HubSpot reported a +57% increase of Facebook consumption in the last two years which is more than Twitter and LinkedIn combined.
Digital marketing is an ever-changing and fluid field and requires to be as fast as the evolution of its market. Lead generation marketing is the face of that change. By utilising Facebook's built-in features to keep consumers online longer, companies have a significantly higher chance of drawing in their target audience. Only 2.5 million of the 50 million businesses online pay for advertisement on Facebook.
BrandManager's e-book "The Essential B2B Guide to Facebook" will help companies reach their target audiences by tailoring your brand. A company can adapt their advertisement plan with the help of this guide to see real ROI and effective brand customisation to the consumer. BrandManager's plan takes into account all types of budgets and time constraints to ensure a successful marketing plan. Jump start the company to emulate the top marketing businesses like Forbes, HubSpot, and Facebook, and flourish in the continuously changing nature of digital marketing.


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The food supply chain faces a different set of risk factors to those it was dealing with just 10 years ago, according to a new report, including those presented by new technologies such as gene editing and 3D food printing.
The report Evolving Risks in Global Food Supply (PDF), produced jointly by the Lloyd’s of London insurance market and the accounting and advisory firm Moore Stephens, offers an insight into the future of food production.
It highlights that food supply chains are some of the “most vulnerable, extensive and complex supply chains we have on Earth”, and new risks and threats are emerging as a result of the way the system is evolving in response to societal and economic pressures.
Key factors include greater integration and consolidation within the supply chain – which offers efficiencies and greater control over processes, but also amplifies the level of risk because of the impact of any problems – is felt on a wider scale.
The report also points out that technological developments are changing the food we eat and the way in which it is produced.
Burgers made of lab-grown meat are already being sold by specialist suppliers, and the report says in future there are likely to be innovations that result in 3D-printed food products (see panel) or products resulting from genome editing of meat, fish, plants or fungi.
“The advent of genome editing brings potentially unimaginable shifts in traits of agriculturally significant species, and species not yet domesticated for widespread human use as food,” it says.
“In contrast to first-generation genetic engineering, genome editing can be done in much less demanding facilities, eventually allowing regular people working in very simple conditions to create virtually unlimited genetic variation in any organism, including humans.”
The report also suggests that it is possible to conceive future farming and food processing being undertaken with no human intervention apart from engineering set-up and maintenance.
Impact of social media
Social media is identified as another risk factor that has already brought changes to the supply chain, with online pressure campaigns motivating retailers and suppliers to change their processes and practices.
“Everyone involved in the supply chain of the products singled out on social media are left at the whim of these campaigns and can often do little to mitigate the impact,” it says.
“This is especially problematic if the objection to the product lies outside that part of the chain they control.”
Another influencing factor is the environmental concerns of consumers and governments which is likely to require serious changes to how packaging and food waste is currently handled by the supply chain.
Is 3D food printing real?
3D food printing may sound like something straight from science fiction, but it is a rapidly growing technology with the potential to go mainstream.
New printers are becoming available that can be used for various types of food materials.
These are typically paste-type materials including chocolate, vegetable and meat purees, pancake batter, cream, and cake and biscuit mixes.
The technology is capable of manufacturing product structures that cannot be achieved, or are difficult to achieve, using conventional techniques.
Food research, support and training body Campden BRI has recently begun a research project to assess and evaluate how 3D-printing applications could benefit the food industry.
The project aims to provide an objective and independent evaluation of the capabilities and limitations of 3D-printing technology through practical trials on a wide range of food materials.


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Tuesday, October 16, 2018
We’ve been very grateful for the feedback you’ve given us since we first introduced Azure Blockchain Workbench in public preview a few months ago. Your feedback continues to be an essential and impactful part of our work. For this release, we focused on making Workbench more accessible for everyone.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Continuing our monthly release cadence for Azure Blockchain Workbench, we’re excited to announce the availability of version 1.3.0. You can either deploy a new instance of Workbench through the Azure…
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Today, we’re releasing our next update to Workbench, which we’re calling version 1.2.0. You can either deploy a new instance of Workbench through the Azure portal or upgrade your existing deployment to 1.2.0 using our upgrade script.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Last month, we announced the public preview release of Azure Blockchain Workbench, which greatly accelerates blockchain application development. Since launch, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of engagement and enthusiasm from our customers and partners with thousands of different blockchain apps processing tens of thousands of transactions.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Join us Wednesday, March 15th at 9am PST/12pm EST for the first Azure Blockchain-hosted Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Microsoft Tech Community. We receive great feedback and input about blockchain through…


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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all the human beings to change their ways of life. The last two months of lockdown have taught us all how to live in a sustainable manner. We have become more efficient at working from home, learnt the difference between necessary and unnecessary travel, became self-sufficient in carrying out our daily chores, have started appreciating nature and the importance of nurturing it. All these changes have made us appreciate our relations with life, people and environment and has certainly led to an improvement in our well-being and happiness.
Despite these positive changes, one major setback which has come in between our efforts for a clean environment is the surge in demand and usage of single-use plastic products!! In the midst of concerns related to health and hygiene, people are observing loads of plastic items such as disposable wipes, bottles of sanitizers, gloves, plastic covers, etc. inside their homes. The fear of viruses staying on reusable materials has led people to buy things in plastic bags and dispose of them at once. A lot of grocery stores, restaurant owners have now switched to using plastic products again (despite the fact that the virus stays on plastic surfaces as well for a long duration). These instances have led many people and businesses to switch back to follow the unsustainable practice of using plastic bags, covers and other items on a day-to-day basis.
Many countries around the world have also lifted bans on single use plastic due to this pandemic. While there is no doubt that the use of plastic based PPE is imperative for the safety of frontline workers, individuals and businesses can certainly look out for ways to diminish their plastic consumption and in turn can reduce the burden on the environment.
One key step that individuals can take is to continue the use of reusable cloth bags that have a higher level of hygiene, however require more effort. Like we all have got into the habit of washing our hands frequently, we can also adopt the habit of washing and reusing the biodegradable cloth bags. As restaurants around the country have switched to providing takeaways and delivery services, they can also choose to continue with these cloth bags instead of plastic bags. The advantage with using the light-weight material biodegradable bags is even if they have to be disposed-off for some reason they will not pose a risk as high as plastic bags due to their eco-friendly properties.
We all have undermined the cause of reducing plastic footprint in this pandemic due to some binding reasons but we can still make an effort to reduce the ill effects of this health disaster. Our sanitation workers, waste management agencies are already facing a tough time in managing the plastic waste of PPE, sanitizer bottles, disinfectant cans, etc. Our landfills also don’t have the capacity to absorb more plastic waste. A simple initiative from our end can take off a little burden of our frontline sanitation workers.
I have been following the work of EcoRight for a while now and their range of utility bags can definitely help you in this transition. From personal experience, their grocery bags come in many different shapes and sizes and are easy to carry, wash and reuse. Multiple washes have not reduced their utility because of the high qualities of fabrics. These bags can also be used by businesses, grocery stores and restaurant owners for delivering essential items and other products of daily use.
We are all aware of the ruckus that plastic has created on our earth, pandemic led changes in consumer behavior towards increased use of plastic can have detrimental consequences in the long run. So let’s be cautious and let the pandemic not impact our sustainable habits in a negative way.
About the author:
Aakansha Jain is a researcher in the field of sustainability specializing in Sustainable Transport. She is a graduate from Madras School of Economics and Delhi University and currently works with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). She likes to assess how people’s travel decisions and choice of modes of transport have an impact on the economy, environment and society. She is an advocate of walking and cycling and often relies on them to compensate for her love for food!