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The issue of unemployment among the youth is unsettling more people, and a 29-year-old Bachelor of Commerce Kenyatta University graduate from Kapkeruge village in Nandi County has turned to digital farming, which enables him to earn up to around Kshs 1 million, from tomatoes, tea, and cabbages sales annually. Speaking to West Media, Robert Choge said he delved into the venture after learning business management skills at the Xtra Publishing Limited where he was working as a business executive.
In 2016, he started planting cabbages, tomatoes, and tea seedlings for sale as an investment and to add to his job income. He said the idea transformed into a rich venture, earning him lots of money annually, which is way better than the salary he received, and he urged Nandi residents especially the youths who haven’t got any jobs to try out farming.
He said the tea sales bring in about Kshs 500,000, cabbages up to Kshs 400,000 and tomatoes up to about Kshs 200,000. “I started with a capital of Kshs 50,000, which was the commission I was paid in an advertising company and I used the money to fence my farm and with the remaining cash, I bought two bulls which I later sold and used the money to expand my farm area,” he narrated.
His farming practice has now lasted three years and has attracted many people from different areas who are interested in benchmarking, the latest visitors from the Nandi County agriculture department. Apart from being a farmer, Choge doubles up as a Director and Founder of Jelberts Kenya Limited, which deals with greenhouse construction, farm consultancy and drip line installation.


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A first look at Oculus’ standalone VR headset.
One of the biggest announcements that came out of Oculus Connect in October was the unveiling of a $199 standalone VR headset. Dubbed Oculus Go, the upcoming headset is basically an all-in-one mobile computer.
The days of sliding in your mobile device or plugging into a PC may behind us.
And with a price tag of $199, Oculus Go not only cuts the cord, but makes VR more accessible to the masses. There are large swaths of consumers sitting on the sidelines waiting to jump into VR. They’re just not ready to fork over the dough for a pricey gaming PC or they don’t have a compatible mobile device that makes snatching up a Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream View an easy purchase decision.
So you can see why many of us have been eager to hear more, or even just see the Oculus Go up-close in person. Few details were revealed at Oculus Connect and there were no onsite units to demo or place on our heads.
Well now it looks like developers are finally getting their hands on dev kits of the Oculus Go, which means early hardware pics of the device in our inbox! So for the first time, we actually get to see the device out in the wild.
Although no further details or hardware specs were shared along with the photos to VRScout, its great to see the Oculus Go in the hands of developers. With the Oculus Go expected to go on sale “early 2018,” we’re going to have to rely on what this initial group of developers shares with the world for now.
What we do know according to Oculus is that the standalone device is “super lightweight” with a new fabric used for the facial interface that’s “soft and breathable.”
We can expect improved visual clarity with “next-generation lenses” that offer a wider field of view with reduction in glare according to Oculus.
Oculus Go also ships with integrated spatial audio, which means the speakers are built right into the headset. If you need it, there’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening, but it’s not visible in any of the images we had access to. The Oculus Go also has its own 3DOF controller, but the best part is it shares the same software as the Gear VR. This means developers building for Gear VR are already building for Oculus Go.
It’s unclear whether Oculus is still accepting hardware dev kit applications, but if you are a developer, you can head on over to their sign-up portal.
If you’re a developer, drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.org. Would love to hear about your experience.

domain: news


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Samsung QLED 4K HDR TVs Get Formal Unveiling and They’re Awesome as Expected
Stephan Jukic – January 4, 2017
Yesterday we covered all of the specs rumors and evidence around the new Quantum Dot/QLED 4K HDR premium TVs that Samsung was expected to unveil at CES 2017 as successors to the superb 2016 SUHD lineup.
Well now the QLED TVs –as they’re formally called—have been formally unveiled and they do indeed offer almost everything we predicted they’d come with and more. What’s more, it’s the little details about these new 2017 4K TV models that do a lot to make them better than their predecessors even if the QLEDs aren’t absolutely revolutionary in their changes.
First, yes, many of the new QLED televsions are curved just like the SUHD models and secondly, yes many of them still come with edge-lit backlighting arrays. Now, moving into their deeper details and starting with their display chops, one of the key pieces of information from a supposed Samsung source about the expected performance of the QLED models was a statement that the new televisions would offer 50% better performance than their 2016 SUHD cousins. We predicted that this performance would almost entirely be confined to the peak brightness capacity of the new premium models and that other specs such as HDR color capability would see only marginal improvements.
Well sure enough, with a peak brightness capacity of between 1500 and 2000 cd/m2 or nits, the QLED models definitely outdo their 2016 cousins by a very wide margin while their DCI-P3 color coverage for HDR color, which Samsung is claiming to reach 99%, only moderately outdoes the 92 to 95% DCI-P3 color space coverage of the 2016 SUHD TVs.
The new models, which come in several series denominated as the Q9, Q8 and Q7 sets, make use of a new and considerably refined quantum dot technology that relies on metal quantum dot nano-particles to deliver their moderately wider color gamut coverage. What the metal quantum dots in the new TVs also do is allow these models to render full color volume and saturation even if their peak brightness is dialed up the very high maximum they’re capable of. This is one enhancement over the 2016 SUHD models, which lost a bit of color saturation at maximum HDR display brightness settings.
What’s more, the new quantum dot technology reportedly allows the QLED lineup to deliver even deeper, richer blacks than were possible with their 2016 or older cousins and as a result these LCD TVs offer a black level that comes closer than ever before at imitating the perfect blacks of OLED display in an LCD/LED panel. While we can’t yet say for sure how deep the black levels of the QLEDs actually go without performing concrete measurements on a review model, the black levels on display in the QLEDs at CES 2017 in Vegas definitely show off some of the best black levels we’ve ever seen in an LCD TV at a glance. However, we still don’t consider it to be the OLED-like “perfect black” that Samsung is promising.
Another truly remarkable achievement that the new QLED TVs pull off is the deliver yof some extraordinarily broad high fidelity viewing angles. Possibly thanks to their metal quantum dot structure and possibly thanks to some truly sophisticated new LED/LCD panel reworking which takes advantage of said quantum dots in new ways, the QLED TVs at CES seem to offer viewing angles that conserve nearly perfect color and contrast quality even way off center. They pull this off in a way that even OLED has a hard time rivaling and that’s one very impressive thing to see in an LCD 4K TV which still manages to deliver deep blacks at the same time. (Most wide viewing angle LCD TVs pull this off by using IPS display and in the process lose a tremendous amount of contrast and black level capability).
Then there are the non-display improvements that Samsung has built into its newest premium lineup of 4K HDR TVs. For starters, there is a new connectivity configuration built into the QLED models. This relies on an “Invisible Connection” fiber optic cable which connects to an external box that houses all of the QLED TVs’ other major inputs for HDMI, USB and so forth. The overall effect of this is to produce a much lower cable clutter level when one of the TVs is mounted to a wall or sitting in a living room. In addition to this effort at smoother, more elegant design, Samsung has given the QLED TVs what it calls a “no-gap wall mount”, which allows for seamless mounting to a wall since the hardware that holds the TV in place is concealed inside the back of a QLED television and also designed to allow for easy tilting of the display as well automatic levelling.
In other words, the 2017 QLED Samsung TVs are showing themselves to be true stunners that are virtually guaranteed to make consumers fall in love in 2017, when they go on sale at some point in March.
Story by 4k.com


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Gisborne, East Coast and Wairoa households will pay slightly more for their electricity from 1 April, due to an increase in line charges from Eastland Network.
The company, which is part of the ECT-owned Eastland Group of companies, today announced its pricing schedule for the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.
Eastland Network general manager, Brent Stewart, says for an average household the changes amount to an increase of around $6 a month including GST.
Mr Stewart says line charges include both distribution and transmission costs, with the changes reflecting a 1.2 percent increase in distribution charges, and a 22 percent increase in transmission charges. (The issue is further complicated because while previously the transmission charges related sole to Transpower, Eastland Network now owns also owns transmission assets.)
He said the rises were all Commerce Commission revenue allowances to keep up with inflationary pressures.
The increase will add about $6 to monthly power bills for Eastland Network ‘s 19,000 domestic consumers in the Gisborne, East Coast, Wairoa and Tuai areas. “For an average domestic customer that $6 increase is made up of a rise in the distribution component of about 76 cents a month, and about $4.51 in the transmission component,” said Mr Stewart.
“For the past two years, there has been no increase in Eastland Network’s distribution line charges however the network can no longer absorb the increased costs it has faced each year.”
He says the network’s tariff structure has not been altered this year.
“As part of New Zealand’s heavily regulated electricity sector, any change in Eastland Network’s revenue must comply with the Commerce Commission’s Default Price-Quality Path Determination requirements.”
Mr Stewart says Eastland Network’s line charge revenue for the 2016-2017 financial year has been forecast at $35.49 million.
More information is available on the company’s website www.eastland.nz .
Eastland Network provides electricity to 19,207 domestic consumers and 6,238 non-domestic consumers in the Gisborne, East Coast, Wairoa and Tuai areas. It bills line charges to the end-user’s energy retailer, which then incorporates them into each customer’s power bill. Line charges make up around 40 percent of consumer electricity costs. The remaining approximate 60 percent of costs are determined by energy retailers.


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Card not present fraud is on the rise, protect revenue with dispute management
A rise in fraud involving card not present transactions following the EMV chargeback liability shift on October 1, 2015, was widely expected by the financial industry. Other countries that implemented EMV previously, such as Canada and the U.K. experienced a similar effect, and experts wisely predicted the same would happen in the U.S. The reason is simple; when in-store fraud becomes more challenging and less rewarding, fraudsters notoriously focus on the online channel to continue their illegal operations. The data rolling in not quite a year after the liability shift is proving that prediction to be true.
It may appear that the adoption of EMV in the payments industry is helping ease the fraud liability for financial institutions, due to the overall reduction of card-present fraud combined with the liability shifting to merchants. However, with the rise in card not present fraud, the overall financial impact of fraud remains a chief concern for both banks and credit unions alike. According to a recent Global Fraud Attack Index, attacks on online merchants in the U.S. rose by 215 percent overall in 2015, with an 11 percent increase since October 2015 alone. Now is certainly not the time to relax when it comes to fighting fraud.
No financial institution wants to see the cost of fraud rising. But the true cost of rising fraud rates isn’t limited to just operational costs and fraud losses. The real danger is the potential reduction in cardholders from the institution’s portfolio that can arise when fraud is handled inefficiently. Cardholders expect quick and satisfactory resolution when they experience card compromise. And an institution that doesn’t deliver that resolution may lose business and the coveted brand loyalty they crave.
One very important tool that financial institutions can leverage to avoid cardholder attrition is an automated dispute management system that streamlines the chargeback process on behalf of their cardholders. With the fraud rate soaring and competition over wallet share more cut-throat than ever, handling disputes exclusively in-house is becoming more and more antiquated. Many financial institutions are now relying on advanced third-party technologies and staff to help remove the complexity from dispute management.
A comprehensive dispute management system can efficiently manage all disputes with one system and has the scalability to adapt to changing regulatory requirements. An automated process can help eliminate common manual errors, decrease the dispute lifecycle, and even improve customer satisfaction. Replacing a cumbersome paper-based manual process with an automated, paperless and intelligent system returns big rewards when it comes to speed and efficiency.
Some third-party recovery solutions like Vantiv’s Resolve Ultra, even come with the option to outsource the entire process including the initial cardholder contact. With Vantiv handling the process start to finish, the cardholder has minimal involvement and gets a much quicker resolution. And for those financial institutions who prefer to keep some of the process in house, Vantiv Resolve’s highly specialized recovery experts provide invaluable support and customized guidance.
Whether your institution needs a little dispute management support, or a lot; putting resources and expertise in place to handle the ongoing influx of fraud is an important strategy for the future. Ask your payment partner for more information on advanced chargeback recovery technologies. Or contact Vantiv for more information about our full suite of fraud solutions for financial institutions.


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SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Alibaba Group, China's biggest e-commerce firm, will spin off the team developing its Aliyun mobile operating system, which Google Inc claims uses aspects of its own mobile operating system Android.
Alibaba Group will invest $200 million in the spin-off as the team developing the mobile operating system expands, said founder and chief executive Jack Ma in an internal memo on Thursday.
The Aliyun mobile operating system hit a snag last week when a planned smartphone launch in Shanghai with Taiwan's Acer Inc was cancelled due to what Alibaba said was interference from Google.
At the heart of the issue was Aliyun, which Alibaba said was self-developed but Google said contained aspects of Android.
China's smartphone market is expected to top the United States as the world's largest smartphone market this year. Earlier in the week, Alibaba said it bought back half the stake Yahoo Inc owned in the company for about $7.6 billion.
(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Editing by Ryan Woo)
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Virgin Mobile Festival helps attendees go green
Virgin Mobile USA's two-day festival in Baltimore aims to minimize its impact on the environment while educating attendees about being more eco-friendly.
Virgin Mobile USA and concert producer I.M.P. partnered withToyota, Kyocera Wireless and Clean Vibes to help Virgin Mobile Festival attendees find their 'G'reen Spot. Virgin Mobile USA has put incentives in place to get concert-goers to the venue in an environmentally friendly manner.
"The Virgin Mobile Festival is all about people reconnecting with our brand through music," said Jill Okawa, manager of pro-social initiatives for Virgin Mobile USA, Warren, NJ. "People associate Virgin with rock 'n' roll, since Virgin Records is part of our heritage, so we're trying to create a unique on-site experience that's reflective of our brand."
Virgin Mobile USA festival-attendees range from 16-40 years old. But the primary demographic is 18-34 year olds, 50 percent male and music-lifestyle-oriented.
"That's pretty dead-on as far as Virgin Mobile USA's target demographic," Ms. Okawa said.
Virgin Mobile USA's text-to-vote Book the Band competition has come to a close with rock band Hollywood Undead declared the winner, earning a spot in the festival lineup (see story).
A Virgin Mobile Festival carpooling initiative organized by I.M.P. allows attendees who purchase four tickets together to enter the promotional code CARPOOL upon checkout and receive a free parking ticket worth $25.
Carpoolers can also go to http://www.virginmobilefestival.com/toyotacarpool to print out a carpool voucher for a chance to win VIP upgrades, festival t-shirts and posters through the Virgin Mobile Carpool Sweepstakes powered by Toyota.
A fleet of 10 Toyota hybrid vehicles, along with other MTA shuttles, will be available to pick festival-goers up from local MTA stations and shuttle them to the front gate.
Toyota hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles will also be on display at the festival grounds.
The festival takes place August 9-10 with performers such as Bob Dylan, Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Stone Temple Pilots, Kanye West and top deejays.
The PickUpPal service will help people find others in their area interested in carpooling and giving those who take public transportation a free organic sustainable cotton Green Spot tote bag with the festival logo when they show their Metrocard or receipt at the Green Spot tent.
I.M.P. deployed solar energy to power the East Coast concert venue Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, and will do the same for the Virgin Mobile Festival.
A team of 100 volunteer Green Angels will be onsite throughout the Festival to monitor waste diversion efforts and provide consumer information courtesy of Clean Vibes, which specialize in responsible waste management at outdoor festivals and events.
"We want to surprise and delight festival-goers with things they would never expect," Ms. Okawa said. "When you come on site you'll be greeted by the Virgin Mobile Festival's Green Angels and receive a card for a random act of kindness such as a free tube of organic sunscreen."
Many green initiatives are planned for the Virgin Mobile Festival with the help of handset sponsor Kyocera Wireless.
"We're continuing the green initiatives from last year's festival and we're adding on to them," Ms. Okawa said. "We learned a lot last year about reducing our waste and our carbon footprint as much as possible."
Items that usually become trash at concerts are being replaced with compostable products made from renewable sources.
Examples include plates made of sugarcane called Bagasse, cups made of corn called Bioplastic, utensils made of wheat and potato and straws made from plants instead of petroleum.
The Virgin Mobile Festival team is partnering with local experts and a nearby facility for the handling and transport of compost.
Festival-goers are encouraged to bring two factory-sealed water bottles with them to the festival that can be filled at one of several water-refilling stations.
Thirty waste-reclamation stations such stations will be located throughout the event grounds. All food and food-service waste will be recycled. Each station will be staffed by a Green Angel volunteer trained by Clean Vibes.
Nearly all paper items are being replaced with 100 percent recycled paper products including posters and toilet paper.
Virgin Mobile USA and I.M.P. have partnered with Edun Live, the sister brand of Edun Apparel founded by Ali Hewson and Bono, to provide 100 percent organic t-shirts for the official Virgin Mobile Festival merchandise.
In addition, Edun Live has donated 300 organic t-shirts to the Green Angels staff and hosted a contest on www.edun-live.com in search of a limited edition green t-Shirt design to be printed and sold onsite. Ten percent of proceeds from the green t-shirt will go to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Wherever possible, the festival will use clean energy such as biodiesel and solar power are being. All on-site power, generators and light towers will run on B99 biodiesel, which is 99 percent biodiesel.
Recharging stations for mobile phones and other devices will be run on pedal-powered bicycles courtesy of Kyocera Wireless.
Where clean energy cannot be supported, such as production and flights, Virgin Mobile Festival will seek to offset its carbon footprint by purchasing green tags through Bonneville Environmental Foundation and donating clean energy to the local Baltimore community.
Virgin Mobile Festival props and buildings will be constructed from sustainable materials wherever possible, including bamboo, FSC-certified lumber, organic cotton and recycled materials. Nearly all materials will be reused, recycled or donated to the local community.
In addition, bamboo furniture for chilling out in the Refresh dome is being repurposed from last year's festival.
A number of unique art installations offering interactive eco-educational experiences will also be featured in the Green Spot tent, where people will be able to hop on the Bike Blender to make a pedal-powered aÃ§aÃ fruit smoothie, ride the Light Bike to understand the power consumption of a CFL versus an incandescent bulb and test out the Phantom Power Meter.
Virgin Mobile USA offers monthly Plans Without Annual Contracts, with national coverage powered by the Sprint PCS network.
Virgin Mobile USA's handsets will be sold onsite at the festival, including the Wild Card, Slash and Flare. These are also available at about 40,000 retailers nationwide and online at http://www.virginmobileusa.com, with Top-Up cards available at more than 140,000 locations.
Customers who buy a Virgin Mobile Festival Special Edition Kyocera Wild Card messaging handset at a Best Buy store will get access to the Virgin Mobile Guest Lounge at the festival, 50 free eMusic downloads and a free one-year subscription to Spin Magazine.
Text and Pix to Screen applications will create attendee interaction with Virgin Mobile products and services. Trained brand ambassadors will teach the public how to send text messages to the festival's main stage screens and ticker tapes using Virgin Mobile products.
Dedicated lounge areas will feature screens with festival text chatter.
Virgin Mobile phones are available to the public to text their friends using the mobile application Buzz'd. Users who sign up and use the application will be entered for a chance to win special prizes and giveaways from festival partners.
Virgin Mobile USA contributes a portion of profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social initiative to help homeless youth.
People can submit videos showcasing their unique talents to blank2clothe.com and Virgin Mobile USA will donate one item of clothing for every submission and for every five online views.
Text2clothe.com has the call to action "Text the word KARMA to 68405." Virgin will donate one item of clothing for every text received.
The company's customers can earn free minutes in exchange for viewing advertising content online through the innovative Sugar Mama program.
"The Virgin Mobile Festival's green initiatives fit in with Sir Richard Branson's efforts to take a hard look at how corporations are contributing to global warming and make a positive impact," Ms. Okawa said. "This festival is good way for us to experiment with ways to reduce our carbon footprint and educate festival-goers and the vendors that we work with to be more eco-friendly."


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The UK's wettest June since before 1910 was behind a 0.7% drop in food sales last month and there are fears the wet weather may hit fruit and vegetable prices.
Some fruit farmers in the Anglia region are worried the continuing wet weather is devastating their crops.
Richard Dodd of the British Retail Consortium says the wet weather may have an impact on individual items but customers have "nothing to worry about because food inflation is falling."
More top news
It's going to be a cloudy afternoon with the chance of the odd shower. Feeling cold. Highs of 6 degrees C.
An investigation is underway after a horse and pony sanctuary burnt down in Norwich.
It will be a generally cloudy day. Some bright or sunny spells are possible during the morning.


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REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 3, 1999 — With millions of new users and Web sites coming online each day, the Internet can often seem daunting: big, unfriendly and impersonal. To create a sense of familiarity, many users are developing or joining online communities, or Web
to bring together family, friends or fellow “netizens” who share common interests.
To help meet the growing worldwide demand for these communities, Microsoft this week unveiled MSN Web Communities, a free service that will allow people in the United States and 27 other countries to use popular Internet communication tools, such as Web pages, chat rooms, message boards and email, to create their own communities on the Internet. Using this service, members can customize and maintain their communities without knowing HTML or using complicated programs.
“In just a few minutes, people can create a customized online club that reflects the personality and interests of their group,”
said Rob Bennett, group product manager for the Consumer and Commerce Group at Microsoft.
“For example, a family could create a community to post pictures, have real-time chats with grandma and plan a family reunion.”
The service’s Web-based interface makes building a home page as easy as writing a letter; familiar toolbars and buttons allow users to work with multiple fonts, colors and text sizes. Users can also enhance their community with clip art or photos, using a unique “Photo Uploader” that enables them to easily add multiple graphics to their pages. Microsoft also announced that MSN Web Communities will include support for 23 languages within the next few weeks; this is the first time such a service has offered extensive international support, allowing people worldwide to interact with others on topics that interest them.
MSN Web Communities is hoping to keep members involved in their communities by providing the option to receive automatic, personalized email when there are new messages to read or new photos to see. Members can also get a snapshot of recent activity using a
page that provides an instant status report on all of the communities to which they belong.
To enhance security and simplify identification, the service uses Microsoft Passport to streamline the process of building and joining communities. Users are required to register for a Passport before creating or joining a community; their member name and password is their unique identifier for all MSN Web Communities — as well as all participating Passport sites. Passport also uses strong encryption and privacy policies to help ensure the security of members’ personal data.
As the Internet grows, more people around the world will realize the benefits of services like MSN Web Communities, user-driven Web sites that offer a secure, friendly, easy-to-use way for people with common interests to stay connected.


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If you rent out your home on Airbnb, your guests may now have to fight for their right to party, NBC News reported.
The global home-sharing site is rolling out an online complaint feature that lets neighbors tattle on pesky partiers, said the company on Monday. The new tool represents Airbnb's response to increased complaints from residents about the noise, pollution and bad behavior of some of the platform's guests.
Though the peer-to-peer rental site does have a "party policy" as well as a hotline for complaints, the image of the global giant has been somewhat tainted by highly publicized incidents ranging from wild New Year's Eve bashes with 200-plus guests, to alleged temporary brothels, plus-size orgies, porn shoots and claims of sexual assault.
The new feature will enable Airbnb's customer service reps to review comments internally, though it's unclear how the company will take action, and whether or not renters or rentals will be blocked from the site after numerous complaints are filed.


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This is the incipit: Is Michael Calfan back to progressive? This question arises if you listen to the latest release of the French producer. He is loved and estimated thanks to his always perfect tracks.
Our appreciation for Michael Calfan was probably originated from the tracks listed below. Meanwhile, did you listen to Last Call? Does this remind you of something?
It was the year 2011, it was the dawn of the golden age of the “EDM” with the Progressive House genre. Michael Calfan (with the magical touch of Axwell) was releasing RESURRECTION, probably one of the most magnificent progressive tracks ever made, a masterpiece.
Let’s go deeper: after a while of the release of Resurrection, in 2013, between many Unreleased tracks, started appearing on the web Last Call, a new version pretty close to Resurrection, which probably it would be its follow up. The track was never released.
After seven long years, this Friday 31st July, Last Call has been published in a more fresh and modern version, allowing ourselves to hope that Micheal Calfan is coming back to the Progressive House genre. Otherwise, might be a gift for nostalgic fans like us. Among some online rumors, it showed up also a probable official release of the original version of this track, which, according to someone could be released very soon (with vocals?) even that it was anticipated by Kryder in his Kryteria Radio 249 (here).


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At the 2010 Financial Times Business of Luxury Conference, Marissa Mayer (Vice President, Search Products & User Experience, Google Inc.) and Dov Charney (Founder & Chief Executive Officer, American Apparel) singled out Madonna’s career as a model luxury brands should follow, citing her ability to maintain a strong core identity while constantly reinventing herself. Leonard A. Lauder (Chairman Emeritus, Estée Lauder Companies Inc.) put his own spin on how to achieve career success, saying “the key thing is this: You start high and you stay high. You start low and stay low.”
Debate on the role of digital media in the luxury industry was also lively, with Robert A. Iger (President & CEO, The Walt Disney Company) asserting that traditional marketing has been “eviscerated” by digital forms, while Jean-Christophe Bédos (President & CEO, Boucheron) contended that brands should “rethink their preconceptions that the internet necessarily equals a mass market. It’s like a city full of streets, and some are high streets and some are luxury destinations.” Marissa Mayer offered further advice to digital architects, saying that luxury websites should be orchestrated for a simpler and faster experience by employing “less flash” and automatically defaulting to the “view all” option when revealing search results.
Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, chaired the Summit, which convened over 350 senior luxury, media and entertainment executives, consultants, brand experts, fund managers and securities and retail analysts from around the globe.
The theme of the conference was “The Medium and the Message,” providing exclusive and inspired insight from industry leaders around the world on how the global luxury sector should adapt communications strategies in an era of social media, as well as the general challenges the luxury and entertainment industries face amid a shift in the traditional consumer’s buying habits.
Other distinguished speakers included Bryan Lourd (Managing Partner, Creative Artists Agency), Tom Murry (President & CEO, Calvin Klein Inc.), Diane von Furstenberg (CEO & Founder, DVF Studio and President, CFDA), Jonathan Newhouse (Chairman, Condé Nast International), Tamara Mellon (Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Jimmy Choo), Sebastian Suhl (COO, Prada Group) and Tim Murphy (Chief Product Officer, MasterCard Worldwide), who unveiled MasterCard’s new premium brand mark during his presentation at the Summit.
For more information and to hear keynote speaker interviews please visit http://www.ft.com/reports/business-luxury-2010
Photographs of the Summit can be viewed at:
Jayne Van Hoen, Global Director of Conferences and Events, said, “This year’s Summit was our most successful in the six years since the series launched, delivering unrivalled content to our delegates through finely curated panels and discussions. It serves as another important milestone in the further expansion our conferences business in the US, which is now the FT’s biggest market.”
- Ends -
About the Financial Times:
The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business news organisations, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing essential news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community, the newspaper, printed at 23 print sites across the globe, has a daily circulation of 399,862 (ABC figures May 2010), while FT.com has over 2 million registered users and 126,281 digital subscribers. The FT has a combined print and online average daily readership of 1.9 million people worldwide (PwC audited figures, November 2009).
For further information, please contact:
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.


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After years in publishing, Clinton Morris realized his dream when he opened A Room of Our Own, a sprawling bookstore that borrowed its name from a Virginia Woolf book and specialized in lesbian and gay writing. In August, a summer after the store opened during Gay Pride Week in 1994, Mr. Morris died of AIDS-related complications at 35.
Now AIDS, in effect, has also claimed the life of the bookstore.
A Room of Our Own, whose lime-colored walls were host to book readings as well as community forums, closed Christmas Eve, saddening and surprising many neighborhood residents.
The store manager, Elizabeth Shipley, said financial problems at A Room of Our Own started within months of its opening, when Mr. Morris's condition worsened. Checks weren't signed. Publishers weren't paid on time. Ads promoting the store weren't placed in community publications.
"Because of Clinton's illness, he put it together rather hastily," Ms. Shipley said. "He wanted to live out his dream before he died. A lot of corners were cut."
And while Mr. Morris initially pumped his own money into the store, his own health needs soon began to deplete his funds. "AIDS," Ms. Shipley said, "basically ate up our financial base."Continue reading the main story
Evan Morris, 37, who took over the store after his brother's death, said that in a stronger economic climate, the bookstore might have been able to survive -- its sales had doubled since it first opened in an area with a large lesbian and gay population. But the store would have needed another twofold increase in sales to become profitable in costly Park Slope, Ms. Shipley said.
Katherine Acey, a Park Slope resident who is the executive director of the Astraea National Lesbian Action Foundation, surmised that the area's mixed-income lesbian community could not support a bookstore in the same way that the more affluent gay men's community of the West Village could, although she still expressed surprise that A Room of Our Own had closed.
"Why it didn't make it in the Slope, I can't figure out," she said.
Others said the neighborhood was saturated with three bookstores -- though none specialize in lesbian and gay material -- while others compared it to small niche-market shops that recently went out of business. Judith's Room, a West Village women's bookstore, closed in 1994, and University Place Books, a bookstore that specialized in black and African works, closed last month.
Despite those factors, Ms. Shipley said she hopes to open another gay and lesbian bookstore in the neighborhood. In the meantime,
to the writer Jacqueline Woodson, the closing of A Room of Our Own is chilling.
"As a writer who is a person of color and who is gay, I get really scared that a lesbian bookstore can't survive in its own neighborhood," said Ms. Woodson, 32, who lives in Park Slope and is the author of "Autobiography of a Family Photo" and several other books for children and adults. "Will publishers then say, 'No one is buying gay and lesbian books, no one is buying African-American books, no one is buying women's books?' " said Ms. Woodson, who is black. "For me as a writer, economically, that's a dangerous thing." SOMINI SENGUPTAContinue reading the main story


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voice interface news search results
Developer news items we found relating to voice interface
AI digital voice assistants stops listening as much thanks to Sensory
Friday, September 28, 2018 by Richard Harris
Sensory announced that it has made significant upgrades to the embedded AI in its sixth generation of TrulyHandsfree, boosting the technology’s wake word performance and accuracy by more than 65 percent. Additionally, TrulyHandsfree boasts improved deep-neural network training that allows for even better near- and far-field speech recognition performance in all ro...
Making voice enabled apps for home or business
Monday, March 12, 2018 by Richard Harris
A voice-enabled application is a piece of software integrated with a service like Amazon Lex to add a conversational interface. This is typically a technology that we associate with consumers, thanks to voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google Home. However, history tells us that consumers expect the enterprise to mirror their own personal use of technolog...
Why you should add voice and intelligence to your apps
Friday, May 19, 2017 by Richard Harris
SoundHound Inc. is a voice-enabled AI and conversational intelligence provider that has turned sound (voice, music, and more) into understanding and actionable meaning, enabling humans to interact with the things around them in the same way we interact with each other: by speaking naturally to mobile phones, cars, TVs, music speakers, and every other part of the emergin...
Sean Carron tells us about Team Smiles and HappinessasaService
Monday, December 12, 2016 by Richard Harris
Happiness-as-a-Service is an application that allows kids awaiting a transplant, or those who received a transplant, to request a wish, and then connects them with benefactors who can fund their wishes. It enables users to nominate a critically ill child, see a child’s wish in their local community, and donate - among other features. The users can create &ld...
Amazon Releases Alexa Skills Kit Including SelfService APIs and Tools
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 by Richard Harris
Amazon has released the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK), a collection of self-service APIs and tools to help developers create new voice-driven capabilities for Alexa, Amazon’s cloud-based voice service that is behind the Amazon Echo device. Echo is a hybrid speaker that also offers voice recognition for answering questions and controlling smart devices.The Alexa voice service t...


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The mood of the catering equipment industry has swung dramatically from 2017 to 2018, with many more companies feeling that the economy will struggle in the next 12 months, according to the latest CESA Business Barometer.
It’s surveyed members at the end of Q1 2018 and discovered a change in priorities in terms of what businesses are most concerned about. At the end of 2017 it was price increases and inflation, but those have now switched to reduced consumer demand.
The timing of the survey could have something to do with this outlook – the first quarter of the year was particularly turbulent for the end-user market, with the likes of Byron, Jamie’s Italian and Prezzo all announcing CVAs.
Glenn Roberts, chair of CESA, said: “Heading into 2018 there was an optimism about the economy. However, this changed significantly after Q1, with only 14% of respondents seeing a positive outlook. Nearly 50% of respondents said they thought economy would not do so well over the coming year – compared to just over 20% in Q4 of 2017.”
There’s less optimism around their own business prospects, too. 40% of companies are nervous or pessimistic about business turnover in the next year – compared to 24% in Q4 2017.
Reduced consumer demand jumped from number five to number one in the list of major business concerns. Uncertainty over the UK’s role in Europe remained at number two.
Interestingly, raw materials prices dropped out of the top five altogether – perhaps because by now the worst has already happened. It was replaced by the need to retain the best people.
In terms of the priorities for the UK’s negotiations over Brexit, the derogation from the Working Time Directive remains respondents’ number one objective, with reduction of the UK’s payments to the EU budget at number two.
Reduced regulations saw the biggest jump, moving from second to bottom in Q4 2017 to third from top in Q1 2018. Standards, access to skilled workers, free movement of people and access to the single market all feature as key priorities, too.
“It’s not all doom and gloom, but it’s certainly a holding pattern,” added Mr Roberts. “For example, while fewer companies expect orders from the UK and overseas markets to increase, more expect them to remain the same. The same is true of staff numbers, capital investment and R&D. We’re not going backwards, but we’re certainly slowing down.”


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On February 20, a rapid response team from the Ho Chi Minh City-based Cho Ray Hospital set out to provide medical assistance to Hai Duong – the epicentre of the new COVID-19 wave in Vietnam.
On the same day, telecommunication company Viettel Hai Duong donated 100 beds to the 3rd Field Hospital in Chi Linh city, in addition to two televised remote clinics for the two medical centres in Binh Giang and Thanh Mien districts. The total value of the equipment is VND461 million.
Also on February 20, at the quarantine station of Hiep Bridge in Quynh Phu district, Thai Binh province, the Thai Binh authorities presented their neighbouring province of Hai Duong with specialised medical supplies for COVID-19 prevention and control worth VND1 billion. In addition, Thai Binh also committed to supporting the health sector of Hai Duong in medical isolation, SARS-CoV-2 testing and tracing work.
On February 20, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that it had issued a document urging Departments of Industry and Trade across the nation to boost the circulation of essential goods and the consumption of agricultural products, especially in support of Hai Duong province, with priority given to preliminary processing, preserving and storing agricultural products, as well as expanding the markets for domestic agricultural product consumption and export.
The Vietnam Central Retail Group (which owns the Big C brand) plans to buy 100 tonnes of Hai Duong's agricultural products next week and may increase this to 200 tonnes per week in case of stable entry and exit conditions to/from the epidemic-hit locality. VinCommerce (which owns the VinMart supermarket chain and VinMart+ convenience stores) is also committed to purchasing safe agricultural products from Hai Duong. The Mega Market brand also sent an official letter to the People's Committee of Hai Duong province to support new connection with local business units and farmers, while at the same time committing to being ready to supply basic necessities at Hai Duong’s demand.
The Hai Duong Department of Health announced the start of COVID-19 testing on February 20 for truck drivers to facilitate transport from the locality as the province has applied strict social distancing and travel limitations since February 16 to stamp out the COVID-19 outbreak.
Other locales across the nation have stepped up measures against the complicated developments of the epidemic while boosting socio-economic development in the new normal state. On February 20, Quang Yen town in Quang Ninh province activated a surveillance camera system at the anti-COVID-19 post at Bach Dang bridge toll booth, aimed at facilitating traffic surveillance medical declarations at the post. It is the first post in the province to apply a surveillance camera system to control people and vehicles entering/leaving the province.
A surveillance camera system has been activated at the anti-epidemic control post at Bach Dang bridge toll booth, Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province. (Photo: NDO)
Nam Dinh province decided to suspend non-essential services from 12:00 on February 20 until further notice, along with limiting street-stalls and sidewalk restaurants.
Ho Chi Minh City has issued an official letter on strengthening measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic. Accordingly, the HCM City People's Committee has requested leaders of the relevant departments, sectors and units to activate their highest level of vigilance against COVID-19, while continuing to screen the risk of COVID-19 infection in the community and strengthen communications encouraging local residents to actively and voluntarily carry out epidemic prevention measures.
On February 20, the People's Committee of Tuyen Quang province issued a notice to allow local students to return to school from Monday (Feb 22), alongside the strict implementation of epidemic prevention and control activities.
The Mekong Delta province of An Giang also allowed local students to return to school next week. The provincial Department of Education and Training has issued many documents to review the implementation of COVID-19 response measures and prepare favourable conditions for welcoming students back to school after the 2021 Lunar New Year Festival.


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OTEL, a South African telecoms brand, is opening up regional opportunities for Western Cape entrepreneurs interested in staking their claim in the lucrative telecoms sector.
According to Rad Jankovic, CEO of the independent telecoms provider, “New entrants in such a competitive space always face reputation challenges stemming from a lack of trading history. Prospective OTEL dealers, franchisees or installers have exposure to a brand that is becoming increasing familiar to corporate South Africa.”
OTEL is a licensed business-to-business provider of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solutions that enable corporate voice and data applications such as high-speed broadband Internet, web-enabled office switchboards, Cloud-based back-up solutions, and voice calling applications that cost a fraction of what businesses would outlay to traditional telecoms providers. Its nationwide dedicated network and cutting-edge technology positions OTEL as one of South Africa’s leading wholesale telecoms providers.
Through a network of dealers, franchisees and technical teams that is now being expanded countrywide, OTEL typically installs last-mile connectivity in office parks, industrial estates and other locations especially favoured by the company’s favourite clients: start-ups, SMEs and other similarly-innovative firms making a positive different in the business landscape.
“Professionally installing last-mile IP connectivity completely overcomes South Africa’s Internet speed issues. Once you have lightning-fast Internet within your company, a whole world of business-boosting applications opens up,” says Jankovic. “The key is professional and we’re eagerly on the look-out for local talent who can take us to the next level in this region,” he adds.
The company was launched almost a decade ago in Gauteng and has worked tirelessly to build its brand with OTEL executives serving in various capacities within such industry lobbying organisations as the Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (ISPA) and the Wireless Application Providers’ Association of SA (WAPA.) The Centurion-headquartered MCD Group become a majority shareholder earlier this year.


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Man steals baby alligator from pet store by smuggling it out under his shirt ... but staff say he was probably bitten on way out
- Footage shows customer distracting staff while suspect grabs $300 gator
- Pet store believes suspected thieves are regular customers
A thief has been caught on a security camera stuffing a live, three-month-old alligator under his shirt and walking out of a West Virginia pet shop.
A shop worker first noticed the foot-long reptile was missing when he went to feed it in on Tuesday, last week.
When he checked the store's surveillance video, he saw one suspect apparently distract the sales assistant while another man grabbed the alligator and put it under his shirt.
Scroll down for video
Snapped up: The man in the white T-shirt, top left, allegedly distracted the sales assistant while the man in the green T-shirt grabbed the alligator from its tank, put it under his shirt and headed out of the door
Anthony Williams said he was shocked by the theft and added: 'I can imagine the boy probably got bit on the way out.'
The suspected thief is believed to be a regular customer at the Beckley pet store, who already owns an alligator, according to CBS 12.
From the surveillance footage it appeared as if one man distracted a woman who was working in the shop by allegedly saying he had come in for food, before browsing the shelves for other items.
A second man, wearing a green shirt, was then spotted on camera slipping the alligator, which is worth about $300, under his shirt at about 8.30pm on Monday.
The store workers thought the
alligator was hiding under rocks in its tank, and did not discover it
was missing until the feeding time the following day, according to WVNS.
'I looked everywhere, he was no where to be found,' Mr Williams said.
The juvenile reptile, which could grow up to 16ft in length, is worth $300.
'Doesn't seem like the safest thing to do,' Mr Williams said. 'Every business has to deal with shoplifting, but I would just would not expect an alligator to be shoplifted.'
West Virginia recently passed laws on owning exotic animals that could pose a danger to people, and residents must have a permit before buying certain exotic animals.
Pet peril: Baby alligators may look cute but they quickly grow into large, dangerous reptiles
Danger: Store worker Anthony Williams says the thief was probably bitten
Experts have also warned that many people who buy a young alligator struggle to care for the pet.
An alligator, which may only be 1ft at three-months-old, will quickly grow to up to 18ft in length and need special filters and humidity settings for its enclosure. They can also live for up to 80 years in captivity.
Because the men suspected of taking the alligator are regular customers, the Beckley pet store is confident police will be able to return it.
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- A Samsung executive says it wants to finish the One UI 5 rollout before the end of 2023.
- The company has already brought the Android 13 update to a host of devices, both new and old.
Samsung is on a roll with the Android 13-based One UI 5 update, bringing the update to a host of devices already. From the latest flagship phones to old budget handsets, it’s hard to argue that the company isn’t leading the pack in terms of supported devices.
Now, Samsung Electronics executive Sally Hyesoon Jeong has revealed to SamMobile that it hopes to bring the Android 13 update to all supported smartphones before the year is out:


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You can already watch TED
talks on any number of devices via the web or the various apps
available, but the oft-debated conference / organization has now added another fairly big feather to its cap: it's streaming on Netflix. That includes around 200 talks to start with, which have been grouped into 14 different "shows" with titles like Space Trek, Cyber Awe, Building Wonder and Video & Photo Mojo. Those are naturally all available in HD, and they can be seen in Canada, Latin America, the UK and Ireland in addition to the US.


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We are big fans of theme parks here at Geek Culture, and we are so glad to know that new developments are coming to Disney’s fabulous range of parks! In their earnings call for the first quarter in 2017, Disney has now revealed that Star Wars Land, that is going to be part of Disneyland and Disney Hollywood Studios, will open in 2019, in time for Episode 9 perhaps? Featuring a previously unseen planet, a trading port, it will also include an attraction that let patrons pilot the iconic Millennium Falcon in virtual reality!
Avatar will also be getting the themepark treatment, with Pandora: The World of Avatar opening in Disney World on May 27, 2017, with the Na’vi River Journey ride taking centrestage. Parkgoers will be able to journey “through a bioluminescent rainforest” and meet a Na’vi Shaman. Another highlight is Avatar Flight of Passage, which lets you relive the flying scene from the movie and see Pandora while mounting a Banshee. The Satu’li Canteen and Windtraders will provide guests with food and gifts during their visit to the park. With more Star Wars movies and a new entry in the Avatar series, there will be more reasons to visit these theme parks in the future.


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A list of local authorities that have been successful in bidding for a share of £37 million* to offset installation costs of electric vehicle chargepoints have been announced.
A new wave of chargepoints for electric cars in locations such as hospitals, stations and streets across the UK will now be installed.
Further bids are invited from train operators, local authorities and the wider public sector for the second round of funding. The closing date for bids to be submitted is the 30 October 2013.
Transport minister, Norman Baker, said:
“This is brilliant news for those already using these vehicles and will give greater confidence to those who are considering making the switch to electric. With new models coming to market every month from major motor vehicle manufacturers and running costs of 2 pence to 3 pence a mile, these vehicles are an increasingly attractive option for many consumers and businesses.”
Business Minister Michael Fallon said:
“We need to keep working with industry to maintain this momentum and secure its long-term success which is why we are supporting the transition to ultra low emission vehicles. As we set out in our automotive industrial strategy, there are huge opportunities for us from being a world-leader in these technologies.”
The coalition government will provide 75% of the cost of installing new chargepoints.
*The £37 million funding for the package comes from the government’s existing £400 million commitment to increase the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles and is available until April 2015.


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More than two weeks after Apple proudly unveiled its new Apple Watch Series 7, fans have still not gotten their hands on the device. This is because the company did not issue a specific release date, saying cryptically that the device would be “available later this fall.” That might be changing.
Apple leaker Jon Prosser, whose intel can be pretty spotty at times, said on Front Page Tech on Thursday that the Series 7 would begin shipping in mid-October. Prosser cited multiple, unnamed sources familiar with the watch’s upcoming release schedule and explained that preorders could start as early as next week. In addition, the leaker claims Apple has informed the press they should expect more information on Apple Watch review units in the coming weeks.
While Prosser’s announcement should be taken with a grain a salt, there is another possible indication that his intel could be legitimate.
Last week, a Twitter user posted a message he purportedly received from customer service at Hermès, which plans to offer its own Apple Watch models again this year, in response to an apparent inquiry over when the luxury brand’s Apple Watch Series 7 device would be available.
Apple Watch Series 7 preorders will begin on Oct. 8, Hermès replied. If we take Hermès’ word for it, Prosser’s preorder date and mid-October shipping date could be plausible.
The Series 7 is Apple’s most significant redesign of the device since it debuted it in 2015. One of the most notable changes is the screen. There are two case sizes: 41mm and 45mm, an increase from 40mm and 44mm, respectively. The watch also has smaller bezels, allowing for a bigger screen and a full QWERTY keyboard. If you don’t have the best vision, the Series 7’s got you covered: It’s 70% brighter.
The Series 7 is available in five colors—blue, (Product) RED, midnight, starlight, and green—and starts at $399. Fingers crossed that all of us get to try it out soon.


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WELCOME TO The green energy REPORT
Feature market insights and perspectives from top C-Level executives, elite technology influencers and thought leaders from your company here. This signature initiative has garnered immense support...
Tesla | March 16, 2020
US District court had postponed a trial of Tesla boss Elon Musk on coronavirus concerns which has been set to begin on Monday (March 16th) over a $2.2 billion deal linked to Tesla Inc.’s purchase of SolarCity back in the 2016, which Tesla shareholders claimed had benefitted Musk at the expense of Tesla Inc.. Besides, as a next trial date of the case had not yet been declared, several industry analysts were quoted saying that the outcome of the case might depend on the Tesla Inc. owner, Elon Musk...
Tesla | April 28, 2021
Tesla reportedly made an Earth Day announcement that went unnoticed: the automaker plans to fuel its Supercharger stations with renewable energy this year.
To have a truly positive impact on the climate, the electric car revolution must be fueled by renewable energy.
This is why Tesla has a solar and energy storage business to further drive the growth of renewable energy.
The majority of charging occurs at home, and going with domestic solar will prac...
Ubiquitous Energy | January 30, 2021
Ubiquitous Energy, the leader in transparent solar technology, has installed the world’s first truly transparent solar window façade at its company headquarters in Redwood City, CA.
Approximately 100 square feet of transparent solar windows have been installed as an exterior facing window façade replacing the previous single pane windows. This Ubiquitous Energy window façade installation demonstrates the ability to generate clean, renewable energy while ...
Nexamp | March 08, 2021
Nexamp, Inc., a main renewable energy generator and local area solar supplier, has shut a $440 million senior got credit office for a 380-megawatt portfolio of solar and energy stockpiling resources, the biggest debt financing of its sort. The assorted portfolio traverses five state markets and comprises of almost 100 local area solar tasks, including energy stockpiling limit adding up to 120MWh. MUFG Union Bank, N.A. filled in as the Coordinating Lead Arranger for the partnered financing, which...
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Namaste Technologies (CSE:N) (OTCMKTS:NXTTF) signed an LOI with InoLife R & D Inc. on Monday, March 12 negotiating the terms of a brand new research study. The two companies will investigate the effects of a needle-free injector in the medical cannabis community. Namaste will have exclusive rights to research and distribution of the technology.
“We believe that Inolife’s technology could provide the most efficient and accurate method for dosing with medical cannabis. We see a massive opportunity to revolutionize the industry by bringing this exciting technology to the medical cannabis market,” Namaste CEO Sean Dollinger announced today.
According to the letter, both parties have one month to iron out the terms of the research protocol. Namaste will fund the research project and reserves exclusive rights to the products developed.
InoLife R&D, a biotechnology suite based out of Toronto, specializes in self-administered medical products. According to the press release, the company uses liquid jet and ballistics-based skin injection technology to improve a patients’ quality of life. Although trypanophobia, or the fear of needles, effects only ten percent of the American population, the distress is often enough to stop sufferers from seeking medical treatment. Both companies hope that providing a needle-free injector will make injections easier and less stressful for medical patients, including cannabis users.
InoLife CEO Michael Wright announced his company as the first to team up with Namaste to provide this pharmaceutical technology to the cannabis industry. “We feel that Namaste is best positioned to deliver on our strategic plan to become an innovator of delivery systems for the medical cannabis industry,” he said. “We’re pleased to be the first company, in partnership with Namaste, to explore needle-free device technology in the context of medical cannabis delivery.”
Last month, Namaste secured over $40.2 million to fund continued growth. The company’s future development of their own telemedicine platform will put medical cannabis users in direct contact with doctors online. Prescriptions will be filled through their CannMart facility.
Namaste’s research and development with InoLife continues to diversify their portfolio and will no doubt bring more options to cannabis users in Canada’s medical market.


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A team of British boffins claims to have developed a new control chip for ‘smart home’ applications which offers twice the computing power of existing versions.
The new chip is a major weapon in Cambridge-based ARM Holdings’ efforts to crack the potentially lucrative but increasingly complex market in connected home appliances.
A Financial Times report says the company is pitching the chip, known as a microcontroller, at domestic appliance manufacturers as a means of building more complex capabilities, such as voice recognition, into devices such as washing machines.
“Your washing machine will talk to your meter to work out when it should operate to use the least electricity,” said ARM executive Richard York, describing one of the potential applications of his company’s new processor.
ARM is most widely associated with developing components for smartphones, with 95 per cent of all such phones sold containing at least some of its products.
But the FT notes that, with growth in this market already being felt by ARM, the company clearly sees such microcontroller development as a major focus.
“There’s huge amounts to gain, as that market is growing quite a bit more than almost any other space,” Mr York said.
“We have a lot to gain as a business, but also to contribute to others by enabling better functionality in products.”


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Rating Is Aiding Black Compact Organizations Fight COVID-19 Obstacles3 min read
COVID-19 retains generating extra turbulence for Black business owners, arguably the worst hit amongst small company proprietors by the pandemic.
Black proprietors are experience the crisis in numerous methods not disclosed before. All those snares include things like remaining larger encumbered by distant function necessities, fewer very likely to achieve extended traces of credit score or exterior funding, and going through far more trouble attracting investors. The discoveries are exposed in “The Megaphone of Main Road: The Effects of COVID-19,” a info report done by Score, which phone calls by itself the nation’s biggest network of tiny organization experts. The report contains an assessment of Black-owned businesses, utilizing details from a diverse group of roughly 3,500 U.S. little enterprise homeowners, together with Black entrepreneurs.
“During the pandemic, Black-owned businesses have been much more most likely to seek–but fewer very likely to receive–both non-public and governing administration funding, pointing to alarming systemic inequalities that have been baked into the fiscal technique for a long time. Black little company homeowners are far more than 2 times as probable as White little small business homeowners to report they do not have a robust romance with a neighborhood bank, and they are more likely to report lessen credit history scores, the two of which place them at a downside when accessing cash. Rating is in this article to offer all business people with cost-free steerage and help to overcome these roadblocks and thrive, irrespective of the odds.”
Some of the report’s top results incorporate:
- COVID-19 and other overall health worries disrupt Black house owners significantly extra than White business owners. Black enterprise homeowners are about 91% a lot more probable to have a direct relationship–family, team, or themselves–with a person identified with the virus.
- Racial disparities with federal financial loans are stunning. The Score facts showed that around 53% of Black-owned firms applied for PPP loans, and 20% received the full amount of money. Conversely, nearly 48% of White-owned firms utilized, and about 64% bought what they sought. The U.S. Compact Enterprise Administration (SBA) aided run the program for PPP loans. The disparity is telling as SBA facts demonstrate over $525 billion of loans were produced since PPP started in April and shut in early August.
- COVID-19 has walloped the base line at Black-owned firms, with only about 9% reporting profitability and development. That figure was approximately 15% for White companies.
- The pandemic smacked Black businesses harder operationally. Some 45% of individuals corporations identified the require to operate remotely considering the fact that mid-March, vs . 25% for White-owned corporations.
- Black businesses endured other difficulties. They bundled becoming two situations considerably less probably than White companies to get extended lines of credit history. Black firms have been around twice as possible to have staff members contaminated by COVID-19 than White firms. See far more findings below.
On the guidance front, small business enterprise proprietors can also stop by Score.org to join with a totally free, specialist mentor who can aid with financing, and assist make their marketing technique efficient for the new calendar year. Business people can discover extra free support at the Small Business Resilience Hub. Verify out the Rating on-need webinar for re-strategizing your organization plan to prevail during the pandemic.


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Tencent Holdings, China’s largest gaming company, announced Tuesday that it would limit gaming time for minors as well as ban children under 12 from purchasing in-game items after a state media article labeled games “spiritual heroin.”
Tencent’s promise to stop gaming for minors was made just hours after its stock plummeted as much as 11% in response to a critique published on the Economic Information Daily, a newspaper associated with China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
Tencent’s popular Honor of Kings game was named in the newspaper article as one that minors were addicted. A student said that they played the game for eight hours per day. Hours later, the online article was deleted.
The newspaper stated that “Spiritual Opium” has become an industry that is worth hundreds of billions, and that it should not be allowed to grow in a way that would “destroy a whole generation.”
Tencent stated Tuesday that it would limit minor gamers’ gaming time to an hour per day and two hours during holidays. The company also stated that purchases made within the game by children under 12 years old will be strictly prohibited.
Users under 18 years old can only play online games during holidays and for up to one and a quarter hours per day.
Tencent called on the industry to regulate gaming time for minors, and discussed the possibility of banning children under 12 years old from playing video games.
It wasn’t clear whether Tencent had issued curbs following the article. The company didn’t immediately respond.
A critique of the gaming sector sparked a sell-off in stocks of Chinese gaming companies, including NetEase, amid fears that the gaming market could be next to face a clampdown.
Chinese authorities have been targeting e-commerce in China and online education in recent months. They are implementing new regulations to reduce anti-competitive behavior following years of technology sector rapid growth.
Authorities banned tutoring companies in core school subjects from making a profit. This wiped out billions of dollars in market value for online education companies like TAL Education or Gaotu Techedu.
“Obviously, there is great concern about policy uncertainty because it isn’t just about online education. There was also talk about data safety and now about mobile games,” stated Kenny Wen at Everbright Sun Hung Kai, wealth management strategist.
“So, the future is highly uncertain. It is difficult to give an accurate valuation of these stocks. Investors will take a wait and see approach and be relatively prudent in that sector because we don’t know what’s going to happen next.
Tencent stock closed at 446 Hong Kong Dollars on Tuesday, down 6.11%


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This month OpenAI launched a waitlist on its official Discord channel, allowing anyone to sign up to try a future experimental paid version of ChatGPT. Now some users have the ability to sign up for a paid tier of its advanced ChatGPT chatbot with additional features – and one of them gives his impressions of the service below. Read the article on MyBroadBand to find out more. – Sandra Laurence
ChatGPT Pro test subscription launched at R722 per month
OpenAI has started offering some users the ability to sign up for a paid tier of its advanced ChatGPT chatbot with additional features.
Earlier in January, OpenAI launched a waitlist on its official Discord channel, allowing anyone to sign up and get a chance to try a future experimental paid version of ChatGPT.
The company said the tier could potentially be one way to monetise ChatGPT, which has been immensely popular since launching in a free public beta at the end of November 2022.
“Our goal is to continue improving and maintaining the service, and monetisation is one way we’re considering to ensure its long-term viability,” OpenAI said.
The company has started testing the experimental version — dubbed ChatGPT Pro — with a $42 (R722) monthly fee.
In addition to a faster response to requests, the paid tier promises constant access to ChatGPT, even during periods of high user demand.
OpenAI also said subscribers would get priority access to new features, although it is still unclear what these might be.
Software developer Zahid Khawaja was among the users who received an invitation to test ChatGPT Pro.Khawaja posted a video on Twitter showing how the Pro tier worked and said the chatbot’s responses were certainly faster after he signed up for the paid plan.
- Fancy a bet on ChatGPT? Wall St reckons Nvidia will be the big winner
- Microsoft invests $10 Billion in ChatGPT maker OpenAI
- ChatGPT: the new calculator to “augment our ability to write”


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October 02, 2012
Guy's American Kitchen & Bar Picks Spectrio's On-Hold Messaging Solution
By Anshu Shrivastava
Spectrio has said that Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar is using its personalized, on-hold messaging solution.
Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar restaurant recently opened in Times Square, Heartland Brewery. It said that it introduced the new on-hold messaging campaign featuring Guy Fieri.
“Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar embodies everything that is Guy Fieri, a big restaurant with big food, big taste and Guy’s signature style incorporated in the interior,” said Jon Bloostein, owner of Heartland Brewery.
That said, when people call up Guy’s to learn more about the restaurant, it is only fitting that the on-hold voice they hear is from the man himself, Bloostein said, adding that working with Spectrio has helped make this possible and they look forward to continuing their work with the company in the near future.
“The program will connect Guy’s voice through our on-hold messaging system and the restaurant’s telephone system, supplying callers with key information in a personalized and enticing manner,” said Aaron Kleinhandler, principal and CEO at Spectrio.
The agreement called on Spectrio to produce the audio recording. Moreover, the company also remotely downloaded the on-hold messages to its equipment located at Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar.
Additionally, Spectrio intends to update the audio and change messaging to compliment the restaurant’s marketing objectives, according to company officials.
This latest announcement builds on the continued growth between Heartland Brewery and Spectrio, which creates and produces all the on-hold marketing messages for all of Heartland Brewery’s eight locations. “The company is glad to continue its relationship with Heartland Brewery to give voice to Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar,” Kleinhandler said.
Tampa, Fla. based Spectrio provides audio and video based solutions to help clients deliver effective marketing messaging to their customers. It creates and delivers a variety of multimedia marketing solutions.
Earlier this year, the company announced the addition of CallWorks, a suite of audio messaging solutions developed by Fidelity Communicaitons, a provider of phone communications service for small-to-medium sized businesses.
Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Austin 2012, happening now in Austin, TX. Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.
Edited by Brooke Neuman


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50 Cent Is The Latest Artist To Understand The Economics Of Music
from the not-so-hard dept
More and more musicians seem to be recognizing what fans have been trying to tell them since Napster first came on the scene nearly a decade ago: it’s not file sharing that hurts the music business, it’s treating your fans badly that hurts the business. We’ve been seeing more and more musicians recognize this over the past few months, and the latest to join the pack is Curtis James Jackson III, better known as 50 Cent. In an interview, he noted that while file sharing may hurt record labels, it doesn’t seem to hurt artists or any other part of the music business: “What is important for the music industry to understand is that this really doesn’t hurt the artists.” He notes that shows are still packed and fans are fans no matter how they first hear the music. He says that the labels need to learn to adapt and embrace the technology while noting that the thing labels should be doing is making money on the scarce goods that are made valuable by the music: “The concerts are crowded and the industry must understand that they have to manage all the 360 degrees around an artist. They, (the industry), have to maximize their income from concerts and merchandise. It is the only way they can get their marketing money back.” This isn’t that surprising or new, and we’ve noted recently that hip hop stars seemed to implicitly realize this well before most of the rest of the industry. However, it is yet another big music industry name saying this. Yet, why is it that the RIAA is still out there insisting that suing fans is the right strategy? Why is it that the RIAA claims it’s trying to protect the artists, and even getting new legislation moved forward, when the very artists it’s trying to protect are arguing against those policies?


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Triads 3R guarantee to you is Relationships, Reliability, and Results but means nothing to you without actions. We are proud to serve community leaders, entrepreneurs, local business owners, and your success is our success. It is a part of our expert service to you to help you be aware of the benefits of having a team of dedicated commercial cleaning experts making sure your facilities are a safe and healthy environment. Here are some compelling reasons why you should […]
Over the last four months the Triad Cleaning Solutions sales, creative, and administrative team have been reading Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover. This activity has been a team building exercise and for personal growth. Each member took their turn reading from the book aloud, then they discussed what they learned and how it applies to themselves.
Triad has identified the importance of discussion for personal and financial growth. Through this bonding activity, we have become closer as a team and […]
Maintaining or establishing a good reputation is critical to success where cleanliness is 100% key. With basic bathroom cleanliness being vital to any business.
Everyone has a dirty bathroom horror story. Whether it’s a rundown office in a strip mall, a seedy auto dealer on the bad side of town, you’ve stepped into the worst of the worst somewhere along the road.
We wouldn’t have horror stories of bathroom cleanliness if it isn’t often overlooked. Whether it’s retail office, auto-dealerships, and […]
The SkyConnect trains have arrived at the Port of Tampa Bay and made their way to TIA this last Tuesday, July 18th, 2017 reports the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Construction has now moved closer to completion with the new 1.4 miles, $417 million automated train system. The 34,200-pound train can transport up 55 people and their luggage every two minutes.
It has taken 6,900 workers since November 2014 to push the project building SkyConnect and the consolidated rental car center to […]
Tampa’s metro area tech labor pool is growing faster than almost every other US Community.
Between 2011 and 2016 the Tampa metro area added 16,140 tech workers, a 55 percent increase that brought the total tech workforce to over 45,000, according to the Tampa Business Journals findings from the CBRE Tech Talent Scorecard.
Tech growth in Tampa Bay is something Triad loves to see, they are key for all industries to expand innovation and customer satisfaction according to CBRE.
“The fight for […]


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Thousands of companies in existence today are finding effective ways to recycle and “go green.” That means good things for cities and areas that want to reduce pollution, the population who wants to live in a cleaner world and for these companies themselves. They save on new materials when they put forth efforts to use recyclables.
Certain tech and electronics companies, car companies and other industries are constantly searching for new and improved ways to conserve. Here are a few whose efforts should be noted.
1. Hewlett Packard
HP has been doing its part to not only comply with society’s desire to be “greener” and less wasteful; it has gone above and beyond to incorporate sustainability into its business model. As the technological age progresses, HP has recognized a need to control the environmental impact of all those outdated and/or broken electronics and computers, whether the gadget is HP brand or not.
To help slow the problem, HP has opened e-waste recycling facilities. At these plants, shredders and granulators turn old computers and other electronics into bite-sized chunks.
The plants are so efficient they are able to break down 4 million pounds of recycled electronics every month. From this, HP can salvage steel, plastic and other useful, reusable materials. This also helps find toxic chemicals like mercury that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Verizon has implemented several sustainability initiatives. Verizon says the company is aimed at tackling what it feels is a “fundamental responsibility to impact the environment positively.” The company includes its customers and employees in its efforts to conserve, reduce waste and recycle.
Verizon has explored renewable energy conservation methods like solar power, fuel cells and micro turbines. It will invest $100 million in a project to power 19 of its facilities with solar and fuel-cell energy to reduce and conserve energy use. To conserve metals like copper, the company has built out a fiber-optic network called Verizon FiOS.
The company hosts electronics recycling rallies where the public can come to recycle and trade their old cellphones, tablets and laptops. To increase turnout, Verizon offers electronics recyclers a Verizon Wireless gift card.
3. General Motors (GM)
The world’s largest automaker has recycling and reusing down to an art. GM brings $20,000 every month from the cardboard it recycles. GM claims on its website that the company reuses and recycles “more waste from [their] manufacturing facilities than any other automaker.”
GM chooses to be “landfill-free” in 105 of its facilities and recycles more than 90% of its manufacturing waste worldwide. That was more than 2.6 million tons recycled in 2012 alone. These recycled materials show up in their product as well. GM vehicles contain an average of 85% recycled material by weight “at the end of their useful life.”
The company also generates about a $1 billion in profit every year from selling scrap. It is a great example of a company that has turned its waste into profit.
The popular shipping company in the United States has joined the corporate world’s mission to reduce, reuse and recycle. UPS has initiated several different recycling and conservation programs.
The company works to involve customers, who can bring in their damaged laptops to any of UPS’ 3,300 stores in the US for repair. It will also repair broken, unwanted laptops and sell them to individuals or e-waste recyclers.
UPS also has efforts in place to reduce its own energy and material waste. In 2011, the company replaced and upgraded 100,000 lighting units with more energy-efficient lighting. The company has recycled 35.4 million pounds of solid waste since 2000. This includes 35,500 pounds of batteries in 2012 alone.
UPS has also embraced responsible packaging to reduce the amount of paper products and other materials it sends out the door as packages. These responsible packages include the “Reusable Next Day Air envelope,” introduced in 1998. It includes 100% recycled fiber, and allows the envelope to be used twice.
Instead of drilling for its own petroleum, Valvoline depends on other oil companies to supply its oil. That means the company, and its customers, are subject to market fluctuations. That means, to Valvoline, conservation is key to keeping its costs low. So, in 2011, Valvoline released a brand new motor oil product called “NextGen” that includes 50% recycled material.
Valvoline touts that NextGen is “better than new oil” because it saves resources and meets industry standards. The company experimented with “re-refined motor oil” for five years before it achieved its goal with NextGen recycled oil.
And Nascar’s Carl Edwards is a fan of NextGen; he uses it in his racing vehicles.
Christopher Beck is an environmental impact consultant for UNITS. Originally from Asheville, NC, he graduated with a degree from the University of South Carolina and is now pursuing a career trying to make the world a better, cleaner place.


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In continuation of Querlo’s interview series, Francesco Rulli, Global CEO of Querlo, spoke with Rustam Mavlanov, CEO of Synergy Group New York, about the challenges and opportunities that COVID has created for his company, as well as the role of Artificial Intelligence in the future.
Synergy Global Forum is one of the world’s premier business events, allowing professionals and entrepreneurs in North America, Europe, and Asia to learn, network, and share. Rustam and his colleagues specifically organize the forums in the U.S. He also has a company called Synergy Global 3 that helps manufacturers from different countries sell products in online American marketplaces.
Rustam was directly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak as his company organizes offline business forums that have had up to 26,000 people in attendance. With this new exclusively digital era, the company has had to completely change its strategy. While they postponed some of the forums, they began holding many online through a new platform called Synergy Online. Rustam described it as being more than a forum where you have to buy tickets to attend, but rather a platform where a person can subscribe and every week they can watch one of the keynote speakers. Some speakers they have already hosted include Nassim Taleb, Jordan Belfort, and Luc Besson. Subscribers also have access to videos of all speeches and can watch all future speeches. They are able to communicate with speakers and other people on the platform so they can still network without having to be physically present.
Thinking about the role of AI in the future, Rustam believes it could assist him and his colleagues, as well as the keynote speakers and participants, communicate within the platform. Chats tend to become very messy as many people are trying to send messages at the same time to different people. However, chatbots might be the solution to this problem because they are able to group people based on their interests. Additionally, AI could be used to provide participants with more information about the platform and the different forums being hosted.


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Famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has announced the release of two new non-dairy flavors to its current lineup.
The addition of these new products makes the current vegan offering in the US a total of nine flavors. All flavors are made with almond milk and are certified vegan. The latest flavors are vegan recreations of popular flavors already offered by the company: Cinnamon Buns and Peanut Butter Half-Baked.
Nelia Horikawa, Ben & Jerry’s assistant brand manager told VegNews that the company is ‘always working to bring Ben & Jerry’s fans the latest and greatest flavors.’
These new flavors mean that a huge 20% of Ben & Jerry’s products on offer are now non-dairy. Horikawa told VegNews that ‘[i]n general, [the company has] been very pleased with this product line and [the] fans’ response and excitement around the offering.’
The brand, who initially only offered non-dairy options in the US, has been releasing the vegan ice creams around the world over the past 12 months. You can now grab vegan Ben & Jerry’s in Singapore, Australia, and the UK.
Fans across the world are hoping that Ben & Jerry’s continues to expand its vegan range in months to come.
Image credit: Ben & Jerry’s


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Apple CEO Tim Cook is a notoriously tough operations executive. He was, of course, the company’s chief operating officer for years, and Apple’s market-leading hardware execution, efficiency, and supply chain all prove his worth. “Tim’s a tough negotiator,” AT&T Mobility chief Glenn Lurie said in a recent Businessweek story.
Now we have evidence.
What’s it like doing business with Tim Cook? It’s rare the public gets to see terms of an actual contract with Apple. But thanks to the bankruptcy case for GT Advanced Technologies—which was working on a sapphire production business with Apple that didn’t work out—here’s a good look.
Fortune’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt runs through some of the supposed one-sided terms of Apple’s deal with GTAT, including how the partnership was structured, a non-compete clause, and the various things that required getting consent from Apple first. (The filing is available here as a PDF.)
But this section of testimony speaks to the level of detail—and weight—of what it’s like when Apple wants to rely on you.
Oh, and if any of these NDA-sealed details leak, there’s a $50 million confidentiality penalty!
An Apple rep did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But as Elmer-DeWitt notes, the company has recently pledged to “continue evaluating GTAT’s progress on larger sapphire boule development,” and to help bankruptcy-affected employees find new jobs.


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GM Posts New Job Openings… for 2025
If you’re looking for a new job in the automotive industry, then you’re in luck… as long as you don’t mind waiting a decade or so for the position to open up.
In an effort to share its vision for the future (and, perhaps, as a tribute to retiring Late Show host David Letterman), General Motors has just released a list of the “Top 10 jobs of 2025.” GM employees from all different experience levels and backgrounds were asked to come up with the positions, and they responded with some interesting suggestions.
Many of these occupations already exist, but GM believes that they’re going to be much more prevalent in the years to come. Others—like “autonomous driving engineer” and “3D printing engineer”—speak to emerging car trends that are still in the nascent stages, like self-driving cars and 3D printed vehicle models.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, here are GM’s Top 10 Jobs of 2025! [Audience applauds, Paul Shaffer cues drumroll…]
- Electrical engineers – Battery, hybrid, and plug-in vehicles are becoming mainstream. The internal combustion engine isn’t going anywhere soon, but the industry is developing alternative ways to make a car move. Electrified vehicles are more powerful and achieve greater range, and as more customers try these alternatives, demand can only be expected to grow. Over the next 10 years, more engineers will be needed to explore and develop electrified vehicles.
- Analytics expert – Data is everywhere and can help diagnose what in a car needs attention before it becomes a problem and help pick the best route to a destination. With smart data, the car and the driver will work together for a more efficient future. Analysts will be needed to create algorithms to decipher how this data can best help drivers.
- Interaction designers – Operating all the technology in the car needs to be designed with an artistry that makes it easy to use. A driver can be going 60 mph on the freeway and the information and technology within the car needs to be accessed intuitively so the driver can keep his hands on the wheel.
- Web programmer – The car is not a smartphone or a tablet or whatever is going to come next, but it will be a platform that allows the next big thing to easily connect to the vehicle and its occupants. Software is playing an increasingly important role in the vehicle, and coders and developers are only going to be in more demand.
- Autonomous driving engineer – GM envisions a world without crashes and a key step toward that direction is the introduction of vehicle-to-vehicle technology on the 2017 Cadillac CTS that allows the car to “talk” to other cars that are equipped with V2V technology. After that will come Super Cruise, a semi-autonomous driving technology in the Cadillac CT6 range-topping luxury sedan. Within these fields there will be sensor experts, radar developers, and all types of engineers needed to make these vehicles and those that follow them a reality.
Related info: Self-Driving Chevy FNR Concept is the Car of the Future
- Customer care experts – It’s not just about cars being made by car people who deliver them to the masses. With social media, direct interaction with companies big and small is direct and near instantaneous. Social care experts provide the listening ear and resolution to problems that can help make customers for life.
- Sustainability integration expert – Proof points of a sustainable business model can be seen throughout GM. Already, the company has 122 plants and facilities that send no garbage to landfills. A variety of other environmentally friendly programs – from using alternative energy sources like solar and wind – to just finding ways to use less of everything opens employment opportunities for people who understand the best ways to apply these goals to the business.
- Industrial engineer – Vehicles are mass-produced products. The best companies discover and apply the most efficient production techniques. The future for this position will challenge engineers to build complex vehicles in ways that are sustainable and efficient.
- 3D Printing engineer – The uses and capabilities of 3D printing in the development, design, and engineering world are just beginning to be fully realized. A part mockup that once took weeks to create can now be printed in a matter of hours. Faster prototyping doesn’t just save time; it can lead to more options to be tested and better end products.
- Alternative propulsion engineer – Diesels, battery electrics, fuel cells. There is no single answer to the future of propulsion. Refining and developing new ways for cars to move will also drive job creation.
GM employees also predict a future in which the workplace depends “less on location than connectivity” (translation: they’d like to start working from home more often, please). They also predict more “eco-friendly workstations” that will provide collaborative environments to technology developers.
“In the automotive industry we have the opportunity to make our technologies impact real change,” said Gary Smyth, GM’s executive director of global research. “Not many other industries can embrace the future so holistically: We have battery chemists, electrical engineers, manufacturing experts, software developers and social media operators all in one industry, working at making our lives easier and more productive.”
Sounds as if the only true job requirement at GM is that ya gotta wear shades.
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.


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Out with the old, in with the new. Google is streamlining its music platforms by replacing Google Play Music with YouTube Music.
Google sent an email to users on Friday reminding them that between October and the end of this year, access to Google Play Music would be removed permanently.
The lockout will be rolling out through a staged approach for different users, Google confirmed to USA TODAY but couldn’t expand on specific dates.
“We know that you’ve spent time building your Google Play Music library, so we’ve made it easy to transfer your music library to YouTube Music with just one click, including playlists, uploads, and recommendations,” the email read.
Apple: ‘Fortnite’ pulled from Apple App and Google Play stores over mobile payment service; Epic Games sues Apple, Google
For users of Google Play Music, their current library can be transferred over to YouTube Music while uploading and downloading through Music Manager will end in the next 30 days.
Likewise, the Music store on Google Play will go away in 30 days. Google said it won’t be possible to purchase music on Google Play and all pre-orders will be canceled, but once users switch to YouTube Music those would be transferred there.
YouTube Music offers more than 65 million official songs, albums and playlists with an interface similar to that of Spotify.
Early adopters have voiced their concerns over how YouTube Music treats uploaded content in their libraries, since they experienced issues casting uploaded songs to speakers on the free plan.
“We understand that uploaded content is an integral part of the listening experience for many of our users across YouTube Music,” Google said in a statement. “While several features for uploaded content aren’t currently working in the free YouTube Music experience, we’re working hard to address these feature gaps and bring additional functionality to our free tier user. We look forward to sharing more updates soon.”
Follow Josh Rivera on Twitter: @Josh1Rivera.
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