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updated 01:50 pm EDT, Sat July 9, 2011
Zune subscription videos said coming to Xbox, WP7
Microsoft is planning a subscription video service that would go beyond the live Xbox TV it promised during its E3 keynote, insiders uncovered Friday. The service mentioned to The Daily would be badged as a Zune service much like the existing pay-per-title store and compete with one of Microsoft's frequent partners, Netflix. The service would "most likely" not be locked to the Xbox and would show up on Windows Phone 7 and Windows PCs.
Whether or not it would follow the traditional month-to-month plan, integrate with the Zune Pass, or bolt on to an Xbox Live Gold subscription wasn't as evident.
The service would address a complaint that Microsoft's video services had been languishing. The Zune Video Marketplace had followed the iTunes model when it launched as the Xbox Live Video Marketplace in 2006 and was considered Microsoft's Trojan horse into the living room, but it hasn't pushed significantly past its original boundaries in intervening years. Netflix, despite its typically older catalog, has 61 percent of the digital video market, owed largely to a low overall price.
A subscription strategy could give Microsoft access to a wider catalog of movies than it has now. It might also be a key to fleshing out a much heavier focus on video with the New Xbox Experience due in the fall, where it will be joined by YouTube and live UFC fights. Windows PCs may get a big benefit as well by getting a truly living room optimized service instead of having to adapt to a strictly web-based subscription service.


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BittWare announces PCIe 5.0/CXL FPGA accelerators
BittWare joins Intel Agilex M-Series Early Access Program to jumpstart development of FPGA solutions for memory-intensive application. BittWare creates broadest portfolio of enterprise-class Intel FPGA-based accelerators with addition of two new Intel Agilex I-Series SmartNIC accelerator. Decades-long collaboration with Intel provides customers with access to products for high-performance compute, computational storage, network and sens...
IA-series Intel Agilex FPGA-based accelerators extended
BittWare, a Molex company, has announced the expansion of its IA-Series of FPGA accelerators featuring Intel Agilex FPGAs. The BittWare IA-Series of FPGA accelerators are designed to help customers develop and deploy next-gen edge and cloud applications, with greater flexibility and speed while reducing risk.
IA-840F with Intel Agilex for oneAPI Unified Software
BittWare has unveiled the IA-840F, an Intel Agilex-based FPGA card designed to deliver significant performance-per-watt improvements for next-generation data centre, networking and edge compute workloads. Agilex FPGAs deliver up to 40% higher performance or up to 40% lower power, depending on application requirements.
RFSoC-based acquisition card boosts wireless application performance
BittWare has announced the RFX-8440 data acquisition card featuring the Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC (Radio Frequency System-on-Chip), from Xilinx. This PCIe card leverages the capabilities of the gen-3 version of the Xilinx RFSoC to address the entire sub-6 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum, which is a critical need for applications such as 5G, LTE wireless, phased array RADAR and satellite communications. Interested customers are encouraged to apply now to jo...
BittWare introduces TeraBox FPGA accelerated edge server
BittWare, a Molex company has introduce the all new TeraBox 200DE edge server. Building upon the range of TeraBox servers for the data centre, the TeraBox 200DE enables world-class FPGA acceleration to be deployed in the more challenging, harsh environments demanded of edge applications.
Strategic collaboration to introduce enterprise-class PCIe accelerator
BittWare, a Molex Company has announced a strategic collaboration with Achronix Semiconductor to introduce the S7t-VG6 PCIe accelerator product, a feature-rich PCIe card sporting the new Achronix 7nm Speedster 7t FPGA.
FPGA-based NVMe accelerators to include EDSFF
BittWare, a Molex Company, has announced a strategic investment and collaboration with Eideticom. The BittWare Computational Storage portfolio adheres to industry standard PCIe, U.2 and EDSFF form factors.
LDA e4 to be presented at FIA Futures and Options Expo
BittWare, an industry-leading board supplier for over 25 years, and LDA Technologies, an FPGA product design and manufacturing firm, are presenting the LDA e4, a 10/25 Gbps capable FPGA board enclosure, at the 32nd Annual FIA Futures and Options Expo. A demonstration of LDA's TCP Offload Core will showcase the 48 high-speed port platform with BittWare's XUSP3S PCIe board, featuring a Xilinx UltraScale VU095 FPGA.
FPGA boards based on the 16nm Xilinx Virtex UltraScale+ FPGA
BittWare announced at the October meet-up of the NMI FPGA Network the first customer shipments of two new PCIe boards based on Xilinx's 16nm Virtex UltraScale+ FPGAs. The XUPP3R is a 3/4-length PCIe board that supports PCIe Gen4 x8 or Gen3 x16 and offers four front panel QSFP28 cages, each supporting 4 lanes of up to 25 Gbps with support for 10/25/40/100 GbE.
FPGA board support packages greatly simplify application development
Designer and manufacturer of Altera-based FPGA platforms, BittWare, has announced at the Intel SoC FPGA Developer Forum 2016 (ISDF16) the availability of Arria 10 FPGA Board Support Packages (BSPs) for Altera's recently released OpenCL SDK 16.0.2, including support for production silicon. BittWare's OpenCL BSPs allow customers to quickly begin developing applications for the Altera Arria 10 1150GX FPGA using OpenCL.
Development kit saves time and simplifies integration
The TERATEC 2016 Forum, held today at the Ecole Polytechnique in France, has seen BittWare announce the latest release of its FPGA Development Kit (FDK) with support for Arria 10 FPGA boards.
FPGA board features support for up to 256GB of DDR4
BittWare has announced at The 24th IEEE International Symposium on Field-Programmable Custom Computing Machines the release of a COTS PCIe board based on the industry's highest bandwidth 20nm FPGA, the Xilinx UltraScale VU190. Called the XUSP3R, the 3/4-length PCIe board offers up to four Gen3 x8 PCIe interfaces, along with four front panel QSFP28 cages, supporting 16 lanes of 25Gbps or 4 lanes of 100Gbps - including 100 GbE.
Smoothing the path to 50 and 100GbE
The recent FCCM 2016 Symposium held in Washington, saw Bittware and Atomic Rules introduce a UDP Offload Engine (UOE) IP core. A live demo running on BittWare’s XUSP3S PCIe board, showcased the UOE IP core operating at 25GbE with no packet loss.
CAPI enabled FPGA accelerator cards suit POWER8 processors
BittWare has announced an OpenPOWER CAPI Developer's Kit for its Xilinx FPGA-enabled accelerator cards. Providing a fast, efficient way to connect the Xilinx All Programmable FPGA to a CAPI-enabled IBM POWER8 system, the developer's kit includes the FPGA accelerator card, IBM Power Service Layer (PSL) IP to provide the connection to the POWER8 chip, CAPI host support library, and an example CAPI design.
FPGA-based PCIe board targets networking applications
BittWare announced at the 2016 RSA Conference the release of its Xilinx UltraScale FPGA-based board, the XUSPL4. The low-profile PCIe board offers up to two bifurcated Gen3 x8 PCIe interfaces, along with two front panel QSFP28 cages each supporting 4 lanes of 25Gbps or a single lane of 100Gbps - including 100GbE.
FPGA-based 100G Network Packet Broker with PCAP Filtering
BittWare has collaborated with nCk Research, an innovative supplier of FPGA IP, to announce a 100G Network Packet Broker with PCAP Filtering at the RSA Conference. Implemented on BittWare's XUSP3S PCIe board featuring Xilinx's UltraScale Virtex FPGA, a live demo (on booth S326) of an application board showcases bi-directional 100G brokering/intercept with filtering at full line rate.
GPU-sized board features 28 lanes of 10G Optical I/O
BittWare announces the release of the A10PED, a dual Arria 10 FPGA-based PCIe board featuring ultra-high I/O and memory bandwidth. The board's two Altera Arria 10 FPGAs deliver up to three TFLOPS of floating point processing performance.
CAPI-enabled accelerator cards suitable for POWER CPU processors
BittWare announced that it has joined the OpenPOWER Foundation, an open development community based on the POWER MPU architecture. BittWare joins a growing roster of technology organisations working collaboratively to build advanced server, networking, storage, and acceleration technology as well as industry-leading open source software.
New board well suited for data centre applications
The recent SC15 conference held in Austin, Texas, saw a new collaboration launched between board supplier, BittWare, and Xilinx, plus the availability of the first Xilinx-based board.
PCIe board is based on Altera's Arria 10 FPGA & SoC
At the 2015 HPC for Wall Street - Cloud & Big Data Conference, BittWare announced the availability of the second board of its extensive family of products based on Altera's Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs, a ¾-length PCIe board called the A10P3S.

domain: news


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According to several articles, multiple car owners have been suggesting car manufacturers new models must be equipped with new in-car technology that would boost safety and help car owners to purchase cheaper auto insurance premiums.
Recent studies promoted by Car Loan 4U show that at least 40% of drivers believe in-car detectors designed to show alcohol blood levels and cameras installed in new vehicles could increase the safety in newer models. Many motorists would also like to see more voice-activated controls to prevent distractions that could lead to crashes.
Hopefully, this research will reach automakers and new safety devices and systems will be implemented in newer models of vehicles.
For more on this subject, click here for the full article.


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Bitcoin and Ethereum price crashed as inflation hits 8.3% in August
The largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization are experiencing a swift sell-offs following an 8.3% rise in the Consumer Price Index.
Shortly after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an 8.3% rise over last year in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Bitcoin and Ethereum prices are falling as inflationary pressures remained stronger than expected in August.
According to data from CoinMarketCap, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization was trading at $22,628 and registering 18% gains since September 9 until crashing down 5.5% in just one hour at $21,384 following the negative news. At the time of writing, Bitcoin trades even lower at $21.261, down 5,22% in the last 24 hours.
On the other side, the price of Ethereum was at $1,743 before the release of CPI and then sank 7.3% over the past hour and is currently trading at around $1,596, down 8,04% in the last 24 hours.
Today's CPI report is the final reading before Federal Reserve will again raise rates – as expected – by another .75 basis points on the next meeting, scheduled September 20.


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NEW YORK (WSJ.com) -- Mexican stocks shrugged off some early weakness to touch their third straight all-time high Wednesday. The market's key IPC index surged 1.4% to 15,246.23.
Among blue-chip issues, the Class V shares of Mexican retailer Wal-Mart de Mexico jumped 3.7% to 50.47 pesos, while the Class L shares of fixed-line phone company Telmex TMX, -0.05% climbed 2.1% to 10.61 pesos.
Walmex Chief Executive Eduardo Solorzano told investors at a Goldman Sachs retail conference in New York that the country's largest retailer hopes to grab more market share by expanding further into suburban and rural markets.
"We have a huge opportunity in the rural markets in Mexico," Mr. Solorzano said.
The Class L shares of wireless carrier America Movil AMX, -2.03% also rose 0.9% to touch a new high of 13.04 pesos.
In a morning note, Morgan Stanley analyst Vera Rossi said America Movil remains her top pick for the sector in Latin America.
"In the short to medium term, AMX's stock price appreciation should be driven by the strong subscriber and top-line growth," Ms. Rossi said. "In the medium to long term, we believe AMX's stock price appreciation will be driven by margin expansion and earnings growth."
Elsewhere, the CPO shares of Cemex CX, -4.24% declined 1.4% to 55.95 pesos. The cement company's shares had jumped over 18% in recent days on expectations that the company will benefit from reconstruction efforts in areas hit by Hurricane Katrina last week.
Stocks were flat in Canada, as a surge in the technology group was offset by continued weakness in oil and gold. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 0.1% to 10,810.05. Four of the 10-sector index fell.
The energy sector shed 0.5%. In the group, EnCana ECA, +0.54% fell 27 Canadian cents to C$57.86, Canadian Natural Resources CNQ, +0.92% declined C$1.69 to C$56.64 and Petro Canada slipped 48 cents to C$48.33.
The gold sub-sector was also a key point of weakness within the materials group, losing 0.4%, as Placer Dome PDG, +1.03% fell 26 cents to C$17.66 and Kinross slipped 11 cents to C$7.85.
Nortel Networks NT was a bright spot in an otherwise uneventful day, rising 21 cents to C$3.86. Nortel announced that KTF, a big South Korean cellphone provider, awarded Nortel and its joint-venture partner LG Electronics a contract to supply equipment for KTF's 3G wireless network. The information technology group rose 2.7%.
In other technology stocks, enterprise software company Cognos climbed C$3.82 to C$48.80 and Blackberry-maker Research In Motion RIMM rose C$1.18 to C$94.36.
The industrials sector gained 0.7%.
Also positive was the health care sector, which rose 0.1%. The big news of the day there was that vaccine-maker ID Biomedical IDBE received a friendly takeover offer from GlaxoSmithKline GSK, -0.91% worth C$35 a share. ID Biomedical jumped C$4.07 to C$35.05.
In banking issues, Royal Bank of Canada RY, -0.60% fell 90 cents to C$81.50, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce edged up 1 cent to C$71.10 and Bank of Nova Scotia BNS, -0.26% added 4 cents to C$41.10. The financials sector closed up just 0.02%.
In Brazil, markets and banks were closed Wednesday in observance of Independence Day. The benchmark Bovespa index in Sao Paulo closed Tuesday up 1.2% to 28,855 points.


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DETROIT - In its new campaign for improved quality, Ford Motor Co. is giving greater attention to its suppliers and customers.
Ford is incorporating the voice of outside suppliers into many ideas that are reshaping the company, said Louise Goeser, Ford's vice president of quality. She said supplier input contributed to recent employee awards given by the automaker.
The company also is using customer feedback to drive quality improvements. Goeser said management bonuses are being calculated with the help of customer satisfaction data. In addition to using outside customer-tracking firms such as J.D. Power and Associates Inc., Ford also uses its own customer satisfaction data.
'It's really about partnerships,' said Goeser, who was the guest speaker at last week's Automotive News PACE Awards ceremony at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. 'In the past, we wanted parts. Today we want partnerships.'
Goeser leads a new program at Ford called 'Customer-Driven Six Sigma.' Ford is aiming for the quality level known as six sigma, which is a measurement of defects per manufactured product. Quality experts estimate most successful U.S. companies operate in the range of three and four sigma, which still results in thousands of quality defects annually.
Striving for six sigma is an effort to virtually eliminate defects.
Goeser came to Ford last year as head of quality after five years in quality management at Whirlpool Corp. and 20 years at Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Speaking to supplier executives, she said: 'We really don't want you to create parts to please us. We want you to create them to form-fit our customers.'


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Microsoft has released a new version of its Microsoft Translator API. The updated tools will allow developers to include speech-to-speech translation features in their apps.
Microsoft has released the first public preview version of Visual Studio "15", the code name for the next major release of the company's application developer tools.
Whether you were unable to keep up with all the bots on show yesterday or were simply outside enjoying the sunshine, Microsoft has the day 1 Build 2016 keynote now available for viewing.
Microsoft has published a video that shows off the Bash shell running on Windows 10 and talks us through some of the initial details.
We go hands-on and check out Xbox One controller support over Continuum in Windows 10 Mobile, due to arrive later this year in the forthcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
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Electroloom, which made what it claimed was the world’s first 3D fabric printer, has closed its doors. The company founders have tried in vain to raise more funds and have finally raised the white flag.
The company launched on Kickstarter and aimed to bring us seamless, 3D printed clothes. The process apparently came to co-founder Aaron Rowley after he saw organic tissue printing and wanted to find a new way to apply the technology.
A spray booth with fibers
The end result looked something like a spray painting booth, with a mold in the shape of clothing and nozzles charged with a strong electric field spraying a liquid containing a Polyester/Cotton blend that somehow formed real fibrous clothing.
It looked like solid technology and the Kickstarter campaign was a roaring success. The company wanted $50,000 and it received $82, 344. The team were open in the launch video, the Electroloom wasn’t even a product. It was a prototype that needed further development.
No early bird deliveries?
According to the Kickstarter campaign page, at least five backers opted for the early bird deal and pledged $4,700 to receive a printer and two custom molds. They were buying a chance to help develop the Electroloom with the creators and turn it into something better.
The Electroloom Alpha chamber is fascinating technology and the company already had a partner in place in Shenzen, China, to manufacture them.
The early bird backers were due to receive theirs in March of this year but, judging by the apologetic tone of their blog post, we assume they never got them.
A written apology?
“The bottom line is that we simply do not have the financial ability to continue supporting the company,” said the statement. “We were previously funded through a mixture of venture capital and government grants. Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to raise a new round.
“We suffered a lot of problems and mistakes that led us here, perhaps too many to outline in detail. The reality is that a lot of events factored into our inability to raise: slow technical progress, significant scientific risk, a lack of an MVP, and a poorly defined market opportunity.”
If the company could really have produced 3D printed clothes without seams, on demand, then the rewards would have been immense. The Kickstarter campaign video reveals a small and passionate team that were determined to make it work.
But each garment took between 8-14 hours to print and the clothes it made were a long way off production ready.
Was Kickstarter the right place?
It would be easy to simply dismiss this failure as another Kickstarter campaign gone bad. This one, though, feels a little different and perhaps the team shouldn’t have taken to Kickstarter at all.
Technology this radical was never going to get to market with a $50,000 injection of funds and while there was clearly a reason for going that route, it’s difficult to see how it could have had a positive result.
The team has closed Electroloom, but the basic concept is still intriguing. So there is every chance it could take it to a major retailer, or textile manufacturer, and continue to develop the concept under another name.
It is clearly going to take significant backing to turn this idea into a workable concept and that simply isn’t available on Kickstarter.
Could there be more from this tech?
The technology might also have to catch up and it simply might not be suitable for mass-produced clothes, but we’re sure there are applications that could benefit from this concept. If the nanotechnology on offer here can be adapted then it could potentially be used to create fireproof clothes and other protective gear.
That could command the premium price tag that will inevitably go with this production method.
Whatever happens, we wish the team well as this was an interesting concept that perhaps deserved a happier ending.


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What can’t you buy from Amazon?
Amazon is planning to expand its online grocery store Amazon Fresh to urban areas across the US, and possibly outside the country as well. According to Tech Crunch, Amazon Fresh must pass its final test in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Amazon Fresh has been delivering fresh produce and groceries in Seattle for five years. According to Reuters, if all goes well in California, then Amazon will extend its grocery store in 20 more urban areas across the US, and possibly outside the country as well in 2014.
Amazon said they wanted to enter a new market, and the grocery sector may prove to be a tough task. CBC pointed out that online grocers have not fared so well historically. One example CBC gave was HomeGrocers.com, which was bought by Webvan in 2000, but never caught on. Tech Crunch listed inventory costs, spoilage, and “delivery complications” as major obstacles that made life difficult for previous online grocery stores.
If Amazon Fresh does catch on, then stores like Wal-Mart, Albertsons, and Hy-Vee need to be very worried. According to Reuters, the grocery industry generated $568 billion in retail sales in 2012. If Amazon eclipses their competition, there won’t be enough money to go around. Netflix ran video stores out of business, and Amazon could do the same to grocery stores. CNET said Amazon could also take revenue away from delivery services like UPS, since they use their own trucks. Amazon Fresh would revolutionize the way we do grocery shopping, but may cost people their jobs.
Before anyone could worry about anything, internet grocery analyst Bill Bishop said Amazon Fresh needs to take care of business in California. Bishop told the Seattle Times, “It’s going to be a two-step process. The first two California markets will tell them whether they can roll out it elsewhere. I think Seattle’s too close to home. They really need a clean-slate test, and they’ll get that with this.”


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Carole Nash organiser happy despite drop in visitors
by Annie Byrne
The organiser behind Carole Nash Motorcycle Live has proclaimed its 2010 event a visitor and exhibitor success despite reporting its second consecutive drop in footfall.MCI Exhibitions MD Finlay McAllan said the NEC-based show was cut from 11 days to nine after dropping a one-day press event and dedicated trade day. The list of features and exhibitors were also overhauled following what McAllan told EN was a disastrous 2009.This year's plans were based on visitor research which listed a good day out, bike demonstrations, and quality retail goods to buy as the top three reasons to attend.“Our 2009 results were poor, and coupled with the economic climate we ended up presenting a show with just 11 manufacturers,” McAllan explained. “This left us ‘knitting wind’ as organisers. We overpriced and under delivered and underestimated the impact this would have.“Through our exhibitor and visitor research, it was clear what had to be done. We looked at the floor plan and what people wanted and we adjusted accordingly,” he added.MCI worked to lift the number of exhibiting manufacturers to 38 by offering value-added extras such as stand staffing services. It also dropped several profitable but superfluous features such as the wall of death. “These sorts of features generated money, but they weren’t what people were coming to the show for,” McAllan said. “It was the bikes that were the stars.“As an organiser, we have to prove we can organise, but we also have to listen. Sometimes the show research is difficult to read, however we followed it and now people are saying we had an amazing show.”Total visitor attendance was just shy of 99,000 (unaudited), representing an 11 per cent drop year-on-year. The 2009 event was also down 15 per cent. Its record was 206,000 visitors in 2001. McAllan blamed heavy show conditions for a poor first weekend, but pointed out a larger percentage of this year’s audience were new to the industry. Visitors feedback was also much improved. “We had less come than last year, but we’ve built the platform now for a positive step in 2011,” he said. “It comes down to what you do with the people in front of you – the numbers are important, as that generates budgets and income, but it’s the visitor experience when you walk through the door that’s critical and feedback this year has been very positive.”Carole Nash Motorcycle Live chose Birmingham NEC’s in-house events team, Managed Events, to design manage the main performance area at this year’s event.


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Samsung is yet to launch its next Galaxy F62 in India, and a detailed specs leak has emerged. The next Samsung Galaxy F leak has emerged to sport a big screen and even bigger battery. Samsung Galaxy F62, the successor to the Galaxy F41. Last year, Galaxy F41 was a camera-centric series for Gen-Z buyers, and this time Samsung is focusing on longevity and media consumption with its new Galaxy F62.
The key features of Galaxy F62 have leaked by tipster Ishan Agarwal via MySmartPrice. According to the tipster, Galaxy F62 will have a 7,000mAh battery, 6.7-inch sAMOLED display, and a 64MP primary camera. Also, with a model number of SM-E625f.
The Galaxy F62 will pack 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Also, It will come in green and blue color options. Other specifications include quad-rear camera setup of 64MP primary sensor and 32MP sensor front sensor.
However, there is no information on the fast-charging support yet. But it is expected that the Galaxy F62 will support 25 Watt fast charging. Also, a recent Geekbench listing reveals that the smartphone will be powered by the Exynos 9825 SoC.


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[LISTEN] The most common goods stolen from stores in SA
Matthew Dyball, MD of Lodge Security, talks about the most common stolen goods in South Africa at the moment and touches on shoplifting patterns his company has noticed.
CAPE TOWN - According to the latest study, shoplifting has seen sharp increase in South Africa, with a particular focus on baby food, which is among the list of highly stolen items.
Matthew Dyball, MD of Lodge Security, chatted to Cape Talk's John Maytham and says perpetrators tend to focus on smaller items that can be sold quickly.
He says people steal for different reasons, some because of the need to survive, while others do it as a form of business where they can sell the items on the streets.
He says some stores don't even put their stock, such as razors, on the shelf and if you want it, you have to ask for it.
But what are some of the most popular items and how do criminals decide to steal these?
Listen to the full interview above for more.


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Is the vinyl revival back for good? This is the billion question in our days and the answer is YES. Read and discover why we are so sure about that…
– Sony Will Start Pressing Vinyl Records After 28-Year Hiatus (CNN Money)
Sony Music Entertainment said the last week it will begin pressing vinyl records again, ending an almost three-decade hiatus.
A dramatic increase in demand for vinyl music in recent years prompted the move, a Sony spokeswoman said. Interest is coming from younger customers who have never used records before as well as older fans, she added.
– The ‘New’ Billion Dollar Music Business (Forbes)
Vinyl records are projected to sell 40 million units in 2017, with sales nearing the $1 billion benchmark for the first time this millennium. This impressive milestone has been untouched since the peak of the industry in the 1980s. While explosive by today’s standards, according to Deloitte, in its heyday (‘81), total vinyl album sales surpassed 1 billion units in just that year alone.
According to Deloitte, new vinyl records and revenue will enjoy a seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2017. But the slice of the pie is still a very small one – with broader music industry revenues projected to be approximately $15 billion this year, vinyl will account for only 6%.
– Vinyl surpasses digital sales in some music markets (The Washington Post)
Last year, the first week of December, for the first time in Britain history, the amount of money spent on vinyl records in the UK overtook that spent on digital downloads.
Vinyl sales hit $3.02 million the mentioned week compared with the $2.6 million made from digital music purchases, further proof that record shopping has gone mainstream.
Vinyl sales have been growing by 10 percent a year, but they still occupy a niche. For the first half of 2016, vinyl sales were $207 million, or about 6 percent of the $3.4 billion in revenue for the U.S. recording music industry. Digital downloads for singles and albums during the same period were more than $1 billion. Streaming accounted for nearly half the revenue during the first half of the last year.
– Continuous growth (Nielsen)
For the first time in over a decade, physical albums actually became a larger share of total album sales than they were in the prior year.
Vinyl LP sales grew to over 11% of total physical album sales in 2016. This marks 11 years of year-over-year increases for vinyl LPs, reaching a record sales level in the Nielsen Music era (since 1991) with over 13 million sales this year.


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The activist squabble between eBay (EBAY -2.03%) and Carl Icahn has all the drama and political intrigue of Netflix's "House of Cards." This week, the battle raged and took a substantial new turn as Icahn is no longer a lone wolf in his attack on the company. Whether eBay could have sold Skype directly to Microsoft (MSFT -0.54%)is yesterday's news. This is proving to be a true test of how the market values long-term vision vs. short-term profits.
More wolves joining the pack?
On March 10, Leon Cooperman joined the fray, saying on CNBC that he has a 2% position in eBay shares and agrees with Icahn that eBay should spin off a part of PayPal. Cooperman prefers to work behind the scenes and will "vote by walking" rather than being vocal in the press. That may be the case, but it was a very visible show of support that may attract other activists to the pack and increases the likelihood of a spinoff.
A good explanation of why PayPal needs to stay with eBay
EBay has taken a play out of Icahn's book and launched a website to provide evidence for its perspective on keeping the two companies as a single entity. Included among the media clips and SEC filings is a very interesting editorial by Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn and former vice president at PayPal. His editorial is lengthy and entertaining but he sums up an argument to keep the two companies together from a business standpoint very concisely. Here are two passages:
Thanks to its mature and lucrative eBay business, PayPal has the ability to keep its margins as low as possible in the areas where it is undertaking its greatest expansion efforts – namely mobile payments and retail payments.
As competition in the payments sector intensifies, profit margins on all payments systems will likely start trending to zero. As that happens, controlling major commerce platforms will become even more important to payments players, because they'll still be able to create value by building valuable ecosystems on top of them.
Hoffman is now with Greylock Partners, which does not appear to be a member of Silverlake's selling group.
Microsoft could have bought Skype two months after Silverlake
With the value of hindsight, there is little doubt that Skype was spun off from eBay at a dramatic discount while Microsoft was interested in purchasing the company. The dealbreaker for Microsoft was a lawsuit filed by the company's founders that was eventually settled only two months after the sale of Skype to the Silverlake selling group. This settlement left the door open for Silverlake to sell the business to Microsoft before the ink on eBay's check dried.
In defense of John Donahoe
Whether there was malfeasance on behalf of the board or eBay's management team is another issue entirely. John Donahoe was trying to manage a global retail business six months after the stock market bottomed in March of 2009, and dinnertime conversation was about bank runs and hoarding gold. Maybe he should be accountable for handicapping the likelihood of Skype settling the lawsuit -- or maybe that responsibility should fall on the shoulders of the crackerjack venture capitalists on the board or the bankers who advised the company at the time.
There might even be one or two eBay or Skype employees that found employment at venture capital firms shortly after the deal closed. Either way, Donahoe is paying for poor relative growth, as the company cut his 2013 salary by 53% over 2012 as a result of missing financial targets. You can argue about the level of his $13.8 million pay package, but at least its tied to performance.


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Kardome wins the Reinhold Cohn Startup Competition with its better ‘ears’ for robots
2nd and 3rd place winners in the 2021 Reinhold Cohn Startup Competition, in collaboration with Calcalist, are TuneFork and PicUp.
Kardome, which gives voice interactive response systems “better” ears, won first place in the Reinhold Cohn Startup Competition in collaboration with Calcalist. Second place went to TuneFork, which developed advanced technology for customizing and optimizing audio, and third place went to PicUp, which improves service and sales performance through phones.“Protecting intellectual property is important and desirable for investors at all stages, from seed onward. For us specifically, a consumer-based startup, it was important to protect not only the inventions but also the brand, trademarks and other aspects of the product,” said Ronen Assia, co-founder of the fintech company eToro in a panel at the final event. Mr. Assia stated that they have faced attempts by some to copy their logo, colors, content or UX. According to Ehud Hausman, Patent Attorney and Senior Partner, Head of the high-tech practice at the Reinhold Cohn Group, software can be protected by patents in many countries around the world, including the U.S, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan and even China. “Startups are misled into thinking their software cannot be protected, because they may find down the road that their competitors do have protection.” Laly David, Partner and Head of Business Development at OurCrowd, explained that as investors they initially focus on ‘red flags’ and on intellectual property strategy. The company’s intellectual property protection goals and policy are later fleshed out. “Intellectual property is very important at these stages because the company’s future financing, its ability to issue (stocks) and bring in institutional investments is related to being able to protect IP,” she said. Eran Bareket, Managing Partner of the Reinhold Cohn Group, stated that “Reinhold Cohn’s startup competition was an impressive demonstration of Israeli innovation, which we are proud to have accompanied for 86 years. Over 160 companies submitted their candidacies for the competition. The companies’ presentations gave a look into Israel’s high-tech industry, both in technology and applications, and into the unparalleled ‘vibe’ in Israel. The panels and interviews in the broadcast studio also provided a glimpse into how important it is that tech companies’ intellectual property be properly managed by professionals, to meet the company’s needs and business goals, from its ‘seeding’ to its financial maturing. We thank all the partners for the competition’s success. Along with each of them, we thank the true partners in our success – our dear employees, who bring together professional experience that enables the Reinhold Cohn Group to provide a wide range of services, in all industries and areas of intellectual property – patents, trademarks, designs, copyright and legal advice – in Israel and around the world.”
PicUp’s technology adds a smart visual layer in business calls to customers, allowing the end customer to know who is looking for him and why. The technology is embedded in about 10 million devices and serves leading insurance and telecom companies in Europe. The service is currently being launched in Israel.
Industrial “eyes” and a rehab robotAmit Garay, Business Development Manager at CoreTigo, introduced the company’s technology as providing wireless communication solutions for industrial machines on the production floor. The company develops software and hardware for manufacturers of cloud-based machines and software. In the industry 4.0 category, Saccade Vision, a company that developed technology that mimics human vision and includes a camera and software designed for accurate measurements and detection of defects for industrial applications, advanced to the finals. In the Media & Telecom category, VII Events also qualified for the finals, developing technology for two and three-dimensional virtual events and enabling both virtual and hybrid events. According to Stas Zaslavsky, Director of Business Development and marketing at the company, a virtual event can be produced within 48 hours, but it is recommended to spend at least three weeks doing so. In the Healthcare & Wellness category, BioXtreme, a company that develops a robotic device for the rehabilitation of neurological victims, competed in the finals. And in the Automotive category, Click-Ins, an AI-based SaaS platform for automatic vehicle damage detection and automation solutions for car and insurance companies in Israel and around the world, also reached the final. Investing in the riskiest and most disruptive startups Anya Eldan, VP of Technologies at the Innovation Authority, said that Israel is an innovation stronghold in the world by all standards, which comes from a very large investment in research and development. Forty six percent of Israel’s exports are high-tech, 13% of GDP, but only 9% of the population work in tech. “The Innovation Authority was established with one goal – to use innovation to promote inclusive and sustainable economic success. We use taxpayers’ money for only one purpose and that is to make the Israeli economy successful and prosperous. We do not compete with venture capital funds but want to invest in startups with the most disruptive technology, (the) riskiest,” she said. The competition was broadcast in a unique virtual studio set up by BY Productions, which has been around for 21 years and produces events for large companies. According to Amir Blecher, CEO of BY, the company was forced to find a new way to broadcast due to the Covid-19 crisis. It ended up setting up the first virtual concert studio in Israel that broadcasts events, shows, games and conferences for large companies, in order to help in maintaining routine and organizational affiliation in an age of social distancing. The event was moderated by Dror Globerman.


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Air taxi pioneer Volocopter says it expects to remain independent until after its first commercial flight in 2024 despite occasional interest from potential suitors, with the possibility listing on the stock market next year.
Air taxi pioneer Volocopter GmbH says it expects to be independent until after its first commercial flight in 2024 despite occasional interest from potential suitors, with the possibility of listing on the stock market next year.
According to CEO Dirk Hoke, starting passenger services in time for the Paris Olympics could give the German startup a lead over its rivals and help it be valued from 10 billion euros (10 billion euros). $2.2 billion) or more.
“Our shareholders have invested with the goal of an IPO,” Hoke said at the launch of the so-called vertiport near Paris, where tests will be conducted before the game. “
Volocopter has avoided listing although many of its closest rivals have gone that route, with Vertical Aerospace Ltd. UK and fellow German startup Lilium NV among a series of flying taxi companies to trade on New York’s Nasdaq exchange following a merger with a blank check mark of the companies.
Hoke says that Volocopter, which has so far raised only cash through a series of funding rounds, is seen as attractive by suitors looking for an easy path into a market that could become one of them. the most lucrative markets in the aviation industry if it grows as rapidly as forecast.
“We always have access,” said the CEO. “We prefer independence now. We want agility and we want to bring models to market. “
Chief Commercial Officer Christian Bauer, a former Daimler executive, said Volocopter will also be able to tap into the potential of eVTOL to be as revolutionary as Tesla Inc. as their size increases.
“Tesla started with a two-seater because the battery technology wasn’t there and now they’re the most valuable car brand in the world,” he said. That’s where we want to be.”
The startup financing at Volocopter, with almost 700 employees, has surpassed 500 million euros and the company is still raising cash, tapping $182 million from Saudi Arabia’s Neom, which is building a city futures on the Red Sea, and a fund backed by Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.
“The best time for an IPO would be when we have the commercial license, when we have our first revenue, when we have our first profit,” Bauer said. though it could be held as early as 2025, he said.
First published date: November 11, 2022, 6:06 PM IST


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Emirates to increase Dhaka cargo capacity
In less than seven months, on 1 June 2020, Emirates will add a fourth daily service to Dhaka, to cater to Bangladesh's growing economy and the country's large diaspora who work and live in the Middle East, Europe and the USA.
The new service will be operated by a B777-300ER, featuring a belly-hold cargo capacity of up to 20 t. With the new service, Emirates Skycargo will offer around 1,100 t of belly-hold cargo capacity every week, finding global markets for Bangladesh's exports that include readymade garments, medicines, leather goods, and fresh produce.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates' chief commercial officer: "We share a special bond with Bangladesh that goes back 33 years, and our new service is a testament to the country's significance on Emirates' global network." (ah)


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You now have an easier online way to manage your Home Delivery subscription for The Oklahoman. Go to our secure server to update account information, make a payment, set up vacation no-delivery times, change your delivery address, or report delivery concerns.
In this Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, photo, specialist Edward Zelles works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wall Street futures were mostly flat in world markets prior to the opening bell Friday Jan. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)


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Yahoo is stricter than any other search engine in China when enforcing censorship, said a journalism-advocacy group Thursday.
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said their tests showed that Yahoo.cn blocked a higher percentage of politically sensitive results than Google.cn or the beta version of msn.cn.
The tests were performed using 10 politically-sensitive keywords like “press freedom” or “human rights” on the Chinese versions of Yahoo, Google and MSN, as well as a Chinese-based search engine, Baidu.
“We simply found out that Yahoo was even worse than its local competitors,” said Julien Pain, RSF Internet Freedom desk chief. “Google.cn is censored, but it’s far less than what Yahoo does.”
Although Yahoo.cn was sold to and is now operated by the Chinese company Alibaba, Yahoo remains a large shareholder.
The report also said Yahoo.cn blocked access to the search engine for an hour in half the cases after a search was conducted using the sensitive keywords. Baidu does the same thing, but the Chinese versions of Google and MSN do not restrict access.
RSF said that the level of censorship on Yahoo.cn also exceeds that of Baidu in terms of the number of Beijing-authorized sites returned in the search results.
“Yahoo has absolutely no respect for freedom of information,” Pain said.
The report follows the widespread blocking of Google.com by the Chinese government around the June 4 anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and RSF’s subsequent lashing of Google for its compliance with Beijing in censoring Google.cn.
Last year, RSF accused Yahoo.cn of turning over e-mail account information to Chinese authorities that according to RSF resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of a man on charges of subversion.
“Yahoo is already handing over information about their customers – they cooperate with the Chinese on a regular basis," Pain said. "Google has so far refused to do this."
Yahoo did not have an immediate comment.
RSF frequently reports on freedom of press issues and the treatment of journalists around the world and has been a steady critic of the Chinese government as well as the internet companies that comply with their censorship demands.
“It’s a huge market, and it’s kind of a turning point," Pain said. "In China you can see these moral dilemmas arising.
"If they do it in China, the battle will be lost – they’ll do it everywhere.”


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A snazzy new motorway service station will shortly open in Leeds and here's what to expect.
Based just two miles out from Leeds city centre, Skelton Lake will open at junction 45 of the M1 with some huge retail brand names, and a 100-room Ramada hotel will also be opening at the same time.
Skelton Lake services were initially due to open last month, but the construction has overrun slightly and the huge new £60 million project at junction 45 will now be completed in spring this year.
Once finished, it will include a 100-room hotel, a food court, a petrol station and a new business centre.
Some of the impressive food and drink brands confirmed already for Skelton Lake include Starbucks, Burger King, KFC, LEON, Upper Crust, Urban Express, Harry Ramsden’s and Pizza Express.
The services will be based adjacent to Skelton Lake itself, a stone's throw from Temple Newsam.
Extra MSA, who are in charge of the project, say that 300 permanent jobs will be created, with some vacancies expected to be advertised over the next few months.
The recruitment for the businesses has been happening over the last few weeks.
The site will also host a new business centre.
You can take a look below at what the new service station will look like
There will be plenty of parking spaces including for motor homes and caravans, and even charging points for electric cars.
We'll bring you more about the new service station when we get it.


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Bare is the number three player in the vegetable and fruit chips category, and has grown its market share by almost a third compared to the previous year, to just over 6%, CEO Santosh Padki told BakeryandSnacks.
“Dried fruit grocery sections have expanded over the years as a result of consumer demand for better-for-you foods and snacks,” he said. “Many consumers are becoming conscious and educated about ingredient panels, gravitating towards fruits because they’re recognizable and generally thought of as a healthy source of vitamins and nutrients.”
Founded with the idea of “less is more", Bare chips are oven baked and include apple and coconut variants. The most recent launch, banana chips, are the first of its kind on the market, according to Padki, because other banana chips are fried. Bare’s proprietary oven-baking process slowly caramelizes the natural sugars on the outside of each chip.
Available across the US
All the products are available across the US in natural and grocery stores including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Safeway and Publix, as well as national retailers such as Target and Amazon, with a suggested retail price of $3.99 for a 2.7-ounce bag.
The company is currently preparing to roll out organic coconut chips in select Whole Foods markets in the Midwest, Northern California, and Rocky Mountain. They will be available across the US in September in three flavors: toasted, sweet ginger, and coffee bean.
“All Bare snacks are Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten free, a good source of dietary fiber, and free from preservatives, cholesterol and trans-fats," said Padki. "Our simple recipes appeal to consumers with dietary restrictions and preferences.”
Padki expects the dried fruit industry will continue to expand, as will categories within it such as baked fruit chips, although he feels freeze-dried products may fall out of fashion "given their limited appeal to primarily children and toddlers, as well as their lack of ability to satiate snack cravings at a reasonable value".


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WASHINGTON: Looking at Washington’s most recent recreational marijuana sales data, it’s easy to see how the young industry could become a multibillion moneymaker for the country if legalization continues to spread.
Last fiscal year, Washington’s budding legal pot market made more than $259.7 million in sales, while raising some $64.9 million in tax revenue for the state. But the past month and a half of sales have put those numbers to shame.
Average daily sales are up to about $1.95 million statewide for August, according to data released by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board this week. That’s an increase of more than $100,000 from the same measure in July, which was the highest average daily sales figure we’d seen at the time.
The Evergreen State is on pace to sell more than $60 million worth of cannabis this month alone. And that’ll be a first.


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Mirror's Edge 2 Latest News
Publishing juggernautwill begin their E3 2015 press conference on June 15th, and it will run for an hour and a half. It begins 1.00pm PDT / 9.00pm GMT+1 in Shrine Auditorium. What's expected up on stage?
So far they haven't revealed what's in their E3 line-up but almost certainly it will have Star Wars: Battlefront, MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, DLC offerings for Battlefield: Hardline and hopefully the next Mass Effect.
EA has released two new concept art images for its upcoming free-running sequel, Mirror's Edge 2. That crisp, clean futuristic art style from the original looks to be present and correct.
The released images follow on the heels of the first in-game trailer, which was released at E3 2014 this week.
EA is making this too easy. Ahead of its press conference later today the publishing giant Mirror's Edge 2.a new piece of concept art for free-running sequel
The art comes with the hashtag #E32014. Might the game possibly, possibly be making an appearance?
DICE has Mirror's Edge 2 in the works but details haven't been forthcoming when it comes to specifics. Rocket Chainsaw claim to have the scoop from 'verified sources' that have dirt on the game.
According to their report its primary focus is parkour, with any combat advanced over the original but not emphasised. It is entirely open world with drop in/out multiplayer, they say.
The Naval Strike expansion for Battlefield 4 out late this month is DICE Stockholm's last work on DLC, as the remaining two add-ons are going to be developed by their new DICE LA studio in sunny California.
The Los Angeles DICE studio is made up of former Danger Close staff, which created Medal of Honor. DICE LA helped out with Second Assault which launched late last month.


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Some groups want to see animal products taxed similarly to tobacco, sugar and carbon
The steep climb in global meat consumption has environmental interest groups debating a “sin” tax on animal products.
Meat consumption grew by more than five times between 1992 and 2016 and has contributed to greenhouse gas emissions, global obesity, rising rates of diabetes and cancer, soil degradation and deforestation, according to the Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) Initiative.
The British activist group argues meat should join products like tobacco, sugar and carbon, which are often taxed because they are harmful to people’s health and the environment.
“We’ve seen an increasing trend toward intervention, especially in Europe, this idea of looking at sin taxes,” said Lauren Compere, managing director at Boston Common Asset Management, an environmentally minded investment group. She listed Denmark, Sweden and Germany as countries considering legislation toward a meat tax.


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Infinix, a renowned smartphone brand, has teamed up with the current Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Artiste of the Year, Black Sherif, and Vodafone Ghana, to unveil the HOT 40 Series. According to Infinix, this partnership symbolises a dynamic fusion of technology, music, and connectivity, and aims to inspire and empower the youth.
Summer Yao, HOT SERIES Product Director at Infinix, commented, “The partnership between Infinix and Black Sherif represents a perfect synergy of Infinix's technological prowess and Black Sherif's creative musical talents. This collaboration goes beyond the convergence of technology and music; it is about empowering today’s youth. Infinix and Black Sherif are dedicated to providing technology that reflects the aspirations of young generations. Moreover, this partnership holds significant cultural significance, symbolising the integration of technological innovation and cultural richness.”
David Umoh, Director of the Consumer Business Unit at Vodafone Ghana, remarked, "Our collaboration with Infinix is a key stride towards fulfilling Vodafone Ghana's goal of democratising access to digital technology for everyone. We're excited to be part of this pivotal movement in narrowing the digital gap."
Each HOT 40 Series purchase is accompanied by a unique 30GB data package from Vodafone, allocated as 5GB monthly for six months. This package ensures that customers can fully enjoy their new devices without concerns about data consumption.
The HOT 40 Series, comprising the HOT 40 Pro, HOT 40, and HOT 40i, is engineered for the ultimate gaming and entertainment experience. These devices boast high performance, superior displays, and camera features, all at an affordable price.
The HOT 40 Pro is specifically tailored for gaming aficionados. It is equipped with a MediaTek Helio G99 processor, a 120Hz touch sampling rate, and a robust 5000mAh battery supported by Power Marathon technology for prolonged usage. The HOT 40 Pro also sports a 108MP main camera and a 32MP front camera. The series is distinguished by its elegant crystal design, available in various colours, including the new Starfall Green.
The HOT 40 Series is available at Vodafone retail shops, Infinix-accredited stores and online platforms such as Xpark, Jumia, ElectroMart, and Franko Trading.
For more details, visit Infinix Mobility (http://www.infinixmobility.com/).


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Hyundai and Kia are slashing production in China amid diplomatic tensions
South Korea's Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have slashed vehicle production in China, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, amid diplomatic tensions and competition from local brands. China, the world's biggest auto market, accounted for over a quarter of the pair's 2016 overseas sales but their March sales there were hit by anti-Korean sentiment and competition from local automakers like Geely Automobile Holdings.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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After fielding multiple takeover offers over the past month, Qiagen has instead decided to go it alone—and investors are less than pleased.
The stock price of the diagnostics developer dropped by about 25% over the Christmas holiday after the company said it would move forward with its current business plans.
In October, Qiagen announced it would reorganize itself around a 15-year partnership with Illumina and its hardware instead of continuing to develop its own next-generation sequencing instruments. That news came after the company missed its third-quarter targets and alongside the departure of its long-time CEO Peer Schatz.
Håkan Björklund, chairman of Qiagen’s supervisory board, said the company’s management decided its “ongoing transformation provides the best means for creating future value for shareholders and other stakeholders.”
Following reports in mid-November that it was being pursued by Thermo Fisher Scientific, Qiagen disclosed that it had received several “conditional, non-binding indications of interest” regarding a full acquisition of the $8 billion company.
Qiagen’s supervisory and management boards said they had held several discussions with potential suitors, but found them “not compelling.”
“We have a strong and differentiated portfolio of molecular testing solutions that provide opportunity for significant growth,” Björklund said in a statement. The stock market drop rewinds the company’s share price to about $31, near where it was before the initial reports of Thermo Fisher’s interest.
Qiagen’s new partnership with Illumina will see the Dutch diagnostics maker develop test kits for the sequencing giant’s hardware, spanning multiple disease areas. This will include companion tests to evaluate tumors for immunotherapies, based on Illumina’s TruSight Oncology assays, as well as other in vitro diagnostics for its MiSeq Dx and NextSeq 550Dx systems.


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Amazon is courting design names to offer their merchandise on its webpage. However, if they won’t, the online retailer may very well make them all alone. Amazon, which has been buckling down for a considerable span to develop Amazon Fashion, envisions offering its own private-mark garments marks, an official said to Media persons. “For Amazon, we know our clients affection brands, a significant number of the brands in this room… and that is the place the lion’s offer of our business originates from,” Jeff Yurcisin, VP of dress at Amazon Fashion and CEO of Amazon’s Shopbop unit, said at the 18th WWD Apparel & Retail CEO Summit in New York city.
“When we see crevices, when certain brands have really chosen for their own reasons not to offer with us, our client still needs an item like that.” Amazon may get into private-name for those sorts of products, he included. The comment is huge given Amazon Fashion’s endeavors have based on persuading attire brands to offer their merchandise on a site better known at its low costs and effectiveness over, say, presentation and curation.
Amazon’s eagerness to make its own version of items that it can’t get from genuine design brands may be another arranging chip for the organization, also more gainful. Amazon has focused on food and garments as two of its real development opportunities in coming years, and in late may the Wall Street Journal reported that the organization was preparing to dispatch various private-mark basic need items.
Venturing into clothing could accompany its own particular difficulties. As The New York Times wrote in July, numerous manner brands have been “worried about binds their brands to a site that is much more an utility than a boutique.” In June, the Business of Fashion said: “While women’s, men’s and youngsters’ attire are a portion of the e-tailer’s quickest developing item classifications, Amazon is just not the primary spot the vast majority consider with regards to purchasing dress.”
Yurcisin, identifying with a roomful of retail industry officials, was aware of such feedback as he accentuated that 40 million clients shop Amazon Fashion, and that its valuing model is the same as different retailers. He likewise noticed that Amazon has a hang on its Prime clients, which significant retailers can obtain entrance to by offering on Amazon. The organization carries various surely understood brands on its site, for example, Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Kate Spade, New Balance, PUMA and Steve Madden, according to its site.


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On Tuesday, Golden Nugget Casino launched its online sports betting platform in New Jersey.
The Golden Nugget sportsbook is powered by SBTech and has been integrated into the existing Golden Nugget casino site. Golden Nugget now operates both a land-based and online sportsbook in New Jersey.
Bettors in New Jersey can bet on a variety of professional and collegiate sports with Golden Nugget.
However, because the owner of Golden Nugget, Tilman Fertitta, owns the Houston Rockets, New Jersey’s regulations forbid Golden Nugget from taking bets on NBA games.
The Golden Nugget online sportsbook can be accessed via desktop and mobile devices, including Android and iOS.
The launch of Golden Nugget’s online sportsbook brings the total number of legal online sportsbooks in New Jersey to 13.
As online sports betting operations continue to expand it will only strengthen the thriving New Jersey sports betting market.
Figures released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) showed that a total of $385m was wagered on sports in January. The figures show that over 80% of sports bets were placed either online or via mobile devices.
This move will also help push Golden Nugget ahead of other sportsbooks in the state. In January, Golden Nugget’s land-based sportsbook generated just $27,287 in revenue.


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The Hyundai i20 is all set to debut at this year’s Auto Expo 2018, we know this because throughout the last year the i20 in various levels of camo has been spotted testing across the subcontinent. However, news breaking on Autocar India claims that the i20 facelift will get a new gearbox, a CVT-automatic which is likely to be mated to a 1.2 litre Kappa engine which will make it the i20 for the first time. It is likely that the 1.2-litre engine will also replace the 1.4litre petrol variant.
The outgoing i20 which also came with an automatic gearbox will be mated to a four-speed torque converter, which was originally meant for the European market, debuted in India in 2016. However, in terms of costing the i20 broke the price band retailing at almost ten lakh for the mid-spec Magna trim. That put it beyond the retail price of its major rival the Baleno, which was 81,000 cheaper even in the top-spec Alpha trim.
As the urban architecture of India evolves, the requirement for automatics continues to evolve by 7-8% year on year. To that end, Hyundai has worked towards a cheaper CVT unit which will at least bring the i20 at par with the competition. The new CVT is likely to be more fuel efficient than the torque converter but will miss the paddle shifters. However, Hyundai might introduce them in the near future.
Apart from mechanicals, the i20 will also get some significant cosmetic updates. The two-part grille on the current i20 is likely to be replaced by a single piece ‘Cascade’ grille, similar to the one seen on the new Verna. Also on the checklist will be tweaked bumpers, headlights and new alloy wheels.


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We’re Supporting 3,500 More South African Women
Our new project brings our business-boosting programmes to thousands more women entrepreneurs in South Africa this year.
This year, we’re collaborating with the GIBS Entrepreneurship Development Academy (EDA), DHL Express and the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust to bring our life-changing programmes to 3,500 women entrepreneurs in South Africa!
Together, we’re delivering our award-winning mobile learning app HerVenture and business skills training programme Road to Growth to over 3,500 women business owners in South Africa. Our programmes promise to unlock women’s business potential, boost thousands of businesses, and in turn bring incredible benefits to families, communities and the economy.
HerVenture provides women entrepreneurs of micro and small enterprises with the knowledge and skills required to successfully advance their businesses. It has reached more than 50,000 women across the globe to date. We piloted our HerVenture app in South Africa last year, with 1,800 women entrepreneurs using it to achieve growth and resilience and the majority reporting improved business performance.
"I call it my survival kit! Some of us don’t really have access to a support system - I found mine in HerVenture."
Hannah used our HerVenture app to get her Johannesburg beauty salon through the pandemic and get started towards achieving her dreams of expansion. Here's how HerVenture became her "survival kit"!Read Hannah's story
This year, thanks to funding from DHL Express and the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust, newly working with local expert partner the GIBS EDA we’re set to scale this impact. Our HerVenture app will engage at least 3,500 more women as app users and support the growth of their businesses.
Road to Growth, our intensive, seven-week investment readiness training programme, will be brought to South Africa for the first time. It builds on the 2,800 women it has supported so far worldwide in Kenya, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico and Nigeria. Delivered by the GIBS EDA, we’re offering a select group of 50 women entrepreneurs the opportunity to progress in their entrepreneurial journeys, building business skills, financial literacy, networks and confidence via online learning and coaching.
HerVenture and Road to Growth have been specifically designed and developed using a gender lens approach in order to support women to claim their rightful space as equal and skilled entrepreneurs. Through the training and support the programmes offer, they seek to address key barriers faced by women entrepreneurs at different stages of their businesses – particularly a lack of skills and knowledge, access to networks and markets, financial and digital literacy, and confidence. This means women are able to learn and apply improved business practices, access finance, and ultimately boost their performance and resilience of their businesses.
But the impact doesn’t stop there. Supporting the growth of women-owned enterprises provides South Africa with the opportunity to generate sustainable economic livelihoods, reduce poverty and grow the economy.
As such, we’re delighted to build on our work and support thousands more women entrepreneurs in South Africa through HerVenture and Road to Growth. We can’t wait to see everything that they achieve.
Work with us to create phenomenal impact
The extraordinary support of our private sector partners, trusts, institutions, and foundations enables us to deliver projects that touch the lives of thousands of women entrepreneurs across the world. Partner with us and be an instrumental part of the campaign for women’s economic empowerment.Find out more


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Adapting to technological advancements is crucial for companies to maintain economic viability in the 21st century. Today, systems are evolving at such a rapid rate, organizations that aren't able to change accordingly run the risk of looking dated and out of touch in the eyes of their customers.
This is particularly true when it comes to payment technology. Legacy business software solutions and inventory management systems will likely hinder a company's productivity, but organizations can hide them in the back office. Customers won't see what sort of systems are being used to operate behind the scenes. That's not the case with payment solutions. If a company doesn't accept credit cards or doesn't contain an eCommerce option, customers are going to know about it.
An article in Marketing Week titled "Living in Digital Times" examines the technological revolution and how it affects customer-facing processes. Lucy Tesseras, the author of the article, spoke with Jocelyn Cripps, a digital marketing executive, who shared the importance of companies enhancing their procedures, particularly in the payments realm, to keep up with digital advancements.
"We have identified a number of areas, which if not optimized, can cause people to fall off, "Cripps said. "The way businesses charge, the information they provide and the validation process [are all important]. By working closely with the merchants and understanding how money is transferred, we can be a lot smarter."
While implementing modern payment technologies will enhance a company's reputation and image in the mind of a customer, vendors still have to look out for themselves. Regardless of the solution, it must allow vendors to process level 3 payment data with line item detail. Working with a B2B payments consultant will help merchants obtain the solutions they need to stay ahead of tech advancements while optimizing the value of each transaction.


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In recent years, craft shows and holiday markets have grown in popularity among people looking for gifts to give their families, friends or themselves. Whether it be a festival, fair or bazaar, these shows and markets offer a wide range of items, manufactured or homemade, for anyone’s delight. Of the many around here, some, such as the one in Falls Church, have already come and gone. But not all,
Last weekend, the City of Falls Church featured its Holiday Gift and Craft Show. Scarlett Williams, the City of Falls Church Special Events Program Supervisor, was in charge of running the City’s Holiday Gift and Craft Show, which began 30 years ago in 1992. The two-day show, which was held December 3 and 4, featured nearly 40 crafters and merchants who sold “unique, handmade items, baked goods and more.”
Some of the many products sold at this year’s show were handmade pottery, beaded jewelry, crocheted wearables, pressed flower art and more.
Williams said the goal of the gift and craft show was to “make holiday shopping easy,” since there’s “something for everyone.” She also stated the City’s gift and craft show is unique because a large number of the vendors have participated in it for over 20 years.
In D.C., the Friends Of The National Arboretum (FONA) is about to host their Winter Festival, which features a holiday market, tree sale and family activities held on Dec. 10 in the U.S. National Arboretum. Executive Director of FONA Craven Rand said this is the second year the Arboretum has hosted a holiday market.
“To me, this [festival] is not necessarily a competition,” Rand said. “We like to find vendors that have supported the Arboretum in the past and that we’ve worked with to give them an opportunity to reach some visitors over the holiday.”
The Winter Festival will “hopefully” see about 15 — 20 vendors participating, with different products being offered and sold. Rand said while most items will be focused on plants, mainly plant-centric or gardening products, there will be “plenty” of other vendors selling “craft gifts and children items.” He followed up by stating he hopes this year’s festival will bring people out to view the Arboretum at “a time they might not normally come” as well as offer people “an option for unique gifts and programming.”
This past weekend, McLean hosted its Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival, which has been a juried show since 1982. The arts and craft festival saw 78 vendors selling their products at the event, which include “fine artists, woodworkers, textile artists, food artists, jewelers, multimedia artists and and glass artists.”
Catherine Nesbitt, the special events manager at the McLean Community Center that hosts the festival, said the goal of the festival is to provide a service to our public. She said the McLean Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival has a reputation for being a “higher end” craft show juried carefully by highly qualified artists selling high-end, good quality products.”
In Alexandria, that city is hosting its second annual Old Town Alexandria Christmas Fair and Holiday Craft Show on Dec. 10. Corina Serbanescu is a part of Royal Events Group, which through its festival division puts together festivals and fairs, such as the Christmas Fair and Holiday Craft Show.
This year, the holiday fair and craft show will see about 100 to 120 vendors participating in the event, along with a tent where children can write letters to Santa and create Christmas decorations. At prices ranging from $5 to $400, Serbanescu said people “can find whatever they would like” from a wide range of vendors.
Upscale jewelry “at any type of budget,” home decor, Christmas ornaments and wreaths, candles, clothing and pet accessories, and take-home treats are just some of the many items one can gift themselves or others at the event.
Serbanescu further stated the vendors at the Old Town Alexandria Christmas Fair and Holiday Craft Show are “diverse” due to coming from local areas as well as other states.
“We’ve been trying to literally help and support the small, local artisan crafters, small businesses, independent consultants to get back on their feet [since 2020],” Serbanescu said.


text: RAYVA Adds Two Industry Veterans to Team RAYVA, provider of turnkey home theater packages, has appointed two new hires to support and manage RAYVA’s sales teams. By RS Staff Published: April 25, 2017 ⋅ Updated: April 15, 2019 Pat Bell, Eastern regional sales manager, RAYVA RAYVA, provider of turnkey home theater packages, has appointed two new hires to support and manage RAYVA’s sales teams. Pat Bell, RAYVA’s new Eastern regional sales manager, joins RAYVA with 30 years of experience in sales, system design, installation and programming in the AV industry, including the past six years as owner of The Audio Video Architect, a technology integration company working directly with architects, builders, designers, and consumers. Dean Wall, Western regional sales manager, RAYVADean Wall comes to RAYVA from Clare Controls, where he served as the regional sales director covering the Southwest U.S. In his new role as RAYVA’s Western regional sales manager, Wall will spearhead and manage sales initiatives and provide ongoing support to develop strong relationships with builders in the region. Wall launched his career in the AV industry 24 years ago as a field technician, learning what it takes to build relationships and exceed customer expectations. “RAYVA provides a simple, yet elegant concept in dedicated home theater, with a leadership team that’s second to none,” Wall said. “Couple that with the company’s core principles of humility, humanity, and integrity and being a part of this team is something I simply couldn’t pass up!” Bell agrees. “I was immediately attracted to the groundbreaking concept, the simplified process they offer to bring home theaters into more homes, and, of course, the quality of the people,” he said. “I’m simply blown away to be part of RAYVA!” The RAYVA executives are thrilled to bring these industry veterans onboard to help promote the RAYVA concept. “I have known Pat for nearly 20 years as an integrator and have always had an appreciation for not only his technical expertise but his strong people skills,” says Jeff Zemanek, RAYVA vice president of sales. “It’s not common to find both these attributes in one individual. I’m so excited to have Pat on the RAYVA team.” Equally pleased with the appointment of Wall, Zemanek added, “I met Dean about two years ago and immediately wanted to work with him. I love his organizational skills and attention to detail. His friendly demeanor and strong sales background help round out the RAYVA sales team.” Both new regional sales managers will report to Zemanek as the team organizes builder outreach initiatives and continues growing the RAYVA dealer network with highly qualified, CEDIA-certified installers through a partnership with the Azione Unlimited buying group.


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LOS ANGELES – Verizon Digital Media Services today announced the availability of its Live Streaming Solution, designed to remove the complexity and high costs for broadcasters, venues and event producers when streaming live content at scale. The launch of the Live Streaming Solution coincides with key enhancements to the Verizon Digital Media Services platform, including workflow enhancements in the Uplynk Video Streaming service, enhanced monitoring tools in Network Operations Centers in Los Angeles, California and Ashburn, Virginia, and the availability of a managed services team for day-of-show support.
“Many of the leading media and entertainment brands trust us to deliver hundreds of simultaneous, high-profile, live events on any given day,” said Ralf Jacob, president of Verizon Digital Media Services. “The key learnings derived from years of experience with the largest live streaming events are driving the improvements and offerings that we’re announcing today.”
Key features of the new Live Streaming Solution include:
“We offer a wide array of services for managing live events,” said Peter Gallagher, chief customer officer at Verizon Digital Media Services. “We have a full suite of self-service tools for customers that want to manage everything themselves, and for those customers with a large number of live events, we have an outsourced master control function that can interact directly with the venue.”
Already in use by major broadcaster customers, the Live Streaming Solution has powered thousands of live events this year ranging from small audiences to over a million concurrent viewers. Representatives from Verizon Digital Media Services will provide demonstrations of the Live Streaming Solution at the IBC convention in Amsterdam (Stand 14.C17) from Sept. 9–13. For more information on Verizon Digital Media Services’ platform, visit: www.verizon.com/news/. The news releases are available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.


text:
You Searched For "Air cargo"
16 Nov 2022 4:30 AM GMT
First freighter flight between Delhi & Mumbai to carry more than 20 tonnes on each leg
14 Nov 2022 12:33 PM GMT
Grade A warehouse absorption rose from 34 mn sq. ft. in 2018 to 48.5 mn sq ft in 2021 at a CAGR of 12.6%, supply up from 37.8 mn sq. ft. to 51 mn sq....
3 Nov 2022 8:30 AM GMT
Flower Logistics Africa (FLA) and Perishable Logistics Africa (PLA) are to be held on 23 and 24 November
27 Oct 2022 7:07 AM GMT
The new Integrated Cargo Management System(ICMS) is powered by IBS Software’s iCargo platform
11 Oct 2022 8:57 AM GMT
Qatar Airways Cargo has chosen to publish its capacity on CargoAi, significantly augmenting the platform’s Middle-Eastern presence and global network...
8 Sep 2022 8:04 AM GMT
Airlines in the region continue to be impacted by the conflict in Ukraine, labor shortages, and lower levels of trade and manufacturing activity due...
29 Aug 2022 11:59 AM GMT
With the launch of Next Generation, Qatar Airways Cargo is defining the future air cargo industry. Alongside digital enhancements, new products, a new...
6 July 2022 4:37 PM GMT
Pradhaan Air Express to begin commercial operation this year with world's first A320 converted freighter.
21 Jun 2022 1:03 PM GMT
To assure the safety of various items delivered by air, comprehensive standards that are widely applied are required
17 Feb 2022 12:51 PM GMT
Digitization of paper airway AWBs as of summer flight schedule continues to drive the digital transformation of the air cargo industry
1 Feb 2022 2:21 PM GMT
New York Stock Exchange-listed UPS reported a 15 percent increase in full year revenue to $97.3 billion. While operating profit was $12.8 billion,...
29 Jan 2022 7:15 AM GMT
Blue Dart reported a 29 percent increase in consolidated net profit at ₹123 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2022, compared to the...


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Amazon.com Inc. is dropping the price on its Kindle e-reader, but the change comes with a trade-off: On-screen ads, reports the Associated Press. The online retailer was set to announce Tuesday that the new Kindle with Special Offers will cost $114–$25 less than the currently lowest-priced Kindle–and include advertisements on the bottom of the device’s home page and on its screen savers. Seattle-based Amazon will start shipping the newest Kindle on May 3, and it will also be sold in Target and Best Buy stores on that date……Read More
The federal government will help schools and colleges using eReaders such as the Amazon Kindle to comply with laws giving students with disabilities equal access to emerging education technologies, officials announced.
The Departments of Education and Justice stressed the responsibility of colleges and universities to use accessible eReaders in a letter published June 29, after more than a year of complaints from low-sighted and blind students attending colleges that have piloted eReader programs.
Many eReaders have a text-to-speech function that reads words aloud, but the devices lack menus that people who are blind or have low vision can navigate.…Read More
There are more than 20 million college students in America, and more than 50 percent will not graduate. The No. 1 reason contributing to student dropout rates is a lack of engagement. The billion-dollar question for our education system is: How do we motivate and stimulate students to take a more proactive role in their academic success?
An obvious starting point might be the environments in which we know today’s students are currently engaged, all day, every day—social networks. To date, a significant chasm has existed between students’ interactive, stimulating experiences with social media and the reality of their “low-tech” classrooms.
Of course, there are exceptions, but on the whole, the education system isn’t yet capitalizing on the social networking and Web 2.0 tools that keep today’s digital natives motivated. It’s time to unleash that potential.…Read More
With the impending arrival of digital books on the Apple iPad and feverish negotiations with Amazon.com over e-book prices, publishers have managed to take some control–at least temporarily–of how much consumers pay for their content, reports the New York Times. Now, as publishers enter discussions with the Web giant Google about its plan to sell digital versions of new books direct to consumers, they have a little more leverage than just a few weeks ago–at least when it comes to determining how Google will pay publishers for those e-books and how much consumers will pay for them.
Google has been talking about entering the direct eBook market, through a program it calls Google Editions, for nearly a year. But in early discussions with publishers, Google had proposed giving them a 63 percent cut of the suggested retail price, and allowing consumers to print copies of the digital books and cut and paste segments. After Apple unveiled the iPad last month, publishers indicated that Apple would give them 70 percent of the consumer price, which publishers would set.
According to several publishers who have been talking to Google, the book companies had balked at what they saw as Google’s less generous terms, and basically viewed printing and cut-and-paste as deal breakers……Read More
Barnes & Noble, the country’s largest book-selling chain, said that its Nook electronic reading device would be available for purchase in its stores starting Wednesday, reports The New York Times.
The Nook, which has been selling through Barnes & Noble’s Web site since late November, has only been seen in demonstration form in bookstores. Analysts had originally said that one of Barnes & Noble’s competitive advantages against Amazon.com’s Kindle device was that the bookstore had physical outlets through which it could sell the Nook.
Barnes & Noble sold out of its initial supply of Nooks before the holiday season, citing higher than expected demand.…Read More


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GDPR is not enough to win back customer trust
When it comes to building new services, industry experts believe there should be a collective responsibility for data security
Digital leaders continue to develop innovative services that make use of customer data. Those services can create significant benefits for consumers, yet research suggests the general public remains unconvinced about the ability of enterprises to treat their information with care.
While regulation and technology provide a means to help build trust, businesses must do more to ensure customers are comfortable with the exploitation of their data for the development of new services.
Detective superintendent Andrew Gould, who is the National Cybercrime Programme lead at the National Police Chiefs' Council, says technology companies often push tools with high capability into the marketplace without taking commensurate responsibility for security and encryption. The end result is that too many IT firms - and the businesses who use these products - are too reliant on consumers acting in a secure manner.
"If we're relying on consumers to educate themselves, I think we're giving industry a free path - and that's not right," says Gould, who joined an expert panel on digital risk at a recent security event run by RSA Security in central London. Gould, who has worked in both counterterrorism and organised crime, says IT industry and business leaders must take more responsibility for data integrity.
"We must all think about how technology can be used and abused," he says. "When a company is developing an Internet of Things product to help network a house or adjust lights in a smart city, they can create fantastic social benefits, but these organisations aren't necessarily thinking about how people with malicious intent will try and use these tools and the information they produce."
Companies blamed above all others
The event in London coincided with the launch of a global survey by RSA Security and YouGov. The research, which surveyed more than 6,000 adults across France, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States, suggests there is a growing disconnect between how companies exploit client data and how consumers expect their information to be used.
Less than half (48%) of consumers believe there are ethical ways companies can use their data. As many as 57% of consumers, meanwhile, blame companies above anyone else, even a hacker, in the event of a data incident. The research suggests a consumer backlash in response to high-profile data breaches and a consequential loss of trust.
Neira Jones, partner at cross-sector advisory specialist Global Cyber Alliance, recognises the concerns around trust and says success in terms of combating fraud should come down to rules and regulations. The recently enacted General Data Protection Regulation creates a new set of obligations for vendors and businesses. However, Jones questions the extent to which rules have been effective so far, both nationally and globally.
"Regulators will always be behind the times - not because they want to be but because that's the nature of the beast," she says. "It often takes years for regulation to come to fruition. In the meantime, there's a collective responsibility - for individuals and organisations - to understand what is happening and what it means when our world becomes increasingly digitised. Because that digitisation is not going to stop."
Privacy before personalisation
Jones is keen to see much more focus placed on the context for data collection. The RSA survey results highlight how consumers do not want personalised services at the expense of data privacy. Just 17% of survey respondents view tailored advertisements as ethical, and only 24% believe personalisation to create tailored newsfeeds is ethical.
"We have to move towards context and attribute in regard to the activity being undertaken - the whole movement shouldn't be about looking backwards and collecting masses of data, but moving forwards and using the insight for something good," says Jones. "We need to use the layers of technology to help understand context, such as how using payment data represents more of a risk to an individual than reading a news item."
Andy Kravitz, head of fraud systems and controls at Lloyds Banking Group, also believes business leaders need to start taking more responsibility for data privacy. Kravitz says he and his IT leadership peers in the banking industry are investing significantly in technology and are creating strong controls in terms of card fraud. But there is no room for complacency.
"Fraudsters are always moving on and they're looking for the weakest link in the chain," says Kravitz. "These days, that often means not attacking banks directly but instead trying to get hold of card information through a data breach. That might mean going to the customer and using social engineering tactics to get them to pass over their details or move their money."
Kravitz says organisations cannot afford to take the level of consumer awareness regarding data use for granted. Consumers often make assumptions around the high level of information integration between organisations, and it's these assumptions that create expectations around service levels and challenges for enterprise IT managers, says Kravitz.
"For example, consumers will book a flight on their credit card and assume - because we as a firm know about this booking - that we also know all the data associated to their travel plans," he says. "Yet as a bank, all we actually know is that you've booked a flight - we don't know when you're flying and where to. So, data often builds an expectation around access and trust that goes far beyond the information we've actually got."
Kravitz suggests the only sensible course of action is for firms like his own to think much more carefully about how they exploit information. "At Lloyds, we talk a lot about data privacy - how we protect it and how we constrain how data is used. If I'm trying to protect the customer, how much can I use data to make the right decisions, whether that's about stopping fraudsters or giving our customers a seamless experience?" he asks.
"I want to support the clever and interesting use of data to do these things, but I must also think about how to do that securely and ethically. As a digital leader, you have to think about how much data you and your team can you use on behalf of the customer. So, you need to think about how many factors you should use in combination to create the best experience for the customer and where, as a business, you should draw the line."
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MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio — Students and staff from Berea City Schools helped members of the local community by hosting a food drive on Wednesday.
"The stores are really empty right now, so it's hard to get what you need," said Jillian Shelton. "It's scary, having two kids. It's just hard. I lost both my jobs."
Shelton, a substitute teacher and server, took advantage of the district's food drive.
"Thank you guys so much, you are a blessing," said Shelton.
In just a few short days, the community dropped off enough food to hand out more than 600 bags filled with things like cereal, peanut butter and cleaning supplies.
"It was just unbelievable the amount of people that donated," said Anthony Comer, a Berea Midpark High School student.
Comer, a junior, volunteered to sort and distribute the donations.
"I feel like their lives are very effected by this. They are very appreciative of what we're doing here. Just to know I'm making a difference in someone's life means the world to me," said Comer.
While their mission was helping fill an unexpected void during this pandemic, the volunteers were also very aware of the need for having a little fun.
"Their positivity -- they're making everyone jump around. It's just awesome. I just want to thank God for them," said Amanda Gutwirth.
While communities continue to band together to weather these unprecedented times, Comer has a message for us all.
"With everything going on in this world, as long as we pull together, we can conquer anything. That's what I see in this."
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
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Apple now requires a court order to hand over customer push notifications to law enforcement, plugging a privacy hole and aligning its policy with Google's. It hasn't announced the change, but Reuters reports that it "appeared sometime over the past few days" on Apple's posted guidelines for officials wanting the data.
These are the audible "dings" or visual indicators users get when they receive an email or their sports team wins a game. What users often do not realize is that almost all such notifications travel over Google and Apple's servers.
In a letter first disclosed by Reuters last week, [Oregon Senator Ron] Wyden said the practice gave the two companies unique insight into traffic flowing from those apps to users, putting them "in a unique position to facilitate government surveillance of how users are using particular apps."
Apple is "doing the right thing," added the only good Ron in either house of the U.S. Congress or any of its Governors' mansions.


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Texas has a long, dubious history of allowing antiquated laws to stay on its books. For example, in 1973 the legislature passed a law that made homosexual behavior a misdemeanor offense. That same group passed a law making possession of more than six dildos a possible felony offense. (What was going on in 1973?)
Some blue laws, laws based on bizarre moral codes that date back to puritan colonies in the 17th century, still linger. But proposed legislation by State Rep. Thompson Senfronia, a Democrat from Houston, hopes to drag Texas into the 18th century. House Bill 421would allow liquor stores in Texas to be open for business on Sunday.
Senfronia believes letting liquor stores stay open on Sunday could increase state revenue by up to $8 million.
Predictably, the law has its critics. This story quotes a crotchety old man who believes that the law would promote drinking, if passed. The change in law would also effect liquor store employees, who have long enjoyed having Sundays off.
Local drunks could not be contacted for this story, as they are still asleep.
Just for fun, here are some other wacky laws via Dumb Laws.com:
– One must acknowledge a supreme being before being able to hold public office.
– When two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed until the other has gone.
– It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
– The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
– It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.


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CARSON, Calif.When given a choice, many women would prefer to visit their dentist than an auto repair shop.
About 83 percent of consumers continue to feel overcharged in the auto repair process, down slightly from the 2012 survey by AutoMD Inc. through its www.automd.com website. Respondents ranked the experience of going to the repair shop/dealership to get their car repaired on a par with going to the dentistwith women preferring the dentist, according to the company's recent consumer survey.
Women have a more negative view of the auto service center experience than men do, the survey found, but both genders said a more transparent process would improve the experience.
Survey respondents said not knowing what a repair should cost is the biggest challenge. They want apples-to-apples repair job quotes. Oftentimes consumers are empowering themselves by going online to research pricing and to look at consumer reviews before going to a repair shop, according to AutoMD.com, a subsidiary of U.S. Auto Parts Network Inc., which provides comparative quotes on repair jobs from local repair shops, local repair shop listings and troubleshooting information.
We know that there are excellent repair shops and service centers in every city in the U.S., but, as this study shows, a persistent perception problem plagues the industry: Consumers simply don't trust that they are paying an appropriate price for a repair and their view of the whole experience is, generally, not a positive one, said Brian Hafer, AutoMD's vice president of marketing.
Nearly all of the respondents said having a good mechanic was a must have or important when choosing a repair shop, followed closely by fair pricing. About half of them said a convenient location was important. Shuttle service ranked low in importance, with about 56 percent of respondents saying they either didn't care about the service or it was not important.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they have looked at customer reviews before going to a repair shop/service center, with women considerably more likely to do so than men73 percent vs. 64 percent, the report said.
More than 75 percent of respondents said they had gone online to research what the price of a repair job should be, with men only slightly more likely to do so than women. Overwhelmingly, consumers say that websites offering actual quotes for an actual job from an actual repair shop are of far higher value than websites offering just a general repair price range, according to AutoMD.com.
The survey was conducted online among more than 2,400 car owners between March 27 and April 30.


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…and who could blame them for walking away?
Greenlight Capital had bought into Yahoo ($YHOO) recently, to much media fanfare. Shortly after, the theft of the Alibaba subsidiary was made public and the smart money said “no thanks” to the whole clusterf*ck.
Here’s David Einhorn in Greenlight Capital‘s just-released Q2 Client Letter:
The Partnerships bought Yahoo! (YHOO) earlier this year based on a sum of the parts analysis, which included putting substantial value on its Chinese assets. Shortly after the purchase, the value of the Chinese assets came into doubt as the CEO of the Chinese unit hived-off a valuable subsidiary into a corporation that he personally controls. From there, the finger pointing started going in every direction. This wasn’t what we signed up for. We exited with a modest loss.