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In this week's paper, we questioned how Alta Bicycle Share could be so sanguine about rolling out programs in Portland, Seattle and elsewhere after its main supplier, Montreal-based Public Bike System Company (also called Bixi), filed for bankruptcy. The company just offered up its answer in a press release.
Alta has announced it's teaming up with 8D Technologies, a company that originally provided software for PBSC bike share docking stations, but has since sued the company. Alta and 8D "will be working together to launch and operate the next generation of bike share in 2014," the release says.
The companies say they'll roll out an improved bike share system, which they're calling BSSv4.
The new system has a sleek design, merges the electronics boards and screens, and has an improved docking mechanism linking the bikes to the stations. Other BSSv$ system enhancements include:
•Key distribution from the kiosk
•Account management and bike reservations through a new mobile application
•Enhanced power management solutions
•Improved docking/undocking mechanism
Based on Alta's previous statements, it seems likely the new system will use the same tank-like bikes Alta's deployed in other markets. Vice President Mia Birk has said the company has kept in contact with the manufacturer of those machines, DeVinci. But it's unclear just how long the partnership between Alta and 8D has been in the works.
Birk hasn't returned a call for comment yet.
Update, 1 pm: According to Alta spokeswoman Leslie Carlson, the agreement is very new—hammered out in the days since Bixi delared bankruptcy January 20. That means a lot is still up in the air, including where Alta will get the bikes for new systems.
"They are talking to a number of suppliers, including DeVinci," Carlson said.
Exactly what the new arrangement means for Portland is unclear. Birk in recent days has voiced optimism that we'll have a system up and running this year, as planned. But officials haven't yet reached a deal with a sponsor to fund the endeavor, though they're reportedly close.
"Ultimately, we are confident that this will be a positive result for Portland," Birk said after the Bixi bankruptcy was announced. "Our 2014 system will launch as planned."
Update, 2:49 pm: Any lingering hopes that the system would be launched this spring—as formerly announced—seem out of the question. According to 8D President and CEO Isabelle Bettez, the company is working on finalizing the system, which it's been developing since 2012.
'We're ready for this summer," Bettez tells the Mercury.
While final arrangements are being hammered out, Battez says the cost of 8D's new system should be comparable to Bixi's—if not less expensive.
"It will be competitive," she says. "It has to be."
The messy split with 8D contributed a great deal to Bixi's present difficulties. That's because the proprietary software Bixi developed was notoriously buggy, causing delays and difficulties in systems in New York and Chicago and costing the company millions. Systems run on the 8D software in Washington and Boston operated with far less difficulty.
"They probably went live too quickly" with the new software, according to Raymond Massi, a partner at the Canadian financial services firm Richter, which is handling the bankruptcy for Bixi. "There's tons of reasons why we got to where we got to."


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The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox is coming completely redesigned. This compact crossover is in production for about 13 years and now we are going to see the third generation of it. The original model came in 2004, while the current model is present since 2010. After seven years of production, we will see a complete overhaul. The new model will come with plenty of changes. We will see a completely new crossover, riding on a new platform, with completely new styling. Beside more attractive look, it will also feature a completely new interior design, full of latest technologies. Finally, the company will introduce a completely new lineup of efficient engines. The new 2018 Equinox will come very soon, in next few months.
2018 Chevrolet Equinox redesign
The company has prepared a completely new version of this compact crossover. The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox will come with plenty of changes. First of all, it will get a new platform, which will bring plenty of benefits, such as weight reduction and much better overall driving experience. There is also a completely new look, which is pretty amazing. The styling is inspired by the brand’s latest design language, which includes sharper lines and more muscular overall shape. When it comes to the interior design, 2018 Chevrolet Equinox will also come with plenty of changes. We will see a completely new design of the cabin. There won’t be just new styling, but also better-quality materials, more hi-tech features etc. Also, we will see some new safety features, such as surround-view camera, forward collision warning, low-speed automatic braking etc. The new model will continue with familiar trims – L, LS, LT, and Premier.
2018 Chevrolet Equinox engines
When it comes to powertrain, we will see plenty of new things on 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. We will see a completely new lineup, which will include also a diesel engine in the offer. The base model will feature a new 1.5-liter unit, which is good for about 170 horses. The optional gasoline engine will be a 2.0-liter unit, which is good for about 250 horsepower. The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox will probably be the only model in class that will feature a diesel unit on the North American market. It is a 1.6-liter unit, which is good for about 135 horses.
2018 Chevrolet Equinox release date and price
The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox will come in next few months. The base model should go around 24.000 dollars.

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This year's Adobe Max 2022 went big on 3D design and mixed-reality headsets, but the AI-generated elephant in the room was the rise of text-to-image generators like Dall-E. How is Adobe planning to respond to these revolutionary tools? Slowly and cautiously, according to the keynote – but a significant feature buried in the new version of Photoshop shows the process has already started.
Towards the end of the release notes for the latest Photoshop v24.0 is a beta feature called 'Backdrop neural filter'. What does this do? Like Dall-E and Midjourney, it lets you "create a unique backdrop based on a description". You just type in a backdrop, select 'Create', and pick your favorite result.
This is a long way from being Adobe's Dall-E rival, though. It's only available in Photoshop Beta, a test-bed that's separate from the main app, and you're currently restricted to typing in colors to produce different photo backdrops, rather than bizarre concoctions from the darkest corners of your imagination.
But the 'Backdrop neural filter' is clear evidence that Adobe is, however cautiously, dipping its toes further into AI image generation. And its keynote speech at Adobe Max shows that it thinks this frictionless method of creating visual imagery is undoubtedly the future of Photoshop and Lightroom – once it's sorted out the small matter of copyright issues and ethical standards.
Adobe didn't really mention the arrival of the 'Backdrop neural filter' at Adobe Max 2022, but it did lay out where the technology will ultimately end up.
David Wadhwani, Adobe's President of Digital Media Business, effectively said that the company has all the same technology as Dall-E, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney; it's just chosen not to apply it in its apps yet. "Over the last few years, we've been investing more and more in Adobe Sensei, our AI engine. I like to refer to as Sensei as your creative co-pilot," Wadhwani said.
"We're working on new capabilities that can take our core flagship applications to whole new levels. Imagine being able to ask your creative co-pilot in Photoshop to add an object to the scene simply by describing what you want, or asking your co-pilot to give you an alternative idea based on what you've already built. It's like magic," he added. It certainly goes a few steps further than Photoshop's Sky Replacement tool.
He said this while standing in front of a mocked-up version of what Photoshop would look like with Dall-E powers (above). The message was clear – Adobe could do text-to-image generation on this scale right now, it's just chosen not to.
But it was Wadhwani's Lightroom example that showed how this kind of technology could be more sensibly integrated into Adobe's creative apps.
"Imagine if you could combine 'gen-tech' with Lightroom. So you can ask Sensei to transform night into day, a sunny photograph into a beautiful sunset. Move shadows or change the weather. This is all possible today with the latest advances in generative technology," he explained, with an unsubtle nod to Adobe's new rivals.
So why hold back while others steal your AI-generated fries? The official reason, and one that certainly has some merit, is that Adobe has a responsibility to make sure this new power isn't wielded recklessly.
"For those of you not familiar with generative AI, it can conjure up an image simply from a text description. And we're really excited about what this can do for all of you but we also want to do this thoughtfully," Wadhwani explained. "We want to do this in a way that protects empowers and champions the needs of creators."
What does this mean in practice? While it's still a little vague, Adobe will moving slower and more carefully than the likes of Dall-E. "Here's our commitment to you," Wadhwani told the Adobe Max audience. "We're approaching generative technology from a creator-centric perspective. We believe AI should enhance human creativity, not replace it, and it should benefit creators not replace them."
This goes some way to explaining why Adobe has, so far, only gone as far as Photoshop's 'Backdrop neural filter'. But that's also only part of the story.
The long game
Despite being the giant incumbent of creative apps, Adobe is undoubtedly still very innovative – just check out some of the projects in Adobe Labs, particularly the ones that can turn real-world objects into 3D digital assets.
But Adobe is also susceptible to being blindsided by fast-moving rivals. The likes of Photoshop and Lightroom have been built as desktop-first tools, which means Canva has stolen a march on it for user-friendly, cloud-based design tools. This is why Adobe splurged $20bn on Figma last month, a figure that's more than Facebook paid for WhatsApp in 2014.
Is the same thing happening with the likes of Dall-E and Midjourney? Quite possibly, as Microsoft has just announced that Dall-E 2 will be integrated into its new Designer graphic design app (above), which is part of its 365 productivity suite. AI image generators are flying towards the mainstream, in spite of Adobe's misgivings about the speed at which this is happening.
And yet Adobe does also have a point about the ethical issues surrounding this fascinating new technology. There's a considerable copyright cloud growing over the rise of AI image generation – and it's understandable that one of the founders of the Content Authenticity Initiative (ICA), which is designed to tackle deepfakes and other manipulated content, might balk at going all-out on generative AI.
Still, Adobe Max 2022 and the arrival of the 'Backdrop neural filter' show that AI image generation is undoubtedly going to be a big part of Photoshop, Lightroom and photo editing in general – it just might take a while longer to appear in your favorite Adobe app.


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Providers of pre-paid funeral plans are using high pressure sales tactics to encourage over 50s to buy their policies, according to a new report.
These plans allow people to effectively purchase their funeral before they die, providing the peace of mind that expenses, including burial or cremation costs, funeral directors’ and ministers’ fees, will be covered when the time comes.
However, new report “Is the prepaid funeral market working well for consumers?”, which was put together by independent consumer group Fairer Finance in partnership with Dignity Funerals, found that a lack of regulation, underhand sales practices and a lack of consumer understanding were conspiring to brew a “perfect storm”.
Plus, despite 75% of consumers believing their plans are covered by regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the plans – which feel like a financial services product – are not regulated.
As such there are less controls on the way products are sold and less protection for consumers if they feel they have been mis-sold.
Prepaid funeral plans are widely considered to be a useful way to plan for funeral costs and in the 10 years to 2016 sales have grown by close to five times, with some 1.2 million consumers now owning a plan.
The report attributes the massive growth in the market to high pressure sales tactics. It found that half of over 50s have been contacted by a provider of funeral plans and of those, 49% had been re-contacted by the same firm two or more times, 46% said they felt pressured to buy, and 63% said the additional communication was unhelpful.
More worrying still, is that it emerged that buyers often didn’t understand the product they were buying – with confusion surrounding what was and was not covered. In particular, there was concern around ‘contribution’ style plans, which only fully cover the funeral director’s fees, paying only a contribution towards other expenses, such as a cremation.
Only guarantee style plans promise to cover a range of specific costs.
The report also questioned the safety of policyholders’ money and revealed that there is no safety net if the provider was to become insolvent.
‘A growing number of customers are likely to be let down’
Commenting on the findings, James Daley, founder of Fairer Finance says: “Funerals have become ever more expensive over the past decade, and pre-paid plans can be a great way of locking in today’s prices, whilst also ensuring your family isn’t left with this significant financial burden after you’re gone. Although there are some reputable providers working in the interests of consumers, the sector has rapidly expanded over the last few years, with our research revealing a worrying number of conduct issues and lack of consumer protection.
"The combination of a fast-growing market fuelled by high pressure sales to a potentially vulnerable customer base is creating a perfect storm. A growing number of customers are likely to be let down when their plan is claimed on – with some funeral plan providers passing on significant extra costs to the families. And there is a concern that client money is not always being adequately looked after. Without intervention, we may yet see a Farepak-style collapse in this market, which leaves thousands of customers out of pocket.”
Thanks for your comment. There are quality providers out there so there is not automatic
cause for alarm. Your best option is to dig out the paperwork you received when you took
out your plan or if you dont have it contact the company who sold it to you. This
should tell you what you are and are not covered for.


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Sony PlayStation Network users, including more than 1 million in Canada, should cancel their credit cards to avoid having their credit information compromised, a leading Internet security expert warns.
“The implications of the hack are only now becoming clear,” Graham Cluley said Wednesday on his Sophos.com site.
“If I lost my credit card in the back of a taxi, I would cancel my card. If Sony has lost your credit card details, then it’s worse.”
“This security breach is not just a public relations disaster for Sony, it’s a very real danger for its many users,” Cluley said.
“This is like hacking the Pentagon,” Canadian gaming expert Shaun Conlin told the Star. “The losses are going to be in the billions.”
Developers, users and game publishers will all be seeking compensation, he said.
Sony Corp. admitted Tuesday afternoon it couldn’t rule out the possibility the credit card information of its 77 million users had been compromised.
Sony’s days-long delay before explaining the scope of the hacker attack infuriated users and raised questions about the company’s public relations skills.
“Sony has never been very good at being frank,” said Conlin. “They probably thought they had it under control.”
Still, he said, “it’s not like they’re couching the truth.”
As message boards exploded in anger and mystification, Sony communications director Patrick Seybold tried to explain the delays.
“There’s a difference in timing between when we identified there was an intrusion and when we learned of consumers’ data being compromised,” he posted in the PlayStation blog.
“We learned there was an intrusion April 19th and subsequently shut the services down.”
After several days of forensic analysis, he said, “it took our experts until (Monday) to understand the scope of the breach. We announced it publicly (Tuesday) afternoon.
“We have a clear path to have PlayStation Network and Qriocity systems back online, and expect to restore some services within a week,” Seybold said.
Hackers have been able to glean users’ names, addresses, email addresses, dates of birth, password, login and online identification.
PlayStation advised its U.S. customers how and where to get a free credit report and how to register a “fraud alert” on their cards.
PlayStation Canada spokeswoman Ashley Beaulac said Wednesday morning Canadian users would be advised on credit reports shortly.
She did say more than 70 per cent of PlayStation 3 users connect to the PlayStation Network.
Credit card numbers are small change in the international hacking world, Wall Street Journal tech reporter Ben Rooney reported.
“Credit card numbers on their own currently trade for as little as 5 cents to 12 cents on the black market, but complete data allow highly targeted attacks against individuals? This sort of data commands much higher prices.”
Security expert Cluley explained that the Sony data trove could be used to:
• break into your other online accounts, because people use the same passwords;
• email you scams and malware attacks; and
• hit you in the wallet, if credit card details are stolen.
People in 59 nations use the PlayStation network. Of the 77 million user accounts, about 36 million are in North and South America, including more than 1 million in Canada. Another 32 million are in Europe and 9 million in Asia, mostly in Japan.
“There is going to be a natural distrust of Sony for this system’s lifecyle,” said Conlin. “This is the only system that has been hacked so thoroughly, so it is going to tarnish the Sony name, for sure.”
If the intruder successfully stole credit card data, the heist would rank among the biggest known thefts of financial data, Associated Press reported.
Recent major hacks included some 130 million card numbers stolen from payment processor Heartland Payment Systems. As many as 100 million accounts were lifted in a break-in at TJX Cos., the chain that owns discount retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, and some 4.2 million card numbers were stolen from East Coast grocery chain Hannaford Bros. Those attacks allegedly involved a single person: Albert Gonzalez, a Miami hacker who was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison for the attacks.
The Ponemon Institute, a data-security research firm, estimated that the cost of a data breach involving a malicious or criminal act averaged $318 per compromised record in 2010, up 48 per cent from the year earlier.


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In this episode of PSDtv Active-Semi describes their latest motor and motion-conrol technology at embedded world 2015 for Power Systems Design. Active-Semi offers complete
The Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) Nanotechnology Committee is sponsoring an Industry Session at APEC 2015 titled, “Nanotechnology — State and Federal Activities.” The session will take place on March 18, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:10 a.m., at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte,
ON Semiconductor, driving energy efficient innovations, has successfully demonstrated its second generation Phase Detect Auto Focus (PDAF) technology featuring a unique pixel micro-lens technology that enables fast focus at 25 Lux light levels. This unique technology has been successfully implemented on a 13
Dresser-Rand, a supplier of environmentally friendly technology platforms in power generation for the oil and gas, industrial, institutional, and commercial industries, will introduce a variety of custom energy systems at the POWER-GEN Russia and HydroVision Russia Exhibition 2015 that are designed to help meet
The three solutions offered by Lattice address both Cable Detect (CD) and Power Delivery (PD) functions
Lattice Semiconductor, a leader in ultra-low power, small form factor, customizable solutions, announced three new, freely-downloadable reference designs that enable designers working in consumer, industrial and other sectors to quickly implement the cable detect and power delivery functions required to unlock
Silicon Labs, a leading provider of microcontroller, wireless connectivity, analog and sensor solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), introduced the next generation of Simplicity Studio, the industry’s first integrated MCU/wireless development environment enabling concurrent MCU and RF design for a wide
In this episode of PSDtv HCC Embedded's CEO Dave Hughes explains their fail-safe power managment memory technology for Power Systems Design at embedded world 2015. The demo
Siemens and Electro-Matic Products will host the Manufacturing in America Symposium at Ford Field in Detroit. The two day event, being held March 11-12, will bring together manufacturing and automotive industry executives, technology leaders, educators and students to explore technologies and best practices
Freescale Semiconductor introduced an analog dual-path battery charger for wearable and portable Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The single-cell, Li-Ion and Li-Polymer BC3770 charger is fully programmable, features a small form factor and supports fast charging for portable embedded systems, such as those
ON Semiconductor will demonstrate new innovative solutions at embedded world 2015
ON Semiconductor, driving energy efficiency innovations, will demonstrate new innovative solutions for embedded systems at the Embedded World Conference 2015 from Feb. 24-26 in Nuremberg, Germany.
ON Semiconductor will demonstrate the new AR0230CS
Microchip Technology, a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions, announced from the Embedded World conference in Germany a new family of 8-bit PIC Microcontrollers (MCUs) with the PIC16(L)F1769 family. This family is the first PIC MCU to offer up to two independent closed
Infiniium V-Series oscilloscope
Keysight Technologies introduced the Infiniium V-Series oscilloscopes, which provide superior measurement accuracy, enhanced analysis tools and advanced probing systems. With models that range from 8 GHz to 33 GHz, the V-Series enables circuit designers and engineers to make rapid progress from first silicon
Qnovo, a supplier of innovative mobile fast charging solutions, announced a new approach to reducing mobile device battery-related returns. Qnovo Analytics (QNA) continuously monitors battery health and provides diagnostics to quickly resolve consumer battery issues.
Mobile consumers cite battery
Maxim Integrated Products is demonstrating highly-integrated analog solutions for embedded applications at the Embedded World 2015 Exhibition and Conference in Nuremberg, Germany (February 24–26, 2015). Organized in three demo areas for Industrial Power, Industrial Interface, and Signal Chain, Maxim’s solutions
Lynx Software Technologies, a leader in real-time security technologies, announced that both its LynxOS 7.0 RTOS and its LynxSecure separation kernel hypervisor are moving to new ARM-based processors. The development allows the military-grade security offered by these products to be applied to the protection
AVX, a leading manufacturer of passive components and interconnect solutions, has been invited to present three technical presentations and chair a conference session at the 19th annual Components for Military & Space Electronics Conference & Exhibition (CMSE 2015), which will take place March 2–4,
The photovoltaic power plant Sakura with 2.3 MWp
IBC SOLAR, a leader in photovoltaic (PV) systems, will be attending the PV EXPO 2015, Japan’s largest international exhibition for the PV industry. From February 25 to 27, the German solar expert presents its services at a joint booth (E27-5) with the Japanese company Yokohama Kankyo Design (YKD). Besides,
The PCIM Asia 2015 international exhibition and conference for power electronics, intelligent motion, renewable energy and energy management will take place from 24 – 26 June in Shanghai. The focus is on power electronic components and systems and the special requirements for applications in China and Asia.
In this episode of PSDtv Research conducted by the element14 Community, an online community of more than 300,000 electronics engineers, has revealed high consumer interest worldwide in the Internet of Things (IoT) and a huge potential value to developing economies.
The study, conducted as part of
On February 21, hundreds of Colorado high school students will be racking their brains to quickly find answers to rapid-fire questions at the 25th Colorado High School Science Bowl from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Dakota Ridge High School, 13399 W. Coal Mine Ave., Littleton. Forty-eight teams from around the state
QHHD019A0B isolated DC-DC converter
GE’s Critical Power business has expanded its Hammerhead series of DC-DC modules with the 228-watt (W) quarter-brick QHHD019A0B isolated DC-DC converters. The low-height modules provide a single, precisely regulated output voltage over an ultra-wide input voltage range of 18-75 volts DC. The new DC-DC converters
The Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) Semiconductor Committee is sponsoring an Industry Session at APEC 2015 titled, “Latest Advances in Power Semiconductors, a Less Biased Discussion.” The APEC session will take place onTuesday, March 17, 2015, from 8:30 a.m.-11:55 a.m. at the Charlotte Convention
Mouser Electronics, a leading authorized distributor with the latest semiconductors and electronic components, announced that for the third year in a row the company is proud to sponsor Texas Instruments’ Innovation Challenge European Design Contest, which is designed to encourage engineering students to submit
Lattice Semiconductor, a leader in ultra-low power, small form factor, customizable solutions, announced that it will be unveiling new programmable industrial automation solutions focused on vision, video and display and real-world industrial bridging and interface solutions.
Embedded World runs February
QUANT F four-seater e-sports saloon with nanoFlowcell drive technology
nanoFlowcell, maker of the QUANT F, will have its world premiere at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show on 3 March 2015. The four-seater e-sports saloon with nanoFlowcell drive technology is a further development of the QUANT E from 2014, the first automobile with flow cell drive to be approved by the German
Come visit TE Connectivity (TE) at booth #1140 at Strategies in Light. See TE’s latest electrical interconnect solutions, and learn how TE is helping to inspire new designs in connected lighting systems by enabling “plug-and-play” lighting that allow for more modularity and flexibility in building spaces.
Mouser Electronics, an authorized distributor with the newest semiconductors and electronic components, announced that once again it will be a major sponsor of National Engineers Week (E-Week), a five-day event with fun, engaging activities at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, designed to increase
Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) Energy Efficiency Committee is sponsoring an Industry Session at APEC 2015. The session, titled “Mission Critical Power Systems,” will cover topics including the application space where these systems are used and the different architectures that help ensure
The 7th LOPEC, the International Exhibition and Conference for Printed Electronics, opens its gates at the Messe München trade fair center from March 3–5, where companies and research organizations from around the world will demonstrate that printed electronic components are making their way into a number
At this year's CeBIT, CODE_n15 will focus entirely on the Internet of Things. Four enormous industrial robots will form the central anchor point. Internet users around the world will be able to access the machines via the www.robochop.com website, where a 3D web app will
The System Management Interface Forum (SMIF) in conjunction with representatives from several of its member companies, will be presenting a number of papers centered around Power Management Bus (PMBus) standards and applications at this year’s Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC). The


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New Democrat Coalition Releases Trade Task Force Goals for the 116th Congress
This week, the New Democrat Coalition Trade Task Force revealed their goals for the 116th Congress.
The task force works to advance a U.S. trade agenda that grows the economy, creates U.S. jobs, and ensures the United States sets the rules for a level playing field in the global economy.
Co-chaired by Representatives Ron Kind, D-Wis., Rick Larsen, D-Wash., Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., and Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas, the task force said it will meet with key stakeholders and develop policy positions for the coalition to advance in both the near- and long-term.
The other members of the task force are Representatives Don Beyer, D-Va., Susan Davis, D-Calif., Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and Terri Sewell, D-Ala.
The release included the Task Force’s mission statement for this Congress:
The New Democrat Coalition Trade Task Force is committed to maintaining the United States’ position as a global leader and supports smart trade policy that benefits American workers, businesses, farmers, and consumers. We must pursue a policy that promotes a competitive workforce, respects and strengthens our global relationships, brings outdated agreements into the 21st century, and promotes American excellence and values abroad. We also support reigning in the unilateral trade actions the administration has taken and reasserting Congress’ involvement in tariff policy. We need to continue setting the rules for the global economy, not have them set by others. In doing so, our Trade Task Force will focus on championing the economy of the future, not the economy of 50 years ago.
“Many of us have been through trade debates, and know it is not an easy lift to pass important and intricate trade deals,” Rep. Kind said.
“Finding a landing zone for our nation’s trade policy, and specifically the USMCA, will require the Administration to continue working with the New Democrat Coalition and the larger caucus to ensure all Members are heard and have outstanding concerns resolved,” he said.
Rep. Meeks said the task force is committed to modernizing U.S. trade agreements in a way that is both favorable to the nation’s workforce, its consumers, and its industries, while also fostering strong international relationships.
“We must be leaders in shaping the rules for trading goods and services so that we are primed to succeed in the economy of tomorrow,” Meeks said.
That point was echoed by Washington State’s Rep. Larsen who said as a member of Congress from a state whose economy depends on trade, it is his priority to support the local jobs it creates.
Rep. Fletcher agreed.
“As representative for a major trade center, I am committed to working to develop trade policy that recognizes the importance of trade in our economy and the opportunities trade agreements present,” she said. “I look forward to continuing to work with my constituents, the administration, and my New Democrat Coalition colleagues to ensure we have trade agreements that reflect lessons we have learned, build our economy, and provide economic opportunity for the American people.”
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit increased to a record $75.7 billion in June as a rebounding American economy sent demand for imports surging. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the deficit rose 6.7% from a revised May deficit of $71 billion. The June deficit... Read More


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Since reorganizing and joining to Beiqi Group, the sales of Changhe Automobile begin to rebound, at the same time the brand is becoming younger. Recently, the Internet Info Agency learned from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce Trademark Bureau that Changhe Automobile applied to register two new brand identity, which means that Changhe Automobile has the intention of using the new brand logo and further enhancing the brand image.
The two new logo are much different from the existing logo. The new logo are formed by polygon, in the internal and under part are labeled the letters "CHANGHE", which make an overall presentation of "wings" style, the visual effect is more stylish. If the two logo are used, it will undoubtedly change many users’ first impression of the new model.
The new logo is added blue honeycomb shading, which represents the low carbon energy saving concept of Changhe Automobile, it also symbolizes the new thinking in the Intelligent and Internet automobile products.
The blue background symbolizes the pursuit of technological innovation of Changhe Automobile, and it means the company will continue to innovate, through advanced technology to provide users with better products.
At the same time, the announcement of new brand also marks the integration of Beijing Automotive Group has entered a new stage, and the Beijing Automotive Group will make "Changhe" brand become domestic mainstream brand and world famous brand.
By contrast, traditional auto companies are limited to brand history, tradition and other factors, the brand identity update usually take "a slight adjustment" way, so that the two logo which Changhe Automobile registered are more revolutionary.
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When a classmate at Stanford connected Jamie Balsillie and Wilson Ruotolo, it was a classic founder meet-cute: Balsillie was pursuing his MBA with aspirations of revolutionizing the agtech industry, while Ruotolo was busy engineering robotic hands in a lab across campus.
With their complementary skill sets and shared passions, the two co-founders dreamed up Hedgehog, a startup aimed at changing the way mushrooms are grown and harvested. The company, founded in February 2022, has raised more than $4m so far and is backed by Y Combinator.
Balsillie and Ruotolo believe mushrooms have the potential to change how we eat: They are protein-rich and nutritious (making them a strong plant-based alternative to meat), can be grown sustainably using very little water and power, and have the ability to recycle food waste. But farming infrastructure is not currently advanced enough to grow and harvest mushrooms effectively. While portobello and button mushrooms are grown cheaply in large farm beds, gourmet mushrooms — any mushrooms outside of the button mushroom species — take large amounts of labor to produce.
“We saw an opportunity to collapse labor, increase yields, and produce mushrooms at dramatically lower costs,” says Balsillie. “By doing that, we can take very premium gourmet mushrooms and have them in every Walmart and Kroger, affordable to anyone who wants them.”
Read more at blog.hubspot.com


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Bigger isn’t always better. Case in point: technology. Everything from our smartphones to computers and now our node test chips are getting smaller and smaller. Wait, you don’t know what node chips are? These fingernail-sized chips, which are referred to by the size of the transistors they can hold, contain billions of transistors that provide the electricity and power to operate our smartphones and spacecraft. The smaller the transistors, the more of them you can fit on a chip, the more powerful the chip becomes.
And they’re getting pretty small.
IBM Research announced last week its newest breakthrough yet: a seven-nanometer-thick node test chip with functioning transistors. It has the potential to hold more than 20 billion transistors; it’s the semiconductor industry’s first node test chip that small. For reference, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. This is seven. Seven! And a strand of DNA is two-and-a-half nanometers in diameter. Again, this is seven!
The current chips in commercial use are typically 22 or 14 nanometers, and there’s a 10-nanometer chip gaining momentum in the industry. It’s too soon to tell when the seven-nanometer chip will hit mass production— according to Ars Technica, no sooner than two years.
Created in partnership with GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Samsung at SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, the seven-nanometer chip is a huge deal for the industry because when things get that tiny, traditional methods and materials for production are no longer feasible—the industry’s current chips use pure silicon as a base, but to get even smaller, IBM transitioned the new chips to operate on the alloy silicon-germanium.
“For business and society to get the most out of tomorrow’s computers and devices, scaling to 7nm and beyond is essential,” said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president and director of IBM Research in a press release from Thursday. “That’s why IBM has remained committed to an aggressive basic research agenda that continually pushes the limits of semiconductor technology. Working with our partners, this milestone builds on decades of research that has set the pace for the microelectronics industry, and positions us to advance our leadership for years to come.”
The new seven-nanometer chips come as part of IBM’s ongoing project announced in July 2014 to expand research and “push the limits of chip technology needed to meet the emerging demands of cloud computing and Big Data systems.”


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A bioactive approach
Biobased materials are making waves in the packaging industry. Natalie Daniels reports.
Advances in biomaterials for the packaging industry are growing, as companies and scientists are discovering more ways to create biodegradable, eco-friendly and longer lasting packaging. It all started in 1907, when Leo Baekeland added phenol to formaldehyde to form Bakelite – an inexpensive, nonflammable, versatile plastic that marked the beginning of the industry.
Now, it is bioplastics capturing headlines for meeting many modern green targets. They are made partly or fully from sustainable plant sources, and often biodegradable. It is estimated that the manufacturing capacity of bio-based materials and biochemicals, including those going into bioplastics, will increase to around 14,000Mt by 2017.
And it seems that consumers are partly responsible – a recent report by Stora Enso revealed that 59% of millennials, the generation born in 1980–2000, consider packaging sustainability to be important. This increased awareness of bioplastic packaging’s benefits is contributing to the growing market.
All this means bioplastic materials are gaining attention in the packaging industry. For example, polylactic acid (PLA), is becoming a popular alternative to petroleum-based plastics in agriculture and food packaging, as it is both biodegradable and carbon neutral. The drive towards using renewable sources has produced plastics using renewable crops such as corn, tapioca roots, starch or sugarcane.
However, biomaterials are not yet as cheap as their competitiors, so researchers are turning their attention to this area. Scientists at the University of Illinois, USA, have developed a hydrolysable polymer designed to degrade over time for compostable packaging materials, which could make biomaterials cheaper. The team discovered how to reverse the characteristics of a key bonding material – polyuria – by developing a class of hindered urea bond-containing polymeric materials or poly(hindered urea)s (PHUs). The urea bond is inert, keeping the polymer stable for long-lasting applications.
The PHUs can be hydrolysed within a few days and the team demonstrated that degradable polymeric materials could be easily synthesised by mixing multifunctional bulky amines and isocyanates, expanding the family of hydrolysable polymers. These new types of polymers require short functioning time and are degradable, making them ideal for environmentally friendly packaging materials.
Another noticeable example of research containing a high-level of renewable and compostable materials is biopolymers that are extracted from plantations and do not exploit virgin or deforested land. Novamont is using cornstarch, cellulose, and glycerine obtained from various crops and other raw materials extracted from renewable sources. Fossil-derived polymers are only used when a renewable equivalent is not available on an industrial level.
It is estimated that the use of bio-based polymers will grow 18% a year to 2017 because of an increased need for eco-friendly packaging, according to the report Global Bioplastic Packaging Material Market 2015–2019. Other biopolymers, including polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), made by fermentation, using renewable carbon-based feedstocks have also seen a rise, due to their high biodegradable properties.
Biopolymers designed for packaging have become an ideal solution for the industry due to the need to reduce its environmental impact. To create flexible films and coatings for products, Biome has designed the BiomeEP bioplastics range based on either a potato-starch based polymer or a cornstarch-based polymer. These are 100% biodegradable and compostable according to EN 13432, ASTM D6400 and Vincotte OK compost guidelines. Research has also begun into a fully bio-based polyester with the aim to create bio-based chemicals from lignin, suitable for the production of plastics.
Innovating with biomaterials
Novamont technology has created Mater-Bi, a family of compostable bioplastics made from renewable plant materials such as sunflowers and GMO-free cornstarch. These are biodegradable in composting soil and salt water, and are designed for food and industrial packaging industries. Like traditional plastics, biodegradable polymers can be transformed using blow moulding, casting, extrusion and injection moulding machines to create traditional plastics.
In today’s market polylactic acid (PLA) is also transforming the food packaging industry. In 2010, PLA had the second highest consumption of any bioplastic of the world. It is derived from corn and used as a natural substitute for petroleum-based plastics and polyester products. When PLA is exposed to an excessive amount of heat or moisture, the polymer chains that make the substance begin to break down, making it useful for hot food and beverage packaging. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership, with the University of Sheffield, have combined their efforts to develop a plant-based polymer – Floreon, by adding a formulated compound to make bioplastics four times tougher than a standard PLA. It is 100% renewable and works as feedstock recovery, converting back the product to lactic acid, which can then be purified and used to make virgin polymers again.
1862 – Alexander Parkes creates the first man-made plastic from an organic material derived from cellulose
1907 – Leo Baekeland invents Bakelite, which transforms the packaging industry
1939 – The outbreak of war leads to stockpiling, as the military substitutes plastics for metals and rubber
1953 – The commercialisation of polyester fibres introduces the concept of ‘drip-dry’ and ‘non-iron’ fabrics
1976 – Available in a wide variety of forms, plastic becomes the most used material in the world
1990 – Commercial demand for bioplastics starts to develop, driven by oil price volatility and environmental concern. A British company, Imperial Chemical Industries, developed a bioplastic.
2000–2008 – The consumption of biodegradable plastics based on starch, sugar, and cellulose has increases by 600% worldwide.


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Surpassing a $1bn valuation, sennder, Europe’s leading digital road freight forwarder, now ranks among the most valuable European technology start-ups
$100m allocated to digitalizing European trucking by expanding sennder’s proprietary technology offering
Additional funding to drive expansion into new European markets with a focus on strategic partnerships
sennder, Europe’s leading digital road freight forwarder, today announced that it has raised $160m in Series D financing, surpassing a $1bn valuation. New investors led the round, which involved all of sennder’s existing investors who reaffirmed their confidence in the company vision and direction. Round participants included Accel, Lakestar, HV Capital, Project A and Scania. To date, sennder has raised more than $260m.
Since its founding in 2015 by David Nothacker, Julius Köhler and Nicolaus Schefenacker, Berlin-based sennder has grown remarkably, increasing its headcount to more than 800 employees across its seven international offices. The business will move over 1 million truckloads this year, making sennder Europe’s leading digital road freight forwarder.
Through its proprietary technology, sennder directly connects enterprise shippers with trucking companies, bringing greater transparency and efficiency to both carriers and shippers. sennder is committed to making the logistics industry fit for a sustainable future; by using data to optimize route efficiency, sennder reduces the environmental impact of road freight and decreases the cost of transportation.
The European logistics and freight sector has a market size of $427bn. sennder plans to capitalize on this opportunity by investing $100m of its Series D financing into growing and developing its innovative technology. The investment will expand the 200-person technology team and accelerate research and development into the automation, digitalization, optimization and decarbonization of road freight. Additional funding will be channeled towards driving expansion into new European markets. sennder will focus on replicating the success it has had with Poste Italiane where, through the Italian joint venture, sennder has helped the business save 6% of its €100m annual spending. sennder is also enjoying successful working partnerships with Scania and Siemens.
Supplying transport services to over 10 organizations listed in the German DAX 30, and 11 companies comprising the Euro Stoxx 50, sennder is well-positioned to connect small and mid-sized trucking companies with established shippers – providing them with access to loads.
David Nothacker, CEO and Co-Founder of sennder, said: “I’m very proud to see sennder’s mission and vision become a reality. We are now an established industry player on equal terms with other more traditional sector pioneers, but have maintained our founding spirit. As a data-driven company, we contribute to making the logistics industry fit for a sustainable future; ensuring transparency, flexibility and efficiency in the distribution of goods. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of a digitalized logistics industry. Throughout 2020, we helped our carriers increase their profitability by enhancing operating margins by up to 80% during a challenging time. sennder is uniquely positioned to drive industry digitalization, benefiting shippers and carriers alike.“
The funding follows a remarkable year for sennder. In 2020 the business undertook two notable transactions: firstly, merging with French competitor Everoad in June and secondly, acquiring Uber Freight’s European business in September.
Sonali De Rycker, Partner at Accel says: “It is always fantastic to see a portfolio company reach such a significant milestone. Well done to the sennder team – by revolutionizing the freight industry at an unprecedented pace, they have quickly become one of Europe’s most exciting companies. 2020 highlighted the value that sennder’s innovative digital offering brings to the freight industry. 2021 is well-positioned to be another exciting year for the business. We look forward to helping sennder continue accelerating its growth across Europe.”
Christoph Schuh, Investment Partner at Lakestar says: “Just 18 months ago, we led sennder’s Series C fundraising. Ever since, sennder has successfully demonstrated its ability to massively grow the business organically and via M&A. We are delighted to see sennder now positioned as a leading pan-European digital freight-forwarder. Especially in these unprecedented times, sennder shows how important digitization is for the logistics industry, paving the way for an efficient future. We strongly believe in the leadership team and will further accompany sennder’s success journey.”
J.P. Morgan Securities plc was the sole placement agent for sennder’s latest Series D funding raise.


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New York City’s restaurants and bars will shut down to help combat coronavirus spread, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday evening.
“Our lives are all changing in ways that were unimaginable just a week ago,” de Blasio said in a statement Sunday night. “This is not a decision I make lightly. These places are part of the heart and soul of our city.”
De Blasio originally said that the ban would go into effect Tuesday morning, but Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a statewide ban that would override the city ban and go into effect at 8 p.m. Monday night. Also included in the governor’s order: gyms, movie theaters, and casinos, also ordered to close.
“The coronavirus doesn’t care about state borders, so this agreement will help protect the entire Tri-State Area,” Cuomo said. “These temporary closures will last as long as is necessary to protect the public health.”
Across the country, some cities are implementing similar strategies to try and protect customers and employees. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a video Sunday night that bars would close and restaurants would stop offering dine-in services, effective midnight that night and lasting through March 31.
Milk Bar, which has locations in Los Angeles and New York, emailed customers saying that it would be pausing its baking classes and temporarily closing four of its New York City locations, while monitoring other stores across the country. The bakery said would also be removing in-store seating.
Restaurant workers across the city took to social media, asking for patrons to continue supporting small businesses as best they could—by buying gift cards to use at a future date, ordering takeout, and tipping deliverers whenever possible.
David Chang, the owner of Momofuku restaurants in New York and Los Angeles, posted a message saying that in this unchartered territory, the only responsible option at the moment was to close the restaurants. Chang went on to detail how Momofuku, which has 16 locations around the world, would continue to provide for employees during closure.
Salaried employees, Chang said, would take a reduction in pay. Hourly employees would be paid through March 20th and hourly employees who had been with the company for five years would be paid through April 3rd. All hourly employees, he said, would continue to have health insurance through April 30. He said the company would help with COVID-19 related medical care in whatever way possible.
The NYC Hospitality Alliance, a nonprofit group which represents restaurants and bars in the city, said that because of the mandated closure, the government should provide for employees because “small businesses cannot.” It also added that third-party restaurant delivery companies—such as GrubHub, Postmates, and Uber Eats—should cap restaurant delivery fees at 10% to the for the time being.
The nonprofit also announced that the State Liquor Authority and the governor also approved temporary measures to help some businesses. Alcohol-licensed vendors will be able to deliver alcohol as well as takeout during this time.
Chef José Andrés, who owns Mercado Little Spain in New York, said on Twitter that although closing restaurants would be painful, it must be done to avoid what’s happening in other countries like Italy and his native Spain.
“This is the only way,” Andrés said.


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If you are planning on getting an Amazon Kindle Fire,
wait till next week for a more advanced tablet (from Google I/O) wait till next month. According to a post on CNET on Monday, a “credible source” said that Amazon is planning on releasing their second generation Kindle Fire next month.
The new Amazon Kindle Fire is said to have a 7 inch screen with some hardware upgrades like hardware volume controls and front and rear cameras, which have been common complaints from Amazon Kindle Fire users. It is very likely that Amazon will also improve performance and update on the design of the next generation device. Sources also says Amazon plans are maintaining the same price on the next generation Kindle Fire at $199.
Like the current generation Kindle Fire, the next generation Amazon Kindle Fire will deeply depend on Amazon’s cloud and online services. E-Books will come from Amazon’s Kindle store, videos will come from Amazon’s Video service, and apps will come from Amazon’s own Android app store.
In the past months, rumors have been circulating about a new version of the Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Digitimes has recently reported that Amazon is considering a new Kindle Fire, with a $199 1,280-by-800-pixel 7 inch tablet and to be launched in the beginning of the third quarter of 2012. They also reported during the month of May that Amazon is planning on launching a 10.1 inch Kindle Fire around the same time. Although their past track record is spotty in rumors.
As of right now, regular black and white e-ink Kindle sales are slipping while Kindle Fire sales are climbing. Also, reports are saying that Google is planning on releasing their own tablet that will be under the $200 price tag and run the next generation Google Android Software, dubbed Android Jelly Bean (version 4.1). We will know more about Google’s tablet during Google I/O.


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Black Friday is the day that comes after the American holiday, Thanksgiving, which always falls on the third Thursday of November. This year, Black Friday is on November 25, and the one-day markdown to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas shopping season is now taking off, big time, in the UK. The most lucrative price drops tend to be found on tech items, and these are the items to look out for in the bargain bin.
E-Readers Going For a Song
If you’re looking to surprise someone with an e-reader this festive season or have finally decided to take the plunge and swap your paperbacks for an online library, then Black Friday is the day to make the purchase.
Games Console Prices Plummet
Flash Sales On Cameras
If you’re ready to take photography and movie-making to the next level, look out for great deals on entry level DSLR cameras and versatile video cameras, such as the GoPro. Camera accessories such as tripods, lenses and programming software are also likely to be on offer.
TVs Take a Price Tumble
Televisions have always traditionally been the ‘must buy’ on Black Friday and this year is expected to be no different. If you’re in the market for a large 4K Ultra High Definition TV or a curved screen TV, your best bet is to wait until Black Friday.
Pick Up a Phone
The iPhone 7 is probably the most hyped mobile product rumoured to be on offer on Black Friday, both as a stand-alone sale and on contract. This, in itself, will spark competitor discounts; so if you need to upgrade this is the day to do it.


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After the scandal a few months before, American chain Wal-Mart are seeking to strengthen their supermarket food safety standards in China. By boosting profitability by 40%, Wal-Mart chief executive Scott Price hopes that it will improve the food safety issues in 400 stores in China.
The most recent scandal that involved China’s Wal-Mart franchise was when it was discovered a supplier used fox meat in their donkey meat products. Tracking back to 2011, there were also a case where Wal-Marts in China was selling expired duck meat at the stores. This forced a supermarket to close after being accused of labelling non-organic pork as organic and selling it at higher price.
Even though China had a few ‘bumps’ on the road, Mr. Price believes with more investments they can set better food safety standards. In June 2014, Wal-Mart announced that they plan to spend nearly US$50 million for these food safety upgrades over the next few years. He also plans to help conduct strategy and international development for the Asia Wal-Mart counterparts.
What makes supermarket food safety so important?
One of the most obvious side affects of bad food safety standards is that it will discourage consumer confidence. This would mean consumers will stop coming to the franchise and also leave a stain in the name. So not only may you cause some of your customers pain (from a foodborne illness) but you will lose
Small business need to consider walking the ‘straight path’ in food safety. Don’t risk cutting corners because if you get caught out, it’s all over.
If you would like more information on this topic or get the source URL for this article, then email us at [email protected]


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In the online world, Halloween themed products sell all year long.
Seasonal Halloween sales are a $7 billion dollar industry, reports the National Retail Federation.
But off-season sales are strong all year long.
According to Terapeak Research, more than $2 million dollars worth of Halloween products were sold on eBay between Nov 1, 2010 and January 31, 2011.
Another 1.9 million in Halloween product sales happened on eBay between Feb 1, 2011 and April 30th.
And because most people don’t think about selling Halloween themed products throughout the year, if you’re one of the lucky sellers in this niche, you can have a strong foothold in this market.
Sourcing Halloween Products at Rock Bottom Prices
So what’s the best way to source great inventory for this multi-billion dollar niche?
Get started on Halloween of course!
October 31st (and often before) marks the date that offline retailers start taking deep discounts on their Halloween products. Unlike online merchants, brick-and-mortar stores can’t display Halloween merchandise all year long.
Beginning the week before Halloween and continuing until the last scary pumpkin is sold off the shelf, scour your local stores for great deals on Halloween products.
Here is a list of products to look for:
- Kids costumes
- Adult costumes
- Face makeup
- Dept 56 and other collectible Halloween houses
- Halloween nutcrackers
- Halloween candy
- Pet costumes
- Large/life sized Halloween decor (used for drama productions, set designs, themed parties)
Even Halloween candy! Already bags of Autumn Mix candy are selling on eBay for up to six times what you can buy them for at local stores. (One bag sold for $45!)
And don’t forget:
- Limited edition Halloween themed items
- Halloween themed jewelry
- Halloween colored light bulbs
- Halloween CDs and DVDs
Even Halloween board games!
If you’re looking for ideas about what to source, head over to eBay or Amazon and using the keyword “halloween” do some research and see what’s selling! You’ll be surprised at the plethora of different products that make up this $7 billion dollar niche.
Then, armed with Terapeak for eBay and FBAScout for Amazon, head to your local store and scout the deals, looking for items that are selling for pennies on the dollar. Don’t delay though, the best deals sell out early… so get some sourcing time in today.
And don’t forget about wholesale suppliers, if you find this is a niche you like, go to a trade show or do locate a wholesale supplier so that you can source and sell Halloween themed inventory all year long!
PS: Looking for a hot niche? Think Zombies. This new MSNBC article reveals that Zombie related product sales are worth over $5 billion dollars to the economy.
PS: Just two days left on the 3-pay option for my brand new series “How to Integrate Amazon Into Your Business Model”. If you haven’t yet joined the Amazon Revolution, find out why you should today.


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Air Jordan XIII (13) Retro – White – Black – True Red – Holiday 2010
It has been rumored that the White/Black/True Red colourway of the Air Jordan XIII will see a Retro release in December 2010. You can consider this a “true” Retro, considering this colorway of the XIII has never been re-released, aside from the Low version that was made available in April of 2005. A long-admired model, the design of Jordan’s thirteenth signature shoe was inspired by the black panther, as given by the paw-like construction of the midsole and the animal’s eye on the heel. Stay tuned to Sneaker News for more info on the likely 2010 release.
Color: White/Varsity Red-Black
Images via Kixclusive.


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San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 17, 2011
Nutrition technology experts at FoodCALC have released the newest upgrades to their revolutionary product for food manufacturers, LabelCalc. While the food manufacturing industry has long relied on laboratories or consultants to get products on retail shelves, LabelCalc is the ultimate tool that takes nutrition calculation online, and goes a step further with the instant production of FDA-compliant nutrition labels.
FoodCALC goes beyond a basic database update that is standard with other online products. The company has transformed the process of simple database maintenance into a sophisticated, streamlined product upgrade.
The LabelCalc database is drawn largely from the USDA’s national nutrient database, and is updated annually with the most current versions available. These automated upgrades are designed to produce the most accurate results possible, while enhancing the user experience by removing any hassle involved in accessing the updated ingredient library. The result is nothing short of LabelCalc’s most robust ingredient database to date.
Users of the LabelCalc system have already praised the effortless transition made in using the upgraded database. "It’s great knowing that the updates for the values of the ingredients are automatically taken care of for me. That means absolutely no hassle on my part – one less thing I have to keep track of! It keeps the labels for my products accurate and up to date," said LabelCalc user Ellen Best, President of Wild Virginia Salad Dressing.
The FoodCALC development team’s innovative approach to these system changes means a smooth transition for users, with clear illustrations of affected recipes before and after the upgrade. “These features have been added seamlessly, without any inconvenience being placed on the user,” says FoodCALC’s Director of Nutrition, Alyson Mar, RD. “When a web-based solution like LabelCalc can instantly make these changes without any added cost or suspension in service, it’s increasingly difficult to see the benefits of working with any other platform to obtain nutrition analysis.” Mar is referring to the often-compared method of CD-ROM services to generate nutrition analysis, which offers none of the benefits of a web-based system: manual upgrades of data in the form of replacing a CD being the primary drawback.
LabelCalc’s revolutionary approach to nutrition analysis was the first of its kind to both nutritionally analyze recipes and create compliant labels online. Endorsed by the National Restaurant Association as preferred providers of nutrition analysis, FoodCALC says the company’s core commitment remains to the design and development of web-based applications to make nutrition analysis available and affordable.
Founded in 2003, FoodCALC® is the gold standard for web-based nutrition analysis for the food industry. FoodCALC is the leading web-based provider of real-time nutritional analysis and label-compliance solutions for food manufacturers, restaurants, dietitians and chefs. Endorsed by the National Restaurant Association and the state restaurant associations of California, Florida, Oregon, Colorado and Massachusetts, FoodCALC has designed MenuCalc, the industry’s only one-stop resource for analyzing restaurant menus and LabelCalc, for creating accurate, FDA-compliant nutrition fact panels.
For more information, visit http://www.foodcalc.com.
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Despite the fact that the US has been using them for more than 10 years now, drones are a somewhat controversial topic with a lot of mystery yet surrounding them, and there are likely many things you need to know about drones still as a result. Of course there is no denying the involvement of these unmanned aerial vehicles in the fight against terror, and the White House as well as the Pentagon have repeatedly supported this strategy. International critics have also participated in the debate, claiming violations of international law have been committed by allowing drones to carry out attacks in sovereign nations. Nevertheless, the lack of concrete information regarding civilian and combatant casualties, along with the failure of the US government to present a more transparent procedure when it comes to using drones, has created a great deal of controversy.
Although sometimes we present seemingly softer topics, such as our previous article on the 5 largest online retailers in the world, it’s interesting to note how they are often inextricably entwined in various ways with more noteworthy topics. This is most evident in the fact that Amazon, one of the largest online retailers in the world (check out the list to see if they were number one), has plans to make deliveries from their warehouses to customers via drones, a plan that is facing scrutiny and legal challenges in many jurisdictions.
We decided now to present you with ten more things you need to know about drones, since most people only have a vague idea as to what this piece of machinery is fully capable of. In fact, most people are now thinking about drones for civilian use, yet have little knowledge about the size of the military programs that have been in place for over a decade, which make use of them in various ways. Thus, in an attempt to keep our readers informed regarding this important topic, we have come up with a list of aspects of the drone program you probably were not aware of.
The following list is not exhaustive and there are certainly many more things to say about the use of drones, yet due to the secret nature of the topic at hand, we will be as factual as possible. Thus, our current post will in no way attempt to argue against or in favor of drones, nor will we get into any details of war scenarios, which are already complicatd enough. Rather, we simply wish to present you with the following cohesive list of things you need to know about drones, since they seem to be the weapon of choice in this new century.


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There may soon come a time when clipping coupons out of the Sunday circular is a distant memory.
Although few would argue with shaving a bit off the price of groceries, the problem with coupons has always been the hassle. You have to happen to find a coupon for something you want and then clip and save it for the appropriate time.
Indeed the use of coupons was declining until 2008, when the recession hit hardest. In the following years manufacturers pushed out a record number of coupons as a way to retain market share and stores worked to entice shoppers. Last year about 332 billion coupons were offered.
Use of digital coupons ? those taken from websites and mobile phone devices ? is increasing. They represent about 10 percent of all coupons redeemed. A key advantage is that consumers can proactively search for the bargains they’re most interested in.
The trend toward digital coupon use is only expected to accelerate.
One of the major players in digital coupons is Coupons.com, a privately held company formed in 1998. The company offers coupons on its own website, those of newspapers, and hundreds of retailers.
In a recent conversation, Coupons.com CEO Steven Boal discussed the business, its rapid growth and why the flagging economy has prompted consumers to return to clipping coupons in droves.
Q: What kinds of trends are you seeing in the use of coupons?
A: Uncertain economic times, whether it’s a soft economy or volatile stock market, raise people’s awareness of their pocketbook and they think about their spending. We’re now seeing a massive resurgence in the use of coupons.
The ironic thing was that we were growing steadily as a business going into the recession, but what we’ve found now is we have a new set of users and a learned behavior. The economic uncertainty hit and we had a rush of additional consumers use the website. What we’re being told and the behavior that we’re observing is that this is very much a sustained behavior. It is now hip to be frugal. You don’t just see it at Coupons.com, but you’re seeing it in grocery stores, you’re seeing it in magazines and on TV. You’re seeing series’ about saving money, about financial management and household expense management. In all forms of promotion and advertising you’re seeing people talk about getting back to basics.
Q: How has this rediscovery of coupons by millions of consumers and gravitation toward the Internet changed the business?
A: For decades, the coupon industry persisted on delivery through the Sunday newspaper. Today Sunday subscription levels are back to where they were in the 1940s, but the population has exploded since then. The industry like any other has had to adapt. The evolution of the industry has been from a newspaper delivery system to a digital and online system.
It’s an interesting phenomenon that we now power the coupon sections of over 500 newspapers online. It’s not that Sunday news is going away, it’s the physical paper that’s at risk. People are actually ingesting more news now than they ever did before.
Q: In June you announced that institutional investors pumped $200 million into your business. What was the main goal?
A: We’ve been in business for 13 ? years and have lived very quietly until recently. We raised a lot of money because consumer demand is so strong money is needed for the company to grow and expand to keep up. We are being rushed by consumers and product manufacturers with demand to issue more coupons, reach more consumers and deliver more goods and services than ever before. We’re using half of the proceeds of our fundraising, about $100 million, just to grow to satisfy the demand.
Q: You recently started a savings club which requires a membership fee in exchange for exclusive Coupons.com deals. What’s the strategy behind that move?
A: The idea is to create a value center for consumers who use coupons. Today if you were to visit Coupons.com or any of our affiliated network sites you’d see about 170 coupons or so depending on your zip code. If you were a savings club member, you’d see 190. The cost is $3 a month or $30 for a year, which gives consumers access to a lot of savings.
Many people buy the Sunday paper for the savings from coupons. But for a lot less we offer significant savings from offers that may not be available elsewhere.


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News Channel 3 covers a new report on the economic benefits of EV expansion. Charge Up Midwest recruited energy consultants, M.J. Bradley & Associates, to perform an economic analysis of the use of electric vehicles in the state of Michigan. The report concluded that electric vehicle expansion in Michigan makes smart economic sense in addition to being good for the planet.
“The benefits of electric vehicles for Michigan are significant – especially when it comes to the potential for new auto sector jobs and protecting our air, land and Great Lakes,” said Charles Griffith, climate, and energy program director for the Ecology Center. “to maintain Michigan’s leadership in the auto industry, as well as realize the economic and environmental benefits of reducing our use of imported petroleum, government, the private sector and utilities must work together to create smart policies and investment strategies to support the emerging electric vehicle sector.”
Published on August 24, 2017


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It looks Oppo is now bringing two more devices dubbed Oppo F17 and F17 Pro in the Indian market. With these two phones, the Chinese smartphone maker will be expanding its F series of lineups in the country. The recently leaked promo poster has now revealed that the device will soon make its way to the country. In fact, we can expect the series to launch as soon as next month.
Oppo F17, F17 Pro promotional poster surfaces online!
This report comes courtesy of MySmartPrice. Well, it looks like Oppo F17 Pro and Oppo F17 will arrive with a similar design. As you can see, it features a dual punch-hole cutout for housing the selfie camera sensors. Furthermore, we’re looking at an in-display fingerprint sensor underneath the AMOLED panel. The previous-gen F15, on the other hand, comes with a waterdrop notch.
Gizchina News of the week
On the back, the smartphone comes with a quad rear camera module while the LED flash sits right next to it. It is still unclear whether the device will feature 48MP or 64MP primary sensor. You can see a sizeable camera bump in the promo poster as well. It is also worth noting that the poster doesn’t explicitly mention the launch timeline. Considering we now have a leaked poster, it makes sense to consider that the device is indeed inching closer towards the official launch.
Considering previous rumors and leaks, we can expect a 4,000 mAh battery packed inside with VOOC charging support. The smartphone maker has already confirmed that the Pro version will be 7.84-inch thick, weighing just 164 grams. With that said, we should be hearing more about the device in the coming weeks.
Other devices Oppo working on!
Oppo recently launched its budget smartphone dubbed Oppo A53 in the Indonesian market. The smartphone comes packed with Snapdragon 460 chipset. It also comes with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Chinese company is also working on a Reno 4 Z 5G smartphone which appears to be a rebranded Oppo A92s after all.


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Elio Motors, the might-be-a-carmaker who recently gained a possible production facility in Louisiana, will be showcasing their 84 mpg three-wheeler at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. They are now promising the Elio will be on the market by the first quarter of 2015 – just one year from now.
The Elio will be on display as part of ShowStoppers at the 2014 CES. We have been following Elio Motors since their vehicle first caught our attention and prompted us to make a video review, which quickly became one of the most popular videos on our YouTube Channel (go the channel here):
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“Readius is dead” (CNet), “… goes under” (Washington Post), “… closes its doors” (Geek.com), “… files for bankruptcy” (IT Pro Portal)—news sites are struggling not have to use the headline PC World did: “Flexible eBook reader company folds.”
Polymer Vision, the Dutch display company that came up with the foldable electronic reading device Readius, has, as you may have inferred by now, filed for bankruptcy. CNet quotes CEO Karl McGoldrick as saying that the product itself may survive: “We are working hard to find new investors to take over and re-start and get our technology and product into the market, where it should be.”
There is some speculation among tech sites whether the arrival of the Amazon Kindle may have led to Polymer Vision’s demise, but that seems unlikely to me. The Kindle is only sold in the USA, and there is plenty of room for e-readers in the rest of the world. A more probable assumption is that the Eindhoven-based company has serious competition from recent, large screen mobile phones. Early press photos of the Readius suggested that the device was to be used by business people on the move for reading up on stock reports and news.
(Photo: Polymer Vision.)


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Library card-holders can instantly explore, borrow and enjoy dynamic content on their smartphones, tablets and PCs
We are pleased to announce public availability of thousands of movies, television shows, music albums, eBooks, audiobooks and comics, all available for mobile and online access through a new partnership with hoopla digital.
Napoleon Public Library card holders can now download the free hoopla digital mobile app on their Android or IOS device or visit hoopla to begin enjoying thousands of artists of titles – from major Hollywood studios, record companies and publishers – available to borrow 24/7, for instant streaming or temporary downloading to their smartphones, tablets and computers.
About hoopla digital
hoopla digital is a category-creating service that partners with public libraries across North America to provide online and mobile access to thousands of Movies, TV Shows, Music, eBooks, Audiobooks and Comics. With hoopla digital, patrons can borrow, instantly stream and download free dynamic content with a valid library card. All content is accessible via hoopla digital’s mobile app and online at www.hoopladigital.com. hoopla digital is a service of Midwest Tape – a trusted partner to public libraries for over 25 years.
For more information, please contact Napoleon Public Library at 419-592-2531 or hoopla at 800-875-2785 (US) or 866-698-2231 (Canada).


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Council offers support and advice to local businesses
21 April 2021
Derry City and Strabane District Council has offered support and advice to businesses preparing to reopen.
Easing of NI restrictions will see some businesses, such as close contact services, reopen this Friday, 23rd April, with further businesses, like retail and outdoor hospitality, scheduled to reopen on Friday, 30th April.
Kevin O'Connor, Council's Head of Business, said: "This is a very significant and important few weeks for many of our local businesses and as a Council we want to reassure those businesses that we continue to be here to help and assist them.
"We have been proactive throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in supporting our local businesses through our Shop Local campaigns, engaging through our City and Town Centre Stakeholder group and providing advice in navigating the challenges the past year has presented for all businesses who have shown incredible resilience, determination and strength.
"Council officers will continue to be available for local businesses as we enter this next positive step in seeing businesses, and our city and town centres, thriving again and I would strongly encourage any business owners with questions or concerns to get in contact.
"We continue to work closely with the local business community, stakeholders and government partners to promote the shop local message which will assist in the recovery and revitalisation of our city and town centres, and we will work in partnership with businesses as they make this next step."
Seamus Donaghy, Council's Head of Health and Community Wellbeing, added: "Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic our Environmental Health team have worked positively and proactively with local businesses to ensure compliance.
"Council officers will continue to be readily available in the weeks ahead and officers will be on the ground to assist businesses in a safe reopening and to ensure that all health and safety regulations are in place.
"We have seen great success to date with our Council COVID Reassurance Mark whereby businesses complete a risk assessment that comprises of important elements such as cleaning, hand sanitising, social distancing, respiratory hygiene and employee health. Businesses will then receive a COVID Reassurance Mark to display in their stores which adds that extra comfort for the public as our businesses open their doors again."
For more information on the Covid Reassurance Mark, visit https://www.derrystrabane.com/Business/Covidreasurrance
For further advice on reopening, visit https://www.derrystrabane/coronavirus or https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/
To contact the Council Business or Environmental Health teams, call 02871253253.


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Sony has discovered a problem in the Cyber-shot® DSC-H2 which results in the camera's inability to recognize SanDisk® Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media cards. This problem does not affect the camera's use with Sony Memory Stick Duo media cards.
Although the problem has been corrected, a small number of affected units have reached end users. To be an affected unit, the serial number must fall in a range from 3500001 through 3534250. The majority of the units within this serial number range have already been corrected and include an identifying leaflet.
Sony has created a free firmware upgrade to ensure compatibility with SanDisk Memory Stick PRO Duo media cards. Owners of affected DSC-H2 cameras with Sony Memory Stick Duo media can download the firmware upgrade from:
DSC-H2 Firmware Update.
Note: Owners of affected DSC-H2 cameras who do not own Sony Memory Stick Duo media can contact Sony Support at


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Vinati Saraf Mutreja: The company bears her name. Her father, Vinod Saraf, is a renowned business leader who previously led the Aditya Birla Group.
Vinati Saraf Mutreja serves as the CEO and managing director of Vinati Organics, a company established by her father, Vinod Saraf, in 1989. The company has gained recognition for its production of ibuprofen ingredients. With a market capitalization of Rs 18,700 crore, Vinati Organics holds a prominent position in the industry.
The company is named after Vinati Saraf Mutreja. Her father, Vinod Saraf, a respected business leader, was leading a company within the Aditya Birla Group when he made the decision to venture into entrepreneurship. At the time, he served as the managing director of Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL). During this period, he established a company specializing in producing Isobutyl Benzene, a crucial painkiller component.
The business had achieved moderate success until Vinati Saraf Mutreja joined her father’s company in 2006. Her involvement brought about a complete transformation in the company’s operations. She implemented measures to enhance product quality and propelled the company to become one of the leading players in the market. Her notable initiative was the product portfolio expansion, which proved to be a significant milestone for the company’s growth.
Vinati Saraf Mutreja has held the position of CEO and Managing Director of the company since 2018.
When Vinati Saraf Mutreja joined the company, its market capitalization stood at Rs 20 crore. Under her leadership, the company has experienced remarkable growth, with the market capitalization soaring to Rs 18,700 crore.
In the fiscal year 2023, the company recorded revenue exceeding Rs 2,157 crore. As reported by Business Today, a significant portion of the company’s revenue is derived from its exports.
In a previous interview, Vinati Saraf Mutreja mentioned that the company has achieved growth through internal accruals and does not have any debt obligations.
Vinati Saraf Mutreja completed her schooling in Mumbai. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science with a major in Economics (Finance) from the Wharton School. Additionally, she also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science from the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.
According to Forbes, Vinod Saraf, her father, has a net worth of over Rs 14,000 crore, which is equivalent to 1.7 billion dollars.


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Turtle Beach has announced it’ll be making official accessories for Wii U and 3DS.
The deal will see the company make headsets specifically for the next Nintendo home system that’ll also work on 3DS and DS.
“The Wii U launch will be one of the biggest new game console events of the year and we couldn’t be more excited to support Wii U with a line of headsets,” said Turtle Beach marketing boss Bob Picunko.
“The advanced capabilities of the upcoming Wii U allow us to take full advantage of the technology we’ve developed and deliver gamers the kind of quality they fully expect from both Turtle Beach and Nintendo.”
“We are very excited to be working with Turtle Beach to launch new gaming headsets for Wii U,” added Nintendo of America licensing VP Steve Singer.
Catch up on Nintendo’s E3 press conference from last night here.


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Halo Infinite is the latest mega Xbox exclusive coming in December 2021, but will it be on Xbox Game Pass?
Several of the biggest releases on Xbox are now being released via the subscription service, with Microsoft looking to make it the biggest and best value available in gaming.
Here’s everything we know about Halo Infinite and whether it will be coming to Xbox Game Pass.
The latest game in the massive Halo franchise is set to release on Wednesday 8th December 2021. Master Chief’s newest outing has been a long time coming, with development plans having to be pushed back on several occasions.
With Halo Infinite finally being released, there are a number of different versions that fans will be able to pre-order and purchase to experience the first true Halo title on next-gen consoles.
Is Halo Infinite on Xbox Game Pass?
The release of Halo Infinite will see the game made available for retail sale as well as downloadable on Xbox Game Pass.
As noted, several major Xbox titles have been made available to download via the service, and Halo Infinite looks to be the biggest of 2021.
Several new titles are being added to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service each month, and it already offers a huge amount of gaming content from EA, Ubisoft, Indie developers and Microsoft themselves.
Read More: Halo Infinite: Weapon Charms Leaked
Major games, such as Gears 5, The Ascent and Forza Horizon 4 are already available/have been available in the past on Ultimate for less than £12 a month.
Other Xbox exclusives that have been released day one on Xbox Game Pass include Back For Blood, Twelve Minutes and Psychonauts 2.
Halo Infinite is already available to pre-download on Xbox Series S/X, meaning that players can access the game as soon as it is ready to go on December 8th.
Infinite will also be available for players on PC, again as either a stand-alone purchase or as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription offer.
Read More: Halo Infinite: Will Crossplay Be Enabled?
You can find all of the latest gaming news right here at GiveMeSport


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Gillian Anderson has freed herself from the cumbersome, red-mark-inducing confinement of bras.
The 52-year-old “The Crown” star opened up about allowing her breasts to breathe during a Q&A with fans on Instagram Live Tuesday.
“I’m so lazy. And I don’t wear a bra anymore. I can’t wear a bra. I can’t, no. I can’t,” the “Sex Education” actor said when asked about her go-to lockdown outfit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t care if … my breasts reach my belly button. I’m not wearing a bra anymore. It’s just too fucking uncomfortable,” she said.
As for her clothing of choice, Anderson said she would wear “comfortable” black track pants and a black hoodie “every day” if she could. “[It’s] probably the same as my go-to out-of-lockdown outfit,” the actor added. “I’m so lazy.”
And although many fans on Twitter celebrated Anderson’s aversion to underwire, some complained that they’d never have that luxury.
Their responses are fair, but if Anderson is going to advocate for a bra-free lifestyle thanks to the comfiness it provided her during lockdown, could she also champion sweatpants and coffee-stained T-shirts? Just asking for a friend.


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Blog: Launching YOLObot!
Smart Cameras are a combination of three emerging and powerful trends. Our YOLObot app is one manifestation of these new capabilities.
Sensors, AI and embedded processing.
The technical ‘dividend’ afforded by modern smartphones is immense and is still yielding amazing developments at a high cadence as the largest silicon and software platforms from Apple, Sony, Samsung, Google, Qualcomm, Panasonic, MediaTek, and others continue their push towards what was once nostalgically termed ubiquitous computing.
Smart Cameras benefit specifically from CMOS based CCDs in the 12- and now 24-megapixel range. The technical trend is to add on-die processing capabilities for standard camera features like autofocus and compression, but, uniquely, CCD vendors are adding programmable object detection. While it’s not clear whether these features will be leveraged by smartphone manufacturers, their availability means that potentially all cameras will eventually become smart cameras.
Advances in artificial intelligence arguably developed independent of the smartphone technology roadmap, but just as the leading platforms incorporated the latest communication and computational processors, all of the major smartphone technical platforms now include “neural processors” to accelerate AI/ML workloads. We expect this trend will continue with the latest embedded AI processors allowing for programmable or ‘dynamic’ neural network architectures. Whereas current processors are essentially a fixed or limited architecture, the trend is clearly to allow LLVM-based compiled networks, which means we are able to close the loop between state-of-the-art network architectures and user-land apps.
Finally, all of these advances are notably embedded. This term encompasses so much of what we now take for granted but the ability to have a battery powered device which is running smart camera workloads with 20MP class sensors and 4K display — in your pocket — is stunning. The trend here is clearly to enable more embedded, low-power solutions; both within the smartphone platforms but also as separate wearable and mounted devices.
We’re glad to release the YOLObot app as a small step along the way towards the smart camera future.


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The NSW State Government has introduced changes to zoning regulations to keep up with demand for cafes in ‘hipster’, industrial neighbourhoods. In recent years, the retail landscape of Sydney has been changing, with consumers now wanting to be closer to producers and manufacturers making local goods. This has led to an interesting rise in demand for food and drink experiences in previously industrial areas such as Alexandria.
In response to this, the State government has introduced changes to the Standard Instrument (Local Environmental Plans) Order 2006 in order to allow land use that would have previously been prohibited in industrial zones. Now, the instrument has expanded the definition of ‘light industry’ to include artisan food and drink industries and garden centres.