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Portal vendors are changing their products into independent architecture layers that span a broad set of infrastructure pieces. As a result, the technology is enabling a new style of integration conducted by end-users at the browser level.
Rather than trying to force the technology into the middleware domain, vendors are solidifying portals as a presentation layer, resigning the heavy lifting associated with integration to the middleware stack where it is easier to handle. Plumtree Software Inc., IBM Corp., and Microsoft Corp. are leading the way.
Plumtree next week will introduce a new version of its portal and will outline a strategy designed to port its technologies across a wide set of apps and repositories.
IBM is bolstering the integration capability of its WebSphere Portal by adding adapters that connect to IBM middleware.
Microsoft will extend the range of its SharePoint 2003 Portal by tightening integration with Office applications and the company’s Content Management Server.
“Now that portal technology is maturing and big players are involved, it is shaking out as an independent architecture layer,” said Nate Root, senior analyst at Forrester Research Inc. “The oil and water are separating.”
At is annual Odyssey User Conference this week, Plumtree will announce Radical Openness, a strategy designed to open its framework to support every major application server, security system, content repository, development environment, search engine, and OS, according to the company.
Betting the farm on this strategy, Plumtree is expected to position its Enterprise Web framework as an interface layer that ties into any back-end infrastructure. The first deliverable of this strategy, due in mid-2004, is a J2EE version of Plumtree’s portal featuring support for Sun Solaris and IBM AIX. Support for Linux will be added in a later iteration.
Plumtree also plans to support Java and .Net across its entire product line, said Glenn Kelman, vice president of product marketing and management at Plumtree.
“Some organizations have parts of the business that run Java and some that run .Net,” Kelman said. “Web software needs to be open to both Java and .Net. Web services is not a get-out-of-jail-free card here. Web services allows us to connect our components by HTTP so we don’t have to rewrite portlets.”
As the strategy unfolds, Plumtree plans to roll out integration points for storing its portal content in other repositories, including competing portal products.
“We hope to be the first vendor to take services out of our environment and put them into other apps, even competing portal sites,” Kelman said. For instance, a customer could run a search from outside Plumtree’s framework that uses the Plumtree search engine.
Whereas earlier portal deployments overstepped the bounds of the presentation layer to take on the role of middleware, specifically integration-layer technologies, portals are now “surrendering some of the features like EAI back to the architecture layer,” Forrester’s Root said.
“(The portal) is becoming more elegant infrastructure. In the past, there was redundancy. You got capabilities (in the portal) that already existed in app-server and middleware layers. Now the layers are crystallizing a little more because the whole market is more mature,” Root said.
IBM is touting the portal as a high-level presentation layer that serves as a front-end user interface to the middleware stack.
The company will extend its common adapter program to its WebSphere Portal this quarter in an effort to boost the portal’s integration capabilities.
“The portal adds to the evolution of middleware, really extending that middleware up a little higher. Where usually you think of middleware as not end-user-facing, portals definitely are end-user-facing. The portal is becoming a piece of middleware and is enabling a new type of integration: integration for the end-users at the browser level,” said Bill Swatling, product manager of WebSphere Portal at IBM.
Point-to-point integration, for instance, is about keeping SAP AG data sets and PeopleSoft Inc. data in sync with each other, but this new form of integration promises to be far more powerful.
“I want my business manager to be able to look into the SAP system and look at the PeopleSoft system without having to switch to an SAP GUI or a PeopleSoft client,” Swatling said.
“We’re able to bring those together on the page within the browser and to do things like look at a customer in SAP, look up the customer-service records in PeopleSoft, and look up that customer in an Oracle database. To bring all these things together in one place really is a new style of integration,” Swatling said.
One of the ways IBM boosts the integration of the portal is via its common adapter.
“We have a common adapter that supports the app server, MQSeries, our process-integration server,” said Marie Wieck, vice president of WebSphere business integration at IBM. “Now in this quarter, it will support the portal to really provide integration capabilities across the portfolio.”
Microsoft will make a late surge in the portal space later this month when it delivers SharePoint Portal Server 2003. The new version will include bolstered scalability, personalization, and application-integration capabilities and will be integrated with Office 2003 applications.
“One of the key design points is the integration both with Office and with enterprise apps and any type of corporate data people need to see. We tie into anything like SAP, legacy databases, SQL stores, Siebel apps,” said Erik Ryan, product manager at Microsoft.
Because SharePoint Portal Server 2003 will not be tightly coupled with the app-server layer, it can be run in either Java or .Net environments, Ryan said. “We have a universal translator that adapts to any technology via Web services,” he added.


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Hot on the heels of similar scams involving Pizza Hut, and free coffee at Tim Hortons and Starbucks, messages are spreading rapidly between Facebook users about alleged ASDA Gift Vouchers, offering free shopping to “celebrate” the British supermarket chain’s “birthday”.
Here’s a typical message:
Shop For FREE at ASDA – FREE ASDA Gift Card
To celebrate our birthday, we are giving away thousands of Gift Vouchers FREE – [LINK]
Unfortunately, many people take a message shared with them by their Facebook friends at face value and don’t think twice about clicking on the link.
If you made the mistake of clicking on the link, this is the next webpage that you will see.
Your alarm bells should already…
Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

domain: news


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It’s pretty hard for Elon Musk to be forgotten or overlooked, so this must have been planned?
Joe Biden invited EV automakers to the White House Thursday to celebration their accomplishments, and he somehow forgot to invite the guy behind the world’s biggest manufacturer of Electric Vehicles.
Yes, Musk was absent from the meeting that included execs from Ford, GM, and even a company called Stellantis, which was formed by a merger of Fiat and PSA of France.
Now keep in mind if you think this was an honest mistake, the percentage of US sales of electric vehicles for GM is 1.5%. For Ford it’s even less at 1.3%.
As for Stellantis, the reason you probably haven’t heard of them, is because they don’t have any sales in America.
So, was Elon upset? He summed up his feelings in this tweet. “Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn’t invited.”
Could Biden have forgotten about Tesla? Never heard of them? I guess it’s possible, but another reason that seems to be the go-to choice based on reports Thursday is the fact that the UAW will be there too. The United Auto Workers Union represents workers at GM, Ford, and even Stellantis, but not Tesla. So things could have been a little uncomfortable with Musk in the room.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki got hit up with questions about it at her briefing Thursday.
“Well, we of course welcome the efforts of automakers who recognize the potential of an electric vehicle future and support efforts that will help reach the President’s goal, and certainly Tesla is one of those companies. I would not expect this is the last time we talk about clean cars and the move towards electric vehicles, and we look forward to having a range of partners in that effort.”
Not a direct answer, but an answer nonetheless.
One piece of news coming out of the meeting was the three automakers there pledged a “shared aspiration” of having EV’s be 40-50 percent of their sales by 2030.


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Today: December 8, 2023
In today’s digital age, where smartphones have become an indispensable part of our lives, running out of battery power can be a major inconvenience. Recognizing this common problem, GoCharge, a Ukrainian startup, has emerged as a game-changer in the mobile technology industry. With its innovative powerbank rental service, GoCharge is transforming the way people charge their devices while on the go, providing unparalleled convenience and stress-free solutions in a sharing economy.
GoCharge has introduced an innovative approach to mobile charging by allowing users to rent powerbanks conveniently. By simply scanning a QR code on a GoCharge station, users can collect a powerbank and pay only for the duration of their rental. Gone are the days of lugging around bulky power banks or worrying about low battery percentages. GoCharge’s seamless rental process enables users to charge their devices whenever and wherever they need to, without any hassle.
GoCharge’s powerbanks are designed to be user-friendly, ensuring a seamless charging experience. Once users have rented a powerbank, they can freely use their devices while on the move. Whether it’s catching up on work emails during a long commute or staying connected with friends on social media, GoCharge ensures that users can continue using their devices without any interruption. When they’re finished, they can conveniently return the powerbank to any GoCharge station, making it a hassle-free process for the users.
To make the experience even more convenient, GoCharge provides a comprehensive sharing platform accessible through its mobile app, available on both Apple and Android devices. The app allows users to locate the nearest GoCharge stations, which are strategically placed in all major transport hubs, public malls, and other 24/7 locations. This ensures that users always have access to a powerbank whenever they need it, without wasting time searching for charging options.
GoCharge’s powerbank rental service not only offers convenience but also promotes sustainability. By utilizing a shared resource model, GoCharge reduces the need for individual powerbanks, minimizing electronic waste and supporting a greener environment. Moreover, GoCharge’s charging stations and kiosks are designed and manufactured with the highest quality standards, ensuring efficient and reliable charging for all users.
If you’re tired of constantly worrying about your phone’s battery life and are looking for a stress-free solution, GoCharge is the answer. Embrace the sharing economy and enjoy the convenience of GoCharge’s powerbank rental service. Say goodbye to the inconvenience of carrying bulky power banks or searching for charging outlets. With GoCharge, you can charge your devices whenever and wherever you need to, without compromising on your mobile usage.


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While the fallout from Covid lockdowns and the ensuing regulations decimated many industries, one sector boomed alongside the seismic shift to digital. Tampa Bay and its burgeoning tech industry is reaping the benefits.
As brick-and-mortar businesses were forced to temporarily shut their doors and alter the delivery of their services, an entire country learned how to make the fast transition to digital interaction. Food and drinks were ordered from GrubHub and Drizly instead of servers and bartenders. Cars were taken for digital test rides and clothes were tried on in internet dressing rooms.
Here in Tampa Bay, a not-so-quiet tech boom was already underway. From Oldsmar and Clearwater to Tampa and St. Pete, more and more tech companies were choosing to move to – or get their start in – the area. So when the world transitioned from hard copy to the cloud, the region was well-prepared to step into the role everyone needed: help figuring all that stuff out.
Perhaps the best example is Blue.cloud, a cloud-only digital transformation company that got its start in Tampa Bay. Having already been in operation for more than 15 years, Blue.cloud (formerly Bluenet, founded in 2004) was one of the industry leaders in a perfect position to leap to the rescue in March of 2020.
The company has grown exponentially, adding staff and forming partnerships on a constant basis over the last year and change. Fortune 500 clients have practically been lined up at the digital door, and the numbers Blue.cloud recently reported bear out the tremendous prosperity for one of Tampa Bay’s fastest-growing businesses.
Just from January 31, 2020 to March 31, 2020, Blue.cloud’s run rate grew from $5.8 million to $7.5 million. And that was before industries realized the digital transition was going to be a permanent one.
From March 31, 2020 to a year later, that run rate had grown more than 200%, topping $20 million. One month later, at the end of Q2, Blue.cloud reported that their run rate had reached $23.5 million. In only 15 months, the company had grown by more than 400%.
In the time since, Blue.cloud’s successes have only continued to pile up. Just this week, NYC-based private equity firm Hudson Hill Capital – known for investing in rapidly growing, mid-market tech companies – contributed a majority equity investment and enterprise valuation of $100 million+. Hudson Hill Capital cited Blue.cloud’s “impressive list of next-generation technology partners” and “track record of attracting and retaining experienced IT talent” as demonstrated market success.
Naturally, that’s a lot to handle in a hurry for any company, and leadership credits strong hires (the team headcount has more than doubled) and strategic partnerships for helping the company maintain the growth seamlessly. Blue.cloud has said they feel fortunate to be part of an industry that was rapidly adding jobs and bringing more and more people (and business) to the area in a time when many industries were going through furloughs or layoffs.
As the global economy has started to recover, services like Blue.cloud have become necessities for start-ups, mid-market companies, and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. In short, Blue.cloud provides digital strategy, data engineering and analytics, digital services, and cloud operation services, helping companies form systems and establish digital platforms.
“Cloud-based solutions” can sound a little buzzwordy, but in the new era of business, it’s one of the most important parts of keeping a company relevant. Industry jargon aside, a reflection upon the changes the world has seen makes it easy to see why these tools are so necessary for businesses to not only have, but master.
Co-founder and co-CEO Kerem Koca helped lead the transition from Bluenet to Blue.cloud, doing so because of his conviction that it was the direction global business was heading. And that was in early 2020, before the pandemic hit.
“At that time, cloud adoption was at 20 percent, and I believed we’d move to around 80 percent in just five years,” he said. “We were on the brink of a period of massive acceleration, leading a once-in-an-era re-platforming of our global business.”
If five years seemed ambitious at the time, the estimate turned out to be a surprisingly conservative one, as the last 15 months have shown.
“Cloud is the most disruptive and value-creating technology of our time,” Koca continued. “It’s now a top priority for every business. Companies can no longer sit on the sidelines when it comes to cloud transformations.”
Thanks to Koca and the company’s vision, Blue.cloud is at the forefront of the movement.
As the team has grown globally over the last year, the company’s recognition and achievements have seen corresponding milestones, including several key partnerships. In a recent release, Blue.cloud tallied a long list of successes that are further driving growth quarter-after-quarter.
• Run rate hit approximately $23.5 million at the end of Q2, compared to approximately $7.5 million for the same period in 2020 — a 200%+ increase year-over-year.
• Forged a partnership with DataRobot to expand the AI capabilities of its platform and deliver predictive business insights to clients.
• Completed Snowflake’s Partner Development Program, achieving “Select” tier services partner status in May, further strengthening the sales and delivery teams’ depth of knowledge and awareness of upcoming features for Snowflake.
• Achieved Gold Certified Partner status with Microsoft’s Azure Service Partners program.
• Blue.cloud is seeing increasing demand from key vertical sectors including financial services.
“As we anticipated, the escalating cloud re-platformization led to unprecedented Q2 growth for Blue.cloud,” Koca said. “Our entire company is focused on flawlessly serving our clients, and we’re continuing to build the strongest, most capable team in the industry, which is a key component of what makes us a strong company.” Blue.cloud plans to ramp up hiring for key positions through the rest of the year.
As for what comes next, the future for this Tampa-based business is seemingly as bright as the weather the region is famous for. And with companies like Blue.cloud leading the way for the local tech industry, sunshine isn’t the only thing garnering global attention for Tampa Bay.


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SigmaRoc PLC announced its plan to launch its very first carbon capture facility in the first quarter of 2023.
To bring the project to fruition, the UK quarried materials firm is partnering up with leading carbon capture tech provider Aqualung Carbon Capture AS.
This new step in the company’s development will boost its environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials.
The new carbon capture facility will be installed at Nordkalk, a Finnish manufacturer of limestone-based products that was bought by SimgaRoc in the summer of 2021.
Once the technology has been installed, SigmaRoc said it will finalize its plan to equip the rest of its furnaces with carbon capture before the end of the decade.


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Dean Foods is closing its Verifine Dairy fluid milk processing plant in Sheboygan as part of a move to consolidate operations in Wisconsin.
Production will be phased out by the end of April. Approximately 70 positions will be eliminated.
A spokesperson for the US dairy group said the decision to close the site “reflects the need to remove redundancy in our operations”.
The spokesperson stressed that Dean Foods products will continue to be available in the state. “We will continue to maintain significant operations in De Pere, Wisconsin, and our products will continue to be available in the region.”
In its most recent financial update in November, Dean Foods said the fiscal year had been the “most difficult operating environment” it had experienced as a company. CEO Gregg Tanner said the dairy group was responding with a focus “on the things that we control” – namely productivity, price realisation and volume at appropriate margin levels.


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By David Knox
For the second straight year, a little friendly neighborhood competition between a couple of local libraries can benefit area food pantries.
The Pinson and Clay public libraries are vying to see which can top the other during the Public Libraries of Jefferson County’s “Food for Fines” drive.
The campaign, in its sixth year, allows patrons to donate canned goods and other nonperishable foods in place of paying their fines. During the month of September, libraries waive $1 in fines for each food item donated, up to $10 per library card. Fines will be waived for late charges only, not for lost or damaged books.
Donations are being accepted at all 40 libraries affiliated with the Jefferson County library cooperative. Last year, they collected 21,896 food items, which was 700 more food items than in 2011.
Libraries will be donating the food to various organizations in the Birmingham area. Like last year, Clay will be giving its to the food pantry at Clay United
Methodist Church and Pinson’s will again go to the food pantry at Solid Rock Church. Pinson topped Clay last year in their competition, collecting 704 items to Clay’s 269.
Suggested food items include baby food, cereals, soup, canned juice, canned fruit, canned vegetables, peanut butter, crackers, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, dried beans, side dishes and snack foods. Items that will not be accepted include dented cans, rusted cans, damaged items, open packages and homemade food. Expiration dates must be visible, and the food must be in date.
Even if you don’t have an overdue item, the libraries welcome items for the food drive. But if you do have overdue fines, this would be a good time to get them wiped out. The PLJC directors recently voted to increase fines on books, magazines and books on CD from 15 cents per day to 25 cents per day. This will be the first fine increase in eight years. The increase applies to all 40 libraries affiliated with the PLJC. Funding cuts by the Jefferson County Commission and the state necessitated the fine increase, which goes into effect Oct. 1.


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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Swedish auto manufacturer Volvo is discontinuing its sale of Class 8 heavy-duty semi trucks in Mexico, local unit Volvo Trucks Mexico said in a statement on Monday, citing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and changes in the transport industry.
Wholesale sales of heavy trucks in Mexico plummeted 46.2% during the first 10 months of this year, according to national statistics agency INEGI.
Alejandro Gonzalez, a communications official with Volvo Group Mexico, told Reuters that the discontinuation of sales applies only to Volvo’s three models of Class 8 trucks, which have three or more axels and are imported from the United States.
“The business units of Volvo Group Mexico will maintain their operations as normal: Volvo Buses, Volvo Financial Services, Volvo Construction Equipment and, now also, Mack Trucks,” said Gonzalez.
Volvo Trucks’ market share of freight and cargo vehicles in Mexico was 1.3% through October of this year, INEGI data showed, with the majority of the market dominated by Paccar Inc’s Kenworth, Daimler Trucks North America’s Freightliner and Navistar International.


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Undercover Billionaire is returning for a second season on Discovery Channel. In season two, viewers will see three more entrepreneurs dropped into a new city with just $100 in their pockets. Their mission is to then build a million-dollar company in just 90 days.
Discovery Channel revealed more about the return of the series in a press release.
“In the first season of UNDERCOVER BILLIONAIRE, self-made businessman Glenn Stearns bet big that the American Dream was still alive and well. Viewers watched as Glenn was stripped of his name, wealth and contacts and dropped into a city he’s never been to see if he could build a million-dollar company in 90 days with only $100 in his pocket. Inspired by Glenn’s audacious bet, three new entrepreneurs have stepped forward to embark on the same bold challenge. UNDERCOVER BILLIONAIRE returns for a second season on Wednesday, January 6 at 8 PM ET/PT on Discovery, followed by an all-new series UNDERCOVER BILLIONAIRE COMBACK CITY at 10 PM ET/PT on Discovery.
This season, three successful entrepreneurs are betting $1 million that they can go undercover in three different cities, start their own business with just $100 and top the million-dollar mark in just 90 days. At the end of the challenge, each of them will reveal their true identities to the people who helped build their business. But will they be able to turn their big ideas into a reality? And can they navigate the impact of COVID-19 that has forced so many businesses across the country to shutter?
Each person will need to rely on their own unique secrets of success. Everyone has their own game plans, secret business hacks and strategies. After all, there’s more than one way to make $1 million dollars.
The entrepreneurs going undercover this year include:
Grant Cardone, an unapologetic entrepreneur and international motivational speaker, real estate investor, sales trainer and author of best-selling publications, including The 10XRule and Be Obsessed or Be Average. The traditional concept of the American Dream — work hard, save money and own a home — is wrong, according to Grant. He maintains that people have everything you need, and cash is trash when it sits idle. You need to put your money and your contacts to work. There’s nothing Grant won’t do for an opportunity to succeed, and he believes that relentless attitude should be adopted by everyone.
Monique Idlett-Mosley, the founder and CEO of Reign Ventures, a technology fund that empowers young entrepreneurs to create their own multimillion-dollar businesses. Monique has generated hundreds of millions for the startup companies she’s collaborated with. After a childhood of adversity, Monique proved herself as a young executive on the rise at USA Today. She made her first fortune by creating an agency that partnered corporations with entertainment and sports stars. Monique went on to become the brains behind the Mosley Music Group, in partnership with her now ex-husband Tim “Timbaland” Mosley, where she was responsible for managing the successful careers of such high-profile artists as One Republic, Nelly Furtado and Chris Cornell.
Elaine Culotti, a real estate developer, interior designer, builder, founder of House of Rock and visionary. A serial entrepreneur since the age of 14, Elaine broke into the male-dominated construction business and bulldozed her way into becoming one of the industry’s biggest players. Elaine doesn’t let anyone or anything stop her from achieving her goals. She has developed and built everything from luxury homes to casinos and hospitals. Elaine moves forward with intense determination, no visible fear of failure, and an uncanny ability to get her way.
Following the premiere of UNDERCOVER BILLIONAIRE will be the all-new series UNDERCOVER BILLIONAIRE: COMEBACK CITY premiering Wednesday, January 6 at 10 PM ET/PT on Discovery. In this new series, Glenn Stearns from the first season of UNDERCOVER BILLIONAIRE, returns to Erie, Pa., where he built his business, Underdog BBQ, in just 90 days. Now he has a new mission: rescuing small businesses on the brink of going bust.
When the economy hit the skids earlier the year, Glenn was contacted by other Erie businessmen and women who were struggling to keep their own dream alive. Each episode will follow Glenn as he works to turn around one of these small businesses. After assessing their operation and identifying areas to change, he’ll work with them to transform it in just 27 days. Why 27 days? The average small business in America has just 27 days in cash reserves. Glenn believes that if a business can’t turn it around in that amount of time, they’ll never be able to.
Each episode will give all business owners key lessons on how to stay afloat and grow. Glenn will identify the many pitfalls new businesses face and lay out a plan to reach their money-making goals. Though, no money will be handed out. Viewers will get simple tips on how to earn fast money and thrive despite all the odds. From diners and boxing gyms to coffee shops and rust belt manufacturing, Glenn will share all that he’s learned and might have a few surprise tricks up his sleeves as well.”
What do you think? Are you a fan of Undercover Billionaire on Discovery Channel? Will you watch season two?
I love both shows, Undercover and Comeback City. I hope they expand on the show and it doesn’t get canceled. It’s a great way to inspire others to help our economy and people. Please RENEW!!!
Yes ! We enjoyed the first season. We would love to see another season
I enjoyed the first series. Looking forward to more.


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Biggie Smalls estate (Notorious B.I.G., LLC) has filed a lawsuit against the wife of the famous hip hop photographer Chi Modu. According to Biggie’s estate, the late photographer’s wife should stop selling merchandise with the famous rapper photos. They claim it violates their right to publicity, even calling Chi Modu “a parasite.”
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Bishop T.D. Jakes has started a new campaign offering free prescription drug discounts that will purportedly give patients up to 75 percent off medications at thousands of pharmacies across the country.
Jakes, who leads The Potters’ House in Dallas, Texas, is promoting a pre-activated RxRelief Card that he argues can save struggling families hundreds of dollars a year on prescription medications.
“I am offering a FREE pharmacy discount card to you and your family. This is an opportunity you do not want to miss,” the megachurch pastor said in a public letter. “With discounts on virtually every medication sold at over 500,000 pharmacies nationwide the RxRelief Card can save you and your family an average of $400.”
In a promotional video for the campaign Jakes says that the negative effects of the economy should not cause families to suffer preventable losses.
“The rising cost of health care and prescription drugs has taken its toll on Americans around the nation. Many families are forced to pick between paying bills and buying household necessities, or purchasing their prescription medicines. I no longer want to see our community succumb to illnesses that could’ve been avoided had they been able to afford their preventative medications,” the pastor said.
Oprah Explains To Her Audience How She Became Successful! [VIDEO]
Most Influential Ministers Changing The World
Marcus D. Wiley Discusses His 13th Live DVD Recording “D13″ [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]
Images Of Black Love For Your Timeline [Family Edition]
Download The New Spirit 1400 Mobile App For Your Smartphone
Minorities and Mental Health Series - Stress Awareness, PTSD, Trauma
50 Reasons Why It's Better To Be A Woman
Urban One Honors “The Soundtrack of Black America" Spotlights Some Of The Greatest in Entertainment
Call Out Sin! – Motivational Moment
Rudy Currence Premieres New Single “Ransom,” Talks Transition From R&B To Gospel


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In as little as three years, experts predict the NFL will come down with a case of NASCAR-itis and finally turn players into bill boards.
More than $230 million in advertising money is up for grabs if teams let sponsors buy space on NFL jerseys, according to a recent study by media analysts Horizon Media.
“Within a three-to five-year period, I would be very surprised if one of the leagues wasn’t sampling [logos on jerseys] on a large-scale effort,” says Horizon managing partner Michael A. Neuman.
The lure of that kind of money is especially strong now — as the Players’ Union is expected to demand a bigger share of league revenues when negotiations over a new labor agreement begin this spring.
The prospect of allowing NFL jerseys to be used for advertising has been kicking around for a number of years. Ads on uniforms have been standard in the European soccer leagues for years.
But to sell space on major, league sport uniforms would be a first in the US and league execs recognize that the howl from fans, at least at first, would likely be substantial.
“We are often approached by companies that want to put their logo on NFL jerseys — the most valuable real estate in sports,” an NFL spokesperson says, “but we have no plans to do so.”
Nevertheless, the sanctity of uniforms seems now to extend only to game day.
Over the last three years, several NFL teams have sported patch logos — for companies including AT&T, Gillette, Sanyo and the University of Phoenix — on practice uniforms.
The big issue will be for broadcasters, who may not take kindly to promising advertisers brand exclusivity during a game only to find out that a competitor’s brand is getting repeated — and free — airtime because it’s been stitched across the quarterback’s chest.
And, says Neuman, “in-game action is completely TiVo or DVR-proof, but commercials are not.”
CBS and Fox — which carry the NFL games — declined yesterday to make anyone available to talk about ads on jerseys.
Only Fox offered a statement. “We have not had any discussions whatsoever with the NFL regarding this matter,” said a spokesman.
Famous for hosting a hodgepodge of competitive corporate sponsors, NASCAR says its never encountered this problem.
Companies don’t seem to have any problems with the free-for-all ad culture of NASCAR, which is why a FedEx-sponsored car racing against a UPS car and a Budweiser car trading paint with a Miller Lite car is not an unusual sight.
“Goodyear is our official tire, but if [the networks] want to run a Firestone ad, they’re welcome to,” says Andrew Giangola, NASCAR’s director of business communications. “It’s capitalism at its finest.”


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Blockchain for the Energy Transition
We are happy to announce our next meetup, with three exciting presentations about blockchain tech applied to the energy sector.
19.00 Open doors (please come early to get a seat, we start on time)
Carlos Barbero & Tomas Diez presenting
Mihail Mihaylov – Smart Contracts for Smart Grids: the case of NRGcoin
Simone Accornero – InnoEnergy – DIY Blockchain-enabled IoT devices
Alex Sicart – The Sharge alternative, charging station for electric car users
Open discussion – Moderation by Carlos Barbero
21.00 – Beers, more discussion and networking at the “El primer cafè” bar
After the Bitcoin revolution Satoshi Nakamoto started, the blockchain tech is evolving to new fields. Entire niches of the economy can be revolutionized because of the new p2p database system. The energy sector will be in the near future one of the fields where the blockchain technology can be disruptive.
As always we have more questions than answers on this matter. We want to ask our speakers and debate about questions like:
What is wrong with the current energy system? How can blockchain offer a solution? What pitfalls we should avoid? What are the key factors that we need to manage in the decentralized energy grids?
Mihail Mihaylov is a post-doctoral researcher in the AI lab of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. He is the founder of the NRGcoin concept, a decentralized mechanism for rewarding renewable energy, based on blockchain technology. Mihail is the co-founder of the Barcelona Bitcoin Community.
Alex Sicart is the cofounder & CTO at Sharge. Sharge is a platform that allows you share your charging station to electric car users, using blockchain technology. Forbes 30 under 30 in Tech, 2017 (Alex awarded by Forbes as one of most promising young-game changers)
Simone Accornero: Research Energy Engineer formed at KU Leuven, UPC Barcelona, UNIBO and UPV Valencia, based in Barcelona and currently working at CITCEA. Driven by a strong passion for renewable energies, smart grids, sharing economy, blockchain and sustainable cities. Striving to contribute to the transition towards a decentralized autonomous electricity grid to achieve a more sustainable future.
April 21st, 2017, 19h – FabLab Carrer de Pujades, 102, Barcelona
Language (talk and Q&A): English
As always, entrance is free provided you have RSVPed.


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The ScanPro® 2200 wins recognition as a top microfilm scanner on market.
Today, we are pleased to announce our ScanPro 2200 received a platinum award in LibraryWorks’ fourth annual Modern Library Awards (MLAs).
The MLAs were created to recognize the top products and services in the library industry in a truly unbiased format. Products and services were submitted in the fall using a simple application, and then were posted on a private site with an enhanced description and attendant materials. These products were batched into small groups and sent to the LibraryWorks database of more than 80,000 librarians at public, K-12, academic, and special libraries. Only those with experience with these products/services in their facilities were permitted to judge the products/services, resulting in a truly unbiased score.
Each judge scored the product on a numeric basis from 1-10 on a series of questions pertaining to topics such as functionality, value and customer service.
“It is such an honor to be voted a number one microfilm scanner on the market by librarians and microfilm users,” says James Westoby, President of e-ImageData.
“Customer satisfaction is why we continually strive to produce the most innovative products at the highest quality.”
“The award-winning ScanPro 2200 is the lowest cost, full featured desktop scanner on the market. It makes it possible for libraries and patrons to experience the latest technology, features, and the exceptional ease-of-use, all at a budget friendly price. Patrons have even reported that the ScanPro microfilm scanners “make working with microfilm fun”.
Jenny Newman, publisher and MLA program manager said, “It’s hardly a surprise that e-ImageData scored so well. They’ve been at the forefront of the industry since their company entered the market in 1989.”
To learn more about the high performance, low-cost microfilm scanner on the market, click here.
To read this press release in its entirety, click this link: https://prlog.org/12688263


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Tesco is set to make a big change to meat packaging – and shoppers will decide if it’s a permanent shake-up. Tesco is introducing new pillow packs on its 500g Tesco Beef Lean Steak Mince 5% fat (£3.49) and Tesco Beef Mince 500g 20% fat (£2.49).
Britain's biggest grocer has confirmed the move is not nationwide - yet. Instead, it will be a trial at stores in Borehamwood and Cheshunt, as well as Epping and Hatfield, Hertford and Hornchurch, and also Ponders End and Potters Bar and, finally, Waltham Abbey.
Dom Morrey, Tesco commercial director for fresh, said: “As well as looking for great value when they shop, customers want to see less plastic packaging in their trolleys. Pillow packs are a win-win: they keep the mince in perfect condition while requiring much less plastic."
Tesco Ireland previously trialled the pillow packaging. John Brennan, fresh-food category director, Tesco Ireland, commented, “This new pillow pack packaging uses 68% less plastic and guarantees the same high-quality look, taste and feel that our customers know and expect from us.
“The plastic reduction element is significant and has the potential to save around 100 tonnes of plastic each year, if the trial is rolled out across all mince product lines.” In July, Sainsbury's removed plastic trays from its "by Sainsbury’s" steak range, replacing them with cardboard instead.
Claire Hughes, director of product and innovation at Sainsbury’s, said: “As part of our Plan for Better commitments, we are trying to reduce plastic packaging across our own brand ranges, as we know that reducing plastic is important to our customers but also on our environmental impact.
"It’s why we are always looking at ways to innovate our packaging and reduce or replace plastic wherever we can, as quickly as we can. We’re pleased to save another 10 million pieces of plastic a year by swapping our by Sainsbury’s steak trays to cardboard following the changes we have already made on So Organic and Taste the Difference packaging.
"While we are making good progress, we know there is more to do and we are committed to making bold changes that help us achieve our plastic reduction targets.”


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ManpowerGroup names new North America chief
ManpowerGroup said Friday it has named Michael Stull senior vice president for Manpower North America.
Stull, who has led global marketing for Manpower across 80 countries and all brands for the past five years, now will head up the Milwaukee-based staffing company's North American operation.
He replaces Kip Wright, who will leave Manpower at the end of the month. Wright led Manpower North America for two years and previously headed the ManpowerGroup Solutions business. He joined the firm as part of its 2010 purchase of Comsys IT Partners Inc., an acquisition that expanded Manpower's presence in the high-tech engineering and computer technology fields.
A Manpower spokeswoman declined to say where Wright is going.
Stull joined Manpower in August 2010, according to his LinkedIn page, coming from an executive post at Nuveen Investments, a Chicago-based money management firm. At Manpower, he has helped lead efforts to use digital technology to improve and modernize the experience of job candidates and clients, the company said in a statement.
While Manpower is based in Milwaukee, the U.S. is not its largest market. The company's entire Americas segment accounted for 23% of Manpower's $19.3 billion in sales last year. Europe, meanwhile, generated about 64% of the firm's 2015 revenue.


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Google is big and to accompany its size a new app has been made available in the App Store called Ivy. Google notes that Ivy is “an experimental big number calculator” and brings the ability to calculate big numbers.
The design is incredibly basic and Google notes in the description that the app “uses exact rational arithmetic so it can handle arbitrary precision. Values may be input as integers, rationals, or floating point values.” As for additional specific features, for those interested, Ivy allows for big number logarithm and trigonometric functions. Lots of numbers.
For now, it seems the app is only available on iOS and no indication of an Android release.


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Amazon, getting additional hundreds of thousands of personnel in the course of the pandemic, faces a quandary: how to trim its workforce to match slowing advancement of e-commerce with no fueling labor unrest and giving ammunition to unions.
When the world’s greatest on the net retailer described earnings Thursday, it acknowledged that the logistical potential added to handle a surge in desire from homebound customers has remaining it with as well quite a few personnel and a surfeit of warehouse space.
With purchasers returning to their pre-pandemic investing routines, the enterprise misplaced dollars in the final quarter, putting up the slowest revenue development due to the fact 2001, and warned that earnings and income would endure in the recent interval.
The company’s stock sank 14% on Friday, with a decline in market place price — $206.2 billion — that ranks as one of the worst in Wall Street background.
Amazon responded to the pandemic by doubling the size of its logistics network over a two-year time period — a fast buildout that exceeded people of rivals and companions like Walmart, UPS and FedEx. For a time, the Seattle enterprise was opening a new warehouse somewhere in the U.S. about each individual 24 hours.
Numerous traders hoped Amazon would be capable to dial up gains once pandemic-linked strains eased mainly because the corporation had loads of room and could slow spending on new services. Rather, Amazon overbuilt and is now caught with charges that are outstripping demand.
The organization is unlikely to close services for the reason that it stays fully commited to one particular-day and very same-working day delivery, a crucial objective now that lots of of its rivals are in a position to get merchandise to customers in 1 or two days. Nevertheless, Main Economic Officer Brian Olsavsky explained this 7 days that Amazon is slowing the pace of new building, pushing again the opening of planned warehouses.
The labor problem is additional fraught. Before this month, a labor union started out by a fired Amazon worker received a historic victory at a enterprise warehouse in New York’s Staten Island. On Monday, federal labor officers are expected to get started counting votes for an election at an Amazon facility across the road from the first. Even if the union loses the 2nd vote, labor organizers are predicted to try to manage other enterprise warehouses throughout the place.
Amazon, the second-greatest non-public employer in the U.S., employed around 780,000 individuals in excess of the past two years, bringing its workforce to 1.62 million. It also raised wages, compensated bonuses for new hires and was keen to mail out half-vacant vans to guarantee that shoppers got their packages on time. Now it requires to discover a way to minimize headcount and rein in labor expenditures.
Attrition will just about absolutely consider care of component of the difficulty. Turnover at Amazon warehouses is famously substantial, with several workforce staying considerably less than a calendar year due to the physical pressure of standing at a workstation for a 10-hour shift. But the organization also signaled that it is coming into a period of belt-tightening.
“Our teams are squarely focused on enhancing productivity and charge efficiencies all through our fulfillment community,” Chief Executive Andy Jassy mentioned in a statement Thursday.
In practice, that could mean leaner staffing in warehouses and additional tension on the people retrieving and boxing merchandise to velocity their function and make much less errors.
“They have sizeable labor stress, both blue and white collar,” stated Tom Forte, an analyst with D.A. Davidson & Co.
Amazon in new many years has experimented with to soften its popularity as a grueling workplace, touting an regular beginning wage higher than $18 an hour, as nicely as new basic safety initiatives to control an personal injury rate that exceeds marketplace averages. All those packages could just take a hit in a dawning age of austerity, potentially angering personnel who now have a very long checklist of unions eager to assistance them extract far better performing conditions.
Further more labor unrest, assuming it comes about, could show politically perilous for Amazon. President Biden has expressed help for earning it simpler for personnel to unionize, even though Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont impartial, has proposed ending authorities contracts with businesses that violate labor guidelines. Although the proposal is unlikely to bear fruit before long, if at any time, Sanders has scheduled a hearing on the matter for subsequent 7 days.
How a great deal overcapacity Amazon requirements to get the job done as a result of is challenging to gauge, and some analysts imagine the large warehouse expansion will occur in handy for the duration of peak purchasing durations, like the Prime Day sale in July and the December holiday break period.
“Growing into existing fulfillment capability may possibly be a single of the least complicated challenges for Amazon to clear up in its background,” BofA Securities analysts wrote Friday in a note to purchasers.


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Activision Blizzard’s hit collection like Call of Duty, Diablo, and Overwatch will come to Xbox Game Pass sooner or later, Microsoft confirmed this week. That a lot was anticipated given Microsoft’s acquisition of the large writer and contemplating how each different Microsoft-owned studio has operated, however this week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed as a lot in a put up penned to stipulate Microsoft’s “view on the Activision Blizzard acquisition.” This put up comes amid the continuing scrutiny in direction of Microsoft’s deal because it’s investigated by numerous regulators such because the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority which coincidently simply shared an replace on its investigation on Thursday as properly.
Spencer’s put up on the Microsoft website opened by touting some of the principals and merchandise Xbox invests closely into like “giving players choice in how they play their games” in addition to Xbox Game Pass, a service which Xbox has attested goes hand-in-hand with that supreme. A couple of paragraphs into the put up, Spencer confirmed Microsoft’s intentions to make Activision Blizzard’s huge collection referenced beforehand out there via Xbox Game Pass.
“We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities,” Spencer mentioned. “By delivering even more value to players, we hope to continue growing Game Pass, extending its appeal to mobile phones and any connected device.”
The Call of Duty video games are naturally premium titles and are about as AAA as a game can get, so information that they’re going to be out there via Xbox Game Pass ought to be a welcome affirmation for subscribers even when it was already anticipated. The identical goes for the Diablo video games which, apart from Diablo Immortal, have all been paid video games, too. Overwatch is a bit of an exception in that it was a paid game with Overwatch 2 as a substitute being free-to-play and set to exchange the present reside service when it launches in October, but it surely’ll apparently be included in Xbox Game Pass regardless.
While Spencer didn’t point out particularly the UK’s CMA, he mentioned Microsoft “will continue to engage with regulators with a spirit of transparency and openness as they review this acquisition.” This is probably in response to not solely the investigations at giant however notably the choice reached by the CMA this week that this acquisition might end in a “substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom.” As such, a extra in-depth investigation is to comply with.
Spencer closed out the put up partly by calling the gaming business “robust and dynamic” whereas declaring that Microsoft just isn’t alone in its acquisition efforts and that companies like Tencent and Sony are very a lot concerned in related practices.


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Mediaset and Telecom Italia plan new DTT services
Mediaset and Telecom Italia, have both announced plans to launch new services on the DTT platform and Mediaset new receiving equipments to make more use of it.
According to reports Mediaset plans to launch a DTT receiver that can combine the functionality of the Internet (over-the-top TV) and DTT. This receiver is planned for launch by the end of the year and will be completely independent from current telecom offerings.
In addition, Mediaset will launch an HD receiver for the reception of its Premium on Demand HD service on the DTT platform. The service is expected to be made available in July
Telecom Italia Media is planning to launch two new services on the DTT platform, MTV+ (a television programme service that will offer music and entertainment) and La7 (an on demand service that will offer catch-up television services using a broadband connection) Both services will be available by the end of May.
Item added: 10th May 2010


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October 28, 2019
U.K. burger brand Rustlers has taken an unusual approach to celebrating the 150-year anniversary of the burger in its latest quirky campaign by Droga5 London.
October 10, 2018
Binge-watching shows on Amazon Prime Video affects fans to the point of dramatically influencing their personality in a hilarious new set of ads promoting the service running in Europe.
January 05, 2018
A quirky new U.K. spot for fitness supplement Bulk Powders imagines a used car salesman finding himself so intimidated by a customer's ripped physique that he can't play his usual mind games.


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Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s finance minister, denied receiving a request to lower import taxes on electric vehicles shortly after rumours surfaced suggesting that the government was doing so to help Tesla enter the country.
On August 25, Sitharaman told reporters on the margins of the B20 Summit in New Delhi, “No proposal is before me to cut import tariff on electric vehicles.
Sitharaman’s response came after the news agency Reuters reported, citing sources, that the government is considering a policy that would permit automakers to import fully-built EVs into India at a reduced tax of as little as 15%, as opposed to the current 100% that applies to cars that cost more than $40,000 and 70% for the rest.
For instance, the base price of Tesla’s most popular Model Y in the United States is $47,740 before tax credits.
If such a strategy is implemented, the cost of imported EVs, which local automakers have been keen to avoid, may be drastically reduced. Beyond Tesla, it may also provide access to the third-largest auto market in the world, where EV sales are still a small percentage of overall vehicle sales but are increasing quickly.
A third source told the news agency that the lower import duties would make it easier for Tesla to sell all of its models in India rather than just the new vehicle it plans to produce there.
Similar actions have been taken by other nations to encourage EV manufacturing commitments. For instance, Indonesia has proposed lowering import taxes from 50% to 0% for EV manufacturers considering investments.


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Apple has today released new betas for all its devices (except Apple Watch) and they are now available for download. Today’s releases include the iOS 12 developer beta 11, iOS 12 Public beta 9, macOS Mojave beta 9 and tvOS 12 beta 9. If you are beta testing any of these operating systems on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV then head over to the software update section of your device and download the latest updates.
iOS 12 developer beta 11 comes just 4 days after Apple released beta 10. Over the past few weeks Apple has sped up the beta release process and has been releasing up to 2 betas per week. Just like past few developer beta releases for iOS 12, no new features have been introduced in this one. Alongside 11th developer beta, public beta 9 for iOS 12 is also available.
In addition to releasing two betas for iOS 12, Apple has also released beta 9 for macOS Mojave and tvOS 12. These two also don’t bring any noticeable changes to the operating systems and focus on bug fixes and improvements.
With August’s end fast approaching, Apple is gearing towards the final release of its major software updates, which are expected to get released around mid-September.


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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Hungry college students at North Carolina A&T State University now have a high-tech way to get food delivered to their dorms.
Three dozen robots are part of the new delivery service on campus called Starship. Students use an app on their smartphones to order food from one of the dozen different restaurants on campus.
The student enters where they want the food delivered. It can be classroom buildings, residence halls or the student union. Workers at the restaurants fill the order and then place it into the robot.
The robots are programmed to follow routes along the sidewalk to deliver the food. The starship robots have been popular among students on campus.
The university says in three months, they have made almost 10 thousand deliveries. FOX8 Foodie Shannon Smith shows us how it all works.


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Input prices hitting farmers hard
The UFU (Ulster Farmers’ Union) has stated that soaring input prices are hitting sheep and beef farmers “hard”.
According to the organisation, CAN fertiliser has increased from approximately £200/t in spring 2021 to £900/ton in spring 2022, which is an increase of £700/ton (350%).
Meanwhile, beef finishing rations are up £230/t in spring 2021 to £310 in spring 2022 – an increase of £80/ton (34.8%).
On the other hand, breeding sheep rations have jumped from £240/t in spring 2021 to £340/t this spring, which equates to an increase of £100/t or 41.6%.
Finally, red diesel has increased from £0.56/L in spring 2021 to £1.10/L in spring 2022. This is an increase of £0.54/L (96.4%).
UFU beef and lamb chair, Pat McKay, said beef and sheep farmers are “extremely on edge about the way things are going”. He highlighted that crippling production costs are reaching levels they have never seen before.
In his view, it is “completely unsustainable”. “Everyone is uptight about whether or not they’ll still be in business by the end of the season. Farm families are under immense pressure.”
“It’s not only the cost of fertiliser and ruminant feed, which apparently is going to take another jump soon; other inputs such as lime, bale plastic, grass seed and minerals have increased recently too.”
“Beef and sheep farmers are getting it from all angles, and it’s severely impacting their profit margins.”
“What we need is for the market to provide a stronger beef and lamb price if our farmers are to have any chance of keeping their head above water,” said Mr McKay.
Beef and sheep prices
While beef gained a positive uplift recently, he said this is minor compared to the production costs farmers are enduring.
Meanwhile, he reported that prices for lighter and plainer types of store cattle and drop calves are decreasing. On the sheep farming front, he estimates that spring lamb quotes are back 50-70p/kg on last year.
He said calculations show that the expense of producing lamb was more than the return.
“It has been an extremely uncertain spring to date, and it is impacting the confidence of our primary suckler and dairy beef calf rearers. They need certainty to plan for the future.”
“The only way to sustain our world-leading beef and sheep sectors is for the rest of the supply chain to show their support for farmers.”
“We need our retailers, wholesale suppliers and processors to share some of the increased costs, helping us to get through this very difficult period. Farmers cannot absorb all the expense alone, nor should they have to as primary producers.”
According to UFU hill farming chair, Nigel McLaughlin, the war in Ukraine has led to a “sharper and more widespread” increase in farm input prices in 2022 than some had anticipated at the end of 2021.
“For upland and hill sheep producers, it remains to be seen as to what extent the increase of output prices will compensate for the rise in production costs.”
“Spring is a very costly time of year for livestock farmers. In the Republic of Ireland, the average family farm income on sheep farms is forecast to decline by 20% this year which is very worrying.”
To help farmers manage their financial situation, CAFRE has designed a ‘what if’ calculator to show the impact increasing input costs would have on resulting margins.
The body has urged farmers, with a CAFRE advisor, to contact them about this tool to help with management decisions for the months ahead.
The UFU confirmed that lobbying is continuing with processors, retailers, government officials, local politicians and industry to try to alleviate the pressure on farm families as the need for extra costs to filter up the supply chain “intensifies”.


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Speaking in Mexico City, Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak hinted about the upcoming iWatch, and mentioned that Apple is merely in a waiting period between innovative products.
The iWatch has been in the rumour mill for so long that we were wondering if Apple would ever launch the device. It may have gotten its first official confirmation, as Steve Wozniak not only confirmed of its existence but also hinted at the functionality it might feature. He said, “I think, oh my gosh, I just wish I had the old iPhone right here on my wrist and I wish I could ask it questions like a new Siri (voice assistant technology) or tell it to play certain music.”
Wozniak told the audience in Mexico City that devices are getting smaller, and that Apple is waiting for the next big direction in consumer tech. He added, “You can’t expect a whole new incredible revolution of a category of existing consumer electronics, you can’t expect that every year. If you could have one every year it would be quite a surprise.”
Apple has been trademarking the iWatch name globally, but it might run into a few hurdles along the way. China already has a trademark for the name “iWatch” and “iWatching”, and in the U.S., an organization called OMG Electronics owns the iWatch trademark. In the U.K., Probendi owns the rights to the iWatch name, which extends to cover the entire EU.


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Wicked Creations unite Hanover breweries
Brent Stambaugh and Bill Seidler always knew they wanted to work together, but what would they make?
Mark Mathias, Stambaugh's partner at Miscreation Brewing Company in Hanover, gave them the idea to craft a Pumpkin IPA: two strong, competing flavors they would need to expertly balance.
They took the challenge.
"It's not that common," said Seidler, an owner at Hanover's Something Wicked Brewing Company. "If we’re gonna make, it let’s make it big. Big, bold flavor — something that’s gonna stand out."
At that, Stambaugh said, "This is gonna be a monstrosity!" and they had their name.
Monstrosity will be the first Wicked Creation, a collaboration between Miscreation and Something Wicked brewing companies.
Seidler said their biggest struggle was finding out what hop flavor would go best with the pumpkin.
"There's a wheel of hop flavors," he said. The citrus, fruit and floral varieties didn't suit the pumpkin that well, so they went with an earthier and pinier hop. The result was a pumpkin beer that still retains the bitterness of an IPA.
After giving a sample to their business partners, Seidler said, "Tell me the two flavors you get from this," and they said, "You get a lot of pumpkin and a lot of hop."
"I’ve never heard of anything like it," Stambaugh said. "Something totally new to me."
Seidler and Stambaugh knew each other for a long time before they started brewing together.
"He and I are kind of like family," Stambaugh said.
Seidler is married to Stambaugh's cousin, "so he's kind of like my cousin," Stambaugh said. "Cousin-in-law, I guess, if you want to get specific," he said with a laugh.
They both wanted to start a brewery in Hanover but didn't know they'd end up there at the same time.
"At the time, we didn’t know there were two other ones that were doing the same thing." Stambaugh said.
Aldus Brewing Company arrived in Hanover less than a year before Miscreation and Something Wicked, which opened in March and May 2015, respectively.
"We have talked about it with Aldus, Miscreation and Something Wicked all doing something, but we’re all so busy and never have enough time." Stambaugh said of a collaboration. "We really want to work with Aldus sometime. Just do a Hanover thing, you know?"
The Hanover breweries, including Warehouse Gourmet Bistro and Brew Pub, are all in a friendly state of competition. They collaborated with other local craft beer sellers to place an ad bringing awareness to Hanover as a destination for craft beer.
"Always makes you feel good to know you are drawing people out of town into Hanover for craft beer," Seidler said. "If it’s good for one of us, it’s good for all four of us. It’s good for Hanover."
Miscreation and Something Wicked's Monstrosity will be the first collaboration between Hanover breweries on a beer.
"If it goes well, it might be the first of many to come," Seidler said.
The two brewers worked together at Something Wicked, sharing equally in decisions and labor.
"It was a great time," Stambaugh said. "I was just as much of a part of it over there as I would have been here [at Miscreation]."
"The process was actually extremely smooth, extremely easy," Seidler said. "We both joked that we could work for each other any day."
Seidler and Stambaugh plan to release their beer at this Saturday's Oktoberfest. They will both extend their alcohol licenses to the parking lot in the square.
The brewing team also plans to have a special release of a firkin of Monstrosity at Something Wicked in mid- to late- October. The beer is poured into a barrel, sugar is added and after it's sealed, yeast eats the sugar and releases carbon dioxide, which carbonates the beer — a three- to four-week process.
"We added an additional seven or eight flavors to the firkin," Seidler said, such as vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. "When we tap it on the bar, it will flow really wonderful."
Each brewery will offer commemorative tasting glasses to celebrate the new beer a 10 ounce Belgian tulip and an 11 ounce snifter, one from each brewery, to encourage the public to try Monstrosity at both locations.
"It’s just how this community is," Stambaugh said. "It’s a friendly community. We don’t consider ourselves competition."


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Bonhams returns to Paris on 4 February 2021, with ‘Les Grand Marques du Monde à Paris’, a specially curated ’boutique’ collectors’ motor cars sale, which will take place in Rue de la Paix, where Bonhams Paris headquarters are based.
The European season opener for Bonhams Motor Cars, traditionally staged during Rétromobile week, has become one of the most important fixtures of the historic motoring calendar and is recognised for achieving world auction records for some of the most important collectors’ motor cars.
Despite the extraordinary circumstances for 2021, Bonhams is proud to announce its intention to continue the long tradition of exceptional sales in the city of lights.
Subject to local restrictions, the sale will follow the successful Bonhams ‘live and online’ format. A live auctioneer will be at the rostrum and the sale will be broadcast worldwide via Bonhams.com, accepting remote online, telephone and absentee bids. The cars will be displayed for viewing purposes in a central Paris location.
Over the past ten years, Bonhams Paris sales have offered more than 1000 carefully curated historic and classic machines representing the entire history of the automobile age from the pioneers to modern day supercars. Many have been offered with unique provenance, be it racing pedigree or royal ownership.
Highlights from the past decade’s sales include:
A 1932 Bugatti Type 55, which was a works entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans driven by two of the era’s most celebrated racing drivers, Louis Chiron and Count Guy Bouriat-Quintart, sold for €4,600,000. This was the most valuable lot in the 2020 sale – and also the ‘top lot’ across all of this year’s Rétromobile sales.
In 2017, a 1935 Aston Martin Ulster ‘CML 719’, with its racing history including a 5th place in its class at the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hours, well exceeded its estimate to achieve €2,012,500 after a lengthy exchange between four bidders in the sale room.
The 2020 sale also saw a world auction record set for the world’s finest pre-war sports car, a 1931 Invicta 4 1/2-Litre S-Type Low Chassis Sports with unique ‘sport cabriolet’ coachwork by Carbodies which achieved €1,610,000.
In 2018 a world auction record was achieved for a 1926 Bentley 3-Litre Red Label Speed Model Tourer which sold to a telephone bidder for €701,500.
The 2014 sale witnessed another auction world record when a 1968 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta sold for €2,225,000.
Another star of the 2020 sale was a 1935 Mercedes Benz 500 K Cabriolet A, formerly owned by the French film actor, Henry Garat, which sold for €1,610,000.
The top lot of the 2019 sale, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A, formerly owned by His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal, former King of Jordan, sold for €1,581,250 to a European bidder in the room.
A 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 Grand Sport once driven by one of the most famous racing Russians – exiled Russian Imperial Guardsman, Boris Ivanowski – sold to a European bidder in the 2018 saleroom for €1,184,500.
In 2011 a truly unique motor car went across the block: a 1961 Cadillac’Jacqueline’ Coupe, created by the Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina in honour of America’s First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, the year that her husband, John F. Kennedy, was elected President of the United States. First displayed at the Grand Palais during the 1961 Paris Salon, on its return, the coupé sold for €212,750.
Philip Kantor, Head of Department, Bonhams Motor Cars Europe, said: “We are delighted to be returning to Paris for our European season-opening sale. We are proud that this has become such an important fixture on the motoring calendar and indeed is considered a don’t miss event in Paris for the start of the yearly motoring calendar.”
Report by bonhams.com


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Charging technology has also changed in the past few decades. One significant advancement is wireless charging which is already now implemented by major OEMs like Samsung and Huawei. It’s made possible thanks to the likes of Qualcomm for introducing such. In the near future, we may be able to charge phones through NFC. You read that right: NFC. For those who don’t know it, that’s Near-Field Communication—a protocol that allows communication between two electronic devices over a distance of 4cm.
The NFC Forum has recently confirmed new protocols that can support wireless charging. The tech isn’t implemented on new products yet but Wireless Charging Specification (WLC) is wireless charging for smaller devices like smartwatches and earbuds. It is a new specification that allows devices with antenna to transfer power to other smaller gadgets but only up to one watt. It will be very beneficial for everyone who needs ‘power’ especially when there is no outlet available.
This tech will always be embraced too by most OEMs that use NFC on their smartphones. It’s reverse charging but made easier and possible with only NFC. Any small battery-powered devices can be charged quickly by a smartphone that has a bigger battery.
About 36 billion IoT devices may benefit from this according to NFC Forum’s chairman, Koichi Tagawa. Tagawa also said, “NFC wireless charging is truly transformative because it changes the way we design and interact with small, battery-powered devices as the elimination of plugs and cords enables the creation of smaller, hermetically-sealed devices.”
NFC’s solution is somewhat similar to Samsung’s Wireless PowerShare that gives power to smaller devices. The goal now is to allow other companies to follow suit. It’s a practical solution to a problem mobile consumers are facing. Well, it’s not really a problem but this becomes more of an added convenience.


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Build-your-own-bowl restaurant Fresh Kitchen has teamed up with Covelli Family Limited Partnership to open more Fresh Kitchen locations in Florida.
Covelli Family Limited Partnership is an entity of Warren, Ohio-based Covelli Enterprises — the largest franchisee of Panera Bread stores in North America, with 300 locations in five states and Canada. Covelli Family Limited Partnership owns and operates 77 Panera locations in Florida.
Fresh Kitchen, a brand under Tampa-based Ciccio Restaurant Group, opened a location in Boca Raton in late March, the first restaurant under the new partnership and the first Fresh Kitchen in South Florida. Another new Fresh Kitchen location under the partnership is expected to open in the fall at Waterford Lakes Town Center in Orlando. The joint venture partnership will enable further growth in the state in the coming months. Terms of the partnership weren't disclosed.
“We're finding great locations that would be good fits with the community,” says Fresh Kitchen Partner Steven Lanza.
But finding that great location isn't always a cinch. Lanza tells Coffee Talk it took two years for Fresh Kitchen to find the right location in Boca Raton. He says they consider factors such as nearby tenants, visibility and the community at large when looking at potential sites. Lanza says Fresh Kitchen is also scouting other locations in the Boca Raton and Orlando areas as well as potential locations in central Florida and the east and west coasts of the state.
Diners at Fresh Kitchen restaurants select ingredients to create bowls of food with items like mixed greens, sweet potato noodles, roasted vegetables, grilled meats, seafood and sauces.


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Disney has shared a few new updates on what to expect if you stay at a hotel at Walt Disney World or any number of the theme parks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
What’s going on:
- Katie Kelly, the vice president of Worldwide Safety Services at Disney Parks, said in a new statement for Disney Parks that people can expect to follow health and safety guidelines while staying at hotels. Guidelines from government and health authorities will be enacted during stays.
- Online check-in services at select spots will be available to avoid contact with employees. A redesigned bell service can help bring luggage to rooms.
- Cleaning has been increased across multiple areas, including elevators, escalators, handrails, benches, tables and more.
- The park has added a number of hand sanitizer locations.
- Lobbies, restaurants, pools and gyms added physical distancing reminders and reduced capacity.
Disney Parks released the video below for people to see understand what to expect:
What we’re waiting on
- Walt Disney World plans to reopen its theme park in July, bringing Americans back to a Disney location for the first time since the parks closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Plans for Disneyland remain unclear. There was some speculation Tuesday that Disneyland had plans to announce its next steps on Wednesday. Disneyland did not respond to the Deseret News’ request for comment.


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It seems like hardly a week goes by without another employer in the ‘gig-economy’ being told by an employment tribunal that it actually has to give employment rights to the people that it claims are just freelancers finding work through their app.
Working for or Working with?
Workers at Deliveroo, Citysprint and Addison Lee have all been found to be entitled to a range of employment rights – mainly holiday pay and the National Minimum Wage. Most recently Uber has been trying to turn the tide – arguing in the Employment Appeal Tribunal that its drivers are not in fact workers as the Employment Tribunal found.
We should be careful not to assume that something is new just because there is a new name for it. The technology driving the gig economy is certainly novel – but the working relationships underlying it may not be. Slightly surprisingly, Uber was at pains in front of the EAT to stress that its business model was the same as that of any other minicab company – only on a more impressive scale. Its drivers are not ‘employed’, Uber says, they simply use the Uber app to be put in touch with customers who need a ride. On this analysis the driver doesn’t work for Uber – Uber is the driver’s agent.
Clarity on the Horizon
A decision is expected from the EAT around Christmas – but the case won’t end there. Whichever side loses is certain to appeal. The case may even be joined with that of Pimlico Plumbers, which has already been given permission to go to the Supreme Court and is concerned with whether a ‘self-employed’ plumber counts as a worker. The case is due to be heard early next year – and a decision really can’t come too soon. The new President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale, has a reputation for setting out the principles of the law in a clear and straightforward way. We could certainly do with some clarity when it comes to employment status.


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Apple announced today that it will offer genuine parts, diagnostic tools, and repair manuals to independent repair shops. It’s a bold move from a company that has lobbied against Right to Repair bills, and a concession to the reality of iPhone owners’ needs. But we still have questions.
There’s some ‘scorpion and the frog’-ness to Apple’s major concession here, and I’d be incredibly wary of the fine print. On top of that, this seems like a classic case of Apple trying to prevent proper right to repair legislation from gaining even more steam by offering a stripped down version of what said legislation would demand of them, so they can point at this news and claim legislation isn’t needed.


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The Central Bank of Tunisia has stated that Tunisia’s foreign exchange reserves in January reached TND 12.3 billion, its lowest rate in 15 years. Tunisia closed the year 2017 with a record trade deficit, on the order of 15.5 billion dinars.
Tunisia is facing pressures by international mandates to impose austerity procedures to limit the aggravation of the financial condition. Meanwhile, the country is witnessing protests against the high cost of living, and these protests bring to mind the revolution that toppled former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
State budget of 2018 increased taxes on cars, alcoholic drinks, phone calls, internet and hotel prices, along with others. The budget also included raising customs fees of some imported products such as cosmetics and some agricultural products in order to reduce the trade deficit.
Tunisia has suspended the free-trade exchange agreement with Turkey for five years, after it has been clearly shown that Turkish exports damaged the Tunisian SMEs, especially in the fields of cloths and fabric.
“This level of reserves is dangerous and might put Tunisia in front of difficulties in importing food, medicines and fuel,” Reuters quoted Economist Ezzedine Suwaidan as saying.
Suwaidan saw that this condition is alarming for a country that is getting prepared to enter the global financial market this year and issue bonds worth USD1 billion.
The Tunisian parliament approved on Tuesday a plan presented by the central bank to sell bonds worth USD1 billion to fund the state budget of 2018 in the second half of March.
In a related matter, a Saudi economic delegation started on Wednesday discussions on touristic, health, industrial and trade sectors through a visit to Tunisia with the aim of getting to know the available investment opportunities and launching joint projects.
Tunisia-Saudi Arabia trade volume is estimated at USD320 million, a number that could possibly increase given the enormous economic potentials of both countries. Also, joint investments reach a total of around USD45 million.


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According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, 41% of them say record-high prices at the pump will greatly impact their decisions to travel in the next six months, up from 32% in May. And 36% of travelers report that higher fuel costs and ticket prices are reducing the likelihood of booking air travel for the rest of this year.
Even with these price and cost concerns, 91% of travelers do have trips planned in the next six months. And only 16% of them say that coronavirus will greatly impact their travel plans in the next six months, the lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic more than two years ago. Insights for HSMAI from Longwoods President & CEO Amir Eylon:
Read the full report: American Travel Sentiment Study – Wave 62 Record-High Gas Prices Disrupt Travel Plans


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October 10, 2022
Sponsored by Alludo
During the past few years, the tech space has witnessed several major rebrands. Facebook changed its parent name to Meta, Google became Alphabet, and Square rebranded as Block, just to name a few.
These changes often lead people to wonder: Why do companies—especially those with global name recognition—decide to rebrand?
Reasons run the gamut, from mergers and acquisitions to standing out from the competition. That said, ahere are three of the most common drivers of big rebrands, plus notable tech company examples of each:
Fix a bad reputation. If your organization develops even a hint of a bad reputation, you’ve got a problem. In 2016, Time Warner Cable had a full-on PR crisis on its hands after a New York state government investigator stated in a letter that the company “has earned the miserable reputation it enjoys among consumers.” A year later, the company rebranded to Spectrum, and customer satisfaction jumped, even hitting levels close to rival Verizon Fios.
Attract new or different talent. A recent Oktopost survey found that 86% of HR professionals say recruiting is becoming more like marketing, and 68% of millennials look at a company’s social media accounts to evaluate their brand. In other words, how your brand looks and sounds online can impact whether top talent is interested in joining. Back in 2015, PwC found itself hampered by the perception that it was only an accounting firm, which made it hard to attract younger and more diverse talent. So, the company did something bold: It launched a new webpage called CareerAdvisor, which offered candidates—you guessed it—career advice, regardless of whether they applied to PwC. Not only was the site a smash hit, but it created a massive database of fresh talent for the company to draw from.
Appeal to new audiences. Whether a company wants to expand its customer base or appeal to investors, a rebrand can be remarkably effective in changing perceptions of what a company does or what it’s best known for.In 2018, Siemens, a global leader in engineering and technology for over 170 years, decided it was time to hit refresh on its brand identity to emphasize the company’s focus on cutting-edge digitalization and technology initiatives. Traditional corporate design was replaced with modern typefaces and bold, bright shades of green and blue to drive home the company’s new purpose, “Ingenuity for life.”
Corel was fortunate to have a long-standing reputation as a trusted provider of leading technology solutions. But the company has made some big moves during the past few years and found that the Corel name just didn’t evoke the innovation and momentum it has been building with its product portfolio.
It was time for a change. And so, after more than 35 years, Corel has rebranded as Alludo!
Alludo is built on two key principles: making space to work and time for ideas. Alludo believes that the more it helps organizations liberate their workforces from the restriction of a typical working day, the more it positively impacts how organizations spend their time.
What has changed is the company’s purpose, which is to empower all you do.
The work landscape has forever changed. It’s not just about where you work. It’s about fundamentally rethinking how, when and even why you work. It’s a massive transformation that has been a long time coming, which Alludo is calling Work3.
Work3 depends on the power of technology, which is where Alludo’s Partner Program comes in. With its solutions, partners can help customers create, ideate, and share information anywhere, any time, on any device.
Alludo’s goal is to remove the limitations of yesterday for the organizations you support while helping you as a partner succeed by increasing your customer base and revenue.
This rebrand doesn’t require any action by existing partners or new partners. Alludo will continue to provide all partners with the same tools, resources, and support to help accelerate profitability and growth.
Key benefits of the Alludo Partner Program include:
Grow your business. Create new opportunities, drive profitability and differentiate yourself from competitors.
Strengthen customer loyalty. Alludo empowers resellers, distributors and managed service providers (MSPs), making it easy to deliver Alludo’s creativity and productivity solutions to solve your customer needs.
Access to enablement and training. Alludo aims to inspire partners to grow along with the company and achieve mutual success through awesome enablement tools, training and resources.
Easy to do business with. The company values its partners, which means the Partner Program is built on accountability, consistency and transparency.
This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.
Read more about:MSPs
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Apple shares rose on Wednesday even as investment firm Baird lowered its estimates for the all-important December quarter, citing the company’s recent challenges in China.
Analyst William Power, who has an outperform rating and $170 price target on Apple (AAPL), now expects 8M fewer iPhone units shipped in the quarter, resulting in a 5.6% haircut to total revenue and putting the firm at the low end of analysts estimates.
Power now expects Apple (AAPL) to generate $117.4B in revenue for the quarter with earnings per share of $1.86, down from a prior view of $2 per share. A consensus of analysts expect the company to generate $124.1B in revenue for the period.
The analyst also noted that the broader COVID-19 lockdowns could hurt near-term demand in China, but added that it’s likely a timing issue and not one of the demand going away. Power noted that of the 8M iPhone shipments, roughly 4M are recouped in the upcoming two quarters as China continues to work through its COVID-19 lockdowns.
“Though multiple uncertainties remain, we are conservatively lowering estimates for [first-quarter] and [fiscal 2023] driven by assembly challenges in China, with growing COVID lockdowns also a risk to China demand,” Power wrote in a note to clients.
Apple (AAPL) shares rose nearly 0.8% to $142.24 following comments made by Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell that spiked the broader markets.
On Tuesday, a key analyst said the company’s iPhone 14 Pro shipments could be up to 20M units less than expected as Apple (AAPL) deals with supply chain risks out of China. Seeking Alpha


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Friday, November 12, 2021
Remember Outriders? Yeah, we'd sort of forgotten about it too, but Square Enix will soon be revealing a ton of new free content coming to the game.
Developer People Can Fly will be hosting Outriders Broadcast #6 next week on 15th November, which will be the first Outriders Broadcast since the game launched in April earlier this year. What can we expect from the presentation? Well, it seems like a load of new stuff is going to be coming to Outriders, with Broadcast #6 offering players a first look at a “colossal free content update” coming to the game. On top of that, it will be offering players a run down of the many improvements that have been made to the game since launch.
Outriders had a bit of a rough start to life, with a pretty widespread bug that could wipe a player's entire inventory, but the game did manage to accumulate over 3.5 million players within its first month. It also launched with a fair number of bugs and crashes, and developer People Can Fly recently revealed that Outriders has yet to turn a profit. Could this first big update help turn things around? We'll have to tune in to find out on 15th November at 9am PST / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET.