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Triumph has partnered with augmented reality technology provider Holition to offer shoppers at Selfridges in London, the opportunity to virtually try on its new collection.
Through the ‘Fantasy Mirror’, women can see themselves wearing items from the Triumph Essence line, without removing a single item of clothing. The mirror uses a motion sensor camera that scans anyone standing in front of it. Infra-red technology then creates an accurate 3D reconstruction of the environment, facilitating a female avatar with real-time movement.
Jonathan Chippindale, CEO of Holition, said: “The Fantasy Mirror demonstrates how 3D virtual reality solutions can be used to develop the consumer experience. We have integrated elegant design with innovative technology to give female shoppers something they have never seen before. The mirror is not an alternative to trying-on clothes, but an additional shopping experience. Consumer expectations are constantly changing as technology evolves and Holition is proud to support this evolution by providing complementary services.”
The Fantasy Mirror was created in partnership with OgilvyAction, and unveiled at Selfridges last month alongside the new Triumph collection, by Helena Christensen (as pictured).


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Another Cyras Exec Quits
Following hard upon the departure of the CEO, Stephen Pearse, and the director of communications, Gary Clemenceau, in September, Cyras announced this morning that Ronald Kelley, vice president of North American sales, has resigned as of November 9 (see Cyras CEO Resigns). Kelley left Fujitsu Ltd. (KLS: FUJI.KL) last spring to join the startup and brought with him several colleagues from Fujitsu and Alcatel SA (NYSE: ALA: Paris: CGEP:PA).
“Honestly, it was a rough eight months,” says Kelley. “When Steve and Gary left, it became a hard place to work.”
Cyras’s problems have had more to do with the political interworkings of the company than with any product related issues, says Kelley.
“I would say there was a tug of war over who would have the power,” he says. “And even though we have all kissed and made up, the scars run deep. The best thing for me personally was to leave.”
When companies grow from small startups into larger companies, there are changes that must be made, says Kelley, adding that Cyras is going through these growing pains right now.
“Cyras is a founders' company. They want things done their way. You can say that everyone owns the company, but the board backed the founders. In the end, I’m sure the founders will do the right thing.”
This problem is not uncommon in the optical startup world. Zaffire Inc. has struggled with some of the same issues (see CEO Bloodbath Points to Pressure) and (see Zaffire Keeps It in the Family ).
Kelley says he doesn’t harbor any ill will toward his former employer. “The founders deserve a lot of credit for what they have done. Alnoor [Shivji], Sunil [Tomar], and Shekhar [Mandal] are all good people, and I wish them the best.”
But he contends they are all juggling too many responsibilities. Shivji, for example, is acting CEO, president, chief operating officer, VP of marketing, and a board member. “Alnoor is a good man. But he has too many jobs. He has to give some of that up and bring in the talent to run the business.”
Kelley adds that Cyras missed a huge opportunity when they let Steve Pearse leave. “Steve was a great leader and the perfect CEO for Cyras. It’s a shame, but he butted heads with a lot of people, and he left for pretty much the same reasons that I left.”
Kelley has already secured a new job with a stealth startup called Whiterock Networks. Although he says the technology differs from Cyras’s, Whiterock, headed by CEO Lonnie Martin, formerly of ADC Telecommunications Inc. (Nasdaq: ADCT), also targets optical transport in the metropolitan area network. At his new post, Kelley is barred from recruiting any of his sales team from Cyras.
“I only hope that I can build as good a sales team at Whiterock as the one I left at Cyras,” he says. “They are really a fantastic group of people. Cyras will be successful -- I have no doubt about that. And I encouraged all of them to stay and reap some of the benefits.”
In the wake of Kelley’s departure two Cyras veterans will be taking the reigns of the sales team. Jim Sparks has been promoted to associate vice president of North American sales, and David Geisinger has been promoted to associate vice president of international sales.
Sparks was one of the early members of Cyras's sales team. Like Kelley, he left his position at Fujitsu to work at Cyras early in 2000. Geisinger, was actually Cyras's first sales person on staff. With nearly thirty years of telecommunications experience under his belt, he will be responsible for leading and expanding Cyras's international sales effort.
A Cyras spokesperson says that the company cannot comment on specifics regarding employees' departures, but she did say that Kelley’s leaving has nothing to do with the the product line or the health of the company.
-- Marguerite Reardon, senior editor, Light Reading, http://www.lightreading.com

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Happy Friday. If you like napping, this flower girl gets you. If you like a dozen donuts and one bagel, this wanted man might be your hero. And if you like the gym, this story should get your endorphins flowing.
And if you’re looking for five more interesting stories from this week, we’re here for you.
Intel is working on a solution for the skepticism around self-driving cars. A recurring concern is: Will these vehicles get in accidents, and what is the protocol if that does happen? Intel is compiling data on accidents and human nature in automobile-related situations that will create a set of data-driven guidelines. This framework will then be built into the software used in self-driving cars. This technology will not only reduce the frequency of accidents, but will also speed up the development of autonomous machines in general.
Facebook is tackling cyberbullying in all UK secondary schools. The solution takes the form of a “digital safety ambassador scheme,” which is a $1.3M initiative geared towards training one young person in each UK school to be equipped to support other children who are victims of cyberbullying. This comes after social media platforms have been receiving flak for facilitating online bullying—the solution stems from recent research suggesting that children are more likely to discuss bullying with peers, rather than an adult.
Snap Inc. has announced that it will be selling a Halloween costume based on one of its filters—the notorious dancing hot dog. For those who are unfamiliar, Snap featured a filter in which a dancing hot dog could be maneuvered around a user’s camera feed in real time. And so, transforming it into a costume is newsworthy… how? For one, we never could have predicted that Snap would infiltrate the costume industry. But more importantly, this is another increasingly common instance of augmented reality inspiring actual reality, rather than the other way around. The possibilities are endless.
Wearable fitness trackers are expanding. Meet Waggit, a Fitbit-style collar and app for dogs. The new gadget tracks dogs’ daily activities so that owners can finally know for sure if their pet is getting enough exercise; it has a thermometer to indicate temperature of both the dog and the atmosphere so owners can gauge their pet’s comfort; and it tracks vital signs, so owners know if their pet is ill, overexcited, not sleeping enough, and the list goes on. Waggit is in its Kickstarter phase right now, but it’s already approaching its stretch goal for funding. Technology already met health, and now it’s meeting dogs.
Up to one billion Swiss francs worth of bank notes are set to expire in 2020. As per long-standing Swiss government regulation, any banknote that has been replaced with a newer version must lose its monetary value 20 years after its replacement. Since a new banknote was introduced in Switzerland in 2000, its 70’s-era predecessor is about to become expensive wallpaper unless the government intervenes before 2020.


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|Type of post:||Orchestra news item|
|Posted By:||Jean Kelly|
|Date Posted:||Sat, 18 Sep 2021|
Our November and March concerts are now set up on sale via ticketsource.co.uk. Just head over to the News & Events page and follow the booking links to buy your tickets. It would be great to see you there!
Tickets for our fabulous Family Concert "Villains, Thieves & Gangsters" will be sold via the trch.co.uk online box office and that will be set up shortly.
We look forward to welcoming you to our 2021/22 season for some amazing music. It's great to be back!


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It’s not often that a small private firm acquires a part of a larger public firm, but that’s what happened today with Atmel and Adesto. Adesto, a manufacturer of alternative memory technology, has purchased Atmel’s serial NOR flash business for an undisclosed sum.
The transaction covers the Atmel “Data Flash” and “BIOS Flash” product families and the employees supporting those products. Atmel has retained its Serial EEPROM, Crypto and Digital Temperature Sensor memory product lines and plans to continue to invest in those businesses.
This is not a small thing. Serial NOR now accounts for roughly one third of the entire $3.7 billion NOR flash business. Atmel has been an important participant in this market for the past ten years.
This appears to be a very good move for both firms: Atmel will sharpen its focus on the microcontroller and touch technology solutions markets, where it does best, and Adesto gains an established and profitable business, complete with design, manufacturing, sales, and even a patent portfolio to help it create a market for its novel “Conductive Bridging RAM” (CBRAM) technology, which started shipping this year. Adesto says CBRAM is attractive to makers of embedded SOCs since it costs less and consumes less power than flash. It has also been shown to scale to 12nm and could go farther than that.
This action appears to be a good move for both parties. Those who would like a little clearer understanding of the transaction can read this question/answer page on the Adesto website.


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New Delhi- Hero MotoCorp plans to roll out new models and ramp up the sales network as it looks to have a substantial market share in the premium bike segment in the domestic market, CEO Niranjan Gupta said on Tuesday as the company re-introduced the Karizma brand in the country.
The country’s largest two-wheeler maker currently has just 4-5 per cent market share in the premium bike segment which has been growing at a rate of 20-25 per cent per year.
The company, which is a leading player in the entry-level and commuter segments below 150 cc, is looking to introduce a new product every quarter in the next one year to ramp up its presence in the 150cc to 450cc bike segment.
“The game for us (premium segment) is just starting. So if we look at market share, it will probably be around 4-5 per cent but that’s because it is just the beginning for us,” Hero MotoCorp CEO Niranjan Gupta told reporters here.
The company’s job is to create a full portfolio of premium products very rapidly and it is being done, he added.
When asked about the company’s expectations regarding the market share gain in the segment, Gupta said: “We would like to have a meaningful gain.”
Each of the new products launched in the segment will add to the company’s market share, he stated.
Every quarter at least for the next three to four quarters, there would be a new product launch in the segment, Gupta said.
“We are going to have 500 stores over the next eight quarters. These are facelifted versions of the existing stores. Also, we will have exclusive stores over the next four quarters. So all of this is just not a strategy involving new products but a 360-degree approach that we have taken to win in the premium segment,” he noted.
The company on Tuesday re-introduced the Karizma brand in the country. It launched the Karizma XMR priced at an introductory price of Rs 1.72 lakh (ex-showroom).
The 210cc bike comes with a liquid cooled petrol engine mated with six speed transmission.
The launch of Karizma XMR marks yet another significant milestone in the company’s journey to win in the premium segment, Gupta stated.
In July this year, Hero MotoCorp introduced locally produced Harley-Davidson X 440 in the market.
When asked if the recovery of the entry-level two-wheeler segment could be delayed due to the projections of a deficient monsoon this year, he said: “The recovery can get delayed by one or two months, maybe a quarter but the long-term growth story is very strong.”
All economic indicators remain positive, Gupta said.
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Holidays are coming … and faster than you think.
Glasgow is the first stop on its tour of 47 UK towns and cities, and the truck will be in town on Saturday and Sunday - giving you two chances to find it and snag some free samples.
A representative of Coca Cola said: "For those visiting as the sun sets, the truck really comes to life with a special animation celebrating the magic Coca Cola brings to Christmas.
"Every truck stop will also include a recycling call-to-action, encouraging consumers to recycle bottles and cans in line with Coca Cola’s recent ‘Love Story’ recycling advert."
You can find the famous Coca Cola truck at Silverburn Shopping Centre on Saturday, 11am-7pm, and at Asda Robroyston on Sunday, 11am-7pm.
Get ready, Glasgow - we see a lot of Instagram-worthy snaps on the horizon …


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Bellevue Pharmacy: The pharmacy at the heart of the cannabis revolution in the UK
Bill Turnbull discusses benefits of medicinal cannabis
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As to when they started selling CBD products the owners of the pharmacy Hassan and Maggie said: “We started trading CBD access oil spray and CBD access pump cream in September, one was initially sceptical but also aware of the benefits it has, however, the authenticity and formulation are the key points to observe.
“Since then, it has been a revelation in the community and surrounding neighbours, the feedback has surpassed any expectations.
“I’d say a healthy 95 percent have provided positive feedback and due to this, have limited use of naproxen, voltarol and ibuprofen among other pain relief medications.”
As a result of taking approved cannabis products Bellevue Pharmacy seen users of their pharmacy report improvements in their overall health.
“I have personally witnessed patients’ and customers provide rave reviews from all walks of life, ages, to mild or extreme conditions” said Mr Hassan.
Furthermore, they add “pharmacies of the now and future should all definitely stock CBD access oil and cream”.
Although the success of cannabis products among consumers in this area is positive not just for their wellbeing and the health of the pharmacy Hassan and Maggie said: “It’s our duty as part of the healthcare industry to provide important education on CBD as it is proactive.
“It’s as important to present how to correctly apply and consume various versions of CBD.”
However, Bellevue Pharmacy isn’t just about cannabis medicines and supplying medicines to the local community.
Like every pharmacy they have supplied free tests for as long as the Government scheme has been running and started selling them when the scheme ended.
However, while the scheme ended on the first of this month, the supply of said tests actually ended much earlier, on the 18th March.
Furthermore, they have noticed a strange trend in that sales of tests have gone up since a price tag was placed on each one.
Hassan and Maggie explained: “Free tests officially ended on 1st April, technically for all pharmacies it ended on 18th March as that was the last day nhs supplied free tests.
“The irony is, when we had free testing available, very few collected the tests, so ours lasted until 27th March.
“Since it’s been available to buy, we have sold more in 10 days than we gave out for free during the last three months. There could be a multitude of factors, such as, restrictions lifted at the same time, the affluent area of Wandsworth and everyone back to offices after two years.”
Express.co.uk asked how they felt the price of tests in Britain compared to other countries; an area where, in comparison, the UK is one of the more affordable areas.
“Observing the market, the price currently isn’t too steep in comparison to overseas, we have several patients who originated from Australia and New Zealand and they have stated it’s $30+ for a single test” said the pharmacy owners.
Furthermore, even though test prices may be steep at the moment due to lack of supply and high demand nationwide, they “reckon the price will drop…in due course”.
For now, the work continues both for Bellevue Pharmacy and for those campaigning for greater expansion and acceptance of cannabis as a medicinal treatment.
While there is still a long way to go, green progress is at least being made at a local level.
Source: Read Full Article


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Auto tariffs likely to send used car prices higher, experts say
Prepare to pay more for your used car.
If the U.S. Commerce Department adopts President Donald Trump's proposal of a 25 percent tax on imported new cars and car parts, the higher costs for carmakers to assemble and sell new cars could boost demand for used vehicles, analysts predict.
"The parts would be the most affected for sure, assuming that the administration will put tariffs in place for parts as well," said Augusto Amorim, senior manager for Americas vehicle sales forecasts at LMC Automotive in Troy. "I don’t think they’d consider any tariff on the used car at this point."
Automakers have warned their costs to build, and subsequently sell, new cars will rise. That's because every car assembled in the U.S. contains a large percentage of foreign parts, analysts said.
Toyota has said the costs of its cars could rise by thousands. General Motors last week said it would be forced to downsize and cut jobs.
Carmakers of course could choose absorb some of a 25 percent duty and not raise prices that much, said Maryann Keller, principal of Maryann Keller & Associates in the New York area.
“If a car doesn’t have a lot of imported content, they might raise prices slightly and over time adjust it” depending on the imported parts in the vehicle.
For example, a Mercedes S-class sedan is fully imported, so a 25 percent duty on it would make it “incredibly expensive," Keller said. The 2018 S-class starts at $89,900.
“Would Mercedes raise the price on that car by 25 percent? I don’t think so," she said. "They may decide it’s more important to maintain sales. The more likely action would be a measured price increase across all models."
But even a nominal hike across all the models, Keller said, might be enough to push customers into the used market.
And if a new car is priced higher, its rate of depreciation is now starting at a higher point, said Keller. This will bump up prices on late-model used cars.
Secondly, there are the simple laws of supply and demand, said Ivan Drury, senior manager of industry analysis for Edmunds in Santa Monica, California.
"The used market could be injected with millions of consumers it never had before," Drury said. "It will cause a huge uptick in demand and we will see prices go up across the board for used cars."
The supply of used cars might be hit further if the U.S.-Canadian currency exchange rate suffers. Car dealers in Canada regularly send thousands of used cars to the U.S. to sell at auto auctions. It's lucrative for them because the U.S. dollar is stronger than Canadian currency. But that influx of used cars from Canada could freeze depending on what happens with tariffs, said Amorim.
"If the U.S were to impose this tariff, how Canada would retaliate and how that would impact the currency" isn't known, said Amorim. "We’d have to see the ratio between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar and if that differs, we could see a higher or lower influx of used cars from Canada."
Likewise, if consumers can't afford new cars, new car sales will decline, reducing the number of trade-ins and making the used car supply tighter, said Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at Cox Automotive.
If 1 million customers switch to the used car market, the average transaction price could rise about 10 percent, said Drury. The average price of a used car is about $20,000, meaning it would go up by at least $2,000, he said.
The U.S. used car market is already on pace for 39.5 million sales this year, said Charlie Chesbrough, Manheim's senior economist and senior director of industry insights. By comparison, 16.8 million new vehicles are expected to be sold in the U.S. this year.
Besides the potential impact of tariffs, rising interest rates will pull some consumers out of the new car market altogether or push them into used vehicles, Chesbrough said. That's because a new-car lease costs about $480 a month. The average loan to buy a new car is about $540 a month. But the average loan to buy a used car is about $400, he said.
If interest rates continue to rise, those monthly payments will continue to swell, making used cars considerably more attractive for many consumers, said Chesbrough.
Keller said despite a consumer shift to the used market, "There isn’t going to be a flame-out, the markets will adjust.”
Drury agrees the rise in the prices for used cars won't be severe enough to dissuade consumers, analysts said.
"They’ll be a fit there, but they’ll pay the price," Drury added.
Ultimately, though, "Everything’s a lot of speculation at this point," said Amorim. "Nobody knows what the administration will do. We think these tariffs, at such a big increase, would be bad for the overall market” new or used cars.
Contact Jamie L. LaReau: email@example.com or 313-222-2149.


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Nintendo is still being infuriatingly coy about its paid online service with just over a month to go until its release - though it's just reaffirmed what few details are out there while sharing the tiniest bit more.
A new detail has just emerged via the company's official Twitter accounts - first from the US, and then replicated by the European account this morning - with the service now confirmed to launch in the last half of September.
There's the ability to upload save data to the cloud - if the software supports the feature - the ability to play some NES games with added online features - what those games will be are anyone's guess, though given Nintendo's apparent eagerness to disappoint I'm fully expecting a re-release of Urban Champion with online co-op - and the dedicated app for your phone, which is already out there and in its current form remains woefully inadequate.
Nintendo showcased Arms in its early prototype phase as part of the talk 'Arms: building Mario Kart 8 insights into a showcase Nintendo Switch fighter' at this year's Game Developers Conference.
Arms - 2017's best game, Nintendo's best game, quite possibly the peak of human culture and at the very least an achievement on par with the moon landings - has just got a surprise new update that adds new features and an all-new mode.
It's not as substantial an update as the Switch fighting game has received in the recent past - as the game's director Kosuke Yabuki confirmed to Eurogamer last week, there are no major content updates now planned for the game - but it's more substantial than you might have expected given the assumption that support had stopped for the game. More badges - Arms' in-game achievements - have been added, as well as a new gallery complete with art for players to unlock and an all-new Tournament mode that unlocks all players' Arms for those that want to get directly into the action (it's worth noting that in this mode you won't earn any of the in-game currency or badges).
The artwork you can unlock is a splendid selection, going beyond the character art unlocked when you complete Arms' Grand Prix mode at difficulty level four or higher and giving us a new look at concepts for the game. Here, for example, is the stellar Min-Min in a piece of art that's completely new to me.
Arms has concluded its generous schedule of free content updates, Nintendo has confirmed to Eurogamer.
The Switch-exclusive fighter has had a healthy helping of extra characters, stages, modes and fighting Arms since its release last summer - but the future of this content schedule has been up in the air since a mysterious statement posted to Nintendo's Japanese help website back in December.
When translated, this statement suggested no more free content was on the way. We asked Nintendo for more information, and now, Nintendo's Kosuke Yabuki - Arms' director and the godfather of the project - has confirmed to Eurogamer this is the case.
UPDATE, DECEMBER 22ND: Arms' latest update, better known as Version 5.0, is out now on Switch, bringing with it brand-new fighter Dr. Coyle.
Are you a scrub or are you a saint? That is, in essence, the question being posed by Arms' next Party Crash, it's time-limited event that sees players fight for two characters as they partake in a quick succession of themed fights over a couple of days.
Arms - the best game of 2017, quite possibly of all time, a point which isn't really even up for debate so don't even try - just got another update which introduces a new playable character.
Arms has received its big 4.0 update, which is headlined by a new character and a date for Arms' first in-game event.
Arms - Nintendo's best game of 2017 and I won't hear otherwise, thank you very much - is getting another significant update tomorrow, with version 4.0 introducing an all-new character, a new stage, a new element and a new mode. All gratis, of course.
Nintendo's superb fist-banger Arms has received another sizeable update, this time adding a Replay feature, and a mysterious new challenger in solo mode.
Arguably the most significant addition in Arms' 3.2 update, however, is the new achievements system, which unlocks new badges once you've performed certain feats in-game.
Arms doesn't reveal its unlock criteria upfront, so you'll need to figure out feats for yourself - which seems like a slightly missed opportunity to add a bit more guided structure to the single-player experience - but unlocked badges can be displayed alongside your avatar in online matches for a welcome touch of personalisation.
Arms, Nintendo's wonderful brawler which I'll keep mentioning until everyone's given it a fair shot, is getting another big new update, with a trailer that dropped during the weekend's Nintendo World Championships giving us a look at some fresh new features.
The headline, no doubt, is the addition of achievement-like 'badges' for milestones such as earning 1000 in-game coins, winning your first Grand Prix match and fighting 50 times with a set character. Will they take into account all you've done in Arms so far and retroactively unlock? Here's hoping so.
Version 3.2 - as it's called - looks like it'll also introduce a new character in the form of a Mecha Spring Man, whose appearance is teased briefly at the end of the trailer.
Arms, Nintendo's springy brawler for the Switch, is getting a tie-in graphic novel next year courtesy of Dark Horse.
Arms' first all-new character has been introduced into the game, alongside a new update that introduces a suite of new features.
After a week or more of teases, Nintendo's finally revealed Arms' new character - and she's a pantaloon-wearing, nunchuck-touting French clown who can expand her trousers in order to block incoming punches, and has the ability to block mid-air.
Arms' first proper new character looks set to arrive to Nintendo's Switch fighting game shortly, and the official Twitter has offered us our first - very brief - glimpse.
Arms' training mode, previously a slight thing tucked away in a sub-menu, has been buffed up and placed front and centre of Nintendo's Switch exclusive fighting game.
The training mode provides a light but informative education in the intricacies of Arms, allowing you to practice anti-air, rush combos and guard breaking among other things. Arms isn't a complex game, but it is a unique one, so a basic grounding for new players is very much welcome.
Elsewhere there have been balance updates for certain arms and characters, with Master Mummy, Byte & Barq and Mechanica all enjoying slight buffs. You can find the full patch notes here.
More than 4.7m Nintendo Switch consoles have been shipped since the platform's launch at the beginning of March.
Arms version 2.0, the biggest update to Nintendo's Switch exclusive, is now live, bringing with it a suite of big changes and addition.
New character Max Brass - who previously served as one of the bosses in the single-player Grand Prix mode - is the headline, but he's joined by an all-new mode, as revealed by Eurogamer yesterday. It's based around Hedlok, Arms' other boss character, and sees players fighting to take possession of the character before turning on their opponents.
Max Brass also introduces three new Arms into the game, with the Nade, Roaster and Kablammer all now added. Most importantly, though, Arms has an all-new title screen.
Arms' first significant update - which will be introducing Max Brass as a playable character - will also introduce an all-new versus mode that allows players to control Hedlok, the fighter who has served as the game's ultimate challenge.
Arms' first sizeable update is coming next week, introducing Max Brass as a playable character and bringing its roster up to 11 fighters.
Nintendo's delightful boxing game Arms has a new trick up its spiraled sleeves with the addition of LAN support.
Added as part of its version 1.1 update, this will allow players to hook up two nearby Switches using a wired LAN adapter, which will cut down on any lag - a necessity for the more serious competitive scene where every millisecond matters.
Another noticeable addition in this patch is a Spectator Mode. Entitled Arena Mode, this will allow two people to watch a match between another two players. That's a pretty small audience size, but will work for groups of three or four friends who want to take turns sitting a match out while watching how their pals perform.
Switch exclusive Arms has failed to hit the UK chart top spot.
Arms' first free DLC character has been revealed as Max Brass.
This E3 Nintendo has been making a concerted push towards competitive play that's going hand-in-hand with its Switch system - one of the most multiplayer friendly consoles yet devised. It started off with Splatoon 2's World Inkling Invitational, carried on with the Pokken Tournament DX Invitational and got really interesting with the Arms invitational that took place last night.
Switch owners, did you try Arms over the weekend? If not, don't worry: the game's beta - sorry, "Global Testpunch" - will return for another set of sessions more round in a few day's time, with fresh modes to boot.
Arms, the forthcoming motion control-fuelled fighting game, is getting an open beta at the end of the month, with players able to participate on the weekend of 27th and 28th May and the weekend of 3rd and 4th June.
The beta - dubbed the Global Testpunch - will take place over limited time windows, like the Splatoon 2 open beta before it.
Nintendo also used today's Direct event to detail more of Arms, with the number of revealed characters now up to 10. A suite of new modes were also unveiled (including four-player splitscreen) and we've got the lowdown on all of them in our recently published preview piece. Nintendo also announced that Arms will be getting free DLC support, with new fighters and stages due to come post-release.
Switch-exclusive cartoonish boxing game Arms is slated for release on 16th June.
Nintendo made the announcement during a Nintendo Direct tonight where it showed off some of the intricacies of the game's combat system. As it turns out Arms may also have legs.
It has kicks, anyway. Nintendo revealed a new character named Min Min, who attacks with her feet as well as her fists. Her main methods of striking are still her hands though, and she can select a unique prosthetic that transforms her arm into a dragon.
Set your alarms, pop on your Pikmin onesie and gather round your electronic devices! A new Nintendo Direct will be broadcast on Wednesday, 12th April at 11pm UK time.
Fresh details on Splatoon 2and Arms have been promised - two of Nintendo Switch's biggest upcoming exclusives.
We don't yet know the release date of either game, although both are expected in the first half of this year. It's a safe bet we'll find out when each of them will launch.


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The Busker Irish Whiskey just announced the launch of its latest addition to the family: The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still. This release marks a significant milestone for the brand, as it unveils its very first small batch offering, the distillery states.
“It’s with great excitement and pride that we reveal today The Busker Small Batch whiskey,” said the Master Blender team in a news release. “An exquisite example of single-pot whiskey perfection! Lavishly opulent flavors with a full-bodied and bold structure, powerful yet well-rounded. Selected at our discretion, the whiskey is matured in first-fill bourbon casks and then expertly finished in Oloroso sherry European oak butts.”
The First Small Batch of its Kind
Bottled at 46.3% ABV, this small batch offering is double-aged in Bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks at the Royal Oak Distillery. The limited edition whiskey features leathery tobacco notes, soft lingering spice and autumnal fruits such as figs, sultanas, prunes and damsons, according to the distillery.
The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still received top honors ahead of its release. It won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the distillery states. It also scored 93 points and a “Great Value” award from the Ultimate Spirits Challenge as well as a Silver Medal at the World Whiskies Awards.
The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still is only the first of The Busker’s Small Batch releases and will soon be available for purchase at select retailers and through the brand’s online store at $49.99 for a 700-ml bottle.


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On June 15th Snapchat announced the launch of their new product called “SNAPKIT”. This new launch will allow people to connect to Snapchat and use the Snapchat tools outside of the actual Snapchat app itself. In other words people will be able to use Snapchat functions from other social media platforms. Snapchat has been working on making sure that Snapkit is very safe for Snapchat users. While people are using Snapkit other users will only be able to see the users bitmoji and username.
Snapkit is going to be beneficial for big brands because it will be an easy way to share their information to Snapchat, saving companies a lot of time. Unfortunately, as I stated earlier, Snapchat is working extra hard to make sure that the privacy for this new launch is up to date. They want to make sure that they don’t experience what Facebook had to experience when their data had been misused by third party developers. People don’t like for their information to be exposed for so many people to see. Being on the internet and having social media to some people can already be seen as being exposed in some type of way. Therefore, if there is a way for Snapkit to make their privacy settings much more strict to ensure their users privacy, they made it clear that was exactly what they intend to do.
I think that they should not allow for other, third party developers to have access to users information. They should only be allowed to see part of a users username and the bitmoji, that’s it. What do you guys think? COMMENT & SUBSCRIBE!
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Halo Infinite’s release date is December 8, 2021, according to Microsoft Store listing.
According to a new listing on the European Microsoft Store, Halo Infinite’s long journey to release will finally be ending this December.
First spotted by Italian publication Aggiornamenti Lumia, the updated listing for 343 Industries’ hugely anticipated first-person shooter points to a December 8 release date. We generally don’t put too much stock into online store updates. However, a follow-up Tweet by Xbox insider and The Verge Senior Editor Tom Warren lends credence to this being the official release date.
(yes, this is the correct and only date format 😉)
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) August 25, 2021
If true, this aligns with Microsoft and developer 343 Industries’ promises of delivering the game before the end of the year. However, it’s perhaps a bit later than some fans would expect. After all, with the series’ 20th anniversary coming up on November 15, it seemed like a safe bet that Halo Infinite’s launch would line up with such a momentous occasion. Still, better late than never, right?
Halo Infinite’s road to release has been a rocky one. The game was originally planned for release in December of 2020. But, developer 343 Industries announced last August that the game’s release would be shifted to 2021, citing the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, among other factors, as the reasons for the delay. Last week, it was also confirmed that the shooter would release without a co-op campaign or Forge. However, 343 Industries expects to add those features within 3 months of its launch.
Halo Infinite | Development Update – August
Halo Infinite is currently in development for the Xbox Series X|S and PC. As you’d expect, it will also be available on Game Pass at launch.
So, what are your thoughts on the game releasing this December? Do you plan on buying it at launch, or are you waiting until the co-op and Forge modes drop? As always, we love to hear what you think. So, be sure to let us know in the comments.


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Last year, when Vishal Sikka announced that Infosys would do away with its formal dress code, he made more than just his employees happy. Within 90 minutes of the announcement, Allen Solly, a Madura Fashion & Lifestyle brand known for its 'Friday dressing' range, got in touch with Infosys's HR and offered a 25 per cent discount for all its employees. The prompt action got the lifestyle brand 350 store walk-ins with a meagre spend of Rs 32,000. What brought on this quick thinking on Allen Sollys part? Social listening.
Razorfish, the digital agency for Madura Fashion & Lifestyle brands, has a command centre comprising eight people that listens to conversations related to the company's brands as well as the fashion category in general.
Zafar Rais, CEO of MindShift Interactive, a Mumbai-based digital outreach agency, informs that companies are increasingly spending on social media beyond just marketing and tapping areas such as HR, customer care, product development, research and sales. "Almost 40 per cent of our clients use social media for customer care and research," he adds.
For a social media trends study, EY surveyed 100 brands and 1,250 consumers across Indian metros and asked them about their reasons for being on social media. While majority of them - 96 per cent - stated brand awareness as their primary objective, 40 per cent stated recruitment and customer service, and 16 per cent said research. Building community, thought leadership and credibility, customer engagement, reputation management and generating leads were also stated.
A lot of these can be achieved by subscribing to social listening tools such as Synthesio, Brandwatch, PinAlerts, Keyhole, etc, which send out alerts whenever the brand in question is mentioned across social networks. Accessibility to these tools has made handling customer grievances effortless. The banking sector was the first to use social media for customer service - now a norm across sectors, from telecom to e-commerce. For this, companies such as MakeMyTrip, Flipkart, Airtel and HDFC Bank have separate handles on Twitter - the preferred social networking medium for customer care. Gaurav Pathak, COO, Razorfish India, says brands are realising how relevant and productive social media is to reach out to customers and answer their queries on the go.
Market research, interrelated to product development, is another area gaining popularity among Indian companies. Ahmed Naqvi, CEO and Founder of digital agency Gozoop, cites the example of a large Indian paint company that uses social media to analyse trends and to eventually come up with the paint colours of the season. Social media has made it possible for companies to gain insights into customers' preferences and perceptions, make amends to their product features or prices, and also launch products. For instance, PNB MetLife introduced an online refund process after receiving feedback on social media, which has resulted in faster refunds.
Hiring on social media has helped companies bring down the cost of recruitment and also given them access to the right people. Though LinkedIn is the preferred medium for senior and higher management hirings, for mass hiring and lower management roles, companies prefer Facebook and Twitter. Auto start-up Droom has hired 15-18 per cent of its total workforce through social media. "We use these channels especially when hiring in technology or product, because these people don't find jobs in conventional ways," says Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Droom.
What consumers look for from brands on social media
Facebook's Vice President of advertising and global operations, David Fischer, posted an apology on the social networking site after an international newspaper reported that the company had overestimated the average time users spent watching videos on its platform. Earlier, Facebook had also put up a blog post explaining the error on its Advertiser Help Center. According to Fischer and Facebook, the miscalculation happened as the metric only counted videos that were seen for three or more seconds, not taking into account shorter views. "The metric should have reflected the total time spent watching a video divided by the total number of people who played the video. But it didn't," Fischer said in his post. The incident comes as a huge embarrassment to Facebook as it had been talking about the rapid growth in videos.
In a move to make dating a group decision, Tinder has introduced a new app called Stacks. The app allows a user to send a set of pictures to friends and seek their opinion on them - in the typical Tinder way - by swiping left or right. In the Tinder world, swiping left on a picture means user dislikes the profile, while swiping right means he/she likes it. "We know that life is full of difficult decisions. So, whenever you need more input, Tinder Stacks will help you get your friends to weigh in. Group decision-making drama is a thing of the past. Just stack it," Tinder said in a blog post. The app is available on Apple's iMessage App Store. For users who already have the Tinder app, Stack will be automatically available on iMessage.


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St. Thomas plans bake sale for Nov. 10
Published 5:38 pm Friday, October 6, 2017
Before you even entered St. Thomas Episcopal Church’s parish hall on Thursday afternoon, an enticing aroma seemed to waft your way on the coattails of a balmy breeze. The mouth-watering scent only intensified as soon as you stepped inside the door. You might even call the smell downright—heavenly.
The hall’s kitchen bustled with activity as some of Saint Thomas’s best cooks de-boned, chopped, seasoned and stirred their way towards another Thanksgiving bake sale. This year’s event is slated for Friday, November 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the parish hall.
Chicken pot pies and southern dressing were on Thursday’s to-do list.
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“Tomorrow, we plan to finish baking any chicken pot pies we don’t get done today—and we’ll be cooking cauldrons of cornbread to use with our dressing,” said Mary Dearing, who was busy sauteeing onions on the stove.
The church will offer plenty of their savory pot pies and cornbread dressing, along with cranberry relish, iced cakes, pound cakes, cookies, specialty breads, cheesecake, cheese straws, casseroles and other treats perfect for the holidays—and not just Thanksgiving, either.
“These items all freeze beautifully for you to enjoy at Christmas. In fact, I bought several of the chicken pot pies last year and didn’t use one of them until spring—and it was still absolutely delicious,” said Cissy Jones.
And the monies generated from the annual fundraiser go towards the church’s outreach ministries, said Jones. “It all goes right back out into our community. We raised approximately $1,700 two years ago and $2,500 last year, so it’s growing and letting us do more.”
While many old favorite home-baked items will return, there is a new twist to this year’s bake sale at Saint Thomas’s.
“No pre-selling for this bake sale. In the past, we’ve almost sold out of everything due to parishioners buying so much in advance,” Jones explained. “We really want this to be a true community event this year.”
And so it will be “first come, first served” to all who arrive at the church’s parish hall on Friday, November 10 for those cheesecakes, pot pies, casseroles, pound cakes and more.
“Come early and stay late—and remember, no pre-selling this year,” said Jones. “We hope to see you all November 10!”


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Why is Africa so expensive?
As I explained to my new friend, Africa is considered expensive for three main reasons: lack of infrastructure, complicated logistics and high staff to guest ratios.
Why is food expensive in Africa?
Consumers in many parts of Africa have started turning to locally grown foods as import prices rise. But even local produce has gotten more costly — in part because of surging fuel costs for transport and processing, but also because of limited supplies and increased demand.
Why are some goods so expensive in South Africa?
The price surge was due to a shortage of oil supply caused by poor harvests of oil producing crops globally. Sunflower oil, which is a staple in South Africa, saw the biggest price jump and had risen 70% over the period. Annual meat prices increased 8.5% in May compared to a year ago, StatsSA said.
Why are things more expensive in developed countries?
Empirical studies show that tradable consumption goods are more expensive in rich countries. … Monopolistically competitive firms charge higher prices in countries with more complementary goods and services because consumer demand is less elastic there.
How expensive is Internet in Africa?
In 2020, the median price of a gig of mobile data in Africa was more than $5 compared to almost $7 in 2018, a drop of 28%, says A4AI. In the European Union (EU), on the other hand, the price was $3.5 per gig in 2020 ($4.1 in 2018).
Can you use US dollar in South Africa?
When traveling in South Africa, it’s smart to carry both ZAR and US dollars. … Many of Africa’s national parks will only accept US dollars for their entry fees, and some tourist activities, like safaris and other tours, will require that you pay and tip in USD.
Are things expensive in South Africa?
Travelers often assume South Africa is expensive because flights come at a hefty price. But, once you arrive, it tends to be very affordable, due to the weakness of the South African Rand. While certain trips (like a high-end safari) can break the bank, there are many experiences that won’t.
Why is cooking oil expensive in South Africa?
The price of cooking oil in South Africa has risen by more than 70 percent due to poor harvests of oil-producing crops such as sunflower, palm, soya and canola last year.
Why is sunflower oil so expensive in South Africa?
The price of cooking oil has shot up over the past 17 months, causing sunflower oil, a staple in South Africa, to become one of the most expensive oils – thanks to a shortage globally caused by poor harvests of oil producing crops such as sunflower, palm, soya, and canola last year.
Why is food more expensive in poor countries?
Weaker currencies in many developing countries that are struggling to rebound from Covid-19 have made food imports more expensive—-and conversely, in countries such as Brazil, led to greater exports of food, which are now cheaper for foreign buyers, restricting domestic supply.
Why is food expensive in poor countries?
In the most basic sense, it is supply and demand. Due to rapid population growth and the expanding rate of urbanization in developing countries, cities are unable to sustainably provide economic food options.
Why are things more expensive in the city?
The higher density of the population drives up the price of land, which means rental prices are higher. This is the market economy’s way of rationing the scarce good “proximity to the region that many people like” and allocating it to those most willing to pay for it.


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The recent omission of China from Apple’s latest list of countries that can expect to get the new iPad has done more in China than leave the fanboys despondent.
According to a report (in Chinese) from the China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre (CIIRC), a government-sponsored NGO, the slow release of the new iPad (unofficially known as the iPad 3) to China, along with continuing scarcity of the iPhone 4S has led to a surge in phishing attacks targeting those desperate enough, or simply not savvy enough, to click on a link offering an iPad or iPhone for a cheap price.
According to the CIIRC, phishing web sites luring people to purchase new Apple products are attracting roughly 200,000 hits per day.
The report says the phishing attacks usually bait customers with promises of only paying once a product is received. The customer then receives a phone call, which is used to feel out the potential victim and how to cheat them. If the customer knows little about Apple products and online shopping, the report says, they will be sent a counterfeit or a broken old “brick” cell phone, which they then pay for. But more often, the report says, customers are sweet-talked into paying in advance, only to never receive any product at all.
The report did not say how many of the 200,000 daily website hits led to people actually being scammed.
While phishing is nothing new in China, the rapid pace of Internet development in the country produces a steady stream of novice users – 129 million between the end of 2009 and the beginning of this year, according to the most recent government numbers (pdf) — who are vulnerable to online scams.
To aid those users not yet versed in the wily ways of Internet scam artists, the report attempts to lay out ground rules to avoid being tricked. An expert named Li Tiejun cited in the report gives netizens one good method to determine whether they’re having the wool pulled over their eyes.
“If you notice a customer service or contact information, a simple search for the QQ number or phone number will reveal that fake retailers are not only selling iPhones/iPads, but also rent apartments, sell tea, sell pharmaceuticals, operate a travel agency and even sell blow-up dolls.”
For the foreseeable future, any Chinese netizen who wants a new iPad is better off using the travel agency to head for Hong Kong where they can pick up a legitimate one – an option made all the more attractive by a recent reduction in duties on personal imports of electronic devices by more than 50% (in Chinese).
– Paul Mozur. Follow him on Twitter @paulmozur


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Sling TV is undergoing a management shake-up, with the over-the-top pioneer now under the purvey of parent Dish Network's president and chief operating officer Erik Carlson, as longtime CEO Roger Lynch leaves to become CEO of online music service Pandora. The Sling TV management changes are effective Aug. 31.
"Erik is positioned to fully support and grow our enterprise's portfolio, including our Sling TV asset, as we work to connect 100 percent of the country through satellite, OTT, wireless and even digital over-the-air offerings," Dish chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen said in a statement. "Our company has built incredible assets from satellite, broadband, and streaming technologies, to a fleet of in-home experts and software development. We will continue to leverage those assets to be tuned in to the needs of our customers."
RELATED: Dish Realigns Management
Carlson is a Dish veteran of over 20 years and oversees the company's day-to-day operations including human resources, operations and Information Technology, media sales, marketing, programming, acquisition and retention, finance and accounting organizations. Carlson will continue to report to Ergen.
"I want to thank Roger for his leadership over the past eight years, creating and defining the country's first live OTT service," Ergen said in a statement. "Roger built a fantastic team that will take Sling TV into the bright future ahead, and I wish Roger the best in his new endeavor."
Lynch was Sling TV’s first CEO and guided the OTT service through its launch in 2015. Dish does not release subscriber figures for Sling TV but analyst estimates put the service at about 1.4 million customers.
Lynch was Sling TV’s public face, a regular at the service’s presentations at the Consumer Electronics Show and Dish’s highest paid executive last year with total compensation of $4.2 million. Lynch joined Dish in 2009, leading the relaunch of its DishWorld (now Sling International) service in 2012. Under his leadership, according to the company, he increased DishWorld’s subscriber base more than tenfold.
The moves come as Sling TV is entering a period of growing competition in the OTT space. When the service first came on the scene, it was literally the only game in town. Now it jockeys for attention with other millennial-focused OTT services like Hulu Live, YouTube TV, Sony PlayStation Vue, Amazon Prime Video and a growing list of new entrants. In addition, individual networks are also getting in on the act, with the Walt Disney Co. announcing last week its plans to launch direct-to-consumer offerings beginning in 2018.
At the same time, Dish is watching its traditional satellite business dwindle – it lost 196,000 net subscribers in the second quarter, on top of a loss of 281,000 in the same period last year. For the second quarter, MoffettNathanson principal and senior analyst Craig Moffett estimated that Sling added about 89,000 new customers, compared to 49,000 additions in the prior year.
Dish stock was unchanged at $58.72 per share in after-hours trading Monday, after closing regular trading up 26 cents each.


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The ‘What time does the Super Bowl start?’ SEO trick loses its luster
Surely you did not land on this article by searching for the kickoff time for Sunday’s Super Bowl. This isn’t 2012, after all. No, if anything, you perhaps found us looking for information on how to watch the Super Bowl online. We will provide you with answers to both later. First, however, we’ll tell you why one search term is falling out of favor with publishers for the other.
For starters, a history lesson: The Internet can blame the Huffington Post for the item that launched a thousand SEO monkeyshines. In 2011, a dutiful “Trends and Traffic Editor” noticed people were searching the Super Bowl start time without getting an easy answer. Trending terms included “what time is the Super Bowl 2011” and “superbowl kickoff time 2011.” And so, like Prometheus giving fire to the mortals, the Huffington Post gave the world the answer it was looking for.
The resulting post was so well optimized — loaded up with keywords, essentially — that it resulted in a windfall of traffic for the publisher. It also left a lasting legacy: an annual tradition of traffic-thirsty copycats trying to cadge some search traffic. Google says the big game is one its most searched items ever each year, making it attractive for publishers to game the algorithm and try to have it results float to the top.
“The year we did that at the Huffington Post, it was actually useful,” said former Huffington Post CTO Paul Berry, who now runs RebelMouse. “Now there are still hundreds of questions in people’s minds that Google won’t just automatically answer.”
Indeed, the trend appears to be dying, killed off by Google itself. Searching the question, which nets 158 million results, now displays the answer top-and-center so there’s no reason to click on anything anymore — and no incentive for publishers to gin up a shady post. (The Huffington Post doesn’t even appear on the first page of results any more.)
Just like AOL, however, the phenomenon is not completely dead. The Big Lead, the International Business Times, CBS Sports, and even the UK’s The Telegraph, where it’s admittedly a harder question to answer because of time zones, all appear on the first page of search results. Ka-ching.
Another tactic of capitalizing on the trend has been the reverse SEO troll — in which publishers can have their traffic cake and eat it too by mocking “what time does the Super Bowl start” gimmicks while reaping its benefits as well. See: Gawker, CNN Money and GQ, but certainly not Digiday.
But with cord-cutting growing in popularity, people are now searching for how to watch the game online, officially making that question the easy SEO-trick du jour. It’s also a easier way to get shares for a publisher, which is the new search. “How to watch the Super Bowl online” garners Forbes, CBS Sports and the Washington Post landing on the front page.
For the record: the Super Bowl starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 7. It can be watched on television for free with a cheap antenna or it’s streaming free on CBSSports.com.
‘Walk before you run’: Sports publishers look to blow out their betting content
Over the past 12 months, several large sports media brands have signed partnership deals with sports books
‘It’s a virtuous cycle’: Audiences and advertisers seek health and wellness content and publishers are seeing green
Publishers are building new content products that give audiences more health and wellness content and advertisers more partner opportunities.
Election-focused products charge U.S. growth at The Economist
The brand's focus is covering the upcoming election, building up the leadership team and creating an aggressive three-year growth plan.
SponsoredB2B events were broken before the pandemic, their online reinvention is creating positive change
Kim Darling, executive producer, Inbound Farewell lanyards, business cards and branded pens — it’ll be some time before people get their hands on these souvenirs of in-person events again. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the way people work, buy, sell, socialize and entertain themselves, the global events industry is facing its biggest-ever challenge. […]
‘Necessary, but insufficient:’ Advertisers are starting to question the value of low exchange fees
Large changes in bid price can often produce small changes in an advertiser’s ability to win those auctions.
‘One beat in an ongoing movement’: BET+ general manager Devin Griffin on the streamer’s evolution
Pre-launch research for BET+ found a lot of demand for content focused on Black stories and experiences, but 'the supply is not quite right.'


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Nintendo will be cutting off its aid and assistance for the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection (the online multiplayer service that belonged to it). Nintendo recently announced it. It is indeed a bad news for the users, because various online features will be unavailable forever. From the 20th of May, this Wi-Fi connection will be completely going to sleep. It is very obvious that the offline features of Nintendo will be available. No matchmaking, online play and leaderboards features will be there. The news has first made public by the Nintendo of Japan, followed by that of Australia and America.
Online users will not be finding Wii games like Brawl, Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon Battle Revolution. It is going to hit them hard, that’s guaranteed. However, Nintendo DS Browser, the Internet Channel, DSI Shop and some other services will be functioning smoothly. Still, we value the lost things, isn’t it?


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Google has unveiled CallJoy, a cloud-based phone agent for small businesses. Instead of disrupting the cloud-based PBX market, it looks like CallJoy wants to complement and automate existing cloud-based phone services.
Google's internal incubator, known as Area 120, apparently played a big role in nurturing CallJoy to market. Bob Summers is credited as the service's founder.
According to CallJoy, the $39 per month service offers:
- a phone number with a local area code;
- an intelligent virtual voice agent and custom greetings;
- unlimited call recording and conversation transcripts;
- textback functionality;
- spam blocking technology; and
- Google My Business integration.
Built-in analytics allow small businesses to track call topics, call volumes based on time of day, and more. The system also includes dashboard- and email-based reports. Early testers include Prime Tech Support, an IT service provider in Miami, CallJoy says.
CallJoy and Duplex: Related?
CallJoy surfaced exactly a month after Google started broadly rolling out the much-touted Duplex artificial intelligence caller, SiliconAngle notes. Duplex, which lives inside Google Assistant, can find a restaurant’s phone number, reserve a table for the user over the phone and then create an entry in her calendar, SiliConAngle adds.
CallJoy isn't generally available just yet. The service is in early access mode -- which means Google essentially is hand-picking early adopters before making the platform generally available to all small business customers.
CallJoy is compatible with a small business's existing phone service -- whether it is a traditional landline, mobile phone, Google Voice or other cloud provider, the company says. This CallJoy FAQ offers additional details about how the service works.
In stark contrast, Microsoft has attempted to build a full-blown cloud PBX for Office 365.
CallJoy and Google Cloud Platform
The new service arrives as Google attempts to accelerate its cloud-related revenues through home-grown initiatives and deeper ISV (independent software vendor) relationships.
Although the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) business is growing, it is considered a distant third to Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Moreover, Google CEO Sundar Pichai dodged questions about actual cloud revenue figures during parent Alphabet’s earnings call on Monday, April 29, 2019.


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Pandemic Creates Sales For Outdoor Recreation In West Michigan
Did you go hunting or fishing this past year? If so, you're not alone. DNR is reporting that the pandemic has created a spike in those searching for outdoor entertainment.
"Our website was up 3,000 percent this winter. So a huge, huge jump. As soon as we hit fall, we noticed a really big uptick in the number of businesses that were contacting us in regard to having our product on the shelves."
DNR states that the amount of fishers in Michigan has grown by 10.6% in the past year. 2020 has brought more younger fishers with it. In addition, women participants were up by 23 percent.
Fishing numbers saw a major uptick this past year and so did hunting. New customers in that group were up 29 percent and female customers were up 14 percent. All of these new customers need supplies. Outdoor recreation suppliers are happy about that. Goehler says,
"It's cool to be able to equip our younger generations with that."


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The owner of the Stack shipping container leisure destinations in Newcastle and Seaburn has hailed a strong performance despite taking a hit from the first lockdown.
The Danieli Holdings group of companies, which includes care, leisure and security divisions, has posted accounts for the year ended April 30, 2020 in which it saw sales of £28.2 million, a slight drop on the previous year’s £29m.
The firm only traded for 44 weeks within its leisure operation – which also includes The Muddler, Yolo Ponteland and Yolo Townhouse in Newcastle – while trading within its security and care sector were also severely affected by the pandemic.
Chief executive Neill Winch said the firm had, on balance, produced a strong set of sales figures for the year and only £1.47m down on its adjusted forecast.
Ebitda increased 8 per cent to £1.594m from £1.474m in 2019, however this was substantially down on its forecast as a result of the pandemic and national lockdown, having originally forecasted £4.33m for the year.
Net assets, meanwhile, increased from £2.2m to £3.1m, an increase of 43 per cent but still down on forecast.
Within its care division, its nursing home operations traded well with reasonable occupancy, but referrals and new admissions were greatly reduced due to Covid-19. Its domiciliary care division was also affected with a 10 per cent drop in sales on the previous year, referrals were down, with very little or no hospital discharges coming through in the last two months of the year.
Meanwhile, its man guarding/event and electronic guarding sector, Phoenix Eye, had traded well, until the arrival of the pandemic forced the cancellation of events, impacting sales and profitability.
Looking ahead, Mr Winch said the firm has hit the pause button on future plans until the start of the next financial year in April 2022, but that its leisure division had been faring well since lockdown restrictions had eased.
He said: “Our night time economy division Phoenix Security had to move away from the late night economy sector from early March and look to use its extensive pool of staff in other security sectors.
“This however didn’t kick in until after the year end so had no impact on the trading year 2020, so in effect the late night division generated little or no sales March and April 2020.
“The leisure sector traded well, however Stack Seaburn was delayed as a result of the pandemic and didn’t trade at all within the 2020 figures.
“As you will probably gather the year to April 2021 has been a disaster, in particular in the late night leisure and the security sector, with the care businesses also being affected to a lesser degree.
“Moving forward into the 2021/22 year, all businesses have bounced back with a vengeance – or at least from the July 19, that is.
“Fingers crossed we don’t have any further restrictions and we trade well up to our next year end.
“We are forecasting for the year 2021/22, sales of £34m with an Ebitda of £5.6m, which would be a great recovery from the 2020/2021 trading year.”
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Story | Apr 16, 2014 | 7:49 AM
A collection of news and information related to Bitcoin published by this site and its partners.
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Story | Apr 16, 2014 | 4:18 AM
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - BTC China, one of the country's leading digital currency exchanges, has installed China's first bitcoin ATM and launched an online app allowing individuals to buy and sell bitcoins using mobile phones, skirting local banking...
Story | Apr 15, 2014 | 6:21 PM
FARGO, North Dakota (Reuters) - A top U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday he is interested in the fast-emerging bitcoin, although he scoffed at the idea that the virtual currency could replace the dollar. Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank...
Story | Apr 14, 2014 | 2:48 PM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Prominent bitcoin entrepreneur Charlie Shrem has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on charges of funneling cash to the illicit online marketplace Silk Road. Shrem, known as one of the digital currency's most visible...


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Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly, a vocal critic of Chairman Tom Wheeler's set-top box regulation proposal, delivered his most strident support yet for the pay-TV industry's apps-based proposal.
Calling Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal to break up pay-TV's proprietary leased set-top box business a "convoluted scheme," O'Rielly said the industry's alternative suggestion — to use existing multiscreen apps — is more than viable.
"The common-sense, technology-friendly replacement for STBs is presently before the commission in the form of downloadable apps used daily by millions of American consumers," O'Rielly said in a blog post.
"The argument in support of apps has been strengthened further by new details offered by various video providers, including firm commitments on timing and price, offering further comfort to those worried about an app-centric solution," he added.
Citing a range of figures pointing to the proliferation of apps among American consumers, O'Rielly sought to debunk claims that the apps-based proposal won't provide the unified search capabilities offered by Wheeler's proposal.
In fact, O'Rielly debased the need for unified search altogether.
"It should be noted that nothing in the [Communications Act] actually requires any search function, let alone a unified search capability between an existing video provider and content outside of its system, such as edge provider programming," he said. "Section 629 of the Communications Act, on which the overall STB approach is based, does not mention anything remotely close to some type of integrated, unified search requirement. It just isn't there. Additionally, no one knows that consumers are actually seeking such functionality."
The commissioner also disputed what he described as claims that an app-based solution won't drive down set-top leasing costs for consumers.
"In an all-app world for video distribution, there is no need for a STB, meaning no monthly rental or separate purchase is required," O'Rielly added. "This would result in consumers saving most or all of the money they spend today to rent or buy devices they generally loathe. To the extent that estimates are accurate that consumers spend $231 per year and a cumulative $20 billion annually for STB rentals (and there are real reasons to question these figures), these funds would go back into the pockets of consumers who chose the app route."
- read this FCC blog post
FCC's Wheeler may bow to pressure, could change 'Unlock the Box' set-top proposal
Google says pay-TV's set-top proposal alternative is a 'constructive effort'
Wheeler may be losing FCC Democratic support for set-top proposal


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Channel Co. Exclusive Research: Strategic Service Providers Are Driving A New Era Of Business Outcome-Based Cloud Services Growth
Strategic service providers, which are driving a higher percentage of sales based on solving business problems , have $1 million more in annual revenue and nearly double the percentage of cloud and managed services sales than solution providers that have not moved to the new business model, according to a new The Channel Co. research study.
"These best-of-breed strategic service providers have separated themselves from the pack by solving business problems with services-led solutions," said The Channel Co. CEO Robert Faletra, who over the past three decades has helped power the channel transformation from reseller to VAR to solution provider and now strategic service provider. "They have made the jump to solving business problems with cloud services and generating recurring revenue."
The minimum criteria to meet The Channel Co. strategic service provider research benchmark is 20 percent of annual engagements from business problem-solving rather than procurement, 34 percent of overall revenue from services rather than products, and 55 percent of total services sales from recurring revenue rather than IT project-based services, according to The Channel Co research.
Approximately 20 percent of the 170,000 solution providers in North America meet the minimum strategic service provider criteria and includes systems integrators, consultants and ISVs.
The Channel Co. research, which is based on an annual census of more than 600 solution provider respondents, is being presented in a six-city nationwide road show titled "Surviving & Managing The Shift To The Strategic Service Provider Model." The road show kicked off March 23 in Irvine, Calif., and concludes April 26 in Austin, Texas. In addition to the strategic service provider research, the road show includes exclusive The Channel Co. research on the partner’s buying journey.
Faletra called on technology vendors and solution providers to think through necessary changes based on The Channel Co. research in order to thrive in the new era. "This data is crucial for vendors and solution providers trying to survive the shift to the strategic service provider model," he said.
For solution providers, the shift means benchmarking themselves against the minimum strategic service provider criteria, said Faletra. For vendors, it means profiling partners for the three dimensions of the strategic service provider model, providing strategic consulting guidance for partners, and then providing channel programs and sales policies to support the new model.
The changes between the emerging strategic service provider population and the rest of the solution provider universe are striking. The new strategic service provider channel elite with 40 percent of their annual engagements coming from solving business problems are driving 68 percent of their median $4.29 million in annual sales from services, with cloud services accounting for 17 percent of sales, according to The Channel Co. research. That compares with 55 percent of $3.2 million in median sales from services for other solution providers, with cloud services accounting for only 9 percent of sales.
’But this is a balancing act,’ said Faletra noting the more traditional model isn’t being erased any time soon so suppliers need to manage both sides of the channel model equation.
Strategic service providers have a higher level of services and product growth because they are solving business problems at the very outset of the client engagement, said Rauline Ochs, a channel strategist for The Channel Co.'s IPED Channel Research Consulting & Training Business, discussing the data compiled from the in-depth census.
"Customers are literally betting their business on these strategic service providers," said Ochs. "They are trusted advisers driving the business problem resolution before the commodity hardware and software purchases are made. They have greater control of the technology sale and, with their influence, they are getting the follow-on product sales and consulting services."
Fifty-five percent of the strategic service providers, which sell more often to SMBs, classify themselves as MSPs (managed service providers/hosters) compared with 23 percent of solution providers who do not meet the strategic service provider criteria. The utility-based consumption pricing model, meanwhile, is being used as the primary model for 42 percent of strategic service providers versus 34 percent for the overall solution provider population.
"These best-of-breed strategic service providers have cracked the code and figured out how to solve business problems in a recurring revenue model for midmarket and SMB customers," said Ochs. "It's a very profitable model for them so they are selling in that manner at a higher rate."
WBM Office Systems, a $55 million, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based strategic service provider, has driven double-digit sales growth in recurring revenue for the past seven years by adopting the strategic service provider focus on business outcomes, said Chief Technology Officer Travis Weber.
WBM is beyond the minimum strategic service provider criteria in the three key benchmarks with 80 percent of all annual engagements based on business outcomes, 40 percent of annual revenue from services rather than products, and 75 percent of total services sales from recurring revenue, said Weber.
WBM is selling "business outcomes" focused on strategic planning rather than technology products, he said. "We are delivering practical results for the business, not just technology product speeds and feeds and model numbers," Weber said. "This is a really big shift. The organizations that figure it out are going to be the big winners in an era where we are going to see lots of consolidation in the managed service provider market. The ones that figure it out are the ones that are going to be around in five years."
Ultimately, Weber said, solution providers must become strategic service providers to thrive in the cloud services era. That means investing in sales and technical talent that understand business and focus on business outcomes. "We are vendor-agnostic and don't have a data center," he said. "All our bets are being placed on our relationship with our clients, making sure we are doing strategic business planning and helping them work backward toward the technology that is going to solve their business problem."
One of the predominant characteristics of the strategic service provider model is indeed that they are investing heavily in business problem resolution consulting rather than building their own data centers, according to The Channel Co. research. In fact, 53 percent of strategic service providers have a relationship with a global or national cloud service provider such as Amazon Web Services, while 42 percent have a relationship with a local cloud services provider such as Markley Group, Boston. That compares with 46 percent and 32 percent, respectively, for the rest of the solution provider population.
"Strategic service providers are investing most of their assets and money into strategic business guidance services rather than building data centers," said Beth Vanni, a senior consultant for The Channel Co.'s IPED Channel Research Consulting & Training Business. "They are all-in service providers who are designing and architecting business solutions, telling customers which gear to buy and then managing it for those customers. They are building apps and repeatable services with presales consultants that can have a business conversation. They may look small to some vendors, but they are very influential."
That consulting includes IT asset rationalization or return on investment of IT assets. Eighteen percent of strategic service providers are providing IT return on investment consulting versus 13 percent of the rest of the solution providers, said Vanni.
Top of mind for solution providers in 2016 as they move to drive top-line sales growth is focusing on enhancing their sales methodology or approach. In fact, 36 percent of solution providers surveyed said they are going to increase their focus on enhancing their sales methodology. "That means shifting the sales motion from project-based, product sales to recurring revenue sales," said Vanni. "It means continuing to sell beyond IT and changing out salespeople who don't know how to sell services."
As for driving profitable growth, the focus is on increasing the percentage of recurring revenue services, better utilization of existing technical staff, and charging differently for services, according to The Channel Co. research. In fact, 46 percent of the solution providers surveyed said they intend to increase the percentage of recurring revenue services in 2016, 44 percent said they intend to get better utilization from existing technical staff, and 26 percent said they intend to charge differently or more for solutions and services.
The shift to the new model is putting pressure on technology vendors to identify strategic service providers, enable them with business outcome-based intellectual property, and then follow through with channel program changes such as longer deal registration time frames and rules of engagement designed for the longer, more complex sales cycle. "Vendors need to get their mind around this shift and create systems that track and reward it," Vanni said. "That is no small feat. This is heavy lifting."
Key to making that happen is implementing service utility consumption models for partners, said Vanni. "Vendors that don’t have a utility-based pricing model for IT hardware and software are behind the times," she said. "The first call to action for vendors is know who your strategic service providers are. They need to profile their partners around the three dimensions of the strategic service provider model."
Solution providers, for their part, say one of the biggest obstacles in working with strategic suppliers is pricing models that do not support an IT-as-a-service delivery model. In fact, that is leading to sales conflict in the field between solution providers selling managed services and vendors selling product. "That is the new flavor of channel conflict," said Vanni.
The shift to the strategic provider model is a major one for both vendors and partners, said Vanni. "The combination of the three dimensions of the strategic service provider is a perfect storm," she said. "Vendors need to cultivate strategic service providers. These partners are solving business problems, designing IT architecture, providing scalable cloud services, and then managing IT."
Frank Vitagliano, vice president of sales and global distribution strategy for Dell, Round Rock, Texas, said he sees the strategic service provider model as a natural evolution of the channel. "These partners really understand customer requirements and are solving customers’ problems utilizing the most relevant technology," he said. "As the solution provider solves these business problems, the services they provide are becoming extraordinarily sticky. They are becoming more important from a business consultancy standpoint versus just a provider of technology solutions."
The vendors that will lead the strategic service provider era will be those that aggressively embrace the new model with new training, certification and recurring revenue sales models, said Ochs. "It's not OK to offer sales and technical certifications the way we used to," she said. "The new business model requires operational training. It's all about how to meet services levels."
For solution providers, the call to action is to measure yourself against The Channel Co. benchmarks on solving business problems, services mix and product mix to see how you stack up against the best-of breed providers, said Ochs. "As these partners write their business plans for 2017, they need to decide how they are going to take their company into the strategic service provider era," she said.
The future is bright for those that embrace the new model, said Ochs. "This is where we see the market going now that recurring revenue is widely accepted," she said. "The vendors that embrace the model will grow their population of trusted advisers and the solution providers that move to the new model will continue to be growing and profitable based on a services-led delivery model for how IT is consumed versus the old project-based model."
Technology vendors interested in attending the "Surviving & Managing The Shift To The Strategic Service Provider Model" road show must register due to limited space. In addition to an in-depth review of the strategic service provider and partner’s journey research, vendors will learn what will be important in building a bridge from today’s channel model to the future.


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By Jeremy Malcom
July 18, 2017
Article from EFF
U.S. NAFTA Negotiation Objectives Are Out and This Infographic Makes Sense Of It All
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has just released its trade negotiating objectives [PDF] for a revision of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. NAFTA is expected to open up a new front in big content's neverending battle for stricter copyright rules, following the unexpected defeat of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Meanwhile, big tech companies are now wielding increasing influence with the USTR, and demanding that it negotiate rules that protect their businesses also, such as prohibitions against restrictions on the cross-border transfer of data.
In EFF's comments to the USTR about what its negotiating objectives should be, we urged it not to include new copyright rules in NAFTA, because of how this would prevent the United States from improving its current law or adapting to technological change. We also expressed the need for caution about including some of the new digital trade (or e-commerce) rules that big tech companies have been asking for, for similar reasons, and because the trade negotiation process notoriously lacks the balance that would be required for it to negotiate a sound set of rules.
The negotiating objectives are hopelessly general, but it seems that our requests largely fell on deaf ears. The negotiating objectives on intellectual property relevantly include to:
March 15, 2018
March 5, 2018


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London - 4.2-inch display with a 1280 x 768 resolution, 356 ppi, Qualcomm dual-core 1.5GHz processor with 2GB RAM, 8-megapixel back camera, 2-megapixel front camera, 16GB of storage, connectivity options such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, MicroSD slot.
Like excited children, thousands of people finally unbox their new BlackBerry Z10s this week. The new BlackBerry 10 operating system was initially unveiled towards the end of 2011, but the BlackBerry Z10 phone, which was released in the UK January 31, is the first handset capable of running it. In the intervening year, BlackBerry has fallen behind smartphone competitors such as the iPhone, HTC and Samsung, as they released smarter operating systems, while BlackBerry was stuck with its outdated BB OS 7 platform. But the company is hoping the Z10 will put BlackBerry back on the map.
What is it?
The new phone from BlackBerry and the first to run its new operating system, BlackBerry 10.
Does it work?
Initially, no, it didn't. I had problems connecting with the Wi-Fi network at work, then when I did connect, the screen announcing I had successfully connected wouldn't go away and covered up everything else, including the guide to “essential gestures”, which shows you how to swipe the screen to make everything work. It took me a lot of mad swatting at the screen to figure it out.
There are no buttons on the front at all and there's no back button on screen, which is initially disorienting. You need to swipe from the bottom of the screen upwards to unlock the phone and access the home screen, and swipe from the top down to access menus in applications. If this is similar to the experience people have testing it out in the shop, it might put new consumers off the product.
After a few days, it gets easier to use and gliding between different screens and applications becomes smoother - BlackBerry has dubbed this gliding form of navigation “Flow”. On the upside, Flow made sharing very intuitive and quick; I could take a photo, attach it to an email and send it, in just three clicks. Fans of the BlackBerry physical keyboard will be disappointed with this model's on-screen keyboard, but the BlackBerry Q10, due out in April, will have the traditional Qwerty keypad.
The speaker option With the Z10, you can be really far away from the microphone and still be clearly heard on calls
The BlackBerry Hub All texts, BBMs, emails and call history are visible in the same place
“Peek” This feature splits the screen so you can peek at your latest notifications without leaving the app you're in
Clever predictive text The phone quickly learns the words you frequently use and adapts its suggestions accordingly
Who's it for?
This new model acknowledges BlackBerry's growing teenage fan base, offering security features for businesspeople and a host of apps and entertainment for everyone else. - The Independent