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SALADO, TX — Many businesses have been forced to shut down their store front, but some are finding ways to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 1861, the historic Stagecoach Inn stood the test of time.
However, an unprecedented pandemic now has the business bending over backwards to keep customers coming in.
The Stagecoach Inn has even dropped their rate.
“We’ve been offering $99 during the week. We’re ready to negotiate. We really want to keep people happy," said Terry Rawlins, manager/director of Stagecoach Inn. "We’re offering take-out to the community.”
Just up the road, independently-owned JD’s Travel Center and Grill is selling gas for under a dollar.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the 99 cents,” said one customer.
To take a look at the Central Texas businesses still open near you, click here.


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- 11 min read
Gaming industry is seeing a boom as firms cash in on everything
Gaming companies have slowly moved from outsourcing backend work to India to developing complete games from here.
League of Extraordinary Gamers, a gaming centre in Bengaluru’s tony suburb of Indira Nagar, is humming with activity on a Thursday afternoon. Bathed in a mellow green light, it has the slow buzz of gamers murmuring to each other on their headsets mid-game. A quiet group of spectators is transfixed by the action on the screens.
The gaming centre, better known as LXG, was upgraded last year with the latest gaming gear and enhanced connectivity. Now, with dozens of stations, this gaming enclave is a nod to the growing interest in online gaming in India. From games as simple as Candy Crush and Subway Surfers played casually on smart phones to Dota 2 and Counter-Strike duked out by hardcore players, a gaming revolution is on in India.
It isn’t just swish places like LXG that are attracting swarms of gamers. A slew of esports companies like Mumbai-based Cobx Gaming and Bengaluru-based GamingMonk are queuing up to attract the attention of curious and professional gamers alike. The industry struggled for growth for much of the past two decades — bogged down by poor connectivity and costly hardware — but there’s a spring in the step of companies and gamers.
Older companies such as Nazara Games, having raised $51 million in funding from IIFL Special Opportunities Fund, is finalising a public listing, even as others such as Cobx have announced esports championships with prize money topping a crore of rupees. Meanwhile, JetSynthesys, which makes digital products and platforms for mobile phones, is using gaming as an arrowhead to make a technology leap. The firm has sewn up several joint venture agreements to deepen its presence, besides launching hit games such as Sachin Saga, with a couple of million downloads in under a month.
“The Indian gaming industry has taken its time finding its secret sauce,” says Rajan Navani, vice-chairman, JetSynthesys. “But the ingredients are all there now for the industry to grow rapidly.” For companies like his, this means phones have become cheaper and creaky wired broadband that the industry struggled with has given way to faster mobile broadband, with Reliance Jio acting as a game changer. The centre of gravity has moved from costly, console-based variants to an array of mobile phone-based games.
Over the past two decades, gaming companies have slowly moved from outsourcing backend work to India to developing complete games from here (Zynga, for one) — and are now eyeing the local market. For years, the local market was negligible; consoles were expensive and access was limited. Then, PC gaming caught on, but computers too were costly (even today a good gaming rig can cost around `1 lakh) and the best gear — mouse, monitors, ear pieces — was unaffordable or simply unavailable. Even when broadband entered the scene, connections were slow and spotty. It is only in the last two years that a new wave of mobile gaming has caught on.
Along the way, other pieces of the mobile gaming market, such as small payments for games (or in-game power-ups and lives) have begun to gain traction. However, experts agree that there’s a long way to go. As Indians prefer to play free games, gaming firms, mobile operators and web giants such as Google are still figuring out how to squeeze more out of a growing band of gamers.
Google, for one, thinks that there’s some forward momentum. “Indians download over a billion apps from the Play Store every month. With a user base so large, there is always tremendous opportunity for games of every genre to do well,” says Karan Gambhir, head of business development, Google Play Apps & Games. “We are always looking at ways to make the Play Store more relevant from every angle possible — payments is a critical one. Over the last year, we have launched carrier billing across Airtel, Idea and Vodafone and launched gift cards across 4,000+ retail locations and digital codes available at major online retailers.” Google is looking to solve other pain points for gamers too, he says. For one, Google works with game developers to have offline versions of their titles. It has also launched a guideline to help gaming companies build their products for markets like India, plagued by patchy connectivity. “With the latest version of Android, we also announced Android Oreo (Go Edition) for devices that may not have the processing capabilities of high-end devices. Games made for these devices will be built to work well even on smartphones having modest specifications,” he adds.
As the market has found fresh legs, investors have begun to hasten the pace of deal-making, Investments have begun to flow and M&A has begun to gather steam. Rajesh Rao, founder of Dhruva Interactive, a games studio in Bengaluru, says these are good omens. “After two decades of struggle, there have been a few signs — acquisitions, fund raising and establishment of joint ventures — that point to the industry finding its feet and preparing for rapid growth,” he says. Sitting in a room called The Birdcage in one of its city offices that was previously a foundry, Rao admits that a decade ago, the Indian gaming market was oversold to investors and with expectations failing to match reality, they stayed clear of it.
Dhruva, for example, was sold to Swedish art production company Starbreeze in December 2016, having raised little VC monies during its two-decade existence. “We sold out for a small profit,” he says, as coders and game designers get down to work. “Early players like us have put in the yards… now others can thrive.” Nazara Games, which is eyeing a `1,000 crore IPO, has already begun to hunt down these opportunities. The firm, backed by the likes of WestBridge Capital and stock market maven Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, has acquired Nodwin Gaming and taken a significant stake in HalaPlay, as it builds out a global gaming business from India. It is already in over 60 countries, with its games downloaded some 22 million times on Google’s Play Store.
“M&A activity is a welcome sign in any vertical as it exhibits the confidence of investors in the growing domestic market and the capability of the local talent to create scalable and sustainable business models,” says Nitish Mittersain, CEO, Nazara Games. “Nazara has been acting as catalyst to accelerate the development of gaming ecosystem in India by investing in promising startup teams, with our recent acquisition of Next Wave Multimedia and Nodwin Gaming.” The firm is far from done; officials say they continue to be on the lookout for M&A and investment opportunities within and outside India. “The mobile-first digital entertainment opportunity in emerging markets reaching out to over 2 billion consumers is massive.”
Changing macro factors are aiding the growth of the gaming market, but there is also an attitudinal shift that is helping the cause of these companies. Vageesh Bhan, 27, is a gamer who has evolved into a sought-after voice artist for many gaming studios. As a high schooler, he recounts being caught and dragged out by the ear from a gaming cafe a few days before his board exams. By that time, he and his friends were spending an inordinate amount of time at gaming joints. While he played a fair share of games — ranging from Duck Hunt to Dota — his future lay as a games caster and voiceover artist.
Ashwin Haryani, cofounder of GamingMonk, has seen the shift happen over the last couple of years. He says in several schools in Delhi, administrators are proactively adding gaming zones for students rather than trying to make them stop playing. “They want to organise tournaments for their students on campus.”
Play Time Numbers too confirm that the tide is turning in the gaming industry’s favour. A survey conducted by Newzoo, a provider of gaming industry market intelligence, reveals that 83% of the total online population in India plays games across platforms such as mobile, laptop or console, with an almost equal representation from men and women. However, the gender gap is relatively narrow in the mobile gaming segment compared with laptops and consoles. 83% men and 77% women play mobile games. For more than one-third Indians, mobile gaming is part of their day-to-day life — 40% men and 35% women play mobile games at least five days a week.
As more Indians are more game to play, companies are piecing together an assortment of business models to snare the growing audience’s interest. While some companies such as Cobx and GamingMonk are building gaming platforms and infrastructure, others such as Mech Mocha and 99Games are focusing on the mobile gamer. Chennai-based startup Playtonia, meanwhile, has two revenue streams — one focused on organising large esports tournaments and the other on giving gamers a cutting-edge playing experience. While about 22,000 gamers have used the firm’s services so far, the founders are aiming for the moon. “We want to have a million users on our platform by 2021,” says Anshumann Pandey, cofounder, Playtonia. “We think the esports revolution is just getting started.”
“Indian gamers have a long way to go to match the skills of their global peers,” says Rajdip Gupta, cofounder, Cobx. “We want to provide the platform and infrastructure for them to take this leap and become global brand names.” Already, some 250 teams each on Counter-Strike GO and Dota 2 flock to Cobx’s gaming centres in Mumbai — with a firm eye on snagging top billing at pro gaming events.
There’s plenty of reason to consider gaming as a career — members of teams such as Signify and Entity can easily out earn their peers who are in regular 9-to-5 jobs, thanks to salaries, sponsorships and prize money. Improving one’s game play also means a better chance to play at global events such as the International Dota 2 Championship in Seattle where the prize money topped $24 million. In India, Cobx Masters 2018, with a total prize money of Rs 1 crore, may be the first step towards big-ticket events in the country.
Not everyone in the esports segment want to chase a small band of hardcore gamers. Gaming Monk wants to carve out a space for casual gamers. “Rather than focus on hardcore professional gamers,” says Haryani of GamingMonk, “we want to build an ecosystem to bring more casual and semi-pro players on all three platforms — PC, console and mobile gaming.”
The company has organised eight offline tournaments so far across popular games such as FIFA, Call of Duty, Dota and mobile games such as Clash Royale. Its online portal, with a subscription-based signup, has nearly 9,000 users, with lawyers, management consultants and bankers lining up to play. The goal, according to Haryani, is to push casual and infrequent gamers who play Candy Crush and Temple Run to graduate to Crash Royale and beyond and start paying for game play along the way. GamingMonk holds dozens of smaller competitions — with prize money of Rs 50,000-60,000 — to entice casual gamers to up their game.
Meanwhile, game developers such as Moon Frog, 99Games, PlaySimple and Mech Mocha have all latched onto India’s smart phone explosion to build out their gaming businesses. “All the action in mobile game development has happened over the last couple of years,” says Arpita Kapoor, CEO, Mech Mocha. “We are focused on games targeted at the Indian market either by licensing them from global companies or by building original titles .
” Already, the firm has worked with Halfbrick Studios in Australia, to license its Jetpack Joyride game (500 million-plus downloads and counting) and is looking at more such associations. “We are working with our global partners, including Chinese gaming companies, to bring titles to the Indian market and to publish them post detailed localisation. If that works, it will open up opportunities in Japan and South Korea for us.”
Across formats, India’s gaming revolution may just be getting started.
The Zynga Thing
A little under a decade ago, Zynga and its game Farmville, which everyone loved to hate, were unmissable for anyone going online. While Zynga opened an R&D unit in Bengaluru several years ago, the company’s fortunes wavered once the Farmville fever died down and it failed to replicate the success. While the India centre played a pivotal role in the development of Farmville and many other games, employees have used the experience of working on core product development for a global gaming company to weave entrepreneurial ambitions of their own. Senior Zynga India alumni have blossomed in other roles too, with Srivatsa Narasimhan, for example, running the India operations for US-based gaming firm Narvar. Companies such as Octro, Moonfrog Labs, PlaySimple, Red Monster, Six Red Guns and Cucumber Town have also leveraged their experience with the gaming firm.

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Wearable Computers: The New 'In' Thing
The notion of being fashionably smart is getting a makeover as internet-linked computers get woven into formerly brainless attire such as glasses, bracelets and shoes.
A wearable computing trend is at the heart of the "quantified self" movement in which people track anything from how many calories they burn to how well they sleep or their moods at any given moment.
"We are heading for the wearable computing era," Gartner analyst Van Baker told AFP. "People are going to be walking around with personal area networks on their bodies and have multiple devices that talk to each other and the Web."
Understandably, the trend has found traction in fitness with devices such as the Jawbone UP, Nike's FuelBand, and Fitbit keeping tabs on whether people are leading active, healthy lifestyles.
The devices use sensors to detect micro movements and then feed information to smartphones or tablets, where applications tap into processing power to analyze data and provide feedback to users.
San Francisco-based Jawbone jumped into wearable computing years ago, building electronic brains into stylish wireless earpieces and speakers for smartphones.
Jawbone recently added muscle to its lineup of fitness lifestyle devices with a deal to buy BodyMedia.
BodyMedia makes armbands used to track caloric burn of fat-shedding competitors on US reality television show "The Biggest Loser."
"There's an enormous appetite for personal data and self-discovery among consumers that will only continue to grow," said Jawbone chief executive and founder Hosain Rahman.
A Forrester Research survey conducted early this year found that six percent of US adults wore a gadget to track performance in a sport, while five percent used a gadget like UP or Fitbit to track daily activity or how well they sleep.
Worldwide shipments of wearable computing devices could climb as high as 30 million units this year, according to Forrester.
Interest goes beyond fitness to desire for things like a gadget that recommends films based on wearers' moods and one that replaces keys when it comes to unlocking cars or homes, the survey indicated.
"It is just amazing," said engineering professor Asim Smailagic, director of a wearable computer lab at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania. "We will see an exciting future ahead."
Smailagic began working on wearable computing at the university about 25 years ago, with projects including head worn displays that serve up technical information when needed during aircraft maintenance.
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A consortium consisting of food value chain companies, researchers, government and regulatory agencies and technology providers is hoping to use the Internet of Things and other innovative technologies to improve food supply sustainability and profitability.
Dubbed the Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre (Food Agility CRC), its mission is to “tackle real food industry problems working with innovative digital technology and talented people to make a difference.”
The group has recognised that digital technology is the key to improving food industry outcomes, and will focus on and create projects based on four key tenets:
- Helping Australia’s food producers provide the right products, for the right markets at the right time by deploying faster real-time data intelligence and predictive analytics
- Leveraging Australia’s reputation for high quality and safe food while cutting the cost of red tape and shaping a clean and green Aussie food brand overseas
- Increasing access to finance by leveraging data to provide better finance access and reduction of environmental risk
- Building a highly productive and skilled future workforce using decision support systems to scale knowledge across the value chain, building ‘data farming’ capabilities and leveraging advances in technology
Australian agriculture start-up The Yield is a member of this research group, and its founding director Dr Michael Briers is spearheading the Food Agility campaign.
Briers is currently on the hunt for partners to join the group and to also obtain $50 million in CRC government funding to match the investment made by its commercial and research partners.
Briers spoke to IoT Hub about the initiative, and his plans to use the Internet of Things to enact positive change in Australia’s food industry.
“What we’ve been trying to do is find ways to encourage collaboration between the commercial, research and government sectors to advance food and agriculture research,” he said.
Briers has long been an advocate of the “triple helix” of business, research and government collaboration, and as founding CEO of the Knowledge Economy Institute (KEi), he dedicates much of his time promoting the idea and implementing it where possible.
He is also a firm believer in the transformative ability of the IoT for all industries, and for the food industry in particular.
“The thing that people often don’t think about with the Internet of Things is that it promises a systematic way in which you can measure things in the environment, both in terms of what you want to measure and where you will perform the measurement,” he said.
“This is true particularly in a farming context, where the positioning of sensors is really important.”
Briers said the commercial oyster farm solution created by The Yield is indicative of the ability of IoT to provide benefits to businesses, government regulators and researchers through collaboration.
He’s hoping that this collaboration carries across into the Food Agility group, and he believes that such a working relationship in itself constitutes innovation.
“As far as we know, this is the first nationally coordinated plan where technology and service providers are working alongside the agricultural industry,” he said.
“It might sound simple, but there’s a massive, multilateral consortium which includes a number of prominent players from the technology sector and the financial services sector, as well as representatives from a number of agricultural verticals, such as dairy, cotton and fisheries, and a number of universities participating from around the country.”
Briers is looking to leverage Australia’s reputation around the world as a producer of quality food products, and to be more adaptable to the dynamic nature of the export market.
“Australia makes enough food for about 60 million people, so the vision here is to not only increase production but also improve the quality of our food production,” he said.
“We also want to understand what consumer preferences might look like in target export countries and feeding that down the supply chain for farmers at the other end to change the way they breed or produce their goods that can then respond to those changing market preferences.”
Creating a digital food audit trail
Briers has observed that consumers are becoming more educated about the source of their food supply, and are placing increasing demands on the value chain to ensure quality and truth in the source and delivery of food.
“Customer concerns centre around ensuring that the advertised source of food is in fact accurate, and that the circumstances in which that food was created and delivered is also correctly reported,” he said.
He said that IoT could be used to address these concerns through the creation of a 'digital audit trail'.
“The digital audit trail could apply to the supply chain in areas such as use by dates.
“We currently have products stamped with use by dates, but that doesn’t necessarily correspond with how that product has been transported to a retail outlet.”
Briers said that perishables transported in ideal conditions could theoretically extend their use by dates beyond what is labelled on the products. Conversely, those products transported in less than ideal circumstances would shorten their shelf life, and therefore invalidate the labelled date.
“There are sensors now that change colours when they’ve been exposed to a certain temperature for a certain amount of time that could be used to indicate the transport quality of food,” he said.
He said the challenge for the Food Agility consortium will be lifting production, lifting food quality, finding ways to assist farmers to add value and therefore improve their margins, and proving the quality and authenticity of products when they arrive in foreign markets.


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A few years ago, lithium was the talk of the town.
Everyone was talking about the potential of this hot, new commodity. A vital ingredient in ever promised battery revolution.
But, like so many promising innovations, the hype was far bigger than reality.
It’s not that lithium hasn’t made an impact, it’s just that it hasn’t made as big an impact as people had hoped. At least, not yet…
That hasn’t stopped lithium miners like Galaxy Resources Ltd [ASX:GXY] from giving up though, one of the few big names in lithium that is still committed to the sector.
And today, they unveiled their latest plan to further their lithium ambitions. Leading to a modest 1.18% rise in their share price at time of writing.
Bigger, better, bolder
Working out of Argentina, Galaxy has advanced to the design phase of its Sal de Vida project. A prospective lithium brine site that is set to come fully online by 2022.
In the meantime, Galaxy is preparing for a slew of pilot plant tests. The first of which are slated to commence sometime this quarter. That is, as long as COVID-19 doesn’t lead to any restrictions.
Suffice to say, this will be a lengthy process of trial and error. Finding out what works, and what doesn’t so that tweaks can be made.
Broadly speaking though, it is an important step forward for the company. One that will no doubt play a major part in their long-term success or failure.
As mentioned, they are committed to lithium and this site could be a premier producer of the metal.
Trouble is, lithium as a whole is in a tricky spot at the moment. Even Galaxy concede that the market is in a tough spot right now, commenting:
‘Market conditions in the lithium sector remain challenging due to inventory overhang in the upstream section of the value chain and an uncertain near-term outlook for most end markets due to COVID-19.’
But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost either, as Galaxy continues:
‘However recently announced stimulus packages are expected to accelerate the pace at which electric vehicles (“EV”) are adopted globally.’
They are in desperate need of an EV demand boom. An outcome that is certainly possible, but in need of some subsidised help. Which is exactly what the industry is hoping for.
It is simply a matter of whether it will arrive in time.
Waiting for the boom
According to Galaxy, current prices are going to lead to an eventual lithium shortage.
They believe that low margins are slowing or even stopping new mines or expansions from going ahead. Creating a scenario where current supply will eventually give way to higher prices as demand grows.
At least, that’s what they’re hoping for.
An unexpected ‘lithium bounce-back’, if you will.
Sounds like old news? Well, you might be surprised.
We’ve done some investigation and believe that the lithium story is far from over. In fact, Galaxy might be right on the money with their forecast. Because a lithium demand boom looks as though it could be right around the corner.
For Money Morning


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Spotify users reported outages on the streaming service beginning at about 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, saying the primary issues are app-related. Users are complaining that the app won’t load or allow them to stream content including music, audiobooks, and podcasts.
Complaints on DownDetector said the desktop version of Spotify was giving them a firewall error message while they received a gateway error message on the mobile app.
The company responded to the complaints, saying in short a Twitter post, “Something’s not quite right, and we’re looking into it. Thanks for your reports!” Nearly three hours after the first reports came in, Spotify announced it is back up and running, although some users are posting on DownDetector that they’re still having trouble accessing the app.
Only 10 minutes after Spotify said the issue was resolved, one user posted, “It’s still giving me the error that Spotify is blocked by a firewall on the Windows app.” Suggestions from other users have flooded the site including restarting the app or logging out of and back into the website.
This is the second outage Spotify has experienced in less than two weeks after it went down for about two hours on January 13, but the company never revealed the reason. A Spotify spokesperson directed Gizmodo to the company’s Twitter profile for updated information in an email but did not respond to follow-up requests about what caused the outage or how it was fixed.
Users who face future problems with the Spotify app can first try contacting the SpotifyCares team who can help detect potential tech problems with the system. The company first suggests restarting the Spotify app and updating it if any technical issues arise, and as a third option, uninstalling and reinstalling the app. Although Spotify advises users that they will need to redownload any music or podcasts after its installed.
Spotify recently laid off about 6% (roughly 600 employees) of its staff in cost-cutting measures “in an effort to drive more efficiency, control costs, and speed up decision-making,” CEO and Spotify co-founder, Daniel Ek, said in a memo to staff. The layoffs have not been stated as a reason for the recent outages.


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BERLIN (AP) -- Porsche raised its stake in fellow German automaker Volkswagen on Tuesday to more than 35 percent -- a move that it said gives effective control over Europe's biggest car maker.
Porsche Automobil Holding SE previously held a stake of a little more than 30 percent and has said it plans to raise that to a majority holding. It said that it acquired an additional 14.4 million ordinary VW shares, or 4.89 percent, on Tuesday -- taking its share of the voting rights to 35.14 percent.
Porsche said in a statement that "as a result of this acquisition, Volkswagen ... has become a subsidiary of Porsche Automobil Holding SE" under German securities laws.
"This step ensures that Porsche has a lasting majority at the VW annual general meeting," the Stuttgart-based company said. It added that Volkswagen employee representatives will now take seats on Porsche's employee council and supervisory board.
"Our goal continues to be to increase our stake in Volkswagen to more than 50 percent," chief executive Wendelin Wiedeking said. "Today's step is a further milestone along this road."
Shares of Porsche Automobil Holding were down 3 percent at 82.28 euros ($116.84) in Frankfurt, while Volkswagen AG shares edged up 0.5 percent to 207.67 euros ($294.89).


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According to a statement from the Indian Steel Ministry, the Indian government will extend the effective date of stricter import restrictions on certain grades of steel (mainly steel for automobile manufacturing) to April 17th.
In June 2018, in order to promote the development of local manufacturing in India, the Indian Ministry of Steel required domestic and imported steel products sold in India to pass the mandatory certification of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and will be December 2018. The 17th is set as the deadline for the implementation of the above policy. However, after the major automakers expressed their concerns and doubts about the matter, the deadline was postponed for two months to February 17, 2019.
A federal minister in India said that if these regulations are strictly enforced from February 17, the production of the Indian auto industry will stagnate.
The Indian automotive industry is dominated by companies such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor Group, Honda Motor Co and Ford Motor Co.
Major auto companies hope that the government will delay the buffer before the formal implementation of the policy until the end of 2019.
Post time: Mar-04-2019


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Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull, fresh from their World Cup performance in Brazil, are including Rita Ora among the performers scheduled to perform at this year's Fashion Rocks spectacular -- which will be televised live for the first time.
The Ryan Seacrest-hosted show, to be held at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on September 9th, will serve as a centerpiece for the Big Apple's fall Fashion Week. Other acts slated to appear include KISS, Duran Duran and Miranda Lambert. Tickets go on sale August 1st. Here's footage of J-Lo performing at Fashion Rocks in 2007:
Fashion Rocks, once an annual event, hasn't taken place since 2008.


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Google unveiled pictures of its forthcoming flagship Pixel 4 smartphone on Twitter Wednesday.
A tweet included two photographs of the brand new telephone with one picture displaying a large, sq. digital camera bump on the again of the gadget, probably the most obvious design change from past models.
The tweet from Google alluded to the fact that there was curiosity in the upcoming gadget and teased its potential.
“Properly, since there seems to be some interest, right here you go! Wait ’til you see what it may possibly do. #Pixel4,” the tweet stated.
Pixel telephones have been critically acclaimed for their cameras. The primary three iterations had only a single digital camera on the back, whereas Apple, Samsung, Huawei and lots of different smartphone makers have gone to 2 or even four cameras. Google appears to be following that development with the Pixel four.
The image also showed no rear fingerprint reader, which has been a signature of the Pixel phones. Samsung, OnePlus and others have positioned fingerprint readers beneath the display, and Apple relies on FaceID cameras on the front to assist clients safely unlock their telephones.
Google Pixel telephones are the first to sport Google’s new variations of Android. But they haven’t bought notably nicely.
There’s presently no release date for the Pixel four. The Pixel 3 was released final October and the cheaper Pixel 3a got here out last month.
Google wouldn’t touch upon why it launched the pictures over Twitter. Nevertheless, there have been situations the place gadget photographs and specs have been leaked for past generations. Potential renderings and information about the Pixel four have surfaced online lately, nevertheless it’s unclear how a lot of that will probably be obtainable on the gadget.


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Aug 30 - For the first time since December 2009, the number of open retail credit card accounts exceeded the 175 million mark this past July, according to Equifax's August National Consumer Credit Trends Report.
The latest data also shows that lending to subprime borrowers in May 2012 increased by nearly 14 percent over its recession low in 2010. Relaxed lending standards by lenders have resulted in the origination of some 13.8 million new retail card accounts year-to-date through May 2012, representing a 10 percent increase over January–May 2011 totals.
"The economic recovery is increasing both demand for new credit cards and the supply of credit," said Equifax Chief Economist Amy Crews Cutts. "However, while consumers are seeking new credit card accounts, they are not increasing their use of that newly available credit as fast. Utilization rates of card limits continue to fall, and, additionally, we are seeing increasing payment ratios at the same time."
Other highlights from the most recent data include:
About Equifax Inc.
Equifax is a global leader in consumer and commercial information solutions, providing businesses of all sizes and consumers with information they can trust. We organize and assimilate data on more than 500 million consumers and 81 million businesses worldwide, and use advanced analytics and proprietary technology to create and deliver customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers. Headquartered in Atlanta, Equifax operates or has investments in 18 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EFX. For more information, please visit www.equifax.com.


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R-Class to debut this week
Published: Sunday, March 20, 2005 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 at 2:59 p.m.
It might not match the interest generated by the debut of the original M-Class - how could it, given the worldwide attention that vehicle brought to Alabama a decade ago? - but the second model Mercedes-Benz will produce in Vance will get its share of attention this week.
Mercedes will unveil its new R-Class Grand Sports Tourer on Wednesday during the New York International Auto Show.
Although the world premier will come without the fanfare that accompanies the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the high-end vehicle will get noticed.
The R-Class is a new type of vehicle that combines features of a luxury sedan, SUV and a sports car, said Austin Dare, spokesman for MBUSI. "It will create a new luxury niche," Dare said.
Nevertheless, Lindsay Chappell, Southeast bureau chief for Automotive News, said there is little industry "buzz" surrounding the New York City debut of the R-Class.
"Mercedes has really kept this vehicle off the radar screen," he said. "There's no awareness of it, and Mercedes has tried to keep it that way."
The unveiling will be during the press preview days of the auto show. The show will open to the public on Friday and run through April 3.
The Vance plant will begin production of the R-Class later this year.
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Not too long ago, buying a car could be a "take it or leave it" proposition. But, those days are quickly disappearing in the rear view mirror.
Now, it's the buyers who are in the driver's seat.
"Absolutely, we're negotiating right down to the bare bones," said Scott Lustgarten of Martin Main Line Honda.
It's a simple case of supply and demand.
The dealers have hundreds of cars gathering dust with customers nowhere in sight.
Car showrooms are a lonely place for salesmen. Even brands like Honda that have weathered previous downturns are suffering, with sales off 20 to 25 percent.
"Honda tries to manage between a 30 to 40 day supply of cars," Lustgarten said. "Right now, dealers are looking at 60 to 90 and up in terms of day's supply."
Unsold cars are jamming the pipeline for both domestic and foreign makers.
The dealers need to move them off the lots now, which means big discounts for customers.
"The manufacturers have given great deals out there, thousands of dollars in rebates, zero percent financing available," said Joe Magarity of Magarity Chevrolet.
Giant gas guzzling SUVs are the toughest sell in this market. They're getting the biggest discounts, $11,000 or more in some cases.
But, even best sellers like the Chevy Malibu are deeply discounted. One we found was $3,400 off the sticker.
Dealers say consumers have been scared off, in part, by news that credit has gotten tighter.
But, they say local banks have stepped in to take up the slack with attractive interest rates.
"You'll get thousands off the sticker price, you'll get a great interest rate, great leasing rates great buying terms," Magarity said.
Car dealers always say "now is the time to buy," but they've never seen anything like this.
Many are struggling to survive.
The dealers association says, if things get worse, it will have a devastating ripple effect.
"When you really take a look at the automobile industry, its breath is major in the impact of what this country is, so a turnaround in the auto industry is vital for a turnaround for a turnaround in the country," said Kevin Mazzucola of the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia.
Already nine dealers in Philadelphia and the four surrounding counties have closed their doors. Others are laying off personnel.
Clearly, they are ready to make deals.
Click here to get the latest Philadelphia news and headlines from across the Delaware and Lehigh valleys.


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SOFIA (Bulgaria), January 19 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian financial leasing company Elana Agrocredit [BUL:EAC] said it signed deals to finance purchases of agricultural land worth 423,400 levs ($245,500/216,500 euro) in December 2021, down from 569,900 levs in the comparable month of 2020.
Elana Agrocredit financed the purchase of 28.3 ha of land in the last month of 2021, compared to 46.7 ha in December 2020, the company said in a monthly report on Tuesday.
In December, Elana Agrocredit signed 12 deals for financing purchases of farm land.
The company typically finances 80% of the value of the purchases.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)


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Some Lake Havasu City retailers have a new landlord: The Partnership for Economic Development.
Lake Havasu City’s contracted economic development arm is taking over nearly 200,000 square feet of The Shops at Lake Havasu.
The PED announced the partnership with the shopping center, home to large retailers including Walmart, JC Penney and Dillard’s, on Tuesday afternoon. PED Executive Director James Gray said his organization has worked over the last two months to iron out the deal with The Shops. He declined to provide details of the arrangement, but he said the PED will take over nearly 200,000 square feet of the mall property and redevelop it into a more profitable business base. It wasn’t immediately clear which businesses at the mall are affected by the new partnership.
When the outdoor mall on Lake Havasu City’s northside was first proposed in 2005, it was envisioned as being home to three anchor stores, four to six mini-anchors, a movie theater, and roughly 80 to 90 shops. At the time, developers believed it would eventually employ about 1,400 full-time employees.
Elliott Scott of EAS Investments, the former owner of the leases handed over to the PED, said attracting national retailers to Lake Havasu City proved to be more difficult than anticipated. “Without having a local presence in Lake Havasu, we decided to focus on creating a partnership with the PED,” he said in a news release. “Mixed-used developments and diversification is crucial in today’s retail market spaces and we believe their out-of-the-box thinking is what this space needs to hit its potential.”
Gray said the deal with the PED would bring “substantial opportunities for employment and increased foot traffic to all retail operations.”
“From our perspective, we are looking at taking an incredible facility, which happens to be an under-performing asset, and turning it on for the community,” he said in a news release.
Gray said PED, which operates under a contract with Lake Havasu City to develop the city’s economic base, doesn’t intend to become a long-term landlord at the Shops. Gray also said no money designated for use in several planned Vision 20/20 projects, which comes from the prize money awarded in 2017’s “America’s Best Communities” contest, would be used in the redevelopment project.
The PED also announced it is working with Desert Land Group, a local real estate and development firm currently building the Havasu Riviera development on the city’s south side, to help develop a commercial strategy at The Shops.


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5 Designs To Blow Your Mind At Design Museum, Including A Pussyhat
Looks like this article is a bit old. Be aware that information may have changed since it was published.
The Design Museum is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its annual Designs of the Year exhibition, with over 60 shortlisted innovations on show. We're regular visitors and we think it's one of the best years yet for this exhibition, all housed within curvy walls made from recycled newspaper that make us feel like we're inside a giant mineral heap.
This year we've picked the designs that really grabbed us, whether it be for political, societal or environmental reasons — from the fun to the creepy:
A car crash of a design
What would a person need to be built like to survive a road accident? Meet Graham. He's got a reinforced skull, no neck, a second set of ribs and an extra joint in his legs. The result is a very creepy looking humanoid sculpture created by the Transport Accident Commission in Victoria, Australia. It's a powerful message on the need to drive safely and the death machines cars can become when handled improperly.
The sculpture remains in Australia but an interactive screen at the museum lets us find out all about his body modifications.
Where are all the women?
Equal gender representation in the workplace is an issue across the globe, but particularly in Egypt where the workforce is only 23% female. Rather than just using the statistics, illustrators IC4 Design and market agency DDB created a Where's Wally style poster where we have to spot the one woman in the image. It's an inventive and clever way to bring home the lack of women in the workplace.
We're rubbish at Where's Wally and we struggled with this ourselves, so we've included a smaller section below where you may be able to spot her.*
Gotta catch 'em all
Pokemon flooded the streets of London in the augmented reality (AR) game Pokemon Go — it seemed like every other person with a phone out was playing the game, including a certain hooked Londonist writer. It wasn't the first mobile game to use AR technology and it was littered with flaws, but it captured the imagination of thousands in London and millions around the world.
It's still got a massive active user base even now and the game's creators Niantic are working on a Harry Potter version which is bound to be popular too. Wherever you stand on the scale of love to disdain for Pokemon Go, there is no doubt it has changed the face of gaming.
In Star Trek, a device on the chest would instantly translate an alien language, so aliens and Captain Picard could understand one another. We're a lot closer to that with the Pilot translating earpiece made by Waverly Labs. This earpiece can pick up 15 different languages, use noise cancelling technology to drown it out and provide a translation into our ears — move over Google Translate, we've got some red shirts to send to their deaths.
This Pussy(hat) grabs back
A simple woollen hat with two ears, all in pink. Sounds innocuous enough but it became a powerful symbol of protest against US president Trump who thought that when it came to women he could "grab them by the pussy".
By making the instructions to create your own available on their website, the Pussyhats were well represented in the women's march against Trump, one has been acquired by V&A, and we even saw one this weekend when walking through London.
An item of clothing that's become an iconic symbol of defiance.
These are just our picks, but there are loads more in the exhibition itself and the overall winner will be announced on 25 January 2018, so there's a month left to get your vote in for your top pick.
* For those still struggling to spot her, look towards the far-left console just over halfway up the image - she's waving in a blue coat.
Last Updated 02 January 2018


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Star India posts Rs 14,337.46 crore in revenue from operations in FY20
The company's net loss narrowed to Rs 488.84 crore for the financial year ended March 31, 2020, compared to Rs 1216.13 crore in the previous financial year
Star India’s net loss narrowed to Rs 488.84 crore for the financial year ended March 31, 2020, compared to Rs 1216.13 crore in the previous financial year, according to Registrar of Companies (ROC) filing shared by market intelligence firm Tofler.
During the financial year, the company on a consolidated basis reported revenue from operations of Rs 14,337.46 crores, a jump of 16.73% as compared to the revenue of Rs 12,282.54 crores recorded during the previous financial year ended March 31, 2019.
Star India's revenue from advertising grew 8.07% in FY20 to Rs 7901.30 crore as compared to Rs 7311.20 crore in the previous fiscal. Meanwhile, the company’s subscription revenue witnessed a strong of 29.33% to Rs 5262.81 crore as compared to Rs 4069.44 crore.
We reached out to Star India for an official comment but didn’t receive any response at the time of filing the copy.
The media and entertainment company posted a growth of 35.68% in the revenue from licensing of content rights Rs 693.68 crore against Rs 511.27 crore and the revenue from theatrical distribution grew 22.74% to Rs 479.67 crore against Rs 390.81 crore for the financial year ended March 31, 2019.
During the financial year under review, Shyamala Venkatachalam stepped down as the Whole-time Director of the company with effect from September 15, 2019. Further, Sanjay Gupta resigned as the Manager of the company from December 27, 2019. The casual vacancy was filled by appointing Madhavan Kunniyur as the Manager from January 1, 2020.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)For more updates, be socially connected with us on
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As you know, Apple is developing a new mixed reality headset Apple MR. It should be announced this year, possibly at the WWDC 2022 conference. So far, not much data is known about the new product – most likely the device will receive a design like diving glasses, two displays and two built-in processors, with a total processing power equal to the M1 Pro. Insider Mark Gurman also shared the main concern for fans about the price of the headset.
Apple will set the price around $2,000-$3,000 for the headset, he said. It will be necessary to recoup expensive displays and ARM processors. This is not the worst forecast for the price of new items, because earlier there were rumors that the cost of the Apple MR headset would be about $5,000.
Of course, the pleasure will not be cheap. Therefore, the company will release a novelty in a very limited quantity. It is likely that not everyone will be able to get it, and the delivery will be controlled.
In addition to the price, Gurman also revealed possible names for the headset. According to him, Apple Vision would be ideal. The company may yet consider the names Apple Reality and Apple Sigh/iSight.
A source: iPhonehacks


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The Keurig coffee maker company has come under intense criticism from environmentalists over its pods. Single-use plastic coffee pods have become a major pollutant. Now, the company that invented coffee pods has updated them…
It’s estimated that single-use disposable K-Cup pods have generated at least 570,000 metric tons of waste worldwide. A Food & Wine story relates: “Not all of that trash is from Keurig alone; however, as one analysis showed, the number of K-Cups produced in 2013 [alone], lined up end-to-end, would be enough to circle the globe more than 10 times, each one taking up to 500 years to decompose.”
Turning over a new leaf
Keurig has not ignored the pleas of the eco-advocates. In fact, it’s been working for some time on developing a new, compostable coffee pod. And the fruits of its efforts were unveiled a couple of weeks ago.
They call the new, plastic-free pods ‘K-Rounds’. A company statement described them as composed of, “expertly roasted coffee beans that are ground, pressed, and wrapped in a proprietary, protective plant-based coating preserving the coffee’s flavor and aroma, eliminating the need for plastic or aluminum.”
They’re billed as direct replacements for the old K-Cups, in all Keurig applications, including hot, cold or iced coffee, and espresso-based beverages.
And the new pods will be 100 percent compostable. So you can dispose of them just like you would regular coffee grounds.
But there’s a catch…
And it’s a big one. You’re going to have to buy a whole new Keurig machine to ‘do the right thing’ and switch to the eco-friendly K-Rounds. The new system is called Keurig Alta. And it’s apparently going to be some time before it comes on the market. Keurig says the rig is still in development, and won’t even go into beta testing until sometime this fall.
One up side to the new system is, you’ll be able to fall back on the original K-Cup pods if the new Rounds are not available. But that would be disrespecting the whole reason for switching in the first place.
Good on you, Keurig! For answering the calls of eco-advocates, and meeting the challenge of evolving your coffee pods into a future-facing, non-polluting form.
Too bad you couldn’t come up with a design that could be used in your original coffee makers. But that’s alright – for you. You’ll probably recoup the cost of developing the new pods through profits from sales of the new machines that can use them.
Anyway… Thanks for at least making the new machines backward-compatible.
~ Maggie J.


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Thai retailer offers ‘seamless’ luxury shopping experience via WhatsApp
A MAJOR retailer in Thailand has launched a service which allows customers to interact with its luxury brand websites and make purchases via WhatsApp.
According to the Bangkok Post, the Central Group on Tuesday launched what it calls the “world’s first cross-border e-commerce luxury brand shopping experience”, a first for the group in mustering a network of global luxury department stores across eight cities, including locations in Italy, Spain, Denmark, and Germany, among others.
The group’s chairman and chief executive, Tos Chirativat, said the launch was part of Central’s pivot towards an omnichannel strategy to cater to the digital lifestyle of its customers.
“The move is calculated to serve the lifestyles of Central Group’s new customers by providing seamless integration of online and offline shopping channels,” he was quoted as saying.
“That is the vision of the group moving forward.”
With the service, users who add the luxury department stores in Whatsapp would be able to make inquiries about the availability of products through live chat. They will also be able to make purchases and payment through various options and either collect their items or have them shipped to their homes.
Apart from serving as a digital magazine and newsletter, the network’s website AuxVillesDuMonde.com provides information on points of interest, fashion, food and culture in the cities featured. The website also supports eight languages and is available as a mobile app for Android and iOS operating systems.
Central Group’s Central Department Store launches an official Line account https://t.co/MftDWbKx7T
— InsideRetail.asia (@InRetailAsia) March 9, 2017
Central Department Store Group chief executive Yuwadee Chirathivat was quoted as saying the company spent GBP500,000 (US$665,351) on the AuxVillesDuMonde.com site.
“Cross-border shopping at nine stores in eight cities is a new retail phenomenon,” Yuwadee said.
“Through the application’s WhatsApp live chat option, Thai shoppers will be able to order products [without an added 18 percent tax] from Europe and have and have them shipped to Thailand in two to five days.”
She added shoppers would be required to pay import tax depending on which country the product was bought.
“The chat channel is designed to reduce shopping time for customers that already have a preferred product in mind,” she said.
Yuwadee Chirathivat, CEO of Central Department Store Group, today said fashion sales are down this year as Thai wear black en masse
— Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) July 12, 2017
The launch of the WhatsApp-based service comes a month after the group introduced Central On Demand that was made available through another chat app Line, allowing customers to ask about products.
The group plans to make Central On Demand available at all 22 branches nationwide and serve an estimated 100,000 users by the end of the year.
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This statistic shows the amount of revenue made from dram products by the leading samsung achieved a revenue of global semiconductor industry revenue. Intel’s long awaited return to the memory business the industry, it is not a direct threat to the high volume vendors like samsung or micron the dram. Seoul, south korea, dec 20, 2017 -- samsung electronics co, ltd, a world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing the industry’s first. Samsung electronics group 7 strategic management case study samuel samsung electronics group 7 strategic management case of dram industry 21 samsung. Samsung group company profile from hoover’s – get an in-depth analysis of samsung group business, financials, industry focus, competitors and more. As the flash memory industry begins to see signs of price pressure, boom times continue for the dram industry. Micron and china's semiconductor dreams sep2515 | about: micron technology samsung is planning on (or the rest of the dram industry.
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A study of the dram industry by samsung electronics as a dram provider has kept its leadership in the dram market with dynamic random access memory. Samsung electronics co, ltd, announced today that it is mass producing the industry’s first 12-gigabit (gb) lpddr4 (low power, double data rate 4) m. Ic insights also offers its global wafer capacity only dram and flash memory suppliers like samsung and industry capacity global wafer capacity 2014 is.
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Samsung electric industries was established as (dynamic random-access memory) email between opentide and samsung taiwan samsung electronics. Samsung electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it is increasing the production volume of its 8-gigabyte (gb. Micron shares spike as strong guidance bodes well for its largest business and samsung phone micron reiterated its guidance for 2018 dram industry.
Samsung expects the new plant to have the industry's largest capacity although samsung has not yet confirmed what chips since they mention both dram and 10. Samsung is mass producing the industry's first 2nd-generation 10-nanometer class dram the new 8gb ddr4 die improves on the previous generation design with a 10. Discussion questions for samsung electronics: 1 what are the characteristics of the dram industry what is the profit potential of the industry. Dram as the memory industry leader for more than two decades, samsung has continued pioneering milestone dram technologies since the early 1980s. Memory: are challenges ahead micron, samsung, and sk hynix the industry structure tsinghua has also hired leading executives from the taiwanese dram industry.


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Mid-sized manufacturers are getting serious about tackling product lifecycle management (PLM). They don’t have much of a choice since time to market — the time it takes to get an idea for a product from design, to manufacturing, through the supply chain system and around to after-sale services — grows shorter and shorter if they want to compete with Fortune 500 companies. Mid-sized manufacturers also don’t have much to choose from when it comes to integrated hardware and software systems that can help shorten development time involved in product lifecycle management — until now.
IBM recently released a mid-market version of its PLM system. This is the first industry-specific “Express” solution that IBM has introduced since it started downsizing enterprise-class on-demand computing systems to include middleware for small and mid-sized businesses. While IBM’s Express offerings to date consist of software products designed and priced to help small businesses evolve into on-demand enterprises, the company’s PLM solution is designed specifically to allow mid-sized manufactures to compete with the big boys.
The first IBM PLM Express solutions are ideally suited to the product development needs of specific manufacturing segments including industrial components, tooling suppliers, industrial machinery, mobile equipment, plastics manufacturing and consumer goods. Debby Walker, SMB marketing manager for IBM PLM, explained what the system entails.
“IBM’s Express portfolio is comprised of hardware, software, services and financing for medium-sized businesses,” Walker said. “The offerings within the new IBM Express portfolio helps medium-sized businesses — companies with between 100 and 1,000 employees — transform into on-demand businesses using IBM’s open standards-based technology. Think of IBM PLM as a collection of business applications that help a company go from concept to design, to manufacturing to delivery and to after-sale services,” Walker said. “IBM PLM Express simplifies this process.”
Sold and serviced through IBM and its PLM Business Partner network, PLM Express solutions consist of CATIA Version 5 software — a leading collaborative product design system — and SMARTEAM solutions for product data management developed by Dassault Systemes. The applications are available as part of a customizable total solutions package that includes IBM WebSphere Application Server Express middleware for a secure Web services delivery platform; IBM IntelliStation hardware that is optimized for top CATIA and graphics performance; and eServer storage systems to keep product designs updated and shared among those with access to the applications.
The package also includes options for systems management, enhanced user support, application training and low-rate financing deals to ensure a smooth implementation of IBM PLM Express. IBM’s flexible financing programs allow mid-sized manufacturers to realize a rapid return on investment — and deploying IBM PLM Express is quite an investment. Because five different versions are available, the software system alone will run between $12,000 to $18,000 USD. Add in the graphics-optimized hardware, training and Web services, and a complete implementation of IBM PLM Express could cost between $30,000 to $50,000 USD.
“It’s not like deploying a big ERP system that takes two years to start to produce a return on investment,” Walker said. “Mid-sized manufacturers will see a return in a matter of weeks or months, not years.”
Jomico is a family-operated precision sheet metal shop based in St. Louis. Mike Saputo, Monico president, said the company had been looking for an affordable PLM system for a few months.
“Between software and implementation costs we couldn’t justify it even with our customers urging us to do so,” Saputo said. “With this new PLM Express offering everything is bundled to eliminate the high costs that can be detrimental to a small company like us. Now, PLM is a tangible goal instead of a long term vision.”
New to the Market
IBM PLM Express can help companies more rapidly enter into new markets. For example, Solo Golf used to be a small defense contractor making bomb casings, but PLM software enabled the company to quickly take advantage of an opportunity to change industries by employing cutting-edge defense technology in a new golf club design. Now, Solo Golf is helping duffers drop more accurate shots on the fairway, and judging by the accolades Solo Golf has already received from the golf community, the upstart has won a place among larger, more established competitors.
Emak was established in 1992 from the merger of two Italian companies specializing in the production of machines for the gardening and forestry sectors — Oleo-Mac and Efco. Fausto Bellamico, EMAK general director, said the mid-sized equipment manufacturer chose IBM PLM Express to support EMAK with big-company technology at a small-company price.
“As a mid-size enterprise with 400 employees, we need a full-scale IT solution, encompassing hardware, software and services that’s sized and priced to fit. We supply outdoor maintenance equipment to customers around the world, and we can’t afford any down time to install new systems,” Bellamico said. “IBM delivered and installed a complete solution. We expect a quick return-on-investment through reduced engineering time, automated document production, and more efficient manufacturing processes.”
A recent study from AMR Research indicates that 73 percent of mid-market manufacturers are likely to evaluate a complete PLM system soon. This should not be surprising, considering these companies are just as likely to feel the pressure to accelerate their product innovation processes as Fortune 500 companies do. Unlike the Fortune 500, however, mid-market companies tend to see their top PLM process problems less in terms of design collaboration and more in the bread-and-butter areas of cost estimation, propagating the bill of materials to manufacturing, and managing design change.
The bottom line is that mid-market manufacturers want and need PLM, but most high-end systems still emphasize the wrong things. IBM Express PLM has all the earmarks of providing mid-market manufacturers with just what they need — an agile solution that excels at engineering change throughout the entire manufacturing process. While many small manufactures look to AutoDesk and Microsoft for accessible PLM solutions, IBM has come through with a PLM system that will fit the bill for about 60 percent of the mid-sized manufacturers in the global market.
Because product lifecycle solutions are complex, the sales and support process is equally mind-boggling. As part of IBM PLM Express launch, “Big Blue” has reinforced help desk support with a new “how to” hotline. All PLM customers have worldwide access to 150 dedicated PLM Express end-user support representatives, providing call center support in 20 languages during regular business hours and Web support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Walker said IBM is working hard to eliminate traditional barriers mid-market manufactures experience when developing a true PLM system.
“The best way to comprehend what IBM PLM can do for SMB customers is to experience it for themselves. You’ve got to see it in action,” Walker said. “We offer a PLM diagnostic tool that can help manufacturers understand if they’re a candidate for PLM. It takes about 15-minutes to complete. If we have a PLM module that suits the manufacturer, then a supplier will contact them and spend about two days gathering information in order to determine which processes the company needs to focus on. Our suppliers work with the company to determine only what they need to buy today, then the small business can upgrade as it grows.”
IBM delivers its PLM technology through certified business partners in 160 countries. Together, with its global network of PLM professionals, IBM is removing the traditional barriers of expense and complexity to make its technology more accessible to medium-sized companies around the world.
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Working from home is killing hospitality, and that won’t change any time soon
Working from home can be great, right? Yes, your kids interrupt your work. Your co-workers noticed that your shorts didn’t match your shirt and tie, and they laughed when you wore the same outfit three days in a row. But, for the most part, people in office-type jobs have been getting along fine.
But what’s the flipside of that? Of course we know restaurants have been devastated during the pandemic, and the little bit of takeout being ordered is not really enough to sustain restaurant owners.A report from Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, in partnership with the app Caddle, surveyed 10,851 Canadians at the end of July 2020 on their future work plans and food expenses. It found that the financial impact on the food industry will be significant as more people work from home and potentially outside of urban cores. According to the survey, 37% of respondents said they visited a restaurant for a meal or break at least twice a week prior to the pandemic. When asked about their dining-out plans after the pandemic ends, the number of people who said they would continue to visit a restaurant twice a week dropped to 23%.
Households are likely wasting less food, as well, which may explain why combined sales are down. While the future lies in uncertainties, this may represent a loss of up to $20b over the entire year for the hospitality industry. This shift in work locations may be responsible for at least 30% of lost sales in food service for this coming year alone. Restaurants located in urban cores across the country will be affected the most.
Chew on the reality that working from home for some means no work for others. The unevenness of pandemic economic life will be with us for a while. The next time you think of ordering takeout, do it.


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Over the past decade or so, sports activities franchises have visible an increase in era integration. The truth is that both the teams and the players want to faucet into tech to have an aggressive advantage on the sphere — and precisely when it comes to the commercial enterprise aspect of things.
“Technologically superior corporations need to do commercial enterprise with technologically advanced businesses,” says Matt Brand, senior VP of corporate partnerships and unique activities at the Houston Astros. “Old cats like me need to realize you have to stay present-day otherwise;, you’re just going to get handed up.”
The Brand was the challenge of a live recording of HXTV — the video arm of Houston Exponential — at The Cannon. He addressed several tendencies in sports technology and shared how the Astros are drawing close to each new warm era.
The Astros are pretty beforehand of the curve in terms of technology, Brand says, and the trick is preserving a pulse on ability game-converting technology some distance earlier of implementation.
“The matters that we are growing now in 2019 and 2020 are the elements that will help us in 2024 and 2025,” Brand says.
The method to the era in sports is changing as more youthful players input the scene.
From esports to sports activities making a bet websites, right here’s what the home team has on its radar, in step with logo.
The evolution of the pitching era
One thing about the sport it is substantially stricken by generation is pitching. Brand says that pitching train Brent Strom is better capable of doing his task nowadays than higher-excellent video and monitoring technology. Brand stated the modifications of former pitcher Charlie Morton and modern pitcher Ryan Pressly. Both noticed tremendous changes in their pitching potential thanks to Strom and his era.
“Brent can take a generation and mix it with the craft,” Brand says.
The gamers as industrial machines
One manner the franchise thinks approximately its gamers is as machines — within the least objectifying way. But Brand compares baseball gamers to principal, steeply-priced oil and gasoline machines. In heavy enterprise, it’s widespread for an enterprise to drop $30 million or extra on a device. Of course, the organization would schedule preventative protection and provider appointments to shield their investments.
“We’ve were given players now who’re excessive overall performance machines,” Brand says, mentioning gamers like Justin Verlander. “We want to ensure we have a nice technology and the nice care around them.”
From docs and nutritionists to the state-of-the-art and best technologies, enforcing acceptable practices is an excellent way to protect your property.
Wearables and sleep technology
Another trend inside sports is tracking sleep using generation. Wearable devices to track sleep and health are broadly utilized, says Brand. However, the Astros weren’t comfortable with the regular monitoring.
“They feel like it is an invasion of privacy,” Brand says. They feel that the statistics might be used in opposition to them while it got here time to barter their contracts.
But prioritizing sleep is crucial in a recreation in which players journey across you. S. Gambling 162 games a season. Brand says investing within the players’ sleep device is something they make sure to do.
Brand says, somewhat controversial, that esports is relatively low on the franchise’s priority list, and there’s one reason for that: Money.
“A lot of those sports activities teams aren’t worthwhile proper now,” Brand says, noting that he is aware of that will probably exchange through the years.
While the groups themselves won’t be making a living, the quantity of users of video games makes for a different street to revenue.
“The structures are what we see as profitable,” Brand says, explaining how he is seen manufacturers like Nike put it up for sale in gaming apps.
“There’s absolutely a pathway to profitability. However, esports manner different things to specific people,” he says.
Sports advertising and betting
Looking in the direction of destiny, Brand says he sees movement coming in marketing and making a bet within sports.
With cell devices within the fingers of maximum sports occasion goers, manufacturers have the right to entry to genuine, enticing content material.
“Everyone with a phone is a manufacturer of content, and plenty of brands need that content,” he says.
Sports-making bet technologies have visible worthwhile success in different United States markets that permit it.
“Betting is the subsequent largest factor in sports,” Brand says. “All the essential leagues are saddled up with big cash there. In Texas, it’s illegal nonetheless, but it is coming.”


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Netflix lets Android users watch partially downloaded content
Netflix has just launched a new feature that enables Android users to watch any video even if the download isn’t complete yet.
This new feature allows you to watch a show you are currently downloading and continue watching it, even if you lose your WiFi or data while downloading. It will enable you to watch up until the point where the content has been downloaded to.
The said feature is currently only available for Android devices (Android 7 or higher), but Netflix says that they will start testing the feature for iOS in the coming months.
“We always want to make it easier for members to access their favorite series or movies regardless of language, device, connectivity, or location. So partial downloading is now available on Android phones and tablets, and we’ll begin testing on iOS in the coming months,” Netflix states in an official blog post.
This article was written by Andre Co.


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The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is please to announce two new Partner Members into membership. Bank of the Ozarks and MOTOTV have joined the association’s growing roster of marine industry supporters. Bank of the Ozarks
Bank of the Ozarks is a regional bank with expertise in marine lending, servicing marine dealers throughout the United States. The Indirect Lending team at Bank of the Ozarks has some of the most experienced and respected professionals in the industry, providing indirect consumer financing for dealers and brokers who sell and finance yachts and boats, aircraft and recreational vehicles.
“We value the members of the MRAA as well as the leadership and staff of the association,” says Scott Ramsden, Executive Vice President – National Sales Manager at Bank of the Ozarks. “We are passionate in our support of a thriving marine industry, helping retailers nationwide grow their business and allowing more families to enjoy activities on our nation’s waterways.”
Much like the MRAA, Bank of the Ozarks values the relationships they create with their customers. They attribute their on-going success to a relentless pursuit of excellence and by providing exceptional service to their customers. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed by the banking world; they have been named the Nation’s Top Performing Bank in their asset size category for eight consecutive years by leading industry publications.
“Without the support of partners, like Bank of the Ozarks, we would not be able to provide our members with the tools and resources necessary for the betterment of their businesses”, says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President, “We are excited to announce this partnership with Bank of the Ozarks and applaud their commitment to the success of the industry.”
MOTOTV Networks, an in-store, digital signage network for powersport and action sport retailers, provides its customers with customized and branded content to display on their showroom televisions.
“The MRAA has been an awesome resource to keep us at the forefront of the Marine Industry,” says Chris Mosera, Co-Founder of MOTOTV, “We love how they constantly share new ideas with retailers to keep their businesses healthy and growing!”
MOTOTV offers unique video, advertisement, and announcement footage specifically designed for each dealership. MOTOTV continues to update and provide new content with the purpose of informing, educating, and entertaining customers, in order for dealerships to reach their specific sales and marketing goals.
“We all know that part of the sales process is to attract potential boat buyers to the boating lifestyle, MOTOTV provides great content that not only helps sell the product, but provides a glimpse into boat ownership,” says Matt Gruhn, President of the Marine Retailers Association. “We are pleased to welcome MOTOTV to the MRAA family and support their continued effort to creating lifelong boaters.”
Bank of the Ozarks and MOTOTV have joined the roster of boat manufacturers, vendors and suppliers who support the efforts of the MRAA through partnership, continues to grow. Find a full menu of partner benefits here.
About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.
About Bank of the Ozarks
Bank of the Ozarks is a regional bank providing innovative financial solutions delivered by expert bankers with a relentless pursuit of excellence. Bank of the Ozarks has been recognized as the #1 bank in the nation in its asset size for eight consecutive years. Learn more at www.bankozarks.com.
MOTOTV is a in-store, digital signage network that delivers relevant, customizable brand content for powersport and action sport retailers. MOTOTV targets the customer with material that displays products in action and the necessary information to help viewers through the buying process. Learn more at www.mototvnetwork.com.


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Participants and guest speakers during the one-day training organized by Nestle India Limited for street-food vendors at the Tourist Lodge Dimapur on September 15. (Morung Photo)
Nestle India conducts training on ‘Project Serve Safe Food’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 15
The Dimapur district administration along with officials from law enforcement instructed street-food vendors operating within the commercial areas of Dimapur town to maintain and provide safe and hygienic foods to their customers during the one-day training organized by Nestle India Limited at the Tourist Lodge Dimapur on September 15.
As part of the corporate social responsibility of Nestle, the project dubbed as, ‘Serve Safe Food’ was aimed at providing training on health, personal hygiene, cart hygiene, food handling, food safety, cleaning, pest control and waste management. During the orientation round, several officials from the district administration, Dimapur Municipal Council and police were present to provide keynote addresses in this regard.
Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Sachin Jaiswal in his speech stated that as Dimapur has a lot of floating populations, several businesses have cropped up across all locations including street food vendors. He noted that street food is popular among many people around the world due to their affordability and convenience. However when it comes to Dimapur, street food culture in general still lacks several of the basic requirements such as hygiene and quality standards.
There are many food safety regulations which have been put in place and should be followed by all irrespective of whether they own a street food cart, restaurant or café. This is to ensure that the food served is fit for human consumption according to food safety standards, he said.
As per his experiences, the DC viewed that, “In Nagaland most of the people are non-vegetarians, as such, it is all the more necessary to provide safe and clean food.”
Moreover with Dimapur being a hot and humid area, food products easily get spoilt, so taking these factors into consideration as well, the food vendors must provide the safest food.
In a lot of cases, garbage dumping along the side of the roads especially at down town and at Supermarket area was due to the presence of street vendors, he said, and reminded them that this should not be practiced. “Wherever there are designated centers to dispose your garbage, use that instead,” he added.
Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) Chairman, W Manpai Phom on the other hand said street food culture in Dimapur has been gaining considerable popularity over the years but in terms of cleanliness and safety, it has been left wanting. “It is not only the administration but the responsibility for all to provide the best facilities to the public,” he noted.
If there is a designated area, it would be preferable, he said, adding that “we are open to suggestions from you on how to improve garbage collection.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vesupra Kezo, also among the speakers present said that as consumers, Nagas are generally open to all types of food products and have no reservations towards any one food product. “This is a positive prospect for businesses on the one hand but that should not be taken advantage of,” he said.
Moreover, he reminded them that one cannot simply set up their stalls anywhere on the roadside creating traffic problems plus other inconveniences for the public. “Due to which we took the decision to remove the street-food vendors earlier at City Tower area,” he reasoned.
At the end of the training programme, the participants were provided with FoSTaC certificates and hygienic kits.


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Volkswagen Shares Fall on Profit Warning
Published 7:00 pm, Monday, March 10, 2003
Shares in German automaker Volkswagen AG dropped sharply Tuesday after the company warned it was unlikely to match last year's operating profit in 2003.
The company said it couldn't make a reliable 2003 forecast, and chief executive Bernd Pischetsrieder said the year got off to a bad start for Europe's biggest carmaker.
"Due to profound changes and considerable uncertainty in the economic and political framework, the result for the first quarter of 2003 will be significantly lower than the previous year," he told a news conference.
Volkswagen shares plunged more than 10 percent after Pischetsrieder's comments. They were still down 8.3 percent at 29.90 euros ($32.36) by late afternoon on the Frankfurt exchange.
VW won't be able to match its 2002 operating profit of 4.76 billion euros this year unless U.S. and Western European markets rebound, Pischetsrieder said.
Unfavorable exchange rates will probably also hamper profits this year, he added. The euro has hit four-year highs against the U.S. dollar in recent weeks.
Last month, Volkswagen said its net profit fell by 11 percent in 2002 to 2.58 billion euros ($2.85 billion) as sales slowed.
Vehicle deliveries in January and February climbed by 4.5 percent on the same period last year to about 732,000 units, Pischetsrieder said. Most of the increase was in the booming Chinese market, with sales down in the rest of the world.
VW forecast declining auto sales in Western Europe and weaker demand in the United States this year, with only a slight increase in global sales.
Pischetsrieder said cost-cutting and new models should reverse the downward trend in results in 2004.


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The Jumeirah Group is set to launch an Arabic version of its mobile booking site before the end of the year, allowing guests in the Middle East to book or check the availability of hotel rooms directly from their smart phones.
Currently the group’s mobile site (m.jumeirah.com) is only in English, however by the end of the year there are plans for it to also be translated into Mandarin, Russian and German along with increased mobile web-specific functionality.
Jumeirah Group’s head of digital marketing Terry Kane said: “Without a doubt there has been a significant increase in mobile traffic to both our main site and our mobile specific website. Jumeirah has developed a site targeting desktop and tablet browsers, which is designed as an in-depth, image rich and dynamic experience.”
“For certain mobile phone users we identify the device in advance of them getting to the website and present them with an “app-like” user experience designed to meet a different requirement but with functionality that enables them to book the same hotels and restaurants. Our mobile site (m.jumeirah.com) is currently only in English, however by the end of the year we will be in Arabic, Mandarin, Russian and German along with significantly increased mobile web-specific functionality,” added Kane.
As well as the development of its mobile booking site, Jumeirah has also been able to celebrate another milestone in its digital marketing strategy, as Google recently announced that the group’s YouTube advert has passed the one million views mark.
Speaking in an interview with Arabian Travel News, Google industry head for travel Nigel Huddleston said: “Travel is a very interactive and social experience. People spend a lot of time searching for information on travel and can look at the same sites a dozen times and keep going back to look at maps, reviews, photos and now videos. So they are gathering all these data points from lots of different sources, and in this region we have seen companies begin to be quite clever and innovative in social media and YouTube as well.”
“Well for example, Jumeirah Group’s YouTube advert is a good case in point as I believe that they’ve just hit that magic 1mn views mark recently. This also goes back to brand building, as videos are great for conveying a brand and an experience,” added Huddleston.


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Consumers have undergone a 'quantum shift' toward online transactions, Firstfolio has suggested.
Firstfolio chief executive Mark Forsyth has told Australian BrokerNews the company's online sales platforms have seen substantial growth as more consumers shift their focus away from traditional face-to-face transactions. Forsyth said the company sees between 25-30% of its sales from its online channels, a shift which he believes represents changing consumer sentiment.
"We've seen a quantum shift in the last quarter. There's a sense now if you buy something in a retail store you're getting ripped off," he commented.
As more broking businesses and lenders move online, Forsyth said consumers become increasingly comfortable with the idea of doing business on the web.
"When I see competitors, I think 'happy days'. We don't want to be the only people convincing the public it's safe to go online of do their transactions online," Forsyth said.
While online channels could represent competition for brokers, Forsyth indicated that most clients with needs beyond a "white picket fence deal" would still seek out the advice of brokers.
"My advice for the broker is he has to become a better consultant. He has to actually sit there and add value. We're providing the tools, so they don't have to worry about developing online platforms. What they should be focused on is their own personal skills at consulting with the customers," he said.
Firstfolio to continue acquisition strategy
Firstfolio expands through non-bank deal
Choose lenders on tech: Firstfolio


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London-based EV tire manufacturer ENSO said it is in discussions with multiple international carmakers and has begun trials with major fleet operators.
ENSO makes tires specifically designed for EVs—they’re designed not only to extend range, but to reduce particulate emissions.
The company says its tires have earned top energy efficiency ratings in Germany, and that last year, they set a world record for hypermiling, extending the range of an unmodified Renault Zoe by 50 miles (12%) compared to standard OEM tires.
ENSO is working with Transport for London, DPD and Royal Mail to deploy its tires in last-mile EV delivery fleets in the UK capital.
Fleet operator Zeti has begun fitting ENSO’s tires to more than 100 of its LEVC TX London black cabs. Zeti leases EVs from Jaguar, LEVC and Tesla to fleets on a cost-per-mile basis. Taxi drivers using the ENSO tires will pay no up-front costs, but instead pay a subscription fee of around one pence per mile.
Source: Green Car Congress


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EA Sports released its ratings for "Madden NFL '19" on Monday, and you can now discover where your favorite Broncos players rank ahead of the game's launch on August 10. The New York Jets sit at the bottom of the barrel with a rating of 72, slightly behind the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.
The Madden video game has always been an institution among National Football League fans and players alike. EA Sports recently revealed that Terrell Owens will appear on the cover of the Hall of Fame Edition in his #81 Dallas Cowboys jersey.
Let's take a look at five 49ers that could see their Madden 19 rating take a jump in 2018.
Seven Falcons were given overall ratings of 89 or better, including wide receiver Julio Jones (98), cornerback Desmond Trufant (93), running back Devonta Freeman (91), linebacker Deion Jones (90), center Alex Mack (90), safety Keanu Neal (89) and quarterback Matt Ryan (89).
For more info on this year's game, check out the Madden NFL 19 website. Producer on Madden NFL 19.


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Oppo teases another handset to launch alongside the N3
The launch of the much teased Oppo N3 is just a few days away but that hasn’t stopped the company teasing something new. Another post on the company’s official Weibo account suggests that Oppo will be releasing two handsets on the 29th of October.
Oppo hasn’t given anything away about the second handset, and the small corner we can see isn’t all that informative. Although that little glimpse bears some resemblance to one of the early renders of the N3, see below.
Speculation about the second new Oppo handset is already starting to spread. Sources from China are suggesting that Oppo is preparing to release the world’s thinnest smartphone, which will have a thickness of just 4.0mm. Other hardware is also rumored to include a 64-bit Mediatek processor with LTE and a screen size somewhere between 5 and 5.5 inches.
We can’t tell if this handset will also feature a rotating camera, but it is a possibility if the smartphone is launched in the same range as the N3. It’s also possible that this will be a mid-range offering, void of some of the high-end features expected to come with the Oppo N3, such as the lithium-aluminium chassis.
Oppo will be unveiling all at its launch event next week, which is scheduled for the 29th of October.


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By Carl Smith
The ATM is the first of its kind in Australia to trade all three digital currencies, but others have appeared in capital cities specifically for bitcoin users.
Mr Hume said there were at least nine businesses in Canberra accepting bitcoin, including the local bus system ACTION.
“You can seamlessly immediately send bitcoin like sending an email and youâ€™re not charged any processing fees, itâ€™s reconciled immediately,” Mr Guzowksi said.
Chrissie Wittich runs a cafe in the centre of Canberra that has been accepting bitcoin for close to a year.
I have a tablet thatâ€™s got the system on it, I just put in the Australian dollar amount and the system converts it to bitcoin [and] a QR code comes up, a customer puts their e-wallet up,” she said.
Fellow bitcoin user Peter Clarke said alternative currencies are slowly coming into their own.
A new ATM has opened in Canberra that accepts and exchanges the three major cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Litecoin.
“I pay fees on the credit card transactions and the debit card, but I donâ€™t pay any fees on the bitcoin transactions,” she said.
“The fees in terms of using bitcoin are quite low, but the downside with bitcoin at the moment is that the price is very volatile,” he said.
Despite this, Mr Guzowksi estimates there were about 50,000 people using bitcoin in Australia and that that number would grow.
“Itâ€™s quite similar to using a credit card, itâ€™s not quite as quick as cash in that thereâ€™s a small process involved”.
The Australian Tax Office yesterday released guidance notes for bitcoin, and said it would be taxed as a tangible asset but not as a currency.
Itâ€™s quite similar to using a credit card, itâ€™s not quite as quick as cash in that thereâ€™s a small process involved.
Read more here: ABC


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UK to introduce stablecoins
Announcement comes three months after report from the House of Lords found no “convincing case” for the UK to introduce a CBDC
The UK government is set to introduce stablecoins as a recognised form of payment in a bid to make the country a “global cryptoasset technology hub”, the Treasury has announced.
Stablecoins are a type of digital currency that attempt to offer price stability and are backed by a reserve asset which, in this case, would be the UK pound sterling.
The UK’s stablecoin would be regulated by the government, providing businesses with “the confidence they need to think and invest long-term,” Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said on Monday.
“It’s my ambition to make the UK a global hub for cryptoasset technology, and the measures we’ve outlined today will help to ensure firms can invest, innovate and scale up in this country. This is part of our plan to ensure the UK financial services industry is always at the forefront of technology and innovation,” he added.
Katharine Wooller, MD of the UK-based crypto wealth platform Dacxi, told IT Pro that the Chancellor’s announcement is a welcome move:
“The UK has long been seen as a hub for fintech, but, until recently, the reception for crypto has been lukewarm at best, and the regulatory attention patchy,” she said.
According to Wooller, the move “should ease the path for adopting a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)”, a consultation that was launched in April 2021.
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This would help the UK gain valuable ground ahead of the EU’s plans to make cross-border payments quicker and cheaper through the use of blockchain and stablecoins by 2024:
“Regrettably, the UK is well behind the curve – it is estimated that 80% of the world’s Central Banks have CBDC projects,” Wooller told IT Pro.
One of the examples is India, which last month announced plans to launch a CBDC called the digital rupee in a bid to boost the digital economy. Meanwhile, the reserve banks of Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Africa are set to test the use of CBDCs for international settlements in a similar manner to the EU, in the hopes that it will reduce the time and costs for these types of transactions.
The UK Treasury’s announcement comes three months after a report from the House of Lords found no “convincing case” for the UK to introduce a CBDC.
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Let’s Do London24th May 2021 / Posted by CRP Team
The Mayor of London has launched a new campaign aimed at boosting London’s culture, hospitality and retail economies. The campaign and events programme backed by industry to kick-start London’s economy will bring together the capital’s world-leading venues to promote all London has to offer.
Part of Let’s Do London is to attract UK visitors to the capital, as the roadmap out of lockdown permits more domestic travel. Let’s Do London will also see a focus on many of the city’s outdoor spaces, which have been a saviour during lockdown!