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Freefly Systems, which is known for producing high-end cinematography drones, including the Alta X, and Auterion, the largest open source drone software platform, recently announced the release of the Astro drone. An Enterprise solution combining respective hardware and software expertise from Freefly and Auterion, the Astro is geared toward commercial professionals working in utility, telco, and infrastructure companies. Both companies believe drone service providers and first responders will benefit as well.
What’s notable about this system is that it is made in America, Washington state to be exact. President Trump’s move on banning government use of Chinese drones has created issues with battling recent wildfires. Skydio, another US-based drone manufacturer, announced its entry into the commercial market back in July and Parrot also released its ANAFI USA drone for the enterprise. Now it has company. Here are some of the features the Freefly Astro drone offers:
- A 2-pound payload
- 3-axis gimbal with a payload quick release
- 30-minute flight time
- Compatibility with leading cameras including the Sony Alpha 7R IV and FLIR Duo Pro R
- Folds down to fit into a backpack
- 1 minute 27 seconds from opening your backpack or case to launch
- Auterion Enterprise PX4 software
- 4G LTE connectivity for online workflows
- Auterion SDK for enterprise developers
“Partnering with Auterion to bring the Astro to market allowed us to aim much higher than we could have on our own. As a small self-funded startup of 35 people we have huge ambitions and often end up having to cut scope from the end product. Working with Auterion allowed us to deliver even more than we originally planned. The open architecture and collaborative nature at Auterion enabled several key pivots during the product development process, ultimately landing on a product that is more flexible, efficient, and ultra adaptable,” says Tabb Firchau, CEO of Freefly.
Both Freefly and Auterion have over a decade’s worth of experience developing their respective products. The Astro is currently available for pre-order and is expected to start shipping in Q4, 2020.


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Tokyo-based tech services company GMO Internet has this week unveiled the first bitcoin mining rig wholly-developed by a Japanese company.
In addition to being the first bitcoin mining device developed in Japan, the B2 is also the first miner to use 7nm semiconductor chips, enabling it to achieve performance and efficiency gains over devices that are already on the market. Bitmain’s Antminer S9 uses a 16nm chip, while Halong Mining’s DragonMint T1 features a 10nm chip produced by Samsung.
GMO believes the release of this miner is the first step in supplanting Bitmain — which currently manufacturers an estimated 80 percent of all ASIC miners — as the dominant force in the industry.
“I respect Bitmain, but we will top them,” GMO CEO Masatoshi Kumagai reportedly said.
Bloomberg tech reporter Yuji Nakamura reports that, though developed in Japan, the B2’s 7nm chips were produced in Taiwan, most likely by TSMC, which also supplies China-based mining giant Bitmain with most of its chips.
The B2 will retail for $1,999 — compared to $837 for the S9 — but its specs are vastly superior to those of Bitmain’s flagship product. GMO says that the B2 can achieve 24TH/s (vs 14TH/s for the S9) at a power consumption of 1950W per unit (81W per 1TH/s). GMO will begin accepting preorders for the units on June 6, with an anticipated ship date in October.
The production of these devices will also help GMO build out its bitcoin mining operation, which the firm launched last year. According to data released Tuesday, the company mined 472 BTC and 37 BCH in May. The firm now has a total hashrate of 299PH/s, up from 22PH/s in Dec. 2017. The company has stated that it hopes to achieve 3,000PH/s by the end of the year, representing a more than 900 percent increase from current levels.
As CCN.com reported, GMO also recently developed an app called “CryptoChips by GMO” that distributes bitcoin rewards to mobile gamers based on their rankings within participating games.
Featured Image from Twitter

domain: news


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Green Acres Nursery looks to add fourth location
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Green Acres Nursery & Supply, which was able to combat challenging times within the industry during the economic woes, is actively looking for a site for a fourth store.
The Folsom company isn’t releasing much information yet, but the Gill family, who owns the business, hopes that the next store will be in Elk Grove and that it would open next year, marketing director Ashley Gill said.
The overall business, which has stores in Roseville, Folsom and Sacramento, is thriving.
“Our three locations are seeing a sales increase of 20-plus percentage over 2012,” she wrote in an email. “At the height of our season this year, we will employ 226 people, 160 of which are core employees and will stay on with us through the winter.”
Green Acres gets 65 percent of its business from retail customers and 35 percent from contractors.
“It has definitely fluctuated through the years with the economy,” she said.
Gill describes her outlook for the industry in the Sacramento region as “pretty good.”
“There are a lot of great things happening in our region at the moment,” she said in the email. “It is exciting to see construction projects start up again and it sounds like the Kings are staying, which means a new arena.” The comment about the Kings was made prior to the developments of the last few days, which leave the fate of the Kings still up in the air.
“As the economy recovers and more new homes are built in our region, we believe categories like trees, shrubs, drainage and irrigation will become stronger,” she added. “Another growing category for us is outdoor living which includes patio furniture, barbecues, umbrellas, cushions, hammocks and outdoor accessories. New homes, excellent spring weather and a growing economy are all great for the nursery industry as a whole in the region.”
Kelly Johnson covers retail, insurance, marketing and media, manufacturing and distribution, sports business, nonprofits and education for the Sacramento Business Journal.
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LONDON, Ky. (WYMT) - The Kmart stores in London and Corbin are closing.
A representative for Sears Holdings says the company has made “the difficult, but necessary decision to close the Kmart stores at 1710 W. Highway 192 in London and at 14662 N US Highway 25 E in Corbin.”
The stores will begin their liquidation sales on January 6 and will close to the public in mid-April.
The number of people employed by those Kmart stores is not publicly available.
Employees that are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at Sears or Kmart stores. Most of the employees are part time/hourly.
These are just two of 30 Sears and Kmart stores closing across the country. You can find a complete list of the stores included in this round of store closures here.


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Technologists, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, startup junkies: all gathered at Mother’s in Federal Hill on Tuesday night for Tech Cocktail’s Baltimore Mixer and Startup Showcase.
The point of these mixers, as Tech Cocktail puts it, is to provide a small group of startups the chance “to show off in an expo-style to the rest of the Baltimore entrepreneurial community for free.” (Attendees pay $15 for the chance to hear and get two free drinks.)
While nine startups had reserved table space at the event, missing among them were Course Canary and MZAC LLC. Two of the seven startups present were voted as favorites by attendees: HDScores, which corrals together health department sanitation scores of restaurants in more than 3,200 jurisdictions across the U.S. and Canada, and HobbyBuddy, an online tool that helps users create or find events (pick-up basketball games, yoga classes, tech startup mixers) to participate in.
The other startups at Tech Cocktail’s October mixer:
- Dormify: Makers of dorm-room and other college accessories. While much of the merchandise is tailored to coeds, there are a few items guys might use in their dorm rooms.
- NewsUp: A game for reading the news, as Technically Baltimore has reported here and here.
- Offer ‘n Buy: The eBay for college students. If you’re a senior and you have a couch you need to sell (because it’s not fitting in the trunk of your Honda Civic), this is the startup made for you.
- decisionaire: Its website, from the looks of it, is still getting up to snuff, but the premise here is one of easy decision-making. By creating surveys and using the Internet (i.e. the people using it), the hope is no longer will anyone be stuck on whether pizza or burgers is the better dinner food.
- Solar System Express: Developers of astronaut-assisting hardware and software for the commercial space industry, because Earth is getting too claustrophobic. Repeat after us: M-A-R-S. Mars. That is where we are going. Red rocks!
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Sit Stay Day kits can be ordered online for $175 now through Feb. 5, including delivery in the Austin area on Friday, Feb. 10. Quantities are limited to 250 Sit Stay Day kits each year, so Emancipet strongly encourages people to order early before they sell out.
Ready, set, stay! ThunderCloud sponsors Emancipet’s 2017 Sit Stay Day
Emancipet’s Sit Stay Day is a popular Valentine’s Day-inspired fundraiser that lets pets and their humans stay in and enjoy homegrown Austin treats while raising money for pets in need, and it will return for its seventh year on Feb. 10.
For the third year, ThunderCloud Subs is a proud sponsor of this annual charity event, which helps Emancipet provide affordable, accessible spay/neuter services and veterinary care to pets in Central Texas and beyond. We choose to support Emancipet’s Sit Stay Day because four-legged companions make up a special part of our family at ThunderCloud, and we want to do our part to make sure people and their pets in every community get the care they need.
On Sit Stay Day, dozens of local businesses donate gourmet food and drink items, assorted pet treats for Austinites’ beloved four-legged companions, and other goodies that are assembled into 250 kits and delivered to homes and offices before Valentine’s Day—the perfect time to celebrate the love that pets bring to people’s lives. There are ThunderCloud Subs gift cards (among tons of other local products) in each of the kits, which make excellent gifts for friends, family members, coworkers, and spcial foodies or pet lovers in your life.
For more info or to order a Sit Stay Day kit, go to http://emancipet.org/events/sit-stay-day/.


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Negotiations with the cub insurgents have had little success after the announcement by Mama Bear that plans to move forward with the state imposed health initiative will continue despite continued protests from some citizens. Protests have been peaceful until earlier today when one of the leaders of the opposition to the health initiative destroyed public property in a fit of rage when it was announced that ice cream was listed as a Class 4 restricted food item to only be imported with approval of Mama Bear or Papa Bear personally for celebrations including but not limited to birthdays.
If there are additional violent protests Papa Bear has pushed for a move to marshal law, bringing tight restrictions such as a curfew and a limit to the amount of free time allotted to cubs. This is a last resort and promises have been made on both sides for more patience and the possibility of allowing the cubs to decide on some specific items to be included on the approved list of acceptable food items. As dinner approaches the city has been quiet with no sign of new protests. Some see this as a sign of peace, but others believe the leaders of the ice screamers, as they’ve come to call themselves, are planning a renewed effort at dinner to protest the state imposed regulations.
At dinner it quickly becomes evident that the ice screamers have planned a hunger strike. Refusing to eat any food that is not a part of their newly published list of acceptable food items which includes: All fried foods, pizza, hamburgers, cookies, candy, and of course ice cream. The meal starts off peaceful with Mama Bear and Papa Bear enjoying the healthy meal while the ice screamers push their agenda in silence. Relations quickly turn sour as it is announced that a sugar-free, flour-free chocolate cake has been prepared as a peace offering to smooth relations between the state and the ice screamers. The ice screamers cry in protest as the authorities enjoy the cake. All that is required to enjoy the cake is for the ice screamers to consume the prepared meal made of acceptable food items. After much debate and concessions on both sides the ice screamers eat at least 50% of their meal in exchange for a full portion of cake.


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Restaurant company buys fast-casual chain
JACKSON — Salsarita’s in the sale of the company to Mississippi Restaurant Group, LLC, led by Phil Freidman, former CEO of McAlister’s Deli, has acquired Salsarita’s, an independent fast-casual brand serving Mexican cuisine.
Terms were not disclosed.
Salsarita’s is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., and has over 80 locations throughout the Central and Eastern United States.
Salsarita’s retained The Cypress Group to evaluate a variety of strategic options including the sale of the concept, a partial liquidity event for the ownership group and raising growth capital for the brand. After reviewing multiple alternatives, Salsarita’s elected to sell to Mississippi Restaurant Group.
Source: The Cypress Group
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PVMachino – business summary at the end of 2022
PVMachino Joint Stock Company made a report summarizing the business situation in 2022 and found many surprises, let’s find out.
PVMachino’s business summary at the end of 2022
It is known that in 2021, the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders has approved a resolution on transferring the listing to Hose.
However, up to now, the Company has not completed the transfer of the listing floor. PVMachino wishes to change the floor soon because this will help elevate the brand, bring a new position in the company’s value, especially the stock price will be more attractive to investors.
Previously, the company released its consolidated financial statements for the fourth quarter of 2021. Accordingly, in 2021, the Company achieved consolidated revenue of VND 840 billion, up 33.8% compared to 2020.
Furthermore, administrative expenses of VND31.4 billion decreased by 35% compared to 2020. Consolidated profit after tax reached VND 55 billion, up 8.9% compared to 2020 and reached the highest record since 2012. now.
The Company’s profit has grown continuously from 2014 to present. Profit after tax in 2013 was 3 billion dong, by 2021 it has reached 55 billion dong.
It is known that the company has a total charter capital of 386 billion VND. At the same time, taking advantage of charter capital, the company has promoted the improvement in the management apparatus, streamlining, and reducing costs for businesses. This job has helped the company’s revenue increase, develop into a unit that attracts many investors.
Currently, Mr. Vu Duc Tien, General Director of SHS Securities Company holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company. Notably, the move to elect the company’s vice president has received much attention and expectation from many investors.
The advantages PVMachino is developing
Oil and Gas Machinery and Equipment Joint Stock Company attracts many investors because of its huge capital contribution to the joint venture, including: FCC Vietnam Co., Ltd., Vietnam Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd., Hitachi Astemo Hanoi Co., Ltd.
Besides, PVMachino manages and uses many real estates such as: Land lot at 8 Trang Thi (Hanoi); Land lot at Dao Cam Moc street (Dong Anh, Hanoi); Land plot at No. 5, cluster 4, Khuong Dinh ward (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi).
In addition, PV Machino owns 10% of capital contribution in the project “High-class apartment complex, mixed services – Nam An Khanh urban area” belonging to lot HH3 of Nam An Khanh project, Hoai Duc district (Hanoi).
Lessons and directions for the future
Based on the company’s successes, PVMachino has given many lessons to maintain stability in the management apparatus, arrange the human resources system to bring consumers the most valuable experiences.
At the same time, the company also set out many new directions such as:
First, is a supplier of equipment and materials
With the goal and long-term development strategy, PVMachino has strived to become a strong and sustainable company. Key supplier of machines, materials, equipment and After-sales Service for oil and gas, electric power and industry.
Current main services of PVMachino:
- Materials and equipment for thermal power plants
- Medical equipment
- Anti-corrosion service
- Scaffolding rental service
- Factory premises
- Export and import consignment
Second, develop multidisciplinary joint venture cooperation
Currently, PVMachino company has been and is directly a large and retail distributor of goods, full service construction equipment and materials for many stores across the country, especially Siemens.
Siemens is a global electronics-technology corporation, a famous brand from Germany representing great achievements in engineering, electrical product innovations, and machine oil equipment.
With a history of more than 170 years of establishment, and the advantage of operating in more than 200 countries and regions, Siemens has attracted many customers and investors in the international market.
Recently, the company has cooperated with PVMachino in the service of electrical sockets and switches. Chairman of the Board of Directors of PVMachino – Mr. Pham Van Hiep said that nearly 65 years of presence in the market. The cooperation between the company and Siemens will contribute to the great success of its business.
This also marks that PVMachino becomes a strong, sustainable company, a potential partner to attract many investors.
Electrical equipment and machinery products always ensure quality, bring outstanding features, luxury, high-end design and customer satisfaction.
Third, seek cooperation opportunities at home and abroad
The company’s partners are the world’s leading large enterprises in many different fields. The most prominent are the units from the company: Showa, Nippon Seiki, FCC, Asia Honda Motor, Itochu Corporation…
These are companies specializing in manufacturing auto parts, motorcycles, specialized vehicles and other machines, participating in the global supply chain with major customers: BMW, Honda, Harley Davidson…
The operation of the 3 joint ventures is very effective, bringing PV Machino a regular cash dividend income of about VND 70-100 billion every year.
PVMachino has drawn many lessons from experience and strategic direction to help the company increasingly retain its No. 1 position in the international market.


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Last month, the Arndale unveiled its new £11m revamp of the Halle Square area inside the shopping centre.
The brand new area boasts some new additions including Italian Street Food vendor Wolf Street Food and Mexican chain Barburrito’s – with plans for popular milkshake and dessert bar Archie’s to open in the square early next year.
And at the centrepiece of this newly renovated area you will find prosecco and cocktail bar Fizz! by Frizzenti, perfectly sandwiched between the two escalators leading from the ground floor to the next level.
But it seems there’s one new feature catching shoppers’ eyes much more than any of the new food and drink offerings that have recently opened in the centre.
Making 90% of the journey from the top floor to the bottom via the escalators, shoppers must still make their way down some steps before arriving on ground level. And it’s been causing quite the stir on social media.
But it turns out there’s actually a very important reason for it.
Dan Hett, whose brother Martin sadly lost his life in the Manchester Arena bombing last year, took to social media to point out what he describes as “Manchester’s most useless piece of infrastructure.”
Manchester’s most useless piece of infrastructure is finished, congratulations to everyone involved in phoning this one in pic.twitter.com/WzXejrddOp
— Dan Hett (@danhett) December 3, 2018
The tweet has received a lot of attention with over 2,000 likes and 460 retweets – leading to a number of people expressing some humorous opinions on the strange design.
One twitter user joked the Arndale had ordered the wrong size escalators: “They definitely ordered the wrong escalators and just went with it rather than return them.”
A second person questions the logic behind them, adding: “How an earth did this design get approved? The logic to take the stairs to the escalator..”
A third simply posted a GIF featuring a labyrinth of never ending stairs with a man forever walking up and down them.
However, one member of the twitterverse pointed out a Reddit feed dedicated to the escalators with a comment sharing what they think is the reason for the unusual design – and it was pretty much bang on.
There is a service road that runs directly underneath the ground floor of Halle Square – and because of the escalator’s mechanics, a pit needs to be dug out of the ground for the metal stairs to be able to move around – meaning the service road underneath would have been affected.
To overcome this obstacle, the decision was made to add the steps so that the escalators could remain in their planned position – which was confirmed by Arndale Centre director David Allionson.
“We know the stairs at the bottom of the escalators have sparked some interest: they had to be included because of some technical constraints presented by a service road beneath. There is also a brand-new lift nearby to help everyone access all areas of the centre.”
But for some twitter users that answer still wasn’t good enough – as they recalled there used to be escalators in the same area that didn’t require additional steps.
However the Arndale Centre were quick to prove these claims wrong by sharing a throwback photo of the shopping centre – showing the escalators were positioned in a different place to their new location.
But one question still remains. Why did they choose to install escalators at all, rather than keeping the stairs that used to be in the same area?
The answer is simple. Regardless of the additional few steps at the bottom of the escalators, they still move people quicker than if they’re walking. So from a logistics point of view, they help the flow of shoppers making their way around the Arndale – which in turn improves the shopping experience for visitors, especially when it’s busy over the Christmas period.


text: Hörmann Middle East, Europe's leading manufacturer of doors for private, commercial and industrial applications announced the launch of its fully-functional assembly plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Big 5 International and Building Construction Show 2010 in Dubai. Hörmann Middle East also announced the 24x7 Toll Free 800-HORMANN number wherein customers and companies can call in for any service requirements or breakdown. “Having established our Middle East operations a year ago, the assembly plant, the first in the Middle East, is a further step towards our commitment to the Middle East market. With prestigious projects like Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Rolex Tower undertaken in our first year of operation, we want to strengthen our presence in the region,” said Darius Khanloo, Managing Director of Hörmann Middle East. The doors will continue to be manufactured in Germany but assembled in Dubai, UAE with a focus on the automatic sectional door (DSU) – Sectional Garage Door DSU 40 and DRU 20 – the Basic Decotherm S Roller Shutter. This will ensure that delivery and installation times are reduced. “The UAE is an important market for us followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. With a growing dealer network in these markets, we want to further tap into potential markets such as Lebanon and Kuwait in the Middle East region,” added Khanloo. Hörmann Middle East has worked with some of the region’s renowned companies namely Porsche, Almarai, Procter & Gamble and Siemens. With many more prestigious projects across the region in the pipeline, the company offers complete systems for modern loading houses, high-speed doors with rigid or flexible curtains for any building opening, fire and smoke-tight doors and top-class office doors. The company also offers their German expertise in a wide range of industrial sectional doors, rolling shutters, high-speed doors, dock levelers, dock shelters, steel doors, garage doors, operators, and an extensive selection of accessories.


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The recent talk of a new Supra from Toyota has gained more ground with the announcement that a digital concept of the car will be available as downloadable content in Gran Turismo 6.
This digital concept will likely foreshadow the look of the real car. It is part of the “Vision Gran Turismo” program, which gives automakers a chance to show off upcoming designs through in-game concept cars.
Although Toyota has not confirmed the rumors of a new Supra, it did announce on its UK blog that “this is the only image available at the moment but any talk of Toyota and new sports cars always leads to speculation on the introduction of a spiritual successor to the Supra.”
It is commonly believed that the new Supra will be a collaboration between BMW and Toyota, though no details could be confirmed.


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Parts Paranoia Daily Digest, March 24
March 24th, 2011 11:18 AM Share
Our daily run-down of delays, shut-downs, shortages, and postponements, triggered by the March 11 tsunami in Japan.
- Toyota informed its U.S. dealers and workers to expect production slowdowns due to parts shortages. “Today, we communicated to team members, associates and dealers here that some production interruptions in North America are likely. It’s too early to predict location or duration,” Toyota said in a statement. Most, but not all of the parts for vehicles built in North America are sourced here. Wall Street Journal
- Toyota expects to idle its pickup truck assembly plant south of San Antonio. “We are informing our team members that, with the situation over in Japan, it is likely that we will see some nonproduction days coming,” Craig Mullenbach, spokesman for Toyota’s San Antonio plant, said. Mullenbach added that parts needed to build the full-sized Tundra and mid-sized Tacoma pickup truck in San Antonio are running out. Reuters
- Honda will suspend car production at its Japanese factories until at least April 3. Honda will temporarily transfer some functions such as car development and procurement out of its badly damaged R&D center in Tochigi. Reuters
- Suzuki said its three assembly factories in Japan will remain closed on Thursday and Friday. Reuters
- Mazda will suspend production of vehicle repair parts and parts for overseas production at its Hofu factory in Yamaguchi on March 28, after having resumed limited operations there earlier this week. The Hiroshima factory will continue limited production until further notice. Reuters
- TrueCar.com says that American consumers are paying at least $2,000 more for a Toyota Prius. “Prius went from selling about $300 under invoice three weeks ago to selling right at the MSRP since the earthquake,” said Jesse Toprak. Detroit Free Press
- Parts from the U.S. could be shipped to Japan at an increased rate. Nissan is considering shipping more engines from Decherd, Tenn., to Japan to make up for the losses at their Iwaki plant. Detroit Free Press
- Edmund’s Michelle Krebs said shutdowns now occurring outside Japan are probably just the beginning: “All automakers are just now figuring out who supplies every little part. The shortage of any one could shut down an assembly line. Toyota isn’t the only one vulnerable; virtually all major automakers have some risks.” Reuters
- In South Africa, Japanese vehicle manufacturers and importers expect a disruption to supplies of both imported vehicles and parts. Nissan SA MD Mike Whitfield said that “there will be an impact on SA, but as we are operating a long lead time, our pipeline is currently full and we should see the impact in about six weeks. The full extent is not known yet.” Toyota SA spokesman Leo Kok said that the company expects shortages of the Yaris, the Quantum and Sesfikile. Business Day
Published March 24th, 2011 1:54 AM
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- Aja8888 Wow!
- Poltergeist $35K??? I think this owner has been watching too many Barrett-Jackson auctions.
- Poltergeist Imagine that...a Dungdai that catches fire....
- Inside Looking Out Audi becomes the new Infinity.
- ToolGuy I wonder what the designer of the 5th-gen Camaro would say about this.
I have already seen a manifestation of this in my search for a new Honda Accord. I had requested a quote from the local dealer in Chattanooga and after being bombarded with emails pressuring me to BUY NOW !!!! NOW!!! , I recieved one yesterday that darkly hinted that prices will be going up because...Well, because there is a human tragedy unfolding in Japan and they can make a quick buck off of it. I was so disgusted with this tactic that I just demanded that they stop contacting me. I know that their will be a supply/demand issue here for a time,but I expected more integrity from a Honda dealer. I guess that I was wrong. That said, I really hope that our prayers are answered for a speedy recover for the Japanese people.
"Toyota expects to idle its pickup truck assembly plant south of San Antonio."
Not to mention the slack demand for Toyota's trucks in the US market ....


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Sir: Nearly a third of shoppers polled by Live & Breathe want Amazon to start opening physical shops (‘Spar holds greatest trust with shoppers among local c-stores,’ 15 June). So how should retailers with physical stores respond?
Many have already responded by investing heavily in e-commerce. Some have been very successful in gaining new business online but the money to invest had to come from other parts of the business. In many cases, this has been from reducing in-store staffing and investments in core day-to-day operations in stores. At a time when Amazon is considering physical store, this is risky. The big differentiation that retailers have over Amazon is their stores and that needs to be defended.
Malcolm Wicks, marketing director, Pierhouse Business Solutions


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Microsoft's Bing is hanging onto its 14.4 percent of the search engine market, according to new data out yesterday from ComScore.
Looking at ComScore's U.S. search engine rankings for July, Bing stayed flat, Google lost just 0.4 of a percentage point, and Yahoo climbed slightly by 0.2 points. Overall, Google still led the way with an overwhelming 65.1 percent market share, leaving Yahoo in second place with 16.1 percent.
Drilling down to the actual number of searches conducted in the U.S. last month, Google took home 11.2 billion in total, a gain of 2 percent from June. Yahoo captured 2.8 billion, up 4 percent. And Bing accounted for 2.5 billion, a 3 percent gain.
Overall, Internet users ran more than 17.1 billion searches last month, up 3 percent from June.
As always, ComScore's results factor in only explicit core searches that people manually enter on a Web page.
Counting organic or "powered by" search results, ComScore found that 26.8 percent of all searches were powered by Bing (which includes those at Yahoo), up slightly from 26.6 percent in June. Google's powered-by share (which includes those at AOL.com and Ask.com) was 67.2 percent, a small dip from 67.6 percent in June.
The question ofreceived some attention late last month following a Reuters opinion piece. Citing the huge amount of cash that Microsoft has poured into Bing and the losses in the online services division, Reuters columnist Robert Cyran felt it's time for the folks in Redmond to unload their search engine.
But countering that argument was Computerworld's Preston Gralla, who noted that Bing and its powered-by-Yahoo searches still can bring in a lot of revenue. The columnist also said that Bing is core to the future of Microsoft, especially in the area of mobile where the company needs ad sales from online searches for Windows Phone to be successful.


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AVG Technologies Tuesday announced plans to buy out Israel-based start-up DroidSecurity for an undisclosed price by year-end.
An SAP implementation conducted by the city government of Portland, Oregon, went badly awry due to planning and project leadership problems, resulting in skyrocketing costs and a protracted time line, according to a report released Tuesday by the cit...
Quest Software announced Tuesday that it is buying data-protection vendor BakBone for $US55 million, adding to its own portfolio of similar wares. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.
Vodafone reported third-quarter service revenue up 2.5 per cent year on year, but its mobile data revenue rose much faster, up 25.3 per cent. At 11.7 per cent of group service revenue, mobile data is now on the point of overtaking Vodafone's cash-cow...
Steve Ballmer has sold more than 49 million shares of Microsoft stock worth $1.3 billion in the past several days, and plans to sell a total of 75 million shares by year's end. Does he know something we don't?
CA Technologies has sold off its remaining 20 percent stake in Ingres to venture capital firm Garnett & Helfrich Capital, which is now the open-source database company's sole owner.
Amazon.com has agreed to acquire Quidsi, operator of online retailers Soap.com and Diapers.com, for about US$540 million, according to published reports.
Pioneer RSS feed manager Bloglines will continue operating thanks to a last-minute agreement for MerchantCircle to take over operation of the service from Ask.com.
Lumber Liquidators is attributing a weak third quarter to a complex SAP implementation, saying the project imposed a significant drain on worker productivity. But the problems appear to be largely related to employees having trouble acclimating to th...
WiMax service provider Clearwire will lay off 15 per cent of its employees and suspend the opening of retail stores and marketing campaigns in some cities as it tries to conserve cash and raise additional capital.
Telecommunications equipment vendor Alcatel-Lucent returned to profitability and grew its revenue in the third quarter, the company said on Thursday.
In another high-profile departure, Michael Kirwan, formerly CIO of Yahoo, has left the company.
If you are happy with Windows 7 on your personal laptop, but grumble every time Windows XP boots up on your work computer, it may be time to tap your company's IT pro on the shoulder and ask for Windows 7. You might be surprised at the response you g...
Oracle has apparently raised the price of an entry-level MySQL subscription significantly.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.


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Sonos has launched a new app designed to help the Google Android owners to control and listen to their music wirelessly throughout their home, the company announced on Tuesday.
This new application, named Sonos Android App, is not the first of its kind by the Multi-room music systems developer. The company previously launched dedicated Android apps, a Spotify tie in and the Sonos iPhone app.
The widely anticipated free app was supposed to be launched in March, but the original release date was then pushed back by the company as its developers wanted to conduct more tests on a larger array of mobile devices.
"We've been testing the app thoroughly over the past couple of months,” said Craig Wisneski, senior product manager at Sonos, in a briefing with TechRadar. “Because of the diversity of phones running Android and all the differing manufacturers, it took us a little longer to make sure everyone would have the same experience. That level of quality is really important to Sonos."
With high-end features and consistent performance, analysts are expecting the free app to be a popular download.


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The Turkish Statistical Institute announced the foreign trade data for the month of June. According to the data, imports in June reached 26.3 billion dollars, showing a decrease of 16.8 percent, while exports amounted to 20.9 billion dollars, reflecting a decline of 10.5 percent. The foreign trade deficit in June was 5.4 billion dollars, experiencing a yearly decrease of 34.5 percent. The Ministry of Trade highlighted the impact of the holiday season on the decline in exports.
In June, exports decreased by 10.5 percent to reach 20.901 billion dollars, while imports decreased by 16.8 percent to reach 26.297 billion dollars. The foreign trade volume decreased by 14.1 percent, and the foreign trade deficit decreased by 34.5 percent to 5.396 billion dollars. The export-to-import ratio increased from 73.9 percent to 79.5 percent.
In the January-June period, exports decreased by 1.8 percent, amounting to 123.377 billion dollars. Meanwhile, imports increased by 4.3 percent during the same period, reaching 184.795 billion dollars. As a result, the foreign trade deficit increased by 19.1 percent, reaching 61.418 billion dollars.
Germany received exports worth 1.8 billion dollars, while imports from China amounted to 3.8 billion dollars
In June, Germany ranked first in exports with 1.78 billion dollars, followed by the United States with 1.33 billion dollars and the United Kingdom with 1.12 billion dollars. The total share of the top 10 countries in terms of exports amounted to 48.2 percent of the total exports.
During this period, China was the country with the highest import value, amounting to 3.818 billion dollars, followed by the Russian Federation with 2.981 billion dollars and Germany with 2.012 billion dollars. The total share of the top 10 countries in terms of imports was calculated as 58.9 percent of the total imports.
The impact of the long holiday season
On the other hand, according to a statement from the Ministry of Trade, positive developments in foreign trade continued in June, despite the monthly decline attributed to the 9-day holiday season. It was emphasized that the export value of 20.9 billion dollars in June was higher than the monthly average of the January-May period.


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Tesco are pleased to announce that they are opening a new Express Store in Bow Street, Ireland. They have not yet announced an exact opening date yet but have said that it will be in the next few weeks as they are looking forward to a mid-summer opening.
The new store in Lisburn will create approximately 20 new full and part time jobs for the local residents and will also provide another opportunity for local suppliers to sell their products under the Tesco umbrella. The Lisburn store is looking to stock produce from local companies such as WD Irwin and Sons, Wilson’s Country, Gilfresh, Dale Farm, Tayto and Coca Cola Hellenic. This is a very positive opportunity for local suppliers in Ireland.
The store is to be opened in place of a Birthday card shop which has unfortunately been empty for approx two years so it is good to have a rundown store being transformed and improving the local community. With the opening of this store, it will be the second Tesco store in the City. The first one on Bentrim road opened its doors in 1999 and is rate in the top 3 Tesco stores in Northern Ireland.
The Tesco Express stores are full of essential items for customers such as toilet roll, bread etc but some do offer much more like in store bakeries, cash machines etc to try to accommodate the convenience items people require. The stores are positioned closer to people’s homes and workplaces making the stores very convenient and saving people always going to bigger supermarkets for the little things.
The first store in Ireland to be opened on Bentrim road was refurbished two years ago and currently employs 450 staff. The Lisburn store has also updated its IT system to ensure an even more efficient experience at the checkout.


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Wall Street Journal
by: Matthias Verbergt
February 26, 2017
As the global telecommunications industry determines the parameters of its next-generation network of superfast connections, one company is playing an outsize role: China’s Huawei Technologies Co.
The modern concept of a mobile-phone network was fathered by European and U.S. equipment suppliers such as Ericsson AB, Nokia Corp., which now includes the former U.S. giant Lucent, and Qualcomm Inc. They were critical in defining standards and then designing, manufacturing and rolling out the hardware, such as antennas, that underpin today’s globally adopted 3G and 4G high-speed networks.
More recently, Asian rivals, particularly Huawei, have gone on the offense, quietly using an obscure, international process now under way to define the next gold standard, so-called 5G, to challenge the established order. The upshot: A Chinese company all but banned from selling its telecom equipment in the U.S. on national-security grounds is in one of the best positions to help shape the technical standards that will determine how the new network will work.
Late last year, for instance, telecom firms from around the world dispatched their top engineers to Vienna for a discreet, but strategic round of meetings aimed at defining capabilities and specifications of 5G.
As delegates huddled in the gilded conference room of Vienna’s InterContinental Hotel, Huawei’s red flower logo dotted several rows of tables.
“They’re twice as many as anyone else,” said the senior representative of a Western rival as he entered the room, “They’re everywhere.
Huawei already has overtaken Sweden’s Ericsson as the world’s largest supplier of wireless equipment by revenue, according to some estimates. The global market for wireless equipment was $48 billion in 2015, data from IHS Markit show, of which Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia control about 80%.
Huawei executives say the Chinese company initially gained traction by replicating Western technology, and offering quality products at lower costs. With 80,000 staffers working on research and development, however, Huawei has now become a formidable lab force.
That could give Huawei a sizable edge at a time that all suppliers have set their sights on 5G—the technology promises to be a wellspring of revenue by allowing for faster speed and smoother interaction between connected objects—but don’t all have deep pockets.
Ericsson and Nokia are cutting costs and jobs. The two Nordic companies sent smaller delegations to the four-day meeting in Vienna, where telecom companies fought to influence the design of 5G, expected to be rolled out commercially early in the next decade.
“We in Europe took our success early on in the cellphone [business] for granted,” Ericsson Chief Executive Börje Ekholm said during a recent interview in Stockholm.
Huawei has expanded rapidly in recent years in much of the world even as its mainstay telecom-gear business has been effectively shut out of the U.S. market, where a 2012 congressional report concluded that its equipment could be used by Beijing to spy on Americans. Huawei has denied such accusations, saying it operates independently of Beijing.
After meetings such as the ones in Vienna, the International Telecommunication Union, a Geneva-based United Nations agency, will specify final 5G standards, listing which patents are essential to the technology starting in 2019, said Dimitris Mavrakis, an analyst at technology consultancy ABI Research.
“You won’t be able to deploy or create a 5G network without these essential patents,” he said.
The first large cellular networks, often referred to as first generation or 1G, were deployed in the 1980s, and relied on national technologies that were rarely compatible.
In 1982, a European group of national post and telecom agencies set up an association called Groupe Special Mobile, or GSM, with the aim of designing a pan-European mobile standard. The initiative was quickly endorsed by national governments and European authorities, forcing European equipment suppliers to fight for slices of GSM technology. GSM was adopted by carriers in Russia, China and even the U.S. The standard became a byword for 2G networks as it eclipsed rival U.S. technologies such as CDMA.
GSM made the fortune of companies such as Ericsson and Nokia, which supplied large parts of the necessary equipment or owned patents that generated a windfall in licensing revenue.
“The path was shaped up by Europeans,” said Jorma Ollila, who was chief executive of Finland’s Nokia from 1992 to 2006. “Europe was the winner of that geopolitical game.”
The standard-setting process became more international in the 1990s, when ITU, the U.N. agency, oversaw the development of 3G. At the time, Huawei was manufacturing GSM equipment under license, mainly for operators in rural China. Europeans succeeded in retaining crucial positions within industry working groups, maintaining extended sway over patent-picking decisions.
The battleground became more disputed in the next decade as Huawei, founded in 1987, expanded in-house research capacities and became involved with 4G design.
Huawei “went from zero to being a big contributor to the whole standardization process,” said Michael Thelander, a consultant at Signals Research Group.
Building on its success in securing 4G patents, Huawei became a leading supplier of wireless equipment, even winning over clients on Ericsson’s and Nokia’s turf in the Nordics. Huawei also diversified in handset making, a business the Nordic companies have abandoned.
In 2016, Huawei said its revenue rose 32% to 520 billion yuan ($75.7 billion). In the same period, revenue fell 10% at both Nokia and Ericsson.
In the race for 5G dominance, executives at European equipment suppliers said Huawei tends to saturate working groups with design proposals that aren’t always relevant, going for quantity rather than quality.
A Huawei spokesman said the company’s research was “professional, collaborative and based on a significant contribution to investing in research and development.”
After hearing some of Huawei’s proposals for 5G design in Vienna, the senior Western company representative said: “If they threw the same resources with the quality of Ericsson or Qualcomm, it would be game over.”


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A majority of large companies now produce sustainability reports. In fact, 81% of S&P 500 companies published such documents in 2015, up from just 20% in 2011. Many businesses both large and small are making serious strides towards sustainability. But do such efforts resonate with shoppers and inform their behavior in a way that supports sustainability? Customer engagement is shaping up as a key new priority for corporate sustainability reporting.
Take the case of the British retailer, Marks & Spencer. Its accomplishments towards sustainability include zero net carbon emissions for four straight years and zero waste to landfill, with all electricity for its UK and Ireland retail locations generated from renewable sources. Now, the chain is considering how to better engage shoppers and employees.
"To become a truly sustainable business we need to take our 32 million customers and 83,000 colleagues with us on the journey,” Mike Barry, director of sustainable business, stated recently to BusinessGreen. “It can't be something that is just done behind the scenes. They want big business to do the heavy lifting, but they want to get involved in areas where M&S can make a difference in their own lives, so things like charity work, working in the local community and connecting people with volunteering.”
One notable campaign to communicate sustainability to customers was that of Levi’s. Several years ago it sought to reduce water consumption in its manufacturing process. While it posted a water usage reduction of 96%, it came to understand that the production of new pair of jeans translated into only 7% of the water used during the product’s lifetime, and so it appealed to customers to wash their jeans less frequently.
The language of its campaign (‘Don’t wash the stories out of your Levi’s jeans’) resonated with audiences, and was supported by appropriate care instructions (caretag for the planet) on each new pair of jeans. Additional support for the campaign came company leadership. The CEO did not wash his jeans for a year.
So how can we connect more effectively with shoppers? Here are some ideas:
Pay attention to language. The complexity and jargon of sustainability reporting can leave customers confused and suspicious. As in the case of Levi’s, the choice of language is critical in forging a bond with shoppers. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.”
Support outreach and volunteerism. Increasingly, companies such as M&S are supporting volunteer work by their employees. While this can be a very effective way to demonstrate corporate commitment, remember, the community values the tangible results of such efforts, not the amount of volunteer hours you report.
“How you talk about your corporate responsibility program, both to your employees and your customers, is critical,” Ryan Scott wrote recently in Forbes. “The best way to communicate about your efforts is by focusing your program around real community impact – not just numbers.” One example of how to communicate such impact, Unilever celebrates the successes of volunteers through its Unilever’s Heroes initiative.
Integrate sustainability into your brand Companies are now using marketing communications best practices to share with shoppers their sustainability stories. They are employing vehicles such as social media campaigns, videos, product packaging messages, point of sale information, and other creative means to connect with customers. Heineken, for example, has introduced online games to help communicate its sustainability efforts to its target audience. And transparency is increasingly important in terms of winning customer trust and in clarifying where further improvements are needed.
Companies are looking to integrate sustainability into their overall brand rather than to simply offer an “eco” version of their product or to have an isolated sustainable products section in the supermarket. Or a standalone sustainability report. Like your overall brand message, your sustainability story should be understandable and compelling. Most importantly, it should be a story in which customers feel included, and in which they feel they are playing a positive role.


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- Quick vogue retailer Shein gained additional regular monthly app downloads than Amazon and Shopify this 12 months.
- The firm is reportedly valued at $100 billion, additional than Zara and H&M combined.
- Shein operates with an on demand from customers model, which lets it to monitor consumer trends in genuine time.
Chinese rapidly style organization Shein is gaining on some of the biggest ecommerce gamers in the recreation.
Shein’s every month application downloads outpaced people of Amazon Buying and Shopify’s Shop application in February, March and April, in accordance to a report from Bernstein.
By means of April, Shein has received 4% extra application downloads than Amazon Purchasing, when Shopify’s Store app downloads have slowed. From January to April of this calendar year, Shein experienced 13.8 million application downloads, in contrast to 9.2 million throughout the exact time period in 2021 — a 50% soar. In the meantime, Amazon Procuring had 13.3 million and 13.2 million downloads all through those people periods respectively, an raise of just .75%.
Given that it released in 2012 below the identify SheInside, the on the web retailer has skyrocketed to good results. The enterprise introduced in $10 billion in product sales in 2020, and by June 2021, it experienced claimed 28% of the US speedy vogue market place, according to investigate from info analytics firms Coresight Study and Earnest Research.
That achievements has caught the focus of investors.
Shein elevated between $1 billion and $2 billion at a $100 billion valuation from personal-fairness agency General Atlantic, Tiger World-wide Administration, and Sequoia Capital China, producing it extra successful than rapidly trend giants Zara and H&M blended, The Wall Road Journal claimed in April. Prior to that, the company had an approximated $15 billion valuation immediately after increasing funding in August 2020, in accordance to PitchBook information.
The company is the most significant on the net-only fashion retailer, according to Euromonitor. And its ascendance is in big section thanks to its business design and an ecommerce explosion for the duration of the pandemic.
The firm’s manufacturers scan all corners of the world wide web for new apparel developments, and at the time they location a piece with viral potential, they create it in compact batches. Relying on how that piece sells, they both expedite its creation or cease solely, Their offer chain administration software program enables them to watch customer research facts and share it with manufactures in genuine time, Insider’s Mary Hanbury documented very last calendar year.
Shein has had a US existence considering that 2015, with offices in Los Angeles, and a different in Washington, DC. In March, the company opened a distribution center in Whitestone, Indiana, which is projected to make 850 new work for the city’s residents, Journal & Courier, the everyday newspaper of Lafayette, Indiana, documented.


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A generation of employees that likes instant upgrades and real-time streaming will hasten the adoption of third-party collaboration services, despite the security concerns of today's IT managers.
Technologies like Google Apps Premier Edition, which feature collaborative tools and email, have appeared at a time when traditional IT shops are considering their own content management strategies. Many of those strategies may involve weighing upgrades to new versions of IBM Domino or Microsoft's SharePoint and Exchange Server 2007.
During the past few years, the split has widened between baby boomers, who have varying comfort zones with technology, to those who grew up in a digital world and think email is old fashioned, said Guy Creese, a senior analyst at Burton Group, a Midvale, Utah-based consulting firm.
"When everything was on paper, we all had to do the same thing to get information," Creese said. "The coming generation wants a more responsive system and the instant upgrade you get with [software as a service]. That's hugely different than what you get with Microsoft and IBM."
Google needs to welcome the enterprise
On the other hand, Google's culture will have to evolve to become more enterprise friendly. For example, it will need more sophisticated technology for records management or electronic discovery, Creese said.
Google said a Premier edition email account cannot send out more than 500 email a day or else your account will be temporarily suspended. This is a leftover attitude from the company's experience in protecting consumers from spam.
"If you are in corporate communications and sending a newsletter to the whole company, you need a workaround, like creating a bunch of accounts," Creese said.
But for many Fortune 1,000-sized companies, access to a group sharing platform for, say, a three-month project, at Google's price of $50 per month per user is an attractive option. "It's an attention getter," Creese said. "But you really have to know what you are getting into."
With the February release of fee-based Google Apps joining other options that are part of the much hyped Web 2.0 scene, IT administrators will be pushed into accepting these sorts of collaborative applications for some users, which might not be such a bad thing.
After all, it's one way to provide basic services to employees who are underserved by existing enterprise software, said Tom Austin, an analyst at Gartner Inc., the Stamford, Conn.-based consulting firm.
Gartner foresees a growing number of tools like Google Apps
In a report released in January, Gartner predicted that externally provided email and collaboration services, such as Google Apps, will emerge as a significant part of the enterprise email market by 2010. The firm predicted that by then, at least 8% of email and calendaring users in firms with 500 or more users will rely on email services as their primary enterprise email service.
This growth won't come from enterprises of 100,000 employees dropping things like email and moving to Google, Austin said. Indeed, there have been many failed attempts to compete against Exchange and Office. "You don't just unseat something as entrenched as Office 12," he said.
There are still plenty of workers in companies today who have no email at all, such as factory workers or truck drivers.
"Why not work out a place for them to have a kiosk where they can send and receive email?" Austin said. "You can set them up with Google's standard edition and it's free. You will spend time on training and support, but it will help them to become computer-literate and give them Web access."
Lots of other employees need to collaborate with others -- and not necessarily people within the same company. People involved in design, creative and planning tasks require tools that help them collaborate across the whole Web.
"Our belief is that 43% of the projects that knowledge workers work on are with people outside of a company," Austin said.
More time with SaaS tools, less time with Office
For many, lightweight collaboration tools from companies like Google, 37signals LLC (Basecamp) or eProject Inc. can be set up quickly. Of course, the more that people spend time using these tools, the less time is spent using Office, which will make it harder for Microsoft to sell Office, Austin said.
Burton Group's Creese said corporations have moved beyond the general concerns they originally had about software as a service, or SaaS. Thanks to other applications, such as those offered by Salesforce.com, delivery is no longer a concern. But compliance with federal regulations is still a problem.
"From a messaging perspective, if [our employees] are communicating electronically, then we have an obligation to archive it," said Brian Erdelyi, the information security officer at Blackmont Capital Inc., a Toronto investment firm.
Blackmont Capital does subscribe to Norwalk, Conn.-based Fortiva Inc. for email archiving because it requires its data to be encrypted. "If [Google] encrypted its applications, it would make it more appealing."
Gartner's Austin said he hears a lot of emotional reactions from companies taking strong security postures. But companies are always allowing people to use their Internet access for personal use. "No one is enforcing that," he said. "They are actively blocking for access to porn and gambling. They know there is good stuff out there and the good outweighs the bad."


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Maybe this new tech will help keep some of these hot running chips in portable electronics in the future.................
Researcher says the solid-state fan is the biggest improvement in cooling since the heat pipe
Many computer enthusiasts understand that how fast a processor runs is in part dependent on how well the chip can be cooled. This is why record-setting benchmark runs are typically made with processors cooled by exotic means.
Cooling is just as important for mobile systems like notebook computers and other portable electronics. The size of the fan required for the system can affect how small devices can be built. A pair of engineers from Thorrn Micro Technologies Inc, Dan Schlitz and Vishal Singhal, have developed a new solid-state fan that works similarly to household air purifiers.
The resulting fan is the most powerful and energy efficient fan of its size and moves more air than fans that are 35 times its size. The RSD5 solid-state fan is described by Singhal as, “One of the most significant advancements in electronics cooling since heat pipes. It could change the cooling paradigm for mobile electronics.”


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Expedock, a Philippine-based Artificial Intelligence startup working with supply chain companies, announced today it has landed US$4 million in seed funding.
The round was led by a US$2.5 million investment by Ali Partovi, who had previously backed notable startups including Airbnb, Dropbox and Facebook.
Additional investors include executives from global tech companies and startups including eBay, Salesforce, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Expedock said in a statement that the funds will be used to expand its team as it seeks to accommodate a growing number of international clients.
Launched in 2019 by King Alandy Dy, Rui Aguiar and Jeff Tan, Expedock’s Nuance technology allows its Artificial Intelligence to understand documents even without having seen one of the same format. It uses AI to power back-offices for businesses in cross-border container trade to revolutionize the workflow of businesses in the supply chain.
The company claims it is able to generate savings of up to 90 per cent of their clients’ operational expenses by eliminating all data extraction and data entry work for airway bills, bills of ladings, invoices, and decreases turnaround time by up to 10x.
“We’ve seen firsthand how the errors in the first mile of shipping lead to costly corrections amounting up to US$25,000. Freight forwarders have had to manually encode and process significant amounts of paperwork which with one mistake could cost a company thousands of dollars to correct,” remarked Alandy Dy.
Despite the global supply chain market projected to reach US$37.41 billion by 2027, with Asia Pacific experiencing the bulk of the growth, Expedock noted manual data processing remains a key biggest operational hurdle for most businesses.
South Africa Today


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Whitby Seafoods has scooped a two star award for its Foodservice Whitby Wholetail Scampi at the recent Great Taste Awards.
Great Taste Awards, the world’s most coveted blind-tasted food accolades, celebrates the very best in food and drink.
Judged by more than 500 of the most demanding palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers as well as food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers.
A Whitby Seafoods spokesman said: “We always say that if a job is worth doing it’s worth doing brilliantly so we are delighted that our Wholetail Whitby Scampi has been awarded with the prestigious Great Taste 2 star award. Whitby Scampi has become quite famous and is used on the menus of many renowned restauranteurs.”


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The Smile Direct club closed months after filing for bankruptcy in the U.S., leaving some customers confused and stranded as their treatment continues.
The company, best known for selling remote clear conditioners, said late Friday it had made the “incredibly difficult decision” to cease operations.
A US-based dental company offered aligners for around £1,800 without the need to visit a dentist.
Burdened by debt, a last-ditch rescue attempt failed.
Founded in 2014, Orthodontics has positioned itself to disrupt the “bricks and mortar” dental industry.
In traditional dentistry, “rail-rail” braces and clear aligners are fitted after an in-person consultation by dentists and orthodontists or a trained orthodontic therapist.
Many customers are drawn to Smile Direct Club because of the low price point and the fact that they can take molds for their aligners at home.
Treatment with the company usually lasts four to six months, and customers must check-in online with registered dentists.
In a statement on its website, the company says it has “improved more than two million smiles and lives.”
However, customers in the US, UK and elsewhere are confused, with the company saying its customer support line is no longer available, although customers may need check-ins or fixes for their adjusters.
It recommends that people contact their local dentist if they wish to continue their treatment.
This has angered some customers by saying that the “lifetime smile guarantee” it previously offered is no longer valid, while those who set up payment plans are expected to continue paying.
It said it would have more information about the refund as the bankruptcy process continues and “next steps” are determined.
On Facebook, many users questioned what to do about their treatment and complained of recent payments.
One wrote: “Disgusting how we’ve all been treated… I just signed up for my aligners, paid my first payment and now I won’t get my braces”.
Another said his wife had paid for her therapy in full and needed a new therapist, but was now unsure whether she would get one.
On Instagram, another customer questioned: “I did six months [of] Treatment – Now What? I can’t finish?… It’s heartbreaking.”
In a statement on its website, Smile Direct Club apologized for the inconvenience.
The company was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. in late September, which defers obligations to a company’s creditors, giving it time to restructure its debts or sell off parts of the business.
But on Friday, a last-ditch rescue deal failed.
Attorney Spencer Winters told a judge in bankruptcy court that a deal for its founders to provide new financing and buy Smile Direct Club out of bankruptcy fell through because its most important creditor could not agree.
“We pushed really hard this week and it just didn’t come together,” he said.
It was once valued at $8.9bn (£7bn), according to Fortune magazine, but failed to turn a profit and was almost $900m worth of debt.
Throughout it strictly safeguards its practices, clients’ treatments are reviewed by licensed professionals, while the risks are listed.


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Chinese company Youngman presented the world's largest bus, which can accommodate up to 300 passengers. Novelty has a complicated name JNP6250G.
When people are madly in love with their cars they do the same thing â€“ try to collect as many things as possible that can cheer up their spirit while they're away from their beloved cars â€“ when at work or elsewhere. Let's see some of th...
The Ariel range is continuing to expand with the British marque announcing a brand new supercharged variant of its potent Nomad off-roader. Ariel has added a supercharger to its all-terrain Nomad sports car, increasing power to 290bhp.
RM Sothebyâ€™s sells on auction in New York City a very rare restored 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante that may excess the price of $10 million when the auction ends.


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Fine cars and wine country living are the perfect pair at the 27th Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival at Sonoma Raceway this weekend. Spectators will not only enjoy beautiful cars racing on the 12-turn, 2.52 mile road course, but fans are invited to sample some of the Sonoma and Napa valleys' finest regional wines and cuisine in the Wine Country Pavilion. Full Story
Sonoma Raceway's celebration of fine food and wine will continue following the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival on Saturday, May 18, as the 21st annual Historic Race Car Festival returns to Sebastiani Winery. All proceeds from the charity event will benefit the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau and Speedway Children's Charities, the charitable arm of Sonoma Raceway. Full Story
Sonoma Raceway will come alive with memorable racecars from Corvette, Ferrari, Lotus, Austin Healey and Bugatti, among others, at the 27th annual Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival. In all, more than 400 historic racecars will grace the twisting road course during a weekend celebration of racing and wine country lifestyle. Full Story
Sonoma Raceway's fans can enjoy some of the North Bay's most iconic craft beer brands when they visit this summer, as the raceway welcomes Morris Distributing as an official sponsor and host of its new Nor Cal Craft Beer Garden. Full Story
Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola completed a successful two-day test session at Sonoma Raceway on Wednesday. It marked the first significant test for NASCAR's new Gen-6 car on a road-course, and the first time the new car has visited the 10-turn, 1.99-mile Sonoma circuit. Full Story
Sonoma Raceway, in partnership with Save Mart Supermarkets, has the perfect ticket package for the 25th Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, June 23.
For the third straight year, the tremendously popular Save Mart Supermarkets 2-Pack offers race fans the best value to see NASCAR racing in Sonoma. Full Story


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According to a Wall Street Journal article, Reliance Retail is prepared to reintroduce the brand to India through a strategic relationship, two years after the country’s government banned the Shein app from use. Due to increased tensions along the India-China border at Galwan, the Ministry of Electronics and IT banned Shein along with many other Chinese apps in 2020.
According to the Wall Street Journal article, the Indian government has given its approval to the cooperation between Reliance Retail and Shein, which deals with the sourcing, production, and retail of Shein goods.
Shein’s website states that the US, India, Brazil, and Australia are the main suppliers of its products. Shein is likely to purchase fabrics from small companies in India for its global and local manufacturing activities because it is under scrutiny for the US-based cotton it sources. By doing this, the fast fashion company will be able to expand beyond China and take advantage of the expanding consumer market in India.
Also read, An Indian biryani won’t democratize e-commerce: Will bringing local bazaars under ONDC work?
Role of Reliance for Shein in India
According to reports, the deal will provide not only an online presence but also actual stores, presumably on Reliance’s Ajio platform. Another possibility is the development of an Indian production base to supply the Middle East.
Reliance Retail, which runs more than 15,000 stores across India and sells a variety of goods, including clothing and food, is a significant role in the Indian economy.
Shein was established in Nanjing, China, in 2012, and moved its worldwide headquarters there in 2021. In order to connect suppliers to its supply chain and reduce inventory waste, the Chinese fashion and lifestyle e-retailer uses on-demand manufacturing technology. This technology also enables it to deliver a selection of affordable products to clients all over the world. More than 150 nations provide the product.
Shein is popular in its industry-leading on-demand manufacturing capabilities and its capacity to digitally integrate the ecosystem of suppliers to guarantee precise forecasting, effective raw material distribution, and efficient worldwide shipping. The company has been increasing its global reach through manufacturing in Turkey, warehouses in Poland, a distribution centre in the US, and other means.
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Tribe Breweries has announced a marked growth in its branded portfolio. Expanding into the international craft beer market, a joint venture has been established with local Thai partners BB&B, to create a new beer brand – Chao Siam, whilst locally, the company has acquired leading gluten free craft beer brand Wilde Gluten Free.
Through Tribe’s partnership with BB&B, the company has created a nationally distributed Thai beer with a range that has been specifically developed for the local Thai market, including a Wit Bier and an IPA. BB&B are one of the oldest and largest Thai premium alcohol importers and distributors. Tribe has been able to tap into their market expertise and vast distribution channels.
Stefan Szpitalak, Head of International Markets and Co-Founder of Tribe Breweries says, “Working with local artisans to create great brews that speak directly to their audience is what Tribe is all about. Branching out of the Australian market with new brands and sharing our craft beer journey throughout South East Asia is an exciting milestone for us.”
Of the creation of Chao Siam, Tribe and BB&B engaged with local Thai University students to help create the brand, making Chao Siam a truly unique Thai-Australian collaboration.
Pongchalem of BB&B says, “Chao Siam means ‘Thai People’, and with so many foreign brands in our market place, we are so proud to work on a project that has been created for and with our people.”
Thai drinkers in many ways are just beginning their craft beer journey, and Tribe’s partnership will enable them to shape the Thai craft beer market.
Stefan continues, “I grew up in Thailand and then went on to spread my time equally there and in Australia. I spent years exploring the vast culture, even becoming a monk as a rite of passage. My personal connection to Thailand is very meaningful to me and our company. Seeing this project come to fruition has been a dream of mine ever since we launched Tribe Breweries.”
With the founders of Tribe Breweries having a deep history and personal association with Asia, the team are looking to increase their footprint in key Asian markets and help forge craft beer penetration in the region. Tribe are already achieving their international expansion plans, with a strong export presence that has grown 500% in 1 year. They currently export to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and South Korea, with Vietnam and half a dozen additional markets to be online by the end of CY18.
Expanding their branded portfolio and building upon their current success, Tribe Breweries has also announced their acquisition of nationally distributed Wilde Gluten Free. Over 5 years ago, founders of Wilde, Chris and Narelle Gordon, developed a gluten free recipe with Tribe’s team. Since then, Tribe has helped them grow exponentially to become one of the top gluten free beers in Australia.
Tribe has acquired Wilde to elevate the brand’s positioning and presence in the market. They will continue to make Wilde at the Smeaton Grange facility and hope to grow the distribution of the brand both nationally, through their strong relationships with independents and other retailers, and internationally through its channels and export track to the Asian market.


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Best in Manufacturing – January 13, 2019
Each Sunday, we publish a list of top articles and other content related to manufacturing in areas like quality control, product development, supply chain management, sourcing, auditing and law.
1. Chinese forced prison labor poses risk to garment supply chains
New evidence has emerged suggesting detainees of China’s ruling Communist Party are being forced to take jobs in factories.
Several hundred thousand Muslim Uighurs are currently estimated to be in government internment camps, aimed at renouncing their religious convictions.
Satellite images, leaked official documents and accounts from the region show a growing number of factories built in or near internment camps. Chinese television propaganda shows detainees as models of repentance, earning good pay and working in factories.
China markets the factories as “job training centers”, which:
Put detainees on production lines for their own good, offering an escape from poverty, backwardness and the temptations of radical Islam.
But the camps, located in China’s far west Xinjiang region, seem to echo China’s “re-education through labor system”—a forced labor system China formally abolished five years ago.
The bulk of clothes and textiles made in the Xinjiang region usually end up in Central Asian markets. But some are still bound for the U.S. and Europe.
Retailers should be especially cautious when manufacturing in the region, as most must abide by laws which ban imports produced by prison or forced labor.
Badger Sportswear comes under fire for sourcing practices
Badger Sportswear, which supplies clothing to bookstores and sports teams of numerous U.S. universities, has come under fire for potentially sourcing from the Xinjiang camps.
In mid-December, the Associated Press (AP) reported recent, ongoing shipments to Badger Sportswear from Hetian Taida Apparel, a factory suspected to be located inside an internment camp.
A series of critical news articles and additional investigations followed the initial AP report. And U.S. Badger CEO John Anton said the company would source elsewhere while it investigates.
On December 22, Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP)—the leading facility-based certification organization for sewn products—released a report concluding Badger’s facility is not engaged in the use of forced labor.
But consumers and the media continue to question the validity of investigations amidst Chinese secrecy.
Social compliance implications for importers
According to U.S. and United Nations officials, forced labor is a type of modern slavery. A supply chain is considered tainted by forced labor if just one item was produced by someone forcibly employed.
But as global supply chains grow increasingly murky, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for brands to stop products made with forced labor from leaking into their supply chains.
At the same time, consumers are also becoming more aware of compliance issues. And many are pushing for brands to raise their ethical standards.
Congressman Chris Smith, a member of the U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee, is pushing for a ban on imports from Chinese companies associated with detention camps. And products made by forced labor are already illegal to import into the U.S.
But it’s up to brands to enforce social standards across their supply chains. This means setting social compliance standards, auditing to verify those standards are met and thoroughly vetting all suppliers and sub-suppliers.
For now, brands should remain especially cautious when sourcing from Xinjiang region.
Follow the link below to continue reading about forced factory labor in China’s Muslim detention camps.
China’s Detention Camps for Muslims Turn to Forced Labor – Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, New York Times
2. Johnson & Johnson concealed a dangerous quality control problem with talc products
In 1971 an executive at Johnson & Johnson advised the company to “upgrade” its quality control of talc.
He said the main ingredient in the company’s bestselling baby powder could potentially be contaminated by asbestos—a dangerous, cancer-causing material.
In the public eye, the company has vehemently denied claims of talc contamination for decades.
But corporate documents unearthed by litigation and government records obtained by journalists are now putting the safety of Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder in question. It currently faces almost 12,000 pending lawsuits, with more scheduled in 2019.
Safety and regulation of talc in cosmetic products
Both talc and asbestos are naturally occurring minerals, often found near each other. But unlike talc, asbestos is a known carcinogen.
Scientific literature going back to the 1960s suggests a possible link between use of talc powders and the incidence of ovarian cancer. And in July, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $4.69 billion to 22 women who linked the talc-based product to their ovarian cancer.
Cosmetic products and ingredients, with the exception of color additives, don’t have to undergo FDA review or approval before they’re released to the U.S. market.
The FDA doesn’t regulate asbestos in talc, though it has a voluntary “zero tolerance” standard. But consumer concern over talc in cosmetics has been on the rise in recent years.
The FDA monitors potential safety problems, but safety and labeling is a cosmetic company’s responsibility. According to the FDA’s website:
Before we can take such action against a cosmetic, we need sound scientific data to show that it is harmful under its intended use.
The FDA suggests cosmetic manufactures carefully select mining sites and sufficiently purify ore to ensure it is asbestos free.
Consumers outraged at possible coverup
Johnson & Johnson consumers are worried about the health effects of talc. But they’re also outraged at a potential coverup.
According to Johnson & Johnson’s lawyer, scientists have tested the company’s talc at multiple entries since the 1970s. But mounting evidence shows Johnson & Johnson might have concealed unfavorable results from the public.
The company continues to publicly defend the safety of its baby powder. But internal documents reveal company executives:
- Didn’t tell the FDA that at least three tests by three different labs from 1972 to 1975 had found asbestos in its talc
- Tried to discredit research suggesting the possibility of asbestos-contaminated powder
- Demanded the government block unfavorable findings about their products from being made public
The company won assurances from the FDA at the time, but these efforts have become the crux of a legal front of nearly 12,000 pending lawsuits across the country.
Implications for importers of talc products
Responding to growing public concern in 2009, the FDA commissioned tests on 34 samples of talc. They didn’t find any asbestos in the samples.
But according to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, the agency continues to get a lot of questions about talc cosmetics.
Gottlieb also said fewer than 30 people comprise the FDA’s policing of cosmetics and that it’s:
A place where we think we can be doing more.
The FDA plans to explore a standard for evaluating potential risk of talc in 2019, which could have a serious impact on importers of talc products.
Early in 2019, the FDA plans to host a public forum to begin exploring standards for evaluating any potential risk. And according to an agency spokeswoman, that’ll include examining scientific test methods for assessing asbestos.
While Johnson & Johnson tested their products for asbestos, their efforts didn’t meet consumers’ expectations. Only time will tell if the company can repair its damaged reputation.
Follow the link below to continue reading about Johnson & Johnson’s asbestos baby powder scandal.
Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder – Lisa Girion, Reuters
3. Chinese government drops “Made in China 2025” for trade truce
The latest directive by the Chinese government doesn’t require local governments to make progress on its “Made in China 2025” strategy.
The strategy was established in 2015 to help China catch up with global superpowers in sophisticated technologies. Since then, the initiative has been promoted aggressively through government channels.
The omission in the latest directive is a stark change from prior years, wherein guidelines included giving companies financial support and recognition for supporting the initiative.
U.S. officials strongly oppose the scheme because the industrial strategy contradicts national economic and political interests. IP theft, coerced technology transfers and Chinese market protectionism are among core issues for Washington.
The one Chinese policy that connects all of these is the Made in China 2025 initiative. As such, it’s become central to the U.S.-China trade war.
Beijing easing back on the initiative could signify a positive progression in ongoing trade talks.
Beijing drops references to Made in China 2025
China’s State Council released the latest list of key policies in early December. The directive advises local governments to focus on:
- Promoting Chinese exports
- Attracting foreign investment
- Prioritizing road and waterway infrastructure
- Fighting water pollution
But what’s more interesting is what the government didn’t include in the document. The list of key policies omits any direct reference to the Made in China 2025 initiative.
In the previous guideline issued three years ago, Beijing established a special fund for the initiative and explicitly told local governments to offer financial support for entities related to the policy.
And for the past two years, central authorities have published a list of local governments recognized for their “outstanding achievement” in supporting the initiative.
The omission is out of character for the Chinese government, which has been aggressively seeking global manufacturing dominance.
But Made in China 2025 has also appeared less frequently in propaganda materials and official documents since the U.S. vocalized its opposition.
China isn’t necessarily abandoning its goals
There may be fewer references to Made in China 2025 in the directive. But that doesn’t mean the Chinese government has completely abandoned its industrial transformation initiative.
The latest guideline reiterated the government’s promise to give preferential treatment to companies when arranging funds for industrial “transformation and upgrading.”
In an interview with CNBS, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the U.S. is accepting of China’s pursuit of advanced technologies, adding:
We’re perfectly happy to compete with them toe-to-toe, as long as it’s a level playing field.
But Ross also said the U.S. doesn’t approve of the “inappropriate methods” China is using to achieve its goals.
De-emphasizing the initiative is an easy way for China to reduce tensions with the U.S.
And according to the Wall Street Journal, Beijing may even replace Made in China 2025 with a new initiative aimed at expanding access for foreign companies early next year.
China is demonstrating a willingness to make concessions. The governments still have a lot to discuss during the 90-day window, but this could be a sign of improved relations.
Follow the link below for more on the subtle retreat of Made in China 2025.
Beijing no longer requires local governments to work on ‘Made in China 2025’, but hi-tech ambitions remain - Orange Wang, South China Morning Post
We’re constantly scanning the web for top manufacturing stories and news. If you’d like to submit an article for consideration for our weekly Best in Manufacturing, send us a message and let us know.


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tech2 News StaffNov 13, 2018 12:34:13 IST
Steam, which is one of the most popular digital distribution platforms across the world, provides a range of services to gamers through its community including friends lists, groups, cloud saving, and in-game voice and chat functionality. Recently, someone was awarded as much as $20,000 (about Rs 14,50,000) for finding out a bug in the Steam video games store that was apparently letting people download any of the games for free.
Artem Moskowsky, who is a security researcher discovered a flaw in Steam's portal for game developers and informed Steam's parent company Valve about the same. He then told The Register that Valve awarded him $20,000 as part of its bug bounty scheme.
Moskowsky, while at the Steam developer site, realised how easy it was for anyone to change parameters in an API request, and hence get activation keys for a game. These keys are used to activate and play games downloaded from Steam. The bug was basically letting anybody generate license keys without paying.
It can be harmful because, the games could possibly be sold online, which is an illegal act. "This bug was discovered randomly during the exploration of the functionality of a web application. It could have been used by an attacker who had access to the portal," says Moskowsky.
He has been doing security research for a while now; also this is not the biggest amount he's made from Valve. This year in July, he received $25,000 for a discovering a bug on the same developer portal.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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No word yet on when it will be rescheduled for, but obviously we'll let you know as soon as we do. Until then, you can always console yourself by checking out what we expected to see at the event - namely, Android 4.2, the Nexus 10, and the Nexus 4.
Exclusive: This is the 2017 Google Pixel "XL," with low-bezel AMOLED display and squeezable frame
[Update: 5.3 released as stable] Exclusive: Nova Launcher finally gets Google Now integration [APK Download]
[Update: And it's back] Google has disabled the transparent UI for Hangouts on desktop


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Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) will report its fourth quarter results on July 18, 2013, and is expected to post earnings of 74 cents per share, an increase of 1 percent from the previous year earnings of 73 cents per share. Average estimates have witnessed a drop over past three months from 77 cents a share.
Earnings are expected to come in at $2.74 cents per share for fiscal 2013. Analysts expect quarterly revenue to come in at $20.77, which is an increase of 15 percent from the previous year total of $18.06 billion. For a full year, revenue is estimated to come in at $78.73 billion.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has witnessed an average 3 percent year over year growth in revenue, in the last four quarters. In the recent quarter, revenue surged 13 percent compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
Decline in sales of Xbox 360 is also expected prior to the release of its next generation console, Xbox one this year. However, there are expectations that the revenue of the company will increase in the quarter as the business partners are switching from Windows XP to Windows 7 launched, in 2009.
What analysts expect from Microsoft
According to BMO Capital Markets analyst Karl Keirstead, who surveyed Microsoft partners and resellers before the earning release, told that business customers are not switching to Windows 8 because most of the installed computers are not touch enabled and have the absence of the “Start” button.
According to Citi analyst Walter Pritchard PC shipments in the United States has been better than expected, which reflects that the decline in PC shipments is slowing.
Microsoft’s results important for tech industry
Results from Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), which is in the business of developing, licensing and supporting various software products and services for computing devices, hold critical importance because it is the provider of the operating system to more than a billion personal computers all over the world. Performance of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) indicates the financial condition of overall technology industry and shift in consumer behaviors.
Software giant in its earnings release may give an update about the Windows 8. Last month, Windows 8.1 was unveiled by the company. Microsoft blamed declining PC market as one of the reasons for its poor performance of touch enabled operating system.
Do you know which under-the-radar stocks the top hedge funds and institutional investors are investing in right now? Click here to find out.


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The OS, dubbed Brillo, is likely to be released under the Android brand. It will target low-power devices with as little as 64 or 32MB of RAM.
The Information reported that the lower memory needs for devices running the new software may result in a sharp decline from the new versions of Android, which are mainly intended for mobile phones with about 512MB of memory.
Companies can build smart fridges, light bulbs, garden monitors and many more with the help of the new technology.
The code for the new OS is expected to be launched next week at Google I/O conference.
IDC forecasts the IoT market to reach $3.04 trillion by 2020 and Gartner estimates that the number of networked devices will increase to 26 billion units by end of thi decade.
IoT acquisitions topped $14.8bn in the first five months of 2015, up from $14.3 billion for the whole of last year.
Buyers have purchased 39 IoT-related firms since January, less than the 62 in 2014 but with more expenditure involved.


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Let’s consider that “almost 90% of the world’s goods are shipped on boats”, and I am sure that not everyone realizes that. These boats bring us our clothes, our electronics, food, etc., etc.
Ports have a crucial role and related activities in our society.
A newsletter provided by the maritime cybersecurity consulting firm CyberKeel includes some scaring statists, 37% of maritime companies using windows web servers that aren’t patched, leaving one-third vulnerable to denial of service attacks and unauthorized remote access.
Do you remember Heartbleed, the announced in 2014? This vulnerability considered by many as “the worst vulnerability ever discovered”, counting that maritime company don’t patch their systems like they should do remaining them vulnerable to several attacks, including the popular Heartbleed that could expose customer data, the goods physical location and much more.
Even if one of the companies in the maritime industry falls victim of a cyber attack, unfortunately, there is no interest in disclosing them since it will generate bad publicity.
“The potential consequences of even a minimal disruption of the flow of goods in U.S. ports would be high. … [S]helves at grocery stores and gas tanks at service stations would run empty.” was reported in report titled “maritime cybersecurity from Brookings explained” published in a 2013.
CyberKeel co-founder Lars Jensen explained that “The thing that started to scare us a little bit was that some of things … where we said, ‘This is clearly Hollywood-scenario stuff’ had already happened.”
But the public didn’t know about these incidents… but there is more, in 2014 a U.S port ( it wasn’t disclosed which) had a seven-hour disruption in their GPS signal, affecting their operations.
GPS is used in port cranes to define the crane’s position and to know to where the containers should move, without the GPS for seven hours, works were crippled. But the scariest part is that the GPS is used in navigation, so if someone is jamming the GPS signals, making the boat lost, they can perhaps ask for a ransom to unblock the GPS signals.
The attacked showed an American flag in the infects machine’s screen. The company was able to mitigate the attack but since we are talking about an Oil company, this means that if the impact was bigger, it would affect the maritime shipping, affecting hugely the company.
“The threat is very real,”, “These intrusions and attacks are taking place every minute and every second of every day.” said Rear Adm. Marshall Lytle, the assistant commandant responsible for U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command.
Vice Adm. Charles Michel, talked about some of the Coast Guard’s plans for cybersecurity:
“Probably the most important part of the Coast Guard’s Cyber Strategy is in its key organizing principle: The strategy is all about embracing a policy framework that will allow our enterprise to begin to tackle these challenges.”
Cyber-security must be a pillar of every sector in today society, we must consider seriously warning like the ones provided in these post to avoid major problems in the future.
About the Authors
(Security Affairs – maritime industry, cyber security)