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April 30, 2014
Although digital media is usurping more traditional forms, television, newspapers and out-of-home advertising still hold considerable sway, according to a report by the Shullman Research Center.
The "Reaching the Wealthy Consumer" report also looks into the engagement differences between consumers with a net-worth above $1 million and those below. Overall, the monthly pulse suggests that brands should continue to diversify their marketing strategy and continue to invest in traditional platforms.
"We keep hearing about the impending death of traditional media and this [data] suggests that depending on which segments you’re going after, traditional is still vibrant," said Bob Shullman, founder/CEO of the Shullman Research Center, New York.
"When you look at reach and effectiveness, digital is coming up and the wealthier people are using it, but some of the traditional media are still strong."
The information found in the “Reaching the Wealthy Consumer” report is based on the Shullman Luxury and Affluence Monthly Pulse Fall 2013 Preview Wave that was conducted online Aug. 20-27 among Unites States adults ages 18 or older.
A total of 1,013 completed interviews were obtained from five sample groups divided among four income brackets: $75,000 to $149,999, $150,000 to $249,999, $250,000 to $499,999 and $500,000 or more.
Reach vs. engagement
Fifty-eight percent of high-net-worth consumers responded that they had seen or heard advertising on television in the past 30 days, which accounted for the highest overall reach of any platform. Web sites, print magazines, mail, print newspapers and emails followed television in terms of reach.
Ralph Lauren ad in April Robb Report
Facebook and Instagram had higher reach potential among consumers with a net-worth under $1 million.
Print newspapers were regarded by higher-net-worth consumers as the most engaging platform for ads, followed by digital newspapers, Twitter and medical offices.
For respondents with a net-worth below $1 million, tablets, digital newspapers, television and printed magazines were the most engaging platforms.
Interestingly, shopping malls were regarded as more engaging for the more affluent consumers.
Climbing to the top
A previous report urges marketers to make distinctions between high-income consumers and wealthy consumers.
While not all millionaires have a high annual income, the report argues that they should still be a primary focus for marketers. As the report splits up its survey base, different attitudes emerge that may be useful for marketers (see story).
Also,72 percent of ultra-affluent said that they buy based on quality and less on price, and 64 percent said that they seek out superior service when shopping. This study builds upon the Shullman Research Center’s last study by providing a closer look at Amazon from the consumer’s perspective (see story).
Fifty-nine percent of adults in the United States have made a purchase on Amazon in the past year, according to the survey.
The “Shullman Luxury and Affluence Monthly Pulse” survey suggests that the consumer shift toward Amazon is powered by the engines of competitive pricing and convenience. Although Amazon’s ascent, capabilities and penetration of the luxury market are nothing new, determining the size of jeopardized market share will help luxury brands find a common ground with the online retailer (see story).
"A lot of marketers are experimenting with a lot of different things, looking for the best solution," Mr. Shullman said. "It depends on who your customers are."
Joe McCarthy, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York


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Boats.com, a Dominion Marine Media business that has thousands of boat reviews, has launched a new mobile version of its website.
People who go to www.boats.com on mobile devices can now search more than 450,000 available boats using a simple, fully functional search tool, the company said. The launch of the mobile experience allows users to quickly search for boats on the go, and its streamlined look and function provide an abridged version of the main website’s search functionality, the company said.
Visitors can quickly find new or used boats by type, price, brand, length and ZIP code, and can search for boats added within a specific date range, as well as see listings supported by video, the company said.
“Providing user-friendly technology to easily search for boats from a mobile device is a natural extension of the advantages we offer our visitors.” Sonya Schweitzer, Boats.com’s director of business development, said in a statement.

domain: news


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Joining the trend of fashion drivers entering the metaverse, the renowned fitness fashion brand filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Friday, November 18th.
It does not appear perturbed by its rivals, rather, it fearlessly states its ambitions and innovations.
Maybe it’s confident because of its previous experience and tremendous success in the Web3 space: In 2021, Reebok partnered with American artist Nast to launch an NFT collection on the RFOX’s NFT platform. In just 5 minutes after launch, the publicly distributed NFTs were claimed quickly. OpenSea revealed the secondary market value of that NFT collection to be $250,000!
Reebok in the Metaverse
Here’s what you need to know about Reebook’s offer:
Reebok plans to create an online NFT marketplace to allow people to trade NFT-backed art.
When the trademark is approved, it will deliver virtual commodities including clothing, headwear, sports equipment, bags, footwear, backpacks, accessories, art, toys, eyewear, and so on.
It will also showcase virtual commodities, like files containing sports-related audio, text, video, and art to be used in the metaverse – all through their retail store service.
This timely move is aimed to attract many customers who are currently exploring the metaverse.
In a tweet, Mike Kondoudis, the USPTO licensed trademark attorney and astrophysicist, said:
“Reebok is joining Nike in the Metaverse. The company has filed 2 applications to trademark its name for NFT back media, virtual footwear, headwear, sports equipment, retail stores with virtual goods, and online marketplaces for NFT-backed goods.”
Reebok is an ambitious sportswear brand famous for being part of the Authentic Brands Group. The group bought it from Adidas in March for about $2.5 billion. Earlier, Authentic Brands stated that they want to revolutionize Reebok by allowing crypto payouts and minting NFTs. According to the organization, Reebok will become the face of “global brand hub for the design, development, and innovation of footwear, and apparel servicing partners worldwide.”


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ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF News
Cathie Wood Watch: Ark Sells Spatial Data Company's Stock
Wood also dumped a familiar biotechnology name, and bought two other stocks for the second day in a row.
Cathie Wood Watch: Ark Buys Autonomous-Truck Developer
The asset manager Cathie Wood also purchased and sold shares of well-known companies for her funds.
Cathie Wood Watch: Ark Buys E-Commerce, Biotech Stocks
Ark also sold four stocks, including a defense contractor and a financial management software company.
Cathie Wood Watch: Ark Buys Adaptive Biotech, Smart-Glasses Maker
Ark ETFs bought and sold biotechnology stocks. Ark's flagship fund trails the S&P 500 over the past five years.
Cathie Wood Watch: Ark Buys GM Shares for First Time
She also purchased a provider of 3D virtual tours and familiar names in the cryptocurrency and gambling sectors.
Ford Makes a Major Change
The legacy automaker has just made a decision that will affect consumers buying its electric vehicles via a lease.
Tesla Q2 Deliveries Slump To 254,695 As Shanghai Shutdown, Supply Chain Snarls Take Toll
Tesla said it had a record rate of production in June, but supply chain disruption and the closure of its Shanghai gigafactory triggered a slump in Q2 deliveries.
Coinbase Faces A New Scandal
The platform denies selling proprietary customer data and announces it is expanding into several European countries.


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Wealth manager Morgan Stanley has been fined US$35m for failing to protect the personal information of millions of its customers.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fined the firm for “extensive failures” to protect the personal identifying information of an estimated 15 million customers, over a five-year period.
Morgan Stanley used a third party to decommission thousands of hard drives holding the personal data of its customers. The third party, according to the SEC, was a moving and storage company with “little or no expertise in data destruction.” The moving company later sold on thousands of the Morgan Stanley devices including servers and hard drives, some of which contained customer data, and were then resold on an internet auction site without the data being removed.
Morgan Stanley managed to recover some of the devices, which were shown to contain thousands of pieces of unencrypted customer data, but the vast majority remain lost.
The SEC’s order also found that Morgan Stanley failed to properly safeguard customer information and properly dispose of consumer report information when it decommissioned local office and branch servers as part of a broader hardware refresh programme.
A records reconciliation exercise undertaken by the firm during this decommissioning process revealed that 42 servers, all potentially containing unencrypted customer information and consumer report information, were missing.
According to the SEC, Morgan Stanley also learned that the local devices being decommissioned had been equipped with encryption capability – but it had failed to activate the encryption software for years.
“The SEC’s ruling highlights the growing complexity of third-party or supply-chain risk, as it often called,” says Mike Finlay, CEO at RiskBusiness. “Firms should never make assumptions about a third-party’s risk management capabilities or their understanding of the nature of materials you are handing over to them. This case also reinforces the message that firms should avoid siloed working. Risk management should be a company-wide concern and IT and cyber security teams should be fully engaged with the risk management function in order to provide essential specialist knowledge and expertise.”
Morgan Stanley is also facing a class-action lawsuit brought by consumers affected by the data breach. Plaintiff’s lawyers claim the bank dismissed its usual vendor, IBM, in favour of an “unknown and unqualified vendor”, which has been named in court documents as Triple Crown.


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A recent survey conducted by Quadrant Strategies between June 4 and June 24, 2021 found that despite their concerns about survival during the peak of the pandemic, U.S. restaurants are now confident they can keep their doors open and have high expectations for their future.
The survey, commissioned by Uber Eats and DoorDash, surveyed 300 restaurants across the U.S. It found only 2 in 10 restaurants are worried about survival, leaving 8 in 10 confident in their ability to survive beyond the pandemic. Three quarters of restaurants also reported doing well financially, and 90% expect to be doing
well in a year.
In fact, 85% of restaurants feel they’re in a better position now than they were before the pandemic hit.
This increased confidence and financial stability is due in part to three factors.
More outdoor dining options
New outdoor dining structures have had a major impact on revenue. Among those surveyed, 66% of restaurants that currently offer in-person dining have built new outdoor structures during COVID, and 79% with outdoor dining structures report it as having a very or somewhat significant impact on increasing revenue.
Alcohol delivery has helped as well. Among those offering alcohol for delivery, more than 9 in 10 (95%) say alcohol delivery has increased their revenue.
Downtime to upgrade facilities and operations
Many restaurants used the downtime during the pandemic to make upgrades to their facilities, improve operations, and streamline menus.
One survey participant, an independently owned suburban restaurant in the south, had this to say: “During the pandemic and the closure that followed, our restaurant and bar was fully renovated with new equipment, decor, and kitchen fixtures. It is a drastic improvement.”
An independently owned urban restaurant in the northeast said, “During the little time off during the pandemic, we were able to fine-tune the restaurant and improve the menu, the layout, and our staff, so that when we started getting back to normal, everything was working much faster and smoother, and we have a better menu, which allows us to generate more profit.”
Restaurants do remain concerned about some issues, such as inflationary pressures,
employee shortages, and existing government regulations. More than 75% of restaurants said that increased cost of goods (43%) and worker shortages (35%) were among their top concerns.
Other areas of concern included:
- Employee wages/costs (24%)
- Rising minimum wage (23%)
- Debt developed during the pandemic (21%)
- Taxes (20%)
Surprisingly, the often cited issues of rent (13%), insurance costs (13%), and delivery app fees (17%) rounded out the bottom of the list.


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Waymo, better known as Google X’s self-driving project, is in talks to partner with Honda on developing fully self-driving cars, the companies announced on Wednesday.
If discussions progress, Honda will be the second automaker Waymo will have partnered with. In May, Waymo — which spun out into its own Alphabet subsidiary last week — struck up a deal with Fiat Chrysler to produce 100 self-driving minivans.
Previously, the self-driving project has had difficulty partnering with automakers as many of the car makers wanted to avoid relinquishing their brand to Google, according to sources. It’s not clear exactly how many vehicles Honda will commit to this partnership. At least initially, Honda will likely provide a limited number of vehicles to Waymo for the company to retrofit with its self-driving hardware and software suite.
Today, Waymo is testing its vehicles in four cities: Kirkland, Wash.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Mountain View, Calif.; and Austin, Texas. The company expects to eventually use cars outfitted with its self-driving technology to operate in ride-hail networks, according to Waymo CEO John Krafcik. “We’re looking forward to exploring opportunities to collaborate with Honda to advance fully self-driving technology and make our roads safer,” a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement.


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CII launches ‘Digital Saksham’ initiative with Mastercard and ni-msme
By Edil Corneille
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) announced a strategic MoU with global payments technology company Mastercard and National Institute for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (ni-msme), an organisation of the Ministry of MSME, Government of India (GOI), to launch the Digital Saksham Initiative, an expansive program designed to strengthen the competitiveness of MSMEs with the digital know-how and acceptance of it.
This collaboration aims to educate and train MSMEs, enabling them to integrate into the digital economy and access credit, expand their market access, diversify their customer base, digitize their financial operations and solidify their supply chain.
“…I am pleased to note that the project Digital Saksham by CII, Mastercard and ni-msme entails a scale of reaching out to more than 3 lakh MSMEs in 25 cities including rural and peri-urban clusters. This will help drive systemic transformation and further accelerate achievements towards meeting our goals and ensure financial inclusion,” added Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister for MSMEs and Road Transport and Highways of India, while speaking at the 17th Global SME Business Summit 2020 organized by CII in partnership with the Ministry of MSME, GOI.
“I congratulate the Digital Saksham project with Mastercard and Ni-msme, I’ll suggest the CII team to engage with MSMEs further on helping MSMEs become digital,” A K Sharma, Secretary, Ministry of MSME stated.
Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII mentioned, “We have an ambitious outreach target on creating awarness on digital financial literacy for 3 lakhs micro and small business who will attain the knowledge and access to personal finance strategies and digital financial instruments through this intervention which will spread across 25 cities in 7 states.”
Ari Sarker, Co-President, Asia Pacific, Mastercard said, “Small businesses play an enormous role in rebuilding local communities and supporting economic recovery. It is critical that we look for solutions that don’t just focus on how we can support SMEs, but also those that are designed to enable SMEs to support themselves. Towards this goal, Mastercard is delighted to partner with the Government of India via the National Institute for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (ni-msme) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to launch the Digital Saksham initiative. The program is an extension of Mastercard’s global and India commitment to empower, enable, and enhance small entrepreneurs making them more competitive.”
The implementation of the project is proposed from January 2021 and execution of training among the MSMEs from June 2021, confirmed Amita Sarkar, Deputy Director General, CII and Alison L. Eskesen, Vice President, Mastercard’s Center For Inclusive Growth.


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When the Switch’s full capabilities were shown off for the first time many rhythm game fans realized one franchise in particular would be perfectly suited to the Joy-Con controls – Taiko no Tatsujin, or Taiko Drum Master. Naturally, a game was quickly confirmed for the system, and it’ll be releasing in Japan next month. Thanks to the eShop’s relative ease when it comes to region free gaming, becoming a Drum Master is more attainable than ever.
While many of us were ready to just battle past the Japanese text, it sounds like we won’t have to for long. On August 9th, a few weeks after the Japanese launch, the game will be getting an English patch across Asia. While this is ostensibly for those in the region who have a grasp on the language, it’s a nice surprise for importers.
We’re sure to bring more Taiko Drum Master news in the months to come.


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Online business training platform launched for micro-businesses
- 6th September 2016
- Business & Economy
An online business training platform has been launched for micro-businesses after research showed that companies are failing basic online health checks as a result of a lack of training.
The study, which was commissioned by 123 Reg, revealed that whilst 70 per cent of micro-businesses believe that digital skills are critical to the success of their business, over 85 per cent of micro-businesses in the UK lack basic digital skills.
The research also showed the barriers to getting online, with time, money and a lack of confidence being found to be the biggest ones.
Over 38 per cent of micro-businesses and 55 per cent of one-man businesses do not have their own website. The study also found that 73 per cent of micro-businesses do not advertise online, whilst 42 per cent do not have any form of digital presence.
123 Reg is now aiming to tackle the digital skills shortage by offering an online business training platform that is tailored for micro-businesses to help them to learn key skills.
123 Reg Digital Director Nick Leech stated that “Micro-businesses are time-poor and resource light, juggling multiple hats on a daily basis”, and that lengthy digital guides that may work for larger businesses are not right for them.
Leech believes that “What micro-businesses need is a more direct steer on the one or two things they should implement to help their businesses grow and thrive.”
After months of uncertainty and political wrangling, a Brexit deal was finally announced on Christmas Eve 2020. The deal includes…
The first step to building or expanding a business is creating a concrete business development plan. Entrepreneurs will find plenty…
Every business operates with the goal of growth, but only a few manage to beat the competition at every curve.…


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Today, Gov. Bill Lee issued the first steps from the “Tennessee Pledge,” the state’s rollout of guidance and best practices for Tennessee businesses in 89 of the state’s 95 counties to keep employees and customers safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first industries to receive guidance through the plan include the restaurant and retail industries.
“Tennesseans pulled together to flatten the curve, and it is time for people to begin to get back to work and back to their businesses,” Lee said. “We are pursuing a careful, measured approach to reopening our economy that does not depend on heavy-handed mandates but instead provides practical tools for businesses of all sizes."...
...Lee announced Tennessee restaurants are able to reopen Monday at 50 percent occupancy. Additionally, Tennessee retailers are able to reopen on Wednesday at 50 percent occupancy. The state recommends that employees in both industries wear cloth face coverings and that business owners follow federal guidelines for hygiene and workplace sanitation standards related to the pandemic. The state is working with Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, and Sullivan on plans to reopen businesses in those counties.
“Like the rest of the country, Tennessee has taken an unprecedented economic hit with families and small businesses feeling the most pain,” Lee said. “We must stay vigilant as a state, continue to practice social distancing, and engage in best practices at our businesses so that we can stay open.”...
Executive Order 29 (PDF)
Gov. Lee Tennessee Pledge (PDF)


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State of the Arts
GreenHill’s annual Winter Show is more visible than ever
“There is the verbal, which separates people . . . and there is the visual, that is understood by everybody.” So says Israeli sculptor Yaacov Agam.
In other words, art unifies us. And during these challenging times, our collective need for unity . . . for beauty . . . and for meaning crescendos. What’s more, artists long to share what they’ve created to salve our weary souls.
“At a time of historic uncertainty, enhancing visibility and economic opportunities for the state’s creative community is more vital than ever,” says GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art’s Executive Director Barbara Richter, anticipating the museum’s 41st annual WINTER SHOW.
The public opening is on Sunday, December 6, from 1–6 p.m., bringing socially-distanced visitors together safely for an exhibition featuring 400 works by emerging and established artists from across the state, including over one dozen from the Gate City and our surrounding towns. Expect the whole, colorful gamut: paintings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, jewelry, wood and fiber works — all available for sale (and tax-free on opening day). Exhibit runs until Sunday, February 7, 2021.
In addition to extending the WINTER SHOW by three full weeks this year, a comprehensive digital catalog (accessible on December 1) now offers optimal viewing opportunities for those who prefer to shop online. Small-group and in-person collector evenings are also available.
GreenHill gallery is open Thursday through Saturday, from noon until 5 p.m. Extra holiday shopping days include Wednesdays, December 9, 16 and 23, same hours. And for those with a 9-to-5, extended hours on Thursday, December 17, will keep the doors open until 7 p.m.
Let’s come together, in the name of art.
WINTER SHOW is free and open to the public. Visit GreenHillNC.org for updates and details on safety protocols.
Art pictures above:
Lemonhead, 2019, ceramic
19 x 6 x 4 inches


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Warren Buffett is known as one of the world’s best investors, but he seems to have met his match in one of India’s most famous startups.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has completely exited from its position in Paytm in a large block deal. Berkshire Hathaway sold 1.56 crore Paytm shares — or 2.5% of its equity — worth nearly Rs. 1,370 crore at a share price of Rs. 877.29 in the stock markets today. Berkshire Hathaway, which had invested in Paytm in 2018, made an overall loss of Rs. 800 crore on its Paytm investment.
Paytm’s shares were trading down 5% in the stock markets today, before recovering somewhat to end the day trading at Rs. 895 per share, down 3% from their previous close. Paytm’s share is up 68 percent this year, which appears to have prompted Berkshire Hathaway to exit its investment. Paytm’s shares, though, are still trading nearly 60 percent below their IPO price.
Paytm had been Berkshire Hathaway’s first investment in India. As per media reports at the time, Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma had been able to get the investment through just “one meeting and three phone calls.” The investment had drawn praise for Paytm from the entire startup ecosystem, with investors and founders alike praising the milestone for Indian startups.
But the investment didn’t turn out as Berkshire Hathaway would’ve hoped. The company had invested in Paytm at a valuation of around $12 billion, and saw its valuation grow to $16 billion in the next few quarters. However, Paytm’s IPO flopped spectacularly, and became the worst-performing large IPO anywhere in the world. Over the next few quarters, Paytm saw its stock plummet to a 75 percent discount to its IPO price. As the stock price has recovered somewhat, Berkshire Hathaway appears to have decided to cut its losses and exited with Rs. 800 crore in the red.
This isn’t how the company usually expects its investments to turn out. Berkshire Hathaway is one of the world’s most storied investment firms, and has invested in companies including Coca Cola, Apple, and Mastercard. It’s also famous for its long investments, with Buffett famously saying that “our favourite holding period is forever”. But the company’s first tryst with Indian startups has resulted in a full exit in 5 years — and a Rs. 800 crore loss to boot.


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Microsoft showed a new demo today at a press conference in New York. The HoloLens, the company’s take on virtual reality — sort of — is an augmented reality device that lets you add virtual elements to your real-world environment. Today, the company announced that development kits will be available for $3,000 in the first quarter of 2016.
In addition to this piece of news, the company showcased a new product for HoloLens, codenamed Project Xray. It’s a mixed-reality game for the HoloLens. Previously, the company has shown how HoloLens can show holograms. It also showcased a holographic version of Minecraft at E3. This time, it’s all about live games.
In this game, you hold a stick in your hand and your HoloLens headset projects a gun around your hand. Then robots appear in your living room, breaking the walls. You can shoot at these robots, project a shield around you and more.
Overall, it was a neat demo. But I’m more excited about the development kits. I can’t wait to see how powerful this device actually is and what third-party developers are going to do with it. We still don’t know the specs of the HoloLens.
In particular, HoloLens is supposed to work fully untethered. There isn’t any wire, any phone in the headset or any connection to a PC. It’s a standalone device, making it much different from the Oculus Rift, which requires a PC, and the HTC Vive or Samsung headset, which require a smartphone.
Applications are now open to get an SDK next year.


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UK consumer price inflation rose at the fastest pace in more than a decade in November, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday.
Consumer price inflation rose to 5.1 percent in November from 4.2 percent in October. This was the biggest rate since September 2011, when inflation stood at 5.2 percent.
The rate was forecast to rise to 4.7 percent. The inflation rate stands well above the central bank’s target of 2 percent.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices grew 0.7 percent, following October’s 1.1 percent increase. Prices were forecast to climb 0.8 percent.
Core inflation that excludes energy, food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, advanced to 4 percent from 3.4 percent in October.
Another report from the ONS showed that factory gate inflation increased at the fastest pace since September 2008. Output price inflation climbed to 9.1 percent in November from 8.6 percent in the previous month.
On the month, the rate of output inflation was 0.9 percent, but down from 1.5 percent in October.
Further, data showed that input price inflation hit its highest rate since August 2008. Input price inflation rose to 14.3 percent from 13.7 percent in October. Month-on-month, input prices gained 1 percent versus 1.6 percent a month ago.


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On June 15, 2017, Universal Studios Japan announced that they would be opening a new section of the park called Universal Super Nintendo World. This new area will be based on the popular video game franchise Super Nintendo, and will feature attractions based on games such as Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Donkey Kong Country.
The new area will be built on the site of the park’s former Wet ‘n’ Wild water park, and is scheduled to open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It will be the first time that a Super Nintendo-themed attraction has been opened outside of Japan, and is expected to be a major draw for tourists visiting the park.
Universal Super Nintendo World is expected to cover an area of around 21,000 square meters, and will include a range of attractions and features such as a Mario Kart ride, a Donkey Kong-themed play area, and a replica of Bowser’s castle from the Super Mario series. There will also be retail outlets and restaurants based on characters and settings from the Super Nintendo games.
Universal Super Nintendo World is expected to cost around 55 billion yen (US$480 million) to build, and is part of a wider plan by Universal Studios Japan to attract 40 million visitors per year by 2020. The park currently attracts around 28 million visitors per year, making it the third most popular theme park in the world after Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park.
- 1 Is Super Nintendo World coming to Universal Studios Hollywood?
- 2 Is Universal Orlando getting a Nintendo world?
- 3 Is Super Nintendo World coming to Florida?
- 4 Is Super Nintendo World coming to California?
- 5 How much are tickets to Super Nintendo World?
- 6 Where is Super Nintendo World located?
- 7 Where are they building Super Nintendo World?
Is Super Nintendo World coming to Universal Studios Hollywood?
Since the opening of Universal Studios Hollywood in 1912, the park has undergone numerous expansions and changes. Most recently, in 2016, the park added the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which has been a massive success. Now, it looks like Universal is gearing up for another major addition, as rumors are swirling that Super Nintendo World is coming to the park.
According to the rumors, Super Nintendo World will be a massive, multi-level attraction that will include rides, restaurants, and shops themed after some of Nintendo’s most popular games, like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. The attraction is expected to cost $500 million to build, and it’s expected to open in 2020.
Universal has not yet confirmed that Super Nintendo World is coming to Hollywood, but the rumor is gaining traction, and it seems likely that something will be announced soon. If Super Nintendo World does come to Hollywood, it will be a major addition to the park and it is sure to be a hit with fans of Nintendo games.
Is Universal Orlando getting a Nintendo world?
In a surprise move, Universal Orlando has announced that it will be getting a Nintendo world in the near future. This new world will be based on the popular Nintendo video game franchise, and will include attractions based on games like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Pikmin.
Universal Orlando has not released many details about the new Nintendo world yet, but we do know that it will be opening in 2020. The world will be located in the Universal Studios Florida theme park, and will be the largest expansion in that park’s history.
Nintendo fans are sure to be excited about this new addition to Universal Orlando. The Mario franchise is one of the most popular video game series of all time, and The Legend of Zelda is a classic adventure series that has been around for decades. The new Nintendo world is sure to be a hit with both adults and children.
If you’re planning on visiting Universal Orlando in the near future, be sure to check out the new Nintendo world when it opens in 2020. This is sure to be one of the most popular attractions at the park, and you don’t want to miss it!
Is Super Nintendo World coming to Florida?
Is Super Nintendo World coming to Florida?
According to reports, it seems that the answer to that question is yes. Super Nintendo World, which is a themed area based on the popular Nintendo video game franchise, is set to open at the Universal Orlando Resort in 2020.
The new area will be part of the Universal Studios Florida theme park, and it will reportedly feature rides and attractions based on some of Nintendo’s most popular games, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong.
Universal Orlando Resort has not yet made an official announcement regarding Super Nintendo World, so there is still some uncertainty about the exact details. However, given that the project is already well underway, it seems likely that an announcement is imminent.
Super Nintendo World is already open in Japan, and it has been a major hit with both tourists and locals. The Orlando version is expected to be even bigger and better, and it is sure to be a major draw for tourists from all over the world.
So, is Super Nintendo World coming to Florida? The answer seems to be yes, and it is sure to be a major attraction for fans of Nintendo games and theme parks alike.
Is Super Nintendo World coming to California?
According to recent reports, it appears that Super Nintendo World may be coming to California. The popular Nintendo theme park is set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood, and while an exact opening date has yet to be announced, it’s expected to be sometime in 2020.
Super Nintendo World is a hugely popular attraction, and it’s no wonder that Universal is keen to bring it to California. The park is packed with all sorts of exciting features, from a Mario-themed ride to a real-life Donkey Kong course. There’s something for everyone at Super Nintendo World, and it’s sure to be a huge hit with California residents and tourists alike.
If you’re excited about Super Nintendo World coming to California, be sure to keep an eye on the official Universal Studios Hollywood website for updates. In the meantime, why not check out some of the other amazing theme parks that California has to offer? There’s something for everyone in this amazing state, so you’re sure to find the perfect attraction for you.
How much are tickets to Super Nintendo World?
Are you planning a trip to Japan and wondering how much tickets to Super Nintendo World will cost? You’re in luck, because we have all the information you need to know!
Super Nintendo World is a theme park based on the popular Super Nintendo video game console. It is set to open at the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka on July 21, 2020.
Tickets for the park will range in price from 4,980 yen (around $45 USD) for a single day ticket to 27,000 yen (around $245 USD) for a premium annual pass.
There are a few different ticket options available, and each one has different benefits. The basic single day ticket includes admission to the park, but does not include any rides or attractions. The ride pass ticket includes admission to the park and access to all the rides and attractions, while the premium pass includes all of that, as well as a few other perks such as express entry and a free locker.
Tickets are expected to sell out quickly, so make sure to book yours soon!
Where is Super Nintendo World located?
Where is Super Nintendo World located?
Super Nintendo World is located inside the Japan Studio of Universal Studios Japan. It features a number of attractions based on Nintendo games, including Mario Kart, Yoshi’s Island, and The Legend of Zelda.
The park opened on July 15, 2020, and is the first Nintendo-themed amusement park in the world.
Where are they building Super Nintendo World?
Nintendo has finally announced plans to build its first Super Nintendo World amusement park, and everyone wants to know where it will be. While the company has not yet released an official list of locations, there are a few spots that seem likely.
One of the most likely locations for Super Nintendo World is Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. This park is already home to a number of popular Nintendo attractions, including a Mario Kart ride and a haunted house based on The Legend of Zelda. In addition, Universal Studios Japan is scheduled to open a new Nintendo-themed area in 2020, just in time for the opening of Super Nintendo World.
Another likely location for the new amusement park is Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. This park is home to the popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction, and Nintendo has already announced that it will be working with Universal to create Super Nintendo World. It’s likely that the new park will be based on the popular Mario franchise, and will include rides, shops, and restaurants based on the games.
A third possible location for Super Nintendo World is Universal Studios Hollywood in California. This park is also home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction, and it’s likely that Nintendo will want to create a similar experience for Super Nintendo World.
While these are the three most likely locations for Super Nintendo World, Nintendo has not yet released any official information about the new amusement park. It’s possible that the company will announce additional locations in the future. So stay tuned for more information!


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On a mid-October Thursday morning, 27 Butler University MBA students direct all of their attention to Nick Carter, owner of Market Wagon—an Indianapolis-based online farmer’s market he created to connect local farmers and artisans with customers who want their products. The students are eager to learn about Carter’s scrappy startup, and for the next hour and change, they pepper him with questions.
They ask about space (Market Wagon plans to move to a bigger location by the end of the year), company management (he’s building the team; he’s a self-taught developer), where marketing money is spent (80 percent to Facebook, 19 percent Google ad words; 1 percent local blog advertising), who the typical customer is (a 34- to 54-year-old female with kids), and more.
The students are here for their Business Practicum class, a 2½-day, hands-on course designed to immerse them in the local food movement—one of the economic hubs that drives business development in Indianapolis—and put what they’ve been learning in the classroom to practical use.
They’ve been divided into teams of four or five, and each group has been assigned to one of the six businesses they’ll visit as part of what they jokingly call “a two-day fieldtrip.” Their assignment: recommend solutions for an issue each company faces.
For Market Wagon, the question is whether to become more like a conventional grocery store or move into others cities and replicate the niche the business now has in four Indiana locations (Indianapolis, Evansville, La Porte, Fort Wayne) and one that serves Dayton/Cincinnati, Ohio.
After the group has an opportunity to question Carter, the team will come up with recommendations and present them to the class on the final day of the course. The businesses also will receive a paper outlining the students’ suggestions. (For Market Wagon, the students recommended sticking with the niche market.)
“The class is a great way to apply some of the skills we’ve acquired through the curriculum so far at Butler and apply them to real-world business challenges,” says student Stephen Lindley, 27, whose full-time job is with the commercial real estate development firm Strategic Capital Partners. “You feel connected to the Indianapolis community and local businesses, and you get hands-on experience you don’t get in the classroom.”
“It’s definitely a different way of learning than I’m used to,” agrees classmate Bryden Basaran, 27, a software engineer for Midcontinent Independent System Operator, a not-for-profit organization that ensures delivery of electricity across all or parts of 15 U.S. states and one Canadian province. “I’ve always been the kind of person who’s like, ‘Give me the book, I’ll read it and learn it.’ That’s not something you can do for this course. I’ve had quite a lot of fun over the last two days.”
Adjunct Professor Mike Simmons developed the Business Practicum course a few years ago. His initial idea was to focus on a specific industry. The first year was sports. The second, craft beer. But in the third year, he found the right focus with local food, which gives the students a look at producers, distributors, retailers, and other means of pushing the product out to the public.
Food has been the focus ever since.
“They’re getting a macro and micro view,” Simmons says. “They can see an individual company but then they can also see how it all fits together.”
The fall version of the Business Practicum (it’s also offered in spring) started on the evening of October 10 with a panel discussion featuring representatives from the individual companies. The next day, the students boarded a bus that took them to Market Wagon, Public Greens (a farm-market-inspired urban cafeteria and microfarm that donates all profits and crops to feeding kids), and Fitness Farm (which offers event space; education and exercise programs on nutrition, fitness, and agriculture; a fully sustainable market garden for farm-to-table sales; and a seasonal on-site produce stand).
Friday, they did it again, with visits to Mad Farmers Collective (a group of three farmers growing on two urban farms in downtown Indianapolis), Oca (a beer-friendly sausage and sandwich counter), and Tulip Tree Creamery (a cheesery).
At Oca, Corrie Cook Quinn, who calls herself the Narration and Libation Manager,” tells them about the history of the business. That is, how Goose the Market, which opened in Indianapolis more than 10 years ago as a modern-day version of a neighborhood butcher shop, led to the Smoking Goose, which is now 7 years old and has smoked meats distributed in 46 states, which spun off Oca, an elevated version of pub food.
The issue Oca faces in its Carmel location is visibility amid all the construction going on around it. Quinn wanted to know how Oca can build its business there while also boosting the reputations of Oca and the Smoking Goose. (The students recommended improved signage, offering samples, educating consumers about the quality of the products, and other solutions.)
Tulip Tree Creamery was facing a more immediate quandary—whether to open a retail space inside the Bottleworks District, a redeveloped Coca-Cola bottling plant in downtown Indianapolis. Tulip Tree co-founders Fons Smits and Laura Davenport tell the students that they want to keep their operation as lean as possible, but they wonder if a retail space would help them expand their brand. (The team split on its recommendation and offered Tulip Tree some options to decrease its risks while boosting its sales.)
“There were some very well thought out answers,” Simmons says.
Ashley Butler, 31, who is a nurse, is also studying osteopathic medicine at Marian University in Indianapolis while working on her MBA. Butler says classes like Business Practicum are the reason she decided on Butler for her MBA.
“The hands-on experience and the people—the caliber of the individuals I thought I was going to be in class with—are what sold the program for me,” she says. “It wasn’t just a bunch of case learning, where you talk about and hypothesize over what this would look like. We’ve gotten to go out into the community, meet with business leaders, and network within the community.”
And that can be as useful for the businesses as it is for the students. Market Wagon’s Carter says the time he spent with the students “was well worth my hour.”
“Because I learn from them too,” he says. “The questions that they ask, I shoot back an answer to them, but it may be an answer I just thought of because I hadn’t even thought of that question before. So it’s really good to hear MBA students. What they’re asking me is always teaching me what I should be concerned about in my business.”


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Bugatti will build 30 Chiron Super Sport 300+ “long tails” at $3.9M each
Bugatti told the press quite a few things in recent years—that speed records weren’t a priority for them anymore, and that, unlike the Veyron’s run, we wouldn’t see a higher-performance Chiron later into production. Yet the handling-oriented Chiron Sport’s development began as early as former Bugatti President Wolfgang Dürheimer’s tenure, and since Stephan Winkelmann took the helm in 2018, we got three re-bodied Chiron variants, one of which packs a tuned W-16. What’s more, using that exact engine, Bugatti just pushed a modified Chiron derivative beyond the 300 mph barrier.
There was no way Bugatti wouldn’t turn this experiment into some cold, hard cash, and so, for the equivalent of $3.9M, 30 customers can now have a Chiron Super Sport 300+, a car which is rumored to be almost sold out as of this writing.
Unfortunately, despite possessing the modified “long-tail” body, the 1578-horsepower “Thor-spec” W-16, and the longer gearing of the record car, these 30 road-going models will come with the standard ride height, passenger seat, and the nanny software that won’t let you get to 300 miles per hour. Probably for the best, right? Well, there might be a workaround for you Chiron Super Sport 300+ superfans.
Top Gear reports that Bugatti may allow these cars to be ordered with a roll cage, after which the limiter can be removed and the gates of Ehra-Lessien are open. Volkswagen’s test track is the only safe place on the planet for such a top speed run—as long as you only go in one direction. The last group outside of the VW Group allowed to do a record run there was McLaren, with the F1 XP5 in 1998.
As standard (whatever standard means at this stratospheric performance altitude), all Super Sport 300+ Chirons will come with an exposed jet-black carbon body with double jet-orange stripes, just like on the record car. Each Super Sport 300+ also gets carbon-fiber windscreen wipers, a logo cast of silver and black enamel, and ultra-light magnesium wheels finished in “Nocturne,” just like the rest of the trim.
If jet black with orange isn’t your jam, for a little extra over $3.9M, Bugatti is willing to paint yours to whatever shade you desire. No word on the entree fee to Ehra-Lessien though. Let’s just hope it’s a no-cost option if you spec the cage…


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22 Feb 2022 Mellor Appoints Richard Matthews as Head of Sigma Sales
Richard Matthews has been appointed as Head of Sigma Sales at Mellor, part of the Woodall Nicholson Group.
With abundant experience, Matthews joins Mellor after a highly successful sales role with Alexander Dennis Ltd, which saw him deliver impressive year-on-year growth over the last decade. Key among his attributes is Matthews’ intimate knowledge of the bus fleet sector and its inherent customer requirements. His impressive recent CV also includes a previous General Sales Manager role with ADL and a senior Parts Directorship with Optare.
The new, all-electric, purpose-built Sigma line-up boasts six distinct models, ‘city’ and ‘rural’ specifications, and numerous width and passenger door configurations, representing arguably the largest range of low-floor Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) buses from any manufacturer in Europe.
Mellor continues its mandate to produce size and cost appropriate vehicles, with Sigma offering a no-compromise solution for bus operators with its model-specific choice of battery capacities.
The appointment comes at a landmark moment in the recent history of the Mellor brand as it looks to increase customer choice and develop a new model to the benefit of operators and customers alike.
“I’m extremely excited to be taking on this new challenge,” said Richard Matthews, “Sigma represents a refreshing new take on how bus operators deliver eMobility solutions for their communities. Sigma is designed and built as a dedicated EV – from the ground up – which means efficiencies, such as lightweight construction and the integration of best-in-class components from leading manufacturers, are built in.
Sigma is going to be a game changer,” he said, “and I’m very much looking forward to introducing the successful Mellor ethos that promotes lightweight, size and cost-appropriate buses as a value-added proposition on our journey to zero-carbon with new and existing customers.”


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Higher Love event set for Thursday
Illinois News Joint
MAY 28, 2023
High-Minded Events is set to host the 2023 Higher Love to kick off Pride Month Thursday, June 1. High-Minded Events owner and founder, Phil Cooper recently opened an official headquarters in Rogers Park and has been putting the final touches on the event. There will be no sales or re-selling of cannabis at this event.
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North Korea’s baby-faced supreme leader Kim Jong-un unveiled what is purported to be the Hermit Kingdom’s first domestically manufactured smartphone this weekend via a dispatch and several photographs from the state KCNA news agency.
The Arirang is a conventional-looking Android handset; details are scant but KCNA quoted Kim as praising workers “for developing an application program in Korean style which provides the best convenience to the users while strictly guaranteeing security.” After inspecting the phone’s touch screen “he said that a hand phone is convenient for its user when that part of the phone is sensitive,” and he “noted that these hand phones will be very convenient for their users as their camera function has high pixels.”
The website North Korea Tech reported that despite North Korea’s claims the Arirang is most likely made in China. North Korea’s technology sector is woefully underdeveloped compared to neighbors like China, Japan and South Korea, though it does have two million mobile subscribers through its lone mobile operator, Koryolink.
While no one aside from perhaps the NSA knows exactly what went on inside the May 11 factory where the Arirang handsets are “manufactured,” Quartz has made some educated guesses about Kim’s utterances, based on his frequent visits to inspect things.


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No, it’s not Black Friday, it’s not Cyber Monday—it’s even more made-up than that. It’s officially the start of Amazon Prime Day, July 11-12, and the deals have no doubt already infiltrated your social media feeds and email inboxes alike.
Yet while the biggest deals highlight things like apparel, electronics, and household decor items everyone wants but no one needs, what about your something much more pressing—that is, your groceries for the week? Prime Day isn’t just about the shiny new things you can buy. Amazon has extended the list of deals to the grocery aisle, and there are a number of ways to take advantage.
For in-store shoppers, Amazon Fresh is offering Prime members 25% off when they spend $50 or more. Prime Visa cardholders will also earn 6% cash back when using their card at Amazon Fresh locations (card members normally earn 5% the rest of the year).
Amazon Fresh is also offering Prime members up to $40 savings on grocery delivery, which is significant considering the chain recently upped its delivery fees. Prime members get $20 off an Amazon Fresh order of $100 or more on Prime Day. Members will also get $20 off their next $100+ order from August 1-31, but only if they redeem the first offer. Amazon Fresh online shoppers should use the code “FRESHSAVE20" at checkout to redeem the offer.
Amazon Go, the convenience store chain equipped with Just Walk Out technology (aka no checkout lanes), is also part of the Prime Day deals rollout.
Prime members who spend $10 at an Amazon Go store will earn $5 to spend on their next visit. The deal can only be redeemed once per account, and the payment method has to be either through the Amazon Shopping app, a linked credit card, or Amazon One at the gates. Amazon also notes that alcohol is excluded from the promotion and taxes do not apply when determining the $10 minimum.
Since Amazon owns Whole Foods Market, those patrons will also encounter Prime Day deals on July 11 and 12. Some of the grocery discounts include:
- 35% off ice cream and frozen desserts until July 18
- Two for $7 organic strawberries until July 18
- 25% off all hot dogs in the meat department until July 18
- $11.69 per pound on sustainable wild caught sockeye salmon until July 18
- If you have an Amazon Prime Visa card and use it to pay, you’ll earn 6% back on Prime Days instead of the typical 5%.
The Prime Day hoopla machine can feel a lot longer than two days, but at least anyone who takes advantage will have a lighter grocery bill because of it.


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China’s crackdown on crypto is increasing into the metaverse and nonfungible tokens (NFTs), an govt on the Individuals’s Financial institution of China (PBoC) just lately implied.
Talking at a nationwide monetary safety summit, Gou Wenjun, the director of the Anti-Cash Laundering (AML) unit on the PBoC, pointed to the dangers related to leaving the brand new tendencies of the crypto ecosystem like NFTs and metaverse unregulated. He claimed that, whereas individuals would use stated digital belongings for privateness and wealth appreciation, they’re additionally inclined for use for illicit functions like cash laundering and tax evasion.
The fast-paced innovation of the crypto world requires greater necessities when it comes to threat supervision and governance, stated the AML head, including that the remoted nature of crypto, NFT and metaverse-based objects from the true world can be utilized as a money-laundering device.
Suggesting an goal take a look at the evolution of digital belongings and the event of underlying applied sciences, Gou proposed to “make clear the division of supervisory tasks, enhance the transparency of digital belongings, and discover using supervisory sandboxes to check and choose the essence and nature of digital belongings.”
Because the second step, Gou stated China ought to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of digital asset transactions. Banks and cost providers that present fiat-to-crypto gateways ought to authenticate senders and receivers with actual names whereas bettering the power to determine suspicious transactions, he proposed.
The PBoC official recommended bettering the appliance of latest applied sciences and establishing a digital asset transaction traceability and scene monitoring system. Mentioned system would apply synthetic intelligence, machine studying and different applied sciences to label accounts that transact with probed addresses.
Lastly, Gou is open to bettering cooperation between monetary intelligence companies worldwide to type a world joint pressure to combat crypto-related crimes. “The Anti-Cash Laundering Heart will proceed to deepen info sharing and co-investigation cooperation with 60 abroad monetary intelligence companies,” he added.


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Wal-Mart goes out of its way to discourage trade unions at its outlets around the world, but in China, fifteen of Wal-Mart's 60 outlets are now home to unions.
Wal-Mart made commitments on August 9 that it would help China's union authority establish branches in all its stores across the country. This week Chinese media reported that the call for unions at Wal-Mart came from China's president Hu Jintao, himself.
The Beijing News reported that Hu wrote a letter to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and said, "Do a better job of building [Communist ] Party organizations and trade unions in foreign-invested enterprises."
Trade unions have since been set up in the cities of Shenzhen, Nanjing, Jinan, Fuzhou, Shenyang, Dalian and Nanchang.


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Google has updated its Play Books e-reader apps for iOS and Android to include support for EPUB and PDF files from outside the Play Store. The new feature has been enabled as part of Google's strategy to unite its cloud services, allowing users to either upload their ebooks via its website, or import them from their Google Drive storage. Google says that users will be able to store up to 1,000 files for free, as long as they are under 50MB.
Once uploaded, books will be available via the web, on Android smartphones and tablets, and the iPhone and iPad — page positions, bookmarks, and notes will be synced between each of those devices. With these features, Google's Book apps now have an edge over Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iBooks apps — which currently don't sync sideloaded titles between ebook libraries.


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Commercial real estate is showing the first signs of cooling in more than a year, disrupted by rising interest rates that are already causing some deals to collapse.
Property sales were $39.4 billion in April, which was down 16% compared with the same month a year ago, according to MSCI Real Assets. The decline followed 13 consecutive months of increases.
Property sales tanked sharply during the early months of the pandemic, when thousands of hotels temporarily closed and furloughed staff, nonessential retail stores closed, and offices emptied out in favor of remote work.
Photo: Harry Gillen/Unsplash


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JetBlue has released a new app for iPad and updated apps for iPhone, Apple Watch and Android devices as part of its strategy to improve passengers’ digital experience and simplify the travel process.
The new iPad app offers destination guides with content and imagery from each of JetBlue’s destinations, and it also includes popular features from the iPhone app, including the Best Fare Finder and Hot Deals features, plus staples such as booking functionality.
The new-look iOS and Android apps also offer customers more control. For instance, passengers can now use the apps to select and change seat assignments after check-in, upgrade to Even More Space seats, and use their smartphone’s camera to input credit card and passport information.
Meanwhile, the JetBlue app for Apple Watch now offers flight status and TrueBlue updates, without requiring the user to tap into the app.
Maryssa Miller, Director Digital Commerce, JetBlue, explained that the new-look apps will help bring the digital experience into line with the level of service that passengers expect from flight attendants. “Our enhanced suite of mobile apps brings customers useful features they need, which also frees up our crew members to focus on adding the personal touch that makes the JetBlue experience so special,” she added.


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SEX shop bosses will tomorrow visit premises which they hope will be ideal to house the biggest erotic store in Europe.
Simply Pleasure announced last year it wanted to build a supermarket-style store and a warehouse and distribution centre in Crewe.
Following a storm of protest in the Chronicle, company directors opted to concentrate their energies on opening a store in Blackburn instead.
But now, after launching that project, director David Winfield says he is as determined as ever to open a Crewe branch of the store, which claims to 'take the sleaze out of sex'.
Mr Winfield told the Chronicle: 'I will be viewing a site in Crewe on Thursday.
'We are always looking, it is just finding the right place which is taking time. We need quite a huge area. We have just opened a huge shop in Blackburn, we spent £350,000 on that and we would be looking to spend the same in Crewe.'
The licensed store would be one of the biggest of its kind worldwide and would also house a party-plan operation.
As well as stocking lingerie, sex toys and accessories, Simply Pleasure runs a service organising parties catering for gay men, lesbians, mixed heterosexual, fetish parties and ladies' nights.
Mr Winfield, who founded the store with his wife Suzanne, said the majority of customers are women, who appreciate the clean, well-lit stores, with a choice of retail sections.
The chain, which operates on a similar basis to the Ann Summers shops, already has stores in Rochdale and Oldham and opened a branch in Blackburn last month.
At 3,000 sq ft, the shop in Oldham is said to be one of the biggest sex shops in the world, second only to Hustlers on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
But the planned store in Crewe would be even bigger than the Oldham shop, making it the largest in Europe.
When the plans were announced last year it sparked a wave of protest from church leaders and worried parents.
But defiant Mr Winfield said: 'We always get the same arguments, but we rise above it. We have found objectors can get very aggressive when we have opened other stores.
'My wife has been physically assaulted twice. She was attacked recently when we opened the Blackburn store and we are prosecuting.'
The Rev Rob Wykes, of Crewe Christian Concern, believes Mr Winfield is seeking publicity for his chain of stores.
He said: 'He talks about creating jobs but in my opinion he will be taking away much more than he gives to Crewe.
'Great Britain has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe and treating sex as so easily accessible is setting the wrong example.'


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A magnificent stronger capacity to make employ of marijuana called “dabbing” – smoking concentrated THC, the chemical in marijuana that gets you excessive – is getting more popular amongst kids. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez joins TODAY to expose you what parents deserve to take cling of.
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German kitchen manufacturer Störmer AG has announced that as part of its long-term development strategy, NIU TECH GmbH is taking over a majority stake, in a move that it says lays the foundations for future growth. According to the company, 'Christoph Fughe and Michael Otto have successfully elevated Störmer into a vertically integrated group to meet the ongoing market challenges'. Based in Berlin, NIU Tech GmbH is part of a group structure that will 'expand the Störmer value chain from the real estate sector and enhance residential spaces with fully furnished concepts in the future'.
Over the last 18 months Christoph Fughe and his team have been developing the 'architect' concept, to offer clients a new innovative digital marketing design platform to transform the entire furniture specification process. This new brand – 'INTI' – will integrate digitalisation into all processes of the value chain. In the coming weeks and months, INTI will be further structured and additional acquisitions of the group are planned.
Christoph Fughe, who moved to the supervisory board of Störmer AG in March 2022, will remain a shareholder, but will now focus on the holding company INTI SE, based in Berlin, with a sole focus on sales operations at Störmer AG. Together with Thorben Wiedemann, co-CEO at INTI SE, Fughe will focus on the realisation and development of the operations of the new digital concept, as well as the marketing and sales of the group companies within INTI. Stefan Hofemeier continues to be responsible for the operations at Störmer AG in Rödinghausen with his team.
Christoph Fughe said: “Change is a must – if you have a goal – with these guidelines Störmer has been set up in recent years to become a new company that has defined its position in the market in terms of customer structure, licensed brand production and a modern ERP system”.
Bodie Kelay of Euromobel added: “We are delighted to hear the latest company announcement from Störmer AG, underlining its continued commitment to business growth and development of exciting new market opportunities. We look forward to sharing with our UK retailer network the latest innovations as they unfold in 2023."


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Walking in the Shopper’s Shoes: CPG Brands Learn a Harsh Reality
"Get past the numbers and really understand the hardships everyday consumers go through."This encouragement, delivered by Field Agent CEO Rick West at the 2019 P2PSummit, speaks to a growing reality: To win today, CPG brands must go “beyond the numbers” and understand the real challenges and priorities of everyday shoppers.
While it’s certainly great to know:
- The number of households that shop for severe food-allergies
- The number of shoppers who use grocery-pickup services
- The number of households that grill-out in the summer
It’s becoming increasingly essential to also understand:
- How households with severe food-allergies actually shop for “safe” foods in-store and online (see the video below)
- How the path-to-purchase for grocery-pickup compares with in-store shopping trips
- How outdoor-grillers prepare for cookouts at home
Such “deep” knowledge is, naturally, the basis for creating greater value for customers.
And, as usual, to the victor go the spoils. When CPG brands legitimately understand shopper struggles, they’re rewarded with stronger sales and customer-loyalty.
CPG Brands Learn a Harsh Reality
At this year’s P2PSummit, an annual gathering hosted by Path to Purchase Institute, CPG brands and other attendees received an up-close look at the hardships faced by a particular segment of the grocery-shopping public: Those who shop for individuals with severe food-allergies or highly restrictive diets.
Alongside Laura Nicklin, vice president of research, insights, and innovation at P2PI, West presented the results from a recent Field Agent study—including video interviews (see below)—examining how Americans shop for groceries in-store and online when their health, indeed, their wellbeing depends on avoiding certain ingredients.
As West explained, it’s crucial to go beyond basic facts and figures, e.g., the number of food-allergy sufferers or the specific foods they avoid, to become intimately familiar with their “everyday” shopping needs and challenges.
The videos below offer a brief glimpse into the harsh reality of grocery-shopping with severe food-allergies and dietary restrictions.
Yet, understanding the struggles of shoppers, whether food-allergy sufferers, grocery-pickup users, summertime grillers, or practically any other shopper segment, is hardly an academic exercise.
According to West, such knowledge impacts the bottom line.
To illustrate, of 2,100 shoppers studied by Field Agent who shop for someone with a severe food-allergy or dietary restriction, the vast majority, 86%, said unclear label information—i.e., not knowing exactly what they’re buying—causes them to forego buying specific products, every time, most times, or at least some times when grocery-shopping.
Thus, in the case of shoppers with severe food-allergies/dietary restrictions, failure to understand what these shoppers are looking for on packages, labels, and product-detail pages has a heavy cost: lost retail sales.
But how exactly is such a deep understanding of customers obtained? How do companies go "beyond the numbers"?
Mobile Research: Walk in the Shopper’s Shoes
When it comes to deep knowledge about shoppers and customers, when it comes to walking in the shopper’s shoes, not all research methods are created equal.
How does a company actually go inside a customer’s experience, as they’re shopping for products in-store/online, or even as they’re using products at home?
As demonstrated in the video above, mobile research methods make it possible to be with shoppers at, as West called it, the “moment of influence." That is, at the very moment when shoppers are able and willing to reveal deep insights into what it’s like to be in their shoes.
And it makes sense, many of today’s shoppers are rarely more than a few feet from their smartphones. As West explained, “Mobile Research is able to capture data at the moment of influence, eliminating recall and providing more robust insights.”
Download the free resource below to learn more about Mobile Research and how it helps companies go “beyond the numbers” to meet customers where they are.


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Startup company dexFreight says it has completed its first blockchain-based shipment using smart contracts. The dexFreight platform allowed the shipper and carrier to directly connect, negotiate rates, and schedule pickup and delivery. The 5,320-pound frozen food shipment was hauled from Preferred Freezer Services in Medley, Florida, to Manny’s Enterprises in Sunrise, Florida, on Oct. 15.
For this first truckload shipment, dexFreight partnered with seafood wholesaler Netuno USA, motor carrier Arel Trucking, and RSK, a smart contract platform secured by Bitcoin. Funds for the transaction were held in escrow by the smart contract on the RSK platform and were automatically released to the carrier upon delivery.
“This is a huge milestone towards an imminent transformation of the logistics industry through the adoption of blockchain technology,” said Rajat Rajbhandari CEO and co-founder of dexFreight. “Our platform aims for a truly decentralized model, open to all the stakeholders, and allowing for a new world of services that will bring much needed optimization and liquidity to this industry.”
RSK CEO Diego Gutierrez explained that using smart contracts, companies like dexFreight can transfer value and assets between parties on the RSK platform. “With a defined set of rules, in this case for logistics, all participants know that their business needs will be fulfilled without anyone altering their agreement or changing the rules.”
DexFreight uses a blockchain-based verified identity and objective reputation system derived from smart contract data and key performance indicators such as on-time pickup and delivery, on-time payments, loading and unloading times, freight claims, etc. With this data readily available, shippers and third parties can streamline the carrier onboarding process while reducing associated liability risk. The companies involved can be automatically qualified based on unique business requirements, using their profiles in the platform, including documentation such as licensing, insurance, safety and performance records, and credit history. If those qualifications drop below designated thresholds, the system can issue alerts or even prevent transactions.
“With dexFreight, we have transparency into loads we’re shipping all over the U.S. based on honest and accurate information that is beneficial for our operation and our customers,” said Luciano Bonaldo, president and co-founder of Netuno USA Inc.
Arel Trucking CFO Robert Julia said dexFreight “solves the issue of false documentation by making our transactions with shippers completely transparent, and so we can get paid for the service we provided. This technology is the way of the future for the whole trucking industry.”
DexFreight’s co-founders have been in logistics industry for over 20 years as brokers, freight forwarders, carriers, and shippers. Rajat Rajbhandari and Hector Hernandez started the company after meeting at a blockchain conference.
According to a post by Rajbhandari on Medium, the two believe the industry is “ripe for disintermediation” – in other words, connecting shippers and carriers directly.
When the two brainstormed what problems blockchain technology could address the most, with the help of other technologies such as the Internet of Things] and artificial intelligence, they came up with the following:
- Over-reliance on brokers.
- Shippers don’t know the end-provider of their service.
- Slow payments to carriers. Days to pay carriers can range from next day to over 90 days, with the average 37 days, according to dexFreight.
- Lack of data integrity, which creates problems when settling claims and payments.
- Shippers and carriers can’t monetize data, while third-party applications often do monetize the aggregated data.
- Closed logistics software from vendors that give no incentives for third parties to build applications on top for the benefit of users.
“We are under NO illusion that blockchain will do its magic and solve above mentioned problems so easily,” Rajbhandari writes. “Despite all the news articles you’ve been hearing about logistics being a low-hanging fruit for disruption due to blockchain, problems and challenges in the industry are non-trivial.”
However, he said, this is a start.


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Meta and Xiaomi Look to the Future of AR Glasses In This Week’s Tech Roundup
It was yet another busy week in the tech universe with new products, announcements and interviews courtesy of the Hypebeast team.
Kicking things off, the Hypebeast team sat down with Alex Klein, co-founder of Kano Computing and co-creator of the Stem Player, to dive into what it’s like building a company from the ground up and the fascinating projects he has had a hand in bringing to life.
Klein also weighed in on the fallout with Ye, outlining the difficulty of the situation – relating it to a breakup. In addition, he discussed the Kano office, the magic of Kano’s STEM products, his vision of the company’s future and more.
Louis Vuitton Introduced Illuminating Third-Gen Horizon Earphones
Following up on releases in 2019 and 2020, Louis Vuitton has announced the launch of its third generation of Horizon Earphones. The attention-grabbing accessories arrive with an undeniably LV look – from the packaging to the audio quality and earphones themselves.
The headphones boast a lightweight aluminum frame construction and are outfitted with a layer of polished sapphire that graces the brand’s monogram. Landing in five color options, each pair comes with a sleek charging case. Developed in collaboration with Master & Dynamic, key features include active noise cancellation, a noise filter-equipped microphone and Bluetooth Multipoint. Available now, pairs can be purchased at a price of $1,660 USD.
Xiaomi Unveiled Its New Wireless AR Glasses
For years, wearable augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology has been anticipated as the future. Whether it be full-on headsets taking one to another dimension or a heads-up display for maneuvering through reality, the potential is endless. As companies continue to dive deeper into its potential, Xiaomi has revealed its Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition.
Still existing as solely a prototype, a retina-level near-eye display offers a mesmerizing experience when worn. It can switch between “Immersed Mode” for VR and a “Transparent Mode” for AR while its specifications include a magnesium-lithium alloy structure with carbon fiber parts and a silicon-oxygen anode battery that weighs a minimum of 126g (4.4 oz).
Neuralink’s Request To Begin Human Trials of Its Brain Implant Was Reportedly Denied by the FDA
Pavlo Gonchar/Sopa Images/Lightrocket/Getty Images
Elon Musk and his team of scientists and engineers have been working away on a brain-computer interface (BCI) as the company Neuralink since July of 2016. Designed to “develop ultra high bandwidth BCIs to connect humans and computers,” the technological developments have been met with much concern over safety.
Despite making pushes to secure FDA approval swiftly, Musk has been once again denied the opportunity to perform human trials of Neuralink’s brain implant. It has been reported that the FDA has a long list of worries regarding the trial, including concerns regarding the possibility of such a device moving throughout the brain and potential failure of its lithium battery.
Meta Will Reportedly Launch First Fully-Fledged AR Glasses in 2027
A big week for wearables, news of Meta’s AR glasses launch surfaced – pointing towards a release date of 2027. A roadmap presentation took place at the end of February in which Meta shared internally what advancements its Reality Lab is pursuing in both AR and VR technology.
Far from arriving, other AR glasses are slated to hit the market before this pair. However, Mark Zuckerberg believes that this advancement will be Meta’s “iPhone moment.” Employees are expected to be able to test the device in 2024.
Source: Read Full Article


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The latest products from the world of IoT
February 2, 2024
From AWS’ work with Saic Motors to provide a connected, personalized vehicle platform to Flexxbotics’ expanded robotics platform, here are some of the latest products from the IoT industry.
Saic Motor, China’s largest automaker, has named AWS as its preferred cloud provider for its i-SMART connected vehicle platform.
By running on AWS, the i-SMART connected vehicle platform allows drivers to monitor, interact with and upgrade in-vehicle features using their mobile phone.
The automaker uses Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), an object storage service to store massive amounts of vehicle data, and Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), to extract additional value from vehicle data and “enhance the driving experience.”
For example, this data is used to support personalized, remote features, such as remote door lock and unlock, as well as cabin preheating or cooling before drivers return to their vehicles.
“AWS has deep experience in driving innovation in the automotive industry, with years of expertise in developing connected vehicles and data analysis platforms,” said Jie Xu, Saic Motor’s CTO. “AWS's global infrastructure, extensive cloud services, and industry-leading safety and compliance practices helped Saic Motor launch the i-SMART connected vehicle system in countries around the world.”
Flexxbotics has announced its robotics platform is now compatible with the full range of Nakamura-Tome machinery and equipment.
Flexxbotics’ FlexxCORE technology enables robots to securely connect and communicate with Nakamura-Tome machinery in the smart factory to provide more powerful, flexible and open robot connectivity than previously possible.
“We understand that the robots need to work seamlessly with the latest, new generation CNC machines, as well as existing machines that manufacturers have in place,” said Tyler Modelski, Flexxbotics’ CTO. “What we are doing with the Flexxbotics solution is delivering compatibility with over 1,000 different models of CNC machines and with the ability to add new machines and models rapidly.”
Flexxbotics’ SaaS/hybrid architecture also runs both online and offline so production continues with or without internet access, and Flexxbotics works with existing business systems such as CAD/CAM, SCADA/HMI, IIoT, MES, ERP, PLM and others for complete synchronization.
Orbbec, a 3D vision systems developer, has released the Persee N1, an all-in-one stereo-vision 3D camera and purpose-built computer leveraging NVIDIA’s Jetson platform.
Orbbec said its new kit delivers “highly accurate and reliable data” for in-door/semi-outdoor operation, with particular applications in health tech, dimensioning, interactive gaming, retail and robotics.
“The self-contained Persee N1 camera-computer makes it easy for computer vision developers to experiment with 3D vision,” said Amit Banerjee, Orbbec’s head of platform and partnerships. “This combination of our Gemini 2 RGB-D camera and the NVIDIA Jetson platform for edge AI and robotics allows AI development while at the same time enabling large-scale cloud-based commercial deployments.”
Globalstar has added a new low-cost tracking device, the GSatSolar, to its portfolio of IIoT asset tracking solutions.
Created in collaboration with Global Satellite Engineering (GSE), the small, rugged, low-cost tracking device helps customers maximize the value of their tracking software tools by increasing the number of trackable assets in near-real time.
Globalstar said the satellite-powered device is ideal for remote IoT operations, providing more reliable usable data in the field and allowing for true remote IoT autonomous data collection.
“GSatSolar is a low-cost option to monitor assets remotely on the Globalstar LEO network and delivers a plethora of verified IoT data across IoT applications,” said Jake Rembert, vice president of sales at Globalstar. “The GSatSolar is a versatile solution that expands our satellite tracking capabilities. As with all our IoT asset tracking solutions, it features low power, long life and is equipped to perform.”
Data collection capabilities include location, accelerometer, and Bluetooth sensor options, with the option of having data forwarded either to Globalstar’s SPOT My Globalstar data management and mapping platform — with features such as live and historical tracking on demand, alerts, geofences and shared views—or directly to a VAR’s back office or customer endpoint.
Heliot Europe has partnered with B4T to provide its Jellyfish smart water meters with Sigfox-0G network connectivity.
The Jellyfish range was designed to allow utilities and consumers to track and manage water consumption.
Under the partnership, Heliot will provide Sigfox’s low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technology, which overcomes underground connectivity challenges posed by traditional 4G, 5G and WiFi connectivity options.
“Our sensors can collect water usage in real-time,” said Alex Barter, B4T’s managing director. “Data can then be transmitted and transformed using machine learning to provide unprecedented insights – all of which can be used to support leak detection and prevention, and offer predictive maintenance, among other things.”
“B4T’s Jellyfish smart water meter provides a prime example of how IoT, powered by Sigfox connectivity, is able to transform an industry,” said Gareth Mitchell, Heliot Europe’s UK partner manager. “The U.K. has over 260,000 miles of water mains – many ancient – and so we continue to look forward to working together with B4T as they scale their operations and provide their technology to water companies and consumers.”
Credit: Heliot Europe
Thinaer, a manufacturing digital twin developer, has launched its IIoT asset tracking and digital twin SaaS solution, designed to fill manufacturing data blind spots and deliver IIoT-centric digital transformation for both commercial and classified areas.
“Through a strategically designed sensor, infrastructure and cloud agnostic platform, Thinaer tracks the previously untrackable,” according to a company statement. “By filling digital blind spots, Thinaer enables commercial and classified area manufacturers with continuous and contextualized visibility of their operations, providing a complete data picture to drive strategic decisions and build next-generation AI datasets.”
Thinaer uses IIoT asset tracking and digital twin to address a major pain point in manufacturing by providing solutions for real-time asset location tracking, environmental condition monitoring, and machine usage and utilization.
The platform integrates with nearly any off-the-shelf sensor, can leverage network access points as infrastructure, and hosts multiple cloud options, providing organizations with the flexibility needed to deploy solutions that fit their specific needs.
Reelables has launched its new 5G Smart Labels, which it says is the only printable 5G label solution in the world.
The design was developed for logistics providers, cargo forwarders and retailers to track shipments as they move through the supply chain.
In what Reelables said is an industry first, the label itself functions as the tracking device connected to a cellular network.
“Reelables has achieved the ability to mass manufacture the smart label so thin and flexible that it can be printed in volume from off-the-shelf barcode printers, finally allowing precise piece level tracking of billions of shipments,” according to the company.
Reelables labels automatically collect location data from the cellular network data and generate inventory counts, providing a complete warehouse audit roughly every minute.
“This is a major breakthrough when it comes to supply chain visibility and automation,” said Brian Krejcarek, Reelables’ CEO. “Achieving mass production and pervasive deployment of these thin film wireless smart labels will change how businesses track items, reduce theft and loss, and demonstrate accountability to their customers.”
Assistant Editor, IoT World Today
Scarlett Evans is the assistant editor for IoT World Today, with a particular focus on robotics and smart city technologies. Scarlett has previous experience in minerals and resources with Mine Australia, Mine Technology and Power Technology. She joined Informa in April 2022.
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Four ways technology can help food and beverage start-ups stand out from the crowd
Michael Barsties told industry leaders and entrepreneurs gathered at the Gulfood Startup Activation Programme that there are four main ways to make use of technology in enabling start-up success.
OLIO is one of the most rapidly-growing F&B start-ups in the industry today. It is essentially a food-sharing app with a sustainability vision that works by connecting users both at a household and business level to enable surplus food and other items to be shared instead of thrown away.
Barsties said that: “OLIO piloted in July 2015, launched in January 2016 in the United Kingdom, and went global by October 2016. Now, we have over one million downloads […] and a presence in over 42 countries.”
“[This proves that technology really does work as an important enabler], and I want to give four examples of how technology helps us in what we are doing.”
1) The power of the many
One of the main ways that technology can play a crucial role in growing a start-up is by leveraging on its ability to reach many, many individuals whether these be participants, investors, volunteers or the like.
“At OLIO, [we see how technology can] plant a seed into people’s heads so they realise what they can do to help the environment. For example, in our ambassador programme, when people were interested but did not yet have a network in which to share food, we provided interested parties with tools to grow the audience and network required,” said Barsties.
This would be a marketing kit of sorts, teaching them to spread the word online and offline, so here things like social media would definitely play a very big part.
2) Finding your market
Citing AirBnB and Uber as examples, Barsties also said that for start-ups, finding one’s market is important, but ‘most of the time it is already there and you just have to find it’.
He described how both now-world-renowned start-ups started as just ideas at conferences (AirBnB at the IDSA World Congress at San Francisco in 2007, and Uber at the LeWeb conference at Paris in 2008), but both successfully made use of an existing market and existing users.
“The market was already there, but they just took a share of the existing hospitality and hotel/services market,” he said.
“Keep that in mind when you’re building your product.”
3) Finding inefficiency in existing solutions
Technology also plays an important role in optimising solutions and understanding niches, so start-ups can best understand the gaps they are best-positioned to fill.
“Don’t be put off by the competition. What you should do is try to find the inefficiency that exists in current solutions [offered by these competitors], and address that,” advised Barsties.
Using OLIO as an example, he explained that they pulled market share from main competitors Nextdoor and Facebook Groups by both going hyperlocal in terms of connections (neighbour-neighbour interactions) and providing a specific function: food-sharing to prevent food waste.
4) Technology to gather early, quick feedback
“[I cannot emphasise enough how important it is] to gather feedback early on and quickly,” said Barsties.
Citing the build-measure-learn feedback loop, which is a core component of Lean Startup methodology, he advised start-ups to start small, to measure response, and to pay keen attention to initial feedback, especially from the first 100 customers.
“It is so important to listen to these first 100 customers [because] these are the most interested, most keen to be early adopters, and are the experts who can tell you what you’re doing well and not so well, so listen to what they have to say.”


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All-Natural Beauty Startups Are Thriving Around Boston
After Fiona Barrett was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, she threw out all of her cosmetics.
Barrett, a health coach and Swampscott resident, had started reading Stacy Malkan’s book Not Just a Pretty Face after her diagnosis, through which she learned just how many chemicals are in makeup. “I threw away all my cosmetics and went completely natural, but I really missed my lipstick,” she remembers.
With few natural lip color options on the market, Barrett decided to make her own, and Super Natural Lipstick was born. Today, the company makes a full line of lipsticks, for sale online, that are free of hydrogenated oils, parabens—which have been linked to breast cancer—and toxic pigments, deriving colors instead from beets, red cabbage, and eco-certified shimmers.
“There’s a huge trend toward getting away from toxic lifestyles, toxic foods, toxic products, and it’s definitely a raised awareness toward that,” Barrett says. “People are very much more aware and conscientious of what they’re put on and putting into their body.”
Barrett and her customers are part of a growing trend in the beauty industry, one moving toward green, all-natural products and away from harsh chemicals. Aside from Super Natural Lipstick, the Boston area alone is home to 365 Lacquer and Delush Polish, two all-natural, vegan nail polish companies selling their products online.
Both 365 Lacquer and Delush make nail colors free of five chemicals known to be potentially dangerous to human health: dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, and camphor. They’re also vegan—and yes, most nail polishes do contain some animal products, says 365 Lacquer founder Megan Gutman.
Many nail polishes contain pigments carmine and guanine—made from beetle shells and fish scales, respectively—and many nail hardeners are derived from gelatin, Gutman explains. “We choose to use pigments that are not sourced from animals, like oxide and other minerals like mica,” she says.
And though the companies are focusing on health and eco-friendliness, they’re not sacrificing fashion and beauty. “By fusing our passion for color, fashion, and pop culture inspiration, we design shades that transcend the boundaries of traditional nail polish and bring the notion of nail art in a bottle to your fingertips,” says Delush founder Adriana Gonzalez.
It’s a combination that customers are embracing. Gutman, like Barrett, says she’s noticed a cross-industry movement lately, one in which consumers are looking for alternatives to the highly processed, chemical-laden products that dominate the market.
“People are just starting to learn that what they’re using around them can have an effect on their health,” Gutman says. “You can look in all industries and see that people are moving to greener products.”


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To further slow the transmission of COVID19, all Americans got advised to use face coverings to protect their mouth and nose since these are the places where you can get infected with the COVID19 the most. Cloth face masks may be incomparable to an N95 respirator (which blocks 95% of airborne particulates), or to a surgical mask (blocks pathogens), but still, it can certainly protect you and help slow the COVID19, as per the CDC.
COVID19 is transmissible through respiratory contact. An infected man may unknowingly sneeze or cough in a public area, and someone healthy may unintentionally catch it.
Cloth face masks are essential for public safety amidst the COVID19 pandemic. But why? What is it’s importance? What are its uses? Is using a cloth face mask practically sound?
Cloth Face Masks Are More Important Than We Think it Is
Cloth face masks serve as the public’s PPE or Personal Protective Equipment. Since surgical masks and N95 respirators got shelved for the brave and heroic front liners, we expect everyone to do our part and comply with safety protocols like social distancing, personal hygiene, hand disinfection, and community lockdown, and most of all, respiratory health protection.
Wearing something is better than wearing nothing at all. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention highly encourages the use of a do-it-yourself cloth face mask, with steps and guidelines to do so online. And to think of it, wearing cloth face masks are more a solidarity issue. It means you’re sensitive enough to keep each and everyone safe from the virus, including yourself.
Uses of a Cloth Face Mask Against the Virus
Cloth face masks may not be as useful as its counterparts, but it’s a layer of protection we need to take. Cloth face masks can potentially block fluids from the body that gets projected through cough and sneeze. It also provides another wall of protection against germs and anything that may harm our immune system.
The Practical Reasons for Wearing Cloth Faces Masks
The CDC advised the public to make their cloth face mask: DIY-style. If you have durable cotton clothes that are not in use, you can use those to make cloth face masks. Aside from that, it’s easy to wash and disinfect. Just throw it in the washing machine after use, and voila! Problem solved! Apart from the fact that it is washable, it is also reusable.
DIY rave face masks may look useless at first glance, but it does serve some health security for those who wear it. It’s also a sign of solidarity!


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Nvidia's future Ampere Next (presumably Hopper) GPUs are slated to launch in 2022. Hopefully things will have settled down by them.
The Minimalistic PNY GeForce RTX 3060 12GB XLR8 Gaming Revel Epic-X RGB Single Fan Edition card does not have a modest name.
Galax's Galakuro GeForce RTX 3060 12GB comes in white and has a massive cooler, but there is a catch.
Qualcomm reportedly complained to regulators around the world about Nvidia’s proposed acquisition of Arm.
The Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC), an industry consortium that develops performance benchmarks for servers and data centers, says Nvidia misrepresented TPCx-BB benchmark results.
HWInfo64 adds GDDR6X temperature monitoring for Nvidia's RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 with latest version 6.42.
Colorful, other graphics cards makers install oversized coolers on performance-mainstream graphics cards.


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Just a reminder- the physical Borders stores are closing this week. The website is still functioning. (I hate seeing signs for the sale of store fixtures….sigh..)
September 9, 2011
July 29, 2011
This eloquent article offers facts about Borders’ history, but more importantly, expresses concerns about the availability of books and the influence of books in our environment. While I was not a big customer of Borders, I liked knowing it was nearby in case I wanted to browse or I needed something. Boston Globe reporter James Carroll writes:
“The fate of Borders tells that story. The tragedy now is that, with the failure of the big boxes, which previously caused the failure of so many corner stores, not only will cities be left without bookstores; so will the rural and suburban malls that had embraced them. This is a massive cultural impoverishment.”
Do you agree with him?
July 18, 2011
Borders revealed today that it was unable to arrange for a buyer to keep its doors open. Four hundred stores will be closed and 11,000 people will be left jobless. This was not the goal of the executives at the nation’s second largest bookstore chain. According to Publisher’s Weekly, sales will start this Friday!
July 3, 2011
By early August Borders should have the details worked out regarding its store closings and payments to creditors. The goal has been to complete talks and deals as early as possible and recoup losses for suppliers. The number of stores to close is still unknown.
June 15, 2011
The number of Borders stores slated for closure has dropped from 51 to 40 recently. This was the result of an inability to arrange the leases. (In the meanwhile, the public may benefit from the legal fallout!)
February 28, 2011
A sampling of independent bookstore owners in the US, Australia, and New Zealand shows mixed feelings about the collapse of the number two bookseller in the US. Some owners expressed sadness about any decrease in bookselling capacity, even that of a competitor. Others sounded determined to make adjustments and keep working hard.
February 18, 2011
Some Borders are advertising sales beginning Saturday, however, I called the ones on Lincoln Avenue and on Broadway and they have not been told to mark down anything. Check with your local store before heading out.
Another article describes the court approving a plan for the company to honor its loyalty plan and gift cards.
February 16, 2011
Borders’ failure to reach an agreement with creditors has resulted in the announcement that the chain will file for Chapter 11 and nationally 200 of its 642 stores are being closed. Unfortunately, the Evanston and the Chicago store on Lincoln Ave are included on the list. Keep an eye out for clearance sales which may begin this weekend. (This article explains which Illinois stores will remain open.)
February 11, 2011
A recent update on the status of Borders‘ finances reflects an uncertain future. Despite the massive loan obtained several days ago (and noted here) from GE, the chain may be headed toward bankruptcy. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
On the bright side I found an article about a small independent store in NY that is growing its business enough to expand physically. The owner, Suzanna Hermans, thinks that personal service plus the sense of community offered by Oblong Books will ensure her store’s longevity.
(Isn’t that what people say about libraries?)
January 28, 2011
Borders has received a reprieve from its financial woes. GE has arranged over a 1/2 billion dollar loan with many conditions attached in order for the chain to reorganize its debt. Stock shares immediately rose.