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Apple has plans to launch the new flagship iPhone this year. However, according to the report by the Wall Street Journal, the mass production of the new device will be delayed by one month. This deal in mass production is because of the ongoing global COVID-19 outbreak.
Wall Street Journal also reports that Apple is also reducing the number of iPhones by 20% which it plans to launch by the second half of this year. The report says that the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the demand for the new iPhones all across the globe.
It has also disrupted manufacturing across Asia (especially China) which is the heart of the supply chain for Apple devices. It is due to these reasons that Apple is now pushing back the production ramp-up of the new iPhone 12 this year.
Apple generally launches new iPhone models in September. A one month delay means that this year the unveiling of the new iPhone 21 will be in October. Apple has plans to launch new 5-G enabled iPhones. According to Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, there are plans to release two 6.1-inch iPhones, one 5.4-inch iPhone, and one 6.7-inch model later this year.


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All-time-high interest in electric vehicles might not translate into as many sales as automakers and regulators would like in the short and medium term, as supply chain snags are likely to prevent the industry from catching up with growing demand.
Automakers and governments have set ambitious targets for EV expansion. Legacy automakers have rolled out aggressive investment and product plans, while all-electric newcomers such as Rivian and Lucid Motors look to emulate the fast growth of Tesla. The Biden administration wants half of all new-vehicle sales to be zero emission by 2030, while other jurisdictions are more aggressive: California aims to be all-ZEV by 2035.
While EV prices remain even higher than the record-high prices consumers are paying for new gasoline-powered vehicles today, interest and demand significantly exceed supply. Ford stopped taking orders for its F-150 Lightning to avoid promising more than it can deliver; Tesla is advising shoppers they may have to wait a year or more to get their vehicles.

domain: news


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Atari has confirmed most of the details leaked in a video over the weekend concerning a console version of The Witcher.
It's actually subtitled Rise of the White Wolf though, and it's due out for PS3 and Xbox 360 in autumn 2009.
Speaking at an event today, where the publisher confirmed it would continue with several of its dormant properties, Atari said the original story is in place but the rest has been rebuilt from the ground up.
This includes a contextual combat system of the kind described by game designer Jakob Stilinsky in the leaked video. Check out our previous report for more detail.


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While the competition is organizing to create its own tool, such as Facebook or Discord, Clubhouse is preparing to launch its application for Android. Too late ?
It’s never too late. While Clubhouse has been talking about it for several months, the application is about to take a new step in its development. The tool that enables voice conferences is reportedly working on an Android version of its application. Until now, only owners of an iPhone could take advantage of it. The announcement was made on the firm’s blog.
“Android isn’t live yet, but we’ve started offering a beta to a handful of cool testers. If you hear someone telling you that they are using the official Android app, please welcome them! We look forward to welcoming more Android Clubhouse users in the coming weeks. “
We will therefore have to wait a little longer to take advantage of it. The global rollout has yet to be announced by the company. On the other hand, it seems that it is imminent.
Is it already too late?
Building on a dazzling success since its entry into service in March 2020, the application intends to establish itself in the sector over the long term. But to do this, it must open to all terminals, and quickly. Right now, access is restricted, even among iOS smartphone users. Each user must be invited by an already registered member. From then on, he receives several invitations that he can in turn share. These restrictions seem to largely taint the success of the application, which records a loss of 72% on its downloads in March 2021, according to a study by Sensor Tower. It must be said that the competition is tougher than ever, as many more popular applications are inspired by its model. Facebook, Discord or even more recently LinkedIn all work on a similar functionality and which should be accessible to all at the time of their respective releases. Hostilities will be launched this summer with Live Audio Rooms on Facebook. It remains to be seen from now on whether Clubhouse will succeed in establishing itself or whether its choice to reserve its tool for certain users at its launch will have nipped its success in the bud.


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Black Ops 2 Leaked, Up For Download On Torrent Sites
It seems Activision’s super-tight security still isn’t quite up to scratch, as the publisher today confirms Call of Duty: Black Ops has been leaked onto popular torrent sites ahead of the game’s launch.
Both Activision and developer Treyarch have a right to feel aggravated by the incident: a similar event occurred just prior to the launch of the original Black Ops in 2010, with a batch of retail versions of the game allegedly stolen from a pressing plant in Alabama. The aptly-named ‘Ungodly Leaker’ later published images of one such stolen copy, weeks before the game was officially released.
Activision’s latest statement follows up closely after a gameplay video of the leaked build was uploaded to YouTube, and has been quick to down-play the leak. “The video posted is from a development demo build, using developer tools meant for testing,” it said. “The retail build was never accessed or compromised.”
According to Now Gamer, the video showed off multiplayer gameplay from multiplayer map ‘Yemen’ and opened with a statement from Studio Head of Treyarch, Mark Lamia, bigging up the game’s new anti-cheat systems. That particular message was taken from an official promotional video. Oh the irony.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is released worldwide on the 13th November 2012.


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If you're the kind of person who likes to jump around in your living room while waving your arms and talking to your television, there's good news for you: It will now cost you $40 less to do so.
Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb announced Wednesday that the company is permanently dropping the price of Kinect — the Xbox 360 peripheral that lets you control video games and other media with the movements of your body and with voice commands.
Starting immediately, Kinect will cost $109.99. That's down from its previous price $149.99. (You'll still need an Xbox 360 console, sold separately except in bundles — which we assume will see a commensurate price drop.)
Microsoft launched Kinect in November 2010 and while the device has been derided by hardcore gamers, it has sold well and has taken off among gadget tinkerers of all stripes, who have used it to control robots, fly helicopters and help the blind.
Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.


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The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will build four new neighbourhood centres in Punggol, Hougang and Sembawang in five years to boost the supply of HDB shops.
It is also banning the assigning of its commercial and industrial tenancies to curb unhealthy speculation.
In a statement on Monday morning, HDB said it is building the neighbourhood centres and boosting the supply of shops to keep in step with the increased development of public housing.
The aim is to ensure that residents will have access to adequate facilities when they move into their new homes.
Besides shops, the four new neighbourhood centres will also include purpose-built public spaces to encourage community bonding.
HDB said it will announce details of the neighbourhood centres later.
Turning to tenancy of its commercial and industrial properties, HDB said it will disallow new tenants from 16 October 2013 to assign their tenancies.
That means that new tenants from 16 October will have to return the premises to HDB for re-tender if they wish to exit their businesses.
For existing tenancies, a three-year window period will be given to help the tenants make business adjustments.
From now till 15 October 2016, existing tenants can continue to assign their shops or industrial premises.
However, their assignees can no longer further assign the premises as they are considered new tenants.
To help shop tenants who wish to scale down their business operations, HDB will continue to allow shop tenants to sublet up to 50 per cent of their shop space. But only one sub-tenant is allowed.
So far, HDB has allowed its commercial and industrial tenants to assign their tenancies.
This policy was meant to facilitate the exit of marginal tenants and minimise disruption of services.
But in recent years, HDB said it has seen an upswing in average assignment fees and tendered rents.
Such increases would contribute to higher operating costs, which may be passed on to residents and consumers.
Assignment may also encourage unhealthy speculation.
HDB said its commercial and industrial properties are meant for tenants to operate businesses to serve the needs of HDB residents and consumers, and not to serve investments or speculative purposes.
To preserve the original intent, it is disallowing the assignment of commercial and industrial tenancies.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 14 Oct 2013


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For many Americans, online shopping was a godsend during the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdowns and closures limited — or even eliminated — the option of heading out to a physical store. Now that pandemic restrictions have eased, a significant portion of cons…….
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For A lot Of usa residents, on-line buying was a godsend By way of the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdowns and closures restricted — And even eradicated — The selection of heading out to a bodily retailer. Now that pandemic restrictions have eased, A great portion of consumers have pulled again on on-line buying this yr, Based mostly on A mannequin new survey from Attest, a shopper evaluation platform.
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The survey Of two,000 working-age consumers, carried out in June and launched on July 12, found that one-quarter Of yank consumers spent much less money on-line Inside the final six months than they did in comparable durations By way of the pandemic. One other 43% of these polled said they’ve spent The identical Sum Of money. About one-third have spent extra, probably As a Outcome of of rising prices tied to inflation.
The survey pointed to Definitely one of many first vital drops Inside the e-commerce progress launched on by the pandemic, Attest founder and CEO Jeremy King tprevious GOFinancial institutioningRates via e-mail.
“The Attest U.S. inflation sentiment tracker has persistently found that a half Of usa residents are slicing again on their general spending month on month, And a lot of are apprehensive about their monetary safety proper now,” he added.
The report revealed a mixed bag regarding on-line buying tendencies over The final six months Of two022. Amongst its findings:
- Spending ranges Shall be uneven: Half of respondents anticipate their spending To maintain The identical for The The rest of the yr. One-fifth assume The quantity they spend will decrease, whereas 30% assume It is going to enhance.
- Most consumers Might have much less buying for power: Even for the 50% of consumers who say their spending will maintain The identical, their lowered spending power due to inflation may imply they make fewer buys.
- Youthful consumers will spend extra: The Most very important enhance in spending Is predicted to be from consumers 25- to 44-yrs previous.
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When it Includes general on-line spending habits, the survey found that 65% of respondents spend $50 or extra on-line Every month. Of these, 30% spend Greater than $100. Lower than one-quarter (23%) spend between $26 and $50 Per thirty days on-line, whereas 12% spend $25 or much less. Almost half (47%) buy gadgets on-line at least as quickly as Every week.
“Our tracker knowledge reveals that 58.1% Of usa residents are feeling The outcomes of inflation to a extreme or very extreme diploma,” King said. “Advertditionally, …….


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Updated: 01 November 2022 18:47 STI
New Delhi [India]Nov. 1 (ANI/PNN): The RX 669 series is set to launch its NFTs for millennial gamers, backed by a first-of-its-kind mobile platform connected to a real-world metaverse.
While the game promises highly addictive AA FPS gameplay, the economy is fueled by real-world brand collaborations. RX 669 aims to cultivate a community of future web 3.0 technologists.
GM to the OG of Web 3.0!
In order to bring NFTs to the masses, the RX 669 is equipped with the following features
Addictive game to attract Web 2.0 users (zero tolerance for boring games)
Accelerate the release of NFTs by more accessible brands
Offer direct and indirect rewards for skill and participation to users
Deliver immersive new age ads for brands via the community
Integrate NFTs from other collections to ensure interoperability
Use free play, play and win, share and win templates to increase participation
Changing Web 3.0 Game Dimensions
In recent years, Web 3.0 enthusiasts have enthusiastically explored this space, but the industry has yet to come up with sustainable tokenomics and original products behind NFTs.
The RX Series doesn’t shy away from the usual Web 3.0 staking, breeding, and renting patterns, but also updates new metadata based on users’ progress on the chain to make its NFTs rarer.
The metaverse market is expected to skyrocket by 2030 to reach $5 trillion, according to a report by Mckinsey. In the second quarter of 2022, 491,000 addresses carried out NFT transactions and around 28.6 million wallets exchanged NFTs in 2021.
The main objective of the mobile game offer is to integrate smartphone users. The space reserved for in-game assets now represents a significant portion of the total value of the gaming industry, which according to a recent report is expected to reach $300 billion over the next 4 years.
Anand Kumar, Founder of RX Series, said that “NFTs should be supported by products that convey technology in accordance with hardware and software innovations happening around the world and have realistic roadmaps in addition to rewarding buyers” . It invites founders from other out-of-print NFT collections to collaborate and bring their characters into the RX Series game. Anand has been actively involved in future technologies combined with metaverse technologies for nearly a decade. One of its previous products is a virtual reality cricket game, which is now available in over 16 shopping malls.
To learn more about the product, visit https://www.rx669series.io/ Follow https://twitter.com/RX669series email: firstname.lastname@example.org
This story was provided by PNN. ANI shall in no way be responsible for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)


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Record Snowfall at Major FedEx Hub Caused Even More Shipping Delays in Another Setback for Shippers
FedEx is facing prolonged delays due to winter storms at its Memphis hub last month. The centrally positioned Memphis location is FedEx’s largest shipping hub, chosen in part due to the nearby Memphis International Airport rarely being closed due to winter weather.
But, “rare” does not mean “never,” and 10 inches of snow in back-to-back snowstorms made for the snowiest four-day period in Memphis since before FedEx was founded. According to Commercial Appeal, about 11,000 FedEx employees couldn’t get to work.
The company shifted some of the work to its Indianapolis hub, the second-largest after Memphis, but delays persisted.
“We continue to make good progress on recovering from the impacts of the winter storm,” FedEx said in a statement last week.
But, in the meantime, FedEx users have had to find workarounds to ensure their packages get delivered on time.
One customer told the Wall Street Journal that she drove 45 minutes to Atlanta’s airport and paid $136 to make sure a package would get to New Orleans in two days. But, even with all of that extra work and money, it took more than a week.
“We deeply regret the impact this has had on our customers,” a spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal. “And we are working with them to resolve any delivery issues.”
FedEx says its Memphis hub should be mostly back to normal operations, but it was yet another setback for shippers. Exploding e-commerce volume during the pandemic has led to record numbers of packages handled by FedEx and UPS, resulting in delays and longer transit times. The major shippers have also added or increased surcharges, making shipping more expensive.
And these are just a few of the ways the pandemic has stretched the global supply chain, with direct and immediate impacts for promo businesses. Record congestion at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has caused major backups, while slower ground shipping has meant that companies need to rely on more expensive air shipping to get orders to customers on time. FedEx Express
Distributors and suppliers can’t control the weather, nor can they magically make the effects of the pandemic go away overnight. But shipping delays and higher prices will likely continue to be an issue, making it an ongoing challenge to get products products to customers. That issue is exacerbated by once-in-a-generation weather events like the one in Memphis.
“We are advised to add an additional 14 days minimum into ocean supply chain forecasts,” Dan Taylor, president of BamBams, told Promo Marketing in our longform look at COVID's supply chain impacts. “Distributors need to be aware when planning for their larger import orders this year. It will likely be the end of 2021 for things to return to normal.”


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THE targeting of a Letterkenny business by online card fraudsters has prompted an appeal for traders to be vigilant.
The business was targeted by criminals using a fraudulent card and the orders were shipped to a Nottingham address in England under the name Jane Anders.
Details of the business have not been released or the amount involved.
However, it has led to a call for business owners to be careful.
Speaking to the Donegal News, Ms Toni Forrester, CEO of Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce said banks had confirmed Donegal online businesses were being targeted and traders needed to be extremely careful.
“The loss of stock is costly to businesses and they need to be vigilant,” she said.
“Scams like this are even more prevalent in the run up to Christmas and we’re appealing to business owners and their staff to be extra careful,” she said.


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The long-rumored merger between T-Mobile and Sprint has officially been called off, the companies announced in a joint statement Saturday. Despite the failed merger, the US telecom industry could still face a shake-up.
Sprint is doubling down on network investments in the wake of the failed merger.
Immediately following the announcement, Sprint’s parent company SoftBank said it would invest $5 billion-$6 billion annually to improve Sprint’s network over the next few years. That’s up from $3.5 billion-$4 billion the carrier had expected to spend this fiscal year.
Infrastructure investment is crucial for Sprint to become more competitive against the rest of the Big Four. Slow mobile networks and poor coverage are two of the carrier’s most significant shortcomings. For example, Sprint’s 4G network ranks last in terms of both availability and speed, according to the most recent measurements from OpenSignal.
Here’s why increased infrastructure investment could make Sprint a more competitive player in the US telecom market.
- Sprint has struggled because it hasn’t delivered on the mobile offerings that US subscribers find most important. In fact, the carrier currently has the least loyal subscribers of the Big Four telecoms. Ninety-three percent of Sprint’s subscribers said they’d switch carriers when presented with a range of competitive mobile offerings — that’s well above the share of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon subscribers who said the same, according to BI Intelligence’s exclusive Digital Telecom Consumer survey (available to enterprise-level subscribers).
- The most significant shortcoming Sprint has to fix to be more competitive is its poor network. The biggest reason Sprint subscribers would leave is for better coverage. Half said they’d switch carriers for better coverage where they live (see chart, above). Sprint’s mobile coverage was <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://e.businessinsider.com/click/11209766.763/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2hpc3RsZW91dC5jb20vQ2VsbFBob25lcy9HdWlkZXMvd2hvLWhhcy10aGUtYmVzdC1jb3ZlcmFnZQ/56378b5356cf60046a8b4ca0B5d5053c7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" Read More Here


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What started as a small family business in Syracuse about a decade and a half ago is today the largest decorated cookie company in America, but still operating in the Syracuse area.
The Decorated Cookie Company is found in many top retailers from Costco to Target and Barnes and Noble just to name a few.
It also sells direct to customers through its website, but it didn’t happen overnight.
Founder Tina Hess tells NewsChannel 9, “I had to send a gift to somebody who just had a baby and I said let me try to decorate some cookies. And I did and I sent them to her. They were terrible but she loved them and then I started sending them to other people as gifts. And they kept asking how can I get some.”
So Tina and her husband Peter bought a small bakery in Syracuse, fixed it up and Tina started making and selling her decorated cookies.
Peter Hess remembers when he realized they’d hit on something big.
“Tina and I spent the entire weekend basically trying to stock up on enough product so we could ship 300 cookie bouquets and on that Monday, Valentine’s Day being that Friday, we got 300 orders that morning and it just didn’t stop.”
Tina says what they realized early on is that their cookies are not just food, they’re gifts sent to celebrate an occasion or brighten someone’s day.
“We’ve always tried to work really hard but we love what we’re doing and we try to make it fun for everybody.” Says Tina Hess.
While the company still has artisans hand decorating many cookies similar to the early days they’ve now turned to technology too to keep up with the high demand.
Their client list includes the likes of Pro Flowers, Mrs. Fields, Harry and David, Target, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Costco, Hobby Lobby and Walgreens.
Tina Hess says, “Its really exciting, especially because usually I’m with my girls, I’ve got three little girls, and we’ll walk into a store and they’ll go ‘mommy there’s your cookies’. And that’s something I never thought 15 years ago would happen.”
With holidays and special occasions pretty much year round there’s never really a down time here which is why they’re cranking out about 25,000 to 30,000 decorated cookies every day.
Peter Hess says, “We’re coming off of a big Christmas holiday, you go right into Valentine’s Day and its sort of a weird month because you’re shipping Easter Cookies to the big retailers like a Barnes and Noble or Target but at the same time you’re starting to build up your inventory of Valentine’s Day cookies to ship directly to consumers.”
They are also meeting with big retailers already about fourth quarter holiday cookie designs from Halloween to Christmas, which they’ll start producing and shipping in July.
Peter Hess tells NewsChannel 9, “Our vision was always to be the largest decorated cookie company on the planet and we really wanted to do it here in our hometown.”
Right now, The Decorated Cookie Company has about 70 people working for them on two shifts.
They plan to hire another 10 to 15 by fall or winter of this year and also anticipate adding a second production line.


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A BATHROOMS supplier has defied the downturn to report increased sales as it prepares to settle into bigger new premises.
TC Bathrooms is close to completing a £14m move from Grange Moor to a 300,000sq ft warehouse and office complex at Bretton Business Park, Dewsbury.
The company, which has 120 staff at Dewsbury and five retail showrooms across the UK, said the move would improve efficiency and enable it to meet its commitment to next-day delivery.
Operations director Adrian Thomas said the 190,000sq ft of warehousing space provided more space for the company’s 37,500 product lines, which include baths, washbasins and taps made by other makers as well as its own products.
He said a better-designed racking system meant stock could be distributed more quickly to its showrooms and retailers in the UK, Ireland and Holland.
He added: “We were struggling for space at Grange Moor, which was effecting efficiency and supply.”
TC Bathrooms completed acquisition of the Dewsbury site last November and has been fitting out the premises to accommodate its warehouse workers, sales and accounts teams, marketing department and a display assembly area.
The company has embarked on the major move while achieving a 5% rise in turnover for 2008, despite a decline in contracts from the housebuilding sector as a result of the recession.
TC Bathrooms is one of seven companies to buy units at Bretton Business Park, together accounting for 340,000sq ft. Another 15,000sq ft unit is being leased to a sixth firm, leaving just a 15,000sq ft unit and a one-and-a- half-acre plot to develop.
Other occupants of the site include Kirklees Council, beds company Sleepmode, engineering firm A&J Fabtech, JP Distribution and Spafield Displays.
Joint agents GVA Frimley and Carter and Co Commercial said they were pleased with the progress of the scheme, which has provided purpose-built premises for local companies previously based in old mills.
But a spokesman for Carter and Co said: “Kirklees is still tight for industrial and commercial space. Despite the downturn there are still companies which need improved premises and also want to remain in the local area.”


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The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) has teamed up with Staples to bring branded apparel and accessories to www.gthlclubgear.com. Clubs who expressed interest in the initial test launch will have branded items added to the online store. I Play In the G branded apparel will also be made available.
Items featured on the online store can be delivered to any address, including the purchasers home. Orders will be delivered prior to the holiday season if ordered before November 12.
Clubs who wish to have branded gear added to the store can inquire at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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About $4.1 Billion of U.S. broadband provider capital spending in 2007 was driven specifically by consumer use of peer-to-peer networking, according to MultiMedia Intelligence. That capex burden was slightly down from the $4.2 billion spent in 2006 to support P2P applications.
In 2008, U.S. broadband operators incurred almost $700 million in operating expense as a result of peer-to-peer, or “P2P,” networking, MultiMedia Intelligence estimates.
P2P Internet traffic, despite having grown at a torrid pace for years, will grow nearly 400 percent over the next five years, the firm says, growing from a level of 1.6 petabytes of Internet traffic per month in 2007 to almost 8 petabytes per month by 2012.
One well-known P2P service, BitTorrent, got some virtual ink recently from TMC (News - Alert) Vice President and CTO Tom Keating, who wrote in his blog of an article at the Register that claims that a recent uTorrent decision to use UDP (News - Alert) for P2P file transfers (instead of TCP) to get around ISP “traffic management” restrictions will cause a meltdown of the Internet.
“Poppycock you say?” Keating writes. “It’s worth pointing out that traditionally P2P sharing apps such as Bittorrent, use TCP not UDP. So why would UDP cause VoIP apps to fail? Well for one huge reason, TCP allows for congestion control.”
P2P data currently represents 44 percent of all consumer traffic over the Internet and 33.6 percent in North America. Over 70 percent of that traffic consists of audio and video files, Multimedia Intelligence says.
TMC announces NGN – the new magazine for service providers building tomorrow's communications networks. Subscribe free today.
Gary Kim (News - Alert) is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Gary's articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Michael Dinan


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So many rumors about the next iPhone, still unofficially labelled as “4G”, have started spreading across the internet. Following Engadget’s report of what it looks like a prototype of the next iPhone - which someone apparently found in abar in San Jose - Dar ing Fireball’s John Gruber states that, after some calls, he believes that the iPhone Engadget pictures is indeed a prototype that Apple is “very interested in getting back”.
“I am not certain that this looks like the actual production unit Apple intends to ship to consumers. I think it’s a testbed frame — thicker, with visible (un-Apple-like) seams, meant to fit in 3GS cases so as to disguise units out in the wild. It’s hard to tell from the photos. But I think it is the real deal in terms of the internals and display being next-gen iPhone hardware, and the new glass back. Put another way: the front looks legit, the back looks legit, but the sides I’m not sure about. A front-facing camera and 960 × 640 display are two things I believe are slated for the next iPhone. (The “80 GB” of storage sounds like a mistake to me, but who knows? SSD storage typically comes only in even power-of-two increments.)”
While 80GB of storage sounds great to me, pay attention to what Gruber said between the lines: a new glass back. In an immediate follow up post he reports that Apple, back in 2006, patented the use of high durability ceramic materials (glass-like) as enclosures of electronic devices. Ceramic should have a glass-like appearance but sports more resistance to scratch, and it also should be radio transparent. Sounds very likely to me, as I firmly believe Apple is going to drop the current plastic back.
As for the internal specs of the new iPhone, 9to5Mac reports that Apple may include its own processor for the new model.
“iPhones have been using Samsung Electronics-produced APs that were partially designed by Apple engineers. But Apple has decided to use its own AP (Application Processor) starting for its 4G models,” a high-ranking industry executive told The Korea Times, Monday.”
I think this is a very likely option as well, considering what Apple did with the iPad, and also considering the great results of the A4 chip. Expect the rumors to grow even more in these next 30 days, before the start of the WWDC.


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AUVSI 2015: Software boost for CorvusEye could open new markets
Improvements to the CorvusEye 1500 wide-area airborne system would open up potential new markets in the commercial and civil sectors, according to Exelis officials attending the AUVSI conference in Atlanta.
Dwight Greenlee, regional director of Persistent Surveillance Geospatial Systems, said that an unnamed European customer had enquired about the system ...
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MOSCOW – Russian tech giant Yandex said on Tuesday that fragments of its program code had been leaked online, with a preliminary investigation revealing violations of some of its own internal policies.
“The company is taking this matter extremely seriously and has initiated a thorough investigation into the cause, content and implications of the leak,” Yandex’s Dutch holding company said in a statement.
It said it found no evidence that users’ personal information had been impacted but that the code contained the contact details of some of its partners.
“Many of these and other issues which came to light following the code leak have already been fixed or are in the process of being fixed,” it said.
Since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine last February, websites of many Russian companies and news websites have suffered sporadic hacking attempts.
A data leak in March exposed the personal details of more than 58,000 people on Yandex’s food delivery app, Yandex.Eda.


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Global Economy Becoming Immune to U.S. Downturns
Is the global economy becoming immune to U.S. economic downturns? According to some Wall Street economists, the world economy will no longer catch a cold when the U.S. economy sneezes.
The view of these economists has translated to dismal forecasts for U.S. growth compared to the global economy for 2011. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predicted that growth in the U.S. will fall from 2.6 percent to 1.8 percent, while worldwide growth will only slow by 0.2 percent, to 4.6 percent.
Three years after the bust, rising unemployment, a depressed housing market and declining orders placed in U.S. factories are underpinning the bleak outlook on the U.S. economy. Instead of the U.S. having just a sneezing fit, it has caught a full-blown cold that won’t go away.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world, dragged into its deepest recession in 70 years, is on a quicker path to recovery. The chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, Olivier Blanchard, predicted in September “positive but low growth in advanced countries,” with developing nations expanding at a “very high” rate.
While the global economy did follow America’s downturn, the stronger growth numbers show that it is becoming more resilient to the U.S. economy. This is in no small part due to the diminishing level of U.S. trade in the global economy.
“Direct transmission from a U.S. slowdown to other economies through exports is just not large enough to spread a U.S. demand problem globally,” Goldman Sachs economists Dominic Wilsonand Stacy Carlson wrote in a September 22 report titled “If the U.S. Sneezes ….”
This is causing many economists to see that the global economy is developing a stronger immunity to U.S. financial bugs.
The world’s global growth is being driven by the developing countries, nations such as China and India, which have seen their level of exports boom recently. Exports account for almost 20 percent of the gross domestic product of the so-called bric nations—Brazil, Russia, India and China—but sales to the U.S. comprise only 5 percent of their gdp, according to the report by Carlson and Wilson.
They predict that if U.S. growth slowed by 2 percent, these four developing nations would slow just 0.1 percent, with the rest of the developed world, such as Germany and Japan, being affected only in a limited way.
Some economists go even further. Ethan Harris, head of developed-markets economic research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said he believes global growth can offer a handkerchief to the U.S. as its economy continues to suffer.
It’s not just economists who feel this way either; investors are responding to this new reality as well. The United States has now fallen behind Brazil, China and India as the preferred place to invest, according to a Bloomberg survey.
The strength of the U.S. dollar is reflecting this sentiment as well. Last month, the dollar suffered its second-worst monthly performance in two decades.
With leading economic indicators down, it is expected that the Federal Reserve will administer another dose of its monetary medicine, which will most likely make the U.S. economy sicker by making the dollar’s value even more vulnerable.
While the falling currency may give a temporary boost to U.S. exports as they become cheaper, a worthless dollar will only lead to a greater problem for the U.S.: a world in which the dollar is no longer the reserve currency.
The loss of trust in the dollar will result in a global economy that no longer relies on the U.S. economy or dollar. This is a sickness from which the U.S economy would be unable to recover.
The data on world trade and the forecasts from the world’s leading economists show this is already under way. “The world has already become partially decoupled,”said Joseph Stiglitz, a professor at New York’s Columbia University, in a September 20 Bloomberg interview in Zurich.
Why is this a problem? Many investors and analysts see such a decoupling as a solution to future global economic crises as it would ensure U.S. weakness doesn’t spread as it did three years ago.
But what they don’t see is that this will leave the U.S. wide open to economic warfare by nations that want to see its downfall.
The Trumpet has forecast that the world economy will indeed decouple from the U.S. very soon and allow for the nation’s enemies to lay an economic siege that will completely cripple America.
Back in May 2006, we wrote that “[t]he groundwork of a punishing siege against Anglo-Americans is being laid.”
Four years later the groundwork has been laid and we are starting to see the very structure rising that will make the siege possible.
If the state of the U.S. economy is worrying you, take comfort in the fact that you can know exactly where this news is leading! Read the prophecy of this soon-coming siege for yourself in Deuteronomy 28:53.
In fact, the whole chapter of Deuteronomy 28 also explains why these events are happening and how you can act to prepare and protect yourself from the soon-coming siege. To learn more about protecting yourself from the economic sickness around, read our article “Storm-Proof Your Financial House.”


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What can “brown” do for you? The KMAC Museum situated in Louisville, Kentucky, brings the works of Pablo Picasso from the Mediterranean Sea to the Ohio River, thanks to “brown.”
Though the global shipping and logistics company, UPS doesn’t use their marketing slogan, “What can “brown” do for you?” they are still highly-recognizable because their employees still wear their signature brown uniforms. As a matter of fact, they are in charge of the KMAC Museum’s exhibit called “Picasso: From Antibes to Louisville” that is showing until March 22. Check the art gallery which is sure to give you a longer life according to experts.
UPS Sponsoring The Show
UPS didn’t only sponsor the show, it was also the one who facilitated the transportation of the important works of art that were now on display. The items were first transported using a truck from the Musée Picasso in Antibes, France going to Cologne, Germany. From there, the valuables were placed in a UPS Boeing 747 aircraft and was delivered via non-stop flight to Louisville, the founding home of UPS’s Worldport mega hub.
Worldport is considered as the core of UPS’s worldwide air network. Over 300 flights depart and land there every day and it has a hub where over 2 million packages each day are processed, including business documents, birthday gifts, and even grandma’s cookies. On the schedule of arrival of the flight from Cologne that carries the cargo from Antibes with contents for the Picasso exhibit, 52 ceramics and works on paper was made between 1931 and 1956, a record that was never exhibited in the United States in the past.
They Made It All Possible
According to the Executive Director of KMAC Museum, Aldy Milliken, being able to carry and transport over 50 contents from one institution and gain access to the wonderful logistics abilities of UPS was the key that made this project possible. Millikeen encountered Musée Picasso Antibes Director Jean-Louis Andral on one museum leadership event held in Los Angeles Last 2016. In 2018, they started planning a collaboration when Milliken went to Antibes.
Moreover, Milliken also said that Andral was already thinking of brand new destinations wherein Picasso’s work would be much appreciated. Specifically, destinations that don’t have any access to the artworks. So, when Milliken visited Louisville in 2019, they began discussing how UPS could facilitate the transportation of the contents.
This just shows how complicated and laborious it is to put up an exhibition. When museums host such, they need to think about a plethora of logistical and practical factors, not just the impact to the audience.
Milliken’s creative plan, backed up with the support from UPS was successful and it garnered a lot of positive response to the public. As a matter of fact, the show was “wonderful” according to many audience. The star appeal Picasso had encouraged visitors to visit the museum and once they were inside, they get to connect with him in a deeper level. Just like many popular artists, Picasso’s creation was different from the cultural norms in today’s generation, especially because they mostly relate to women.
1st and featured image from https://www.louisville.com/sites/default/files/article_image/KMAC-cover.jpg
2nd image from https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/12/20/PLOU/f0cb956d-1a11-4c23-9ae9-6ae2b228c3d0-Picasso_02.jpg?width=2560


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Salem's food truck pod boom isn't done yet; here's what's coming next
In three years, Salem has gone from chasing food trucks out of downtown to opening its third food pod. A fourth is on the way.
As pods in Portland shuttered throughout the summer, from Tidbit in Southeast to The Cubby Hole on Alberta Street, Salem's food truck pod scene flourished. Beehive Station, South Salem's first food truck pod, became the hot spot for folks throughout town, who visited for ceviche, live music and ice cream tacos.
Our scene is doing so well, Portland trucks have started to move here.
Even as we enter the normally slow season for trucks, pods continue to open with operators planning more expansions this spring.
North Block Food Pod opened north of downtown this winter with heated indoor seating; a cart pod near Lancaster will open with slots for 16 vendors. The Lancaster site will be Salem's most lavish, with a full bar, indoor seating, live music and an outdoor fire pit.
And it's not just the pods that are growing.
According to Aaron Panko at the City of Salem, the number of mobile food unit licenses has more than doubled in 2017, jumping from around a dozen in 2016 to 30 active licenses within 2017-2018. The Oregon Food Truck Association, which helps operate 29 trucks in and around Salem, has seen a rise in membership requests, as well.
As the pods continue to open and grow, so will the trucks, which means more places to try. Here's what you need to know about our current food pod boom before the next one opens.
Kelly Morales, the owner of Beehive Station, walks around her food truck pod at 11 in the morning. It’s a little less buzzy than it was in the beginning – the lunch rush is slow, though Dalia’s Taqueria still has a line. A new heated tent sits on the Western side of the lot, and a fire pit surrounded by purple plastic Adirondack chairs crackles.
But during a normally slow season for street food, Beehive Station keeps growing: The pod has eight trucks, with two moving in within the month. La Botana, which opened this year, has since opened two new stands: Super Teriyaki, a bowl stand, and Baketater, gourmet stuffed baked potatoes. Lottie’s Pad Thai, one of the incoming trucks, is Portland-based, as is the Beehive’s current truck Gyrolicious.
“They say their worst day here is better than a day in Portland,” Morales says of Gyrolicious.
As more trucks open, they're searching for locations.
Three Beehive Station trucks left to start their own pod north of downtown, and another pod is set to open near Lancaster later this year.
Pod owners and truck hosts like Morales said the popularity of pods has much to do with the variety and the ease of access to local business owners. Bryan Norris, the owner of popular food truck hangout b2 Taphouse, has loved watching the food truck movement grow.
Norris, who lives in South Salem with his three kids, said he visited Beehive Station three times a week in the summer. Supporting small family businesses, as a family business owner himself, was important to him.
“It’s nice to know that the cook’s the dad, the kids are taking orders at the front,” Norris said. “It’s just fun. You’re with your family, and I want Thai tonight and my wife wants a gyro. We know where to go."
New freedom, new boom
Perhaps Salem's late-but-lasting boom is the binge after a long fast: Between 1994 and 2014, Salem's food truck regulations were strict, and there were rumbles of animosity surrounding the development of food truck pods. Downtown business owners allegedly felt challenged by the competition and neighborhood associations worried that crime and vagrancy would follow a street food cluster.
"When we started our food truck eight years ago, there was no one to ask for help," said Shawn Daley of Chez Alishon, board member for the Oregon Food Truck Association. "There's a fine balance for the city — there are businesses trying to make a living and they see the food trucks as a threat."
Shannon Klopfenstein, co-owner of Barrel & Keg and founder of Salem's first food pod, was, in many ways, the pioneer of the food pod movement in Salem, and she clearly remembers the trial-and-error phenomenon of getting started.
“A lot of my success had to do with good timing,” Klopfenstein said.
In 2013, city councilor Diana Dickey introduced the idea of easing restrictions on food trucks in Salem. As the Statesman Journal reported in 2014, City of Salem regulations banned clusters of food trucks on private property and forced food trucks to move every two hours.
At that time, relationships between food truck communities and local businesses were tense. Fusion food truck was forced to vacate their downtown location after only a few weeks after the landlord asked her to leave. Sheri Wahrgren, downtown revitalization manager, told the Statesman Journal that business owners had complained about the presence of food trucks in downtown. Still, none of the business owners we contacted said they had complained.
The city council successfully eased those restrictions in July of 2014.
When Klopfenstein first approached the City of Salem in December of 2014, she said, folks really didn’t know what to tell her – the actual steps to open a food truck pod were still being worked out.
Klopfenstein opened the truck in March of 2015, and the business quickly became popular. Guests would order from the food trucks and pair their street food with the store's beer and wine.
Now, the food pod is tiny, with one or two trucks, maybe three in the summers. In contrast, Beehive Station usually has between 8 and15, and the new State Street site will have as many as 16.
Teresa Standish is thin, with a blonde pixie cut and hands that make her latte look too large. She’s currently a health coach, but soon, she’ll also run what will be Salem’s largest food pod, set to open in the spring.
Her family, including husband Gary Standish, is currently building the food pod near Lancaster on State Street, modeled after the Happy Valley food truck pod: It’ll be a behemoth, with room for 16 standing carts (they plan to open with 10-12), a full bar, indoor seating, an outdoor firepit and a large awning to keep customers dry while they wait for food.
The family’s love of food carts inspired the decision to open the pod. Standish’s daughter, Shannon Standish-Williams, first sent her parents to the Lot in Bend, and the two quickly fell in love. They popped up to Portland’s Cartopia and other pods, but when they first visited the Happy Valley food truck pod, they knew they had a model.
“Gone are the days of the super-formal dining where you can’t bring your kids,” Standish said. “Salem especially is more casual.”
Standish is modeling much of the outdoor space off her outdoor kitchen and entertaining space at the family’s country home. There will be a fire pit, clusters of seating, and 100 parking spaces, as well as spots for live music.
“There are people who’ve been waiting for something like this," Standish said. “We’ve been trying to reach out to the Salem community first.”
In many ways, Standish's pod incorporates all the best bites of Salem's current pods: The beer and wine of Barrel & Keg, the indoor seating of North Block Food Pod, the outdoor entertainment of Beehive Station.
She's still looking to fill all those vendor spots, but based on the level of interest, folks like Daley suspect she won't have much trouble; the Oregon Food Truck Association has received several calls in the last six months from truck owners, hoping to get started. In fact, he's headed to help another truck prepare for a pre-opening health inspection this week.
"The food truck craze, nationally, really helped us here," Daley said. "When we started, the food trucks were what you might find at a carnival, you know, the fried stuff... (Now,) the quality of food is so good, so much better. These new trucks are leaving us in the dust."
Email Brooke Jackson-Glidden firstname.lastname@example.org or call 503-428-3528. Follow her on Twitter @jacksonglidden, or like her Facebook page www.facebook.com/BrookeJackson-Glidden.
Salem has three current food truck pods, with one on the way. Occasionally, more than one truck will park in a parking lot, but none have identified themselves as standing pods.
Beehive Station, located in South Salem on Commercial, is a larger lot, with several trucks, tented seating and a fire pit. Notable trucks include Dalia's Taqueria, Cindy Lou's Barbecue and Bobalicious.
Address: 5669 Commercial St. SE (across from the Safeway)
North Block Food Pod, Salem's newest pod, features four standing Salem vendors: Kyes Cuisines, Little Food Gypsy, Sample This BBQ and Chavelo's Ceviche. All but Sample This came from Beehive Station. North Block's biggest draw is its indoor, heated seating, which softened the blow of its winter opening.
Address: 695 Liberty St. NE (near Marion Square Park)
Barrel & Keg was Salem's first food pod, though it's closer to a micro-pod: Usually no more than three trucks will sit in the back. The major benefit of Barrel & Keg is its indoor seating, as well as its beer and wine: Guests can sit with their sangiovese or stout at the bar, and trucks will deliver food to you. This model has become popular at several taphouses and breweries, including Salem Ale Works, Vagabond Brewing and b2 Taphouse.
Address: 1190 Broadway St. NE (near Salem Cinema
The yet-to-be-named State Street pod near Lancaster, set to open in the spring, is modeled after the Happy Valley Station food truck pod: a bar with tables sits inside a building with a large awning on all sides, so guests can wait in line out of the rain and eat in a warm space. The State Street pod will have room for more than 16 vendors, live music, a firepit and more. Pretty luxurious for street food.


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Honda’s plants in Ohio are back on full schedules after working under reduced hours for the past month. The automaker’s assembly plants in East Liberty and Marysville were on part-time hours following flooding in Thailand, which cut production for some components for the Accord, Acura, and CR-V products.
The flooding, however, didn’t stop Honda’s launch of the 2012 CR-V crossover planned for today, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer
Honda’s Russells Point transmission plant and the engine plant in Anna, both also in Ohio, are still on reduced schedules, but are expected to be back at full capacity by Friday, the company said.
The flooding wasn’t the only natural disaster to hit Honda’s production.
The March earthquake and tsunami in Japan slowed Honda’s plants, and just as they were getting back to normal levels, the Thailand flooding hindered production.
Now that both Honda and Toyota have resumed normal schedules, autos sales are picking up, and analysts say December’s sales figures should be the industry’s highest of the year.
© 2016 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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According to Goldman Sachs, the influencer and creator economy market could double over the next five years, driven by a significant increase in digital media consumption and the rise of new technology.
With over 50 million individual creators, the total value of this market segment could rise to $480 billion by 2027, up from a current total of $250 billion.
“New platforms such as TikTok have emerged, while legacy platforms like Facebook and YouTube have also introduced new formats for sharing short-form video, live streaming channels and other forms of user-generated content,” says Eric Sheridan, Senior Equity Research Analyst, Goldman Sachs.
Goldman Sachs expects influencer marketing, payouts from social platforms, and short-form video advertising to boost the growth of the creator economy, with the number of global content creators estimated to rise by 10-20% annually over the next five years.
Social media creators and influencers earn a living by making endorsement deals with brands, through advertising revenue, and direct donations and subscriptions from followers. The Goldman Sachs report revealed that brand deals are now the primary source of creator revenue at about 70%, followed by ad sharing.
Digital platforms offering multiple ways to monetize creator content will continue attracting influential creators as competition intensifies due to economic uncertainty and rising interest rates, putting significant strains on funding and investment.
Adobe Teases New AI Editing Tools And Updates In Premiere Pro
The video editing app will be enhanced with a generative extend tool, text-to-video, improved timeline waveforms, and more.
After launching the generative AI model Firefly last year, Adobe is now showcasing how the technology will be used in upcoming versions of the editing app Premiere Pro. In an early sneak peek, the company demonstrated several new features, including Object Addition and Removal, Generative Extend, and Text to Video.
The first new feature, Generative Extend, targets a common video editing problem by using AI to “Seamlessly add frames to make clips longer, so it’s easier to perfectly time edits and add smooth transitions”.
Meanwhile, Premiere Pro’s Object Addition & Removal tool will leverage Firefly’s generative AI to “Simply select and track objects, then replace them. Remove unwanted items, change an actor’s wardrobe or quickly add set dressings such as a painting or photorealistic flowers on a desk,” Adobe states.
Adobe also showcased another new feature that can automatically generate new film clips using a text prompt. To use the content creation tool, editors can “Simply type text into a prompt or upload reference images. These clips can be used to ideate and create storyboards, or to create B-roll for augmenting live action footage,” Adobe explained. The company seems to be commercializing this particular feature extremely quickly, considering generative AI video only appeared a few months ago.
The new additions to Premiere Pro will be added later this year, but Adobe is also introducing smaller improvements to the editing app in May. The changes include interactive fade handles to enable easier transitions, an Essential Sound badge that uses AI to “automatically tag audio clips as dialogue, music, sound effects or ambience, and add a new icon so editors get one-click, instant access to the right controls for the job”, along with effect badges and a new look for waveforms in the timeline.


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“iPhone 12 is longer and thinner than iPhone 11”
The new iPhone 12 would be longer and thinner than the current iPhone 11. The smallest model of the new iPhones would also be more compact.
The Japanese Macotakara reports this based on an anonymous Chinese source within the production process.
The new iPhone is only 7.4 millimetres thick, almost a millimetre thinner than the iPhone 11 of 8.3 millimetres. The edge around the screen should be roughly 2 millimetres, just like with current devices.
The Chinese source seems to confirm earlier rumours about the screen size: the three devices would have displays of 5.4, 6.1 and 6.7 inches, slightly larger than the recent iPhones. The screen would only slightly increase in height, while the width would remain about the same.


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WINDHOEK, 15 SEP – Trade flow between Namibia and the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) was mostly dominated by exports which stood at N.dollars 1.8 billion during the second quarter of 2018, the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) has said.
According to the NSA’s Quarterly Trade Statistics Bulletin for the second quarter of 2018 released Thursday, exports to the EPZ grew by 47 per cent from N.dollars 1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2018.
The growth was attributed mostly to diamonds, jewellery and precious stones which accounted for 96 per cent and mineral ore and concentrates which accounted for four per cent of the remaining total overall exports to the EPZ.
The annual increase in Namibia’s exports was largely driven by increases in vessels, copper cathodes as well as fish exports, the bulletin said.
The value of exported vessels grew by N.dollars 5.1 billion over the year to register N.dollars 5.4 billion, as a result of a once-off shipment of vessels to the United Kingdom.
The country further recorded a significant increase of N.dollars 3.2 billion in the value of copper cathodes exported over the same period, registering N.dollars 4.07 billion which was driven by increased exports to China and Belgium.
Fish exports were a major revenue earner for the domestic economy, recording a strong quarter-to-quarter growth.
Fish exports recorded an upsurge in exports to Spain and the Democratic Republic of Congo, registering N.dollars 2.5 billion during the second quarter of 2018 from N.dollars 2.2 billion in quarter two of 2017.
Namibia exported most commodities by sea, which emerged as the most used means of transport by traders, accounting for 62 per cent share to total export, followed by air with 21 per cent and road with 16 per cent of total exports, the report said.


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ISLAMABAD: A Technical Working Group (TWG) of Afghan officials is currently in Pakistan to negotiate on issues that are hampering bilateral and transit trade between the two countries.
The group on Friday held a detailed meeting with Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood where both sides exchanged their concerns and proposals to enhance bilateral trade volume.
The PM’s adviser highlighted that Pakistan and Afghanistan share long historical, political and economic ties. However, the volume of current bilateral trade is way below the available potential, he added.
Dawood called for the removal of trade barriers through mutual consultations, saying that both countries need to take concrete steps in this regard so that the real trade potential could be realised.
The adviser informed the TWG that Pakistan’s industry is badly impacted by the pilferage of goods through transit trade. He asked the Afghan side to take necessary policy measures to address this grave issue.
Dawood also urged the Afghan side to finalise and share the amended draft of Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
The Afghan side agreed to increase the bilateral trade volume by addressing all the issues that are negatively affecting trade between both the countries.
The delegation head proposed the constitution of a joint commission for redressal of all the issues, including transit trade.
He maintained that the leadership of both countries has the required political will, which needs to be translated into cooperation on a technical level. He called for the development of understanding between the customs authorities of both sides.
The PM’s adviser stressed the need to explore opportunities to maximize mutual trade volume and move forward for trade cooperation via communication and custom cooperation.
He said the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement should be implemented in true letter and spirit, adding that Pakistan can be instrumental in ensuring food security of Afghanistan.
In this regard, the adviser would visit Kabul next month to finalise the understanding of different trade and economic issues.


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Check out our Suzuki GN 125 photo gallery with 0 HQ pics. Last update in GN 125 gallery:
The Ferd page in Facebook has distributed a photo new generation of Suzuki Jimny SUV.
A miniature 4th generation roadster will be on sale at the end of 2018.
Small vehicles are getting angrier and angrier.
We select only big size suzuki gn 125 photos for our photogallery.


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Mojio’s New Suite of Mobility Experience Modules Boosts User Engagement for Automotive Apps and Connected Services
- Mojio Engage is a new suite of mobility experience modules, designed to increase user engagement and improve long-term retention
- Easily added to existing mobility apps and connected services, Mojio Engage modules deliver high-value insights that make the driving experience safer, smarter and more convenient
- The first module, TireCheck, is a patented visual inspection tool that allows anyone with a smartphone to instantly know if their tires are safe for the road
San Jose, CA – June 8, 2022 – Mojio®, a leading connected mobility platform and SaaS provider, announced today a major expansion of its connected mobility product portfolio with the launch of Mojio Engage, a new suite of proprietary and AI-powered mobility experience modules that can be easily integrated with existing automotive apps and connected services.
Mojio Engage is designed to help the providers of mobility apps and connected services drive more frequent, high value interactions with their end users. The suite enables automotive OEMs, mobility service providers, and fleet management software vendors to quickly and easily integrate Mojio Engage modules with their existing apps or services.
We’ve proven our ability to design and deliver high-value experiences for our end users, and we want to share these capabilities with the broader mobility ecosystem,” said Mojio CEO, Kenny Hawk. “With the launch of Mojio Engage, we can now offer our innovations on a cost-effective basis to 3rd parties via simple, cloud-based integrations, greatly extending the potential reach of Mojio’s platform.
The Mojio Engage suite is launching with four modules, each of which has been designed to deliver actionable insights to end users, all while reducing the cost and complexity of owning and operating a vehicle.
- TireCheckTM: a patented visual inspection tool that uses deep learning to analyze images from a smartphone camera and provide an instant assessment of tire health – a completely new way to educate drivers about tire health and proactively capture tire replacement revenue.
- AutoCare+TM: an intelligent vehicle health monitoring service that predicts the need for maintenance before it becomes a hassle, and increases the likelihood of capturing the associated parts and service revenue. AutoCare+ can reliably predict the need for 12v battery and air filter replacements.
- RoadScoreTM: a smart scoring service that accurately quantifies real-world behavior to encourage safer, more efficient driving habits. RoadScore can unlock recurring engagement opportunities for gamification and rewards, and be used in conjunction with usage-based insurance programs.
- FuelSmartTM: a personalized recommendation engine that knows exactly when and where to best fill up, helping end users save money on their most frequent vehicle expense – meaningful, measurable savings that reinforce positive value perception.
TireCheck is being showcased in Booth 187 at AutoTech: Detroit 2022 in Novi, MI, from June 8 to 9.
TireCheck is available today for 3rd-party integrations. Other modules will become available later in 2022.
To learn more about Mojio Engage and to schedule a meeting to discuss your user engagement strategy, please visit www.moj.io/mojio-engage.
— END —
Scalable, secure and hardware-agnostic, Mojio is the platform and SaaS provider of choice to build, launch and scale connected mobility services. Mojio’s platform and mobile apps deliver a smarter, safer and more convenient car ownership experience for the global driving community. Force Fleet Tracking helps small businesses manage, monitor and maintain their fleets, while delighting their customers with real-time tracking feeds. With over 20 billion miles of telematics data gathered from more than a million vehicles, Mojio’s big data analytics framework uses machine learning to generate actionable insights, unlocking the next generation of revenue streams for companies throughout the automotive value chain.
Founded in 2012, Mojio counts some of the world’s biggest brands as customers, investors and partners, including Amazon, Audi, Bosch, Deutsche Telekom, Microsoft, T-Mobile and Vivint. Mojio is a career-accelerator for driven tech professionals looking to fuel the future of connected mobility. To learn more about joining our team, please visit Mojio’s careers page.


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FLUSHING, N.Y. — New York City has All-Star fever.
From the painted apple statues placed strategically around town to the fast-paced sales of commemorative merchandise, baseball fans are embracing the upcoming 84th All-Star Game, scheduled for Citi Field on Tuesday.
The New York Mets last hosted the Midsummer Classic in 1964, and it’s been four years since it was staged in New York, at Yankee Stadium.
“For a lot of the people in New York, it could be a once in a lifetime thing, so we expect the spend to be a lot higher [than in smaller markets],” said Rich Grey, divisional manager of retail for Aramark Sports, which runs the retail shops at Citi Field.
Although special merchandise sporting the ASG logo has been trickling in since last summer, the stores at Citi Field and throughout the city have stocked their shelves with T-shirts, jerseys, caps, beach towels, shot glasses and mason jars to meet the increased demand as game day approaches. “It started coming in last August when we got access to the logo,” he explained. “And we’ve been teasing it since then. But now, the stores are 100 percent flipped.”
Grey said customers are responding enthusiastically to the merchandise, which sports the New York City skyline and an iconic image of a bridge imprinted on the bottom half of a baseball, complete with orange stitching.
“The conversion rate is in the 30 percent range,” Grey revealed, “up from the usual 7 to 10 percent range. So it’s much higher.” He further revealed that even though the main promotional and marketing efforts won’t kick into high gear until the end of this week, sales are running at triple the rate of the stores’ largest volume days.
In men’s, name and number T-shirts and jerseys remain popular, with All-Stars David Wright and Matt Harvey of the Mets among the bestsellers. Grey said that before Harvey became the team’s ace pitcher this season, Wright’s T-shirts were the top seller, but now Harvey’s are flying off the shelves. “He’s the real deal,” Grey said. Windbreakers from the Authentic Collection from Majestic are also popular, he added.
Grey said that men’s and unisex merchandise such as T-shirts, jerseys and hats with the All-Star Game logo remain the bestsellers, but women’s merchandise continues to gain in importance. In addition to more traditional licensed items from brands such as G-III, the shops also offer feminine-skewed apparel from the Touch by Alyssa Milano collection. The line features more tapered, women-specific silhouettes and includes T-shirts embedded with rhinestones, along with tank tops, shorts and other pieces.
Other products in the Citi Field stores include “novelties,” such as glasswear, sunglasses, teddy bears, watches and miniature versions of both Citi Field and the Mets’ former home, Shea Stadium. And of course, there’s an entire display of All-Star Game-logoed baseballs. On the food-court level of the stadium is a hat kiosk offering caps from New Era from each Major League Baseball team that include the All-Star logo and stars on the back identifying them as special All-Star Game product.
Some of the merchandise within the stores at Citi Field is exclusive to the ballpark, but All-Star product can be found at other retailers around town as well, including Modell’s, Victoria’s Secret and the Clubhouse Shops, which are operated by Lids.
Greg Sim, senior licensing director for apparel and headwear at Major League Baseball, said sales of All-Star Game merchandise overall are “very strong” this year. “New York is a strong market, and the Mets are very popular. There’s also the huge tourist component in New York.”
But even in smaller cities such as last year’s host, Kansas City, Mo., the merchandise tends to sell well. “It’s a reward to every club and their fan base,” he said. “And even in smaller markets such as Kansas City, fans engage with the product.”
Lynn LaRocca, senior vice president of marketing for Modell’s, said All-Star product has been in the stores since June and sales have been steady. “But as we get closer to the event and there’s more marketing around it, we expect interest will be drummed up even more. We had a great response in the beginning, and it’s about to reach a crescendo. We’re very happy with it.” She said best sellers so far include T-shirts and caps, which are carried in all stores, and jerseys, which are only in select stores.
In addition to its stores through the New York City area, Modell’s is also the official retailer of the T-Mobile FanFest and Clubhouse Shop. FanFest is being billed as “the world’s largest baseball theme park,” taking up more than 450,000 square feet of space at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. It opens Friday, runs for five days and is considered the launch of All-Star week in New York.
Sim said the retail store at FanFest will be more than 10,000 square feet and will include all branded product from the league’s licensed partners.
The cost to attend FanFest is $35, but anyone who spends $100 on All-Star merchandise at Modell’s stores in New York and New Jersey will be given two complimentary tickets to attend, LaRocca said.
Tommy Bahama, one of MLB’s licensees, will have a pop-up shop at FanFest that will feature licensed baseball product, as well as a limited-edition camp shirt the company created for the game. That shirt, in the Mets colors of royal blue and orange, features the All-Star logo and will retail for $158.
In addition, according to Rob Goldberg, senior vice president of marketing for Tommy Bahama, the brand has created special Collector’s Edition shirts that highlight New York baseball legends Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, as well as the Mets and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
“There are a limited number of autographed Willie Mays shirts that we’ll have at FanFeast,” Goldberg said. He added that the company is also hosting a gifting suite for players.
“We’re really excited about the game,” Goldberg said. “We just opened our flagship store and restaurant in New York City this year, so it’s a big year for us.” The apple for the San Francisco Giants is located within the Tommy Bahama store on Fifth Avenue, Goldberg noted, adding that baseball VIPs will be wined and dined at the store while they’re in town.
Goldberg said that the All-Star Game merchandise has been out a few weeks and “it’s selling really well. And it’s not cheap. We’re expecting it to sell out by the weekend.”
In addition to FanFest, there are several other high-profile events planned before the game.
There’s a Nike sponsored 5K in Prospect Park in Brooklyn on Saturday morning — proceeds will go to the Sandy Relief fund — an All-Star charity concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park featuring the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Mariah Carey on Saturday night. On Sunday, there is a Futures Game, which spotlights some of the sport’s best young prospects, followed by the Legends & Celebrity Softball Game at Citi Field. Those expected to participate in the softball game include comedians Chris Rock and George Lopez, Jennie Finch, former New York Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason, actor James Denton and others. Former Met John Franco will be captain of the National League, while former Yankee Bernie Williams will be American League captain.
Monday night is the Home Run Derby, with Wright and Robinson Cano of the Yankees serving as captains of the National and American Leagues, respectively. Pitbull will perform on the field and Milano will be signing autographs in the Touch store at Citi Field prior to the game.
On Tuesday, there will be an All-Star Red Carpet parade down 42nd Street where all the players will ride in open Chevy trucks and greet fans. “In 2009, when the game was at Yankee Stadium, over 1 million fans lined the streets,” Sim said.
Then, the night of the game, which will air on Fox beginning at 7:30, “American Idol” winner Candice Glover will sing the national anthem and Marc Anthony will perform “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning stretch.
Sim said the Starter line, owned by Iconix, will be relaunched for fall but Fan Cave on Broadway and Fourth Street will give customers a sneak peek at the jackets on Saturday.
Breaking News: @louisvuitton's men's artistic director @mrkimjones is leaving the French fashion house after nearly 7 years. Jones joined Louis Vuitton in 2011, following a three year tenure as creative director of British luxury goods brand Alfred Dunhill. Jones is to exit Louis Vuitton after showing his fall 2018 collection for the brand in Paris on Thursday. Read the full exclusive story on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdnews #wwdfashion
For men’s fall 2018, @giuseppezanotti drew on elements from streetwear, sport, biker, combat and rock ‘n’ roll. Pictured here are a pair of shoes from the collection, featuring zippers, rhinestones, and silver hardware. Head to WWD.com to see a roundup of the accessories from Milan’s men’s fall 2018 shows. #wwdfashion (📷: Andrea Delb)
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of @ralphlauren’s snowboarding collection, the brand is mining its archives. The iconic brand is reintroducing vintage styles and dropping new designs for a color capsule that will be available in Ralph Lauren stores and @openingceremony on January 25. The capsule will consist of 10 pieces, including the Snow Beach Pullover, pictured here, which is a collector’s item that rapper Raekwon wore in Wu-Tang Clan’s “Can It Be All So Simple” video. #wwdfashion (📷: Tom Gould)
For @rochasofficial’s pre-fall 2018 collection, creative director Alessandro Dell’Acqua channeled the sophisticated and intriguing Catherine Denevue in the film “Belle de Jour.” Polished collarless coats, midi skirts, suits and ’60s graphic motifs were all featured in the collection, adding a sense of discreet luxury. See the rest of the photos on WWD.com #wwdfashion
“We tried to produce clothing of that couture quality, but the most daunting part was that we only had a matter of days [to do it],” said costume designer Lou Eyrich, who recreated Gianni Versace’s iconic looks for @americancrimestoryfx. Eyrich searched online retailers and vintage shops for original pieces from the design house and for @penelopecruzoficial, who plays Donatella Versace. Head to WWD.com to read how she created the Versace world. #wwdfashion
Only three months after her stellar debut catwalk season, @kaiagerber has inked her first big design collaboration –– with @karllagerfeld. The collection blends Lagerfeld’s Parisian chic aesthetic and the model’s signature West Coast casual style via RTW, accessories, footwear and more. The #KarlLagerfeldxKaia collection will launch in September with a series of events. Get all the details on WWD.com. #wwdnews #wwdfashion
Harrods plans to remove the famous statue of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed from the bottom of the Egyptian escalators and hand it back to Mohamed Al-Fayed. “We are very proud to have played our role in celebrating the lives of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed at Harrods and to have welcomed people from around the world to visit the memorial for the past 20 years,” said Michael Ward, Harrods managing director. “With the announcement of the new official memorial statue to Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace, we feel that the time is right to return this memorial to Mr. Al Fayed and for the public to be invited to pay their respects at the palace.” More on the news, with reporting by @loreleimarfil, at WWD.com. #wwdnews


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The Russian economy is going from bad to worse as Western sanctions hammer the country’s key sectors.
From plummeting car sales to the fall of the Russian rouble, the problems facing Russia keep growing.
Here are key signs showing how Moscow’s economy is spiraling.
The Russian economy continues to deteriorate – and there are many ways to show it.
From plummeting car sales to the dramatic collapse of its current account surplus, there is no hiding Moscow’s troubles.
The country’s economic difficulties have multiplied since its invasion of Ukraine early last year. The conflict triggered a wave of sanctions from the Western world. Some have even blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for inflicting so much pain on the nation, with Yale researchers claiming he is “cannibalizing” the Russian economy in his drive to conquer Ukraine.
“The lion’s share of the economy is controlled by the state, the energy and finance sectors, and Putin is taking seed capital from these companies to use as a cookie jar for his treasure trove of war,” said researchers Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian.
Russians are buying fewer cars
The Russian automotive industry is a part of the economy that is under pressure.
Insider’s Phil Rosen reported that car sales in Moscow have fallen nearly 75% since the start of the war in Ukraine. The decline was fueled by a combination of three factors: soaring prices, shrinking supply and deteriorating consumer confidence.
“Russians are just buying fewer cars, period,” Tian said. “It speaks to consumer weakness in Russia. It’s as close as it gets to a proxy for deteriorating consumer sentiment, and the story it tells is deeply distressing. Russians aren’t spending all just no money.”
At the same time, the number of Russians buying cars of foreign brands – generally considered luxury purchases – has almost stopped. Instead, consumers are buying locally sourced cars, many of which are riddled with mechanical issues.
Another sign that the Russian economy is in trouble is the dramatic collapse of its current account balance.
Moscow’s central bank posted a 93% year-on-year decline in its current account surplus for the April-June quarter. it fell from a record high of $76.7 billion to $5.4 billion.
The raw financials show how hard Western sanctions are hitting the country, especially its key energy sector where its oil and gas exports have been hit hard after price caps and bans were imposed.
Energy export earnings
Moscow derives much of its revenue from the sale of oil and gas products, but Western penalties have eroded that revenue stream.
In June, Russia’s Finance Ministry said revenue from oil and gas taxes fell 36% from a year ago to around 571 billion rubles, and profits from crude and tankers fell 31% to 426 billion rubles.
Ruble in freefall
Added to Russia’s problems is a plummeting rouble. The country’s currency fell to a 15-month low of 94.48 against the dollar earlier in July, triggered by capital flight, lower tax revenues and lower central bank reserves.
“The ruble has nowhere to go but down,” Konstantin Sonin, an economist at the University of Chicago, said in a tweet.
Concerns over currency volatility prompted a wave of domestic withdrawals from the country’s central bank, amounting to more than $1 billion. The bank run was mainly fueled by the recent Wagnerian revolt.
The weakening of the Russian currency forced the country to take desperate measures. Recently, the Russian Foreign Minister urged Southeast Asian countries to get rid of the dollar and use local currencies to trade.
Read the original article on Business Insider


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Posted Wed Mar 31, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by Mike Attebery
Are you an HTPC user? Is your PS3 your main source of entertainment? According to Parks Associates, it’s becoming increasingly common.
When companies are slow to adapt, there’s a certain percentage of the consumer base that’s going to take matters into their own hands. Setting up a computer or game system based entertainment rig has never been easier, and it’s the route that an increasing number of people are taking.
Kurt Schref of Parks Associates has his take on the results. “Many households are working with devices they already have to get the connected-TV experience,” he says, “which shows strong future demand for connected TVs, Web-enabled Blu-ray players, and networked digital media players such as Apple TV and Roku.”
The demand is there certainly, and has been for a few years now. But the people who really wanted it seem to have already found a solution. In fact, 36% more people have a PC connected to their television than last year, and 64% more are using broadband connected game consoles.
Schref was right on with his next point. “Manufacturers and service providers should examine these consumer behaviors closely, so they can match their current and future connected offerings with actual demand without pricing themselves out of the market.”
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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If you're looking to rent out a park pavilion in the Town of Miami Lakes for a birthday party but you're short on cash in your bank account, the town says it's no problem— you can pony up in Bitcoin.
Miami Lakes, a municipality located west of Opa-locka Airport with a population of about 31,000
, is looking to get a jump on the rest of Miami-Dade County on the cryptocurrency frontier. While other municipal governments in Greater Miami slow-walk the transition to digital currencies, Miami Lakes is already accepting payments for town services in Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum through its merchant service partner, PayPal.
"When you pay for a permit, rental, license, you can pay with cryptocurrency," Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid confirms to New Times
. "We can let businesses know: If you don’t have a check or a credit card, you can use your crypto."
At the end of March, PayPal announced
that it would begin allowing U.S. customers to pay vendors in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Now, customers who hold cryptocurrency in their digital wallet can pay a merchant for goods and services in that currency. At checkout, PayPal will conduct a separate transaction to convert the currency into U.S. dollars before passing along those dollars to the merchant — even if said merchant is the Town of Miami Lakes. That way, the merchant gets paid in dollars and doesn't have to hold any crypto, and people who would rather use cryptocurrency over dollars can do so.
Cid says accepting cryptocurrency in this manner — i.e., wherein PayPal converts it into U.S. dollars — made the most sense for his town. Miami Lakes' government was looking for ways to innovate and get ahead of the game on crypto without subjecting taxpayers to risk if the town actually held reserves in digital currency, he explains. Currencies like Bitcoin and the recently popular Dogecoin
are volatile; citing that risk, Cid says his finance department isn't prepared to hold cryptocurrency at this time.
"We understood very clearly that it's not our money. We need to be risk-averse and take care of the people’s money. This was probably the most commonsense step," says the mayor.
While this relatively small town is already taking steps to integrate cryptocurrency into government business, albeit in a roundabout way, other parts of Greater Miami are still catching up.
Last month, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins wrote a resolution to create a cryptocurrency task force
to study the feasibility of accepting digital currency for county tax and fee payments. That resolution was passed by the full county commission on May 4, and the task force is being staffed. Once the task force meets, it will have 180 days to give a report to commissioners.
In the City of Miami, where Mayor Francis Suarez has been the face of a concerted push to turn Miami into a tech hub, commissioners passed a resolution in February
directing the city to examine the feasibility of paying employees with Bitcoin, and to find a vendor to facilitate the transactions.
Suarez, who holds no vote on the city commission, wanted to integrate Bitcoin right away, but commissioners raised several concerns about cryptocurrency and eventually voted to take the slower approach. The feasibility study is ongoing.
Mayor Cid says he wanted Miami Lakes to be a pioneer in the county and that he hopes the new service will encourage residents to educate themselves about cryptocurrency and other emerging technologies. The town already has a page on its website
explaining the basics of cryptocurrency and blockchain, the technology that serves as the basis for cryptocurrency transactions.
According to Miami Lakes Chief Financial Officer Ismael Diaz, the town has no way of knowing how many people are making transactions using cryptocurrency. Diaz says PayPal may be working on an update to allow merchants to see who is paying with cryptocurrency.
Cid says the town will keep tabs on the new system with an eye toward the possibility of holding actual cryptocurrency reserves in the future.
"This is gonna open doors in the future or close them," says the mayor. "If this works, whatever works best for our residents and staff, we’re gonna look at it."


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Samsung has taken the lead in the foldable phone niche. It has brought the idea to life in two different form factors. Many expect Samsung to have more up its sleeve. There have been rumors about multi-fold and even stretchable displays that could be used for future smartphones.
Now, it appears that Samsung wants to spark our imagination. It’s doing that with some renderings that show how displays of the future can be used to make our lives better.
What a future Samsung foldable phone might look like
The renderings have been posted on the Korean blog of Samsung Display, the company that supplies displays for Samsung’s smartphones. The posts are part of a series that showcase the opportunities for innovation.
One such rendering shows off a tri-fold panel that allows the user to have a full smartphone interface on one side and a tablet interface on the other. The hinges would allow this device to be compacted into basically a smartphone.
As futuristic as this may seem, it’s within the realm of possibility. Samsung has already been toying with this idea for years. The company has dozens of patents for tri-fold display panels in its arsenal. So it’s only a matter of time before we see something like this from Samsung.
The other rendering makes us imagine what it would be like to have a device with a rollable display. It appears to be a cylindrical stick from which an OLED display panel can be rolled out. This is another idea that Samsung has been working on for some time now. The company does have patents for this as well.
It’s not impossible for such a device to be made. LG made an entire TV out of a rollable OLED panel so the same can certainly be achieved on a smaller scale. This will likely be a tablet replacement because it would be absurd carrying a device like this in your pocket.
The future can’t come fast enough.


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What Exactly Is a Sustainable Diet? Here’s What That Means
Younger generations are anxious about climate change, reporting that they feel "very" or "extremely" worried about the planet with more than half noting that the concept makes them feel "powerless" or "afraid." And despite almost 54 percent of Millennials adopting "flexitarian" diets to minimize their environmental footprints, new research suggests that more young consumers lack understanding about what exactly a planet-friendly, sustainable diet is.
Researchers from Bournemouth University set out to figure out how much British and European consumers understood about sustainable diets. The research pointed out that current estimate claim that diet contributes to between 20 to 30 percent of the total environmental footprint. Published in Appetite, the research found that participants felt unsure or simply did not know about what makes food sustainable or environmentally friendly. The study interviewed 21 young adults to collect this data.
"When thinking about how to live more sustainably, people seem to understand that this can mean taking fewer flights, using the car less, recycling more, but it seems that not everyone is aware of the difference that changing their diet can make as well," Katherine Appleton, Professor of Psychology at Bournemouth University, who led the study, said.
What Is a Sustainable Diet?
Sustainable diets are defined as "diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations," according to the United Nations. Some considerations about a food's environmental impact may include:
- Production efficiency
- Farming practices
- Employment practices
- Food waste
- Ingredient availability
- Shipping distance
The study claimed that most participants claimed that they would adopt sustainable food habits, but felt uncertain about how to make the changes. The interview data revealed that participants were more likely to make small changes such as reducing meat consumption but not completely cutting it out.
The researcher emphasizes that the study showed that more education is necessary to persuade consumers to adopt sustainable diets. The research team concluded that considering consumer preference and increasing food accessibility will help curb this lack of understanding.
"We were surprised by our findings. We had originally intended to look at how we can encourage people to eat more foods such as beans and pulses, but we discovered that people still don't know enough about why this is important, so to talk about increasing the consumption of specific foods is getting too far ahead for many," Appleton explained.
"We need to promote greater awareness and knowledge of how changes to eating habits can go some way to helping the planet, while also offering some suggested changes that are likely to be acceptable and acted upon."
Plant-Based Diets Are Planet-Friendly
Even though consumers need more information about sustainable diets, approximately 85 percent of the world is experiencing the effects of climate change directly. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of climate "disaster" ahead of the United Nations' COP climate change conference.
Eating plant-based diets can help curb food-related emissions by 61 percent, and that's largely due to reducing beef and dairy intake. Nearly 40 percent of methane emissions worldwide can be attributed to cattle production. UN researchers announced that the world must cut methane emissions by 33 percent by 2030 to effectively slow down climate change.
In Europe, several countries have reduced their average meat consumption, according to the Good Food Institute Europe. The report found that over 50 percent of consumers in France, Spain, Italy, and Germany have cut their meat consumption. The survey found that over 60 percent of respondents felt that alternatives to animal-based meat and dairy products should be available in stores.
For more planetary happenings, visit The Beet's Environmental News articles.