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Tuesday, August 2, 2016, 11:31 AM ET|Posted by Will Richmond
Facebook’s push into video appears to be paying off as a new survey of 300 advertisers and agencies released by Trusted Media Brands this morning shows that social platforms and video platforms are virtually tied as the most important partners for video ad campaigns. Overall, YouTube and other video platforms are viewed as most important by 59% of respondents, with Facebook and other social platforms viewed as most important by 56%.
However, among advertisers, 65% favored social, with 55% favoring video platforms. The numbers were reversed for agencies, where 62% favored video platforms and 51% favored social platforms. It’s also worth noting that distinctions can be murky as YouTube itself could be considered a social platform given the level of sharing, commenting and following that occurs there.
As seen in the graphic below, video DSPs followed, with full episode players, ad networks and publishers following, with the order depending on agencies vs. advertisers. MCNs were the least preferred of the options. That full episode players fall well behind both social and video platforms should be a red flag for TV networks vying to hold on to ad dollars. The platform vs. content provider debate was the focus of 2 sessions at our June Video Ad Summit (see session videos here and here).
Live-streaming has been Facebook’s primary video initiative and there appears to be strong interest in investing in it by advertisers and agencies, with 19% of the former saying they’ll definitely invest in it in the next 6 months and 17% of the later saying so. Another 60% of advertisers and 71% of agencies said they might invest. To date, Facebook Live hasn’t offered content providers advertising opportunities, creating challenges, as I wrote last week. But just yesterday AdAge confirmed that Facebook is now testing mid-rolls in live streams with select content providers, which is a huge step forward.
But auto-play, sound-off video ads in News Feeds have been Facebook’s main model to date, and respondents were split about its acceptance. 46% of respondents said it’s becoming more accepted for video content, but only 34% said it should be the standard going forward. Over a third of respondents didn’t have an opinion. Meanwhile Trusted Brands said 60% of its own audience doesn’t like auto-play ads, primarily due to a diminished user experience.
In good news for everyone, the survey found that 65% of agency respondents said that their budgets for online video ads will increase over the next 12 months, with 42% of advertisers saying so. Approximately one-quarter of overall ad budgets are currently allocated to online video.
In addition, programmatic is poised to take a larger share of online video advertising, with 51% of agency respondents planning to increase over the next 12 months, and 32% of advertisers planning to. Respondents said that just under a third of online video ad spending is currently transacted programmatically.
The full survey results can be downloaded here. The survey was conducted by Advertiser Perceptions.
Companies: Trusted Media Brands
Related Research Coverage
Video Research Around the Web
- U.S. Homes Adding SVOD Services Falls To 3.9% in 2Q, Kantar Reports B&C
- As streaming surges globally, Roku is falling behind abroad Protocol
- World-Wide Streaming Subscriptions Pass One Billion During Pandemic WSJ
- Cable Now Controls Nearly 70% of U.S. Fixed Broadband After Biggest Year Since 2008 Next TV
- Cord Cutting’s Worst Year Ever: Analyst B&C
- Disney Plus Will Surpass Netflix in Customers by 2026, Research Company Says Next TV
- Tubi Says Streaming Rose 58% In 2020, With Half Of Viewers Younger Than 35 Deadline
- U.S. SVOD Revenue Spiked 39% in Q3 to $5.5 Billion Next TV


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Sheertex Unbreakable Tights
A Guaranteed Strong Knit
Industry experts said it could not be done. But a year and a few broken sewing machines later, the folks at Sheertex finally engineered a proprietary knit, made from one of the world’s strongest polymers, that is tested to be unbreakable in human hands. Miraculously, not only is the Sheertex Knit incredibly strong, it feels and looks just like traditional tights.

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SUPERBOWL.COM IS YOUR SUPER BOWL DESTINATION
Live Online Streaming and Coverage of the Big Events Leading Up To the Big Game
Super Bowl MVP Voting For Fans
Top Analysts Offering Unique Super Bowl Perspectives
NFL fans will be able to experience more multimedia content than ever before as they follow all the action surrounding Super Bowl XLIII on SUPERBOWL.COM.
Fans can watch live online streaming all of the week’s biggest events including Super Bowl Media Day, the head coaches’ news conferences, the Commissioner’s news conference, the announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2009 and NFL Network’s post-Super Bowl show, NFL GameDay Final.
SUPERBOWL.COM, with exclusive NFL footage, covers Super Bowl week from all angles. On Media Day (Tuesday, January 27) users can choose from five different cameras covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals at Raymond James Stadium, the home of Super Bowl XLIII. Throughout the week, SUPERBOWL.COM will be the virtual home of Radio Row. Within the video section, exclusive interviews with NFL luminaries, celebrities and special guests will be posted as they make their way through Tampa Bay.
SUPERBOWL.COM will also feature a powerful lineup of reporters and analysts, including senior columnists Vic Carucci and Thomas George, senior writer Steve Wyche, analyst Gil Brandt, who helped build the Dallas Cowboys’ dynasty, and former NFL personnel executive Pat Kirwan. Information and insight from NFL Network experts Adam Schefter, Sterling Sharpe, Jamie Dukes and more round out SUPERBOWL.COM‘s comprehensive coverage.
For the ninth consecutive year, fans will be able to vote for the Super Bowl MVP presented by Cadillac on SUPERBOWL.COM. In addition, fans will also be able to visit NFL.com on web-enabled mobile devices to vote for the MVP. In the fourth quarter of the game, fans, along with a media panel, will select the MVP, who will be awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy along with a 556 horsepower 2009 Cadillac CTS-V. Combined votes on SUPERBOWL.COM and web-enabled mobile devices will count 20 percent towards the MVP.
Fans can test their Super Bowl knowledge with the NFL Two-Minute Trivia Super Bowl game, which will launch the Sunday prior to the Super Bowl. To prepare for the challenge, check out the comprehensive history section at SUPERBOWL.COM, the exclusive online site to watch highlights from the first 42 Super Bowl games
SUPERBOWL.COM is also a virtual tour guide, complete with an expanded visitor’s guide, an events section, and background on Raymond James Stadium. SUPERBOWL.COM is part of the NFL Internet Network, the most popular sports league property.
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A NEW study on the effects of the recession on the West Midlands automotive supply chain has revealed a worrying over-reliance on one customer.
According to research carried out by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in partnership with Accelerate, 30 per cent of suppliers are dependent on Jaguar Land Rover for much of their automotive business.
The study also revealed that nearly all of respondents quoted claim 50 per cent or more of their orders come from within the UK and 35 per cent supply purely to customers in the West Midlands. Also, component manufacturers have seen a 37.2 per cent fall in production levels in 2009, forcing 25 per cent to implement extended shutdowns.
Rachel Eade, programme manager for Accelerate, said: “This study demonstrates that the impact of the recession is far wider reaching than we originally anticipated with 75 per cent of respondents indicating they had reduced their headcount.
“There were also reports of short-time working, wage freezes, reduced pension contributions and 25 per cent of companies implementing extended shutdowns.
“A lot out of our suppliers are still over reliant on one big customer, with JLR and Ford topping the list. In short, the case for diversification within the auto sector and into other markets has never been so relevant.”
The SMMT was commissioned to carry out a supply chain mapping project and economic survey at the end of 2009, which involved more than 200 suppliers from the West Midlands.
Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, added: “The report demonstrates the fragility of the UK supply chain and underlines the need for concerted action to support its future development. This demands a more collaborative approach between industry and government to identify and maximise the opportunities available, particularly in the transition to a low carbon economy.”
The final element of the study was gauging future business confidence, with companies asked about expectations for the year ahead.
A total of 40 per cent said they were likely to reduce their headcount further and only 12 per cent felt optimistic enough to forecast no redundancies in 2010.
Ms Eade added: “The findings will help inform future business support going forward and, once again, highlights the need for our companies to continually diversify in order to protect their future.”


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Laura Ingraham has a really weird idea of what’s going on over in Hollywood these days, and also seems to misunderstand the purpose of some articles of clothing.
While discussing what Ingraham called “The War On Men” on Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle” segment Wednesday, the opinion personality slammed the “theory of toxic masculinity,” which she said is “infecting our lives.”
“For years, Hollywood’s been pushing the skinny jeans crop-top pajama boy version of masculinity on us, we’ve gotten kind of used to it,” she said.
“And now even time-honored male brands and businesses are trying to make men feel guilty about being men,” she added, going on to slam companies like shaving brand Gillette that have conducted advertising campaigns against toxic masculinity.
She also went after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the American Psychological Association and the left in general for contributing to the demonization of men:
Viewers were confused, to say the least. People on Twitter struggled to put a finger on what Ingraham was going for with her “pajama boy” description:


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News & Events
The Handelot team uses this page to provide current Industry News and updates
THE FUTURE IN TECHNOLOGY
Martin Cooper the man behind the engineering for Motorola, all he wanted was to enable people carry phones anywhere they go. That is why he was nicked name the "father of the cell phone" after he invented a mobile phone that weight approximately more than two pound and it took more than 10 hours to charge but it only retained the power for only 35 minutes during its usage. Back then such phone were only of military and government as they were so expensive and classified. Today mobile phone have evolved to smart phone which are easy accessible and cheap, it is approximated 90% of the world population are using phone as it has become a part of our existence in our daily life. The technology in mobile phones and mobile networks have revolve so fast of the last few years and cannot wait to see what next.
Apple will start building iPhones in India by April, says IT minister
Priyank Kharge, the IT minister for the Indian state of Karnataka, has said that Apple will soon begin assembling iPhones in the country. Kharge tells that manufacturing will begin in state capital Bangalore, officially known as Bengalaru, by the end of April. Apple is said to be partnering with Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron for its Indian operations.
Samsung Electronics to Acquire HARMAN, Accelerating Growth in Automotive and Connected Technologies
Samsung Electronics and Harman International Industries, Incorporated today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Samsung will acquire HARMAN for $112.00 per share in cash, or total equity value of approximately $8.0 billion.


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Meritor 4th-qtr profit falls
Nov 14 (Reuters) - Truck parts maker Meritor Inc posted a fall in quarterly profit, hurt by weak sales in Brazil, India and China.
Net income from continuing operations fell to $4 million, or 4 cents per share, in the fourth quarter from $38 million, or 40 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding items, Meritor earned 32 cents per share.
Revenue dropped 19 percent to $986 million.
- Housing, jobs data weaken, but overall economic picture still upbeat
- Target holiday cyber breach hits 40 million payment cards |
- UPDATE 3-Saab wins Brazil jet deal after NSA spying sours Boeing bid
- Zuckerberg to sell Facebook shares worth about $2.3 billion |
- Special Report: Why Ukraine spurned the EU and embraced Russia


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If your smart home has both Samsung and LG devices, they'll soon play nice with each other. Both companies are in Berlin this week for IFA, where they announced that Samsung’s SmartThings app and LG's ThinQ app will connect to each other's devices by the end of 2024.
Use the SmartThings app to control your LG refrigerator, for example, or the LG ThinQ app to change the channel on Samsung televisions.
As the The Verge reports, both companies are part of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), an industry coalition formed in 2021 with the goal of providing interoperability between appliances made by different companies.
In January, the alliance released its 1.0 spec to allow that connectivity using cloud-to-cloud communication between Wi-Fi-connected appliances, shortly after the launch of Matter, an "industry-unifying" standard from Amazon, Apple, Google, and others. Samsung and LG plan to roll out their implementations of the HCA spec during Q4 in eight countries: the US, United Kingdom, Korea, Italy, France, Spain, and Turkey.
LG, Samsung, and Vestel are the first of the HCA’s 15 members to implement interconnectivity, The Verge notes. Other members of the Alliance include Haier, GE, Frigidaire, Beko, AEG, Trane, Leader, Resideo, American Standard, and Arcelik.
Version 2.0 of the spec is expected to add electric vehicle chargers into the mix with home appliances and televisions.


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Wizkid, Tiwa Savage to collaborate on DJ Spinall’s dis love
Last year, Afro-pop singers Wizkid and Tiwa Savage kept the internet buzzing with their rumoured love relationship. Now, their less-than-platonic friendship is translating into new music, as the two are set to team up for DJ Spinall’s upcoming single, Dis Love.
From investigation, everyone on the song has great chemistry — from Wizkid and Tiwa Savage on Ma Lo to DJ Spinall and Wizkid on Nowo. Expectation is high that the coming together of trio on a track is going to be a blast.
In addition to Wizkid and Tiwa Savage, DJ Spinall also enlisted the talents of Spellz, the gifted beatsmith responsible for a lot of Tiwa’s hit songs, including Ma Lo, the hypnotic Tiwa’s Vibe and the Duncan Mighty-aided Lova Lova.
As one of Africa’s biggest musical exports, Wizkid has been courted by a bunch of huge international brands, like Nike and Moschino. The Afro-pop star is now, cementing his affiliation with the global fashion industry, as he has sealed a management deal with Storm Model Management.
Last year, Wizkid made a big splash when he walked alongside Naomi Campbell to make his runway debut at Dolce & Gabbana’s SS19 Menswear runway show during Fashion Week in Milan, becoming the first African artiste to do so.
He also teamed up with Nike and Daily Paper for a limited edition jersey and capsule collection, and launched his own personal merchandise line, Starboy, in promotion for his then-upcoming concert at the O2 in London. Shortly after, he signed a global ambassador deal with CIROC and modeled in the campaign for a Ciroc X Moschino capsule collection.
Storm Model Management has a 30-year history of scouting some of the world’s most famous models – from Kate Moss to Naomi Campbell – and they set up Storm Artistes in a bid to “maximise and develop creative and commercial opportunities for significant talent outside of the fashion industry.”With a handful of extra curricular, Wizkid’s focus remains giving his fans real music as he gears up for the Made in Lagos EP release in 2019.


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“Are you fresh, hot, or fly?” With that query, smartwatch maker Pebble launches a new line of limited edition “Classic” watches in the somewhat electric colors of blue, pink, and green.
Fresh Green, Hot Pink, and Fly Blue are standout shades that give any look the right dose of fun. Fresh, Hot, and Fly come with matching bands and—just like the rest of the Pebble lineup—are fully customizable with the skins and bands of your choice. We’re having lots of fun mixing and matching bands around between the different colors ourselves.
Alongside the new watches, Pebble is debuting new watchfaces on the Pebble appstore, and a new app by the Weather Channel. (Pebble says the new watchfaces and Weather Channel app will be available later today.) This is the first time the Weather Channel has partnered with a watch or other wearable brand. Pebble says more is coming from the partnership in the near future.
The above video gives a quick peek at an animated Reading Rainbow watchface featuring an 8-bit Levar Burton. Pebble says that watchface will be publicly available later this year, after Reading Rainbow Kickstarter backers receive their Special Edition Pebbles.
The three new Pebble colors are available at the Pebble website, along with all the other Pebble smartwatch models.


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Uber (NYSE: UBER) announced a new “Explore” feature on Tuesday that permits users to make dinner reservations, book concert tickets as well as other events through the Uber app. The actions come as the company strives to mold its app into more of a lifestyle product.
When viewing the Explore tab in the Uber app, users will be given recommendations based on categories such as food and drink, art and culture, nightlife, music and shows, etc.
“We plan to expand Explore to more cities in the coming weeks and months, along with more event opportunities and experiences offerings,” the company said in a statement. “It will be easy to purchase tickets to events and experiences because you can pay conveniently with your Uber Wallet & Payment profile,” it added.
The restaurant bookings are managed through a Yelp integration in the app. Furthermore, the company will display five-star ratings for restaurants within the new tab.
“We’ve built Uber Explore to take our customers beyond the ride,” said Adib Roumani, product lead for Uber Explore.
Uber “Explore” is now available in Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; New Orleans; Orlando, Florida; San Antonio; San Francisco and Seattle. Furthermore, it’s live in New Jersey, upstate New York, and Mexico City, Mexico.


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Cara Delevingne is reportedly 'obsessed' with singer Heloise Letissier. The 'Paper Towns' star was devastated when she split from St Vincent, aka... ...http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/hollywood/news/Cara-Delevingne-crushing-on-singer-Heloise-Letissier/articleshow/55010333.cms
Catch the latest on models, designers and actors from the world of glamour and entertainment. IMAGE: Khloe Kardashian at the launch of her denim... ...http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/glamour-fashions-newest-couple-is/20161023.htm
1 /20 Alia Bhatt in Aniket Satam Image: Vogue Anushka Sharma in Anita Dongre Image: Anita Dongre Sridevi in Manish... ...http://www.vogue.in/content/best-dressed-this-week-alia-bhatt-and-anushka-sharma/
Presenting some of the good, bad and ugly looks this week. THE GOOD IMAGE: Alia Bhatt is cuteness amplified in a 'twin cat poppy dress' from Pink... ...http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/glamour-stylediaries-kajols-tail-fail-vs-alias-cute-pony/20161021.htm
Conrad Macao, Cotai Central partnered with the International Ladies Club of Macao to host a charity lunch today as part of the hotel's 2016 Pink... ...http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/conrad-macao-raises-over-mop-91000-for-pink-inspired-2016-charity-lunch/
Shop Versace clothing India: Luxury...
1978 saw the birth of a style that...
Gianni Versace Sunglasses, Eyeglasses...


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Paul Sangster has yet to pour his first beer at the soon-to-be opened Rip Current Brewing Co. in San Marcos, but he's already thinking about the kegs he'll be tapping in the year 2014.
Thinking ahead is the name of the craft beer game these days, as the increasing demand for American hops is forcing North County brewers to get their orders for one of beer's key ingredients in earlier and earlier.
With more than 50 brew houses in San Diego County ---- and many more in the works ---- and a national reputation for making hopped-up India Pales Ales that would make a beer man from Bavaria blush, it's no wonder that hops ---- or lack thereof ---- is a growing concern locally.
"When we started calling back in November to see what was left for 2012, that's when we realized this was a big problem," said Sangster, an award-winning home brewer who is planning to open the doors in November with partner Guy Shobe. "We weren't surprised this was going to be a problem, but we were surprised at how big the problem was."
Hops are what give beer its bitterness and aromatic qualities, and American hops ---- particularly Amarillo, Centennial, Cascade, Citra and Simcoe ---- make up the citrusy, piney and resinous characteristics of an IPA. The style is more popular than ever, but there just aren't enough American hops to go around. Currently, about 80 percent of all U.S. hops come from one region ---- Yakima Valley in Washington.
"The top five hops that I like to brew with were gone this year," Sangster said.
Gone are the days when a brewer could call a hop farmer and order any hop they wanted. Now, many are buying hops before they are even grown, often times several years in advance.
Dan Love, co-owner of Mother Earth Brew Co. in Vista, already has committed more than $100,000 for his 2014 hop contracts. By next summer, he'll be contracting for 2015.
"When you have a limited number of growers who can grow and you're down the feeder line, you don't get as much as the big boys," said Love, who expects to brew up to 1,500 barrels this year.
The Lost Abbey/Port Brewing Co. in San Marcos, one of the more established breweries in the county that is expected to produce 15,000 barrels this year, has hop contracts that extend three years in advance.
Tomme Arthur, co-founder and director of brewery operations, has seen shortages before. Back in 2007, the industry suffered a global hop crisis ---- caused primarily by bad weather--- that made all types of hops scarce.
Arthur doesn't characterize today's shortage as a crisis because only certain hops are hard to come by.
"Back in 2007, it caught us and a lot of people flat-footed," he said. "Now there are hops available, but they may just not be the kinds you want.
"The challenge is that IPA is king right now."
The shortage is forcing some breweries to improvise, either by making smaller batches of hoppy styles or slightly altering their recipes. When Mother Earth opened in 2010, almost every beer it made had Simcoe hops, but Love has since moved away from Simcoe because it has been too difficult to get.
Many breweries are also diversifying their beer menus, a move that not only eases dependence on American hops but also appeals to a wider selection of palates.
"I could have eight IPAs on tap and they would all sell. That's just the way it is right now in San Diego," said Love. "But not everyone that comes in is a huge craft beer drinker. They are the people who are just sticking their toe in the water and most of them are looking for a gateway beer. They are looking for something with a lot of flavor that is not imposingly bitter and tastes good."


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Country Legend Dolly Parton is a gift that we continue to give. Now a well-known performer has partnered with food brand Duncan Hines to release a line of Parton-approved cake mixes and frosting flavors. Read on to see how you can pick up these amazing-sounding sweet treats …
Country singer Dolly Parton may have just celebrated her 76th birthday, but it is she who decides to give the world a gift. On January 26th, the singer of “Jolene” posted a sweet update on her social media channel. “I couldn’t wait to share this sweet surprise,” Parton added a caption to the photo he was burning. “Duncan Hines and I are agitating the love of the South with a limited edition baking collection kit using our favorite flavors of coconut and banana pudding. I can’t wait for everyone to give it a try!” The presentation ended with a cake and a yellow heart emoji.
Of course, fans know that Parton has always loved baking. “I’ve always loved cooking, and growing up in the South, I especially like real moms and pop-like food,” a 76-year-old woman said in a recent interview. “Baking was no exception. Moms, grandmothers and aunts were all great bakeries. They taught me everything I knew, from biscuits and gravy sauces to chocolate cakes.”
As soon as the announcement hit the internet, Parton fans could hardly suppress their excitement …
American fans said they couldn’t wait to buy it, but others around the world wondered when the Parton-Hines team-up would hit their shores. “”[IT’S] It’s the most exciting, “commented influencer Sara Nicole Laundry, asking when Hines would bring the cake mix to Canada. Similarly, another fan commented, “Tell me you can get these with your beloved dolly in the UK.”
Want to get this delicious collaboration? There is good news and bad news. Bad news? Some quick fans could get a baking kit for $ 40 on the Duncan Hines website, but it sold out within an hour. That is correct! Fortunately, Duncan Hines plans to create another batch of them, and you can sign up for the company’s website for more information on the next release.
Alternatively, you can wait until March when cake mixes and frosting will be available separately at many grocery stores across the country.


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Redwood Shores, CA (PRWEB) June 29, 2011
Blekko, the new search engine that is using human curation to eliminate spam from search results, announced today its partnership with Foodily, the world’s largest social recipe network, to curate search results for recipes; a cluttered and spam rich environment on most search engines.
Blekko has tapped Foodily’s trusted online community to edit and maintain its recipe-related slashtags, curating the most relevant recipe search verticals. Foodily brings together recipes from across the Web, allowing users to compare any recipe and find what their friends like.
“Search has always been a personal experience but the escalating amount of spam on the Web is driving search to become social, where communities and groups of friends can help call out the best of results,” said Rich Skrenta, CEO of blekko. “Foodily’s trusted community of cooks and food lovers will be a tremendous resource to blekko searchers.”
Slashtags -- the magic behind blekko’s search -- are curated sets of web sites organized around a particular topic as broad as health, money, and autos, and as narrow as gluten-free, college football, and the Grateful Dead. Since launching in November, blekko users have created more than 110,000 slashtags, indicating that the search market is thirsty for innovation.
“Foodily’s mission is to help everyone find the food they want and love, and share it with their social circle. We’re excited to play a role in helping blekko searchers find great resources on food, cooking and recipes,” said Andrea Cutright, CEO of Foodily. “The Foodily community is rising to the challenge of bringing the best recipe content to the top, so we can all enjoy quickly finding that next great meal.”
Blekko has promised to create a new kind of search experience that would enlist human editors in its effort to eliminate spam and personalize search. Since then, the company has taken dramatic steps to clean up the swampy web. Recently, blekko announced the release of a major update that for the first time utilizes millions of social cues and human edits from over 100,000 user created slashtags, to put the best content at the top of search results. This update includes a new relevance model for ranking sites and an expanded index.
Blekko was founded in 2007 to pursue innovation in search. The company has raised $24 million since its founding in 2007 from US Venture Partners and CMEA Capital, as well as leading angel investors including Ron Conway, Mike Maples, Jeff Clavier, and Marc Andreessen. Blekko has 25 employees, including former Google and Yahoo! Search engineers.
Foodily empowers people to make fully informed decisions about the foods they eat. Through its comprehensive social recipe network, influenced by friends, people can find and share the food they love online. Based in San Mateo, CA, Foodily is driven by a team of seasoned, food-passionate search, linguistic and consumer product experts. The company is backed by leading venture capital firm Index Ventures. Visit http://www.foodily.com and get cooking!
Sarah Prejean for blekko, blekko(at)sutherlandgold(dot)com, (415) 608-4043
Laura Goldberg for Foodily, lauragoldberg(at)gmail(dot)com, (347) 683-1859


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The heavy debt load just got a little lighter for J.Crew Group Inc., and its long-term outlook a bit brighter.
The company said it has received consents to the term loan amendment announced on June 12 from a majority of the lenders, the requisite threshold for approval. The struggling retailer said it received consents from holders representing more than 80 percent of the term loan.
The exchange offer to bondholders and update to its term loan is aimed at ending its legal battle with lenders and pushing its next loan maturity by two years to 2021.
The term loan amendment was announced last week in connection with an offer to exchange any or all of the outstanding $566.5 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2019. J.Crew is carrying $1.5 billion in long-term debt.
J.Crew is said to have placed its intellectual property in a new subsidiary that will issue $250 million in new debt, which will be used to buy back existing bonds.
As part of the new deal, lenders agree to immediately stay all litigation activities regarding the company’s intellectual property transactions that occurred in December, and withdraw and dismiss all pending litigation, including any claims that were or could have been asserted between the company and the term loan agent.
J.Crew said it views these transactions as strategically important to its overall effort in positioning the company for long-term success. Addressing the nearest-term maturity removes an overhang in a challenging market environment and provides the company a clear and more confident path to execute its business plan, the retailer added.
(Read more about how debt is dooming retail: How a Lack of Liquidity is Tanking Retail—And Who’s to Blame)
The financial maneuvering should stave off bankruptcy for the merchant and comes on the heels of longtime chief executive officer Mickey Drexler’s stepping down. Drexler is being succeeded by West Elm president Jim Brett.
J. Crew had a first-quarter loss of $123.3 million, compared with an $8 million deficit a year earlier. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization fell 41 percent to $26.6 million from $45.4 million in the period, as revenues dropped 6 percent to $532 million.
At the upcoming edition of Sourcing at MAGIC, attendees will be able to witness the factory of the future right on the show floor.Read more
RIS is recognizing several retail software vendors for their ability to transform industry member’s businesses with technology.Read more
The wool market has battled dwindling demand from the infiltration of high-tech fabrics in the outerwear market for many years and lost supply in its home market of Australia, where growers have increasingly opted for more profitable use of their land.Read more
The U.S. Commerce Department issued affirmative final determinations in the countervailing duty investigations of fine denier polyester staple fiber from the China and India.Read more
The cost of enjoying free shipping on Amazon is going up.Read more
GFG named two new co-CEOs, Walmart International named Judith McKenna as its new CEO and a Louis Vuitton veteran announced his exit.Read more
Portugese mill Tintex is switching from the use of conventional cotton and has launched a new fabric range called Naturally Advanced Cotton by Tintex using four different premium and responsibly grown cottons.Read more


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NFI Hosts Discussion About Solutions to Seafood Deficiency in the American Diet Published: 12 March, 2012
The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) hosted a luncheon for two dozen leaders and investors at the International Boston Seafood Show to discuss the creation of an independent, non-profit Foundation to Address Seafood Deficiency in the American Diet.
Low seafood consumption is the second-biggest dietary contributor to preventable deaths in the U.S., taking 84,000 lives each year a toll greater than diabetes and passionate members of the seafood community plan to join forces with public health advocates to do something about it. NFI is currently raising seed money to examine the possibility of launching an educational foundation.
We are in the processes of identifying potential funding partners for the foundation, said Jack Kilgore, President of Consumer Brands Division with Rich Products Corporation and Steering Committee Member for a Foundation to Address Seafood Deficiency in the American Diet. Were looking for others with a passion for reducing heart disease and improving brain health through inspiring Americans to eat seafood more often.
Consumer focus groups conducted by NFI last summer showed that an important segment of consumers crave seafood and want to eat more. Most Americans agree that eating more seafood is good for their health; however, habitual eating behavior and lack of knowledge about how to buy, prepare and eat seafood hold consumers back from eating more. A Foundation to Address Seafood Deficiency in the American Diet will empower American families to meet the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendation for seafood twice a week through educational outreach.
We have the perfect storm of health concerns, heightened interest in and access to food information, and the imprimatur of the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines recommendation, said Kilgore. Now is the opportune time to reintroduce seafood to American families and eliminate one of the top nutrition problems in the U.S.


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Pond's top 5 'faces' campaign causes outrage
Pond's South Africa have moved swiftly to address a social media storm that erupted over the announcement of the top five candidates in their Face of Pond's competition.
The competition, which was started two months ago, aimed to find a new ambassador for the brand from entries sent in by ordinary women who bought its products.
However, the competition was marred by technical issues and social media accusations that the women were allegedly pre-selected before the competition had even closed.
These complaints developed into a full-on storm after the brand posted a picture of its top five candidates for the competition.
Congratulations to the TOP 5 candidates for the Faces of POND'S Competition. Each lady represented beauty and strength in their submission photographs and inspiring stories. We received thousands of incredible entries and we thank you South Africa for joining us on this journey. Watch this space - we'll be asking for your VOTES soon! #IAMTHEFACEOFPONDS
While many congratulated the women and praised Pond's for their choice, hundreds more flooded the comments section to criticise it for not being transparent during the competition and accusing them of not choosing "ordinary women of all races and sizes".
she is not the darkest shade of black there is in SA & the world. We have ladies that look like and are even darker than Lupita Nyongo & the beauty industry has been excluding such women of color for years. We need more representation of such women. That’s all I’m saying— Rejoice (@MagirlyR) June 11, 2018
One user wrote: "We all missed the point of the campaign due to poor communication from their side. They seemed to make us believe it would be a raw live selection of the photos submitted and hashtagged. But it turned out to be premedicated selection. This is the issue. The girls chosen can be ugly or pretty but how Pond's went about it is the real issue. Women already feel self conscious so you need to really be sensitive, otherwise you end up with consumers who feel rejected and who then feel 'ugly'".
Pond's responded on social media by apologising for the "inconvenience caused" by the technical glitch that apparently prevented some women from entering the competition.
"We only had 5 spots to fill. We’re sorry you feel sad," they added.
To another user, they wrote: "We’re sorry you feel hurt and remember, not making it this time around doesn’t mean there won’t be another opportunity to fulfill your big dreams. Never stop dreaming."
Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Pond's PR manager Sphelele Mjadu explained that "there was no pre-selection process" and that the contestants "share a combination of various skin tones."
"The competition opened on 21 March 2018 and ended at midnight on 3 June 2018. No entries received after the closing date were eligible. Once the competition closed, there was a rigorous selection process and key teams managing the shortlisting - every entry was looked at. It was then up to a panel of brand team members and partners to narrow the entries down to five. The top five were contacted upon conclusion of this process and then travelled to Johannesburg where they partook in a full day photoshoot."
She also responded to claims that the company's handling of the competition could leave many women disillusioned about what beauty really was.
"The competition was open to all women nationwide in the hope of finding a local and every day South African face. We believe in and embrace natural beauty, and have supported this. At Pond’s, confidence in women is very important to us and this is very close to our hearts."


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After releasing the fourth beta a couple of weeks ago, Apple today released the fifth developer beta of watchOS 6 for testing on the Apple Watch before its public release this fall. The new software is only available to registered developers for testing. In other words, there isn’t any free Continue Reading
Google has begun the rollout of its complete redesign for android auto. The update arrives almost three months after it was unveiled. The new version of Android Auto carries a complete redesign of the software with a stronger focus on app interaction. Now, you’ll see an app grid on your Continue Reading
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 will be revealed August 5th.
Each new iPhone will also reportedly support 5G out of the box.


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New executive leadership to expand company’s strategic direction
Lenexa, Kan.: Balance Innovations has named Darren Knipp as its new president and CEO.
“Darren’s background is a perfect fit for taking Balance Innovations to the next level,” said Kurt Mueller, chairman of the board of managers and acting president and CEO of Balance Innovations. “His experience leading a team that took a software company from a start-up to more than $300 million in annual revenue will be invaluable to us as we advance as a key solution provider to the retail industry.”
Knipp’s varied, extensive background includes 12 years at Perceptive Software, where he served most recently as chief operating officer. Prior to Perceptive, he was group product manager for Interwoven and general manager for Boeing’s Silicon Valley lab. Knipp was also an officer in the United States Air Force, serving as senior product manager and development engineer for complex global systems. He has a master’s degree in business from the Webster University School of Business, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Kansas, and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy.
“Darren’s leadership experience gives him a fresh perspective on our opportunities and has uniquely prepared him to lead us as we move toward developing more complex solutions for retailers and further expand and strengthen our strategic partnerships,” Mueller said.
“Balance Innovations is an established leader in the retail software solutions space,” said Knipp. “I’m excited to lead the company as we expand our product offerings into new markets and work with our strategic partners for future growth. We are building on the company’s strong portfolio of applications and platform technologies to create solutions that enable retailers to look deeper at their front-end operations. They can then take more immediate and targeted action, improving efficiencies, performance and, ultimately, customer service.”
Balance Innovations’ software solutions unify standalone systems on the retail front end. Gathering information from transactions at a variety of touchpoints, the SaaS-based solutions provide analytics, as well as reporting and alerting capabilities. These equip retailers to make data-driven decisions in real time, optimizing front-end operations based on their organizational goals.
Mueller said bringing Knipp on board completes the company’s executive leadership team, which expanded with the addition of Scott Young, executive vice president of sales and development, in February. Young brought 30 years of experience in software product management and marketing and is working to expand the company’s product suite and redesign its architecture, greatly increasing the number of potential customers.
“Scott’s experience in growing technology companies has helped us define and advance our business model,” said Mueller. “He is focused on positioning Balance Innovations as a leader in providing solutions that improve front-end efficiency and make the most of the technologies in which retailers have already invested.”
“I’m eager to help the company deliver on a new technology platform and bring SaaS solutions to our customers,” said Young. “Our solutions provide retailers with analytics they have never seen before and unify their existing technologies to increase operational effectiveness from the corporate level down to each individual store.”


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After a panicked AAP government withdrew its excise policy in the face of central agencies' (the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate) investigation into alleged favouritism to benefit cronies, 6 September was the fifth day of the old rule's resumption. So far, Delhi has collected revenue of Rs 269 crore under the resumed old policy.
This revenue has come in combination with excise duty, licence fee and liquor sales. In Delhi, four government departments have been given licences for 500 shops for the sale of liquor.
Till now, 387 liquor shops have been opened in Delhi. According to officials of the excise department, all liquor shops will open in the next few days, complying with the old rules and regulations. These will include six premium shops, which are open inside a shopping mall.
According to the excise department, the process of opening liquor shops and registration of different brands of liquor is going on in Delhi. The Delhi Government undertakings — Delhi Tourism And Transportation Development Corporation Limited (DTTDC), Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Department of Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (DSCSC), and Delhi Consumer's Cooperative Wholesale Store Ltd (DCCWS) — have been given a target to open 700 liquor shops in the city by end of this year. The liquor licences that have been given for shops in Delhi will be valid till January 2023.
In addition, the bar licences of 926 hotels, clubs and restaurants have been renewed. This licence is valid till February 2023.
The Delhi government says that 33 teams have been formed to ensure no black marketing of liquor happens in the city.
According to the excise department, 72 wholesale suppliers have registered 600 brands for the supply of liquor in Delhi, out of which 430 brands (195 Indian and 235 foreign) with 60 wholesale suppliers have been licensed. In order to make all types of brands available in Delhi, more than 1,000 brands will be brought to the Delhi market in the coming days.
The excise department claims that at present there is no shortage of liquor in Delhi. There is enough alcohol available to last more than 12 days. The department said that an m-Abkari mobile app has been launched for the convenience of consumers, in which it will be effective for the supplier, seller and buyer.
Premium wine, beer shops to open in association with Delhi Metro
Microbreweries, draft beer, wine and beer shops will be encouraged in Delhi henceforth. So far, one microbrewery has been approved while four applications are in progress.
Two applications of draft beer have been received. Premium shops of beer and wine will be opened in Delhi too, for which an agreement has been signed with Delhi Metro to open 5 premier wine and beer shops.
Old & new liquor policy in Delhi
In November 2021, the Delhi government rolled out a new excise policy. The new policy effectively took the government out of the liquor retailing business and handed it over to private players. But within a few months, it came under CBI scrutiny following allegations of favoritism and corruption. The Delhi government withdrew the policy and announced that from 1 September, the state would revert to the old regime for a period of six months until a fresh policy is in place.
AAP's claim, BJP's allegation
In August, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia had claimed, 'Excise policy due to which whole controversy is created is the country's best policy. The AAP govt has been applying it with transparency and sincerity. The Delhi govt would have been getting at least Rs 10,000 crore every year if Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena would have given a second thought and not changed his decision conspiring to fail the policy."
On 4 September, however, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta alleged that a fall in excise revenue despite two-fold increase in liquor sales was a big proof of corruption in the implementation of the policy. He claimed that the Delhi government lost crores of rupees in revenue while the liquor mafia made crores of profit when the contentious excise policy was in force.
"The Delhi government suffered a loss of more than Rs 3,000 crore due to the change in policy, while the money received from the liquor mafia was spent in the Punjab elections," Gupta alleged, adding that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia also got a big share of money.
At the rate that Delhi has been earning revenue for the past 5 days suggests that the old, re-implemented policy was always better for the local government.


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As travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, experts are questioning whether normal travel habits are sustainable for the environment long-term. In Bristol and Southwest England, for example, a report by The Travel Foundation is warning that we may have to change the way we travel or travel less.
The Travel Foundation is an independent charity dedicated to ensuring that tourism has a positive impact on destinations, in partnership with Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI), and the University of Waterloo. Their recent report states that big changes are needed to meet the emissions targets set by the Paris Agreement and keep global warming levels below 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
The tourism sector’s direct emissions are produced from flights, car journeys, trains, and other transportation or energy use in tourism activities. These emissions account for approximately 5 percent of global CO2 emissions. Combining direct and indirect decisions, which would include tourism suppliers such as laundry and food production, brings that number up between 8 and 11 percent of global CO2 emissions. Already using a large percentage of the climate budget, it’s estimated that the tourism industry will double by 2050 (compared to 2019 levels) due to the growing global population and increased affordability.
The report calls for major investments into cleaner modes of travel such as trains and electric cars, temporary caps on long-haul flights, and better tracking of the environmental impacts of tourism. The authors of the report, however, state that the focus should be on offering better environmental choices rather than implementing large limits on the travel industry.
In addition to choosing environmentally conscientious means of travel, one tour company encourages travelers to also ensure they’re going green while they’re enjoying their trip. The group, Much Better Adventures, designs holidays with the environment in mind by donating 5% of its revenue to conservation groups and urging travelers to interact directly with local communities. Their rafting trips in Albania, for example, were organized on a river that was previously threatened by industrial development.
“We recognize that it’s unrealistic that no one is ever going to fly. So when people do fly, it’s all about making sure when they get there it counts. It’s maximizing the benefits to the local community, and maximizing the benefits to the local environment. The tourist dollar, the money we’re spending can have a huge impact on the conservation of our natural world. Tourism is one of the best ways we can achieve that, actually.” stated Alex Narracott, Founder and CEO of Much Better Adventures.
Experts are encouraging travelers to practice eco-friendly traveling habits such as taking nearer and longer trips as opposed to far trips for shorter periods of time. They acknowledge, however, that the burden of making this more accessible should rest on the industry itself rather than individual travelers.


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Last year, Busch Light launched Busch Light Apple. To celebrate, Busch is delivering the first batch of Busch Light Apple from the clouds via a helicopter in the Northeast and Midwest at secret locations only accessible to the biggest Busch fans.
🚨 WE’RE AIRDROPPING BUSCH LIGHT APPLE 🚨
LITERALLY. FROM A HELICOPTER. Want to be there when it happens?
— Busch Beer (@BuschBeer) June 21, 2021


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LOVE ‘EM AND LEAVE ‘EM: Ellen Barkin watched from a private viewing room at Christie’s in New York on Tuesday as she unsentimentally unloaded more than 100 pieces of jewelry for $20,369,200 (well above the $15 million estimate) given to her by billionaire financier and Revlon chairman Ronald O. Perelman, who in January surreptitiously filed for divorce from the actress. Jewelry bigwigs including Fred Leighton — who was fixed on acquiring several important pieces from the impressive lot even though he sold his 35-year-old eponymous firm to renowned collector and dealer Ralph Esmerian in April and is expected to exit the firm soon — and Lorraine Schwartz were in attendance, as was Graff president and chief executive officer Henri Barguirdjian, who said he was looking, not buying.
“I’m interested to see what’s going on,” said Barguirdjian. “I saw the collection. It shows the great taste of a great woman.”
This story first appeared in the October 11, 2006 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.
Christie’s staffers had to put out additional chairs for the vast crowd, many of whom were struck by the media blitz of the sale generated by Barkin’s team and by the 17 pieces of JAR jewelry that went up for sale. A JAR diamond ring that was estimated to fetch $800,000 to $1.2 million was bought for $1.6 million, while Leighton lost out on a two-strand ruby bead and diamond sautoir for $375,000, but managed to nab a single-strand emerald bead and diamond necklace earlier for $400,000.
VIVA ITALIA: It may have seemed an odd setting, but Manhattan’s Chinatown Brasserie last week was all about Italy — or at least Italian lingerie. Fabiola Beracasa, Emilia Fanjul, Tinsley Mortimer and model Ana Beatriz Barros hosted a luncheon to introduce the popular Intimissimi collection, which is now offered Stateside exclusively at Victoria’s Secret (Barros is the face of the line’s ad campaign). During pre-lunch cocktails, guests such as Natalie Leeds Leventhal and Jackie Astier nibbled spring rolls and dumplings, while Shoshanna Gruss and Fanjul compared pediatrician notes. “I think this dress is supposed to be a loose fit,” joked Fanjul of her choice of maternity gear, a very chic Anna Sui crochet frock.
SPARKLE PLENTY: Michelle Trachtenberg is the latest starlet to jump on the jewelry bandwagon, revealing on Sunday that she’s designing a line of semiprecious stone bracelets and necklaces called Bella Veritas, which will launch at a Women’s Cancer Research Fund benefit at Intuition boutique in Los Angeles on Oct. 24. The line will also sell at Milk boutique on Third Street, but quantities are limited, as the actress makes each piece herself. Pal Lydia Hearst has already worn a necklace from the collection, which Trachtenberg calls “a little side project. If I’m ever late on set, it’s because I’m sitting in my trailer making jewelry.”
PRECIOUS GEM: Summer Phoenix and her partners in retail, Odessa Whitmire and Ruby Canner, hosted a party last week to fete the opening of the Los Angeles location of their boutique, Some Odd Rubies. The trio’s many celebrity friends and family members made the trek east to the low-key Los Feliz neighborhood for the soiree, including Ben Affleck, Kevin Smith, Clea Duvall, Eva Mendes, Scott Caan and Casey Affleck, Phoenix’s husband. The retailers launched the first Some Odd Rubies, which specializes in original, reworked vintage apparel, on New York’s Ludlow Street in 2003. “We all loved shopping vintage,” said Whitmire, a former flame of Matt Damon’s, “but sometimes vintage doesn’t fit so well. We’d end up cutting it up ourselves.”
“The store is about originality, uniqueness — it’s about cultivating a style,” said Phoenix. “We’re making [the store] a destination. People will come east, just watch.”
PICTURE SHOW: “I’m lost in thought,” Manolo Blahnik said, after studying a supersized 1989 photo of the late model Tina Chow, taken by Herb Ritts. “She was so beautiful, and she was born with it.” Chow’s enlarged profile was one of hundreds of portraits on display at a San Francisco gallery and used in the Gap’s advertising since 1974. The photos also appear in the retailer’s new AIDS fund-raising book, “Individuals.”
Blahnik stopped by the packed party last week at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts to celebrate the book’s West Coast launch. The designer’s own 1990 seated portrait with hands on hips, also by Ritts, is in the book, and among hundreds of images by famous photographers lining the gallery’s walls and columns. However, Blahnik didn’t want to linger. Weary from a flurry of cross-country store appearances, he said he wanted to stay fresh for his sold-out Saturday talk at Manhattan’s Supper Club, as part of The New Yorker magazine’s three-day fall festival. “I’m terrified of appearances before large audiences. I mean, five people is a good number for me,” Blahnik said.
Across the room, under a huge profile of Lee Radziwill, were Gap founders Donald and Doris Fisher, greeting friends. Donald Fisher recalled when then-Gap ad director Maggie Gross pitched the “Individuals of Style” photo campaign.
“She came to see me, and I said, ‘Yeah, it’s a good idea. But how about putting our clothes on them?'” Fisher reminisced. Instead, Gross convinced her boss to put celebrities in single-pocket Gap T-shirts, with the idea of Gap apparel being a must-have accessory and celebrating “mass America, good taste,” Fisher said.
COSTUME JEWELRY: Cartier president and chief executive Frédéric de Narp and director Maria Crawley-Bayazid hosted a cocktail party at the Cartier Mansion in New York last week in honor of Suzanne and Robert Cochran and Fiona and Eric Rudin, the event chairmen of the Central Park Conservancy’s Halloween Ball. The ball, now in its 11th incarnation, will be held this year on Oct. 25. The real draws, however, are the elaborate costumes guests don — and they don’t get dolled up without good reason. Cartier Tank Solo watches will be awarded to the winner of the costume contest, to be judged by photographer Patrick McMullan and Sigourney Weaver (who, besides her judging duties, is also about to be seen on screen as society icon Babe Paley in “Infamous”).
De Narp, for one, expressed sadness that he missed last year’s ball and won’t be able to attend this year, either. “Next year, I must make sure to be here, I have heard it is such a good party,” he said. Ironically, the last time Cartier donated a watch to a charity event, De Narp pulled the lucky ticket and won it. Of course, he donated it right back so non-Cartier civilians could have another chance.
EXPRESS LANE: Why would celebrities risk mobs at the mall when they can shop for cheap ‘n’ chic Express separates in the privacy of a new Hollywood showroom? That’s exactly what Camilla Belle, Rashida Jones, Monet Mazur, Kristin Chenoweth and Brittany Snow have done, grabbing up not-yet-in-stores pieces like leather bomber jackets, vests and striped sweaters. The casual clothes are for work as well as play: Teri Hatcher just walked out with a striped tank top and jeans that she proceeded to wear for an upcoming episode of “Desperate Housewives.”
OLDHAM’S GREEN THUMB: Todd Oldham has a new gig, designing holiday floral arrangements for FTD. For Halloween, the designer has pulled together bouquets shaped like spiders, pumpkins and ghosts. The offbeat displays are delivered in reusable containers such as stainless steel planting pots and cupcake trays.
Oldham, a mainstay name at Target, has also developed a rainbow-colored bouquet for today’s National Coming Out Day. He has arranged flowers in the shape of a gift box for the holidays and is already at work on Valentine’s Day arrangements. This is new territory for Oldham, who has a La-Z-Boy furniture collection and designed the interior of The Hotel in Miami’s South Beach.
10T33 or 10T32: A Todd Oldham floral display for FTD.
CALLING ALL CARS: Lincoln, as in the car, will be sharing the stage with Amsale at her bridal fashion show Sunday at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. The Ethiopian-born designer, who is among the go-getters spotlighted in Lincoln’s new “Entrepreneur” ad campaign, will show off her Lincoln commercial and print ads. There will also be models of the 2007 Lincoln MKX and the 2007 Lincoln Navigator parked in the atrium, as well as outside the Time Warner Center.


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Have you ever been bobbing your head along to your favorite song and wondered, “What would this music taste like?” Unless you were rolling face on MDMA, probably not.
Nevertheless, Kickstarter campaign called Beatballs wants to develop a home food processor that evaluates the acoustic properties of a song, and turn that song into a meatball. Call it a cross between an iHome and a KitchenAid.
The tech world is full of its rivalries: Lyft and Uber. iOS and Android. Snapchat and whoever is trying to copy them this week. It’s rare, however, that we get a truly comprehensive look at how two companies line up side by side.
Shopify published an enormous data survey last week of over 400,000 available Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns, and the results are less-than-flattering for Indiegogo. Shopify scraped public campaign pages to build their dataset, and the crowdfunding firm that did the scraping for them has published a guide to how they gathered the data.
Kickstart or Kill
Kickstarter and Indiegogo are always held up against each other as rivals — people ask which is more secure, which is more indie, and which one is the better place to raise money. But this weekend, they both get to be winners, to an extent.
The Coolest Cooler broke Kickstarter’s record for highest funds raised by a campaign ever, coming in around $13 million, and Stone Brewing Company broke Indiegogo’s at $2.5 million.
At Betabeat, we consider ourselves connoisseurs of the Kickstarter horror story. Usually, the strange videos we’ve come across have been poorly made home videos — honest attempts by clueless civilians. Sometimes though, you find that perfect marriage of high production value and complete WTFness.
The crowdfunding video for a productivity app called Wimble looks like Barney Stinton’s video resume meets The Room. In it, a Finnish man wearing all black errthang is chased through an urban dystopia by a swarm of flying clocks before discovering the almighty Wimble.
Beef in the Crowdfunding Game
Anyone with Facebook knows what it’s like to be solicited by some annoying friend for a Kickstarter campaign to fund their upcoming album or MFA film thesis. But beware: it turns out that sometimes, that spirit of charity can give way to compulsively giving money to every campaign that needs it.
“Backers” is a possibly upcoming documentary about compulsive crowdfunders by Ana Barredo, a filmmaker and production manager. She originally set out to take a look at why people give money to crowdfunding projects in general, but stumbled upon a subset of users who seem unable to stop donating to hundreds of campaigns at a time.
the future is now
Crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter can be a great place to make impossible dreams come true. Some campaigns are total pipe-dreams, sure, but they at least they often have a few working test models and a real plan. Others are simply empty promises and total trash.
The latest dubious campaign is the Kreyos smartwatch, which promised a waterproof, voice-activated wearable device. As revealed by Android Police late last night, the project founders never delivered on their promise, refused refunds, and have since made off with the cash.
Every once in a while, someone will share that obnoxiously photoshopped meme of the date in Back To The Future 2 when we’re supposed to have the flying cars and hover-boards. The truth is that our world looks much closer to Marty McFly’s 1985 than it does to the fictional 2015. But every once in a while, we get a small taste of that Jetsons-style future.
A Kickstarter to fund the first batch of motorized roller-skates, called RocketSkates, has gone well beyond their $50,000 goal to raise almost $500,000 — a milestone they’ll surely reach by the time the campaign ends in 7 days. Once the Kickstarter is finished, they’ll go into mass production, and the skates will be shipping “well before Christmas,” a company representative told Betabeat.
The Equity of the Crowds
Word of an up-and-coming campaign for a pen that would scan and instantly reproduce colors excited crowdfunding fans and artists alike earlier this summer.
After numerous delays, the Scribble campaign finally launched earlier this week, only to be pulled by its creators two days later after both backers and Kickstarter began raising questions. After all, it wasn’t clear exactly how the pen was taking colors from objects in the environment and changing the pen’s ink.
Crowdfunding began as a cool way for your college roommate to raise money to finally record his first album, but has quickly gone on to be a bigger part of how the tech industry does business.
CB Insights, a research analytics firm that bills itself as the “OkCupid for venture vapitalists,” has released the first study of crowdfunding’s growing role as a serious part of the tech business. The survey took a look at every crowdfunded tech hardware project on either Indiegogo or Kickstarter, which came out to 443 projects.
It all started when Ryan Seitz and Daniel Skaggs were drinking beer and skipping stones in Texas this past Memorial Day, and started wondering if competitive stone skipping existed.
The pair, both directors with Highway Goats Productions, used the Internet to learn it does, indeed, exist — and is apparently really popular. Now, they’ve created a Kickstarter campaign to fund an adorable-looking documentary on what they describe as the “global phenomenon” of competitive stone skipping.


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Investments in digital ordering and contactless payments technology allowed Toast to significantly grow their customer community and increase recurring revenue by ~70%
Toast, the fastest-growing restaurant management platform, recently announced the 2020 results of its investments in the restaurant community. During the pandemic, Toast took steps to support the industry through rapid product innovation, advocacy on Capitol Hill for restaurant financial relief, and dedicated recovery efforts through more than $40 million in software relief and access to working capital loans for the Toast community.
These actions helped restaurants innovate, navigate the COVID-19 health crisis, and deliver new experiences to meet rapidly changing guest expectations. As a result, Toast’s customer community grew to over 40,000 restaurant locations and recurring revenue increased by 70 percent in 2020.
“While 2020 was an incredibly challenging year for our restaurant community, we focused our efforts at Toast on providing restaurants with access to the technology, advice, and relief they needed to delight guests, do what they love, and survive a challenging year,” said Chris Comparato, CEO at Toast. “As we look ahead to 2021, we remain focused on providing restaurants of all sizes with access to the technology they need to compete with major brands, reimagine their business models, and safely welcome guests back to their restaurants during the year.”
Toast and the Restaurant Community: Growth in 2020
From March to December, 2020, Toast processed nearly 50 million guest orders through Toast digital ordering platforms. Additionally:
- Toast restaurants that adopted new digital technology fared better during the pandemic than those that did not: Throughout 2020, COVID-19 had a devastating impact on restaurant sales. However, independent restaurants that quickly adopted the Toast All-in-One Platform were able to mitigate the impact on sales by 10 to 30 percentage points when compared to restaurants that failed to quickly activate digital tools such as Toast Online Ordering, Toast Marketing, Toast Loyalty, and Toast Delivery Services™.
- Restaurants took control of third party delivery commissions with Toast Delivery Services™: During the pandemic, Toast introduced flat-fee delivery for restaurants to empower them with the benefits of third party delivery paired with the ability to pass delivery costs on to their guests. For independent restaurants that turned on Toast Delivery Services™ during summer and fall 2020, revenue increased by ~10 percent in the month following activation.
- Restaurants adopted Toast’s contactless payment tools at a staggering rate during the pandemic: Nearly 25,000 locations adopted Toast’s new contactless technologies in 2020. Independent restaurants that activated QR code-based Toast Order & Pay during summer and fall 2020 saw, in aggregate, a ~20 percent increase in revenue for the month following adoption compared to the month before activation.
Empowering Restaurants to Delight Guests, Do What They Love, and Thrive
With nearly 70 percent of Toast employees coming from the restaurant industry, the company is deeply committed to addressing the challenges that restaurateurs face in running their businesses. As a result, key activities in 2020 focused on lifting up the restaurant community through efforts including:
- Launching Rally for Restaurants™, a movement to provide a lifeline to restaurants suffering from shutdowns as well as government lobbying for financial relief;
- Accelerating the production of commission-free and flat-fee digital commerce products including Toast Go® 2, Toast Order & Pay, Toast Delivery Services™, and Toast Now™;
- Providing over $40 million in financial support including SaaS relief, free software offers, and access to capital for Toast customers; and,
- Supporting the restaurant community in taking action against the disproportionate injustices that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) working in the restaurant industry face; see here to learn more.
Restaurant owners and operators can learn more about Toast and schedule a personalized demo here.
About Toast: Launched in 2013, Toast is democratizing technology for restaurants of all sizes. Built exclusively for restaurants and driven by a passion to enable their success, Toast connects employees, operations, and guests on an easy-to-use platform so restaurateurs can stay one step ahead of a rapidly evolving hospitality market. Tens of thousands of restaurants partner with Toast to increase revenue, streamline operations, retain great employees, and create raving fans. Toast was named to Fortune’s 2020 Best Workplaces in Technology, 2020 Forbes Fintech 50, 2020 Forbes Cloud 100, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2020 Listing – National Overall Winner, and the 2019 SXSW Interactive Innovation Finals. Learn more at www.toasttab.com.


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The following is a guest post. If you’d like to guest post on the Dividend Ninja, be sure to check out our Guest Posting Guidelines.
Economic analysts use a number of metrics to determine the health of financial markets. Depending upon the area investigated, the data includes spending trends, outstanding debt, import/export balance and a host of variables specific to various economic sectors. While each of the measurements furnishes insight into financial health, consumer confidence is one of the most accessible indicators, providing a broad understanding of public perception.
The way people feel about money and their financial futures influences spending and long-term financial planning. Real-life data can be extrapolated from the financial views held by the public, especially when economic conditions undergo changes. As the rank and file sees writing on the wall, people begin to alter their behavior, which shows-up in the general level of consumer confidence. Though it is impossible to predict the future, the prognosis remains good for many of the once-ailing UK economic sectors. Housing, lending, and employment have made gains, so confidence seems to be growing among consumers.
Confidence Suffers When Expectations Falter
The major upheaval experienced in world markets following disastrous outcomes in 2008 had a significant impact on consumer confidence, which only served to exacerbate negative trends. By 2011, public perception had spiraled downward, showing nothing encouraging.
The BBC reported the biggest one-month drop in consumer confidence in 16 years, pointing to a key indicator that showed an eight-point fall between December and January. Government austerity measures and fears of a double-dip recession shook public perception, including lower expectations in key areas.
Personal Financial Future – The index measuring people’s personal financial expectations for the coming year dropped to minus twelve, as compared to plus 4 a year earlier.
General Economic Security – Another key indicator measure general perceptions about the health of the economy during the coming year illustrated just how widespread financial uncertainty had become. The statistic dropped to minus 30, compared to a score of minus 2 for the prior year.
Hard data fueled the downward spiral, with a shrinking UK GDP and inflation that had risen to 3.7%. Combined with an average VAT increase from 17.5% – 20%, the underlying problems hit consumer confidence significantly, especially when considering major purchases.
Positive Outlook Rising Among Consumers
Fast forward a few years from the dismal perceptions held in 2010-2011 and it becomes clear how consumer confidence is currently on the rise. In fact, March saw financial perceptions rise to their highest levels in twelve years. Public sentiment pushed the confidence index to plus 4 in March, up from a score of only plus 1 in February of this year. The uptick exceeds expectations of leading economists, illustrating the nature of consumer confidence, which operates independent of other economic indicators.
According to polling, households reported a more positive view of the country’s economic future and displayed greater willingness to spend money on discretionary buys. The rise could continue, as wages are ticking upward. Recent years’ high inflation and previously slow-moving wages still mitigate true wealth levels within many UK households, but certain trends are tracking favorably – taking consumer sentiment along with them.
As confidence rises among shoppers, spending is also showing signs of recovery. Hotels, restaurants and pubs, for example are all sharing increased revenues from patrons who have a brighter outlook toward the future. And as inflation growth slows, online shopping and face-to-face consumerism are both showing positive gains. Traditional mail and phone orders also showed increases, according to recent returns from those polled.
Economic forecasts rely on myriad indicators, which analysts use to project potential outcomes. And while each financial sector contains specific indexes used to track growth and stability, consumer confidence plays a role in wide-ranging monetary markets.
Following turbulent perceptions shared by shoppers and investors, fortunes appear to be changing among those polled. Spending itself is tracking upward, but sentiment is also on the rise, which points to further upside potential.


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Trailer Watch: Crysis 2
Crysis developers Crytek had a tough end to last week as a beta version of their new game Crysis 2 together with its multiplayer component and security keys was leaked onto the internet. Undeterred, today they’ve released a new trailer for the upcoming Crysis 2 which is due out on March 25th. The is the first time we’ve gotten a good look at some of the story elements of the game and the potential intrigue and mystery we might find in the plot. Anyone already have this pegged for purchase on launch?
I’ll be watching this one closely.


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Effective 1 October, the composition of the board of Maxima Grupė will change: Vygintas Šapokas, who until now led the Maxima retail chain in Estonia, is leaving that position and Maxima Grupė. As of October, he is moving to Spain to work and will head the Supersol retail chain in that country. The current head of Supersol, Arūnas Zimnickas, who is also a member of the board of Maxima Grupė, will from now on focus all his attention on the retail business which the group operates in Poland.
“We want to apply Arūnas’s long retail trade experience in diverse markets to develop Maxima Grupė’s projects in Poland, which is one of our key focal points for strategic expansion. So from now on the board will have a member who dedicates all his time and attention to that priority market, where we have a lot of plans and a lot of work to do,” Dalius Misiūnas, the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Maxima Grupė, said regarding the changes.
Vygintas Šapokas has been head of the Maxima retail chain in Estonia for more than three years. He has worked for a variety of Maxima Grupė companies since 2003.
Arūnas Zimnickas has led the Supersol chain since 2014. Prior to that he served for three years as the head of Maxima in Lithuania, and for more than three years before that he was the head of Maxima in Latvia.
A selection process will be launched for the position of head of Maxima in Estonia. Until a new general director is named, Marko Põder, Maxima in Estonia member of the management board and chief operations officer, will be in charge.
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double this year just past three days, a very strange is that the electricity supplier online is the "double promotion war" with vigour and vitality, from the three day, there is no overwhelming assault without annoying leaflets; subscription messages without trouble; all kinds of sensational news; no complaints the news reports, the electricity supplier choice over double low-key, even Taobao and Tmall in order to prepare early this double promotional activities are very dull, for no not early business is huge unusual, but this unusual silk also see changes in the electricity supplier industry, especially for the price war attitude.
price war after spending ahead of schedule to pay
with vigour and vitality of the "price war" to encourage more consumer spending, but also for the double flat foreshadowed today. When the war of the early consumption is the double consumption funds early payment, resulting in double coming, when consumers online shopping although the heart, but has no heat and impulse, the money bun is very heavy, and the group of consumption and high consumption of the crowd, think carefully, can buy products in the price war "consumers will be small consumers, certainly not, wars are not cheap ah. The business enterprise is now reaping, and hurt the other platform to swallow the fruit, visible "spoilers" is not a good thing. Especially double this year long holiday, holiday travel, most of the funds are spent on tourism, for online shopping less funding plan.
business enterprise online promotion, especially in the past two years is a major holiday, is consistent, so many consumers through price promotion means, return to usher in a period of consumer psychological reason, some people begin to have great heat and no impulse to be moved by the so-called promotion, not to mention every time the promotion problems is not a small problem, most of the enterprises have the so-called promotion is the price rise in price, the price is the same, the promotion is a chewy, catch a consumer psychology, but now with more competitors enter the consumer to the price, and price system, some browsers also added more than that, some sites also add such system, so consumers’ smart nature again return; and for consumers Now, online promotion, very vexed, because too much will lead to fast immunity, like a virus, once the antibodies produced by the body, then the virus was not used, the electricity supplier means is the same, so the need for better business means, a price will eventually fight off consumers.
electricity supplier low-key to avoid the line
is coming, what’s hot, not online shopping, travel, then to travel friends, how much time will double when online shopping, but also is a lot of double channel line a profit the most important days of the year, all the price even more than online but also low price can be. There is more competition, "


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PEI company plans to increase productivity with equipment
February 26, 2014 By Press release
February 26, 2014, Charlottetown, PEI – The federal and P.E.I. governments recently announced the investment of $569,000 to RWL Holdings Ltd. in a bid to enhance the competitiveness of the region’s potato industry.
RWL Holdings Ltd. plans to purchase new equipment for a high-speed potato wash facility.
The optical-sensing sorting equipment will sort the potatoes by size and type on a just-in-time basis, allowing more efficiency when sorting loads of potatoes for large-scale processors like McCains and Cavendish Farms.
“With the new technology, our company is helping to modernize the potato industry here in Prince Edward Island,” said Austin Roberts, co-owner of RWL Holdings Ltd. “This service to Island potato-growers will help increase their profits as well as help ensure the processors are receiving the best possible product. We are very grateful to both levels of government for their investments into our company and the potato industry.”
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Gaming: Death Stranding plot finally revealed; Skywalker rises in Star Wars Battlefront II; more
For all the trippy trailers we’ve gotten featuring babies in jars, snake-like wisps that suck people into a hidden dimension, and uncanny CGI renders of famous faces like those of Guillermo del Toro, Mads Mikkelsen, and Norman Reedus, the plot of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding has concealed itself behind a wall of impenetrable weirdness. At least, it had until this week.
Kojima has been a big presence at Germany’s Gamescom event this week, giving the gaming press by far its closest look yet at what lies behind all those strange layers from the past two years’ worth of Death Stranding teases. And thanks to an in-depth report from Gamesradar+, which spent some quality time with a late build of the game, we finally know what it’s all about.
Death Stranding, the outlet reports, is essentially a map-expanding, cross-continental journey that Sam, Reedus’ character, undertakes on foot. In short, the report summarizes, the game’s story is “about a pilgrimage, about activating communication relays, and about delivering parcels to isolated corners of America in an attempt to establish social strands — building bonds with your fellow man in an effort to inspire hope in a dying society.”
Hoofing it across an entire continent makes it sound as though Death Stranding will be a hugely-scaled game, but the underlying gameplay concept is one that’s probably comfortable for most players. For anyone who’s watched entire sections of game map open up after clambering up one of Horizon Zero Dawn’s lumbering giraffe-bots, scaled a tower in an Assassin’s Creed game, or uploaded a fresh set of waypoints to their Sheikah Slate in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the idea should feel familiar.
Why must Sam make such a long journey? To retrace the steps “of Amelie, daughter of the President of the United Cities of America,” who made the same trip in the past to “establish a network of communication relays across the country, a network that could deliver a message of unity from her mother, Bridget, who also happens to be on death’s door.”
And just like that, Kojima’s story starts sounding as dense as anything you’d expect from a Metal Gear game. But the basic outline, at last, makes sense: Death Stranding appears to be a game about walking from place to place, fighting enemies, and making one connection at a time to unite a fractured country. We’ll take the first step starting on Nov. 8, when the game arrives at last for PlayStation 4.
Star Wars Battlefront II is heading toward its second birthday, but the game’s still going strong thanks to fresh content that’s rolling out just in time for Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker this December.
Game Informer reports that an all-new update will bring J.J. Abrams’ saga-ending story to Battlefront II in a new expansion timed to coincide with the movie’s release in theaters. Details from developer EA DICE are light, since the new content likely holds spoilers that could carry over for movie fans, but the update reportedly will be “based on the film.”
EA has continued to publish enhancements to the original 2017 game, and is even pledging a separate update, ahead of the Skywalker expansion, that will reportedly bring a “special event” to the sci-fi action shooter sometime in October.
The Skywalker content for Battlefront II hasn’t been given a firm release date in December, but the movie is slated to release on Dec. 20. Star Wars Battlefront II is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
She may not be an MCU regular just yet, but over in the world of video games, Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel) is beginning to stir.
In the lengthy gameplay footage Square Enix debuted at Gamescom from the upcoming Avengers game, eagle-eyed fans spotted a glimpse of someone who bore a striking resemblance to a certain Captain Marvel-idolizing teen. After letting the fans buzz for a while, developer Crystal Dynamics confirmed to US Gamer that yes, the backpack-wearing character caught up in the mayhem around the 11:30 mark in the clip below indeed is Kamala Khan.The first Muslim-American character in Marvel’s comic universe, Kamala Khan has only been around since her debut in 2013’s Captain Marvel #14, so her screen appearances have so far been few, limited mostly to a handful of animated TV appearances in Marvel’s Avengers Assemble. But Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has also said Ms. Marvel could show up in the MCU, now that Captain Marvel has introduced Carol Danvers (Kamala’s idol) on the big screen.
In the game footage, a “young Kamala Khan” is present at the ill-fated A-Day event at the Golden Gate Bridge, when tragedy strikes San Francisco and turns public opinion against the Avengers, Crystal Dynamics studio head Scot Amos told US Gamer. Square Enix isn’t saying yet whether Ms. Marvel will end up becoming a playable character, but thankfully, we won’t have too long a wait to find out. Marvel’s Avengers arrives on May 15 of next year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and — eventually — Google Stadia.


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Indonesia: A child looks out from a window of a train at Senen train station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 17, 2012. The mass exodus out of the capital and other major cities in the world's most populous Muslim country is underway as millions are heading home to their villages to celebrate Eid al-Fitr holiday on Aug. 19. The holiday marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Indonesia: Indonesian women buy meat in preparation for Eid al-Fitr holiday at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 17, 2012. Shopping malls and markets in the capital were packed as Indonesians began to shop in preparation for Eid al-Fitr, a celebration that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.


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Honeywell has announced a cloud-based simulation tool that uses a combination of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to train plant personnel on critical industrial work activities.
Emirates is providing an immersive cinematic experience in its lounges in Dubai International Airport by providing Skylights theatre headsets to customers.
Deyaar Development has recently partners with Microsoft to launch a virtual-tour application using the mixed-reality HoloLens device.
Twenty-five percent of customer service and support operations will integrate virtual customer assistant (VCA) or chatbot technology across engagement channels by 2020, up from less than two percent in 2017, according to Gartner.
Magic Leap, a startup working in the augmented reality space, has revealed that on Wednesday it raised $461 million in its latest funding round, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign investment arm.
Physiotherapists and clinicians are now working closely with computer experts to design computer games that would promote specific body movements needed in therapy.
With new additions of its availability in UAE and Singapore, HoloLens is now available in 41 markets around the world.
Due to open in the first half of 2018, the new VR Park is set to bring together some of the world’s best VR developers to deliver an “awe-inspiring” leisure and entertainment experience, according to a statement.
The recent launch of Amazon Go in Seattle, a new kind of retail experience with no checkout required, could stimulate …
Airbus is taking passenger experience to a new level with the launch of its new augmented reality iOS app.


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Australian online casinos will benefit from adapting bitcoins
Aussie online casinos are considering becoming leaders in the online gambling industry as they examine the option of adding bitcoins to their list of gambling payment options. Casino advisors believe that Australian mobile casinos will benefit from adapting bitcoins as a payment method because it will draw younger, more web-savvy players to the Aussie online casinos where they can use their bitcoins as they engage in casino entertainment from their mobile devices.
Bitcoin has been a controversial currency alternative since its introduction in 2009 but its growing recognition in the world’s money markets has led to its acceptance by more and more businesses. Bitcoins are still not used for supermarket purchases but increasingly, companies who are prepared to invest time and effort in a stable currency alternative are accepting Bitcoin payments.
Bitcoin is a decentralised digital crypto currency that operates using a peer-to-peer network. It is, essentially, a code that is traded. Bitcoins were invented by an anonymous developer in 2009 as, many people believe, a reaction against the downturn that occurred that year in the world’s economy. The developer handed over control of the currency to the Bitcoin Foundation which manages the coins today.
Bitcoins are “mined” or “made.” From the beginning the system was conceptualised as a limited currency with a maximum of 21 million coins. Bitcoins can be traded for other currencies or for real world goods. While no more bitcoins may appear after the original 21 million coins are mined, bitcoins can be subdivided so owners can use the currency to purchase goods and services worth percentages of the value of a bitcoin. The value of bitcoins has fluctuated widely over the five years of its existence. Whereas bitcoins started out at a value equalling $.13, today in 1 October, 2019 the value of a bitcoin stands at approximately$8000 — per coin.
The entire currency operates via a peer-to-peer network. A blockchain — a public ledger to which all bitcoin owners have access — records the transactions and movements of all existing bitcoins. These codes are secured using encrypted digital wallets. Transactions cannot be reversed but new transactions are constantly being recorded.
Bitcoin wallet owners have a public address and a private key. People can send bitcoins to a user’s wallet using his public address. The owner can then access that public address and make his own payments via his private key.
Pros and Cons of Bitcoins
While bitcoins are becoming more acceptable to the world currency exchange there are many considerations involved in adopting them. Some users prefer bitcoins currency because they protect the user’s identity and money. It’s not necessary to disclose personal identity information in a bitcoin transaction, nor is an identifying number, such as a credit card number which can be stolen, needed. Transactions can be made at a low cost or at no cost at all. No foreign transaction or exchange fees are needed for international payments.
On the con side however the transactions are irreversible and there’s no resource if the user wants to dispute a bitcoin payment. There is no liability protection for bitcoin use. Additionally, bitcoin value fluctuates wildly, by as much as $500 within a single three-month period.
Bitcoins for Australian Mobile Casinos
Bitcoin use is growing, despite the lack of stability. Financial advisors are divided in their opinions of whether it’s advisable to invest time and money in mining and using bitcoins but Australian casinos are among the first to seriously consider accepting bitcoins as deposit funds.
These casino venues, both land-based casinos and Aussie Mobile Casinos, are looking at the whole picture which includes saving money and minimisation of risks. Using a provider, such as the “Coinbase” provider, to process transactions allows for free transfers for the first 1 million dollars-worth of bitcoins and then a flat 1% fee on all further transactions. That’s a significant savings when compared to the three to four percent transaction fee that credit card companies charge.
In addition, many exchanges conduct instant Bitcoin conversions to minimise the risks of volatility and consumer chargebacks, PCI compliance and hackers are no risk. Bitcoin merchants generally use a simple smartphone or tablet app to process payments.
Bitcoins in Australia
For Aussie casinos the currency’s growing acceptance in Australia offers another reason for them to offer their clients a Bitcoin payment option.
Australian businesses see that bitcoins can give them an edge in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Using bitcoins saves huge amounts in exchange rate costs and banking fees, money that can then be funnelled into developing new games and new ways for people to play. Its growing popularity means that there are now two bitcoins machines in Australia so it’s easier than ever to use the coins in the “real world.”
Most importantly for many gamers, conducting their casino transactions via bitcoins makes it easy for people who don’t have access to banks, or who don’t want to link their gaming activities with their personal bank accounts, to facilitate their casino transactions.
Bitcoin Casino Payment Options
Mobile users can conduct all bitcoin transactions directly on their mobile device so regardless of where and when they’re playing they’re able to make their deposits and withdraw their winnings via their handheld smartphone or tablet device.
Two Las Vegas hotels, the D Las Vegas Casino Hotel and the Golden Gate Hotel, have led the movement among casino-hotels to offer bitcoin payment options. As these venues work to maintain a technological edge in the 21st century the hotels have discovered that a large enough percentage of their clientele is interested in bitcoin payment options to make it worth their effort to offer this alternative. The casinos will process bitcoin payments through the BitPay company
The Golden Gate hotel was built in 1906. It is the oldest casino-hotel in Vegas and has a history of pioneering new technology — it was the first casino to install a telephone in 1907. Co-owner Derek Stevens notes the importance that the casinos place on making the casino experience a convenient one for their patrons. “….We’re quickly adaptive to new technology,” said Stevens who also mentioned that several of his customers had requested that the casino make the bitcoin payment alternative available.
American regulators are not likely to approve bitcoins for casino activities any time soon so for the meantime, the Las Vegas hotels will limit their bitcoin transactions to hotel expenditures. Australian casinos, however, are considering bitcoin payments for gaming payments.


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Discount Tire completes move from original Stadium Boulevard location to Jackson Road
Photo from Discount Tire
The store opened its first location in Ann Arbor at 2270 W. Stadium Blvd. 51 years ago, according to a news release. It recently built a new 6,000-square-foot store at 5240 Jackson Road to relocate the original business.
“We’ve built many improvements into our new location and look forward to serving our store guests more efficiently and effectively,” said Tim Ehinger, vice president of the Michigan region, in the release.
The company won approval to build the store in May 2011, seven years after Discount Tire originally launched its plan to build a store in Scio Township.
The plan was originally presented to the Planning Commission in 2004, again in 2006, and yet again in 2010.
The relocation allowed the facility to double in size and quadruple its previous parking lot. The same 15 employees from the West Stadium location will operate the new store, according to the release.
There are 57 Discount Tire stores in Michigan, and more than 800 nationwide. There are five locations in Washtenaw County.


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Featuring timeless Spanish, French Country, Northern Italian and Classical architecture, the homes at Vantage have four to five bedrooms, three bathrooms and two to three-bay garages; pricing starts in the low $400,000s.
ITExams has introduced a question discussion feature that will be useful for those who are attempting to understand how specific questions are answered.
The Mesothelioma Victims Center is urging a person who has recently been with mesothelioma or their family to call them rather than impulse shopping on the Internet. "Hiring a lawyer for a mesothelioma compensation is a one shot deal. We can help.
Rev. Cathie Capp will be introduced as the new Senior Minister of University United Methodist Church, Irvine, at a welcoming service on July 8th, followed by a meet-and-greet barbecue celebration. Members of the church and community are invited.
Two leading Amazon brand management consultants come together to announce a powerhouse merger.
Dr. Edward Paul successfully treats patients with chemical dependencies and comorbid conditions
Dr. Feaster has had his research featured in the Journal of Family Psychology and Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Marking the Seventh Expansion for Shorr in a Two Year Span
Tree trimming Los Angeles is one of the many services that are offered at CP & Sons Tree Service. They have worked incredibly hard to be acknowledged as one of the top tree trimming services in the area.
The film is set to premiere in the fall in many major cities across North America
Victor Industries Ltd. (VVKB), the leading manufacturer of fuel heaters, air parking heaters and engine block heaters.
Patient engagement service now in Epic's App Orchard
Airline trolleys have become a collector's item. But where do you get the accessories?
Ms. Conrad is noted for her focus on using light and space to convey a sense of silence and solitude
Race to the finish
BHS, Inc., a leading provider of electrical and material handling equipment, recently announced the latest in their line of cable-and-wire-handling equipment: The Wire Pull Cart.
Dr. Soleil Roberts and Team Offer Full Service Orthodontic Care and Personalized Treatment Plans
Academic Integrity Solutions, LLC, a manufacturer of Test Covers today announced it would be launching its new website, testcovers.com.
The Ultimate Guide by Fresh Tech Maid
Travelers and Staycationers planning to relax in warm destinations now have a natural, eco-friendly and effective solution to help protect them from mosquito bites following the launch of a natural indoor mosquito repellent plugin collection.
Ms. Madiraju is the author of "Scrum Art Handbook"
Dr. Cormier created Motorsports Safety Group in an effort to foster improvements in the safety of motor racing
This report profiles the top 25 Self-Driving Vehicle Technology start-ups. It discusses the top investors active in this space. It also provides an independent outlook of Autonomous Vehicle developments in US, Europe, China, Dubai and Singapore
CertLibrary is offering prospective test takers a premium service where they can access relevant materials to technical examinations.
The journey of a visionary Swiss watch designer who wants to revolutionize the watchmaking industry.
Hair loss is the biggest issue faced by men and women from around the world these days. Good news awaits them. Dr. Ashok Sinha has now analysed a new product called WAY 316606 to put a permanent end to hair loss issue.
Salon and Spa Galleria Announces Opening of Eighth Location Will Be in Bedford
Dr. Botkin takes great pride in studying life from a planetary perspective
Manhattan actor and director Albert Baker will direct Whistle Stop Romance, a one-act play by award-winning playwright Phil Paradis, at The Secret Theatre's Long Island City One-Act Festival July 11-31.
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