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The restaurant labor shortage does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. The underlying issues that have caused the crisis — low wages, poor benefits, unpredictable hours — remain largely in place, as restaurants struggle to come up with a financially feasible option to address would-be workers’ concerns. Now, reports are coming in that several Chick-fil-A restaurants are closing dining rooms, unable to meet demand.
“We, along with many businesses, are in the middle of a hiring crisis,” posted one location of the chain in Calera, Alabama to its Facebook page. “We are seeing far less job applicants, people not showing up for their interviews, or accepting a job only to resign within their first couple weeks. The restaurant industry has suffered from a hiring perspective during the pandemic and unfortunately Chick-fil-A is not immune to this labor shortage.”
The post went on to state that dining room and curbside orders would no longer be available, though the drive-thru channel would remain in operation. A couple of other Alabama locations — one in Bessemer and one in Madison — made similar announcements, and Newsweek reports that dining room closures have also been spotted in Elizabeth Town, Kentucky and in San Antonio, Texas.
“Chick-fil-A restaurant Team Members are a highly valued part of each restaurant and part of a team,” Chick-fil-A said in a statement emailed to PYMNTS. “Our local franchised Operators invest in their teams personally, offering mentorship, leadership development and opportunities.”
Of course, dining room closures are far from ideal, and they are certainly not a long-term solution. With an eye toward long-term labor trends, fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen announced Tuesday (Aug. 24) that it has acquired Spyce, a Boston restaurant that prepares salads and bowls in its automated “Infinite Kitchen,” which assembles orders in three minutes. In terms of hardware, Spyce’s kitchen features a 450°F carbon steel plancha and a 300°F steamer.
“The Infinite Kitchen sears proteins until they’re caramelized … steams grains to al dente perfection, and measures dressings, sauces, and toppings for consistent flavor and crunch,” the company’s tech FAQ explains.
Sweetgreen declined a request to comment on how specifically it is interested in utilizing Spyce’s technologies, though salad chain Co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman said in a statement Spyce’s technology will help “create healthy fast food at scale for the next generation.” Additionally, the news release states that the salad chain is considering ways to utilize Spyce’s automation tools to “generate faster and more consistent orders,” to switch keep staff focused on preparing the foods and on hospitality, and to expand its menu.
Kitchen automation has been accelerating in the recent past, with the rise in digital ordering creating demand. Robotic solutions have been emerging to cook orders, to vend meals, and even to serve tables at restaurants. Clayton Wood, CEO at robot-as-a-service (RaaS) company Picnic, explained to PYMNTS how part of the labor shortage, and consequently the need for more robotic solutions, results from the digital shift.
“Digital orders means that you can get many, many more orders instantaneously than you could ever get with a walk-in, a call-in, or a sit-down customer base,” Wood said. “It’s an operational challenge … but it’s an opportunity for those who can get the right technology applied.”
Additionally, digital ordering has not only spurred demand for automated labor solutions, but also eliminated some of the barriers that may have come from skeptical consumers.
“I’d say partially automated or semi-automated food production — that’s going to be the norm within five to 10 years, no doubt,” Stephen Klein, co-founder and CEO and of kitchen automation company Hyphen, told PYMNTS in a recent interview. “If you’re ordering from your phone, and the only interaction you’re having with the restaurant is through that digital device, it really doesn’t matter who’s making your food, as long as it’s fresh, fast and consistent.”


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Gartner, Inc. revealed its top strategic predictions for 2024 and beyond. Gartner’s top predictions explore how generative AI (GenAI) has changed executive leaders’ way of thinking on every subject and how to create a more flexible and adaptable organisation that is better prepared for the future.
“GenAI presents an opportunity to accomplish things never before possible in the scope of human existence,” said Daryl Plummer, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “CIOs and executive leaders will embrace the risks of using GenAI so they can reap the unprecedented benefits.
“This is the first full year with GenAI at the heart of every strategic decision, and every other technology-driven innovation has been pushed out of the spotlight. GenAI has broken the mold and has kept building more excitement.”
Gartner analysts presented the top 10 strategic predictions during Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo, taking place here through Thursday.
By 2027, the productivity value of AI will be recognised as a primary economic indicator of national power.
National governments have a strong commitment to AI and are prioritising strategies and plans that recognise AI as a key technology in both private and public sectors. Incorporating AI into long-term national planning is being reinforced through the implementation of corresponding acts and regulations to bolster AI initiatives.
“Implementation at a national level will solidify AI as a catalyst for enhancing productivity to boost the digital economy,” said Plummer. “Successful implementation of large-scale AI initiatives necessitates the support and collaboration of diverse stakeholders, showcasing the mobilisation and convening ability of national resources.”
By 2027, GenAI tools will be used to explain legacy business applications and create appropriate replacements, reducing modernisation costs by 70%.
“The maturity of large language models (LLMs) offers an opportunity for CIOs to find credible and long-awaited mechanism for modernising legacy business applications in a cost-effective manner,” said Plummer. “CIOs can create dedicated testing units to test the output generated by GenAI LLMs, while establishing change management and upskilling processes to enable the workforce to maximise productivity throughout the modernisation cycle.”
By 2028, enterprise spend on battling malinformation will surpass $30 billion, cannibalising 10% of marketing and cybersecurity budgets to combat a multifront threat.
The most effective malinformation influences humans’ and machines’ decision-making mechanisms and can be extremely hard to detect and shut down. Malinformation presents threats across three disparate functional areas: cybersecurity, marketing, and AI.
“The rapid rise of GenAI has put fire under the feet of regulators about including malinformation as one of the risks associated with the increasing power and availability of GenAI to bad actors,” said Plummer. “Enterprises who maintain a close watch on bad actors, regulators and providers of tools and technology that help combat malinformation are likely to gain significant advantage over competitors.”
By 2027, 45% of chief information security officers (CISOs) will expand their remit beyond cybersecurity, due to increasing regulatory pressure and attack surface expansion.
Responsibilities for security management and digital assets are fragmented across multiple divisions and teams, with the CISO overseeing the overall digital asset portfolio. This creates inconsistencies in support for regulatory disclosures, assurance of digital security and effective management of security incidents, reducing the overall performance of the organisation.
Expanding the portfolio of the CISO will enable a unification of security management, providing oversight of the consolidated security incident management process throughout the organisation.
By 2028, the rate of unionisation among knowledge workers will increase by 1,000%, motivated by the adoption of GenAI.
Executives are quick to call out AI as a cause of positions being eliminated. Therefore, it is important for executive leaders to communicate clearly with their employees their intent for internal AI deployments. This will avoid the unintended consequences of AI anxiety building among staff. Organisations that adopt GenAI and fail to clearly address AI anxiety amongst their knowledge workers will experience 20% higher rates of turnover.
“Organisations should focus their AI efforts on worker augmentation to improve productivity and quality of work, rather than role automation,” said Plummer. “Stay grounded in what the technology can and cannot deliver, because there remains a substantial amount of hype influencing board expectations.”
In 2026, 30% of workers will leverage digital charisma filters to achieve previously unattainable advances in their career.
A digital charisma filter prompts and sifts communications to make them more socially effective in various situations. They nudge in the moment of and before and after interactions to make leaders and co-workers more effective in the social circumstances where they wish to excel. Digital charisma filters will improve organisations’ abilities to expand hiring to include more diverse workers.
“Organisations can expand their talent pool by incorporating the use of digital charisma filter assistants to improve the congruency of interactions at all phases of recruiting and employment,” said Plummer. “Accelerate access to digital charisma assistants by pressing enterprise productivity and application vendors on how they are incorporating these capabilities into their roadmaps.”
By 2027, 25% of Fortune 500 companies will actively recruit neurodivergent talent across conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia to improve business performance.
“Organisations that hire and retain neurodivergent talent will experience increased employee engagement, productivity and innovation across the workforce,” said Plummer.
Fortune 500 companies are already investing in neurodiversity hiring programs and are seeing impacts on engagement and business outcomes. Organisations need to establish an outreach program to boost the discoverability of neurodiverse talent. Fast-track efforts by leveraging best practices from experts and lessons from leading organisations already working on neurodiversity.
“Include neurodivergent people in company leadership positions,” said Plummer. “Having openly neurodivergent leadership fosters a culture of inclusion and can be the most valuable action to take from the perspective of neurodivergent employees.”
Through 2026, 30% of large companies will have a dedicated business unit or sales channels to access fast-growing machine customer markets.
Machine customers will force a reshaping of key functions such as supply chain, sales, marketing, customer service, digital commerce, and customer experience. In fact, by 2025, more than 25% of sales and service centres in large organisations will be fielding calls from machine customers.
“Machine customers will need their own sales and service channels because they make transactions at high speeds and the volume of decision variables, they use far exceed human capabilities,” said Plummer. “Machine customers will require different talent, skills and processes that may not exist in a human-customer focused division.”
By 2028, there will be more smart robots than frontline workers in manufacturing, retail, and logistics due to labour shortages.
Most manufacturing, retail and logistics companies cannot find or retain enough people to support their day-to-day operations. This will cause supply chain organisations to struggle to find enough front-line workers over the next decade. Robots will help fill this gap. A December 2022 Gartner survey found that 96% of supply chain technology workers have either deployed or plan to deploy cyber-physical automation and 35% have already deployed robots, with 61% piloting or in the middle of their first implementation.
“Robotic technology is advancing rapidly, making robots viable for a growing number of front-line jobs from the factory floor to the warehouse to the retail store and beyond,” said Plummer.
By 2026, 50% of G20 members will experience monthly electricity rationing, turning energy-aware operations into either a competitive advantage or a major failure risk.
Aging grid infrastructures are limiting the ability to add electricity generating capacity yet demand for electricity continues to increase. Enterprises are assessing energy price and accessibility as a competitiveness, which means stable access to electricity for customers will become a competitive advantage. Because of this, executive leaders are creating energy-aware operations through optimisation and direct investment in energy generation.
“Leverage energy efficiency to establish long-term competitive advantage by structurally reducing energy consumptions,” said Plummer. “Assess enterprise investment by including current and future anticipated costs of energy.”

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Apple's five US flagship retail stores contributed 13 per cent of the company's total retail revenues in its current quarter, AppleInsider reports.
The report claims the five stores contributed over $105 million to the $810 million in total sales generated by the company's US retail arm.
The relatively new store on Fifth Avenue in New York City comes in for particular note. Apple has been selling five Macs an hour and an iPod every two minutes in that store alone, the report claims.
Apple's other outlet in downtown SoHo NYC and its shops in LA, San Francisco and Chicago also generated positive results, adding $63 million to Apple revenues, the report informs.
The five US stores sold 30,000 Macs and 127,000 iPods in the quarter, the report adds, with the Fifth Avenue store selling five times as many iPods as computers.
The report (penned by Gary Allen of ifoAppleStore) also claims Apple has plans for "at least four" more major shops, in Sydney (Australia), Glasgow (Scotland), Boston (Mass.), and one more in Manhattan (New York).


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Corpus Christi, Texas — Most people who look at the rising condominiums along the beach at Port Aransas think “vacation.” But for executives at Zarsky Lumber, the thought is “opportunity.”
“We aren’t afraid to have a salesman go over to the condos and ask for their cleaning supply business,” said Cally Fromme, executive VP of the Victoria, Texas-based lumberyard, ranked No. 115 on the HCN Top 200 Pro Dealer list, with $41.5 million in sales. “We’re a lumberyard, but if that’s going to make us some money and some relationships, then why not?”
Thinking outside the box isn’t the only way the 10-unit dealer has been able to rebound from a tough 2009 to a double-digit-percentage sales gain in 2010. And when the opportunity to acquire a 10th location presented itself last year, the conservative-minded management team pounced, creating a new branch in Port Aransas. The unit is already in the black, said Steve Weaver, manager. “A lot of it is the economy,” he said. “It’s not great here by any means, but it’s not as bad as other areas. It’s simply hard work. You have to have the right people, and you gotta think positive.”
According to executives, there’s no single reason for success in tough times. And there’s no secret either. Zarsky every day balances its emphasis on relationships, the conservative business practices, the tight-knit family style management, and — the granddaddy of them all — hard work.
The chief architect of the business model is president Dan Coleman, Fromme’s father, who, along with a partner, took over the business from the Zarsky brothers in 1976. Coleman’s management style empowers managers to make their own decisions and encourages them to make the most of community relationships.
“By getting involved in communities, from Rotary Club to Little League, not only are you doing good, but you’re making good contacts,” Fromme said. The company also invests in customer relationships with the time and effort required to get them hard-to-find products or materials. “Even for a walk-in customer who wants an oddball item, we can find it,” Fromme said. “Maybe we’re not going to make much money on the transaction, but we’re going to make a good


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American Suzuki Motor Corp. announced that it will consolidate its independent business units — automotive, motorcycle/ATV and marine, along with corporate operations — under a new president.
Suzuki said all of the changes are focused on internal restructuring and do not affect the separate dealer bodies that support each of the company’s product divisions.
New President Kinji Saito, who most recently served as deputy executive general manager of global marketing at Suzuki Motor Corp. in Japan, will oversee all of the operations, sales and marketing activities of American Suzuki.
Rick Suzuki, who has served as chairman of American Suzuki, will become its board advisor. Masaaki Kato, president of the motorcycle, ATV and marine operations, will now become executive vice presidents of the consolidated company and will continue to oversee their respective operations.
“American Suzuki believes it is very important to make changes and respond to the evolving needs of American consumers,” Saito said in a press release. “It is ideal for all of our divisions to work more closely together, plan together and communicate together as a single company, rather than as separate business units.”


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Sony has finally confirmed the specifications for its next-generation console, the PlayStation 5.
While it is not as flamboyantly named as the Xbox Series X, the hype over Sony’s newest console has been palpable. News of the console first arrived back in 2019 with nothing more official than a Logo as recently as CES 2020. All that the media has squeezed out of the internet until now has been a host of leaked developer images and rumor. That all changed when the PlayStation 5 system lead architect, Mark Cerny, took to the stage earlier today and unveiled a ton of new detail about the next Sony console.
The Tech Talk
The stream covered a raft of detail about the PS5 and is notable for the amount of actual insight the talk gave gamers. This is largely due to the cancellation of GDC due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This particular live stream was due to be delivered at the developer conference. Thankfully, that means we got the full specification below.
- CPU – 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz with SMT (variable frequency)
- GPU – 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (variable frequency)
- GPU Architecture – Custom RDNA 2
- Memory/Interface – 16GB GDDR6/256-bit
- Memory Bandwidth – 448GB/s
- Internal Storage Custom – 825GB SSD
- IO Throughput – 5.5GB/s (Raw), Typical 8-9GB/s (Compressed)
- Expandable Storage – NVMe SSD Slot
- External Storage – USB HDD Support
- Optical Drive – 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive
Compared to the PS4, this gaming hardware makes some incredible leaps. The IO throughput jumps up by orders of magnitude going from 50-100MB to typically 9GBps. That is joined by eight AMD Zen 2 cores running at 3.5 GHz, and memory that has roughly 2.5 times the bandwidth. This places the latest Playstation a little behind the hardware in team Green’s new game box but largely the speed difference is negligible. If you have the time to watch the whole presentation I really would recommend it. You’ll learn about the console’s clock boosting tech and even the way that Sony is changing the way console gamers hear the enemy.
For those of us in PC land, this might all seem a bit mediocre but the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X are about to bring roughly comparable boxes into the front rooms of homes across the world for less than some top-end gaming accessories.


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June 29, 2018
Lisa Druxman, chief founding mom at Fit4mom, left, trains Desiree Vorhees and others at an early morning fitness class in San Marcos.
Stories this photo appears in:
FITNESS: From Informal Start, It Moves to Franchising, Studios, and Digital Programs
For Lisa Druxman, chief founding mom of Fit4mom (formerly known as “Stroller Strides”), the San Diego-based company which provides fitness for every stage of motherhood, launching the business 17 years ago came from pure necessity.


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The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.
Someone fired shots Thursday at the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis, sending shoppers running for cover, but police said they did not immediately find a victim.
Bloomington police also said they were still searching for a suspect after securing the scene shortly before 6 p.m. They said a lockdown that had forced some shoppers to shelter in place, while others fled, was in the process of being lifted, but that the mall would not reopen Thursday.
Video posted to social media showed what appeared to be a man shouting as he walked near the complex’s Nike store, with at least three apparent gunshots.
Bloomington Police Chief Booker T. Hodges during a news conference Thursday night at the mall said two groups got into an altercation at a store, one group left, but someone in that group decided to fire three rounds into a store with people around.
“Fortunately, at this time it doesn’t appear that anyone was injured," Hodges said.
Police are looking for two people but only one had a weapon, Hodges said. He said a Bloomington police officer was on the scene within 30 seconds.
Hodges said if someone decides they have no regard for human life, “I don’t know what we can do about that.”
Mall spokesman Dan Jasper said the mall will reopen Friday with more mall security and police on site.
“Guns are not allowed on Mall of America property,” Jasper said.
Gov. Tim Walz tweeted: “Tonight’s violence at the Mall of America is unacceptable. These brazen incidents will not be tolerated.”
The mall, which opened in 1992, is the largest in the U.S. and is a tourist destination and community gathering spot.
Video posted online showed shoppers fleeing from the amusement park at the interior on the giant mall’s ground level, holding their children’s hands and clutching their bags. Still, other video showed a pair of police officers, including one with a rifle, moving through the mall, and people walking quickly away from the mall's large interior atrium area.
Video below: Witnesses describe what happened at the Mall of America
We have secured the scene at the Mall of America and can confirm that shots were fired. This is an isolated incident. The suspect fled the MOA on foot and officers are in the process of interviewing witnesses. At this time we have not located a victim.
Two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch and his family were also seen on video rushing out of the mall with other people.
Busch's wife, Samantha, posted videos on her Instagram story, showing their son, Brexton, winning a youth racing event on Wednesday and riding roller coasters with her husband on Thursday before providing a sobering update after the shooting.
“If you are seeing the news about the @mallofamerica we got out and are safe,” she posted. “Praying others inside are too.”
Trent Turner, a salesman at a DSW shoe store one level below the Nike store, said he was near the back when he heard gunshots. “Then I saw everyone stampeding toward the back,” he said.
One woman tweeted that she was shopping for clothes for high school senior pictures with her 17-year-old daughter when the store manager told them to “move as far back as possible.” The woman said she was in a fitting room with her daughter. Another person posted a video of dozens of people said to be gathered in the basement as warnings to “please shelter immediately” repeated over mall speakers.
A woman who gave her name only as Tara told The Associated Press that she and a friend were among dozens of people who ran down a hallway to get out of the mall.
“We were in the Lululemon store and I just saw people running and he was in the dressing room and I started banging on the door to get him to come out and he didn’t have a shirt on so we just ran out of there," she said.
The Mall of America bans guns on its premises, according to its website. The mall does not have metal detectors and shoppers are not searched upon entry. It was the scene of a shooting on New Year’s Eve, when two people were wounded during an apparent altercation.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Mall of America is currently under lockdown. Please stay where you are until the lockdown is lifted.— Mall of America (@mallofamerica) August 4, 2022 This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. We are currently working an active incident inside Mall of America on the northwest side. Numerous officers are on scene. We will update when we have more information.— Bloomington Police (@BPD_MN) August 4, 2022
Mall of America is currently under lockdown. Please stay where you are until the lockdown is lifted.
We are currently working an active incident inside Mall of America on the northwest side. Numerous officers are on scene. We will update when we have more information.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.


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Tesla vehicles on U.S. roads rise 33% through Sept.
Tesla vehicles in service increased 33 percent in the U.S. in the first nine months of 2022. While the fast-growing electric-vehicle specialist is dominating luxury sales this year, it doesn’t yet rank in the top 10 among manufacturers of luxury vehicles in operation in the U.S., according to Experian data hosted in the Automotive News Research & Data Center.
Tesla ranks 10th among luxury brands by vehicles in operation with 1.4 million. That list is led by Lexus at 5.2 million, BMW at 5.1 million and Mercedes-Benz at 4.9 million. Jaguar and Land Rover both rank outside the top 10 brands, but combined under Tata Motors, they take the 10th spot among luxury manufacturers.
As a brand, Tesla has ruled U.S. luxury registrations in 2022, surpassing BMW, which was No. 1 in 2021.
While Tesla’s Model Y has become the most-popular new luxury model in the U.S. with registrations through October, jumping almost 32 percent to 178,506, a recent S&P Global Mobility study shows the EV maker is giving up market share to other automakers, such as Ford and Hyundai, which can offer similar EVs for lower prices.
General Motors, which was No. 1 in U.S. sales for 90 years until losing the crown in 2021, is the clear leader among manufacturers of light vehicles in operation with 60.3 million. Ford and Toyota round out the top three with 46.2 million and 41.8 million, respectively. These numbers are little changed from a year earlier. GM vehicles in operation decreased by 1.5 percent from a year earlier, while Ford decreased by less than 1 percent and Toyota increased by just under 2 percent since 2021.
Tesla went from 910,045 vehicles in operation as of third quarter 2021 to 1,356,203 vehicles in operation in third quarter 2022, a 32.9 percent increase.
Three brands have a stronghold over the top spots for all vehicles in operation in the U.S. as of the third quarter, according to the data center.
Ford is the most common brand with 43 million Ford vehicles on U.S. roads. Chevrolet and Toyota trail close behind, with 39.4 million and 35.8 million vehicles, respectively. The fourth spot drops by more than 10 million vehicles to Honda at 23.9 million vehicles in operation.


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It’s a retailer’s worst nightmare on Black Friday: its website goes down.
That happened to Lowe’s website Friday morning. The home improvement retailer’s site experienced a temporary outage.
Customers trying to shop Black Friday deals on the site took to Twitter to complain.
“@Lowes My cart was full and now the website is down!” wrote one Twitter user.
The retailer wrote back: “We apologize our web site is down for maintenance. It will be available soon.”
Some customers trying to shop on Lowe’s website saw a message that read: “The site is currently offline and will be available within the next hour.”
“We are seeing increased customer traffic on Lowes.com to take advantage of our great deals this Black Friday. We have teams working diligently to restore Lowes.com to full functionality,” Lowes told CNNMoney in a statement.
The website appeared to be back up and running as of 11 a.m. ET.
“When sites go down, it’s quite disastrous,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, a retail analyst at research firm Forrester.
“But it nonetheless happens every year, though is it less common than 10 years ago … Retailers try their best to avoid problems like this but the unexpected can happen,” she said.
In 2015, Target’s website experienced outages on Cyber Monday. Last year, Macy’s website crashed on Black Friday.


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The Target Black Friday 2012 Online Sale launched early morning on Thanksgiving day. Target is offering several of the advertised Black Friday 2012 doorbuster deals online right now at Target.com.
Don't Miss: Today's Best Deals on Amazon.com
The regular price of this Barnes & Noble eReader is $99. You save $50. The Nook Simple touch offers a 6-inch touchscreen with advanced E-Ink display technology.
Get this Target Black Friday doorbuster deal now on Target.com.
Shop the Target Black Friday 2012 Online Sale now.
The Target Black Friday sale starts at 9pm on Thanksgiving Day. This is an hour later than Walmart, Sears, Kmart and ToysRus. Target will offer additional doorbuster deals at 4 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23. See our essential Black Friday 2012 Calendar for details.
Black Friday 2012 is on November 23, 2012. Once again the whole month of November will be the filled with great Black Friday deals and sales. I4U News will again report about the best Black Friday deals and the hottest Black Friday ads as soon as they become available. The first Black Friday 2012 Ads are here including the Walmart Black Friday 2012 Ad.


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A recent trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the Nintendo Switch may have unintentionally unveiled that stage builder is coming to the latest Smash Bros. game.
Stage builders in Super Smash Bros. allowed players to create their own stages. They were generally limited, with the stages having a limited amount of space and resources to use.
Stage building has been a feature in Super Smash Bros. since Brawl. The feature was noticeably absent in Ultimate. Many fans have assumed there would be an update that will include stage builder, which may end up being correct.
In one of the latest trailers showing off the Nintendo Switch, you can see the menu system in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For a hot second, you can see something that shouldn’t be there.
Around on the two-second mark, you can see a blurred image of the menu screen on the TV. On the bottom right there is a new option that isn’t in the game currently. Though it isn’t readable, it looks identical to stage building option in past Super Smash Bros. games.
Seeing the stage builder option in this 30-seconds trailer was probably due to simple human oversight. It could also mean that those in charge of commercial didn’t feel the need to correct the mistake, possibly because it isn’t a big deal.
With that said, if the rumors of Thursday’s Nintendo Direct are correct, is the timing of this trailer purely coincidental? Will stage builder in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate be announced in that direct


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Applebee's franchisee with 163 stores, including ones in Topeka, Emporia, Manhattan, files for bankruptcy
OMAHA, Neb. — One of the largest Applebee's franchisees that operates 163 restaurants in 15 states — including Topeka's location and two other in Kansas — has filed for bankruptcy protection.
Atlanta-based RMH Franchise holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday.
"RMH Franchise’s Chapter 11 filing is expected to be seamless for guests and team members and result in no disruption to our restaurant operations," RMH President Mike Muldoon said in an email. "During this period, we will evaluate all of our assets which will allow us to strengthen our financial structure and position the company for future growth."
RMH currently owns and operates 159 Applebee’s locations across 15 states. The company remains committed to providing a great place to work and an exceptional guest experience in all its neighborhoods.
The Kansas locations include the one at 5928 S.W. 17th in the capital city, as well as the one at 2901 Eaglecrest Drive in Emporia and the restaurant at 100 Manhattan Town Center in Manhattan.
RMH spokeswoman Robin Jenkins told the Lincoln Journal Star the company's restaurants are expected to continue operating during the bankruptcy reorganization.
In the bankruptcy filing, the company said it owes between $100 million and $500 million, and it has assets within the same range.
RMH has restaurants in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming.
No other information was immediately available.


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McDonald’s Is Selling Cheesy Bacon Fries In Certain States
That’s right, McDonald’s traditional hot and crispy fries are getting jazzed up with two classic add-ons: Smoked bacon bits, and a gooey drizzle of real cheddar cheese sauce. It’s not quite the gravy-and-cheese-curd-topped poutine of our Canadian neighbors, but if you like your fries with a little something extra, this is your side dish.
But here's the catch: The cheesy bacon fries are only available in Northern California and Hawaii restaurants, through the end of the year.
Although some reports said McDonald's was testing the dish, in an email to The Daily Meal, McDonald's said that wasn't the case.
"It is not a test, this is simply a regional limited time offer menu item," a spokesperson said. "We offer regional menu items at times, (such as) the Lobster Roll in New England during the summer."
The fries can be purchased on their own, or those buying an extra value meal can upgrade the accompanying order of plain fries to the cheesy bacon-topped fries. But if you're not making it to Northern California or Hawaii any time soon, there are plenty of other Fry-day options. Here are America’s 50 best French fries.


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Samsung has broken record sales with its newly launched flagship smartphone. Samsung Galaxy SII. The company mentioned that they sold almost 3million Galaxy S2 smartphone in just 55 days. The company expects to reach 10m mark soon in different parts of globe and break the record of its predecessor, Samsung Galaxy S. Electronista reported that in every 1.5 sec, Galaxy SII smartphone is sold.
Samsung on Sunday crossed a company record by selling three million Galaxy S II phones in 55 days. The Android flagship hit its milestone 30 days faster than the original Galaxy S. At its peak, Galaxy SII phones have been selling at a rate of one every 1.5 seconds.
The launch of the smartphone in other parts of the world is yet to take place. And analysts believe that in order to reach the milestone company is aiming for, it has to release the smartphone in different emerging markets especially US.
The smartphone managed to gather large market share in different parts of Europe especially Switzerland and Austria. The remaining major portion of sales were generated in Korea.


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Latest Center for Science in the Public Interest Stories
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) sued Dennyâ€™s Corp on Thursday over the restaurant chainâ€™s lack of disclosure of "dangerously high" sodium levels in its meals.
U.S. physicians, health organizations and nutrition experts are asking President Barack Obama to create a Presidential Commission to combat obesity.
The Liquid Candy Tax Calculator shows policymakers and the public how much the government could raise by taxing sugary drinks, a U.S. advocacy groups said.
A coalition of chain restaurants with 20 or more locations, agreed on Wednesday to support a new law that mandates they disclose calorie counts on their menus.
Victims & Their Families Convene in Washington D.C.
Organizations Issue Four-Step Plan Calling for Mandatory Alcohol Labeling and More Resources to Combat Underage Drinking WASHINGTON, April 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A coalition of public interest groups today called on Congress and the Obama Administration to overturn decades of inattention to the nation's alcohol policies by finally issuing a useful final regulation to require standardized labeling information on beer, wine and distilled spirits products and providing the government...
News Conference on Tuesday, March 3 in Annapolis WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Supporters of legislation that would require nutrition information on chain restaurant menus and menu boards in Maryland will hold a news conference at noon on Tuesday in Annapolis, Md.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is urging Pennsylvania's governor to ignore a recommendation opposing banning artificial trans fat in foods. A task force recommended Pennsylvania Gov.
vitamins + water + sugar + hype = soda - bubbles WASHINGTON, Jan.
The consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) announced on Thursday that it had filed a class action lawsuit against Coca-Cola Co., saying the company is making deceptive health claims about its Vitaminwater products.
- Of or relating to good digestion.


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Ocean Pacific Capital offers a nationwide lending advisory approach to managing your car wash financing. We specialize in financing all types of car washes throughout the nation whether it is financing to build a new car wash facility, purchasing a car wash facility, or to refinance an existing car wash.
We have offered the best car wash financing for the past 31 years and offer up to $200 million dollars plus financing for your car wash. We hope you find that our rates are not only competitive, but that these are the very best pricing for car wash financing.
We measure our success by our clients success which is why we'll be at your side throughout the entire loan process. Obtaining financing for car washes can be a complex process but the first step is easy. Call 1-800-595-1474 or fill out a quick information form and you'll soon be on your way to closing your loan and enhancing your carwash business.
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we will tailor a loan that's right for you.
Wall Street Journal
WSJ.com: US Business
GE Plans More Job Cuts in Aviation Division General Electric warned employees that more job cuts are coming to the conglomerate?s jet-engine business because of the pandemic?s impact on commercial air travel even with the promise of a vaccine on the horizon.
AstraZeneca Gears Up to Vaccinate the World Among the front-runners racing to deliver a Covid-19 shot, AstraZeneca has the least vaccine experience. But it has promised the world the most doses?more than three billion.
Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack to Step Down The retail executive built the company into a national chain during his decades at the helm and led it into a contentious national debate over gun violence. He will remain chairman and chief merchant.


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Martha Stewart is back. And now she’s selling drugs.
That’s right, the iconic homemaker is pushing a new line of CBD edibles, and the press seems delighted to report about it.
It’s strange, considering how quick everyone has been to cancel people, that Martha Stewart is getting a pass.
Martha Stewart is back in the news cycle for her most recent product. She’s selling a new line of “CBD pâte de fruit.” That’s a fancy word for weed gummies. Check out her ad:
She’s teamed up with cannabis powerhouse Canopy Growth Corporation to create a new line of edibles inspired by some of Stewart’s favorite recipes and ingredients.
I pop 20 of them and just feel OK, but some of my friends do two and feel high, I don’t know why. It’s not high like a marijuana high. It’s a CBD high, like, relaxed.
It must be nice being Martha Stewart.
After swindling the stock market and lying to prosecutors, she’s high on CBD and having a fantastic quarantine.
She did serve her time, so we don’t have to bury her. But it doesn’t explain why the press continues to gush about her.
The recent NYT article about Stewart is titled, “Martha Stewart, Blissed Out on CBD, Is Doing Just Fine.”
The author calls her a “goddess” and proceeds to walk us through a typical fairy-tail day on her 153-acre farm. Will she drink a “Martha-rita”? Only if she has guests!
Another publication, The Zoe Report, calls her “the hostess with the mostest,” and the “queen of entertaining .”
Delish exclaims that Martha can “truly do it all,” and that “we simply must bow down. ”
Haven’t we been bowing down to corrupt billionaires for far too long? Why should we promote this woman who was accused of insider trading? Since when do ‘goddesses’ sell their stock in a company right before it plummets and then lie to prosecutors about it?
And why does The New York Times give her every pass in the world when they crucify people who’ve committed similar acts? After Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler sold their stocks ahead of the coronavirus plunge, the NYT said
They could have made a difference, but they made a profit.
There are no gushy follow up stories about Loeffler’s favorite recipes or a refreshing “mar-Burr-ita.”
Martha Stewart is still so focused on money that she won’t even endorse a presidential candidate.
She could be making a difference, but she’s making a profit instead.
And these media outlets could paint us an honest picture, but instead, they choose to gloss over the truth.


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Indian telecom giant Jio Network is all set for its Annual General Meeting 2021. Reliance Industries made it official that their 44th AGM will be held on June 24th at 2 pm. Just like every year, the event will be streamed on Youtube this time as well. The launch of the Jio 5G smartphone, rolling out the 5G network, and launching the Jio Book might be the major highlights of this year’s event.
During the last year’s event, Jio’s head Mukesh Ambani stated that they have partnered with Google for the cheapest 5G phone launch in India. According to the reports, the new 5G phone will be equipped with the latest Android’s forked version. Jio wants to price it around Rs. 2500 making it the most affordable 5G smartphone in the country. As of now, the cheapest 5G smartphone is priced at Rs. 13,999. A 2500 rupees 5G smartphone will definitely be a game-changer in the industry and also brings the revolutionary 5G network to millions of poor people in the country.
In December last year, Jio stated that it is planning to roll out 5G network services to the public by mid-2021. The company already claimed that it achieved over 1 GBPS speed in the 5G trials. More details about its full-fledged launch will be revealed at this event.
Meanwhile, it is also being expected that Jio will reveal its budget laptop named ‘Jio Book’ at this event. If the sources are to be believed, this laptop will be equipped with Snapdragon 665 chipset, 366×768 resolution, 2GB RAM, and 32GB internal storage. Another variant will have 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal memory. The launch date and the exact price of this Jio Book are expected to be unveiled at the AGM event.


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This article is more than 1 year old
XMC builds 3D NAND fab
Chinese contract chip manufacturer XMC is building a 3D NAND fab.
It’s funded up to $24bn by the China IC Industry Investment fund, Hubei IC Investment Fund, CDB Development Fund and Hubei Technology Investment. The China IC Industry Investment Fund is a state-backed funding initiative aimed at lessening China’s dependence on imported chips. It has already invested in Hong Kong-listed SMIC and it channels money from its own investors, such as China Development Bank Capital, China Tobacco, E-Town Capital, China Mobile, Shanghai Guosheng Group, China Electronics Technology Group Corp, Tsinghua Unigroup Communications and Sino IC Capital. XMC could produce 300,000 3D chips in 2020.


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YouTuber Austin Evans was able to pair PlayStation 5's DualSense controller with a Surface Laptop Go and Google Pixel 5.
Several PlayStation 5 games that are up for pre-booking are available for PS4 users. Sony has said that 10 PS4 games won't work with the new gaming consoles.
With the PlayStation 5, Sony is focusing on entertainment-based usage of its gaming console as well.
Sony’s head of mechanical design, Yasuhiro Ootori, said in an interview earlier this week that the massive PS5 fan will be custom programmed to run depending on the processing load of each game.
Sony executive Catherine Jensen says that the voice chat recording feature on the PlayStation 5 is strictly to report online abuse.
The Sony PS5 will directly rival the Microsoft Xbox Series X, which has been launched in India already at the same price as Sony’s latest console.
If rumours are true, the new Xbox Series X and Series S are going to officially launch on November 10.
Xbox Series X has so far been dubbed to cost somewhere around the Rs 40,000 mark, but a new leak suggests otherwise about the upcoming Microsoft console.
A new report has claimed that the Sony PlayStation 5 will come support for the latest Wi-Fi 6 as well as Bluetooth 5.1.
Sony is also increasing production of the PS5 to 10 million units by the end of this year due to the increased demand for gaming amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sony PlayStation 5 is rumoured to premiere at $499 and $399 for standard and digital editions, while the Microsoft Xbox Series X and Series S gaming consoles may cost as high as $599 and as low as $299.
The investment will enable both Sony and Epic to broaden their collaboration to create unique experiences for consumers and creators.
Here are our top five favorite games that Sony announced during the PlayStation 5 reveal event.
The PlayStation 5 has opted for smoother corners and flowing edges over the PS4's angular design.
The Sony PS5 was originally set to launch on June 4 but the company decided to delay it in response to the global protests that followed the death of African-American George Floyd.
Sony had planned to showcase some new games for the PlayStation 5 which was scheduled to be launched during the holiday season this year.
Sony has so far unveiled a logo for the console, the PS5 gamepad, and a tech demo showing the console's graphics capability.
Here's a first look at the all-new PlayStation 5 DualSense controller which is expected to launch with the new console itself at the end of this year.
The PlayStation 5 comes with 100x faster storage thanks to new SSDs, 16GB of GDDR6 AMD RDNA 2-based graphics, 8K gaming support and more.
The unlettered battle between the two gaming giants begins as Sony CFO states the PS5's price may depend on how much the Microsoft Xbox Series X costs.


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The trouble with Ostarine: Jimmy Wallhead’s
16th March 2018
• A way to stay relevant and a step ahead of the cheats in the post-pandemic age
Necessity is the mother of invention, as the old proverb goes. This is a saying that has become all too common in these pandemic times as companies, brands, individuals, industries even, have found themselves having one very long, hard look in the mirror to reflect on where to go when the world grinds to a halt.
And, as we know all too well, Covid-19 doesn’t discriminate; it is a virus that has struck all people, regardless of background, socio-economic status, gender, race, and nationality. It truly has been a global pandemic that has affected society in ways we couldn’t have foreseen 18 months ago.
And yet, here we are, in some parts of the world, starting to emerge from the Covid-19 tunnel, albeit at different speeds. As we emerge from this tunnel, we will now start to see how the pandemic has affected different industries and their long-term vision – and whether that vision resembles something different from when we entered it in early 2020.
There has been talk for many months now about how an industry such as the fitness sector, for example, will look now that we’ve experienced first hand the importance of ongoing exercise and workouts from our living rooms at home and the benefits it brings for our continued health and wellbeing. Surely now, commentators argue, fitness centres and gyms will need to be less about charging customers over-the-odds gym memberships and more about a hybrid virtual class / physical class model that caters for the modern-day consumer’s busy work-life balance.
For the fitness sector, many would argue, the sneaker is now very much on the other (the consumer’s, not the gym’s) foot. Then there’s the retail sector and how we do our shopping in the city centres and on the high streets. Whilst online internet shopping has grown for many years, there were still many consumers – particularly the older generations – who were so accustomed to going out for their shopping. By force, not necessarily will, the pandemic changed those habits, to varying degrees, for people who had no other option than to buy their goods online. And there will be many other big shifts across industries that start to stream into our consciousness in the coming months, too.
And so where does the pandemic tunnel leave a sector such as anti-doping in sport? A relatively ‘young’ sector, let’s not forget, if you consider its birth as being when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed in 1999. What changes will this new post-pandemic world herald that the old world did not?
The answer to this question really lies in the collective will of anti-doping organisations, sports federations, athletes, scientists and clean sport pioneers to opt for innovation ahead of stagnation. Whilst anti-doping is occasionally criticised for lagging behind the more dynamic, free-market corporate and business sector, I would argue that it has in many instances proven itself willing to adapt, to embrace new technology and strategies for the good of the clean athlete.
Take, for example, the leap the industry took in adopting the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), which has proven an invaluable tool in the fight for clean sport. Or the shift the industry took from a sole reliance on traditional blood and urine testing to embracing the non-analytical tools of intelligence-gathering and investigations. The evidence of an evolving industry – with consensus for these new strategies and tools – is there for all to see.
The anti-doping industry entered the pandemic tunnel without consensus, still, on how to grapple with the fallout from the Russian doping crisis. There is still a clear split, all these years on from the Pound and McLaren Reports, over how to reform clean sport, including the global regulator itself, so that it is more representative of the international athlete voice, and more independent from sport.
In simplistic terms, this very public debate split clean sport advocates into two camps, with more often than not the athletes and National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) sitting on one side of the fence (advocating far reaching reform and modernisation of anti-doping) and the Sports Movement (advocating modest reform or the status quo) on the other. This debate, seemingly, is still in need of seeking that crucial consensus that appeases both sides, for the movement to successfully enter the roaring, post-pandemic 2020s as a united front.
However, whilst that debate may still very much be a live one, one area where anti-doping – and its different factions – truly have the opportunity to achieve consensus is through embracing modern technology and strategies that can protect clean sport and athletes effectively. Because if there are new, digitised tools available that can serve athletes that have the potential to offer benefits such as increased efficiency and reduce costs, then surely this is an example of where the anti-doping community can achieve consensus – and focus on what unites, rather than divides. Having seen how technologies can bolster efficiencies of other industries, clean sport proponents are now starting to regard new technologies more seriously, because they present new strategies for detecting and deterring doping.
Front and centre of the potential new strategies surely has to be virtual testing, which was piloted by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in April 2020, just as the global pandemic began to put the brakes on the industry – an industry which had relied for a long time on in person human blood and urine testing. Crucially, the virtual testing pilot put athletes – and their level of comfort with this novel approach – front and centre. It involved athletes providing urine and blood samples in their own home while being watched remotely by a representative on a video conferencing platform.
Top American athletes including Katie Ledecky, Lilly King, and runner Emma Coburn volunteered to take part, with Ledecky saying: “This is the perfect time to test something like this. I think it’s great for the circumstances we’re all in right now”. With USADA practicing the “necessity is the mother of invention” preach, here was an organisation not willing to see the industry as a victim of the pandemic, not willing to merely ride it out. No, here was an organisation seeing a global pandemic as a catalyst for positive change. And change that demonstrated flexibility, agility and the wellbeing of athletes at its heart.
Virtual testing, and other new strategies such as Performance Monitoring, are not likely to be the panacea for anti-doping, nor do they need to be. Because anti-doping at its best is an industry with a diverse range of tools in the toolbox being utilised at different times, depending on differing needs, resources and practicalities. Anti-doping at its best is an unpredictable, agile system that champions athletes’ rights every step of the way, whilst simultaneously keeping the guessing game up for those athletes looking to subvert the system.
The likes of virtual testing will only continue to gain momentum if the collective attitude and will is there from forward-thinking clean sport advocates that want to bolster the ever-improving toolbox, as new technologies allow. As we emerge from the pandemic, the modern world will fortune those that are brave with proposing and testing new technologies, to see what sticks and what doesn’t. The perfect time to have a conversation about technology and its role in clean sport surely has to be now, as more and more nations start to emerge from the pandemic tunnel and as anti-doping organisations, now more than ever, realise the need to identify efficiencies wherever they may exist.
We hear a lot in today’s world about remaining relevant. Whether it’s the Olympic Games remaining relevant for Gen Z through the launch of its Olympic Virtual Series or the inclusion of new youthful Olympic sports, or whether it be – as was the case in the last few days – the Commonwealth Games Federation President stressing the need for the Games to be downsized after Birmingham 2022 if the event is to remain relevant for a new age.
And the same beckons for anti-doping, and its bid to remain relevant for today’s athlete. The conversation of technology’s role in clean sport has begun, and never before has there been a better time to champion the merits of innovation in this cause-driven movement than today.
Having been appointed to the role of Professor of Duty of Care in Sport at...
The recent suspension of American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who was supposed to be heading to...
Yesterday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed what anybody involved in anti-doping already...


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Someone must have forgotten to have their daily dose of caffeine when assigning the ‘specials’ at Woolworths recently.
The supermarket giant has been called out for delivering its customers a not-so-special saving on its $45 plum pudding.
The traditional 1.4kg plum pudding was originally marked at $44.50, but you can buy it for $44.49. That’s a saving of a whole 1c!
While Woolies continues to battle it out with Coles and Aldi to offer you the cheapest Christmas possible but this is either taking things too far or not taking them far enough.
It’s also not the first time the supermarket has made a blunder with the pricing of its specials.
When approached by ninemsn.com.au about the mistake, Woolworths buying director Steve Donohue said “It’s a computer glitch.”
He says the supermarket does not “intentionally put 1c savings out there”, but appreciated customers bringing the error to the store’s attention.
Recently Woolworths and its competitor Coles revealed how they would be slashing prices to help you stick to your budget for the Christmas feast. Interestingly, plum pudding was one of the 20-plus items you would get a saving on, though you’re probably hoping for more than the 1c.


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The coconut has maintained its position as the top agricultural crop exported in many forms either as food or non-food classified as traditional or non-traditional, to 130 countries.
Exports receipts from coconut oil and other coconut by products reached an unprecedented level of US$ 1.57 billion dollars.
The country’s coconut industry has an annual average export income of US$ 800 million dollars. In the years 1979, 1995, 2007 and 2010, the Philippine coconut exports reached the US$ 1 billion dollar level, according to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Volume of coconut increased by 55.5 percent, totaling 2,355,521 metric tons in 2010 compared with 2009 figure of 1,514,942 metric tons. Coconut oil remains the top coconut export product.
According to the PCA, the month of August is traditionally the peak of coconut fruiting season. Thus explains why the coconut festival is mounted within the month as a tribute to the versatility of the so called Tree of Life.
The festival, the National Coconut Week, was celebrated in the wake of government’s National Coconut Productivity Program, which recently welcomed to the industry nine million seed nuts.
The seed nuts are now taking roots nationwide through PCA’s participatory planting project. The PCA administrator Oscar G. Garin has announced that productivity of 10 million more coconut trees has been enhanced through a process called Salt Fertilization.
The PCA is spearheading a campaign among farmers to fertilize their coconut farms with two kilos of salt per tree per year for three years to increase yield by at least 25 percent.
Salt fertilization is believed to increase thickness of coconut meat and also increase the number of nuts harvested.
The procedure is also credited for making coconut trees resistant to drought, pests and diseases.


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Why 'Now' May Well Be the Right Time to Start a Blockchain Company With the crypto market growing again, here are the three main factors to watch out for if you're starting, or investing, in a company in the space.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
A little over two years ago, I was at my company's holiday dinner, and the only topic of conversation was the stratospheric rise of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and those others that were lesser known but certainly more amusingly named (like Putincoin).
With Bitcoin at that time topping $20,000 and Crypto Kitties also hitting the world by storm, something momentous was afoot; and we all wanted in. Yet, my company's CTO called a halt to our excitement, cautioning that a deep decline was coming. The reason he gave: The potential of the blockchain -- the platform through which cryptocurrencies are built -- to create real-world applications with strong customer use cases had yet to be realized.
"Raising $10 million from retail investors on a two-page paper is not enough," our CTO said.
Boy, was he ever right. What came next was that massive slump, in which Bitcoin lost over 80 percent of its value, and the swiftness with which the SEC put an end to initial coin offering scams.
Yet, a few weeks ago, as I was attending a demo day for Binance Labs -- a kind of accelerator program but for blockchain startups -- I saw that some of our initial energy had returned.
In particular, I was struck at the focus and discipline of these entrepreneurs from Binance Labs, the venture arm of Binance. Rather than releasing a white paper and trying to raise money on ideas and theory alone, these people had already fully built their product, conceived of applicable real-world use cases and secured strong early customer traction.
More important: They were focusing, as has startup fund-raising has traditionally done, on getting skilled investors on board, the kind of investors who contribute so much more than just capital.
This got me thinking: Is now the time to invest in or start a blockchain-focused company? What are the factors that entrepreneurs and investors should be looking for in this space?
To quote the words of Wired founding editor Kevin Kelly, now (yes, right now) is the best time to start something (never mind that he wrote those words in 2014). This mindset, in my opintion, is extraordinarily applicable to the blockchain which, as it matures, presents more and more opportunities to create new solutions. To take advantage of this trend, entrepreneurs and investors should seek opportunities that present an immediate real-world application as well as customer traction.
And these investors should be ones whose value-add is more than just capital; the colleagues they bring in, meanwhile, should be the type interested in the long-term impact of the technology.
Real-world traction matters.
At Binance's demo day, nearly all presenting companies had some early customer buy-in and traction. Whether it was a brand signing up for a test run on a new decentralized loyalty platform or a marketplace touting the growth of its supply-side volume, customer-use cases won the day. Many entrepreneurs commented that with blockchain solutions slowly gaining acceptance among everyday consumers, it was only appropriate to demonstrate real-world adoption
A case in point: Cerebellum Network, a decentralized version of Salesforce's famed CRM. Rather than publish a white paper, the founders built a product and tested it, to positive feedback, with early customers like Benefit Cosmetics. Because of this, Cerebellum's founders were able to secure significant early investment from the likes of Arrington XRP Capital and others.
Are you starting or investing in a blockchain company? If so, the first question to ask yourself is: What real-world problem are you solving for consumers? For instance, an entrepreneur friend of mine is planning to start a next-generation nomadic home-sharing platform that will allow members to hop from house to house at exciting locations around the world.
While the entirety of the database, billing and identity components of the product will be built on the blockchain, that's not what the founder is excited about. Rather, he's psyched about bringing to market a product that people have expressed a desire for. In this instance, blockchain technology is just acting as the enabler.
Seek investors who add more than just capital.
During the height of "Crypto Mania," it was not uncommon to see new ICOs floated to retail investors, and see coin prices shoot skywards in a matter of hours, if not minutes. These cryptocurrencies were an incredibly efficient way to acquire capital to scale a business.
Yet, this process misses the most important point: Advice and help from investors is often more important than money in early-stage companies. Yes, this includes blockchain companies, as well.
Early-stage investors offer so much more than just capital. They offer connections to talent, first-mover customers and additional investors. Some, like Match.com co-founder Will Bunker, use help as a form of due diligence. Even if he does not invest in a prospective company, Bunker goes out of his way to offer help and guidance because he knows that that's what matters to early-stage companies.
So, if you're launching a business, seek investors who offer resources help and guidance, even if this route it costs you a bit more than other fund-raising channels do. While you may be paying a little more now, you will be able to maximize your valuation down the road.
Seek out long-term colleagues who "get it."
Sitting down on my friend's couch one night, talking crypto with others, I was struck by how short-term many of those attendeess' thinking seemed. Rather than building a sustainable, real-world application, my friends were more interested in releasing a hot new coin and pumping value out of it, rather than in the long-term transformative nature of their product.
Of course I understand that any new field will generate a lot of buzz, excitement and FOMO, or fear of missing out. Like moths to a flame, people often flock to what's "hot" rather than what's sustainable.
Yet this instinct of theirs misses the foundational point of cryptocurrencies and blockchain: their long-term revolution and transformation. The potential of cryptocurrencies to fundamentally alter our global economy, trade pathways, financial system and supply networks cannot be understated. According to investor Lou Kerner, blockchain is "the biggest thing to happen in the history of humanity." Okay, maybe that's over the top, but Kerner follows up that phrase by cautioning that this revolution will be a long time in the making.
Naturally, founders should seek out colleagues, partners and even investors that understand the long-term nature of the space and are willing to invest the time, capital and, yes, the patience needed in order to make something happen.
Right now is the best time to start something.
With crypto prices recovering, albeit slightly, and the market opening up to new entrants and applications, now may be the best time to start a blockchain-powered company. While the technology offers unlimited opportunities, when starting a new business, founders should not ignore the key points. Namely: Build a product that people want; seek out investors who are true advisors and partners; and hire colleagues who are in it for long-term gain.


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Tonawanda Main Street and the City of Tonawanda will celebrate the city's small town allure with "It's a Wonderful Night," a celebration of the holidays from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 1.
The Main Street event will include the annual Clinton Park tree lighting at 7 p.m. and an opportunity to meet Santa and other holiday characters, as well a ride the Clinton Park Holiday Express trolley.
Visitors can participate in community caroling in the park, where food and craft vendors will also be set up. There will also be dinner and drink specials at downtown restaurants and kid-friendly holiday activities.
There will also be a community light pole decorating contest.
Tonawanda Main Street is a grassroots organization which partners with the city to preserve and promote the City of Tonawanda's historic downtown waterfront.


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A joint agricultural trade exhibition organized by the Somali and Turkish business communities opened this Sunday in Mogadishu. Both sides showcased various products for the potential exchange of market supply. A panel of Turkish and Somali experts also discussed the opportunities and challenges in the agricultural sector, while providing possible solutions. Senior government officials from both countries including Somalia's Trade and Industries Minister, Abdullahi Ali Hassan and Turkish ambassador, Mehmet Yilmaz were present. Somalia recently started the export of its agricultural produce including Bananas to Turkey and gulf countries.
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According to the recent findings of Coinbase, a global platform, the attention towards cryptocurrency has increased in the last six months. The UK customers did quarterly basis analysis as carried out by Qualtrics, they found that the count of recent crypto owners, or those who previously owned it, has increased by over 34% as compared to the last six months. After that research, held by a research team of Pan-Europeans, the ratio of crypto ownership consumers varied in different countries. They have recorded that the UK placed its second position gas crypto consumers other than the Netherlands as it has 48% of consumers owing cryptocurrency whereas the count in Spain is 27%, Germany had 25% owners of cryptocurrency and 48% & 17% are in Netherlands & Spain respectively. In addition, if you are into crypto investment, you may want to consider knowing about the Types of Wrapped Tokens.
The crypto investors of the British country are having different points of view about their further planning to what they are going to execute with their portfolios. It is proposed by then that out of all those who have already planned to own cryptocurrency, out of them 62% of investors are planning to execute or enhance their findings over the next 12 to 13 months as compared to those who had converted 55% crypto ownership in October 2021. Moreover, about two birds at the two-third story i.e. 65% of the investors are going to plan to enhance their holdings by purchasing cryptocurrency in greater amounts as they already own it and further, the expansion of the new cryptocurrency is covered by about 24% by diversifying into new currencies.
Bifurcation of Bitcoin and Ethereum
The favorite cryptocurrency of the people owned by them is Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) which cover the percentage of about 76% and 53% respectively. Thereafter the next cryptocurrency as preferred by crypto lovers Binance with a 33% coverup and DOGE with 33%.
The two-track dynamics in respect of asset understanding
There is a definite traditionally occurring knowledge gap between cryptocurrency and retail investors along with more traditional assets due to the initial stage of market infancy. While analysis has been held on these parts, the consumers were asked by the coin base about their earlier experience and understanding of the investment assets. The surprising response comes from the people when a similar proportion of the people agreed strongly on the idea and they reveal their best experience and good understanding of the same asset. They convey that about 15% of them were satisfied to invest in assets like property or stocks as they believe that they have a good hold and better understanding of these assets for cryptocurrency use as compared to Bitcoin (12%). This demonstrates a compatriot of specialist investors who has changed course beyond conventional investments and has summed up crypto assets to their portfolios.
As the spokesperson of cryptocurrency said that Europe has become a leading crypto investment hub where people keep on growing and engaging with these assets. Recently a survey has been held where the trend of adoption of cryptocurrency can be continued with several sharing initiatives to develop the size and diversification of their portfolios. Moreover, it is also clear from the facts and figures that work is going on higher to enhance the understanding and awareness about the use and usefulness of cryptocurrency for different purposes such as from the trading field to investment, business development, and economic progress as well. Moreover, the best provision of cryptocurrency also provides and reveals a way for investors so they can diversify their portfolios and further they can get productive results as well.


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Coffee production and consumptionBetween 2010 and 2019, the tea and coffee processing industry has welcomed 147 new enterprises. At the same time, the industry has employed at least four thousand individuals. In 2020, the employee number exceeded 4.6 thousand. Despite this, the production volume of roasted coffee has fluctuated since 2013, amounting to approximately 38.4 thousand metric tons in 2020.
In 2020, the average Polish consumer was drinking 190 grams of coffee per month – a slight increase compared to the previous year. In terms of gender distribution, women constituted approximately 55 percent of Polish coffee drinkers. According to a survey conducted in 2021, one in four Poles reported consuming two cups of coffee per day on average.
How do Poles take their coffee?Central European Slavs are primarily drawn to coffee because of the taste. One of the most valued coffee qualities is the taste and aroma of the dark beverage. Moreover, outdoor coffee drinking is the norm, with a gas station being a favorite consumption location for over 70 percent of people. Although chain cafés are also popular, they lose to different venues among Poles in every age group. Nearly every second Polish teenager likes to drink coffee in fast food chains, whereas older Poles have a tendency for visiting traditional restaurants. In 2021, espresso was the most popular ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee among Polish consumers.
Coffee chain wise, Starbucks is by far the most popular, with almost every fourth person in Poland showing their preference for the brand. The American coffee brewing giant’s popularity comes as no surprise, considering that it is also the largest coffee chain in the country. In 2019, Starbucks celebrated its ten-year anniversary in Poland. During this time, 73 Starbucks coffee houses were opened. However, by 2021, this number decreased to 69 coffee shops.


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Shopify’s Commerce+ celebration, an once-a-year function meant to showcase the company’s company in addition offering, is whole of the buzzword-filled talks a single may expect from a business enterprise-to-enterprise convention. Sessions on “meeting buyers exactly where they are” and “building community” abound. But very last October’s event showcased two greater-profile speakers who ran outdoors of the usual e-commerce circles: musician Pharrell Williams and NBA star Jimmy Butler, both equally of whom appeared pretty much to extoll the virtues of building an e-commerce manufacturer on Shopify.
“We just always want a direct connection [with the customer],” Williams — who started his very own skincare manufacturer Humanrace in 2020 — reported in a discussion with Shopify president Harley Finkelstein.
The celebration was an early harbinger of just how significantly interest and sources Shopify is progressively providing creators. Shopify launched in 2006 and about the study course of a decade turned an e-commerce juggernaut, thanks in component to the wave of direct-to-shopper brand names in the early 2010s that ended up able to obtain tens of thousands of customers by low cost Fb ads. Again then, the company merely delivered the technological back again-finish to make promoting on line relatively easy. Now, Shopify is setting up out a whole-fledged suite of providers aimed squarely at influencers — whether or not which is a specialist athlete or a TikTok chef — to jumpstart its up coming wave of advancement.
Currently, Shopify is saying a single of its major investments in the creator place to day. It has acquired Dovetale, a application startup that can help makes deal with their influencer promoting plans (Shopify declined to disclose the cost of the acquisition). As element of the acquisition, Shopify will make Dovetale free for all of its retailers. But Shopify has been quietly building out its creator ambitions for the past year and a 50 %, since hiring former Yeezy GM Jon Wexler to develop into the vice president of Shopify’s creator and influencer plan.
In order to market by itself as the go-to e-commerce platform for the creator economic system, Shopify is using a multi-pronged solution, creating out a range of instruments to help influencers relying on what stage they are at. Dovetale is geared towards helping the influencers who aren’t but prepared to launch their own models, but want to boost items from other organizations Last month, Shopify also introduced a hyperlink-in-bio instrument identified as Linkpop, designed for influencers who want to promote numerous traces of company Then, for the largest famous people, Shopify’s 10-particular person creator program crew will support manage and fund the entire generation of their company, from designing the web site to serving to them obtain a company, functioning with celebs like Butler, Pharrell and history executive Steven Victor.
Shopify positions these moves as opportunistic types, citing the increased curiosity from creators in not just endorsing other people’s products and solutions, but making their very own. In get to heavily incentivize adoption of these resources, the corporation is producing some of these applications — like Dovetale and Linkpop — free of charge to motivate adoption.
But Shopify’s moves in the creator area also provide as a hedge versus the shifting tides in e-commerce. It’s turning into more challenging for DTC brand names to obtain new clients, many thanks to Apple and Google’s new privateness targeted updates. Fb notably claimed it was projecting $10 billion in shed profits this year as a result of Apple’s rollout of iOS 14, which made it more tough for corporations like Fb to track consumer actions across internet sites.
Updates like these aren’t only a risk to Facebook’s enterprise, but also a danger to Shopify’s business enterprise, as the retailers that utilized Shopify have lengthy relied on Fb advertisements to mature their company. Encouraging existing Shopify retailers to operate a lot more intently with influencers may aid them mitigate their customer acquisition troubles. And, by encouraging influencers to start their very own e-commerce web pages, Shopify receives a new cohort of shoppers.
“We actually see creators as the up coming technology of entrepreneurs,” Amir Kabbara, director of product at Shopify reported. “It is a top precedence for us to seriously assistance these creators enter commerce and start off monetizing.”
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The increase of the creator economy
The phenomenon of individuals with large world wide web followings launching their individual e-commerce firms is practically nothing new. Predating its creator initiative, Shopify has powered the websites of a number of celeb-pushed manufacturers, with Kylie Cosmetics being just one of its most noteworthy good results stories.
But in the earlier several several years, there is been a state of mind change, according to Ronak Trivedi, the co-founder and CEO of a startup referred to as Pietra that allows influencers start their very own product or service strains. There’s been sufficient achievement tales from the leading 1% of celebs — George Clooney’s Casamigos offering to Diageo for $1 billion, and Coty getting a the vast majority stake in Kylie Cosmetics — that influencers with lesser followings are ever more having their possess stabs at launching a business.
While formerly, a star with a big adhering to on YouTube or Instagram could launch a merch line or a confined capsule assortment with an apparel brand in get to diversify their profits streams, “they seriously want to experience like they are making a small business with an genuine product or service,” Trivedi said.
There are other elements at enjoy much too. Some influencers have gotten burnt out by the speed of information generation in latest years, or are ill of only advertising items from other companies’ brands, and are hunting for a new way to monetize their adhering to.
Lia Haberman, UCLA professor who research influencer promoting, echoed Trivedi’s sentiments in an email to Modern day Retail, stating that “a whole lot of the influencers I have worked with do want additional possession over the get the job done they’re executing.”
However, ahead of launching their possess manufacturer, the 1st stage for most influencers — to decide just how lots of of their followers may possibly be interested in getting merchandise they propose — is to do the job with present businesses to advertise their goods. And that is wherever Shopify’s acquisition of Dovetale arrives in.
Dovetale aids brand names manage their affiliate and influencer advertising program, a approach that previously may well have been performed on an excel spreadsheet. Dovetale permits brands to manage and take new programs for influencer companions, ship solutions and discount codes to them, and preserve keep track of of how lots of profits they rake in.
“We want to create equipment for creators to enter commerce and ultimately develop into retailers and very own their enterprise,” Shopify’s Kabbara stated. But as he places it, applications like Dovetale assistance them examination the waters to start with. “It’s just one of the core parts in the portfolio to enable creators by means of this journey from making information [every week] to form of getting a total-on merchant.”
The acquisition of Dovetale also allows fulfill a 2nd intent for Shopify: assisting its present retailers receive new prospects. Kabbara mentioned that part of what he thinks is driving increased desire in influencer marketing and advertising from brands is the reality that it is having more durable for them to acquire new buyers.
Whilst Shopify doesn’t break out exactly how numerous of the additional than 1 million corporations that use its services are direct-to-customer brands, lots of of the most notable DTC makes that do north of $100 million in income — Casper, Allbirds and Gymshark to identify a several — use Shopify. And DTC models, in unique, have been hit difficult by Apple’s iOS 14 update, which confined what sort of action apps like Facebook, Pinterest and Snapchat can track across sites. That led some brands to cut their Fb advertisement invest — which earlier built up extra than fifty percent of their advertising and marketing funds — in 50 %.
The concept is that, by investing in influencer advertising, manufacturers aren’t as subject to the whims of Facebook’s advert system — even however the influencers themselves are also closely reliant on social platforms. By turning to influencers to promote their product, models can attain a new pool of shoppers in a a lot more reliable way, as fans of that influencer could a lot more inherently rely on a brand name if it is suggested by that certain influencer.
Influencer promoting, even so, will come with its possess set of issues for brands, specifically discovering the appropriate influencers to work with.
“Some influencers suitable now – they might look like they have a big viewers but if you pay them upfront, like $5,000 for each submit, you never notice until finally just after the fact that it’s possible their audience truly is not engaged and they really do not basically deliver any revenue for you,” Kevin Lee, co-founder of protein-packed ramen brand Immi instructed Modern Retail.
Lee mentioned that his organization begun making use of Dovetale last calendar year, and hence considerably has generated six figures in earnings by the software. Immi operates an affiliate method by means of Dovetale – gifting influencers totally free products and then offering them a minimize of future profits produced by the influencer – which will help partly mitigate the possibility of picking the erroneous influencer.
Immi principally performs with keto-pleasant influencers via Dovetale, with 1 of its most notable associates currently being Tinger Hseih, who has 137,000 followers on Instagram.
Going forward, Lee mentioned that affiliate promoting will continue on to be an important promoting channel for Immi. Even though it can just take a although for models to make out a network of influencers, and brands “don’t get massive amounts of funds appropriate away like you do expending on [Facebook],” Lee explained that it is a more trusted channel.
“[Influencers] are quite a lot evangelists for the manufacturer since they definitely appreciate the product,” Lee reported.
Pivoting from content material creator to entrepreneur
Finally, however, influencers might want to move from remaining an evangelist for other people’s makes, to staying the experience of their have. The problem is, as Pietra’s Trivedi puts it, these influencers however expend the wide bulk of their time developing written content. They really do not have time to go out and resource a community of suppliers, and could have never ever previously managed a crew of staff.
Which is led to an onslaught of distinct suppliers launching new solutions to consider and make it less complicated for influencers to launch a comprehensive-fledged e-commerce business enterprise. These contain startups like Pietra, which has constructed up its own success network, as very well as a market of 500 distinctive suppliers that influencers can work with to supply their suppliers and packaging suppliers from. Recognized influencer internet marketing startups like Linktree are also more and more launching much more commerce-precise characteristics, these kinds of as an integration with commerce system Spring. And lastly, proven expertise companies like United Talent Agency are launching their own in-property brand name incubators to support some of the greatest influencers like Emma Chamberlain start their very own makes.
Shopify also goes following this current market in a handful of techniques. For some of the most notable celebs, Shopify will in fact fund the generation of the business them selves. Shopify’s creator software group — led by Wexler — is effective on this, and for now consists of 10 staff members, many of whom previously labored in other departments like advertising and marketing or merchant good results for Shopify.
Anthony Kentris, senior promoting lead for Shopify’s creators plan, stated the workforce is most focused on performing with “cultural icons.” Jimmy Butler — a forward for the Miami Warmth, and now the founder of a immediate-to-consumer coffee model termed Bigface — is one particular such movie star the creator group has labored with.
Butler has said he was encouraged to start Bigface following advertising $20 coffee cups to other gamers in the so-known as “bubble” that NBA teams were being participating in and practising in during the coronavirus pandemic, the place the coffee solutions were missing.
“We helped him with branding and packaging, we assisted him and lined him up with the actual espresso roasters he ended up working with, and of class, we created and built his web page,” Kentris reported. Shopify has also worked with Butler to take a look at out new options. For illustration, Bigface introduced an NFT keep in the slide, exactly where a $250 obtain obtained prospects entry to limited-edition solution, as perfectly as an entry card for potential occasions, early notifications for long run solution drops and far more.
When the Shopify group initial met with Butler, Kentris said it was “very crystal clear that he experienced this ambition and this authentic want of currently being an entrepreneur. We just served him do it.”
Ideal now, the number of creators that the staff is doing the job with is small, given the groups bandwidth Kentris stated the creators plan has all around 20 tasks in the pipeline.
“We want to create authentic partnerships, we want to truly assistance them so that they are equipped to converse to their audience about what we’re performing at Shopify, and how significant entrepreneurship is in the earth,” Kentris stated.
But the important obstacle a lot of influencers deal with, Trivedi says is not just in launching a manufacturer, but effectively escalating it and getting a sound small business design powering it.
“I imagine the greatest problem with the organization we see… is that the greatest types scale past their viewers,” he stated. At that position, Trivedi claims, a celebrity usually has to come up with an actual PR and marketing method that will support them increase, rather than just publishing to their socials when a week. They also have to devise a retail distribution program, not just gifting solutions to their buddies.
How major of a role creators perform in Shopify’s long term is dependent on just how many of their models are in a position to scale correctly. When requested how Shopify planned to support influencers expand their firms, Kabbara pointed 1st and foremost to the existing Shopify app shop. This has very long been the center of Shopify’s approach to assist all of its retailers scale, by pointing them to 3rd-party applications that can help them with say, their electronic mail internet marketing or loyalty system.
Continue to, Kabbara acknowledges that the most significant problem influencers encounter in constructing out their firms is that, initial and foremost, their main career is submitting on line — and not working an e-commerce small business. What Shopify is banking on, is an eventual precedence change.
“We want to enable creators go from a person who is developing articles to another person who is a merchant,” he reported.


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Photo Credit: Yountville Chamber of Commerce
The countdown is on for Super Bowl 50, taking place Feb. 7, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. In the days leading up to the big game, there will be a slew of haute events taking place from Napa to Carmel. We’ll tell you about at least one different event each week so you can make plans to be a part of the festivities. This week’s featured activity is actually on game day. Let’s face it, most of us are not going to the game. The question becomes: where will you watch the game? You can join six Pro Football Hall of Fame legends for a Big Game tailgate and watch party in beautiful Yountville.
The pre-game tailgate party starts at noon, with NFL Hall of Famers and other special guests greeting those who gather at the Town’s Community Center for pre-game fun, food and libations. The Watch Party beginning at 2:30 P.M. will feature six exclusive lounge areas, each hosted by a Pro Football Hall of Famer including – Anthony Munoz, Jack Youngblood, Dave Wilcox, Willie Brown, Chris Dolman and Joe DeLamielleure— providing attendees with the opportunity to interact with the players up close and personally.
Lounges include complimentary food and beverage service, comfy sofas and a perfect view of the 14-foot, high-definition video wall showing football’s ultimate game. The first person to purchase an entire lounge will receive an authentic autographed Hall of Fame football. Each of the six lounges accommodates eight people and may be purchased for $5,000. Individual lounge seats are $500 each.
In addition to the lounge areas, there will be reserve tables for eight, each available for buy-out at $1,250. Table guests will each receive a Hall of Fame ball cap and Sharpie markers suitable for autographs. Individual reserve seating at tables is $125 per person and includes two drink tickets and serve-yourself game day chow. NFL Legends will mix and mingle with guests during the game.
General Admission standing/partial bench seating for the broadcast is priced at $75 per person. Admission to the tailgate party is $25 per person. A silent auction will also take place, featuring a Hall of Fame 50th anniversary helmet, autographed by over sixteen Hall of Famers, along with other items.
Sponsored by the Yountville Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Yountville’s Tourism Improvement District, a portion of the net proceeds of this once-in-a-lifetime experience for football fans will benefit the Tug McGraw Foundation’s research and service programs focusing on traumatic brain injury.
“Our watch party is the perfect way to rock the red zone and enjoy the Big Game while supporting a great local charity,” says Cindy Saucerman, President and CEO of the Yountville Chamber of Commerce. “It will make a fantastic holiday gift for football fans and may be your only chance to experience a championship game in the company of the Legends who created the game.”
Tickets are available online at www.yountville.com. For more information, call the Yountville Chamber of Commerce at (707) 944-0904.


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Archive for the ‘Xbox 360’ Category
Posted by STGuy1040 on November 22, 2010 under Music, Xbox 360
Fans of the Black Eyed Peas (and dance classics like Cameo and Tag Team) can download their songs on Xbox Live for Dance Central next week. Each song will cost 240 MS Points. Available on Xbox 360 (Nov. 23): • The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling" • Cameo – “Word Up!" • Tag Team – “Whoomp! (There It Is)"... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 19, 2010 under News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Checkout the latest in-game footage of Deus EX: Human Revolution Game footage: Screen shots: ... more.
Posted by STGuy1040 on November 18, 2010 under News, PS3, WII, Xbox 360
EA has released new media for the launch of NBA Jam. Judging by the media released, it looks like NBA Jam is going to please basketball fans. PixelPerfectGaming.com has the latest screenshots and launch trailer for fans to drool over. NBA Jam Launch Video: NBA Jam Screenshots: ... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 18, 2010 under News, PC, Xbox 360
Activision Publishing, Inc. announced today that Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops has shattered theatrical box office, book and video game sales records for five-day worldwide sell through in dollars. The game established an all-new five-day worldwide sell-through record of more than $650 million, exceeding Activision's previous five-day worldwide record of $550 million set by last year's Ca... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 17, 2010 under News, PS3, Xbox 360
Check out the latest screen shots of Marvel vs Capcom 3 Fate of Two Worlds: Screen shots: Art / Box Art: ... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 16, 2010 under Euro, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Today Codemasters is proud to release the first in a series of DiRT 3 Q&A developer diaries for the highly-anticipated, critically acclaimed sequel to 2009’s million-plus seller, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (metacritic:87). The developer diary features the first gameplay footage, taken from early pre-alpha code, and dishes all the dirt on the biggest, most content rich racer ever to roar out o... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 15, 2010 under News, Xbox 360
On the heels of the triumphant 29th October launch of “Fable III,” fans who crave even more action and adventure will revel in the all new “Fable III” Understone Quest Pack. Available on 23rd November on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points, the new Game Add-on introduces three unique quests to continue expanding the world of Albion. In celebration of the global launch ... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 12, 2010 under News, Xbox 360
The Alien Breed series has delivered tense moments, frenetic firefights and co-op carnage to gamers across the world. The opening title, Alien Breed: Impact/Evolution introduced players to the plight of Theodore Conrad, chief engineer aboard the doomed ship Leopold, struggling to regain control of his ship after a collision with a mysterious foreign vessel. Alien Breed 2: Assault saw Conrad... more.
Posted by STGuy1040 on November 11, 2010 under News, PS3, Xbox 360
Capcom has released new screenshots and an all-new video for Bionic Commando Rearmed 2.. Coming soon to both XBL and PSN, this sequel promises to include an unlockable 'Retro Mode' that mimics the play mechanics of the original. Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 Screenshots: Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 Video: ... more.
Posted by DaRipp3r on November 10, 2010 under Euro, PS3, Xbox 360
Criterion Games, a studio of Electronic Arts today announced that during the two weeks of its availability (from Oct 26 – Nov 9), more than two million players took to the streets of Seacrest County in the Need for Speed Hot Pursuit demo. Players competed as both cops and racers in two events while sampling Hot Pursuit’s revolutionary social network, Need for Speed Autolog, which seam... more.
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The popularity of daily deal websites is limited to younger and more affluent consumers, according to a new survey released Monday by global consulting firm Accenture.
The survey revealed that while 37 percent of Americans are members of a daily deal site, 56 percent of Americans do not subscribe to any such sites and 42 percent "do not like anything" about the sites. This indicates that "a significant group of Americans do not like the deals and are conceivably finding other ways to save," Tom Jacobson, a senior executive in pricing and profitability strategy at Accenture, said in a news release.
Accenture conducted an online survey in September among U.S. adults, collecting nearly 1,000 responses.
The survey showed that of households with annual income of at least $150,000, 54 percent are signed up for a daily deal site. The participation rate drops to 27 percent when annual household income falls to $35,000 or less. Daily deal subscribers also skew young, as 47 percent of respondents between 18 and 24 are signed up. In the 55 to 64 demographic, only 37 percent are subscribers.
Chicago-based Groupon, the leader of the daily deal industry, is planning to go public next month. Groupon and its rivals are facing skepticism over the daily deal business model, with critics saying that the sector's gangbusters growth is vulnerable to coupon fatigue among consumers who are being bombarded with multiple daily e-mails hawking discounted teeth whitening and yoga classes.
However, Accenture's survey found that 39 percent of daily deal subscribers report using the sites more often than a year earlier. In addition, 26 percent said they've used the deals to buy goods and services they otherwise would not purchase. The biggest complaints among subscribers is that they can't find deals for goods or services they want to try, and that deals are not local enough.
Meanwhile, the survey revealed that 81 percent of consumers are concerned about increasing food prices and 51 percent report eating out less during the past year. Only 20 percent said they've changed the products they purchase, but 79 percent said they would switch to generic products if prices went up by more than 10 percent.


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Equifax Security BreachSubmitted by Mission Financial Planning on September 19th, 2017
The recent Equifax security breach compromised names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, credit card numbers and driver’s license numbers. Our annual, gentle reminders to keep a watchful eye on credit reports have turned urgent.
There are several good articles on what to do now, we sent out a link to a good Wall Street Journal article through our FaceBook and LinkedIn pages, this Consumer Reports article is my favorite so far.
It is being reported that the website Equifax set up to help has been swamped, and phone calls are nearly impossible to get through. Keep trying, and in the meantime we recommend that you take the steps recommended in the Consumer Reports article.