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The Week in Tech: our new roundup of the best things that blink and buzz
The iPad ushered in the era of the tablet, and they're here to stay. BlackBerry and Samsung are all but ready to showcase their latest slabs of metal, silicon and plastic, while BlackBerry is purportedly working on bringing the BBM experience to Android and iOS. Mark Zuckerberg will sleep well knowing Facebook is now being valued at $65 billion, as Facebook start offering movie rentals and await the Angry Birds experience. Here's our pick of the week's biggest technology stories. “BBM me on my Android” BlackBerry Messenger or BBM, RIM’s crown jewel and the very reason many BlackBerry users have stayed faithful to RIM's smartphones, might soon be making its way to the Android and iOS platform. Rumours suggest Blackberry will offer a stripped down, no-frills version of BBM on Android and possibly on Apple's iOS later this year. Here's to hoping! In the meantime, cross-platform chat applications like Kik messenger or WhatsApp might pique your interest.
Angry Birds take aim at Facebook If you spend an unhealthy amount of time on Facebook and have a penchant for Angry Birds, you might want to look away now. The avian slinging phenomenon will soon be making its presence felt on Facebook. Rovio, the developers of the smash hit (pun intended) smartphone title will port the game in the form of a Facebook application, much like Farmville. According to Rovio CEO -- Mikael Hed -- the application will be available in the coming month, and will feature ‘collaborative’ elements and extended game-play. There appears to be no stopping the Angry Birds revolution; a PS3 title and an animated series are also said to be in production. Warner Brothers and Facebook ink movie distribution deal In an attempt to leverage the power of social networks, Warner Bros has become the first major studio to offer a movie streaming service native to Facebook. The service will offer users the ability to rent films for 30 Facebook credits or $3. Once purchased, you will have 48 hours to watch the film. Currently, the only feature available is The Dark Knight, and to add salt to the wound the service is only available to users in America. If the model proves successful there will be a worldwide rollout. Interested?
Tablets. Just what the doctor ordered. Tablets, pads, tabs or whatever you want to call them are selling like hotcakes at the moment and there is no denying that. Every manufacturer is jumping onboard, hoping to carve out a piece of the proverbial pie. BlackBerry has been flaunting the BlackBerry PlayBook at various exhibitions but have yet to announce a release date for their 7-inch tablet. However, rumours are rife that BlackBerry will launch the device on the 10th of April. On the other hand, Samsung, have subscribed to the philosophy that ‘bigger is better’ and are set to officially unveil an 8.9-inch successor to the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab on the 22nd of March. The teaser photos of the device boast of an extremely slim profile. Are you losing the plot, with all these options? We sympathize with you, completely.
See also: iPad2, Gmail's bug and BlackBerry crackdown The beer lover’s guide to watching cricket Sell your soul to the Ducati Diavel


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Nikol Pashinyan, Mark Rutte discuss prospects for developing economic relations between Armenia and the Netherlands
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte in Davos. During the meeting, the interlocutors noted the importance of developing and expanding economic ties between the two countries, as well as taking appropriate measures to bolster business ties. They expressed confidence that there is great potential for economic cooperation that should be tapped in order to increase trade turnover between Armenia and the Netherlands.
The Prime Ministers of Armenia and the Netherlands exchanged views on the implementation of joint programs in the fields of agriculture, tourism and infrastructures. The parties also touched upon cooperation at the multilateral level, in particular, in the framework of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
Nikol Pashinyan and Mark Rutte expressed confidence that the effective implementation of the Agreement will promote the reforms in the economy, the judiciary and other sectors, as well as will help expand interaction between Armenia and the European Union.

domain: news


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As it did during last week's presidential debate, "small business" came up frequently during last night's vice presidential debate. Together, Vice President Joe Biden and Representative Paul Ryan invoked the term 17 times in response to questions from Martha Raddatz. But, as with the presidential debate, the candidates delivered no direct statements about what they would do for small business owners.
Biden and Ryan did not address any of the topics small business organizations told Yahoo! Small Business Advisor they would like to hear discussed during the debates: they offered no plans for improving small business access to credit, not a word about crowdfunding or innovative approaches to supporting startups, and no mention of entrepreneurship nor steps the country could take to encourage self-employment and nurture small business.
In fact, small business was mentioned during the vice presidential debate almost exclusively in the context of tax reform. Specifically, the candidates and their parties disagree about the consequences for small business owners if Congress fails to extend Bush era tax credits to individuals who earn more than $200,000 annually. Biden and Ryan's references to small business during the debate related mostly to how extending or failing to extend existing tax policies will impact small business owners.
The fact checkers went to work immediately after the debate to file reports today on the veracity of Ryan and Biden's arguments about this impact.
Ryan claimed that two-thirds of jobs in the US come from small businesses and that failing to extend the breaks would "tax about 53 percent of small business income." Biden responded that 97 percent of small business owners make less than $250,000. The implication was that only three percent of small business owners would be impacted by the tax increase.
Both are correct, but incomplete, when sizing up the effect on small business of raising taxes for individuals making more than $200,000 and married couples making more than $250,000, as Obama wants to do. Republicans say that would hit small-business owners who report business income on their individual income tax; Democrats say the overwhelming majority of small businesses would not be affected.
According to a 2010 report by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the official scorekeeper for Congress, about 3 percent of people who report business income would face a tax increase under Obama's plan. That support's Biden's point.
The same report says those business owners account for about half of all business income. That supports Ryan.
Fact-checking the same exchange, Glenn Kessler, author of The Fact Checker column at the Washington Post concludes that "Biden is correct that the tax hike proposed by President Obama would hit only 3 percent of business owners." But Kessler explains:
This is two sides of the same coin. Higher taxes on individuals would hit 53 percent of business income. But they aren't necessarily "small" businesses. … When Republicans often speak of "small businesses," they are referring to the companies that file under the individual tax code. But not all of them are what most Americans would consider small businesses — and not all of them are that small, either.
Some of these "pass-through" companies are rather large, with revenues of more than $50 million, but they represent just a small proportion of such companies.
Ultimately, Kessler writes, under Obama's plan, 97 percent of small businesses would get to keep their Bush-era tax cuts.
In a statement released after the debate, Small Business Majority founder and CEO John Arensmeyer said it was:
encouraging to hear key small business issues being clarified during this debate, such as whether allowing tax cuts for high-income earners to expire would impact small businesses. It was explained that the majority of real, mom and pop businesses in America would in fact not be impacted if the 'Bush tax cuts' are allowed to expire at the end of the year.
According to Arensmeyer, Small Business Majority's national polls indicate that "the majority of small businesses agree the tax cuts should lapse."
"We're glad small businesses are remaining front and center through the campaign, and hope key issues affecting them are addressed in a clear and honest fashion in the final weeks leading up to the election," Arensmeyer said.


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Well, if today isn’t a big day for the games industry today already we were greeted with a wonderful surprise shining bright in Twitters trending section. Crash Bandicoot 4, It’s About Time. You can check out the leaked box art below:
The leak was first spotted by Gematsu in Taiwan, it was also discovered that Toys For Bob behind the Spyro Reignited Trilogy are the ones developing it. This description was also found on the site.
“Crash is relaxing and exploring his island in his time, 1998, when he finds a mysterious mask hidden away in a cave, Lani-Loli. The mask is one of the Quantum Masks and apparently knows Aku-Aku, Crash’s mask friend! With the Quantum Masks returning and a Quantum Rift appearing near our heroes, they decide to bravely head through to different times and dimensions to stop whoever is responsible.”
Activision has since been teasing the announcement by sending 200-piece puzzles to the press and influencers that teases the first new mask.
There is no official announcement yet there are no official release dates but we will keep you updated. Are you as excited as we are!?


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While Apple’s reservation-only system in China may have stopped riots from breaking out during product launches, it’s done little to stop the scalpers.
Apple’s iPad Mini launched in China on Friday, and many of those who turned up at Apple stores were looking to resell the device for a profit. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple recently implemented stricter regulations to make it tougher for scalpers to interfere with legitimate sales.
In order to purchase Apple’s 7.9-inch slate from one of its brick and mortar locations, Chinese customers must participate in a lottery one day in advance. Any buyer selected is limited to only two iPad Mini units and is required to bring photo identification.
This system was implemented after unruly crowds and riots rocked Apple’s iPhone 4S in China nearly a year ago in January. This caused Apple to postpone sales of its previous flagship handset, which drew thousands of customers to the country’s five Apple retail locations. China now has seven Apple stores.
Prior to that incident in May 2011, the launch of Apple’s iPad 2 and the white iPhone 4 sparked rowdy behavior in Beijing. Disgruntled customers shook a glass door at Sanlitun’s Apple Store and caused it to shatter, according to reports.
Outbreaks such as these have forced Apple to enforce anti-scalping rules for its Retina Display iPad launch in China this past July. Some local media have reported that scuffles at this launch could have been between rival scalpers, but this has not been confirmed.
Although the monstrous crowds that previously greeted new Apple products have disappeared, that doesn’t mean rowdiness has completely subsided. During Friday’s iPad Mini launch, a Wall Street Journal reporter was harassed by a group of scalpers for filming them outside of Sanlitun’s Apple Store. The scalpers told the reporter that it was an invasion of their privacy.
According to the publication, the swarm of scalpers proceeded to “kick, swat and push” the reporter after he pointed out that they were conducting business in a public place.
“I suggest you don’t film here, or film from farther away,” an Apple employee said when asked why he didn’t intervene. The worker also added that he wasn’t able to protect anyone outside the confines of the store.
Apple declined to comment on the matter, and The Sanlitun Village mall did not immediately respond to the Wall Street Journal’s request for comment.
However, despite this unruly anticipation associated Apple launches, analysts are unsure of how the iPad Mini will fare in China. Mark Newman, senior analyst at Sanford Bernstein, told the Wall Street Journal that global sales of the smaller slate have been modest thus far. Chinese customers in particular may not be as receptive to the device due to the availability of similar, les expensive products from competitors.
“Most Chinese consumers have a modest disposable income, and a lot of them are going for cheaper offerings,” Newman said to the publication. “We believe the mass market is more interested in specs rather than brand-similar to what we’ve seen for smartphones in China.”
Apple announced its Chinese release dates for the company’s most recent products at the end of November. On Friday, Dec. 14, just one week after Apple’s new tablets launched, the iPhone 5 will be available in China.


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Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata has pledged to take a fifty percent salary cut in atonement for the 3DS’ less-than-stellar retail performance. Following yesterday’s news that Nintendo would behacking the cost of its new handheldby close to 33% across the globe come August, Iwata met with investors to explain the rash decision, take responsibility for the system’s sales, andreveal how heand other Big N bigwigsare sacrificing their own coin to keep shareholders happy.
“For cuts in fixed salaries, I’m taking a fifty percent cut, other representative directors are taking a 30 percent cut, and other execs are taking a 20 percent cut,” said Iwata, whoreportedly earns an annualwage akin to US$2 million.
Iwata later told investors he believes the 3DS price cut – down to $169.99 from $249.99 in the USeffective August 12th- will put the handheld back on the map, and that Nintendo would have done the same with the Game Cube in retrospect. Moreover, he admitted the loweredunitpricewill initially make the system non-profitable,but assured attendees that productions costs were likely to go down once the handheld’s salesstart picking up.
Today’s meeting follows a 24-hour string of bad news for Nintendo. Shortly after announcing the 3DS’ reduced price, Nintendo’sstock dropped 12.2% (opens in new tab). Naturally, this led to some concern amongst shareholders, including the company’s former president, Hiroshi Yamauchi’s, whowas reported to havelost the equivalent of US$300 million (opens in new tab)in stock value overnight. Considering he’s estimated to be worth $4.6 billion, we’re sure he’ll weather the storm. Then again, he could always just buy 27,218,934 3DSs and solve everyone’s problem (and no, I didn’t do well in economics back in high school, why do you ask?).
Jul 29, 2011
Nintendo slashing 3DS price tag, offering free games to keep current owners from rioting
3DS to become significant cheaper starting August 12th
A closer look at 10 of the 20 free games current 3DS owners will receive
You paid a premium and Nintendo is saying thanks with big downloads
How the huge 3DS price drop rounds off Nintendo’s worst-run launch since the Virtual Boy
Great machine, terrible launch plan. Here’s how Nintendo screwed it up


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A partnership of two global visions
In an era where people operate a majority of their lives digitally, a key area which has been lagging in digitisation is that of government services. Government services are an especially difficult vertical to digitise. This is due to the lower amount of innovation in the public sector generally, but mainly because they are depended on by literally the entire country. A country cannot just “experiment” to digitise their health records like a start-up would, because the result could potentially be catastrophic.
This is where a small Nordic country set out to differentiate itself. Having a population of only 1.3 million people and a relatively high pool of tech talent, Estonia decided that their “edge” globally will be e-government. Through a resource-heavy process they brought 99% of government services online and created a digital identity for the entire country’s population. The results can be seen — the country now votes online, signs documents digitally, files taxes in minutes.
They then went to offer access to this infrastructure to essentially anyone in the world. This means that a Brazilian national can, without leaving his home country, open a bank account, start a business in the EU. A truly perfect product for a digital nomad or global citizen. The aims to have 10 million e-Residents by 2020 and has garnered strong support from thought leaders such as Tim Draper, Vitalik Buterin and Edward Lucas.
“Change is building a similar universal digital infrastructure as Estonia did, but for financial services” says Kaspar Korjus, Managing Director of e-Residency
With a shared vision of a borderless world, Change and the Estonian Government’s e-Residency have partnered to build a marketplace of global Fintech services. Focusing on crypto currencies initially allows them to leapfrog existing payments infrastructures. They will also implement a multi-tiered KYC (Know-Your-Customer) system, meaning that to simply create a wallet and receive a payment card, the customer will need to present minimal personal information.
As the customer wishes to use more sophisticated and regulated financial services, they need to progress through additional tiers of identity verification. The final step is that you can actually found a company in the EU in around 10 minutes.
As we’re building a complex infrastructure, then partnering with the creators of a sophisticated scalable digital identity system is what sets us apart from our competition in the long run” says Kristjan Kangro, CEO of Change.
As an increasing trend to involve its community, Change is conducting an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) to raise funding for the project. With over 8,000 investors already indicating interest, the offering starts on September 16th. More information can be found at www.change-bank.com


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At some point when you’re one of the best and biggest VPNs in the world, you have a problem finding new customers. Those who want a VPN have already found a solution they use, so you need to find customers among less tech-savvy users.
To that end, one of the best VPNs on the planet — NordVPN — has struck a sponsorship deal with El Atlético de Madrid, one of the oldest football (that’s soccer in the U.S.) clubs in Spain.
Founded in 1903, Atlético de Madrid has a significant record of victories, and fans celebrate the names of players and coaches who have contributed to the team’s success throughout its history. Now, NordVPN is joining the team to “take care of fans’ online privacy and security.”
The popular VPN service aims to use the partnership to spread the word about the importance of cybersecurity and how it has become a necessity. And in that sense, the company hopes that the move will help make the internet a safer space.
“We are delighted to have NordVPN as a sponsor of the club. We trust in brands that are committed to innovation and security and that never stop exploring new horizons,” said Íñigo Aznar, director of the commercial department of Atlético de Madrid. “Brands like NordVPN share values that we identify with, such as effort and struggle, as well as the ambition to grow globally.”
On our end, we are glad to see that VPN companies are going for the mainstream users, some of whom may still not be aware of all the dangers that are spreading across the Internet. With this partnership, NordVPN should be able to open up the new market and bring more people to its fold — while making their Internet usage that much more secure. And that’s something we like. A lot.


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The CSIRO now has a dedicated ICT research presence in Tasmania with the opening today of the Tasmanian Information and Communication Technologies Centre (TasICTC).
Microsoft and Telstra will bring together business software applications, mobile services and devices, and unified communications services for SMEs via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
Western Digital (WD) yesterday announced a new media-streaming device aimed at mainstream consumers. Dubbed the 'WD TV Media Player', it allows users to play stored digital content on their high-definition televisions in Full HD 1080p resolution. The...
Hackers have seized on the results of the US presidential election to launch a major malware campaign that tries to trick users into installing an update to Adobe's Flash, but actually plants a Trojan on unprotected PCs, security experts warned Wedne...
Apple has responded to the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman's plan to bring an iTunes case before the country's Market Council, but Apple's answer hasn't impressed the official. He now expects the case to go before the council in March or April next year...
Sun Microsystems and IBM Wednesday announced the Open Document Format Toolkit Union, an open-source project aimed at making it easier for developers to use ODF.
Broadband subscribers all over the world are getting more for their money. The cost for cable, fiber and DSL (digital subscriber line) subscriptions are all dropping, and at the same time speeds are increasing, according to market research company Po...
A New York man has sued Apple in a US federal court over flaws in the PowerBook G4 and has asked the judge to grant the case class-action status.
To understand Microsoft's cloud software strategy, look not just to what the software maker plans to deliver, but how.
Google Wednesday announced that it is ending its effort to forge a search advertising partnership with Yahoo.
Looking to boost Web-based ventures and its new Windows Azure cloud services platform, Microsoft on Wednesday is announcing Microsoft BizSpark, a program providing software and services to startups.
Even though Apple recently upgraded the back-end infrastructure of its problem-plagued MobileMe, the online service was offline for nearly six hours Monday, according to a Web uptime measurement company.
Telstra and Microsoft have announced a partnership to bring hosted mobile application and unified communication services to small businesses, including its own souped-up version of Windows Mobile developed locally.
Dirty political tricks are going Web 2.0 in the 2008 presidential election, with scammers using Facebook, text messaging and e-mail hacking to try to trick people into missing their chance to vote.
Tuesday's U.S. election may not be long remembered for widespread problems with voting systems, but there were at least scattered reports of problems with touch-screen or optical-scan voting machines, many compounded by record turnouts in some jurisd...
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On Friday, Walmart’s (WMT) stock dropped as much as 1% following a report that a supplier to the retailer had used a false claim about a new auto parts supplier.
On Sunday, the company announced that the supplier, Autoliv, would be buying its shares from the US government, which could impact the retailer’s stock price.
Auto Parts retailer Smith AutoParts, which manufactures parts for auto manufacturers including Volkswagen, Ford, and GM, had been the target of an investigation into claims it was involved in illegal child labor.
According to a statement from Smith, the investigation had been initiated by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) “after a complaint by the Auto Workers Union (AWU).”
In the statement, the DOJ said that it was investigating “whether Autoliva engaged in child labor and child labor violations in connection with the manufacture of vehicle engines for the Ford F-150 pickup truck and other vehicles.”
Autolivas’ parent company, General Motors (GM), is also under investigation.
In a statement, Smith said it “has always taken our manufacturing practices very seriously.”
In a follow-up post, Smith added that “we continue to work to restore confidence in our suppliers, and are working with the DOJ and other stakeholders to develop a new policy to address allegations of child labor.”
Smith said that its decision to terminate Autolivia was made on “pilot basis” and that it will now use its stock to “improve the quality and performance of our supply chain.”
Smith, however, did not say how it will pay for the “reinstatement of Autolavas shares.”
The stock fell below $40 a share for the first time in six months as the company struggled to deal with the investigation and the news that Autolavia will be buying shares.
Smith said the decision to end Autolava shares was made “on pilot basis.”
“We will continue to provide our full support to the company, and will provide additional information to shareholders in due course,” Smith said.
Autolives shares closed at $37.94 a share on Monday.
“Smith has been a leader in the auto industry for nearly 50 years and continues to innovate, innovate, innovate and innovate in our supply chains to meet the growing demand for quality automotive parts,” Steve Molloy, vice president of sales for Autolive, said in a statement.
“This new investigation by the government, coupled with Smith’s efforts to improve our business practices, has made the company a stronger and more attractive investment for our shareholders.”
Autoleves shares fell below the $40 mark on Monday as investors worried about the company’s future.
The stock had climbed more than 4% in 2017, and is now down more than 1%.
Smith’s shares closed below the average price of $40 for the year, which is down more.


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I love it when technology products work as advertised, especially when the product is aimed at the non-technical consumer and I'm the one who has to install and support it. The whole experience is even better when you can surprise and delight someone who thinks most consumer technology has passed her by.
Such was the case this past weekend, when I installed ......Full article >>>
-mail address to the authorized sender list, Presto sends that person an e-mail notifying them of the mailbox holder's e-mail address and explaining the scope of the Presto service.
Seen it all
So now Ruth - whose lifetime has spanned the birth of television, the invention of the computer, and the rise of the Internet - finally, at 94, has e-mail. My biggest challenge now......Full article >>>
ct than the curmudgeon Ruth, and so far, Presto has passed our expectations. I'm looking forward to staying in closer touch with her... and watching how this versatile product evolves in the marketplace.
Recent articles by Chris Shipley
Chris Shipley: The blogosphere as an echo chamber
The opinions expressed herein or statements made in the above column are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Wisconsin Technology Network, LLC (WTN). WTN, LLC accepts no legal liability or responsibility for any claims made or opinions expressed herein.......Full article >>>
Source:wistechnology.com By Chris Shipley 11/27/06Related biology technology :1
. WTN Interview with Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin: Facilitating technology growth and regional economic development is a priority2
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. Location, location, location: Spots to consider for online ads9
. Voice-changing software could make you a troll online10
. Physicians Plus to make alternative drug info available online11
. Wisconsin DFI makes company filings available online


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US: Ann Taylor expands factory outlet chain
US women's wear chain Ann Taylor has announced plans to expand its network of factory outlet stores.
Next year the company plans to open approximately 35 Loft Outlet Stores and five Ann Taylor Factory Stores, it said.
To accelerate the expansion Ann Taylor is leasing premium store locations formerly occupied by Liz Claiborne.
Kay Krill, Ann Taylor's president and CEO, said: "As we have previously noted, we had identified our highly productive factory outlet channel as an area for future growth, particularly for our Loft brand. This extraordinary opportunity to open premium store locations significantly and efficiently accelerates our planned expansion and represents meaningful growth for our very successful Loft Outlet business. Finally, we are delighted that this opportunity is expected to result in the creation of approximately 1,000 new jobs across the country."
The company plans to open the new stores during the second quarter of fiscal 2011, and expects them to generate fiscal 2011 revenue of approximately $75m, with capital expenditures expected to be approximately $25m. There are no direct costs associated with the transfer of the locations from Liz Claiborne to Ann Taylor Stores Corporation, a company statement added.
Faced with rising apparel costs and the likelihood that 2011 will be a perfect storm of pricing uncertainty - or what Mike Todaro, managing director of AAPN (the American Apparel Producers' Network) d...
Adding more exclusive brands such as Liz Claiborne to its line-up has attracted new customers, helped lift sales, and driven a 35.5% hike in fourth quarter profit at department store retailer JC Penne...
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US women's wear firm Liz Claiborne has hired Edgar Huber, currently CEO of the Juicy Couture brand, to a new position of executive vice president of global business development. ...
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‘A couple of years ago, we were seeing the demise of adventure programming,’ says tha senior vp Jean Horton Garner. ‘You couldn’t give it away. Broadcasters didn’t want it.’ It’s a completely different story today. Broadcasters are looking for adventure – with a theme.
When it comes to adventure, it’s no longer good enough just to get there. This need has seen explosive growth in three sub-categories of travel and adventure programming:
Eco-tourism: Strands like Montreal-based Greenspace’s Earthwatch take viewers along for the ride, learning environmental conscientiousness from scientists and environmentalists.
Spiritual Travel: As the millennium approaches, broadcasters have started to look for this theme. Toronto’s Catalyst Distribution offers Mystic Lands, a program airing on tlc which follows journeys to spiritual, historical and religious places, like the Taj Mahal and Jerusalem.
Extreme: Audiences have shown immense appreciation for productions which risk lives in the incredibly dangerous pursuit of extreme footage. While most traditional travel producers shy away from it (one called it ‘the worst kind of voyeurism’), the market is attracting established producers and higher budgets. Alistair Gosling, ceo of X-Dream in Essex, says extreme is booming, especially in South America. X-Dream has done US$500,000 of business in Brazil this year alone. The company has also begun to do more extreme for kids. ‘It’s becoming less gap-filler, because the sponsors are requesting it,’ says Gosling.
Indicative of the genre’s corporate popularity, The Winter X Games in Colorado, known as the ‘extreme Olympics’, has a list of blue-chip sponsors this year, including Volkswagen, Nike and AT&T.
Even imax producers are moving into extreme-sports territory: Narrated by Christopher Reeves, Extreme, is expected November ’98 from Beyak Long de Jong Franken Productions.


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Xiaomi, the Chinese electronics giant, has launched its latest Mi Router 4 in China. The latest iteration in the company’s lineup of smart routers has been priced at CNY 199 (roughly Rs. 2,100) and can currently be pre-booked in a White colour variant at a price of CNY 10 (roughly Rs. 110); shipping will commence from May 25. The Roidmi Car Air Purifier was also launched in China by Xiaomi as part of its Mijia crowdfunding platform. With a price tag of CNY 699 (roughly Rs. 7,500), this new car air purifier is currently up for pre-orders and will start shipping to customers starting July 3. It will succeed the Mi Car Air Purifier launched back in 2016. The new variant comes with an increased CADR capacity of 80m3/h instead of the earlier 60m3/h on the Mi Car Air Purifier.
The fourth generation of Xiaomi’s popular router lineup, the Mi Router 4, comes with dual-band (2.4GHz/ 5GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11ac, an MT7621A MIPS- Dual Core 880MHz processor, 128MB of NAND flash storage, 128MB of DDR3 RAM, and a multi-coloured LED indicator. It retains the design elements from its predecessor and its dimensions are 200×134.86×178.98mm. The router is compatible with apps on Web, Android, and iOS.
Coming to the Roidmi Car Air Purifier, a listing on Roidmi’s website shows it is up for funding with 59 percent of its target achieved at press time. According to the progress chart, the project was started back in April 2017 and has taken more than 12 months to come to market. Manufactured by Xiaomi’s ecological product brand Roidmi, the new air purifier sports a laser particle sensor and a full-effect composite filter, alongside an OLED panel and an 80m3/h CADR particulate matter filtering capacity – which claims to purify the air in the car within 2 minutes.
The Roidmi Car Air Purifier has three modes – Auto, Favourite (customisable), and Sleep. The display on the front can display information such as PM2.5 levels, filter usage level, Bluetooth connection status, and operating mode. Xiaomi claims an operating noise level of just about 35.8dB, voltage of 12V, and power consumption of 8.4W. The Roidmi Car Air Purifier can be operated by pairing it with the official Roidmi mobile app that is compatible with Android 4.4 and above on Google Play and iOS 9.0 and above on the App Store. Dimensions of the air purifier are 380x118x118mm and weight is 1.5kg.


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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Shares of Toyota ( TM) were upgraded to buy at TheStreet Ratings on Tuesday, prior to the automaker reporting a sales increase of 11.2% in March. Toyota was upgraded to buy from hold by TheStreet Ratings. "The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, good cash flow from operations, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and solid stock price performance," TheStreet Ratings wrote. "We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income."
Toyota gets a B grade and $100.28 price target from TheStreet Ratings. The stock has risen 29.99% year to date. The company's March sales increased 11.2% from the previous year to 203,282 cars. By brand, TMS Hybrids saw the biggest rise of 49% to 38,215. Toyota brand car sales increased 19.5% to 113,135 cars, and Lexus sales gained 5.4% to 11,477. Shares of Toyota fell 83 cents, or 0.96%, in trading Tuesday afternoon to $85.86. -- Written by Alexandra Zendrian >To contact the writer of this article, click here: Alexandra Zendrian >To submit a news tip, send an email to: firstname.lastname@example.org. >To follow the writer on Twitter, go to Alexandra Zendrian.


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Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) is under pressure amid changing industry dynamics and subscription losses. But the stock is a Buy if you are ready to wait for long term profits. Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) is in a strong position to take the heat of the industry wide slump amid a massive cord cutting spree. Disney and its competitors like Twenty-First Century Fox and Viacom are facing intense pressure and a loss of subscribers as users in the country move away from the traditional cable TV and content services for cheaper and faster digital online TV service. The stock is up over 4% year to date.
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) is set to announce third quarter results next week, and several analysts suggest that the company will miss analysts’ estimate amid a loss of ESPN subscribers. According to a report by Nielsen, ESPN has a total of 87 million subscribers, significantly lower than over 100 million subscribers it had in 2011. Walt Disney earns a whopping 30% revenue from ESPN. Audience in the US are drifting away from ESPN amid a rise of streaming services and new players like Amazon, which pays hefty price to buy streaming rights for big sports events. Amazon recently paid $50 million to buy streaming rights for 10 games of National Football League.
However, it should be noted that the demand for ESPN remains strong on OTT services. As a result, streaming companies are providing ESPN content on their services. This means Disney will end up getting back all the revenue it was losing as a result of subscriber losses due to cord cutting. ESPN content is being featured on Sling TV, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, DIRECTV and YouTube TV. Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) also plans to launch a new ESPN OTT services later this year using its stake in BAMTech.
Macquarie Capital recently cut its price target on Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) stock to $105 from $125, citing concerns over ESPN subscriber losses. The firm said in a report that there is no chances of improvement in ads and ESPN subscriber numbers anytime soon.
But Walt Disney has a cushion as its revenue stream is highly diversified. The company earns a major chunk of its revenue from its Parks & Resorts business ($4.3 billion in 2Q), and Studio Entertainment. Disney’s studio EBITDA in 2016 was $1.8 billion, compared to $1 billion for the rest of the industry combined.
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) has some of the largest production houses and ownership of blockbuster movies. The company owns Marvel Studios, Pixar and Lucasfilm Ltd. Disney is behind some of the top grossing movies of 2017, including Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean and Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
It is now confirmed that Disney’s CEO Bob Iger will leave the company by 2019. The new CEO will have to solve the problem of debt, which has reached $17 billion mark.
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) remains an attractive long-term opportunity. However, short-term gains from the stock may not be that easily realized.


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BEHIND LOUIS VUITTON, LVMH SALES UP 12%
Byline: Miles Socha
PARIS — Fashion and beauty continue to be the main engines driving growth at LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, with the big horsepower coming from the Louis Vuitton brand.
Fueled by a 20 percent gain in perfumes and cosmetics — particularly J’Adore by Christian Dior and Flower by Kenzo — and an 18 percent increase in its fashion and leather goods division, the luxury giant said Wednesday that first-quarter sales jumped 12 percent, to $2.45 billion. (Dollar figures are converted from the euro at current exchange.)
Champagne sales, however, lost their fizz, dragging down sales in the wines and spirits division by 10 percent.
Myron Ullman, group managing director, acknowledged that the weaker economic conditions in the U.S. and Japan hurt some areas of the business, but characterized the quarter as “a good start” for the year.
The results “demonstrate the group’s resilience based on a strategy centered on balanced geographical diversification and the quality of our renowned global brands,” he said. “Our priorities this year are driving internal growth and developing our brands in order to increase their market share.
“The second half is likely to be stronger than the first half, but it doesn’t change our overall perception for the year.”
LVMH said it intends to sustain double-digit growth in sales and operating income in 2001. As reported, chairman Bernard Arnault said he expects the first half to be impacted by the fall of the dollar against the yen and the euro, but that things should look up during the balance of the year. The French group has ambitions to double its volume and profitability in five years.
As reported, sales in 2000 leaped 35 percent, to $10.9 billion, while net income was up 4 percent, to $568.7 million. Abiding by standard practice, French firms report earnings twice a year — at the half and the end — and report them separately from sales.
In the first quarter of 2001, sales of fashion and leather goods totaled $796.6 million, led by lusty demand for Louis Vuitton products. But the company can’t keep up with that demand. Sales have been limited by manufacturing constraints, which the group is hoping to remedy by increasing production capacity at existing factories and adding new workshops in France.
Kenzo and Loewe were singled out for making “good progress” in the quarter. Other fashion brands in the LVMH stable include Celine, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix and Pucci. The company noted that it improved control over its Japanese distribution of Fendi, which is now a joint venture with Prada Group, and Kenzo.
Strong volume in J’Adore and Flower headlined perfumes and cosmetics, where sales totaled $452.4 million. LVMH noted that Dior and Givenchy products are performing well in the U.S., along with niche startups such as BeneFit, Hard Candy, Urban Decay, Fresh and Make Up For Ever.
Sales in the selective distribution business group increased 15 percent, to $733.1 million, but the performance of LVMH’s various retail concerns varied. Sephora sales advanced 34 percent in Europe and 60 percent in the U.S. in the quarter. LVMH also cited “solid” sales growth at the Paris department store Le Bon Marche.
Sales at Duty Free Shops, however, were flat. The company acknowledged that the weak yen and an uncertain economic climate in Japan is affecting travel patterns and spending at DFS. It held out hope that the second quarter would benefit from a new duty-free concession in Hawaii, bowing in June, and that passenger spending rates would improve at Miami Cruiseline Services, which LVMH acquired last year.
Sales in the fledgling watch and jewelry division inched up 1 percent, to $108.2 million. LVMH said that the tiny gain reflected the termination of some manufacturing licenses, but noted that Chaumet, Fred & Benedom, which makes Dior watches, saw double-digit growth.
Shares of LVMH gained 1.1 percent on Wednesday, to close at $55.56 on the Paris Bourse.


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Bringing back memories of 1970s wage and price controls, in the U.S. and beyond, people are contemplating price caps to control inflation.
First there was the Great Necco Wafer Panic of 2018 and now we have a Valentine’s Day candy shortage of the conversation hearts that are a national favorite.
Called “price gouging” by many of us, an increase in prices as a hurricane approaches could be a productive incentive for supply and demand.
When cities like San Francisco pass rent control legislation to create affordable housing, they could wind up with unintended consequences.
Accused of price gouging after Harvey hit Texas, the businesses that raised prices might actually have been helping people.
The perverse incentives created by Venezuelan price controls result in shortages, underutilized resources, wasted time, soaring inflation and hoarding.
At the official exchange rate, Venezuelans pay 5 cents a gallon for premium gasoline while the real price is closer to one half penny a gallon. The dark purple country at the northern tip of South America (below), Venezuela has the…


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The new $5 note has received a lashing the past 24 hours.
Yesterday, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) revealed the design of the $5 note pending its official release on September 1 this year.
But not everyone is loving it. Within hours of the RBA release, articles popped up around the interwebs parodying the design. Below is the new note, sans parodies.
News.com.au called it ‘vomit like’ – referencing social media posts – and Pedestrian.TV pulled together the numerous photoshopped fivers that are circulating. It’s garnered so much traction online The Guardian opened a thread for its audience to have their say. And it’s been picked up overseas by The Telegraph in the UK and New Zealand’s stuff.co.nz.
Not everyone abolishes the design – this journo liked it – but it’s hard to ignore the scornful comments coming from social media. Some designers too aren’t pleased with it, labelling it a “wasted opportunity”, a late April Fool’s joke and rendering it ‘design-by-committee’.
True, we do not have the brief for the design, so the comments are coming purely from an observational viewpoint. B&T understands the design was from a culmination of work from internal and external designers, with work from RBA’s printing company Note Printing Australia. The RBA selected one design from three and a preferred designer to refine the note.
Still, that hasn’t stopped Jaid Hulsbosch, director at design agency Hulsbosch, from quipping it’s like a late April Fool’s joke.
“I believe the Next Generation $5 note is very embarrassing for Australian design,” he told B&T.
“It unfortunately does not set a new standard; this was a great opportunity to create a design hallmark that reflected Australia’s ambitions and enterprise for the future.”
“I think the Queen looks like the rest of us feel,” remarked Graham Barton, creative director at design and branding agency Folk.
“They’re not great are they?”
Both Barton and Jennifer Segail, managing director and founder at design agency Jam&Co, agree it looks like ‘design-by-committee’ – a colloquialism for an idea that has many designers but no clear concept.
“You need to have focus otherwise the design can become confused and complicated which I think is what has happened here,” said Segail. “My opinions are purely based on what I see in front of me, but understand that the brief and the process would have played a major role in this rather disappointing outcome.”
Barton added it was “grasping at prickly straws”.
“It’s commendable to retain a distinctly Australian signature, resisting the temptation to simply gravitate to another’s visual style – be it drop-shadowy-Americana or Euro-minimalism,” he said.
But, if this is reflective of a nation, it’s unsurprising it’s getting paid out so much.
While the RBA said the note was designed to maintain the similar elements of the original $5, so as not to confuse people, Jam&Co’s Segail begs to differ.
“I believe it has been a wasted opportunity,” she said. “Surely we, Australia, should be able to update and modernise a $5 note quite dramatically without confusing people who are pulling notes from their wallets.”
Dan Ratner, managing director from design agency uberbrand believed the design was a missed opportunity to celebrate Aussie icon Fred Hollows.
“While there is a definite place for Queen Elizabeth in our currency, the five dollar note presents a great chance to showcase a true Australian hero who championed tirelessly to restore sight to those in need,” he said.
“There’s even a petition to ‘Put Fred on the Fiver’ instead of the current Parliament House image.”
And the actual design elements of the note are questioned.
“The complete mix match of images, lack of element hierarchy, and overall feeling of design confusion makes us look like we don’t know who we are,” said Segail.
“The overall artwork lacks simplicity and consistency – two critical principles for any iconic design,” put in Hulsbosch.
“It’s an over-complicated vision that results in a contradictory layout with a battle of detail versus graphic elements. You can’t have both. From the Queen’s head and on the reverse side Parliament House; the overwrought detailing fights wildly with interpretative graphics of the Prickly Moses wattle and the Easters Spinebill.”
Still, the ‘tactile’ element introduced to make the note easier to distinguish for those with visual impairments is to be applauded, added Hulsbosch.
And yet Folk’s Barton said the practicalities have overpowered the aesthetics.
“Clearly, practicality has been prioritised over aesthetics,” he said. “Assisting the vision impaired and foiling forgers. Which is difficult to argue against. But not impossible.”
Acast, the independent power source of podcasting has teamed up with Comscore to provide brand suitability controls for brands advertising through the Acast Marketplace. This new innovation is part of a global partnership with Comscore, and will be available to all advertisers working with Acast Australia and New Zealand. The brand suitability solutions offered by […]
HubSpot, the customer relationship management (CRM) platform for scaling companies, has announced that as part of its World Certification Week, it is supporting the GO Foundation with its mission to empower young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through education. As part of the support, HubSpot will donate $5 for every HubSpot Academy certification awarded […]
IntelligenceBank has today announced a strategic growth investment from Five Elms Capital. The $US37 million ($50 million) investment comes as brands and enterprises have realised that outdated technologies, disjointed data sources, and manual processes make it challenging to efficiently manage essential marketing workflows and ensure compliance across the organization. IntelligenceBank digitally transforms manual processes and […]
Southern Cross Austero (SCA) announced today 10 all-new DAB+ music stations on LiSTNr. The introduction of the 10 new Dab stations takes the number of music stations to 25 and reinforces its commitment to growing exclusive music programs and content. The 10 new stations have been created to cater to a variety of moods and […]
SBS has launched live interpreting of the daily NSW Government COVID-19 press conference in languages other than English, to provide communities with access to the latest information and critical health messages. The national-first initiative provides real-time interpreting of the press conferences in Arabic and Vietnamese, streamed live every day on the SBS Arabic24 and SBS Vietnamese Facebook pages, SBS […]
Snowflake, the Data Cloud company, today announced it has been chosen by market-leading linking platform, Linktree, to support the company’s business intelligence and analytics activities. Linktree enables creators, brands, artists, publishers, agencies, and businesses of all sizes to curate an online ecosystem and monetise their passion, instantly guiding their audience to the destinations they care […]
Australian Pay On Demand fintech Beforepay has launched its first-ever brand campaign: ‘Your pay at your command’. “Beforepay exists to meet a gap in the market where Australians are seeking flexibility and control to access the pay they’ve earned on their terms. As pioneers of the Pay On Demand category, it’s important that we set […]
Taboola (Nasdaq: TBLA), a global leader in powering recommendations for the open web, helping people discover things they may like, announced today that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Connexity from Symphony Technology Group for approximately $US800 million. Connexity is one of the largest independent e-commerce media platforms in the open web, serving over 1,600 direct merchants, and 6,000 publishers.
Twitter has just experienced its fastest growth in revenue since 2014, with the social media platform benefiting from increased interest from advertisers. Revenue was up 74 per cent YoY, according to the company’s Q2 results, reaching $US1.19 billion ($1.6 billion) from $US683.4 million ($925 million) 12 months ago. The strong results came in the same […]
Wild Turkey has announced the launch of its new global creative campaign and platform, ‘Trust Your Spirit’, featuring the brand’s creative director and spokesperson, Matthew McConaughey. The global campaign and platform ‘Trust Your Spirit’ is to encourage people to be bold, unapologetically themselves, and stay true to who they are. The global tagline and ethos […]
Telecommunications company Optus has announced it will launch the world’s first TikTok sign-language activated filter. Featuring Optus ambassador Ian Thorpe, Optus will unveil a branded effect that shows TikTok users how to say key phrases in Auslan sign language, including ‘How are you?’ and ‘It starts with Yes’, through the hashtag challenge #SignYes. Optus will […]


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SaaS platform Oloid has raised $12 million in Series A round, led by Dell Technologies Capital with participation from Honeywell Ventures, Okta Ventures and other existing investors.
The funding, which brings Oloid’s total raised since inception to $17 million, will be used to help expand Oloid’s retrofit access control products portfolio and build nationwide sales and marketing operations.
SaaS platform Oloid was founded in 2019 by Madhu Madhusudan, Shankar Agarwal and Mohit Garg.
“Oloid is accelerating the adoption of mobile access by introducing an easy, self-install SaaS model that avoids the cost and resource constraints that traditionally plague the physical access control market,” said Mohit Garg, Co-founder and CEO of Oloid. “This round of financing will enable us to extend the compatibility of our product with a wider range of badge readers and access control systems and build direct and indirect sales channels across the nation.”
“Oloid intends to use the fresh funds to enhance its products and to pool in tech talent in India. The objective is to double their workforce. The talent in India is massive and Oloid plans to expand its product footprints in the region with the right team supporting the development and distribution,” it said.
Oloid’s innovation has the potential to transform the hardware-centric access control industry into a Software-as-a-Service model with minimal capital expenditure,” said Gregg Adkin, managing director at Dell Technologies Capital. “With the movement towards hybrid work and hot desking, employers are reevaluating many aspects of the physical workplace. Seamless access control will be an important part of this shift and Oloid can take away a big part of the costs and heavy lifting of ripping and replacing existing systems and hardware.”
Oloid is a physical identity software provider committed to providing secure and privacy-forward authentication for the modern workplace. Oloid’s vision is to replace antiquated technologies such as pin-pads, badges and fingerprint readers, with frictionless identity based single sign-on for all physical access and authentication needs in a workplace.
“Honeywell is focused on improving the occupant experience – this includes eliminating friction in a building while maintaining security fidelity of access points,” said Patrick Hogan, managing director of Honeywell Ventures. “We look forward to working with Oloid to develop next generation physical access and digital identity solutions to offer customers cost-effective and easy-to-deploy upgrades.”
Oloid offers Industry’s first multi-modal authentication software reader for enabling mobile and facial access for employees, contractors and visitors while coexisting with the existing locks, badge readers and access control systems.


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A takeaway box of economy rice from a hawker centre stall in Ang Mo Kio led to a spirited discussion online after it was revealed that the piece of fish, several pieces of yong tau foo, and rice cost S$11.
The diner who bought the food shared a photo of it on Reddit on June 15 and wanted to seek the opinion of others if this was the result of inflation or being fleeced.
It turns out, mackerel fish is not cheap, inflation is real, and this particular cai png stall at Mayflower Market and Food Centre has its fans who would defend it for preparing a diverse and fresh selection of dishes that are worth paying for.
Stall owner speaks up
The economy rice stall owner spoke to Shin Min Daily News on June 17, to share their side of the story and provide more context.
The reporter, who went down to the hawker centre, noted that the stall, which sells economy rice and porridge, had a steady stream of customers.
The 64-year-old woman, surnamed Cai, who spoke to the Chinese newspaper, is one of the stall owners running the business with her husband for the last 12 years.
Cai said she was aware of the discussions online regarding her packet of economy rice.
She explained that the mackerel bought by the diner that day was already expensive in terms of its cost price, given that the price of that fish had recently increased.
Price, she explained, is determined by the quality, which differs.
Cai said: "The mackerel has different grades. The ones I take are good ones, and they are thickly sliced, not thin-sliced like other economy rice stalls."
"The piece of mackerel was S$7 or S$8, and I only sold the diner that piece for S$9-plus."
The lady boss also explained that she even gave the customer a discount by not factoring in other costs, and had informed him about the meal being costlier.
She added: "I did not charge for extra rice and the container, so how can it be expensive?"
"And when he was buying the meal, I even told him that it would be more expensive, and asked him if he was sure he wanted to buy it."
Regular customers defend stall
According to the reporter, regular customers jumped in to defend the stall owners and said prices at this stall is reasonable and that prices of seafood have gone up.
Based on the reporter's observations, some diners will ask about the individual prices of dishes before picking them.
One regular customer of 10 years, who frequents the stall regularly, said the selection of food is diverse and fresh.
The regular customer said: "Some things are cheap and expensive. If you are used to buying fish or vegetables, you would know that everything has become more expensive recently."
"If you think it's expensive, you should ask clearly before buying it, and you shouldn't say that."
Cai also said in response that the customer who complained could be someone unfamiliar with the general pricing of the items at the stall, in particular, the two dishes that was purchased that day.
Top photo composite via Shin Min Daily News & Reddit u/Dagachi_One


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China’s yuan has strengthened to levels last hit in March and local financial markets have rallied as confidence builds that the country’s economy is shaking off the coronavirus pandemic.
The optimism has spurred mainland Chinese stocks to multiyear highs in recent days, with the Shanghai Composite rising 16.5% over eight straight sessions of gains through Thursday. Those increases were partly fueled by optimism among China’s millions of individual investors, who dominate trading.
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What 25,000 U.S. Corporate Transcripts Revealed to JPMorgan
(Bloomberg) -- Geopolitical concerns have reached the highest level in five years, while concerns about higher wages may be diminishing, according to a JPMorgan Chase & Co. study.
Energy, technology-hardware, banks and transportation companies increased references to geopolitics, while banks talked about the global economic growth outlook and reduced client activity. That’s according to an analysis by JPMorgan strategists including Dubravko Lakos-Bujas of more than 25,000 recent earnings transcripts, conference calls and question-and-answer sessions for S&P 500 Index companies.
“Contrary to popular investor narrative, fewer S&P 500 companies are highlighting rising wages as a risk,” the JPMorgan authors said in the report dated March 3. There was less concern about labor costs from sectors that tend to employ more skilled workers, while labor-intensive industries see issues arising from a tightening market.
Personnel costs aside, strategists have been divided on what earnings are going to do this year given trade tensions and a less robust global economy. Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson has declared that there’s already an earnings recession, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s David Kostin and Credit Suisse Group AG’s Jonathan Golub said an out-sized drag from a few firms threatens to obscure good news in other places. BMO Capital Markets’ Brian Belski said fears about weakness are “overblown.”
JPMorgan is in the latter camp, reiterating a target of 3,000 for the S&P 500. The gauge closed Monday at 2,792.81.
Discussion of the U.S. dollar increased among companies in the industrial, materials, staples and technology sectors, the report said. Autos expected further currency headwinds in 2019; technology hardware and equipment companies in particular flagged issues in emerging markets.
And even though the U.S.-China trade dispute continues, it appears to be less of a wild card now in some areas. Technology hardware, retail and auto companies discussed the issue more, while areas including materials and consumer durables saw a drop in mentions. Investors are likely “now better versed on this risk,” JPMorgan said.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.


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Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Streaming service Hulu said it would start accepting advertising on controversial political issues such as abortion rights and gun control.
The policy change follows a backlash earlier this week on social media from Democratic groups protesting the streaming service refused to run some of their ads.
“For them to prevent us from being able to communicate the gravity of the times we find ourselves in was hugely problematic for us,” said Julie Norton, founding partner of Mosaic Communications, a media consultancy that buys ads for Democratic clients. .
Since Hulu’s parent company, Disney, announced on Wednesday that it would align the streamer with its cable services and allow political ads to air, Norton said his company may now be able to work with the streamer.
“We just have a broader definition of TV these days,” Norton said. “So these platforms are a hugely important way to get our persuasive advertising to voters.”
Unlike television networks, streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix are not required to comply with the Communications Act of 1934 – the law that requires broadcasters to provide political advertisers with equal access to the airwaves.
Broadcast television is still expected to lead this fall’s cycle with more than $4 billion worth of election ads, according to political watchdog Kantar CMAG vice president Steve Passwaiter.
But Passwaiter said streaming services have great potential to reach younger, more segmented audiences.
“It’s become the new darling of the political set,” Passwaiter said. “And probably at the end of this cycle there will be a billion and a half dollars that will end up in these ad-supported streaming outlets.”
Passwaiter said it won’t be long before streamers end up looking a lot like broadcast and cable channels in terms of the volume — and range — of ads across the political spectrum.
But Mike Shields, founder and partner of Republican political marketing and strategy firm Convergence Media, said his company is waiting to see who can place ads with Hulu and how those ads are handled before considering it a win for its customers. clients.
“Conservatives have every right to be skeptical when something like this happens to make sure it’s done in a fair and balanced way,” Shields said.
In its announcement, shared with – via email, Disney said: “Hulu will now accept applicants and run ads covering a wide range of political positions.” But the company “always reserves the right to request changes [to meet] industry standards.”


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NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is on the verge of doing what few others have: change the English language.
When you have a boo-boo, you reach for a Band-Aid not a bandage. When you need to blow your nose, you ask for Kleenex not tissue. If you decide to look up something online, you Google instead of search for it. And if you want to buy a tablet computer, there's a good chance there's only one name you'll remember.
"For the vast majority, the idea of a tablet is really captured by the idea of an iPad,'" says Josh Davis, a manager at Abt Electronics in Chicago. "They gave birth to the whole category and brought it to life."
Companies trip over themselves to make their brands household names. But only a few brands become so engrained in the lexicon that they're synonymous with the products themselves. This so-called "genericization" can be both good and bad for companies like Apple, which must balance their desire for brand recognition with their disdain for brand deterioration.
It's one of the biggest contradictions in business. Companies spend millions to create a brand. Then, they spend millions more on marketing that can have the unintended consequence of making those names so popular that they become shorthand for similar products. It's like if people start calling station wagons Bentleys. It can diminish a brand's reputation.
"There's tension between legal departments concerned about 'genericide' and marketing departments concerned about sales," says Michael Atkins, a Seattle trademark attorney. "Marketing people want the brand name as widespread as possible and trademark lawyers worry ... the brand will lose all trademark significance."
It doesn't happen often. In fact, it's estimated that fewer than 5 percent of U.S. brand names become generic. Those that do typically are inventions or products that improve on what's already on the market. The brand names then become so popular that they eclipse rivals in sales, market share and in the minds' of consumers. And then they spread through the English language like the common cold in a small office.
"There's nothing that can be done to prevent it once it starts happening," says Michael Weiss, professor of linguistics at Cornell University. "There's no controlling the growth of language."
A company's biggest fear is that their brand name becomes so commonly used to describe a product that a judge rules that it's too "generic" to be a trademark. That means that any product — even inferior ones — can legally use the name. A brand usually is declared legally generic after a company sues another firm for using its name and the case goes to a federal court.
Drug maker Bayer lost trademarks for the names "aspirin" and "heroin" this way in the 1920s. So did B.F. Goodrich, which sued to protect its trademark of "zipper" in the 1920s after the name joined the world of common nouns. Similar cases deemed "escalator" generic in 1950, "thermos" generic in 1963 and "yo-yo" generic in 1965.
It's difficult to quantify how much revenue a company loses when its brand is deemed generic. But companies worry that it breeds confusion among consumers.
To prevent their names from becoming generic, some companies use marketing to reinforce their trademarks. For instance, after its Band-Aid brand name started becoming commonly used to refer to adhesive bandages, Johnson & Johnsons changed its jingle in ads from "I'm Stuck on Band-Aid" to "I'm Stuck on Band-Aid brand."
Kleenex uses "Kleenex brand" instead of just "Kleenex" on its packaging and in marketing and places ads to remind people Kleenex is trademarked. And the company contacts some people who use Kleenex generically to refer to tissue in order to correct them.
"We've worked very hard to keep 'Kleenex' from going the route of 'escalator' and 'aspirin,'" says Vicki Margolis, vice president and chief counsel, intellectual property and global marketing for Kimberly-Clark, which owns Kleenex. "If we lose the trademark, people can use it with sandpaper and call that a Kleenex."
Xerox is taking a similar route. The company, which introduced the first automatic copier in the U.S. in 1959, has been on a public crusade for decades to keep its brand from becoming generic. The machine's success has led people to start using "Xerox" to refer to any copying machine, copies made from one and the act of copying.
"In the mid- to late-1970s, we ran dangerously close to Xerox becoming 'genericized,'" says Barbara Basney, vice president of global advertising. "That prompted a lot of proactive action to protect our trademark."
Xerox has spent millions taking out ads aimed at educating so-called "influencers" like lawyers, journalists and entertainers about its brand name. A 2003 ad said: "When you use 'Xerox' the way you use 'aspirin,' we get a headache." More recently, a 2007 ad read: "If you use "Xerox" the way you use "zipper," our trademark could be left wide open."
While people still use "Xerox" generically — the Merriam-Webster dictionary lists the word as both a lower-case verb with the definition "to copy on a xerographic copier" and a trademarked noun — the brand says its campaign has been a success.
Xerox is still popular: It's ranked the 57th most valuable global brand, worth $6.4 billion, according to brand consultancy Interbrand. And perhaps most importantly, Xerox hasn't lost its trademark.
TAKING IT IN STRIDE
Sometimes companies embrace when their brands become common nouns.
Perhaps the best example of this is Google, a company created in 1998 when Alta Vista and Yahoo.com were the top online search engines. Google, which created a formula that returned more accurate results than its competitors, became so popular that people began saying "Google" to refer to a Web search, in general. Experts say Google has benefited from its name becoming a part of the lexicon.
"You don't say 'Why don't I Google it' and go to Yahoo or Bing," says Jessica Litman, professor of copyright law at the University of Michigan Law School, referring to other search engines.
Apple also has gotten a boost from its brand names becoming synonymous with products. The iPod, which was the first digital music player when it came out in 2001, is still the name people use for "digital music player" or "MP3 player." And it appears Apple's iPad is headed down the same path.
For consumers like Mary Schmidt, 58, the "iPad" is generic for "tablet." Schmidt, a Baltimore marketing executive, owns an iPad and doesn't know the names of any other tablets.
"When I think of tablets, I think of an iPad," she says. "I think it's going to be the generic name. They were first."
It remains to be seen if the iPad will maintain its name domination in the tablet market. Apple declined to comment for this article.
For now, Apple Inc. has a majority of the tablet category, which includes Amazon's Kindle Fire and Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Tablet. The iPad accounted for about 73 percent of the estimated 63.6 million tablets sold globally last year, according to research firm Gartner.
Apple's market share is likely to decline as more rivals roll out tablets. But experts say that won't necessarily diminish iPad's name recognition.
"Apple is actually pretty good at this," says Litman, the law school professor. "It's able to skate pretty close to the generics line while making it very clear the name is a trademark of the Apple version of this general category."
When the iPad debuted in 2010, some people offered up "Apple Tablet" or the "iTab" as better names. Others even suggested that the name sounded more like a feminine hygiene product than a tablet: "Get ready for Maxi pad jokes and lots of 'em!" wrote tech site Gizmo at the time.
Two years later, those complaints are all but forgotten.
"At the end of the day, the product was so successful that even if it wasn't the 'quote unquote' best name, it made the name synonymous with the category," says Allen Adamson, managing director at branding firm Landor.


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Competing with the two giants of the on-demand economy is a pretty tall order. So when stiffer regulations prompted Uber Inc. and Lyft Inc. to pull out of Austin, Texas, earlier in May, Kirill Evdakov took notice.
Evdakov launched Boston-based Fasten Inc. last fall as a lower-cost competitor to the big smartphone car-hailing services. So far it’s been offered only in Boston, which Evdakov claims has “several thousand” drivers.
Now Evdakov is about to make his first big move beyond Boston, when he sets up in Austin to take advantage of the hole left by Uber and Lyft, sensing a rare opportunity to attract riders and drivers without directly battling the industry’s largest competitors.
In just three days, Evdakov said, Fasten has managed to sign up more than 1,000 drivers for its service. On Thursday, the company plans to hold a 10-hour driver signup event at a hotel in Austin to collect even more.
And those regulations that Uber and Lyft fought so strenuously, which include mandatory fingerprint-based background checks of drivers? No sweat, Evdakov said.
“We’re not here to fight the city,” he said. “And more importantly, it’s what the people voted for.”
That vote was on Proposition 1, a ballot question that would have overturned several city regulations. It was backed by Uber and Lyft, but rejected by Austin voters on May 7. The two companies promptly withdrew from the city, known for its progressive politics, music scene, and the South by Southwest music, film, and technology conference that attracts luminaries of the digital economy.
That the void in Austin is being so quickly seized by upstart competitors highlights how quickly a new technology can go from a disruptive force to a target for copycats, said Aswath Damodaran, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
“Uber and Lyft are spending more and more money to run in place,” he said. “The alternative services are not going to do much better, either. The key in this business is finding ways to create barriers to entry and competitive advantages that eventually may help these companies charge higher prices.”
Austin is just the latest in a string of sometimes nasty regulatory battles for Uber and Lyft.
In Austin, Uber and Lyft spent more than more than $8 million on the ballot measure, according to an Austin American-Statesman analysis of campaign records. But voters rejected it by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin.
Most contentious among the Austin rules was a requirement to fingerprint drivers for background checks, which would be run through an FBI database. Uber and Lyft prefer to use private background check providers, which they say are robust enough to ensure safety for riders but are faster and less onerous on drivers.
Both companies said they would still press for change in Austin from afar. Lyft said it would “continue fighting for people in Austin to have modern options like Lyft,” while Uber said it hoped the council would “reconsider their ordinance so we can work together to make the streets of Austin a safer place for everyone.”
However, the companies have agreed to fingerprint drivers in New York, where such checks are required for local licensing. Lyft left Houston after that city imposed fingerprint-based checks, and Uber recently said it would do the same if Houston officials didn’t change the rules.
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering new regulations on the industry, including additional background checks and a ban on raising rates during emergencies. But a version approved by the House didn’t require fingerprinting drivers.
Opponents of Uber and Lyft’s stance on fingerprint-based background checks said the rush of competitors into Austin showed that other options can fill the breach if the big companies flee stronger regulation.
“Massachusetts companies could respond similarly, so the state has an improved bargaining position for its public-safety requirements, namely fingerprinting,” said Dave Sutton, a spokesman for the “Who’s Driving You?” campaign from the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association.
Some of the smaller companies that have flocked to Austin offer a slightly different take on the ride-hailing model.
Fasten’s sales pitch, already plastered on billboards around Boston, is that drivers make more money while riders pay lower fares.
Fasten can do so because it charges drivers just $1 per ride, rather than the 20 percent or more Uber and Lyft charge drivers. Since it makes less per ride, Fasten needs to amass a huge pool of drivers to be viable.
“We are the only company in the US that is actually interested in ridesharing becoming more affordable,” Evdakov said.
Austin-area techies are also trying to fill the gap. After Uber and Lyft left the market, the chief executive of a local software company quickly announced his intent to launch a new service called Ride Austin, which would be structured as a nonprofit.
The opportunity in Austin was large enough to send Christopher David aiming south. His company, Arcade City Inc., is developing a ride-hailing service with a peer-to-peer, libertarian streak: Drivers can set their own rates, and riders can pay for the service outside the app, for instance.
When Uber and Lyft left town, Austinites flocked to Arcade City’s Austin Facebook page in search of an alternative. Some 25,000 people have signed up in the past 10 days, David said, posting requests for suddenly unemployed drivers to pick them up on street corners.
And although Arcade City has previously said it wants to serve drivers who choose not to comply with government regulations, David said he expects to work with Austin city officials to observe local rules.
“Austin has huge, huge needs,” David said. “If we can prove ourselves in Austin, we will have all the capital we need to scale this all around the world.”


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Along with announcing their Q2 Fiscal 2016 results, BlackBerry also announced (at this point, confirmed) the BlackBerry Priv, the company’s first Android powered BlackBerry device.
Other than what is already known, BlackBerry confirmed that the device will indeed run Android and will be expected to hit the market later on this year.
Today, BlackBerry is announcing two new additions to its handheld device roadmap.
First, the company will launch a flagship slider device, Priv, which will run on the Android operating system, bringing together the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform. In combination with BlackBerry’s efforts to support Android for Work on the BES12 platform, the new device will offer best in class security for enterprise customers. BlackBerry expects the device to be available late in the calendar year in major markets in-store and online, and will release further details in the coming weeks. While the new device will provide a choice in OS to new and existing customers, the company remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which enables industry-leading security and productivity benefits.
Second, the company will continue to develop and enhance the BlackBerry 10 operating system and is confirming plans to release platform updates focused on security and privacy enhancements, with version 10.3.3 scheduled to be available in March 2016.
If you don’t already know…
Excited for this device? Sound off in the comments!


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DM Cubed LTD has completed a new report on the global affiliate marking industry, which has some interesting results for online dating.
DM Cubed LTD specialises in software development for online dating websites and dating apps. The company develops and runs their own private portfolio of products. The CEO and Founder, David Minns, is an experienced engineer and entrepreneur.
Minns’ company surveyed 1,754 members of the public who use online social networks to determine the state of the industry with respect to affiliate marketing.
The report summarised results on several sectors: dating, discounts, freebies, finance, gambling, gaming, health, retail, surveys and travel.
Within the report, it discovered that dating came out on top as the most lucrative niche and the sector that makes affiliates the most money.
Dating also came as number one for the best media and banners.
87% of affiliates within the dating industry claimed to prefer to work directly with the company and not via a broker – more than in any other sector.
Although the dating niche was successful within these areas, the sector came out as the least trusted by affiliates, with a low percentage of 33%.
DM Cubed LTD also asked existing affiliates if they thought the reporting tools for their sector were good enough, and it discovered that dating again came last within those results.
The report discussed what affiliates are using to drive traffic to their affiliate banners and links, finding social media was the most popular for the dating sector.
Overall, in most sectors the split between social media and paid advertising was very close. Affiliates rated social media as the predominantly most effective marketing method with 43%, paid advertising with 32%, organic search with 18% and PR and News with a significantly lower 7%.
Read the full report here.


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Simply Measured is simply on fire.
Less than a year after the company took home GeekWire’s 2013 Startup of the Year award, the Seattle-based social media analytics startup is announcing a $20 million Series C round led by Trinity Ventures.
Simply Measured works with big brands like Pepsi, American Express and Samsung to provide them with tools that analyze social media traffic and determine social media influencers from platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram.
Schoenfeld is bullish on how the company fits into the overall social media landscape today, particularly when it comes to brands needing actionable data. He said that there are three “phases” of social marketing from an enterprise sense, the first of which began around 2006 when brands first watched conversations passively. The second phase arrived a few years later, when brands began engaging proactively.
Now, in 2014, Schoenfeld explained that social is becoming an extremely important part of the marketing mix. However, CMOs often do not have great tools that help them measure the new data from various places — and that’s where Simply Measured comes in.
“We see ourselves filling that need in an age where brands have to be social,” Schoenfeld said.
The company sure has come a long way since 2010, when Schoenfeld and his fellow co-founders (Aviel Ginzburg and Damon Cortesi) had no product and a name — Untitled Startup — that reflected the nebulous path they were taking.
But the founders have built a leading social media analytics company that’s now backed by nearly $30 million in funding. The 115-person team has more than doubled both revenues and customers over the last year.
Schoenfeld has high hopes that Simply Measured can become Seattle’s new hot startup.
Bessemer Venture Partners, Four Rivers Group, MHS Capital and other existing investors also participated in the latest round. Karan Mehandru, General Partner at Trinity Ventures, will join the Board of Directors at Simply Measured.


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New Android Wear 2.0 Preview with Smart Replies, Watch App Store — Main Release Delayed until 2017
There are both good and bad news for Android Wear owners today — well, the good news are mostly reserved for a few lucky watch owners. But in short, a new Android Wear 2.0 Preview is available for download and flashing.
The new Developer Preview 3 brings some rather big additions, including the additions of a Google Play Store on Android Wear. This allows you to easily find and install apps directly on the watch, which synergies perfectly with the watch-only app capabilities of Android Wear 2.0 You can browse recommended apps in the home view, search for apps, and then install them on your watch, as well as update applications. This makes app management easier, and you can install the watch-app portion of a service so you don’t need both the phone app and watch app, as the former are no longer necessary. Developers can now build and publish watch-only applications!
An on-watch store might sound clunky, but Google surveyed developers and ran studies that concluded users repeatedly looked for a way to discover new applications right from the watch. Developers can publish their apps on the Play Store for Android Wear by following these steps, making sure the Wear 2.0 apps set
minSdkVersion to 24 or higher, use the runtime permissions model, and are uploaded via multi-APK using the Play Developer Console.
There are also a few new, useful features and optimizations, with a prominent one being improvements to complications for developers, a new UI component for developers to optimize vertical lists for round displays, and Smart Reply. That’s right, Android Wear now generates Smart Reply responses for
MessagingStyle notifications. These are generated by an on-watch machine learning model based on the context of the notification (no data is uploaded to the cloud to generate responses). Sadly, said notification style with images posted by standalone apps don’t show images in the notification (bug), and there is no support for notification groups.
You’ll need to flash the system image onto your watch and download the beta version of the Android Wear app on your device. Developers can also use the emulator to test their applications if they don’t have a watch to test on. Hopefully you’ll enjoy this preview, because the real deal is not coming for a while: Google now says that they’ve decided to continue the preview program into early 2017, and that the first watches will receive Android Wear 2.0 around that date. This means that the Android Wear 2.0 update won’t come until next year for most of us, at the earliest. This also likely means we won’t see Pixel watches this year.
Google has not mentioned any official reason for this delay in the release timeline, except the receipt of feedback from the developer community. And the delay of Android Wear 2.0 likely isn’t good news for smartwatch OEMs either, as they would now have to settle with either the existing stable release, or question the future of the platform entirely. There are no new successors to existing smartwatches coming in from the big names, and even Huawei is in talks to jump ship to Tizen. Existing stakeholders who have invested in new smartwatches this year, like ASUS with its ZenWatch 3, are also not likely to be happy with how the timeline has taken a turn for the worse. All in all, considering the current position of Android Wear in the market in light of its competition, the delay in release must have been a very strong decision to take, just before the upcoming holiday season.
What are your thoughts on the delay in Android Wear 2.0 release? Also, how was your experience with the Dev Previews of Android Wear 2.0 so far? Let us know in the comments below!


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A HOLIDAY in 2021 is on everyone's minds, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to restrict travel.
While a trip abroad is likely to happen this year, thanks to the UK vaccination roll-out, it will most likely be a different experience.
The vaccination programme, which hopes to vaccinate the most vulnerable by mid-February, has given the travel industry hope that some of the current travel restrictions will end.
With the pandemic still likely to affect holidays, airlines and resorts will be making new measures permanent.
Here are some of the holiday changes expected to be in place for this year:
Free hotel nights
Many hotels have introduced extended stay programmes, which offer additional nights for free if booking a longer holiday.
Travellers are likely to book fewer holidays this year, but for longer periods to avoid last-minute restrictions affecting the trip.
GlobalData Travel & Tourism Analyst Ralph Hollister told Fox News: "Travellers will be looking to take fewer trips — if not forced to due to ongoing travel restrictions — but those that do travel are expected to also stay for longer to grab what they can when they can.
"Uncertainty is strife and it may lead to people going ‘all out’ on one big trip, rather than risking several smaller ones that could be cancelled."
Contactless check-in and room services
One problem hotels have had to deal with is reducing the areas which are "high-touch," which can easily spread the virus.
This has resulted in many now offering contactless check-in, to remove the long queues at reception desks.
Hotel rooms are also going contactless – some are removing the room key altogether and offering a mobile app room key, while other options include removing frequently used items such as coffee machines and blankets.
This is also likely to extend to the dining services too.
Buffet services are likely to be less popular choices by hotels due to the difficulty of keeping them clean.
Instead, many resorts are instead offering at-table dining only, or "grab and go" options to have in your room or to have while exploring the area.
Busy hotel resorts will be off the list, with families wanting to avoid large crowds at the swimming pool.
Remote locations will see a rise in popularity, with the Maldives already seeing a boom during the pandemic due to the secluded nature of the rooms.
Even in Europe, families are likely to choose a villa holiday rather than hotels, which are self-contained and away from larger crowds.
Director at tour company Travel Department Claire Doherty told the Irish Times that this was also true for traveling to destinations without having to transit in another country.
She added: "We are seeing a lot of interest in walking holidays to locations such as Lake Garda in northern Italy [instead of] trips to the iconic sites like Venice, where crowds are traditionally drawn."
The majority of long-haul destinations are expected to remain off the cards, until at least the end of the year.
This includes Australia, New Zealand and the US, all of which have closed their borders to the UK -the Australian government has warned that border closures may be in place until March 2022.
PC Agency's Paul Charles told Sun Online Travel: "Long haul will most likely start again after summer.
"The next six months will be short haul Europe destinations, with long haul more likely from October."
This means holiday destinations such as Spain, Greece and Portugal will remain popular this year instead.
Experts have warned that summer holidays may increase in price due to demand and a lack of availability.
Airlines have been forced to cut capacity, meaning a price surge is likely as more people look to get away.
Staycations are expected to be popular as well this year.
Source: Read Full Article


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Retailer’s first store in the nation’s capital to be located in Majura Park retail precinct at Canberra Airport
Harris Farm Markets has unveiled plans for its first store in Canberra, announcing an outlet at the Majura Park retail precinct at Canberra Airport.
Harris Farm Markets co-chief executive Tristan Harris, said Majura Park will be Harris Farm Markets 29th store.
“The Australian Capital Territory and nearby Southern Tablelands of New South Wales are famed for a richness of food and an incredible assortment of fruit and veg that we look forward to be able to celebrate in this store working with so many wonderful growers & makers is what we thrive off,” said Harris.
The store at Majura Park will allow us to showcase local flavours, and being purpose built, will also allow us to design and create a store of the future – to celebrate all this edible goodness, which is what we have been doing as a business for over 50 years.”
Richard Snow, head of property of Canberra Airport, said Construction of the new 4,500m2 purpose-built building will commence mid-2022 with Harris Farm Markets set to open in time for Christmas 2023.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Harris Farm Markets and that they have chosen Majura Park as the home of their new flagship large-format store in Canberra,” said Snow.
“It is a fantastic addition to our growing retail precinct, and they will complement our existing grocery offering.”


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The Trader Joe’s in Kalamazoo, Michigan, may have only opened only a few months ago, but it’s already making a huge impact on the community.
The store, which opened in October 2017, recently had an issue with its refrigeration system. Rather than throw away all of the food they could no longer sell, they donated it to a local mission. In total they donated 35,000 pounds.
Trader Joe’s is known for some of their amazingly delicious products.
Sean Clune, an assistant manager at Trader Joe’s, told MLive that the store’s refrigeration system went down for about an hour. Since the food could no longer be on the shelves they had to dispose of it, all 35,000 pounds.
Once the food had been deemed safe, the store called Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, a local mission that provides food, guidance, and shelter to the community.
But they’re more than just a grocery store. They actively donate to their local communities.
As soon as the mission received the call they worked quickly to assemble a team to accept the donation, which was worth $60,000.
“They just really exemplified a culture of generosity and we’re just so thankful for them,” Greg Weaver, Director of Food Service at Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, told FOX 17.
The store donated 35,000 pounds of food to a local mission.
The donation was the single largest donation the mission had ever seen. And it wasn’t just the quantity that impressed the mission, it was the quality of the food too.
The donation included ribeye steaks and salmon filets along with other “wonderful products.”
“Every opportunity we have to uplift somebody’s dignity through food, we aim to do it,” Weaver told MLive. “Trader Joe’s helped us accomplish that.”
The mission was able to completely fill their walk-in freezer with the donation.
The donation was so large that while the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission was able to store the majority of the food they received, they decided to donate about 4,000 pounds of food to a local food pantry.
What began as a problem for Trader Joe’s turned into a blessing for two local organizations.


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Closure announcement Blog for Handloom Day 2022 Quiz 2.0
The Online Quiz was conducted as a part of one of the activities on the occasion of the 8th National Handloom Day on 7th August 2022 by the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles in coordination with MyGov. The 7th of August is celebrated as “National Handloom Day” every year with an objective to create awareness about the importance of the handloom industry and its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country.
To celebrate this occasion we launched a online Quiz under the theme of “My Handloom My Pride” Handloom Day Quiz from Duration – 18th to 21st August 2022.
The above Quiz contests received an overwhelming response from the General public and received a over whelming response of 8,493 participation.
Development Commissioner for Handlooms and MyGov appreciate the efforts of all the participants and thank them for their overwhelming interest, enthusiasm, and keenness in participating in the above competition.


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PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — WeightWatchers has jumped into the prescription weight loss drug business.
WW International said it’s acquiring subscription telehealth platform Sequence.
It offers users access to drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Trulicity.
They said the drugs all work by the same mechanism: triggering the release of insulin, blocking sugar production in the liver and suppressing appetite.
“All of these medications: Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda are very cost prohibitive. Insurance will cover them, sometimes if you’re diabetic,” OSF advance practice nurse, Rachel Fehl, who works in obesity medicine said. “But for the treatment of weight management… unfortunately they’re usually not covered and are in the range of about $1,200 a month.”
Ozempic has increased in popularity due to celebrities touting it for weight loss.
Local nurses are expressing shortage concerns by people using the drug for weight loss, instead of its intended purpose.


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Kobe Bryant joined NIKE Inc., the world’s largest football company, in a visit to the Football Training Center located in the heart of Soweto, South Africa to help inspire future champions. Nike recently completed a center to offer 20,000 young footballers per year the opportunity to develop their talent while also having access to HIV/AIDS education through football life skills programming.
“While basketball is my chosen sport, I’ve been a football fan all my life. So to be in South Africa for the first time and see how Nike is utilizing sport to inspire youth and educate them around HIV/AIDS is amazing,” said Kobe Bryant. “It’s crystal clear that this center will help keep kids out of trouble, improve their game, as well as empower them with the life skills they need to live better and HIV free.”
[pullquoteleft]”While basketball is my chosen sport, I’ve been a football fan all my life. So to be in South Africa for the first time and see how Nike is utilizing sport to inspire youth and educate them around HIV/AIDS is amazing,”[/pullquoteleft]
As we have seen on this site Kobe has displayed his personal dedication to fighting HIV/AIDS by sporting (NIKE)RED laces on the basketball court. The laces are the centerpiece of Nike’s Lace Up, Save Lives campaign. Conducted in partnership with (RED), the initiative offers individuals the opportunity to purchase (NIKE)RED laces, and in return Nike contributes 100 % of its profits to support programs that offer HIV/AIDS education and medication in Africa.
While in South Africa, Kobe also visited the Life Center, one of Johannesburg’s most iconic skyscrapers and the site of Nike’s ambitious, tournament installation. Reaching 30 stories or 138 meters into the sky, the building features an interactive LED screen almost half the size of a football pitch.
During this visit to South Africa, Kobe attended the World Cup and an amazing safari. Check out the video his trip!