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Alcatel has proclaimed the future of broadband is in fibre, declaring the next generation technology will generate a plethora of new online services, including movies on demand and holographic TV.
The claims followed the opening of the networking vendor’s new Applications Centre in Alexandria, Sydney, this week.
The centre features a range of broadband technologies, such as DSL, Fibre to the Home (FTTH) and 3G/UTMS, which the telephony company is enhancing at the centre in conjunction with business partners.
During the launch, Alcatel officials displayed a multicast video-on-demand service - developed in the facility - that offered high definition video over existing DSL networks using compressed video technology.
Although such movies could be carried over DSL, Alcatel said the impending growth of fibre would better the quality of such services.
In addition, people will have simple handheld devices offering a range of services, not just phone and video. These devices will communicate with televisions or PCs to offer movies and other content. Content can then be stored on a home hard drive, offering instant digital-quality playback and letting users skip the ads.
Alcatel expects all newly-developed housing sites will have access to fibre by 2008.
Similarly, it predicted half of Australia's homes would have access by 2020, 3G technology would become widespread during 2004-2008, and 4G would start to replace it before 2012. Wireless technologies would continue to evolve, with WiMax and its successor 802.20, providing connectivity to fixed and mobile services. Furthermore, over time, new technology breakthroughs would quicken bandwidth speeds from around 1Mbps to 1Gbps for fibre, with wireless growing at a slower rate.
Alcatel innovation director, Geof Heydon, said some of the technologies, such as video using servers, already exist; it was just a matter of finding a market. Other technology applications, such as holographic TV, existed in the defence field, but had yet to be applied to the commercial market.
Heydon told ARN he expected devices for next generation broadband services would be supplied through the established channels. Brands such as Sony and Microsoft, for instance, currently offered gaming machines that might evolve into offering phone and other services.
People would increasingly care less and less about the technology behind a system, he said, so the technology would have to be simple and invisible. Users would prefer to stick to known and trusted brands, which would also avoid connectivity and integration issues.
Alcatel is working with carriers about delivering such services, and making them secure, but the question remained: Who would supply the content?
Alcatel Australia CEO, Andrew Young, said the content for these new services could come from anybody. Film companies, TV companies, ASPs, ISPs, telcos, corner video store, music suppliers or even types of organisations unheard of as yet could create content for the service.
“It’s a complete and open environment,” he said.
Recently in Korea, Young was shown two CDMA handsets, one of which was showing live TV and the other a recording. However, such new technologies would not mean the death of traditional free-to-air television.
“There’s a place for everybody, but perhaps they have to think differently,” he said.


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Exclusive Participating educational institutions will be able to access the company’s Mobile Tailor software, which allows them to design and tailor perfect fitting garments using 3D body models.
A self-service solution that helps designers capture accurate body data remotely, Mobile Tailor requires no technical expertise to use and generates 85 measurements from just two photos taken on any smartphone on any background in under 30 seconds. Participating schools will have the ability to share and receive measurements data via a personal workspace. They can also export unique 3D avatars of their bodies that are compatible with most 3D fashion design software.
“We initially launched Mobile Tailor to support made-to-measure fashion businesses and their customers during the pandemic,” explains Vadim Rogovskiy, Co-founder and CEO of 3DLOOK. “The solution not only helped many of our clients stay in business but also allowed them to scale despite being shut down by their retailers,” Vadim Rogovskiy, Co-founder and CEO of 3DLOOK, says. The technology is typically priced at 999 USD per month, but educational institutions around the world can fill out a simple form to get free access to 3DLOOK’s Mobile Tailor.
3DLOOK’s Mobile Tailor technology The company’s mobile body scanning technology, which is patent-pending, provides shoppers with personalized fit and size recommendations as well as virtual try-ons. This helps brands to reduce returns and increase conversion. These solutions allow for personalized shopping experiences that are innovative and provide actionable insights that help brands optimize product design, product development and distribution.
“Last year has shown how easily disrupted the whole fashion industry is,” says Rogovskiy. The industry had to adapt quickly to the new digital-first reality. It was not prepared for it. We want to ensure that the next generation of fashion designers doesn’t have to face the same problems. Mobile Tailor allows fashion students around the world to remotely receive measurements from models, export 3D body models, and create garments using 3D design software.
One of the schools that has been an early adopter is Estonia’s Tallinn University of Technology. Piret Mellik from the university, a lecturer in CAD/CAM Pattern Design and CAD/CAM, said that Mobile Tailor allowed students to use their avatars instead of being restricted by the software’s capabilities. This made fitting in 3D environments more precise, realistic, and fun. Students learned how different software could be combined to produce better results when 3D fitting was done. Mobile Tailor was easy to use, and avatars were easily imported into the software.

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Targeting your users for phishing attacks is a great way to ensure social engineering training sticks.
A stolen password was used to access the employee's account, which contained a document with user e-mail addresses, Dropbox said.
The infamous security convention has wound up, leaving hackers of all hat colors bemused, befuddled, and bewildered.
New Rakshasa hardware backdoor is demonstrated at Defcon security event; it is persistent and hard to detect, researcher says.
Security researchers released two tools at the Defcon security conference that can beat the encryption of certain PPTP sessions in less than a day's work.
Hotel locks, iris scans, GooglePlay and other "secure" technologies are cracked in demonstrations at the security conference.
We need stronger security for mobile devices as we begin to make payments by smartphone, or connect on the go to the company network.
Black Hat security conference: University of Washington creation gives you vicarious thrills of social engineering, lock picking.
A tool for testing if Web application firewalls (WAFs) are vulnerable to around 150 protocol-level evasion techniques was released at the Black Hat event.
Microsoft is launching a new version of the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET), which includes new techniques contribute by a BlueHat Prize finalist.


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The United Kingdom government has announced plans to regulate specific cryptocurrencies within a larger plan to establish an international hub for digital payment.
The popularity of cryptocurrency has exploded with officials across the globe are in a frenzy to determine how they can regulate them, with the concern that they could undermine the stability of traditional financial markets and harm consumers.
The U.K. Treasury is considering Stablecoins as an option for regular payment. After extensive discussions with various organizations, individuals, and universities, they have come to the same conclusion. In this regard, they plan to change the payment system and legislation on electronic money.
As stablecoins become a viable payment option in the U.K. and the U.S., the use of cryptocurrency will increase significantly.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies backed by fiat assets or gold to keep the price equal to a Fiat currency. They are considered an ideal means of payment as these cryptocurrencies do not have a significant fluctuation.
The U.K. Treasury Head, Rishi Sunak, stated that his goal is to create the U.K. as the world’s hub in the field of crypto. While doing this, the country’s financial services sector should be at the top of this. Crypto lending may also be an essential aspect in the U.K. shortly. This is since the economic director of the Treasury is looking into making it possible for the lending system to be integrated into the nation’s tax system.
In December, the deputy Bank of England governor stated that, while around 0.1 percent of U.K. assets were stored in digital assets, this percentage is rapidly growing.
Furthermore, the Treasury is working with The Royal Mint to develop NFTs (Non-fungible tokens). The country’s financial services minister John Glen stated recently that the ministry has a detailed plan to harness the potential of blockchain technology and build a world-class crypto ecosystem.
Collectively, major countries are acknowledging the massive potential of blockchain technology and moving for a better regulatory framework.
What are Stablecoins?
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies backed by traditional financial assets to avoid any fluctuations.


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Swipe fee caps and routing mandates hurt minority consumers
While the pandemic recession hit all Americans hard, Black and Brown communities have experienced the most challenging recovery. According to the Income Inequality Institute at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, last year the average African American or Hispanic family had about a quarter for every dollar of white family wealth. The unemployment rate for people of color is still higher than the national average.
In times like these, federal leaders need to show up for our communities. I was glad when the Biden Administration passed the American Rescue Plan because it specifically designated funds for minority-owned business support and direct stimulus payments to help those struggling. This directly helped many members of the Latin Chamber of Commerce here in Nevada.
However, not everyone has the best interests of minority communities at heart. It has come to my attention that huge corporations are attempting to push their agenda on the Senate floor by expanding policies like the Durbin Amendment of 2010. The Durbin Amendment was a last-minute addition to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that capped the swipe fees that merchants pay to process debit cards and added routing mandates to the debit market.
The Durbin Amendment should have saved money for merchants so that they could then pass the savings down to customers by lowering their prices. However, data from the Richmond Federal Reserve shows that the amendment had basically no impact on consumer pricing, even though big-box stores made an additional $90 billion in revenue after the measure passed — 98.8 percent of retailers either raised prices or made no changes.
The Durbin Amendment ultimately hurt minority communities by making banking less accessible. Banks lost billions after the swipe fee caps, and to make up for these losses, they eliminated free checking and hiked up account minimums and fees. Low-income and marginalized communities rely on accessible, low-cost banking to keep their accounts open. A 2014 study from George Mason university found that the Durbin Amendment increased our country’s unbanked population by one million Americans, primarily low-income and minority Americans.
Extending the Durbin Amendment to credit would undoubtedly help big companies rake in billions more in extra revenue, but it would yet again hurt minority communities. Banks would lose even more money and respond by raising fees and interest rates and lowering rewards programs. Economists in 2021 estimated this could take away credit card access from 5 to 8 million African American consumers and 5 to 7 million Latinx consumers. African Americans and Hispanic Americans are already 5 to 8 percent more likely than their white peers to be turned down for a credit card. People of color cannot afford to have even more restrictions placed on their credit access.
In total, economists in 2021 estimated that extending the Durbin Amendment to credit cards would create an annual wealth transfer of $40 to $50 billion from ordinary people to big-box stores. Nevada’s leaders in Congress must protect communities of color and reject these dangerous policies.
Peter Guzman is the president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce.


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Home > Business > Special
On a roll in Punjab
Sangeeta Singh |
August 13, 2005
Nothing demonstrates the entrepreneurial traits of the Punjabi better than 2029 up, the Shatabdi Express that connects New Delhi with Amristar.
On board, cellphones ring constantly as businessmen confirm consignments, make (or receive) export enquiries, issue instructions to office assistants - even as they juggle two mobiles, one probably a Delhi number, the other a Ludhiana or Jalandhar one.
The scene is not very different from that on board the Shatabdi that connects Mumbai Central with Ahmedabad, or on the Flying Ranee heading towards Surat from Mumbai - the only difference being that the Gujaratis are replaced by the Punjabis doing what they do best - eating, drinking and breathing business.
On board the Shatabdi, morning tea comes with a packet of Cremica biscuits, further confirming the business acumen of those who have made Ludhiana the new manufacturing hub of the north. With a factory in Phillaur, midway between Ludhiana and Jalandhar, Cremica promoter Rajni Bector was just a housewife before she started selling her kitchen-made ice-creams at Diwali melas in the late 1970s.
Fortis: Healthcare with a difference
Today, Cremica does sales of Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) and is an important link in the supply chain to the fast food industry with an inventory of buns, breads, sauces, ketchups and ice-cream toppings to the likes of McDonald's, and syrups and mayonnaise to Barista.
Rajni Bector's is not a stray case, proving that Ludhiana is fertile with business opportunities. In a land celebrated as much for its ability to fashion lassi out of washing machines as its back-slapping flamboyance and opulence where kids turning 14 are given an S-class Mercedes to park in the porch, Ludhiana is part of India's billionaire's row where to have it is to flaunt it.
A tour of Ludhiana's Kitchlu Nagar takes you to the Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) Abhishek Industries, which supplies terry towels to the world's leading retail chains like Walmart, Chris Madden and JC Penney.
Its CEO and managing director Rajinder Gupta, a school dropout, was forced to earn his livelihood at an early age. He set up shop with 17,000-odd spindles in 1993. In the dozen years since, he's got into yarn, paper and chemicals, besides terry towels, and manages the Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) Trident Group with elan.
What used to be a bastion for bicycles, hosiery and wool industries, Ludhiana now has entrepreneurs in every field. Brij Mohan Lal Munjal of the Hero group, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti, and S P Oswal of Vardhman are among some of its stalwarts.
In 2004, two prominent Ludhianites - Rajinder Gupta and Sunil Bharti Mittal, among 18 others - were shortlisted for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, eventually bagged by Mittal.
"Entrepreneurship is in the air of Ludhiana," says S P Oswal, chairman, Vardhman group, once famous for its knitting wools. "And unlike other industrial clusters like Tirupur, it is not restricted to a couple of products. There are hundreds of medium enterprises here."
Rummy Chhabra, managing director, Metro Tyres, which began by making cycle tyres in Ludhiana and has since spread to Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, agrees. The group's basket today includes fans and motorcycle parts: "Even labourers coming from Bihar and UP show high productivity levels over here. In fact, they prefer to work for companies that offer overtime. You see, we Ludhianites are not just helping Punjab but also other states," says Chhabra.
A visit to Bharti Teletech's telephone manufacturing facility in Hambran, 17 km from Ludhiana, does prove that Punjabis can work hard - and make others work hard too! At least 14,500 PCB (printed circuit board) installations are done manually every day in the factory.
"This is one of the highest number of installations done the world over, and higher than some phone factories in China," confirms Rakesh Bharti Mittal, vice chairman and managing director, Bharti Teletech.
The company makes 2 million phones daily. More interestingly, over 70 per cent of the assembly work is undertaken by women from neighbouring villages.
Rajinder Gupta too claims high productivity levels in his factory. He uses locally available resources to raise productivity and lower costs.
"More than 80 per cent of the raw material for Trident's paper business is agro-based," says Gupta. Not just that; he also follows modern best practices.
For his white-collar employees, he has hired HR consulting firm GrowTalent, which will help Abhishek Industries become a great place to work. "Ludhiana is a university of entrepreneurs," Gupta says triumphantly.
Neighbouring district Jalandhar isn't lagging too far behind. What marks it is the same drive and motivation; the only difference is that industries in Jalandhar tend to be smaller. This is also reflected in the household incomes of the two cities.
Acccording to a survey by the National Council for Applied Economic Research, while there were 267 households with an annual income above Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) in 2001-02 in Ludhiana, there were only 96 such families in Jalandhar.
In fact, Ludhiana is ahead of the state capital Chandigarh as well, which had 199 households with an annual income of Rs 1 crore and above. But looking at recent developments in both Jalandhar and Ludhiana, these numbers are bound to have risen.
According to street speak, there is a lot of foreign money coming into Jalandhar. But in spite of its dizzying ascent to prosperity, emigration too is growing vertically, and can be gauged by the number of IATA-approved travel agencies. "In 1992, Jalandhar city had three to four such agents; today there are 60," says R K Sharma, manager, InterGlobe Air Transport, Jalandhar.
Travel between Jalandhar and Chandigarh by road and you'll find footprints in even smaller towns like Ropar of at least a half dozen such agents. Sharma adds that 1,000 Punjabis travel (to visit relatives or emigrate) to Vancouver and Toronto, 3,500 to the Middle East, and another 1,000 to the US every month; newer destinations like Italy and Netherlands are also specking the horizon.
"Of the Rs 250 crore (Rs 2.5 billion) worth of revenue that the travel industry makes from outbound travel, Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion) comes from Punjab itself. These days, students are going in hordes to New Zealand and Australia," adds Sharma. If Jalandharites are to be believed, farmers from the Doab region are ready to pay anything between Rs 10-20 lakh (Rs 1-2 million) to travel illegally to foreign lands.
And those who are not headed Westward are sending their goods there. Jalandhar's industrial area, Focal Point, is a hub for machine tools, auto-parts, carpets, sports goods and the like. So while Rajan Mayor exports golf balls and footballs, Suk Dev Raj exports hand tools and Shital Vij exports carpets, blankets and rugs.
"There are at least 200 industrial units in Jalandhar, but they are labour intensive, smaller units with sales between Rs 25-30 crore (Rs 250-300 million)," says Sukh Dev Raj, managing director, Victor Tools, which supplies hand tools for home use to European countries.
Banks in both cities rank industrialists in Jalandhar and Ludhiana high. "In the year ending March 31, 2005, we extended term loans of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) to 45 units in Ludhiana -- and they have all complied," says a senior official in the State Bank of India, Ludhiana. "There is only one case of default, and that too is under debt restructuring - and the default amount is Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million), which will not be difficult to get."
But where industry and finance may be looking ahead, the municipal bodies' apathy towards both cities is stark. The cities are dirty, the roads have potholes, and there are piles of garbage everywhere. "We have 8-10 hours of power cuts every day," complains Sukh Dev Raj of Jalandhar.
S P Oswal in Ludhiana has a similar complaint: "Power cuts are rampant and civic amenities far from what is expected of the government." But the principal secretary, industry and commerce, Punjab, S C Agrawal, has a different take: "The problem is part of the entire northern region," he says, "and will be sorted out in a couple of years. Meanwhile, industrialists can rely on their own power generation sources."
A multiplicity of responsibilities among various departments makes it easier for senior bureaucrats in Chandigarh to pass the buck. An official of the Punjab Urban Development Authority says its job is only to develop housing in Punjab, on which front it is doing fine in both Ludhiana and Jalandhar.
Does that suggest that citizens have to fend for themselves? "We Jalandharites try and do the maximum we can for fellow citizens," says Sheetal Vij, managing director, Shital Fibres, who is also president of a 150-bed charitable hospital that has several modern ventilators in its ICU, and where a CAT scan costs as little as Rs 1,400.
Most government hospitals in the region lack even basic facilities. To do their bit, the Mittals have started the Sat Paul Mittal School in Ludhiana in a tie-up with Delhi's Sri Ram School. The upmarket school has a student to teacher ratio of 25:1, and there is one computer for every child. S P Oswal has started a commerce college to offer management courses.
The Mittal-promoted Nehru Sangathan Kendra Trust offers scholarships especially for girls. The Vardhman group has a commerce college and a management institute for students who don't have formal degrees: "We should nurture local talent rather then get management graduates from Delhi or Mumbai," says Oswal.
If Jalandhar and Ludhiana reflect that there is very little the Punjab government has done for its cities, ironically the same is not true of its capital Chandigarh. Plush government buildings line the road, in perfect sync with private bungalows. PUDA's own office in Mohali opposite Fortis Hospital looks like an extension of the hospital, an architectural landmark in that area.
Punjab slipped from the top position in terms of per capita income some years ago, and presently occupies the fifth slot, behind Haryana and Maharashtra. Nevertheless, it is still considered one of the most developed states in the country. So, are its citizens with their considerable bonhomie leading the charts in prosperity? Or is it just the turbulence that rocked the state in 1980s that has made them stronger, more resilient?
Balle Balle: It's part time
The general belief that Punjabis work hard and party harder is best reflected in Ludhiana and Jalandhar. "We Punjabis can travel any distance to enjoy ourselves and have a good meal," says Geeta Bector, Rajni Bector's daughter-in-law.
Only, the definition of good food has changed from tandoori chicken to fast food. "We pay toll charges to go and eat at McDonald's, which is outside the city's municipal limits," she says.
The Bectors, Guptas and Oswals are all awash with luxury cars, and the S-class Mercedes is ubiquitous here. S P Oswal may suggest that, "For me, a car is a car and not a showpiece", but his daughter Suchita insisted on his S-class "because I travel a lot by road". Others believe that if you can afford a Mercedes, why not flaunt it?
According to a rough estimate, there are no less than 400 Mercs in the industrial belt, though Daimler Chrysler's figures suggest that no more 100 Mercedes cars ply in the whole of Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Chandigarh. Where are the other Mercs coming from? They're apparently brought from other regions - such as Delhi, and the number plates on the cars bear that out.
The mall culture is catching up fast too," says Parminder Chadha, a resident of Ludhiana. "We can't wait for Ansal Plaza to open. As of now, we go shopping in the malls in Delhi and Gurgaon."
"We saw the potential for malls in Jalandhar and Ludhiana as early as 2003 and started construction on our Ludhiana mall in February last year," says Pranav Ansal, chairman, Ansal Township & Projects Development. "We will open next month."
With 80 per cent of its space leased out, the mall will house Meena Bazaar, KFC, Pyramids and McDonald's. The one in Jalandhar will take a little longer before it becomes operational.
Old movie halls like Malhar are being razed to give way to multiplexes like Waves and PVR. "In six months time, the entire complexion of Ludhiana will change. Even today, it is very different from the time I was a schoolboy," says Adish Oswal, managing director, Amran Trading.
Oswal himself has got into the trendy business of high-end lingerie and sports and casual wear with stores in Ludhiana, apart from those in Delhi and Gurgaon. The MBD group (which owns the Radisson hotel in Noida) is planning mixed-use developments in Ludhiana and Jalandhar by 2007.
To join their friends in the bhangra, Ludhianites drive out of town to attend weddings in Harsheela and Kotari Resorts on Ferozepur Road. Their indulgence makes good business sense to those owning these farmhouses.
Spread over 5-7 acres, these "marriage palaces" attract rents ranging between Rs 75,000-100,000 with food catered for anything between Rs 250-700 per plate. Restaurants, highway hotels and waterparks have mushroomed.
The neo-rich have swimming pools, snooker tables and landscaped gardens in thier palatial homes. Sprawling gardens, the latest furniture ordered from luxury stores in Delhi and Mumbai, branded wear from international fashion labels - it's all on display in their homes and on their shoulders.
Little, however, has changed on the lifestyle front. Though Rajni Bector claims she was the one who introduced cold cuts and healthy salads in Ludhiana, they occupy buffet tables more for display than for consumption.
Harpal Singh, chairman, Fortis Heathcare, warns: "Their unchanging food habits may be harmful for the Punjabis in the long run." Obviously, with 100 cardiac surgeries and an equal number of angioplasties, and over 300 angiographies a month at Fortis' Mohali hospital, the sons of the soil need to watch out if they're not to fall prey to the ills of a life lived easy.


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Only a few short years ago the figure of 10,000 new truck sales annually seemed wildly ambitious.
Yet Isuzu is tracking well enough to potentially surpass 14,000 units into the Australian market during 2023. Should it do so it will also mark the brand’s 35th consecutive year of market leadership.
The company has a clear vision of utilising practical innovation to maintain its leading position and has the strategies in place to back this up.
“Post-pandemic the performance of the market, the demand for road transport solutions and the confidence in our sector have been nothing short of remarkable,” says Isuzu Australia Limited Director and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Harbison.
“It’s not enough for us to focus on being number one. We are continually challenging ourselves and striving to be the best in the totality of our relationships and our offer to the Australian road transport industry.”
Recognising that developing and selling its trucks are but the early steps in the long-term journey, Isuzu is revamping its Isuzu Care customer support program.
“We talk amongst ourselves until we are blue in the face about the importance of supporting our customers both before, during, and after the sale,” says Andrew.
Connectivity is emerging as an important element as trucks move further into the era of e-mobility and it is through a connected vehicle that owners can fully realise the operational insights and efficiencies available from their trucks and Isuzu has been incorporating sophisticated electronic hardware with the necessary software to enhance the management of fleets as well as individual vehicles.
Integral with the design and development of current and future models, Isuzu will consider four key factors: carbon neutrality, driver comfort, safety, and connectivity.
During the next few years Isuzu will make available a portfolio of powertrains from Battery Electric and Fuel Cell Electric to hydrogen internal combustion.
For its low and zero emission vehicles it is imperative to strike the balance between being environmentally responsible while remaining financially viable.
Isuzu revealed its new look N Series and F Series ranges in Japan back in April, featuring the first new major cab designs in 17 years, and included the first of its OEM-developed electric vehicles which use modular technology to utilise between three and five battery packs.
On display in Brisbane was the Japanese specification electric N Series and Isuzu has made it clear that locally its initial foray into the EV market will be for a heavier 4,500-7,500kgs GVM with an operating range of between 150-200kms making it suitable for last mile deliveries and local government applications.
Local trials of the EV models are scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of this year. Arrangements to jointly develop and share technologies is becoming more common among global OEMs and Isuzu and Honda will collaborate to supply a fuel cell system for a heavy-duty Isuzu truck planned to be introduced to the Japanese market in 2027.
Another example of joint venture outcomes has been the announcement of the new Isuzu and UD Trucks collaboratively-developed prime mover.
This is the first truck developed since UD joined the Isuzu organisation in 2021 and was recently released in Japanese domestic specification. We can expect to see the progressive release of similar products across other markets including Australia in due course.
Noteworthy, this is the first time the Volvo 13-litre engine has been available for either an Isuzu or UD branded product.
The power and torque ratings of the 13-litre engine, combined with the Volvo Group I-Shift/ESCOT automated manual transmission, and Japanese build quality, should be very suitable for applications in Australia including in 6×4 prime mover configuration.
These trucks will be available in Japan later in 2023 and will be sold under both brands, and consideration is currently being undertaken to assess what will be the best case for distribution in other markets, including Australia.
“The clear strategy from the global point of view is the best way to get the best product is to work together on delivering a product that shares basic driveline fundamentals,” says Andrew. “How we differentiate that is being worked through. We’re very keen to have the 13-litre.”
It’s one thing to get the hardware right but customers now expect a higher level of support for their vehicles.
Recognising this, Isuzu engaged in extensive research about customer expectations, particularly in relation to Isuzu Care which was launched in 2006. This acknowledgment of the importance of its customer support program has proved to be a differentiator and enables Isuzu to claim a superior total solution offering to the market.
During 2023 a national training update involved every Isuzu dealer principal, along with every care specialist, sales, service, and parts managers across the country.
This program has been supported by web-based training for all remaining staff to ensure that everyone who wears an Isuzu badge has the right Isuzu Care approach.
“There is certainly plenty going on globally,” says Takeo “Tak” Shindo Managing Director and CEO of Isuzu Australia. “The world has changed significantly, so has Isuzu. The Isuzu brand has never been in a stronger position. We are choosing our future and I can assure you it is very bright.”


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Google explains why Nexus 4 does not support LTE or multiuser
After Google presented its new portfolio of Nexus devices, which have certainly been very impressed with fans of the Android platform, born several questions from the audience, fault or do not understand details related to new products. First was the case of the unified interface in Android 4.2 for smartphones and tablets, which was explained by Matias Duarte . Today Google by Andy Rubin, original creator of the green robot operating system, explains in an interview with The Verge and through his profile on Google+ two of the major faults in the new Nexus 4 , the LTE and support conecitividad multiuser.
The senior executive at Google explains that the reason for the lack of LTE in the new Nexus smartphone is mainly because of the state of these networks now, as we still have a long way to evolve. In his exact words Rubin explains that:
“LTE networks have not yet scaled finished, so we still are hybrid networks. This means that devices that wish to opt for this technology for high-speed mobile connection need to have both integrated radio, this is a bad experience for the user in many cases, and this is what happened with the Galaxy Nexus, by we have chosen not to include LTE in the Nexus 4. “
Moreover, Android’s father says this allows for a mobile “universal”, meaning they only need to launch a market model that will work with any carrier in the world.
However, this is a major failure Nexus 4 to rivals in some territories, such as Europe and especially the United States, where LTE is extremely popular and a very important feature when people consider getting a new terminal. Honestly, I guess in a couple of months we would be looking to get the Nexus 4 with LTE versions operators like Verizon or Sprint in the U.S., but we’ll have to wait to test my theory. The truth is that the original launch of the new Nexus phone is committed to a standard for the entire planet.
To end, I could not fail to mention the curious thing about this decision and what impact Google in the media and analysts, especially after Apple received criticism from all these when born without LTE iPhone 4S, which was practically “mandatory” at the time, according to many. But again, it is very likely to see in future versions birth of Nexus 4 with LTE.
Multiuser support Android, only for tablets
One of the most attractive features introduced in the new Google Android 4.2 is undoubtedly the support multiple users via profile accounts, such as a computer and we started meeting as both files with different applications, and completely customized desktop on each account. This feature is present in the tablets Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 , but many wonder: Why not in Neus 4?
Google appears again to explain the reasons for this lack, or to be more specific, because the multi-user support is listed as only for tablets. According to the search engine, this is because the mobile device is a single use, personnel, while a tablet in a company or in a home can be used by several people, including a couple and their son early , so this new feature is exploited to customize the tablet environment, and even to put parental control settings.
But also there is another theory , which is that this could be due to a patent by Nokia, which is named “Mobile Multi”, was recorded in 2005 and is based on the possibility that a smartphone is used by several people, telling each with its own settings and features, which can be accessed through an advertisement on the home screen.
In fact, this patent is exploited on Windows Phone 8 thanks to a feature called “Kid’r Corner” or the Children’s Corner, in Spanish, that enables parental controls to limit this function applications, functions and places that a child can access our mobile lend.
Does Google avoided problems with Nokia to remove this feature from the Nexus 4? It is quite possible, but either way, support for multiple user accounts in the tablets is appreciated, because it can be quite useful.Tags: Google, Jelly Bean Android, Nexus 4


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It’s kind of hard to imagine how Not Your Father’s Root Beer could improve on its already-feverish success — in less than a year the brew has become America’s top-selling craft six-pack, according to Nielsen. But the company’s plan seems pretty solid: It’s releasing an even-boozier version of its sassafras-y hit, which delivers a 10.7 percent ABV smack in the face. People in Illinois can expect to see bottles on shelves next month, the Pabst-run brewery says, and by the fall, a bigger rollout should reach every state except Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, and Tennessee (because those places have stricter alcohol laws). The plan is for six-packs, three special releases of 22-ounce large-format bottles, and the option to offer the beer on draft.
This double-strength brew was one of the first two kinds of hard root beer Small Town introduced back in 2012 in the Chicago suburbs, and founder Tim Kovac says it’s been “amazingly popular since day one.” The other version, it should be noted, was twice the potency of that — a roundhouse-delivering 19.5 percent.


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I know, I know, I should never be surprised at what passes for "reporting" at the pathetic online rag that is Politico.
One of the publication's many lazy stenographers attempting to pass himself off as a "reporter" -- in this case, one James Hohmann -- frames Romney's blatant lie that Chrysler/Jeep is contemplating moving "all production" to China as simply another case of "Romney-says vs. Obama-campaign-says." Hohmann or his editors couldn't be bothered to check the veracity of what Romney claimed.
Here's how Hohmann played it in his piece, now nestled on Politico's home page:
Then the Republican nominee warned that a major employer in nearby Toledo is considering shipping auto jobs overseas.Did this lazy turd of a "reporter" bother to read the Bloomberg news piece about Jeep's plans? Or did he bother to check with Chrysler to see if this was true? Or did his editors at Politico follow up or bother to read what Chrysler said or what the Bloomberg piece actually reported?
“I saw a story today that one of the great manufacturers in this state, Jeep, now owned by the Italians, is thinking of moving all production to China,” Romney told a crowd of some 12,000 at a high school football stadium. “I will fight for every good job in America, I’m going to fight to make sure trade is fair, and if it’s fair, America will win.”
The Obama campaign quickly released a statement criticizing Romney’s comments about Jeep.
“As Chrysler said today, ‘Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America to China,’” the campaign emailed reporters. “And what’s more: President Obama has fought on behalf of U.S. auto workers by challenging unfair Chinese tariffs on U.S. auto exports to China, including Jeeps, while Romney would have let the American auto industry and a million jobs go under.”
Instead, this "reporter" and his editors at Politico frame up this blatant falsehood on Romney's part as simply another example of "politics as usual."
Are these people simply lazy or do they purposely ignore the facts? That's a question open debate.
At least Chrysler sets the record straight.
Despite clear and accurate reporting, the take has given birth to a number of stories making readers believe that Chrysler plans to shift all Jeep production to China from North America, and therefore idle assembly lines and U.S. workforce. It is a leap that would be difficult even for professional circus acrobats.Here's a suggestion for all of us here... Drop a quick email to the following hacks and tell them to print the facts instead of framing this as a back-and-forth set of political claims. Tell them reporting the facts is what real journalists do.
Let’s set the record straight: Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America to China. It’s simply reviewing the opportunities to return Jeep output to China for the world’s largest auto market. U.S. Jeep assembly lines will continue to stay in operation. A careful and unbiased reading of the Bloomberg take would have saved unnecessary fantasies and extravagant comments.
James Hohmann, National Political Reporter (cough)
Editor-in-Chief, John Harris
Executive Editor, Jim VandeHei


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Austria, Germany, and Switzerland have all been improved.
The game’s next batch of country revamps has been pushed back.
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S upgrade is now live alongside a Switch Cloud version.
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden have all been improved,
France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg have been improved.
The previously delayed update now has a confirmed release date.
The United Kingdom and Ireland update is now arriving a week later.
Take to the skies in virtual reality.


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Leading LED maker Seoul Semiconductor has announced a drastic shift to making displays more “Sun like.” The shift comes as LED manufacturing costs are cut to the very bones after years of research and development, but problems still exist as people are resistant to the technology as a result of the harmful blue light that is emitted.
Currently the LED makers are looking for ways to make energy efficient lighting more palatable to consumers who prefer the softer light emitted by iridescent light bulbs, even though they are banned in some countries and are widely known to be highly energy inefficient. The light emitting diode bulbs, or LED, produce a blue-light spike which is associated with sleep disturbances and is generally why it is advised to avoid looking at screens before going to sleep.
The company believes that these new screens will represent $400 million in sales by 2021 and be part of their $3 billion target in sales, a hefty move from their last year’s total of $840 million. The CEO, Chung Lee, has already priced the new screens to be about 10% more than current LED products, but believes that this nw innovation will push the company out of 5th place and into the front of the LED packaging business, currently valued at around $15 billion. According to Lee, the technology is already getting positive reviews from lighting companies and other leading retailers.
The number of applications something like this can benefit is staggering, with billions of smart devices already in use and more predicted to continuously be coming out, this technological advancement will most likely be seen around the globe even before 2021.


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Texas Roadhouse Inc. isn’t the first restaurant you might thinks of when creating a list of allergy-friendly establishments. (Peanuts, anyone?).
But the steakhouse chain wants to better accommodate the gluten intolerant.
Louisville-based Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ: TXRH) won’t create a special menu or add any items, but it is cutting gluten out of dishes it can, serving unseasoned steaks and salads sans croutons. The casual dining restaurant also is training its employees about how to answer inquiries from celiacs, or customers allergic to gluten.
“We are going to do it through server education,” said Travis Doster, senior director of public relations for Texas Roadhouse, adding that the driving force behind the initiative is customers. “We heard this is what guests are really demanding.”
The restaurant chain is not branding items as gluten free because of the possibility of cross contamination and new U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards.To qualify as gluten free, meals must have less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
“We can’t guarantee anything. Nobody really can without a separate kitchen,” Doster said.
Texas Roadhouse tried a gluten-free menu about six years ago but discontinued it for the same reason it is opted for the gluten-friendly label — the chance of cross contact with a gluten-filled dish, he said.
If you want to read more about Texas Roadhouse, see this article from the Dec. 20 print edition. It follows Texas Roadhouse through its 20-year history.


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Bobby’s has signed a deal to exclusively distribute Yummy vitamin bars within the convenience channel.
Yummy Bars contain 1/3 less sugar than leading vitamin bar brands and have 50% of a child’s recommended daily vitamins, according to the supplier.
The range is available in Caramel and Strawberry varieties, and contains no artificial flavours or colours. It is also nut- and gluten-free, as well as being suitable for vegetarians.
In support of the launch, Bobby’s has made a Free Standing Display Unit (FSDU) available, which displays 12 SRPs, each holding 24 bars.
Carmelina Mancini, Bobby’s marketing manager, said: “We have witnessed an increasing demand from consumers for healthier confectionery alternatives that still deliver on taste. Yummy Bars are that product.”
Read more product news


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Conde Nast Owner Advance Hands Sporting News Over to U.K. Video Company
The Sporting News used to be one of America’s oldest print publications, but last year it moved to a digital-only format. And now it’s owned by a British Web video company.
Sporting News owner Advance Publications — the same folks that own Conde Nast — has folded the title into a joint venture with Perform, a London-based digital video distributor. The idea is to create a bigger U.S. presence for Perform, which already distributes sports highlights clips to some U.S. newspapers and other publications.
Perform will own 65 percent of the joint venture, and has the right to buy out Advance’s stake for $65 million. Perform will kick in $1.2 million, and Advance, via its American City Business Journals unit, will chip in $4.2 million.
ComScore says SportingNews.com, which also acts as AOL’s sports hub, generated 6.7 million U.S. uniques in February, a number that has stayed fairly constant for the last year.


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Players Can Win a Virtual Round of Golf with Albatross18
ProducerEl Segundo, Calif.-Dec 9, 2008 Twenty-nine lucky Albatross18 players will have a rare opportunity this month: they’ll get to play a round of virtual golf with the producer of Albatross18.
From Dec. 4 – 11, every player who purchases a Love Love Phoenix item from the OGPlanet Store will be entered to win a chance to play with Enrique Mendoza, the U.S. producer of OGPlanet’s fantasy massively multiplayer golf game, Albatross18. On Dec. 15, twenty-nine players will be randomly selected to meet with Mendoza in a dedicated Albatross18 room.
They’ll have a chance to chat with Mendoza, ask him questions, and even compete against him in a virtual golf tournament for a chance to win a club set from the Albatross18 archives.
“One of the greatest parts about working on Albatross18 is the dedicated community of gamers this game has drawn,” said Mendoza. “This will be an exciting opportunity to meet and connect with the players!”
In addition to this event, players can also win big this month in the Albatross18 Forum Fashion Show. During this event, players can submit screenshots of their characters from Dec. 4-18 to be judged in three categories: Humor, Coolest, and Overall OGP Favorite.
Winners will be selected on Dec. 22 and will receive 200 Astros, redeemable for in-game items in the OGPlanet Store.


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As a matter of general operating procedure, California Pizza Kitchen
Yes, the trendy pizza and pasta eatery is topping itself for the June quarter. Strong sales and better-than-anticipated margin improvement find CPK now expecting to earn $0.32 a share for the period. Back in April, it had projected net income to come in between $0.26 and $0.28 a share.
The installation of a new Point of Sale system will result in a few favorable onetime charges, but the real story here is that the concept is just flat out cooking. Last year, the company had a stellar June period. Comps were up a vibrant 7.3%. It's pretty hard to stack superior results on top of superior results, but that's just what CPK did, with comparable sales rising 8.6% this time around.
I've always been a big watcher of comps when it comes to restaurant stocks. A company like Cheesecake Factory
CPK's recent headstrong performance -- see exactly how the March quarter played out -- also provides a welcome contrast to traditional pizza specialists like Papa John's
Yes, CPK knows its toppings. Shareholders should be grateful.
- Read about how CPK fared during its March quarter.
- That came on top of an already solid 2004 showing.
- High cheese prices are a big concern in the pizza space from time to time.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz enjoys CPK's Thai pizza. He does own shares in Cheesecake Factory. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Dell is now offering Mobile WiMax as an option on two laptops, the Studio 16 and Studio XPS 17. The Intel 5159 WiMax/802.11n combo card is a $60 upgrade over the standard 802.11n Mini Card.
These desktop replacements seem like an odd choice since the point of mobile broadband is, well, mobility. It would be nice to have the option on netbooks and ultraportables. Then again, WiMax is marketed as a replacement for home broadband, as well as mobile data.
The biggest strike against WiMax is its limited availability. Mobile WiMax is currently available only in Portland and Baltimore, though Sprint has announced plans to expand its Clear network this year to include Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Seattle. But wireless network build-outs are notorious for missing deadlines.
HP, the world's largest laptop maker by units, does not offer WiMax as an option on any notebooks. Mike Hockey, an HP spokesperson, said via e-mail that WiMax is an emerging technology and "at this time it is premature to integrate mobile WiMAX into HP notebooks due to the limited scope of commercially available networks." An Acer spokesperson said the company has qualified WiMax on several notebooks, but none of its U.S. resellers has chosen to make the option available on its retail models.
Of course, you can always use a USB modem. Sprint's U300 USB modem, which supports both 3G and Mobile WiMax, is $80 with a two-year contract.
Meanwhile, Verizon is moving forward with its 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network, a competitor to Mobile WiMax. Verizon plans to start trials later this year and launch it commercially in early 2010. Dell's blogger-in-residence, Lionel Menchaca, noted that Dell was also looking at LTE.


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WINE COUNTRY -- The story is familiar in Temecula Valley: Refugees flee coastal cities, looking for leisure and a whiff of the countryside. As more and more crowds pour in, prices rise, albeit not quite to the level of, say, Valencia, Anaheim or Buena Park.
It has gone that way for Southwest County home buyers, and it's going the same way for the day-trippers who want to sip sangiovese while gazing out over vine-covered hills. The major bus and limousine companies that operate Wine Country tours have recently raised their rates, saying their own costs have been driven up by the growing crowds, rising prices of gasoline and the higher prices that wineries charge for tastings.
Owners of wineries and tour companies say the higher prices have helped to slow things down a bit, partly by shifting some of the weekend traffic to weekdays, though that may be hard to believe when you're sitting in your car on Rancho California Road on a Saturday afternoon.
The businesses say tours and tastings remained profitable, though one tour operator said it has been playing catch-up in its latest round of price hikes.
"A lot of that is directly offsetting our increases in costs," said Kim Kelliher, who co-owns The Grapeline tour company with her husband, John Kelliher.
In May, The Grapeline raised the price of its most popular tour, a tasting-picnic combo, by $20 a person for weekend tours and $10 a person for weekday tours. The service now charges $98 on Saturdays, $88 on Sundays and $78 on weekdays.
In recent months, Southwest County businesses from limousine operators to septic-tank pumpers have tacked on fuel surcharges they say will again disappear in the unlikely event that unleaded gasoline falls back under $3 gallon.
The Grapeline hasn't started fuel surcharges per se. The company's expenses have risen across the board, though gas prices are often the culprit, Kelliher said. The company started paying more for the bottled water it buys for its customers after its water distributor levied a fuel surcharge of its own, she said.
And the popularity of weekend Wine Country tours, while great for The Grapeline's top line, has grown past the capacity of the company's four buses. The Kellihers now rent buses from transportation companies in San Diego County, up to 10 vehicles on Saturdays. In the four years since The Grapeline opened for business, the rental costs have nearly doubled, to $700 per vehicle, she said.
The Grapeline's situation roughly mirrors what companies are seeing across the country. Fed largely by rising gasoline costs, consumer prices have risen by 4.3 percent in the last year, and by 5.2 percent in the statistical region that includes Los Angeles and neighboring inland areas, the U.S. Department of Labor said earlier this month. The producer price index for finished goods, a measure of the inflation that businesses face, has risen 4.9 percent since June 2005, according to the department.
Kelliher isn't complaining; a single bus can easily bring in $2,000 of revenue a day. But the costs per vehicle per day are lower when the company uses its own. Raising the prices on weekends helps maintain her profit margin, she said.
In the same four years, tasting costs at some wineries have gone from $2 and $3 to $6 and $10, Kelliher said. That affects not only tour operators who buy tickets in bulk; it can mean an extra $15 or $20 for tasters who make the circuit in a smaller limousine or in their own cars.
Profits, crowd control
Years ago, most of the local wineries offered free tastings as a way to spark interest in their wine clubs. But the practice petered out over the years, with the last winery, Maurice Car'rie on Rancho California Road, beginning to charge this spring.
The charges began as a way to thin the tasting crowds as the valley became a more popular destination in the 1990s, said Joe Hart, whose winery began charging for tastings in the second half of the decade.
Most wineries make a modest profit off the tastings, even before considering the wine that customers go on to buy, Hart and other winery owners said.
No problem, said Joanna Pelino, a teacher who celebrated the beginning of summer vacation with a limousine tour of four local wineries.
Pelino said she and five colleagues from the Burbank Unified School District spent about $300 each on the two-day, two-night trip, less than they would have spent for a weekend in the Santa Ynez wine region or, say, a drive up the coast toward San Francisco.
Tasting fees, paid out of their own pockets, added up to about $20, more than they would have paid three years ago at the same or similar wineries. Earlier this year, Sterling Rose Limousine, which gave Pelino and company their tour, began to add fuel surcharges onto certain types of tours.
Several people in Wine Country's tourism industry said the higher prices on the weekends -- and higher prices generally -- probably help to direct customers away from the weekend peaks.
Pelino, who made her tour on a Thursday, said the cost of the limousine and tastings was hardly a deterrent for her group, even as they sought to save money.
"We went for the cheaper hotel," Pelino said.
Parties hit the road
With buses and limousines gaining ever more popularity, some wineries began earlier this year to deter them from visiting during peak hours. Ponte Family Estate Winery, for example, now requires appointments for wine tours on Saturdays. South Coast Winery does not allow limousines or buses to stop by after 4 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday.
Seeking to avert friction between wineries and tour operators, the Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau brought the two groups together recently. Misunderstandings aren't just headaches for the business people, said Kimberly Adams, the bureau's director. Tour participants can be soured on Wine Country as a whole when they're blocked from entering a winery, and sudden jolts from limousines full of revelers can turn off loyal winery patrons, she said.
"We want to be encouraging a tasting experience, and not necessarily a party experience," Adams said.
- Contact staff writer Chris Bagley at (951) 676-4315, Ext.2615, or firstname.lastname@example.org .


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Super Mario. Nintendo’s upcoming Super Mario movie will be delayed until Spring 2023. The decision came after Nintendo reviewed or discussed plans with the movie’s animation studio, Illumination Entertainment.
Table of Contents
Super Mario: Release date
The movie’s new release date in North America is 7th of April, 2023. It will be released on 28th of April, 2023 in Japan.
Nintendo CEO Shigeru Miyamoto took to Twitter to announce the movie’s delay. Nintendo previously planned to release the movie during the 2022 holiday season.
The Super Mario Bros. movie has been in the works since 2017 and has been in “priority development” at Illumination over the last few years.
'Super Mario Bros.' movie delayed to April 2023 https://t.co/8XMsPBuoBN pic.twitter.com/8FLKmQ9JFL
— Engadget (@engadget) April 26, 2022
As per Miyamoto, the decision to delay the movie came after he discussed with Illumination Entertainment founder Christopher Meledandri. Moreover, Miyamoto apologized to fans for the delay but he also said that it would be “well worth the wait.”
Super Mario: Plot
Brooklyn plumbers Mario and Luigi get the bump of their lives when they came to know about a parallel world crowded by the knowledgeable broods of dinosaurs. It appears they weren’t demolished by a meteor millions of years ago but retched into another dimension and, now, they have plans to rule our world. It’s up to our unlikely heroes to fight the devil King Koopa and his Goomba guards, free the beautiful Princess Daisy and save humanity in this contingency of a lifetime.
Super Mario: Cast
The untitled Super Mario movie will feature a cast of supremely talented actors. Among them will be Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, and Jack Black as Bowser. Animating the movie is Illumination Entertainment, best known for creating the Minions films.
Previously in November 2021, Meledandri remitted concerns folks had about actor Chris Pratt’s Mario voice. Meledandri said that Pratt’s take on the legendary character was “phenomenal.” People also issued concerns over the actor’s ties to the Hillsong Church, a religious organization implicated of anti-LGBTQ practices.
Stay connected with TheNostalgistFilm for more updates.
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November 28, 2005
India's soyoil prices higher on strong demand
India's crude soyoil prices rose to Rs 35,200/tonne from Rs 34,800/tonne last week as there was a drop in supply while demand remained strong.
Daily arrivals of new crop soybean--which began a month ago--have peaked and there are fewer arrivals, traders said.
"Farmers have already sold a large part of their crop. Now, some of them are holding on their stocks to cash in on any sudden sharp price rise in the near term," said a trader in New Delhi.
Demand, meanwhile, has been picking up, as traders traditionally stock up on edible oils in the last eight to 10 days of each month.
In the next few weeks, prices may be range bound. While arrivals may drop even more, a lack of keen buying interest after traders finish stocking up edible oils is likely to prevent any significant price gains.
India's current soybean crops were harvested in September and October.


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It’s May the Fourth during the height of the pandemic. Most stores and restaurants have been shut down, providing only takeout for their customers. However, at the Token Game Tavern, Darth Vader and a detachment of stormtroopers deliver food straight to the customer’s car.
It might be a bit surprising to see a stormtrooper deliver you food, but that’s how Token Tavern decided to celebrate the “Star Wars” holiday of May the Fourth. These cosplayers were members of the 501st Legion, a world-renowned group of Star Wars cosplayers. During the lock down, some of its members had volunteered to help Token Game Tavern while it was shutdown.
Token Game Tavern isn’t your average bar. When its doors first opened in 2017, Token Game Tavern blended the social atmosphere of a bar with arcade machines and geeky posters.
“We wanted our bar to be all-inclusive, where people come here for their niche,” Courtney Barry, the owner of Token Game Tavern, said.
Token Game Tavern had become a haven for adults who embraced their inner geek. They have regularly hosted social events such as video game tournaments, movie release night parties and cosplay contests. However, this became impossible once COVID-19 came to Tennessee.
When businesses first started to reopen, Token Game Tavern held off at first before opening its doors. The priority at Token Game Tavern was safety, not only for their customers, but for the employees that work there as well.
If you visit the Tavern now, you’ll notice how the high tables were spread out, how the bar has been closed off with a clear plastic barrier and how arcade cabinets and pinball machines have been sequestered to their own corners.
Arcade machines can be rented to play for a certain amount of time and are sanitized before and after each customer plays with one. Customers and employees are required to wear masks while indoors. The bar undergoes a deep cleaning during each shift rotation. The Tavern now functions with half capacity, with guests being personally seated at their own tables. For the first time, the Tavern even has a wait list for when they hit capacity.
However, despite taking all the safety precautions they possibly could, Token Game Tavern, like many other small businesses now, are just barely scraping by.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that if you reopened after the lock down, you survived. That’s not true. The hard part that determines your survival is the next four to six months,” Barry said. “The only thing that is keeping the doors open is the loan money we have, and with each month we finish in the negative, the more it eats into that loan money.”
However, Barry has noted that she has seen a steady, positive trend of more customers coming to the Tavern. Some customers have confided in her that Token Game Tavern is the only public place they go out to because it’s the only one they feel safe at.
What has helped Token Game Tavern stay afloat is support from the community and those who have called the Tavern home.
“What sets us apart from other bars is our cosplay and themed nights,” Marya Barry, bartender and shift leader at Token Game Tavern, said. “We’re the one place where people don’t look at you weird when you’re dressed in full cosplay. It makes you feel welcomed.”
While Token Game Tavern is unable to hold its traditional events, they have found unique ways around the problem. When the Dragon Con event was cancelled in Atlanta, the Tavern decided to host their own event.
Staff and customers alike were encouraged to sport their favorite cosplay, and the Dragon Con online event was streamed to monitors all around the bar. Dragon Con night at Token Game Tavern was the most successful night for the bar since reopening.
“It is now more important than ever to support your local businesses,” Barry said. “Every dollar is crucial, but we also have to choose safety. At times, that challenges our survival as a business.”
The next time you find yourself feeling like getting a drink while getting your geek on, stop by the Token Game Tavern. Home to the geeks, gamers and cosplayers of Knoxville, it would be near impossible to find another place quite like it.


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This excerpt taken from the SPTN 8-K filed Oct 19, 2007.
Spartan Stores Appoints Dennis Eidson Company President
Supply Chain and New Business Development Report to Eidson
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN-October 19, 2007-Spartan Stores, Inc., (Nasdaq: SPTN) today announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Dennis Eidson as the Company President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Eidson has also been appointed as a Director on the Company's board and his term will expire at the Company's annual shareholders' meeting in 2010. The board has expanded to nine members, seven of which are independent. These appointments are effective Monday, October 22, 2007.
Mr. Eidson will continue to report directly to Mr. Craig Sturken, who continues his responsibilities as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As President and Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Eidson will lead the Company's overall strategy implementation and execution, and direct all operating aspects of both the retail and distribution business segments.
Under the new organizational structure, Mr. Derek Jones, Executive Vice President, Supply Chain will report to Mr. Eidson, while Mr. Tom Berg, Vice President, Business Development will report directly to Mr. Jones. Both positions previously reported directly to Mr. Sturken. Mr. Eidson's current direct reports are Mr. Ted Adornato, Executive Vice President, Retail Operations, Mr. Alan Hartline, Senior Vice President, Merchandising, Mr. Ken Thewes, Vice President, Marketing and Mr. Tom Montgomery, Manager, Retail Services. These positions will continue reporting directly to Mr. Eidson under the new structure.
"Our steady business expansion and continuing organizational growth during the past four years necessitated the change in our organizational structure and expansion of our board," stated Spartan's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Craig C. Sturken. We are extremely pleased to appoint Dennis to this position because of his exceptional leadership skills, collaborative management style and profound understanding of the grocery industry. Dennis has been instrumental in developing and implementing many of the critical marketing, merchandising, and category management practices that initially stabilized our business and have since led to a consistent record of revenue and earnings growth. In addition, these practices have enabled us to gain market share during a challenging economic climate and period of unprecedented competition in the grocery industry. Dennis has also played a key role in helping to turn Spartan Stores' corporate culture into a highly motivated and performance driven organization."
Dennis Eidson joined Spartan Stores in March 2003 as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising. In February, he was appointed to the newly created position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He has accumulated more than 36 years of grocery industry knowledge and experience. Prior to joining Spartan Stores, Eidson was Divisional President and Chief Executive Officer of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company's Midwest region, and Assistant General Manager for Nash Finch, Inc.'s Michigan Operations. He is a graduate of Michigan State University's Food Management program and has spent his entire career working in the Midwest region's grocery industry.
"The position of President and new reporting structure will allow us to better accommodate our continued growth," said Mr. Sturken. "Moreover, the changes will allow me to focus more effort on the most important long-term strategic growth aspects of our business plan and less on the daily operational execution. I have tremendous confidence in Dennis' leadership skills and we welcome him to our board and look forward to his contributions. His keen market insights along with the exceptional talents and dedication of our entire executive management team and associates are the greatest assets of our organization. Our business success has been built on the collective talents of our entire team and their outstanding skills will serve us well as our Company continues on its growth path."


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The new facility specialises in injection stretch blow moulding (ISPM), which according to the firm, is specialised technology that is not widely available.
This technology would allow the company to offer PET packaging that looks like glass with all the benefits of plastic. More importantly, it is a sustainable option that beauty brands can look into.
“We can replicate and mimic glass with the benefits of plastic in terms of not being breakable, being more durable, and recyclable. We can incorporate a high percentage of [post-consumer resin] into blow moulding, up to 100% if we want to,” said Samuel Xuereb, executive director of Toly Asia.
“We found a big demand for this type of packaging. Because first of all, it's a mono-material. It's one piece, you haven't got several different components, it's just one material, that can go straight into the existing recycling stream.”
He emphasised that this appetite for sustainably conscious packaging was a key driver behind this expansion.
“The market is obviously very hungry for this type of product and sustainability is definitely at the top of all that. Yes, there was a demand for these bottles even before the whole sustainability agenda came on stream, but for sure sustainability is the number one driver of all this.”
Aside from the demand for more environmentally conscious packaging, the company is offering this technology in Korea to keep up with the trend of localisation.
“What we see in the world right now is localisation and manufacturing where you are going to be selling. There seems to be a strong drive towards this at least from the major global brands,” said Xuereb.
Furthermore, the company has identified new opportunities in the domestic market, he said.
“The local Korean market is huge and for us is almost untapped. It’s a huge opportunity to open up and grow in the local market.”
At the same time, the focus on Korea could potentially offset the sluggishness in China caused by the lockdown in the first half of the year and the overall lack of consumer confidence in the market right now.
While China still remains one of the firm’s most important markets, it is expecting business to be slow for the next 12 months.
In addition to Korea, the company is also casting an eye toward new growth markets such as South East Asia.
“We see a lot of exciting opportunities in South East Asia, in countries like the Philippines for example where there are up-and-coming brands,” said Xuereb.
“We’re starting to work with brands we would have never considered in the past. They’re exciting because they are growing faster, they’re going for premium products, expensive formulas and they are spending on packaging. These are optimistic opportunities.”


text: News Burst: Six types of UK shopper online - report Summary: A report from British Market Research Bureau , published Monday, has identified six unique types of UK Internet shoppers. By Justin Pearse | October 12, 1999 -- 09:39 GMT (02:39 PDT) SHARE: SUBSCRIBE TO: Tech Industry TOPICS: Tech Industry 0 By Justin Pearse | October 12, 1999 -- 09:39 GMT (02:39 PDT) The 'Realistic Enthusiastic' user -- identified as the most prolific UK shopper -- believes "convenience" is the most important aspect of shopping online. Full story to follow Topic: Tech Industry Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.


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Honda's environmental focus
- Green initiatives take priority
- New Honda NSX supercar axed as a result
- Original NSX was developed by F1 champion Ayrton Senna
- Honda OSM concept for British show
- First drive: Honda Accord 2.4 i-VTEC
- Revealed: New Honda Jazz
- Honda Jazz hybrid on the way
- Honda Civic Hybrid updates
- Honda and Toyota's reputation greenest
- Honda cuts production
- Used cars: Honda Jazz
- Honda Accord diesel gets auto gearbox
- Honda Insight's fuel economy wizard
- Honda to shut plant for two months
- First drive: Honda Civic Type S 1.4 SE
- Production Honda Insight pictured
- Honda pulls out of Formula 1
Honda boss Takeo Fukui has announced the company will focus future developments on environmental initiatives – and the NSX supercar will be the first casualty of the new strategy.
Fukui said Honda must focus all its resources on hybrid technology, saying it was 'the most realistic path for CO2 reduction at this moment'.
He also announced that further development work on the Ferrari and Porsche-rivalling NSX would stop with immediate effect.
The V10-engined supercar would have been the most powerful production car that Honda had ever produced, and was due to go on sale in 2010.
The original NSX became a supercar icon after being developed by triple Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna.
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Endorsement of the LGBTQ movement by hiring diverse suppliers is a prominent theme in the most recent ESG report from Target, a reality which emerges as the brand faces backlash for controversial moves surrounding a recent “Pride Month” apparel collection.
Conservatives have launched a boycott effort against Target after the retail behemoth marketed a female swimsuit as “tuck-friendly” and with “extra crotch coverage,” as well as hired an artist who creates Satanic items to make various designs for the company. The company’s corporate sustainability report, which detailed the various efforts Target advances in order to ensure LGBTQ inclusion, boasted last year that the company sourced some 59% of items for “Pride Month” from “LGBTQIA+ creators and brands.” At least 51% of overall suppliers are “owned, controlled and operated by women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, veterans, or people with disabilities.”
“We build relationships with such suppliers through multiple national business groups, including the National Minority Supplier Development Council and National LGBT Chamber of Commerce,” Target continued in the report. “We also host onsite and virtual summits to introduce Target merchants and others to potential new, diverse partners.”
Target was also ranked fourth in a list of “Top Companies for LGBTQ Employees” by DiversityInc, a company which promotes workplace diversity with respect to race and sex.
Target indeed hired Erik Carnell, a self-identified transgender artist who runs the company Abprallen, to design three items for the “Pride Month” collection marketed by the retailer: a mini messenger bag with the slogan “We Belong Everywhere,” a tote bag with the phrase “Too Queer For Here,” and a sweatshirt emblazoned with “Cure Transphobia, Not Trans People.” The company later received massive backlash after a conservative activist revealed that the artist sells a number of items featuring the LGBTQ movement alongside imagery of Satan.
Other products featured on the artist’s website, which were not sold by Target, included a shirt with the phrase “Satan Respects Pronouns” and a design of a skeleton draped in rainbow colors that said “Trans Witches For Abortion.”
“Satanists don’t actually believe in Satan, he is merely used as a symbol of passion, pride, and liberty,” said the artist’s website, which now appears to be shuttered due to high demand. “He means to you what you need him to mean. So for me, Satan is hope, compassion, equality, and love. So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBT+ people.”
Target is one of countless prominent firms to endorse the environmental, social, and corporate governance movement, also known as ESG. Skeptics of the movement contend that the business philosophy emphasizes political and social causes, such as decreasing carbon emissions or diversifying company leadership, in a manner that distracts from profitability.
“I can see the benefits for our shareholders. I know that focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity has fueled much of our growth over the last nine years,” Target chief executive Brian Cornell said in a podcast interview days before the controversy broke. “It’s adding value, it’s helping us drive sales, it’s building greater engagement with both our teams and our guests, and those are just the right things for our business today.”
Anheuser-Busch, the company which owns Bud Light and has effectively become a cautionary tale for firms which adhere to the ESG movement, likewise seeks to maintain robust corporate sustainability scores. Sales for Bud Light and other brands have plummeted in recent weeks after the company nodded toward self-described transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.


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Recent reports revealed a data breach against Panasonic, a Japanese multinational corporation and electronics giant, that compromised their data stored on a file server as the unknown threat actors have managed to access their systems.
A press release by Panasonic confirmed that their network had been illegally accessed by unknown third-party threat actors last November 11, 2021. The threat actors managed to access their file server and networks according to their security team’s investigation about the incident. Nonetheless, the electronics giant added that they have immediately reached out to appropriate authorities to help them with the issue and have taken actions to prevent similar cases of cyberattacks against their company in the future.
The electronics giant sought the help of security teams to investigate the data breach incident and look for other data that could have been compromised during the intrusion, such as their customers’ and clients’ details.
Panasonic added that despite implementing their internal investigation, they decided to work with third-party cybersecurity specialists to further investigate the data breach and leak and verify if the incident has also compromised their clients’ sensitive information related to their social infrastructure.
From the press release, the electronics giant has also sent their sincerest apologies to their clients, customers, and affiliates that may have been involved and affected coming from the data breach incident.
Back in June 2021, Panasonic’s servers have also been hacked. Their recent press release did not include any details about the previous incident but some Japanese broadcasting firms, such as NHK and Mainichi, stated that the threat actors involved in it had accessed the servers of Panasonic between June and November.
The recent data breach attack was also said to have compromised customers’ and employees’ data before the electronics giant noticed being cyber attacked last November 11.
Based on observations of security experts, the attack against Panasonic could only be a part of a wider cyberattack series targeting Japanese firms and organisations. Other giant Japanese companies have also been attacked with data breaches and leaks, including Mitsubishi Electric, Kawasaki, NEC, and Kobe Steel and Pasco.


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We all know that QR codes are free to use, right?
So why are there groups out there claiming to own the patent for QR codes and that in using them, you are violating their patent?
No, we are not kidding. There are actually groups or individuals who apply for patents for QR codes as well as other commonly used technologies. What they do is that they use these low quality patents and sue anybody who “infringes” on them.
The lawsuits are often frivolous, but there are some who can get money from “offending” companies. Even if you do fight the lawsuit, it would mean wasting money on legal fees and staff time. Smaller companies who do not have patent lawyers on board simply settle to avoid the headaches.
All in all, patent threats often cost companies somewhere in the range of millions of dollars!
But retailers, business owners as well as tech companies are fighting back. In a letter to the Congress, a group of lobbying groups has asked that low quality patents should be invalidated and that the process of invalidation should be made easier. What is startling about the letter is that it is signed not only by high tech companies, but also by brick-and-mortar businesses. Yes, even low-tech companies such as chain restaurants, printers, airlines, casinos and supermarkets are calling for scrapping these low quality patents that enrich what they called patent trolls.
The group wants congress to strengthen the CBM program. CBM stands for covered business method. The CBM program generally makes it easier and less costly for companies to challenge patent threats. They also wanted technology vendors to intercede on behalf of their customers and forcing patent trolls who are defeated to pay for the defendant’s legal costs.
This is a good idea to stop patent trolls from suing small businesses for using a common technology such as the QR codes. It would protect legitimate businesses and put the scammers out to pasture.
More articles in this topic
Want to do something fun, exciting, meaningful and will go down in the history books in the next couple of days. Or perhaps, you are just as easily excited about QR Codes as we are. Either way, here is your chance to join a bunch of enthusiastic youth in making the world’s largest QR Code […]Read more
Talk about marketing and you will get differing opinions on what works and what is effective. We have seen a lot of success stories as far as marketing is concerned, and this one is no exception. Martell Noblige Cognac brought together different types of marketing to come up with its latest campaign. The theme for […]Read more
When it comes to the environment, we all have to pitch in. While it is best to minimize the amount of waste we produce, there is still garbage that we have to take care of. One of the best ways to dispose garbage is to segregate it. You can always sell recyclable materials such as […]Read more
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Google Android news and discussion.
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Near Field Communication (NFC) news, ideas, projects and technologies.
QR Code, Datamatrix and other two dimensional barcode news and analysis.
Tips, advices, how-to's and DIYs for the latest technologies.


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After Huawei was dethroned and left second place, Xiaomi and other top brands quickly filled the gap. At the moment, Xiaomi is the world’s third smartphone brand. For any other brand, this could be considered as a dream result. However, this is not what Xiaomi wants.
Number 1 Smartphone Brand In China
Yesterday, Lu Weibing, a partner of Xiaomi Group, the president of China and the international department, and the general manager of the Redmi brand, gave an interview. In the interview, he said that Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun had put a concrete goal in front of the team to become the number one smartphone brand in China in 3 years.
At the moment, according to the latest report for the third quarter o 2021, VIVO leads the Chinese market. It is followed by OPPO and Honor. Xiaomi has landed in the fourth position.
Gizchina News of the week
Lu Weibing said that China’s mobile phone market accounts for 70% of the offline market. So they can’t reach the top position without a strong offline layout. Therefore, Xiaomi’s new retail is based on 10,000 stores and will target 30,000 stores in the next three years. In other words, they are mainly focusing on the expansion of the sinking market.
Also, Xiaomi will not specifically target surpassing their rivals. But since Xiaomi’s goal is to be the first, they are going to outrun all competitors, including Apple.
How To Reach The Goal
The bar is high. So this smartphone brand must work hard to achieve it. It’ll be difficult to reach the goal. But Xiaomi believes only such goals drive value to their efforts.
Lu Weibing believes that Xiaomi’s offline purpose is to break the information asymmetry. Simply put, he thinks Xiaomi should allow users to buy the same product at a lower price. The difference between Xiaomi and its peers lies in the difference in philosophy and values.
By the way, recently Xiaomi opened its 10,000th store in Shenzhen. It has an upgraded version of Mi Home 4.0. The store area has reached 600 square meters. And this store emphasizes the scene-based experience. Xiaomi Home will open more large stores in the future. We guess Xiaomi follows this strategy because the Xiaomi Car is on the road.
Earlier, Lei Jun stated on the Xiaomi Investor Day that the current progress in car manufacturing has exceeded expectations. Xiaomi Motors is expected to be officially mass-produced in the first half of 2024. So the first Xiaomi car is around the corner.


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When it comes to fast cars, nothing overtakes Cara Bertoli's love of the Holden brand.
Ms Bertoli — who worked at Holden's Elizabeth plant for six years — said she had no desire to support the new Commodore, now made in Germany.
The ZB Commodore replaced the locally-made hero when Holden shut down local manufacturing a year ago.
"I didn't want to know anything about it, I hated the look of it, the thought of it … I just didn't want to know about it at all," she said.
But then a local car dealership persuaded her to take a test drive.
She liked it so much that once she'd recovered from her surprise, she bought one.
"I love it; it's the best decision I've made," she said.
And while she did not anticipate how much she would love the car, she could never have predicted the backlash from other car enthusiasts online.
Abuse on social media 'within seconds'
"I posted pictures of the car on some online pages and forums… within seconds the abuse started," Ms Bertoli said.
"I've had multiple people tell me to go kill myself over owning a ZB, I had people tell me to just drive it off a cliff, that was pretty hard, other than the names of being called gay, you're a poofter, fat dyke, you're this, you're that… it was pretty full on there for a bit.
"I'm not sure how I get to be a poofter and a fat dyke at the same time, but apparently it's possible, according to the wonderful world of social media."
While she concedes that she initially disliked the German-made car on principle, she did not realise the overall sentiment toward the brand.
"It's pretty harsh to tell someone to kill themselves just because you don't like their car," she said.
"It does feel a bit like I've bought a new Commodore, and now everyone on social media hates me… I have no idea who these people are — internet heroes, apparently."
Ms Bertoli noted that a male friend who lived interstate also copped some online abuse for purchasing one of the latest cars, though perhaps not as much as her.
"I don't know if the fact I'm a woman is playing a role in this," she said.
"Maybe it has, who knows?
"Maybe some people are just stupid."
A spokesman for Holden said bullying was "completely unacceptable".
'Tribe' has issue with untraditional Holden
Mike Sinclair — an editor for Carsales.com.au — wasn't surprised to see the vitriol.
"The best way I can describe it [is] that there is a tribe around the traditional Holden, the traditional Commodore with the V8 and rear-wheel drive." Mr Sinclair said.
"We see it on the racetrack, we see it in enthusiasts' groups. The ZB Commodore is not a car of that ilk, it's a very different car and this tribal group really have had issues with moving on as Holden has moved on.
"There's nothing wrong with the new Commodore at all, it's a refined and economical car for its size."
He expected Holden to find life as a car importer difficult for some time to come.
"Holden has been in a world of pain in lots of ways," Mr Sinclair said.
"Not only in terms of how many car's its selling, but in their relationship to the marketplace, in their relationship with their fans, and with …their employees and their dealer body.
"It's not resonated with fans from the past and, by the same token, new buyers aren't looking to buy a Commodore… they are not shopping in the large sedan market."
Other brands have also faced backlash
Holden is certainly not on its lonesome when it comes to experiencing a consumer backlash after going offshore.
Rosella for a time was foreign-owned, and indicated that during that time it represented a "decline" in the brand.
Dairy brand Bega bought Vegemite back into local hands after it was sold to US company Mondelez International.
Ms Bertoli pointed out that Holden had come full circle — her car was built by Opel in Germany; the first Commodore of 1978 was based on an Opel design.
Even the name, Commodore, came from Opel.
Still, the facts rarely matter to critics.
Ms Bertoli's friends describe her as a strong person — certainly she's not one to feel sorry for herself.
The one thing Ms Bertoli would like to say is unprintable, and besides, she thinks the best revenge is to live a happy life.
"Just look at that car — it's awesome," she cooed.


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Two industry publications: The Red Herring, Inc. and the edgy newsletter, TechDirt.com will provide an exciting "future oriented" evening about the International mobile landscape. Joel Dreyfuss, editor-in-chief of Red Herring Inc., and Michael Masnick, founder of Techdirt, will present their vision of the mobile/wireless industry for the future. Just connecting to the network is no longer enough. In today's chaotic, interconnected environment, success requires the ability to identify key relationships. New industry ecosystems are developing, while new forms of innovation emerge on top of connected platforms.
In this session, we will examine how entrepreneurs, mobile operators, investors, and other companies are evolving to take advantage of this complexity.
No charge for SDForum Members, $15.00 for non-members.
Official Website: http://www.sdforum.org/SDForum/Templates/CalendarEvent.aspx?CID=1941+
Added by FullCalendar on May 22, 2006


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