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Trying to keep track of the flood of predictions regarding the Internet of Things (IoT) that are constantly grabbing headlines can get a little harrowing. That's because most of the figures being discussed are massive, which paints a pretty daunting picture for network operators who, at first glance, might imagine their existing architectures are all but doomed when facing such a huge influx of new tech.
For instance, it's been predicted that the number of devices coming online in the years to come will balloon from 8.4 billion in 2017 to as much as 20.4 billion in just the next three years. However, while these numbers appear alarming, the impact such a wild jump in the number of connected devices will have on wireless networks may not be entirely unmanageable.
Much of this can be attributed to the emergence of narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), which is a wireless standard for IoT devices that leverages cellular telecommunication bands and LTE infrastructure.
This standard has been designed with low-power devices in mind. NB-IoT technology will be prolific, but for each device to have the long battery life that users demand, there will need to be a tradeoff in terms of the amount of data exchanged between devices and each device's coverage area. Because each “thing” isn't meant to transfer a lot of data — just a few packets a day, hour or week — and the coverage range is relatively small, the traffic impact that billions of new NB-IoT devices will have on existing wireless bands won't be overly burdensome.
With this in mind, operators will be able to launch NB-IoT on the same spectrum that they already manage for connected devices like smartphones, tablets and other legacy products. This will allow operators to deliver new types of services to existing customers without having to purchase additional spectrum right out of the gate. Managing NB-IoT is therefore a major potential value add that can be considered when negotiating future-facing SLAs with existing and new customers, helping operators enhance their revenue streams and stay competitive.
All of this forces operators to plan for NB-IoT but alongside their larger network — not separately — to ensure the quality of both the NB-IoT and LTE services is maintained for all devices sharing the same spectrum, regardless of whether they are IoT or mobile broadband. The deluge of new IoT devices will therefore not create a massive resources crunch or crisis because planning, assurance and testing won't be split between IoT and traditional network architectures. In the same vein, the power needed to transmit data isn't going to be overwhelmed, which is a particular boon to enterprise or industrial network users that will rely heavily on their IoT devices being unattended and “always on.”
We've been talking about IoT for some time, and are ready to help operators reach new customers and enhance their service offerings with the help of our advanced suite of network planning and optimization solutions. Read more about how mobile network operators can plan for IoT alongside their existing network services to grow their value in the years to come.


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Headline: Temu’s Meteoric Rise: A New Challenger Emerges in the E-Commerce Arena
Subheadline: As Temu approaches Amazon’s user base, what does this mean for the future of online shopping and market competition?
The e-commerce landscape is witnessing a seismic shift as Temu, a newcomer in the discount retail app space, amasses a staggering 51 million monthly active users in the US within a year, encroaching on Amazon’s hard-earned user base of 67 million. This article will explore how Temu’s aggressive marketing, cheap product offerings, and unique shopping experience are reshaping the online retail industry.
Temu’s rapid growth is not just impressive; it’s unprecedented. With a strategy that mirrors the early days of its parent company, PINDUODUO, in China, Temu is leveraging the allure of low-cost goods and an engaging, gamified shopping experience to captivate a global audience. The implications of this growth are far-reaching, affecting consumers, competitors, and the e-commerce market as a whole.
The significance of Temu’s expansion cannot be overstated. In 2023 alone, the company splurged $1.7 billion on advertising, with projections to nearly double that spend in 2024. This financial muscle, backed by PDD’s billions in revenue, has allowed Temu to not only gain visibility but also to potentially disrupt the digital advertising economy, raising costs for all players in the space.
Temu’s core strategy is simple yet effective: connect consumers directly with factories and wholesalers, thereby eliminating the middleman and offering rock-bottom prices. This approach has resonated with consumers, as evidenced by the app’s 161 million global users and an estimated $17 billion in goods sold in 2023. Such numbers have even allowed PDD to momentarily eclipse Alibaba as China’s top e-commerce company by market value.
Critics argue that Temu’s business model, which some suggest involves selling at a loss to gain market share, is not sustainable. However, Temu refutes this, claiming efficiency in its operations. Despite this, concerns about product quality, data security, and ethical labor practices persist, drawing the attention of both consumers and U.S. legislators.
For the average reader, Temu’s rise is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it promises cheaper goods and a novel shopping experience; on the other, it raises questions about the long-term implications for consumer protection and market health. For society at large, Temu’s ascent is a case study in how technology and globalization are rapidly transforming traditional business models and consumer habits.
In summary, Temu’s explosive growth is a testament to the changing tides in e-commerce. It underscores the power of aggressive marketing, the appeal of low prices, and the importance of a distinctive user experience. As the company continues to expand, it challenges established players to innovate or risk obsolescence.
In conclusion, while Temu’s future remains uncertain, its impact on the e-commerce landscape is undeniable. As it stands, Temu is not just a retailer to watch but a harbinger of the evolving dynamics of global commerce. Whether it will sustain its growth or succumb to the pressures of the market is a story yet to unfold, but one thing is clear: the e-commerce game has a new player, and it’s changing the rules.

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In 2017, an estimated one-third of all U.S. homes cost more than $100,000, and a third of all American households are in debt.
To make matters worse, the majority of homeowners can’t afford the $1,000-$2,000 for a new home or the $2,700-$4,000 needed for a down payment.
That’s why, according to a new report, you may need to invest in building materials to make the purchase even more affordable.
The cost of materials and materials labor in 2017 was $6.3 trillion, according a 2017 report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies.
The study found that the cost for a typical home went up by $2.8 trillion, or $5,845 per household.
If you’re looking to save money on the purchase of your first home, a new house or even a second home, these numbers are not surprising.
But these numbers also aren’t necessarily bad.
According to the Joint Centre for Housing, the average home is now over $2 million, and the average house price is $1.4 million.
If these costs are factored into the equation, the cost to buy a home has dropped by $150,000 in the past decade, according the report.
But if you’re thinking that a home isn’t actually worth $2 Million, the reality is much, much worse.
According the study, the price of a home could be up to $30,000 lower with the right materials.
In fact, the study estimates that the average new home costs $1 million less with the correct materials.
What materials are the most expensive to buy?
The most expensive materials to buy are the materials used to build a home.
In the U.K., where we’re living, it’s almost unheard of for a home to be built without a wood stove or a cement mixer.
These items cost about $6,000 per stove, and $12,000 to $20,000 with a cement-based mixer.
The costs for these items aren’t particularly low when you consider that the new home is built on top of old homes.
The new home will likely be built on the same foundation as the old home.
This means that, even with a new stove and cement mixer, the old house will likely cost more to maintain than the new house.
When you think about the fact that new houses aren’t usually built on foundation, this means that if you want to save $200 or $300 on your new home, you’d have to put $600 on a new cement mixer instead.
You also have to consider the costs of materials.
A new house usually comes with a number of materials including wood, concrete, brick, metal, and glass.
It’s likely that the materials cost will also increase as time goes on.
You can save $2 on materials for a basement or $3 on materials in the attic.
The other most expensive item to buy is the flooring.
You’ll find flooring at almost every home in the U, and there are more flooring options than you might think.
According a 2016 report from the Joint Commission on Cost of Living, there are 2,836,000 types of flooring available, with an average of 8,000 different styles.
If a new flooring has a price tag of $5 or less, it means that the floor is actually $3 or less.
If your floor is going to be $6 to $10 more expensive, it could be because you’re getting more expensive materials than you think.
And that’s why the most cost-effective materials are probably the ones you can find in your local store.
The second most expensive material to buy in 2017 is a flooring tile.
The Joint Commission found that tile costs $3 to $4 for a square foot of tile.
If that tile was purchased at a store in a lower-priced area, it might cost $1 to $2 more.
The third most expensive flooring item is flooring in the basement.
There are many different types of floors that you can purchase in the house, and they range from a standard wooden flooring to a wood flooring, stone floors, and concrete floors.
The last most expensive type of floor to buy comes in the form of concrete floors and concrete slabs.
They cost between $4 and $6 per square foot.
But it’s important to note that not all materials are created equal.
For example, the material used to make your new floor is very different than the materials that are used in the existing home.
According To The Joint Center, the most important factors that determine whether a floor is “good” or “bad” are whether it is used in a house with existing materials or new materials, and whether the floor has been properly constructed and installed.
The good materials are those that will last.
The bad materials are materials that will cause the


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- 8 May 2019
- Transport / Logistics Services
Logistics startup and digital freight platform Saloodo! is expanding into the UAE following its successful launch in Europe two years ago. The Deutsche Post DHL subsidiary plans to expand throughout the Middle East from there.
While available to shippers, dispatchers and carriers in Europe, it is now available to users in the Gulf region for domestic transport and international freight.
Thomas Grunau, CEO of Saloodo! in Europe, believes the time is right for expansion: “Saloodo!’s success on the German and European market has demonstrated the benefits of a digital solution. It allows shippers and transport providers to find each other more easily, and makes road freight processes more transparent and efficient. Especially given the strong growth of the logistics market in the Middle East, we feel this is just the right place to begin offering our solution beyond the EU and develop it further.”
For Tobias Maier, CEO of Saloodo! MEA, the company’s systematic digitalization strategy is key to the success of the platform in the Middle East: “Even though the UAE is one of the largest logistics markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), there remain untapped opportunities given the economic diversification and several road infrastructure investments underway. Equally, DHL’s deep expertise in the region and wide portfolio of service offerings will support the successful deployment of Saloodo! in the UAE, and ultimately in the Gulf region.”


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Mobile marketing, analytics and email marketing will also be heavily invested in
The next three to five years will see a surge of investment by CMOs In technology, according to a new report from The Economist,
More than 80 percent of marketers plan on using technology to engage customers over the next five years – and it’s social marketing where they’re going to invest most heavily.
Interestingly, only 30 percent of the survey’s respondents said that they “strongly agree” with the statement that they are currently using technology to engage customers.
It’s a statistic that CMOs seem determined to change, however. Marketo CMO Sanjay Dholakia said in a statement that “over the next three to five years, marketers are realising they must invest in technology and increase their skills in digital marketing if they are going to be successful in shaping and setting the strategy of their companies.”
While marketing operations and technology topped the charts as the area where marketing executives felt they needed to develop skills, customer experience, advertising and branding, and creative and graphic arts brought up the rear with the least interest.
How much do you know about the world’s technology leaders? Take our quiz here!


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StealthEX, an escrow cryptocurrency exchange, announced the listing of a complete Shiba Inu trio: SHIB, LEASH and BONE.
StealthEX is a cryptocurrency exchange used for endless swap, with more than 600 listed crypto assets. Import SHIB triecta SHIB, LEASH and BONE into the encouraged assets page, and users can exchange these assets for 600 other cryptocurrencies encouraged by the platform.
In the past week, the dynamic password BONE of Shiba Inu ecosystem renovation was released on StealthEX. In June, StealthEX announced on its software that LEASH, the hound killer, was applicable.
At present, Shiba Inu can buy and sell transactions from many well-known cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, Coinbase and Gemini. This year's listing is very attractive. The stockbroker used Robin Hood to list the meme cryptocurrency in April, which made SHIB fans very happy.
Similarly, a few crypto exchanges have listed SHIB in triple transactions. It is reported that FCF Pay, the crypto payment system of the company's headquarters in Canada, published a complete list of Shiba Inu Trifecta: SHIB, BONE and LEASH.
According to the data information of CoinGecko, with the decline of cryptocurrency at this stage, SHIB fell by 11%, offsetting the monthly summary rise of the currency in the past 24 hours. By the time of submission, SHIB had changed hands at a price of about US $0.00000975.
Although the price has dropped, SHIB's daily trading volume has increased by 43.16% to US $669 million in the past 24 hours.


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by Sam Hieb
The Heritage Foundation has released a case study of North Carolina’s trade policy, focusing on the state’s congressional delegation.
Someone we all know and love jumps out right from the start:
North Carolina has a long and honorable record of support for open markets, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of jobs for its citizens. But more recently, when it comes to significant trade policy, North Carolina’s congressional delegation seems to be rejecting that heritage. Last year, all but one member of the state’s congressional delegation voted against the U.S.–South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). In explaining his “no” vote, Representative Howard Coble (R) said the following:
When I was first elected, my bread-and-butter issues were tobacco, furniture and textiles. Well, all three are beleaguered now. I had to vote “no” because my textile folks were opposed to it. My mama was a textile worker. So when I talk about textile legislation, I’m thinking about my mama. And the textile people have been mighty good to me.
All politics, it is often said, is local, so Coble’s decision may seem like the right one for one group of workers. Yet many more of his constituents will benefit from the increased opportunities that greater openness to trade and investment will create.
Sens. Kay Hagan and Richard Burr split ’50/50′ on three recent trade agreements, with Burr casting the supporting votes.


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Japan’s ambassador to Cairo Masaki Noki praised the fruitful cooperation between Japan and Egypt in many projects, especially in the field of education, referring to the visit of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Tokyo, where he agreed with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the Japanese-Egyptian education initiative. Noki expressed this praise at a press conference held by Noki on Monday at the Japanese Embassy in Cairo, anticipating the G20 summit scheduled to be held next week.
Noki said the two countries enjoy a long friendship and that ties were further strengthened by Abe’s visit to Egypt in 2015 followed by the visit of Sisi to Tokyo in 2016.
He expects bilateral relations to witness a qualitative leap this year, especially with Sisi attending the G20 summit and the TICAD summit in August.
The G20 summit focuses on the global economy, while the TICAD focuses on the African continent. TICAD will be attended by Sisi as President of the African Union. He pointed out that the G20 summit has been held every year since the 2008 start of the global financial crisis.
The summit focuses on the quality of economic growth, the achievement of equality between rich and poor, gender equality and the growth of some societies, Noki said.
Tokyo wants to discuss four axes: trade, digital economy, innovation and the preservation of free trade in the world, he said, adding that the most important challenge facing the G20 is restoring confidence in the world trade system, pointing out that tension between the countries of the world has begun to impact global trade growth.
Setting standards that control the digital economy leads the world to share the benefits of this economy, especially as digital technology has caused a major change in the global economic system, he said. The summit will discuss issues of global health, plastic waste in the oceans and equality.
The ambassador noted that Sisi’s participation is very important because Egypt is a pioneering country in Africa.
Global awareness has grown regarding developing countries that have great opportunities for growth, especially with the stagnation of growth in developed countries, he mentioned.
Africa is particularly important for promoting global economic growth, and there will be some bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the two summits between Egypt and Japan to push forward relations, Noki added.
Japanese tourists to Egypt were recorded at 42,000 last year, a number that is expected to increase this year, he said, adding that in July there will be flights between Cairo and Tokyo twice a week.
The Grand Egyptian Museum represents a symbol of friendship between the two countries because of an exceptional Japanese loan of about US$800 million, Noki said.
Japanese experts continue to cooperate with Egypt in the restoration and preservation of antiquities, he said.
Japanese investments in Egypt increased to US$162 million in 2017, he said, adding that the TICAD Summit represents an opportunity for Egypt to increase foreign investment.
He stressed the need for a clear and decisive policy by the Egyptian government to facilitate the work of Japanese car manufacturers, adding that the total volume of trade between the two countries amounted to US$1.4 billion in 2017/2018, up 26 percent compared to 2016.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm


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Pryme Radio introduces bluetooth adapter for use with portable radios
Pryme Radio Products presented its new Bluetooth adapter that is designed to be used with EF Johnson, HYT and Motorola portable radios at the recent IWCE 2010 in Las Vegas. The adapter is more rugged than the Bluetooth devices that can be purchased in the retail sector, said David George, Pryme’s president.
“We set out to design from scratch our own Bluetooth adapter and not buy one from a foreign manufacturer, because we felt we needed to make it more robust than our type of business than a consumer-type device,” he said.
The decision to design the device in-house was an easy one to make for another reason, according to George.
“We make a lot of accessories for two-way radios, mostly audio accessories — microphones, headsets, surveillance kits and all that kind of stuff — and we spend a lot of money on design and tooling to make connectors for all of these odd-ball radios,” he said. “So we just try to make more things out of that investment. Creating a Bluetooth module that will fit into a connector body that we already have is very logical for us to do.”
Read the entire story from Urgent Communications, our sister publication.


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TikTok is home to some of the biggest trends on the internet—here are four TikTok hashtags that trended this month…
#Prom (9.1B Views)
It’s officially prom season for Gen Z, so naturally, they’re taking to TikTok to talk prom dresses, promposals, and more. Gen Z TikTokers are giving viewers a look at their prom dress shopping experience, which is the most popular type of content circulating via #Prom. GWRM videos are also dominating as TikTokers share their prom process, like getting their nails, hair, and makeup done. Building on the GWRM theme, TikTokers are channeling their inner High School Musical 3 energy by recreating the iconic “A Night to Remember” prom scene from the movie, documenting everything from the getting ready process to showing up to the event with their friends. Prom is the event of the spring season for high school students, so you can expect more #Prom content to circulate TikTok through the end of the school year.
#EarthDay (5.5B Views)
April marks Earth Month, and TikTokers have been sharing how they’re making sustainable swaps to protect the environment while educating their peers on how to become more #ecofriendly—and how being an environmentalist isn’t about perfection. Some of the most-viewed clips are from food creators who are sharing no-waste cooking hacks. Brands have also been sharing Earth Day education via the tag by offering up sustainable hacks and reusable products to help viewers reduce their reliance on one-time use items. #Sustainability and #SustainableBeauty have also been trending all month long and are filled with tips like how to start one’s sustainability journey, sustainable beauty products to switch to, and how to make more eco-friendly fashion choices. YPulse’s sustainability research shows Gen Z and Millennials are anxious about climate change, and they’re taking action to help the environment by buying reusable products and using their voice to enact change.
#TravelTikTok (6.6B Views)
Speaking of Earth Day, young TikTokers are also showing their love for Mother Nature by broadcasting their dreamy travel experiences. TikTokers are vlogging about their trips (while making everyone jealous along the way), offering up travel hacks, posting unbeatable views of where they’re staying, and all together romanticizing every minute of their vacay as they soak up some much-needed getaway time. We told you about the highly anticipated travel boom of 2021, which didn’t exactly come to fruition for wanderlust-filled young consumers thanks to COVID-19 variants. Now, young people are sharing their bucket list vacations via TikTok as they approach travel with more certainty this spring and summer.
#ProjectBroadway (123M views)
This month, TikTok debuted its first-ever musical, For You Paige, which was inspired by the platform’s musical creators who have made their own musicals via TikTok (like The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical and Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical). #ProjectBroadway documents behind-the-scenes moments from For You Paige’s creators and cast, taking viewers on a journey of how a TikTok musical is created. Daniel Mertzlufft (@danieljmertzlufft), the creative force behind Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, has been sharing updates via TikTok while calling on fans to offer their inspiration for what they think should be included in For You Paige since the musical is inspired by the platform’s real life creators. With that in mind, TikTok called on creators to write songs for the musical and artists took to the platform to offer up first listens of what they’ve been working on to entice fans. YPulse’s Pop Culture Redefined trend research shows a viral social media video is the top pop culture moment Gen Z and Millennials say their generations care about. And considering the massive popularity of previous user-created musicals, TikTok’s backing of For You Paige shows once again the power of content creators and musical theater on the app.


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SEEN & NOTED: NEW YORK, NY — National Retail Federation Convention (NRF) — Intel has had a large booth at the National Retail Federation Convention that they have used to introduce interactive retailing concepts for the last couple of years. Intel has tweaked some of last years ideas and added a few new prototypes to the mix.
One of their new prototypes is by a collaboration with Inwindow Outdoor, an interactive digital out-of-home advertising company that has developed streel-level storefront interactive advertising campaigns for American Express, HBO, Ford, HP, Microsoft and NBC. The Intel/Inwindow Outdoor prototype is called the “Experience Stations” and it's capable of interacting with users in several ways. The prototype incorporates a large-format 70-inch touchscreen displays that responds to multi-touch inputs. They have also added near field communication (NFC) capability for two-way transactions with mobile devices; and there's a 3D cameras that enables users to interact with the system using gesture-based input.
When users approach the screen, the system's cameras use Intel's real-time analytics software (Intel AIM Suite) which determines their gender and age and then plays targeted advertising based on the audience demographic. The Experience Stations has the ability to measure audience count, impressions, level of engagement and dwell time which can help advertisers quantify the effectiveness of their ads running on the system. The Experience Station can also enable users to take and send pictures, download coupons to their phone using NFC, connect to social media sites, check the weather, and look up information. The prototype is housed in a massive form factor to accommodate the 70-inch screen and includes a shelf area below the screen that could be used for product display and branding. The depth is approximately 2.5 feet, about the same depth as your average vending machine.


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Auto Industry News
Elegance And Efficiency Converge In GM's Los Angeles Auto Show Lineup
LOS ANGELES – The General Motors portfolio at the Los Angeles Auto Show continues the company’s ongoing and dramatic product resurgence, with a focus on cars and SUVs that feature sophisticated, globally inspired designs as well as advanced, fuel-saving technologies.
The show will feature all-new entries by Buick, GMC and Saturn – including two of the four hybrid models GM will launch in calendar year 2007, as well as a resurrection of Cadillac’s Platinum Series and special-edition Saab models that commemorate the vehicle brand’s 60 th anniversary. Chevrolet will highlight two hydrogen fuel cell models – the Sequel and the
Equinox Fuel Cell – that provide show goers with a glimpse of clean, petroleum-free transportation.
“We always look forward to the L.A. Auto Show because Los Angeles is such an important market for trend-setting cars and trucks,” said GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, who
will kick off media days as the keynote speaker at the Motor Press Guild breakfast. “Besides launching a number of exciting new production cars, trucks and crossovers, we’ll also demonstrate our commitment to addressing fuel economy and environmental concerns with several very important advanced technology vehicles.”
According to the recently issued 2007 EPA Fuel Economy Guide, GM leads the industry with more vehicles that achieve an EPA-estimated 30 mpg or more on the highway. For the 2007 model year, GM offers 23 such vehicles, up from 14 in 2006.
Here are the specific models that GM will highlight in L.A. :
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit , GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM operates one of the world’s leading finance companies, GMAC Financial Services, which offers automotive, residential and commercial financing and insurance. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.


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Economic Reconnaissance | Mixed Reviews for 2024’s Economy
There is always something happening in the economy guaranteed to make a fool of economists. After all, the only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable. Most of last year the predictions were some version of gloom and doom and every quarter there was further evidence of growth (5.2% in Q3 and around 2.4% for Q4). Now there is debate over what to expect in 2024. There are those that are calling for a shallow recession in the first half of the year (-0.9% in Q1 and -0.7% in Q2). On the other hand, there are those that see decent growth in the first half of the year but a slower end to 2024. The Armada models seem to be favoring that latter interpretation.
There have been four drivers of growth over the last few quarters. These have been responsible for the performance in Q3 and Q4 of last year and seem to be factors now as well. The fear is that two of the four are already showing signs of retreat and the other two will be facing some challenges as well. These are also significant as drivers for the construction business. The first is consumer spending, it has been performing well above the twenty-year trend line despite the fact consumer debt is sitting at record levels ($7 trillion in credit card debt and $20 trillion in overall debt). The latest retail numbers were far better than expected with a reading of .63 compared to .15 in November. At the moment the bottom third of income earners are living paycheck to paycheck and the middle third is starting to feel the pinch as well with 55% living paycheck to paycheck but the upper third is still spending aggressively. The crucial factor for consumer spending is employment. As long as people feel secure in their employment they will continue to spend and access credit. With the jobless rate still at 3.7% there is not a lot of employment angst.
The second driver has been non-residential construction. It has been growing for several years now but the industry is starting to worry about the pipeline in 2024. Many of the large projects that drove growth have been completed and there have been few new ones undertaken. There is one major factor on the horizon and it relates to the third driver for the economy – government spending. The money that flowed out of the government to cope with the pandemic has been dispersed but two years ago there was a surge in allocating money for infrastructure with the CHIPS act, Inflation Reduction Act and others. This money is now starting to flow as the states and communities have been kicking in their share. This will be a major motivator for non-residential as long as these projects are linked to infrastructure. There is still not much movement in office development or retail but medical development is making a comeback and the logistics business remains strong. There is also significant growth in the manufacturing sector as there is still interest in reshoring with further investment in robotics and technology.
The final piece of the growth equation is the one that has been fading fast. The supply chain chaos of the last few years convinced many that the JIT system was broken and that inventory hold was necessary. There has been a dramatic increase in inventory accumulation as businesses no longer trusted the ability to get product when they needed it. That inventory build drove Q3 expansion. Now these inventories are flushed out and the re-order cycle has been thrown off. Business will be seeking to reduce the inventory build and may not need much replenishing until later in the year.
The fact is that factors such as a reduction in interest rates by mid-summer can alter these assessments. There can also be negative factors playing a role – surge in joblessness, higher priced commodities, further trade tensions and maybe even a reaction to the political situation in the US.


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These sorts of trendy cars, like the Toyota Matrix, the Honda Element and three varieties of Toyota's Scions, were designed and marketed expressly for 20-somethings. But the people at the wheel often look more like Ozzie and Harriet than like the serially pierced offspring of Ozzy Osbourne.
For a variety of reasons, manufacturers of youth-oriented cars are missing their targets. "The original anticipated median age of the Matrix driver was 28.8, but it's actually 42.7," said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, a consulting firm in Bandon, Ore., that tracks auto industry trends. "And Element drivers are at 44.7 instead of the anticipated 28.6." Read more (NY Times)


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The Kris Fade Show talks to James Valentine, a member of the huge band MAROON 5, to announce on air today that the band is returning to Dubai!!
James Valentine talks to us about Maroon 5's future music, collaborations, and Cardi B!! Check out the full interview below!
Don't forget to register NOWW!! Which means you’ll get the ticketing link before anyone else More details to come. Keep it to your official M5 station – Virgin Radio.
We are all very excited and we can't wait!
All you have to do is Pick The Hits to win a AED 3000 shopping voucher to Al Wahda Mall courtesy of Retail Abu Dhabi 😍
Listen in to Maz chatting with her guests over a cup of tea with no questions off limits!
The latest Entertainment and UAE News from the ARN News Centre, powered by Etihad Airways
The Arabian Radio Network has launched a brand new initiative and it's really simple: take your rubbish home.


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Intermedia has restructured and will significantly expand its sales organization and partner support team, the Mountain View, Calif.-based cloud business applications provider announced today.
The moves are part of an aggressive effort to double the company’s revenue from just over $200 million today to some $400 million within the next 4 years, according to Eric Martorano, Intermedia’s senior vice president of worldwide sales.
“In order to do that we believe we have to continue to be a channel-first company and put an organization and leadership team together to help our partners succeed,” he says.
Martorano adds that the decision to make partners the focal point of Intermedia’s growth initiative this year came straight from company CEO Michael Gold.
“We’re all in for the channel,” Martorano asserts, noting that the company is backing that strategy with significant investments in new people and tools.
“We’re talking millions of dollars,” he says. “I’m increasing my sales organization by close to 70 percent over the next 12 months just to support our channel.”
The new sales structure disclosed today revolves around†five “centers of excellence”: Partner management, sales enablement and engineering, sales operations, business development, and customer management.
The partner management team will include the direct and phone-based inside resources Intermedia has historically used to support its partners, as well as a new team of outside reps under the leadership of Eric Roach, the company’s recently hired global vice president of field channel sales and distribution.
Roach’s managers will work with Intermedia’s top partners, as reflected in their commitment to co-marketing and demonstrated sales growth. Each field rep will cover approximately 30 accounts.
An even smaller set of the largest and most productive partners will be managed by a new team led by director of partner development Corey Nagel, another recent addition to the sales organization.
Martorano is significantly staffing up Intermedia’s inside partner management force as well to ensure that all of the company’s resellers get more help and attention. When that effort is complete, the ratio of partners to inside account reps will stand at about 100 to 1, versus today’s 500 to 1.
Intermedia is augmenting its sales enablement team too. The company currently has 2 technical sales engineers to assist partners with opportunities, but plans to raise that number to more than 10. It’s also developing a partner concierge desk to provide on-demand answers to sales-related questions and a squad of trainers who will perform webinars and live events.
“We’ll be putting on a significant amount of channel readiness activity over the next 12 months,” Martorano says.
The sales operations center of excellence will assist the partner management and sales enablement units with business planning, compensation programs, incentives, tools, and more.
“We want to make sure that we have the infrastructure in place to support the growth we want,” Martorano explains.
New and enhanced product offerings will be a major focus in 2017 as well for Intermedia, especially in the security and cloud PBX markets.
“There’s in our opinion a significant amount of voice opportunity out there,” says Martorano, adding that his sales enablement team is tasked with helping partners understand and pursue that business.
New Office 365 solutions are also on the way this year. Those will be designed to help partners boost the revenue and profitability associated with sales of Microsoft’s online collaboration and productivity suite by supplementing base implementations with additional capabilities and services.
“There’s not much profitability in just a resell model anymore,” Martorano observes. “You have to continue to add value to the customer and extend that technology beyond just this vanilla offering.”
Intermedia rolled out an earlier series of new Office 365 solutions last October.
Martorano is thoroughly familiar with both Office 365 and partner profitability. Prior to joining Intermedia last September, he was general manager of U.S. partner sales at Microsoft.
Both Roach and Nagel are Microsoft veterans as well, as is director of distribution and strategic communities Bob Neal, another new member of Martorano’s leadership team.


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Back in 2015, Google announced that it was restructuring its company into multiple parts, with a new giant company called Alphabet to oversee all of Google's various businesses. The reasoning behind the move was to essentially separate out some of Google's "Other Bets" projects into their own entities, so that they would be valued separately from the core Google business. Today, Alphabet is finally wrapping up the reorg with the invention of a new company, called XXVI Holdings Inc.
XXVI Holdings will be the umbrella encompassing those aforementioned "Other Bets" projects, which include Waymo, which comes up with self-driving tech, and Verily, which specializes in digital health and medical devices. Google, on the other hand, is changing from a corporation to an LLC, because it's now part of a holding company instead of a listed public company. As a reminder, Google is still home to the business's bread-and-butter units like Gmail, search and YouTube.
Despite the changes though, it's really just a formality. "We're updating our corporate structure to implement the changes we announced with the creation of Alphabet in 2015," said Gina Weakley Johnson, an Alphabet spokesperson. It won't affect shareholder control, operations, or management.
As for why it's called XXVI? Well, it's 26 -- the number of letters in the alphabet -- in Roman numerals.


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Sprint to Make Most Devices Unlockable By Feb 2015
Sprint recently indicated via its support site that it will devise a way to unlock its phones by February 2015. According to Sprint, none of the SIM-equipped phones it has sold during the past three years - including Apple's iPhones - can be unlocked for use on competing networks. The company said it will unlock the SIM card slot of devices that have one, but this will only apply to devices launched after February 2015. Sprint said phones purchased through its subsidiaries Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Assurance Wireless will not be compatible with Sprint's network, even if unlocked. Further, customers need to meet certain criteria in order to be given the unlock code. For example, the phone must be paid for and no longer attached to a contract. The change in Sprint's policy is a voluntary action, though the Federal Communications Commission threatened all network operators with regulation if they failed to act on their own. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless all have to implement their own unlocking policies, too, but have yet to announce the details thereof.
Review: LG Tribute Dynasty for Boost Mobile
LG's Tribute Dynasty is a sub-$100 handset sold by Boost Mobile and Sprint. This low-cost Android handset features a simple design, average build, and entry-level capabilities.
Virgin Mobile to Sell iPhone X Starting November 10
Virgin Mobile USA today said it will offer customers the Apple iPhone X starting November 10. The company will accept preorders beginning November 3, which happens to be the same day the handset reaches Apple retail stores and those of Virgin's owner, Sprint.
Unlocked Blu S1 Compatible with Most U.S. Carriers
Blu Products recently announced the S1, an inexpensive Android smartphone that's available unlocked from Amazon.com and BestBuy.com. One of the chief benefits of the S1 is its wide compatibility with U.S.
LG Tribute Dynasty Lands at Boost Mobile Stores
Boost Mobile recently added the LG Tribute Dynasty to its lineup of affordable Android smartphones. This device includes a 5-inch HD display and is powered by a 1.5 GHz octa-core MediaTek processor with 2 GB of memory and 16 GB of storage.
Too little too late


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Markets falter as Brexit approaches endgame - IMF cuts global growth forecast amid trade disputes - Cuba to allow some state stores to sell in dollars
In her inaugural speech in Washington, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva pushed for a coordinated effort to fight the sluggish global economy, calling Germany to do its part and start spending more.
The recent trade agreement between China and the US isn't much more than a declaration of intent. Yet it's no surprise that Trump is touting its success, since he's swimming in problems at home, says DW's Frank Sieren.
With uncertainty on the horizon, the IMF has downgraded its outlook for the world's economic output. It warned that US tariffs on European cars, a no-deal Brexit or a trade war with China could tank the global economy.
Scholz rebuffed an International Monetary Fund complaint that Germany was not doing enough to stimulate the world economy. The center-left politician is an advocate of his predecessor's "black zero" policy.
© 2019 Deutsche Welle |
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MAGELEC Propulsion appointed to supply ETCR, the first electric multi-brand Touring Car racing category
WSC Group has chosen MAGELEC Propulsion to design, develop, manufacture and supply the inverter, motor, and gearbox (IMG) for the first electric multi-brand Touring Car racing category, ETCR that will start in 2020.
In the near future, the category aims to position itself as the leading motorsport platform for R&D of electric vehicle technologies to be applied to road cars. ETCR will seek to make motorsport relevant to a wider range of production vehicles and provide a marketing platform to demonstrate new and existing technologies and innovation. WSC plans to aim the series at motorsport lovers, enthusiasts of new technologies and their sustainable application.
In September 2019, Hyundai Motorsport unveiled the newest addition to its race car range and its first-ever electric race car: the Veloster N ETCR. Based on the road-going Veloster N model, the car is designed specifically for the new ETCR category set to debut in 2020.
MAGELEC Propulsion has been involved with Formula E since its inception and will leverage lessons learned from this motorsport category and the decades of manufacturing drivetrain products to deliver a reliable and powerful product. ETCR will be the first ever multi-brand Touring Car category for production cars powered by a common 100% electric powertrain.
“The team at MAGELEC Propulsion is delighted to be able to bring our products and electrification expertise to ETCR,” said Craig Daniel, CEO and founder of MAGELEC Propulsion. “With the experience and know-how brought together from electric motorsport and on/off highway vehicles, we’re excited to work with the team at WSC Group to continue the progress of electric motorsport and inspire mainstream electric vehicle adoption.”
“MAGELEC’s and Craig Daniel’s successful entrepreneurial background highlighted that we have the right partner to launch this pioneering category,” said WSC president Marcello Lotti. “The company’s capabilities speak for themselves. We are proud of this agreement that associates MAGELEC’s powertrain system with a new and ambitious brand like ETCR. We are delighted to work with someone who understands cost control, which is key to successfully growing new forms of motorsport. WSC Group is the owner of the TCR brand, arguably the most successful motorsport category in recent years that has completely reshaped Touring Car competition globally. It was a logical step for the company to leverage MAGELEC in the application of new powertrain technologies.”


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The reimposition of stage 3 restrictions on metropolitan Melbourne is, as Victorian premier Daniel Andrews says, a matter of life or death. That’s also true for small businesses.
A further six weeks of stay-at-home orders for the city’s 5 million residents will kill off many small and medium sized businesses unless there are critical changes to federal and state government assistance policies.
Even with assistance many will not survive. But ensuring those that are viable are not lost is crucial to the recovery of both the Victorian and national economies.
Small businesses are the engine of economic growth. They are typically the first to innovate and respond to economic changes. The abnormal economic shock wrought by the necessary public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic means they have generally been hit hardest. Without policies and money to address their core needs, this second wave of restrictions will be a killer blow.
These fundamentals are absolute to the success of small business.
First, and most obviously, they need customers. Those providing essential local goods and services, such as groceries or health services, may cope. But those offering discretionary goods and services, such as hospitality, will suffer both from loss of foot traffic and suppressed consumer spending, as people save more in uncertain times.
Second, they need access to credit. This is much harder for small businesses to obtain than large businesses with assets. Small businesses are typically started by entrepreneurs who finance their endeavours with their own savings, through mortgaging their homes, or taking out personal loans.
They typically have extremely limited cash reserves to ride out tough times. Many juggle their bills from month to month to stay afloat.
Third, they rely on momentum. They grow by acquiring both customers and knowledge of their market. When repeat business stop, they lose that momentum. If they have to shed employees, they lose “business knowledge”, which sets them back even further in their recovery.
All economic slowdowns typically reduce demand, but this health/economic crisis has calamitously damaged all three aspects.
The federal government’s Job Keeper program and subsidies being provided through the Australian Taxation Ofice to boost business cash flow has enabled business to hold on to employees for now. But without customers or credit, even extending these measures beyond their scheduled September 30 end won’t be enough.
It’s my view it will take three to five years for consumer confidence and spending to return to pre-COVID levels. This assessment is based on past recessions where high unemployment prevailed compounded by the novel problem that health fears will suppress consumer confidence long after the coronavirus is contained and things return to “normal” (or at least a new normal).
The Melbourne outbreak of COVID-19 underlines there is no quick fix to the COVID-19 crisis. The only light at the end of tunnel is a possible a vaccine, which might take years, or never be found. The economy must therefore adjust. Not all businesses are viable. To continue indefinitely to pump public money into direct grants to prop them up is unsustainable.
To do so will lead to “perverse” consequences – providing windfalls to businesses that would have failed anyway – as many small business ventures do – while providing inadequate support to those that are important and would have survived but for the crisis.
Therefore I offer three suggestions.
First, continue JobKeeper and the tax office’s cashflow boost for as long as COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Businesses would need to apply for this on a month-by-month basis, and need to meet set criteria.
Second, the government should ensure easy access to low-interest loans for the next two to three years. Loans are more efficient than direct grants or subsidies. The fact the loans have to be repaid will encourage only those businesses with a good chance of being sustainable of seeking them.
Getting a loan is slow and hard for small businesses because banks scrutinise them due to the risk. Few small business have the skills to prepare the extensive documentation banks require. Banks will be motivated to lend faster and to more businesses if governments remove the risk by buying those loans.
To speed up the lending application process, there should also be subsidies to licensed financial advisers to prepare those applications.
Third, a system of subsidised vouchers for financial management advice from accountants and financial advisers (who are also mostly small businesses).
Financial services are critical for small businesses. In tough times it might be tempting to dispense with these services. But sound financial advice will be critical to business owners making the right decision – including whether they should be borrowing money to sustain their businesses or making the hard decision to cut their losses and move on.


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elective.com — 2023-10-18
Lucid produced 1,550 vehicles from July to September, compared to 2,173 in the second quarter. 700 more Lucid vehicles were transported to Saudi Arabia for final assembly in the third quarter. Lucid delivered 1,457 vehicles in the past three months. This is slightly more than in the second quarter (1,404).
The manufacturer provided these figures in an extremely terse announcement Fto its investors. The full annual report for the third quarter of 2023 is to follow on 7 November. For the second quarter, the US company recently reported a loss of more than $700 m, but emphasised that the financing of the business is secured until 2025. Meanwhile, the presentation of the Gravity electric SUV is scheduled for November.
To reach its already lowered annual target of 10,000 vehicles, the company would have to build around 4,000 vehicles in the remaining three months. Lucid has recently tried to boost demand with several measures. In August, for example, the manufacturer significantly lowered the prices for its electric luxury sedan Air and introduced a new basic version in October.


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BLOGS OF THE DAY: Rupert Grint set for Broadway debut
British actor Rupert Grint will appear in It's Only A Play
Rupert Grint, best known to the world as Ron Weasley in the decade-long Harry Potter film franchise, will make his Broadway debut this fall in the revival of Terrence McNally's It's Only a Play.
He joins cast-members Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, F. Murray Abraham, Stockard Channing, Megan Mullally and Micah Stock in the limited-engagement production, which officially opens October 9th at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, following previews.
Grint will play acclaimed young theater director Frank Finger in the 1986 comedy, which is set at a neophyte Broadway producer's Manhattan townhouse during the opening-night party for a nervous playwright's latest work.
Broderick stars as the writer, with Lane as his backbiting best friend, a resentful television actor secretly rooting for him to fail.
Grint made his West End stage debut last year in a revival of English playwright Jez Butterworth's Mojo. - hollywoodreporter.com
Perry's new music label
Katy Perry's got her ears tuned to her very own vanity music label.
In a collaboration, the pop singer joined forces with music label, Capitol, to launch her own record label Metamorphosis Music.
The 29-year-old dark horse singer took to social media to make the announcement, while also revealing singer/songwriter Ferras Alqaisi as her first signed artist for her label.
Perry promoted his self-titled EP which includes their duet, Legends Never Die - declaring him as "incredibly talented & soulful". - eonline.com
Amazon to launch phones
Amazon, a company of seemingly boundless ambition, appears to be venturing into yet another market: smartphones.
At a launch event hosted by corporate juggernaut Amazon on Wednesday in Seattle, an Amazon smartphone with 3-D capabilities will be unveiled, media reports indicated.
Amazon declined to comment, but analysts said the goal is almost certainly a device designed to get customers to buy more things from amazon. - sacbee.com


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Food Management Today Awards 2022 – Winners Revealed!
In the company of renowned chef and TV broadcaster Matt Tebbutt, the 2022 Food Management Today Industry Awards brought the top names of the UK food industry together on Wednesday 25th May to reward the best, as voted for by readers of the magazine and judged by industry experts.
The Awards are a top accolade in the UK food sector and voted for by readers of Food Management Today magazine. The awards also feature the unique Food Industry Champion Award.
There was a total of 16 categories and all awards reflect everything that is exceptional across the whole UK industry. As sponsors, it was an enviable opportunity to be in the same room with like-minded food experts, and a great chance to network.
Steph MacLauchlan, Project Manager at Protolan presented the award for Best New Product Development to ASDA for their Extra Special British Thick Cut Sirloin Steak Chipotle BBQ Marinade and Mixed Pepper Rub.
Congratulations to all fellow award winners of the evening!


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The AMD-NVIDIA GPU competition is getting heavy
We’ve already discussed how Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has the first mover advantage in HBM (high bandwidth memory) technology with its Polaris GPU (graphic processing unit). But now NVIDIA (NVDA) is introducing its own HBM 2 technology, Pascal GPU, to compete.
In 2016, AMD will launch its next-generation Polaris, which should bring significant improvements in performance, power-efficiency, and features. The key advancement in Polaris is the use of Samsung (SSNLF) and Global Foundries’ 14nm FinFET (fin-shaped field effect transistor) technology.
With its HBM 2 technology, Polaris should also significantly improve performance per watt. AMD has already demonstrated power efficiency by putting Polaris against Maxwell Nvidia GTX 950, with Polaris delivering a similar performance using 86-watt power compared to Maxwell’s 140 watts. This makes Polaris suitable for notebooks and light-weight laptops. Additionally, Polaris will have a CPU (central processing unit) feature of instruction pre-fetch, which improves performance by reducing stalls and wait times.
NVIDIA’s Pascal GPU
But Polaris will now face tough competition from NVIDIA’s Pascal GPU. Like Polaris, Pascal also has HBM2, but it is being built on TSMC’s (TSM) 16nm FinFET technology. Moreover, Pascal uses NVIDIA’s NVLink, a high-bandwidth communications channel that moves data on the node 5–12x faster than PCIe Gen3 x16 and consumes 3x less energy.
Specifically, Pascal will use 16FP mixed-precision computing, which has lower accuracy than the standard 32FP, making it unsuitable for modern gaming applications. But 16FP should deliver strong power efficiency, making it more suitable for mobile devices.
NVIDIA plans to launch Pascal in June 2016. Notably, the VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) has exposure to the entire semiconductor supply chain. It has ~13.1% exposure in TSM and 3.7% in NVDA.
Pascal in trouble
It has also been reported that NVIDIA may unveil Pascal at the 2016 GTC (GPU Technology Conference) on April 4–7, 2016. However, the site states that the company is facing technical difficulties in bringing Pascal up to 16nm FinFET speed. If this problem is not resolved, the launch may be delayed.
Now let’s look at AMD’s most talked about technology, Zen Core, which may be equipped with Polaris GPU.


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Welcome Nokia. I am certain that what Anssssi said is true: blogging will become mainstream and a large amount of it will be done via mobile phones since mobile phones are the PCs of the first two decades of the 21st century . I am so certain that I have blogged multiple times about this. From editorsweblog.org: “Blogging will evolve to become mainstream”:
“Blogging will evolve to become mainstream,” said Ansssi Vanjoki (biography below), Executive Vice President and General Manager of Multimedia, Nokia. "Blogging will change the way people store and share information and news with others, whether it be at the personal or professional level," he said. The simplicity of blogging tools combined with professional capabilities of the weblog programs allow professionals and non-professionasl to publish, dialogue and react on the internet today, and perhaps on mobile phones tomorrow, Mr. Vanjoki explained. The new generation of handsets proposed by the mobile industry in the next few weeks will make it possible for blogs to be updates on the go, and will be critical to the revolution of reporting and publishing, Mr. Vanjoki stated.


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+ Cutting Loose Salon celebrates fifth anniversary
Last month, Cutting Loose Salon celebrated its five-year anniversary.
Founded by stylist Coral Pleas, the salon has grown from a staff of four to 50.
“I have enjoyed being a hairdresser for the last 30 years and look forward to playing the role of CEO and visionary for our company,” said Pleas, who operates the business with her children, Travis and Taelor. “We are thankful for all our customers and for the growth and success we have enjoyed since we opened in 2008.”
The salon has received numerous accolades; Salon Today magazine recognized it in 2011, 2012 and 2013 as a Top 200 Salon in America, and it was voted “Best Hair Salon” by Living on the Suncoast in 2012.
Cutting Loose is a member of Intercoiffure America/Canada.
Cutting Loose has locations at 8429 Honore Ave., in University Park; 1950 Main St., in Sarasota; and is opening another Lakewood Ranch location in the second quarter of 2013, at 5820 Ranch Lake Blvd., Building B, Unit 112.
+ Internet marketing company expands to Lakewood Ranch
DOSH Technology Partners LLC recently added a location in Lakewood Ranch.
The company, based in Syracuse, N.Y., specializes in increasing the online visibility of businesses using strategic Internet marketing, including search-engine optimization, search-engine marketing, social-media marketing and pay-per-click advertising.
CEO Doug Phillips recently moved to Lakewood Ranch.
For more information about the company and its Internet marketing services, visit doshtech.com or contact Phillips at 315-569-9665 or [email protected].
+ Lee Wetherington Homes adds two new employees
The Lakewood Ranch-based homebuilder Lee Wetherington Homes has added two new employees, welcoming Trudi Ellis, purchasing assistant, and Don Dobbs, building superintendent.
“We could not be happier about the need to expand our team,” said Peter Mason, vice president of sales and marketing for Lee Wetherington Homes.
In 2012, Lee Wetherington Home sales were up by 50% compared to 2011, with sales volume topping $20 million.
Ellis has lived in Sarasota since 2001 and has worked in residential real estate for two years and commercial real estate for seven years.
Dobbs was a building inspector in Fort Myers and most recently was a construction manager at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
+ $7.9 million invested in Concession development
Concessions 113 LLC invested $7.9 million in The Concession residential development. The company, formed for the purchase, completed the transaction Dec. 13.
It is for the remaining 113 lots in Phase II of the residential development adjacent to The Concession Golf Club, a private Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
John Peshkin, manager of Concessions 113 LLC, and his partners purchased the lots from The Concession Land Development LLC, the original developer of the 1,200 acres.


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In a move to foster future growth and tap into competitive technologies, global chip designer Nvidia Corp. made its first investment in a South Korean startup specializing in generative artificial intelligence. This investment comes as giants in the tech industry, […]
In a move to foster future growth and tap into competitive technologies, global chip designer Nvidia Corp. made its first investment in a South Korean startup specializing in generative artificial intelligence. This investment comes as giants in the tech industry, including Google and Microsoft Corp., rush to provide capital to newly established firms in the sector.
Recently, Nvidia participated in the pre-Series A round for Twelve Labs, a South Korean startup aiming to raise 13 billion Korean won ($9.7 million), according to IT industry sources in Seoul. Samsung Next, the corporate venture capital division of the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer, Samsung Electronics Co., and Korea Investment Partners, a local venture capitalist, also joined the round. This follows Twelve Labs’ successful capital raising of 16 billion Korean won in its first round in December.
While Nvidia has been supporting South Korean startups by offering technical education and consultation, this marks their first direct investment in a South Korean generative AI startup.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is generative artificial intelligence?
Generative artificial intelligence is a branch of AI that focuses on creating or generating new content, such as images, texts, or music. This technology utilizes deep learning and neural networks to learn patterns from existing data and then generate new content based on those patterns.
What are the advantages of investing in generative AI startups?
Investing in generative AI startups allows major tech companies to access new technologies and establish partnerships with innovative companies that can enhance their products or services. This type of investment also helps support the development of local startups and fosters innovation in the technology sector.
How is generative artificial intelligence used for video understanding?
Generative artificial intelligence is used for video understanding by analyzing various elements within video content, such as conversations, behaviors, text, and logos. This technology enables better comprehension and categorization of video materials, which can be beneficial in various industries including security, marketing, and entertainment.


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Indies across the UK are getting in the seasonal spirit with the Celebrate an Independent Christmas campaign, helping to boost consumer awareness of the fantastic shopping available on their local high street as well as offering some festive fun.
The campaign’s Christmas Shopping Challenge invites consumers to ‘decorate a Christmas tree’ by collecting bauble stickers from various participating indies in order to win a Christmas treat or even be entered into a prize draw.
Designed to run throughout the Christmas period, the campaign coincides with other initiatives such as Small Business Saturday, helping raise the profile of independent businesses in the lucrative Christmas shopping window.
“As footfall on the UK’s high street continues to drop, independent retailers need to do everything they can to keep shoppers coming into town,” said Clare Rayner, founder of the Support for Independent Retail campaign.
“Celebrate an Independent Christmas is all about collaboration between businesses. By working together, independent retailers can remind their local communities that it’s no secret how unique, friendly and fun the high street can be at Christmas time!”
Despite a competitive market and the number of consumers on the high street continuing to decline, Springboard’s Christmas forecast suggested that footfall will lift by eight per cent across the UK during the festive shopping season, so it’s imperative that indies act to capitalise on the increased opportunity this presents.
Rayner continued: “Celebrate an Independent Christmas is about educating consumers on where their money goes and how their community could benefit if they choose to support their local indies.”
Areas getting into the Independent Christmas spirit this year include Buxton Spa, Hertford, Huntingdon, Didsbury and Sidmouth.


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Several Brands of Dog Food Have Been Recalled For Salmonella
Salmonella is showing up in a variety of pet foods, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to issue recalls and safety warnings for dog food products from five different companies since the beginning of February, including Raws For Paws Dog Food, Red Barn Pet Products, and Smokehouse Pet Products.
The FDA is also investigating a pattern of contamination in raw pet foods made by Arrow Reliance Inc., which produces products for Darwin’s Natural Pet Products and ZooLogics Pet Food.
The FDA is particularly concerned about the reports of contamination because it has the potential to cause salmonellosis in humans and animals. Pets can get sick from Salmonella. Pets can also become carriers of the bacteria—without getting ill themselves—and infect humans.
Arrow Reliance-Darwin’s Natural Pet Products
In Arrow Reliance’s case, the FDA warns products from the manufacturer have a history of recalls with multiple complaints associated with Darwin’s Natural and ZooLogics pet foods. These pet foods were manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc. and Darwin’s Natural Pet Products between October 17, 2016 and February 10, 2018. In each instance, the company recalled these products after being alerted to positive findings of Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogenes in samples of their raw pet food products, the FDA said.
The FDA has investigated six complaints of illness and death in animals that have eaten the recalled products.
The most recent recall on Feb. 10 was for ZooLogics Duck with Vegetable Meals for Dogs (Lot #41957) and ZooLogics Chicken with Vegetable Meals for Dogs (Lot #41567) because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Raws For Paws
Raws for Paws, based in Minneapolis, is recalling about 4,000 pounds of its 5-pound and 1-pound sealed plastic tubes of ground turkey pet food because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. These tubes, known as “chubs” are packaged into boxes or cases of regular turkey pet food and pet food combo packs, which contain a variety of pet food products, the company said.
The products have case codes of 9900008, 9900009, 9900014, and 9900015. The manufacture date of Turkey Pet Food cases is October 12, 2017, and the manufacture dates of Combo Pack cases are between October 12 and February 2, 2018.
Two illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem, Raws for Paws said.
The recalled ground turkey pet food was distributed throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa directly to consumers and through online mail orders.
Production of the product has been suspended while the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the company continue their investigation into the source of the problem.
Redbarn issued a voluntary recall of its 7-inch Bully Stick three pack after the Colorado Department of Agriculture notified the company that a single sample collected from a retail location detected Salmonella.
No illnesses, injuries or complaints have been reported, Redbarn said.
The recalled products were distributed in pet specialty retail stores. Affected product comes in a 2.4 ounce, green plastic bag marked with an expiration date of 112120ABC stamped on the side. The product UPC is #7 85184 25105 8. You can see examples of the packaging here.
Smokehouse Pet Products, based in Sun Valley, Calif., is recalling 4-oz bags of dog treats labeled as “Beefy Munchies,” because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled product was distributed in Washington, Michigan, North Carolina and Colorado through distributors selling to various retailers.
The product comes in a 4-oz bags marked with UPC 78565857957 and lot 449294 and with a best used by date of 10/25/19 stamped on the back.
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem, the company said. The contamination was discovered after routine sampling and testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture.


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Activision is trying to destroy the former Infinity Ward heads’ reputation, says the pair’s attorney.
A representative for Vince Zampella and Jason West has dismissed the emails presented by Activision as proof of the men’s insubordination as a desperate attempt to avoid paying them the millions of dollars of bonuses they supposedly owe them.
It emerged yesterday, that Activision had been successful in efforts to add EA to its complaint against the West and Zampella. This was due, at least in part, to email evidence that suggested that – as Activision had previously claimed – there had been an effort on the part of the two men to delay the release of a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map pack in EA’s favor. EA representative, Jeff Brown, said that the email – which came from EA DICE’s Lincoln Hershberger, and was sent to a number of EA executives, like DICE boss Patrick Söderlund, and EA Games president Frank Gibeau – was a joke and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
In a statement, West and Zampella’s lawyer, Bobby Schwartz went a little further, and said Activision’s claims that the email proved some kind of collusion between EA and his clients was “a desperate attempt … to find some basis to justify its misconduct and refusal to pay what it owes.” He added that all the email actually proved was the incredible ill will that Activision bore the two men. He said that not only was the publisher refusing to honor the contract it had with the former Infinity Ward heads, but it was trying to destroy their ability to find work anywhere else in the industry, a point that he said he would make very clear to the jury.
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of siding with the little guy, especially when the big guy is Activision, but it sounds like this already complicated case could have a lot more going on than anyone first thought. This email could be nothing more than an ill-timed joke, or it could be a vital piece of evidence, and it’s impossible to know for sure at this stage.


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The public venture of google
Bukola saraki fulfils his promise to open the national assembly budget to the public the public was only privy to the total sum of the elsewhere on ventures. Get textbooks on google play rent and save from the world's largest ebookstore read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone. Ripple, a google-backed start-up that uses blockchain technology to settle financial transactions between some of the world's biggest banks, has raised $55 million. Our people google is an engineering organization unlike any other because so much of what we do hasn't been done before, the line between research and product. The google company was launched in 1998 by the major investors being rival venture capital firms kleiner google's initial public offering took. Fortune — blue bottle coffee today announced that it had raised nearly $26 million in new funding from tech-focused venture capital firms like google ventures.
How do i submit my ideas to get funding for a startup in google venture or any other vc. Google ventures puts $258m into uber as both google ventures and the company might not have to raise another series round before going public. London — in a sign that europe’s tech scene is coming into its own, google announced that its venture capital unit had started a $100 million fund to. Planetary resources inc, an asteroid-mining venture backed by google inc executives, said it added more billionaire investors and is nearing a.
Public 2w “we’re actors, olympians, baseball players, educators and more: it’s time to meet this year's epic panel of doodle 4 google judges → googl/btfqrg. Public media for northern california what’s different about google ventures compared to all of the other venture why google ventures is making moonshots in. How nonprofit @rainforestcx is working with locals like the tembé tribe to protect land from deforestation—using google's machine learning public anyone can. Corporations are raising cash like startups and absorbing mountains of money from venture capitalists rather than facing a fickle public market.
The guardian - back new mexico spaceport center where google has been testing solar of the spaceport’s runway and will even venture above a. How google's venture capital team gets ideas off the ground at gv — the venture capital division of a former designer at google and the creator of google. What was google's pitch to angel investors, early advisors and venture before going out to talk to venture capital firms the google beta.
Google ventures and its take on investing represent a new formula for the venture capital its successes include companies that have gone public. Gv provides venture capital funding to bold new companies in the fields of life science, healthcare, artificial intelligence, robotics, transportation, cyber security and agriculture, gv’s. The alphabet investment unit has invested $4635 million in carecom, a publicly traded company that helps connect families and caregivers.
The public venture of google
John doerr of the venture capital firm kleiner perkins, which jointly with sequoia capital invested $25 million in google 2004, as google goes public. Capitalg (formerly google capital) helps companies grow faster by advising them with the support of the vast expertise and resources of google.
Google launches european venture fund and the global expansion — and potential initial public offerings — of google ventures also has. Antitrust guidelines for collaborations among competitors issued by the federal trade commission and the us department of justice april 2000. -- creating an educational facility where the public can explore the site’s as a tenant to nasa, planetary ventures will be services at google. At google, we don’t just accept difference—we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. A venture capital b angel investment c public offering which of the following does not help explain why the google ipo was successful. Google, the world's no 1 internet search engine, finally filed for its initial public stock offering thursday and promised to maintain its long-term focus.
What one can learn from the initial public offering of google a twenty-year excursion to the venture capital industry. What the hell is happening at google ventures the firm’s public perception has been google ventures declined to comment for this article while. Hello i'm a filmmaker and video producer at gv (google ventures) where i create useful visual assets and content for gv and its portfolio companies in late 2011 i.


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We expected Google to use this year’s I/O conference as a launch ramp for a new Nexus Player or Chromecast (or maybe both), but what we didn’t realize was the search giant’s digital media streaming software already found its way inside the perfect hardware.
Even though the newest iteration of Android is a couple of weeks old already, which should have given Google plenty of time to update the entire Nexus roster, you can still count the 5.1-powered devices on the fingers of one hand.
Fact: mobile gaming is huge. Also fact: sometimes the convenience of playing games on a smartphone or tablet pales in comparison to playing on a console connected to a beautiful HDTV.
To celebrate the original PlayStation’s launch in Japan in December 1994, Sony released the 20th Anniversary PlayStation 4 consoles. They only manufactured 12,300 of these units, each having a serial number embossed on them.
Mobile gaming enthusiasts must have thought their Thanksgiving present this year was an impressively timely Android 5.0 Lollipop update for Nvidia’s Shield Tablet. But the Santa Clara-based chip maker extraordinaire has at least one more surprise in store for the holidays.
With a much beefier follow-up right around the corner, you’ll probably understand Nvidia’s desperation to get rid of remaining first-generation Shield inventory. Then again, the chip makers have been throwing discounts, updates and various deal sweeteners at potential Shield buyers for months now, so the latest promotion is just another day at the office for them.
It’s no big secret that Nvidia doesn’t know the meaning of the word failure and is thus set on following up the fizzling Shield handheld game console with an upgraded second-gen gizmo. But apparently, there might be more on the horizon for the chip maker as far as gaming devices are concerned.
For better or worse, Nvidia’s Shield experiment is praise-worthy, regardless of sluggish sales and overall middling critical reception. Granted, the handheld console is years away from revolutionizing the mobile game market, as Nvidia probably envisioned, but a sequel is in the works and leaked info makes it look pretty amazing. As long as it’s legit.
Valve has pushed back the expected release date for its Steam Machine consoles and the Steam controllers from 2014 to 2015. A post on the Steam blog from Valve’s Eric Hope explains that the company has made the decision to extend the development period primarily to fix issues with the Steam controller, suggesting that the actual Steam Machines are good to go.
Microsoft will likely end up being the first foreign gaming company to release its products in China since a ban on consoles and games was put in place, but new reports state that Sony is set to enter the market as well.
Ubisoft is apparently quite happy with Microsoft’s decision to come out with a cheaper Xbox One that excludes the Kinect. During a post-earnings financial call Friday, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that he is happy with the price cut as it means both the PS4 and Xbox One are affordable and, of course, more Xbox One sales means more Ubisoft game sales.
Sony is one again expecting to post a financial loss for the current fiscal year following a $1.25 billion net loss in 2013. Sales have recently been picking up for the company thanks to smartphones and the very successful PS4 but once this fiscal year ends, Sony expects that it will have lost $489 million, its second consecutive lost.


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The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has stated that a multilateral agreement must be reached at the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in order to build momentum for trade liberalisation.
The conference which is currently taking place in Bali, has trade ministers from more than 150 nations in attendance, and the AFGC says that a WTO agreement covering trade facilitation and food will be beneficial to Australian food exporters.
Gary Dawson, AFGC’s CEO said that Australian exporters within the sector are looking to capitalise on opportunities within key markets such as Asia and that global trade rules set by the WTO will be crucial to achieve growth.
"We know the Australian government, through Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb and his officials, are working hard to secure a deal and we strongly support those efforts,” said Dawson.
"An agreement on trade facilitation - to reduce red tape and move towards more harmonised and transparent customs rules - is a particular focus of the proposed agreement. This would have benefits for Australian food and grocery exporters, particularly SMEs and companies involved in global supply chains for food and grocery products.
Dawson said that Australia is well positioned to capitalise on export opportunities within the global marketplace due to the nation’s reputation for high quality foods.
"Australia's food, beverage and grocery manufacturing sector currently exports around $24 billion of products each year. The combination of high quality agricultural produce and very high food safety standards in Australia's food processing sector mean we are well placed to capitalise on growing export opportunities for processed and semi-processed foods.
"Moving Australian food exports up the supply chain means more value-add in Australia - generating jobs and growth. Efforts by government and industry to facilitate this trade, through the WTO and through bilateral and other trade negotiations, are crucial to the future of Australia's largest manufacturing sector,” he said.
Image: Wine Australia


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Soon the end of cookies! By 2023, Google will end the use of third-party cookies; it's called the "Privacy Sandbox" project. This evolution of users' data tracking on the Web - where privacy is being much debated - will dramatically change the way brands conduct effective marketing and advertising campaigns. Here's why it is a good thing for brands.
Third-party cookies have so far made it possible to track shoppers' visits online, and thus to learn about their interest in a product or service category. The use of this information allows advertisers and brands to target audiences that are relevant to their business.
The anticipated disappearance of third-party cookies obviously reduce these targeting capabilities and impact the performance of their campaigns, since they will reach shoppers of all profiles, instead of their affinity targets. This definite loss of ROI is a cause for concern for advertisers.
Payment data, the next step
This is where the cream of the crop of data comes into play: payment data, the native omnichannel asset of brands, as a means of authenticating a shopper, while maintaining a safe ecosystem respecting the latter.
"From the first payment of a shopper who has linked his or her card to the programme, we have access to his or her payment data, which we turn into shopping insights for the brands," explains Benoît Mouret, our Head of Product.
Really, that simple? Let us explain.
Payment data allows shoppers' purchases to be tracked, without the need for an expensive point of sale software. For a retailer, it is simply a matter of linking a shopper's identity to a means of payment, then gaining access to very detailed shopper knowledge and a 360° view of his purchasing behaviour. Finally rewarding them automatically thanks to automatic recognition at the time of payment, online or in shop, and not just in their shops. Let's just say cookies are already forgotten.
"By analysing payment data, we determine a segmentation based on the 'share of wallet', with an 'out-of-brand' vision, offering a global and precise view of purchasing behaviour", Benoît Mouret continues. This guarantees brands effective and personalised activation campaigns that have a significant impact on their churn.
From tracking users' browsing history to tangible data
A little background to sharpen our thinking. The advertising and the retail markets, both online and offline, go down a long way with Facebook, Google and adservers, and have evolved a lot. Just like the understanding that brands have had of their shoppers over the last 20 years, thanks to cookies in particular.
- At first, thanks to tracking on the sites we visited, we were what we bought;
- Then the cursor moved to what we were looking for, then what we were reading;
- Then the cookies created profiles based on browsing, and pixels created points of interest.
- Finally, via Facebook or Google's authentication, or through "likes" plugins under products and articles, tracking of shoppers was total but not necessarily relevant. (Also, tracking outside their platforms by the GAFAs has always raised ethical issues. The end of cookies will put an end to these methods to return to more traditional privacy principles.)
- You also have geolocation, where we are is what we buy. "Again, quite imprecise", says Benoît.
- Finally, introducing the next and ultimate stage of identification, thanks to the payment data, the first-party data that is not owned by a third party, in a world without cookies: what you buy is what you buy.
"We can now accurately tell if and what a shopper has purchased. Payment data offers a clear view of omnichannel. Retailers can now get better ROI on marketing campaigns compared to their lavish expenses on Facebook and Google platforms" concludes Benoit Mouret. On the road to the end of brands' dependence on Gafa?


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After months of delay, Al-Watania, the West Bank’s second cell-phone carrier, began its operations this week, offering its customers the latest in telephone technology. And while the company’s customers won’t be able to pick up their new flip phones and call Israel—bureaucratic restrictions and mutual resentments make communications between the Jewish state and its Palestinian neighbor nearly impossible—they will be able to download ringtones of their favorite songs. The most popular option, by far, is “Allahu Akbar,” meaning “God is great” and a common phrase in Muslim prayer. It is followed closely by pop tunes from around the Arab world, such as the Egyptian singer Saad el Soughayar’s hit, “She Loves You, You Donkey.” Meanwhile, plagued by what it perceived as lack of cell phone etiquette, the Egyptian government took the unusual step of releasing a 16-point guide to properly using the popular technology. Among the document’s most pressing recommendations: “Don’t pick an annoying ringtone.”
The Most Popular Ringtone in the West Bank: Allahu Akbar [Haaretz, in Hebrew]
Jesse Oxfeld, a former executive editor and publisher of Tablet Magazine, is a freelance theater critic. He was The New York Observer’s theater critic from 2009 to 2014.


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Sales sparkle for British tonic mixer firm Franklin & Sons after drinks maker goes global
British tonic and mixer brand Franklin & Sons has entered its 30th market less than two years after exports began in October 2015.
The firm has reported a four-digit percentage rise in sales in the past year and invested in further facilities in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, to cater for growth.
Established in London in 1886, the company had been mothballed but was acquired by independent drinks firm Global Brands and revived in 2015.
Success: British tonic and mixer brand Franklin & Sons has entered its 30th market
From this month, the range will be sold in six new territories, including the UAE, Norway, and Colombia.
The company expects to add eight new products across its range of mixers and soft drinks this year and beyond.
Steven Perez, chairman of Global Brands, said: ‘The export arm of our business already accounts for 30 per cent of total sales and is growing rapidly.
‘This is due to the global premium spirits and gin renaissance, the rise in popularity of artisanal, natural mixers and the Franklin & Sons range’s UK positioning.’
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A Substratum brand ambassador tested the latest SubstratumNode v0.4.2 release, showing outstanding speed and performance. However, CryptoSlate replicated these tests and the results were far from what was advertised. These inconsistencies raise questions around how speed tests are being conducted and marketed to the cryptocurrency community.
On Jan. 10th, Substratum released v0.4.2 of SubstratumNode, a software product designed to circumvent Internet censorship by routing network traffic through a network of nodes. Substratum is similar to Tor, in that both products route traffic through a network of distributed nodes to give users more privacy and anonymity. The big difference is that Substratum does not require a dedicated web browser, and also allows nodes to earn SUB tokens by routing traffic.


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Eight Dutch institutional investors, with combined assets of €725 billion, have launched the Platform Living Wage Financials initiative campaigning for fair wages in the textile sector in the developing world.
Denim trade show Kingpins will be kicking off its next edition with a transformers summit on 23 October, followed by the Kingpins Amsterdam show on 24 and 25 October, highlighting the latest denim innovations.
Fast Retailing, owner of Japan’s popular clothing chain Uniqlo, booked a record annual profit and forecast even stronger results in the current year, helped by growth in Asia and a recovery at its US stores.
Times are tough and they certainly seem to be so for Swedish retailer Kappahl. The company's full-year results presentation was headlined “a challenging year”, so you knew the news wasn’t going to be good.
The apparel and lifestyle retailer Sundance has opened a store in Deer Park town center, Illinois, and plans to open at two more locations by the end of 2018. The store officially opened on October 11.


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Kind-hearted hotel owner opens his doors to the homeless for the winter
With winter approaching and the coronavirus making people less likely to travel, a hotel in Kraków is offering homeless people a place to stay during the coldest months of the year.
Entitled “A roof over one’s head for 1 złoty” – the equivalent of around 0.20 euros, the fee will cover one month’s stay at the Pergamin Old Town Apartments in Kraków.
The initiative comes as travel restrictions and health concerns have discouraged many people from travelling.
Located at 10 Świętej Gertrudy Street, the hotel is right beside the Planty Park that encircles the Old Town.
On international hotel booking platform Booking.com, it has been praised for its central location a short walk from the city’s main sights, cleanliness and the breakfast.
Announcing the initiative on Facebook, the hotel’s owner Przemek Greniewicz wrote: “We must help each other in these difficult times and, having places, we want to help those who need it the most!”
The hotel is accepting applications from people who want to stay there until 15 November. Successful applicants will be informed by 20 November.
The rooms will be made available for the whole winter, from December until March. The offer is only available to homeless people and those in need. The condition is that they behave appropriately and respecting the rules of the hotel.
In Poland, the second wave of the pandemic in Europe this autumn has resulted in a drop in the number of hotel reservations.
The latest restrictions in the country allow hotels to operate, but they have to stick to sanitary rules.


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China's recommendation is so broad as to be comical, suggesting Chinese travelers steer clear of Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai, among other places.
In what is seen as a tit-for-tat move, China has cautioned its citizens against travelling to India following protests over the increase in petroleum prices, after New Delhi issued advisories warning its traders against doing business in the Chinese commodity hub of Yiwu.
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