text:
[against price rises],” he said.
The rise of internet shopping, however, has undermined retailers’ pricing power. Consumers can more easily compare products online. Deep discounters Aldi and Lidl have made the retail business even more competitive in some categories.
Mr Kniffen said he doubted that the retail sector would be able to push up prices in response to the latest tariffs. He noted that the products targeted, from trainers to electronics, were largely discretionary, and consumers could postpone their purchase.
“Other than extremely strong brands, the consumer will not be accepting price increases,” he said. “I expect virtually all of the cost to be absorbed by either the retailer, or in the supply chain.”
Suppliers are on edge over how companies such as Walmart, which is due to report earnings next week, will respond.
“The answers aren’t there yet. We’ve never been down this path before,” said Win Cramer, chief executive of Jlab Audio, a California-based maker of earbuds and headphones. He noted that tariffs could yet be reversed “with a tweet” from the president. “We’re kind of in wait-and-see mode from a price perspective and what the retailers are going to do.”
Speaking from the airport in Minneapolis, where he had been meeting two of the country’s biggest retailers, he said: “Instead of discussing holiday plans, we’ve been discussing tariffs.”
Jay Foreman, founder of Florida-based toymaker Basic Fun, said that uncertainty from Washington over how toys would be treated had made retailers “reluctant to start the conversation” about how to manage the impact.
“We’re starting the conversations now,” he said. Some retailers told him they were “going to immediately pass along the tariffs and increase prices by 10 to 20 per cent this Christmas”. Others were calling on his company to “split the cost”, and were holding off on price rises for now.
Tepid headline inflation figures suggest that tariffs have had limited impact on consumer prices so far, although industry data show that Americans are paying more for a range of everyday items from soap to toilet rolls.
Household product inflation has accelerated over the past year: prices for non-edible consumer goods rose 3 per cent in the year to the end of June, according to figures from Nielsen, more than double the rate of the previous year.
Moreover, noted David French, senior vice-president of government relations at the National Retail Federation, tariffs enacted so far had not hit popular consumer products directly. “What has happened to date is not a good indication [of future price rises],” he said.
A report commissioned by the NRF earlier this year warned that US consumers would pay $4.4bn more each year for clothing, $2.5bn more for footwear and $3.7bn more for toys if the administration enacted 25 per cent tariffs on the $300bn of goods, as it had threatened.
“The heat [on consumer prices] is being gradually turned up,” Mr French said, adding that after the new round of tariffs kicks in “we may see significant changes in the temperature”.
However much of the pain is ultimately passed on to consumers, it is hard to see how tariffs will do anything other than hurt companies reliant on Chinese supply lines.
That is reflected in the share prices of retailers, including Best Buy, Abercrombie & Fitch and Macy’s, which have sold off heavily since Mr Trump announced the latest round of tariffs last week.
Wade Miquelon, chief executive of Jo-Ann Stores, an Ohio-based fabric and crafts chain with about 870 stores and 23,000 employees, said that even if retailers did push up prices in response they risked hurting revenues through lower volumes.
“There is no free lunch,” he said. “Raising prices means less demand.”
Mr Miquelon said he doubted that anyone in the retail industry wanted to raise prices. “But on the other hand, if you don’t when these tariffs come in, you’re dead in the water.”
Source: Financial Times, Alistair Gray, August 9, 2019


text:
There's sending a Christmas card and then there's sending a Christmas card. U.S. Ambassador to Finland Bruce Oreck knows how to send a Christmas card. Get a load of his holiday greeting:
ABC News explains the card:
Oreck posted a special edition of the embassy’s 2012 holiday card, featuring his bulging bicep, to his official Facebook account Tuesday and reportedly also mailed copies of it to friends.
The image comes from a photo shoot Oreck did last month for the Finnish fitness magazine “ProBody.” A similar shot donned the cover of the Dec. 4 issue, which included an interview with the ambassador.
“I say 60 is the new 40. My wife says, in my case, 60 is the new 58,” Oreck said on Facebook. “One way or the other, fitness is important.”
He would know, given he's a former professional bodybuilder.
The Washington Post checked with the embassy and confirmed the arm is not Photoshopped. The Post also found out, however, that the card was not the officially embassy-sanctioned one. Rather, the muscle card was a personal one sent to some friends and posted on Facebook. The Official one is below:
And if the name sounds familiar, that's because Oreck is that Oreck: his father is the famous David Oreck, the man behind the vacuum cleaners.
So how did a former bodybuilder get an ambassadorship? ABC explains that it pays to be a an Obama supporter: "Bruce Oreck, whose father is vacuum-maker David Oreck, was appointed ambassador by President Obama in 2009. He was one of Obama’s top campaign financiers four years ago, bundling more than $500,000 in donations for the 2008 election."

domain: news


text:
An estimated 80 percent of the world’s population considers insects a commonplace food source, and soon–as eating meat becomes increasingly costly to wallets and the environment–bugs may hit Western dinner tables, too.
In the Netherlands, the company Bugs Originals recently developed pesto-flavored bug nuggets and chocolate-covered muesli bars made from crushed mealworms, the larvae of the darkling beetle, reports Daniel Fromson for The Atlantic. Bugs Originals has also been successful in selling freeze-dried locusts and mealworms to local outlets. Fromson writes:
The company’s goal is to get consumers to embrace bugs as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional meat. With worldwide demand for meat expected to nearly double by 2050, farm-raised crickets, locusts, and mealworms could provide comparable nutrition while using fewer natural resources than poultry or livestock. Crickets, for example, convert feed to body mass about twice as efficiently as pigs and five times as efficiently as cattle. Insects require less land and water–and measured per kilogram of edible mass, mealworms generate 10 to 100 times less greenhouse gas than pigs.
Here in the states, in an innovation and entrepreneurship competition this spring, the University of Chicago awarded $10,000 to student-conceived Entom Foods, reports Carrie Golus in The Core. The team, which won with their well-received grasshopper cookies, plans to start a for-profit business that produces insect meat as a sustainable food source. But implementation will require clearing some hurdles, Golus says:
For Western consumers, the team admitted in its proposal, “the multiple wings, the beady eyes, the slimy legs . . . all contribute to an overall ‘ick’ factor.” Entom’s brilliant solution: food processing. The shelling machines currently used for lobsters and other crustaceans could be adapted for insects, the team proposes. The wings, legs, eyes, and other gross parts would be whisked away, leaving the thorax meat, “which is nutritious and has the same consistency as more traditional meats.”
Entom has yet to decide which insect will be the focus of their venture. “One possibility is the long-horned grasshopper, which reportedly tastes like a hybrid of butter, bacon, and chicken,” Goluswrites. “Another is the giant prickly stick insect; at eight inches long, this creature could supply a lot of meat.”
But Entom is keeping American tastes in mind. “We’re obviously going to avoid the super-stigmatized insects, like cockroaches and flies,” team leader Matthew Krisiloff tells Golus. Those bugs “wouldn’t have substantive meat on them anyway.”


text:
To help create excitement around school meals that include milk and dairy, Sarah Colby of Colby Homestead Farm, Spencerport, N.Y., hosted a live farm tour for more than 100 school nutrition professionals from Monroe County, N.Y. The tour was part of New York Thursdays, the statewide program to educate students about locally sourced foods like milk and dairy.
Colby helped make the connection about how on-farm practices translate to the safe, wholesome milk the students drink at school, supplied by her cooperative Upstate Niagara Cooperative.
Viewers asked Colby questions in real time, including about the farm’s robot milkers and conventional milking parlor; cows’ lifespans; the robotic manure scraper; and what’s included in cows’ and calves’ diets, among others.
“School nutrition professionals work so hard to keep our children nourished and fueled for success,” said dairy farmer Sarah Colby. “The virtual farm tour was a great opportunity to show them that the local milk and dairy products they’re serving to students every day come from a good place.”
“I know the enormous effort it takes to put milk and other dairy products on our tables and in our lunch bags,” said Monroe County School Nutrition Association president and school nutrition director Nicole VanDerMeid. “New York Thursdays gives us the perfect opportunity to share with students, parents and school staff all the local farmers we support, and it’s important to know where their food comes from and the people producing it.”


text:
Oprah Winfrey selected Girls Inc. to be a charity beneficiary of the newly announced Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea, which will be sold at all Starbucks and Teavana stores in the U.S. and Canada starting April 29.
Watch Oprah talk about why she is passionate about Girls Inc.
Physics Day Camp
November 29, 2012
You can also check out our photos and “like” us on our Facebook page here.


text:
Innovation and promotion have helped canned fish brands buck the drop in ambient food sales.
Own-label decline has driven a 1.2% fall in the value of canned fish on volumes up 3.4% [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 26 April 2015], with brands up 3.3% - or £23.3m - on volumes up 8.5%.
John West sales grew £10.2m, supported by No Drain. “Innovation and an promotions encouraged shoppers to buy in,” the supplier said.
The full Canned & Ambient category report can be downloaded here.


text:
Hyundai has released exterior images of the all-new Santa Fe, which will be unveiled in April at the New York Motor Show.
Unlike the company's recent new models, that use an 'i' prefix followed by a number, the model will retain the Santa Fe name for the third generation car.
No information is available yet on what variants will be offered in the UK, but it is likely that there will be a seven-seat option, while fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of the diesel variants will be more competitive than the current model, with a choice of versions lower than 160g/km and better than 47mpg.
Wecan also expect an upgrade in interior quality along the lines of the latest versions of the i30 and i40 compared with their predecessors.
According to Hyundai, the Santa Fe exterior is based on its design philosophy, Fluidic Sculpture. But the new Santa Fe adopts its own design concept called Storm Edge which captures the strong and dynamic images created by nature during the formation of a storm.
The design adopts the hexagonal grille – a key design cue of the Hyundai family look.


text:
Customers may find bargains at the Tweeter electronics store chain in the next few weeks. But shoppers are being warned to be very careful as they take advantage of the store closing sales.
Here's the latest....
First - gift cards.
The chain has agreed to honor gift cards past a Saturday deadline, according to Connecticut's Attorney General, Richard Blumenhtal.
The electronics store chain - with outlets in Danbury, Avon, Newington and the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester - filed for bankruptcy on November 5.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court had said the chain needed to honor the gift cards through Saturday, November 15. Blumenthal said he got the store to agree to honor the gift cards through the end of its "closing" sale, beyond the November 15 deadline. That won't be any later than December 31st, and possibly sooner.
Consumers were being warned to use any gift cards as quickly as they could.
Second - down payments.
Some consumers were stepping forward to say they were having issues with the chain regarding down payments they made on merchandise earlier in the year.
George Consalves said he's one of these victims. He claimed to have shopped at Tweeter's Newington store and purchased a television set that cost $3,000. Gonsalves said he paid a $700 down payment using his credit card with a promise to pay the rest when the set was delivered.
Gonsalves said he recently received a letter from a Tweeter salesman that said Gonsalves' $700 down payment was now part of the funds tied up in the bankruptcy proceedings and it can't be used toward his television purchase price.
Gonsalves said he was angry when he received the letter. He told NBC Connecticut's Tom Monahan that he is now considered a creditor by the store, not a customer.
Gonsalves said he wrote to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection earlier this month, but he had not received a reply as of Friday.
Gonsalves said he is now hopeful that Attorney General Blumenthal will step in and work on his behalf with the store owners and bankruptcy court.
Recognizing that there are economic hardships currently for consumers and businesses alike, Gonsalves said he advises buyers to be very aware of potential problems.


text:
My phone buzzes, displaying a new message in my local Foodsharing WhatsApp group. Five pictures appear in quick succession on WhatsApp. Loads of food are stacked in coolers, boxes and tote bags — radishes, onions, apples, peppers, sandwiches, hummus in plastic cups, prepackaged salad sprinkled with feta cubes, bread rolls, cake and more.
Hi, the message reads, this can be collected today until 6 pm. DM me if you are interested.
The organizer of this exchange is the project Foodsharing, a volunteer initiative fighting food waste in Germany since 2012. Since then, Foodsharing has saved 81.1 million kilograms of food or around 178 million pounds, but food waste experts and activists say even more action is needed — especially from policymakers — to rescue the 931 million metric tons of food going to waste globally each year.
One-Third of Global Food is Wasted
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), 31 percent of global food is lost before retail or wasted by retailers and consumers — an amount so high it could feed more than 1 billion people. Europe actually wastes more food than it imports. A recent report by the sustainability organization Feedback EU found the continent wasted 153 million tonnes alone in 2021.
Food waste has had a devastating ethical, environmental and economic impact.
According to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, food waste cost an estimated $1 trillion, and contributed 8 to 10 percent of human-made GHG emissions between 2010 and 2016. If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third-largest pollution emitter.
To make matters worse, the decade-long trend of falling global hunger has recently reversed itself. Since 2019 the number of people affected by hunger has risen by 150 million, totaling 828 million people in 2021. Globally, 4 out of 10 people do not have access to a healthy diet, the FAO estimates. The World Food Programme has called 2022 “a year of unprecedented hunger,” warning that 50 million people in 45 countries are on the edge of famine as conflict, COVID, the climate crisis and rising costs harm food security worldwide.
Fighting Food Waste Since 2012
Many food waste efforts are working locally to address this global problem. In Germany, Foodsharing members reach out to local farmers’ markets, restaurants, bakeries and large-scale grocery chains to see if they’re willing to donate food rather than toss it. If they agree, Foodsharing volunteers collect the donations and distribute them through private or public networks such as WhatsApp and Facebook groups or community fridges.
Unlike recipients of food distributed through food banks, people who collect food through Foodsharing do not have to qualify as being in need of support. Helping those struggling with food insecurity is a “great side effect” of what Foodsharing does, according to its website, but its main goal is to protect our planet’s resources by distributing food “fairly and quickly to as many people as possible.”
Natalie Prinz, who joined Foodsharing after facing a five-digit veterinarian bill, says that Foodsharing does not compete with the local food bank, which has priority. “We only pick up what they leave behind or cannot pick up,” she says. The reality is there’s often plenty of wasted food go to go around.
Wonky Vegetables, Dented Tins and Use-By Dates
Food waste has different causes, varying significantly depending on crop and location. For example, cereals are wasted more often at the consumer level in Europe and North America than in Sub-Saharan Africa, where they are predominately lost before and shortly after harvest. In many parts of the U.S., there are secondary markets for farmers to sell bruised apples or tomatoes — to applesauce and salsa makers in those cases — but these markets do not exist in every country nor for every type of crop.
Food waste at the retail level — which is where Foodsharing mostly operates — is a particular problem in wealthy countries. Vegetables and fruits are sometimes weeded out because they look ‘wonky’ in size, shape or color. I have seen unusually pale cucumbers posted in the Foodsharing WhatsApp group, tiny onions and oddly patterned apples. The same applies to products with dented, ripped or otherwise maimed packing.
Distinguishing between use-by and expiration dates is a crucial part of Foodsharing’s work. To help activists better handle perishable food, Foodsharing has developed a traffic-light approach: Activists may pass on products with expired use-by dates if they have been transported, stored and cooled appropriately. Highly perishable food that has an expired expiration date or has not been properly stored and cooled should not be handed out.
Partly damaged food often ends up as waste, says Foodsharing member Prinz. “Take a net with oranges: if one is moldy, the net can no longer be sold. The shops are not allowed to take out the moldy ones and sell the good ones.”
Overstocking can also result in food waste. Stores are afraid of losing customers if they don’t offer them a full product range. To add to that oversupply — unexpected circumstances such as economic or climatic events can also cause customers to buy less than food venues originally expected.
Fighting Several Crises at Once
Projects such as Foodsharing and Too Good To Go, an app that allows users to save food at a discount, have seen surges in membership this year.
Monique Martino, who has been a member of Foodsharing since 2021, explains that her concern about climate change motivated her to join. “At first, we tried to live more sustainably at home,” she says. “This included eliminating our food waste. After almost reaching this goal, we looked for ways to tackle food waste outside of our home.”
Martino and her husband Davide go on rescue missions twice per week on average. They distribute food through their various social circles, including friends, neighbors and assisted living projects they are connected with due to their son’s disability.
“All these people are very thankful for free groceries,” Martino says, noting that the number of those interested in picking up saved food, including people with a middle-class background, has grown this year. Since April, Martino has also been giving food to newly arrived refugees with the help of a Ukrainian friend.
Martino’s experience shows how tackling food waste can address several world crises at once: rising costs of living, the devastating disruptions caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the ongoing climate crisis.
Saving food is a powerful way to slash environmental pollution. A recent report found that food banks in 50 countries saved 514,537 metric tons of food last year, preventing the emission of 1.7 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Calls for Policy Action
Yet food banks and volunteer initiatives alone cannot tackle this problem. According to food and climate researchers, governments can and must do more. “At a time of high food prices and a cost of living crisis, it’s a scandal that the EU is potentially throwing away more food than it’s importing,” says Frank Mechielsen, director of Feedback EU. “The EU now has a massive opportunity to set legally binding targets to halve its food waste from farm to fork by 2030 to tackle climate change and improve food security.”
In high-income countries where food waste happens primarily at the consumer level, the IPCC recommends a number of actions that would make a difference. Governments and the food industry can discourage overstocking, reduce portion sizes in restaurants, improve packaging and processing to keep food fresh for longer and clarify the meaning of sell-by and use-by dates. All of these efforts are needed to bring down the millions of tons of food wasted each year.
When I check WhatsApp again an hour after seeing the results of the latest Foodsharing rescue mission in my town, the pictures have disappeared. All gone, a new message reads. Thank you, everyone, for coming over.
Caroline is a journalist and staff writer at Sentient Media focused on the intersection of animal advocacy, climate change, and plant-based innovations.


text:
Huawei has revealed the price and release date of its new flagship handset, the Huawei Ascend P6 at anofficial launch event this afternoon in London
The Huawei Ascend P6 is the world's slimmest smartphone at only 6.18mm thick and will go on sale in 19 countries (UK included) by the end of July, the company has revealed today.
More importantly, Huawei is pricing the 4.7-inch Android handset at a SIM-freeRRP of only €449 (roughly £380) which makes it cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC Oneand Apple's iPhone5 - all handsets that Huawei is planning to compete with.
If you don't want to pay up front, the Ascend P6 will be available on contracts with all the major networks on price plans starting around £25 a month.
Huawei's CEO Richard Yu was at the launch event in London today to officially unveil the phone,which will come in a choice of black, white or pink.
"We want to challenge the market, challengeourselves, and challenge the innovation of the industry," he said.
Encased inside the 6.18mmchassis is a quad-core Cortex A9 processor and 2GB of RAM. Primary features on the AscendP6 include a rear-facing 8MP camera, 720p 4.7-inch screen, 8GB of memory upgradeable viamicroSD and a 2000mAh battery.
Huawei has overlayed Android 4.2.2Jelly Beanwith its own Emotion UI that features a central "Me" widget that collectsyour most valued information in one place.
The Ascend P6 was given plenty of support from Sir Charles Dunstone, chairman of the Carphone Warehouse Group, whowas also present at the launch.
"This companyis absolutely competing at the top level," he said. "Huawei is going to be a very big player in the smartphone market for many years to come."
The Ascend P6 is available from today in China and once Europe and Australia have received the handset in July, the company said it would begin rolling out to a total of 100 global markets during August 2013.


text:
Google may launch wireless service Wednesday, report says
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story gave the wrong month for Sundar Pichai's Mobile World Congress speech. It was March.
SAN MATEO, Calif. — Google is set to launch a new wireless service as soon as Wednesday that is expected to allow customers to pay for only the data they use, according to a new report.
Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile have agreed to carry the traffic on their networks, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. At first, it will only work on Google's latest Nexus 6 phones.
A representative from Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The entry isn't a total surprise: In March, a senior Google executive told attendees at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that Google planned to offer its own U.S. cell-phone network service in order to improve connectivity on mobile phones.
At the time, Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president of products, insisted that the "project" was not a threat to traditional telephone and Internet service providers.
Nonetheless, Google has a history of turning existing markets -- search, email and more recently, Internet service providers -- on their heads. The entry may lead to more big changes for smartphone customers. They're already benefiting from aggressive competition among the biggest telecom companies, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, as they counter slowing mobile user growth.


text:
16 Oct Shop at Macy’s Through Oct. 31 and Vote for ARMHC
Now through Wednesday, Oct. 31, you can keep families stay close when you shop at any area Macy’s. Macy’s has asked the Atlanta community to decide which charity to support when shoppers make in-store purchases. You can help when you shop and vote for Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities.
When you make your purchases, you will receive a token to vote for ARMHC. The charity with the most votes will receive a $5,000 grant. The second place charity will receive $2,000 while the third place charity will receive $1,000.
“Everyone here in our Lenox store is really excited and happy to support Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities in helping kids and families in our community,” said Brian Williams, Macy’s vice president and store manager at Lenox Square. “All of our colleagues can relate at some level with the stress and worry that families go through when a child is dealing with a serious illness. Some of us have experienced it ourselves. “
“Macy’s is a great partner in our mission to nurture the health and well-being of the children and families,” says Marissa Greider, ARMHC director of development. “During the Great Give Back last month, Macy’s customers provided nearly 40 nights for families at our two Ronald McDonald Houses, keeping families close to each other and the life-saving medical care they need. Their support extends inside the Houses as well when the Macy’s design team decorates our Houses for the holidays.”
You can give families the gift of togetherness! Just do a little early holiday shopping and vote for Atlanta RMHC when you are at Macy’s in October.
“Knowing that we can help ARMHC provide the resources for those families when they need it most that is a powerful way for all of to feel like we are doing our part,” Williams said. “We thank you so much for what you do each and every day to support our community!”


text:
SABMiller is one of the world's largest breweries International brewer SABMiller has implemented collaboration software to improve team working for staff in 60 countries. The company has created...
Collection #1, originally posted in December, contains 140 million email addresses that haven't been seen in security breaches before
Consumers can check the provenance of produce via a QR code
Huawei accused of stealing trade secrets from US partners
Windows 10 search shake-up will also bring changes to Office 365


text:
Colorado Day It’s Colorado Day! You’d be forgiven for not knowing but on the 1st August this year (and every year, actually) there’s a celebration in the United States in honour of a very special state. What state, I hear you ask, well, it’s Colorado, good sir/madam. And while that probably doesn’t seem on the surface of it to be very important...
It’s Colorado Day!
You’d be forgiven for not knowing but on the 1st August this year (and every year, actually) there’s a celebration in the United States in honour of a very special state. What state, I hear you ask, well, it’s Colorado, good sir/madam. And while that probably doesn’t seem on the surface of it to be very important to an upstanding citizen of not-the-United-States, such as you or I, it actually does warrant a bit of attention.
Why Should You Care
Located in the western half of the United States of America and won from the Mexicans following the Mexican-American War (along with a quarter of the modern U.S.), Colorado might not seem worthy of attention. But this beautiful state should be of special significance for those of us around the world who hope for the decriminalization/legalization/proliferation and general flourishing of cannabis.
Since January 2014, Colorado has completely legalized cannabis. That means that it is 100% legal to buy and sell cannabis. What’s more is that despite the short-sighted views of many more conservative pundits, the entire state didn’t devolve into some Mad Max-esque apocalyptic wasteland. Instead the economy is thriving, and the cannabis boom has brought added revenue with many visitors engaged in “cannabis tourism.” Yeah, you read that right, people are travelling there specifically to get high. Free from persecution.
A Shiny Green Beacon
What Colorado offers to the rest of the world is a shining example of what the future holds when we give cannabis a chance instead of viewing it as something to be feared or repressed. Already around the world we’ve seen changes, both incremental and massive. In Canada, this July they passed Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, which has effectively legalized cannabis across the nation.
This makes them only the second nation in the world to make this move, after Uruguay. In the United States, too, there is a bipartisan movement, with notable figures within its ranks, including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, trying to pass similar legislation across the country. With major players like this making moves it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world follows suit.
Let’s All Thank Colorado
Is all this dramatic and positive change in the cannabis world solely due to Colorado? No, probably not. It’s been the work of decades and many dedicated individuals but Colorado stands as a positive example of what can happen when cannabis is legalized across a vast area and that’s not to be sniffed at. So, on this, its most special of days, raise your vaporizer of choice high and thank the heavens for places like Colorado. Here at Namaste we have a variety of vaporizers available on our website to help you celebrate Colorado Day with the United States! So what are you waiting for buy your very own vaporizer now!


text:
Realme took to its on-line neighborhood to announce the arrival of the brand new software program replace for its Realme X50 Pro. This new software program replace bears the UI model RMX2076PU_11_A.19. Realme has additionally posted a changelog for the machine that mentions a change to the charging icon and addition of Vivid mode to the Screen Colour Mode. The new replace additionally brings 4K 60fps video capturing mode together with enhancements to digital camera efficiency. It additionally improves the show in low brightness situations together with optimisations to community for stability.
As for the Realme 3 Pro, Realme mentions that this software program replace has a RMX1851EX_11.C.05 UI model and fixes a few recognized points with the cellphone. It fixes audio high quality points with third-party apps, immediate tone whereas enjoying music and the alarm turning off when the background process was cleared. The new replace additionally provides the DocVault ID function for Indian items and brings the April safety patch for all gadgets.
Realme mentions that each these software program updates are being launched in a phased method and can proceed to a full-fledged rollout if no bugs are reported.


text:
Islanders who want to have something repaired — from a bicycle to a vacuum cleaner — may wish to head to the Eagles on Saturday for Vashon’s third Fix-it Cafe.
There will be more than 20 “fixers” at work, according to Liz Illg, one of the day’s organizers. Among the fixers are people who can repair bicycles, sewing machines, clothing, furniture, toys, lamps, toasters and other small appliances, as well as electronics, electric lawn mowers and other electrical items.
“As long as your item doesn’t drip or smell, we’ll see what we can do to fix it,” she said.
Illg noted that the organizers are particularly pleased to have “fabric wizards” back in place for mending work, and a specialist in fixing sewing machines.
Students that are part of the Robotics Club will also be on hand, and Illg encouraged everyone with a cracked iPad to bring it for repair.
Participants are urged to register their items in advance at vashonfixit.com/contact. The group also welcomes new repair people; interested people should sign up there too.
During the event, from noon to 2 p.m., the Vashon Eagles Club will offer gourmet soup and toasted cheese lunches for $10 as a benefit for the Vashon Senior Center transportation program.
There is no labor cost to have items repaired.
The Eagles is located at 18134 Vashon Hwy. SW.


text:
SingStar is not actually dead, but it’s coming back in a free-to-play formula later this year. Dave Ranyard, director over at Sony London, revealed that a reboot for the SingStar franchise will be making it’s way back to PS3 for free.
“Phase one was to launch SingStar as an app pinned to the PS3’s cross media bar last October. Phase two is a complete redesign and overhaul of the whole game structure and UI for the digital and F2P age, which is due for release later this year,” said Ranyard.
There will probably be micro-transactions included in the game, but the fact that the core game is available for everyone is a really good thing!


text:
22 December 2017
CLUB ITALIA INVESTIMENTI 2
Today we introduce you to Pony Zero, the startup grown in I3P, the incubator of the Politecnico di Torino and Italy's leading university and partner of Club Italia Investimenti 2.
If you want to invest in Pony Zero you can do so by joining the Club's campaign > go to the online campaign.
Pony Zero, is a company born in 2013 with the aim of delivering zero impact parcels and documents: the share of Club Italia Investimenti 2 is 11,16%.
In recent years, the company has quickly strengthened its business, becoming a major player in the "last mile" and "fresh goods" deliveries segments, i.e. last mile cycling - the last short stretch of a long-medium range delivery - and delivery of fresh goods, such as fruit and vegetables.
These are two trends in the fast-growing "delivery-logistics" sector at an international level that, especially in large city centres where traditional modes of transport have major limitations, are taking over, also thanks to the growing and preponderant weight of online purchases.
Pony Zero follows a business model based on efficiency, quality and scalability of the service, making environmental sustainability a prerequisite. And the results collected in recent years confirm the validity of the strategy of this young company.
The startup is wrapping up another record year, with a 2017 budget closing forecast around € 6 million, doubling the amount recorded last year.
Today operates in 9 Italian cities (Turin, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Genoa, Palermo, Bari, Reggio Emilia) and handles 7000 shipments per day, with peaks of 15 deliveries per hour. The fleet consists of over 100 vehicles including cargo bikes, tricycles, scooters and electric vans and the average age of the 70 employees and 400 collaborators is 29 years.
Among the main partnerships are those with Amazon, TNT Italy, GLS Italy, Cortilia, Mail Boxes Etc. Italia and recently the already started collaboration with Just Eat has been consolidated.
From the point of view of technological development, the team is implementing new algorithms for the automatic assignment of rides that will allow the company to completely automate the management of the control tower (the control room from where orders received by drivers on the road are assigned), with a considerable efficiency in structure costs.
In addition, there is a new payment collection system on delivery, fully integrated with the platform. Pony Zero will thus be able to collect money on behalf of customers in case of delivery with cash on delivery payment.
News also in the fleet: a new model of insulated cargo trailer has been developed internally, which has allowed us to improve by 50% the delivery performance, making them faster and more efficient, considerably reducing maintenance compared to the previous model.
If you wish to invest in Pony Zero , join the Club Italia Investimenti 2 campaign.
© 2023 SiamoSoci Srl a company of Azimut Group - VAT number IT07464370969 - Via Timavo 34, 20124 MI - SC € 95.417,54 fully paid up - Registr. 8, resolution 19002 of 06/08/14


text:
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Pinterest is blushing more than a bride after it accidentally sent congratulation notices to hundreds of women who aren't getting married.
According to slate.com, the site sent an email blast Wednesday wishing the women the best in their upcoming marriages. The only problem is that many of the recipients were single.
The site sent the message to women who had pinned dresses or wedding paraphernalia, which included many women who were just interested in the subject.
Pinterest apologized in an email, saying it was sorry it came off like an "overbearing mother."
Wedding email flap makes Pinterest feel like 'overbearing mother'
More TOP STORIES News


text:
Engines undergo final inspection at the Stellantis Dundee Engine Complex on August 18, 2022 in Dundee, Michigan.
Bill Pugliano | Getty Images
Automobile company Stellantis expects inflationary costs of raw materials to decline next year after rising significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer told investors on Thursday.
Cost increases in critical raw materials used by automakers such as steel, aluminum and others for EV batteries have been largely offset record prices for new vehiclesit dampens carmakers’ margins. But as prices rise slowly, costs have yet to follow.
Palmer said he expected favorable new vehicle pricing to continue next year, but said inflation could continue to hit other parts of the automaker’s supply chain.
“What we’re going to see in 2023 is a lower impact of commodity inflation than what we’ve seen this year. So I think the entity impact of inflation will be lower in 2023,” he said while discussing third-quarter sales and supplies. “Inflation may be high on other elements of the cost curve, but they are lower this year relative to raw materials.”
Palmer did not specify how inflationary costs he expects to decrease or increase in 2023. Spokesperson of the company Stellantis, which was created by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and the French Groupe PSA in January 2021Palmer was referring to the lower inflationary costs of steel and aluminum. She refused to reveal what elements could be higher next year.
Costs across the automotive supply chain have skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic as companies struggle with logistics, materials and staff.
Ford warned investors in September that the company expected them to arise additional costs of $1 billion during the third quarter due to inflation and supply chain issues. The problems led to a parts shortage affecting roughly 40,000 to 45,000 vehicles, primarily high-margin trucks and SUVs, that did not reach dealers.
In June AlixPartners reported the costs of raw materials and materials for both electric cars and traditional models with internal combustion engines, it more than doubled during the coronavirus pandemic.


text:
The Brick Kingdom exhibition will see Scotland’s first 8ft Lego brick dragon with glowing eyes and smoking breath, set to be unveiled at The Centre in the West Lothian town.
The structure will be appearing alongside 10 other models including a 4.2ft unicorn, 5ft princess, 6ft wizard, 5.9ft knight and 5ft huntswoman, as part of a children’s Easter exhibition.
The exhibition is aimed at giving families the chance to shop, eat and play together during the Easter holidays in the mall, which is one of the county’s largest indoor shopping centres.
It will be running from Saturday, April 6th to Monday, April 22nd.
To celebrate the launch of the Lego show, the mall is hosting a variety of free, fun-filled Lego brick activities from Saturday, April 6th until Monday, April 8th between 10am and 6pm.
This includes ‘make and take’ model building sessions where budding Lego fans will have the chance to make their own special models to take home.
Children will also be invited to help create a giant 2m x 2m Lego brick mosaic and little ones can also enjoy some playtime in the Duplo brick pit.
A dragon hunt will also take place with children being tasked with finding 15 Lego brick eggs or dragons hidden in store windows around the mall, to be in with a chance of winning a family lunch.
Ashley Bisland, deputy centre director at The Centre, Livingston, said they were “delighted” to be showcasing the models this month.
For more details visit https://www.thecentrelivingston.com/whats-on/events
Sign up to our newsletter: enter your email in the box at the top of this article to get daily updates straight to your inbox.


text:
Google launch standalone iOS 6 YouTube app for the iPhone
I’ve been using iOS 6 now for a few months and one of the things that it brings, or rather removes is the YouTube app. Now Google have launched a standalone YouTube app for iOS 6 and its really good!
As we told you back in August, the YouTube app was removed, and this was the reason:
Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended, customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store.
The app is only available for the iPhone and iPod Touch right now, but will be available for the iPad at a later date.
I really like the new app, it’s faster, more responsive and it looks great!http://itunes.apple.com/app/youtube/id544007664
And why not subscribe to our YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/usingwhs


text:
MINSK, 16 October (BelTA) - A timber research center can be set up in Belarus, Igor Voitov, Rector of Belarusian State Technological University, told the told the media on the sidelines of the Furniture 2019 expo in Minsk on 16 October, BelTA has learned.
“Personnel is the most important element of any production chain, the main ingredient of success. For many years we have been training specialists for forestry and timber processing, introducing new technologies in various sectors. We are currently in talks with Bellesbumprom and the Forestry Ministry over a timber research center, which will help to move forward both in terms of furniture new designs and technologies and also in marketing and sales,” Igor Voitov said.
The 26th edition of the Furniture 2019 expo is running in Minsk on 16-19 October. Traditionally, the centerpiece of the expo is a large collective stand of Bellesbumprom. The Association of Furniture and Woodworking Companies of Belarus is also taking part in Furniture 2019 with a large stand. All in all, Furniture 2019 features more than 80 Belarusian and foreign manufacturers and suppliers of furniture and parts, equipment and technologies from Belarus, Russia, Germany, Austria and Poland.
The key event of the exhibition's business program was the Furniture Forum 2019. It gathered a large number of specialists in furniture manufacturing, design and marketing.
The Furniture 2019 expo will sum up the results of two national competitions and name the best furniture company of the year and the best furniture of the year in Belarus. The competitions have been organized by Bellesbumprom and the Association of Furniture and Woodworking Companies of Belarus.More about Economy


text:
A recall of White Knight Hand Sanitiser has been announced by the ACCC.
The recall comes following CHOICE independent spot checks finding a sample of the product did not contain enough alcohol.
Embeddable infographic available here: https://infogram.com/sanitiser-test-result-2-1hdw2jp8gexyd2l?live
Quotes attributable to Dean Price, CHOICE Campaigner:
“If you’ve bought the recalled White Knight Sanitiser between April and November this year, please return it for a refund."
"CHOICE conducted our own tests to make sure Australians were getting safe and effective hand sanitiser products during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Thank you to our members and supporters who made this testing possible and we’re glad to see the ACCC and the Government have listened to Australians who asked for better.”
Minister Sukkar has since announced stronger regulation of hand sanitisers.
Previous media release: https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=270103a13e38b9f6643b82a8e&id=375f5c88e8
Dropbox with photos and footage for media use: https://shwca.se/WhiteKnight
Media contact: 0430 172 669; firstname.lastname@example.org.


text:
Castlevania coming to 3DS early next year
Mercury Steam and Konami has announced a release window for their 3DS exclusive Castlevania title.
Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow Mirror Of Fate is set 25 years after the events of the first Lords of Shadow game on Xbox 360 and PS3 and the story will bridge the gap between the original and Lords of Shadow 2.
Konami's Dave Cox said, "It's been two years since the enormous success of Castlevania Lords of Shadow, and with this next installment, we want to take the necessary time needed to give fans a handheld title unlike any other."
Lords Of Shadow Mirror Of Fate will arrive on 3DS at the beginning of next year with the full Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2 coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 later on in 2013.
- New poll indicates that people believe online gaming is “the least welcoming space” for women
- CD Projekt RED releases The Trail, the opening cinematic from The Witcher 3
- New Project CARS trailer pulls up to the starting grid
- Far Cry 4 dev says linear games will suffer in the new world of gameplay video sharing
- Almost 1,100 developers, students and journalists sign the new #gamediversity petition embracing diversity in games
- Felicia Day breaks her silence about #Gamergate, is almost immediately doxxed
- Ubisoft announces PC specs for Assassin's Creed: Unity and they're killer
- Dark Souls 2 could see a fourth pack of DLC released
- Far Cry 4 is all about player choice, has five endings


text:
The world’s economy will inevitably transition to something like a digital era. All is becoming paperless, from acquisition to currency exchange. Cryptocurrency is the recent and most exciting extension to the world of digital transactions, believes Eric Dalius bitcoin. In the meantime, recent experience demonstrates that it is often a wise decision. Cryptocurrency, just like every other extremely great investment, is uncertain. There really are, however, distinct advantages, which we will discuss in this post for all the business owners dealing with the Miami market.
Besides that, every bitcoin business’s growth is essentially constrained by bitcoin’s own growth. The currency should rise in tandem with the price because the number of coins is necessarily limiting. This ensures that very few if any, companies can hope to outperform the coin through time. Coins, not companies, are where the benefit is, so entrepreneurs can invest in coins instead of businesses. Furthermore, if bitcoin fails, all bitcoin companies fail with it, making bitcoin less risky than that of any bitcoin company. As a result, bitcoin developers should be much more concerned with turning bitcoins into capital than with making a profit. Since the potential for bitcoin itself is just so much stronger than just about any other bitcoin company he might invest in, an entrepreneur who embraces that principle is likely to be more prosperous than someone who does not.
Why Entrepreneurs Should Consider Bitcoin, According to Eric Dalius Bitcoin Miami Business Analyst-
With significant assets investors expecting a share market collapse in 2020, cryptocurrency could be a safer option than more conventional investment options. There are opposing hypotheses about how cryptocurrencies would operate in the event of a disaster – after all, they were created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis (and as a reaction to it). Some analysts expect that they will succeed, while optimists suggest that, like anything else, they will suffer.
No Foreign Exchange Conversion
Corporations that export and import products would be familiar with the costs of transforming fiat currency upon the exchange market. As a result, banking institutions charge excessive premiums, which are acceptable as global operating costs.
Based on the day’s exchange rate as well as exchange fees, such conversion costs could be as high as 18%. Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that is available globally. As a result, there really is no conversion of international payments. And how about the payment which the other party would collect without incurring any currency exchange losses?
Eric Dalius Miami’s bitcoin guide the bitcoin community intuitively to understands this, but it should be carried out to its rational conclusion. The bitcoin economy as a whole must be open-source. That’s how to enable bitcoin effectively as easily as possible and with very little effort as possible, which would be the best possible outcome for all.
Before you start making decisions about bitcoin investment, it is necessary to get in touch with an expert. You can look for the bitcoin expert online and contact them to take guidance for making the right and profitable decisions.


text:
Toronto, Ontario — Acknowledging customers upon arrival at an aftermarket service facility can significantly improve customer satisfaction scores; specifically those for full-service maintenance and repair or quick repair jobs, said a recent J.D. Power study.
“Satisfaction is highest in all three segments among customers who receive recommendations for—and accept—additional work,” J.D. Power wrote.
Satisfaction scores decline when customers wait more than three minutes before being acknowledged, according to the 2021 U.S. Aftermarket Service Index (ASI) StudySM fueled by SurveyMonkey, which was released on January 14 and initially launched in 2019.
“Simple things—like explaining to customers about the facility’s cleaning protocols—can make the difference between whether or not they willingly plan to return for future business or will recommend it to others,” Sutton said in a statement. “Aftermarket service providers should pay special attention to simple actions that can enhance the customer experience,” according to Sutton.
One of every 10 customers waits more than five minutes before speaking with someone at a service facility,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. “Seeing as how the pandemic has affected service volume, it’s really important to do a great job with the customers who do come through the door. Not being acknowledged can make customers feel that their time isn’t valued. Aftermarket service providers need to ensure someone is available to greet customers when they arrive, even if it’s just to say, ‘hello.’ Otherwise, they run the risk of losing out on return business.”
And now, in the study’s second year, the focus is on measuring customer satisfaction with aftermarket service facilities, providing a numerical index ranking of the highest performing U.S. aftermarket service facilities.
Performance in three segments–full-service maintenance and repair, quick oil change; and tire replacement, is based on the combined scores for seven measures that comprise the vehicle owner’s experience.
The measures, according to Sutton, are ease of schedule/getting vehicle in for service, service advisor performance; service advisor courtesy, service facility; time to complete services; fairness of changes; and quality of work.
In all three segments, customers indicate how often they were greeted immediately: 42% of the time for full-service maintenance and repair; 53% of the time for a quick oil change; and 34% of the time for tire replacement.
However, among customers in each segment who say they waited for three minutes or more—which ranges from 27% to 39%—satisfaction scores decline as much as 219 points (on a 1,000-point scale).
Some of the key finding of the 2021 study included:
- It is important to recommend additional service right away
- Fix it right the first time
- Attention to detail boots customer satisfaction
“Even with many Americans having reduced their travel because of the pandemic, many still require automotive service, and their service expectations remain high,” said Timothy Gravelle, senior manager of research science at SurveyMonkey. “This research confirms that quality work done promptly, explained clearly, for a fair price, and delivered with excellent customer service is what leads to customer satisfaction among American drivers.”
Some of the more key rankings include; Christian Brother Automotive Corp. ranking highest in satisfaction for full-service maintenance and repair with a score of 898. Big O Tires ranked second (778), and Goodyear Tire & Auto Service ranked third (775).
Take 5 ranked highest in satisfaction for a quick oil change with a score of 810. Valvoline Instant Oil Change ranked second (784), and Kwik Kar ranked third (775).
Les Schwab Tire Centers ranked highest in satisfaction for tire replacement with a score of 820. Discount Tire ranked second (792) and Costco ranked third (780).
The 2021 U.S. Aftermarket Service Index (ASI) Study is based on responses from 8,148 vehicle owners. Survey data collection was conducted online between July and October 2020.
Survey respondents were initially selected from the more than two million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day, and from the SurveyMonkey audience market research panel. Respondents were then screened for having aftermarket service performed in the past 12 months.
For more information about the 2021 U.S. Aftermarket Service Index (ASI) Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/automotive/us-aftermarket-service-index-asi-study.


text:
A new alliance has been formed by more than 30 companies seeking to better control online gaming communities, hoping to reduce the amount of harassment and toxicity between players
The Fair Play Alliance has been formed by high-profile companies such as Blizzard, Epic Games, Twitch, and Xbox. The goal, according to the coalition’s mission statement, is to “encourage fair play and healthy communities,” in online gaming.
“We envision a world where games are free of harassment, discrimination, and abuse, and where players can express themselves through play,” reads the statement.
Another goal of the Fair Play Alliance is to raise awareness of player-behavior-related issues, and “share research and best practices that drive lasting change.”
More and more companies have been taking a stand against harassment and toxicity over the last few years. It’s not just other community members who have felt the brunt of hostility for one reason or another online, but many developers are reluctant to engage in discourse with game communities with the result being quite a lot of hostility and harassment, and the possibility of being doxxed. Some developers have even received death threats over something as silly as how it rebooted a game or withdrawing a game from an online store.
Few companies have been intolerant of toxic behavior. Microsoft has a code of conduct for Xbox Live users, Blizzard has been putting the hammer down hard on bad behavior of late in Overwatch, and another example of companies becoming less tolerant of toxic members is Ubisoft with improvements to its Rainbow Six Siege chat system, which now bans players who use “racial and homophobic slurs, or hate speech” while they’re playing the game.
Hopefully, the developers, publishers and tech companies can find a way to encourage their community members not to act like raving jerks. However, stemming the tide of terrible behavior online is, and will remain, an uphill battle for the foreseeable future.
Over 30 gaming companies are represented, including:
- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
- Discord Inc.
- Epic Games, Inc.
- Huuuge Games
- Intel Corporation
- Ker-Chunk Games
- Owlchemy Labs
- Radial Games
- Riot Games
- Roblox Corporation
- Rovio Entertainment Corp.
- Space Ape Games
- Spirit AI, Ltd.
- Two Hat
- Unity Technologies


text:
Editor in Chief
- Dec 30, 2010
- Reaction score
- Austin, TX
This latest news has us scratching our heads, wondering if it is a belated April Fool's joke. Apparently, the partnership between Google and Nestle over the KitKat adversing isn't finished. Nestle just announced they will be holding an ad campaign called the "YouTube Break" which will basically replace some of the packaging on their KitKat bars for a while. Here's a quote with the details,
To celebrate 80 years since the KitKat went on sale, the two companies announced today that 600,000 "limited edition" packs will feature the name "YouTube Break" instead of the familiar KitKat logo in the UK. According to Nestle, it'll form just one of 72 different "breaks" that will feature on more than 400 wrapper designs. The plan is to produce 100 million packs, with the search giant only playing a small role. That said, YouTube will get involved, allowing smartphone owners to watch the day's top trending videos with a "OK Google, YouTube my break" voice search.
Huh? But... why? Did the PR folks at Google forget we have moved on to Lollipop and are almost to Android 6.0 now? We realize that YouTube is obviously a different animal than Android, but the whole thing still seems kinda silly... What do you think?


text:
Mining Startup Blockmetrix Attracts $43M
US-based crypto mining startup Blockmetrix has raised $43 million in a Series B funding round.
According to the company, the participants include investors from the US, Australia and Asian countries.
Blockmetrix has reported that it will use the fund to expand the business, which includes the purchase of an additional 5,000 devices for mining.
The company has previously acquired more than 1,000 ASIC miners with Series A funding of $7 million. The total amount of capital received by the startup reached $50 million.
Blockmetrix co-founder and CEO Nevin Bannister said:
“The fastest scaling of our company has been our main prerogative from the very first day. We aim to maintain this momentum and meet industry demand as we move towards a possible third round of funding. We are grateful to our investors for their trust.”


text:
David Beckham: High Five!
Soccer star David Beckham high-fives a little girl (one of the actresses in the commercial) after a successful take of a new Sharpie ad at the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles on Monday, April 28.
“I have always enjoyed signing autographs for people, especially since I used to love getting my heroes’ signatures when I was younger,” said Beckham. “I love to use Sharpie markers, so it’s a natural choice for me to partner with them.”
Becks was on location shooting both print and TV ads for the new Sharpie campaign that will air in in early July. The ads will show David using a Sharpie to autograph a variety of unusual items for fans.
Check out the teaser ad that aired earlier in March at Sharpie.com.


text: The year is ending soon, and that means that sale season is hitting an all-time high. Net-a-Porter recently launched its fall-winter 2017 sale featuring plenty of designer looks. Choose from dresses, boots, heels, bags and lingerie with discounts at up to 50% off. Brands such as Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent and Fendi are included in the sale. Discover some of our picks below, and shop more at Net-a-Porter.com.


text:
Backnobber II Winner of Great Gear of the Year AwardPrint
ShapeYou.com, the powerful and innovative health and fitness website, is proud to announce that The Pressure Positive Company’s “Original Backnobber II” self care massage tool is winner of a Top Gear of the Year Award , and its “Original Orbit Massager and Original Jacknobber II are the winners of a Great Gear of the Year Award in the Back Products category in this year’s Health & Fitness GearAwards™. ShapeYou.com’s judges are industry professionals who represent trainers, nutritionists, health care practitioners, coaches, athletes, health food storeowners and more.
The huge selection of sports, health and fitness products out in the marketplace gave ShapeYou.com the idea to create and run the GearAwards™. “We want people to easily find the best of the best that’s out there,” a company spokesperson said. “And if it has a GearAward™ seal on it, that just makes it simpler to find a great product – because we’ve done the footwork already.”
ShapeYou.com congratulates The Pressure Positive Company on its award-winning products!
ShapeYou.com (www.ShapeYou.com) is the creation of fitness and nutrition guru Tony Hale, and provides a wealth of information, articles and resources for consumers, retailers, and manufacturers in the sports, health and fitness industries. This year, ShapeYou.com also launched it’s Sports, Health & Fitness Wholesale Trade Directory where wholesale trade buyers for health food stores, sporting goods
stores and many other retail outlets can find all the wholesale products they’re looking for in one location.


text:
Amazon Web Services' new Amazon Detective security service is now generally available.
China's cloud infrastructure services market grew 66.9% in the final quarter of 2019 as total expenditure reached US$3.3 billion, the tech analyst firm Canalys said, adding that the country represented 10.8% of the global total, making it the second largest market. Cloud services were extremely useful in fighting the coronavirus outbreak.
Amazon Web Services has announced a new feature in Amazon Polly from its team of AI research scientists and linguists called Brand Voice, an “exclusive, high-quality, Neural Text-to-Speech (NTTS) voice” built to represent a brand’s persona.
Thanks Peter! A story well worth reporting.A tiny step in a better direction except that 2035 will be far too[…]
Pyramid payments for the rollout and the smallest chunk for the actual guys doing the rollout. What a surprise from[…]
By moving away from fibre and sticking with an archiac mess of copper the Coalition ensured that wireless would be[…]
This is such an interested case, that will shape the World's view of a controlled monopoly or is it a[…]
Excellent article thx Alex -Pricing to enable bonuses to execs while hiding what they do to their 'essential workers' -[…]


text:
Here's How We Know Holiday Retail Sales Will Be Huge
November 10, 2014 at 11:31 AM EST
The biggest wave of season hiring in a decade suggests that 2014 holiday retail sales will be their strongest in years. In recent weeks retailers have been scrambling to hire more seasonal workers than usual in advance of the holiday shopping season. Retailers could add as many as 800,000 workers this year - the most since 1999. The post Here's How We Know Holiday Retail Sales Will Be Huge appeared first on Money Morning - Only the News You Can Profit From .


text:
Apple Watch apps are about to change in a big way
Apple is making a significant change to the rules that govern how developers built Apple Watch apps.
From June 1, all watchOS apps submitted to the App store need to be native to the platform.
Initially, watchOS depended on a nearby iPhone to power apps running on the Apple Watch. This changed in watchOS 2, when Apple introduced native support i.e. the Apple Watch could run its own apps.
When the rule change goes live, developers will need to ensure that all new apps can run on the Apple Watch without the need for a nearby iPhone.
This also means that any new apps will need to be built with the watchOS SDK (developer kit) or later.
Buy Now: Apple Watch Sport at Amazon for £240
The Apple Developer site update reads:
“Starting June 1, 2016, all new watchOS apps submitted to the App Store must be native apps built with the watchOS 2 SDK or later.”
Related: Apple Watch Tips & Tricks
The Apple Watch was announced on September 9, 2014, and began shipping on April 24, 2015. It quickly became a market leader in the smartwatch space, selling 4.2 million units in the second quarter of last year.
Apple is expected to unveil a successor to the Apple Watch – rumoured as the Apple Watch 2 – in September, alongside the mooted iPhone 7 launch.
Watch our Fitbit Blaze hands-on:
Do you think Apple is right to make this change to its watchOS rules? Let us know in the comments.


text:
The Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) announced the availability of $60,000 for reimbursements of vandalism for local businesses in the downtown core.
Individual grants of up to $1,000 are available to any business in the City of Victoria that experiences vandalism between January 1st to December 31st, 2021.
To be eligible for reimbursements, businesses must submit proof of insurance deductible amount, receipts for completed repair work, and a police file number associated with the incident.
Businesses looking to access these grants should email email@example.com.
“We continue to look for ways we can support businesses impacted by the pandemic by keeping taxes low and allowing businesses to expand through our Build Back Victoria program,” said City of Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps.
“This new grant program is another way we can show our support and help ensure downtown remains open and inviting for everyone. Our thanks to the DVBA for taking on this important work.”
In February, a graffiti spree left multiple local businesses vandalized and the Queen Elizabeth statue head stolen.
There have also been issues of businesses being damaged, including one incident after a crime spree that included smashing several local businesses’ windows.


text:
At first glance, it is a miracle on the order of the loaves and fishes. With no more than 12 acres of grapes, Ventura County yields more than 150,000 bottles of wine a year.
But the five wineries that produce vin de Ventura get most of their grapes and sell the lion's share of their vintage far beyond the county lines. Their owners are prophets without much profit in their own land but they dream that the fruits of their labor will become more firmly established in a region now more respected for its lemonade than its wine.
"Europeans love their local wineries and take great pride in searching out the guy off the beaten path," said Ed Pagor, the founder, chemist, chief bottler, marketing representative and sales manager of Rolling Hills Winery in Camarillo. "I think that feeling is going to catch on here in Ventura County."
Sandwiched between an auto repair shop and a warehouse in a Camarillo industrial park, Rolling Hills imports its grapes from the rolling hills of Santa Maria, 100 miles to the north.
No wooden casks mark its entrance. There is no brick veiled with ivy, no tasting room, not even a sign. The dimly lit winery, crammed with oak barrels, flasks, measuring spoons, thermometers, gauges and the other paraphernalia of wine making, occupies a space about the size of a small two-bedroom apartment.
"If I can keep it going," Pagor says, "it will take another five years to have really steady customers, which will allow people in Ventura County and the rest of Southern California to really know and appreciate my wines."
Part-Time at First
A former sales manager for a Swiss aluminum company, Pagor started the winery in 1981 as a part-time operation. Last February, his employer of 18 years closed its West Coast operation, and he was out of a job. "I became a full-time wine maker the next day," he said.
In 1987, he produced 18,000 bottles of wine.
A transplant from New Jersey, Pagor sells 75% of his wine in the Los Angeles area, which represents the nation's largest consumer of wine. (So competitive a market is Los Angeles that the University of California, Davis offered a one-day class in Santa Rosa last fall on selling wine in Southern California.)
About 250 of California's 650 wineries produce as much or less wine than Rolling Hills, according to the San Francisco wine-industry consulting firm of Gomberg, Fredrickson & Associates.
"A winery a month opens in this state, and many of these are lucky to sell enough wine to just break even. Many are producing wine for the love and art of it," said Jon Fredrickson, the firm's president.
On the average, he said, a winery must sell 36,000 bottles a year to cover expenses. Only one Ventura County winery sells that much.
In the last half of the 1800s, however, Ventura County was considered one of the most productive grape-growing areas in California.
Wineries and vineyards flourished in Ojai, Piru and Tapo Canyon. On Santa Cruz Island, wine makers blended island grapes into Zinfandel, Chablis, Muscat, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Burgundy and shipped most of the vintage to San Francisco for bottling.
But the industry was squeezed out by the thirst of the citrus business for cheap land, by disease and by Prohibition.
The flow of wine from area wineries stopped in 1949 for 30 years. It resumed in 1979, when a grocery store manager and a retail clothier created Leeward Winery, now the county's largest and most profitable wine maker. The two men, Chuck Brigham and Chuck Gardner, began their commercial operation in a 1,600-square-foot warehouse across the street from what was to become Pagor's Rolling Hills Winery.
"We spent 50 hours a week making wine, in addition to our regular jobs," Brigham recounted. "We did everything ourselves, even the dirty work. The two of us used to leave for the Bay Area at 3 in the morning with 140 cases of wine to deliver and sell, then we'd drive back. It was quite an experience."
Their patience has produced a wall full of awards. Two golds and a silver from the Orange County Fair honored the only three varieties that they produced their first year.
"We are really proud of those first three awards," Brigham said. "They really helped put us on the map."
In 1982, Leeward moved from Camarillo to a spacious new facility in Ventura. The two-building complex features one of the county's two tasting rooms.
A climate-controlled production facility is accented by a state-of-the-art bottling assembly line that can bottle, cork and label 2,640 bottles in one hour--five times the number that they could process at their old facility.
In 1987, Leeward produced 114,000 bottles of wine, 63% of Ventura County's total production for the year. Two Chardonnays (a Central Coast and an Edna Valley) accounted for 75% of the company's total production. The winery also makes an Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and a Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir Blanc known as "Coral."


text:
GCN LAB IMPRESSIONS
10 terrible technology blunders of 2011
- By John Breeden II
- Dec 19, 2011
The year 2011 was a good one for technology. We saw a lot of great products and ideas, some of which could lay the groundwork for an even better 2012 and beyond. But like Las Vegas, for every winner, there were lots of losers. Not everyone or every technology made the grade this year.
While my colleague Greg Crowe gets to celebrate with the winners, I’m left to party with the infamous, the losers and the also-rans. It’s an A-list ticket to a D-grade affair. So here they are, technologies and people and news stories that made history this year, but for all the wrong reasons.
1. Taliban tweets to victory
In 2011, those wacky Taliban folks attacked Twitter, but not in the way you might think. Instead, they set up shop with that most Western of excesses, the self-promoting Twitter page. Perhaps they thought they would strike fear into the hearts of the United States with their rants. Instead, their claims were the stuff of storybooks. In one day alone, they claimed to have destroyed a dozen mainline battle tanks and taken over two U.S. airports. Dan Brown better watch out if these guys keep up the outlandish narratives. They might start to outsell him.
2. Chinese government exposes itself
After years of denying any intrusion into U.S. computer networks, the Chinese got caught peacocking a bit too much, and fell into their own lies. A government-sponsored video shows off the country’s military might with displays of artillery shooting, planes attacking targets, ships rolling across the ocean and, oh yeah, a computer specifically designed to launch cyberattacks against targets within the United States. Launching from, of all things, a drop-down menu of targets, the hacker in question even instigates an attack right there for all to see. That the Chinese government would film something that contradicts its “we are an innocent, wrongly accused nation” stance is reckless. That they would broadcast it is downright foolish. Sorry, China. You’re busted. Don’t they have a good AV club over there?
3. HP loves the TouchPad, loves it not
In a terrible case of “we’re so large we don’t know what everyone is doing,” Hewlett-Packard released the HP TouchPad to great fanfare, while at the same time working behind the scenes to remove the entire computing division from the company like its big rival IBM did a few years ago. This was after paying billions to buy Palm, so it could own the WebOS used in the TouchPad in the first place. Did anyone at HP ever go to business school, or successfully balance a checkbook?
The TouchPad was a good product, and people really liked it. So when HP announced that it was getting the boot, there was outrage. Well, there was nerd rage, in any case. It wasn’t pretty. Then the company had to start selling them for $99, which really ramped up demand to the point that nerds were boxing in the streets over them, replacing homeless brawls and funny cats as the No. 1 thing to watch on YouTube when you don’t want to get any work done. So who knows what will happen with HP and its schizophrenic management style? Maybe the TouchPad will save the computing division, or make a fitting tombstone. But its follies made for fun watching this whole year.
4. ICANN’s diamond-plated Internet domain expansions
After years of debate, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers decided in 2011 to open the doors to “unleash the global human imagination.” Somehow letting Coca-Cola purchase .coke achieves this notable goal. Do the Nobel Prize people know about this decision?
Oh yea, and it only costs $185,000 to get your own top-level domain, you know, for all those shipping and handling fees over at ICANN. Someone has to enter that data into a keyboard after all. To date, almost no company has bought specific domains, except in an effort to protect them from falling into other’s hands. Why would they? After a company pays that ridiculous fee, they would then have to “train” all their users to stay away from .com and instead head over to .pepsi, .chevy and .Miami. Seems like a losing proposition, as was this idea. The money-making scheme helped to make ICANN wealthier, but we’re pretty sure global imagination remains unreleased.
5. Search engine wars
In the tech world imitation is a time honored tradition. But that’s not how Google put it earlier this year in accusing Bing of copying Google’s results for queries and then passing them off as their own. Microsoft promptly denied the charge, accusing Google of using the spammer tactic of ‘click fraud’ to make Bing look bad.
Google apparently laid a clever trap, making up search results for nonsense queries, such as “juegosdeben1ogrande.” When they went to Bing and typed in those nonsense words, guess what happened? The same fake search answers came up. Was Bing looking at Google for answers? Not according to Microsoft, which accused Google of a "spy-novelesque stunt" to falsely prove Bing was lifting results and called the ploy a “backhanded compliment.” But whoever came out on top of the dust-up earlier this year, it just goes to show that among arch rivals, reverse engineering may be the sincerest form of flattery.
6. Google+ is a minus
Just what everyone needed in 2011, another social networking site to post photos of funny cats. As much as we love funny cats, Google+ is a bit much on top of everything else. As if federal network admins didn’t lose enough sleep.
Google needs to learn that it’s not the master of all things. It does search engines very well (see the entry above on how they schooled Microsoft). But to try and launch a social networking site to compete with Facebook is ridiculous. Everyone is (somewhat reluctantly in many cases) a part of Facebook. Combined with Twitter, YouTube and a host of other sites, people are pretty much at social media fatigue levels. So although Google+ launched with much fanfare (something the tech industry is very good at) the number of active users stared dropping off after the first month.
Running in a race that already has a clear winner is tough. Google may eventually be able to surpass (or buy out) Facebook, resulting in a great triumph. But 2011 wasn’t the year for it. And 2012 doesn’t look too hot either.
7. Crazy like a Firefox
In a head-scratching moment of weirdness, the developers of the Firefox browser thought it would be a great idea to remove version numbers from the browser, you know, so people would have no idea if their system was up to date. Somehow they thought this would cause more people to keep Firefox updated. Instead, it almost caused a cyber riot. The version numbers on Firefox are back now, but the damage might have already been done, as reports are that Chrome is now the second most popular browser in the world. Perhaps removing version numbers was crazy like a fox, just without the fox part.
8. Feds take the bait
One of the least technical and easiest types of attack to defend against is phishing. Yet in 2011, lots of feds fell for it, including those who got snagged in the attack on Google’s Gmail. Granted, many were targeted because they were feds, but if you follow the simple advice of not opening attachments in e-mails or following them to Web pages, you will be 100 percent protected. It’s that simple. Go forth, and don’t get fooled again. This is the last time we want to see any feds on this list. Oh, and just in case it comes up, don’t take candy from strangers or hop into any weird vans.
9. Samsung CEO's gaffe
Honesty is the best policy, unless you happen to be the CEO of a large tech company trying to compete with Apple. When Samsung CEO Lee Dong-Joo was asked at a trade show how the pending Galaxy Tab 10.1 matched up with Apple, he described his own product as “inadequate” compared to the iPad 2. Wow, we wonder how this guy does on dating websites.
The inadequacies of the Galaxy Tab may or may not be true, but don’t concede the ground before the battle is fought. Even HP put a brave face on when it launched the TouchPad, and we all know now that the company had no intention of actually supporting the device. Generals win battles, and CEOs need faith in their products. Otherwise, there will be no victory.
10. WireDoo or don’t
Please Hammer, don’t hurt em! When rapper MC Hammer showed up at a Los Angeles tech convention saying he was working on a search engine that would beat the tar out of Google, everyone thought it was a joke – at first. But WireDoo exists, or at least the top page of a Website that offers users the ability to sign up to beta test the new search engine is real.
Had Hammer demonstrated how his engine was different from Google — like if it concentrated on the entertainment industry, for example — then he might have had something. But details were sparse to say the least, leading many to simply chuckle at the rapper trying to conquer the world’s largest search engine. We thought ending this list with Hammer would be funny, but really, it’s just a touch sad.
As for WireDoo, we don’t really know what to think yet, but we’ve been waiting months for our beta application to be approved. Perhaps in 2012? Hit us Hammer!


text:
Big news for Jelli! We are excited to announce that Jelli and Triton Digital are joining forces to continue our mission to provide platform technology that supports free listening through better audio advertising.
Triton Digital is the global technology and services leader to the digital audio and podcast industry. Triton provides innovative technology that enables broadcasters, podcasters, and online music services to build their audience, maximize their revenue, and streamline day-to-day operations. We are thrilled to be combining forces to deliver innovative technology and solutions for the entire audio ecosystem.
What does this integration mean?
Combining both teams under the Triton Digital brand will allow us to accelerate the development of innovative technology that serves the entire audio ecosystem — radio, streaming, and podcasting. In other words, this integration doesn’t change Jelli’s products; it only solidifies our “all audio” focus, strengthens our mission, and takes our products global!
What about Jelli RadioSpot? We will continue to provide an excellent supply-side advertising platform for publishers with great customer support and broadcast operations teams. We will also continue to power Expressway from Katz, prioritizing the delivery of enhanced advertising technology and radio inventory monetization, but are now extending the offering internationally.
What does this mean for Jelli SpotPlan? It’s business as usual with the same amazing solution for advertisers, delivering automated media planning and buying tools for radio, as well as support by our top-notch customer success team.
Unlike SpotPlan and RadioSpot, some of you may not be as familiar with iHeart AdBuilder, our self-service radio buying solution for small businesses. AdBuilder is growing fast and will continue to be a major priority as we integrate with Triton Digital and as we start offering our solutions internationally.
Triton Digital, an iHeartMedia company, embodies everything Jelli is and by combining forces we will be able to deliver technology innovation and solutions that will result in even better audio advertising. We are looking forward to this new chapter and can’t wait to continue shaping the future of audio advertising!


text:
Here’s how rules differ between hotspots and the rest of South Africa
Today in business: Alex Forbes sees profit slump, says retrenchments climbed
SA has one Covid-19 hotspot for now - here's what we know so far
Checkers just launched a high-end store in Rosebank - it has a honey bar and a Starbucks
The store also has interactive touch screens which offer wine pairing suggestions.
Ntando Thukwana, Business Insider SA
Dec 04, 2020, 08:45 AM
Here’s what hotspot restrictions should look like – according to Prof Karim, SA’s top advisor
Adhering to current regulations, limiting crowds to less than 50 people and, as a last...
Luke Daniel, Business Insider SA
Dec 03, 2020, 05:48 PM
The rules for kids flying into SA were just updated, and terminals are fully open again
These Joburg suburbs will have 1,400 cameras that read licence plates before the end of 2020
No probe into SA’s 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ,10 Powerball draw, regulator says – though SA remains unconvinced
OneDayOnly is doing a replay of Black Friday – and it is promising a lot of free stuff


text:
Brewers are walking on tight rope
A few years ago, brewers were optimistic that a burgeoning young population that for consumption would spur investment as they launched new products and embarked on restructuring.
The prognosis for the economy were benign that ABInBEV- the world largest beer maker- decided to merge three subsidiaries in Nigeria (International Breweries, Pabod Breweries and Intafact Breweries), and it also spent $250 million on the construction of three new plants.
As at today, however, a stuttering economy, deteriorating consumer spending, stiff competition, slow volume growth, higher material costs, and higher excise duties, have eroded the earnings of beer makers, making the sector the worst performer among the fast moving consumer goods firms.
The numbers from the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) are bad, sending a chill down the spine of investors.
For instance, the combine revenue of the three largest players (Nigerian Breweries Nigeria Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, and International Breweries) increased by 4.81 percent as at September 2019.
That compares with an uptick of 21.33 percent recorded in 2018-17 financial year and 16.50 percent increase in 2017-16.
Guinness and International Breweries recorded losses of N370.15 million and N16.44 billion in the first nine months of the year, while Nigerian Breweries saw a 17.01 percent drop in net income, as margins continue to deteriorate.
The cumulative average net profit of the largest beer makers stood at (0.045 percent) as at September 2019, which means they are not turning each Naira invested sales into higher profit.
International Breweries may continue to struggle as it has a debt load of N243.82 billion as at September 2019, which is 13 times higher than total equity of N18.17 billion, as it a step away from technical insolvency.
With the terrain still challenging, analysts believe brewers will be cautious on price increase as they look to pass on the burden of increase in alcoholic beverage and fend off the effect of rising inflation.
Also, consumers are likely to respond a hike by switching to cheaper brands, while industry players could lose market share to smaller brands.
Guinness plans to increase its share of income from spirits, and Nigerian Breweries in focusing on its premium Heineken, stout and malt drinks.
In May, Nigerian Breweries had said it was mulling a hike in product to compensate for inflation and heavy levies.
“While a price increase is positive for Guinnees, but it is losing market share to the other players. So a price increase might be offset by a stepper volume decline,” said Yinka Ademuwagun, analyst at United Capital Limited.
The rate of growth in the Nigerian economy has been slow, unemployment high, poverty high, while the new minimum wage has not been implemented.
GDP expanded by 1.90 percent in the second quarter of 2019, a decline of 2.10 in the first quarter (Q2) of 2018, and below 2.38 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
The manufacturing industry contracted by 0.13 percent, and another contraction means the industry will slip into a recession.
The proposed plan by the Federal Government to increase Value added Tax (VAT) to 7.50 percent from 5 percent, hike electricity tariffs could damp consumer spending in a country where over 50 percent of its population live on less than $1.59 a day.
The future of economic growth and development in Nigeria lies in the private sector, thus we believe the federal government must begin to implement policies that would foster a more accommodating business environment, according to analysts at CSL Research Limited.
The report also revealed that beer makes up just 16 percent of alcohol consumption in Nigeria, while other drinks make up 84 percent due to the high popularity of home-brewed beverages in the country
Nigeria has an average beer consumption of 12.28 litres per year, the largest in Africa, according to a report by the Market Research Group
There are over 8 functional breweries in Nigeria with a cumulative production capacity of over 17.72 million hl/a majority. The majority of these breweries are situated in Southern part of Nigeria.


text:
Sixty percent of virtualised servers will be less secure than the physical servers they replace by 2012, according to Gartner.
Stories by Channelworld staff
According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Storage Software Tracker, the worldwide storage software market experienced a slight increase in year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter of 2009 (Q4- 09) with revenues of US$3.09 billion, representing 0.5 percent growth over the same quarter one year ago, as well as 6.3 percent growth from the previous quarter (Q3-09).
Worldwide spending on information technologies will continue to feel the effects of the global recession throughout 2010. According to a new forecast from IDC, worldwide IT spending will increase by just 3 percent in 2010 at constant currency.
Fujitsu and NetApp have announced that they would deepen their partnership globally and jointly develop integrated products and services. The announcement was made at VISIT 2009, Fujitsu's IT fair. The move should enable their customers to drive greater value and efficiencies from their IT infrastructures, said Fujitsu.
Avaya has announced the debut of Avaya Connect, a global program to drive greater profitability and growth for channel partners, in Asia Pacific. Avaya Connect represents a major overhaul of the company's existing channel programs into a globally consistent framework that streamlines processes, pricing, training and certification requirements while enabling channel partners to serve customers better, the company says.
BMC Software completed the acquisition of MQSoftware after all closing conditions were met. The combination of MQSoftware's products with BMC offerings will provide a unified solution for monitoring middleware and business transactions across mainframe and distributed systems, to deliver service at a lower cost, said the company.
The software certification and training market in APAC is expected to experience a 25 percent drop in investment from corporations and individuals in 2009 due to the global recession, according to Gartner. Gartner said that although the market is estimated to grow from $5.59 billion in 2008 to $13.58 billion in 2013, it will not escape the global economic slowdown.
HP has launched new storage virtualization solutions, StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array 6400 and 8400 (EVA6400/8400) and the enhanced SAN Virtualization Services Platform 2.1 (SVSP 2.1), that can reduce costs and better leverage the existing technology investments.
D-Link and Tomizone have announced that Tomizone has joined D-Link's Global Alliance Program (GAP) for Solution Partner to integrate Tomizone's Wi-Fi hotspot software into select D-Link router models.
3Com Corporation has announced the appointment of Andrew Hindmarch as Regional Product Marketing Manager for 3Com Asia Pacific. In this role, Hindmarch will lead the company's enterprise product and solution marketing efforts, focusing on market requirement, competitive analysis, market sizing, product positioning, pricing and messaging.
Intel Corporation has begun shipping its highest-performing solid-state drive (SSD), the Intel X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive, aimed at server, workstation and storage systems. Unlike mechanical drives, the SSDs contain no moving parts and instead feature 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory technology. Systems equipped with these drives will not suffer from the performance bottlenecks associated with conventional drives. By reducing the total infrastructure, cooling and energy costs, SSDs can lower total cost of ownership for enterprise applications by more than five times.
D-Link has announced the environmental upgrades for the company's Network Attached Storage (NAS) product line and the introduction of green packaging.
Dell launched two new Vostro laptops and two desktops designed specifically to meet the needs of small and medium-size enterprises, governments, and educational institutions in emerging markets including India.
McAfee recently announced its efforts to extend its security products to Intel-based laptops and Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). McAfee(R) will provide integrated data encryption for laptops and integrated mobile content security for MIDs -based on the Intel AtomTM processor Z5XX series and Moblin-based software. Additionally, McAfee announced plans to integrate McAfee's security encryption with Intel's Anti-Theft Technology and Active Management Technology to protect the data on a laptop in the event that it is stolen and an unauthorized user tries to access it.
Broadcom and AMD have entered into a definitive agreement for Broadcom to acquire AMD's digital TV (DTV) business.


text:
For many, mobile devices have become an indispensible tool for daily activities and they are rarely very far from our fingertips. This week, the mobile industry convened at Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona and we were able to interview more than 20 industry experts and have recapped some of the top trends and emerging ideas from the event.
Mobile Adoption and the Pace of Innovation
As the rapid pace of mobile innovation continues, so does the reach and adoption of mobile devices and experiences. What this means is that people around the world have a vast array of choices in designs, colors, operating systems and functionality. At the same time, this innovation hasn’t resulted in only high-end and more advanced mobile technologies – but also lower-cost, more user friendly user interfaces as well as faster network speeds using 4G.
Touch, Gesture and Facial Recognition
“There is a whole new generation of users that will never use a keyboard.” –Renee James, executive vice president and general manager, Intel Software and Services Group.
With the widespread use of touch in mobile devices, touch technology has become second nature to many. There has been a significant shift in how we interact with our devices and the future may look very different with broader use of voice recognition, gesture, touch, facial recognition and, according to Shiyou He, executive vice president, ZTE, potentially human consciousness control.
As mobile technology evolves, so do the risks and loopholes to our privacy and identity. Every day it seems as though, we’re able to put another piece of our lives into our mobile devices – from banking to personal photos to family memories and more. This trend means we need to add security to keep our information safe. Mobile security companies are working to help stay one step ahead of these risks. They are developing technologies like fingerprint and facial recognition software, secure authentication and encryption technologies, and even operating systems that completely separate personal from enterprise content, for users that bring their devices to work.
From electronic wallets and mobile payments to mobile healthcare to family photo and memory bank – the role mobile plays in the human experience has changed drastically over the last two decades. Over the next two, it will continue to evolve in ways that we can’t yet imagine.
To hear more about trends and insights from thought leaders at this year’s Mobile World Congress, visit: intel.ly/mobileinsights.


text:
SHANGHAI, Aug 18 (SMM) - According to Automotive Business Review, Xiaomi Automobile is likely to launch its headquarter and first factory in Beijing. Since the announcement of Xiaomi to enter the car-making sector at the end of March, the location of the headquarters and factory has been in the spotlight, with media reports suggesting that Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Hefei and Xi'an are all in the running for Xiaomi's car-making project.
Xiaomi Group made an announcement on March 30 on Hong Kong Stock Exchange, officially announcing its entry into the car-making sector. In the announcement, Xiaomi said that it intends to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary to be responsible for the intelligent electric vehicle business. The initial investment will be 10 billion yuan, with an expected investment of US$10 billion over the next 10 years. Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi, will also be the CEO of the intelligent electric vehicle business.


text:
VPN With CBS, South Park and 1883 all available, Paramount Plus is the cheapest and easiest way of watching CBS. Here's how to watch Paramount Plus anywhere.
VPN From huge live events and international sports to unmissable TV and films, here's how to watch the BBC live for free anywhere in the world.
The HDMI Licensing Administrator has announced that a new feature for HDMI cables is coming our way — here’s what it means for home cinema lovers.
It’s not something you can buy on store shelves, but this transparent OLED display could change the way TVs look moving forward.
At just under $500, the 65-inch Toshiba M550 Series Amazon Fire TV delivers all the essential modern TV specs at an affordable price.
Everything to know about The Mandalorian season 3, including a possible release date window, cast, filming and more.
The Star Wars LG C2 OLED TV, unveiled at Star Wars Celebration 2022, will only have 501 units. Here are our first impressions.
The LG G2 OLED TV brightness is even better than LG promised. Here are the official scores gathered in Tom's Guide's TV lab testing.
Starting at just $1,299 for a 55-inch screen, the Element Patio Series TV with Roku TV could be your cheapest ticket for an outdoor home cinema in 2022.
Hisense has announced a new Amazon Fire TV screen that it hopes Xbox Series X and PS5 gamers will love.
Seems Samsung and LG Display can’t reach a deal over the cost of LG’s OLED panels — and that could be problematic for the launch of Samsung's OLED TVs.
Sunbrite’s newest outdoor TV has the specs to go toe-to-toe with Samsung’s The Terrace — and it's a bit cheaper, too.
Undefeated hype challenges for the gold in the Canelo vs Bivol live stream. Here's everything you need to know to watch it online.
The Tom's Guide Awards honor the best products in tech, home, fitness and more. Nominations are open, here's how to enter.
Sony A95K QD-OLED TV price and availability has been revealed. Here's how much Sony's first QD-OLED TV costs and when it'll arrive.
Sony's 2022 TV lineup includes a QD-OLED set, better Bravia XR processing, the company's first Mini LED TV and updates across 4K OLED sets.
All of the hype is behind the Taylor vs Serrano live stream. Here's everything you need to know to watch it online.
VPN If you're outside the US, you might be looking for a way to watch NBC live – here's our full rundown on how to get access wherever you are.