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The new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico has a new name: USMCA. It’s the replacement for Nafta and arguably worse from an economic point of view. If Nafta was managed trade, not free trade, the new agreement includes provisions that mandate even more government management.
It’s a step further from free trade than the agreement it replaces. Still, it is an agreement of sorts, which means that the ultimate disaster, a full-on shutdown of trade between the US and Canada, has been averted.
Some aspects are newly dangerous.
First, “Canada’s dairy exports could face a new tax to discourage its producers from pricing their exports below market prices,” says the Wall Street Journal. Second, “the new deal strips protections against predatory government behavior for most foreign investors.” Third, “Passenger vehicles will no longer enjoy duty-free access across borders unless they meet higher North-American-made content requirements in both finished products and parts. This will add costs and complexity to building cars on the continent, and make the final products less competitive world-wide.”
The WSJ further comments:
Worse, the deal opens the door for using trade deals to dictate a minimum wage and labor policy in Mexico. Car companies in Mexico will have to pay well above market wages on 40% of their output to qualify for duty-free treatment. Ford and GM have resigned themselves to this and may be able to finesse it, but some people we respect think the net result will drive car production at the margin away from North America.
Country of Origin
These new mandates on country-of-origin rules reinforce an outdated conception of economic nationalism. If the entrepreneurs in one country think of a product as part of a business in the same country, sell it to consumers in that same country, but have it built elsewhere, the rules say it has to be marked as an import. That makes no sense, especially in these times when most everything is made everywhere (the iPhone is made in dozens of countries).
These bogus designations then become the basis of an even worse habit of assembling trade deficit statistics. They are accounting fictions that say nothing about who or what is benefiting, but politicians use the statistics to whip up nativist paranoia about foreign countries owing “us” money.
Further, it is not consistent with peace and trade to use tactics akin to blackmailing trading partners to accept US exports of heavily subsidized products. In this respect, the agreement dabbles in new forms of what might be called trade imperialism, by imposing rules against restrictions on genetically modified crops and mandating enforcement of US-based intellectual property rules. None of this has anything to do with free trade.
At the same time, financial markets rallied on the news. Why? Because until this agreement, the trade actions of the current US administration seemed not to have any end game but autarky. By comparison, managed trade – “the government intervenes into the free market with the aim of warding off specific imports and to favor the export of specific goods,” according to Antony Mueller – is a way to avert disaster.
Nafta Was Not Free Trade Either
As a person who has been writing about the dangers of conservative-style protectionism for three years, I do regard the agreement with Canada and Mexico as a great relief. As bad as trade agreements can be, they are better than the most realistic alternative to them, which is mercantilist politics that raises tariffs and other barriers to imports and foreign investment. It’s part of the mistaken politics of our time that few countries today are willing to engage in good trade policies unilaterally; that is, without regard to restrictions and subsidies in other countries. Given that, trade agreements are an improvement.
That said, regional trade agreements are worse than globalized ones because they are designed to build in a political bias to override rational economic decision making. Such agreements are inherently discriminatory against nations outside the targeted region.
This speaks to the great question: why did the Trump administration set aside its aversion to free trade to push a pact with Mexico and Canada? The explanation could have to deal with a larger agenda of wanting to push more trade war with China and Europe. That’s the worst possible interpretation. The best possible interpretation is that the administration intends to pursue agreements with every country.
Free traders can only hope that future agreements will be improved and made universal. Oddly, if we have to have trade agreements – and ideally governments would get out of this business entirely – the model might be the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. GATT came together at the end of World War II out of a conviction that free trade is an essential guarantor of peace and prosperity among nations. That was true then and remain true today.


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Bitcoin Depot, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is the world’s largest cryptocurrency ATM network. The company’s mission is to provide the fastest, most secure, and most convenient cryptocurrency transactions.
It’s often referred to as “digital gold” due to its scarcity and potential to act as a hedge against inflation. Bitcoin transactions are secured through a process called mining, where powerful computers solve complex mathematical puzzles to validate transactions and add them to the blockchain. Bitcoin has a capped supply of 21 million coins, which contributes to its perceived value.
you can confidently navigate the process of selling Bitcoin on a cryptocurrency exchange. Remember to prioritize security, choose a reliable exchange, and stay informed about market trends before making your decision to sell.
Explore strategies for safe storage, learn about tax implications, and stay up-to-date with the latest crypto trends. Start your journey into the exciting realm of cryptocurrency today
The company has undergone a successful expansion plan in recent years since they arrived in Latin America from Japan in 2018.
As market participants flock to alternative investments, whether by launching DIY real estate ventures or taking advantage of diversified
Genesis Digital Assets, one of the largest industrial-scale Bitcoin mining companies in the world, today announced a new self-hosted Bitcoin mining data center in Sweden.
With less than 30 days away, CryptoWorldCon (CWC), the event of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies focused on cutting-edge schemes and trends in the blockchain market
Tekno, who is also one of West Africa’s most popular producers, will help people across the region join the crypto revolution by fronting a series of promos for Bitcasino over the next two years.
With less than 30 days away CryptoWorldCon (CWC), the event of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies,
With New York City Mayor Eric Adams accepting his first 3 paychecks in cryptocurrency he has clearly recognized that this is the wave of the future if New York
CEO Jeff Fenster Goes All-In
Post Views: 66 American Kiosks, a Colorado-based self-service kiosk manufacturer and a division of Cole Kepro International in Las Vegas, Nevada, joined the team and hit the ground running in October 2021. Seeing the demand for simple serviceability and better security measures in American-made crypto ATMs, the team at American Kiosks is working diligently with…
Post Views: 75 As Founder and CEO, Jeff Fenster explains, “We’ve concluded that running the business exclusively on cash isn’t the most advantageous, nor the safest, method of running a business in 2022 and beyond. Also, I understand that it is still early in terms of corporate adoption, as well as governmental adoption of Bitcoin,…
Post Views: 98 Today, VBit Technologies, a U.S.-based hosting hardware mining company, announced its full acquisition by Advanced Mining Group, an Asian-based company primarily focused on bitcoin mining, in order to secure its future as a leading mining services provider in North America and also reach newly set goals. A 105-million-dollar deal consisting of cash…

domain: news


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Virtualization News & Reviews - Page 3
More Virtualization News
In recent TV interviews, CEO Pat Gelsinger says having Dell as the primary shareholder will help accelerate growth for the virtualization company.
At the Citrix Synergy show, Dell officials unveiled new thin clients, better security and performance features, and the latest version of Wyse ThinOS.
The new graphics chip, paired with the latest version of Nvidia's Grid software, offers greater per-use density to enterprises.
Container management platform vendor Rancher Labs raised new capital to help fund the company's engineering, sales and marketing efforts.
The third annual Silicon Valley Virtual Reality Expo, April 27-29, is the biggest one yet, although much of what’s being shown are works in progress.
First-quarter net income was $161 million, down from $196 million a year ago. Total revenue was $1.6 billion, which was up 6 percent.
The new container image specification effort gets started at the Open Container Initiative as Docker moves forward with implementing runtime specifications.
The new Docker Volume Plugin for Azure File Storage plug-in makes Docker containers less reliant on a host's storage.
The Amazon Echo is a hardware-based personal assistant and speaker that has been growing in popularity. The device plays music, answers commands using the Alexa digital assistant and can even control a smart home. The Echo has proved to be so popular that some of its features are coming to...
Virtualization market leader also launches Workspace ONE, which gives enterprise employees self-service access to cloud, mobile, Windows apps.
Alpine Linux Goes All In for Docker SLIDESHOW
The open-source Docker container engine is helping lead a revolution in how applications are built, managed and deployed. Unlike a virtual machine (VM) hypervisor application, a Docker container application does not require a separate full operating system that runs on top of an existing host...


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GlobalFoundries to Spend $1B to Expand Chip Capacity; Unveils Plans for New Fab Plant
Chipmaker GlobalFoundries is planning to spend $1 billion to add needed chip manufacturing capacity as soon as possible at its fab plant in Malta, N.Y., while also unveiling its intentions to add an all-new fab plant that will double its overall chip production.
The announcements came July 19 (Monday) in a ceremony at the company’s chip plant which was attended by U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Charles Schumer, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo and others who gathered for a discussion about solving U.S. semiconductor supply chain shortages.
The $1 billion investment by GlobalFoundries into its existing Fab 8 facility will start immediately to help address the chip shortages, according to the company, while the planning and construction of an all-new fab facility will follow as public and private partnership negotiations and funding options are pursued.
The $1 billion Fab 8 expansion investment, which will occur within the existing facility’s footprint, will add an additional 150,000 wafers per year to the company’s present production capabilities within its existing fab.
And though CEO Tom Caulfield said he was excited about the company’s plans to add the all-new fab facility to double its overall capacity, few details were unveiled at the event. The photo above is of the company's existing Malta plant layout.
Caulfield did share that the new fab plant, when it is completed, will add 1,000 high-tech jobs and thousands of indirect jobs such as construction jobs for the region in upstate New York.
The new facility is not close to being started, however. For it to happen, there needs to be plans and discussions of private-public partnerships with funding coming from customers, federal and state agencies and more, according to the company. “This new capacity will serve the growing demand for secure, feature-rich chips needed by high-growth markets including automotive, 5G connectivity and the internet of things,” GlobalFoundries said in a statement. The facility will also support national security requirements for a secure supply chain.
"Our industry is expected to grow more in the next decade than it did in the past 50 years and GF is stepping up to do its part as we work together to address the growing demand for technology innovation for the betterment of humanity,” said Caulfield.
In a reply to an emailed inquiry from EnterpriseAI, the company said that it is not ready to confirm a timeline for the new facility, but that it will follow its Fab 8 expansion project. “Our investments within the existing factory will start to yield chips in early 2023,” the statement said.
The coming investments are part of the company's broader global expansion plans that include the recently announced new fab in Singapore and $1 billion planned investment to expand in Germany, which are being done to meet the growing demand from customers worldwide, the statement added.
GlobalFoundries employs more than 15,000 people worldwide, including 7,000 people across the U.S., and nearly 3,000 at its headquarters in Malta, New York. The company has invested more than $15 billion in its Fab 8 facility over the last decade to support innovation and increase manufacturing capacity.
In April, the company also announced that it is moving its corporate headquarters to Malta, where it has its most avanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities.
The company would not reveal which chips it plans to build in the coming new fab facility and would only say that the chips will be designed for high-growth markets including automotive, communications, data center and mobile device markets for its global customers. The chips built in Malta will also serve one of the company’s most important customers – the U.S. Department of Defense – where the chips are used to serve critical national security needs, according to GlobalFoundries.
Bob O’Donnell, principal analyst for TECHnalysis Research, attended the company’s announcement event and told EnterpriseAI that the news about the new fab is huge.
“The timing they intentionally left a little vague because to be honest with you I think they are waiting to see how much government support they get,” said O’Donnell. “That's my guess. There are a lot of governmental actions [to fund chip production recently] and there are going to be big chunks of money opened for exactly these kinds of projects. I think they wanted to make the splash that they are going to do it, and then the details will get filled in over time.”
GlobalFoundries made it clear when they built the existing Fab 8 facility some 10 years ago that it was overbuilt to include future capacity for expansion, he said. So, the first thing they will do, which is relatively easy, is to spend the $1 billion that was announced so it can add the additional equipment needed to ramp up production using the space that is already there, said O’Donnell.
“That is number one, and that is going to happen relatively soon,” he said. The actual construction of the new fab will take at least several years, he added, which will also include time to build in the needed infrastructure, for power, water and other needed utilities. “They are massive factories that require a huge amount of infrastructure,” said O’Donnell. “Some of that infrastructure takes a long time.”
And even though the company is not giving out many details about the fab that will arrive later, O’Donnell said it is a safe bet to figure that it will not build chips smaller than 12nm.
“GlobalFoundries has staked a name for itself by not doing leading-edge node [sizes], so they do not do anything smaller than 12nm as part of a philosophical decision about three years ago, and it caused quite a bit of controversy at the time,” he said. “But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense because chasing the latest [smaller] nanometer nodes is a ridiculously expensive business. And it was not something they felt like they could win at. They felt there was plenty of opportunity to do older [larger] nodes, but with other types of technologies, and it has proven to be quite smart as a business strategy.”
There is a huge market for chips that are of larger sizes, said O’Donnell. “They tend to not be quite as sexy and they are not as expensive individually, but collectively they generate a huge amount of money. Ninety percent of the chips in a car can be built by GlobalFoundries, and there are 10 percent that they cannot build. They are not trying to do that. They can build the other 90 percent.”
Another analyst, Karl Freund, founder and principal analyst with Cambrian AI Research, said the announcements are good news for the global semiconductor supply chain.
It could be even better news, said Freund, if a report by The Wall Street Journal on July 15 comes to fruition. The Journal story said Intel is pursuing a potential $30 billion offer to buy GlobalFoundries and boost its chipmaking even more, based on interviews with people who are familiar with the matter.
“It could be good for Intel as well if that [rumored] deal progresses,” said Freund. “We need more U.S.-based fabs, and I have to wonder if GlobalFoundries and Intel [if that acquisition might take place] would not be better off planning this one to be an advanced process-node facility.”
GlobalFoundries’ CEO Caulfield strongly denied the rumors of an acquisition by Intel during an interview about the fab news on July 19 with CNBC business reporter, Jon Fortt.
“There’s nothing to that story,” Caulfield told Fortt in the interview.
Fortt also asked Caulfield about whether he has concerns about building more chip fab plants due to previous industry boom and bust patterns over the years.
“The reason why I have confidence that we're not going to have this burst of capacity and create some of the old cyclicality of the industry – it's very simple,” said Caulfield. “This industry has to double in the next few years.”


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Journalists photographed restyled Kia ProceedApril 5, 2021
The Kia Proceed was photographed during a road test.
Despite the fact that the current generation of Kia Proceed was released only two years ago, the manufacturer has already begun road tests of the updated model in the back of the Shooting Brake. The journalists published only two photos, in which only the rear of the novelty is visible, but it is covered with dense camouflage and false panels, so it is impossible to see the changes.
It is expected that the novelty will receive a revised grille, modified front and rear optics, as well as a new engine range. According to experts, the restyling of the Kia Proceed can follow the same scheme as the update of the Hyundai i30, which received a 1.5-liter diesel engine and a 1.6-liter turbo engine. In addition, fans of the model continue to believe in the appearance of a “charged” version of the GT.
In addition, the emergence of an intelligent manual transmission with the same “wire-by-wire”, a modern multimedia system with a screen with a screen with a diagonal of up to 10.25 inches and a number of other technologies is expected. The premiere of the updated Kia Proceed may take place at the end of this year or early next year.
- MINI refreshes John Cooper Works convertible
- Audi introduced the electric crossover Audi Q6 e-tron
- The first pictures of the new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 appeared on the web
- Daimler will switch to shortened working hours for about 18,500 workers
- European Union will tighten economic standards


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Walmart Canada To Sell Cannabis-infused products & CBD? Who Are The Likely Cannabis Companies?
It’s official. Marijuana season is not even close to being over, with Cannabis companies continuing to surge, and new rumors of big chain retailers showing interest in a number of cannabis companies. Recently, according to reports in both CNBC and Bloomberg, Walmart has shown interest in cannabis-infused products, and a variety of CBD beverages. The mega store is the first major retailer to show interest in the cannabis industry, while previous rumors were limited to rival beverage companies like New Age Beverages and its rumored connection to Coca-Cola.
Diane Medeiros, spokesperson for Walmart, said in an email, according to both Blomberg and CNBC.
“As we would for any new industry, Walmart Canada has done some preliminary fact-finding on this issue, but we do not have plans to carry CBD products at this time,”
Now the question is, who are the likely candidates to stocks the shelves of Walmart with their Cannabis related products? Well, a couple stand out.
First: New Age Beverages Corp. NBEV (NASDAQ)
Recently, the CEO of New Age Beverages commented on how their company is one of the only in the USA that has the infrastructure to support CBD based beverages on a large scale. By creating a growing farm and processing plant, NBEV will be able to add on to its forthcoming patents by adding a license to operate an advanced Cannabis manufacturing facility to grow and cultivate Cannabis, export CBD worldwide, and also create jobs beyond their beverage processing plants.
Major shifts in the company of New Age Beverages could signify a preparation tactic to put in a competitive bid for the Walmart deal. Since New Age Beverages has the infrastructure to support large scale production, this is a likely candidate based on their recent announcement of their first line of CBD-infused beverages.
Second: Profile Solutions, INC. OTC:PSIQ
Today, PSIQ released a staggering Press Release, which is why I decided to add PSIQ to the list of possible Walmart bids. The company released news that they signed a contract to establish a significantly large growing farm and processing plant for medical cannabis & hemp.
Profile Solutions, Inc. (OTC Pink: PSIQ) is pleased to announce preliminary approval from the eSwatini Ministry of Economic Planning and Development to establish an exclusive growing farm and processing plant for medical cannabis & hemp in The Kingdom of eSwatini f/k/a Swaziland (“eSwatini”).
The purpose of the proposed agreement is to (1) grant PSIQ the exclusive license to operate an advanced Hemp & Medical Cannabis manufacturing facility to grow and cultivate Cannabis in accordance with strict GMP global health standards (2) export Hemp & Medical Cannabis worldwide (3) operate exclusive licensed Medical Cannabis R & D lab and (4) create training facility to create jobs for local eSwatini citizens. The exclusivity shall be for 10 years.
Further stating some revenue numbers,
“We anticipate $ 12 — $ 20 million to come from the sale of Medical Cannabis and up to $ 10 million to come from the sale of CBD Hemp.”
Why go through the trouble of creating such a dramatically large growing operation? To further fuel speculation, there are now rumors that the company will be looking to expand into Canada, as well as signing more contracts to distribute their already highly established hemp products. We will continue to watch PSIQ as it releases more information on their impressive growing operation.
Third: American Premium Water Corp OTC:HIPH
American Premium Water Corporation (OTC: HIPH) has made some serious gains after they announced that it had launched its LALPINA Hydro CBD products for sale. Its CEO commented,
After years of development and work, we’re excited to launch our infused CBD product. Since delivering the prototype back in January, we have added nanotechnology to enhance and increase the bioavailability and absorption rate of the product. The Company will also be looking to leverage its brands and expand into other exciting areas in the CBD space, specifically pet products, topicals and THC infused beverages.
I have followed this company for the past three months, and each week me and my team notice more and more chatter on their corporate developments. To add, we have noticed a great deal of celebrity endorsement with this company, which further helps it cause for the Walmart bid.
Does Walmart want to start with a no thrills, no fluff, CBD-infused water, that is already established? Its quite possible.
Wildcard ENTRY: M Line Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: MLHC)
In a recent press release, the company had the following to say regarding entering the Cannabis market.
M Line Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: MLHC) (“M Line” or the “Company”), a holding Company with subsidiaries involved in the Beverage Branding and Distribution industry as well as the Food and Beverage distribution business is excited to announce that it has signed a binding Letter of Intent to acquire American Asset Holdings, Inc. (“AAH”), M Line’s first acquisition in the Cannabis field. We expect to close within the next seven days.
Quite an interesting statement from the CEO, Tony Anish
“We are thrilled to take our first step into the Cannabis Industry. The future prospects for American Asset Holdings are impressive, not just in the Cannabis field, but the C-pods can also be used for growing fresh vegetables, a tremendous benefit because the pods are “off the grid” and can be placed almost anywhere. The savings from the use of solar and wind power helps to improve profitability for Cannabis growers and vegetable growers, particularly in weather-challenged areas. Stay tuned for more information and forecasts after we close.”
Again, this is a wild card, and is hard to say if they have the infrastructure to compete the with above for the Walmart bid, but what is for sure if the company has a solid management team under Mr. Anish, with a great deal of past successes.
This article has forward looking statements, and is purely an opinion piece. No one should use this as a means to buy or sell any security mentioned. It’s best to treat this as entertainment.


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By Jonathan Davies
A "radical" review of the business rates system in England has been launched, paving "the way for changes" to the current system, according to the Treasury.
The review will be completed in time for the 2016 Budget.
It was first announced in the Autumn Statement in December, but Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said: "The time has come for a radical review of this important tax. We want to ensure the business rates system is fair, efficient and effective."
However, many experts believe that the amount of money paid by businesses will not go down.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Alexander said: "Lots and lots of people have views about how the business rates system doesn't work, but as soon as you get into what an alternative system might look like there's much less consensus."
The decision to launch the review comes after widespread criticism over a system that has been in place since 1988.
Under the current system, businesses are charged based on the value of the property. It means similarly sized businesses could end up paying vastly different sums of money because of varying "rateable values".
John Cridland, director-general of the CBI, described the current system as "outmoded, clunky and regressive" and "holding back the high street".
"We'll be making the case for removing the smallest firms from paying business rates completely... and introducing more frequent valuations," he said.
John Longworth, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "Unless a root and branch reform of business rates is delivered at Budget 2016, firms will regard this as a missed opportunity to tackle a huge brake on investment and growth."


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The UK Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, launched in May, has yet to deliver an upswing in ground source heat pump inquiries from domestic customers, according to a survey of its members by the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA). In fact, the Association reports that the industry is seeing less inquiries from domestic customers than it did 12 months ago.
GSHPA, which represents heat pump system designers, contractors and installers across the UK, asked its members about their present levels of business and their outlook for the future, now that the government incentive scheme (which gives customers a grant of up to £6,000 for a hear pump installation) is up and running.
Laura Bishop, chair of the GSHPA, comments: “The results of our members survey are stark. Despite the Government wanting to see a faster take-up of heat pumps installations, 62% of our members have seen a drop in customer enquiries for individual heat pump installations, with a direct impact on turnover and 86% of our members feel that the heat pump is less investible than a year ago.
“Three months in, it does not appear that the Government’s heralded Boiler Upgrade Scheme is having the desired effect on heat pump deployment and is certainly no replacement for the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive. Further measures are required to kick-start the market for heat pumps, in particular the lifting of environmental levies on electricity for those using heat pumps, higher levels of grant support for heat pumps and home insulation and ending the sales of natural gas boilers before 2035.
“If the UK is to decarbonise heat and switch away from gas boilers, as part of the UK’s journey to reach Net Zero, there is no time to argue and dither anymore – we must do more to promote the environmental and economic benefits of low-carbon ground-source heat pumps to industrial and business customers as well as domestic customers up and down the country.
“There has to be a unified effort by politicians, OFGEM, industry and consumer organisations to communicate the benefits and practicalities of switching away from gas boilers to low-carbon heating, including ground-source heat pumps.”
Latest figures from OFGEM (for the period 23 May to 30 June 2022) reported that 857 BUS vouchers were issued (169 redeemed) for <45kWth heat pumps (air source and ground source) and biomass heating.
For further information on the GSHPA, please visit: www.gshp.org.uk


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Pandemonium ensued this week after Sumpreme’s latest release — a surprise branded Metrocard. The custom card, in collaboration with the MTA, was released Monday (Feb. 20) at Supreme stores, as well as the stations at Broadway-Lafayette, Queens Plaza, Marcy Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Prince Street, Spring Street, Union Square and the 125th Street 2/3 train.
The cards are a hot ticket item and fans of Supreme and non-fans alike are going insane for the limited-edition swag. Expect LONG lines at Metrocard vending machines and possibly a fight or two if you have your sights set on one of these babies.
See how it went down at one NYC station below:
While the cards retail for $5.50, they’re being pedaled for as much as $1,000 on eBay. The latest update via the MTA’s Twitter page says, “All limited run Supreme branded Metrocards have been released in-system.”
May the odds be ever in your favor.
(Photo: Gigi Guerra via Instagram)
TRENDING IN STYLE


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Research firm Diar quoted public records as saying that US government agencies spent a total of $5.7 million to hire contractors for blockchain analysis, which involved linking personal identities to their cryptocurrency funds.
While there are tools and even personal cryptocurrency transactions that allow users to send money anonymously, most cryptocurrency users leave enough traces, equipped with the right tools, and investigators can determine the specific wallet attribution.
Once the cryptocurrency user exposes his anonymous cryptographic currency address to a service or individual who may identify his or her true identity, the blockchain forensics expert has time to aggregate the data and the user risked exposing the entire wallet.
Typically, these privacy vulnerabilities occur when cryptocurrency transactions that require user authentication are deposited or withdrawn, although this may be the result of posting their cryptographic currency address online, even the result of the transaction, under their real name or identifiable pseudonym. With other people who have been exposed.
Unsurprisingly, the agency that spends the most on the blockchain in US government agencies is the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) because the IRS is responsible for collecting federal income taxes. The US Internal Revenue Service has signed nine contracts with cryptocurrency forensics providers for a total value of approximately $2.2 million, accounting for 38% of total government spending on these services.
CCN reported last year that the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has signed a contract with blockchain tracking companies to help expose investors who have not accurately reported the proceeds of cryptocurrency investments on their tax returns. The agency subsequently increased enforcement of alleged violations related to this asset class and even brought Coinbase to court to force it to surrender customer data.
However, the second largest consumer in US government agencies is even more surprising. One might think that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will be the second largest institution to track the use of cryptocurrencies, including nem coin
, neo coin
and dash coin
and so on.
It is worth noting that even though the cryptocurrency market has fallen by about 70% from the historical peak, the interest of retail consumers has weakened, but spending in 2018 is still exploding.
Chainalysis is the preferred blockchain analysis contractor for the US government, which received $5.3 million, or 93%, of the $5.7 million paid by US government companies.
These lucrative government contracts have also made blockchain tracking companies increasingly attractive to investors. Startups operating only in the blockchain area alike ripple blockchain
have raised nearly $29 million. The most funded company has raised more than $17 million.


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UK jobs boom puts Michael Page shareholders in line for first special dividend in firm's 40 year history
Britain’s jobs boom lifted recruiter Michael Page, leading to the first special dividend for shareholders in its four-decade history.
The company saw fees from UK hiring rise 15 per cent in the last six months, with its junior management and administration staff arm reporting growth of almost 30 per cent.
The group, which makes a quarter of its profits in the UK, reported pre-tax profits of £40.4million, up 14 per cent.
It will pay a 16p special dividend, on top of its regular 3.6p payout to investors. Shares rose 4 per cent, or 19.5p, to 546.5p.
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June 18, 2013 Amazon ends the contracts of people and businesses that are paid for sending customers to the retailer. The company has taken similar steps in other states that have passed laws like Minnesota's new sales tax legislation.
Amazon has been testing its AmazonFresh delivery service in the Seattle area since 2007.
June 5, 2013 Yes, the Web is littered with the corpses of failed online grocers. But AmazonFresh doesn't have to be a cash cow for the retail giant, because Amazon can also drop off books with your bananas. And for consumers, it could mean convenience, no minimum fees, pre-dawn drop-off and maybe even delivery of local, artisanal goods.
An Amazon.co.uk parcel passes along a conveyor belt at a facility in Milton Keynes, England.
Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
May 16, 2013 Also: Afaa Michael Weaver on being a black poet abroad; ebook sales jumped 44 percent last year; Cormac McCarthy's beach body.
The new Amazon Coins are making some people in the publishing world a little uncomfortable.
Courtesy of Amazon.com
May 14, 2013 Also: Illinois school district bans The Perks of Being a Wallflower; W.H. Auden's 1939 journal discovered; Bret Easton Ellis on gay stereotypes.
Don DeLillo at the 2012 Carl Sandburg Literary Awards dinner in Chicago.
Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images
April 26, 2013 Also: Rescuing precious manuscripts in Timbuktu; the birth of the Midwestern noir novel; and a campaign against explicit passages in The Diary of Anne Frank.
The New York Times sign is displayed in front of the newspaper's midtown headquarters in New York City.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
April 10, 2013 Also: David Axelrod is writing a memoir; a Kindle creator has choice words for Amazon; Matthew Specktor on the purpose of literature.
A Sotheby's employee walks past a work by Jean-Michel Basquiat titled "Untitled (Pecho/Oreja)" at the auction house.
Alastair Grant/ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 29, 2013 Also: Amazon buys Goodreads; a new book from E. L. Doctorow; Ayn Rand on C.S. Lewis.
The Amazon Kindle e-reader could see greater integration with Goodreads, following Thursday's announcement that the online retail giant was buying the the social book-recommendation site.
Ted S. Warren/AP
March 28, 2013 Financial terms of the sale, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2013, were not disclosed. The announcement comes just weeks after major publishers launched their own book-recommendation website.
March 18, 2013 The graphic memoir about growing up in revolutionary Iran has been pulled from 7th grade classrooms. Also: An "obituary" for Philip Roth's alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman; the resurgence of independent bookstores; and the best books coming out this week.
Seattle-based Amazon wants control over new Internet domains such as ".book," ".author" and ".read."
Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images
March 11, 2013 Also: the best books coming out this week; Mindy Kaling is writing another memoir; and Francine Prose explores dreams in literature.
A photo of Mark Twain from the 1880s.
February 21, 2013 Also: Bill O'Reilly has a new book; George Saunders g-chats The Paris Review; and Batwoman is getting married.
February 8, 2013 Also: Geico's spokeslizard writes an advice book; Amazon patents the sale of used e-books; and a Stephen Colbert interview gets interesting.
Researchers are increasingly using cloud computing to discover new drugs and medical treatments. Cloud computing is often cheaper and quicker than in-house computing.
October 1, 2012 The cloud's vast computing power is making it easier and less expensive for companies and clinicians to discover new drugs and new medical treatments. Analyzing data that used to take years and tens of millions of dollars can now be done for a fraction of that amount.
<iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/162080613/162094086" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Mackenzie Bezos and Jeff Bezos.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
July 27, 2012 Fast food's Chick-fil-A has been at the center of the culture wars in recent days because of company President Dan Cathy's outspoken opposition to gay marriage. Now online retailer Amazon may be in other culture warriors' sights.
May 3, 2012 Language is a social tool, shaped by cultural values more than fixed biology — so says one linguist whose work in the Amazon stirs controversy. Commentator Barbara J. King explains why this debate about the underpinnings of language makes for good science.
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“All kinds of people are doing it,” says Caploe, 54, a publisher who lives in New York City.
“It was—unbelievably—not a crazy experience.” Online dating has certainly lost its lonely-hearts stigma.
SOURCE: Consumer Reports "It's clear that online dating websites play a major role in the lives of many consumers — we invest a tremendous amount of time, money and emotional energy.
It really is a consumer issue worthy of our attention." said Margot Gilman, money editor for Consumer Reports.
With nearly 500,000 period-ending subscribers and over 5 million in revenue for the twelve months ended March 31, 2017, the combined company would be one of the world's largest online dating providers on a pro forma basis.
The transaction has been approved by Spark's Board of Directors and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017.
So when Roberta Caploe was ready to start dating again after a divorce, she didn’t ask her friends to fix her up or feel the need to frequent bars or health clubs.
She signed up for JDate, an online dating site for Jewish singles.
Dating does not include listings for all dating sites.Spark Networks and Affinitas Gmb H have entered into a definitive agreement to combine in a stock-for-stock merger.The merger will bring together leading global brands like JDate, Christian Mingle, Elite Singles, and e Darling to cater to a broad spectrum of users with a presence in 26 countries, creating a more diverse and balanced footprint.If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware.If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices.


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It looks as if Intel's idea of a wireless docking station for laptops was a bit short-lived. The company recently announced that it will discontinue its WiGig laptop docks and as of September 29 will no longer take orders, and as of December 29 will no longer make shipments.
This came as a surprise for many, especially given that laptops are becoming thinner, and easing out as many ports and slots as possible. The WiGig wireless docking station came with five USB ports, a landline, HDMI and DP ports. It had up to 4.7Gbps of bidirectional bandwidth and had cost roughly $300.
The discontinuation of the 60GHz 802.11ad AKA WiGig means the end to the dream of multi-gigabit WiFi in your laptop, at least for the time being.
This isn't the end for Intel's wireless docking efforts, though. The company said it will focus more on VR which makes sense, given how much bandwidth VR needs and how important it is to be tether-free.
This also isn't the end for faster WiFi. The industry has its eyes fixed on 802.11ax, which should allow for more throughput, compared to 802.11ac WiFi. It should also be able to handle crowded airwaves better.
If you're sad to see WiGig go, you might want to consider alternatives. There's a HTC Vive 60GHz wireless adaptor from TPCast, for example.
Image Credit: Flickr / BTNHD Production


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Tesla should survive as legions of carmakers catch up on EV sales, but other disruptive technologies are on the way
The “Renaulution” is coming, according to car maker Renault (RNO).
Racing ahead since its IPO back in September, Porsche is on a bit of roll right now.
Here are the details in full for the Porsche IPO and what it means for shareholders.
VW has said that it will pay 49% of the Porsche IPO proceeds in a special dividend to all shareholders
The VW promise that it will pay 49% of Porsche proceeds in a special dividend to all shareholders, maybe difficult to fulfil
Volkswagen is about to spin-off its car division, Porsche. Here's how to buy shares in the luxury car group.
Knowing who the Volkswagen shareholders are may help investors gauge the stock’s volatility. Read more in our article.
Porsche demerger could be on the rocks due to geopolitical tensions.
Can history repeat itself with another Volkswagen short squeeze? Read more…


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How’s your investment portfolio performing? Before a recent market uptick, my 401K had taken a beating in early 2016. In late February, the Bloomberg Business' “Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences” sector, made up of 287 companies, was already down 11.98% for the year.
Automation World Senior Editor Stephanie Neil’s recent story, “The Fate of Pharma,” noted that the pharmaceutical industry is under pressure—from high drug/R&D costs to market consolidation to regulatory scrutiny to time-to-market stresses. Neil reported that big data, the Internet of things and automation can help industry. So too can packaging materials and machinery.
In a down market there’s added financial pressure to cut costs, yet doing so with packaging could risk patient safety and regulatory non-compliance.
When a stock, or a market sector, or the market as a whole is down, many investors see it as a time to buy and accumulate shares at a low price, then reap the benefits of additional shares when the market heads northward.
This year’s uncertain market may present a similar opportunity for manufacturers within various industries to invest in packaging materials, machinery and processes. It’s a good way to position yourself to gain future business when the needle moves up. Such investments can help improve patient safety, comply with regulations and market your innovative pharmaceutical, medical device and biologic products.


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tekgoblin writes: "The battle between Apple and Samsung has just heated up again, Samsung has filed a complaint to the International Trade Commission to ban import of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod products to the US. This is only the latest in a stream of arguments between Apple and Samsung."
"Card readers? We don't need no stinking card readers."
-- Peter da Silva (at the National Academy of Sciencies, 1965, in a
particularly vivid fantasy)


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Rexam dividends soar in wake of rising profits
Global consumer packaging company Rexam has reported a rise in profit before tax of four per cent to £372m for the full year 2013.
Rexam announced that the sale of the majority of Healthcare, agreed for $805m (£482m), would see £450m of the proceeds returned to shareholders.
The company's total dividend was up 14 per cent to 17.4p, while it managed to achieve its target of a 15 per cent return on capital employed.
Graham Chipchase, Rexam's chief executive, commented:
The acquisition of a majority stake in UAC expands our footprint in the Middle East, while our investment in Magnaparva Packaging demonstrates our intent to pursue transformational innovation opportunities. Rexam is now a focused beverage can maker, and our aim is to be the best in the industry.
Looking to the future, the company said it expects to make further progress, despite a challenging macroeconomic environment and continuing problems associated with cost volatility.


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Social is tough to scale. With massive audiences and new social platforms constantly emerging, it’s easy for marketers to lose sight of the reason they’re on social media in the first place—to build relationships.
For brands, the temptation is to automate feeds and scenario plan until they know exactly what to say, no matter what situation emerges. Jeanette Gibson vice-president of customer experience and community at Hootsuite, is an advocate for a more human approach.
JOIN OUR SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY: Follow PROFIT on LinkedIn »
On Friday, Gibson spoke at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas about adding a human touch to social media. Ahead of the talk, Marketing spoke to her about what kind of community managers brands should look for, empowering employees on social and why brands should never automate their responses.
Here are five takeaways from Gibson.
AUTOMATION IS NOT THE ANSWER
As they struggle with managing social media at scale, Gibson said many brands are falling prey to the idea that automation is an easy way to publish more content. The trouble, she said, is that automating responses and scheduling posts without being there to respond to comments makes social followers feel disregarded.
When a consumer receives an automated response, she said, “They feel horrible. It’s kind of like getting an [automated] email, when someone emails a brand and gets an automatic response back they feel like they are not viewed as though they matter by the brand.”
INSTEAD OF CANNED RESPONSES, SEND CUSTOMERS OFF-SITE
Instead of responding to a customer with a copy-and-paste reply, Gibson suggested linking followers with commonly asked questions or complaints off-site, either to a piece of content that gives them a detailed response, or to an owned community or forum where they can find responses already provided to similar questions.
“Drive some of those responses into communities,” she said. “For example, to a support forum where they see the question has already been answered and enable peer-to-peer interactions between customers.”
HIRE EMPATHETIC, COOL-HEADED COMMUNITY MANAGERS
Giving social the human touch requires the right person have the keys. The community manager who runs social media for your brand should be nurturing and responsive by nature, Gibson said. Finding the right social staff to handle customer inquiries and complaints is key to building relationships online, she said.
“They’ve got to be approachable and cool-headed, but also empathetic and able to put themselves in the customer’s shoes and to really champion the customer voice.”
COMMUNITY MANAGERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS HAVE DIFFERENT SKILL SETS
Gibson sees a distinction between social media managers, who work on content production and brand campaigns, and community managers, who manage the day-to-day relations between consumers and brand accounts.
While social media managers are useful as strategists, Gibson also recommends brands employ community managers, especially large companies that have private communities for customers. By investing in community managers who focus on customer needs, she said brands can build stronger bonds with their social followers.
“The job of the community manager is not to be selling product, it’s to be nurturing and building relationships,” she said.
TURN YOUR EMPLOYEES INTO SOCIAL AMBASSADORS
“Employees are more vocal now than ever,” Gibson said. “They’re also more empowered. They have iPads, phones and laptops at work.” For brands, that’s a big opportunity. If a company has a positive culture and employees feel happy, they can be positive ambassadors on social media, which puts a human face on the brand.
Making employees feel like they’re part of what the company’s doing is the first step to turning them into an ambassador, Gibson said. She also recommended making it easy for employees to share company content on social media.
While employees can increase a brand’s reach, there’s also a big risk involved in turning over ownership of your brand to everyone who works for the company. To alleviate some of that risk, Gibson recommends setting up clear guidelines for how to participate in company initiatives on social media, keep in constant communication about policies and lead by example, with executives, HR and the social media team showcasing best practices.
MORE SOCIAL STRATEGIES:
- Why You’re Probably Wasting Your Time on Social Media »
- 17 Simple Ways to Master Social Media »
- Which Social Media Site Gets You the Most Traffic? »
- Social Media is No Place for Good Marketing Anymore »
- How to Get Results from Social Media Contests »


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The end of the iPad era? Figures reveal tablet market has shrunk dramatically
- Total of 38.7 million tablets were shipped during the April-June quarter
- 12.3 percent drop from the 44.1 million a year ago
Worldwide shipments of tablet computers shrank anew in the second quarter of this year, International Data Corporation has revealed.
A total of 38.7 million tablets were shipped during the April-June quarter, a 12.3 percent drop from the 44.1 million a year ago, the research firm said.
The IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker report has shown declining sales since 2015 when the once-hot market cooled.
Scroll down for interactive graphic
Apple remained the top tablet maker in the second quarter, shipping 10 million iPads to command 25.8 percent of the market, IDC reports ©Justin Sullivan (Getty/AFP/File)
In the second quarter this year, Google-backed Android software powered 65 percent of the tablets shipped.
Tablets using the Apple iOS operating system came in at second place, representing 26 percent of shipments.
Tablets running on Microsoft Windows software accounted for the remaining shipments, but there were early signs that device makers were warming to Windows tablets as a hedge against declining interest in Android, according to IDC.
Tablet makers are evidently targeting people who want to get work done instead of simply using devices for entertainment.
Multi-tasking and productivity have long been strong suits for Microsoft products.
'The market has spoken as consumers and enterprises seek more productive form factors and operating systems - it's the reason we're seeing continued growth in detachables,' said IDC senior research analyst Jitesh Ubrani.
'At present, it's difficult for Android to compete with iOS or Windows detachable products.'
Apple remained the top tablet maker in the second quarter, shipping 10 million iPads to command 25.8 percent of the market, IDC reported.
Samsung continued in second place, despite seeing the number of tablets shipped sink by 24.5 percent from a year ago to six million units.
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Geeta Nair bubbles with enthusiasm as she prepares to brew siphon coffee at our table at the newly-opened Café Coffee Day Lounge in Mumbai. The 20-something coffee brew-master brings over a vacuumised glass coffee maker, where the upper chamber has the ground coffee beans and the lower has water. The coffee maker is balanced on a small burner on the table and taken off the flame as soon as the water starts boiling.
As the water vapour escapes into the upper chamber, it mixes with the coffee grounds and freshly brewed coffee trickles down to the lower chamber. Nair deftly pours out the distinctly aromatic coffee into a mug and serves it to us with a plate of dates. “Dates go really well with siphon coffee,” she smiles.
The coffee cost us ₹146, several times the price of a simple cappuccino at a regular CCD outlet. The coffee beans are the same Arabica that parent company Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Co grows in its estates at Chikmagalur and supplies to its cafés across India. The difference lies in the brewing technique, which attained cult status in the US a couple of years ago. Besides, at the Lounge, we’re also paying for the ambience and a more extensive, international menu of salads, pastas and sandwiches, as well as a variety of mixed drinks.
At CCD’s headquarters in Bengaluru, chief operating officer Venu Madhav A sips a cup of regular joe as he explains the strategy behind opening the more upmarket Lounge and Square even as the company focuses on expanding its regular CCD cafés across India. “It is time we offer our consumers the next level experience,” he says. “Unless we expand our offerings, it will be difficult to grow the market.”
Left unsaid is the fact that the café market in India is suddenly heating up. The big daddy of coffee bars, Starbucks, will open its first outlet in India by August, about two months behind another American biggie, Dunkin’ Donuts. Estimates say the Indian café market has enough room — and more — for everybody, but at least initially, CCD is likely to feel the pinch of increased competition. Which is why it started its pre-emptive moves a couple of years ago, brewing a three-pronged strategy. The question is, will it work?
What, me worry?
Currently, the Indian café market is worth about ₹800 crore and it’s growing at 15-20%, thanks to a youth population with increasing disposable incomes. As things stand, the ₹1,000-crore CCD is enjoying all the perks of being the first mover and market leader by a huge stretch. Of the 2,000-odd cafés currently in India, 1,200 belong to CCD (including the premium Lounge and Square). In addition, it operates about 900 or so kiosks that cater to the takeaway clientele. CCD started in 1996 and three years later had opened just around 25 stores.
It’s only in the past few years that the pace of expansion has really picked up steam: in 2011 alone, the company opened 250 cafés — that’s more 20 a month — and it plans to cross 2,000 stores by 2014. “Our aim is to open at least one store a day,” declares K Ramakrishna, director of marketing.
Close to 60% of CCD’s revenue comes from the retail business (which includes Café, Fresh & Ground, CCD Express), with the remaining accounted for by exports and other businesses. Incidentally, the company has also entered the hospitality business recently to further leverage its coffee plantations (See: Coffee Day’s here).
Over the next two years, the company will invest over ₹200 crore in expanding its business — from internal sources as well as private equity infusion into the parent company. There’s no room in the business model for franchises, so CCD will bear all expenses of opening new outlets. That’s about ₹30-40 lakh for a regular café and ₹70 lakh for a Lounge.
Ramakrishna and Madhav are quick to dismiss any charges of being worried by impending competition. The market will only grow, they say. “We are already ahead of the market and understand consumer psyche well. For us, it’s business as usual,” adds Madhav. Still, there’s no denying the entry of two global giants will shake things up considerably.
The Seattle-headquartered Starbucks has over 17,000 stores across the world and in India, it’s tied up with another heavyweight, Tata Coffee (a subsidiary of Tata Global Beverages). Tata will not only roast coffee beans to supply to Starbucks, it will also open 50 stores in the first year of the joint venture. Meanwhile, Dunkin’ Donuts has entered India through a franchise agreement with Jubilant FoodWorks, which distributes Domino’s Pizza, with a plan to roll out over 100 stores in the next five years.
The first Starbucks outlet, according to sources, will open at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in August, which seems a clear indication of Starbucks’ positioning strategy in India — premium, if not super-premium. Dunkin’ Donuts, in contrast, is the all day coffee and food outlet and it will have the benefit of Jubilant’s experience in India (Domino’s created the pizza delivery market in India). Given the positioning and perception of these two brands around the world, which are also likely to influence how Indian consumers see them, CCD’s going to be flanked by strong rivals on both ends, the premium and regular. Perhaps it’s just as well that the company has plans in place for both these segments.
Horses for courses
CCD forayed into the premium segment about two years ago, around the time Starbucks first started exploring India as a potential market. Apart from opening Lounges in select cities (33 outlets across three cities), it also launched another format called the Square, which serves only single-origin coffee (coffee from one estate, not blended) such as Ethiopian Sidamo, Peruvian Cinchoma and Arakku Valley and Mysore Nuggets from India. There are only two outlets at present — in Bengaluru at CCD’s headquarters and at Delhi’s T3 terminal.
That’s too slow, feels Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults and a former vice-president of Tata Coffee. “CCD should have expanded more aggressively earlier on. Today, real estate costs are the biggest hurdle for most players — CCD would have been at an advantage had it grown faster in the past.”
Meanwhile, it’s also investing in the look and feel of the regular CCD outlets to make them more appealing to its youthful customers. The brightly coloured furniture and fixtures, and caricatures and graffiti on the walls are a stark contrast to the formal ambience of a Lounge or Square. “While the earlier cafés have a heritage look, all our newer ones are more artsy, which appeals to a younger audience,” explains Madhav.
The company is also taking care to be where its youthful consumers will be (the typical coffee café customer is 18-22 years old). “We have started segmenting opportunities and are trying to reach consumers where they are,” says Madhav. Not only is it looking at setting up stores on the high street and malls in both metros and tier 2 and tier 3 towns, CCD is also aggressively setting up Coffee Day Express kiosks (small, 100-120 sq ft outlets focusing on takeaways) in corporate parks, educational institutions and hospitals and smaller airports.
There are already over 900 Express outlets with plans to add another 200 this year. “This segment gives returns from Day One and the investment is almost 50% lower than in a café,” points out Puttaraj AG, president of Coffee Day Express.
It’s a good idea for CCD to have several formats, believes Bijoor, as long as they are run as separate business units. “The moment you look at a bouquet of offerings being managed by one SBU, only one will get attention and the others will be neglected.” But it’s not easy running a takeaway business, especially for a company that runs a regular café service as well.
Players like Barista (which has 165 cafés) wound up their takeaway business because of the low margins. Now, Starbucks has a strong takeaway business internationally — about 8,000 takeaway outlets at last count, of a total 17,000 — but it’s doubtful whether it will introduce that format in India. Dunkin’ Donuts, though, is another matter altogether — after all, its partner in India is a takeaway specialist.
Food for thought
More than Starbucks, the real threat to CCD’s supremacy comes from Dunkin’ Donuts, believe retail analysts. “They are the ones who are going to ramp up fast by opening stand-up cafés,” points out Harminder Sahni, MD of retail consultancy Wazir & Co. And if CCD alienates its existing customers by launching premium offerings in the same city, as Sahni fears, they may switch loyalties. “By getting into premium formats, CCD is exposing itself to unwanted competition. Its focus should only be at the value end, which it is good at,” he adds.
There’s another front where Dunkin’ Donuts may put up stiff competition: food. Across the world, the company is known as much for its eats — doughnuts, of course, but also other baked goods like bagels and muffins as well as sandwiches. In India, coffee consumption is more occasion-based rather than a habit as it is in most parts of Europe and America, so the focus on food is very important. Make that Indian food.
Other international coffee chains that came to the country, like Costa Coffee, have realised the Indian palette is different. Initially, the British coffeehouse, which has 75 stores across India, offered only European accompaniments like croissants, pastries and wraps. But it quickly expanded its food portfolio to additions like chicken tikka rolls and curry-based vegetarian sandwiches. Dunkin’ Donuts, too, has already announced that its Indian outlets will also serve foods that will appeal to local customers and tastes.
For its part, CCD has also been working on its menu. Rather than expand it across all outlets, the company is making changes based on the location. For instance, the CCD stores at Tirupati and at Katra, en route to Vaishno Devi, serve only vegetarian dishes made without onion and garlic. Similarly, CCDs on highways offer parathas and dosas that are made to order in kitchens adjoining the store.
It’s not only the front end of the store and the menus that are getting a facelift: the company is also taking a relook at its processes and making improvements. “There’s a lack of uniformity in our products at present,” points out Pradeep Kenjige, head of R&D, as he offers us a frappé at CCD’s coffee research lab in Chikmagalur. It’s a perfect blend of coffee, milk and ice-cream, several notches higher than the similar drink we had at a CCD highway outlet the previous night on our drive from Bengaluru to Chikmagalur. Kenjige points to a pouch of dairy base his lab has formulated, which he used to make the frappé. “This will be sent to all our stores. All the barista has to do is blend the mix and serve it to the customer. The consumer will no longer be at the mercy of the barista,” he adds.
Similar bases have been prepared for other drinks on the CCD menu and in the works are new recipes for fruit-based drinks, iced tea variants and so on. All of which should be introduced across outlets over the next few months. To further ensure uniformity of taste — one of the biggest pluses of a Starbucks or any other big international chain is the promise of a uniform experience across all stores all over the world — CCD has also increased the number of hours it trains its baristas and started central sourcing of its ingredients.
Earlier, local sourcing for each city meant the taste of the foods and drinks varied; there were also issues with inventory management, which Madhav hopes the central sourcing will address. There’s an increase in transportation costs, no doubt, but it’s able to offset these by negotiating better input costs.
From bean to home
There’s one area where CCD can score over other coffeehouse giants — rather than wait for customers to come to its cafés, it can reach them in their homes, thanks to its coffee powder business. Apart from the recent launch of a premium imported coffee machine that uses single-use coffee capsules made by CCD locally — and is more affordably priced than its only competitor, a similar machine marketed by Lavazza — the company also sells coffee grounds from its plantations.
Amalgamated Bean is among India’s top two coffee producers and exporters (the other is Tata Coffee), with 10,500 acres of coffee plantations in Chikmagalur. It produces 7,000 tonnes of coffee every year and sources another 35,000 tonnes from other plantations. About 25,000 tonnes is exported and 3,000 tonnes used in CCD cafés. Madhav says that going forward, CCD’s internal usage is likely to go up by at least 25% year-on-year.
That still leaves about 14,000 tonnes to be sold to domestic consumers. It doesn’t sound like much but remember, India is essentially a tea-drinking country. Despite an annual output of 300,000 tonnes, domestic consumption of coffee, according to the Indian Coffee Board, is a meagre 100,000 tonnes. The biggest market for the brew is South India, where four states together account for about 60% of the national consumption.
CCD’s strength lies in ground coffee — used for brewing ‘filter’ coffee — which accounts for about 40% of the branded powdered coffee market; the rest is accounted for by instant coffee, where Nestlé’s Nescafé leads the pack (See: It’s hot). The leader in packaged ground coffee is Bru Green Label, which has a 40% market share, but CCD claims its Coffee Day Perfect (its mass retail ground coffee brand) is No.2.
The brand is also sold through CCD’s Fresh & Ground stores; the company operates 422 stores in the four southern states and is now looking at expanding the network to other states like Maharashtra this year. Recently, it has started a pilot in Bengaluru to promote the concept of freshly-ground coffee through the FMCG route. It gives retailers smaller packs of Coffee Day Perfect with the promise of replacing unsold stock with fresh coffee after seven days. “It’s worked really well and we plan to extend it to other markets as well,” says Fresh & Ground’s president CJ Jayanth.
Now, CCD is attempting to take on Bru, especially in rural markets. In January, it launched a brand Trishakti, priced at ₹20 for 100 g, similar to Bru Green Label’s price. Currently launched only in Karnataka, Jayanth claims Trishakti is already selling 10 tonnes a month; Bru sells close to 100 tonnes. “The FMCG strategy is still in its infancy,” says COO Madhav, adding that the rural distribution strategy will be an area of focus, going forward.
In the next few years, CCD is aiming for revenues of ₹3,000 crore and to become the No.3 coffee company in the world, after Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. During the same time, those two giants are going to begin their India operations. “CCD doesn’t need to worry as it has an established coffee market. It is going to remain a top player for a long time,” says Bijoor.
It’s not as if there are no challenges ahead, even if they are the usual ones: high real estate costs, finding trained manpower and rising input costs. But, by all accounts, the café market is perky enough for several players. Now all CCD needs to do is ensure that its brew remains to customers’ taste.


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A recently developed material could pave way to clothing that stores solar energy, releases it on demand or windshields that store solar power and release it to melt away snow.
MIT engineers think that the two ideas could soon become reality as they managed to design a polymer film that can coat different materials such as textile fibers and window glass. The polymer can store solar power during daytime and release it hours later or when the user really needs it as heat.
So far, other materials only managed to store solar energy and convert it into electricity later on. But the MIT material can store and morph solar energy into heat. A study on its properties was recently published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.
The MIT team explained that their material does not store solar heat directly because despite an excellent insulation heat would eventually dissipate. Instead they managed to store solar energy through chemical reactions that forces the energy to remain stable for long periods.
But after a stimulus is applied, the stored energy is rapidly released snapping a burst of heat in the process. Yet, the idea of a material that uses chemical reactions to store solar energy is not new. Nevertheless, past attempts to give these materials a real application often failed miserably because they couldn’t be applied on solid materials.
Ted Sargent, lead engineer in the MIT team, explained that never before a material so versatile has been invented. The polymer can both attract solar energy and store it for later use.
The recent work was based on previous attempts to design a cooker that could store solar energy and cook after sunset. At that time, the team realized that it would be a great loss to use the new material only for cooking purposes. So, they thought about ways to reshape the material into a thin film that could be applied on various other materials including fabric.
In the end, they obtained a highly transparent film, so it can be used on window glass and windshields, as well. And because it is transparent it would not be prohibited by the law, which bars even thin wires from being applied onto car windshields. This is why BMW, which funded the research, showed a great interest in the research.
Image Source: Pixabay
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‘Huge gaps’ identified in government’s food policy
According to a report from the University of Auckland, the fact that two in three adults and one in three children are overweight or obese in New Zealand suggests that the government’s policies to promote healthy diets is falling short.
Project leader Professor Boyd Swinburn said that high-income countries like New Zealand should be leading the world in progress made to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) but it is still a long way off meeting expectations.
“While there are some strengths, there is also a large number of healthy food policies that still need to be implemented in New Zealand,” said Swinburn, who is also co-chair of the World Obesity Federation’s policy and prevention group.
“Of most concern is the large number of food policies that were rated as having ‘very little, if any, implementation’. This was especially apparent in the areas of reducing the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and using fiscal policies, like taxes on sugary drinks, to influence food choices.”
The Auckland publication is the first of a series of what the university calls “Food Environment Performance Index” (Food-EPI) reports, which will score governments around the world on their actions to support and encourage healthy food choices.
Food environments have come under increasing scrutiny in light of the global rise in the burden of non-communicable diseases and obesity. The report’s authors hope their research will put pressure on governments to deliver on the promises they entered into at the UN General Assembly in 2011, and repeated in July 2014, to achieve a series of targets for reducing diet-related diseases including diabetes and obesity by 2025.
Whilst scoring well in some areas, such as regulating ingredients lists and nutrition claims on food packaging, the first report found that the New Zealand government has made very little progress in a number of areas such as restricting the advertising of junk food to children. Also highlighted are slow movement in fast food menu labelling, the use of sales tax or tax exemption to promote healthier choices, protecting health in trade agreements and ensuring availability of healthy foods in retail outlets.
In 2015, governments will be expected to report to the World Health Organisation that they have a fully funded, comprehensive plan to reduce non-communicable diseases, as well as report on progress on reducing the marketing of unhealthy food products and reducing saturated fat in foods as part of the WHO’s NCD Monitoring Framework.


text: The immediate focus will be on serving customers and growing the business, while Walmart supports Flipkart’s ambition to transition into a publicly-listed, majority-owned subsidiary in the future Supporting small business and ‘Make in India,’ through direct procurement as well as increased opportunities for exports through global sourcing and ecommerce. Walmart will partner with kirana store owners and members to help modernise their retail practices and adopt digital payment technologies Support farmers and develop supply chains through local sourcing and improved market access Reduced food waste by improving waste management practices and investing in supply chains, especially cold storage How does it fit in Walmart's strategy? Walmart has been eyeing the Indian market for more than a decade. It set up a joint venture with Indian conglomerate Bharti in 2007 and opened Best Price Modern Wholesale stores. However, in October 2013, the companies announced that they were dissolving their partnership. Though Walmart has continued to operate the 21 stores, it has been difficult for Walmart to expand further in the country due to government rules about foreign ownership in the retail sector. On the other hand, Walmart is forging a new approach to its international businesses. One of its key strategies is to moderate its global physical growth, with comp store sales and ecommerce to account for the majority of total sales growth moving forward. It has dropped the word "stores" from its name, and has formed partnerships with ecommerce firms such as China's JD.com and Rakuten from Japan. "Flipkart has established itself as a prominent player with a strong, entrepreneurial leadership team that is a good cultural fit with Walmart," said Judith McKenna, president and chief executive officer of Walmart International. "This investment aligns with our strategy and our goal is to contribute to India’s success story, as we grow our business." And for Flipkart? Flipkart is India's largest online marketplace. Founded in 2007, Flipkart sells eight million products across 80 categories. It has 100 million registered users, 100,000 sellers, 21 warehouses, 10 million daily page visit. In the fiscal year ended March 31, Flipkart recorded GMV of US$7.5bn and net sales of US$4.6bn with 50% year-over-year growth. However, Flipkart has been facing fierce competition, especially from Amazon, which has ambitious plans for India. As Jeff Bezos stated in his annual letter, "Prime added more members in India in its first year than any previous geography in Amazon's history." A retailer like Walmart with grocery and supply chain expertise would help the ecommerce company stay competitive against Amazon. What do we think? India's ecommerce market is a huge, yet relatively untapped territory that is growing rapidly. Walmart's acquisition of Flipkart and Amazon's continuous investment will fuel the growth of the market, especially for the grocery segment. This acquisition would enable Walmart to have a stronger foothold in India, and also is aligned with its broader strategy to become an omnichannel retailer.


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The number of coffee shops in South Korea continues to grow. More than 71,000 coffee shops are now operating nationwide, with 14,000 opening last year alone.
According to a report by KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, the increase in the number of coffee shops is because the number of new shops opening has dramatically outpaced the number of shop closures.
In 2009, 27,000 new shops were opened and 4000 closed. On the other hand, 14,000 opened last year and 9000 closed.
Meanwhile, 11 per cent of local coffee shops were found to be operating in the red. This rate is higher than the 4.8 per cent of restaurants that are also unprofitable.
Image Credit: Yonhap / CJ Foodville / Starbucks Coffee Korea Co. / firstname.lastname@example.org
- Original reporting by Korea Bizwire.


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MUCH to the relief of RV analysts at UK leasing companies, the car crash in used car sales announced by the SMMT didn’t happen. The Brexit effect was, in fact, an algorithm aberration.
A sheepish Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) has admitted that its statistics published last week showing a record-breaking 13.5 per cent fall in the UK’s Q2 used car market was wildly inaccurate.
The true drop was only 0.7 per cent, said the SMMT, leaving total used car sales actually up by 1.5 per cent for the year’s first half compared with 2016.
A “rogue” algorithm in the SMMT’s data cruncher of registration statistics supplied from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency was responsible for the misreading, SMMT officials insisted.
In a revised statement from Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said:
“With used car sales closely mirroring what we see in the new car market, last quarter’s moderate decline comes as no surprise – and with demand easing over recent months, this could offer motorists the opportunity to get some great deals.
“However, although the market remains at an exceptionally high level, given the softening we’ve seen in registrations of new cars in more recent months, looking ahead it is vital that government secures the conditions that will maintain consumer and business confidence if we are to see both markets continue to prosper.”
Also faintly embarrassing from the point of view of the likeable Mike Hawes is a bounce-back of car production in July. Just a month ago Hawes had said that, amid all the EU uncertainty, there was now no prospect of UK car output hitting a target of 2m a year by 2020.
That prediction was spurred by a drop in output of 14 per cent, year on year, in June. But it was 9 per cent higher in July, with buoyancy expected to continue as a result of some major new models such as Land Rover’s Range Rover Velar and Jaguar XF estate car coming on stream.
“They’ve stepped up a gear,” Hawes acknowledged.
He added: “Market performance comparisons for July and August should always be treated with caution, but as long as the economic conditions at home and abroad stay broadly stable we expect new car production to remain in line with expectations for the rest of 2017.”
Revised Q2 used car sales figures
- Used car transactions remain steady, falling -0.7% in Q2 2017, as market mirrors downturn in new car registrations
- Year-to-date sales remain stable, up 1.3% to over 4.2 million units.
- Diesels remain popular, with nearly 1.7m bought in first half of 2017, an increase of 4.0%, as alternatively fuelled vehicles enjoy 26.1% boost.
- source: SMMT


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When you think of a stoner, you imagine someone taking a huge bong rip or smoking an obscenely large blunt. But apparently in America today, the real stoners are the ones eating brownies.
As the number of people consuming marijuana in the United States increases, the number of people who are smoking cannabis is actually decreasing. In 2014, around 67% of Colorado's legal marijuana purchases were for smokeable cannabis flower. Today, that number has dropped to only 44 percent as the sales for potent concentrates has doubled to 31 percent. Oregon marijuana flower sales dropped seven percent last year, and in California flower sales are down three percent from just the beginning of the year.
There are a few reasons for this drop. One is simply consumer preference. More marijuana users prefer non-smokeable forms of cannabis because they view it as safer. Others like it because it's more discreet while others think it actually lasts longer. Regardless of the reason, it's clear more consumers want less smoking.
The other is price. Most states in America have an overproduction of cannabis flower, meaning prices for it are super low. Some stores can barely turn a profit on cannabis flower. But concentrates and edibles can be marked up higher because consumers are willing to pay a little more for a premium product. So more dispensaries are stocking non-smokeable forms of cannabis because it' easier for them to make money.
And most people believe that the decrease in marijuana smokers will only continue. People who are currently hesitant to try cannabis are more likely to try edibles or other forms than smoking it for the reasons mentioned above.
So when Hollywood decides to remake the Cheech and Chong movies, instead of our beloved stoners taking a hit from the world's hugest joint, they'll probably just be taking a bite from the world's biggest pot brownie.
(h/t USA Today)


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The Veterinary Department in Binh Duong Province along with other related departments conducted inspections of cold storages in the province, to check on expiry dates of meat items.
An inspection team checks meat items at the Swire Cold Storage in Binh Duong Province (Photo:SGGP)
An inspection team checked the Swire Cold Storage in Song Than 1 Industrial Zone and found 800 kilograms of chicken legs that had expiry date for just two more days. The provincial authorities have thus asked the owner to deal with the consignment within the stipulated period.
The team also detected some goods whose labels did not comply with regulations. The owner of the goods will have to explain this issue, said an inspector.
According to Ta Trong Khang, deputy head of the Veterinary Department, the province has currently 10 cold storages that store frozen meat.
He said that these inspections were being done to control bad meat from reaching the consumer in the market.
Earlier, the provincial authorities had caught a man with 9.7 tonnes of decomposed cattle meat and organs. Police in Thuan An town have asked the man named Nguyen Hiep Huong, to come to the Thuan An Police Station for questioning, as he had not been able to produce any documents related to the goods.


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Singapore-based global fruit distributor-marketer SunMoon Food says it has completed a successful pilot to digitalise its supply of Chinese Fuji apples using blockchain technology.
The company has applied the technology with Shandong-based Chinese apple packer XingYeYuan (XYY) to track shipments to customers in key markets across South-East Asia.
SunMoon is using a blockchain-based system developed by Singapore start-up DiMuto. The new venture is a collaboration with Ascent Solutions, 1Citadel and Ceito, which are providing solutions in Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and Initial Token Offering (ITO) platforms respectively. DiMuto is owned by private equity firm First Alverstone Capital, which is in turn owned by SunMoon CEO Gary Loh and his wife Selena Cheng.
Using the DiMuto app, each carton of apples XYY dispatches isuniquely tagged andphotographedon the packing line to transfer physical data into digital that is encrypted and loaded onto the distributed digital ledger, according to DiMuto’sTylor Jong.
“The carton is tagged witha QRcode, and it is then tracked with an IoT device in the shipping container, including temperature and location,” Jong told Fruitnet. “All therelevant documentsincluding the Bill of Lading,Certificate of Origin, Health Certificateand so onareaccessibleto authorized stakeholders at any point of time.”
In a media release, SunMoon said it started training XYY’s packhouse employees to carry out the tagging process in mid-October. XYY’s packhouse facility is equipped to scan batch-specific and carton-specific QR codes and to capture photographic verification of apple quality. Both the individual apples, and the cartons they’re packed in, are ‘blockchained’ using QR codes.
SunMoon said the system enables the company to capture real-time packing status updates of order fulfilments, giving an accurate overview of the number of cartons packed, and the batch origin of apples in respective cartons, as well as the quality of the apples when packed. The information is then stored on DiMuto’s blockchain platform to ensure that all trade parties, including SunMoon, suppliers and customers, have real-time visibility of the apples, the company added.
SunMoon said it is now rolling out the product traceability and tracking for shipments of Thai frozen durian, adding that is also in talks with supply partners for avocados and citrus in the US to adopt the technology.
SunMoon said there are numerous benefits to the system, not least quality assurance. “The QR code on SunMoon fruits acts as a physical and digital stamp of quality assurance – the fruit in hand has been tracked and traces from packhouse to retail channels,” said the company. “Consumers who buy SunMoon Fuji apples can now access the verified certificates on the DiMuto blockchain, such as Good Agricultural Practices and product origins. Such data, previously not readily available to consumers, can now be accessed through a simple scan of a tagged QR code.”
The blockchain technology also facilitates customer feedback, the company said. “Customers have access to a feedback button about fruits,” the release explained. “They will also be prompted to take photos of the product, as well as provide purchase location details. This helps brand owners, and potentially retailers and buyers, to ensure the quality of product at retail level and intermediary channels.”
SunMoon said the immutable information on DiMuto’s platform will help to create a smoother and more efficient supply chain. “The greater transparency across the supply chain will significantly reduce many of the inter- and intra-communication costs, and minimise potential disputes between supply chain partners with regard to corroboration of information,” said Roger Chua, managing director of SunMoon.
Loh told Fruitnet the ability to track information and goods through DiMuto’s platform will also help SunMoon and its trade partners to secure capital funding. “Securing funding from banks and investors has always been a challenge in the fruit business,” said Loh. “That’s mainly because of the lack of visibility in the industry – investors cannot see what is going on. The move from analogue to digital provides assurance and verified information to potential financiers.”
A full report on SunMoon’s application of blockchain technology with DiMuto appears in the November issue of Asiafruit Magazine, out now. Email firstname.lastname@example.org to order your copy.


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iHeartRadio Busting at the Seams With Stations
Add Cox and Emmis to team iHeart as another 106 radio stations are joining the Clear Channel created streaming platform. Cox brings in 86 stations from 19 markets and Emmis adds 20 stations from six markets. iHeartRadio now has over 1,000 broadcast and digital stations available to consumers. Clear Channel CEO John Hogan said, "adding 106 great station brands from Cox and Emmis is a win for iHeartRadio users."
CMG president Doug Franklin said “Cox Media Group is impressed with the progress that iHeartRadio has made over the last year. Our strategy is to serve our listeners on as many digital platforms as possible. We look forward to extending our reach in partnership with iHeartRadio.” Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan added “Our team is excited to participate in iHeartRadio's explosive growth. By joining iHeartRadio, we offer our listeners - including listeners of our premiere hip-hop brands Hot 97 in New York and Power 106 in Los Angeles - a great way to continue to enjoy our stations’ content.”
iHeartRadio reached 10 million registered users this past May. Registered users are only a percentage of iHeartRadio’s overall listeners, since registration is only required for the Custom Station feature. iHeartRadio is available as a free application across multiple platforms including web, mobile, tablets, automotive, television and gaming devices.


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At first, the Poles stated the meat from a precarious slaughterhouse was not exported abroad. This turned out to be false, however. It is now obvious that restaurant goers, as well as children eating in school canteens, have consumed the spoiled Polish meat in Slovakia.
Slovakia's State Veterinary and Food Administration (ŠVPS) has listed on its website about nine Slovak stores and storage areas to which the spoiled meat was delivered.
Butcher Michal Polunc from Oravský Podzámok, northern Slovakia, recently told the Sme daily how the meat trade works. He has been involved in the meat industry for 33 years, starting in a slaughterhouse. He opened his own butcher's shop and cutting facility 11 years ago.
A man who just looks at meat in a store will not be able to figure out whether the meat is, in fact, good; he must smell it, Polunc claims. He adds that only animals walking on their own can be sent to a slaughterhouse.
How does meat get to the butcher's shop?
I order meat from my supplier. Only meat from slaughterhouses can end up in stores, because a veterinarian checks it there. They mark it with an oval stamp, which means the meat is safe. Then, it can go on sale.


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Latest Insights on ADGI
This New Strategy Makes Sense of Biotechs’ Erratic MovesI find one type of stock equal parts frustrating and fascinating — biotechs.
EV Makers Finally Found a Supply Chain SolutionAutomakers lost control over their supply chains. And they aren’t looking to repeat this mistake with their EV projects.
BIG Market Moves Mean BIG OpportunitiesWhen the market moves this much, day trading has the potential to be lucrative.
A Stock-Picking Mutation to Beat the Omicron ThreatThis is a company that has never made a profit. In fact, it’s never made any money at all. On top of that, analysts expect its per-share losses to double by the end of 2022. Assuming Adagio manages to generate some revenues next year — the market consensus is a minuscule $151 million — it’s already trading at almost 20 times those sales. Why? Because COVID is here to stay … and the search for a response is moving into new areas … quickly.


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Schneider EV Charger Online at Lowe’s, Home Depot
The EVlink from Schneider Electric joins chargers from GE, Leviton, Legrand in availability ... with installation opportunities for electricians and integrators awaiting.
Big-box hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s aren’t just opening shelf space to energy-saving LED lamps, energy management systems and even alternative energy systems. You can also get electric vehicle (EV) chargers through the retailers.
Schneider Electric just announced that its EVlink 240-volt EV charger is available on HomeDepot.com (list price $799), joining similar chargers from GE, Legrand and Leviton. Lowe’s sells the GE and Schneider (Square D) chargers.
The EVlink is a Level 2 charging solution for charging all types of electric vehicles, meaning that it charges at 240 volts instead of 110 volts from a standard electric outlet. It also means consumers will need an electrician to hook up a 240-volt receptacle and circuit breaker.
The retail availability underscores Schneider’s recent cue about the emergence of electric vehicles being a potential market for integrators.
Schneider says EVlink charges about four times faster than that with standard outlets and almost two times faster than other 16 Amp Level 2 charging stations. It has an LED charging indicator, and independent cord bracket for safe and convenient mounting options.
Pike Research forecasts that by 2015, more than 1 million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and EVs will be sold annually around the world and during that year, the more than 3 million EVs sold to date will be plugging in to recharge their batteries.


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Rumors that Apple might acquire portable camera maker GoPro caused a 16 percent increase in the latter company’s stock price yesterday — after GoPro shares had fallen 45 percent in the past few months.
While Apple (of course) hasn’t commented on a possible acquisition, a number of Apple analysts have. FBR’s Dan Ives yesterday argued that, “We believe GoPro would fit like a glove into the Apple product portfolio.”
Interestingly, Apple has definitely shown interest in GoPro’s technology in the past. At the start of this year, GoPro shares plummeted by as much as 15 percent after Apple was awarded a new patent for a GoPro-style camera system capable of being mounted to helmets and scuba masks and controlled remotely.
Given that Apple this year topped Nikon to become the second most popular camera maker in the world, the idea of an external camera you can control with your iPhone would be a good market for the company to get into.
GoPro may come at a bargain rate, too. The company’s revenue for the past quarter came in at $400.3 million, which was well below the $433.4 million expected by Wall Street. Tim Cook probably carries the necessary acquisition funds around in his wallet.


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By Doris Minimah, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has officially unveiled the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025 in Abuja today and assured the nation of his government’s commitment to a new economy and a new Nigeria of diverse growth opportunities outside of oil.
The unveiling also underscored the formal approval of the country’s broadband roadmap by the presidency. It is designed to expand the country’s broadband reach from the current above 38% to more than 85% in another five years.
The president who also commissioned two other projects: the Communications and Digital Economy Complex; the Abuja Emergency Communication Center and National Emergency Toll – Free Number 112 said ‘Digital Nigeria’ is both a vision and a fundamental goal of his administration, adding that training and imbuing young Nigerians with the necessary digital skills was important to eradicating poverty.
The president also flagged off the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship as part of the ‘Digital Nigeria’ campaign being pursued by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
Today’s event is organised by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) under which purview are the projects being launched by the president.
Broadband penetration is key to real economic growth, said Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, while reiterating that broadband is the soul of digital economy and that the country has a future only in advancing towards a ‘Digital Nigeria.’
Pantami stressed that the global digital economy was becoming more expansive and Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind. He expressed gladness that the president personally created time to launch the projects which demonstrates the president’s commitment to achieving the country’s set broadband targets and empowerment of millions of Nigerian youths in order to create digital wealth and tame poverty.
According to the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Nigeria has made giant strides in broadband penetration since 2015 and is on the march to make more gains with the launch of the new roadmap.
His words: “Today as Mr. President launches the National Broadband Plan 2020-2025, it is important to mention that at the time this government came into power in 2015, broadband penetration was only 6%. Today it stands at 38.49%. We are expectant that with government support, this will increase rapidly within the coming years. Permit me to underscore the importance of broadband penetration in economic development, as this is the main medium through which ICTs can be networked to create jobs and provide efficiency to support government and businesses. It is the platform on which all ICTs will operate and is key to the efficiency of the Emergency Communication Centres and the development of digital innovation.”
“The launch of these projects is a reflection of the growth and development in the ICT sector which commenced with the National Telecom Policy and the full liberalization of the telecommunications industry.”


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[/img]Microsoft’s IllumiRoom project has expanded beyond a single-Kinect set-up and is now called “RoomAlive.” RoomAlive turns an enclosed area into an interactive gaming space, with enemies and puzzles projected on walls, floors and objects for residents to take out with their hands, feet or peripherals. The new and improved RoomAlive uses multiple projectors and depth cameras to scan a room and all of its contents, and then it superimposes interactive environments on top of everything.
“IllumiRoom was largely focused on display, extending traditional gaming experiences out of the TV,” the Microsoft Research team writes. “RoomAlive instead focuses on interaction, and the new kinds of games that we can create with interactive projection mapping. RoomAlive looks farther into the future of projection mapping and asks, ‘What new experiences will we have in the next few years?’”