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Sadler's Brewery closure and move to Cumbria confirmed
The closure of a Black Country brewery and the transfer of production of its range of beers to the Lake District has been confirmed.
A 30-day consultation over the plans to shift brewing of Sadler's Brewery beers to Cumbria from Lye finished on Monday.
Liverpool-based drinks manufacturer and distributor Halewood International will now produce the Sadler's beers – including the high-selling Peaky Blinders brand – at Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley, near Kendal.
Halewood had bought a majority stake in Lye-based Sadler's in 2017.
It issued a statement saying: "After thorough consultation and extensive review, a decision has been made to close the Sadler’s brewery site at Lye in the West Midlands. This was communicated to the Sadler’s team yesterday.
"We can confirm that four employees are transferring to other roles within the group, with others currently being considered for potential vacancies.
"Sadler’s beer will continue to be produced, with production transferring to Hawkshead Brewery in Cumbria."
The brewery equipment at Conyer’s Trading Estate, Station Drive, is to be transferred to southern Ireland where it will be used to produce whiskey instead.
About 25 people were facing redundancy at Lye with the closure of the leased premises.
Sadler’s was originally a family business that began in Oldbury in 1861.
Brewing later took place behind the Windsor Castle pub in Lye before being moved to the new brewery.
The £500,000 Sadler’s Brewhouse and Bar opened in March 2015 and was extended in 2018.
Two Sadler’s bars – the Taproom at Quinton and Brewer’s Social in Harborne – are not affected by the closure and will continue trading.
Sadler’s bottled a lot of its beers which are sold through supermarket chains.
It launched its Peaky Blinder beer following the success of the BBC TV series Peaky Blinders, which was partly filmed at the Black Country Living Museum.
Halewood Wines and Spirits reported strong growth in 2019 driven by a number of its core brands, including Whitley Neil Gin, Crabbie’s Whisky and Dead Man’s Fingers Rum.
Brands such as JJ Whitley Gin, Peaky Blinder Spirits and The Pogues Irish Whiskey also contributed to growth, which resulted in group revenues up by 26 per cent and pre-tax profits of £26.3 million, up 15 per cent on the previous year.
The business was founded by the late John Halewood in 1978 and is owned and controlled by the Halewood family.


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Emil was a reporter for The Next Web between 2012 and 2014. Over the years, he has covered the tech industry for multiple publications, incl Emil was a reporter for The Next Web between 2012 and 2014. Over the years, he has covered the tech industry for multiple publications, including Ars Technica, Neowin, TechSpot, ZDNet, and CNET. Stay in touch via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Late last week, news broke that Microsoft had quietly ended retail sales of Windows 7 on October 30, 2013, and that sales of PCs with Windows 7 installed would end on October 30, 2014. The source for this news was the Windows lifecycle fact sheet, the dates from which were pulled over the weekend. Microsoft today confirmed the former date with TNW and clarified that the latter was posted in error.
“We have yet to determine the end of sales date for PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled,” a Microsoft spokesperson told TNW. “The October 30, 2014 date that posted to the Windows Lifecycle page globally last week was done so in error. We have since updated the website to note the correct information; however, some non-English language pages may take longer to revert to correctly reflect that the end of sales date is ‘to be determined.”
Here is the table in question as it appeared last week:
Here is what the table looks like currently, with both dates removed:
The change to the “to be determined” label for both Windows 7 columns caused speculation that Microsoft had retracted both dates. The company has now clarified it is confirming the “Retail software end of sales” date and retracting the “End of sales for PCs with Windows preinstalled” date.
“We apologize for any confusion this may have caused our customers,” the spokesperson continued in the company’s statement to TNW. “We’ll have more details to share about the Windows 7 lifecycle once they become available. Additionally, we are confirming that the Retail software end of sales date for Windows 7 did happen on October 30, 2013.”
In short, Windows 7 retail sales have indeed ended. PCs with Windows 7 on them, however, will continue to be available until Microsoft sets an end of sales date.
See also – Windows 8 falls to 6.66% market share as Windows 8.1 hits 2.64%, but combined the duo barely grows to 9.3% and Windows 8.1 overtakes Windows Vista and OS X on Steam
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CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America, and Mastercard Join to Bring More of the Region’s People into the Digital EconomySeptember 20, 2022 | Miami
MIAMI – September 20, 2022 - As world leaders convene for the 77th United Nations General Assembly, CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America, and Mastercard brought together their respective commitments to further accelerate digital transformation in Latin America.
Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the regional collaboration agreement will deliver a range of projects to bring more people into the digital economy across the 18 CAF member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The efforts will be rooted in CAF’s capital increase of USD 7 billion and Mastercard’s global commitment to bring 1 billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025.
“We see important opportunities in the field of digital transformation in the region, such as the promotion of virtual education, remote access to work, the development of electronic commerce and internet-based services. Still, we are very clear that there is still much to be done to promote a better quality of life for millions of Latin Americans and Caribbeans, especially those in need. The joint work with Mastercard is a space for action to promote digitalization for the benefit of the region,” said Sergio Díaz-Granados, Executive President of CAF.
Initial activities will focus on four areas – financial and digital inclusion, GovTech and cybersecurity, tourism and transit – each of which contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda.
CAF and Mastercard will collaborate to drive the digital economy and financial inclusion through a wide range of initiatives to promote actions in areas including digital government, digital economy and digital society.
The MoU also aims to promote financial inclusion, transparency and innovation, and solutions designed to boost the adoption and usage of digital payments in Latin America and its impact on the financial health of people and SMEs; support economic reactivation by providing tools for SME digitization, financial education, and expanding access to credit in different sectors such as tourism, and agriculture, among others.
CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America, has the mission to promote sustainable development and regional integration by financing projects in the public and private sectors, and provide technical cooperation and other specialized services. Established in 1970 currently with 20 member countries -18 in Latin America and the Caribbean with Spain and Portugal - and 13 private banks, CAF is one of the main sources of multilateral financing and an important generator of knowledge for the region.
About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.


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Some Drug Sites Offer Easy Prescriptions and Lower Costs, But Rogue Sites Could Threaten Consumer Safety
By Stacy Lu
C.T., a 65-year-old retiree, knew he was taking a risk when he used an Internet pharmacy based in Canada to get expensive medicine for glaucoma and high cholesterol after an interstate move left him uncertain about his health coverage.
But to him, savings from the purchase, from a site called Canadameds.com, were worth the gamble — he paid $173.05 with shipping, about half the retail price in the U.S. Even though the site verified the prescription with his doctor, C.T., as he prefers to be known, still wondered whether the deal was too good to be true. “You have to be careful,” he said. “You don’t know exactly what you’re getting. I guess what I probably should do is take the medication I got and show it to my doctor.”
More and more Americans are sacrificing a degree of certainty about their prescription purchases to take advantage of low prices online, where rogue sites compete with legitimate online pharmacies like Drugstore.com. Medco Health, the Web’s largest online pharmacy, racked up more than $1.4 billion in online sales in 2002.
In late July, Congress voted to allow Americans to import FDA-approved prescription drugs from Canada and much of Europe, a move that will probably increase Web sales exponentially if it becomes law. Americans purchased approximately $350-650 million worth of drugs from Canada over a 12-month period in 2002-2003, according to IMS Consulting, which provides research on the pharmaceutical industry.
But, after all, this is the Web. While online drug vendors may be changing the nature of the pharmaceutical industry — much in the way the medium has changed the travel industry — it’s not always safe to buy drugs in cyberspace. Many sites sell prescription drugs after a virtual “doctor’s consultation,” which means little more than filling out an online medical history form. Buyers risk a misdiagnosis, a dangerous interaction with drugs they may already be taking, and a potential loss of privacy, experts say.
For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued several warnings about potentially deadly drug interactions with Viagra, the popular drug for impotence. These warnings, however, are hardly prominent in the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of spam messages and sites selling the drug.
Further, buying medicines safely from online pharmacies overseas can be as tough as learning a new language. Web sites outside the U.S. may make false promises about a vitamin or herb classified as a dietary supplement at home, where ingredients must be labeled and manufacturers cannot legally claim efficacy for treating a specific disease. Some drugs requiring a prescription in the U.S. — those with codeine, for instance — can be purchased from overseas pharmacies or Web sites without one. Appearance, dosages and even product names can differ from country to country. And online drugs may come cheap but often with no guarantee the product is genuine.
And, unfortunately, those consumers most likely to take a gamble online are also the most vulnerable: the elderly, the ill, and those who can’t afford insurance. Research by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showed total spending on prescription drugs in the U.S. is expected to rise about 10 percent per year through 2012, much of it likely coming from the aging population, and an increasing percentage of that likely being spent online.
Those suffering from modern-day angst also are at risk. Case in point: The rush to buy the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (Cipro) after the anthrax scare following terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001. A study published in October 2002 by the American Journal of Medicine found 59 Web sites trying to sell Cipro the month after the October 4, 2001, outbreak. Twenty-three Cipro-selling sites sprung up in two weeks, none requiring a prescription. Widely available over-the-counter in many Third World countries, the drug is, indeed, a powerful antibiotic, but with side effects and potential interactions. Pills made outside stringent FDA guidelines sometimes are not as potent, possibly years old and past their prime, or even unsanitary.
“This speaks to the ability of the entrepreneurs to act incredibly quickly and to exploit public fear,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, co-author of the study and deputy director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization.
Further, few consumers actually know or understand the laws involved in buying prescription drugs online, and those on the books seem rarely to be enforced. Some drug industry insiders and consumer groups say the FDA is avoiding what has become a politically tricky issue.
Dean Boyd, spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the scope of the problem is almost impossible to estimate and even more complex to solve. “Our seizures of illegally imported prescription drugs have been skyrocketing in recent years,” he said. “It’s difficult because…we need the cooperation of a host government. We can’t go in and close down [foreign-based] Web sites,” Boyd said.
Foreign Drugs Made Easy
There’s no arguing the Web offers a powerful lure — a direct line to unapproved, hard-to-find and often cheaper drug substances. Importing prescription drugs by mail is technically illegal, although officials almost always look the other way. Consumers may legally import a prescription if the product is not an FDA “scheduled substance” — a habit-forming or narcotic drug — and if it meets a bevy of criteria. Consumers are permitted to import a three-months’ dose for personal use if the product is for a serious condition and is unavailable in the U.S., isn’t considered a health risk, and is being taken under a physician’s supervision. The loopholes weren’t intended for importing cheaper foreign versions. (For a full list of criteria, click here, and see “Guidance on Personal Use.”)
Prescription drugs from Canada, a popular option for years for border-crossing Americans, are a hot item on the Internet because they’re considered safe and are generally cheap. In Canada, a government agency regulates drug quality and prices. And the U.S. dollar is strong north of the border, where some medications, such as cancer drugs, are subsidized.
Jeremy Cockerill, president and pharmacy manager at UniversalDrugstore.com of Winnipeg, estimates the company has nearly 100,000 American customers since launching on May 1 of last year. Among the site’s most popular drugs are Lipitor, to lower cholesterol; Celebrex, for arthritis pain relief; and tamoxifen, for breast cancer.
Savings can be substantial. On the U.S.-based Drugstore.com, Nolvadex, the namebrand of tamoxifen, costs $640.98 for 180 20mg tablets. At UniversalDrugstore.com, the price is US$80.36 — a difference of approximately $3.11 a pill. Even generic tamoxifen is cheaper by 61 cents per pill.
“This industry is going to be around until they do something about the prices down there [in the U.S.],” Cockerill said.
Some groups in the U.S. medical community don’t object to consumers buying drugs from Canada. For example, United Health Alliance (UHA), a local consortium of health providers in Bennington, Vt., started a Web service called MedicineAssist three years ago to help local patients, particularly the elderly, afford their treatment plans — using Canadian online pharmacies. The first 145 people to use the service saved an estimated combined total of $59,000, said Elizabeth Wennar, president and CEO of the Alliance.
Some find the easier availability of non-FDA-approved drugs on the Web critical. Vigabatrin, under the brand name Sabril, is used to treat infantile spasms. While available in many other countries, Sabril has been linked to visual field defects and hasn’t been approved by the FDA. But to many consumers — particularly parents of children with tuberous sclerosis complex, a genetic condition that can cause seizures — it’s worth the risk. There are some medications available in the U.S. to treat the affliction, but families have had mixed success, said Linda Creighton, program manager of outreach and advocacy for the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance.
Families want the riskier Sabril. Families tell Creighton, “‘If I have my choice of my child’s infantile spasms stopping or him losing his peripheral vision, I’ll take the vision loss,'” she said.
Some Crackdowns on Bogus Claims, Treatments
Though much of the Web remains something of a frontier when it comes to online shopping, government agencies have made some high-profile crackdowns in the online drug market. In 1999, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the FDA, and Health Canada (Canada’s federal drug oversight agency) started an effort called “Operation Cure.All” to address some bogus Internet health claims. A recent action charged two companies with making bogus medical claims for a dietary supplement “Seasilver,” among them that it could cure 650 different health problems, including cancer, AIDS, diabetes and obesity. Numerous Web sites still sell the product, though without the false claims.
Operation Cure.All last year participated in a “health claims surf” along with an international network of consumer-protection law-enforcement agencies to track down sites potentially committing fraud. The FTC identified more than 280 sites making questionable claims for health-related products or services.
Online chat rooms, boards and auction sites are other sources of drugs and supplements. Lisa Suchart, of Houston, Texas, bought fertility drugs from an Italian drugstore for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment after reading about the store on an infertility bulletin board at Babycenter.com. She estimates she saved about $2,300, and her doctor checked the drugs for authenticity.
“Any little bit helps when you’re going out of pocket. IVF is a long sad road, and a lot of people cannot afford to do it,” she said. “I needed a little bit more [medications] and I bought them from someone over the bulletin board.” The IVF procedure didn’t work, but Suchart did eventually get pregnant using a different method.
There may soon be better ways to tell who’s doing an honest business. For example, the United Health Alliance is working with other healthcare groups on an accreditation process for mail-order pharmacies. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which helps state regulatory boards develop and maintain standards, has a Web pharmacy verification program that stipulates proper licensing and procedures, as does its Canadian equivalent, the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities.
Certainties are few at the moment, but online drug sales will surely continue to grow.
“You can’t hold people hostage in this country,” UHA’s Wennar said. “There is a question about what’s legal, and what’s right to do.”


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JAPAN - The outlook for the domestic market in Japanese-made electronic-book readers has become darker with the recent announcement by Toshiba Corp. that it will stop manufacturing e-book readers. The announcement followed the departure of all other major Japanese electronics makers from the market.
The electronics makers' failure in the market has been attributed to putting e-book readers on the back burner while smartphones and foreign companies' products, such as Kindle of Amazon.com Inc. of the United States, have been aggressively marketed.
Japanese electronics makers have shifted their focus to e-book distribution services, but the business will likely face problems.
E-book readers can store data equivalent to at least 1,000 novels. They also boast long-lasting batteries and easy-to-read text.
Kindle and Kobo of Rakuten Inc. now hold the lead in the domestic e-reader market. Kobo readers are produced by Rakuten's subsidiary based in Canada.
Though Toshiba tied up with a website to expand sales of its e-readers, the company failed to improve its products' name recognition.
"It's like going to larger bookstores when searching for specific books," said Eiji Mori, an analyst of BCN Inc., a market research firm. "Users naturally choose websites with vastly more e-book titles in their lineups."
When readers search for a new release, many initially search for the title in book form and buy it as an e-book when it becomes available.
Therefore, Amazon.com and Ra-kuten are at an advantage because they market conventional books and e-books as a package.
Tablet computers and smartphones are strong rivals for e-book readers. Because consumers can now easily read e-books on their smartphones and other mobile devices using e-book apps, it has become difficult to promote e-book readers.
Sony Corp. first released its e-book readers in 2004, and discontinued production and sales in August this year. Panasonic Corp. also disconti-nued production and sales in 2012.
Economists assume their decisions were partly affected by the proliferation of lower-priced tablet computers made in other countries such as China.
Japan's e-book market has been expanding, however. According to an estimate by Yano Research Institute, the size of the domestic market of e-books in fiscal 2014 will increase 23.5 per cent from the previous fiscal year to ¥105 billion, and will grow to ¥191 billion in fiscal 2017.
Until recently, comics were the main sellers in the e-book market, but an increasing number of novels and business books have been released as e-books.
Because an increasing number of smartphones and tablet computers can be used as e-readers, the electronics makers are focusing on distribution services for e-books.
Sharp Corp. began a service to distribute e-books for its mobile information devices in 1999. Using its own know-how, Sharp opened its current distribution service website in 2010.
Sharp focuses on the convenience of the service. For example, users can buy e-books with devices other than e-book readers, and the website automatically notifies users of releases of their favourite magazines.
And Sony has begun releasing e-books through its distribution service site.
However, major bookstore chains and publishing companies have started their own e-book distribution services. Thus, websites where e-books can be bought are mushrooming.
In addition to the abundant lineups of products and convenience in purchasing e-books, electronics makers will likely have to further step up their efforts.


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On Wednesday 17th March, 2021 Julian joined Tony Danker, new Director General of the CBI, to discuss their mutual background and passion for responsible business, with great opportunities to champion the Good Business Charter.
Our favourite quote from Tony at the end of the discussion was:
“It’s a pretty good North Star about deep societal trends, deep business trends and what the next 10 years of our economy and capitalism will look like. Taking it to your upcoming strategy away day would be the practical next step for businesses.”
Our response would be to encourage you that this may not need that strategy away day! If you are already meeting our components, why not just sign up to our North Star today!
In this webinar Julian spoke about:
- Leading an organisation through the pandemic crisis, and his top five tips for firms
- The reputation of business during the pandemic
- The Good Business Charter, what it aims to achieve and how to find out more
- Julian’s personal story about founding Richer Sounds, and how his business model has evolved through the years
- The future of retail, and how retail can Build Back Better from the pandemic
It was hosted by Liz Moseley, Editor and Partner at Tortoise Media.


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The sale of Narcan is on the rise at Big Y stores across western Massachusetts.
In a surprising move by many, Big Y recently began offering Narcan without a prescription at all of it's Massachusetts and Connecticut pharmacies.
With just a few weeks into the new program, the Springfield-based grocery store chain said more and more people are taking advantage of the new program.
"In Massachusetts, we have to have a standing order signed off by a physician. We have a standing order available. There's a copy in every pharmacy, every manager on record has signed it. We've submitted it to the state so now any time a patient or caregiver thinks they need to have Narcan on hand they can just walk up to a pharmacy and ask for it," said Manager of Pharmacy Operations, Jennifer Salvon.
This may seem like an odd place to find an overdose reversing drug, Salvon told Western Mass News the decision to carry Narcan was about saving lives, and allowing patients the opportunity to seek long term treatment.
"Big Y's offering this because they recognize, along with the rest of the country, that the opioid addiction is at epidemic proportions and offering this can hopefully save some lives and combat this epidemic," Salvon noted.
All pharmacists had to go through specific training.
"We have all gone through training so that we can help give the caregiver directions on how to administer it should the need arise," she added.
Now that word is getting out, more and more people, she said, are stepping forward.
"Most insurances do cover it, depending on the formulation you get it could have several different co-pays," she explained.
Narcan is the brand name, but Noloxone does come in a generic, less expensive form either through an injection, or a nasal application.
Western Mass News was told Narcan can cost anywhere between $40 to $150.
Copyright 2017 Western Mass News (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.


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After a period of dramatic transition, NYCxDesign is looking ahead to its next chapter. Business of Home caught up with new executive director Elissa Black and program director Valerie Hoffman to hear about what’s on the horizon.
While the pandemic has prompted a rise in mobile showrooms, the duo behind the road-based multiline Designer Library have gone in the opposite direction, opening a brick-and-mortar showroom in Washington, D.C.
After acquiring Donghia in a 2020 bankruptcy sale, Kravet Inc. is planning the brand’s first debut: a 450-piece collection of textiles and wallcoverings. BOH caught up with Doug Garfinkle, a longtime Kravet executive and newly named creative director of Donghia, for more on the company’s plans to revive the Donghia brand.
Last week, California-based architecture giant KTGY acquired boutique Chicago interior design firm Simeone Deary. BOH caught up with the people on both sides of the deal about the merger’s mutual benefits.
In discussion with BOH editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen, interior designers Jaimee Rose and Juliana Oliveira broke down what they look for in entry-level hires and how designers can use Instagram to land a job.
In 2014, the decline in retail led North Carolina ceramics brand Haand to pivot to hospitality. In 2020, the company was forced to change course again. Founders Chris Pence and Mark Warren explain how COVID revived their D2C strategy.


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Each week this summer, FN will offer a roundup of essential news, data and analysis about the important back-to-school (BTS) selling season.
1. Spending Will Be Up — Maybe?
As with most efforts to foretell the future, predictions about overall BTS spending vary depending on who you’re talking to. An early report from Deloitte forecast a slight increase in the total spend for the season, to $27.8 billion, up from $27.6 billion the previous year. However, the National Retail Federation was more skeptical in its outlook. Its research (conducted with Prosper Analytics) suggests that families with kids age K-12 will spend less overall this year — about $26.2 billion — despite the fact that per-family spending will likely rise to a record level of $696.70, up from $684.79 last year. But before you cite claims of a retail apocalypse, NRF explains that the drop in total expenditures is tied to the fact that fewer families surveyed had children in grades K-12.
2. The Payless Effect
One question lingering over the BTS season is where former Payless shoppers will be spending their money this time. It’s a significant question, considering that the discount retailer had 7 percent of kids’ footwear unit sales in 2018, according to The NPD Group Inc. For this season, NPD predicts that big-box chains like Walmart, Target and Kohl’s will be the most likely recipients of those dollars. However, other companies hope to benefit as well: In its Q2 earnings call this week, Skechers execs predicted it would pick up some new BTS customers following the Payless liquidation.
3. BTS Is Just the Beginning
It’s hard to imagine, what with the temperatures in the 90s this week, but back-to-school is a gateway to holiday shopping. Kohl’s reinforced that fact this week with an announcement that it is kicking off its seasonal hiring now to staff up for BTS — and Black Friday. And a recent report from Cardlytics, a data firm that works with banking companies, found that retail customers who were acquired during the fall season spend 20% more during the holidays (an average of $163), compared with customers acquired during the holidays ($132 on average).
4. The Spirit of Giving Lives On
Retailers and brands are keeping less-fortunate kids in mind this school season and helping to make sure they have the supplies they need for a strong start to the year. On July 14, Bearpaw partnered again with the Ticket to Dream Foundation for its Back to School Bash, which hosts more than 100 foster kids from the Sacramento, Calif., area, who have the chance to take home Bearpaw boots, backpacks and plenty of school supplies. Meanwhile, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has teamed up with Zappos.com and Amazon to expand his Shaq-to-School initiative. This year, it includes a multi-city distribution for his Shaq-Packs, which include school supplies, a backpack, shoes, and a t-shirt or hoodie, to roughly 5,000 kids in the U.S. In addition, Zappos is selling a limited-edition hoodie by Psycho Bunny in support of O’Neal’s preferred charity, Communities in Schools.
Watch FN’s interview with mom-influencer Arielle Charnas of Something Navy:


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Used car prices have hit an all-time high on Auto Trader, new figures show.
The average price of a second-hand car was £20,340 last week (Feb 7-13) – a 29 per cent like-for-like increase on the same week in 2021.
It comes as the company’s boss exclusively told the Car Dealer Podcast used cars prices will not fall significantly for another year.
The latest data shows last week was the 93rd consecutive week for used car price increases.
In the last six months alone, the average price of a used car on Auto Trader has increased over £4,200 – up from £16,096 in mid-August, at which point the rate of growth was almost half of what it is today (15 per cent vs 29 per cent).
The top 10 cars to have risen the most in value last week is listed below.
Auto Trader said the acceleration in prices was as a result of chip shortages, the imbalance of supply and demand and also rising inflation.
Last week it took an average of just 25 days for stock to leave forecourts.
That figure is down marginally on the average 26 days recorded in pre-Covid February 2020, but it’s 30 per cent faster than the speed of sale recorded in 2021, said Auto Trader.
Auto Trader’s data and insights director, Richard Walker, said: ‘Although inflation will always pose a potential headwind for demand, based on the positive consumer metrics we’re tracking across the retail market, as well as broader economic factors such as the falling unemployment rate and record number of job vacancies, we don’t anticipate any significant easing any time soon.
‘Accordingly, with such strong levels of demand, and no end in sight for the current supply challenges, we can expect the strong year-on-year price growth to continue well into the middle of the year.
‘The growth in used car prices does have the potential to place an additional squeeze on consumers already facing the pressure of the rising cost of living.
‘However, it’s worth noting that it’s not just the price of the car on the forecourt that has increased – so too has the car on the driveway.
‘It means for most car buyers, if you have one to sell or to exchange, the higher sticker prices should be relative.’
Largest price increases, February 7-13
1. Seat Alhambra
Average asking price: £18,645
Price change: 55.0 per cent
2. Ford S-Max
Average asking price: £15,066
Price change: 52.6 per cent
3. Skoda Yeti
Average asking price: £13,173
Price change: 51.5 per cent
4. Toyota Auris
Average asking price: £13,299
Price change: 49.3 per cent
5. Renault Grand Scenic
Average asking price: £10,655
Price change: 48.6 per cent
6. Ford Grand C-Max
Average asking price: £12,555
Price change: 48.5 per cent
7. Skoda Octavia
Average asking price: £16,876
Price change: 48.2 per cent
8. Ford Galaxy
Average asking price: £17,167
Price change: 48.1 per cent
9. Land Rover Defender 110
Average asking price: £82,927
Price change: 48.0 per cent
10. Ford Focus
Average asking price: £15,572
Price change: 46.9 per cent


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In the wake of PRISM, New York Times takedowns and spying London rubbish bins, people on the Internet don’t feel that secure any more… at all. Business Insider published an article recently saying the days of truly private email conversations are over. A new trend in “countersurveillance fashion” has sprung up (see above image), and New York’s New Museum is opening a ‘privacy gift shop’ for September.
One of the clients Zeitgeist works for is about to get heavily involved in Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, otherwise known as the Internet of Things (IoT). Intel were making themselves heard last month at an event in London’s Spitalfields Market on the subject. And earlier this month, the exemplary blog GigaOm published an article entitled “How can we design an internet of things for everyone (not just alpha geeks)?”. This new development, which includes self-driving cars, fridges ordering milk for you when you run out without being asked, potentially brings with it ideas of a utopian world of interconnected devices that do your bidding.
But such potential is now seen in a different light, post-PRISM. The first two user comments, screengrabbed below, were a grim reminder of the new normal, where such a utopian future has already been tarnished by abuses before it even arrives.
Pretty much seven years ago to the month, Zeitgeist was putting the finishing touches to his Master’s dissertation. It centered on intellectual property rights, and the infringement of those rights by consumers who were downloading content they weren’t paying for. Zeitgeist conducted multiple interviews, including several with key people at studios and industry bodies in Europe and Los Angeles. It was a time when the industry were trying to curtail piracy using massive fines and jail sentences, at the same time providing few legal alternatives for content consumption online (this latter issue is still a problem today). Needless to say, there were a fair amount of heads buried in the sand. We’ve talked about piracy before, from its murky impact on the bottom line to the stricture of copyright law.
It was refreshing to see the news reported by industry trade mag Variety that Comcast – a large cable operator in the US, which also owns NBCUniversal – is investigating new methods of disrupting piracy online. Specifically, they are planning to push pop-ups to those who are downloading content illegally, providing them with links to alternative domains where the same product can be downloaded legally. There are privacy concerns here, undoubtedly. What was most reassuring about the idea though was crystallised below by journalist Andrew Wallenstein, which for Zeitgeist hits the nail on the head:
Using pirated content as a platform to drive legal transactions reflects an alternate philosophy regarding copyright infringement, one that sees the illegal activity less as a crime that requires punishment and more as lead generation to a consumer whose behavior is borne out of inadequate legitimate digital content options.
This post serves as a companion piece and extended update to our previous article on rethinking film industry strategy, which can be found here.
“For me, the business of tentpoles is about generating franchises. The more tentpoles that are being made, the more risky the first installment of a potential franchise is going to be. That’s why I think everybody needs to be asking hard questions about what is a real tentpole and what is a faux tentpole.”
- Jean-Luc De Fanti, managing partner at Hemisphere Media Capital
Since our last post a few weeks ago on the need to rethink film industry strategy, when Steven Spielberg publicly predicted an “implosion” in the industry, the subject remains in the zeitgeist. As we referenced in our last post, Mr. Spielberg has some familiarity with the industry’s modus operandi, having created the blockbuster phenomenon way back in the 70s with Jaws. Like a mutant in a film of that genre though, the nature of blockbusters has changed since then. Jaws, were it made today, would look very different (i.e. terrible). Despite Mr. Spielberg’s warnings, studios presumably took some comfort in an animated sequel – Despicable Me 2 – becoming, in the words of NBCUniversal chief Steve Burke, “the single most profitable film in the 100 year history of Universal Studios”, more than E.T., Jurassic Park, etc. Not only did it paint a picture of an industry continuing to grow (though presumably the figure did not take inflation into consideration), it must have also quietened any further calls for originality, safe in the knowledge that it was a pretty lowbrow sequel that had triumphed.
The caveat is a large one though, that any proponents of summer blockbusters need to pay close attention to. Despicable Me 2 has made £437 million so far, with a production budget of just £50 million. While on the surface then Despicable Me 2 seems to prove how successful and profitable summer movies can be, it actually provides a lesson in what commercial success can look like with a small-budgeted film. Instead, the rule of thumb during the summer is more likely to involve investing some $200m+ in a film that fails spectacularly – think The Lone Ranger. Though this Disney production is the most visible disappointment of the season, it is by no means alone. The New York Times count “six big-budget duds since May 1“. It is interesting to note that Now You See Me, “the kind of midrange film that studios have largely abandoned as they focus more on pictures that play globally — has taken in $200.4 million worldwide and is still playing”, after costing $75m to make.
Those responsible try to spread the blame. Johnny Depp and producer Jerry Bruckheimer absolved themselves of wrongdoing for their involvement in The Lone Ranger by blaming the critics. Said Depp, “They had expectations that it must be a blockbuster. I didn’t have any expectations of that”. Yet it is easy to see how one might assume the film – created at such expense, with ripe intellectual property to be exploited, with talent involved in the phenomenally successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise – had all the appropriate ingredients to make it a blockbuster. Studios meanwhile harp on about Twitter, which lets people instantly share their thoughts on a film and is now considered a worrisome bellwether for box office potential. But this is a reaction to poor filmmaking, not a reason why a bad film exists in the first place. They also cite a tight calendar. As The New York Times elaborates, “One or more cinematic behemoths — those loaded with similar-looking computer-generated effects, films that cost $130 million to $225 million to make — have arrived almost weekly since May, fragmenting and fatiguing the audience”. Again, this is no one’s fault but that of the industry. The idea of launching films in a specific time window, when consumers now enjoy time-shifting and device-shifting with their content, is antiquated. It is just as irrelevant in winter, when back-to-back “prestige” films clutter cinemas, desperate for Oscar attention. It is overwhelming for audiences, reduces choice, and in the case of the winter season implies that the voting member of the Academy have no long-term memory.
The summer product is so derivative that evidently audiences are pushing back, showing indifference to the “clones” that feature so prominently at Comic-Con. Films are either direct sequels / reimaginings, or strongly resemble other recent projects. Again, The New York Times has an excellent article on this, elaborating,
“Studios showcased another Amazing Spider-Man, another Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, another Avengers, another Thor and another Captain America… In addition to Godzilla, remakes teased here in recent days included RoboCop… and Riddick,… Even many of the original movies introduced at Comic-Con this year had a been-there-done-that feeling to them, notably Legendary’s sword-and-sorcery picture Seventh Son, which co-stars Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore and Ben Barnes. In thundering snippets of footage shown on Saturday, the movie at times resembled Clash of the Titans, Snow White and the Huntsman and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”
Cheering news for Sony came last week when it announced a $35m profit in the last quarter, but turbulence lay beyond that. In our last post, we mentioned the imbroglio that Sony found itself in as investor Daniel Loeb – whose hedge fund owns roughly 7% of Sony – continued to urge Sony to spin off its entertainment assets. Last week, he wrote a third letter to Sony – the most aggressive yet, with the Financial Times calling it “blistering” – comparing the film division’s two recent duds After Earth and White House Down to Ishtar and Waterworld (two of the floppiest flops to ever flop). He wrote that the CEO, Kazuo Hirai was sitting by complacently while the film division remained “poorly managed, with a famously bloated corporate structure, generous perk packages, high salaries for underperforming executives and marketing budgets that do not seem to be in line with any sense of return on capital invested”. It was with some interest then that, this past Friday, Zeitgeist saw that none other than George Clooney had stepped into the fray, calling Loeb an “activist” who “knows nothing about our business”. He lambasted the hedge fund industry in general, saying “if you look at those guys, there is no conscience at work”.
Clooney added that the “climate of fear” Loeb was creating would lead to even more risk-averse productions. It is creative, rather than financial risk, that Hollywood is sorely in need of. Art doesn’t engage audiences when it is timid and derivative. It inspires people when it is innovative, daring and different. Usually such creative thoughts do not spring forth from the mind of a hedge fund manager. Such new thinking – involving a review of a market research firms say is suffering from “overcrowding” – will require a significant course correction, one that is not going to come anytime soon. The summer slate for 2015 currently includes a Terminator sequel, an Avengers sequel, a Smurfs sequel, Independence Day 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean 5.
This past week, Zeitgeist had the pleasure of enjoying a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado about Nothing”. This adaptation was not performed at the theatre but at the cinema. It was not directed by Kenneth Branagh or any other luminary of the legitimate stage, but rather by the quiet, modest, nerdy Joss Whedon, who until a few years ago was best known to millions as the brains behind the cult TV series phenomenon “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (full disclosure: Zeitgeist worked on the show in his days of youth). Whedon was picked to direct a film released last year that can, without much difficulty, be seen as the apotheosis of the Hollywood film industry; “The Avengers”. A mise-en-abyme of a concept, involving disparate characters, some of whom already have their own fully-fledged franchises, coming together to form another vehicle for future iterations. “The Avengers” became the third-highest grossing film of all time, and it is a thoroughly enjoyable romp. Moreover, to go from directing on such a broad canvas to shooting a film mostly with friends in one’s own home – as with “Much Ado…” – displays an impressive range of creative ingenuity.
Sadly for shareholders and studio executives’ career aspirations, not every film is as sure-fire a hit as “The Avengers”, try though as they might (and do) to replicate the same mercurial ingredients that lead to success. Marvel, which originally conceived of the myriad characters surrounding The Avengers mythology, was bought in 2009 by Disney for $4bn. Disney for all intents and purposes have a steady strategic head on their shareholders. They parted ways with the quixotic Weinstein brothers while welcoming Pixar back into the fold. They were one of the first to concede the inevitability of closed platforms release windows – something Zeitgeist has written about in the past – they are debuting a game-changing platform, Infinity, which might revolutionise the way children interact with the plethora of memorable characters the studio have dreamt up over the years. However, such sound business strategy could not save them from the uber-flop that was 2012’s “John Carter”, which lost the studio $200m. This summer, the rationale for their biggest release has been built on what appears to be sound logic; taking the on- and off-screen talent behind their massively successful “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, and bringing them together again for another reboot in the form of “The Lone Ranger”. The New York Times said the film “descends into nerve-racking incoherence”; it has severely underperformed at the box office, after a budget of $250m. Sony’s “After Earth” similarly underperformed, suddenly throwing Will Smith’s bullet-proof reputation for producing hits into jeopardy.
These summer films – “tentpoles” to use the terminology bandied about in Los Angeles – are where the money is made (or not) for studios. As an industry over the past ten years, Zeitgeist has watched as these tentpoles have become more concentrated, more risk-averse and therefore less original, more expensive and more likely either to produce either stratospheric results or spectacular failures. Paramount is an interesting example of a studio that has made itself leaner recently, releasing far fewer films, and relying on franchises to keep the ship afloat. Edtorial Director of Variety Peter Bart seems to think there’s a point when avoiding risk leads to courting entropy. It’s an evolution that has escaped few, yet is was still notable when, last month, famed directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas spoke out publicly against the way the industry seemed to be headed. Indeed, the atmosphere at studios in Hollywood seems to mimic that of a pre-2008 financial sector; leveraging ever more collateral against assets with significant – and unsustainable – levels of risk. The financial sector uses arcane algorithms and has a large number of Wharton grads whose aim should be to preserve stability and profit. Yet even with all this analysis, they failed to see the gigantic readjustment that was imminent. In the film industry, Relativity Media’s reputation for rigorous predictive models on what will make a film successful is rare enough to have earned it a feature in Vanity Fair. So what hope is there the film industry will change its tune before it is too late? Spielberg pontificates,
“There’s eventually going to be a big meltdown. There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen of these mega-budgeted movies go crashing into the ground and that’s going to change the paradigm again.”
Instead of correcting course as failures at the box office failed to abate, studios have dug in harder. Said Lucas,
“They’re going for gold, but that isn’t going to work forever. And as a result they’re getting narrower and narrower in their focus. People are going to get tired of it. They’re not going to know how to do anything else.”
Such artistic ennui in audiences is admittedly sclerotic in its visibility at the moment. “Man of Steel”, another attempt at rebooting a franchise – coming only seven years after the last attempt – is performing admirably, with a position still firmly in the top ten at the US box office after four weeks of release, with over $275m taken domestically. It’s interesting to note that audiences have been happy to embrace the new version so quickly after the last franchise launch failed; though actor James Franco finds it contentious, the same has been true with the “Spider-Man” franchise relaunch.
Part of the problem in the industry, some say, is to do with those at the top running the various film studios. In “Curse of the Mogul”, written by lecturers at Columbia University, the authors contend that since 2005 the industry as a whole has underperformed versus the S&P stock index, yet such stocks are still eminently attractive to investors. The reason, the authors say, is that those running the businesses frame the notion of success differently. They argue that it takes a very special type of person (i.e. them) to be able to manage not only different media and the different audiences they reach and the different trends that come out of that, but more importantly (in their eyes) to be able to manage the talent. They asked to be judged on Academy Awards rather than bottom lines. The most striking thing in the book – which Zeitgeist is still reading – is the continual pursuit by said mogul of strategic synergies. This M&A activity excites shareholders but has historically led to minimal returns (think Vivendi or AOL Time Warner), often because what was presented as operational or content-based synergy is actually nothing of the sort. It’s a point Richard Rumelt makes in his excellent book, “Good Strategy / Bad Strategy”. Some companies are beginning to get the idea. Viacom seemed an outlier in 2006 when it divested CBS. Lately, News Corporation has followed a similar tack, albeit under duress after suffering from scandalous revelations about hacking in its news division. A recent article in The Economist states,
“Most shareholders now see that television networks, newspapers, film studios, music labels and other sundry assets add little value by sharing a parent. Their proximity can even hinder performance by distracting management… they have become more assertive and less likely to believe the moguls’ flannel about ‘synergies’.”
So in some ways it was of little surprise that Sony came under the microscope recently as well, part of this larger trend of scrutiny. The company has experienced dark times of late, with shares having plunged 85% over the past 13 years. The departure of Howard Stringer in 2012 coincided with an annual loss of some $6.4bn. Now headed up by Kazuo Hirai, the company has undoubtedly become more focused, with much more being made of their mobile division. Losses have been stemmed, but the company is still floundering, with an annual loss reported in May of $4.6bn. It was only a couple of weeks later that hedge-fun billionaire Dan Loeb – instrumental in getting Marissa Meyer to lead Yahoo – upped his ownership stake in Sony, calling on it to divest its entertainment division in a letter to CEO Hirai. Part of the issue with Sony is a cultural one, where Japan’s ways of working differ strongly from the West’s. This is covered in some detail in a profile with Stringer featured in The New Yorker. In a speech he gave last year, Stringer said, “Japan is a harmonious society which cherishes its social values, including full employment. That leads to conflicts in a world where shareholder value calls for ever greater efficiency”. But Sony’s film division – which includes the James Bond franchise – is performing well; in the year to March 2013 Sony’s film and music businesses produced $905m of operating income, compared with combined losses of $1.9 billion in mobile phones, according to The Economist. It ended 2012 first place among the other film studios in market share. Sony is the last studio to consistently deliver hits across genres, reports The New York Times in an excellent article. The article quotes an anonymous Sony exeuctive, “We may not look like the rest of Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a painstakingly thought-through strategy and a profitable one”. Sadly the strategy behind films like ‘After Earth’ begin to look flimsy when one glances at the box office results. While Hirai and the Sony board concede that have met to discuss the possibility of honouring Mr. Loeb’s suggestion – offering 15-20% of it as an IPO rather than selling it off in full – Mr. Hirai also commented in an interview with CNBC, “We definitely want to make sure we can continue a successful business in the entertainment space. That is for me, first and foremost, the top priority”. In mid-June Loeb sent a second letter, advocating the IPO proposal and saying “Our research has confirmed media reports depicting Entertainment as lacking the discipline an accountability that exist at many of its competitors”. The question is whether selling off its entertainment assets would remove any synergies with other divisions, thus making the divisions left over less profitable, or whether such synergies even existed in the first place. For Loeb, the “most valuable untapped synergies” are still in the studio and music divisions yet after decades as one company they still remain untapped. That point won’t make for pleasant reading at Sony HQ.
Another problem is the changing nature of media consumption habits. Not only are we watching films in different ways over different platforms, we are also doing much else besides, from playing video games, which have successfully transitioned beyond the nerdy clique of yesteryear, to general mobile use and second screening. This transition – and with it a realisation that competition is not likely to come from across regional boarders but from startup platforms – is largely being ignored by the French as they insist on trade talks with the US that centre on the preservation of l’exception culturelle. Such trends are evident in business dealings. The Financial Times this weekend detailed Google’s significant foray into developing content, setting up YouTube Space LA. The project gives free soundstage space to artists who are likely to guarantee eyeballs on YouTube, and lead to advertising revenue for the platform. From the stellar success of the first season of “House of Cards”, to DreamWorks Animation’s original content partnership announced last month, Netflix has become the bête noire for traditional content producers as it shakes up traditional models. We have written before about the IHS Screen Digest data from earlier this year, showing worrying trends for the industry; as predicted, audiences are beginning to favour access over ownership, preferring to rent rather than own, which means less profit for the studio. As much due to a decline in revenue from other platforms as growth in of itself, cinemas are expected to be the major area of profit going forward to 2016 (see above chart). We’ve written before about the power cinema still has. Spielberg and Lucas pick up on this;
“You’re going to end up with fewer theaters, bigger theaters with a lot of nice things. Going to the movies will cost 50 bucks or 100 or 150 bucks, like what Broadway costs today, or a football game. It’ll be an expensive thing… [Films] will sit in the theaters for a year, like a Broadway show does. That will be called the ‘movie’ business.”
In a conversation over Twitter, (excerpts of which are featured above), Cameron Saunders, MD of 20th Century Fox UK told Zeitgeist that “major changes were afoot”. Such potential disruption is by no means unique to the film industry, and should come as a surprise to one. Zeitgeist recently went to see Columbia faculty member Rita McGrath speak at a Harvard Business Review event. In her latest book, “The End of Competitive Advantage”, McGrath discounts the old management consultant attempts at providing sustainable competitive advantages to business. Her assertion is that any advantage is transient, that incumbency and success often lead to entropy, unless there is constant innovation to build on that success. Such a verdict of entropy could well be applied to the film industry. The model has worked well for decades, despite predictions of doom at the advent of television, the VCR, the DVD, et cetera ad nauseum. But fundamental behavioural shifts are now at play, and the way we devise strategies for what content people want to see and how they wish to see it need to be readdressed, quickly. Otherwise all this deliberation will eventually become much ado about nothing.
UPDATE (15/4/13): Of course, context is everything. The New York Times published an interesting article today saying investing in Hollywood is less risky than investing in Silicon Valley, though the returns in the latter are likely to be greater. Neither are seen as reliable.
This issue isn’t going away. We write again about it, here.
At Cannes Lions tomorrow, Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey will ask “What if ads didn’t have to look or feel like ads?”. In a guest post, Chloé Hajnal-Corob writes about how luxury goods companies are seeking new and diverging paths in order to engage with their customers. Chloé spent time working at a fashion startup earlier in the year, assisting with the launch of a fashion hub for Vine videos, among other things. She is currently placed at Editd, a fashion data insight company.
This spring, the House of Dior descended upon Harrods in London, one of the world’s premier department stores, for their “So Dior” exhibition and café. Last month, for one week only, Hermès had their “Festival des Métiers”, at London’s Saatchi Gallery. These two events represent a recent trend for providing luxury experiences, and though they are markedly different in some ways, they share a common goal: to drive revenues via brand education.
The “So Dior” exhibition, café and pop-up boutique took over a large designated area of Harrods alongside their usual concessions. Their presence was felt throughout, and Harrods have described the takeover as “a luxury-charged adventure combining French Savoir Faire and British charm”, the premise of which is to showcase the brand’s relationship with the store, and Christian Dior’s personal affiliation with the capital. Zeitgeist and I paid a visit, after seeing the social media hype from opening night. The event did not disappoint. On arrival, we were offered a private tour of the exhibition. What followed was a complete education into the history, heritage and identity of the brand and designers (Christian Dior, as well as Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano and now, Raf Simons). The assiduousness and attention to detail demonstrated in the event were striking, and the quality of the experience was exceptional. It stands in particular favour given it was a free event, especially when compared with similar exhibitions such as the recent Valentino show at Somerset House, for which entrance was £12.50. We wondered if Dior and Harrods would set a precedent for luxury experiences where no fee is charged. Enter Hermès’s Festival des Metiers, which has been touring the world in a travelling circus of craftsmen, demonstrating their skills, and charging nothing for the privilege of seeing them. This harks back to how customers at high-end boutiques are treated, but without obvious intent to purchase. We are rewarded for our passion for the brand, not simply our contribution to sales.
What is the ROI for these free events then, when the cost of execution is so high? Both exhibitions come after a lengthy stream of brand “experiences” (as noted in a previous Zeitgeist article) that represent the latest luxury market strategy for driving revenue and footfall to retail spaces, in attempt to allay fears of a mass exodus of shoppers from the street to the website. However, Dior’s CEO, Christian Toledano reportedly told vogue.co.uk at the launch party of the event: “This isn’t a marketing tool… It’s a transmission of Couture”. But these are not mutually exclusive concepts; rather they are means to the same end, and arguably an education into the brand is simply the chosen method of marketing. Indeed, Hermès openly acknowledges the lucrative repercussions these luxury experiences have. An article in the FT cites that the event, in each city, draws around 30,000 visitors, which in turn increases footfall to brick and mortar stores. A twenty percent increase, to be precise, in the week following the festival in Seattle, Washington. In a far more low-key event than Dior, these are impressive figures, particularly given that no attempt at sales was made on the exhibition site. A bespoke, or even generic, selection of products on sale at the event would likely have been very popular.
Both events encouraged significant online chatter, though neither seems to have been particularly driven by the host brands. Dior at Harrods was littered with high impact branded totems, ripe for the social media picking, and as usual, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were filled with images and comments from the event, and now Vine, twitter’s 6-second video app, provided the ideal way to document the experiential nature of the event. It is interesting that Dior made no attempt at harnessing or leveraging the veritable mass of attention the event garnered. On investigation, I found only a limited amount of content around the event on Dior’s twitter feed and Facebook timeline. There was no official hashtag for the event and no evidence (that I could find) of any engagement with consumers who were talking about it. Hermès, though a far more low-key affair, “discreet to the point of invisible branding”, were no less well-represented in the social media space, but were almost equally poor at engineering and engaging with their online audience. The hashtag #festivaldesmetiers seems to have been widely adopted but it is completely unclear whether this was brand-driven, and Facebook interaction was limited to a single status update announcing the event. For brands that exert meticulous control over themselves in the physical space (something that was made patent in the exhibitions), it is strange that they are not attempting to implement this in the digital space, where barriers are borderless and the opportunity for damage is massive. This is a bold (perhaps naïve) move in the current climate, albeit that both events seem to have been highly successful.
It is somewhat ironic that Dior’s exhibition was held at Harrods – an obviously commercial venue, where special Dior products were available to buy – choosing to assert their mission as education rather than marketing. By contrast, Hermès chose an established art space to host their Festival des Metiers, albeit one that is often known for its consumer links, and have clearly acknowledged the potential of education as a means of marketing. Neither space is less appropriate then the other, but both are indicative of the kind of events hosted. Harrods, with its lavish window displays, reputation for luxury and labyrinthine layout, was apt for Dior’s fantastical and grandiose display, not to mention that it was intended to draw on the relationship between brand and department store. The Saatchi gallery’s minimal open space provided a neat backdrop for hosting “a rendez-vous with the Hermès craftspeople”, and apparently, sought to appeal to a younger demographic than perhaps the Hermès customer would ordinarily be. It is appropriate too, to present what can only be described as a fine art and craft, in an artistic space. It’s a notion that rival (and owner of Dior), LVMH, clearly thought worth cashing in on, since they have subsequently launched a similar initiative: the Journées Particulières, which this year will see it open 40 of its ateliers to the public for a weekend.
Both Dior and Hermès certainly made good attempts at getting people to engage physically (as well as virtually). The “So Dior” exhibition, and of course the café, were multi-sensorial. Beyond visual aesthetics, short films with headphones were provided, touch-sensitive technology was exploited and food inspired by Dior’s cookbook made for a wholly engrossing experience. Perfume was a key focus of the exhibition, explored from many different angles; not content with simply handing out the usual sticks of paper to smell, Dior and Harrods provided a telephone box (grey and white, in-keeping with brand décor, naturally) emitting one of Dior’s signature scents. Hermès was less immersive but more intimate; the possibility of viewing and interacting with those who create the product (and by extension the legacy), and even partaking in the sewing of scarves or ties, successfully created a feeling of exclusivity and privilege that the event no doubt strove for.
Toledano stated of the “So Dior” exhibition, “We need to explain why and how we do what we do. I want people to understand the passion, the innovation and our commitment to excellence.” In a similar vein, Guillaume de Seynes, great grandson of Emile Hermès explained: “We want to demonstrate that for us, craftsmanship is something that happens everyday.” Both brands sought to educate the consumer about themselves – Dior by making comment on the ideas and inspiration that produce the end product, and Hermès by demonstrating their commitment to the heritage of the brand by maintaining the quality of garments through skill of craftsmanship. Were they successful in their mission? Certainly; both provided real insight and inspiration. In doing so, Dior and Harrods, and Hermès’s Festival des Metiers, created an opportunity to become part of a legacy, and with this, the aspiration to turn something memorable into something wearable.
First aired on PBS in 1985, filmmaker Ken Burns’ documentary on the Statue of Liberty was on Zeitgeist’s TiVo watch list this weekend. It’s really quite staggering to note how issues being discussed then are even more relevant three decades on.
It goes back to an article we wrote recently on the US government’s more legitimate efforts to collect data. These myriad agencies are working so fast to see whether it’s possible to collect this or that piece of data on someone, they are not stopping to think whether they should, and what the long-term implications are. By long-term, we mean what such a “Faustian bargain” means for the civil rights of citizens – particularly of course in the relation of the right to privacy – and what such machinations do to the long-term standing of the country as a whole – particularly from the outside looking in.
“Spying in a democracy depends for its legitimacy on informed consent, not blind trust”, wrote The Economist in this week’s lead article. Not so anymore, seemingly. The recent revelations that the NSA have been collecting masses of data from Facebook, Twitter, Google et al., with little thought for due process and with a focus on communications outside the US, and that at least one telco, Verizon, was ordered to provide significant amounts of user data to the government, is disconcerting to say the least. Zeitgeist wrote a letter, recently published in the Financial Times, before this story broke, that attempted to convey that the true worry for those opposed to such overreach is the high possibility of neglect or abuse, rather than intentional Machiavellian manipulation. Government ineptitude is more likely, and far more dangerous. Clarity and transparency are the enemies of such ineptitude.
As former New York governor Mario Cuomo admits in the clip at the beginning of this post, it can be very tempting to squash a little liberty here and there in return for added security. The situation, which arises at a time when the US is supposed to be taking China to task over its own extensive cyber-espionage (see above graphic), where we are, as one CNBC commentator described recently “hacking ourselves”, must give us pause, and begs us to re-examine what our notions of liberty are in an age of digital disruption.
The latest issue of Foreign Affairs features the cover article “The Rise of Big Data” by Kenneth Cukier and Viktor Mayer-Schoenburger, which mostly details some of the incredible ways companies like UPS, Google and Apple have come to rely on vast arrays of numbers in order to run their businesses better. But data has always provided a problem in that it gives a substantive assurance of certainty that has a propensity to foster overconfidence in those relying on it. The article attempts to address this:
“[K]nowing the causes behind things is desirable. The problem is that causes are often extremely hard to figure out… Behavioural economics has shown that humans are conditioned to see causes even where none exist. So we need to be particularly on guard to prevent our cognitive biases from deluding us; sometimes, we just have to let the data speak.”
The sentiment here is admirable, and the context perceptive. But the final part of the quotation (my emphasis) assumes wrongly that data can speak objectively, that there is a fundamental ‘truth’ in a number. All too often though the wrong things are measured, or not all variables are measured. What data does not record, or worse, cannot record, can often be overlooked. While ostensibly data is there to provide assistance with building models and predicting future trends and movements, it sometimes leads to a very narrow view of one particular future, and fails to account for possibilities, that, though while unlikely, could potentially be devastating. This is what Nicholas Taleb writes about in his by turns unreadable but seminal work, Black Swan. The fictional, paranoid loner Fox Mulder of the hit series The X-Files had it right fifteen years ago when he lamented “in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorised or easily referenced”. The financial system before 2008 was a victim of such narrow thinking.
Hendrik Hertzberg, in his Talk of the Town column “Preventive Measures” in this week’s The New Yorker, made the adroit analogy with the 2002 film Minority Report in our quest to categorise and predict acts of crime. Hertzberg points out that in reality this “turns out to be a good deal more difficult than investigating such an act once it occurs”. Indeed, such prediction methods are being implemented, just with somewhat less efficacy than in the Tom Cruise movie. The stop-and-frisk procedure currently employed by the New York Police Department points to a sustained effort to engage in preventative measures to reduce crime, effectively what Cruise and his myrmidons were doing, albeit without the help of psychic imagery as in the film. While the psychic “Pre-Cogs” turned out to occasionally disagree, the success rate with stop-and-frisk is even less attractive. “In the final months of 2012″, writes the New York Times, only 4% of stops resulted in an arrest. But what is this low figure telling us…?
Hertzberg also alludes to the dilemma of mountains of data, produced without concern for oversight or management; producing more just because it’s possible to produce it, rather than thinking about the implications:
“This fall, the National Security Agency, the largest and most opaque component of the counter-terrorism behemoth, will [open] a billion-dollar facility [analysing] intercepted telecommunications… each of the Utah Data Center’s two hundred (at most) professionals will be responsible for reviewing five hundred billion terabytes of information each year, the equivalent of twenty-three million years’ worth of Blu-ray DVDs… that’s a lot of overtime.”
The other problem this data poses – and increasingly this goes for many industries that are jumping on the Big Data bandwagon – is that intelligence departments and businesses alike are now technically able to put quantifiable targets and figures to what they want to achieve, without considering whether such targets are actually applicable. Police claim the low stop-to-arrest ratio implies that they are preventing crimes by stopping someone before they act. There is nothing to argue otherwise. The New York Times article alludes to the debate over what ratio or percentage the Supreme Court would be comfortable with under the tenet of “reasonable suspicion”. This leads down a dangerous path where we treat data as an answer to a question, rather than as supporting evidence to an answer.


text:
Dana and John Pope had by no means heard ofearlier than their 23-year-old son, Ethan, was discovered useless on the kitchen ground in his condo final December together with his pet by his facet.
Extracted from the leaves of a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, kratom is used to make capsules, powders and liquids and is marketed as an assist for ache, nervousness and drug dependence. In Georgia and another states, it is typically offered at gasoline stations and smoke retailers.
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation post-mortem discovered Ethan Pope died from mitragynine intoxication and had no alcohol or unlawful medicine in his system. Mitragynine is a psychoactive compound in kratom, based on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Dana and John Pope have filed a wrongful death lawsuit towards about a dozen individuals, corporations and organizations linked to the manufacturing, advertising and marketing and sale of kratom.
They do not know the way lengthy their son had been utilizing kratom, however he should have been experiencing antagonistic results, Dana Pope mentioned at a information convention Thursday. In his condo, they discovered a to-do checklist with one activity that caught out: Stop taking kratom.
The lawsuit was initially filed in May and an expanded model was filed earlier this week. The legal professionals who filed the swimsuit mentioned they wish to ship a message that kratom is unsafe for human consumption.
“The kratom industry claims that it is a natural, completely safe substance that can lead to greater health and well-being,” lawyer Matt Wetherington mentioned. “However, even if that were true, the kratom that is sold in the United States is ultra-concentrated and is more similar to heroin or other opioids.”
Proponents of kratom say it is a secure, pure natural complement that may assist handle ache and ease the consequences of opioid withdrawal.
Ethan Pope purchased bottles of O.P.M.S. Liquid Kratom within the days earlier than his death. Liquid kratom pictures are particularly harmful, “because they are intended to provide consumers with higher concentrations of mitragynine, substantially increasing the risk of overdose and death,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit alleges that producers of kratom illegally import it by misclassifying it as an agricultural product and have begun producing, advertising and marketing and promoting concentrated types of kratom.
Kratom acts as a stimulant in low doses and a sedative at excessive doses. It could be addictive and might trigger hallucinations, delusions and confusion, based on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The FDA has not permitted any makes use of for kratom and “continues to warn consumers not to use any products labeled as containing kratom.” It issued an import alert in 2014 permitting the seizure of kratom as an unapproved drug.
“There are no FDA-approved uses for kratom, and the agency has received concerning reports about the safety of kratom,” the agency says on its web site.
U.S. well being officers mentioned in a report launched in 2019 that kratom was a trigger in 91 overdose deaths in 27 states. While most of those that died had additionally taken heroin, fentanyl or different medicine, kratom was the one substance detected in seven of the deaths.
discovered that calls to U.S. poison management facilities about kratom skyrocketed greater than 50-fold, from 13 calls in 2011 to 682 calls in 2017.
The defendants within the lawsuit have been negligent of their “duty to prevent foreseeable injuries arising from the use of their products,” the lawsuit says. That responsibility contains making truthful statements in regards to the dangers and negative effects of kratom and making certain that the product is constant in its purity and efficiency, it states.
Ethan Pope used the kratom merchandise for his or her meant objective and the defendants “did not provide adequate warnings and instructions that an ordinary consumer would expect, and the inadequate warnings made the kratom products more dangerous than an ordinary consumer would expect,” the lawsuit says.
Optimized Plant Mediated Solutions, or O.P.M.S., which the lawsuit says manufactured the kratom that Ethan Pope used, is known as as a defendant. The company didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark submitted Thursday by way of a type on its web site.
The lawsuit additionally alleges that the American Kratom Association, a commerce group, invitations customers to depend on “false, misleading, and materially incomplete medical claims” concerning kratom. It has pushed laws in quite a few states that it says is supposed to guard customers however that truly facilitates the promoting of an unpredictable and harmful drug, mentioned Drew Ashby, a lawyer for the Popes.
“It is unfortunate and disappointing that Georgia is one of the few states in the country that allows this to be sold legally with actual legislation,” Ashby mentioned, referencing a 2019 legislation that restricted the sale of kratom to individuals over 18 and carried out labeling necessities that the lawsuit says usually are not adopted.
Daniel Delnero, a lawyer for the affiliation denied the claims towards it.
“The American Kratom Association is a consumer advocacy group dedicated to education and responsible use of Kratom. It was improperly added to this lawsuit, and we will vigorously defend the spurious claims against it,” he mentioned in an emailed assertion.
The lawsuit asks for damages and seeks a jury trial.


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At Business Insider’s Ignition conference today, Mason said he’d be the first person to fire himself if he felt he wasn’t fit to lead the company.
“Here’s a news flash: Our stock is down 80 percent since we IPO’d a year ago,” he said. “It would be weird if the board wasn’t discussing whether or not I’m the right guy to do the job.”
Although Groupon, which has 40 million active users in 35 countries, reported a revenue increase of nearly 81% since last year, its international business grew just 3% in the same period.
But not all is so bleak. Mason reports about a third of Groupon’s transactions are happening on mobile devices, likely in part thanks to an August app redesign. And Groupon Goods, the company’s foray into online retail for physical products, raked in nearly $500 million in its first year of business.
Mason explained Groupon Goods as a way for the company to “fill in the blanks,” saying that one of the problems with the daily deals business is the difficulty in keeping them relevant for users, particularly those who reside in the outer suburbs of large cities. Being able to offer goods, Mason explains, gives those consumers more options they might find appealing, rather one or two weekly emails for offers that are “completely irrelevant” to them.
And although Mason repeatedly emphasized Goods will play a prominent roll in Groupon’s future road map, he says he is “absolutely not” looking to directly compete with Amazon. Goods, he says, offers a different value proposition for a different kind of shopper.
“We’re about showing you not 1,000 TVs, but one TV, and the promise that it’s a good TV for a price you’re not going to find anywhere else,” he says.
[Image: Flickr user Nosillacast]


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Dreams can come true! Hot band One Direction will soon be available to take with you wherever you go. Why? Because the guys are getting their own toy collection!
Hasbro announcedit will soon be producing toys, games and entertainment products, including dolls and mini-figures of Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.
"In the short time since the group's debut, One Direction has captured the hearts of many young fans across the world. The band is poised for continued and increasing global success," John Frascotti, chief marketing officer of Hasbro, said in a statement.
"We are excited about the opportunity to provide One Direction's very enthusiastic international fan base with a diverse product line that captures the essence of the band members."
The collection is set to premiere this fall.
So far, One Direction's tour has sold out all over the world and they have announced new dates for their summer 2013 U.S. tour! Good job, guys!


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Summer continues to sizzle in Hong Kong ― Asia’s number one summer destination. To celebrate the city’s hot events and cool places, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is inviting everyone to the Hong Kong Summer Spectacular 2012 – HK Summer Showreels Contest!
To join, simply upload your photos to www.HongKongSummer.com/ph, make a short video from the photos you uploaded, and post it on your Facebook page. The contestant who garner the highest votes will win a trip for two persons to Hong Kong and participate in the Visa go Hong Kong Super Shopper 2012 as a competing team representing the Philippines.
The Visa go Hong Kong Super Shopper 2012 requires competing teams from around Asia to design and complete a one-day Hong Kong itinerary based on their preferences for dining, arts and culture, greenery and night life. Contestants also have to take snapshots to complement their itinerary as they explore Hong Kong’s summer attractions. On August 31, teams will present their snapshots to the judging panel, and share their itinerary concepts and shopping experiences The winning duo will share the grand prize – a Visa spending credit of HK$200,000!
What are you waiting for? Visit www.HongKongSummer.com/ph now to join the Hong Kong Summer Showreels!
HK Summer Showreels is a contest in website platform that allows potential Visa go Hong Kong Super Shopper 2012 contestants from different Southeast Asian regions to submit their entries to win as their country’s representative in the most exhilarating annual shopping contest in Hong Kong.


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Monroe RiverMarket season opens in April
Monroe’s RiverMarket is slated to open April 5 with a number of special events lined up through July before closing until fall.
Myra Gatling-Akers, director of the Downtown Economic Development District and Downtown RiverMarket, said the RiverMarket will feature spring fever events for April with additional specialized themes each month through July 5. The RiverMarket’s fall season runs from Oct. 4 through Dec. 13.
Lawn and garden vendors and demonstrations will be featured during April, and more vendors and entertainers are needed, Gatling-Akers said.
Other special themes include Earth Day hosted by Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge, fashion week, a motorcycle rally, book festival, an international festival, health and fitness day, Louisiana Food and Music Festival, the popular Blues, Brews and BBQ event, vintage days, freedom festival with local veterans’ organizations, a children’s festival, GumboFest, a praise and gospel festival and the Christmas at the RiverMarket events.
“We are very excited about the upcoming RiverMarket season. It is going to be a great season with a variety of things for everyone. The RiverMarket offers something for everyone, and it is a great place to shop and gather on the river with friends and family,” Gatling-Akers said.
Last season the RiverMarket had a minimum of 70 venders each Saturday with approximately 2,500 patrons, Gatling-Akers said.
She said patrons can expect another season of great food, entertainment and specialty items from vendors across the region.
“We’re thrilled at the success of the market and continue to work to bring new things to the market and create an environment where people will want to shop and gather on the river. It’s going to be a great year. I think we will all enjoy spring fever with the lawn and garden show, Earth Day with a emphasis on things for kids, fashion week and home and garden week. It will be great to see what is offered for inside and outside our homes while enjoying great food, entertainment and the scenery of downtown and the river,” Gatling-Akers said.
Monroe's Downtown RiverMarket is a French-style market gathering space and tourist destination for commerce, culture, education and entertainment. The venue showcases a variety of produce, artisan handmade items, food and entertainment in a town square setting.
For more information about becoming a vendor or participating in RiverMarket activities, contact Terri Coates at 807-1735.
Follow Scott Rogers on Twitter @lscottrogers.


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Medikabazaar, a leading online medical supplies company, has launched a one-of-a-kind diagnostic ecommerce platform that promises to revolutionize the buying habits of lab and diagnostic centers. The platform offers a wide range of equipment, instruments, rapid cards, consumables, and disposables, all from top brands and at the best prices. But what really sets this platform apart is its commitment to next-day dispatch, ensuring that customers receive their orders as quickly as possible.
The healthcare industry has seen a massive shift towards ecommerce in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerating this trend. Medical professionals are increasingly turning to online platforms to purchase medical supplies, as it offers convenience, competitive pricing, and a wide range of products. However, the diagnostic and lab supply market has been slower to catch up, with limited options and a lack of focus on customer service and delivery times.
Medikabazaar’s diagnostic ecommerce platform aims to change this by offering a one-stop-shop for all lab and diagnostic center needs. From basic equipment like microscopes and centrifuges to more devices like Hematology Analysers and Urine Analysers , the platform has it all. Customers can also find a range of rapid cards for testing for diseases like HIV, HBV, Dengue and consumables like gloves and masks.
The platform’s extensive product range is complemented by its commitment to providing top brands at the best prices. Medikabazaar has partnerships with all the leading medical supply brands, ensuring that customers can access the latest products from trusted manufacturers. Additionally, the platform’s competitive pricing means that customers can save money while still receiving high-quality products.
But perhaps the platform’s most significant USP is its commitment to next-day dispatch. Unlike other medical supply ecommerce platforms that can take days or even weeks to deliver orders, Medikabazaar strives to dispatch orders within 24 hours* This means that customers can receive their orders as quickly as possible, allowing them to provide timely and efficient healthcare services to their patients.
The launch of this diagnostic ecommerce platform is a significant step forward for the lab and diagnostic supply market. By offering a comprehensive range of products, top brands, and fast delivery times, Medikabazaar is set to become the go-to platform for medical professionals looking to purchase lab and diagnostic supplies. With the COVID-19 pandemic again on the rise, highlighting the importance of efficient and effective healthcare services, this platform could not have come at a better time.


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Tech Products Important for College Students
Posted on August 8, 2005
Clothing, shoes, and school supplies will be strong sellers for the back-to-school season this year according to a National Retail Foundation (NRF) study. The study also reported -- somewhat surprisingly -- that spending in the electronics category is expected to decrease in 2005. Families with school-aged children will spend an average of $443.77 on back-to-school items, down 8.2 percent from $483.28 last year. Back-to-school spending is estimated to reach $13.39 billion this year, down from $14.79 billion last year.
The NRF says most of the spending drop will stem from the electronics category, where spending is expected to fall more than a billion dollars compared to last year ($2.06 billion versus $3.09 billion last year). If spending on electronics does fall as it is forecasted to, it isn't because the kids don't want or need electronics. A recent study found that 87% of all teenagers used the Internet in 2004. Some good advice for buying school-related electronics can be found on a back-to-school tech guide provided by BusinessWeek and CNET and in the New York Times back to school technology special. One of the Times articles called Packing for the Net Generation confirms what your college student has been trying tell you: laptops are essential in college. The article also makes it clear that it is a good idea to read the school's guidelines before buying a laptop to take to school.
As far as which type of computer to bring, it depends on the institution. Some have strict technology guidelines. For example, do not bring an iMac to the Citadel in Charleston, S.C., because the academy provides only technical support for computers with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system and Gateway PC's at that. "If you bring another kind of computer, we will supply a network connection address, but otherwise you are on your own," the Citadel's Web site says.Another Time's article offers help on the nightmare of buying cell phones for college-bound kids and breaks down the plans offered by Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint. One tip provided for parents concerned about getting a huge cell phone bill from their college student is to try a pre-paid phone plan -- the downside is that you will pay more per minute.
Other colleges take a more ecumenical approach. The Web site of Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., says, "We don't make any recommendations with regard to PC's or Macs - whichever you prefer is fine." Within universities, individual departments may require specific computer configurations or software, so check beforehand.
But all colleges agree that any up-to-date computer should be able to get Internet access through Ethernet and wireless connections. So don't bring clunkers. As Carleton's Web site puts it, "It is important, however, that you bring a computer that's new enough to work on our network and run the applications you'll need to do your work."
A Kansas City InfoZine article cited a Best Buy manager who said the top tech items purchased college students include laptop computers, wireless networking, iPods, small televisions and mini-fridges. Storage is also important and Ann Evans, a Linens 'n Things spokeswoman, told the InfoZine that comfort and convenience are important in cramped dorm rooms.
She said this year's hot extras give students comfort and convenience. Storage ottomans provide storage and extra seating, and lap desks designed for laptop computers include wrist guards to protect against carpel tunnel syndrome.


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Smartphone cameras have advanced so tremendously over the past few years that they have almost completely replaced point and shoot digital cameras for the most of us. Furthermore, since our smartphones are always with us, the majority of us end up taking tons of photos throughout the lifespan of our devices. But what happens to all the old photos you take? Do you store them on an external hard-drive or keep them backed up to an online cloud service like Flickr? Let us know what your favorite way of storing old photos is and why.
I9000 Enjoys Official Froyo Upgrade
Many people had waited for a while, but it finally happened. Samsung will be officially releasing a Froyo update for the Samsung Galaxy S I9000. However, thanks to XDA member leoon, device owners can enjoy Froyo goodness right here, right now. A leaked official version has been posted and many members are already flashing it to their devices. Having said that, feedback on it seems mixed as some people who were eagerly waiting for it, seem to be less than amused by the number of fixes and improvements present in the new rom.
The good thing about it is that the rom itself will probably serve as an improved base for other more tweaked roms. Meaning, better drivers, updated versions of a few stock pieces of software, and more. Remember, the fact that you are on xda-developers, more than likely means that you will not stay with your stock rom for long anyways. So, sit back and try to rip the benefits of this new release by the manufacturer.
Yea according to SamFirmware (The site we all get our firmwares from) the JPM release is the official 2.2 Froyo release for the I9000!!
You can find more information in the leak thread.
Want something on the XDA Portal? Send us a tip!
Before the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop, the Holo Design guidelines served as the official reference for Android design, right from IceCream Sandwich to KitKat. However, updates to the guidelines were few and far between, leading to a lack of synchronization between Android design and current UI/UX trends. Google seems to have learned from their mistake the last time around, and earlier this week, a significant update was released for the Material Design guidelines, marking the second revision in less...
New Privacy concerns have emerged regarding Cyanogen’s latest announcements, primarily the inclusion of email app Boxer and that of a multitude of Microsoft apps, including Bing services, Skype, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, and Microsoft Office. The concerns arise when you look at both announcements together. At face value they may appear to be the beginning of Cyanogen’s plan to “take Android away from Google,” however there is certainly something more nefarious occurring. Along side the partnership with Microsoft, Cyanogen also recently announced...


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According to a survey recently published by Return Path, the percentage of emails being accessed on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, is growing rapidly.
The survey found an increase of approximately 81 percent in mobile devices' share of email access from October 2010 to March 2011.
As of March, approximately 16 percent of emails were accessed via mobile devices, up from approximately 9 percent in October.
The largest portion of emails were accessed through web-based interfaces, at 48 percent, followed by desktop email clients, at 36 percent. While these two modes of email access were more popular than smartphones, their shares declined by 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
Bryan Dreller, senior product manager at Return Path, told Direct Marketing News the researchers were surprised by the rate at which the mobile email market expanded between surveys.
"I think what really surprised us is the very rapid growth in mobile as a proportion of all platforms," Dreller said. "I don't think we expected to see that in just a six-month period, mobile viewership relative to its peers would nearly double."
Dreller further noted that, although the survey examined more than 130 million emails, it may actually be biased against mobile email. This, he explained, is because the sample pool was made up of emails that included images. Some feature phones cannot read such emails and, as a result, would have been left out of the survey's findings, despite the fact that owners of such phones may well use them regularly for email.
The explosive growth in mobile email access has important implications for data protection and privacy. While being able to access emails on the move is valuable for productivity, it may also expose businesses to new vulnerabilities. For example, individual workers' devices may not be equipped with mechanisms for protecting against spam and viruses.


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Thomas Cook customers who have seen future holiday bookings cancelled after the travel firm collapsed face a wait of up to two months for a refund, Britain’s air regulator has announced.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it was beginning the process of compensating 360,000 ATOL-protected future holidays — a week after the company failed.
It is also continuing the process of repatriating those left stranded by the collapse — with 106,000 flown back to the UK so far and 43,000 still abroad.
The CAA said its refund scheme for customers protected under the ATOL scheme was three times larger than any refund programme it had ever managed before.
"We are implementing new systems to enable us to process these refunds as quickly as possible," said CAA chief executive Richard Moriarty.
He said that those who paid by direct debit were expected to receive their money back within the next 14 days.
But he added: "Refunds of bookings made by other payment methods will take longer as we do not yet have all of the information we need from Thomas Cook.
"For these claims we will launch a new, simplified online system next Monday, 7 October, where consumers will be able to access an electronic refund form.
"We hope to pay refunds within 60 days of receiving a valid refund form."
Thomas Cook’s collapse a week ago prompted the launch of the largest ever repatriation of British citizens — in a project called Operation Matterhorn covering more than 150,000 people.
More than 100 aircraft have been used as part of the Matterhorn fleet.
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In its latest update on the operation, the CAA said 64 flights had operated on Sunday, bringing home almost 14,000 passengers.
It said 53 more were scheduled for Monday, returning another 8,000 people.
The operation is due to continue until next Sunday.
Mr Moriarty said: "The scale and complexity of this operation will inevitably cause some inconvenience and disruption and I would like to thank holidaymakers for bearing with us."
The CAA update comes a day after Thomas Cook chief executive Peter Fankhauser told a newspaper he was "deeply sorry" about the company’s failure — but denied that he was a "fat cat" in the wake of criticism over his pay.
Mr Fankhauser told the Mail on Sunday he had done his "absolute best" to try to save the 178-year-old tour operator.
Around 9,000 UK staff were left out of work by the collapse.