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It won't be long before parents start purchasing pencils, clothing and other back-to-school supplies for their kids. With a little savvy merchandising and marketing, natural foods retailers can make sure healthy and convenient foods are also on the list. And the timing is right.
Shayne Law, brand manager for Chico, Calif.-based R.W. Knudsen, points out that September is organic harvest month, and many manufacturers promote organic foods at that time. The convergence of the harvest with back-to-school preparations presents a real marketing opportunity for retailers, he says.
In addition, concern about what children are eating is moving up on the national radar screen as childhood obesity rates soar. USA Today reported May 5 that between 20 percent and 30 percent of children in the United States are overweight or at risk for becoming so, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
"One in seven children is obese, which classifies this disease as an epidemic," says Gary Hirshberg, president of Londonderry, N.H.-based Stonyfield Farm.
Meanwhile, many children take highly processed, prepackaged meals such as Oscar Mayer's Lunchables or they eat fast food for school lunch. "Armed with information on obesity rates, retailers can help safeguard children's health by promoting healthier foods," says Hirshberg.
Show And Tell
To successfully sell organic and natural lunch and snack alternatives to parents and kids, retailers need to create effective and convenient displays and market the products in a compelling manner, says Marty Baird, founder of Phoenix-based Nutritional Marketing. Even more important is getting the consumer to sample the product.
"The No. 1 point is to generate trial," Baird says. "You need to get the mom to pick up the product and say, 'I'd like to try this,' and you have to get the child to eat it."
Baird recommends that retailers offer summertime programs for children. In the current economy, parents are looking for no-cost and low-cost activities to keep their kids occupied.
When creating displays, Baird suggests retailers take "a Garanimals approach to school nutrition." He advises putting together a match-up-the-colors meal program that's easy for parents to use. For example, retailers could color-code drinks in red, proteins in orange, snacks in yellow, fruits and vegetables in green, and desserts in purple, and encourage parents to put together a rainbow to make a complete meal.
Doing The Homework
Marketing is critical to a successful back-to-school organic lunch campaign. Baird recommends a range of tools. First, to generate trial, offer to donate snacks and drinks to a local youth sports team once a month.
Second, get the word out about the importance of children's nutrition. Send press releases on topics such as "Seven Things You Need to Know about Kids' Nutrition" to local newspapers, radio and TV stations. Or bring kids to a TV studio and have them try organic foods for a local morning show—just make sure you choose foods the kids will like.
Third, educate schools and parents. Send a press release on children's nutrition to schools, and ask the principal to include it in kids' back-to-school packets. Offer teachers a nutrition information day before school starts, where they can learn about the latest nutritional information and sample kids' organic foods. "When you do these [workshops], they can't just be product pitches," Baird says. "They need to be educational while providing information on the products you sell."
Manufacturers can also be a helpful resource for retailers when merchandising and marketing organic lunch-box foods for back to school.
Taking a comprehensive approach, Stonyfield Farm is leading a grassroots campaign called "Menu for Change: Getting Healthy Foods Into Schools." The campaign encourages parents to demand safer, more nutritious food options for their children, and retailers are part of this effort, says Hirshberg. "Retailers have direct contact with consumers and can impact their behavior when it comes to everyday food choices. I want to call on retailers to help make a difference in children's health and nutrition."
One component of Stonyfield's Menu for Change is the "Organic Lunchbox Challenge," which asks parents to include at least one organic item in their children's lunch boxes each day during the 2003-04 school year—a program natural foods retailers can get behind.
Another element is a parent action kit that includes draft letters to legislators, model healthy food legislation and a child-obesity fact sheet. Stonyfield is also engaged in lobbying activities and is working to recognize schools that make efforts to support better nutritional health.
Baird suggests retailers take the long-term view. He points out that good nutrition begins at an early age and that even if retail sales of organic lunch-box foods aren't spectacular now, kids who are introduced to healthy, organic foods today can become lifelong organic foods customers.
Joyanna Laughlin is a freelance writer in Estes Park, Colo. She may be reached at [email protected].
Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXIV/number 7/p. 20, 24
Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXIV/number 7/p. 24


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[Toronto, ON, Canada] - [March 23, 2017] - SmartPrint Inc., Canada’s award winning, independent Managed Print Services firm, announced today that it has acquired DynaCharge Laser Inc. in Montreal, Quebec.
NORWALK, Conn., March 29, 2017 – Channel partners will find additional opportunities to grow revenue and enter new markets with the launch of a new Xerox ConnectKey portfolio. Xerox has transformed traditional printing devices into smart, connected workplace assistants that reflect the evolving needs of today’s businesses.
(Springville, UT) — DecisionWise is proud to recognize GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation as a top-performing organization through its 2017 Employee Engagement Best Practice Awards. GreatAmerica is one of five organizations to receive the award based on a review of over 8.3 million survey responses in the DecisionWise international employee engagement survey benchmark database.
MELVILLE, N.Y., March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Offering a "Different Class of Printers" to help meet customer demands, Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the addition of four new models that refresh and replace its best-selling Color imageCLASS models.
BERLIN, Germany — 23 March, 2017 – Konica Minolta Inc. (Konica Minolta) has introduced Workplace Hub, an innovative new IT solution that unifies all of an organisation’s technology via a single centralised platform. Designed to future-proof workplaces of every size as they work towards digital transformation, version one of Workplace Hub, available from Autumn 2017, directly addresses growing IT complexity by providing more efficient and effective management of the disparate array of tools, services and devices used by modern organisations.
North Canton, Ohio —Visual Edge Technology, Inc.has completed the acquisition of TLC Office Systems, one of the leading independent Office Solutions, Document Management, and Managed Network Services/IT dealers in the U.S.
Fort Lauderdale, FL [March 22, 2017] - Adam R. Fish, partner lead at Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), will deliver a keynote address at this year’s Imaging and Technology Education Exposition (ITEX 2017). An expected one thousand attendees will listen as Fish delivers his speech, Growing Your Business with Digital in a Mobile-First World, which will expound on the future of Internet searches and marketing as well as the importance of Business Solutions Providers (BSPs) developing strong digital footprints in their local markets.
(Cedar Rapids, IA) – GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation today launched the first-ever app to use a salesperson’s mobile device camera to submit credit applications in the commercial financial services industry. SnappShot 2.0, made available this week to GreatAmerica customers nationwide, uses the mobile device camera to snap a picture of the customer’s business card to submit a credit application. It also creates and sends financing quotes via email or text.
MONTVALE, N.J., March 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) announces a new addition to their multifunction printer (MFP) line up. The MX-M905, the newest high-speed, light production monochrome document system from Sharp, is designed to handle the rigors of high volume environments where productivity and reliability are critical and ease of use is essential.
FREMONT, Calif., March 20, 2017 Electronics For Imaging (Nasdaq: EFII) has launched a pair of new high-performance digital front ends (DFEs) based on the latest Fiery FS200 Pro platform for driving Ricoh¹s next-generation print engines, the RICOH Pro C5200s and C5210s.

domain: news


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By Fabrice Stellaire / September 23rd, 2016
The next DLC for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice is called “Turnabout Time Traveler” and will be sold for $5.99 / £5.39 / €5.99. It will be the third story DLC to be released since the two “Asinine Attorney” DLCs were released previously. Unlike the previous comedic DLCs, this turnabout is canon and can be integrated to the main story. Spirit of Justice was released two weeks ago and was the best-selling title on the Nintendo eShop last week in North America. Let us hope the success of the game will convince Capcom to localize The Great Ace Attorney, released in Japan in 2015, and bring it to the West. Capcom recently announced the development of The Great Ace Attorney 2, but didn’t communicate information on the platforms nor the availability for Europe and US, so it is not known if it will be playable on 3DS or the upcoming NX.
3DSAce AttorneyCapcomDLCspirit of justice


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13 Mar Entrepreneurs say they'll adapt to a altering Fb – Advertising Land
Final week, Fb CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his imaginative and prescient for the corporate’s coming privacy-focused, unified messaging and social networking platform. The CEO stated, within the coming years, Fb plans to rebuild its companies and platforms across the following six principals: non-public interactions, encryption, lowered permanence, security, interoperability and safe knowledge storage.
“Folks more and more additionally wish to join privately within the digital equal of the lounge. As I take into consideration the way forward for the web, I consider a privacy-focused communications platform will change into much more essential than at this time’s open platforms,” wrote Zuckerberg.
After an extended historical past of person privateness and knowledge safety blunders, a safer, privacy-focused platform might profit customers, however what does it imply for the advertisers that maintain Fb’s lights on? We requested trade professionals what they considered Zuckerberg’s privateness manifesto. Most agreed transitioning to a extra non-public platform is an effective transfer for Fb — even when it means advertisers might want to modify their methods.
Manufacturers should modify. When requested how Fb’s new path will affect manufacturers, Brittany Fryman, social media supervisor for SCOUT advert company in Atlanta, stated the function of any advertiser, on any platform, is to adapt and alter to suit the platform and supposed audience.
“This announcement from Fb isn’t any completely different, we simply must pivot,” stated Fryman, “If folks shall be spending their time in a ‘digital lounge’ we have to do a greater job of cultivating conversations there. From an advert standpoint, the dearth of information permanence places the onus on entrepreneurs and advertisers that use knowledge in a well timed method after which retailer, handle and arrange it for retargeting later.”
Joshua March, CEO for the digital customer support platform Conversocial, agrees with Fryman. March notes how advertisers have benefited immensely from the personalization and focusing on made doable by social media platforms like Fb, however now, might want to alter their focusing on methods.
“Because the world swings to a extra privacy-centric strategy, whether or not pushed by laws, akin to GDPR in Europe, or by altering insurance policies, like Fb’s asserting its privacy-focused imaginative and prescient for social networking, advertisers must modify,” stated March.
Steve Weiss, one other Fb advertising knowledgeable and CEO for the Fb promoting company MuteSix, was not stunned by the announcement.
“The neatest promoting and advertising advocacy teams have come to understand that some form of client safety from knowledge misuse is an crucial. And, Zuckerberg is performing on this now,” stated Weiss, “By elevating the privateness bar, Fb can shut out its rivals. However this additionally means it’s going to run a tighter privateness ship, strengthen its services and products, and ensure it’s talking from the highest with CEO-driven privateness messaging and technique.”
Weiss believes manufacturers must rethink client engagement, presumably by refocusing on the feelings and behaviors of huge teams of shoppers — and the way messaging can drive habits.
“By understanding just a few issues a couple of audience and deriving predictive studying insights based mostly on this, manufacturers can construct personified campaigns, giving the fitting message to the fitting individual on the proper time with out understanding any private info,” stated Weiss.
Extra 1:1 client engagement alternatives. March sees potential inside a privacy-focused platform for manufacturers to optimize direct messaging initiatives.
“Whereas manufacturers received’t lose all capacity to focus on specific prospects, the flexibility to assemble info with out specific consent will change into more durable and more durable, and advertisers needs to be prepared for this adjustment,” stated March, “With the rise of messaging over public social media, manufacturers needs to be fascinated with how one can drive direct, 1:1 relationships with prospects by messaging channels that may allow them to maintain connecting with the specific consent of their prospects.”
Fryman isn’t as optimistic about Fb’s promise to supply a extra non-public conversational platform.
“I feel Zuckerberg’s proper that folks do crave extra intimate conversations and privateness is a large issue of their choice to make use of social platforms. Nevertheless, I feel it’s going to be an uphill battle for Fb,” stated Fryman, “They’ve been within the information for the final 12 months with knowledge breaches and safety considerations so to suppose that they’ll create a brand new platform that folks use purely due to its privateness is a little bit of a stretch.”
Fryman does have religion Fb will put the expertise of the person earlier than advertiser priorities. “Ultimately although, it truly is all about adaptability for Fb, advertisers and types,” stated Fryman.
Person wants versus advertiser targets. Drum Company content material strategist Ben Heiser doesn’t see a battle between constructing a greater platform for customers and advertisers’ targets.
“After the Cambridge Analytical catastrophe, Fb has been marching to a really public drumbeat: make the platform higher for customers. However a platform that’s higher for customers isn’t mutually unique with a platform that’s nonetheless superb for advertisers,” stated Heiser, “Certain, the concept of ‘lowering permanence’ might have an effect on how effectively and precisely Fb targets. However the extent of that, if any, stays to be seen.”
Heiser stated he’s assured Fb isn’t throwing away the connection it has constructed with advertisers, noting the corporate’s huge incomes report in the course of the fourth quarter of 2018.
Fb’s deal with privateness is the fitting transfer. In all of Fb’s struggles over the last 12 months, many entrepreneurs are nonetheless assured the corporate will come out forward with its new deal with privateness.
“Whereas that is nonetheless a piece in progress, it’s a very good transfer because it exhibits Zuckerberg is standing by his important and systemic dedication to ehance the platform’s person expertise,” stated Weiss. March additionally offers props to Fb for this latest transfer, and stated he thinks its efforts to double-down on privateness in such a significant approach opens the door for them to change into a frontrunner in safe communication for each people and companies.
“Safety and encryption are extremely essential and it’s no secret that Fb has been rocked by lots of challenges on this space, nonetheless they’ve proven themselves time and time once more to have the ability to reinvent themselves and make main adjustments should sooner than another main company,” stated March.
Fryman, who shouldn’t be as assured Fb will be capable of ship on their promise, continues to be preserving a optimistic outlook, “As with all adjustments with Fb, I feel it’s worthwhile to take this in stride, be affected person, see what occurs, after which make strategic selections on how one can transfer ahead.”


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Canada is becoming a significant player in the global fintech scene, boasting one of the highest rates of fintech adoption among all developed economies. This growth is fueled by supportive government policies, a rich talent pool, and evolving consumer behavior. In this article, we delve deeper into this sector with the aid of Chris Ford, the Senior Account Manager at renowned brokerage firm, Stone Bridge Ventures.
“Canada’s fintech revolution is not just reshaping the finance industry – it’s also opening up an array of investment opportunities,” explains Chris Ford.
Key Trends in the Canadian Fintech Market
The Canadian fintech market is characterized by innovation and diversity. Key areas of growth include payment processing, peer-to-peer lending, robo-advisory, and insurtech, among others. Notably, there has been a significant surge in blockchain and crypto-related fintech developments, in line with global trends.
According to Chris Ford, “The driving forces behind Canada’s fintech boom are digitization, demand for seamless financial services, and increasing consumer trust in technology.” He also adds that the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for the digital transformation of the financial services industry.
Investment Landscape and Potential Risks
The fintech boom in Canada has created exciting investment opportunities, with several start-ups securing impressive funding rounds and some going public. These developments present the potential for high returns for investors.
However, Chris Ford cautions about the potential risks. “Investments in fintech come with their own set of risks, such as regulatory changes, cybersecurity threats, and market competition,” he warns. Hence, Chris Ford stresses the importance of thorough due diligence and consultation with experts from reputable brokerage firms like Stone Bridge Ventures.
The Future of Fintech in Canada
Looking ahead, Chris Ford is optimistic about the Canadian fintech scene. He expects the sector’s growth to continue, driven by advancements in technology and a favorable regulatory environment. However, he also emphasizes the need for continuous innovation to stay ahead of global competition.
“We’re likely to see increased collaboration between fintech start-ups and traditional financial institutions in the coming years,” predicts Chris Ford. He also foresees greater integration of AI and machine learning technologies in fintech solutions.
In conclusion, the future of fintech in Canada appears promising, offering exciting opportunities for investors. As Chris Ford advises, investors need to stay informed, understand the risks, and be ready to embrace new trends. In this evolving landscape, the role of trusted brokerage firms like Stone Bridge Ventures, under the expert leadership of professionals like Chris Ford, becomes even more crucial.


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10th September 2020 By Staff Reporter | email@example.com | @foodtickernz
Sanford chief executive Volker Kuntzsch has resigned.
The company’s chair, Sir Rob McLeod, made the announcement today and said Kuntzsch’s last day would be September 18.
Kuntzsch joined the Auckland-headquartered company in 2013 and had previously been president of fishing company Nippon Suisan’s US business, and president and chief executive of large US firm King & Price Seafood Corp.
“Volker has helped transform Sanford into a progressive, values-based company with an outstanding commitment to environmental sustainability and to Sanford’s people,” McLeod said.
“Over those last seven years we have made good progress on maximising the value of our fish products and diversifying our business, as well as turning our aquaculture business into a profitable and innovative unit.
“As we now move towards a greater focus on consumer-driven innovation and marketing, Volker and the Sanford board have agreed that now would be a sensible time for a new leader to drive the next phase of the strategy.”
McLeod added that the Sanford board would shortly begin an international search for a replacement chief executive. Sanford’s chief customer officer, Andre Gargiulo, had been appointed acting chief executive.
29 Jun 2022 GSH chair steps down, Adams steps up
27 Jun 2022 New Cassels CEO’s focus for growth
27 Jun 2022 MIA appoints former agriculture minister chair
20 Jun 2022 Two new faces at the Flying Winemaker group


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iOS 13.5 replace for iPhones is right here for customers internationally, bringing a a lot wanted replace that makes it simpler for iPhone customers to unlock their gadgets whereas carrying masks. The replace takes into consideration the prevailing healthcare laws internationally, which suggests people to put on masks always in public. Alongside the replace to Face ID to accommodate masks on faces, Apple’s iOS 13.5 replace additionally brings the Publicity Notification API, which Apple in-built collaboration with Google to allow seamless integration of Covid-19 contact tracing apps by nationwide or regional healthcare departments.
As seen within the iOS 13.5 launch observe that’s rolling out proper now, customers of iPhones that make use of Face ID as a substitute of Contact ID, i.e. iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Professional and iPhone 11 Professional Max, will routinely see the numeric passcode subject offered to them as quickly as they activate the iPhone show and try to unlock the system, when carrying a masks. This small however essential enhancement can considerably assist ease the ordeal for customers, who at the moment are caught at both needing to take away their masks as a way to unlock their iPhones, or look ahead to repeated failed face recognition makes an attempt to register, earlier than the passcode subject turns up routinely. The replace may be considerably useful to healthcare professionals, for whom repeatedly eradicating their face masks or ready too lengthy to have the ability to unlock their gadgets could be a main deterrent.
Moreover, the iOS 13.5 replace additionally brings to gadgets the Publicity Notification API, developed collectively with Google as a way to allow cross-platform Covid-19 contact tracing. Whereas the replace is being rolled out worldwide and has come to India as properly, what stays to be seen right here is how this replace displays in Aarogya Setu, India’s official Covid-19 contact tracing smartphone utility. Whereas the API shall be launched in all iPhones, contact tracing app builders shall be required to allow using the API by the respective apps, to ensure that them to return into impact. Apple and Google’s contact tracing API has paid heed to privateness debates round contact tracing, and it now stays to be seen as to how this replace displays upon all the prevailing contact tracing apps internationally.
Different areas that the iOS 13.5 replace is bettering embrace minor fixes to FaceTime group video calls the place the present speaker’s video tile will now be responsively highlighted, a black display screen situation in some video streaming apps (names of apps unspecified) and a bug within the slide-out menu that seems whenever you attempt to share a file out of your iPhone. The iOS 13.5 replace had hit the ‘golden grasp’ (pre-release testing) stage solely two days in the past, and measures 420MB in measurement for customers who preserve their gadgets frequently up to date. The replace is now out there to all iOS customers in India.


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Jennifer Aniston Signs On with Living Proof Hair Company
Posted Thursday October 11, 2012 11:07 AM GMT
Though she rarely endorses products, Jennifer Aniston has recently signed on as an investor and spokesperson for hair care company Living Proof, and who better to talk about hair products than a quality coif icon?
In the nineties, the "Friends" star's layered hairstyle dubbed, "The Rachel," swept beauty salons across the nation, and is still referred to as one of the most popular cuts of all time.
In an interview at the company's headquarters, the 43-year-old actress talked about her many offers to become a sponsor: "I have been approached many, many times. You want to be part of something that's exciting and authentic."
CEO Jill Beraud commented of the spokesperson choice saying, "We believe that beauty and brains are the best formula. She represents everything we represent as a brand."
Photo Credit: Getty Images


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LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Most banks have adequate controls for risks from consumer credit and some have begun tightening criteria for loans, the Bank of England said on Wednesday.
The BoE’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) published a letter to chairs of the deposit-taking banks it supervises, setting out findings from a review last year of how banks were managing risks from strong growth in consumer credit at that time.
“Most firms provided evidence of effective risk management and controls for consumer credit, and understood the risks in their business,” James Proudman, executive director for UK deposit takers supervision at the PRA, said in his letter.
“We have also seen some early indications of firms tightening underwriting standards in 2017, such as raising scorecard cutoffs or reducing zero percent credit card periods, though risks remain elevated and continued vigilance is required by lenders and the PRA alike,” Proudman said.
Reporting by Huw Jones and David Milliken; Editing by Adrian Croft


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Photo: Kirill Kallinikov / RIA Novosti
The state company “Post of Russia”, I remembered the intention to start delivering goods using unmanned aerial vehicles. First such delivery, the company plans to implement on 2 April in Buryatia. This is stated in the message of the government, which is at the disposal “of the Tape.ru”.
Historical for the Russian shipping company to be held in Ulan-Ude. The drone will deliver freight from city to Tarbagatai village of Tarbagatay district of Buryatia. The start of the flight for post offices in 105 district of Ulan-Ude.
“This is the first flight for the delivery of postal cargo with the help of UAVs in the history of “Mail of Russia”. In the future they plan to use to deliver goods to remote areas in the regions of the country,” — said in a release from the regional government.
In a symbolic launch drone delivery will be attended by the head of Buryatia Alexey Tsydenov and the General Director of “Mail of Russia” Nikolay Podguzov, who agreed that the first unmanned launch will be held in Buryatia, at an investment forum in Sochi.
The intention to start the delivery of goods using drones “Mail of Russia” declared in 2016, the company argued that the test flights will begin in 2017. The Russian company lags far behind the us online retailer Amazon, who first delivered the goods by a drone in December 2016.
Video, photo All from Russia.


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So no doubt the Emmerdale actress' fanbase will be thrilled with her latest social media post.
The beauty took to Instagram with a selfie of herself soaking up the rays at a fitness retreat.
Letting her natural beauty shine through, she went makeup free and scooped her highlighted tresses into a messy bun.
Judging by her enviable golden glow and radiant complexion, the juicing and gruelling workouts have paid off.
Gemma donned a strapless printed bikini top, which offered up a tantalising glimpse of cleavage.
In the accompanying caption, she explained that she was enjoying some downtime after kickstarting the day with exercise.
"Three mile forest hike and yoga done. This is my happy place," she told her 293,000 Instagram followers.
But judging by the comments, they were too busy soaking up the eye candy to talk all things fitness with the babe.
"What a stunning woman you are!" one fan gushed.
"You are so gorgeous," another added, alongside a flame emoji.
A third chimed in: "A true natural beauty with talent, drive and determination."
Gemma hasn't caused a stir like this since her shock liposuction row earlier this year.


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Consumers’ view of the U.S. economy improved this month to the highest level since January, reflecting better feelings about the labor market.
The Conference Board, a private research group, said Tuesday that its index of consumer confidence rose to 101.5 in August from a revised 91.0 in July. The index was first reported as 90.9 last month.
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Some see the solidifying of a class society. “There is less support for the low end of the market,” said Rachel A. J. Pownall, who prepared the European Fine Art Fair’s 2017 Art Market Report. Dr. Pownall added that “the gap has become greater” between smaller galleries and large ones, which “are traditionally better positioned to reach a wider audience, sell at auction, present at art fairs and gain brand reputation.”
What is widening the divide? High-priced real estate in gallery neighborhoods like Chelsea, and the proliferation of expensive art fairs, where collectors now do most of their browsing and buying. Participating in an art fair these days can cost a gallery hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And rather than visiting individual galleries — and perhaps discovering new talent — collectors are focusing on market-tested trophy works carried by major dealers; are sometimes buying from Instagram or other online images without seeing the work in person; and are less willing to gamble on the emerging artists represented by small and midsize galleries.
The statistics bear this out. According to the art economist Clare McAndrew’s Art Basel-UBS art market report, dealers with business of less than $500,000 saw their sales decline by 7 percent in 2016; dealers with business of $500,000 to $1 million had a decline of 5 percent.
By contrast, those with business of $1 million to $10 million saw sales rise by 7 percent; galleries with sales of $10 million or more grew by 2 percent; and dealers with business above $50 million saw their sales increase by a whopping 19 percent.
But galleries are not only bowing out for economic reasons. “I really feel like I’m not doing some of the things I love most — it’s just a very different business at this level,” said Candice Madey, the owner of On Stellar Rays. “I’ve missed more of the spontaneity and the openness.”
Ms. Madey said she was also worn down by the “relentless” cycle of five-week exhibitions, which does not allow time “to work closely with the artists.” Instead, she has found interactions are rushed and utilitarian, given their focus on “What are we doing for this art fair or for your next show?”
To sustain a larger operation, Ms. Madey had to lean on her loyal collectors, which felt uncomfortable. “It strains the relationship when you’re constantly trying to sell to them,” she said. “Every day there’s pressure, with no end in sight to feed this bigger machine.”
CRG Gallery, which has operated for 25 years — most recently on the Lower East Side — closed at the end of the May. “There’s been a shift: the acceptance of art as liquid assets,” said Glenn McMillan, who founded the gallery with Carla Chammas and Richard Desroche. “It’s moved toward a much more consolidated equity investment vehicle, it has truly become an international business, it’s bringing to the art market an incredible volume of money, and it puts pressure on mom-and-pop operations like ours.”
Mr. McMillan said part of the problem is traffic; whereas Saturdays used to be the day when visitors poured into galleries, now crowds on that and other days have noticeably thinned, a decline he attributes to art buying through social media as well as the fatigue of “an art fair every month.”
“People are not coming to galleries,” he said. “It’s been a simultaneous perfect storm of the convenience and plethora of the art fairs and the Instagram mentality of seeing something and immediately having a yes or no response to something — it’s not the world we signed up for.”
What they did sign up for, many dealers say, is working closely with artists, carefully managing their careers and making sure that their work made its way into major institutions. Some question how large galleries with multiple locations can offer that kind of personal attention. “I ask myself, ‘How well do they know their artists?’” said Ms. Chammas of CRG. “Artists need nourishing.”
Stefania Bortolami, who moved her gallery to TriBeCa from Chelsea in May, wanted to reinvent it out of the shadow of the larger players. “Gagosian is Nestlé and I’m the organic farm-to-table grocer, and I’m fine with that,” she said.
When Ms. Cooley decided to close her gallery last year, she told ARTnews the drop in her sales “was like someone turned the faucet off” and that running a gallery the size of hers “is not a sustainable business right now.” (She recently joined Paula Cooper Gallery.)
Indeed, these dealers are not necessarily getting out of the art business altogether. Ms. Madey, for example, is beginning Stellar Projects, which will consult on collections and continue working with artists on projects. On Stellar Rays’s upstairs space at 1 Rivington Street will remain open by appointment.
Similarly, while Ms. Rosen rocked the art world with an email in February announcing that she would no longer “have a typical permanent public space,” she also said that she planned “to stay connected” with her stable of artists.
“I am excited about the future, where things that are important are not necessarily so tied into a monetary system,” Ms. Rosen said in a recent interview. “I’m very interested in other models.”
Joel Mesler and Zach Feuer tried merging as Feuer/Mesler in 2015, but in January announced that, too, would close. Mr. Mesler, an artist as well as a dealer, has left New York City altogether, opening his own exhibition space, Rental Gallery, in East Hampton, N.Y.
Some argue that it has always been thus; as prices for art have continued to climb, weaker galleries have fallen away. And that even though many galleries are closing, there are still more over all now than there have been in the past.
But for the gallerists closing their doors, the decision marks the end of an era. “It was not an easy decision — we’ve been in business 25 years, and the three of us have worked with galleries for a very long time,” Ms. Chammas of CRG said. “The economics just don’t add up anymore.”
An earlier version of this article and a photo caption referred incorrectly to the Team Gallery. While its Wooster Street space recently closed, its main gallery on Grand Street — and its business — remain open.
Continue reading the main story


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When he decided to open a marijuana store, the first challenge Tom Beckley faced was getting kicked out of the house by his girlfriend.
"I've been sleeping in my truck," he says.
But Mr. Beckley, whose Top Shelf Cannabis in Bellingham, Wash., became one of the first retail stores to open last week after Washington legalized the sale of marijuana, doesn't seem perturbed. In fact, he looks relaxed and is optimistic. After all, his store had a lineup around the corner on Tuesday when it opened to sell greenery, bagged with names such as Cheese Quake and Catatonic, which sell for about $75 (U.S.) for a 3.5 gram bag.
In Washington, as with Colorado, the seeds of a new industry have been planted by citizens who voted to end the prohibition on weed. Beyond the jubilation of activists and smokers, though, are risk-takers such as Mr. Beckley who face unpredictability, complicated regulations, rigourous background checks and suppliers who are struggling to get licensed and grow their product. It must be meticulously barcoded, tested in a third-party lab for THC levels and quarantined before it is sold to the public with tobacco-like warnings.
These entrepreneurs see themselves as the vanguard of a new, billion-dollar industry. "It's going to be bigger than anyone's imagined," says Mr. Beckley, who used to work as an electrical inspector for the city of Bellingham.
That hope has nurtured business owners through the wild ride of the industry's early days. Store owners only found out they got one of the state's 334 retail licences through a lottery, and were then given roughly a month to get their stores built and their product – from pounds of loose marijuana to pre-rolled joints and pipes – sourced, paid for and delivered. There are no restrictions on the number of suppliers. But there has still been a scramble for growers to secure licences, get inspected and begin raising plants painstakingly tracked by the state from seedling to their journey across the state in, for example, the trunk of a silver Honda Civic.
Which is the type of car Aaron Nelson is waiting for when he opens the front door of Bellingham's 2020 Solutions on a sunny Thursday afternoon. "Is it here yet?" he asks, looking both ways down the quiet street.
He's waiting for weed that didn't arrive in time for a planned opening a couple of days earlier. A misclassification in the state's tracking system – a supplier was labled as a retailer – meant the shipment was never sent. Because of the industry's infancy, as well as the sheer number of regulations, no one is risking their licence, or the sector's reputation, just to sell weed a day or two earlier than possible. And so 2020 Solutions staff spent Thursday afternoon barcoding glass pipes – including a 12-inch monster called "The Gandalf" – as they waited for their scheduled opening time: 4:20 p.m. At one point, a man driving a large Coca-Cola delivery truck slowed down to ask: "Any free samples?"
Eventually, a car drives up and two middle-aged men open the trunk. "Smells good, doesn't it?" one says, as a strong aroma wafts out. He begins unloading boxes containing 859 small tins that each hold three separate, pre-rolled joints. There is a brief bit of celebration as the weed is moved into the back room, and then the store's owner, Troy Lozano, who also operates two contracting businesses in Bellingham, shuts the door.
Pot store owners are understandably cagey. Despite its newfound legality in Washington state, banks don't want to touch the weed business until there is nationwide legislation. Running a marijuana store, consequently, means dealing entirely in cash; Mr. Lozano's store even has an in-store ATM. But mostly the owners and operators are bewildered by the endless number of regulations, which govern everything from the size of signage and how far their stores can be from elementary schools, to what sort of warnings must be on the label and what products they can offer (the state is still licensing companies to produce marijuana-infused "edibles," such as brownies and candies, but such producers need their kitchens inspected and approved).
But the state's stringent regulations, and the resultant compliance measures, can be a business opportunity on their own. Ben Curren, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who sold his previous company to GoDaddy for an undisclosed sum, has launched a new business with software tailored to help marijuana store owners comply with the law. It may be a niche market for now, but Mr. Curren suggests a number of U.S. states, such as California, are "broke and desperate for tax revenue," and that the industry is destined to grow exponentially, particularly when pharmaceutical companies see the potential profits.
"Marijuana is just the next batch of small businesses that are ready to explode."
Werner Antweiler, a professor with the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, compared the situation now to the era after prohibition: A lot of smaller players, with inevitable consolidation ahead. Currently, he said, the criminalization of marijuana use is not good economics: Police crackdowns temporarily limit the supply but leave demand unchanged, thus increasing the pay-off for those who want to supply and distribute the drug illegally.
"Once you bring it out in the open you can regulate it, control it, tax it and you can intervene and modify the demand, as we have with tobacco," Prof. Antweiler says. "That's the economic argument. It's very compelling."


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Published on July 4th, 2022 | by Subhash Nair0
2,700 Toyota bZ4X EVs Recalled For Wheel Bolts That Could Come Loose
Toyota’s first all-electric car gets recalled for a loose wheel bolt issue.
Toyota is one of the last major automotive brands to enter the battery electric vehicle space and now they have hit another pothole along the way. Their first ever battery electric vehicle, the bZ4X is now being recalled just months after it was launched.
The Toyota bZ4X is an all-electric SUV that was co-engineered with Subaru. Full details about the model were shared late in 2021 before the car was leased out in Japan in April of this year. Now, with exports of the vehicle making its way throughout Europe, North America and Asia, Toyota has hit a major snag. The company has detected that 2,700 bZ4X models produced between March 2022 and June 2022 may be affected by wheel bolts that could become loose.
It’s odd to think that Toyota put so much emphasis on the advanced safety features of the car only for so many customers to be put at risk over a basic assembly issue. The company says that the cause is still under investigation and that “no one should drive these vehicles” until the remedy is available.
In Malaysia, the Toyota bZ4X is not yet available. Given Toyota Malaysia’s official strategy of adopting hybrids instead of BEVs, it’s unlikely that the bZ4X will ever be offered for sale here. Also, the fact that the bZ4X in Japan is a lease-only option, it’s also unlikely that the grey market will be able to get their hands on any units.
That being said, of the 2,700 Toyota bZ4X vehicles that are being recalled, 2,200 are destine for Europe and there are possibly a number that are bound for the UK. In the UK, the bZ4X is available for purchase from £43,780. These are the ones that might be brought in by parallel importers, who may not take note of the recall notice on the cars they resell here.
So, if you know someone who has plans to buy a Toyota bZ4X through a grey market dealer, advise him to bring it to a Toyota showroom to have the wheel nuts inspected. We’re not sure if just taking it to a tyre shop will be enough to remedy the issue, as it could be a design defect that goes beyond the wheel nuts not being tightened enough. It’s also unclear if the Subaru Solterra is affected by this recall.


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SYDNEY — The Discovery Channel ventured into the world of home shopping Thursday, when it sealed a pact with Sydney-based TVSN (TV Shopping Network) for the pan-Asian shopping net to produce the half-hour show “The Discovery Channel Store.”
The first show, skedded for early August, will feature products that tie in with Discovery’s Shark Week. A second show is planned for October around Discovery’s space programming. The pact provides for TVSN to be promoted on Discovery and vice-versa across Asia.
“The Discovery Channel Store” on TVSN will feature product, such as videos and CD-ROMs, based on Discovery’s programming, as well as goods from the Nature Co. chain of U.S. stores, which recently was acquired by Discovery.


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February 27, 2019
Sprint and T-Mobile plan to launch commercial 5G networks this year. In May, Sprint’s 5G will debut in Chicago, where it is being beta-tested; and parts of Atlanta, Dallas and Kansas City. The next month, Sprint plans to add 5G service in parts of Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. None of the launches will be city-wide. T-Mobile, which is merging with Sprint, said it would launch 600MHz 5G services in the second half of 2019, as it awaits the arrival of compatible devices.
VentureBeat reports that Sprint’s New York City coverage will be “nearly 30 square miles covering Midtown and lower Manhattan,” and “around 230 square miles in Dallas Fort Worth.” The full nine-city rollout will cover over 1,000 square miles. Sprint chief technology officer Dr. John Saw noted that the company’s 5G network uses “2.5 GHz and Massive MIMO to provide fast speeds and true mobility.”
The first 5G smartphone will be “LG’s V50 ThinQ 5G, while its first hotspot will be the HTC 5G Hub (below), both to be followed by the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G,” the latter of which will be on sale by summer.
In Chicago, Sprint is “seeing mobile speeds in the 420Mbps range,” and expects faster speeds when the network is debuted. Sprint’s 2.5GHz 5G network will also integrate with T-Mobile’s 600MHz 5G network. Sprint stated it will offer 5G services to Google Fi customers; both companies said that, “Sprint 5G-compatible Designed for Fi phones will be able to connect to the network, leaving open the question of how many phones will actually be capable of connecting to Sprint’s 2.5GHz towers.”
Elsewhere, VB noted that Finnish company Hatch Entertainment plans “to offer mobile cloud gaming services on Sprint’s 5G network in the U.S.” Users will have “unlimited on-demand access” to more than 100 premium mobile games and shared gameplay sessions with voice chat; also on offer is Hatch Kids, with no ads or in-app purchasing.
In another article, VB described T-Mobile’s 5G network launch plans. Originally the company said it would launch in 30 cities, with its “lower-speed but longer-distance 600MHz radios.” T-Mobile has placed 600MHz towers in 2,700 towns and cities within 42 states.
The hold-up is that the company has had trouble finding a phone manufacturer willing to build a 5G phone for the 600MHz frequency; “thus far, handset makers have focused most of their energy on making 5G phones with 28GHz to 39GHz millimeter wave transmitters, and/or ‘sub-6GHz’ transmitters in the 2.5GHz to 3.7GHz range.” As a result, the company had no 5G devices to show at CES 2019.
When asked about supported devices, T-Mobile said now that “it will offer millimeter wave 5G in unspecified areas before 600MHz 5G handsets become available.”


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By Andy Sambidge
Regional consumer confidence survey paints gloomy picture of personal finances
Only one in four people in the Middle East believe they are better off now compared to a year ago, a survey published on Monday has showed.
The Consumer Confidence Index survey conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov has shown that the overall sentiment in the region was currently less than positive.
However, optimism for the year to come remains comparatively high, it added.
Overall, only 26 percent of respondents believed that their personal financial situation is better now than it was this time last year, and only 25 percent felt optimistic about the current economy of their country.
the survey said 37 percent considered the current environment as bad for business, while 43 percent stated that now was a "bad time" to buy consumer durables.
In terms of employment, almost half of respondents (49 percent) claimed that there are "very few jobs" available.
However, of those who are currently employed, 26 percent said their company has more employees than at the same time last year.
Two thirds of respondents said they believed that their salaries have not kept pace with the cost of living.
On the positive side, more than half (52 percent) of MENA respondents believed that their personal finances will become better in a year's time.
All nationalities covered in the survey said they expected that business conditions will improve over the next year.
Inflation continues to generate a negative outlook across the board, with the cost of real estate being of concern in all countries.
Only 23 percent of respondents said they were optimistic about the future growth of their companies in terms of employees, with all countries sharing a neutral opinion about their companies being able to keep up with staffing demands.
Suhail Masri, vice-president of sales at Bayt.com, said: "The appraisal of the current situation is subdued across the board, in terms of economy, commerce and employment.
"This sentiment is echoed in most countries, however there is a considerably more positive outlook for the near future as people look forward to improved conditions all around."
Sundip Chahal, CEO at YouGov, added: "Given the current climate in the Middle East and, to an extent, globally, it is to be expected that sentiments for the present are low and that there is hope for a more positive future."
Data for the quarterly survey was collected online from January 30 to February 14 2012, with 9,324 respondents covering GCC Arab, North African, Levant, Western expat and Asian nationalities.For all the latest retail news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and Linkedin, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.


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THERE has been a boost for the British livestock sector following Russia’s announcement that it is lifting its ban on beef and lamb imports.
The change ends a 16-year restriction on exports of British beef and lamb to Russia following the 1996 BSE outbreak in the UK.
The breakthrough has come after sustained lobbying by Eblex and Defra officials after the worldwide ban on beef was lifted in 2006.
It is estimated that this change could be worth around £80-£115million to the British livestock industry over the next three years.
Beef exports are due to start from a small number of plants next month, while lamb exports are expected to start in April.
The move has been welcomed by the NFU, with livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe saying: “This is great news and a massive boost for our industry, again demonstrating that British produce is in demand on both home and export markets.
“Russia is one of the largest global importers of beef and, although there will still be a lot of work to do, the potential demand for our beef is huge.
“The work of our levy bodies and government departments in continuing to open up these export markets is vital and will go a long way towards ensuring a competitive and sustainable beef and lamb industry.”
The technical decision to lift the ban was made during the summer and this announcement is confirmation.
In 2011, fresh and frozen beef and veal exports from the UK were worth £438.1million, while fresh and frozen sheep meat exports were worth £381.6million.
Significantly, Russia is one of the largest importers of beef with imports of more than 600,000 tonnes.
Eblex has been working with Defra to address Russia’s long-standing ban on British beef for some time, and earlier this year hosted a delegation of eight Russian vets.
They spent a week with Defra’s export team, visiting farms and processing facilities to work towards developing potential market access for the UK.
Peter Hardwick, Eblex head of trade development, said: “We have been working closely with Defra to emphasise the importance of this market and, through the Export Certification Partnership with Defra, placed Russia as a top priority in terms of market access and the lifting of import restrictions.
“Russia remains one of the largest global importers of beef and the potential for beef exports there is enormous.
“We welcome the official political announcement but are not surprised as the technical decision to lift the ban had already been made.
“We’ve been helping to work towards this for some time and were aware of Defra chief vet Nigel Gibbens’ visit to Moscow.
“As we’ve said before, improving market access for beef and lamb in non-EU countries will help the UK compete on the global stage and maximise returns.”


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|By Business Wire||
|January 14, 2013 06:00 AM EST||
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI), a manufacturer of state-of-the-art, flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules, announced today the retail debut of the company's EnerPlex solar assisted battery case for the Samsung Galaxy S III, now available for sale at www.goenerplex.com. The EnerPlex Surfr for Galaxy S III takes advantage of Ascent's ultra-light, thin and flexible solar panels and enables Galaxy users to charge their smartphones with sunlight in addition to conventional charging methods to extend the usage time. The Surfr was displayed at CES 2013 last week, along with other new products from the company. The EnerPlex Surfr cases will also be available in the US through additional retail channels in the near future.
The EnerPlex case for Galaxy S III is uniquely enabled by the lightweight, thin and highly customizable form factor of Ascent's CIGS solar cells, allowing solar technology to be integrated into the thinnest and lightest solar-enabled iPhone case on the market. Paired with an ultra-thin lithium-ion battery the EnerPlex case provides hours of additional audio, web and talk time for users.
Ascent Solar's President and CEO, Victor Lee, said: "We were pleased and excited by the response the Surfr for the S III garnered at CES 2013. The interest and accolades received continue to affirm the Surfr's position as the premium solar & battery case available on the market today.”
About Ascent Solar Technologies:
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules using flexible substrate materials that can transform the way solar power generation integrates into everyday life. Ascent Solar modules, which were named one of TIME Magazine's 50 best inventions for 2011, can be directly incorporated into standard building materials, commercial transportation, automotive solutions, space applications, consumer electronics for portable power and durable off-grid solutions. More information can be found at AscentSolar.com.
The EnerPlex brand represents Ascent's line of consumer products. These products, many of which are integrated with Ascent's transformational CIGS technology, provide consumers with the ability to integrate solar into their everyday lives, while enabling them to free themselves and their electronics from the outlet. For more information on the EnerPlex brand and to see the product line, please visit EnerPlex.biz.
Samsung and Galaxy S are registered trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Galaxy is a trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Big Data, cloud, analytics, contextual information, wearable tech, sensors, mobility, and WebRTC: together, these advances have created a perfect storm of technologies that are disrupting and transforming classic communications models and ecosystems. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Erik Perotti, Senior Manager of New Ventures on Plantronics’ Innovation team, provided an overview of this technological shift, including associated business and consumer communications impacts, and opportunities it ...
Jul. 29, 2016 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 337
You think you know what’s in your data. But do you? Most organizations are now aware of the business intelligence represented by their data. Data science stands to take this to a level you never thought of – literally. The techniques of data science, when used with the capabilities of Big Data technologies, can make connections you had not yet imagined, helping you discover new insights and ask new questions of your data. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Sarbjit Sarkaria, data science team lead ...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,236
WebRTC is bringing significant change to the communications landscape that will bridge the worlds of web and telephony, making the Internet the new standard for communications. Cloud9 took the road less traveled and used WebRTC to create a downloadable enterprise-grade communications platform that is changing the communication dynamic in the financial sector. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Leo Papadopoulos, CTO of Cloud9, discussed the importance of WebRTC and how it enables companies to focus...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,076
ReadyTalk has expanded the capabilities of the FoxDen collaboration platform announced late last year to include FoxDen Connect, an in-room video collaboration experience that launches with a single touch. With FoxDen Connect, users can now not only engage in HD video conferencing between iOS and Android mobile devices or Chrome browsers, but also set up in-person meeting rooms for video interactions. A host’s mobile device automatically recognizes the presence of a meeting room via beacon tech...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 358
Manufacturers are embracing the Industrial Internet the same way consumers are leveraging Fitbits – to improve overall health and wellness. Both can provide consistent measurement, visibility, and suggest performance improvements customized to help reach goals. Fitbit users can view real-time data and make adjustments to increase their activity. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mark Bernardo Professional Services Leader, Americas, at GE Digital, discussed how leveraging the Industrial Internet a...
Jul. 29, 2016 03:15 PM EDT Reads: 637
On Dice.com, the number of job postings asking for skill in Amazon Web Services increased 76 percent between June 2015 and June 2016. Salesforce.com saw its own skill mentions increase 37 percent, while DevOps and Cloud rose 35 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Even as they expand their presence in the cloud, companies are also looking for tech professionals who can manage projects, crunch data, and figure out how to make systems run more autonomously. Mentions of ‘data science’ as a skill ...
Jul. 29, 2016 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 427
IoT generates lots of temporal data. But how do you unlock its value? You need to discover patterns that are repeatable in vast quantities of data, understand their meaning, and implement scalable monitoring across multiple data streams in order to monetize the discoveries and insights. Motif discovery and deep learning platforms are emerging to visualize sensor data, to search for patterns and to build application that can monitor real time streams efficiently. In his session at @ThingsExpo, ...
Jul. 29, 2016 02:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,201
"delaPlex is a software development company. We do team-based outsourcing development," explained Mark Rivers, COO and Co-founder of delaPlex Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 29, 2016 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,109
Amazon has gradually rolled out parts of its IoT offerings in the last year, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to optimizing their back-end AWS offerings, Amazon is laying the ground work to be a major force in IoT – especially in the connected home and office. Amazon is extending its reach by building on its dominant Cloud IoT platform, its Dash Button strategy, recently announced Replenishment Services, the Echo/Alexa voice recognition control platform, the 6-7 strategic...
Jul. 29, 2016 11:15 AM EDT Reads: 684
SYS-CON Events announced today that LeaseWeb USA, a cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider, will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. LeaseWeb is one of the world's largest hosting brands. The company helps customers define, develop and deploy IT infrastructure tailored to their exact business needs, by combining various kinds cloud solutions.
Jul. 29, 2016 11:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,343
For basic one-to-one voice or video calling solutions, WebRTC has proven to be a very powerful technology. Although WebRTC’s core functionality is to provide secure, real-time p2p media streaming, leveraging native platform features and server-side components brings up new communication capabilities for web and native mobile applications, allowing for advanced multi-user use cases such as video broadcasting, conferencing, and media recording.
Jul. 29, 2016 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,035
SYS-CON Events announced today that Venafi, the Immune System for the Internet™ and the leading provider of Next Generation Trust Protection, will exhibit at @DevOpsSummit at 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Venafi is the Immune System for the Internet™ that protects the foundation of all cybersecurity – cryptographic keys and digital certificates – so they can’t be misused by bad guys in attacks...
Jul. 29, 2016 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,480
The cloud market growth today is largely in public clouds. While there is a lot of spend in IT departments in virtualization, these aren’t yet translating into a true “cloud” experience within the enterprise. What is stopping the growth of the “private cloud” market? In his general session at 18th Cloud Expo, Nara Rajagopalan, CEO of Accelerite, explored the challenges in deploying, managing, and getting adoption for a private cloud within an enterprise. What are the key differences between wh...
Jul. 29, 2016 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,139
There will be new vendors providing applications, middleware, and connected devices to support the thriving IoT ecosystem. This essentially means that electronic device manufacturers will also be in the software business. Many will be new to building embedded software or robust software. This creates an increased importance on software quality, particularly within the Industrial Internet of Things where business-critical applications are becoming dependent on products controlled by software. Qua...
Jul. 29, 2016 07:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,648
In addition to all the benefits, IoT is also bringing new kind of customer experience challenges - cars that unlock themselves, thermostats turning houses into saunas and baby video monitors broadcasting over the internet. This list can only increase because while IoT services should be intuitive and simple to use, the delivery ecosystem is a myriad of potential problems as IoT explodes complexity. So finding a performance issue is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Jul. 29, 2016 06:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,377
Machine Learning helps make complex systems more efficient. By applying advanced Machine Learning techniques such as Cognitive Fingerprinting, wind project operators can utilize these tools to learn from collected data, detect regular patterns, and optimize their own operations. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Stuart Gillen, Director of Business Development at SparkCognition, discussed how research has demonstrated the value of Machine Learning in delivering next generation analytics to imp...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,579
The 19th International Cloud Expo has announced that its Call for Papers is open. Cloud Expo, to be held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, brings together Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, DevOps, Digital Transformation, Microservices and WebRTC to one location. With cloud computing driving a higher percentage of enterprise IT budgets every year, it becomes increasingly important to plant your flag in this fast-expanding business opportuni...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:15 AM EDT Reads: 2,690
The Internet of Things will challenge the status quo of how IT and development organizations operate. Or will it? Certainly the fog layer of IoT requires special insights about data ontology, security and transactional integrity. But the developmental challenges are the same: People, Process and Platform. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Craig Sproule, CEO of Metavine, demonstrated how to move beyond today's coding paradigm and shared the must-have mindsets for removing complexity from the develo...
Jul. 29, 2016 02:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,629
SYS-CON Events announced today that MangoApps will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. MangoApps provides modern company intranets and team collaboration software, allowing workers to stay connected and productive from anywhere in the world and from any device.
Jul. 29, 2016 02:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,476
Large scale deployments present unique planning challenges, system commissioning hurdles between IT and OT and demand careful system hand-off orchestration. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Jeff Smith, Senior Director and a founding member of Incenergy, will discuss some of the key tactics to ensure delivery success based on his experience of the last two years deploying Industrial IoT systems across four continents.
Jul. 29, 2016 02:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,703


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Worry that M&S pace will flag hits the shares
Julia Finch, city editor
Wednesday 6 November 2002
Marks & Spencer delivered a better than expected surge in profts yesterday but the shares fell as investors worried about waning consumer confidence and whether the retailer could keep up the pace.
The chain, which just over a year ago was on the brink of disaster, reported a 34% increase in half-year profits to £287m. Turnover was up 8% to £3.7bn, earnings per share ahead 60% and the interim dividend increased 8% to 4p.
It was the fourth consecutive quarter of growth, enabling the chairman, Luc Vandevelde, to say: "We have moved from securing our recovery to sustaining it... Customers welcome and appreciate what we are doing."
Mr Vandevelde, who ceded day-to-day control to chief executive Roger Holmes two months ago and who is due to go part-time in January, was confident about Christmas trading. He warned of slowing growth, acknowledged that M&S now faced tougher year-on-year comparisons, but insisted the stores would continue to regain market share.
Neverthless, the shares went into reverse, closing down 26.5p, or 7%, at 353p.
Analysts had pencilled in profit expectations of £266m-£280m. They pointed out that the figures were not that much better than forecast because M&S included a near £5m contribution from the Kings supermarket chain in the US. The analysts had excluded this figure because a deal to sell Kings was announced in July, but finance director Alison Reed admitted that buyers D'Agostini had not yet finalised their funding.
Several analysts worried about the strength of the recovery in UK retail operations, despite profits from this core business climbing 60% from £147m to £236m.
Clothing margins are ahead, but some of that benefit was eroded by lower margins on food. Labour costs were up 4.7%, with a third of that down to increased staffing for the Per Una young fashions de signed by George Davies and the new Cafe Revive departments.
In addition, markdown targets on womenswear were missed as the group failed to cut back quickly on slow selling lines. "We lacked confidence to keep the ranges tight," said Roger Holmes. "Going forward we will strike a better balance."
Childrenswear - which generates 5% of sales - is also still performing badly, and the chain has set aside £5m to cover unsold stock. Mr Holmes insisted the new DB07 range endorsed by David Beckham was producing good results but conceded: "We have not met our customers' expectations." The head of childrenswear, Michele Jobling, left the company last month.
Analysts also voiced concerns about a combined credit and loyalty card, which has just gone on trial in Wales. M&S said it would cost £25m this year, compared to an expected £35m, but that a national roll-out next year would wipe £60m off profits.


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IT was recently confirmed by Honda Malaysia that the Takata single stage (SDI) driver’s airbag inflator in a 2005 Honda City ruptured in a crash on June 26, 2016 in Selangor. The crash resulted in the tragic death of the driver.
Globally, over 100 million airbags are being recalled to facilitate the replacement of the inflator. In Malaysia, close to 400,000 cars are affected.
Let’s understand how airbags work. Airbags are not filled with air. They are filled with gas created by a burning propellant. Propellants are used in jet aircraft to produce thrust, in the interiors of gun chambers, and in mining and demolition operations.
In airbags, the propellant is compressed into aspirin-size tablets and placed in a metal tube called an inflator. When a collision occurs, the tablets are ignited and converted into gas which erupts out of the inflator and into the bag in milliseconds.
The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and its independent expert reviewed the studies of three independent investigations into the Takata airbag ruptures and confirmed the findings on the root cause of the inflator ruptures.
A combination of time, environmental moisture and fluctuating high temperatures contribute to the degradation of the ammonium nitrate propellant in the inflators. Such degradation can cause the propellant to burn too quickly, rupturing the inflator module and sending shrapnel through the airbag and into the vehicle’s occupants.
Of the four makers of airbag inflators worldwide, only Takata uses an ammonium nitrate chemical compound to produce a controlled explosion to launch the bag during a collision. The chemicals have proven to become unstable over time, especially in humid conditions. Thirteen people have been killed in the US and Malaysia after their Takata bags unintentionally deployed, sending shrapnel into drivers or passengers.
It is obvious that stronger measures are needed to prevent airbag accidents and deaths. Unlike the NHTSA, no regulatory body in Malaysia has so far come out firmly to address this issue with a sense of urgency.
Although car companies like Honda have stated that they have sent letters advising owners to change the inflator, the communication does not explicitly raise how serious the issue is, i.e that failure to do so can lead to death, as what has happened already.
Their key message on Facebook in the aftermath of the most recent death was that airbags can be changed for free.
In the current recall, owners are being told there are no spare parts and they are not sure when the parts can be supplied. When questioned if the cars are safe to drive, they don’t really want to commit.
Why is the option of disabling the airbag, while waiting, not being considered?
In America, auto manufacturers have been given a time frame for the air bag recall to be completed and the NHTSA worked with other airbag manufacturers to increase the supply of spare parts.
The Transport Ministry (MOT) and JPJ should be the regulatory body in Malaysia for monitoring and putting in place punitive measures to safeguard consumers. As a starting point, MOT must form a special task force comprising, among others, officers from JPJ, Malaysia Institute of Road Safety Research, Customs Department, Malaysia Automotive Institute and Malaysia Automotive Association and the affected auto makers to initiate specific measures to address this situation.
The first step would be to ensure adequate supply of spare parts. Any form of duty must be waived for these parts. A time frame by which all defective parts must be replaced should also be established.
Service centres must stay open for longer hours and over the weekends.
JPJ must share ownership details at no cost to auto makers to get in touch with owners who are hard to trace.
If auto makers are reluctant to be forthright in their communication in the belief that it might affect their brand in a negative manner, a third party like the MOT can front such campaigns to educate car owners.
Put in place punitive measures for recalcitrant owners.
Inform them that no road tax will be issued for their vehicles if the fault is not rectified within the time frame. Insurance companies too should consider a loading.
Ultimately, a decision has to be made to make sure the cars are safe to be driven, as even one death is one too many. When that decision is made, adequate compensation should be offered.
B. J. FERNANDEZ


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Nicovita's feed production plant in Central America is celebrating its first five years. The feed mill has been a fundamental pillar in promoting the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry in the region.
“Since the establishment of the mill, we have been able to closely support shrimp farmers, promoting sustainable and responsible growth through local production as well as research and cutting-edge technology,” explained Iván Chang, who became general manager of Vitapro for the Central American region at the beginning of 2022.
The anniversary of the plant in Honduras coincides with the third quarter of Chang's management, in which he has led new challenges for the company, capitalizing on his knowledge acquired after a long leadership career of more than 20 years in the commercial area of different transnational companies including Alicorp's B2B business and almost three years leading the commercial area in Vitapro Ecuador. One of the main challenges, according to Chang, is the need to achieve better cost-efficient results in Central America compared to the current ones.
In this sense, technology investment will be a fundamental pillar to underpin the transformation of the Central American shrimp sector, and the opportunity for Vitapro to be a relevant player in this process is one of Chang's greatest motivations. “Evolution will be the only way to defend the current market niches and, in the medium term, enter the markets of the large producing countries,” Chang said.
According to Chang, the establishment of the plant in Honduras five years ago, with a production capacity of 60,000 tons of shrimp feed per year, leaves a positive balance in the region since it has stimulated competitiveness in various ways.
The improvement in delivery times is one of the main benefits because it has a direct impact on the producer's inventory. In the same way, with the presence of a production plant, Nicovita's technical advice was enhanced, as well as the design of ad hoc solutions, especially for large producers.
“The constant quality that characterizes Nicovita in all its markets has also been evidenced in the production of Central America, which is linked to innovation, technological updating, and the high standards that Vitapro implements in all the regions in which it operates. This quality is essential to maintain important markets such as Taiwan, strengthen its presence in others such as Mexico, and open new opportunities in Europe, which is what the Central American industry is looking for,” the company said.
“Staff training has been a fundamental factor to reach Vitapro's quality parameters throughout the region, and currently offer a greater production capacity to respond and supply the current needs of the Central American market,” said Walther Gonzales, plant manager of Vitapro Honduras.
The first few years of the feed mill in Central America have been characterized by environmental processes such as the new effluent treatment plant, which will be ready by the end of this year, said Gonzales.


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Microsoft's Lift London studio has confirmed it is working on four free-to-play projects that use connected devices and cloud features.
Based in Soho, the 43-strong studio is one of the newest members in Microsoft's stable of partners. It is currently working with indie team Dlala to bring a project to market, much like an incubator scheme. It is now looking for partners for its next release.
Speaking at the Develop conference going on in Brighton right now, studio boss Lee Schuneman told attendees that Lift's projects are "100 per cent first-party digital business working on tablet, mobile and connected platforms".
Schuneman added that each game is viewed as a service with each of these four projects, and that the team wants to take characters in mobile games to the "next level". He added, "We're working across all Microsoft platforms, powered by the cloud, delivered to the connected audience."
"We should look to rethink what triple-A stands for," he continued. "Triple-A is not about team size or budget or what device it's on. Triple-A could mean addressable audience times ambition. It's about quality and audience scale. Clash of Clans is triple-A. Halo is triple-A. And a 21st century service is about how you represent your audience and generate content that's culturally relevant."


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Centre sets up 8-member panel to consider GST waiver for Covid essentials
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier said GST exemption on the end product alone would distort the input tax credit system across the value chain, and eventually cost more for the consumer.
The government on Saturday constituted an eight-member ministerial panel under the Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma to consider Goods and Services Tax (GST) exemptions on a range of Covid-19 essentials such as vaccines, drugs, testing kits and ventilators.
The other members of the group of ministers (GoM) are Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitinbhai Patel, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Goa transport minister Mauvin Godinho, Kerala finance minister KN Balagopal, Odisha finance minister Niranjan Pujari, Telangana finance minister T Harish Rao and UP finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna.
The GoM will submit its recommendations to the GST Council on or before June 8, the Union finance ministry said in a statement. After a protracted discussion on the issue of tax exemption at the GST Council meeting on Friday, the apex federal body decided to form a committee to examine the merit of tax waiver on individual items.
According to its terms of reference, the GoM will examine the need for GST concession or exemption on Covid vaccines, drugs and medicines for Covid treatment, testing kits for Covid detection, medical grade oxygen, pulse oximeters, hand sanitisers, oxygen therapy instruments (concentrators, generators and ventilators), PPE kits, N95 masks, surgical masks, temperature checking thermometers and any other items required for Covid relief.
While vaccines and cotton masks attract 5% GST, most of these items fall in the 12% tax slab. Testing kits, drugs, medical oxygen, oxygen concentrators and ventilators fall under the 12% tax bracket. Alcohol-based sanitizers, hand wash, disinfectants and thermometers attract 18% GST.
The GoM was constituted after several states such as West Bengal and Punjab asked for exempting all Covid-essential materials from GST. West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra on May 25 reiterated chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s demand for removing GST on medicines and equipment essential for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Earlier on May 9, the West Bengal chief minister wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek exemption of Covid-relief materials from GST.
Reacting to the letter, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had then said that GST exemption on the end product alone would distort the input tax credit system across the value chain, and eventually cost more for the consumer.
“If full exemption from GST were given, domestic producers of these items would be unable to offset taxes paid on their inputs and input services and would pass these on to the end consumers by increasing their price,” she said in a tweet on May 9.
Ritesh Kanodia, partner at consultancy firm Dhruva Advisors LLP said: “The issue of whether or not vaccines should be included in the exemption list has also to be seen from the perspective of whether granting the exemption will result in the passing of any effective benefit to the end consumer.”


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Inflation inflicting vital strain to sector
US auto insurers have been seeing a dramatic surge in legal responsibility declare payouts because of social and financial inflation, in accordance with a brand new examine from the Insurance coverage Info Institute (Triple-I).
It was discovered that the rise in private and industrial auto insurer legal responsibility declare payouts had been $96 billion to $105 billion larger between 2013 and 2022.
Throughout the identical interval, private auto legal responsibility insurance coverage noticed a $61 billion rise in losses and protection containment prices (DCC), whereas industrial auto legal responsibility incurred an extra $35 billion to $44 billion as a result of mounting inflationary pressures.
Authored by trade specialists Jim Lynch, Dave Moore, and Dale Porfilio, the Triple-I study categorized financial inflation utilizing the Shopper Worth Index (CPI) – All City metric. It additionally made use of the idea of social inflation to explain how insurer declare payouts exceeded the CPI.
A key perception highlighted by the authors is the disparity within the measurement of the private auto legal responsibility in comparison with its industrial counterpart.
In 2022, private auto legal responsibility reported internet earned premiums of $152.6 billion, a determine 4 instances larger than that of business auto legal responsibility. Regardless of this hole, private auto policyholders sometimes carry legal responsibility protection of $100,000 or much less, whereas industrial policyholders normally have protection limits of as much as $1 million.
For private auto legal responsibility insurers, losses have been growing at a sooner price than premiums in recent times.
Since 2020, standardized losses have risen by 15, whereas standardized premiums have fallen by 13%, in accordance with the report. Furthermore, declare severity has had an enormous spike after 2019.
As for industrial auto legal responsibility insurers, losses grew at a sooner price than the general economic system.
Previous to 2021, these losses had been stated to have been primarily pushed by social inflation. The examine additionally discovered that declare severity dramatically elevated after 2020.
“For each private and industrial auto legal responsibility strains, social inflation was the primary supply of accelerating inflation earlier than 2021,” the Triple-I examine famous. “For 2021 and later, growing inflation got here from a mixture of financial inflation and social inflation.”
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Apple could finally bring an always-on display to the next iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. According to a report of Bloombergby Mark GurmanApple may introduce the feature with iOS 16, allowing the iPhone to display a limited amount of information even when locked.
Gurman says the iPhone’s version of always-on mode could work the same as with the Apple Watch Series 5 and above – the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will reduce the screen frame rate by lock with always-on mode, letting them save power while the screen stays on. It’s unclear if the new iPhone will use the same low temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) display Apple uses in new watch models. These low-power displays play an important role in keeping always-on mode running smoothly, as they are designed to prevent devices from consuming too much power.
Last year, analysts predicted that the iPhone 13 would come with an LTPO display to enable always-on display. A number of Android devices already support always-on mode, and have done so for many years. On some Samsung devices, for example, the always-on display can show the time, battery level, widgets, etc., while the phone remains locked.
Gurman expects iOS 16 to come with similar features, including wallpapers with “widget-like capabilities.” The always-on display isn’t the only feature said to be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, as past leaks indicate that Apple can only include its new A16 chip with the two high-end devices.
Apple is set to announce a number of other changes at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 6. In line with previous predictions, Gurman thinks Apple could introduce improved windowing and multitasking features to the iPad. He quotes discoveries from developer Steve Troughton-Smith, which recently discovered that Apple may be working on a feature that allows users to freely resize windows. Apple might also overhaul some of its apps — in addition to adding new audio features to Messages, Gurman predicts Apple will revamp its System Preferences menu to make it more like the Settings app on iOS.
With WWDC just over a week away, we won’t have to wait much longer to see how many of these predictions come true.


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Until now Nintendo has largely ignored the smartphone and tablet revolution that has been happening around it and instead stuck to its tried and tested formula of creating consoles and popular games to play on them. However disappointing sales of the Wii U has prompted lots of speculation that Nintendo can no longer ignore mobiles devices and that the company is planning to bring its iconic characters like Super Mario and Zelda to mobile devices.
Japan’s Nikkei business newspaper is reporting that Nintendo will indeed venture onto mobile this year but not by porting its games over to Android or iOS but rather by using these platforms as a way to promote its consoles and games.
According to the Nikkei Nintendo will use Android and iOS as a advertising medium through an official Nintendo app. The app will publish news and video about upcoming titles.
As well as the official Nintendo app, it is reported that the company plans to offer mini-games for smartphones and tablets that work as demos for the full console games. The idea being that if users like the games they will go out and buy a full priced console and the game. Apparently these mini-games will be completely free nor Nintendo isn’t planning on using a freemium model. Rather, the exposure and anticipated boost in game and console sales will offset any development and promotion costs.
We're being very smart in how we use these devices as marketing tools for our content.
This isn’t the first time that this idea has been mooted. In December Reggie Fils-Aime Present of Nintendo America told Seattle King 5 News, “We recognize that there are a lot of smartphones and tablets out there, and so what we’re doing is we’re being very smart in how we use these devices as marketing tools for our content.” He added, “Our philosophy that Nintendo games are best played on Nintendo devices has not changed.”
It is expected that Nintendo will make an announcement on Thursday after it has held an investor’s briefing.


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Hundreds of workers at a Palmer & harvey distribution centre in Hemel Hempstead face the prospect of losing their jobs - after the firm went into administration.
P&H, which is the UK’s largest delivered wholesaler to the UK convenience market, has a distribution centre in Hemel Hempstead which employs roughly 300 staff.
And administrators PwC have confirmed they have made ‘immediate redundancies’ across the firm’s head office and 14 distribution centres.
The P&H Group (including WS Retail Limited) employed roughly 3,400 employees, and 2,500 immediate redundancies have already been made - though WS Retail Limited are unaffected.
A PwC spokesman said: “Remaining employees will assist the joint administrators in managing the activities of the business to an orderly closure. Currently 450 employees have been retained within the wholesale business.
“The group has been by hit by challenging trading conditions in recent months and efforts to restructure the business have been unsuccessful.
“This has resulted in cash flow pressures and it has not been possible to secure additional funding to support the business.”
One employee, who had worked at the business for four years, told a national newspaper that bailiffs had turned up to P&H’s Hemel Hempstead and Farnham offices earlier yesterday, while also alleging that staff were told to ‘go home at lunchtime and wait for a letter’.
The £6.5million distribution centre in Hemel was opened back in 2012.


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- Sugarbud Craft Growers (TSXV:SUGR) has completed its first cannabis harvest, with a second crop well underway
- The company expects to ship its first revenue-generating batch of cannabis in 2020’s second quarter
- Sugarbud has adopted a number of preventative measures to protect its customers and employees from COVID-19
- Despite the volatile market, the company plans to launch its products in 2020’s third quarter
- Sugarbud’s share price is up 20 per cent, and currently trading at 3 cents per share
Cannabis company Sugarbud Craft Growers (TSXV:SUGR) has successfully completed its first harvest, and has a second crop well underway.
The company completed the first harvest on March 2, 2020, and has nearly finished the drying and curing process.
Sugarbud’s CEO, John Kondrosky, called the successful first harvest a major milestone for the company.
“We are all very pleased with the quality and outcomes of our first crop, along with the operating level and performance of our facility overall.
The crop’s preliminary potency and terpene testing is in line with our commitment to bring high-quality dried cannabis to Canadian consumers,” he said.
Sugarbud’s second cannabis crop is already growing, and should be ready for harvesting in early June, 2020.
At this time, the company hopes to ship its first revenue-generating commercial batch early in 2020’s second quarter.
As the economy feels the sting of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies everywhere have begun implementing preventative measures to protect employees and customers.
Sugarbud has followed suit, by encouraging staff to practice social distancing, and to work remotely. The company has also enhanced its health and safety protocols across its entire operating environment.
Sugarbud will continue monitoring the situation as it unfolds, and will continue following advice from the government and public health authorities.
Despite current volative markets, the company plans to launch its first adult recreational dried cannabis products, in 2020’s third quarter. The company recently submitted its amended dried cannabis sales license application to Health Canada. Once approved, this will allow Sugarbud to sell to authorised provincial wholesalers and retailers.
“We are backed by a clear vision, a disciplined financial and operating model, and a strong, experienced management team. We will continue to focus on what we can control, execute our plan, and hit the milestones we laid out for the company,” John concluded.
Sugarbud’s share price is up 20 per cent, and trading at 3 cents per share, as of 1:12pm EST.


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Uber’s sponsored ads keep popping up in my Facebook feed. If you’ve never used the transportation startup’s black car or uberX services before, you might think a driver would pull up to your driveway looking like one of these ladies:
These women are extremely attractive. They’re also extremely misleading. And probably being used as click bait.
It’s quite possible for one to connect to an Uber driver and be greeted by a supermodel, but I’ve used the app since 2012 and I can tell you—you’re more likely to encounter a well-dressed, courteous immigrant from Africa or Europe. I’ve had exactly one experience with a female driver, and she was a very kind immigrant from the Middle East. I’ve no complaints about their abilities. Uber is popular because these drivers work really hard.
So why aren’t their faces featured in these ads?
“Those ads are not necessarily for Seattle. There are different demographics across the world,” Brooke Steger, general manager of Uber in Seattle, said over the phone this week. “But that’s interesting feedback.”
She also added that Uber in Seattle “has seen a substantial increase in female drivers.”
Okay, fine. I just have to lament the reality that advertising of any sort always seems to need a pretty face. Isn’t good service enough?
This minor annoyance has me thinking these ride-services are not the scrappy start-ups that took Seattle by storm about a year ago. The Washington Post reports Uber is now valued at $17 billion. Sidecar and Lyft recently announced major backing, too. They are the poster children for the “shared economy” movement (which I wrote about in a previous Opinion Northwest Post), but these disruptive start-up darlings are getting bigger by the day. The idea that they empower average people to use assets they already own to make little extra money on the side still rings true, but have a conversation with many of the drivers on their networks today and some will tell you they’re working for Lyft or Uber full-time.
Not saying that’s a bad thing and I’m not going to stop using Lyft and Uber, but I would encourage their national marketing and recruitment folks to make sure their ads reflect the diversity of the people who are responsible for growing their business on the ground here in Seattle.


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This is the view from Apple headquarters this week:
The story led to speculation about weaknesses in iCloud security, and all this less than a week before a major announcement from Apple, likely the unveiling of an iPhone 6.
“It’s a hit to Apple,” says Colin Gillis, a senior technology analyst at BGC Financial. He says Apple should be looking forward, and presenting consumers with new security tools like biometrics — requiring a fingerprint instead of just a password to access accounts.
“They will offer you solutions that you’ll have, you know, extended on new iPhones to help prevent these types of things,” Gillis says.
So, just buy a new iPhone and everything will be fine, right?
Not quite, because the celebrity nude photo dump is so much more personal than a credit card data breach.
“It’s like someone, you know, going through your personal trash,” says Jeff Howe, head of the media innovation program at Northeastern University. “I think it absolutely engenders a sense of violation.”
That could make consumers more wary of sharing personal stuff online. Could something like that happen to our data in the cloud?
Cathy Boyle, a senior mobile analyst at eMarketer, said she’s definitely noticed more wariness from consumers.
“But I think if you tell them that if you share a certain amount of your information with us in exchange for something valuable, then people seem to be more accepting of sharing their information,” she says.
So companies would have to offer us a discount or special treatment for our online data. Otherwise, hey — stay off my cloud.
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by Cheryl Tay Amid the recent cooling measures implemented in the residential sector, brisk sales for strata-shops peaked at a record S$661 million last year.
R'ST Research's analysis of caveats lodged by the URA revealed that a total of 615 strata-shop units were transacted last year, slightly lower than the record 632 strata shops in 2010, which amounted to S$656 million.
The highest sales were recorded at Sim Lim Square (pictured) with 33 strata-shop units, Icon @ Changi with 29 units and Space @ Kovan with 28 units.
Following a surge of new launches, a record 161 strata shops were sold on the primary market, said Ong Kah Seng, Director at R'ST Research. The robust demand was attributed to the scarcity of new strata-shop projects in recent years, with many existing strata-shops located in older malls such as People's Park Centre, Lucky Plaza and Peninsular Plaza.
The substantial supply of newer choices led to more buyer interest, resulting in resale market volumes declining by nine percent last year from 2010.
Ong said that the popularity of strata-shops was partly due to the cooling measures in the residential sector, such as the additional stamp duties and tighter financing rules. Hence, investors had to look for alternative real estate investments.
"(Strata shops) remain limited in supply, suggesting there may be possible long-term upside, or alternatively, potential for en bloc redevelopment in selected ageing strata-commercial properties," he added.
"Rising business costs have also led to some retailers buying strata shops to have more certainty in running costs."
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