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Lockdown recipes for those with limited resources
A Chinese college student has developed a website consisting of about 600 recipes for quick, easy retrieval – a ray of sunlight for locked-down residents fretting over a limited variety of meal options.
About 500,000 people have viewed the website (https://cook.yunyoujun.cn/) in its first six days, which resulted in 7.2 million total clicks.
It offers recipes based on ingredients and cooking utensils site visitors have on hand and directs them to cooking videos on streaming platform Bilibili.
Netizens have given the site raves reviews, calling it "convenient and practical" and "user-friendly for kitchen novices and those who would like to try new dishes."
One netizen currently in quarantine said: "This is exactly what I want! It's been a great help." Another called it "amazing" and said the developer "created something that can be cherished as a memory later."
The developer, who identifies himself as "Yunyoujun (云游君)" online, is a recent graduate of the Communication University of China with a degree in digital entertainment and animation technology. He is currently working on his master's thesis.
He spent six hours in setting up an elementary interaction framework based on a popular Excel recipe file and placed it online on April 16.
The developer said the site was designed to help locked-down residents tide over the difficulties of cooking with limited resources.
He plans to continue upgrading the site and maintaining recipe data.


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Business Insider/Hayley Peterson
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Amazon is on a roll.
The company just celebrated the biggest day in its history with the 30-hour Prime Day that ended on Tuesday. According to Amazon, the event grew 60% since last year, though the company didn’t provide specific sales figures.
However, when Amazon thrives, other companies often suffer. Even the mere rumor that Amazon is entering a new sector can cause potential rivals’ stocks to plummet. On Wednesday, Zillow’s stock dropped 3% following whispers that Amazon is building a real estate service of its own.
Here are seven companies that the ecommerce giant threatens:
While Best Buy has been under siege by Amazon for years, the electronics retailer long had one advantage — the Geek Squad of employees ready to help customers with technical difficulties.
However, Recode reported that Amazon was preparing to launch a Geek Squad of its own, in the form of “army of in-house gadget experts to offer free Alexa consultations as well as product installations for a fee.” Shares of Best Buy dropped 7.5% Monday after the news broke.
The future of batteries may be online — and that’s bad news for companies like Energizer.
While online sales of batteries only make up roughly 5% of total battery sales today, UBS said in a note…

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Latest news from New York State’s gambling industry is that the New York State Restaurant Association is considering introducing onsite sports betting at local restaurants and bars. The association has even already been in discussions with a gaming technology company, which will help them turn their plan into reality in the Empire State.
The idea of launching sportsbooks at bars and restaurants has been long-dwelled into by the industry, as many sports fans tend to watch sports games at such venues. This way the establishments can capitalize on the fans’ interest to be wager on the sporting events. However, the problem with the plan is to have a regulatory system to keep gaming legitimate.
This Tuesday, the New York State Restaurant Association has informed that it has a written agreement with Elys Game Technology Corp. Now the two entities will work together on bringing an infrastructure and policy framework for the introduction of onsite wagering at Empire State’s bars and restaurants, which will be suitable for all stakeholders.
Currently, NYS is not the only jurisdiction from the country that intends on bringing regulated wagering at restaurants and bars. For example, Massachusetts saw the introduction of legislation to lift the restrictions of sports betting at such establishments to the state’s government. Connecticut is too looking into the matter of introducing sports betting in nighttime venues.
In the announcement for the collaboration with NYSRA, Elys Game Technology Corp. revealed that its customers Grand Central Restaurant and Bar in Washington, D.C., is on the verge of introducing permission to allow sports betting at such venues. Now the association and the gaming technology company will be working together on bringing a model that is in accordance with the framework.
Several dining chains are also interested in bringing on-location sports wagering as a way to generate more revenue. Buffalo Wild Wings is one of them, and the chain is closely working with MGM Resorts International to bringing the offering, by using the company’s smartphone gaming app to promote the brand.
Increase in Betting Volume
Sports wagering is quite popular among the Empire State’s gamblers and fans, in May the New York State Gaming Commission reported a surge in sports betting volume for the month. The four commercial casinos in the state that offer regulated wagering on sports have accumulated over US$1,6 million in revenue for May. This was a major improvement over April’s results.
Mobile Sports Betting is on its Way
Soon New Yorkers will have one more option for gambling on their preferred sports event as the state has announced that mobile sports wagering is on the way. In July, the gaming commission started the Request for Applicants, with gaming companies submitting their proposals of joining the state’s gaming expansion for the positions of either a platform provider or an operator. Mobile betting on sports should be operational before the next Super Bowl.
Source: Romeo, Peter “NY restaurant group intends to clear a way for onsite sports betting”, Restaurant Business, September 29, 2021


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For Georgia restaurants, the next 10 days include two of the year's highest-revenue days, according to a crunching of transaction data by Womply Inc., a San Francisco-based software company that handles transaction data for more than 100,000 small businesses.
Saturday is Cinco de Mayo. A week from Sunday is Mother's Day.
"On Mother's Day we see an increase in demand, mainly for Southern Elements," Foelske said. "We have a Mother's Day family-style menu and we get calls (for reservations) right up to the last minute."
Both Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day are strong restaurant days here, at least partly because they just amplify habits that consumers already have, said Brad Plothow, Womply vice president. "On average, a lot more people go out to restaurants in Georgia than most places."
Last year, Cinco de Mayo was a Friday.
The average Georgia restaurant saw revenue of $2,563 – a jump of 45 percent compared to an average day, he said.
Yet the average customer’s tab was $31 – the same as a typical day, Plothow said. “People aren’t spending more money, but lots and lots more people are going to restaurants.”
Mother’s Day is good too, but nowhere as it is for restaurants in many parts of the country, he said. “Mother’s Day is the number one day of the year for 44 percent of restaurants nationally. It is the number one day for restaurants in 13 states.”
Yet it's only the 20th best sales day of the year in Georgia. That may be because Sunday is less of a restaurant day in Georgia than in many states, Plothow said.
Even so, the average restaurant bill on Mother’s Day in Georgia is $45, while restaurants pull in 48 percent more revenue than on an average day.
Yet good as they are for business, neither of the two coming holidays are in the top five for restaurant revenues.
But sometimes there’s a spillover, Plothow said: when a holiday approaches, people are thinking about celebrating so they might go out the day before or after. But there are other effects, too: the most important is probably school vacations, when so many people are eating on the road or just feeling more like a relaxed time out.
In general, consumer spending depends on having disposable income. And Georgia has seen healthy job growth. There are also conjunctions that can add to the desire to entertain out. Cinco de Mayo also happens to be the day this year for the running of the Kentucky Derby.
The very best restaurant day of last year was March 18th – yes, the day after St. Patrick's Day. The second best day was May 13 – the day before Mother's Day last year. The next three were March 4, Feb. 25 and March 11.
“In Georgia, the top five days for restaurants were all Saturdays,” Plothow said. “So Saturday is it in Georgia.”
Places to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Ideas for feting Mom on her day.
Can't get to Louisville for the Derby? Things to do here.


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- Police Beat
- The Forecaster
SCARBOROUGH — A Buy Local Scarborough inaugural celebration will take place Tuesday, March 23, at the Landing at Pine Point from 5-7 :30 p.m.
Buy Local Scarborough started in November 2009 and now has 100 members. The organization released a Guide to Buying Local in Scarborough and a new Web site. A second guide and Consumer Card will be released in April.
The event is free, and independently owned businesses in Scarborough are encouraged to attend. There will be raffles and door prizes and an opportunity to network with other businesses and try local food and a cash bar.
For more information, contact Karen D’Andrea at 776-1820.


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The COVID-19 pandemic has actually interfered with the U.S. recycling market. Waste sources, amounts and locations are all in flux, and shutdowns have actually ravaged a market that was currently having a hard time.
Many products designated as multiple-use, common, or secondhand have actually been briefly disallowed to decrease person-to-person direct exposure. This is producing greater volumes of waste.
Grocers, whether by state decree or by themselves, have actually restored single-use plastic bags. Even IKEA has actually suspended usage of its signature yellow multiple-use in-store bags. Plastic market lobbyists have actually likewise pressed to remove plastic bag prohibits completely, declaring that multiple-use bags position a public health threat.
As scientists thinking about commercial ecology and brand-new plans for polymer recycling, we are worried about obstacles dealing with the recycling sector and growing wonder about of common and pre-owned items. The patterns we see in the making and consuming of single-use items, especially plastic, might have long lasting unfavorable impacts on the circular economy.
Recyclers under pressure
Since March 2020, when most shelter-in-place orders started, sanitation employees have actually kept in mind huge boosts in local trash and recyclables. For example, in cities like Chicago, employees have actually seen as much as 50% more waste.
According to the Solid Waste Association of North America, U.S. cities saw a 20% typical boost in local strong waste and recycling collection from March into April 2020. Increased garbage can be associated partially to spring cleansing, however the majority of it is because of individuals investing higher time in your home. Restaurants having a hard time to make it through under COVID-19 limitations are adding to the increase in plastic and paper waste with takeout product packaging.
Although greater volumes of recyclables are being set on the curb, deficit spending are squeezing recycling programs. Many towns are dealing with multimillion-dollar deficiencies. Some neighborhoods, such as Rock Springs, Wyoming, and East Peoria, Illinois, have actually cut recycling programs.
And these tensions are checking an organisation currently dealt with unpredictability.
Turmoil in scrap markets
The international recycling economy has actually suffered considering that 2018 as very first China and after that other Asian countries prohibited imports of low-grade scrap – typically indicating poorly cleaned up food product packaging and badly arranged recyclable products. As in any company, the worth of raw recyclables is connected to provide and require. Without need from countries like China, which previously used up to 700,000 lots of U.S. ditch every year, recyclers have actually rushed to remain in company.
The pandemic has actually increased costs for some products. One market leader informed us that in between February and May 2020, costs doubled for recycled paper and tripled for recycled cardboard. These moves show greater need for tissue items and shipping product packaging under shelter-in-place orders.
However, he likewise reported that costs for the most-recycled classifications of recovered plastics – FAMILY PET (#1) and PE (#2 and #4) – were at 10-year lows. An increase of low-cost oil has actually driven the raw product expense of oil-derived virgin plastics to their least expensive levels in years, outcompeting recycled feedstocks.
Ideally, incomes from recycling balanced out towns’ expenses for gathering and getting rid of strong wastes. However, offered employee security issues, low market value for scrap products, a slowed economy and less expensive options for disposal, numerous neighborhoods and companies throughout the U.S. have briefly suspended collection of recyclables and bottle deposits.
Meanwhile, as the business sector slowed, the circulation of waste generation altered. As individuals have actually invested more time producing waste in your home, waste collectors executed brand-new treatments to secure their workers from infection.
Recycling is a really hands-on procedure that needs employees to by hand figure out products from the collection stream that disagree for mechanical processing. Workers and waste collection business have actually raised numerous security concerns about recycling throughout the pandemic.
Precautions like social distancing and usage of individual protective devices have actually ended up being commonplace amongst waste collectors and sorters, though issues stay. Sorters are significantly depending on automation, however execution can be expensive and requires time.
Collections on time out
Based on tracking considering that 2017 by the trade publication Waste Dive, almost 90 curbside recycling programs had actually experienced or continue to experience an extended suspension over the previous a number of years. About 30 of these suspensions have actually happened considering that January 2020.
On a more comprehensive scale, it’s unclear just how much more waste Americans are presently producing throughout shutdowns. Commercial and domestic waste aren’t straight equivalent. For example, a granola bar wrapper discarded at the workplace is tallied in a different way than if disposed of in your home.
It is likewise challenging to measure the impacts of the pandemic while it is still unfolding. Historically, waste output from the business and commercial sectors has actually far surpassed the local stream. With numerous workplaces and company closed or running at low levels, overall U.S. waste production might really be at a record low throughout this time. However, information on business and hazardous wastes are not easily offered.
At the California-based Peninsula Sanitary Service, which serves the Stanford University neighborhood, overall tonnage was down 60% in March. The business associates this drop to decreased business waste, especially from building and construction. Similarly, the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, kept in mind a 10% reduction year over year of waste collection levels for April.
More plastic garbage
As cities and markets resume in the coming months, brand-new information will reveal the pandemic’s impacts on customer routines and waste generation. But no matter overall volume, the mix of products in home wastes has actually moved offered the brand-new universality of single-use plastic containers, online shopping product packaging and non reusable gloves, wipes and face masks. Many of these brand-new staples of pandemic life are made from plastics that are just unworthy recycling if there are any other disposal alternatives.
Today Americans are attempting to stabilize their physical wellness versus ever-mounting stacks of plastic waste. At a time when minimizing and recycling might be harmful, and recycling economics are undesirable, we see a requirement for much better alternatives, such as more compostable product packaging that is both much safer and more sustainable.
Written by Brian J. Love, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan and Julie Rieland, PhD Candidate in Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan.
Originally released on The Conversation.


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Netflix originally raised its prices about a year and a half ago to $9.99/month from $7.99/month. Existing customers weren't affected since the company allowed those already paying $7.99/month to continue paying at that rate, to keep in good standing with their loyal customers.
But as it goes with all good things, this one is about to come to an end--Netflix is pumping the breaks on the gravy train for its oldest and most loyal customers.
Beginning May 2016, all existing customers will be billed $9.99/month, regardless of when they joined the subscription service.
The customers that the price jump will directly affect account for about 37 percent of all Netflix subscribers, or roughly 17 million people.
That would make quite a lot of angry customers if the change occurred unexpectedly. Unfortunately, for about 13.6 million of those users, it will.
Most customers didn't exactly read the fine print that let them know their subscription price wouldn't change...for two years.
According to research from JP Morgan, nearly 80 percent of users who will be affected by the change were completely unaware it was even coming next month at all. Fifteen percent also claimed they'll cancel their subscription in reaction.
The new universal price jump for Netflix subscribers will now make it a more expensive streaming service annually than an equivalent subscription to Amazon Prime.
Though Netflix customers definitely have to weigh out their options as of May, we're sure that their most loyal binge-watchers won't mind paying up a couple extra dollars each month to continue doing what they love doing every Sunday.
Here's a look through the history of Netflix:


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Giving new meaning to ‘all-in-one’
NEW YORK — The Winning Combination this summer launched Vitamints, a vitamin and mint combination that helps consumers meet their recommended dietary intakes and freshen breath at the same time. One tablet taken four times daily helps provide the recommended daily allowance of several vitamins and minerals. Vitamints are available in five varieties, including immunity health, energy, calm, focus and a multi for women. “In our fast-paced world, schedules are always changing, and the last thing we want is to stop and remember to take that giant horse pill in the morning,” said Shazad Bukhari, Winning Combination COO.
Angry Birds multivitamins fly onto market
LOS ANGELES — Natrol is launching a new line of chewable and gummy multivitamins for children under a license that will better resonate with today’s tablet-toting mom — Angry Birds.
The line includes four flavors — watermelon, strawberry, orange and mixed berry — and is formulated with vitamin A, B vitamins and vitamin C to help support normal growth and development, as well as to aid metabolism and support energy production, Natrol reported. The line also is formulated with vitamin D for strong teeth and bones.
Cashing in on the wellness trend
Sales of vitamins and minerals represent a $6.5 billion book of business that’s growing at a 5.2% clip across total U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended Nov. 3, 2013, according to IRI.
(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)
Don’t expect that growth rate to taper off anytime soon. Because not only is dietary supplementation a key component of many consumers’ overall health-and-wellness regimens, but dietary supplements also has been projected to save billions of healthcare dollars when healthcare costs are under a microscope.
A recent Frost and Sullivan report determined that supplementation at preventive intake levels in high-risk populations can reduce the number of medical events associated with heart disease, age-related eye disease, diabetes and bone disease in the United States, representing the potential for significant cost savings.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75% of total healthcare expenses are spent on caring for people with preventable diseases, with only 3% spent on prevention. That’s a significant upside opportunity.
Currently, product segments contributing large-scale growth to the category are gender-specific multivitamins, biotin, melatonin, Co Q-10, vitamin D, vitamin B-12 and vision formula multivitamins, noted Doug Jones, Pharmavite spokesman.
Probiotics, gummy vitamins and immunity health also are hot categories.


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Cautious Prescribing Needed For Newer Products, Express Scripts Exec Says
This article was originally published in The Pink Sheet Daily
Express Scripts chief medical officer recommends that new drugs be prescribed "only in those situations where there is really a proven clinical advantage." Two-thirds of Express Scripts' covered patients had no identifiable gastrointestinal risk factors, the exec says.
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FDA's labeling template calls for Pfizer's Celebrex and other prescription NSAIDs to add "black box" warnings on cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risks. FDA is also requiring a warning on skin reactions. The agency issues a medication guide for all NSAIDs.
Pfizer is characterizing FDA's request for a withdrawal of Bextra as a "marketing suspension"; the company hopes to continue discussions on how valdecoxib could re-enter the market. Increased cardiovascular risk plus a "special risk" of serious skin reactions led FDA to recommend pulling the COX-2 inhibitor.
DURHAM, N.C. - The decline in FDA's tally of new molecular entity approvals stems from fewer approvals of non-innovative products in recent years, while approvals of truly innovative products has largely held steady, according to FDA Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning and Preparedness Randall Lutter


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With free-to-air broadcasters increasingly looking to hybrid solutions, combining broadcast with IP-based advanced interactive services to stay relevant, Europe’s HbbTV standard is evolving to enable a wider range of applications. Stuart Thomson reports.
The majority of viewers in advanced markets are now accustomed to interacting with TV, most obviously via the EPG and catch-up TV and on-demand applications. The proliferation of web-connected set-top boxes and TVs means that the ways to deliver interactive services has expanded dramatically since the early days of digital TV.
Hybrid TV – combining the advantages of broadcast and broadband – have been around for some time, having originally been used by telcos to deliver TV cost-effectively by providing free-to-air channels over digital-terrestrial networks and on-demand and niche channels via IP. However the more recent interest shown by free-to-air broadcasters in delivering IP-based interactive services gave impetus to the search for a standards-based approach in the shape of Hybrid Broadcast Broadband Television (HbbTV).
HbbTV was initially driven by free-to-air broadcasters as a way to deliver interactive services over multiple distribution networks – principally digital terrestrial and satellite.
Ten European countries have officially endorsed the standard including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland. Australia has adopted it and Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam are actively looking at HbbTV.
Outside the countries that have adopted HbbTV, technologies to enable interactive TV in horizontal markets remain fragmented. While convergence is happening elsewhere in Europe, the UK and Italy stand apart with YouView and MHP respectively. In the case of the UK, the YouView platform tried to combine a range of technologies including HTML, Adobe Flash and MHEG into what Frode Hernes, vice-president of TV and devices at Opera Software, calls “one huge spec” that was initially, at least, not hugely successful, with HTML ultimately being dropped. The UK’s Freesat satellite platform has meanwhile implemented something closer to HbbTV, using the Digital Television Group’s (DTG) D-Book specifications and parts of the Open IPTV Forum (OIPF) standard, a close relation of HbbTV, to create a platform that can deliver services separately in MHEG and HTML.
HbbTV was designed with relatively modest aims in mind – something that set it apart from the likes of YouView. For Simon Trudelle, senior product marketing director at TV technology provider Nagra, HbbTV is a technology “for interactive information on the screen and video stores and simple apps that enhance the TV experience – it’s not for advanced users but for people comfortable accessing services via the remote control”.
Key to the success of the standard, says Trudelle, is the relative ease with which it can be embraced by integrated TV manufacturers, broadcasters and app developers alike. “Connected TVs today have the horsepower to run these apps. The overall user experience is as good as on native set-tops or in the app stores or Samsung or others,” he says. “It is easy to get to services. For broadcasters it keeps people within their brand experience and in the free-to-air market there is a need for more on-demand TV and more flexible viewing capabilities.”
For Keith Potter, CEO of Digital TV Labs, which provides logo certification testing for HbbTV’s new logo programme, the HbbTV standard filled a gap, providing an attractive, HTML-based solution for the horizontal retail market. While many of the apps available so far in Germany are “teletext replacement”-type services, catch-up and on-demand services are beginning to emerge elsewhere, says Potter, pointing to the inclusion of on-demand services on the TNT 2.0 and TDT Híbrida next-generation digital-terrestrial platforms in France and Spain respectively.
Adoption of the standard by a growing number of countries has also fuelled its inclusion in devices, most notably by TV manufacturers. New TVs over 40 inches in Europe now typically come with HbbTV capability built in, whether it is switched on or not.
Usage of HbbTV services is also growing, with 1.2 million unique users and growth of up to 20% a month in Germany.
However, there is a perception in some quarters of a lag between adoption of the technology by broadcasters and consumer electronics vendors, the development of applications, and take-up by consumers. “What is missing is user awareness,” says Régis Saint Girons, CEO of TV technology specialist httv. “There is still a debate on how to communicate to the end user. It is definitely something that needs to be done at the consumer level.”
Saint Girons says that catch-up TV remains the killer app for connected TV, as well as variants such as startover TV. While much of the emphasis to date has been on integrated digital TVs, Saint Girons says that httv, for its part, is focusing primarily on the set-top box market. Services that require DRM or conditional access – enabled by the latest version of the standard – will be primarily set-top driven, he says. The set-top market, as well as enabling services such as Germany’s HD+ that require security, can also enable the use of HbbTV as a pure OTT platform, says Saint Girons.
Barriers to entry
For Fearghal Kelly, CEO of Digisoft.tv, the key appeal of HbbTV is in lowering the barriers to entry to the interactive TV business by eliminating a great element of technical complexity from the process of creating applications. He believes DVB markets will adopt HbbTV rather than the kind of expensive bespoke platform that was created for YouView. [icitspot id=”113102″ template=”box-story”]
Key to the standard’s appeal and an enabler in terms of lowering the barriers to entry is the fact that HbbTV is HTML-based – albeit the special version of HTML called CE-HTML.
“The internet has brought a new dynamic to the pay TV and free to air broadcast ecosystem, and broadcasters are looking to combine the abilities of broadband and broadcast,” says Milya Timergaleyeva, marketing director at interactive TV technology specialist Oregan. For Timergaleyeva, one of the key achievements of HbbTV has been to highlight the need for a standards-based approach in the first place and to act as a way for the industry to pull together the best ways of achieving common goals.
“[Pay TV] operators’ plans are driven by end-user features and companies cherrypick the key technologies that enable those apps,” she says. “HbbTV has done the job of summarising the key underpinning technologies that will enable operators to author those applications in a standards-based way. HbbTV communicates the availability of those standards and allow the industry to share and distil the key ingredients.”
While HbbTV is by no means a universally accepted standard globally, or even within Europe – the older MHP standard still holds sway in Italy and the UK has gone its own way – there is a strong degree of commonality between hybrid technologies, according to Timergaleyeva. Hybrid applications typically require an application triggering mechanism, a mechanism for the transport of metadata and the application, including a technique for caching, and a presentation and graphical user interface environment. HbbTV, in common with MHP, signals services via a DVB-based Application Information Table and Programme Map Table, and applications in both cases are carried and pre-cached using a DSMCC carousel. On the signaling and transport side, interactive standards – including HbbTV, MHP, MHEG and OIPF – have been based on the DVB TS 102 809 standard, useful for time-sensitive applications requiring frame synchronisation such as voting, as well as the DVB TS 101 154 profiles for H.264.
Superseded by HTML5
The main differences between interactive standards lie with the presentation layer. The MHP standard adopted Java, while the UK’s YouView platform utilises Adobe Flash and HbbTV adopted CE-HTML.
This effectively means that all three standards are now based on technologies that are rapidly being superseded in the internet environment by HTML5. The number of HTML5 developers – and therefore of apps – is large and growing and the technology is seen as the future. It is increasingly clear that the next generation of HbbTV – version 2.0 – will embrace HTML5. The fact that applications will still need to be authored in CE-HTML as well as HTML5 to reach legacy HbbTV devices is likely to be problematic but most agree that the HTML5 is the future. In addition to its appeal to a wider community of app developers, HTML5 has the benefit of allowing TV operators to develop an app once that could be delivered across multiple platforms – TV, the web, tablets and smartphones.
In the meantime, different technology players are already implementing features including HTML5 outside the strict framework of the HbbTV standard. Saint Girons says that httv is extending its httvLink open middleware to encompass HTML5 and is adding second-screen features that could enable applications such as the ability to launch an app from a tablet or access content on a smartphone. (Further down the line, he says, he expects HbbTV to evolve to embrace the HEVC compression standard for Ultra HD services.)
Hernes believes that the DIAL protocol to enable discoveru and launch of main screen applications by second screen devices will be implemented as part of the next iteration of HbbTV, while HTML5 will be implemented further down the line as part of HbbTV 2.0.
Digital TV Labs’ Potter agrees: “We think it will progress. All the standards are converging on HTML5.” This will, he says, enable broadcasters more easily to deliver multiscreen services – the key trend of the moment.
Ultimately, the adoption of HTML5 could render the HbbTV framework less important. Hernes says that the adoption by HbbTV of CE-HTML has enabled TV manufacturers to implement a range of video services on their devices. With the development of HTML5, HbbTV itself could become less relevant over time. Some Opera customers already use HTML5 for the video service and HbbTV for the broadcast trigger, he says.
Saint Girons says he expects pay TV middleware to converge around HTML5 “so the platforms over time will be very similar”. In this environment, it will not be a challenge for pay TV operators to support HbbTV .
Pay TV providers
While those who wish to implement HTML5 within the framework of HbbTV must await the next version of the standard, the current version of HbbTV – version 1.5 – does embrace adaptive bit-rate encoding and DRM (see sidebar, p.14) – technologies that are seen as crucial to enabling monetisable web-delivered on-demand video services.
The addition of elements that support subscription and transactional services brings into focus the possibility of adoption of the standard by pay TV service providers as well as the free-to-air broadcast market. Adoption of the standard by pay TV operators has been limited up to now but there are signs of activity – Turkish pay TV service provider Digitürk has adopted HbbTV, for example. IPTV operators are also taking an interest in HbbTV, with French operators currently mulling the impact of the standard. And, while not pay TV services, Germany’s HD+ and French satellite offering Fransat – both CAS-controlled networks – have also adopted the standard.
Vendors in fact report growing interest from a number of pay TV players. “In the short term we haven’t seen a lot of requests from pay TV or cable operators. For an operator with full control of set-tops and specs industry standards may help or may create problems,” says Trudelle. “That could change over time because of specific regulations that say a platform has to be the same for free-to-air and pay services or because there are so many connected TVs out there with HbbTV that pay TV operators can use those to reach consumers. The consumer electronics industry is what will get them to adopt it.”
For Digital TV Labs’ Potter, there are a number of advantages to pay TV operators that adopt a standards-based approach. “Pay TV operators have to incur rollout costs in using proprietary technologies. Where they can use standard techs, they will. DASH is an open standard and is supported by manufacturers outside the TV world as well,” he argues. “Operators are moving to being an app. The ability to provide services on other platforms is becoming important. If you do it without a set-top there is a cost saving.”
Digisoft.tv’s Kelly also believes a market will emerge for HbbTV amongst second and third tier telecom providers in the US. “We are working with tier-two cable companies in the US on prototypes and proofs of concept. It is affordable and there is no massive licence fee required or complex negotiations,” he says.
However, many pay TV providers are ambivalent about HbbTV, which could enable broadcasters to deliver interactive services – and possibly even pay services – over the top. There was recently a controversy highlighting the conflict in the Netherlands, where the local regulator asked cable operators to cease filtering out HbbTV services from broadcasters retransmitted over their networks.
Whatever the appeal or otherwise to pay TV providers, technology providers are looking to enable monetisable applications as well as providing an entry point for a wider range of industry players. Nagra has implemented a cloud-based HbbTV platform in partnership with Spain’s Abertis Telecom that can manage the complexity of multiple DRMs from the back end as a cloud service. “This is essentially HbbTV on demand as a service from the cloud,” says Trudelle. Nagra and Abertis have launched cloud HbbTV in Spain and an HbbTV version 1.5 variant is due to follow this autumn. “The key principle is that we provide broadcast red button apps that take you into a portal in the CDN, available to all connected TVs, that gives you access to content services and VoD packaged in an HTML app. The TV connects to that app and plays out. We do ingest, transcoding and all the workflow and make sure the service is up and running 24/7,” explains Trudelle. This, he says, enables second-tier broadcasters to get HbbTV services up and running without the need to make major investments in infrastructure.
Digisoft.tv’s Kelly meanwhile believes services will emerge including video-on-demand in the broadcast stream without an IP return channel – something already tested in France.
Subscription and transactional services are not the only routes to additional revenue. In addition to enabling premium on-demand video services, HbbTV offers the prospect of developing targeted advertising. This is increasingly seen as “the holy grail of the content industry”, says Oregan’s Timergaleyeva. “Targeted advertising is starting to gain mindshare in the face of increased need to subsidise much of the new [HD capable] hybrid hardware for next generation service offering.”
Kelly meanwhile points to the prospect of delivering personalised ads in the form of pop-up windows overlaying the main broadcast advert. He also points to possible future applications in the field of home automation, using the Z-Wave interfaces on set-top boxes and HTML alerts to enable homeowners to monitor and control home appliances.
There is a growing consensus that the future of media is wedded to IP. Broadcasters are facing up to the likelihood that, over time, the ‘broadcast’ element of video delivery – and therefore also of HbbTV – is likely to decline and the ‘internet’ element is likely to grow. Nevertheless, for now HbbTV is a relatively cost-effective way to deliver interactive services and, in the ever-changing universe of interactive TV enablers, this is a technology that remains on an upward trajectory.
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26 October 2020 @ 17:41:00 UTC


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Amongst the apartment buying trends in 2021 are a focus on technology, the need for space for remote working & the continued demand for apartments.
Looking to purchase an apartment? Here are some of the apartment buying trends in 2021, some of which you should keep in mind when searching for a dream home.
Focus on Technology
While the integration of technology into apartments was in demand, it has grown even more after the pandemic led to remote working being adopted by companies around the world. Thus, smart apartments offered by the likes of TRI-ZEN are ideal providing greater connectivity and convenience for work as well as aspects like increased security.
Workspaces & Safe Recreation
As more people embrace remote working, they also seek apartments that have adequate space not only for loved ones but a home office too. Additionally, many would look for safe recreation spaces at the property itself; for example, for living in Colombo, some apartment complexes feature rooftop pools, fitness centres and sports facilities.
Continued Demand for Apartments
In certain countries, existing low market interest rates will continue to fuel demand for home buying including apartments. Despite the pandemic, this demand is expected to continue. An additional factor encouraging buyers is that certain up and coming apartments have partnered with local banks to offer flexible home financing solutions too.
Virtual Visits Become Popular
Due to the pandemic, there may be a reluctance to physically visit an apartment before buying it. To counter this, properties will look to offer online elements including virtual walkthroughs on their websites; even before the pandemic, some new apartments already had virtual reality tours in place which will continue to be useful.


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German supermarket Aldi is estimated to now hold a double-digit percentage share of the Australian grocery sector, at the expense of the nation’s supermarket duopoly.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims believes Aldi to now have “close to north of 10 percent of the market now”, according to Fairfax.
Sims believes this has knocked the dynamic duo of Coles and Woolworths down to a combined 70% share, whereas the two held closer to a 75% share a few years ago.
Aldi’s growth has been exponential over the past years, and now the retailer has over 400 stores across the country, employing over 9000 staff. Its sales in 2013 came in just under $5 billion, up $2.86 billion from 2010.
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During this period, the retailer has continued to shake up the market, prompting price wars between Coles and Woolworths.
Aldi offers a similar, if not slightly reduced, range to other supermarkets, including fresh produce and meat. The store prides itself on its bi-weekly product specials, which can be anything from a microwave to a traffic cone, all heavily discounted.
This specials method has been so successful that other Australian non-grocery retailers are also taking notice, with Bunnings chief executive John Gilliam recently indicating that the hardware chain pays close attention to the special offers.
Brian Walker, chief executive of the Retail Doctor Group, told SmartCompany that Sims’ 10% estimation is “absolutely accurate” and that Aldi is comfortably in the top three grocery retailers in Australia, and it is continuing to grow.
“We’ve had this duopoly for a long time, and now Aldi has established itself for the middle class of Australia,” Walker says.
“Aldi prides itself on its price driven focus, high quality standards, and a strong go-to-market process, its stores are always well stocked and quite tidy.”
Walker believes there are a number of reasons for Aldi’s success, with its recent expansion into perimeter departments (meat, deli, produce, bakery, and seafood) one of the primary reasons.
“It draws a lot of fresh food customers, and makes Aldi a true ‘one stop shop’,” Walker says.
“Its weekly merchandise specials also draw in customers, more for the bargains and element of surprise, which really appeals strongly to them.”
One of the concerns with Aldi’s expansion was the affect on other prevalent small grocery retailers such as Metcash’s IGA. While Walker says there is no immediate pressure on IGA, but there will be an effect eventually.
“IGA does good work for community businesses and its been showing some growth recently. But in the mid to longer term, they’re under pressure,” Walker says.
“Its market share will be fundamentally affected by Aldi.”
Walker says that he has “no doubt” Aldi will continue growing, but at a slower rate than some may expect. He warns of the potential affect other international retailers, such as Lidl, could have on Australia’s grocery sector.
Lidl is another German discount supermarket chain, established in 1930 and found in over 20 countries across Europe. The retailer is a giant in every sense of the word, with over 10,000 stores across the continent, and is the primary competitor of Aldi in Europe.
Walker describes Lidl as a similar to Aldi but with “very deep discounts”, and warns that if it came to Australia, it wouldn’t go away easily.
“Lidl is tipped to come to Australia as well, and their expansion would be quick. They’re very strong, and very aggressive,” he says.
Despite indicating they would not plan to enter the Australian market, Fairfax reports Lidl has been reaching out to Australian suppliers, and has talked to the Victorian government.


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During the shelter-in-place orders necessitated by COVID-19, Americans across the country yearned for a change of scenery outside their homes. Who didn’t fantasize about a luxury hotel stay or a fabulous dinner out with friends? To help people make up for lost moments in 2020, Visit California created the Dreaming On in California contest, and with the help of Marriott hotels, two lucky winners made good on their deferred travel dreams with epic California road trips.
For Colorado resident Nathan Puranaputra, the most challenging aspect of lockdown was the toll it took on his young family—especially his six-year-old daughter Emma. “Life was just not the same for our sweet little girl, who thrived off of being around others and adventuring the world,” he explains.
The Puranaputras were thrilled to win an exclusive Northern California road trip experience with luxury accommodations provided by Marriott. Their trip kicked off at the stunning seaside town of Monterey, where the family biked along the coast with rentals provided by Adventures by the Sea. They spent the night at the Monterey Marriott, enjoying waterfront views and close proximity to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row.
The family then made their way north to San Francisco, where the kids were treated to an in-room fort at JW Marriott San Francisco, located in the bustling shopping district of Union Square. The parents had a blast too, as they were treated to a wine pairing with their dinner at Level III Restaurant. The Puranaputras’ final stop was just a few miles away at San Francisco Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf, which features easy access to the Golden Gate Bridge and Pier 39. Puranaputra said the vacation gave his family the opportunity to “dream again.”
Friends Casey Whalen and Maria Arriviello had planned a big national park trip through California for 2020, but their plans were derailed by COVID-19 and a major health scare for Maria. With the two living in separate cities, the best friends weren’t able to see one another for an entire year—but after winning a Southern California Marriott road trip, they made up for lost time.
Their four-day itinerary included a night at JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live, including dinner for two at Savoca. “The pool was amazing,” Whalen says. “We sipped margaritas there before going to the restaurant.” Next, the pair headed south to Anaheim for a stay at JW Marriott Anaheim Resort, located close to the Garden Walk.
Their last stop: The US Grant San Diego. “One of our favorite parts of the whole trip was definitely the wine, chocolate, and cheese tasting,” says Whalen. The historic hotel, located in the Gaslamp Quarter, boasts a robust wine library in its restaurant, Grant Grill.
“The hotels, the restaurants, everything was above and beyond beautiful,” Whalen recalls. “The service was phenomenal. It was really just such an amazing experience.”


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An auction of The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies - the picture made famous by BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo - has raised more than £4,000 for charity.
Mr Moore decided to auction the painting to help a Oxford charity
The auctioned picture belonged to production designer Shaun Moore, who was given it as a gift when the classic series came to an end 15 years ago.
He sold it to raise funds for Oxford charity the Ace Centre, which helps children with communication problems.
The official handover of the picture to its buyer will take place on Thursday.
The charity said the money raised by the auction was a "fantastic" amount.
A spokeswoman said: "We are a small charity that has recently lost some major funding so every penny counts.
"This auction has really raised awareness of the charity both locally and nationally."
Mr Moore, from Thame, said many other copies of the picture, by fictional artist Van Clomp, were ruined during shooting of the series.
"They were rolled into German sausages, shoved down trouser legs, or singed by an exploding gilded frame intended as a gift for Adolf Hitler," he said.
The money raised by the sale of the picture will go towards the Ace centre's Eye Gaze project, which aims to enable youngsters with physical disabilities to use their eyes to communicate through computers.
'Allo 'Allo, which made light of the Nazi occupation of France, ran on BBC One from 1982 to 1992.


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Here you will find a chronological list of articles from The Beverage Journal, Inc. Feel free to tag, comment and share.
By Beverage Media Editors
The two-week stretch from St. Patrick’s Day, 2020, to the end of the month, will surely be recorded as the biggest shock in restaurant history. Mandatory dine-in shut-downs in every state left millions of servers, dishwashers, line cooks, and bartenders suddenly jobless.
But if the second half of March represented the new Dark Age of restaurants and bars, April was shaping up as a gray area at best. The pandemic only began in the U.S. in March; the impact is bound to be layered and progressive. The consequences are unpredictable, not only because of the complexity of the economy, but more so because the situation keeps changing.
Witness the flurry of relief funds, the pivot to takeout and delivery, and the fast response of Congress, passing the CARES Act; these efforts could play out positively for some operations. On the other hand, a statement by the Independent Restaurant Coalition (saverestaurants.com) called the short-term relief “insufficient to ensure independent restaurants can stay open and continue to employ over 11 million workers.” Jobs were the point, the Coalition had argued when lobbying Congress. As Bobby Stuckey, Master Sommelier and owner of Frasca and four other restaurants in Colorado, put it: “Saving the restaurant industry [would] save more jobs than any other industry asking for money.”
At the same time, with people continuing to hunker down and reinvent daily living, who knows how everyone will behave once the virus has passed? “Just how busy are restaurants going to be when we reopen?” asks Naomi Pomeroy, chef/owner of Beast PDX, a 26-seat fine dining restaurant in Portland, Oregon, where the entire staff was laid off in March and applied for unemployment—including herself. “Will people want to sit in a crowded dining room when we still don’t have a vaccine for COVID-19? Plus, the financial beat down we have all taken and the possibility of a major recession do not bode well for restaurants. We have no idea what we are looking at on the backside of this.”
Based on a survey of 4,000 of its members, the National Restaurant Association estimates that during the first 22 days of March, the restaurant industry lost $25 billion in sales and more than 3 million jobs.
Moreover, as we learn more about the virus and how society reacts, many unknowns are bound to surface—and bring more change—in coming weeks. Among them:
How fast can financial help arrive, and how far will it go? The CARES Act, passed March 27, promised loan deferrals, grants, and hiring incentives. But many fear that most of the aid is going to be steered toward chains, leaving independents still struggling. Meanwhile, the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund began accepting applications on April 2 from industry workers who were adversely impacted by COVID-19 financially; one-time $500 grants are certainly welcome, but not sustaining.
Business insurance is shaping up to be a legal wild card. The law firm that sued insurers on behalf of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group in California and Cajun Conti in Louisiana formed a coalition to take on the insurance industry. The Business Interruption Group (BIG), with celebrity chefs and restaurant industry groups on board, is demanding payment for restaurants that have business interruption insurance and don’t have exclusions for viruses. It may take months, but this could be a game changer, positioning more than half of impacted restaurants to file successful claims.
This is an election year. The hospitality industry could become a political football, just like imported wines got run through the news wringer at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020. At the same time, localities are not going to sit back idly; expect efforts in local communities to take aim at sustaining or restoring local food providers. And while much of the political near-term is unsettled, it stands to reason that industry associations representing the industry in state capitals are going to be critically important.
Restaurants are already taking steps to liquidate their inventory, promoting specific wines with menu options and some even offering bottles from their entire lists. In New York City, for example, wine-centric Marea began offering 25% discounts on full bottles off the Reserve List. And Mister Paradise, a bar in the East Village, began selling house-bottled cocktails that serve two or three as well as full-blown cocktail kits with a bottle of liquor plus mixers and trimmings.
How will restaurants be able to regroup? The pandemic caused ripples of hardship; issues of transportation, schooling and child care are going to continue to hamper a return to “business as usual.” Restaurants may have to rebuild their staffs when they reopen. And with many in the workforce not even going back to their old offices anytime soon, the entire nature of food service may be changing.
The future is still fuzzy in terms of what the restaurant landscape will look like and function like eventually; the sheer length of the shutdown will be a factor. In a recent New York Times interview, restaurateur and author David Chang, said he felt the industry was already moving toward a delivery-driven model, and the pandemic may push us there faster.
Indeed, people have to eat, but who says they need to eat in restaurants and be served by waiters? Catering may undergo a resurgence, or perhaps private chefs. Or maybe food co-ops will swing back into the mainstream. New delivery options may develop as well. The future of food and beverage in America has never been less clear.
“I believe this is going to reshape the industry as we know it,” says Joel Gott, founder of Gott’s Roadside, a Napa-based restaurant chain, who is desperately trying to weather the pandemic. Five of of seven Gott’s locations remained open through March and into April for delivery and take-out business, which has been brisk. Yet it’s far from sustainable: “Our daily payroll is larger than our revenue,” he reports. In spite of this, he is donating all sales to his employee relief fund to offer support to the workers that have been most affected by the crisis.
Some predict one-third of restaurants will not be able to reopen, because the cost of reopening is extremely high, even for small establishments. Chall Gray, co-owner of Slings & Arrows Consulting and Little Jumbo bars in Asheville, North Carolina, laid off all nine of his employees, yet he still feels luckier than most, as he was able to secure a three month deferral on his bars’ mortgages and has a small emergency fund. “I’m hearing numerous stories of other bar operators and restaurateurs already saying they simply won’t have the money to reopen,” Gray says. “It’s so much more expensive than simply turning the lights back on.”
Click Here to check out the article as it appeared in The Journal.


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Trex Sweeps Composite Decking Category In Remodeling Magazine's 2013 Brand Use Study
Brand Captures Number One Ranking in All Four Measured Areas
WINCHESTER, Va., July 10, 2013 – Trex Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking and railing, has been recognized with four first-place rankings in Remodeling magazine’s 2013 Brand Use Study. Reinforcing its unparalleled brand strength and recognition among industry professionals, Trex dominated the Decking: Composite and Vinyl category in all measured areas.
Trex boasts an 89 percent rating in the “Brands Heard Of” category. In addition, 65 percent of study respondents reported having used Trex decking in the past two years. Trex also is the brand used the most by respondents and the brand that industry professionals have used the most in the past two years and/or would consider using. This year marks the fifth consecutive Remodeling Brand Use Study in which Trex has swept all measured areas in its category.
“We’re proud to sustain our position as the clear brand of choice in the wood-alternative decking category among our valued trade partners,” said Ronald W. Kaplan, chairman, president and CEO of Trex. “This honor underscores our commitment as the industry leader to introduce manufacturing and design innovations and set high standards for performance and aesthetics.”
Earlier this year, Trex took the top spot in three of four key performance areas for the sixth consecutive year in Builder magazine’s 2013 Brand Use Study. Trex was named number one in “brand familiarity,” brand used the most” and “brand used in the past two years” for the Composite/PVC Decking category. In addition, Trex earned high marks for “quality” and continued to gain share in this performance area.
Hanley Wood Publishing and Readex Research, an independent research company, conducted the Remodeling 2013 Brand Use Study. More than 8,000 readers of Remodeling magazine were surveyed regarding brands across 52 categories. The full study will be published in the August issue of Remodeling.
For more information about Trex products, visit trex.com.


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News Release excerpt provided by PR Web.
Today, nChannel, the leading provider of multichannel management software that simplifies selling for merchants, is announcing a new partnership with Shopify Plus, Shopify’s commerce offering for high growth, high volume merchants. The partnership offers merchants a turnkey migration tool to move ecommerce data from their legacy Magento ecommerce platform to Shopify Plus, while enabling merchants to integrate Shopify Plus with their fulfillment systems…
…“As any merchant or customer can attest, the retail industry has experienced a fundamental shift in the way it operates, in large part to the changing consumer shopping experience and what customers demand from today’s retailers,” said Steve Weber, president and CEO of nChannel. “Before they hit the buy button, Shopify Plus provides merchants with the tools to make it easy for shoppers to find and purchase the perfect product. After purchasing, nChannel enables flawless order delivery and provides real-time inventory updates to avoid stock outs and backorders…”
Click here to read the complete news release.
Originally published June 14, 2016.


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Even as the range of new over-the-top connected devices brings consumers an explosion of new video choices, incumbent pay-TV operators have continued building viewership of their own video-on-demand (VOD) offerings. But, as Colin Dixon, Senior Partner at The Diffusion Group, a digital media research firm, argues in a new white paper, the vast majority of this viewership has been of free content, effectively leaving pay-TV operators out of the burgeoning rental and download markets. A key reason for this has been sub-optimal electronic program guides (EPGs).
In a complimentary webinar tomorrow at 11am PT / 2pm ET titled "The Social TV Guide: Boosting VOD Revenue and Customer Engagement Through Enhanced Content Discovery," Colin will lay out both the opportunity and specific tactics for how providers can improved their VOD offerings. Colin will be joined by Sefy Ariely, VP of Sales and Marketing for Orca Interactive, which makes content navigation software. The data and lessons that Colin will share is applicable not only to pay-TV operators, but to anyone offering online and mobile video options trying to drive higher usage and revenue.
VideoNuze is the authoritative online source for original analysis and news aggregation focused on the burgeoning online video industry. Founded in 2007 by Will Richmond, a 20-year veteran of the broadband, cable TV, content and technology industries, VideoNuze is read by executive-level decision-makers who need to get beyond the standard headlines and achieve a deep understanding of online video’s disruptive impact.


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Lil Wayne Celebrates 13th Anniversary of ‘Tha Carter III’ With Heartfelt Instagram Post
Lil Wayne released his career-defining album, Tha Carter III
To celebrate the 13th anniversary of the project, Weezy took to Instagram to reflect on the 6x platinum album, which upon its release became the last rap LP to sell one million copies in its first week.
“Happy 13th to the project that really showed me my fans/supporters have love for me,” Wayne captioned a photo of the album’s cover art. “We did ‘Amilli’ the first week in a time where sales were down because of piracy/bootlegging!!! For that I’ll forever be grateful!”
With opening day sales figures of approximately 423,000 copies, Tha Carter III debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 1,005,545 copies in its first week, earning Wayne his first No. 1 debut and his sixth Top 10 album.
Carter III scored the largest first week sales for any album in 2008 in the United States, and was the first album to reach the million mark in one week since 50 Cent’s 2005 LP The Massacre.
At the time, Wayne responded to his impressive sales performance with a freestyle over the beat from the Carter III standout “A Milli”: “A milli-on sold, first day, I went gold / How do I celebrate? Work on Tha Carter IV / Shout out to every DJ / Bootleggers, I made history anyway.”
Stream Wayne’s signature album on all major platforms.


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The inaugural AI Fashion Week was a groundbreaking event that highlighted the intersection of technology and fashion. With AI-powered designs and virtual runway shows, the event showcased innovative ways to create and experience fashion. Attendees were able to explore the latest in AI technology while also experiencing the glamour and excitement of a traditional fashion week. From 3D printed dresses to virtual models, the event was a true showcase of the future of fashion.
The fashion industry is constantly evolving, and now, there’s a new concept to keep an eye on: AI Fashion Week. This event was brought to us by Maison Meta, an AI creative studio, and backed by e-commerce platform Revolve Group. It saw the debut of collections crafted by 30 AI designers chosen from 350 submissions of 15 to 30 looks each, spanning two days and attracting over 1,000 visitors.
What makes AI Fashion Week interesting is the way in which the event came about. Each applicant had one month to curate 15-30 images depicting their collection and show environment. The competition was then narrowed down to just ten final collections through two rounds of voting, the first of which involved the general public.
A judging panel composed of fashion industry icons like Dame Pat McGrath, and Vogue Japan’s head of editorial content Alexander Gilkes, among others, will name the top three winners in May. The winners will be part of the initial cohort of the first AI Fashion Tech incubator developed in partnership between Maison Meta and Revolve. Additionally, they’ll be able to create their brand, design, and produce their physical collection for sale on Revolve and Fwrd.
However, what is interesting about how Maison Meta operates is their use of a custom workflow that sits across various different AI tools. They use tools, such as Midjourney, Stable Diffusion with custom models, plus Deform, Wrap Fusion, EbSynth, ControlNet, StyleGan3, TouchDesigner, and Notch, that allow them to create the quality that they produce with the ultimate control on the final output.
Even though the vast majority of students who hold fashion degrees are women, men still dominate the fashion industry. However, Maison Meta revealed that 70 percent of the 350 designers who applied for the AI Fashion Tech incubator are female, ranging in age from 16 to 68, and all with various backgrounds and nationalities.
Since the show’s opening in New York, more than 4,000 people have registered on the app to view and vote for qualifying collections. With the advent of digital fashion and now AI fashion, we are watching with bated breath to see if this accelerates the democratization of the fashion industry.
In conclusion, AI Fashion Week is starting to gain popularity and is quickly becoming a fashion go-to event. With such a unique approach to fashion design, it is no wonder that it is gaining so much traction. We look forward to watching this year’s winners in the AI Fashion Tech incubator’s first cohort of designers evolve their creations and potentially lead the charge in the democratization of the fashion industry.


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A Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time PC port could be on the way soon thanks to the efforts of a fan decompilation project.
The Zelda community over at Zelda Reverse Engineering Team (ZRET for short) has been hard at work on this task for about a year, and they have just now reached 65% completion.
"not as easy as just ‘compile it for Windows'.
They went on to say that “there is a lot of code that deals with talking to N64 hardware. The N64 render pipeline is very different than modern OpenGL, for example."
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The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is to undergo a major £400 000 brand strategy review, and has appointed Rufus Leonard to the task.
The museum has been renamed as D-Day Story and given a new look by StudioLR to help it appeal to a wider audience.
Nearly 200 students and 50 staff within the university’s Schools of Art and Humanities have expressed concerns that cutting academic modules could affect students’ career prospects and put tutors out
Banking start-up Tide has revealed the portrait card design as part of a wider rebrand by consultancy Article.
Dalziel & Pow has given the building society and bank a new store design that aims to create a more “homely” feel for high-street banks, while ditching closed counters to


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The mainstream SSD market is blowing up with products as low as 50 cents per GB. Transcend has the new SSD340 on store shelves, Chris walks us through it."
A quick patch update to Windows can extend the useful life of a PC. To take the fear out of Upgrading Windows 98 to Windows XP, rely on this guide. - PCSTATS Tips


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Orleans eatery feels the burn
ORLEANS – Things were humming Thursday evening at Guapo’s Tortilla Shack when the computer system that coordinates everything from orders to payments suddenly went down.
“Guest checks were there in the system one second, then they disappeared. We couldn’t collect payment,” restaurant owner Kyle Parker said. “Guests left annoyed. We comped at least $600 in food and beverage. Damage to the morale of our staff was enormous.”
Four days later, even after launching a social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter in an attempt to grab attention, Parker was still struggling to get help from Oracle, his point-of-sale system provider.
By early Monday morning, he was so frustrated that he drove off Cape through winter storm conditions to Oracle’s offices in Bedford.
After waiting three hours and being “invited to leave” because he didn’t have an appointment, Parker was heading home around noontime still unsatisfied.
“I’ve got about $40,000 invested in this system,” Parker said. “This is a David-vs.-Goliath situation. There is no concern for small business, which is the backbone of our community.”
POS systems, which more and more restaurant operators rely on, are “the brains of the operation,” according to Bob Luz, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
Servers use them to send orders to the kitchen in a coordinated way. If three people out for dinner order a steak, a salad and a fish dish, the system dispatches the steak order first to the grill, then, a few minutes later, sends the fish order to the oven station and, several minutes after that, transmits the salad order to the cold station.
“That way, everything comes out at the same time,” Luz said. “It also sends drink orders to the bar and generates the guest check and takes the credit card payment.”
A system breakdown can result in food orders coming out late — or not at all — and make it difficult if not impossible for restaurant owners and managers to cash out at the end of the day.
“A POS system is a heavy investment,” Luz said. "When it goes down, it can be crippling for a restaurant.”
Oracle got into the POS system line when it bought out MICROS Systems Inc. in 2014.
Reached by email at Oracle’s Redwood City, California, headquarters, a spokesman said the company declined to comment but suggested that Parker’s problem would soon be resolved.
Guapo’s is not the only local business to have suffered epic POS system support fails.
William Maitrepierre, general manager of PB Boulangerie Bistro in Wellfleet, had a similar problem with an Oracle MICROS system.
“It was horrible — a worst nightmare,” he said. “We had issues more than one time and it took them more than a week to get someone down here. There is no tech support in the field. It’s like we’re in a dead zone.”
Liz Miles, owner of White Lion Bakery in Mashpee, had a similar situation with a provider called Merchant Lynx.
“We had eight or nine days of exactly what (Parker) is going through. No one would call back and when I’d finally get to a tech guy, it would take hours,” she said. “I’m not sure if it’s because we’re not doing enough business to get their attention or what.”
Miles said she resorted to using a Triangle payment device that plugs into a smart phone or tablet to record credit and debit card payments. She got the payment system so she could take cards when selling her gluten-free and other specialty baked goods at farmers’ markets, but she has to pay a higher fee to use it — 2.75 percent vs. 1.75 percent per transaction.
“I ended up asking customers if they had cash and a lot of them did,” Miles said. “Cash is king, but cards are so convenient. As a relatively new business, you don’t want to turn anyone away.”
Luz said there were many POS providers for restaurateurs to choose from, and Maitrepierre is in the process of switching over to one called Revel.
“With the MICROS system there are many things I can’t do. With the new one, I can do everything faster and easier,” he said.
That includes making his own changes to terminal keys that provide instructions to the kitchen and ring up correct prices, running reports and tracking inventory. And, if the Internet goes down, the Revel system will hold credit card information and process it once online service is restored, Maitrepierre said.
Parker’s social media campaign, which included posting photos of employees holding up signs asking Oracle for help, caught the attention of another of his service providers, Angus Davis, CEO of Upserve, a company that monitors all facets of a restaurant’s business to help owners and managers operate more efficiently.
While not responsible for the POS system, Upserve has around-the-clock support personnel on staff and Davis made those people available to Parker.
“He had his own IT person and we worked together to help them troubleshoot the problem,” Davis said. “POS can be finicky technology. The owner was understandably frustrated.”
While grateful for the assistance, Parker said Monday that he still needed Oracle to address the problem.
“It’s still not fully repaired. The data base is corrupted and not stable,” he said. “I’m really thankful for the support of friends and the community through this, but (Oracle) took money out of our staff’s pocket and at this time of year. They need to make it right. If it was my mistake, that’s what I would do.”
—Follow Lorelei Stevens on Twitter: @CCTLorelei.


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Politicians are depressing the Northern Ireland economy, claims commerce chief
Politicians must "realise they are depressing the Northern Ireland economy" as the latest economic survey shows businesses have suffered a slowdown over the last three months.
The momentum in Northern Ireland's recovery slowed during the third quarter of the year, according to the latest survey from the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and BDO.
Almost two thirds of businesses expect pay packets to rise in the coming year. Indeed, almost half of firms said they were under pressure to offer higher wages to attract new staff.
Confidence was falling among businesses, and the services sector - everything from eateries to estate agents - is now ranked in the bottom three performing UK regions across almost all performance areas.
Key aspects of the services sector weakened, and Northern Ireland was the poorest-off in the UK for domestic services sales.
It was also a "challenging" quarter for Northern Ireland manufacturing.
The balance of manufacturing firms taking on staff over the last three months fell sharply and fewer expected to increase their workforce over the coming months, according to the quarterly survey.
Yet manufacturing exports had improved during the quarter.
The mixed findings for manufacturing come as aerospace firm Bombardier, the province's biggest manufacturer, faces fears over the performance of its CSeries jet programme.
And generator maker Caterpillar NI in Larne also faces the effects of the slowdown in the global economy.
Ann McGregor, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive, said there "has been deterioration in most of the key balances across both manufacturing and services".
"We had been seeing a particularly strong improvement in business performance within the domestic economy for Northern Ireland businesses but this appears to have stalled this quarter," she said.
And she said the Stormont stalemate needed to be resolved to help Northern Ireland's economy.
"We are seven years out of recession but we still don't seem to be out of it," she said.
"We are happy exports are going up - but we need businesses to grow in Northern Ireland. We are on the side of business, and businesses need confidence.
"Those 'up on the hill' need to realise they are depressing the Northern Ireland economy."
Meanwhile, almost half of Northern Ireland businesses continue to be concerned about exchange rates - twice as many as in the rest of the UK.
Two thirds of firms said they were in support of paying the National Living Wage, despite concerns among those in the hospitality and the services sector.
But while almost 80% of those businesses quizzed said they already paid the £7.20 an hour wage, or more, 15% said they "could not afford to pay that rate".
BDO managing partner Peter Burnside said businesses would find it "difficult to react" to the quick introduction of the new higher wage.
He said the third quarter results were "disappointing" but "reflective of the precarious state of our economic recovery".
Bank of Ireland economist Alan Bridle said that a resolution at Stormont would "see a bit of bounce" in business confidence.
Looking ahead, Ulster Bank chief economist Richard Ramsey said 2016 will be tougher for businesses.
"There is going to be reduced demand going ahead, and that's one of the reasons business confidence is hit," he said.
"And one of the reasons why a lot of the firms appear to be lowering the expectations about hiring staff, is the amount of incoming work is slowing down."
He added: "One of the reasons why 2015 is still pretty good in overall growth is because it's been given a lift with inflation, food and fuel prices.
"That is not going to last into the early part of 2016."


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BULGARIA: Zagorka posts 16% rise in net profit
Zagorka, based in Stara Zagora in central Bulgaria, also reported gross revenues for 2002 of BL84.8m (US$50.2m/€43.6m), up 7% from last year. Sales in volume terms rose by 2.3% to 1.029m hectolitres.
Zagorka is majority-owned by Brewinvest, a joint venture between the Greek drinks group, Hellenic Bottling, and the Dutch brewing combine, Heineken.
Combined with its other Bulgarian brewer, Ariana, Brewinvest controls around 26% of the Bulgarian beer market.
Dutch brewer Heineken is rumored to have released a self-chilling beer can....
ING has raised its target for Heineken's share price after analysing the brewer's options to save costs....
Heineken's CEO-in-waiting has no plan to radically alter the brewer's strategy, he said in an interview today....
Heineken has restructured its top management, in a move that includes the retirement of current CEO and chairman Thony Ruys from October this year....
Heineken said yesterday that its Austrian subsidiary Brau Union AG has signed an agreement for the divestment of its Real Estate Division. This division comprises all non-business related real estate ...
Heineken has acquired a 40% stake in a Chinese brewery....
Heineken Espana is looking to invest heavily in a new plant in southern Spain....
Grupo Empresarial Bavaria is not looking to sell up, its president has confirmed....
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Reactivity Digital Media Goes Global
Recent Press Release:
Reactivity Digital Media would like to announce they have been chosen as the creative partner for Pakuranga College in Auckland, New Zealand for deployment of their digital signage. The college will install 55” flat-screen TV’s, across the entire campus, which will display content to engage and inform the students. The on-screen media will range from announcements for upcoming events, to social media feeds and accolades for students and staff.
Reactivity will design all custom screen layouts and content and then deploy all images straight to the multiple TV’s using cloud-based software. “What this means”, says Maggie Church, with Reactivity, “is we can be located in Hickory, N.C. and deploy digital signage around the world and we are so excited about the new technology and the opportunities it brings to our company”.
Church goes on to say, “We have recently designed and deployed custom menu boards to a pizza restaurant in Washington and have expanded our on-screen advertising displays into Cabarrus, Iredell and Union counties, with plans to scale up this part of the company over the next year, to include other states. Reactivity has built their model on becoming a turn-key digital design agency, which means; we install, design and manage all the aspects of a digital signage deployment, therefore assuming the entire work load for each new client. All they have to do is sit back and reap the rewards.”
On behalf of Reactivity, Church says, “I would like to thank all of our business location partners, various community leaders and advisory board members, who have extended their services and time to help our company grow”.
For more information contact Maggie Church at 828-358-0096.


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Pre-Open stocks action
U.S. stock futures tip-toed higher, as another rally in Internet retailer Amazon and moderate gains overseas provided an early lift, though a warning from Universal Health Services tempered enthusiasm
German and French stock indexes were mixed, assessing the euro's latest record rise against the dollar as crude oil prices held below $42 a barrel. In Japan, positive economic indicators boosted shares.
Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, -0.15% was upgraded to "outperform" from "peer perform" by Bear Stearns on the belief that the Internet-based retailer is poised to benefit from the burgeoning growth of e-commerce. Analyst Robert Peck also believes investors have been overly pessimistic on the stock due to concerns over competition and margin pressures. Peck raised his stock price target to $55 from $46, his fourth-quarter revenue estimate to $2.55 billion from $2.44 billion and earnings forecast to 44 cents a share from 41 cents. "We continue to believe in the long-term value of Amazon and think that the ultimate revenue potential for the company has only begun to be tapped, as it continues to expand into new product categories and add geographical territories," Peck said in a note to clients. The stock surged $3.32, or 8.5 percent, to $42.25 on Monday, after the company said it had the busiest holiday season in its history
UBS noted a late Christmas shopping surge as its UBS/ICSC Weekly Sales Index increased 2.7 percent on the week for the fourth week of December. UBS expects flat same-stores sales for department stores. "We look for luxury's year-and-a-half streak of outperformance to continue, driven by the strength of the high-end consumer, a focus on new fashion, and early receipts of Resort collections," the broker told clients. "We expect compelling product to be a differentiator across the income spectrum, and anticipate strong relative performance from J.C. Penney JCP, +2.57% (excluding the calendar shift), Federated Department Stores FD, -4.00%, Nordstrom JWN, -1.35% NMG and SFA." UBS said 25 percent of respondents in the UBS/ICSC Holiday Survey planned to spend more on electronics this year.
Smith Barney Citigroup told clients overnight it expected limited impact on the semiconductor industry after the tidal waves in Southeast Asia on Sunday. "An analysis of the 906 worldwide semiconductor facilities reveals that of industry's 10 million wafer starts, just 7 percent are located in potentially impacted areas, though once accounting for disaster area proximity and after initial checks with Micron MU, +0.05% and Intel INTC, +0.94% , potential industry exposure falls below 5 percent," the broker said
NStar NST, +0.00% was downgraded to "hold" from "buy" by Jefferies & Co. due primarily to valuation concerns. The electricity and natural gas delivery company's stock closed Monday down 6 cents at $53.96, but has gained 8.3 percent since Dec. 10 to approach Analyst Debra Bromberg's previous price target of $56. She raised her target to $58, but said she did not see other near-term positive catalysts for the stock following the recent regulatory approval of a major transmission project.
J.P. Morgan Securities overnight raised its price target on Tyco International TYC, +0.00% stock to $40. The broker told client it sees "further upside on the back of visible, outsized growth in earnings and FCF." Tyco shares ended unchanged Monday at $36.01
.P. Morgan Securities initiated battery maker stock Rayovac ROV, -6.12% at a 'neutral' overnight and started rival Energizer Holdings ENR, -0.19% at a lesser-ranked 'underweight.' Rayovac "has solid growth opportunity in its Remington business, disproportionate leverage to the rapidly growing mass channel, and room for battery cost-cutting," the broker concluded. On Energizer, the broker cited "concerns that the pricing environment in NA battery will worsen and that Energizer's razor/blade results will decelerate as the benefit from the Quattro and Intuition new products decelerate."
Breaking news - See market pulse for breaking news
- Blockbuster Inc. said early Tuesday that it plans to launch its cash tender offer to acquire Hollywood Entertainment Corp. by mid-January unless it's able to secure "substantial cooperation" from Hollywood's board. Blockbuster BBI, -5.10% said it's looking for cooperation that would be likely to lead to an acquisition agreement between the parties. The current offer from Blockbuster, which values Hollywood shares at $11.50 each in cash, is worth roughly $1 billion, including debt assumption. This trumps Hollywood's existing agreement to be acquired for $10.25 per share by a group comprised of Leonard Green Partners and Hollywood Chairman Mark Wattles but it's still less than Hollywood's HLYW closing price on Monday of $13.09.
- Orthofix International OFIX, -1.50% received approval Tuesday to market its Cervical-Stim bone growth simulator from the Food and Drug Administration. The company said the product has been designed to heal cervical and lumbar spine and long-bone fractures, and that it's the first FDA-approved bone growth stimulator for use as an adjunct to cervical spine fusion in high-risk patients. The stock closed Monday at $35.82, down 1.7 percent, and it was up nearly 5 percent in pre-market action.
- Gaming Partners International Corporation GPIC said Tuesday its chairman Francois Carrette had died in France. CEO Gerard Charlier said the company's board will take action in the near future to name Carrette's successor. The gaming equipment maker said Francois Carrette's wife, Elizabeth, has been appointed as his replacement as president of the supervisory board of Holding Wilson, S.A. Holding Wilson, a privately held French company, is the majority shareholder in Gaming Partners. The company's stock was down 2.7 percent, at $19.26 at the close of trading Monday
- Retailer CBRL Group CBRL, +0.53% said it expects earnings to rise at a low double digit percentage rate in the second quarter to Jan. 28 from the restated 54 cents a share earned in the year-earlier period. The new outlook includes the impact of an accounting change related to convertible debt. For all of 2005, the company is expecting a mid-teens percentage increase from the restated $2.20 a share earned in fiscal 2004. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call is for second-quarter earnings of 63 cents a share and 2005 earnings of $2.64. CBRL gave the outlook as it reported December same-store sales rose 7.3 percent. Shares ended Monday down 1.7 percent at $41.87
- Finnish forest and paper company Stora Enso Corp. SEO, +0.31% warned Tuesday its fourth-quarter earnings have been "negatively impacted" by the annual holiday shutdowns and an "an erosion of margins caused by the recent weakness of the US dollar and certain increased input costs." Separately, Stora said it anticipated a 170 million euro charge after changes to accounting rules in Finland for calculating disability pension liabilities. The company expects to release a 90 percent of a previously made provision for the charge to the quarter's operating profit.
- Ultimate Electronics ULTEE said it may be delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market. The retailer on Monday requested to stay the delisting and is awaiting a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel decision. It said it is unable to file a fully compliant Form 10-Q because the company's independent auditors have not completed their work with respect to the Company's quarterly financial statements.
- Commenting on the Sunday tidal waves in Southeast Starwood Hotels & Resorts HOT, +0.92% said its Sheraton hotels in Phuket, Krabi and Langkawi experienced no structural damages. "The hotels have mobilized their resources to complete the clean up and repair process at some of their beachfront facilities and are operating close to normal," the hotel group said.
- ImmunoGen, Inc. IMGN, +4.81% said Johnson & Johnson JNJ, +0.19% subsidiary Centocor has licensed certain exclusive rights to ImmunoGen's Tumor-Activated Prodrug (TAP) technology. ImmunoGen will receive from Centocor an upfront payment of $1 million, milestone payments that potentially total $42.5 million, and royalties on the sales of any resultant product, it said.
- British property owner Canary Wharf Group is considering selling office property valued at around 800 pounds ($1.5 billion) at London's Docklands estate, The Times (of London) reported Tuesday. The properties are mainly let to financial services firms. The sales comes as demand for commercial property investments are at an all-time high, the report noted
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(Pocket-lint) - Asian site Nikkei has reported that Foxconn, the manufacturer of the iPhone, is working on a new wireless charging system to be implemented in 2017's iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 will represent the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, so Apple is expected to introduce entirely new features to help boost sales.
Wireless charging for the iPhone has been touted for some time, but now Foxconn could finally be able to produce a module on an incredibly large scale.
The industry source that claimed Foxconn is working on the technology added it would only materialise if the yield rate can be deemed profitable. If too many modules are made and not up to a certain standard, the technology could be scrapped for a future iPhone release.
It's also been claimed that if the wireless modules can be mass produced, they might not find their way into every iPhone 8 model. The report says Apple could reserve the best features for a more premium 5.5-inch phone, which would also feature a curved OLED screen, glass back and metal frame.
There's some weight to this rumour as Sharp CEO Tai Jeng-wu recently said Apple will implement OLED technology in the iPhone, although he didn't confirm it would be the iPhone 8.
There's talk of two other iPhone models in the range that would launch with the regular flat LCD screen we've seen on current models.
Apple already offers wireless inductive charging in the Watch, but the modules are obviously much smaller and charge quite slowly. It's not crystal clear if Apple would use an inductive charging method on the iPhone or if it would use completely wireless charging, as Apple Insider confirmed the company has hired to executives from uBeam, a company that works on wireless charging via ultrasonic waves.


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European Fashion Award 2020 with a Special Award for Workwear
Submissions are now also being taken for this year’s European Fashion Award FASH 2020, given out by the German Fashion Industry Foundation. Designs and collections from students and graduates of international fashion schools are again being sought. The European Fashion Award comes with 5,000 euros in prize money. In addition, up to 20 participants receive support through advice on their portfolio, training for applications and workshops with distinguished experts. A new inclusion this year is the Special Award for Workwear sponsored by the company Engelbert Strauss. As Henning Strauss says, it is not solely a matter of workwear’s functionality. Rather, “Workwear is the art of engineering in textile form; we use the most modern materials and latest finishing technologies. An exciting field for young people in design.” What also makes the special award intriguing is how identification with a career, expertise and affiliation with a company are expressed in the clothing. Corporate fashion is an essential element of branding – and not just for large companies either. The registration deadline is 27 April and the submission deadline 3 May 2020.


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By Eric Savitz
Well, here’s a pretty unambiguous stock opinion for you.
Avian Securities analyst Avi Cohen issued a note today headlined “We Still Hate AMD.”
Cohen notes that Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) shares have been up in recent weeks on positive news flow about better performance and more competitive product offerings from its ATI division as well as some analyst comments suggesting possible share gains in servers and notebooks due to product delays at Intel.
“While we agree that AMD is likely to improve its product offerings in graphics,” he writes, “we disagree with the view that AMD is likely to gain meaningful shares in servers and notebooks. We are actually more inclined to short AMD on rallies given the new found optimism.”
Cohen says delays in Intel’s (INTC) launch of its Montevina platform are “not likely to put much of a dent in Intel’s lead in notebook share.” And he also asserts that any delays in Nehalem will not lead to significant share gains for AMD,
Cohen’s overall advice: “We view rallies in AMD’s shares as an opportunity to short the stock given our belief that fundamentals at Intel are much better given their superior product offering, upcoming key architectural changes to their processors which will drive better margins and widening cost advantage over AMD late this year and into next year.”
AMD today is up 23 cents, or 3.3%, at $7.19; INTC is up 42 cents, or 1.9%, at $22.23.


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Tri Bike Basics: Aerobars
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Triathletes use aerobars to get into a tuck position that reduces wind drag. We stole the idea from ski racers, but aerobars are one of the most cost-effective ways to upgrade a road bike for triathlon. In this article Triathlete Tech Editor Aaron Hersh breaks down the basics behind aerobars and helps you decide which kind to purchase for your bike.
Read the complete article below.
To read the first Tri Bike Basics article, click here.


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ALFASHOP RENEWS DEAL
The BRSCC Alfa Romeo Championship will again be sponsored by Norwich based independent parts suppliers ALFASHOP in 2010, extending a successful association that started in 2006.
"We have been very happy with the way our sponsorship has helped develop brand awareness over the past four years" said Alfashop MD Jeremy Wales."It has certainly brought us extra business which is the real bottom line. In the coming year we want to use the Championship to help spread the word about our new interactive website which will be going live early in the New Year".
The opening round in 2010 will be on Easter Monday (April 5) at Castle Combe. More information about the Alfashop Alfa Romeo Championship Click Here


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This year, the Girl Scouts also has a program that encourages girls to collect donations for the "I Care" program, which sends Girl Scout Cookies to troops overseas. In the past, girls in Girl Scout troops have typically sold cookies and exchange currency face-to-face. Now, with the mainstream adoption of social media and technology, girls like 11-year-old Emma Vermaak have turned to social media and PayPal to help market and sell cookies, as well as collect these donations. As initially reported by SteamFeed, the Girl Scouts discovered Emma was using PayPal to collect donations for the "I Care" program and the organization tweeted support for her for doing what "Girl Scouts is all about!" Shortly afterwards, Emma's mom, Kimberly Reynolds, was contacted by Emma's troop's leader, who was told Emma could only take cash or checks. The Girl Scouts then tweeted at Emma the next day (while she was at school), clarifying that they didn't mean to cause confusion by supporting her efforts, explaining "But girls cannot transact the sale (take payment) online. That must happen in person to build oh-so-important people skills."
Is the Girl Scouts Association stuck in the last century, or is it actively discouraging girls from using technology? In an exclusive interview with Forbes, Emma's mom believes this incident "definitely" indicates that it is actively discouraging girls from using technology. If using personal PayPal accounts are such an issue, she believes setting up an online affiliate platform would be easy solution for girls to collect payments online. Reynolds has even offered to help set something this up on behalf of the organization, but Elizabeth Locke Thomas, VP of Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio, told Reynolds the organization is very resistant to develop anything like this. (In fact, Josh Ackley, PR manager for the Girl Scouts Association of America, told CNET that "The Girl Scout Cookie Program is a $790 million dollar girl-led business, and developing the platform to allow these types of transactions online would take many years.")
Reynolds said that the message was clear in several conversations to Emma and herself that using online technology was not like "real life experiences," echoing the sentiment the organization tweeted at Emma. Obvioiusly, though, using technology is not a barrier to building "oh-so-important people skills", as Reynolds explained Emma learned more communication and marketing skills using social media than she ever would have going door-to-door. (The later of which she also noted poses a much bigger safety issue).
Discouraging the use of technology, however, could be a barrier to building "oh-so-important" confidence and career skills - which ironically, are other cornerstones of the Girl Scouts Association of America.
I have contacted the Girl Scouts Association for comment on girls learning and using technology.


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Carriers Reportedly Testing Nano-SIMs for Apple Ahead of Next-Generation iPhone Launch
Following a report earlier this week claiming that European carriers have been stockpiling new nano-SIM cards in expectation of Apple using the smaller card in the next-generation iPhone, BGR now reports that carriers are indeed testing the new cards in partnership with Apple.
Multiple carrier sources have exclusively told BGR that Apple is supplying nano-SIM adapters so its carrier partners can test how nano-SIMs work on their networks in standard test devices before they are widely deployed when the new iPhone is introduced. This includes AT&T.
SIM card form factors with nano-SIM at left (Source: Giesecke & Devrient)
As we noted in the our report earlier this week, a part leak back in early May suggested that Apple would continue to use micro-SIMs in the next-generation iPhone, but with the new nano-SIM standard backed by Apple having been approved last month the company may already be pushing forward to adopt it as a space-saving measure.
Top Rated Comments
It's standard practice when you introduce anything new into a system.
It's a newly manufactured and designed device - anything could go wrong from a design flaw to a manufacturing defect.
I wish they called this SIM card the "Pequeño SIM"! :D:D