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Korean-Japanese gaming publisher Nexon has bought $100 million worth of bitcoin.
The company purchased 1,717 bitcoins at an average price of $58,226, including fees and expenses.
Nexon's CEO said bitcoin is likely to retain its value, and offers long-term stability.
The video-game provider, founded by Korean billionaire Kim Jung-ju, said it bought 1,717 bitcoins at an average price of $58,226 per coin, including fees and expenses.
The transaction represents 2% of Nexon's total cash and cash equivalents as of December 2020, the company said.
Jung-ju's net worth stands at about $11 billion, according to Bloomberg. His gaming business' bitcoin bet marks the largest-ever cryptocurrency purchase by a Tokyo-listed company.
"Our purchase of bitcoin reflects a disciplined strategy for protecting shareholder value and for maintaining the purchasing power of our cash assets," Owen Mahoney, Nexon's president and CEO, said in a statement. "In the current economic environment, we believe bitcoin offers long-term stability and liquidity while maintaining the value of our cash for future investments."
Mahoney elaborated on Nexon's decision to invest corporate cash into bitcoin in a separate blog post on Wednesday. He said the company's cash holdings, in the current historically-low interest rate environment, are generating almost no returns.
"Even junk bonds - which carry higher risk and were formerly known as 'high yield' - have become a source of 'rewardless risk,'" he said, and added that the company views bitcoin as a form of cash that is likely to retain its value.
"Since January 2020, the US has printed 40% more US dollars than previously existed. We are not privy to conversations at central banks or departments of treasury, but we foresee no end to this in the near term."
Other reasons Nexon is bullish on bitcoin include its scarcity value, network effects, liquidity and convenience, and the ubiquitous nature of the blockchain technology.
A rising number of firms, including Tesla, Square, and MicroStrategy, have moved into incorporating bitcoin into their balance sheets. But firms in Japan, which had an early lead in bitcoin acceptance, have been comparatively slower to adopt the same trend.
Read the original article on Business Insider


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Although many generations get a hit of nostalgia when they think about tuning their car’s radio or pulling out a folded paper map to find their way—a system of navigation that has been forever outdated—current generations and beyond won’t have to endure such rigmarole.
Aside from navigation, today’s in-car consoles contain all the necessary features that drivers have come to expect, such as digital screens to provide the data and vehicle updates supported by monitoring components from within and around the vehicle. But electrification births a new era of expectation, with technology becoming more capable than ever before—and it’s all driven by software.
If you’ve been awake at all over the past couple of years, you’ll know that technology is taking over. When it comes to mobility, there are inherent benefits to this beyond keeping up with the latest trends.
So, we’re keen to find out what it is that customers require now that engines are out of the picture.
EV manufacturers are taking a digital approach to designing their next vehicles, examples of which can already be seen in the latest models hitting the streets with digital displays and built-in maps, connected services, and data insights.
“The automotive industry is being redefined by a software-driven transformation. Our research revealed that software-based features and services will constitute a US$640bn market by 2031, growing from about 8% of OEMs’ current annual revenue (US$181bn) to 22%—more than three times in terms of value,” says Audoin.
Software enables automotive to match driver demands
The days of dreaming about a tech-driven future are almost over. Soon will be the beginning of what can be called true hands-free automotive design. From aftermarket installations of hands-free telephone kits, EVs make way for all senses to be used to operate a car and its computer.
Companies like Volvo, Sony, and other auto and tech firms are heading full pelt towards sensor-driven, AI-powered solutions that can analyse the driver’s behaviour and even read their lips. This is in some ways a scary concept, presenting new questions and regulations around how firms like Sony can manage cars’ ability to listen to their drivers.
And much of this is driven by software. In particular, Audoin believes one of the key drivers of this growth will be the shift from internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles to those that can be managed by a unified software platform.
“To capture these potential gains, automakers shouldn’t be afraid to look externally. We’re already seeing a wave of traditional automotive organisations partner with pure tech players in a bid to break away from outdated software architectures and deliver this new generation of connected vehicles,” Audoin says.
As autonomous driving evolves, more emphasis is being placed on in-car functions, which are expected to evolve as cars become extensions of personal space.
“Infotainment systems are advancing and increasingly becoming more sophisticated. Large touch-dashboards will allow drivers to easily access and control a range of features and services,” says Audoin.
Much of the experience of being in a vehicle resonates with that of the smartphone and, as cars enter the digital ecosystem, mechanical features will become less conventional over the years to come. Audoin also explains that connectivity will be a major factor in making vehicles safer and driving forward the use of data to enhance and continuously—remotely—update the user experience.
“As connectivity increases (spurred on by the advent of 5G and, soon, 6G), driving is expected to become safer and more automated,” says Audoin.
“More data will be shared from the vehicle to other devices and systems, resulting in real-time traffic updates, remote diagnostics and maintenance alerts, as well as more advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which provide features such as lane departure warnings, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control.”
Where is the competition in a software-driven industry?
Electrification breeds a whole new era of competition, which we are yet to experience to its fullest extent. As leading software developers take advantage of this opportunity, will this affect the original providers of infotainment hardware and software?
“Consumers are looking for cars that integrate with their digital lives and offer meaningful experiences while being intuitive to use and engage with. Car makers will need to differentiate themselves by delivering consumer-focused in-cabin experiences that are updated at a pace akin to that of the consumer electronics industry,” says Armin Prommersberger, Senior Vice President of Product Management, HARMAN International.
“At HARMAN, we call this ‘Consumer Experiences. Automotive Grade.’ and it is the very area in which we specialise. Through our key consumer and technology brands, and our deep industry expertise, HARMAN is delivering road-ready automotive innovations that can be deployed and make a meaningful impact on consumers today."
Despite the current level of innovation taking place in the industry, Prommersberger still believes there is a gap to be filled and opportunities to redefine the conventional EV. Much of the future developments in the industry will be focused on technology, connectivity, and the convenience and safety of the driving experience. Electrification and digitalisation is a universal move that, if not adopted, would leave businesses in history within the next decade.
However, each carmaker can influence the industry, likely making it more volatile. “No one carmaker or supplier can solve this, nor meet the pace of innovation demanded by today’s or tomorrow’s consumer,” Prommersberger says.
“Traditional suppliers don’t have the technological expertise, while big tech falls short on delivering effective innovation that can withstand the rigour of the automotive space.”
Read the full story in the March issue of EV Magazine.

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Panasonic Talks Up Olympics 3D Plans, Multiple Partnerships, at CES
Actor and media personality Justin Timberlake made a surprise appearance at Panasonic’s 2012 CES press event Monday as part of the announcement that the company would partner with Myspace – which Timberlake co-owns – to launch Myspace TV, a new service that allows live TV viewing by separate individuals in separate locales to become a simultaneous social experience. The service will be available on next-gen Panasonic VIERA Connect-enabled TVs. It will launch in the first half of this year, and lets viewers not only share a program-viewing experience but also comment on the program being viewed.
The announcement was one of several that the company made touching on partnerships, new technologies and product categories. Brief highlights from the others follow:
• Panasonic and NBC Sports announced that they’ll partner to make coverage of the London 2012 Olympics available in 3D to all U.S. distributors who carry the Games on cable, satellite and telco – the first time the Games will be distributed in America in 3D.
• The company introduced the Smart VIERA concept – a new application of VIERA Connect centering on improving the networking, ease of operation, picture quality, eco and design elements of connected TVs.
• Panasonic re-stated its commitment to 3D TV. Vice president of consumer marketing Vic Carlson said that in 2012, 93 percent of Panasonic plasma TVs will include the 3D feature, as will 40 percent of all LCD TVs and four of the company’s Blu-ray players. He added the company would continue its sponsorship of DirecTV’s “all 3D, all the time” channel, n3D.
• The company showed a prototype of a high-definition 20-inch 4K2K (8.29-milllion-pixel) IPS Alpha LCD panel – what it said was the smallest 4K2K display. The new panel has the world’s highest pixel density of 216 pixels per inch and a thickness of only 3.5mm.


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JCDecaux SA (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide, announced that Lénaïc Pineau has joined JCDecaux as Chief Sustainability & Quality Officer of JCDecaux, taking up her position on September 6, 2021.
Lénaïc Pineau began her career in 2010 at Danone as Brand Manager where she was responsible for Les 2 vaches brand. In 2014, she joined Lindt as Senior International Brand Manager working with the Lindor brand. In 2015, she became Marketing Manager at Agrial/Eclor (Loïc Raison, Ecusson, La Mordue, Kerisac, Bayeux brands) where she introduced a CSR approach linked to the new positioning of the Ecusson cider brand.
From 2018, Lénaïc Pineau was Senior Sustainability Manager at EY leading extra-financial audit missions, defining CSR strategy and mission statements for corporate customers (eco-design for sustainable brands, decarbonisation of offerings). In this role, for the past year, she was in charge of the certification of JCDecaux’s extra-financial performance statement.
Lénaïc Pineau, 34, holds a Masters in Management from the ESCEM School in Poitiers and the London Metropolitan University.
Based at our headquarters in Yvelines (Plaisir), Lénaïc Pineau reports to David Bourg, Group Chief Financial, Administrative and IT Officer.


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Fourteen local businesses have been nominated for the first Brunei Rice Bowl Startup Awards (BRBSA), which will take place next Friday at Progresif’s Headquarters in Gadong.
The winners of the five categories; startup of the year, founder of the year, best social impact startup, best e-commerce/supply chain startup and best newcomer – will then go onto represent Brunei at the ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards (ARBSA) in Kuala Lumpur this December.
The winners of the upcoming ARBSA – which is in its third edition now – will go on to compete at the Global Startup Awards in 2018. This year also marks a milestone as it is the first time Brunei and all 10 ASEAN countries are participating in the ARBSA.
The public was invited to nominate Brunei’s startups, before a round of shortlisting was conducted by a panel which include Google Developers Group Co-Manager Rahimah Yusof, Microsoft Brunei Senior Project Manager Yazid Azahari and local IT start-up Tyne Solutions co-founder Aimi Ramlee.
The winners will then be determined by three judges; co-founder of Green Brunei Fatin Arifin, Progresif’s head of product development Radi Al Fassed and co-partner of Shube Co Pg Sarimah Latiff.
“This platform (BRBSA/ARBSA) provides an opportunity for networking and establishing benchmarks with the other ASEAN counterparts,” said BRBSA’s project manager Afiq Mohd.
“It isn’t often that the spotlight is put on startups, and we want to take this opportunity to celebrate their hardwork. It’s a great opportunity to grow their networks and expand their horizons, added BRBSA’s lead organizer Charlotte Lim.
ARBSA began as an initiative of the New Entrepreneurs Foundation in Malaysia to give recognition to the skills, achievements and innovation of tech/web startups in the Southeast Asian region. It subsequently linked up with the Global Startup Awards, which was launched in 2012 and will grow to include over 45 countries by the end of 2017.
The organizer of BRBSA is The Creative Core BN – a Bruneian creative company that aims to showcase local artists on both online and offline platforms.
The public are invited to attend BRBSA, which will take place next Friday at 8pm. To get tickets, and make further inquiries contact +6737246463 or email firstname.lastname@example.org


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It’s almost like those of us who cover the restaurant industry get a Christmas-like experience every quarter as we unwrap earnings reports. These reports allow us to peel back a few more layers than what we normally get from press releases or statements, and they enable us to put some pieces together, both for the companies we cover and the industry at large.
Most restaurant companies’ second-quarter earnings calls are on deck, with some of the big boys kicking things off next week – namely Domino’s, Chipotle, McDonald’s, Sweetgreen and Texas Roadhouse.
This quarterly overview follows a first quarter that took many of us – on and off Wall Street – by surprise. A lot of expectations were exceeded, especially as consumers continued to show their willingness to pay higher menu prices across the board, and as the labor picture continued to recover from a dismal 2022. Consider Wingstop, for example. Its same-store sales were up over 20% driven largely by traffic growth.


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Misbah accepted that how his batsmen coped with James Anderson and Stuart Broad — who now both have more than 500 Test wickets each after Broad reached the landmark against the West Indies — would go a long way to determining the outcome of the series.
Congressional staffers working on the issue say they’ve come across cases in which health providers are not following the new rules on coronavirus billing. The providers are charging patients for services when they shouldn’t, or not posting their cash prices for testing online as they are legally required to.
Unemployment can obviously be devastating on a personal level but it also has lasting economic consequences. Those who are out of work may become “disengaged” from the labour market. They may lose skills they had in work and fail to gain new ones. Relationships between employers and employees that have been built up, in some […]
The date of the presidential election — the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year — is enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. Democrats, who control the House, will not support Trump on this. Republicans, who control the Senate, are unlikely to, either.
Large breakfast – £5.99Two fried eggs, bacon, two sausages, baked beans,three hash browns, mushroom, tomato, two slices of toast, Lurpak spreadable Traditional breakfast – £4.50Fried egg, bacon, sausage, baked beans, two hash browns, tomato, slice of toast, Lurpak spreadable Small breakfast – £3.75Fried egg, bacon, sausage, baked beans, hash brown Large vegetarian breakfast – £5.99Two […]
Indian smartphone market has started to give tough competition to the top three brands – Samsung Electronics, Micromax Informatics and Intex Technologies. The Far East brigade, led by Oppo, Vivo and Gionee, together gained significant market share in the April-June quarter at the cost of incumbents on back of an aggressive retail and marketing strategy.The […]
More from Google Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet defy coronavirus to post better results than expected Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon bosses grilled over having ‘too much power’ Apple WWDC: iPhones chases Google Android features with new iOS updates Details of NHS deals with tech giants released by government after legal threat Coronavirus: The lockdown […]
Dawn also used Thompsons Patio & Driveway Sealer from Screwfix for £27.99, one Victorian tile stencil from idealstencils.co.uk for £34.99 plus postage, one stipple brush from B&Q for £1.90, and also various makeup and children’s paintbrushes from around the house.
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Last year, Blizzard Entertainment was asked by parent company Activision Blizzard to cut costs, resulting in hundreds of cut jobs, with new responsibilities foisted onto remaining workers without a pay increase. The same story has repeated for a number of years, even as the company posts record profits.


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Ford's venture into electric vehicles won't be confined to passenger models; the automaker plans to offer the Ford Transit van in battery electric form for the 2022 model year. The electric Transit will be built in the U.S. and will be offered in cargo van form, in addition to a chassis cab and a cutaway, offering a total of three body lengths and three roof heights.
The electric Transit will join the Ford Mach-E crossover and the Ford F-150 EV in Ford's electric lineup when it goes on sale, targeting businesses small and large with a variety of configurations. As with other commercial EVs in fleets, the Transit will hopefully require fewer scheduled maintenance visits, lower operating costs and charging sessions at its home base overnight, largely eliminating the need to use public charging stations. Ford believes these qualities will make it attractive to large fleets and small businesses alike, allowing it to outscore its gas- and diesel-engined rivals when it comes to running costs and ease of use.
Ford hasn't revealed range and electric motor specs for the EV Transit just yet, but it's prudent to expect at least a couple of battery and motor options, as the daily range demands for various Transit vans will be quite different.
The automaker will also offer a new suite of features designed for fleet managers, allowing them to optimize and monitor van and driver performance through Ford Data Services, which delivers live-map GPS tracking, vehicle diagnostics and geofencing.
"The world is heading toward electrified products, and fleet customers are asking for them now,” said Jim Farley, chief operating officer, Ford Motor Co. "We know their vehicles operate as a connected mobile business and their technology needs are different than retail customers. So Ford is thinking deeply on connectivity relationships that integrate with our in-vehicle high-speed electrical architectures and cloud-based data services to provide these businesses smart vehicles beyond just the electric powertrains.”
Once the electric Transit goes on sale, it will compete with the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eSprinter, which is offered with two battery options: 41 kWh and 55 kWh, corresponding to 72- and 104-mile ranges. Another competitor to the Transit EV will be the cargo version of Volkswagen's ID Buzz van, which will be offered in cargo and passenger flavors, albeit in a smaller footprint and likely fewer bodystyles.
"Commercial vehicles are a critical component to our big bet on electrification," said Farley. "As leaders in this space, we are accelerating our plans to create solutions that help businesses run better, starting with our all-electric Transit and F-150. This Ford Transit isn’t just about creating an electric drivetrain, it’s about designing and developing a digital product that propels fleets forward."


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LifeLock Unveils New Facebook App - ‘LifeLock for Life’
Followers Can Test Their Security Knowledge and Enter to Win Prizes
Tempe, Ariz. – (November 12, 2012) – LifeLock, Inc. (www.lifelock.com), an industry leader in proactive identity theft protection has launched ‘LifeLock for Life’, a Facebook application enabling fans to explore different life stages and events to test their security knowledge. Upon answering correctly, users can enter for a chance to win prizes. The foundation of the game educates consumers about the threats looming from infancy, adolescence and adulthood.
“Here at LifeLock, we are always working to educate consumers and advocate for their rights,” said Marvin Davis, Chief Marketing Officer for LifeLock. “LifeLock for Life is an educational and entertaining tool that allows us to reach a wide range of consumers and share information that could potentially benefit them. In addition to the education opportunity, there’s also a chance to win some great prizes, from gift cards to travel vouchers.”
According to the 2012 Identity Fraud Report by Javelin Strategy and Research, overall identity theft rates were constant among all age ranges; however the type of fraud did vary between age groups. Being aware of the risks is the first step in combating the rising crime. ‘LifeLock for Life’ will demonstrate how consumers can best protect themselves and their families at every life stage.
The LifeLock Facebook page also provides consumers an opportunity to defend themselves with knowledge. Followers can find the latest identity theft stories and news of what advocates like LifeLock, law enforcement and elected officials are doing to protect consumers from becoming victims of identity theft. Fans are alerted about breaking news of identity theft reports, the latest data breaches including tips and advice on how to stay protected and can even submit a request for an identity theft expert to present at their next group meeting.
To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/LifeLock.
LifeLock, Inc. (NYSE:LOCK), is a leading provider of proactive identity theft protection services for consumers and identity risk assessment and fraud protection services for enterprises. Since 2005, LifeLock has been relentlessly protecting identities by providing consumers with the tools and confidence they need to help protect themselves from identity theft and manage their credit. In October 2012, Javelin Strategy & Research named LifeLock Ultimate™ a “Best in Class Overall” identity theft protection solution and also named it “Best in Detection”. In March 2012, LifeLock further demonstrated its commitment to combating identity fraud with the purchase of ID Analytics, Inc., a leader in enterprise identity risk management that provides visibility into identity risk and credit worthiness. ID Analytics, Inc. currently operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of LifeLock, Inc.


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Supporting Small Business During Pandemic is Crucial for Their Survival
Godfrey Illinois (April 9, 2020) – The RiverBend Growth Association is joining chambers and small businesses across the state of Illinois to launch the ‘IL’ove Local campaign to encourage people to support local businesses during the week of April 11 – 18, 2020. While the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (IACCE) is leading efforts to unite chambers across the state in the initiative, the RiverBend Growth Association is taking a leadership role in our community.
“Our local businesses are the heart and soul of our Riverbend communities. They use your dollars and put them back into our local Riverbend economy, supporting other local businesses, sponsoring local events, and generating local tax revenue that supports our police, firefighters, and schools,” explains John Keller, President of the RiverBend Growth Association. “We will continue to prepare for what is next and work together with our community leaders, businesses, non-profits, and others. By working together, we can get through this stronger than ever. Please continue supporting our local businesses by putting your money where your heart is.”
Small businesses account for 99.6 percent of business in Illinois. Collectively small, local businesses are the states’ largest employer, and small businesses employ more than half of the working class in the United States.
“People across the state are staying home to save lives, we want to ensure that small businesses can save their livelihoods,” said Lisa Weitzel, President of Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. “We are asking neighbors to put their money where their heart is and support the ‘IL’ove Local initiative.”
Each dollar spent at a local, independent business returns 50 times more money to the local economy than shopping at a mega e-retailer. Across Illinois, small businesses provide communities with good jobs, quality service, and the character that makes cities, towns and neighborhoods feel like home.
From Chicago to Carbondale and the Mississippi to Lake Michigan, Illinois chambers are coming together sharing resources, building community and uniting to create the week-long initiative designed to drive business to our small businesses. Collectively small, local businesses are the states’ largest employer. Small businesses employ more than half of working class in the United States.
WHAT SHOPPERS CAN DO
- Follow social distancing guidelines and stay home as much as possible.
- Buy Local. Find out if your favorite local store has an online shop or reach out to them to find out how you can purchase now for pick up later.
- Buy gift cards to use later.
- Take online virtual classes from your favorite local business.
- Get takeout/delivery – Tip big!
- Consider buying lunch/dinner for the first responders, you will help your local restaurants and the people who serve us all.
- Buy gift cards from local businesses for your favorite waiter/waitress/bartender.
- Like and share your favorite local businesses social media post.
- Once you’ve purchased a gift card or meal, take a picture of it, share it on your social media and hashtag #IloveIllinois
- OR use #shopsmall #shopillinois #Illinoisstrong #AllInIllinois
- Maintain your memberships
- Check out chamber links and directories for a one-stop shop in shopping small, of all the ways to support independent Illinois businesses in your backyard. (www.growthassociation.com)
This is a partnership led by the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, with participation from Chambers of Commerce across Illinois in support of small businesses across the state. The Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives was established in 1915 and serves over 130 chambers of commerce and their professional staff throughout the state. IACCE supports the development of chamber professionals by creating opportunities for growth and recognition. More information on the ‘IL’ove Local campaign can be found at www.IllinoisLoveLocal.com.


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Amazon wants to be your single shopping source for anything you’ll ever need, from shoe racks to tomatoes. It also wants to move in with you with its line of Echo smart speakers, Ring video doorbells and other security equipment, along with its Eero home Wi-Fi systems.
The convenience of immersing yourself into one company’s ecosystem might seem like a great way to streamline certain aspects of life, but there are serious drawbacks when it comes to your privacy. Knowing your habits and day-to-day activities means mega corporations like Amazon and social media platforms can get to know you better than you know yourself.
We often get startling reminders of that fact, such as the revelation a few months ago that potentially thousands of Amazon employees listen to people’s interactions with Alexa. If you think Alexa is up in your business now, just wait until you see what Amazon’s working on next.
The robots are coming
Robots have been promised in books, TV shows and movies about the future for a long time, and they’re finally real – even though they don’t really resemble their sci-fi counterparts. Once the ball was rolling, it was basically no time before companies like Amazon and Walmart began adding robots to their workforce. But it’s been a different story when it comes to the take-home variety.
A lot of startups have developed expensive novelty robots for the home, but they lacked general practicality and some of those ventures have since gone bust when they generated very little interest. Amazon’s certainly not at risk of going under, and you might recall that a little over a year ago we learned they were working on their own version of home robots.
Bloomberg was first to report those efforts last year and just this week, new details about the Alexa-bot (no, that’s not what they’re really calling it) have come to light. It’s codenamed Vesta and it’s being developed at a research facility in Sunnyvale, California known as Amazon Lab126. Kind of has a shadowy Area 51 ring to it, don’t you think?
Alexa could be your new shadow
Bloomberg’s latest report says work is still very much continuing on Amazon’s home robot efforts. According to sources in the story, the current Vesta prototype is roughly waist-high, responds to voice commands (presumedly through Alexa) and wanders around on wheels using built-in cameras equipped with computer vision.
Not much else is known about its actual purpose, but one can assume it’s to fill in those Alexa-free zones in your home. As in, why put an Echo Dot in every room when you can have robo-Alexa follow you around like a cute, lost, data-collecting puppy?
So it’s a no-brainer that there are all kinds of implications regarding your data privacy, even to the point it can involve your kids. We already know Alexa listens to more than just your commands. Not just that, but recordings and transcripts are kept indefinitely unless you manually intervene.
On that note, click or tap here to learn how to protect your privacy with Amazon including step-by-step instructions on deleting your Alexa files. Amazon has also rolled out a feature where you can delete some history using only your voice.
Amazon’s upcoming devices
Contrary to previous speculation, it doesn’t look like we’ll get our very own Amazon robot with one-day Prime delivery this year. Since it’s still being described as a “prototype,” there’s virtually no chance they’d be ready for primetime when Amazon typically rolls out new products during an annual September event.
What we have a better chance of seeing this year is a beefed-up Echo smart speaker rumored to have sound quality rivaling Sonos and Apple’s HomePod. Other tech they could announce hasn’t leaked yet, but keep in mind that last year Amazon brought out more than a dozen Alexa-enabled gadgets alone – including a microwave.
On second thought, let’s forget about the Vesta robot prototype. Slap wheels on an Alexa-enabled microwave that’ll deliver nachos to the couch and we’ll talk.


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Digital payment platform, Payoneer has strengthened its global expansion with the establishment of a new office in Dublin, Ireland.
The announcement is in conjunction with the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) authorising the Dublin entity of the fintech unicorn as an Electronic Money Institution. Affirming Payoneer’s commitment to being a reliable, secure and convenient partner for businesses all over the world.
Scott Galit, CEO of Payoneer stated: “This license is the culmination of our efforts to ensure stability and continuity for our customers. With this investment, we are able to continue to support the growth of our customers from around the globe, keeping cross-border commerce flowing smoothly, regardless of the regulatory changes triggered by Brexit.
“We are very grateful to the CBI for their guidance and assistance in granting the new license and to IDA Ireland for its support.”
The new Dublin office will be headed by Patrick de Courcy, who previously ran Payoneer’s APAC operations and brings more than 20 years expertise of global banking and regulatory infrastructure.
Reacting to the news, de Courcy commented: “We’re delighted to launch in Dublin and join the growing number of e-money and payment institutions established here. Ireland has a credible and experienced regulator in the CBI and provides access to a sophisticated financial services ecosystem with the deep pool of staff, managers, professional advisers and service providers that we’re looking for as we grow operations.”
CEO of IDA Ireland, Martin Shanahan emphasised: “Ireland is a significant location for payments technologies, home to some 25 payment companies. Payoneer is a well-recognised brand in the payments industry and a very welcome addition to the sector in Ireland where, post-Brexit, they will benefit from Ireland being a committed member of the EU and Eurozone, our strong pro-business and competitive environment, open economy, and a strong skills base. I wish Patrick and his team every success here.”
Expert Analysis: The move is a smart one for Payoneer. Following Brexit, Dublin can flourish as a financial hub in Europe and a centre for fintech innovations. So for Payoneer to have a hub in Dublin is can put the company on a path to fintech innovation.


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Less than a year from the release of the Apple Watch, reports from the supply chain are suggesting a second-gen Watch is already in the pipeline. Apple is said to be looking for a second manufacturer to help with demand, implying the company is expecting a successful 2016 for the wearable.
According to a report, Apple has lowered its sales expectations for the current Apple Watch, placing fourth quarter orders with manufacturers for four million Apple Watches. This is down from an intended six million units – strong but arguably slightly underwhelming figures.
The Apple Watch launched earlier this year to guarded praise, with most reviewers feeling it was an incredible piece of kit with all the hallmarks of a first-generation Apple product – full of promise but a little short of its potential. Many customers will have held off until the inevitable Apple Watch 2 launches, which will reportedly be some time in the second half of next year.
Read more: Apple Watch – a three month review
Currently, Quanta Computer manufacture the Watch, but Apple is said to be in talks with Inventec, Wistron and Foxconn Electronics to help with the follow-up device. Rumors suggest the Apple Watch 2 will maintain the design and display of the current device, while adding a larger battery, added FaceTime camera and more capabilities when disconnected from an iPhone.
Considering the Apple Watch Edition costs upwards of $10k, it may be asking a lot to expect customers to keep up with the latest version every year, but if the rumors are true then the Watch could see a yearly refresh in much the same way as the iPhone lineup.


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We are very excited to announce some big changes coming to the studios!
As you may have noticed, some of the reformers and equipment are in need of an update. We have brand new reformer beds, foot straps, and props on the way for Chevy Chase, Potomac, and Palisades!
Chevy Chase will be getting more than just new beds and balls -- we will be remodeling the studio completely in an effort to expand the main studio area, allow more space between reformers, and make the studio feel lighter and more open overall! The front wall will be eliminated as well as the wall between the barre room and the main studio.


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The most influential Megatrends set to shape the world through 2030, identified by Euromonitor International, help businesses better anticipate market developments and lead change for their industries.Learn More
Blockchain evolved from Bitcoin, a form of digital currency also known as crypto-currency, which is independent, decentralised, commands low transaction fees and is practically invulnerable to fraud or theft. Blockchain is a technology that keeps a digital record of transactions that are enforced by sophisticated cryptography and validated by a network of communicating computer nodes through a shared registry. Thus, this technology eliminates the need for third party institutions to validate transactions.
Australia’s inaugural event, Blockchain Summit 2016 will address some of the most critical challenges and opportunities in the emerging blockchain industry. Download the agenda here. The event will feature over 30 thought leaders, including international experts from the US, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan and China. Some of the key themes to be addressed will include information security, the implementation of blockchain in the business environment, regulation and compliance and the challenges faced in adapting to technological change.
Some of the main benefits of using blockchain technology include:
Blockchain technology has the potential to radically change the business environment both worldwide and in Australia. For instance, Microsoft partnered with both ConsenSys and R3 (a consortium of some of the world’s largest banking institutions, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank and Westpac) to offer a cloud-based blockchain as a service (BaaS). Institutions that are part of the consortium gain access to Microsoft’s platform, which can potentially speed up the creation of blockchain products to be used in the market.
Australian consumers readily accept new technologies, which is the ideal environment in which blockchain technology might operate. Locally, the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) holds a 5% equity interest in US-based firm Digital Asset, which is currently working in the development of a private blockchain that will allow almost real-time settlement of trades. The use of blockchain in this process is expected to eliminate layers of inefficiencies, whilst providing substantial cost reductions for clearing and settlement services. Furthermore, in March 2016, the government-owned Australia Post also announced that they will be looking into the possibility of integrating blockchain technology as part of a digital identification service. These developments are setting a pathway for further expansion and progression in integrating blockchain into daily lives, which one can expect to continue as the technology further advances.
Some of other possible uses of blockchain technology include:
Blockchain continues to be challenged by increasing levels of regulation, concerns over information security and, most importantly, the difficulty in achieving collaboration between the networks of participants. Each organisation has their unique business structure and expectations for the usage of blockchain. Many questions and rules need to be answered and agreed, including the management of the amount of information to be shared for verification purposes between the organisations in the network, whilst still keeping the contents of transactions private and secure.
Nevertheless, the implementation of blockchain technology is set to significantly alter the financial landscape both in Australia and worldwide, by improving efficiency and effectiveness through new revolutionary products, services and business models. Blockchain technology is still in its infancy but it has the potential to disrupt the market in Australia.
In this upcoming event, Euromonitor International will have the opportunity to further understand blockchain, including the current status of regulations in Australia, the stance taken by banks towards this technology and, most importantly, how consumers will benefit.
To find out more about Australia’s first Blockchain Summit taking place 28-30 June at the Royce Hotel Melbourne, download the agenda here or visit the website. To register and save up to 10% off the cost of attending, quote Euromonitor10% when registering through email: firstname.lastname@example.org or by calling: +61-2-9229-1000.


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Reportedly, as per the news coming with respect to two big tech giants, name are Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. As their inventory assets go increased in the third quarter. This is intended to increase raw material procurement in order to overcome the risk arising due to the supply chain. While the global demand for their products is not recouped amid the ongoing recession.
Talking about Samsung Electronics which in total had more than 57 trillion won in the third quarter with a year-on-year increase of 5.16 percent. While its inventory assets have continued to be on the higher side since the outbreak of COVID-19. If talking about specific figures then it was approximately 6.9 trillion won in Q3, 2019. Also, 5.8 trillion won in Q4, 2019, 32 trillion won in Q4 2020, and 41 trillion won in Q4, 2021.
Whereas, on the other hand, coming to the inventory assets of the third quarter of LG Electronics. Then it records an increment of 12.5 percent year on year to 11.2 trillion won. Also, this company was less than 5.9 trillion won at the end of 2019 respectively. But at the same time increased to 7.4 trillion won and 9.7 trillion won at the ends of 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Lastly, when it comes to inventory turnover, Samsung Electronics’ inventory records fell from 4.6 to 3.8. While LG Electronics fell from 6.1 to 5.8. It clearly indicates that their products were sold less in the third quarter of this year as compared to the same period of last year.


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In the US, food waste is a pervasive problem, with an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the country’s food supply going to waste each year. This amounts to around 133 billion pounds of food, worth an estimated $161 billion, being discarded annually. In this episode of the Xtalks Food Podcast, Sydney talks about Full Harvest and other companies that sell surplus or imperfect produce that would otherwise be thrown away. By using Full Harvest, farmers can reduce their waste and increase their profits, while food and beverage companies can access high-quality produce at a lower cost. Its platform operates using digitization, with a user-friendly interface that streamlines the buying and selling process. Companies like Full Harvest, Imperfect Foods and Misfits Market are doing their part to reduce food waste and promote sustainability through digitization. The team wonders why these types of platforms are relatively new and whether food products that contain imperfect produce should require a label to inform consumers of the quality.
Also in this episode, Sydney talks about United Nations’ (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which saw an increase in April after a year-long decline. The FAO food price index monitors the prices of the most traded food commodities worldwide and measures the average monthly change in international prices for a basket of food commodities, including meat, dairy products, cereals, oils and sugar. In April, the FAO food price index recorded an average of 127.2 points, compared to 126.5 points in March. The index is an essential barometer for food security and provides valuable insights into the economic and environmental factors that influence food prices. The index allows policymakers, food producers and consumers to track changes in food prices and plan accordingly. It is also used to monitor global food security. By tracking changes in food prices, policymakers, food producers and consumers can take steps to ensure food security and stability in the global food market.
Read the full article here:
Full Harvest is Leading the Charge Against Food Waste with Digitization
FAO Food Price Index Rises for the First Time in a Year
The weekly podcast is available for streaming every Thursday on Spotify, Apple Music and wherever you stream your podcasts.
Subscribe to the Xtalks Food Podcast to never miss a new episode.
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Wholesale aficionados might not have to schlep to the suburbs to spend hours bargain hunting in Costco much longer. If upstart mobile app, Boxed has its way it’ll become the dominant online purveyor of bulk, cheap consumer packaged goods offering free two-day shipping, a clear differentiator to Amazon Prime’s $100 annual subscription fee.
It’s just raised $6.5 million in a Series A financing led by Greycroft Ventures, to spend on increasing their inventory, improving logistics and marketing.
Shoppers save between 25-50% on the majority of products compared to most stores, as well as saving on time and gas driving out to wholesalers, says Boxed. Top sellers are brand names in bulk alongside warehouse sized bags of organic hemp or chia seeds, a snip compared to what you’d pay in Whole Foods or Duane Reade.
Prices are also considerably smaller than Amazon. For example, a 12 pack of Bounty paper towels is $17.99 on Boxed, compared to $33.27 on Amazon. A 72 oz variety pack of Annie’s Mac and Cheese is $21.80 on Amazon compared to $15.49 on Boxed.
Like other warehouse clubs most consumers are reeled in by the promise of cheap diapers, paper towels and toilet paper. “But once they walk in the door, the treasure hunt begins,” says CEO and cofounder Chieh Huang. Huang started Boxed with his ex-Zynga colleagues as a reaction to Manhattan’s inflated prices for everyday items.
“I grew up in New Jersey,” says Huang. “I used to go to Costco every weekend with my parents and ever since I moved into Manhattan I couldn’t understand why things cost three or four times the price.”
“If you look at wholesale clubs they generate a little over 20 billion of top line a year,” says Huang. “But they largely ignore people that don’t have the time, the means or the patience to go to one.”
Huang is trying to replicate the experience of scoring bargains as well as trying new things. “We carry only 700-800 things at any given time, so we’re very much discovery,” says Huang. “On any given day around 70-80% of our users actually do not use a search bar - they come in and purely walk the aisles.”
This approach means that shoppers generate fairly high cart values at the checkout, says Huang. “We’ve shipped into the six figures already, which in the aggregate you might think well that’s not that crazy but we’ve only been live for five months.”
Huang’s keen to exploit the big box giants’ sluggishness at adapting to a mobile shopping app. “When you think about a big retailer, who has their A team on mobile?” says Huang.
“There’s so much room in the space that even if we solve it and other people solve it you’ll find several other big players come into and be successful in the space,” he says.
But he’s not too concerned with what everyone else is doing. “What doesn’t keep me up at night is what competitors are doing,” says Huang. “People get really worried about what their competitors are doing and then they start to do really unnatural things. If you lose focus on what the consumer wants then you’ve basically really doomed your company.”
Return investor Greycroft Partners and new investors First Round Capital and Signia Venture Partners led the round, with participation from ENIAC Ventures, Social Starts, BoxGroup, Owen Van Natta, the former Facebook COO and David Ko, the former Zynga COO.
“Perhaps most importantly, Boxed is the only digital destination where customers can buy a wide selection of brand-name, bulk goods at discount prices, swiftly and without membership fees, while eliminating the time, effort, and gas money customers expend visiting offline warehouse clubs for their regular household purchases,” says Kamran Ansari of Greycroft Partners in a press release.
Fascinated by what drives start ups to succeed, I look at the entire process from inception to fundraising and everything in between. I was previously an editor at Global Security Finance, a London-based newsletter covering security and defense for the finance community whic...MORE


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“Darnitsa” is joining the charity NFT campaign19 December 2022
The Pharmaceutical Company “Darnitsa” has become a partner of the Bee Ukrainian NFT-campaign by the “Ukrainian Educational Foundation” Charitable Foundation.
The Bee Ukrainian project has an ambitious goal — to collect USD 1 million for medicines and vitamins for Ukrainian children who suffered during the war. Funds will be accumulated from the sale of the NFT collection in the form of images of bees. NFT is a type of a unique digital asset that allows ownership of a commodity that exists exclusively on the Internet.
“Darnitsa” is joining the noble goal of helping children and has created five incredible NFTs - DarBees. The DarBees (bee #136-140) are already available for sale on the OpenSea platform and are waiting for their owners. All the profit from the sale of NFTs will go to help children. In addition, for each purchased DarBee, “Darnitsa” gives 2,500 packages of medicine to children living in the de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Anyone can join the project and help.
“Darnitsa, as a modern digital company, is interested in taking part in innovative projects. This is what the Bee Ukrainian project is for us. This is our first experience with NFT. I must admit, this is an exciting world that we, as a team, were discovering for ourselves. It’s especially important that this is a combination of charity and high-tech,” said Vasyl Hubarets, director of corporate communications of Darnitsa Pharmaceutical Company.
“We wish to increase the quantity and quality of targeted assistance to children. So, we approached this creatively and developed a unique NFT project. We will be glad to see everyone who wants to join”, - Tetiana Liulka, founder of the “Ukrainian Educational Foundation” Charitable Foundation.


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Tommy Hilfiger’s partnership with visual search technology developer, Slyce, on an image recognition app for its LA show last month, resulted in an uptick around first time visitors to its website.
Over one third of users to the SNAP:SHOP app, which allowed consumers to instantly shop items from the show the moment the models hit the runway, had never before been to Tommy.com.
While there are no stats around overall traffic numbers to the app or website (which could be small given the barrier to download new apps), consumers who did use it, also spent more than double the average time then browsing the e-commerce site, as well as interacting with additional show content such as videos and social media feeds.
“We already know that the #1 most popular thing people do at fashion events is take photos of the models,” said Ted Mann, CEO of Slyce. “What Tommy Hilfiger realised is that this could be a natural way to unlock a magical shopping experience. Using Slyce’s visual search technology, the SNAP:SHOP app that Tommy Hilfiger created instantly turns a photo of a model into a wish-list of all the items in their look. It’s one of the coolest use cases for image recognition in retail we’ve ever seen.”
Indeed, all the user had to do was take a photograph of the pieces being shown, and the 3D image recognition technology would lead to the relevant e-commerce page on Tommy.com. The app is able to pick up apparel and footwear either from users’ images taken, moving images of the models as they were walking, from actual products in-store, or 2D images such as ad placements and editorial shots.
The main aim was to bring shoppability closer to the runway as part of the brand’s see-now, buy-now strategy, which launched last September.
“TOMMYNOW is an incubator for innovative technologies,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “Our leadership in democratising the runway and pioneering instant gratification runway shows has driven our passion for finding new ways to engage, involve and empower consumers to take part in these experiences. For February, we pushed the boundaries even further to connect with our global consumers in a way that reflects how they live and shop today.”
That idea of instant gratification saw all looks from the show immediately available to purchase across all sales channels in more than 70 countries.


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From sought-after luxury handbags to the latest electrical hairstyling tools, counterfeit sales represent an ever-increasing proportion of international merchandise trade, with even the most experienced shoppers being fooled by rogue sites selling co...unterfeit goods. The vast majority of consumers today are aware of the issue of counterfeiting. In fact, 90% of respondents to a PwC survey on counterfeiting said they feel that the practice is morally wrong, yet counterfeit sales still represent 7% of all global trade. Here are seven signs for brand owners to look out for. Price: Counterfeiters are wising up and realizing that sometimes it can be more convincing...Read More
In the UK alone, retail sales last year broke the £100bn barrier and with this figure expected to grow, there has never been a more important time for brands and consumers to protect themselves online. In light of this, we wanted to understand consu...mers’ current attitudes towards shopping on the web and decided to conduct a piece of research with leading market research agency Opinium last month across Europe and the USA*. The report found some interested facts, with 24% of those surveyed being duped into buying counterfeit goods online, including products like fashion, footwear and electronics. It also highlighted over...Read More
Ebay Wins again!
In the latest round of battles against Ebay by companies suffering from counterfeits, a Belgian court found Ebay not liable to L’Oreal for counterfeits sold on its site.
At least three cases against Ebay in Europe have been litigated... seeking to hold Ebay liable for infringing counterfeits, two which have ruled against Ebay. At issue is the European Directive that protects companies facilitating e-commerce, and how this Directive is interpreted. Interesting- Ebay’s position that it is only a passive provider of Internet “hosting” services persuaded the Belgium court, but not the French or German courts, in recent cases...Read More
Yesterday, the long awaited decision in Tiffany v Ebay was released by the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, exonerating Ebay from any liability to Tiffany for infringing auctions on its site. In a sweeping ruling for Ebay, t...he Court emphasized that, although both Ebay and Tiffany have an interest in eliminating counterfeit Tiffany merchandise from Ebay, the burden of policing Tiffany’s valuable trademarks on the Internet falls squarely on the brand holder.
In holding that Ebay was not contributorily liable for trademark infringement, the standard is not whether eBay could reasonably anticipate possible infringement, but...Read More


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New York, Chicago and Philadelphia will be the first places to get the service, followed by a nationwide rollout by the end of the year.
Initially, the service will only be available through the PS3 and PS4, but later on iOS devices.
PlayStation Vue was announced last year and launched in beta in November with 75 channels including majors from Fox, NBC, Viacom and more. Besides the large catalog of channels, there are also DVR capabilities, giving a leg up on rival services.
Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 13 Mar 2015 10:13


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Car manufacturer SEAT, in collaboration with Grupo Sesé, has launched a parts delivery service using drones.
The company says it will guarantee ‘just in time’ delivery of parts in 15 minutes and increase efficiency and flexibility at Martorell, the first Spanish plant to receive components via drone delivery.
The parts delivery service is between two production plants in Spain and will continue with deliveries of steering wheels and airbags to the SEAT assembly lines.
The pilot project is being carried out under the supervision of the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA) and will go forward in an experimental phase with several flights per day.
The addition of drones will improve flexibility on the production lines by connecting the just over two kilometre distance that separates both facilities for just in time fast deliveries in only 15 minutes, a process which is currently done by truck and takes 90 minutes.
SEAT says that the move means that every time a part is needed on the production line, delivery will be made quickly, thus improving efficiency.
SEAT vice-president for production and logistics, Christian Vollmer, who brought the idea to SEAT, commented: “Today’s flight is the first step in transforming the supply chain in the automotive industry. Delivery using drones is going to revolutionise logistics, as for example in the case of SEAT it will reduce delivery time by 80%. With this innovation we are boosting Industry 4.0 and we will become more efficient, agile and competitive, as well as much more sustainable.”
Grupo Sesé CEO, Ángel Pueyo, added: “This project that SEAT presented to us a few months ago is a clear example of our intention to be at the forefront of innovation and process development that can optimise and improve our clients’ supply chain and that positions us in the market as a global, comprehensive logistics operator.”


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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FSRC) has reaffirmed its position of non-involvement in the marketing speed limiting devices for vehicles in the country.
Spokesman of the agency, Mr Bisi Kazeem, told the newsmen in Abuja recently that accredited vendors were in charge of sale and calibration of the device, and not the FRSC.
“There are accredited vendors screened by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and FRSC. They are the ones in charge of sale and calibration of the speed limiting device, not the FRSC,’’ he said.
Kazeem was reacting to the recent move by the Senate to stop the ongoing enforcement of the installation of the speed limiting device on vehicles by the FRSC.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, had asked the Committee on Federal Character to look into the matter following a point of order raised by Senator Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West).
The FRSC began full enforcement of the installation of the device, which costs about N35,000, on commercial vehicles on February 1, and plans to extend it to other categories of vehicles in due course.
The Presidency as well as the House of Representatives had earlier endorsed the policy after a public hearing.


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At a recent tour stop in Perth, Australia, Kanye West confirmed the month of release for the Yeezy IIIs. While in the midst of a usual mid-show speech, Kanye West gave the crowd the following statement regarding the sneaker release:
“We got the new Yeezys, the Yeezy IIIs coming in November. And this is just the beginning, cause this is something that I want to create and do for the rest of my life. So, this is just the beginning, a new beginning.”
No word yet on any other details or any specifics, but there we go. Now Yeezy diehards and sneakerheads alike can start putting aside an allotment for the November drop.
To watch Kanye’s full speech, which is actually pretty tame by recent Kanye standards and a rather good listen, check out the video above.


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Organisers 'thrilled' for return of city's pagan and alternative fayre
- Credit: Michael Rouse
From handmade jewellery to crystals and metal work will be on offer for visitors to this year’s Ely Autumn Pagan and Alternative Fayre.
The autumn fayre, organised by Amber Ankh Events, will have a range artisans, craftspeople, traders and mediums for visitors to try out.
Different local businesses and exhibitors, as well as those from further afield, will be present while there is also an outdoor trading area, too.
Matthew Routledge, owner of Amber Ankh Events, said: “We are thrilled to be bringing this event back to Ely.
“We’ve added an outside trading area on The Maltings Green, and more traders inside – with everything from mead to metal art, crystals to creative artists.”
Tickets are £2 per person and the fayre takes place at The Maltings in Ely between 10am-5pm on September 26.
To buy tickets and for more information, visit the event’s Facebook page or email email@example.com.
The event follows on from the spring Pagan and Alternative Fayre in Ely in May, which returned for the first time since 2019 due to Covid-19 restrictions.


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Today Nintendo have announced a third annual loss. Since it's release, the Wii-U console has sold around just 6.17 million units and as little as two and a half million in the last year. These figures are staggering when compared to the 7 million Playstation 4 units that Sony have shifted since it's release just before the holiday season. There are some positives for Nintendo with 3DS sales creeping up to around 44 million in total since it's release. With no new console being announced at th...
"Rovio, the developer behind the popular Angry Birds series, has released its 2013 financial results, and the numbers have raised concerns that the studio's success is starting to lose momentum.
Mashable reports that net profit fell 52% in fiscal 2013, from $77 million in 2012 to only $37 million in 2013. Revenues remained fairly steady at $216 million, up only slightly from $211 million in 2012."
Iwata talks about what Nintendo must do after the previous president, Hiroshi Yamauchi passed away.
(Granted, Yamauchi passed a while ago, so this is a bit late... RIP Yamauchi)
Nintendo is my favorite company, I hope they're not going the same route as Sega. But, it's not like something horrible is going to happen overnight, great games are still coming out and money will still be made.
"A developer by the name of phileday has released a new virtual reality (VR) video playback tool onto the Oculus VR Share Beta. Named Whirligig, the software is designed to let users watch fully immersive films with an Oculus Rift VR headset as well as add custom menus and set other features to optimise the viewing experience. The software can be downloaded for free on PC over on the official Oculus website."
"he Assassin's Creed franchise sold 60 million units as of the last official numbers released. The franchise's most recent title, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, released last October, has actually achieved lower sales than its predecessor. The next title, Assassin's Creed: Unity, is expected by the end of the year."
"Phil Spencer, who was named head of Xbox at the end of March, has acknowledged these issues, noting on Twitter that the company must "do more" in order to compete. Even though Microsoft is in a historically good place with Xbox One, the fact remains that PlayStation 4 is beating it handedly."
"This week saw the launch of a brand new high-profile virtual reality (VR) meet-up in California, as VRLA saw it’s inaugural gathering. Hosted at Digital Domain, Los Angeles, VRLA was a resounding success, and today one of the event’s organisers, Cosmo Scharf, takes a walk down memory lane with VRFocus to his very first experience of VR."
"Given that there is still no information on when, where or for how much a consumer would be able to purchase a modern virtual reality headset, it’s up to the enthusiasts to share their passion and attract new audiences. This is becoming a common exercise throughout the globe, and the latest land to receive it’s own meet-up is Los Angeles, California, taking place this evening."
"There are many different views on the potential uses of virtual reality (VR). It’s rebirth as a modern experience lead by in-home entertainment is just one opportunity, but there are many more that have had a great deal of exposition already. The out-of-home experience, including that of the traditional arcade format, is an area which has made strides in bringing VR technology to a mainstream audience that would otherwise have been impossible, and KWP’s Kevin Williams has been instrumental in..."
SegmentNext writes: "Yesterday, the news hit of an upcoming Youtube series by Maker Studios that ultimately went down the tube, called Green Label Game Jam, but referred to in branding as GAME_JAM.
A lot of industry people were rightfully shocked by this news. Still, there’s a reason it happened."
"Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey has responded to recent news that Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson has cancelled a project for the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset. The developer made the drastic move based on the recent sale of the company to Facebook. Somewhat fittingly, Luckey issued his statement on Facebook itself, replying to a topic on the story and downplaying the progress that had been made on a possible official Minecraft VR experience."


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While Nestle has continued to maintain that its product was 'safe' for consumption, reports reveal that states and union territories like Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala have sent samples of Maggi noodles for testing. Amid such concerns, Nestle again sought to clear the air, saying that they were officially unaware of any action by state governments. Nestle said, "We have not received any official communication from the authorities so far. We are cooperating with the authorities who are conducting tests and awaiting their results."
This follows a recall order for a particular batch of Maggi noodles by the Uttar Pradesh Food and Drugs Authority in April this year, after allegations that its samples were found to have higher-than-permissible levels of lead.
These developments have also come as a rude shock to hosteler's for whom Maggi noodles were a go-to-food, especially at odd hours. Varun Mithani, a hosteller and college student in Delhi University, said, "They were the easiest to cook, very affordable for us. We now have to search for alternatives if they aren't safe."
B.K. Mishra, a distributor, said, "I used to supply 100,000 packets of Maggi noodles every day to shops in and around Noida. But we have completely stopped supplies since the past three days."
Akshay Kumar, who owns a grocery shop in the southern quarters of New Delhi, said, "For us, 80% of noodles sales were from Maggi alone. But now no one buys them. So, we are returning the stocks."
Another shopkeeper Ram Prasad said, "Just 10 packets are left at my store and that I would not stock Maggi until it was declared safe for consumption."
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Bellevue, WA (PRWEB) September 24, 2007
Capping off 18 months of phenomenal growth, Greenwood Technologies is being lauded as an innovator for its environmentally friendly, high efficiency, wood-fired hydronic furnaces. This is the third such award for the company.
The Bellevue, Wash.-based company is among other industry leaders being recognized by the 2007 Discover Brilliant international conference held in Seattle. The Brilliant Innovation Award celebrates innovative environmental solutions that go beyond “green.” Companies honored at the Discover Brilliant conference were chosen for their innovation in mitigating negative environmental impact while providing real economic value to their customers.
Greenwood’s Brilliant Innovation Award follows on the heels of the company receiving a 2007 AHR Expo Innovation Award, at the world’s largest heating ventilation and air conditioning gathering, and the 2006 Vesta Award at the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo, where its revolutionary furnaces debuted to a strong reception from dealers and retailers.
“We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from the environmental community,” said Michael Kuehner, Greenwood’s Vice President of Marketing. “It affirms that our furnaces are being met with enthusiasm not just by consumers and retailers, but also by organizations that share our concern for the environment and locally sustainable solutions.”
Greenwood’s wood-fired furnaces burn wood to heat water for use in forced air or hydronic heating systems. The clean-burning system leaves few particles to create smoke, creosote or ash and are up to 85-percent efficient, meaning that most of the heat released by burning wood is captured to heat a home. Because it operates at such high efficiency, the furnace also uses 50-percent less wood than other wood-burning furnaces. In addition to being environmentally friendly, Greenwood boilers are also economical as they reduce overall heating costs by up to 70-percent, according to a study done by the Canadian government.
About Greenwood Technologies, LLC:
Founded in 2005, Bellevue, Washington-based Greenwood Technologies (www.greenwoodfurnace.com) manufactures the next generation of wood and biomass based central heating appliances. Its clean burning, wood-fired hydronic furnaces are available through dealers and retailers across the U.S., Canada and Australasia. Contact information: (800) 959-9184
About Discover Brilliant 2007:
Discover Brilliant 2007 is produced by Athena Media group and The Athena Institute, a collection of internationally regarded experts who specialize in progressive and practical deployments for the sustainable economy. Athena is dedicated to promoting Brilliant solutions that are cost effective, and enhance the environment.
Related Hydronic Heating Press Releases


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Japan's top automaker believes technological breakthroughs, such as hydrogen engines, can give internal combustion a new lease on life — saving jobs as well as the environment.
Subaru aims to stoke demand by making the next Crosstrek more of a driver's vehicle. Ride comfort, body rigidity, braking, steering and noise reduction all see upgrades.
The Solterra, Subaru's first global EV, offers the brand's trademark all-wheel-drive setup. But on the outside, it shares a lot with Toyota.
When it goes on sale this summer, the 2023 Solterra, Subaru's first electric vehicle, will start at $46,220 and top out at more than $53,000.
Automakers will show about 10 electric vehicles or concepts at the rebranded AutoMobility LA show.
The technology will build upon Subaru’s stereo camera system and use artificial intelligence to improve computer recognition in hard-to-see situations, such as when road lane markers are covered in snow.
Does it make sense these days to invest in a new generation of small, gasoline-powered, modestly priced sports cars? Absolutely, say Toyota and Subaru.


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The micro-expansion to Ironclad's Strategy Game of the Year, Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment, is now ready for download on Stardock's digital download platform, Impulse. Fans that have the original Sins of a Solar...
Trouble upgrading to new Windows 10 builds? Here are 5 possible fixes
All the latest news on Windows 10
Microsoft stops collecting its own mapping data for Bing Maps
Review: Ulefone Be Touch
Microsoft makes a new addition to its Surface Pro 3 range
surface pro 3
IGN has a new, exclusive video trailer of the upcoming expansion, Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment. In just one short week, strategy gamers around the world will finally be able to play the...
The first micro-expansion to Ironclad's Strategy Game of the Year, Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment, is undergoing further incorporation of beta feedback to maximize quality and will now be available February 25 for download...


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- Green Growth
- Your Consultant
To cultivate the local rubber industry’s growth, the prime minister rubber-stamped Decision 750/QD-TTg outlining rubber industry development planning to 2015, with vision towards 2020.
Under the decision, by 2015 Vietnam was expected to host 800,000 hectares of rubber fields and post 1.2 million tonnes of rubber latex, according to Vietnam Rubber Association (VRA).
General Statistics Office figures show that in 2011 there was 834,200ha of rubber fields in Vietnam, outpacing the target set for 2015, generating over 1.2 million tonnes of rubber latex. The rubber area is forecast to hit 900,00ha generating an estimated 1.4 million tonnes of latex in 2012.
“These figures show that Vietnam possesses natural rubber sources which are vital to future rubber industry development,” said VRA’s office chief Tran Thi Thuy Hoa.
Industry experts, however, assumed several thorny problems persisted.
First, albeit Vietnam ranks fifth worldwide in respect to natural rubber output and fourth in natural rubber export volume, made-in-Vietnam rubber products remain monotonous. Tires account for around 70 per cent of total products, with the remainder being simple items like rubber gloves, carpets or mattresses.
Tire production sector in Vietnam began developing from the 1990s only and had yet to turn out competitive complex items serving motorbike and auto industries, said Ho Chi Minh City Plastic Rubber Association chairman Nguyen Quoc Anh.
Tire-makers are only in a position to satisfy local consumption for motorbike and small van tires whereas up to 50 per cent of truck and passenger car tires need to be imported.
Second, unhealthy competition exists between domestic and foreign direct investment (FDI) capital businesses. That is because FDI firms positioned in Vietnamese export processing and industrial zones benefit from some tax incentives, whereas local firms do not, badly affecting the competitiveness of made-in-Vietnam rubber items.
Experts assumed Vietnam could grow into not only a top natural latex supplier but also potential major rubber item maker in the not distant future, given the country’s huge latex output and relatively stable product price of around $3,000 per tonne.


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Exemption of Custom Duty on Open Cell To End on Sept 30th; Domestic TV Manufacturing Sector to Face Challenge
The government will put five per cent customs duty on Open Cell, a key component for television manufacturing, from October 1, 2020, as one-year exemption given to it ends on September 30.
The tax exemption on the key TV component was extended to the industry last year to give it time to develop domestic manufacturing capability. But with Open Cell manufacturing capacity still to come up in a big way in India, the imposition of duty, industry fears, would increase the cost of TV sets from October.
Government sources said that adequate support has been extended to television industry through custom duty structure and even if domestic manufacturing of Open Cell takes time, adequate protection is available to them to expand sales of made in India products in the country.
As part of its exercise to encourage domestic manufacturing in TV, the government has protected the industry by way of a customs duty of 20 per cent on imports of television since December 2017. Besides, Television import has also been put on the restricted category with effect from the end of July this year.
“Newly imposed restriction puts a curb on import of TVs. This market would now be available to domestic manufacturers. This seems to be the reason for domestic manufacturers trying to resort to price increase. Reintroduction of duty on Open Cell appears only as an excuse,” said the source quoted earlier.
As per government estimates, leading TV brands are importing Open Cell for a basic price of Rs 2,700 for a 32 inch and about Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500 for a 42 inch television. The impact of five per cent duty on Open Cell would, thus, not be more than Rs 150-250 for a television.
The industry , however, feels otherwise. It had argued that they are under pressure as the price of fully built panels has gone up by 50 per cent and customs duty of five per cent on open cell would lead to a rise in the price of TV by roughly four per cent as it is the major component for TV. The prices may go up well by a minimum of Rs 600 for a 32 inch television and Rs 1,200-1,500 for a 42 inch TV and even higher for a large screen television.
“The industry’s assertions are completely misleading and exaggerated. The TV industry is well aware of the basic tenets of phased manufacturing. The sop (custom duty exemption on Open Cell) was offered for a limited period of one year in anticipation that the industry would build capacity for manufacturing critical components in India. For India to be Aatmanirbhar, our manufacturers cannot remain merely assemblers of imported parts. Manufacturing in India cannot survive on support of import forever,” a fin min source said.
Fin Min Sources further said that with finished goods imports restricted, such duty structure (0 per cent duty on parts) leads to windfall gains for the domestic units. However, continuous import of parts like Open Cell is not in the country’s interest. Imposition of customs duty shall incentivise the domestic manufacturing of critical parts like Open cell in India. This is the real Phased Manufacturing and would be in line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharatpolicy of Government of India.
The custom duty exemption on Open Cell was given last year as part of a Phased Manufacturing Plan (PMP) of television and its components to bring the television industry out of the crutch-walking (of mere television assembling while being totally dependent on imports for all its parts).
Government is promoting TV manufacturing to part of its larger import substitution plan where domestic capabilities are set to be promoted in areas where manufacturing can start quickly. Till last year televisions worth Rs 7,000 crore were being imported and the government feels that with existing players in the country, this level of imports could be checked quickly.
Explaining the rationale of imposition of a marginal duty of five per cent on Open Cell, the top government source said that critical items shall start manufacturing in India. “No real manufacturing growth of television could happen unless Open Cell is domestically made. The present activity carried out by the industry is only of the assembly of television after importing most of the parts. This cannot go on for long as assembly of television does not entail any significant value addition. Deepening of value addition in the domestic market must happen in a phased manner.”
“The television manufacturers import parts worth Rs 7,500 crore in a year. This figure would further grow as the import of fully made television gets curbed. It would be in the interest of the country that parts like Open Cell are gradually be made in India. Open Cell capacity building in India would also help making panels for mobile phones which is a huge market”, added the same source.
It may be noted that the first phase of PMP would be to have assembly of a product. In this stage, parts of a product are kept at lower or nil rates so that their cost remains low and these could be imported at concessional duty rates for assembly of that product in India. However, this stage cannot stay for very long even if industry wishes it to continue forever. The second phase of manufacturing is that certain parts should be made in India. At this phase, duty is imposed on such parts. This phased manufacturing strategy has been applied to most of the electronic products. For example, the phase manufacturing plan for mobile phones was implemented in four phases.
Sources in the know of the matter and the industry said that even with this clearly laid out vision of the government, the television manufacturers have been reluctant to build up domestic capacity for parts while seeking higher protection on fully made television. The government had earlier imposed five per cent duty on Open Cell in March, 2018. But on the request of the domestic TV industry it was withdrawn last year for a limited period of one year. The domestic industry did not respond to this call of government to build domestic capacities for parts.


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With London 2012 Olympic tickets now on sale, fears that fraudsters will seek to profit from people’s desire to attend the Games has prompted the official ticket provider to launch a new ticket scam spotting site.
London 2012 has launched the Ticketing website checker, an online site that allows sports fans who want to go to the Olympic Games to find out whether ticket sellers are legitimate or illegal. Visitors to the webpage can enter the full web address for their own peace of mind.
Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud, has said: ‘If you see tickets for sale on any other website, other than the London 2012 official website, do not buy them – it is likely to be a scam.’
Ticket scam sites revealed
The Ticketing website checker currently shows examples of unauthorised sites that are known to the London Olympic Committee, and provides advice on how to avoid being scammed.
If you don’t wish to apply online, then you can also get a postal application from any Lloyd’s Bank or from any public library in Northern Ireland.
If you buy a ticket for an event that you can’t attend, you can return your ticket to get a refund through the London 2012 official ticket exchange.
Stay savvy when buying tickets with our guide to identifying an official ticket seller.
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There is a record low in unemployment right now and skilled workers are hard to come by, so manufacturers are having to work hard to get and retain good workers. To get workers, some manufacturers in Nebraska are offering bonuses and will pay for the cost of relocation to attract good employees. They are also posting the job offers outside the region to attract outside talent. These perks are attracting workers from far away, but the industry is facing difficulties anyway.
- A competitive labor pool and a growing reluctance by many Americans to move across the country have made contributed to a labor shortage in many factories.
- More companies are starting to explicitly offer moving costs in their vacancies to entice more applicants from out of the area.
- Companies like New Way Trucks, Caterpillar, and others are offering prospective hires several thousand dollars each to pay for moving expenses.
“To entice workers to move, manufacturers are raising wages, offering signing bonuses and covering relocation costs, including for some hourly positions.”
Read more: https://journalstar.com/business/local/manufacturers-increase-perks-to-get-new-hires-to-move/article_2994c9b5-8737-57c7-b2cb-841abaea5d19.html


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The Economy and the Credit Markets: Seeking the New Normal
May 29, 2009
The rate of U.S. economic growth has been disappointing, but some signs of stability have been emerging, according to Carl Tannenbaum, ’84, vice president in the risk specialist division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Tannenbaum made his remarks during his lecture on “The Lessons of Recession: The Road Ahead for Banks and the Economy,” at the 57th annual Management Conference 2009 at the Gleacher Center in Chicago.
While there are “a few green shoots” in the credit markets and the economy, he said Americans might nonetheless expect “some challenging months and quarters” ahead.
Economic indicators reveal a generally discouraging economic landscape. The GDP declined more than 6 percent over the last two quarters – the worst since the 1980s. Unemployment stands at 8.9 percent with little signs of abating. Banks are approaching lending very cautiously, while consumers are busy decreasing their spending and building up their savings. This last trend is good news for individuals, but bad news for the economy, which depends on consumer spending to grow, Tannenbaum said.
In addition, businesses and industries aren’t seeking new credit from banks because lending is extremely tight. “While some have hoped that bank lending would step forward to support a recovery, credit providers are actually pulling back,” according to Tannenbaum.
“As a consequence, we’re not seeing the level of business investment that we will need to see in order to keep productivity growing at a rate enjoyed over the last 15 years. Without that productivity growing, we won’t see the sort of economic performance and rise in standards of living at the level we’ve become accustomed to.”
As for consumer credit, home mortgages are currently “much more difficult to qualify for than they were a year ago,” Tannenbaum said. Financial institutions now look at credit more carefully, which “they should have been doing all along.” And unfortunately, government programs aimed at dealing with foreclosures haven’t yet met with much success.
“We’re still seeing a recidivist rate of 60 percent or more,” he said “Within six months of rewriting a loan, the majority fall back into delinquency.”
Tannenbaum also reflected on what contributed to the economic collapse and ways to prevent it from happening again.
Investors, he said, should have been “asking a lot more questions about the assets they were buying.”
In addition, credit rating agencies “should also have been asking better questions. Some of the triple-A-rated CDOs floating around out there were formed from very questionable raw material.”
At the same time, financial models built during the past decade performed very poorly under duress. “Those financial companies that were able to see that their models were no longer capturing what was happening on the ground and turn them off the fastest are the ones faring the best,” he said. “The whole industry of financial modeling, the techniques, their applications and their oversight are now open for review.”
Finally, Tannenbaum joked that the “cottage industry of producing lessons learned” may be one of the few growth areas in the United States.
— Mary J. Paleologos


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Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 August 2020, 14:15 by Denis Chabrol
Fire on Wednesday afternoon destroyed the southern section of De Sinco Trading’s premises on Sheriff Street, Campbellville, Georgetown.
That section is largely made of wood.
De Sinco is a major distributor of a range of consumer products.
A News-Talk Radio Guyana/ Demerara Waves Online News reporter on the scene said firefighters ran out of water.
He said the fire has since resurged and spread to the De Sinco office building.
This story is being updated.


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Windows 10 build 19041.264 rolls out to Slow and Release Preview Insiders
This update brings with it a couple of fixes and security improvements.
What you need to know
- Windows 10 build 19041.264 is now available on the Slow and Release Preview Insider rings.
- This update focuses on fixes and security improvements.
- Windows Insiders on the Slow and Release Preview rings can grab this build now via Windows Update.
Windows Insiders on the Slow and Release Preview rings have a new build to check out today. Microsoft shipped build 19041.264 to both rings, bringing fixes and security improvements. There are no new features available to test in this build.
Here's a look at what's included with build 19041.264:
- We have fixed a performance issue in Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) that prevents it from working correctly for many users.
- We fixed an issue that prevents cleaning tools, such as Disk Cleanup, from removing previously installed updates.
- We have updated the 2020 start date for daylight saving time (DST) in the Kingdom of Morocco. For more information, see KB4557900.
- Security updates to Internet Explorer, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Edge, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Cryptography, Windows Authentication, Windows Kernel, Windows Virtualization, Windows Update Stack, Windows Core Networking, Internet Information Services, Windows Network Security and Containers, Windows Active Directory, Windows Server, and the Microsoft JET Database Engine.
If you're already enrolled in the Slow or Release Preview rings, you can download this update now via Windows Update. For more on this release, you can also take a look at Microsoft's full release notes.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl.


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Fairness is a strange concept. Our sense of competition, of always wanting to make a better life for ourselves, of climbing the ladder, can sometimes cause us to be blinkered when it comes to seeing what our aspirations are doing to people around us.
Unfairness can be a by-product of being ambitious in the workplace. But the word easily covers the potential consequences.
Magnify this on a worldwide and historical scale and unfairness seems such a puny word. For most of history the weak and the poor have often been cruelly treated by the ruthless and wealthy, who have arrogantly stripped resources, exploited whole communities and demonstrated not a shred of fairness as they slashed and burned in the name of profit.
So the concept of fair trade shouldn’t work. It seems too lowly, too insignificant, too small to stand a chance of repairing the damage the developed world has caused to communities in Africa, Asia and South America and the Caribbean.
But fair trade, it seems, does work. People get it. They’re buying it. And it is helping poor people to make a decent living.
Born in Europe more than 40 years ago, the now-familiar Fairtrade logo has taken a while making an impact on our supermarkets and high streets. However, the organisation’s struggle for better trading conditions, gender equality, fairer access to markets and safer working conditions in remote regions is making a difference.
Fairtrade pays producers fair prices. We may pay a little more for their goods but the reward is that we’re helping to improve people’s lives.
Recognition of the Fairtrade mark stands at 90% in the UK and British shoppers are spending more than ever on items like Fairtrade tea, coffee, chocolate and bananas. In 2009 nearly £800million worth of Fairtrade products were purchased in UK stores, compared with about £22million a decade earlier.
The UK is one of the world’s leading Fairtrade markets, with more than 3,000 certified products in retail and catering outlets. Globally, Fairtrade sales have increased dramatically, reaching €2.89bn by the end of 2008.
It’s taken a while but it seems like the developed world has experienced during the past decade or two an unprecedented bout of fairness – almost an attempt to redress the balance and pay restitution for the damage we have done to our less ambitious neighbours.
We may be salving our collective conscience by sipping Fairtrade coffee or peeling a Fairtrade banana, but it’s doing some good. At long last, we’re doing the right thing. The fair thing.Buy Fair Trade - Fair Trade Jewellery, clothing, toys and much more


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Toyota owners know that their vehicles are well-made and dependable, so it was no surprise to West Herr Toyota Scion of Williamsville when the automaker was named "Best Automotive Brand" in the 2012 Kelley Blue Book Resale Value Awards. And, to top it off, not only the brand itself was recognized; the 2012 Toyota Camry won "Best Resale Value" in its mid-size class, while the 2012 Toyota Tacoma and the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser were each named one of the "Top 10 Cars" of the year. The Toyota Camry also holds the honor of being the best-selling car in America for nine consecutive years and thirteen of the past fourteen years.
Kelley Blue Book is one of the premiere sources for determining automobile pricing, especially on used vehicles. The "Best Resale Value" award recognizes vehicles for their projected retained value during the first five years of ownership. Projections are determined by skilled automotive analysts and are based on sales data, market condition, competition with other vehicles within classes, expectation of the future economic state of the country, current vehicle data, and expert experience. Bob Carter, Group Vice President and General Manager of Toyota Division recently commented on the wins, stating, "Winning the top brand in the Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards is a very significant honor as it reflects Toyota's commitment to quality, dependability and reliability, which ultimately adds up to great value. Toyota will continue to deliver the finest cars and trucks consumers have come to expect for over half a century." 1
Toyota owners certainly have a reason to celebrate. Whether you're purchasing a new Toyota or a Certified Pre-Owned Toyota , we have a fantastic selection from which to choose. Visit us today at 8129 Main Street Williamsville, NY 14221.


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A monthly measure of Illinois’ economic performance – the University of Illinois Flash Index – is at its highest point since August 2007. The weighted average of personal income, consumer spending, and corporate earnings shakes out at 104.9 for January, up from 104.6 in December. 100 is the break-even point between growth and contraction.
Click here for summary
What’s more, “January has been a very optimistic month in terms of the financial markets, and the stock market’s gone up substantially, and things seem to be looking better,” says study author Fred Giertz. “Illinois may be ahead of the other parts of the country, largely because we weren’t impacted by some negative things; Hurricane Sandy didn’t have much of an impact here.” Giertz is an economics professor who is also director of the U of I’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs.