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At the end of business today, D&D Ford at its present location will have seen its last Friday. After Saturday and Sunday the doors will be closed to the public and its staff for the final time.
D&D Ford, owned by the Davenport family since its origin, on Monday will be celebrating its 75th anniversary of doing business in Greer at its 36,642 square foot showroom and service department at 13645 E. Wade Hampton Blvd.
Larry Wilson was holding court in the middle of the crown jewel of downtown, Greer City Hall, talking about the future of Greer – what it will be like in 2030. The past is history, Wilson said, Greer is on the move and there’s no time to waste.
Wilson is the chairman of the board of trustees for Partnership For Tomorrow, a community initiative for the future of Greer.
BMW Manufacturing Co. of Greer announced that the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones (NAFTZ) recognized the company as its Exporter of the Year. In addition, the NAFTZ recognized BMW as the recipient of its Export Achievement Award for being the member that showed the most improvement in value.
BMW's plant in Greer has steadily increased its export activity. According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, based on the 2011 value of BMW exports from South Carolina, the company's Greer facility is the largest automotive exporter from the U.S.
Jodi Fortenberry has been hired as Membership Development Specialist at the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce.
Fortenberry, from Greer, has 10 years of sales, marketing and advertising experience. She holds a B.A. from the University of Delaware and Southern Cross University in Australia.
Bart Bishop, in collaboration with the Davenport family, is writing a history of the Davenports. This installment of the series traces The Davenport Building with its namesake etched into the top of the building.
Scott Stevens is a Web, eCommerce, Search & Social Media consultant that consults for Ad Agencies, PR Firms, & Web Design companies. His Web business, www.YourMark.com, is based out of a loft office in Greer, however, that has a history that long precedes the Internet. With his wife, Lindsay, they bought The Davenport at 230 Trade Street over 10 years ago, which includes the downstairs hall and the upstairs offices (and the loft apartment where they live). The name, however, wasn’t originally his idea, as it has been etched into the top of the building for decades.
Nehemiah Community Revitalization Corporation opens its new offices at 2 p.m. Thursday at Suite C at 111 South Main Street.
Nehemiah is a faith-based non-profit corporation in the business of affordable housing development and neighborhood revitalization. The helps provide housing for special needs groups such as senior citizens, persons with mental illness, and similar groups.
Chuck Langston of Langston-Black Real Estate, Inc. handled the leasing on approximately 3,000 square feet of office space to Family Dental Health at Pearce Medical Center at Five Forks. Family Dental is a full service Dental Services Provider.
Langston-Black is at 1001 W. Wade Hampton Blvd. Call 848-9070.
Zaxby’s opens Monday at 920 W. Wade Hampton and it couldn’t have arrived fast enough for owners Mike and Tarra Godfrey.
The Godfreys have made known their wishes to operate a Zaxby’s franchise for several years. When the Greer location became available Mike and Tarra vigorously pursued the opportunity. Terra is the owner of Chelsea’s Lady Apparel on Trade Street. Mike is a former beverage salesman.
EFS Fitness signage at 200 Trade Street is considered risqué by the City of Greer Planning and Zoning Coordinator, Glenn Pace.
That’s not so, objects EFS owner Matt Porter.
Lau Rubber and Plastics, of Guangzhou, China, has located its North American sales and operations office in Greer, at 711 W. Wade Hampton Blvd., near Greer Plaza Shopping Center.
The company, according to its website, produces products in the rubber and plastics industry and supplies parts to global companies and brands in the automotive, computer, communications, aviation, household appliance and packaging industries. Reports indicate the company has 10 employees.
Skip Davenport cut the ribbon to Quick Lane Tire and Service Center at 13645 E. Wade Hampton Blvd. in GreerToday. Well-wishers and business and chamber of commerce colleagues attended what is the precursor to a much larger and historic opening in October.
D&D Ford will open its state-of-the-art showroom Oct. 1 and has tentatively scheduled Oct. 18 for the grand opening of the dealership that will celebrate its 75th anniversary at the same time. The $7 million showroom and service facility will be 36,642 square feet and located on 6.19 acres of land.
Greenville EyeCare Associates, a provider of comprehensive eye healthcare services, announced that Dr. David E. Weaver landed a spot on TLC Laser Eye Centers top 20 of North America’s LASIK co-managing optometrists. The ranking within this elite category of thousands of TLC affiliates is based on the number of LASIK procedures Weaver co-managed in 2011.
LASIK is a procedure that uses a laser to reshape the cornea to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Dr. Weaver is known to educate patients at a young age about the vision correction options available to them with LASIK once they reach adulthood. He performs pre and post-operative care for the patients he recommends for LASIK surgery.
Buffets, Inc., owner of Ryan’s Buffet Corporate headquarters in Greer, and HomeTown Buffet and Old Country Buffet have added two senior marketing executives to its team.
Amy LaFrank has been named Director, Calendars and Programs and Slaton Smith has been appointed as Senior Director, Field Marketing and Media. Both Smith and LaFrank will help fast track the rollout of the company’s marketing initiatives associated with “The Plan to Win,” the company’s strategic blueprint for growth that was rolled out earlier in August at its annual field leadership planning meeting. The plan outlines a renewed emphasis in improving the guest experience through a series of investments in better facilities, better food, and better training and support for its employees.
An IHOP (International House of Pancakes) is being promoted as the prime tenant locating in Greer at the corner of Wade Hampton Boulevard and Suber Road. IHOP will anchor a four-tenant complex that is being marketed by Greenville’s RealtyLink LLC.
IHOP would not comment and RealtyLink neither confirmed nor denied the report to GreerToday.com. However, RealtyLink has produced a brochure it is presenting to potential clients showing IHOP as the anchor tenant with additional 7,360-square feet of availability.
Greer Relief & Resources Agency, a non-profit serving people in crisis, seeks a dedicated individual to fill a full-time hourly bilingual intake coordinator position. Position involves various administrative responsibilities as well as direct contact with clients by phone and in person.
Applicant must be a high school graduate or equivalent, have a minimum of 2 years experience in an office environment, be able to work with little supervision, be a self starter to ensure clients and donors are helped in a timely fashion, have excellent communications skill and attention to detail, be proficient in Microsoft Office applications.
Allegiant is taking its “Vote for Vacation” tour on the road and will be at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer on Sept. 11.
Allegiant will visit each city it serves (GSP and Asheville is the same date) and invite residents to vote for their favorite vacation destination. One voter in each city will win two roundtrip tickets to the destination they voted. The first 100 people will receive a coupon for $21.60 – the amount of federal taxes for roundtrip airfare – for a future vacation package with Allegiant.
You’d be hard pressed to find someone around here that isn’t happy about New Belgium’s plans to build a brewery in Asheville. I asked a few existing microbrewery owners in Asheville for their thoughts regarding the incoming competition, and they all expressed enthusiasm about New Belgium, saying they are all after the same thing: creating delicious brews and generating new craft beer fans.
A trip to Colorado gave me the perfect opportunity to meet with New Belgium Spokes Model Bryan Simpson in Fort Collins to find out more about the plans for the Asheville brewery. (And the opportunity to try the latest brews they’re releasing, of course.)
Counting BMW Z Roadsters was as popular as looking at the license plates where the car owners were from today at the annual ZFest. Owners of the Roadsters came to Trade Street for a few hours to have lunch and visit shops.
Perry Williams introduced a new parking configuration to the visitors that gave Trade Street more vehicles parked than it previously had before. Ironically, the diagonal parking was also discussed by city council as an alternative to the current parallel parking. Perry and his wife, Erin, are BMW Roadster owners.


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iPhone to get mobile TV from Flo TV and Mophie
Qualcomm’s subsidiary Flo TV has partnered with accessory maker Mophie to announce an upcoming series of products that will allow iPhone and iPod touch users to watch live mobile TV.
The products will be available sometime in the first half of the year, for prices that have not been disclosed.
Flo TV and Mophie will integrate built-in FLO TV receivers into Mophie cases, so I guess you should expect your iPhone to look something like this when you’ll want to watch mobile TV on it:
For the moment, AT&T offers mobile TV from Flo TV only on three phones: LG Vu, Samsung Eternity and Samsung Mythic. Verizon also offers the service (under it V CAST brand) for the Motorola Krave and HTC Imagio.
Via Press release

domain: news


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“Obviously we need equipment – our economies are not excellent – but at the same time, there is no control,” says Towa Chilongo, director of TCH E-Waste. “So they’ll just dump all this electronic stuff – some of it only has a lifeline of about a year – and obviously we’ll receive it, because it comes in as a donation for our schools.”
Speaking to me from Lusaka, Zambia, Chilongo is explaining a loophole in international law – one that allows countries to export electronic waste, rather than responsibly disposing of it.
“The UK or the States or anywhere else, they already have policies on how to get rid of electronic waste. So, instead of disposing of the waste in the UK, or wherever in the West, they send it to us as donations.”
According to a late-2017 report by NGO Basel Action Network, the global authority on the toxic waste trade, the repairables loophole ‘allows anyone to simply claim used electronic waste as repairable and export it completely outside of the rules and obligations of the Basel Convention’.
The Basel Convention came about at the start of the ’90s as an international treaty to quell the movement of hazardous waste between countries – normally from more to less ‘developed’ countries. However, as quantities of e-waste soar year-on-year, it’s clear tougher measures and robust implementation are required.
Technically, the BAN report continues, ‘No importing country would even [need to] be asked if it would like to receive container loads of broken e-waste destined for ‘repair’.
Agudor Agabas heads up a social enterprise called AppCyclers, which focuses on innovative e-waste management, in Tamale, Ghana. Like Chilongo, he acknowledges donated devices were something of a trojan horse for his country.
“In the year 2000, the government – to bridge the technology gap, to give us access to electronic appliances like mobile phones – allowed the importation of electronic appliances into the country.”
“But then we realised that we didn’t have the capacity and the infrastructure to recycle most of these appliances, when they got too old or became obsolete. Since then, Agbogbloshie in Ghana has been the world’s most toxic place.”
Flickr © Fairphone
Agbogbloshie has made international headlines in recent years as the world’s largest e-waste dump. The slum in Accra, Ghana’s capital, receives millions of tonnes of waste per year; screens and switchboards pile high on beds of now indiscriminate electronic parts. Ashy wires and cables spread like veins through the mass, punctuated by fire and black smog.
For many, including migrants from Agabas’ native north, Agbogbloshie is a workplace – not a no-go zone. Burner boys set waste alight to recover copper, smashing screens and combing the ground for further precious metals. Anything they recover is passed onto older and more experienced scrap dealers.
In and beyond Agbogbloshie, working in e-waste salvage is a risky business. “If I don’t go to work, I can’t get my daily bread”, scrap dealer Yakubu Adam, who has been in the trade since 2001, tells me.
“But we scrap dealers always get sick. It’s risky work. You feel worn out all the time. We burn copper, we burn aluminium; when you burn it, the smoke makes you feel sick. If the smoke gets into your body plenty of times, you fall sick.”
The improper processing of electronic waste has catastrophic consequences for human health and the environment. Chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and CFCs seep into the soil, air and water, contaminating crops and poisoning animals that feed from the ground. Those working directly with toxic waste report cancer, respiratory illnesses, burns and liver damage.
Carried out in the right conditions, the work done by scrap dealers would form a key tenet of a circular economy. Extracting and reusing the precious metals in electronic waste – including gold, silver, platinum, iron and copper – should be common practice.
Other unsavoury alternatives to dealing with e-waste include digging holes in back gardens and burying rubbish, burning it at home, or hoarding.
Flickr © Fairphone
“It ends up in a storeroom somewhere”, says Chilongo. “Hoarding is a big, big problem and, in fact, the biggest culprits are government institutions”.
He reports warehouses filled with 20 years’ worth of computers, which no one knows what to do with. “One of the biggest telecoms companies in Zambia is MTel, which is state-owned. I’ve had around six meetings trying to convince them that we have a solution [to hoarding].”
Exports from countries like the UK and US are only part of Africa’s e-waste story. At least 50% (and some argue up to 85%) of the e-waste mined, burned or hoarded comes from the continent itself. Despite hosting the fewest electronics manufacturers of any continent, Africa’s e-waste contribution is outsized – and rising as digital devices become more accessible.
Only very few countries (Uganda and Rwanda, for example) have formal policy on electronic waste. So while countries like the UK, which illegally exports 40% of its e-waste, must make changes – so too must governments in Africa. This is something both Agabas and Chilongo, who is working with the Zambian government on new legislation, are clear on. Agabas says,
“I think the government is doing great, but then there is more to be done”.
“Currently we do have regulations and policy in Ghana, but most of it’s not being enforced. People are still doing what they do, irrespective of the health and environmental implications.”
Making it safe
In the meantime, organisations like TCH E-Waste and AppCyclers are crucial in pushing for healthy and sustainable processing of e-waste.
The former collects, categorises and safely recycles old digital devices, while maintaining total data security. The latter is an online platform where people can request pick-up of electronic devices, which are then repaired or recycled – sometimes into items like jewellery and picture frames.
© TCH E-Waste
Both Agabas and Chilongo are proponents of a circular economy; they see huge opportunities in the world’s fastest growing waste stream. As things stand, billions of pounds of precious metals are being chucked away rather than repurposed.
On top of their work on-the-ground, they continue to raise awareness and advocate for reform in Ghana and Zambia respectively. The end goal is to share solutions with the rest of Africa.
“People aren’t very aware of what electronic waste is, let alone the negative effects it can have on human health and the environment”, says Agabas.
“In 2020, we conducted a study and realised that over 60% of people didn’t even know what electronic waste was.”
With this lack of awareness comes a resistance to behaviour change. Citizens are used to getting money from scrap dealers in exchange for their old tech. Agabas hopes to see more financial incentives from the government, to make it easy and equally lucrative for people to do the right thing with their waste.
Rather than making their broken electronics someone else’s problem, Agabas invites foreign countries to support solutions. He wants to see global recycling giants sharing their knowledge, and working alongside smaller recycling operations in Ghana and beyond.
For scrap worker Yakubu Adam, change can’t come soon enough. With no choice but to continue in an unsafe trade, better access to protective gear and safe working conditions is an urgent need. “We need support through Accra,” he says. “When we get people’s support our business will go well.”
This is the first part of The Repairability Report, a four-part article series from Maddyness UK and France on the mounting problem of electronic waste. Having started at the end of the product life cycle, we’ll be soon be turning our heads to its beginning. We’ll be looking at new policies in the UK and France, and how we can urge Big Tech to take on extended producer responsibility.


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It’s only a matter of time that digital currency ‘is going to overshadow all the other forms of money,’ says Neeraj Khandelwal of CoinDCX.
Articles filed under
As debate rages over whether India should ban private cryptos in favor of a central bank digital currency, a case could be made that India needs both.
India is moving toward banning all cryptocurrency and creating a state-backed digital rupee. But Tesla’s big bitcoin buy-in may be giving lawmakers pause.
In this edition of Forkast Forecasts, the co-founder and CEO of CoinDCX offers his views on the growth of crypto in India, regulation and CBDCs.


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De’Longhi America Donates Coffee Machines to Provide Comfort and Enjoyment during Global Health Crisis
UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J. – (BUSINESS WIRE) – De’Longhi America will partner with RVs4MDs to donate Braun BrewSense coffee machines and Coperaco ground coffee to frontline healthcare workers and RV donors involved in the program.
RVs4MDs originally started out as a grassroots movement through Facebook and now has morphed into a nonprofit garnering support on a national level. RVs4MDs connects RV owners with frontline healthcare workers who need a safe place to self-isolate in order to protect their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
RVs4MDs was established on March 24, 2020. Emily Phillips, the wife of an ER doctor in Texas, took to Facebook to ask friends if they had an unused RV that her husband could use. A friend of Emily’s saw her post, quickly connected her with another acquaintance, Holly Haggard, and the rest is history. By 5 p.m. that evening, Emily and Jason picked up an RV from the Haggards and began a new way of temporary living. What started out as a selfless act of kindness has sparked a bond and friendship between the two that they will forever hold dear.
Since then, more than 1,416 RV owners have matched with healthcare workers across 47 states, providing them with a safe place to recharge between shifts with the knowledge they are keeping their families safe. The program is free and donors are asked to loan their RVs out for as long as the recipient needs.
“The work that RVs4MDs is doing is nothing short of amazing,” said Mike Prager, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), De'Longhi America. “We are eager to help bring continued awareness to this organization and honor the physicians and donors for their continued efforts in protecting our communities as all of us navigate through this unprecedented moment in our lives.”
De’Longhi hopes the donation will serve as a thank you to frontline healthcare workers and donors for their selflessness and service during the pandemic, as well as provide them with a sense of comfort during these challenging times.
“During this time, RVs4MDs is supporting healthcare workers and battling COVID-19 with the help of an incredible volunteer base,” said RVs4MDs Partnership Director LaRayne Quale. “Being able to provide our donors and frontline healthcare workers with the added support of businesses such as De’Longhi is an incredible opportunity and an honor!”
More information on De’Longhi’s partnership with RVs4MDs can be found by visiting facebook.com/groups/RVs4MDs . Information on De’Longhi and Braun home and kitchen appliances can be found at delonghi.com/en-us and braunhousehold.com/en-us.
The De’Longhi Group is based in Treviso, Italy and is on the forefront of the small domestic appliance category with a range of premium products under three internationally renowned brands; De’Longhi, Kenwood and Braun. The De’Longhi Group is committed to continuing their mission to create exceptional products that improve the lives of the consumer through innovative technologies and unparalleled design.
The De’Longhi Brand is based in Treviso Italy and the global leader in espresso and comfort products. Highest quality, high Italian design and meaningful product innovations are the core values of the De’Longhi brand. De’Longhi is present in over 123 countries and creates products in three main categories: espresso, specialty cooking and home comfort. After more than a century of perfecting its products, De´Longhi remains committed to creating innovations that bring convenience and style into every customers’ home; making the everyday better. For more information visit delonghi.com.
The Braun Brand
Founded in Frankfurt, Germany in 1921, develops and manufactures a wide variety of small domestic appliances that marry innovation, thoughtful design and reliability. The global leaders in hand blenders, Braun developed the first hand blender with Smart Speed technology, a simple and intuitive speed control that offers new possibilities in creative cooking. Building on more than 90 years of design and innovation, the brand remains committed to designing products with superior performance that make life easier, more convenient and enjoyable in the kitchen. The De’Longhi Group acquired the perpetual license of the household division in fall 2012. Visit braunhousehold.com for the latest news and in-depth information about the Braun brand.
In March, 2020, what started out as an ER physician’s wife’s simple plea to obtain an RV to help her family keep distanced from COVID-19 quickly exploded into a national movement rooted in kindness. The simple request, identifying a need to help others, and subsequently forming a Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/RVs4MDs), RVs4MDs has gone viral – growing to currently over 24,000 members and steadily rising. Run entirely by volunteers, RVs4MDs relief effort is designed to be a “matching service” to help provide no-cost temporary housing solutions to America’s frontline healthcare heroes. One person’s cry for help, a kind and giving heart, and a network of people who care – has quickly caused the spread of RVs4MDs throughout the U.S. almost as fast as COVID-19’s itself. RVs4MDs is now working to match donors and recipients in all states.


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The funds to be disbursed through the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe will be available next month.
Speaking on the sidelines of the tourism performance update during the first quarter on Monday, ZTA chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke said the funds were not meant for new construction projects.
He said the major challenge facing tourism players was lack of funding, resulting in the decline of service delivery in the sector.
“We are sourcing $30 million from PTA Bank and we expect it to be available by the end of this quarter,” said Kaseke. “The funds will be for refurbishment, upgrading and retooling of the sector which has experienced problems in the past 11 years.”
The development comes as the country’s tourism marketing body has disclosed that 10 lodges and a five-star hotel in Bulawayo risked losing their ratings as a result of deteriorating standards and poor service delivery.
Kaseke said tourism players in Bulawayo were the most affected by the state of the economy as many companies had closed business.
Giving an update on the first quarter, he said the performance of the sector so far was better than the comparative period last year.
Kaseke could, however, not disclose figures on arrivals and hotel occupancies.
“The sector performed better than last year and we expect it to surpass last year’s performance as some hotels have received next year’s bookings,” he said.
The sector is projected to grow by 13,7% from 10,3% in 2011 with the average occupancy rate increasing to 60% this year.
According to the Medium-Term Plan, the tourism sector is set to increase hotel rooms to
15 000 by 2015 from 6 248, while hotel beds will increase to 18 000 from 12 000.


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HYPEBEAST 100: The innovators from all realms of creativity in the spotlight.
With in-depth interviews, focused features and fashion-forward editorials, our print publication features long-form coverage of the topics valued by readers.
Explore and be inspired by the latest women's fashion news and trends.
It’s been a big month for Travi$.
Is graffiti legally protected by copyright infringement?
The MSK writer takes a dig at two household names in fashion.
Artists RIME, DCEVE and TOPER took to high above the streets of Chinatown in New York City to
Street artist RIME takes the art of evidence collection to whole new heights in this series. During
RIME and KC, two artists known for work that spans graffiti and photography, recently allowed art
Taking place this upcoming weekend, artists Rime and KC Ortiz present a dual show entitled “SKETCHY
As the final videos from Art Basel 2011 begin to roll out, TheSeventhLetter’s “50 Characters in
In hip-hop producer Mr. Green’s continuing “Live from the Streets” series, where he pulls samples
Set to “Bloodstains” by Agent Orange, director Willie T’s “VandalsEYES Detroit” finds Jersey
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MoneyGram announces four appointments to senior management team
MoneyGram International, Inc, a leading global financial technology company, today announced four strategic appointments to its senior management team, responsible for the acceleration of the Company’s global digital strategy. These new leaders will partner closely with the Executive Leadership Team and report directly to Seth Ross, MoneyGram Chief Digital Officer.
Bringing decades of digital expertise to MoneyGram, the new leaders will help oversee the next level of digital growth for the Company, focusing on four strategic areas: MoneyGram Online (Edwina Johnson); MoneyGram Business (Arnoldo Reyes); Pricing Strategy (Vijay Raman); and Payments and Product Partnerships (Mike Tekulve).
- Edwina Johnson, MoneyGram Online International
With more than 15 years of experience in the technology start-up space, Johnson will lead the team responsible for driving international growth for MGO, partnering with the team accelerating the channel in the US and Canada.
- Arnoldo Reyes, MoneyGram Business
Reyes will utilize his 20 years of payments experience at companies like Visa, PayPal and Mastercard to lead and execute the strategy behind MoneyGram Business (MGB), the Company’s B2B division.
- Vijay Raman, Pricing Strategy
Raman will lead a team dedicated to driving industry-leading pricing capabilities and revenue enhancements. A veteran leader in revenue management and pricing strategies at companies like American Airlines and Spirit Airlines, Raman has more than 20 years of experience in optimizing business strategy and technology to spur revenue growth and profitability.
- Mike Tekulve, Payments and Product Partnerships
Tekulve brings more than two decades of experience in financial technology with industry leaders such as Green Dot and Discover Financial Services. In his new role with MoneyGram, he will leverage his deep strategic expertise in fintech and payments to grow the Company’s consumer financial service offerings and enhance its integration into the global digital payments ecosystem.


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Parcel giant UPS (NYSE: UPS) announced last week that it expects to hire about 100,000 seasonal employees to support the anticipated surge in package volume that will begin in November and continue through January 2019. E-commerce is projected to continue its strong growth during the holiday season, and the company regularly ramps up hiring to accommodate the peak months.
Traditionally, the parcel market has largely been focused on commercial shipments between businesses. However, the last 15 years has seen a dramatic shift in the industry, as the emergence of e-commerce within retail has forced parcel delivery companies like UPS and FedEx (NYSE: FDX) to rethink their delivery network. The majority of the growth in the parcel industry is now being driven by rising demand for e-commerce, bringing along with it added demand for last-mile residential deliveries.
Retail and e-commerce activity peaks during the holiday months of November and December, and have posed challenges to parcel carriers as they attempt to make tight delivery deadlines during this time period. To facilitate this, UPS brings on additional workers during the peak season to help with sorting and delivering packages.
“Every year, we deliver the holidays for millions of customers,” said Jim Barber, chief operating officer. “In order to make that happen, we also deliver thousands of great seasonal jobs at our facilities across the country.”
Hiring in an increasingly tough market
E-commerce growth has performed well thus far in 2018, rising over 15% year-over-year in each of the first two quarters on the year. Strong job and income growth and elevated consumer confidence point to particularly strong growth during this holiday season, and parcel companies are getting prepared. The current plan of 100,000 additional workers for UPS would be a 5% increase over last year, and exceeds rival FedEx’s recent announcement of plans to hire 55,000 temporary workers for this peak season. Many of these temporary workers go on to become full time employees, staffing UPS’ expanding network.
The parcel companies won’t be the only businesses hiring for the holidays, however. UPS’ announcement come on the heels of Target also announcing its intentions to hire 120,000 The parcel companies won’t be the only businesses hiring for the holidays, however. UPS’ announcement come on the heels of Target (NYSE: TGT) also announcing its intentions to hire 120,000 holiday workers this year, while fellow retailer Macy’s (NYSE: M) plans on adding 80,000.
Businesses may find it more difficult to hire this year than in years past, however. Unemployment has been hovering near historic lows throughout the year, and remains below 4% into the 3rd quarter. Businesses across industries have begun reporting challenges finding available labor, even for unskilled labor which is typically in greater supply.
With the recent wave of holiday hiring plans, the question then becomes where are all these workers going to come from. Parcel companies and retailers will likely find themselves competing for a small pool of workers during the holidays, and may have to boost pay or other incentives to fulfill their hiring needs.


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Estate agents are being invited to a webinar to end their apparent “misconceptions” about the controversial Modern Method of Auction.
MMA has been criticised by some consumer groups for what some see as a lack of transparency over fees.
Now one of the leading firms in the niche sector - Iamsold - is staging a webinar next week, on Thursday May 13 at 11am.
Both Zoopla and Rightmove have recently entered the digital auction field with Iamsold, and the webinar will be led by Iamsold’s head of partnerships Tom Bailey - the company’s managing director, Jamie Cooke, and head of compliance Emma Burdis will also take part.
The session will cover the original of MMA and what the firm sees as the myths and misconceptions around the method; putting the spotlight on compliance, transparency and best practice; and how Rightmove and Zoopla involvement can enhance future prospects for the system.
Cooke says: “It will be a great opportunity for agents to learn more about the benefits MMA can give them and their clients, and ultimately clear up any misconceptions.
“One misconception we hear is a lack of transparency around fees which MMA has faced criticism for. This is an area we’ve driven significant change around to ensure full transparency and that consumers have a consistent MMA experience.
“By addressing things like this we hope people will leave the session with a better understanding of MMA and its place in the market.”


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Block's 'period of potential uncertainty'
Good morning, and welcome to Protocol Fintech. This Friday: Block and Opendoor earnings, Starbucks and Meta have NFT plans and Coinbase gets a big-time TradFi partner.
Co-byline with Tomio Geron
Block and Opendoor scramble
Both Block and Opendoor are scrambling to respond to rapid changes in the macroeconomic environment that are having a big impact on home buying and consumer spending overall.
They’re part of a fintech industry that’s particularly sensitive to interest rate changes and inflation — but both companies emerged relatively unscathed coming out of earnings Thursday, despite some investor concerns.
Both companies’ stocks have fallen in recent months, along with the rest of the market, but both have tried to give investors reason for optimism for the rest of this year despite the potential for the economy to get worse.
Block’s earnings beat estimates, but investors were still nervous. Shares dipped 6% after hours Thursday, as investors seemed to fear potential headwinds later this year.
Block said July growth for its Square merchant business was up 18% year-over-year, after rising 29% in the second quarter, which may have spooked investors concerned about the economy. Meanwhile, gross payment volume, a measure of overall spending, was $52.5 billion, just below analyst estimates of $53.2 billion but still up from $42.8 billion a year ago.
The company cut non-GAAP operating expense plans by $450 million since the start of the year as it enters a “period of potential uncertainty,” CFO Amrita Ahuja said. It has slowed hiring and pulled back on experimental and less efficient marketing.
Block is continuing to bet big on its Afterpay acquisition and touted its boost to its Square unit and its Cash App. The company expects much more in terms of benefits for all three as they benefit each other, said Jack Dorsey.
Block is closely monitoring lending loss rates, but “buy now, pay later” from its Afterpay deal saw loss rates of about 1% in the first quarter, a slight improvement from the prior quarter.
Revenue for bitcoin, Dorsey’s favorite area for future innovation, sank along with the crypto market to $1.79 billion, which was down 34%.
Opendoor’s earnings showed growth despite a volatile home-buying market. The company is trying to adjust by slowing down its home buying.
Opendoor reported mixed results. The second quarter topped estimates, with a revenue increase of more than 250% year-over-year to $4.2 billion, and an adjusted EBITDA of $218 million, compared to $25 million in the second quarter of 2021. But outlook for the third quarter is between $2.2 billion and $2.6 billion, with adjusted EBITDA estimates of $125 million to $175 million.
That’s because of “current market volatility” according to CEO Eric Wu. Interest rates have increased mortgage prices, and Opendoor says it’s been forced to reduce the prices of homes in inventory to meet the market. But there’s still buyer demand “consistent” with 2018 and 2019, the company said. Offer requests were higher than ever, increasing 69% year-over-year.
iBuying is made for a volatile market, so they say. “One of the structural advantages of our business model is its responsiveness and adaptability to changing market conditions,” Wu said in the report.
The company has been broadening spreads since early May and will begin reducing acquisitions, a strategy the company says will help it brace for market volatility. In other words, Opendoor is trying to learn from Zillow’s mistakes last year. The company also has other challenges, dealing with the $62 million fine it’s paying the FTC after the commission said it misled customers.
Enemies made nice: The big news of Opendoor’s Thursday call had little to do with earnings — it was a new partnership with Zillow, formerly Opendoor’s prime competitor in iBuying. The partnership will permit Zillow sellers to request Opendoor offers through the site, reducing friction and allowing Opendoor to tap into a massive customer pool primed for selling online.
While the fintech industry has been put through the wringer in the recent stock market downturn, Block and Opendoor offer reasons for optimism — better technology, new approaches to adding customers and growing businesses in their respective markets. They also show some significant reasons for caution going into the fall, with no one having a clear idea of where the economy is headed.
Protocol link: https://www.protocol.com/newsletters/protocol-fintech/block-opendoor-earnings


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Delphix brings new data security capabilities to SAP
Delphix, the US-based Data-as-a-Service platform, has announced new enhancements to the Delphix Dynamic Data Platform that deliver algorithms specifically tuned to mask large volumes of SAP data. With the upcoming GDPR deadline and other regulatory demands, these enhancements aim to accelerate how enterprises meet compliance requirements.
As the digital backbone of many businesses, SAP applications typically capture sensitive information like customer records, intellectual property and financial data. The Delphix Platform aims to provide these businesses with a solution to define and enforce GDPR compliance policies within SAP environments. The updates to the platform will now enable SAP customers to automatically identify sensitive data within SAP applications and apply masking to this data once and enable delivery of multiple copies to various SAP environments.
This new capability is highly relevant within the context of the EU’s GDPR, which compels businesses to adopt privacy by design to safeguard the personal information of EU citizens, the company said. “GDPR is the most substantial privacy regulation hitting enterprises in the last 30 years,” added Holger Mueller, VP and Principal Analyst for Constellation Research. “As such, CxOs struggle to ensure massive - and rising - amounts of data are ready to comply with GDPR. The clock is ticking and any solution that helps CxOs quickly navigate the process for GDPR compliance on SAP data is highly attractive.”


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The U.S. market edged higher before the market on Wednesday, focusing on streaming giant Netflix's overnight post-market surge
(Morning News) ● Futures of major stock indexes on Wall Street in the United States edged higher on Wednesday ahead of the results of several giants.
● Wednesday night's upcoming results include: Procter & Gamble before the market opens, and Tesla and International Business Machines Corporation (International Business Machines, referred to as IBM) after the close. September housing starts and building permits data in the United States will also be released on the same night.
● At the 7 o'clock deadline, S & P 500 futures edged up 3.70 points or 0.10% at 3,723.70 points; Nasdaq 100 futures were 20.00 points or 0.18% at 11,167.70 points; Dow Jones index futures were 10.40 points at 30,534.20 points.
● U.S. stocks closed higher for the second day overnight on Tuesday (18th). Goldman Sachs and Lockheed Martin (Lockheed Martin) released strong quarterly results overnight, allaying market investors' concerns about the weakness of the stock market in the earnings season.
● The S & P 500 rose 42.03 points overnight to close at 3,719.98. The heavyweight Dow rose 337.98 points and closed at 30,523.80. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 also rose 0.77% or 85.20 points to close at 11,147.74.
● U.S. stocks were active overnight, with total volume on the exchange 11.6 billion 70 million shares, roughly the same as the average volume of 11.6 billion 20 million shares over the past 20 days.Pre-market trading highlights:
● Wall Street analysts generally predict that electric vehicle giant Tesla will post a quarterly earnings per share of $1 and a turnover of $21.9 billion 60 million. Tesla shares rose $2.16 in pre-market trading Wednesday night to $222.35 at the deadline.
● Procter & Gamble's higher pricing offset the impact of reduced demand for its products, allowing the company to just report quarterly earnings and turnover, both exceeding analysts' consensus forecasts. Procter & Gamble earned $1.57 per share and turnover 20.6 billion $10 million. Shares continued to rise in premarket trading on Wednesday night, at $130.75, up from $2.38 at the deadline.
● Wall Street analysts predict that after the market closes Wednesday night, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) will report quarterly earnings of $1.78 per share and turnover of $13.5 billion 50 million. IBM shares started at $0.26 in premarket trading and were $123.20 at the deadline.
● United Airlines reported better results than market analysts had predicted overnight, driving the company's stock price up nearly 7% after hours. The stock continued to rise before the market on Wednesday night, at the deadline of $39.51, from $2.26.
● Wednesday we take a look at why streaming giant Netflix surged after the overnight market. Pre-market shares continued to rise by $32.93, at the deadline of $273.79.
● Pre-market active stocks In order: Carnival Corp, Tesla, Netflix, Apple and Amazon. Shares of all five active stocks were up at the time of writing.Most of Netflix's net user growth in the quarter came from the Asia-Pacific region, with a total of 1.43 million users. The U.S. and Canada were Netflix's smallest growth regions, adding only 10,000 net users. (Reuters) Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX)
Streaming media giant Netflix not only announced better-than-expected turnover and profit figures after the overnight market closed, but company executives also revealed at the press conference that Netflix's global net subscribers increased by 2.41 million, more than double the forecast of the previous quarter. The good news immediately sent Netflix's stock price soaring by more than 14% overnight.
Netflix also predicted that in the next fiscal year, Quarter 1, they will attract another 4.5 million users. "We are finally past a period of'quarterly contraction, '" co-CEO Reed Hastings said at the launch. "Now it's time for the company to continue the momentum by strengthening its content, marketing and low-price advertising programs."
According to Netflix's earnings report, Netflix's third-quarter earnings per share were $3.10 and turnover was $7.9 billion 30 million. Analysts previously collected by Refinitiv estimated earnings per share at $2.13 and turnover was $7.8 billion 37 million. However, for the fourth quarter, Netflix predicts that the company's performance will be subject to currency pressure such as the rise in the US dollar, resulting in turnover to continue to remain at the level of 7.8 billion US dollars.
Most of Netflix's net user growth in the quarter was mainly from the Asia-Pacific region, with a total of 1.43 million users. The United States and Canada were the regions with the smallest growth for Netflix, adding only 10,000 net subscribers.
The streaming giant has been trying to drive user growth after a sudden decline in subscribers in the first half of the year. At that time, Netflix's user base suddenly and significantly reduced by 1.2 million due to the increasingly fierce competition in online video, which surprised the market and caused the stock price to drop 59.68% since the beginning of the year. In addition to driving user growth, Netflix also officially announced overnight that it will start cracking down on password sharing next year. However, in the initial stage, they will allow people who borrow accounts to open their own accounts. Netflix will also allow users to help friends or family members pay their user fees by opening sub-accounts.
Of Tipranks' 30 analysts, 13 have a "buy" rating on Netflix, 12 have a "hold" rating on the stock, and five have a "sell" rating on the stock, with an average one-year price target of $269.52. At the overnight closing price of $240.86, analysts believe the stock has 11.90% upside potential.


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- OKX is actively working toward the acquisition of a cryptocurrency exchange license in Hong Kong.
- It is not known how many exchanges will be granted the license.
- Huobi announced that it is applying for license operations in Hong Kong.
The efforts of Hong Kong’s government to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges are being stepped up. The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) presented a newly drafted regulatory framework on November 6th, 2019, which will allow the securities watchdog to issue licenses to cryptocurrency trading platforms.
OKX has recently announced that the company is actively working toward the acquisition of a cryptocurrency exchange license in the Hong Kong region. At this point, every single platform for exchanging cryptocurrency has expressed an interest in obtaining a business license from the city authorities.
It is not known, however, how many of these exchanges will eventually be granted the license, whether or not it will be accessible to retail investors, or how many tokens will be made available.
Huobi, a Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange, recently made headlines when it announced plans to apply for a cryptocurrency trading license in Hong Kong. With the new license, Huobi will be able to offer a wider variety of cryptocurrency trading and investment services to customers in Hong Kong.
With such regulations taking place within Hong Kong city, as well as the fact that this is a good sign as it shows that the city is ready to regulate cryptocurrency and that these cryptocurrency exchange platforms are ready to follow regulatory guidelines, it is important to note that this is a positive sign.
However as crypto investment gets more mainstream, and the everyday application and usage of virtual assets have been rapidly increasing, no doubt that a complete set of regulations of crypto assets is much needed.
Read Also :
Crypto News Land (cryptonewsland.com) , also abbreviated as “CNL”, is an independent media entity — we are not affiliated with any company in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry. We aim to provide fresh and relevant content that will help build up the crypto space since we believe in its potential to impact the world for the better. All of our news sources are credible and accurate as we know it, although we do not make any warranty as to the validity of their statements as well as their motive behind it. While we make sure to double-check the veracity of information from our sources, we do not make any assurances as to the timeliness and completeness of any information in our website as provided by our sources. Moreover, we disclaim any information on our website as investment or financial advice. We encourage all visitors to do your own research and consult with an expert in the relevant subject before making any investment or trading decision.


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The company has spent the past few years aggressively stretching its product portfolio into the most desirable, revenue-rich segments of electrification, connectivity and autonomous driving technology.
From a console pad for storing and charging a smartphone to a pickup truck cargo bed that doubles as an audio speaker, WardsAuto editors uncovered a plethora of surprise and delight features during Wards 10 Best UX testing.
The addition of gasoline direct injection provides much of the power and fuel-economy gains by reducing knock, improving combustion stability and offering precise injection control. It also raises the compression ratio.
For the 23rd year in a row, top powertrain engineers from around the world gathered to celebrate the winners of the Wards 10 Best Engines competition. Trophies were awarded at a ceremony in Detroit during the North American International Auto Show.
We call out vehicles with problematic fit-and-finish, materials, ergonomics or unfortunate design choices. Each of these items resulted in points deducted as WardsAuto editors selected the 2016 Wards 10 Best Interiors.


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NEW ORLEANS — Police are searching for a man caught on camera stealing a package off a front porch in Uptown last week, the latest in a growing list of "porch pirate" cases in New Orleans this month.
Surveillance video shows the moment an unidentified man walks up to a home in the 2100 block of Calhoun Street, next to Tulane University's campus, to take a package from the victim's property then bike away.
Police say the theft happened around 4 p.m. on Nov. 8, but was just one of several cases of broad daylight package thefts reported in the past weeks in New Orleans. A new study out last month reports shoppers in Louisiana are the fourth most at risk in the country for package thieves, with more than 2,400 larceny thefts reported per 100,000 residents.
On Nov. 6 at around 2:14 p.m., another man was caught on camera entering a yard in the 3700 block of Camp Street and taking a package from the porch, then ripping it open and putting the items in a bag before tossing the box away.
Witnesses reported the man then went into nearby yards to look for packages to steal before also fleeing on a bicycle.
In that case, the suspect was wearing a white t-shirt, blue bike helmet, black pants, black tennis shoes and a black backpack while committing the crime.
On November 3, a man wearing a neon yellow safety vest walked to the front of a house in the 2900 block of Baronne Street and tried to grab a delivery around 6:45 p.m. However, he was confronted by a resident and ran off empty handed.
Police officials are investigating all three incidents and ask anyone with information that could lead to arrests to call the NOPD at 504-658-6060, or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
Besides cameras, police provide a few other tips to fend off porch thieves. They include scheduling deliveries for when you are home, requesting a signature or providing instructions for the delivery person, such as to “hide behind the grill,” or “leave at the back door.”
Fedex, UPS and Amazon have policies that state once a package is delivered, it's up the costumer to get it off the porch. But these companies all provide safe places where you can pick up your packages, like ‘Amazon Locker.’ UPS has their access points and Fedex also allows to you to send your package to anyone of the 9,000 Walgreens locations across the country.


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SCARSDALE, N.Y. A Scarsdale resident had a long and stressful weekend after he discovered that his identity had been stolen and more than $10,000 had been charged to his name, according to Scarsdale police.
The 68-year-old Mamaroneck Road resident told police Saturday an unknown person opened an Amazon Chase credit card in his name and used it to purchase more than $10,000 in goods at Apple and Best Buy electronics stores.
The man told police he received a call from Chase Bank, advising him that he had overdrawn his credit card despite the fact he didnt have a Chase credit card. In working with the Chase Fraud and Security Department, the resident was able to ascertain the address listed to open up the credit card.
The Carmel Police Department is working with the Scarsdale Police Department on the investigation. The resident was advised to continue checking his credit reports to see if there was any further fraudulent activity.
If caught, the person who committed the crime is facing a first-degree identity theft charge, a class D felony that is punishable by up to seven years in state prison.
Also on the Scarsdale police blotter from June 4 through June 11:
More fraudulent credit card activity: On June 5, a resident of Lyme Road reported 13 charges totaling more than $3,000 had been fraudulently made to his credit card between April 30 and May 10. He filed a complaint with the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Fraud Services Division.
Stolen ladder: On Sunday, police responded to a residence on Meadow Road whose owner claimed that a 20-foot collapsible aluminum ladder was taken from his backyard without his permission or authority. The resident told police he last saw the ladder at approximately 8 a.m. Friday, and it was discovered missing that day at 2:40 p.m. Patrols attempted to check with neighbors on either side of the residence, to see if they saw anything suspicious, but no one answered at either location.
Bench warrant arrest: A man from New Paltz turned himself in to Scarsdale Police Sunday on an active bench warrant issued by the Scarsdale Village Court on Feb. 4, 2009. The 36-year-old man was released to his father that evening on $200 bail. He is due back in court on June 27.
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By Wisdom Ngwira
Mzuzu, August 10, Mana: Just a month after piloting sales for their replica jersey, TNM Super League outfit Chitipa United Football Club has expressed satisfaction with the public’s high demand of the uniform on the market.
The team says so far, they have almost finished selling the first consignment of the jersey which is going at K15, 000.00 each.
Chitipa United FC General Secretary, Duma Ngoma said the public has been positively responding to their plea to support the team by buying the replica jersey.
“As Chitipa United FC, we estimated that we will need about K33 million to run the team in a season and we strategized that for us to meet that amount, we needed to engage in a commercialization drive so that we at least raise half of that money through this drive.
We are happy that after we launched the initiative, many people have been buying the jersey and am proud to report that we are almost finishing selling the first consignment of the ordered jerseys,” said Ngoma.
He said they hope that through continued support from the general public, the team expects to raise the required amount for next football season.
“We are anticipating that people will continue supporting the team by purchasing our jerseys and other initiatives that we have put in place,” he said.
Ngoma said they are now contemplating on ordering many replica jerseys based on the response from the market.
“We have realized that we ordered few replica jerseys because of the limited start-up capital, but we are hopeful that this time around, we will bring in more so that we carter for the growing demand,” said Ngoma.
Local football analyst, George Chiusiwa hailed the commercialization drive path that Chitipa United have taken saying this will improve the team’s performance and economic status.
Besides Chitipa United FC, Nyasa Big Bullets, Silver Strikers and Be Forward Wanderers football clubs also sell replica jerseys.


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Chennai (IANS) Car maker Renault India will enter the bigger vehicle segment rolling out two models as well as an electric vehicle (EV) in a couple of years time, said a top company official.
He also said the company has reached the production milestone of 10,00,000 vehicles and the proposed new models are expected to drive the company into profitability.
“We are getting into the EV segment with aggressive positioning and also into the bigger vehicle segments. The first of the new models will come out in 2025,” Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO & Managing Director, Renault India Operations, told reporters here on Wednesday.
According to Mamillapalle, the company will enter the above four metre length vehicle segment.
French automobile major Renault and Japan’s Nissan Motor Company have set up a car manufacturing plant near here to roll out Renault and Nissan badged vehicles.
The annual production capacity is about 4.72 lakh and it is working at 50 per cent capacity, he said.
During the calendar year Renault India sold about 84,000 units in the domestic market and shipped out about 28,000 units, Mamillapalle said.
The joint venture partners – Renault and Nissan – had announced a fresh investment of $600 million or about Rs 5,300 crore in India to roll out more models including EVs and also in the research and development (R&D).
According to Mamillapalle, Renault and Nissan will roll out two internal combustion engine (ICE) models each and one EV each as part of the fresh investment.
Currently, Renault India offers three passenger vehicle models – Kwid, Kiger and Triber for its customers in India and exports to 14 countries across SAARC, Asia Pacific, Indian Ocean Region, South Africa and East Africa region.
Mamillapalle said the three models have about 95 local content and the proposed models will have higher technology.
Queried about the commonality of parts – current and proposed models – he said there may not be many as the platforms are different.
Mamillapalle said the company is also in the process of expanding its distribution network from the current 450 plus.


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More than £7.8 billion in grant funding has been delivered to small businesses through local authority grant schemes, it has been revealed.
The research, published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), serves as a reminder of the support available to firms affected by Covid-19.
According to the figures, councils have issued £7.8 billion to businesses through Local Restrictions Support Grants, Christmas Support Payments and Additional Restrictions Grants since August last year.
This support also includes discretionary grants, which are targeted at businesses who need financial support but are not eligible for funding through initiatives such as the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund.
However, the research reveals that some councils are taking longer than others to process applications and assess eligibility, leading to a substantial backlog. The Government said it is “tirelessly” working with authorities to ensure funds are paid out “as quickly as possible to those that need it”.
Commenting on the figures, Small Business Minister Paul Scully said: “I know from speaking to businesses just how much they have benefited from government grants, which have enabled them to cover their fixed costs, adapt and plan to build back better from the pandemic.
“We are working closely with council leaders across England to ensure that this much-needed support gets to hard-pressed businesses as soon as possible.”
Small businesses can also find financial support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), Bounce Back Loans (BBL), the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), business rates relief, or the new VAT payment deferral scheme.
For help and advice with related matters, please get in touch with our expert team today.


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The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has officially approved the merger between Koninklijke DSM N.V. (DSM) and Firmenich International SA (Firmenich) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. This union brings together two major players in the nutrition, health, and bioscience sectors, promising significant developments in the industry.
Introducing DSM-Firmenich: A New Industry Powerhouse
The proposed merger will result in the formation of DSM-Firmenich, a Swiss-domiciled company that will have its shares listed on Euronext Amsterdam. This strategic collaboration is expected to strengthen the position of both companies in their respective markets and bring new opportunities for growth and innovation.
1. DSM: A Leading Force in Nutrition, Health, and Bioscience
DSM, a public limited liability company, is incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands and headquartered in Heerlen. The company’s shares are traded on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange. DSM is known for its extensive activities in the fields of nutrition, health, and bioscience, offering a wide range of products and solutions for customers worldwide.
2. Firmenich: A Global Leader in Fragrances and Flavors
Firmenich, a privately owned company based in Geneva, Switzerland, specializes in the production and supply of fragrances, flavors, aroma chemicals, rosin resin, and turpentine. With a strong focus on innovation and sustainability, Firmenich has become a leading name in its industry.
Danube: A Subsidiary of DSM
In addition to the merger, DSM has established a wholly-owned subsidiary called Danube, registered in Switzerland. Although Danube is not currently engaged in any commercial activities, its creation may signal future expansion plans for the newly formed DSM-Firmenich.
Awaiting the CCI’s Detailed Order
The Competition Commission of India is expected to release a detailed order regarding the DSM and Firmenich merger shortly. The approval of this merger will likely have significant implications for the nutrition, health, and bioscience industries, with the potential to drive further advancements in these fields.


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Hirono Statement On S.764
Senator Mazie K. Hirono today voted to approve S.764, bipartisan legislation that establishes a mandatory federal labeling system for GMOs, which passed 63-30. Senator Hirono released the following statement after the vote:
“Regardless of your position on GMOs, most of us agree that we all have a right to know what is in the food we eat. I support a mandatory federal system for labeling and disclosing GMOs in food so that consumers across the country have consistent access to information no matter what state they live in.
“The bill passed by the Senate today establishes a mandatory federal labeling system that covers more products than the strictest state-level labeling law. It also strengthens the National Organic Program, which is a clear, GMO-free alternative that is growing in popularity. The bill also protects the rights of states like Hawaii to make their own decisions about the role GMO crops should play in a sustainable local food system. It also allows states to establish and enforce penalties if federal labeling requirements are not met.
“Our work does not end with the Senate passing this bill. We need to make sure that the final label options are as clear as possible and the regulatory process takes the concerns of Hawaii farmers and consumers into account. I will work closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as it implements the labeling standard established by this legislation and to ensure that consumers have access to information about GMO ingredients.”
Next Article Previous Article


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After churning out the incredible marvels of technology like interactive eyewears, autopilot cars and whatnot, Google is now going to manufacture world’s first electronic textile, aka E-textile.
At a developer’s conference held in May, Google unveiled its new, ground-breaking technological wonder, The Project Jacquard which was named after the 19th century loom. The project’s core innovation revolves around its “conductive yarn” that is so strong and robust that it can be woven on any industrial loom.
The amazing thing about the jacquard yarn is that it is totally indistinguishable in that it can blend perfectly well with any synthetic and natural fiber say silk, cotton and polyester that it’d look like “just a normal yarn”, says the textile development and project lead, Shiho Fukuhara in an introductory video.
A thin metallic alloy will be at the core of clothe around which the regular fiber would be braided. The thread will be connected to the chip – with a size of a button – that would react to touch and gesture interactivity. With the gesture control, one can monitor heart-rate, interactive with a mobile app, and do whole lot of other cool things.
Designers and developers will be able to create customized gestures and touch interactivity using the conductive yarn. Moreover, sensor grids will be placed throughout the fabric to create a large interactive surface so that user can interact with the technology from anywhere on the fabric.
When the users interact with the fabric, data would wirelessly be transmitted to their connected device, be it their smartphones, laptops, tablets, or any other smart gadget for that matter.
Ultimately, the gesture interactivity on the e-textiles will be used to easily access the functions of any device and use however the way the use would want for instance listening to songs, answering calls, skimming contact’s list, or any other cool feature designers will come up with when the technology is out in the market ready for mass-scaling.
Image Courtesy of: https://www.google.com/atap/project-jacquard/


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Street-long queues were formed as early as 5.30am, with some shoppers arriving just after midnight, in various parts of the city as punters battled the cold and waited for stores to open at 8am.
Sold out stock and streets-long queues: Record Store Day hits Sheffield
Music fans came out in their hundreds to get their hands on their favourite vinyl and special discs released for Record Store Day.
By The Newsroom
Monday, 29th April 2019, 1:09 pm


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Health Canada approved Shoppers Drug Mart’s application to dispense medical cannabis to patients last week, opening the door for smaller cannabis companies to integrate pharmacies into their business models.
The company admits the deal is subject to the “implementation of federal, provincial and territorial legislation in Canada” which permits the sale of cannabis products such as capsules through pharmacies.
Health Canada’s decision to approve Shoppers Drug Mart is a precedent-setting decision, however, outlining the importance of pharmacies in the dispensation of medical cannabis.
“Once legislation is implemented, pharmacies will require a solution to support the health of patients through the use of cannabis. The Pack4U system creates a seamless process for pharmacies to participate in the care of the patients without the burden of carrying inventory.”
-Chris Williams, Director of Business Development of Pack4U
GTEC Holdings’ new partner, Pack4U, will exclusively list the medicinal cannabis products of GTEC Holdings and its subsidiaries for purchase on its website. The exclusive deal extends until January 31, 2020.
GTEC Holdings’ new partner aims to free pharmacists from the time-consuming job of packaging medication, allowing them to “shift focus from pharmacy operations to patient-centered care.”
Pack4U acts as an intermediary between medication wholesalers and pharmacies. The company packages the medication themselves, delivering the pre-packed pills to the pharmacy.
GTEC Holdings says it hopes to enlist the company’s extensive connections with pharmacies to expand its patient networks. Pack4U operates in both Canada and the US and has distribution and packing centers in Florida and Ontario.
In addition to facilitating online drug purchases, the company sells products which use automation to minimize time spent packaging drugs and maximise face-to-face interactions with customers.
Pack4U’s spencer® in-home dispenser, for example, takes pre-packaged medications and dispenses them whenever a new dose is required, reducing the risk of missing a dose.
The role of pharmacies in medical cannabis
On their website, the Canadian Pharmacists Association has called for continued pharmacist input into the legislation surrounding medical cannabis, even after recreational legalization on October 17.
The association says it worries that once recreational cannabis is legalized, customers may be pushed to the recreational markets, limiting medical expertise and input.
“If easier access pushes patients to the recreational cannabis stream, they risk losing all medical oversight and increase their chances of complications.”
-Canadian Pharmacists Association
Additionally, pharmacists “need to ensure that medical cannabis patients are supported and protected through a distinct medical stream, and incentivized to continue to use this stream once recreational cannabis is legal,” says Phil Emberley, director of practice advancement and research with the CPHA.
With its newly announced partnership with Pack4U, GTEC Holdings is signalling its commitment to the medical cannabis industry and the importance of health-care professionals in its administration.
Full Disclosure: GTEC Holdings is an Equity Guru marketing client and we own stock.


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Slated to come into effect on August 15, the new Chinese law governing generative AI services and API providers has prompted Apple to remove more than 100 AI-driven apps from its App Store in the region.
One of the recipients of Apple’s communication was OpenCat, a domestic client for ChatGPT. Apple informed the developer that their app’s content contravened Chinese law and operation of their services necessitated a license.
TechCrunch quoted Apple’s email to OpenCat:
“As you may know, the government has been tightening regulations associated with deep synthesis technologies (DST) and generative AI services, including ChatGPT. DST must fulfill permitting requirements to operate in China, including securing a license from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Based on our review, your app is associated with ChatGPT, which does not have requisite permits to operate in China.”
Apple’s readiness to comply with China’s directives often attracts criticism from human rights activists who accuse the company of bending to the Chinese government’s whims. In the past, Apple has taken down numerous apps from its China App Store, following government requests. These included the Damus app by Nostr, a religious app named ‘Quran Majeed’ with over a million users, and around 39,000 video games in 2021.
Apple, however, stands by its stance of abiding by the laws of the nations where it operates. When apps are flagged by the government as containing illegal content, the company obliges by removing them.
While generative AI has gained substantial popularity, it is not devoid of security and privacy concerns. It can expose underage users to inappropriate content, generate biased or abusive responses, and even disseminate misinformation or ‘hallucinations’.


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Emerging tech regulation insights from Slaughter and May
5 min read
Julian Misell is a research consultant with considerable experience in the digital tech sector. He was lead researcher on the recent Tech Nation 2017 report.
Here he looks at some of the issues we’ll address at our Digital Jobs Action Summit on April 27th in Leeds. Free tickets are available now.
HR consultancy The Manpower Group conducts an annual Talent Shortage Survey. This year, of the more than 42,000 employers surveyed globally, 40 percent are experiencing difficulties filling roles, with IT jobs the second hardest to recruit.
So, the oft-mentioned UK tech skills gap is part of a much wider talent shortage. Tech is, however, arguably at the sharp end of this hiring crunch, being more reliant on new skills that schools don’t always teach, and that labour markets don’t supply in sufficient quantity.
The recent Tech Nation survey underscored this point – some 72 percent of UK digital tech businesses employing 100 or more people said the lack of supply of highly skilled workers was a challenge. And perhaps more troublingly, a third of digital tech businesses (32 percent) rate talent supply in their area as poor.
One way that tech employers have addressed this challenge is by offering better pay. Consequently, tech workers have enjoyed sustained wages growth in recent years. Advertised digital tech salaries have risen by 13 percent since 2012; that’s over three times as fast as non-digital salaries. But is this sustainable? Around a third of tech businesses now say that candidates are asking for more money than they can afford to pay?
Employers are also looking abroad for talent. In total, some 13 percent of jobs in the digital tech sector are currently filled by international workers – up from 11 percent in 2011 and significantly higher than the 10 percent across the rest of the economy. Consequently, Brexit has emerged as something of a concern for UK tech employers, over two fifths (41 percent) of whom believe that it will make it harder to attract talent.
Immigration aside, the current talent shortage could be significantly alleviated by encouraging more women into the digital tech sector. Presently, women are severely under-represented. The Tech Nation survey highlighted the fact that UK digital tech companies rely on an overwhelmingly male workforce. Women are in the majority for only one in nine (11 percent) of digital tech companies.
This is, of course, a complicated issue, but there is little doubt that digital tech companies could do more to attract and retain women, as well as to challenge stereotypes and cultural biases. Beyond this, however, lies a broader need to encourage women to embrace technology from a young age and to consider STEM careers.
There are no short-term fixes. Therefore, the supply of ready-made tech employees is unlikely to keep pace with demand anytime soon. This has huge implications for tech businesses – from needing to find new ways of engaging with prospective talent and designing business models that allow for effective on the job training, through to creating reward structures and cultures that retain key talent.
These are just some of the issues that we’ll be considering at Tech North’s Digital Jobs Action Summit in Leeds on 27th April. Get your free ticket now.
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Funtastic Limited will be rebranded as Toys ‘R’ Us ANZ Limited, shareholder vote willing, as part of the group’s accelerated transformation effort to become a digital-first, retail-focused business.
The change in identify follows the group’s acquisition of the Hobby Warehouse business last November, which brought the Toys ‘R’ Us license under its control and which kicked off a major shift at the business that saw Hobby Warehouse chief executive Louis Mittoni take charge of Funtastic.
According to Mittoni, the change in identity reflects an “evolving focus with a strong and confident brand.”
“We are looking to accelerate growth with further expansion that includes the launch of Babies ‘R’ Us and building state-of-the-art logistics capabilities,” Mittoni said.
“We are excited to form an even closer relationship with the Toys ‘R’ Us brand and global team, and whilst this marks an exciting change in the company’s history, it is just the beginning of our new chapter and trajectory.”
The move was backed by Toys ‘R’ Us Global’s board director Yehuda Shmidman.
“In just shy of two years, Toys ‘R’ Us has become one of the fastest growing digital players in Australia,” Shmidman said.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with Louis and his team to solidify Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us as the leading destination for toy and baby products in the region.”
The group recently announced it would be relaunching Babies ‘R’ Us in the Australian market, and previously offloaded its confectionary arm for $1.05 million in an effort to ensure its focus could remain solely on its retail and wholesale businesses.


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Abu Dhabi, 27 January 2018: In line with the UAE government’s goal of developing and nurturing the national talent, UAE Exchange, a leading global money transfer, foreign exchange and payment solutions brand, is once again attracting talented UAE Nationals in the financial sector at the Tawdheef Recruitment Fair.
The event, which is the leading career and Entrepreneurs Event for UAE Nationals, is being held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 29th to 31st January 2018.
Speaking about the brand’s participation in the Recruitment Fair, Abdel Kareem Alkayed, Country Head, UAE Exchange-UAE, said, "We believe that being a brand born in the UAE, developing the Emirati community is one of our prime responsibilities. We have been working aggressively towards this cause for over 37 years now; and each year we make new strides. Last year at the Tawdheef Recruitment Fair, we had employed 50 UAE Nationals to work in various roles across the country, and this year we are hoping that the number is even higher. We are always excited to meet talented Emiratis looking to join the financial sector, who will eventually become a part of the UAE Exchange success story."
UAE Exchange team looking for Emirati Talent at Tawdheef Recruitment Fair
UAE Exchange looks for Emirati Talent at Tawdheef Recruitment Fair [last year pic]
At present, UAE Exchange has over 300 Emirati employees working across the UAE. It is also one of the few brands that offers UAE Nationals with flexible working hours and the options of working from their preferred location. The brand also offers a four-week internship and training programme – Taleem - for Emirati students looking for real-time work experience.
Speaking about her experience at UAE Exchange, Manal Yousef Obaid Al Zaabi, who works as a Junior Officer – Sales and Services at one of the branches, said, “I was hired by UAE Exchange at last year’s Tawdheef Recruitment Fair; and the experience has been truly rewarding. I have been working here for a year now and in this one year, I have learnt so much about the financial industry that has added immense value to my skill-set and knowledge. What excites me more is the customer interaction as I get to meet new people each day."
UAE Exchange has been participating in Tawdheef Recruitment Fair for nearly a decade now. The brand has aggressively worked towards the goal of skill development in the Emirati community and received various accolades from the UAE government like the Emiratisation Award by the UAE Minister of Economy in 2016. In 2017, the brand was honoured by the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation for its Emiratisation efforts, and in the same year also received an award by the Department of Economic Development (DED) of Dubai for having dedicated Arabic Counters – Hayakoum – across its branches in the country.
Named among the top 20 'Great Place to Work' companies in the UAE for two consecutive years, UAE Exchange will be conducting on-the-spot interviews at the Tawdheef Recruitment Fair and hiring suitable Emirati candidates for its operations across the UAE. Visit them at Hall 4 (E01) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.


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Manufacturers Launch a Plan for Economic Growth10/13/11 - The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) today rolled out its blueprint for economic growth to enhance the competitiveness of manufacturers. A Manufacturing Renaissance: Four Goals for Economic Growth focuses on investment, trade, the workforce and innovation. Manufacturers released the plan at their annual Board of Directors meeting.
The United States is currently the world’s largest manufacturing economy, but our competitors overseas are gaining ground with each passing day. The recent Public Perception survey by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte shows that Americans want manufacturing to remain strong but don’t believe policymakers are setting the right policies for manufacturers to be successful. A Manufacturing Renaissance is a roadmap for policymakers.
“Right now, it is 20 percent more expensive to do business in the United States than in the countries that are our largest trading partners. At such a disadvantage, it is difficult for manufacturers to compete,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The time is now for the U.S. to pursue an aggressive competitiveness agenda to get Americans back to work. Manufacturers want to lead our nation in creating jobs and driving economic growth, but we need pro-growth policies to bring about a manufacturing renaissance.”
In September, manufacturing lost 13,000 jobs on top of the 4,000 shed in August. Pro-growth policies are needed now to allow manufacturers to grow and create jobs. A Manufacturing Renaissance sets four main goals to help our nation’s manufacturing sector remain strong:
- The United States will be the best place in the world to manufacture and attract foreign direct investment.
- The United States will expand access to global markets to enable manufacturers to reach the 95 percent of consumers who live outside our borders. Manufacturers in the United States will have the workforce that the 21st-century economy requires.
- Manufacturers in the United States will be the world’s leading innovators.
- Manufacturers will be urging policymakers and all candidates for public office to support and enact the pro-manufacturing policies laid out in A Manufacturing Renaissance to increase investment in our economy, boost trade, strengthen the workforce and drive innovation.
To view the NAM’s blueprint, A Manufacturing Renaissance, please visit www.nam.org.


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Full-size pickup trucks are not having a great year. Sales of every brand and model of full-size pickup truck are lower than they were this time last year. At the same time, several midsize and compact pickup trucks are enjoying sales booms.
Chevy, Ram, and Ford’s full-size truck sales are down
The full-size pickup with the steepest decline in sales is the Ram truck. By July 1st 2021, Ram had sold 313,069 pickup trucks. But by the same time in 2022, the automaker had only moved 244,984 trucks–according to GoodCarBadCar.com. This is a drop of 21.75%. In June 2022 alone, Ram sold 15,000 fewer trucks than it did in June 2021.
General Motors’ full-size truck sales are not much stronger. So far in 2022, Chevrolet has only sold 291,321 Silverados. That’s 10.12% fewer Chevy Silverados sold than in 2021. And at this point, GMC has only moved 138,411 Sierras–down 14.07% from last year.
Ford’s F-Series sales are a bit more complicated. The Blue Oval has sold 299,345 of its full-size trucks this year, which is down 17.32% from the 362,031 F-Series trucks sold by this time last year.
That said, June was a very strong month for F-Series sales. In June 2021, Ford only sold 45,672 full-size trucks. In June 2022, Ford managed to improve on that number by 26.28%, selling 57,673 full-size trucks.
2022 Toyota truck sales are slow
Nissan and Toyota both manufacture a full-size pickup truck in the United States, for the North American market. The Nissan Titan’s sales are plummeting this year: The company sold just 17,775 Titans by this time in 2021. But so far in 2022, that number dropped 36,92% to just 11,212 Titans sold. The Titan’s sales dropped even further after Q1, with only 1,579 trucks sold during June 2022.
Toyota is doing its best to combat lagging truck sales, the automaker reengineered the 2022 Tundra from the ground up. This new truck shares a fully boxed frame and off-road-ready rear coil springs with the latest Land Cruiser. It also traded its inefficient V8 for a twin-turbocharged V6 from Lexus sports cars.
The Tundra redesign spurred strong sales through Q1 of 2022. By the end of June 2022, Toyota had actually sold 44,316 Tundras which is 1.03% more trucks than the same time in 2021. That said, the new Tundra is losing momentum: in June 2022 Toyota only sold 7,098 Tundras which was 6.90% fewer trucks than June 2021.
While Tundra’s sales numbers ebb away, the midsize Toyota Tacoma’s sales are plummeting. Toyota sold 139,296 Tacomas by July 1st, 2021, but in 2022 it only moved 118,938 units. That’s a drop of 22%.
Some midsize and compact trucks are doing well
Though the Toyota Tacoma’s sales numbers are weak, other midsize pickup trucks are doing relatively well.
General Motors sells both the midsize Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. Chevy moved 44,190 Colorados by July 1st, 2022. That’s up 13.72% from just 38,859 trucks at this point in 2021. The GMC Canyon is not as big a seller but GMC sold 13,662 of its midsize trucks by July 1st, 2022, up 9.38% from the 12,490 it sold by July 1st, 2021.
Nissan gave its midsize Frontier pickup truck a visual redesign for the 2021 model year, and buyers loved the new look. Nissan only sold 26,394 Frontiers by this time last year but managed to increase sales 63.55%–to 43,168 trucks sold–by July 1st, 2022.
Because Ford introduced its compact Maverick pickup truck for the 2022 model year, there is no old sales data to compare its numbers to. But the Maverick is selling very well. Ford moved 38,753 units of this Bronco-based truck by July 2022. This means the Maverick is outselling the Ford Ranger, Hyundai Santa Cruz, and Honda Ridgeline. Ford Maverick sales are actually neck-and-neck with the Jeep Gladiator.
Learn how the Ford Maverick won truck of the year or see an analysis of 2022 pickup truck sales in the video below:


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The size of the milk payout which New Zealand's second biggest dairy co-operative has declared for the past season has left its 434 suppliers smarting.
Westland Milk Products has confirmed a final milk payout for the 2013-14 season of $7.57 a kilo of milk solids, from a 46 percent increase in revenue.
It is one of the co-operative's highest payouts, but well below what other companies have paid in a record breaking year.
By comparison, Fonterra delivered a milk price of $8.40, plus dividend, while the smallest cooperative, Tatua, topped the lot with a $9 per kilo payout.
Westland's chief executive Rod Quin said today that it could could not compete with other companies' payouts last season because of its product mix.
"So what sits in behind that is the price and the value that whole milk powder returns to the dairy companies, and Westland doesn't produce a lot of whole milk powder compared with other companies. It's 10 percent of our product mix. In other companies, that's as high as 50 to 60 percent, so it went against us for the season."
However, Mr Quin said it is a different story this season. With a big slide in international dairy prices, including whole milk powder, Westland is back in the ball-park with most other companies in terms of its forecast payout.
"We're at $5.40 to $5.80 and at the current state that's very competitive with our larger cousins. So we're back to something that we would consider more normal with products that Westland produces in greater volumes than whole milk powder, like casein and skim milk powder, returning higher values from the market place at the moment.
"So if that continues, that means we'll have a very competitive payout, as it was two years ago. "
However, Westland is moving to reduce its reliance on commodities like casein and skim milk powder. It is increasing production of ingredients for nutritional products such as infant formulas, with a larger drier due to come on stream in August next year.
The company also announced plans for a $40 million UHT, or long-life, milk plant at Rolleston in Canterbury.
"The market for UHT at the moment is still largely driven up through Asia and predominantly China at the real value end. We do have an office set up now in Shanghai and it's been part of the strategy to show that we are committed to the market place and understand it and we've got three fulltime Chinese employees now.
"The focus is on China, but there will be opportunities to supply UHT milk to southeast Asian markets as well."
The country's smallest dairy co-operative, Tatua, is growing a little bit bigger. The Waikato-based company has been collecting milk from just 109 farms.
It supplied more than 13 million kilograms of milk solids last season, receiving the cooperative's highest ever milk payout of $9 per kilo - an industry record.
Chief executive Paul McGilvary said Tatua is boosting its milk supply by signing up more farms.
Mr McGilvary expected that the new season would be a lot more challenging. Like other dairy companies, Tatua is forecasting a significantly lower payout. That currently stands at $6.50 per kilo.


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Holy bling! Lady Gaga’s engagement ring from fiancé Christian Carino is massive. The gorgeous pink diamond reportedly cost $400,000!
According to Andrew Brown, President of WP Diamonds, Carino wasn't messing around when he proposed to the songstress.
"Lady Gaga's spectacular ring appears to be a 6-7 carat pink sapphire with a diamond halo totaling 3-4 carats,” the expert told E! News. “This is likely a high quality, no heat (treatment), pink sapphire. It looks like it may be a Padparadscha sapphire, in which case this ring would easily retail between $300,000 and $400,000."
Padparadschas, the site reports, are apparently one of the rarest and most unique sapphires in the world.
News of their engagement was confirmed after the A Star Is Born actress referred to Carino as her "fiancé" during her acceptance speech at Elle's 25th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration.
Gaga was previously engaged to Chicago Fire actor Taylor Kinney. They broke up in July 2016 after five years together.


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Drone delivery system developer Flirtey has unveiled a new system that could be performing routine operations next year. To announce its new Flirtey Eagle, the Nevada-based company took the stage at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, introduced Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny to the press and explained her state’s role in helping Sweeny and his team. “Nevada is an innovative state,” Matso said, “and supporting the development of UAS technologies is one of my main roles in the U.S. Senate,” adding that supporting UAS is a no-brainer and is not a bipartisan issue.
After explaining Flirtey’s unique place among tech giants like Google and Amazon also competing in the drone space, Sweeny described the new drone system from his company that will be in operation next year.
The product combines three unique features that allow for drone deliveries to homes in less than 10 minutes.
The multirotor drone can operate in 95 percent of most weather conditions with a payload that Sweeny said is up to twice as its competitors. To send items like medical supplies or food, Flirtey has also developed a takeoff and landing platform that enables scalable operations from various stores across America. The takeoff platform fits in the dimensions of a parking spot. And, according to Sweeny, work with the FAA on the UAS Integration Pilot Program, has helped the company receive approval for one remote pilot to fly 10 drones at once.
“Today over 8 billion packages are delivered every year in the U.S.,” Sweeny said. “Flirtey is on track to conduct routine deliveries to homes this year and conduct commercial operations in 2020.”
To build his company in the U.S. after taking a one-way flight from Australia, Sweeny hired the former head of NASA’s drone program, along with engineers from Raytheon, SpaceX and veterans from the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force.
Flirtey’s system is a multirotor platform with a tether that hovers over a delivery point while lowering a package to a receipt point below.
For more on the Eagle, the company has produced a video here.
Beitrag im Original auf http://uasmagazine.com/articles/2062/flirtey-details-new-drone-delivery-system-the-eagle, mit freundlicher Genehmigung von The UAS Magazine automatisch importiert. Original in englischer Sprache. Der Beitrag gibt nicht unbedingt die Meinung von UAV DACH e.V. wieder.


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While fans wait to play ox10c, the next big release from Minecraft creator Marcus Persson, he quietly unveiled a free Unity game over the weekend.
Marcus "Notch" Persson, the creator of Minecraft, is working on something new. It's called 0x10.cc, and is a sci-fi game that's got some neat ideas, promising things like working computers and the ability to "seamlessly [land] on planets".
The next release of Minecraft—the so-called "Adventure" update, AKA Minecraft 1.8—is now, somewhat unexpectedly, in the wild. And its creator is perfectly fine if you go ahead and grab the leaked release.
In a recent interview with Develop, Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson discusses EA CEO John Riccitiello's visit to the Stockholm headquarters of Mojang, saying that any acquisition hopes Riccitiello might have had were quashed by the independent studio's vibe.
Euclideon, a Brisbane, Australia-based tech company, claims it can stuff 100,000 times the amount of visual data into a 3D world with its Unlimited Detail rendering software. It's visually stunning stuff. But one prominent game developer calls it "a scam."


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Wing, the Alphabet-owned startup, has become the first drone delivery company to gain the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval to make commercial deliveries
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CUPERTINO, Calif. Fuel-cell engineering company Intelligent Energy is set to launch a new 2.4 kilowatt (kW) fuel-cell drone module for unmanned aerial
This week, Google spin off Project Wing featured in two big pieces of news in the drone industry. First came the news that
Over the last five years, the use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) also known as drones have exploded within the U.S.
Flying Taxis. Seriously Bell's concept model of a vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxi vehicle, as unveiled in January at CES (the Consumer Electronics Show)
Posted on April 16, 2019; AUVSI Press Release The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) says the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s)
All About Autonomy 2019 & Keynote Speaker Featured on CNET! Flying cars coming in 5 years, flying taxis in
SVC Chapter Spotlight - FAA to award first drone airline license in the next month - Official SINGAPORE, April 10 (Reuters) -
SVC Chapter Spotlight: Velodyne Lidar Announced as Finalist for AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards Velodyne Alpha Puck™ Recognized for Providing Rich Computer Perception Data in Mobile Mapping Applications
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Velodyne Lidar, Inc. has been named as a finalist in the Vision/Camera Systems & Components category of the XCELLENCE
Tomorrow’s cities are reshaping almost every industry imaginable, and birthing those we’ve never heard of. Riding an explosion of sensors, megacity AI


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Apple's AirPods. Despite all the when they were first unveiled in 2016, the AirPods have taken the headphone market by storm and become a . So what does Apple do for an encore?on Sept. 12 is widely expected to bring , the and maybe even new . But that event also effectively marks the second anniversary of the Apple
The answer is this: improve on the existing product with software advancements and accessories -- and maybe expand the line with new models, too. Both AirPods 2 and larger, Apple-branded noise-cancelling headphones have been rumored over the past few months.
Here are our expectations for AirPods at the Sept. 12 event, starting with what's already been announced, and then educated guesses on what we could see on stage.
Count on it
- : Last September Apple announced its , showing an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods case lying on top of it, charging simultaneously. The company never specified a price or release date for the charging pad (beyond sometime in 2018). But the fact that there was an AirPods case with wireless charging in the works got some people excited. However, neither AirPower nor the AirPods wireless charging case have been released yet. We expect both will be highlighted and priced at the Sept. 12 event, with confirmed release details.
- : As CNET's Shara Tibken , the next version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 12, will include the capability to turn your iPhone into a directional microphone. The feature, called Live Listen, for years and has let people with hearing problems better pick up conversations being held around them. The update will be available for owners of existing AirPods.
There's a good chance we'll be hearing about an upgraded set of AirPods on Sept. 12, too -- so bundling the new wireless charging case with the existing headphones seems like a no-brainer. The big question is whether Apple will continue selling the original AirPods for the same $159 price or slightly less, and the new model would get a more premium price tag.
The bigger question is will Apple go beyond that with a true second-generation model -- AirPods 2, AirPods+ or AirPods (2018) -- maybe AirPods XS? Whatever they're called, here's what a true next-gen AirPods model could offer:
- Increased water-resistance and maybe full waterproofing: Apple may not tout that the existing AirPods are sweat-resistant, but plenty of people run with (and sweat on) them without issue, so they must be sweat-resistant. However, the new AirPods would boast better water-resistance. You probably won't be able to swim with them, but they'll likely be more durable.
- Hands-free Siri: A Bloomberg report from earlier this year claimed a new version of the AirPods would come with hands-free Siri integration -- so you could summon the digital assistant with "Hey Siri" and not have to tap on your AirPod.
- New W2 chip: That same Bloomberg report suggested the new AirPods would get a wireless chip from Apple for improved Bluetooth connectivity and that always-ready Siri. The AirPods have the . A W2 chip seems logical.
- Better battery life: That new W2 chip might just be even more energy efficient, providing better battery life.
- Active noise-cancelling: Yes, Bloomberg also said Apple was for the AirPods. One of the problems with AirPods is that they have an open design and let a lot of sound in. In quiet environments they sound pretty decent, but take them into the streets of New York, for instance, and all the external noise has a big impact on sound quality. Technically, this is something of a challenge, so it will be impressive if Apple can pull it off, especially without a massive design change.
- Modified design that fits more ears more securely: The AirPods fit many people's ears remarkably well and some people can run with them in their ears without them falling out. Others -- like me -- struggle. You can buy and covers that give you a more secure fit, but you have to remove them to fit the AirPods back in their charging case. It'd be nice if Apple came up with a design that fit more ears, but I doubt it will change much, if at all.
- Apple-branded noise-cancelling over-ear headphones: Apple owns Beats, which make the Bose QuietComfort 35 II (which is due to get an upgrade) and the just-released , which is arguably the best noise-cancelling headphone currently available. noise-cancelling headphones (I like them), but earlier this year we heard rumors that Apple might be working on . That headphone would not only be designed to compete with its own Beats headphone, but the
If the a new Apple noise-cancelling headphone is announced, it should look quite different from the Beats. I expect it would cost around $350 and feature the new W2 for better battery life. Hopefully, it would charge via USB-C or Lightning.
As I said, we expect Apple to bring some clarity to the AirPods' future on Sept. 12 and we'll update this article as soon as any announcements are made.