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Android release adds 1 million new users to QuizUp in just one week4
One big concern for QuizUp is the viral nature of its growth. Plain Vanilla recognized that it was missing out on "maybe 60-70% of the virality" by not having the game on Android. That issue has been rectified, but the next step is in expanding geographically. While you will see players from all around the world, the majority of current players are from either the US or the UK. This is because the game is only available in English, and the content of the questions skew towards natives of those countries.
Plain Vanilla is already working on not only translating current questions to major languages, like Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, as well as generating new content specifically for those regions. It has even set up offices around the world to make this work more efficient. The future of QuizUp depends on how fast it can expand, as well as how it chooses to monetize.
Right now, it uses in-app payments to sell simple power-ups that make gaining experience faster. The company wants to avoid putting ads in the game, so it is trying to develop content partnership agreements to make money. Given the multitude of topics that cover games, movies, TV, music, books, and electronics, it may not be difficult to make those partnerships. However, we're curious how those partnerships would appear in game without being as distracting as an ad.


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We will not be opening our facility to dine in on May 22nd; we would continue to follow CDC guidelines concerning the pandemic. At Funmi’s your health and wellness has always been our priority and during this COVID-19 pandemic we are taking extra measures to ensure that our facility remains safe, clean, and well sanitized. We are also taking measures to make sure that we can continue to serve you and maintain the health and safety of our customers and ourselves as our nation deals with this pandemic. As such, we would continue taking all orders through DoorDash, Grubhub and Postmates only; they all offer the options for delivery or curbside pickup.
Our hearts and prayers go out to those affected by this pandemic and we thank you for your support during this trying period.

domain: news


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In November of 2018, Image Comics abruptly cancelled Gerry Dugan and John McCrea’s Dead Rabbit series, and issued a mandatory product recall after only two issues into its run.
Diamond Comic Distributors sent an email to retailers stating that any existing copies of Dead Rabbit #1 and Dead Rabbit #2 were to be pulled and sent back.
The recall and cancellation were the result of a trademark issue when a New York City bar — named The Dead Rabbit — threatened to sue Image over the release of the comic for violation of their trademark. A cease and desist demand was issued and Dugan and McCrea’s comic was dead in the water.
Now, after nearly a year later the project is back with a new name — Dead Eyes. The book will be launching with an oversized first issue this October. Full press release available below.
PORTLAND, Ore. 07/19/2019 — Artist John McCrea (Mythic, Hitman) and writer Gerry Duggan (Analog, Deadpool) team up to bring readers action, comedy, and drama in the forthcoming series Dead Eyes. This ongoing series will launch from Image Comics with an oversized first issue this October.
“We’re very happy to introduce you to the violent, funny, and sad world without justice in Dead Eyes,” said Duggan. “A former stick-up man must return to his life of crime when the pressures of living in a Kleptocracy push him to the breaking point. This is McCrea & Spicer’s very best work and we’re thrilled to punch Dead Eyes into your face beginning this October.”
McCrea said only: “I’m too busy drawing ball-busting sh*t to give you a goddamn quote.”
Set in the 1990s, “Dead Eyes” was a prolific stick-up man and hoodlum in Boston until he took down one last big score and disappeared. Nobody ever discovered the truth. He retired to be with the love of his life, but now he’s back in the mask to save her. No one–not his wife, the mafia, or the cops–is happy that he’s out of retirement.
Dead Eyes hits comic shops on Wednesday, October 2.
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Yesterday at New York Fashion Week: Men's, Los Angeles-based designer John Elliott showed off his continuing evolution. While he continues to perfect the elongated tees and slim-cut sweats that made first him famous, he's expanding his scope with tailored clothing -- a new development that wowed fans at his Fall 2017 show. Additionally, Elliott revealed a footwear collaboration with NikeLab on the oft-overlooked Vandal High, rendered in suede and a choice of understated, neutral colorways. Stay tuned for word on a release date.
A pristine take on the retro silhouette


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H.K. Kim is the current (31st) president of the Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce.
Besides serving as the president of GDKACC, he owns a janitorial supply company in Dallas.
He has been actively serving the GDKACC.
His term as the president of GDKACC can be highlighted by the Smart Business Expo. For the first time in GDKACC’s history, he successfully hosted Smart Business Expo, twice.
The expo linked small and medium-sized Korean companies to potential buyers here in the United States.
When the Pandemic hit, he hosted an online version of the expo.
You can learn more about the expo and/or H.K. Kim on GDKACC website(koreanchamber.org)
Following is the message from H.K. Kim (Hyun Kyum Kim) from May of 2020
The GDKACC started out in 1976 with the first president, Ahn Kyo-Sun, in order to increase the interest of Korean businessmen. All of the presidents since then have been working with the executive members for the same goal of increasing the rights and interests of Korean business and industry.
By providing leadership and assistance, we have been able to help the Korean society grow and develop. We are also proud that we have been a friend to businessmen, self-employed, and professionals as well.
Looking back at past times, I would like to promise a brighter future together. In the times of rapidly changing economic situation, the GDKACC will help DFW Korean traders by responding together as an organization, and leading the market with a business platform that is always one step ahead.
Thus, the GDKACC is planning to build an online shopping mall in the first half of this year as well as hold the first online Biz Expo in the region in November. Through this, we will not only lay the groundwork for Korean businesses to keep pace with the smart era, but also enhance the status of Korean Americans in the mainstream society.
With new leadership and 2nd generation executive team to lead the GDKACC, we hope to become and remain as a humble organization that is necessary and helpful to the Korean American community.
President Hyun Kyum Kim


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by Ralph Nichols
Business on Burien’s auto row along 1st Ave. S. is about to get busier again. And this new commercial activity should give the city a welcome economic boost. Burien Nissan, which has been closed since spring 2009, will reopen with a new owner next month.
“I hope before mid-August,” Ken Phillips, president of Tacoma-based Car Pros Automotive Group, told the B-Town Blog on July 26.
The dealership will offer a full line of new Nissan models, exclusively, and will also sell used cars and have parts and service departments.
“We’re working very hard to try to get this done,” Phillips said. “We’re excited to get in. This is our home. We’re happy to be here.”
Car Pros wanted to assume ownership last year, but was unable to proceed because of unresolved issues beyond its control with the dealership property on 1st Ave. S. just south of S. 160th St.
After those issues were resolved, Car Pros was contacted by Nissan “about six weeks to two months ago,” Phillips said. “They were about ready to do something here and wanted to know, were we still interested? And we told them, of course we are.”
For Phillips, taking ownership of Burien Nissan is something of a homecoming. “My kids grew up here,” he said. “We had the same house in Normandy Park for 30 years. Both my kids graduated from Mt. Rainier High School. And I had my cancer surgery at Highline Medical Center. (He is now cancer free.) This is like home for us.”
Car Pros owns several Puget Sound-area auto dealerships and another in Carson, Calif., selling Hundai, Kia, Suzuki, Chrysler and Jeep models.Facebook Twitter Subscribe


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IEEE's Erico Guizzo visited the lab of Masatoshi Ishikawa, a professor at the University of Tokyo, and videotaped this demo of his machine that scans the text and images of a book as you flip through its pages.
Ishikawa is well known in robotics circles for his Matrix bullet time-style amazing demos -- like a robo-hand that can dribble a ball and catch objects in midair with superhuman dexterity. How he does it? A Super Vision Chip (that's what he calls it) that can "see" events too fast for the eye.
Ishikawa and his colleagues are already working on several applications -- including a microscope that can track individual bacteria and a video game motion-capture system (similar to Microsoft's Project Natal) for gesture playing. Late last year when I visited the lab, they showed me their latest creation: a superfast book scanner.
The system, developed by lab members Takashi Nakashima and Yoshihiro Watanabe, lets you scan a book by rapidly flipping its pages in front of a high-speed camera. They call this method book flipping scanning. They told me they can digitize a 200-page book in one minute, and hope to make that even faster.
AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon are among the telecommunications carriers facing hundreds of millions of dollars in fines from the Federal Communications Commission after a federal investigation found the companies didn’t do enough to protect the location data of users.
BuzzFeed News reporters have seen leaked Clearview AI documents that show the company is “working with more than 2,200 law enforcement agencies, companies, and individuals around the world,” including Best Buy, Walmart, Macy’s, ICE, DOJ, and the FBI, plus “a sovereign wealth fund in the United Arab Emirates.”
Admit it…even having a pocket knife within reach at a moment’s notice makes you feel a little like James Bond, right? Like, if you run up against a locked vault or a sinister superweapon, all you’d need are a couple of hand-held tools to diffuse the whole situation and save the world. Look, we don’t […]
There’s no shortage of CRMs out there for large corporations, e-commerce companies, and booming startups to utilize. Think Salesforce, for example. But if you’re running a small business of ten employees max, there’s no way it makes sense to invest in an expensive, robust option like that. You’re better off using your old system of […]
Website building apps are all about one thing — helping you craft a great-looking, fast-running website without having to mess with all that back-end code. However, nobody wants their site to look just like a template, so customization is all but a must. So how easy is it to make those changes and still not […]


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The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration are working together to enhance the safety and quality of fresh produce in ways that take into account the wide diversity of farming operations. Agency officials say we are committed to leveraging the expertise of our partner agencies and working together to ensure that our current produce safety and quality activities are complementary and consistent.
While USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service is in the midst of evaluating a proposed marketing agreement for the leafy green industry, the FDA is currently developing a proposed produce safety regulation. According to a joint statement, "It is our expectation that these products will take into account the diverse nature of farming operations and that any marketing agreement would conform to any regulations that may be promulgated by FDA."
AMS continues to review comments that have been submitted to USDA on the proposed marketing agreement. FDA has also announced the establishment of a docket to receive information about current practices and conditions for the production and packing of fresh produce and practical approaches to improving produce safety. FDA encourages all interested persons to submit information they believe will contribute to the development of safety standards for fresh produce at the farm and packing house, as well as strategies and cooperative efforts to ensure compliance with those standards.


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It was only a matter of time until a peripheral device manufacturer presented a smaller variant of the docking station of the Nintendo Switch. Nyko has now unveiled a very portable version, which is due to be released in September.
It is well known that Nintendo Switch players need a docking station when they want to bring the image of their console hybrids to the TV. This docking station may be functional for the home use, but it is somewhat bulky if you want to take the Nintendo Switch on the road or on holiday. But now the peripheral device manufacturer Nyko has announced that one is working on a very portable variant.
According to this, a significantly reduced version of the docking station will be available in September, which according to a report by Ars Technica is hardly larger than a map deck. Thus, she should be able to fit into every bag, and colleagues also report that the stability is not lost. After all, the stability is ensured by a hinged plastic holder.
In addition, the picture quality should be in no way inferior to the original. Even if the demonstration model had only a power connection and an HDMI port to offer, the people in charge of Nyko have now announced that two publications will be integrated into the USB port. In addition, a USB-C and an HDMI cable are included.
But the best information is that the price should be around 45 US dollars. Thus, the docking station of Nyko would be offered half the price of the original.


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The best football game at playing actual football just gave PS4 owners a reason to play it.
FIFA may have won both the battle and the war this year, but that doesn’t make PES 2019 a bad game. In fact, for on the field action, we make PES 2019 the better game of the two. Our very own football fanatic Chris enjoyed his time playing PES, as did many other critics, with the game reaching a Metascore of 79 over at metacritic.
If it wasn’t for EA’s money and licences, the battle for the footballing video game title would be a hell of a lot closer. We weren’t impressed with FIFA this year, with Chris scoring the game a less-than-exciting 6 out of 10 in his review, so if you feel the same way and licences and FUT don’t mean that much to you, why not give PES 2019 a try.
Currently, on the PlayStation store, PES 2019 is being discounted by a whopping 60% for PS Plus members. This deal is available from 31/10/2018 12:00am to 21/11/2018 11:59pm, so act quickly!
To sweeten the deal further, if you purchase a £20 PlayStation Network Card at cdkeys, you can save an additional one pound – making PES 2019 a cracking £18.99. If you consider CEX currently lists pre-owned copies of PES 2019 on PS4 at £35, this really is worth a look.


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US goat dairies grow with demand for cheese
AP Photo/Toby Talbot
A herd of goats is seen at Blue Ledge Farm on Thursday, April 14, 2011 in Salisbury, Vt. Some U.S. dairy farmers are rethinking their business plan after watching milk prices crash repeatedly and a small number are turning to dairy goats.
BRANDON, Vt. — Fluctuating milk prices have long made dairy farming a risky business, and when milk prices crashed in 2002, Chris Lekberg gave up. He sold his cows and bought goats
It turned out to be a wise decision. He now has more than 50 goa...


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Brazil’s JBS SA, the world’s largest meatpacking company, said on Tuesday that rising prices for grain, the key raw material for feed, don’t show any hint of cooling off, forcing it to cut other costs.
Swarms of black flies are impacting livestock farmers in Arkansas this spring, reports University of Arkansas Extension. The population explosion is to blame for the deaths of a bull and cow in Arkansas County.
Foodborne illnesses is a big problem, but a Purdue University study shows few people use thermometers in cooking meat. Celebrity chefs have a role in educating consumers to use proper cooking temperatures.
With the polarization of politics that’s become endemic of late, virtually every issue divides people into opposite camps. You’re either for something, or against it — no matter what the issue might be.
As access to information continues to evolve, so do consumer perceptions of animal agriculture. Today, industry leaders are seeing increased questions from consumers regarding antimicrobial resistance in livestock.
Several Israeli start-ups have joined a handful of companies around the globe trying to develop lab-grown meat, something they see as a solution to the needs of the world’s growing population and demand for food.


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Last Updated on September 11, 2023 by Robert C. Hoopes
Title: Funding and Innovations Shape the Fintech Landscape
Leading the way in streamlining the process for shutting down failed startups, SimpleClosure, a startup, aims to simplify this cumbersome task. With $1.5 million in funding secured, SimpleClosure managed to raise the capital without even presenting a traditional pitch deck.
Small business owners relying on Square’s services faced disruptions when the company experienced a daylong outage. This incident highlighted the vulnerability of small businesses that heavily rely on fintech platforms for their operations.
Paytm, the popular Indian digital payments company, has launched an advanced version of its soundbox device that now serves a dual purpose as a card payment machine. This innovative move adds convenience for merchants as they can now use a single device for both transaction types.
Amidst the changing financial landscape, companies like Firstcard and Fidelity are stepping up to cater to the needs of younger generations. Firstcard raised an impressive $4.7 million to help college students build credit, while Fidelity introduced a new app tailored to help teens save, spend, and invest effectively.
The Y Combinator Demo Day showcased several promising fintech companies, including Coba, Cheq, Envelope, and Flex. These companies are leveraging technology to revolutionize various aspects of the finance industry.
In the United States, the Federal Reserve recently launched FedNow, an instant payment infrastructure, which aims to modernize the payment system and enable faster and more efficient transactions.
Addressing the challenges faced by neurodivergent job seekers, Mentra, an innovative startup, is working towards matching them with ideal jobs using AI-powered technology. This approach holds promising potential for inclusivity in the job market.
Syscap, a fintech company, closed a successful $2.3 million funding round with a goal to create private credit infrastructure in Mexico. This development is expected to boost financial inclusion and access to credit in the country.
Zopa, a UK neobank, celebrated a milestone achievement by reaching 1 million customers. Alongside its growing customer base, Zopa also secured an impressive $93 million in funding, solidifying its status as a notable player in the fintech sector.
Tackling the rising concerns surrounding money laundering, ThetaRay raised $57 million to develop artificial intelligence tools aimed at combating this financial crime.
Nigeria’s fintech platform, Anchor, secured $2.4 million in funding to expand its product offerings. This injection of capital will contribute to Anchor’s efforts to meet the growing demands of its users.
In addition to these significant developments, the fintech sector witnessed several other funding and mergers and acquisitions activities. These events continue to shape the landscape of the industry and pave the way for further innovation and growth.
As the fintech sector continues to evolve rapidly, these innovations, funding rounds, and strategic collaborations are expected to drive significant change and offer opportunities for individuals and businesses alike.


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Digital Marketing Skill Institute (DMSI), a global digital marketing edutech company
that uses digital technologies to accelerate the development of digital marketing
talents while matching them with organisations globally either as employees or
entrepreneurs (freelancer or agency) has partnered with the Challenge Fund For
Youth Employment (CFYE), which is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to launch “Digital Marketing Women Employability and Entrepreneurship
Programme (DM-WEEP)”, a programme designed to train, match and create digital
marketing jobs for 4,500 women.
The programme, which is co-funded by Dutch Government, aims to empower young
women in Nigeria within the ages of 20-35 is set to boost the employability of these
women with digital marketing, and they will pay nothing upfront for the training until
they are employed and earning a decent income.
Speaking on this development, Founder of Digital Marketing Skill Institute, Tobi
Asehinde revealed that the initiative is in line with the organisation’s mission to help
and empower 1 million people by 2030 to start, grow and scale wildly profitable
businesses and careers using digital marketing.
He further reviewed that the global market for Digital Marketing is estimated at
US$350 billion and male-dominated however, with this programme they are giving
women a voice and share in the digital marketing industry that is male-dominated.
“Digital marketing is one of the most desired industries where many women are
interested in building a career but then, some of them are held back by the financial
cost that is required to learn the skill. Digital Marketing Women Employability and
Entrepreneurship Programme will be bridging that gap and empower many Nigerian
women to pursue their dreams and build a global digital marketing career,” he
Global figures show a startling economic disparity with women losing jobs at almost
twice the rate of men and leaving over 47 million more women below the poverty
line. And of course, due to the responsibilities that come with being pregnant or a
nursing mother, some young women have had to lose their job or drop their career
pursuit for the sake of being available to attend to taking care of their home.
With a career in digital marketing, they won’t have to drop their ambitions because they
are pregnant or nursing a baby, as it allows for flexible working conditions.
According to research released at the beginning of the year by the National
Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 35.2% of women in the country are unemployed. The research also revealed that women account for only 43.3% of the working
population in Nigeria.
At the same time, businesses have been forced to adopt digital technologies and
channels to promote and operate their businesses as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic. This has resulted in accelerated growth in demand for people with
digital skills. There is an opportunity to match and create jobs here by training
young people in digital marketing to assist these businesses to grow and thrive in a
Mr. Asehinde said we have built an education technology solution to accelerate
learning of digital skills and built 2 tech platforms called Accredital and Wizlancer to
match learners to employment and self-employment opportunities from businesses
around the world. We are really focused on not just training young people but
connecting them to opportunities to earn a decent income.
Speaking on the initiative, the project manager Christiana Olawumi expressed her
gratitude to Digital Marketing Skill Institute and Challenge Fund For Youth
Employment for collaborating to help young women like herself meet their personal
and career aspirations in the new digital economy. In her words, “when we reduce
the rate of unemployment in the country, there will be a reduction in community
vices and our society will be a safe place to live”.
She went further to show her enthusiasm as she spoke about how much effort the
the project team has put in place to make sure that the programme is a success.
To ensure that the project has maximum impact and reaches women interested in
digital marketing, Digital Marketing Skill Institute collaborated with Challenge Fund
For Youth Employment, which is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and seeks to create a prosperous future for young women across Nigeria.
Mr Asehinde emphasised that such collaborations with CFYE are critical to the
the success of tackling unemployment in Nigeria which is currently at 33%, and re-
emphasised DMSI’s commitment to partner with more governmental bodies,
public/private companies, Foundations, Non-Government Organisations (NGO’s) to
achieve its goal of empowering and securing a better future for Young Women in
the Digital Economy. “Digital Marketing Women Employability and Entrepreneurship
The programme” is one of the many strategies we are using to achieve our mission.
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When we first covered the NASA funding of a 3D printer that prints food for astronauts in space, the project was still in the early prototype stage. But NASA saw promise in Anjan Contractor’s dream and awarded him a $125,000 grant. And now we have printed pizza. That may seem like a lot of dough for a medium pizza, but this is bigger than the pizza. Working with dry ingredients that can be stored for long periods means nutritious meals can be quickly prepared in tight spaces with little human intervention. For space travel, that’s crucial. And it’s arguably just as crucial for even terrestrial living in the future.
Food printing is being developed at an increasingly rapid pace. First, there were custom chocolates and cheese doodles, then sugar sculptures, and now we have printed veggie patties, breads, and pizzas. And these modern dishes are being served by several companies. That means various forms of food printers will be on the market very soon, likely this year.
Intricate chocolates will soon be standard in pastry shops. And it won’t be long before traditional restaurants start offering printed dishes, like potato cakes, ravioli, and pastas. Burgers will take on new shapes, as well as their buns. The ability to control the mixing of multiple ingredients means customizable dishes that can be catered to picky palates, while still being nutritious.
We’re only a few years away from Star Trek-style replicators that can whip up chicken soup, crab rangoon, and Earl grey tea. Future food printers won’t work with doughs and sauces, but with the base elements that make up all matter. But before that, they’ll work with fresh meats, flour, and oils, basically cooking meals on demand in adjustable configurations. Such machines will have several extruders and heated build chambers that serve as ovens. Tacos will come out on conveyor belts right into our mouths. The future is tasty.


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Want to talk to your friends and family through virtual reality? Then go to Kokomo.
But not the city.
Last week, Canon U.S.A., the international camera company, announced it is developing a new immersive virtual reality experience designed to “change human communication,” according to a release.
They’re calling the new platform Kokomo.
The company said the software is being designed to provide users with a way to meet friends and family virtually “in-person” by using a compatible Canon camera, a VR headset and a compatible smart phone.
“Kokomo will allow users to see and hear one another in real time with their live appearance and expression, in a photo-real environment, while experiencing a premium virtual reality setting in captivating locations like Malibu, New York or Hawaii,” Canon said in a release announcing the platform.
The app uses Canon cameras and imaging technology to create realistic representations of users, so calls feel like you are interacting face-to-face, rather than through a screen or an avatar, the company said.
“Every ImmersiveCall should be a memorable experience,” said Kazuto “Kevin” Ogawa, president and CEO of Canon U.S.A. Inc., in a release. “Kokomo will enable people to create memorable, meaningful connections.”
So why name the new platform Kokomo? The company said it was inspired by two meanings of the word.
“It’s a mythological place that fits the image of wherever you want it to be and the second part is if you look at the translation, it fits the Japanese translation of ‘right beside you, here,’” the company said in an email. “The inspiration is that it’s someone beside you but also a place you want to be.”
This story has been updated with information from the company on why they named the platform Kokomo.


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Intel Corporation, American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California has announced to launch it’s new armor in the arena of energy efficient chips as Atom Bay […]
Vivo launches V5s in India With 20 Megapixel Front Camera
The Chinese smartphone brand Vivo has launched a new selfie-focused smartphone in the Indian market, the V5s. The phone is priced at Rs. 18,990 and can be pre-order from Flipkart.
Intex iBuddy Connect launched Android Voice Calling Tablet at Rs 7,990
Intex Technologies has launched a new product with special voice calling feature tablet called as,"iBuddy Connect" in the entry level segment. Intex technologies, are looking to heat up already hot
Kobian Mercury mTAB7G and mTAB Lite tablets launched
Kobian, one of the leading company serving in consumer electronics worldwide has just launched it's two new element named, " Mercury mTAB7G and mTAB Lite" in the tablet segment of India. Mercury is a
Fronix Aurora II – An Android tab with windows 8 UI
Fronix Technology has launched it's new Tab Fronix Aurora II in the domestic market. Fronix Aurora II runs on Windows 8 Metro User Interface which is a normal theme running on Jelly Bean .


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The power of influencing with social media
Who doesn’t love fashion? We all love to go online and look at the latest, hottest fashion trends. It may be on Instagram, YouTube, Vogue, GQ, and many other platforms. They all help us make the best decisions when we go out shopping for apparel.
How much is the fashion industry worth?
We also follow various fashion icons to keep us both entertained and amazed at their beautiful designs. Fashion just hits differently and that is why it is an industry that is worth more than $1 trillion globally. According to Statista, the global apparel market was projected to grow in value from 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2020 to about 2.25 trillion dollars by 2025. This shows that the demand for clothing and shoes is on the rise across the world.
The effects of the pandemic
However, when the global pandemic hit things took a dramatic downturn. In March, countries started enforcing lockdowns and there were massive layoffs. Since people had less disposable income, demand for apparel dropped dramatically.
As a result, the fashion industry took a strong hit and the numbers dropped. Internationally renowned consulting firm McKinsey released a report this year highlighting the drop. The report titled “The state of fashion 2021” reveals that the fashion industry registered record-low profits.
Compared to 2019, the profit dropped by 93%.
There is a silver lining
It is not all doom and gloom. McKinsey observes that growth may happen in 2021 though slowly. Even though subdued tourist numbers will keep taking a toll, the digital platforms are expected to soar.
“Where there is positive momentum, the primary driver will continue to be digital channels, reflecting the trend established before the COVID-19 crisis and the reluctance of people in many countries to gather in crowded environments.”
Around the globe, we expect more than 20 percent annual digital growth in 2021 (with 30 percent in Europe and the United States) compared with 2020.
The importance of influencers
Fashion influencers could not be more vital at this point in time. They will help the industry pick up and start experiencing positive projections.
These influencers will provoke more consumers to take up online shopping and shipping. Therefore, the apparel markets are keen to work with influencers who have an engaged following to drive sales growth.
How fashion blogging started
At the beginning of the 21st century fashion blogs started cropping out from personal diaries kept by fashion lovers. They then evolved into sophisticated marketing and economic tools. The advent of social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter saw the explosion of fashion influencer marketing.
This is because the influencers had access to a wider reach. Personally, I only knew of GQ as the fashion bible but now fashion influencers have enlarged my fashion horizon.
Influencers you should follow
There are notable fashion icons, influencers, and ambassadors that you should observe and follow. They have been consistent in the industry and have very innovative ideas. Their professionalism and quality have earned them respectable brand names and followers.
1. Chiara Ferragni
Chiara has been a style icon for the past 10 years. She has worked with some of the most prestigious fashion houses. Some of the fashion houses she has worked with are Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), Chanel, Dior, and Giambattista Valli.
She boasts of a followership portfolio of 22.6 million followers on IG. In 2010 she founded the Blonde Salad fashion blog which has now grown into a global retail business according to Financial Times. 3 years later she launched her clothing line called the Chiara Ferragni Collection.
It started as a footwear line which has since grown to clothing accessories and children’s wear.
2. Camila Coelho
Camila is a well-respected Los Angeles-based Brazilian fashion influencer. She has more than 8.8 million followers on Instagram. The 32-year-old has worked with a host of famous names in the fashion world.
Her profile has earned her front-row seats at top fashion shows such as Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Celine, and Chloe. Coelho has also appeared in the highly venerated MET Gala and Cannes Film Festival.
This relentless model started off working at the Dior counter. She would upload detailed makeup tutorials on YouTube on her favorite beauty looks. The intention was to stay in touch with her family in Brazil.
Gradually, her social following spiked to more than 15 million followers. In no time she was known as one of the world’s top digital personalities according to Forbes.
The influencer partnered with world-renowned Revolve to launch her namesake company, Camila Coelho Collection. She heads the company as its CEO. Last year, at the height of the Corona pandemic, she launched her beauty brand Elaluz. Elaluz meaning “she is light” is a lifestyle brand that encompasses skincare, makeup, haircare, etc.
3. Lukas Sabbat
At the age of 23, this New York native has been able to amass a following of over 2.3 million followers. He gained most of his following at the age of 20. His recognition on the runway for designers such as Lanvin, Laquan Smith, and more contributed to his notoriety.
Sabbat is known for his urban streetwear aesthetic that is setting trends in the men’s fashion industry. He resonates best with people who love tracksuits and how to navigate through various seasons.
4. Jim Chapman
He is a London-based blogger and Instagrammer who boasts of a following of a little over 1.9 million followers. His success in fashion saw him voted as GQ’s best-dressed man in 2015.
As a YouTuber, he has been able to comfortably accrue a viewership of more than 98 million videos from his weekly videos. The Jim Chapman YouTube channel currently has more than 2 million viewers. One of his British GQ videos titled “How to buy a suit” has more than 1 million views.
Study the fashion industry and see which fashion best resonates with you. It will help you follow the right influencer customized for you. The fashion industry is diverse and has very many aspects to it.
Different tenets of the fashion industry have different consumers, different products, and even different influencers. Choose the one that resonates with you.
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Abu Dhabi, UAE, 6 November 2023 – Al Masaood Automobiles, the authorized distributor of Nissan cars in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and the Western region is launching complimentary vehicle check-ups for Nissan owners. The “Free Friday Check-ups” will be available every Friday between November 1st and December 31st, 2023, and will include an essential safety check, as well as battery, lights, and air filter examinations.
With winter fast approaching, and people gearing up for outdoor adventures, Al Masaood Automobiles wants to ensure the smoothest, safest, and most comfortable experience for all. The check-ups will be offered at the Musaffah, Airport Road, Al-Ain, and Beda Zayed service centres. While the service is open to all Nissan owners, booking a check-up in advance is recommended to ensure timely consultation. Customers who choose to avail of these checks can also receive up to 50% off on identified services required.


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Sony announced this week that PlayStation 4 shipments have climbed to a staggering 100 million units so far, but that's not all good news. The 3.2 million PS4 systems that Sony delivered in April-June were "slightly below" the company's internal expectations. The reason for the decline?
Sony says it is "predominantly" due to the company announcing its next-generation console, PlayStation 5.
Sony is not yet officially announcing its next-generation console, but the architect on the PlayStation Mark Cherney started talking about the console and some of its features earlier this year. Sony then demonstrated much faster loading times for the console during a business meeting.
15 million are still a large number of console shipments, so late in its life cycle. Sony said this continued success "indicates that the PS4 platform is still receiving support from many users."
Sony is also planning a slump in game sales in the current fiscal year. The company is lowering its expectations of being flat throughout the year instead of rising due to lower third-party game sales. Revenues from lower-than-expected free games were also called for. This may refer to Fortnite and other bitcoin games that slow down when it comes to revenue.
For a plus, Sony said it expects its "network services" to generate more revenue in the current fiscal year. Overall, Sony said one of its main areas of focus during the fiscal year was "preparing to launch the next-generation platform," in addition to expanding the customer base the company already has.
Rumors of the PlayStation 5 launch during the 2020 holiday, which is also when it is confirmed that Microsoft's next-generation Project Scarlett system will be released.


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Coinbase starts Index fund services, the first major exchange to do it
Coinbase, one of the biggest companies in the cryptocurrency exchange world is now adding a new service for its customers in the form of Index funds.
The California based exchange which is valued at $1.6 billion is one of the most accepted crypto exchange in the world. It recently surpassed Charles Schwab, a well-known bank, and brokage firm, with the highest number of customer accounts.
Coinbase is broadening its spectrum of services by introducing Coinbase Index fund. With this development, the company can cater to new customers who are used to Index funds like the popular Dow Jones Industrial Average which sets the indices benchmark for financial markets.
Coinbase President and COO, Asiff Hirji, told CNBC:
“It’s a very simple to use, easy way to get exposure to the crypto-assets that we offer on our exchange”
Although, the service is not available to all customers. It is limited only to accredited U.S. investors with a net worth of at least $1 million or has a stable income of over $200,000 annually. The minimum investment to be made is $10,000.
The company executives explained the limited services by stating that the plan will be open to masses if the regulatory hurdles pass. Coinbase is not the first company to offer an index fund, Gray Scale, a digital assets tracking company has already introduced it for Bitcoins.
Coinbase Product Manager, Reuben Bramanathan said in a blog post:
“By providing diversified exposure to a broad range of assets, index funds enable investors to track the performance of an entire asset class, rather than having to select individual assets. We’re excited to give our customers the ability to invest in the potential of blockchain-based digital assets as a whole.”
Apart from Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and, Litecoin, which are currently available on the exchange, any addition of other coins with automatically be added to the index. The customers can invest on a monthly basis and withdraw every quarterly. But passively managed funds cannot be used for trading shares.
Reuben Bramanthan continues to say:
“We’re seeing strong demand from institutional and high-net-worth individuals.”
Source: Read Full Article
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BACTERIA DETECTION: Local fresh juice company begins testing for E. coli
* A Port Orchard producer of fresh juice is
pioneering a new E. coli test.
By Ann Vogel
Special to The Sun
Port Orchard-based Washington Fresh Juice Co., one of Puget Sound's fastest growing producers of fresh juices, has become the nation's first fresh juice company to directly purchase and use a new test specifically designed to detect the presence of the bacteria E. coli O157:H7.
The diagnostic test, developed six months ago by Neogen Corporation of Lansing, Michigan, was commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration's Food Safety Inspection Service. Their inspectors use it to test poultry, meat, and produce for the E. coli O157:H7. The test is also used by several state university food laboratories and by food labs in Japan and Israel.
Although the local company has never found the E. coli bacteria in its products, its president, Jeff Dullum said, "Because of the recent outbreak of E. coli linked to apple juices produced by our biggest competitor, Odwalla Inc. of California, we are taking the extra precaution of adding the Neogen test to our already stringent production process for all types of juices."
The test can detect the presence of the pathogenic bacteria within eight hours. Results from previously available tests required a wait of two days, making the tests unfeasible for unpasteurized juices with a shelf life of less than two weeks.
"The test is similar to a pregnancy test. The user dips it into fresh juice and after the incubation period reads the results. One line is negative; two lines are positive," said Kurt Johnson, National Sales Manager for Neogen's Food and Lab Diagnostics.
"We are just beginning to move into the fruit and vegetable market with the diagnostic kits, and hope other fresh juice producers will follow Washington Fresh Juice Company's lead."
Dullum contacted Odwalla shortly after learning of the single use disposable test kits now available to producers of fresh juice.
Dullum is working closely with scientists from Washington State University's Food Science and Nutrition Department and the state's Department of Agriculture to research other possible measures that will help ensure the continued safety and quality of the company's products.
Since January of this year, Washington Fresh Juice has produced and distributed freshly squeezed and pressed juice blends through many major Puget Sound grocery chains as well as through smaller retail outlets such as bakeries, delis, and coffee shops. Like the Odwalla products, the Juice Company's beverages are not pasteurized.
Since last week's announcement of the E. coli breakout, all 18 QFC stores have pulled fresh juice products, including Washington Fresh Juice, from its shelves.
"We had just begun 'demo-ing' the products to QFC customers and sales were beginning to take off," said Dullum who also lost an account with the Queen Ann Thriftway in Tacoma.
However, most clients, including all of the local company's Kitsap County clients, are continuing to sell the juice.
"Sales have actually increased in some stores that pulled Odwalla and kept our products," said Dullum. "And we've picked up some new clients, too.
"When we learned about the Odwalla juice problems last Wednesday, we canceled our Thursday deliveries. We were really worried about the future of our business. Now business is down a little, but back to normal.
"We're relieved to have found the test kit for the E. coli and will test every batch of juice we produce before it's shipped."
Washington Fresh juices are Neptune's Nectar, a blend that includes Pacific kelp, apple juice, peach, mango, and raspberry purees, orange juice, and wheat and barley grasses; Citrus Sensation; Apple Strawberry; Strawberry BOP, which adds banana, orange, and pineapple to strawberry; Winter Juice, another fruit blend with vitamin C; and a new product debuting next week, Cran Royal, a mixture that includes cranberries, royal jelly, and Pacific Northwest-grown ginseng.


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12 February 2003 PC and server vendor Dell Computer has formally ended its close manufacturing and services ties with IBM, axing a $16 billion (€14.91bn) components contract and scaling down a $6 billion (€5.59bn) services deal with the systems giant.
The two contracts, which were due to run for seven years, were signed in 1999 at the height of the technology boom. But the manufacturing partnership, described by both companies as “the largest agreement of its kind in the information technology industry”, has fallen apart following IBM’s decision late last year to sell its hard disk business to Japanese electronics and engineering conglomerate Hitachi Ltd for $2.05 billion (€1.91bn).
Aside from storage products, Dell has been purchasing most of its microelectronics, networking and display technology from IBM for integration into its computer systems.
On the services side, where IBM Global Services is a flagship provider of support services to Dell customers, Dell has seen many organisations opt to trim their IT spend by selecting other, less expensive service providers. However, IBM will continue to offer services to Dell customers on request.
Analysts at investment bank Lehman Brothers estimate that the services agreement, including computer installation, maintenance and support, was worth $200 million (€186.4m) a year to IBM.
That kind of revenue stream is being quickly replaced by more strategic business. In the latest in a series of outsourcing mega deals, IBM will today announce it has agreed a $2 billion (€1.86bn) contract with automotive component manufacturer Visteon. That follows similar contracts with JP Morgan for $5 billion (€4.66bn) and Deutsche Bank for €2.5 billion.


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Online tyre pricing trends to June 2023
During the last few years, tyremakers have repeatedly increased prices. The combination of pandemic-related complications, lower car production rates, higher shipping costs as well as higher raw material costs meant that was inevitable. More recently, the situation was compounded by unusually high rates of general inflation driven by increased energy costs that came as the result of war in Ukraine. However, shipping costs are now lower than they were and industry sources report that tyre manufacturers are beginning to change their previously one-way price movement policy. But is that reflected in sell-out pricing? Specifically, what about the stereotypically more price-drive online etail tyre business? Tyres & Accessories got in touch with Encircle Marketing, which specialises in the kind of market research that can answer those questions, in order to find out.


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Indonesia may allow higher foreign investment in drug companies as Kalbe Farma and state-run Kimia Farma move to build active pharmaceutical ingredient plants to combat persistent raw material shortages.
The details, outlined in a CPhl press release for an April conference, said the country's top drugmaker should see a biopharmacy raw material plant come online in West Java in late 2017 or 2018, citing Vidjongtius, who handles investor relations for Kalbe Farma, and who like many Indonesians uses one name.
The release also noted a recently announced plan for Kimia to build a pharmaceutical raw material plant this year in West Java.
Indonesia launched a phased program at the start of 2014 to provide universal health insurance, but has faced generic and other shortages as national rules require local manufacture of many pharmaceuticals.
The wider insurance coverage, however, has spurred demand, while a weaker rupiah this year has raised import costs.
In April of 2015, the Indonesian Pharmaceutical Association's group secretary, Kendrariadi Suhanda, said the domestic industry would need investments of more than $1 billion to build the facilities it would need to reduce its dependence on imports of raw materials.
- here's the release


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Wedding planning website Hitched celebrated Freedom Day by unveiling an upcycled wedding gown made from 1,500 discarded face masks.
The redundant sanitary ware has been brought to life to raise awareness of the growing mountain of rubbish of unwanted face coverings and to invite couples to step down the aisle in style now that wedding ceremonies and receptions are back in England.
W Communications’ campaign claims that an estimated 100 million single-use surgical masks will be thrown away every week in the UK during the pandemic, the vast majority of which will end up in landfills.
Redirecting a small portion of this, Hitched aims to bring the topic out into the open while encouraging couples to take advantage of the easing of restrictions to cement their partnerships in style.
Hitched Editor Sarah Allard said: “We are overjoyed that weddings will return to England with no legal restrictions. With thousands of weddings scheduled to take place this summer, couples can now look forward to the reopening of dance floors, standing receptions and photos full of smiling faces with the PPE restrictions lifted.
“However, we cannot ignore the waste problem created by the pandemic, and now that guidelines on masks at weddings have finally changed, we wanted to create a garment that not only symbolized how far we both and as a united industry and as a nation, it also takes advantage of these unused masks.
“Although masks are no longer required by law, we encourage couples, guests, and suppliers to judge on the wedding day, but we can’t wait to dance, hug, and see happy reunions again.”
The carefully put together dress contains no less than 1,500 knitted face masks for brides who want to dress to impress on their wedding day.
Weddings have long been fertile ground for marketers with Taco Bell, Ikea and Burger King targeting the happy day for their own promotions.
// Featured in this article
Coronavirus – Referred to as (CoV), it is part of the larger family of diseases that affect the respiratory tract. Cornavirus symptoms range from a cold to severe pneumonia and, like the flu, are viral. There is no coronavirus cure, but test kits are made.
Find out more


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Cryptocurrencies are anonymous and the government should not encourage their spread, insisted the head of the Bank of Russia. The regulator remains firmly opposed to the legalization of bitcoin and the like as a means of payment in the Russian Federation.
Bank of Russia reiterates negative stance on cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin legalization
A “responsible state” should not stimulate the proliferation of cryptocurrencies, according to Elvira Nabiullina, president of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR). The head of the monetary authority made the statement to the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma.
The senior official pointed out that the bank has “an extremely negative attitude towards cryptocurrencies” which it described as “private currencies masquerading as money”. Quoted by the Tass news agency, Nabiullina said:
These cryptocurrencies are anonymous, no one is responsible for them and, in our opinion, a responsible state should not stimulate their spread and crowd them out of payments.
At the same time, people must have an alternative, admitted the governor. The Bank of Russia is trying to do this through its projects. “I have already spoken about the digital ruble – in our opinion it should grow,” added Elvira Nabiullina.
The head of Russia’s monetary policy regulator pointed out that the CBR is not against digital currencies in general, as long as they are not used for “side trading.” Nabiullina, however, pointed out that the Bank of Russia continues to oppose the legalization of bitcoin as a payment instrument in the country.
In response to the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies and the significant increase in electronic payments, the Russian central bank has stepped up efforts to create a digital version of the national fiat, the ruble. This year, the regulator formed a digital ruble pilot group with more than a dozen financial institutions. A prototype of the CBDC platform will be launched in December, with testing scheduled to begin in January.
The digital ruble is what Russians need because it will facilitate cheap and reliable non-cash payments, Nabiullina recently told attendees of an international banking forum. According to the country’s latest financial market development strategy, state-issued digital currency is expected to prevent citizens from using “currency substitutes,” a term used by officials in Moscow to describe cryptocurrencies.
Do you think Russia will ever legalize bitcoin as a payment method? Share your expectations in the comments section below.
Image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. This is not a direct offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, nor a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or business. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or allegedly caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, good or service mentioned in this article.


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Startup Weekend makes its first appearance in London in February
If you’ve got a great idea for a business but don’t know where to start, Startup Weekend London could be just what you’re looking for.
It’s an intense 54-hour event with the motto “no talk, all action.”
Though the weekends have been popular in Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa, this will be the Forest City’s first.
Drawn by Western University, Fanshawe College and a good-sized tech community, organizers set their sights on London to hold the next Startup Weekend in February.
“London is a great-sized city, and there’s a lot of wonderful talent,” said Stuart Murray, lead organizer of Startup Weekend London.
“It’s really about connecting with other aspiring entrepreneurs to see what they can create together in a short, intense period of time.”
In a frenetic 54 hours, people show up and pitch ideas that are whittled down to the best 10. Participants then choose which idea they’d like to work on and the frenzy begins. At the end of the weekend, the best ideas are given awards.
The weekends are seen as a good way to keep graduating Western and Fanshawe students here — a key to the city’s vibrancy — by connecting them with other like-minded entrepreneurs and showing them the resources available to get their businesses off the ground.
The overarching goal is to bring like-minded people together — not necessarily that they create a business at the end of the weekend, Murray said.
“They (Western and Fanshawe) train these great students and they want to keep them in London as much as they can,’’ he said, “so by having these types of events in London it gives people the opportunity to come out and participate and see they can actually have a startup and stick around in London and start their business in London.’’
Participants will also see what help is available as they start their own business in London, whether it’s office space or people willing to invest.
More than 36% of startups created during the Startup Weekend are still going strong after three months.
The non-profit organization, headquartered in Seattle, Wash., holds events worldwide with aspiring entrepreneurs to educate them about the process of turning their idea for a business into reality.
“You can pick a decent-sized city around the globe and they’re going to have a Startup weekend going on,” Murray said.
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IF YOU GO
What: Startup Weekend London
Where: Fanshawe College
When: Feb. 8
To register, go to ldn.startupweekend.org


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Nissan has just unveiled its newest racecar for the FIA GT3 European Championship and Japan’s own SuperGT league: the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3.
Co-developed by Nissan’s in-house tuning firm, NISMO, and their official motorsports partner, JR Motorsports, the new Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 is powered by a 3.8L twin-turbocharged V6 that’s based on the mill in the original GT-R. The result is 523hp at 6400rpm, which is channeled through a semi-automatic six-speed rear-mounted cog swapper.
Click here for more news on the Nissan GT-R.
So if you feel like you have what it takes to handle such a beast, pricing for the GT-R NISMO GT3 starts at just 298,000 Euros.
– By: Chris Chin


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BSkyB and others recently invested $60 million in Roku; the maker of small media boxes. With its access to Roku’s technology, Sky has launched the NOW TV Box for just £10 in the UK.
Sky launches £10 Roku-inspired media box
The small streaming box looks remarkably similar to Roku’s boxes and measures just 84 x 84 x 24 mm in size.
The new NOW TV Box looks remarkably similar to Roku’s boxes
The box offers access to BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, BBC News App, Sky News and most importantly the new Now TV subscription service from Sky. It seems that Sky’s investment in Roku has partly been motivated by its desire to create a great streaming box for its own services.
Sky says that other services will be added soon, including Spotify, Facebook and Flickr. However, do not count on seeing Netflix in the mix as it is one of the direct competitors to Sky’s Now TV service. New customers can try Now TV free for 30 days. After that it will cost you £15 per month and Sky Sports can be added on a pay-per-view basis.
The NOW TV Box is available from nowtv.com for just £10, including shipping.


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- Brett Avery (CIO)
- 28 February, 2013 11:53
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
It Seems Others Are Starting To Notice The NEHRS May Not Be A Well Structured System.
This appeared a few days ago.
Placing the consumer at the centre of a consolidated health data repository may not be the right approach
The concept of a Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) might be the correct political tactic to address ethical concerns around the confidentiality, consent and involvement of healthcare providers in accessing electronic health records.
But the decision to place the consumer at the centre of this national health information repository may not prove to be the right approach.
Last month, it was reported that the Federal government’s PCEHR initiative, developed by Australia’s National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) had failed to reach the expected uptake of 500,000 consumers in the first year.
NEHTA’s consumer-driven model is also facing another potential hurdle with US company MMRGlobal’s claim that NEHTA may be infringing on patents issued to its subsidiary MyMedicalRecords.com. See here:
The firm is investigating whether federal and state governments, through NEHTA, have infringed on two patents that cover a method that enables consumers to access health records through their personal account using the PCEHR system.
This begs the question: Has too much emphasis been placed on an individual electronic health record (EHR) rather than a “shared EHR”, which recognises the importance of the relationship between consumers and their healthcare providers in sharing information?
Should a national electronic health record service place the relationship between consumers and healthcare providers at the heart of the data repository – allowing this relationship to govern the consolidation, contribution and protection of health data?
Relationships with our healthcare service providers govern our interactions with healthcare professionals and the level of care they provide us. Establishing meaningful and beneficial relationships between consumers and their healthcare providers is fundamental to the success of healthcare services.
Service providers recognise the health and financial benefits of providing and maintaining long-term and continued care to their clients and consumers want to receive care from providers they trust.
The long-term value of the relationship between healthcare providers and consumers is what encourages information sharing and the quest for better access to better health information.
Information shared between a consumer and healthcare provider belongs to both parties in joint custody – they don’t need to argue about who owns the information when it is disclosed by a consumer or given by the healthcare provider. The information is contributed jointly to benefit of both the consumer and the healthcare provider.
Lots more here:
What an interesting take. As I have been saying for the last few years the NEHRS is a ‘barnacle on a battleship’ in terms of lacking centrality in both a technical and more importantly a patient - provider sense.
Maybe some sanity is emerging?
Posted by Dr David G More MB PhD at Tuesday, March 05, 2013


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America’s up-and-coming millennials were represented among the winners in this year’s tecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition. The event, the 15th in the series, awarded the winning teams a share of more than $100,000 in cash and in-kind prizes while recognizing superior and creative plans for commerce.
Tunefly, located in the Twin Stacks Incubator in Dallas, was the tecBRIDGE wild card winner. Their entry, launched in September, specializes in streaming local music for hobbyists, aspiring artists and established performers.
Samuel O’Connell, 26, of Noxen, serves as CEO with a four-member team that created the application. They had recognized that the glory days of record deals opening doors for musicians was rapidly receding into history, creating difficult times for recording artists.
In addition, performing musicians are finding it difficult to generate a fan base, despite the fact that hidden musical gems exist across the country, even among hobbyist musicians. The mechanics of the music industry also now make it difficult for a performer to distribute their creations, despite the existence of popular streaming services.
“The hard fact is that 80 percent of music is now streamed,” said O’Connell. “There has been some comeback of the vinyl LP, but overall, music is now communal and any artist must use the phone to record and deliver because the Internet has spread across the country.”
The Tunefly software was developed in-house, creating what O’Connell called the team’s biggest hurdle. As a group, they possessed graphic design experience, but they also learned to code and create software updates with a commitment for the app to be user-friendly on a phone and not just with PC use.
“The feedback from musicians so far has been very promising,” said O’Connell. “We traveled cross-country to promote the app and gain feedback, and some of the artists using Tunefly already have more than 40 music posts up.”
The revenue stream for Tunefly, according to O’Connell, is being generated in several ways. Topping the list is advertising to users, coupled with payment for premium content without advertising as well as access to exclusive content.
Another millennial team, Fader Plugs from East Stroudsburg University, won the tecBRIDGE collegiate division award for creation of a patent-pending hearing protection device. Blaise Delsino, 25, of Bethlehem, the four-member team’s CEO and co-founder, said the group exploited a market niche that recognized how, at one time, virtually no one thought about gradual hearing loss inevitably creating permanent damage for musicians and workers within airports and industry.
According to Delsino, during 2010 the CDC reported that 26 million Americans ages 20 to 69 were suffering from noise-induced hearing loss of some kind. This comprised 17 percent of the public, generating a huge market for an effective preventative product which Delsino’s audiologist father often called for.
“The ear plugs commonly available are inconvenient and uncool,” said Delsino. “They have to be twisted into the ear canal, fiddled with, and they often fall out because one size does not fit all.”
To fill this market niche, the Fader Plug team created a passive ear plug which they claim to be invisible and discrete. The product allows the user to “dial in” the amount of auditory protection desired, with no power needs in an elegant and form-fitting package that uses mechanical attenuation.
A prototype covered by a provisional patent has been assembled, with an eight to 12-month timeline for retail sales. The units will be assembled in Minnesota, with a $5 cost of production and a retail price of $24.99.
“We’ve beta tested on Kickstart, and will initially concentrate on direct retail sales within the industrial market,” said Delsino.
Cracked Innovations, located in the Scranton Enterprise Center, won the first-place award in the non-collegiate division with a networking application for meeting people called WhatNow. This app, available for use on both iOS and Android, is the creation of a four-member team, headed by Kevin Granville, 39, a Forest City native who jokes he was very late to the Facebook use.
WhatNow exploits the ability of social media to deliver targeted information that is interest-based. Users can connect with people in real time and receive an active data feed of activities that are time saving, allowing spontaneous inclusion with activities.
Users of the app can pull up a data feed that lists who’s doing what, post desires for activities and inform others of an event on both Facebook and Twitter. The app, according to Granville, had a very practical genesis.
“We were in a bar on a motorcycle trip and noticed a gang of females arrive who were alone in the bar,” said Granville. “We made the observation that they needed to connect with other people, and the idea for WhatNow resulted.”
The app also fills what Granville calls a need for youth to get out in real world and away from excessive cyber interaction. The team strived for simplicity during development of the software, which was outsourced to SHO Technology solutions in the Scranton Enterprise Center.
“Our revenue stream flows from advertisers promoting specific equipment to specific users, such as ski equipment to skiing enthusiasts,” said Granville. “Other examples of this include biker merchandise to motorcycle users. We also have other features such as an event coordination app that can produce revenues.”


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HDBlog.it have posted a hands-on video of Archos’s entry level Windows 10 Mobile handset, the Archos Cesium 50.
The handset has reasonable specs, featuring a Qualcomm SnapDragon 210 processor with Adreno 304 GPU, 5″ IPS HD display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, expandable, 2100 mAh removable battery and dual SIM connectivity, so mainly let down by the processor.
The device demoed by HDBlog still has the Android button lay-out – something which will hopefully change before release, but I think for its price, which will be 129 Euro, it looks pretty good.
The device, which is still running a preview version of Windows 10 Mobile, is expected to hit the market mid-November.
See the video below:Source Thanks


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NBC News, March 29, 2023, 8:41 AM EDT
By Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
"The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved an over-the-counter version of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, a move that’s expected to increase access to the lifesaving medication.
Up until now, naloxone — sold by drugmaker Emergent BioSolutions under the brand name Narcan — has been available in the United States only as a prescription drug, though many states have created workarounds that allow people to get it directly from pharmacists." (To read the entire article on NBC News, Click here)


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(ECNS) -- The three-day exhibition of Ice Cream China 2021 drew its curtains on Wednesday at Tianjin Meijiang Convention Center. More than 400 companies and nearly 10,000 clients joined this ice cream gala.
The exhibition, which covered 42,000 square meters, showcased a wide range of products in the ice cream industry,
including food ingredients, equipments, packaging, producing, R%26D, service, cold-chain logistics, and consumption.
Exhibitors from Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Japan and Russia said that they would keep on promoting top-class quality ice cream and related products into China.


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Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh are top two circles for Reliance Jio Infocomm, so far. The top two telecom circles have reached the mark of 1.5 million and 1.2 million subscribers as on September 30.
According to a Reliance Industries’ investor presentation, the telco had a total of 16 million users at the end of September, which has now risen to well over 24 million, a company source said.
“Subscriber addition distributed across the country, pan-India demand for services and ability of Jio to service demand,” the company said in the presentation.
The presentation data showed Tamil Nadu had 1.1 million users while Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Bihar telecom circles had a million subscribers each.
Jio, which launched commercial services on September 5, has 4G coverage in 18,000 cities and over 2 lakh villages, covering over 70% of India’s population.
It plans to extend the coverage to 90% of the population by next year. The presentation said Jio is adding 90-95% subscribers through Aadhaar-based eKYC across 4,059 towns and cities.


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LOCALS are being reminded to keep aware of people selling puppies for profit amid concern over recent adverts seen in Shetland.
Shetland Islands Council’s environmental health team is aware of adverts on local classified websites and social media encouraging people to buy puppies.
It said that in the puppy smuggling trade there is a growing issue with profit being put before the welfare of puppies being sold.
Smuggled puppies are being bred in central and eastern Europe, often in poor conditions and taken from their mothers at a young age, the council said, before being illegally imported into the country.
“Young dogs will have endured a long journey, often with little food or water before being sold onto unsuspecting members of the public. These animals may often be in poor health and some may carry the risk of bringing disease into the country,” the council added.
Shetland Islands Council is working closely with Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, to help “promote and facilitate responsible dog ownership”.
People are advised to meet breeders at their home to check on the welfare of the puppy, while they are also encouraged to ask the breeder questions and obtain paperwork for the likes of vaccinations and any microchip before taking the animal home.
Environmental health leader Patti Dinsdale said: “We’d discourage anyone from buying a puppy advertised for sale online from a seller and urge them to do some research beforehand.
“It’s important to know that you’re buying a healthy puppy from a reputable breeder, rather than an animal reared in poor conditions and without correct paperwork or appropriate vaccinations.
“Some people may prefer to adopt a from a rehoming centre, where they will be able to meet and find out more about any dogs they’re interested in.”
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The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (Note 4 shown below) has recently been making rounds in the rumour mill, with a new report claiming that the upcoming high-end phablet will come with 4 GB of LPDD4 RAM.
The new rumour comes to us courtesy of SamMobile, a site renowned for its insider information on yet to be announced devices made by Samsung. It reports, “We have received confirmation from our reliable insiders that the Galaxy Note 5 will feature 4GB of LP-DDR4 RAM. The Exynos 7422 SoC, that will debut with the Galaxy Note 5, will be the company’s first true single-chip solution (ePOP) combining an octa-core 64-bit CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, and the Shannon 333 LTE modem in the same package.”
As for the rest of the Galaxy Note 5’s specs, we’ve learned from previous reports that the phablet with model number SM-N920 will sport a 5.67-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels (Quad HD), the same superior 5-megapixel front-facing selfie-centric camera, integrated support for wireless charging, and glass back just like the Galaxy S6. Colour options include black, gold, silver, and white.
So when do we get to see the Samsung Galaxy Note 5? Traditionally, the Korean tech giant lifts the lid on its new high-end phablet at the IFA 2015 trade show in Berlin, Germany, which kicks off every September. However, a recent report claims that the device will make its official debut in August.
Looking forward to the Samsung Galaxy Note 5? Drop a comment on our Phones LTD Facebook page.


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Container keys, which you purchase with real money and unlock loot boxes, can no longer be resold. Basically, you can no longer sell them on the Steam Community Market.
Valve recently learned that they’re being used to launder money. On the Counter-Strike website the company wrote, “In the past, most key trades we observed were between legitimate customers,”
“However, worldwide fraud networks have recently shifted to using CS:GO keys to liquidate their gains. At this point, nearly all key purchases that end up being traded or sold on the marketplace are believed to be fraud-sourced. As a result we have decided that newly purchased keys will not be tradeable or marketable.”
They acknowledged that some legitimate users may be affected, “combating fraud is something we continue to prioritize across Steam and our products”.
Valve also included a brief statement that “pre-existing CS:GO container keys are unaffected–those keys can still be sold on the Steam Community Market and traded.”


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SANFORD, Fla., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A Florida truck dealer is offering free AK-47 assault rifles to customers who purchase used trucks.
Nick Ginetta, general sales manager for Nations Trucks in Sanford, said the promotion began on Veterans Day and runs through the end of November, WKMG-TV, Orlando, Fla., reported Monday.
Ginetta said customers taking advantage of the promotion are issued vouchers for a local gun store, and must undergo the same application process and set of qualifications as anyone attempting to purchase a gun. The manager said customers who decline the gun will instead receive $400 cash.
The dealership said the promotion has had a positive effect on sales, with 47 appointments scheduled for Friday, compared with the usual three.
Ginetta said the promotion may be extended until the close of the year.


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Jewellery caught the eyes of investors over the past 12 months as price growth for pearls, diamonds and gemstones overtook that of classic cars.
The Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index (KFLII), which tracks the price growth of 10 luxury investment sectors, found classic cars, which have dominated the rankings for the past few years, reversed into sixth place with average prices rising just two per cent in the year to the second quarter of 2017.
Jewellery prices were sparkling on the other hand, rising four per cent in the period.
It was wine, however, that led the index as the top performer with price growth up 25 per cent thanks to strong growth in the key Bordeaux, Burgundy and northern Italian markets. Art came in second place with seven per cent growth, followed by a tie between jewellery, coins and watches, all up four per cent.
The overall index rose five per cent in value over the 12 months to the second quarter, outperforming safe-haven assets like gold and London property.
Over the past 10 years, jewellery has risen in value by 142 per cent. Pearls remained the top performer, up 282 per cent across the last decade, but their growth is starting to level out and more modern jewellery, especially pieces from the Belle Époque and Art Deco era, are starting to set the pace, rising 93 per cent across the last decade.
This year coloured gems had their moment with the world record being set for price per carat for a green gemstone when the 18.04-carat Rockefeller emerald sold for $5.5m at auction.
Andrew Shirley, who compiles KFLII, said:
It has been an interesting year so far in the world of luxury investments, but one that is difficult to generalise about. While the most highly coveted objects of desire have performed strongly at auction, buyers remain circumspect when purchasing new assets for their collections.
Jewellery continues to capture the imagination of wealthy collectors and is a genuine investment of passion.


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- Briefing Room
- Consumer Engagement
- Commerce 3.0
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has agreed to temporarily delay the implementation of its international remittance transfer rule.
Instead of taking effect on February 7, 2013, the CFPB will announce a new effective date later this year, they stated in a blog post. The announcement comes just a few days after the ABA and other trade groups urged the CFPB to enact a temporarily delay.
Please send all press releases and story ideas to Ben Carsley at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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YANGON, Sept. 20 (Xinhua): Myanmar's commerce ministry has set a target of US$17 billion for total foreign trade in the six-month interim budget period which will start on Oct. 1, an official of the ministry had announced.
Myanmar has recently announced to change the practice of its fiscal year from original October-September to April-March beginning 2022-2023, producing a six-month interim budget period from October this year to March next year.
During the six-month transitional period, the country targets to earn 8.2 billion U.S. dollars from exports while its import value is expected to reach 8.8 billion U.S. dollars, Assistant Secretary U Thaung Naing of the commerce ministry said.
"The present situation of U.S. dollars' appreciation is a challenging factor for both import and export markets in order to meet the trade target," he said, adding that the ministry has been in cooperation with the central bank and relevant organizations to stabilize the foreign currency exchange market.
According to official figures, Myanmar's total foreign trade has reached US$27.6 billion as of Sept 10 of present FY 2020-2021.
From Oct. 1, last year to Sept. 10 this year, the country has earned over US$13.7 billion while its import valued at over US$13.8 billion.
The present fiscal year's foreign trade showed a decrease by over US$7.5 billion, compared to the same period of the last fiscal year, 2019-2020, when it was recorded at over US$35.1 billion, the ministry's figures said.
About 80 per cent of the country's trade with foreign countries is done through sea route and its border trade is conducted with neighboring China, Thailand, Bangladesh and India.
The country exports agricultural products, animal products, fisheries, minerals and forest products, manufacturing goods and others to foreign countries while capital goods, intermediate goods and consumer goods are imported into the country. - Xinhua


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By Lisa Fickenscher, NY Post
Procter & Gamble has recalled some 30 aerosol spray hair care products — including products from big-name brands Herbal Essences and Pantene — due to a cancer-causing chemical.
The affected items, which include an assortment of dry shampoos and dry conditioners, could contain benzene, the company said Friday.
The recall also covers these products from other popular brands Hair Food, Old Spice and Aussie.
Benzene is classified as a carcinogen that could cause leukemia and blood disorders, the Cincinnati-based company said.
It’s Procter & Gamble’s second such recall within a month.
In November, the maker of Tide and Pampers told consumers to throw out their Old Spice and Secret aerosol deodorants for possibly containing benzene. The company said it would offer refunds for more than a dozen Old Spice and Secret aerosol brands.
Over the summer, Johnson & Johnson recalled spray-on Aveeno and Neutrogena sunscreens for carcinogen risks.
The dry shampoo recall also includes the brand Waterl.
In a statement, Procter & Gamble said “daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences,” adding that it’s recalling the products “out of an abundance of caution.”


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Holidaymakers wanting a “local” experience by putting up the night at an Airbnb will still be charged the tourism tax, despite such accommodation not recognised by local authorities.
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, the minister of tourism and culture, said this was to ensure justice for other hotel operators in the country.
“Although local authorities have different laws or certain reasons for not recognising Airbnb, we will continue to impose the tourism tax,” he said when winding up the debate on the Tourism Industry (Amendment) Bill 2017 at the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Thursday.
The bill, aimed at amending the definition of “accommodation premises” to include any permanent and temporary structures, was later passed.
The amendment subsection 5 (3) of the Tourism Industry Act 1992 by increasing the penalty rate from the existing fine of not more than RM50,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years, to a maximum fine of RM500,000 or a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.


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Fri, 30 Nov 2018 17:13:13 GMT
2019 will be the year that money – and by extension, brands – will flow into other digital platforms and formats.
Twitch, for example, represents 15 million daily active viewers, each spending an average of 106 minutes on the platform. That’s a rare case where we are blending a highly engaged, passionate community with sheer global scale. What was once a niche site dedicated to gaming content is now a full ecosystem ready to connect content creators, brands and the media.
I checked this morning and TikTok is currently sitting at fourth place on the app store.
What’s TikTok? It’s a short-video sharing app which claims to have 150 million daily active users. It’s being touted as the spiritual successor to Vine, but I think it could be even bigger. The app is far more focused around user generated content and presents opportunities to create unique one-to-one brand conversations.
Reddit, while being a mature platform, is still one to watch. While they’ve had an extraordinary audience for decades, their advertising platform has always been playing catch up. This month, they’ve started positioning themselves to secure more ad revenue, cosying up to media agencies through a coast-to-coast US roadshow. This focus comes off the back of a year of strong updates and design changes to improve its user experience.
What’s interesting about these platforms is that they give us completely new formats for brands tell stories. And as we found with Earned Brand this year, the public are much more likely to engage – and make purchasing decisions with brands that can tell compelling stories.
These fresh approaches to storytelling, blended with gigantic audiences, pose an exciting new opportunity for brands using digital media.
More agencies will adopt Agile methodologies
As an industry, we’re all facing the pressure of developing content and creative ideas around the clock, to engage a multitude of audiences, and on an ever-increasing number of platforms.
Our industry will keep speeding up, and we’ll see expertise in Agile methodologies and approaches becoming increasingly important - to ensure campaigns and communications has the velocity for the speed of consumption.
Of course, strategy never dies – and we need to be mindful, as an industry, that we do not swap long-term strategic planning for short term activations. For every agency or brand that adopts Agile methodologies successfully, there’s another that uses it as an excuse for short termism. A blend of both is key.
We’re seeing a democratisation of storytelling on a global level
We are just at the start of a golden age of storytelling, where stories created in any language (enabled now by great technology for translation) are becoming global hits.
Just look at the successes on Netflix of stories like the Portuguese 3% or the German show Dark, which was in the top 10 watched lists in 137 countries around the world. It’s amazing to see how foreign-language programming is prospering, almost entirely thanks to deals struck up by on demand streaming platforms.
Next year, I think we’ll see this trend continue, and that can only be a positive for the creative and media communities.
Justin Westcott is general manager, Edelman UK, and European Head of Technology, Edelmanview more - Thought LeadersEdelman, Fri, 30 Nov 2018 17:13:13 GMT


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Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition launched a year ago this month, and there’s been plenty to sink your teeth into since then, including – most recently – a big anniversary-themed bash with new maps, “tons” of Inca updates, and more. Now, Forgotten Empires and Tantalus Media have announced that there’s a new DLC coming up very soon for the remastered strategy game – and it’ll bring “the most strategically diverse civilization yet”.
The AoE III: DE Mexico DLC brings – yep, you guessed it – the civilization of Mexico to the game when it launches on December 1. “In Age III: DE, the burgeoning Mexican States can choose to revolt instead of advancing to the Fortress, Industrial, or Imperial Ages,” the devs reveal. “Each revolt offers you a whole new deck full of opportunities.”
Unlike the game’s other civs, Mexico can reverse these revolts and then return to Mexico, all while still “retaining access to the benefits of any cards sent during the revolution”. There’ll be a brand-new set of Federal States which players can use to “evolve your gameplay”, and the devs say that the Mexico civ can “adapt to any strategic situation like no other” – so it sounds like the DLC will throw something pretty new and innovative into the mix.


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It's something of a miracle that Apple can continue to cram newer (and hotter) components into the tiny space behind the iMac's screen, but we're already ready for a bigger redesign.
The 2017 Nvidia Shield is better than ever, and the addition of Amazon finally makes it a viable high-end alternative to Roku.
While its sealed-case limitations will turn off power users, Apple's least expensive Mac delivers a solid OS X experience in a compact box with similar performance to the entry-level MacBook Air and iMac models.
The already impressive 27-inch 5K iMac gets some welcome spec upgrades for 2017, but rival Windows machines have closed the gap.
A pretty good value wrapped in a classy, well-designed box, the HP Envy AIO 27 will fill your need for a solid everyday PC that you won't need to hide.
Remaining the leader for intensive stylus input, the Microsoft Studio 2 seamlessly melds form and function for professional art and design. But it has a few weaknesses that might be deal breakers for people who need a lot of fast storage or more power.
With a quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM, the new Raspberry Pi packs a punch, and will also run a Pi-compatible version of Windows 10.
This 23-inch all-in-one is built for entertainment, offering great speakers and a striking look. But the glossy, reflective display throws a wrench in the works.
Samsung's new Ativ One 5 Style is an all-in-one Windows 8 touch-screen PC that's very reminiscent of a huge Galaxy Tab.
What will the future of desktop PCs hold? Razer imagines its first desktop gaming PC at CES 2014, and its design is stupendous.
Read on for all the detail on Acer's new 23-inch touch-screen desktop.
Accept the limitations of its scaled-down chassis, and the Maingear Potenza Super Stock will provide top-notch gaming horsepower in an attractive package.
The Asus VivoPC X isn't just paying lip service to VR -- this $799 (roughly £650, AU$1,100) machine has two HDMI ports to make headset hookups easy.
The ArtPC looked like just another display in Samsung's CES booth, but turned out to be much more.
A small-but-powerful gaming cube, with the latest Nvidia graphics.
Dell adds a new entry-level all-in-one to its line up with the Pentium-powered Inspiron 20 3000.
Running an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070, the little 7-pound desktop is now available in a special Arctic edition.
Despite using the same components and cases as many other PC makers, CybertronPC has managed to hit top performance scores in the CLX Ra at slightly lower prices than the competition.


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It is a rare scenario where long-term interest rates suddenly fall below short-term interest rates.Real Estateread more
Arturo Estrella has a message for recession naysayers: It could hit sooner than you think.Marketsread more
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell faces the tough challenge of presenting a unified voice on Fed policy from the most divided Fed in years.Market Insiderread more
Weisler has been CEO at the company since 2015 when it split from HPE.Technologyread more
Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan would like to avoid additional stimulus but is keeping an "open mind."The Fedread more
Overstock CEO Partick Byrne has resigned from the e-commerce company after making comments about his role in the "deep state."Technologyread more
It was the third trigger of the recession indicator in less than two weeks.Bondsread more
Automakers are trying to deal with President Trump's efforts to roll back Obama-era fuel efficiency rules.Autosread more
Mark Zuckerberg has been on a selling spree in August and has unloaded $526 million worth of stock this year.Technologyread more
Palantir CEO Alex Karp said billionaire investor Peter Thiel is right to question Google's decision to work in China, while abandoning military contracts in the US.Technologyread more
These are the stocks posting the largest moves midday.Market Insiderread more
New research from British insolvency firm Begbies Traynor revealed that 484,000 U.K. businesses are in "significant financial distress," which is 14% of all the economically active firms in the country.
The "Red Flag Alert" data also showed that the number of firms in "critical" distress, often a precursor to formal insolvency, rose by 17% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2019, prompting concerns that the U.K. could suffer a broader economic slowdown.
Property was the hardest hit sector, with 48,182 companies in significant financial distress, up from 42,512 in the first quarter of 2018, a 13% year-on-year increase.
Construction, often portrayed as the bellwether of the British economy, saw a 10% year-on-year rise in significantly distressed businesses, while financial services had 12,728 businesses affected, a 5% increase from the same period last year.
Julie Palmer, a partner at Begbies Traynor, said the incline in distress for capital intensive sectors such as construction and property was "bad news for the economy," as construction accounts for 17% of all U.K. businesses, employs 2.5 million people and contributes 6% of the nation's economic output.
"Worryingly this data shows that this economic malaise is spreading to the U.K.'s dominant services sector and does need to be stopped in its tracks by a combination of political certainty and a commitment to support U.K. business, particularly SMEs (small to medium-sized businesses) which are the 'engine room' of the U.K. economy," she said.
Executive Chairman Ric Traynor said Brexit uncertainty had hindered business growth and investment, but also highlighted that a combination of faltering European economies and a potential trade war between Europe and the U.S. could have a wider impact on U.K. businesses than its domestic issues.
But he suggested that record high employment figures and growing GDP (gross domestic product) showed the country's "economic foundations remain strong."
"If the government is able to right the ship over the next few months, providing greater certainty to businesses and regaining consumer confidence, then there is still time to head to calmer waters and avoid a storm," he said.
Barclays Chief U.K. Economist Fabrice Montagne, however, suggested that the U.K. picture across the first quarter of this year was not as bleak as the insolvency data suggested.
In a note published Friday, Montagne said that evidence of Brexit-related stockpiling, previously only implied in sentiment surveys, had become more evident in the hard data and boosted activity figures.
"GDP growth was robust through January and February as was job creation with the unemployment rate dipping to 3.9% while retail sales were exceptionally strong in March," Montagne said.
"Overall, the data support a strong Q1 GDP print, with some upside risks to the forecast of 0.4% quarter on quarter."
Against a backdrop of a less favorable global environment, a further adjustment in domestic demand means that Barclays economists are forecasting low levels of headline growth for a longer period of time.
Yet Montagne and his team are not forecasting a recession, rather GDP growth of 1.2% for 2019 and 1.2% for 2020.


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Payment card acceptance sees sizable uptick in 2015
The number of card-accepting merchant outlets worldwide rose more than 7 million in 2015 to 54 million, according to “Global Payment Cards Data and Forecasts to 2021,” the latest research from RBR.
The report notes that growth was especially strong in underserved markets including Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and central and eastern Europe.
In Asia-Pacific, the number of merchant outlets now accepting payment cards increased 29 percent in 2015, to 25 million.
Regulation is playing a role in card acceptance in several countries. In Malaysia, interchange fee reform has encouraged merchants to begin accepting cards. Legislation introduced in Kazakhstan would require all merchants to accept card payments or face a financial penalty.
Regulation is also bringing about further expansion in mature markets. Caps on interchange fees, which were implemented last December in EU nations, have bolstered the business case for merchants to accept card payments.
Technological advances are stimulating greater card acceptance, as well — even in developed markets. Contactless appeals to merchants that handle low-value payments and appreciate its shortened transaction times.
Additionally, mPOS devices are encouraging card acceptance among mobile merchants such as taxi operators and tradespeople, according to the report.


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In the course of sitting of November 15, the European Parliament voted on the anti-dumping modification regulation, which will introduce new rules to counter imports from dumped third countries and subsidies.
The 3 last October had already reached an informal agreement between the deputies and the negotiators of the Council of the Union, but for the entry into force of the new rules the approval of the Plenary was necessary.
The result achieved represents a compromise between the various impetus and, thanks to the decisive intervention of Italy, especially in the Council of the Union, marked the abandonment of the assumption of the recognition of the status of the introduction of a new dumping calculation mechanism based on the concept of significant distortion.
Among the issues introduced, the new rules will force business partners and producers outside the European Union, for the first time worldwide, to comply with international labor and environmental standards.
The European Commission will monitor the situation in exporting countries and the Union's businesses will be able to rely on the Commission's complaint filings and will not have to provide any additional evidence of dumping.
The last step will be the formal approval by the Council of EU Trade Ministers, which will convene the 30 November - 1 December.