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WestJet often offers affordable one way premium fares. But does the product measure up to the price??
Boeing plans for airbags in some 777X seating structures
Airbags on planes are not new. Seatbelts have had them to protect passengers in case of a crash, but for at least some seats on the 777X Boeing intends to change the setup a bit. Rather than mounting them on the seatbelts the airbags will be mounted on structures in the cabin. The Federal Aviation Administration is now soliciting feedback on this new design as it considers the type certification for the 777-9.
British Airways launches “Club Suite” business class refresh
The newest business class cabin for British Airways launches this summer on the A350 and will include direct aisle access and mini doors for the “suites” on board.
Avant, GX, Super Diamond for the new Hong Kong Airlines A350
Hong Kong Airlines celebrated the delivery of a new tranche of A350s this week, bringing new inflight products to the carrier. The airline’s early A350 deliveries were originally built for Azul; the current set were meant for HK Airlines all along. That means different seats, entertainment systems and inflight connectivity kit on board.


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January 18, 2011 at 8:42 PM #174543
Looks like more competition for the PlaybookQuote:A trusted tipster just sent in these internal renders of HP / Palm’s “Topaz” webOS tablet, which is one of two tablets currently being developed in Sunnyvale. That’s right, two tablets: the 9-inch Topaz and a 7-inch model codnamed Opal — a lineup that fits nicely into Palm’s “Something big, Something small, Something beyond” tagline for its upcoming February 9th event. Looking at the render, we’re seeing the no-button design we’d previously heard about (we’re assuming the gesture area rotates with the display), a front-facing camera, a micro USB port on the bottom, and what appears to be a Vizio Tablet-style three speaker arrangement for stereo audio in both landscape and portrait modes — that’s two speakers along the left side and a third on the right. (That’s just a guess, though.) We’d also note the back appears to be a glossy material, which might rule out a giant Touchstone for charging — Touchstone backs have heretofore been soft-touch, but anything can change, we suppose.
We’re told that units will start to arrive at Palm HQ in June as production ramps up for launch later this year — a timeline backed up by an internal marketing slide we received that lists WiFi-only, AT&T 3G, and Verizon LTE versions of the Opal arriving in September 2011, and on AT&T LTE in July 2012. The slide also indicates the Opal will have a particular e-reading focus, which makes sense for a 7-inch device, and there’s a mention of “premium audio,” which nicely reinforces our speaker hypothesis. Unfortunately, we don’t have any word on specs or pricing yet, but these things had better be packing some serious heat for cheap if Palm is really planning to wait until September to launch them — they’ll be going head-to-head with the Xoom, the PlayBook, and presumably the iPad 2. We’re still digging for more, so keep an eye out — things are going to get crazy leading up to February 9th.
Update: We’re told that they both have unspecified 1.2GHz processors, and that Topaz may arrive before Opal. We’ll let you know if we learn anything else.
EDIT: should have noticed the release date. September 2011?? Looks a little late to the game… By then both the Playbook and iPad 2 will be out for a while. If they price it aggressively, could be a decent alternative, and it seems to have the touch bezel gesture control like the Playbook.
Man this is crazy. You are dancing with the entire McPoyle Family. These people are freak shows, man...freaks. But you're keeping your cool. You're keeping your cool. You know why? Because you are the Green Man. Green Man is saving your life right now, bro. Just go with the flow.January 19, 2011 at 5:34 AM #183838
Terrence TParticipantPosts: 732
Webos vs qnx!
Round 1! Fight!January 19, 2011 at 1:44 PM #183839
Terrence T said:
Webos vs qnx!
Round 1! Fight!
lol, if there was no playbook, I’d strongly consider this, since I started on the Palm platform (that’s right, I would not buy an ipad). Respec. But alas, my dollar is going to the playbook.January 19, 2011 at 4:02 PM #183840
Interesting, it seems HP is trying to highlight its ability as an eBook reader. Smart move, something I hope RIM intends to do. I know that e-ink is still considered the ideal screen for long hours of reading. But I think the positive reviews that the Nook Color got with its full color LCD shouldn’t prevent them from touting the Playbook as a eBook reader.
In regards to the WebOS tablet though,
I read this this morning which may hinder its success in this.Quote:Tablets are ideal for ebook reading, and Amazon was quick to produce the Kindle app for every major mobile platform. Unfortunately, the list of supported devices and platforms (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, iPad) is still missing webOS. This will impede HP’s webOS tablets to compete at launch with other tablets. Amazon has bypassed the webOS platform so far and has not indicated plans to change that. Most likely if HP gets a solid launch with webOS tablets Amazon may take another look at producing a Kindle app for them. Or maybe Kindle is a surprise that HP has planned for Feb. 9? Hopefully that won’t be too late.
No Kindle on the WebOS tablet would be a huge setback. The HP tablet is already coming late to the game (Sept 2011), so if they have to wait for Amazon to a) consider the HP tablet good enough to have its kindle app and b) develop the app, it might be a lost cause.
Man this is crazy. You are dancing with the entire McPoyle Family. These people are freak shows, man...freaks. But you're keeping your cool. You're keeping your cool. You know why? Because you are the Green Man. Green Man is saving your life right now, bro. Just go with the flow.January 19, 2011 at 8:23 PM #183841
So I thought I’d change this thread to a broader “Competition” thread. I first posted the article about the HP tablet.
The iPad 2 is the one everyone is clamoring to figure out now.. With early reports that this was going to a super high resolution (retina) display, some are doubting it now:Quote:Rumors are rampant that the upcoming iPad 2 will feature a higher-resolution retina display. Long story short: No, it won’t.
The post goes on to say that it’ll be more like a 3G to 3GS type upgrade because of costs, and that the more significant upgrade will be in 2012 or 2013. He’s also not convinced there’s an SD slot.
Man this is crazy. You are dancing with the entire McPoyle Family. These people are freak shows, man...freaks. But you're keeping your cool. You're keeping your cool. You know why? Because you are the Green Man. Green Man is saving your life right now, bro. Just go with the flow.January 20, 2011 at 11:25 AM #183842
Looks like HTC is trying to be the first on the Market in 2011. I’d never even heard of the Flyer TabletQuote:Now the company is preparing a big tablet push in 2011, starting with the HTC Flyer. The device could be available in the US as soon as March, according to DigiTimes, and then in other countries by the summer.
It’s kind of weird that noone even knows what it looks like yet?
Looks like it runs 2.3 for now (upgradeable to 3.0 later).
EDIT: as a side note, any one know why the thread isn’t bumped to the top after a new post? I did edit the title of the first post. Is that what did it?January 22, 2011 at 1:54 AM #183843Quote:Motorola Xoom priced at $800 at a minimum, according to Verizon leak
Yikes, $800 for the Xoom?
Nice tablet, but way too much imo.January 23, 2011 at 9:27 PM #183844
Is Motorola trying to copy BBM ?Quote:One of our amazing readers just pointed out the fact that there was an app called “Motorola Messenger” loaded onto the DROID BIONIC that we totally missed during our short-but-awesome time with the device at CES. Although we didn’t actually open it, we’re hoping that this is a Blackberry Messenger-styled app for Motorola devices. BBM has been one of the most missed apps for anyone switching over to Android, so it’s about time that one of the manufacturers attempted something like this. Of course the problem here is that it will likely only work with Moto devices, which means no chit-chatting with the Incredible friends.January 24, 2011 at 3:36 AM #183845
So apparently Toshiba’s tablet has a user replaceable battery. Not that I see Toshiba as a viable competitor as impressive as its specs look, I wonder if the Playbook could have had a replaceable battery at the sacrifice at a few mm of thickness.January 24, 2011 at 6:02 PM #183846
Specs leaked for HP’s tabletQuote:The folks over at Pre Central just scored an internal document detailing presumed specifications of HP’s forthcoming 9.7-inch tablet, and it looks like the aforesaid CPU will be joined by an integrated Adreno 220 GPU, 512MB of DDR2 memory, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi. We’re told to expect an oleophobic Gorilla Glass screen with a standard XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, options for 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, optional WWAN, an accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, microphone and a battery that’ll last for around eight hours in ideal circumstances. Naturally, webOS will be onboard, and we’re hearing that a WiFi-only model will indeed hit the market at some point. As for the connected versions? HSPA, LTE and CDMA variants are rumored, with the former two likely to be SIM-locked while all three carry A-GPS.
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domain: news


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Security is a global issue for Mobile Money
Anything bearing a lock will always have someone inquisitive looking for a way to circumvent the key.
Not all mobile money platforms & banking systems are built equally the same. Security and anti-fraud measures are not always at the forefront in everyone’s mind, and operators are not putting enough of an emphasis to ensure their mobile money/payment systems have the adequate security and protection to protect these systems from the very people that operate them.
Although most of the mobile money/payment services are safe, cyber-crooks have found inventive ways to crack the security systems of known mobile payment services such as Google Wallet (at the beginning of 2012, Google Wallet’s PIN system was cracked twice). Most security breaches that I have been asked to review usually involved an insider providing assistance to the external perpetrator or an elaborate and well designed and orchestrated phishing scheme.
Recent news of both such security breaches have made headline news this past week. In the developing markets of Ghana two have been arrested for intercepting a mobile money transfer request. For those of you with smart-phones be wary of the authenticity of app’s that you have downloaded to ensure they are from your financial institution; thirty financial institutions in Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, and Japan, have reported to being defrauded by phone apps used to intercept passwords from account holders.
What options do mobile money service providers have?
Mobile Money service providers have many options that include outsourcing the management of these highly secure systems to third-party companies to installing sophisticated intrusion detection systems that monitors and limits access to their secure systems. Consumers using smart phone should only ever download authorized, signed and certified applications from their financial institution.
Be careful out there!


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Walmart announced on Thursday evening that it was planning to hire even more employees than Amazon as the two companies struggle to keep up with an explosion in demand due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which originated in China.
In a statement, Walmart wrote:
As part of responding to the current environment, Walmart is also hiring 150,000 new associates through the end of May to work in stores, clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers. These roles will be temporary at first, but many will convert to permanent roles over time. We’ve reached out to industry groups representing restaurants and hospitality to facilitate temporary roles that can be a bridge for their employees during this difficult time.
The company said that is was implementing a new process to “dramatically expedite hiring for key roles, such as cashiers and stockers.”
Walmart also announced a special bonus for those who are currently working with the company “in a time of an unprecedented national health crisis.”
“The bonus is for all U.S. hourly associates in stores, clubs, supply chain and offices. The bonus will be $300 for full-time hourly associates and $150 for part-time hourly associates and will add up to more than $365 million,” the statement said. “Every hourly associate employed by the company as of March 1 will qualify, and it will pay out on April 2.”
“In addition to that special bonus for hourly associates, the company will accelerate the next scheduled quarterly bonus for store, club and supply chain associates a month early,” the statement continued. “When it pays out in late April, it will help provide more cash in hand for associates sooner. The company will pay those bonuses as if the company achieved its first quarter plan. At the regularly scheduled time for bonus payout in May, that amount may increase for associates based on performance. In no case will an eligible associate receive less than the first quarter plan bonus payment. The early payout will add up to $180 million.”
“Walmart associates have gone above and beyond the call of duty in serving our customers during these unprecedented times,” said Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Walmart. “We want to reward our associates for their hard work and recognize them for the work that is in front of us.”
“We know millions of Americans who are usually employed at this time are temporarily out of work, and at the same time we’re currently seeing strong demand in our stores,” McMillon continued. “We’re looking for people who see Walmart as a chance to earn some extra money and perform a vital service to their community.”
The announcement comes after Amazon announced earlier this week that it was planning on hiring 100,000 new employees to meet the explosion in demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
“Amazon plans to deploy the new workers to fuel e-commerce deliveries and is raising pay for these employees in the U.S. and Canada by $2 an hour through April,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “In the U.K., it will go up £2 an hour and approximately €2 an hour in many EU countries. Amazon currently pays $15 an hour as a starting wage to workers in its fulfillment centers around the U.S.”
“We are seeing a significant increase in demand, which means our labor needs are unprecedented for this time of year,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of operations.
This report has been updated to include additional information.


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Kia Motors will reveal its all-new Kia Sportage for the first time globally on 15 September, at the 2015 Frankfurt International Motor Show.
Read more: Next generation Kia Sportage
Vauxhall’s all-new Brit-built Astra will premiere at the 2015 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt on September 15th, 2015 at 09:00 at Stand D09 in Hall 8.0.
Read more: All new Brit-built Astra world debut
The conceptual basis for a completely new all-electric Audi SUV with a potential range of more than 310 miles will be one of the stars of the IAA in Frankfurt next month.
Read more: New Audi e-tron quattro concept
The SsangYong Tivoli SUV now arriving in dealerships is likely to be a game-changer in Britain for the Korean company.
© Copyright 2013 - Girlracer Group. All rights reserved. GR (UK) LTD is registered in England Company No. 05520873


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A Swedish recording artist has sued his record label to have his material removed from the Spotify music streaming service. The court upheld his claims, that the label does not have the right to distribute his music for streaming, and ordered the material removed.
There has been an increasing backlash against Spotify by artists who claim they are being cheated or paid unfairly by the streaming music service. Recently, a writer of the hit song by Meghan Trainor, "All About That Bass," revealed that he received less than $6,000 in total for a whopping 178 million streams of the tune.
Hit recording artist La Roux of "Bulletproof" fame recently sent out a sarcastic tweet to Spotify, stating: "@Spotify thanks for the £100 ($151.73 USD) for this quarter just gone, one more month and I might be able to afford your premium service. Lucky me!"
Now, a Swedish recording artist who didn't want his music streamed on Spotify at all, has sued his record label and won. Swedish punk drummer Johan Johansson filed a civil suit in his country against his record label, MNW, for distributing his music through Spotify without permission. Johansson argued that even though the label owned the rights to his master recordings, there was no area of the contract that expressly permitted his music to be streamed on any service.
After his victory, Johansson stated, "We have to hope that this sets a standard, and makes it clear that companies can't exploit music without the appropriate contractual rights. Even without a license to distribute older tracks on streaming platforms, a lot of companies simply go ahead anyway. What this judgment shows [is] that a lot of music on Spotify and similar streaming services are straight piracy."
Johansson's claims were recently corroborated by ex-Lady Gaga manager Troy Carter, who claimed that his artist was cheated out of royalties due from Spotify and other streaming services during the height of her popularity.
"Spotify is paying out a lot of money, it's just not finding its way into the hands of the artists," said Carter at a technology conference.
Johansson concurred in his recent statement that "It's important for people who pay for Spotify to see how this really works: the money doesn't end up with the artists, and almost all the money from older recordings is kept by the record companies."


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Gee, here I thought the tax reform was going to be the end of the world! Didn’t you hear all of the celebrity “experts” crying out about how Trump was ruining the country by killing the middle class?! Well here we go again, more evidence of this tax plan nightmare! Keep in mind, this is Nancy Pelosi’s idea of “Armageddon!”
Starbucks has been viewed as one of the most liberal companies out there, so it must have been very painful for them to actually come out and admit that the Trump tax cuts are going to have a positive effect on their employees.
I am actually shocked that they even acknowledged that the tax cuts drove the pay increases. I would have expected them to claim they were “going to do it anyway.” The fact that they were honest shows just how much corporations really are benefiting from the tax reform.
H/T Daily Wire
While Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi might dismiss it as mere “crumbs,” Starbucks employees across the country are getting a personal taste of the Trump effect on the economy — and it’s all good.
As public opinion of the Republicans’ $1.5 trillion tax cut continues to improve for obvious reasons, Starbucks announced that it’s joining the growing list of businesses nationwide who are passing down some of those massive tax savings to their employees.
Specifically citing the GOP’s tax reform bill, Starbucks announced this week that it will be giving its employees pay raises and stock grants. To throw more salt in the permanently open progressive wound, Starbucks says its also using the tax break to help it move forward with some pro-family measures. The Seattle Times reluctantly reports:
All employees will soon be able to earn paid sick time off, and the company’s parental leave benefits will include all non-birth parents. Starbucks Corp. said Wednesday that the changes affect about 150,000 full-time, part-time, hourly and salaried employees, most of whom work as baristas or shop managers. The new benefits apply to workers at more than 8,200 company-owned stores but not at the 5,700 licensed shops like those found inside supermarkets.
The pay raise will begin in April, which the Times notes is the second increase employees have enjoyed this year. Baristas currently make just under $10 an hour. Employees at stores, bean roasting plants and support centers will all receive at least $500 in Starbucks stock on top of what they were set to receive this year. The additional paid sick time begins to accrue in July.
The total cost to the company for the changes is over $250 million, which they can afford because of the massive tax break given to them by the Republicans and signed into law by Trump.
As The Daily Wire has chronicled, the number of companies, many of them major corporations, passing down the benefits of the Republicans’ slashing of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% continues to grow. Here’s the current list from Americans For Tax Reform.
The Seattle Times also notes some other positive developments from the Trump economy motivating retailers to give their workers a boost. “Larger employers are having a hard time attracting and keeping workers because of historically low unemployment rates,” the Times reports.
So, yeah, the “Trump Boom” is real, and now a whole lot of Starbucks employees are getting to enjoy it firsthand.
It’s funny how liberal leaning companies are now coming out and getting on the bandwagon of passing on the tax cut savings to employees. Disney announced this week their intention to do the same. The list of companies that are using the tax relief to improve the lives of their employees is growing larger by the day.
While these may be mere “crumbs” to someone with the wealth like Nancy Pelosi, to the millions of workers who are seeing these increases and bonuses, this money is life changing.
Now, I can’t help but wonder if the mostly millennial and likely liberal employees at Starbucks will actually understand and appreciate the way Trump is responsible for their bigger paychecks. However, if anything can change a person’s view of economic policy, it is by seeing a fat paycheck.
I think the Democratic optimism for the midterms is really misguided. There is no way so many people won’t stop and think of the distinct possibility that Democrats will come in and try to raise taxes. Just look over at California! The Democrats running the show there are already trying to steal back the tax savings with new taxes.
The beautiful thing about this is, that once people actually saw their paychecks go up, it will be much harder to have them see them go down. And we all know the way to keep the tax changes is to continue to elect Republicans. For that reason alone, I think the midterms are looking better and better!


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Abstract：Archax is the UK’s first regulated digital securities exchange. The company was established four years ago.
In an official announcement on 12 August, Archax confirmed that Abrdn has signed a deal with the company to become its largest external shareholder. Archax has been established to facilitate institutional investors who are interested in blockchain-based digital assets.
Take Advantage of the Biggest Financial Event in London. This year we have expanded to new verticals in Online Trading, Fintech, Digital Assets, Blockchain, and Payments.
Archax was established four years ago. The company has secured approval from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). With the recent collaboration, Archax aims to drive the adoption of blockchain technology in the financial sector.
Abrdns CEO Stephen Bird, commented: “Blockchain technologies are inevitably going to form a big part of the future of financial markets. There is the potential to offer greater transparency, greater speed, and less trading friction by using these nascent digital technologies. Archax is one of the most promising UK players in this next expected high-growth area in finance - the use of digital and tokenized securities with same-day settlement. In that sense, the growth of the digital investment market is about much more than cryptocurrencies.”
“With Archax, we will have a meaningful footprint in this fast-developing market – which is likely to evolve in a multitude of different ways that are relevant to our core businesses. This investment not only provides an opportunity for substantial financial benefits, but it also creates a partnership with some of the leading thinkers in an area that has the potential to play a substantial role in the future of finance,” Bird added.
Institutional adoption of blockchain technology has increased sharply in the past few years. Despite the latest crypto market correction, organizations are still interested in entering the growing space of digital assets. Graham Rodford, the Chief Executive Officer of Archax, believes that Abrdns support as a strategic investor is a major boost for the company.
“We look forward to working with abrdn closely to provide a new universe of users with access to our services, as well as creating new innovative tokenized products that will trade on our marketplace,” Rodford added.
The club initially formed a partnership with Sorare in 2021. Liverpool FC and Sorare will collaborate on multimedia fan content.
The advertisement will air in 10 countries
The trading apps are still available on Google Playstore. Finance Magnates has reached out to MetaQuotes for a comment.
Executive moves that dominated the week's news.


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Samsung Electronics forecast solid fourth-quarter earnings as its chip business stayed afloat in the face of the weakness of the U.S. dollar and the resurgence of coronavirus to cover mediocre performance in its mobile business, Yonhap news agency reported.
The South Korean tech giant, in its earnings guidance, estimated its operating profit at 9 trillion won or US$8.2 billion for the October-December period in 2020, up 25.7 percent from a year ago.
Samsung projected its fourth-quarter sales at 61 trillion won in the three-month period, up 1.87 percent from a year earlier.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, Samsung’s fourth-quarter estimate was down from its superb performance in the third quarter, when it racked up record sales of 66.9 trillion won and operating profit of 12.3 trillion won on the back of pent-up demand.
Analysts said the weaker U.S. dollar and lockdowns in European nations may have dragged down Samsung’s fourth-quarter earnings from the previous quarter.
For the whole of 2020, Samsung expected its operating profit to reach 35.95 trillion won, up 29.4 percent from a year earlier, with its sales to climb 2.54 percent on-year to 236.26 trillion won.
Samsung, the world’s leading memory chip and smartphone vendor, did not break down performances of its respective business divisions, saying it will announce the detailed earnings later this month.
Analysts have been cutting their forecasts for Samsung’s fourth-quarter earnings due to the strong Korean won. The local currency closed at 1,086.3 won against the U.S. dollar on Dec. 30, compared to 1,169.40 won on Sept. 29.
Despite a drop in prices of memory chips, analysts believe Samsung’s semiconductor business has racked up an operating profit of more than 4 trillion won to lead the company’s performance in the fourth quarter.
DRAM and NAND flagship shipments are expected to post around 10 percent quarter-on-quarter growth and are likely to beat the company’s estimate announced earlier, said Pak Yu-ak, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities.
Samsung’s mobile businesses sales fell due to lockdowns in Europe over COVID-19 infections and the release of Apple Inc.’s iPhone 12, according to analysts.
Analysts expect Samsung’s mobile unit to post an operating profit of around 2.3 trillion won in the last three months of 2020.
“Samsung’s smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter are estimated to fall by 20 million units from the previous quarter, so a revenue drop is inevitable,” said Lee Seung-woo, analyst at Eugene Investment Securities.
Samsung’s consumer electronics (CE) business unit was also widely believed to have been hit by lockdowns in Europe, while the increase of marketing costs for the year-end holidays may have also affected its earnings, according to analysts.
They expected the CE division to log around 800 billion won in operating profit in the fourth quarter.
Samsung’s display business was expected to have posted robust earnings in the fourth quarter, with operating profit reaching around 1.5 trillion won, as its mobile OLED panel supply was to benefit from brisk sales of Apple’s iPhone 12.
Analysts said Samsung is likely to rack up strong earnings in 2021 as its chip business is expected to enter a “super cycle” with the rise of DRAM prices and increased demand for its foundry business.


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You are here
Auto industry veteran hired to rev up Google car
[SAN FRANCISCO] Google announced on Monday it hired auto industry veteran John Krafcik to head up its self-driving car project, as it eyes expanded road tests for autonomous vehicles.
Mr Krafcik, most recently a top executive at consumer auto shopping service TrueCar, said the project "is a great opportunity to help Google develop the enormous potential of self-driving cars." "This technology can save thousands of lives, give millions of people greater mobility and free us from a lot of the things we find frustrating about driving today," he said.
Mr Krafcik previously spent 10 years at Hyundai Motor America, including five as president and chief executive of the US arm of the South Korean auto giant.
He also worked at Ford Motor Company and was an engineer at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc, the former joint-venture plant operated by Toyota and General Motors.
Google said Mr Krafcik would join the company as CEO of the self-driving car project later this month and that his experience "will be particularly valuable as we collaborate with many different partners to achieve our goal of transforming mobility for millions of people."
"Over the last few years, we've made more progress with our self-driving car technology than we ever thought possible," Google said in a statement.
"We still have a lot to learn about how people perceive our vehicles and how they'll want to fit this technology into their lives and their communities - and that's why our vehicles are currently self-driving (some) 10,000 miles a week in Mountain View and Austin, and why we'd like to run pilot programmes with our prototypes at some point."
The self-driving car project is part of the Google X-Lab working on future technologies, but the Google statement said "it's certainly a good candidate" to become an independent entity under Alphabet, the holding company that is being created as Google carves out separate units for its Internet search giant and its various other technology efforts.


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How One Aussie Mum Is Teaching Her Kids The Value Of Money
"It's so they get an idea that there is a value in earning money."
Deborah, a single mum in Sydney's inner west, is teaching her kids the importance of financial independence.
She pays their $35 monthly phone plan and for their public transport costs, but everything else is covered by them. Matilda, 17, was working part time in retail and fast-food, but quit as she heads in to her HSC. Benedict, 15, earns $15 an hour money doing odd jobs for his mum around the house, and is looking to get an after-school job soon.
They spend their money on little luxuries -- jewellery for Matilda; games for Ben -- but are also saving for financial independence, future happiness, and possible overseas trips.
What they're not saving for, is a house.
"They're part of the generation where they're not expecting that there's any point in saving for a house deposit," Deborah told ten daily.
"I think that's a bit sad for them, but probably realistic."
It comes off the back of new ING research, which found that the teens of today -- where they can be -- are placing a huge importance on financial independence.
Almost all of the 600 teens surveyed (95 percent), who were between the ages of 13 and 18, living at home, and earning money in some capacity were saving for the future.
More than half (56 percent) were saving for expensive items such as a new phone, clothes, a bike or video games, while 47 percent said they're saving for the long-term future, and 38 percent said they were saving for further education or university.
Curiously, the state with the highest percentage of teens placing an importance on saving for their long-term future was Queensland.
About 69 percent of teens said it's important to save in case something goes wrong, while more than half (55 percent) said saving will help their future happiness.
Three-quarters of teens say they're putting away more than half of what they earn each week. Of course, being a teen living at home means that -- usually -- big ticket items such as rent, food and bills are covered by parents, but that doesn't mean teens are without the opportunity to spend; they just choose not to.
For Deborah, it's important that her kids learn the value of money before they reach an age where they can be totally independent if they wish -- particularly in the digital age.
"So much of what they do is virtual," she said.
"They don't actually see the money. It goes straight into a bank account."
It's why, for example, when Benedict had a friend's birthday party at Luna Park a few weeks back, she was happy to buy a birthday present, but made sure he earned the money for rides and food by doing a few hours work around the house.
"It's so they get an idea that there is a value in earning money," she said.
"It also means they don't have the humiliation of always having to ask and get approval [for ways to spend their money].
"I like the fact that they have social independence as well as financial independence."
"It's really for their sense of empowerment for themselves -- not just in terms of financial empowerment, but building that confidence before transitioning into adult life."
Contact the author: firstname.lastname@example.org


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Iron Ox, a start-up based in Silicon Valley that focuses on robotic farming, have started selling lettuce and fresh greens in a California grocery.
In October 2018, Iron Ox opened its fully automated farm in San Carlos, California. With the entire farm process redesigned around robotics, the company said its hydroponic system can produce up to 30 times more yield per acre of land compared to traditional farms.
Fresh From The Robot Farm
Iron Ox now sells three types of greens — Genovese basil, red-veined sorrel, and baby head lettuce — at the family-owned grocery Bianchini's Market in San Carlos. It supplies the store with five to 10 cases of produce from its robot farm each week, and the greens are consistently sold out.
The prices of leafy greens from Iron Ox are not too exorbitant but a bit pricey. A 2-ounce box of red-veined sorrel costs $2.49, a 2-ounce box of Genevieve basil is priced at $2.99, and four heads of baby lettuce will sell for $4.99. These prices are said to be at par with Whole Foods, which offers artisanal lettuce and greens.
Farmed By Robots
The farm has a fully autonomous 1,000-pound robot that navigates the farm. The company uses a combination of robotic picking arms, hydroponic vats, and self-driving porters to grow the leafy vegetables. The robot can perform tasks such as fetching growth modules when the plant needs an operation such as watering and harvesting.
“Using hydroponics allows us to grow year-round, allows us to grow where there’s no arable land. Even here in California where were spoiled in fresh produce, there’s a lot of produce they cannot get year-round. Especially when it comes to things like herbs, like basil where they have to import it or not even able to get it ... We see definitely see this as absolutely scalable to cities not just in the United States, but all over," said Brandon Alexander, CEO of Iron Ox.
The distance from the robot farm to Bianchini's store is only 0.6 miles, and this ensures the freshness of the produce. This also translates to lower transportation costs and fewer food miles. Iron Ox said the greens it is producing for Bianchini's have a lesser physical footprint and less environmental impact than a typical head of lettuce.
Plant Science Team
Agricultural robots "automate" the slow and repetitive tasks in farming. According to the Robotics Industries Association, agricultural robots are increasing production yields for farmers in different ways. From drones to autonomous tractors to robotic arms, the technology is being deployed in creative and innovative applications. Robots are often used in harvesting and picking, weed control, pruning, spraying and thinning, sorting, and other utility platforms.
However, humans are still needed for a lot of the work at the Iron Ox robot farm. To address this concern, the company hired a Plant Science team to lead the growing process and provide human oversight to the robot farm. The robots just tend the plants while they're growing. Human laborers are tasked with planting the seedlings and packing the produce for delivery.


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Google has brought Where’s Waldo? to Google Maps, which has started yesterday and is continuing on for the next week. you will find Waldo pop up in his signature red and white stripes and will give you a friendly wave on Android, iOS, and the desktop.
To play Where’s Waldo? you have to just tap or click on him and you will find the option to play a game that’s straight out of the classic children’s puzzle books. This new feature has rolled out by Google on annual April Fools’ Day, but the game is actually available on Google Maps.
Google Rolls Out Newest Feature Where’s Waldo to Google Maps
However, along with Waldo, you will also find his friends like Wenda, Woof, Wizard Whitebeard, and the villainous Odlaw.
Once you find Waldo you can go to a new location, with a new picture, the map screen will provide the new place instead of asking you to find it. Google said that there is also a Google Assistant component to this campaign, you can simply ask “where’s Waldo?” on a Home speaker, Chromebook, or Android smartphone.
Few weeks ago Google added Mario Kart to Google Maps before that we have seen Pac Man playable in map screens. We have also even seen Pokémon hiding inside the app in 2014.
Google Maps is adding new features time to time, just to keep their users engaged. The company is striving hard to ensure that their users don’t get bored with the same old features. To cater this Google Maps keep on launching new features and game to build their users interest.


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Video game developer behind Remedy Entertainment Alan Wake And ControlThis year has been busy in the field of business. Recently, Remedy announced that it is working to open a new studio in Sweden, which will allow new game developers to start working on new projects for the developer.
A recent report from Cision reveals a business review for Remedy Entertainment that provides updates on some of the studio’s business activities for 2021. The post states that as far as 2021 looks, the business for the studio has proceeded as planned. This includes status updates on its upcoming game projects, notably crossfire hd story mode And crossfire x,
The company’s CEO Tero Vartla offers some comments on the state of the game’s development, especially since crossfire x Last year there was a delay. For the development team, by designation cross fire HD’s story mode and crossfire x Currently focusing on fixing and polishing all technical details. Especially for the story version of the game, which will provide the best quality and gaming experience.
Virtala said the games are currently in a launch preparation stage and that “little development work remains.” He also commented on the launch window for both crossfire hd story mode And crossfire x, adding that game launches are drawing closer. However, Virtla says that the exact release dates for both games will be at the discretion of publisher Smilegate and its publishing partners.
Vartla also provided comments on the development of some of Remedy’s other gaming projects, such as Project Condor by 505 Games and a “big Control project.” He added that both are progressing as planned, and while Condor is still in the proof-of-concept phase, Control The project is now in the concept stage. He further adds that the projects will expand Control in “new games and game types”, and he will continue to be a co-publisher of the Remedy Condor project.
new project for Control The post was earlier mentioned as a highlight in the business review for 2021. According to the post, Remedy had signed a co-publishing and development deal with 505 Games for a multiplayer. Control Spin-off game last June. It also said that the two companies have already agreed on the terms of cooperation for a future, big budget. Control Play.
Vartala concluded his remarks by saying that he is pleased with the progress of the measure in the third quarter and full year. He even says that development teams have done well in their remote work as the company moves towards a hybrid work model. The report also noted that Remedy Entertainment’s future outlook remains unchanged and the company expects its revenue and operating profit to increase during 2021.
Microsoft releases the last two free Xbox Free Games with Gold for November 2021 a day early, meaning both titles are available to download right now.
About the Author


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Following two years of tests, DPDgroup has received authorisation from the General Directorate for Civil Aviation to deliver parcels using drones on a regular 15km route.
Once a week, the DPDgroup drone travels between Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Beaume and Pourrières, in south of France (Provence region). The route makes it possible to delivery items to a cut-off incubator of companies including a dozen start-ups specialized in technology. Their parcels now delivered by Chronopost and DPD France will be sent by drone from the Pick-up point in Saint-Maximin.
For both the departure and arrival of the drone, a delivery terminal is used to secure the parcel loading phases, from take-off to landing and placement of the parcel. The terminal features a structure protecting access to the drone during landing and take-off phases, an automated carriage system for transporting the parcel, and an electronics system devoted to the safety of handling operations around the drone.
DPDgroup began conducting tests to develop the drone in June 2014, in partnership with Atechsys, an SME based in south of France. After numerous tests and over 600 hours of flight time, the DPDgroup drone demonstrated, in September 2015, its ability to fly in complete autonomy as it transported a parcel weighing 1.5kg over 14km.
The first commercial deployment represents a new step in the program being led by DPDgroup. After the testing phase, the experimentation phase on the regular route can now begin.


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It should come as no surprise that older users love the internet as much as younger ones.
In an Ofcom report today it's been revealed that 44% of over-75s use the internet.
Those who don't go online are also adamant that they won't change their mind, with 86% saying they have no plans to go online.
Tablets are incredibly popular with 27% making use of the simple and easy access these devices give.
They're likely popular thanks to a larger size, bigger displays and easier to control that a smaller phone.
That said, 15% of users over 75 are using smartphones to go online.


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Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products.
No one was all that surprised when Samsung announced plans to fight the injunction granted by a German court that banned the sale of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe -- what is perhaps surprising, however, is how quickly the wheels of justice are spinning on this one. The hearing, which was initially expected to take four weeks to get started, will be held on August 25th. A decision on overturning the ban is expected to arrive a few weeks after that date.


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Salesforce.com Inc.: The No. 1 Reason to Be Bullish on CRM Stock
CRM Stock Has Big Upside
Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is a company on the move. Salesforce.com stock has not yet reflected the company’s buoyant form. But if, as the top tech headlines over the past few months suggest, Salesforce.com is itching for growth and development. Eventually, it will grab the one property that will set it apart from its peers.
In recent weeks, Salesforce has made bids for LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD). The company has complained about potential antitrust problems with Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) bid. Salesforce.com stock has suffered, perhaps, because of its missed opportunity. But the company moved on and has been rumored to be making a bid for Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR).
The names hovering around Twitter now include the likes of Google, otherwise known as Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG). But Salesforce.com is hungry for growth. While some of the buyers buzzing around Twitter could face scrutiny from antitrust authorities in the U.S., and even more so in the European Union, Salesforce.com is not wasting any time; it’s already eyeing other growth opportunities, this time succeeding.
Salesforce.com shares have started to reflect the frenzy of growth-boosting efforts. CRM stock has gained 3.28% in the past five days. But the potential exists for more significant gains, which could see CRM stock get close to—or even exceed— its record $82.00/share level. The company has decided to throw its name in the ring to gain a big piece of the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
Salesforce.com Buys Krux: Here’s What it Means for Growth
Salesforce.com has just announced that it will buy Krux Digital Inc. for $340.0 million in cash plus shares. (Source: “To beef up in marketing, Salesforce will buy Krux for $340M in cash, up to $750M overall,” TechCrunch, October 4, 2016.)
That deal allows Salesforce.com to gain access to Krux’s data management platform (DMP), which has already been integrated for several months with its own marketing cloud.
While seeking to block Microsoft’s takeover of LinkedIn, and still being interested in Twitter (rumors that it has refused to comment on, as happens in these cases), Salesforce’s announcement about Krux came just hours before the start of Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco.
Krux, to summarize what it does, allows sellers and customers to increase the number of ways they can interact. After the acquisition is complete, Krux will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Salesforce, according to a company statement. Essentially, through Krux’s cloud-based DMP platform, users can develop a much better idea of who their customers are. (Source: Ibid.)
So valuable is the service that Salesforce’s boss, Marc Benioff, decided to buy Krux outright. Krux has many large clients in the United States and beyond, including major car manufacturers such as Peugeot in France. Even Kellogg Company (NYSE:K) and Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX) are clients.
Krux’s DMP “Intelligent Marketing Hub” collects data from Internet users from multiple sources, hence Salesforce.com’s interest in Twitter. It identifies and processes individual preferences, exploiting them through various channels in real time.
Companies can increase the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. Krux’s hub makes brands more profitable, hence the acquisition will add more revenue to Salesforce.com’s coffers.
How Does All this Enhance Salesforce.com Stock’s Potential?
As for Salesforce.com stock’s potential, the Krux acquisition has increased its value to more than the sum of the two parts (i.e. Salesforce and Krux). Now Salesforce can aggregate the combined artificial intelligence tools that it has developed, along with Krux’s, enhancing its cloud service. Krux also has a useful marketing database to enrich the available information on customer profiles. Apart from that, Salesforce.com has just gained many more customers.
All this speaks volumes about Salesforce’s reasoning behind its interest in Twitter. It also suggests that the company won’t let Twitter slip away. With Krux— and potentially Twitter—under its umbrella, Salesforce could end up having its own social log-in platform to track login data, like Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), as it happens.
So, while some investors were worried by the reasoning behind Salesforce’s Twitter ambitions, which may have contributed to the slowing down of CRM stock, there is much logic to the apparent madness.
Last September, Salesforce posted strong quarterly results. Revenues rose some 25% and earnings matched that growth at 26%. There was only one problem; billings did not grow as projected: 15% instead of 25%. But Salesforce revised its guidance upward for the full fiscal 2016.
The cloud and its expansion among all users demands that cloud-focused companies like Salesforce keep growing. Salesforce has gone on a shopping binge in 2016, with $4.0 billion in acquisitions and counting. There is a strategy behind the company’s “buy it now” approach, and it’s all geared to boost revenues and earnings. That’s why CRM stock should hit new highs before the end of 2016, reaching toward $90.00 per share and beyond.


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Salt Lake leaders launch the 2021 Farmers’ Market
SALT LAKE CITY – The mayor of Salt Lake City kicked off the official launch of the 2021 Farmers’ Market, and organizers are happy to be able to expand from last year’s.
The COVID-19 pandemic severely limited what organizers of the Salt lake Farmers’ Market could do, but it didn’t shut it down, completely. However, they weren’t allowed to have live musicians, arts and crafts demonstrations or prepare food to serve.
2021 Salt Lake Farmers’ Market
So, to celebrate this year’s market, Urban Food Connections of Utah Executive Director Alison Einerson reported they’re expanding. Although they’re not quite at normal capacity, yet.
“We’re still here 30 years later. We survived last year. It was tough, but we did it,” Einerson said.
This year, the market will have 180 food vendors and 60 local artists selling their wares every Saturday, starting this weekend. Food trucks will also be brought back, and people will be able to eat at Pioneer Park like they could before the pandemic.
Salt Lake Chamber President Derek Miller said they’ll also increase their efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The farmers’ market during the pandemic
Miller said, “This year’s market will provide extra spacing, hand washing stations and sanitizer to maintain their commitment to remaining safe and remaining open.”
State agriculture officials reported local markets are crucial to food producers since they can’t always rely on retail chains to keep them afloat.
According to Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Commissioner Craig Buttars, the pandemic showed how fragile food supply lines can be. Many local growers needed help selling their products when the pandemic first started.
Buttars said, “I had so many calls from producers saying, ‘Where can I send flour? Where can I send eggs? Where can I send milk during COVID?’”
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the farmers’ markets aren’t just important so customers can get fresh food.
She believes vendors need these markets to expand their customer base and network with other producers.
“The dollars you spend on our local economy stay in our local economy many times fold that which you would buy at a corporate retail store,” she said.
Today’s Top Stories
- 8-year-old girl in critical condition after getting injured at Kaysville parade
- Police have arrested a ‘person of interest’ after a mass shooting at July 4th…
- Deuel Creek Fire starts in Centerville overnight, evacuation order lifted
- Fire officials say aerial firework caused brush fire in Saratoga Springs
- UPDATE: Shooting on TRAX platform leaves one dead, one injured
- Layton City is under extreme firework restrictions
- Man dies during performance at Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show
- UPDATE: SLCPD arrest two in connection to Sunday’s Ballpark neighborhood shooting
- Several people killed in Copenhagen mall shooting, police say
- Tooele City releases fireworks restrictions map


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Especially in the county, Friday nights provide a sizeable boost as local football fans hit the road
photo by Vincent Aiosa
By the time Friday night’s customers clear out of his bar, Brandon Bowden said he knows what is happening in the world of Whatcom County high school football.
“By the end of the night, I pretty much know all the scores of all the games, “ said Bowden, 26, a bartender at The Original New York Pizza Place in Lynden. “It’s interesting to see. In the bar, we’ll get guys who are in the 21- to 30-age range who were just out watching the game, and stopped by to have a drink or two after the game.”
At around 6 p.m. on a recent Friday evening in late September, Bowden said he was looking forward to a busy night: Both Lynden high school teams were in town for football contests against Whatcom County rivals.
“It usually gets busier after the games, especially when the two (Lynden) schools play out here,” he said. “From 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., we see the most impact.”
Football around Whatcom County is big — and for some businesses, the revenue it generates can be big, too.
|Sue Remaklus, owner of 2nd Avenue Sports, prepares to order from Rita Garcia at Las Casuelas Mexican Grill on a recent game night in Ferndale. Remaklus said the rabid local following of Ferndale sports is an important economic driver for her business.
Friday night rush
Bill Chrysler said he notices a distinct drop in business when football season is not on the docket. Chrysler, president of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce, is also the general manager at Homestead Farms Golf Resort in Lynden.
“We feel it here at the resort when both teams are away,” he said. “When they are in town, we get a pretty good early rush.”
On game nights, most diners come in before the games, he said.
“We deal pretty much in two seasons: the season and the off-season. The football games extend the season — on Friday nights anyway — an extra couple of months,” he said. “It’s a little hard to quantify. Fridays and Saturdays, we’re typically considerably busier than we are on weeknights year-round. The difference is that the weeknights see a definite change from summer season to when you get into the fall season. The Fridays and Saturdays — really the change doesn’t happen until after Christmas. I think a lot of that has to do with the football season.”
In his mind, the biggest benefactors of football nights, economically, tend to be businesses in the service industry.
“I would think the restaurants are the biggest benefactor from the actual games themselves,” he said. “I think that the events offer pretty good marketing opportunities for local businesses via the radio broadcasts or sponsorships of things at the stadium and whatnot.”
Farther west in the county, in Ferndale, business owner Sue Remaklus said business booms for her company during gridiron season.
“Football has had a huge impact on my store,” said Remaklus, who owns 2nd Avenue Sports. She opened the sports apparel store in September 2005, as the Ferndale High School football team pushed toward its first state championship “Our team is very well supported by the community, and people like to show their support by wearing the school colors.”
Her store sells an assortment of apparel — mostly Ferndale-sports related — including sweatshirts, hats and T-shirts.
“We were really scrambling to keep up (with orders last year),” she said. “Last year, on days when kids were going to the playoffs in Tacoma, I had a line in my store all day long. It was a pretty wild ride.”
To help market her business, she said, she paid for some radio advertising last year that was broadcast during football games, and she has signage at the Ferndale High School baseball field. She has since decided against radio advertising, depending instead on word-of-mouth.
“The kids kind of create a frenzy,” she said. That excitement, has spread through all levels of the community.
Businesses, she said, have jumped on board, too. For instance, the football team gathers at Babe’s Place, a local restaurant, on mornings before games; a local Mexican restaurant, Las Casuelas Mexican Grill, outfits its servers in Ferndale blue and gold on football Fridays; and Haggen Foods put up a billboard honoring the championship squad last year.
“It was so fun,” Remaklus said. “I think everybody got caught up in it.”
On game nights, The Original New York Pizza Place’s Bowden estimated that about half of his customers are going or have gone to football games.
“People are already out,” he said. “Most people don’t feel like going home and cooking after they get home from a football game.”
And unlike college or pro games, high school football customers don’t typically display out-of-control behavior, Bowden said.
“High school football games are a lot different than college football games,” he said. “It’s not quite like going out after a Washington State University football game. It’s a lot more family oriented. There is no tailgating at high school football games that we know about.”
Whatcom County’s concentration of high schools leads to customers floating in from outside areas, Chrysler said.
“It’s definitely the local community members that are coming out. We get a little spillover from Nooksack and Mount Baker, too,” he said. Staffing can also be affected, he said.
“We maintain our summer staffing on nights when there are football games in town,” he said. “If both Lynden and Lynden Christian are away, then sometimes we’ll staff one fewer person.”
The restaurant atmosphere changes a little, too, he said.
“The tables seem to get more pushed together a little more on football Friday nights, rather than this family sitting here, and this family sitting there,” he said. “There is a little more camaraderie and a little more social aspect to things.”
His restaurant doesn’t offer football specials on game nights, he said.
“The busy nights are not the nights you need to market for,” he said.


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NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. (Bankrate.com) -- Mortgage shoppers might have been jolted this week by the news that rates, after sliding steadily since last May, took a sudden jump.
Rates on fixed-rate mortgages increased about 15 basis points over last week. But mortgage rate bargain-hunters shouldn't panic. Here's why:
Concerns that inflation was still a threat were raised briefly last week when releases for December retail sales and core producer prices showed unexpected increases. Bond investors scurried on the news, and yields on Treasuries jumped, reversing the drops of prior weeks.
Dust is settling
However, the dust seems to be settling already as business inventories showed an increase for November, the latest release available, and industrial output posted a decline. Rising inventories indicate a slowing economy, as businesses do not sell goods as quickly and merchandise remains on shelves. Declining industrial output also points to a slowdown as manufacturers trim production and reduce staff due to slower sales and rising inventory levels.
Further, the common barometer of inflation, the consumer price index or CPI, produced no surprises for December, and the core rate showed an even slower increase. Although the CPI increased 3.4 percent for the year, the bulk of that came earlier in the year with prices stabilizing in the last three months of the year.
Demand for bonds has returned as a result of the economic news and renewed hope of continued buybacks of long-term Treasury debt, with yields starting to drop back again. The bond market volatility typically affects mortgage rates, and this week has been no exception.
Rates likely to head lower
In the context of sustained evidence showing a slowing economy and the need for further Fed rate cuts, this short-term volatility is likely just that -- short term. Mortgages are likely to head lower once again, assuming gloomy economic releases on consumer confidence, Gross Domestic Product, and Leading Economic Indicators.
Surprisingly favorable reports showing renewed consumer confidence or an unexpectedly large jump in GDP would have the opposite effect and would be certain to stir the inflation pot once again. Regardless, consistent declines in consumer loan rates for such things as auto loans and home equity loans will continue.
While that's good news for borrowers, savers are getting whacked in this declining-rate environment. Yields on certificates of deposit were down sharply again this week, falling 15-20 basis points across the board. This comes after a 25 basis point decline last week when nearly 60 percent of institutions cut yields. This week's Bankrate.com National Index survey of financial institutions shows that a hefty 44 percent of them cut CD yields.


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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued proceedings against Scoopon in the Federal Court. The ACCC alleges that Scoopon engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and made false and misleading representations to businesses and consumers.
Scoopon is one of Australia’s largest online group buying sites. These sites, also referred to as ‘daily deals’ or ‘deal of the day’ sites, sell vouchers for heavily discounted goods or services. Online group buying sites typically negotiate these deals with businesses and market the deals to their members and the public through various means including social media.
The ACCC and other Australian Consumer Law (ACL) regulators have received a significant number of complaints since the group buying industry emerged in Australia in 2010.
“The ACCC has worked closely with other ACL regulators to address issues and improve practices in the sector to reduce consumer and business detriment,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.
The ACCC alleges that Scoopon misled consumers regarding their ability to redeem vouchers, their refund rights, and the price of goods advertised in relation to some of its deals. The ACCC also alleges that Scoopon represented to businesses that there was no cost or risk involved in running a deal with Scoopon, when a fee was payable to Scoopon.
Further, it is alleged that Scoopon misled businesses by claiming that between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of vouchers would not be redeemed when there was no reasonable basis for this representation.
“The ACCC has made online competition and consumer issues a compliance and enforcement priority. Ensuring that the digital revolution delivers competition benefits to consumers and small businesses is a focus for the ACCC,” Mr Sims said.
“Businesses must have reasonable grounds when making representations to consumers and to other businesses. The ACCC is working to ensure that consumers making purchases online are not misled and that online traders take adequate steps to meet their obligations under the Australian Consumer Law.”
The ACCC is seeking declarations, injunctions, community service orders, pecuniary penalties and costs.
The matter has been filed in the Federal Court, Brisbane, and is listed for a scheduling conference on 25 July 2013 at 9.30am.
Use this form to make a general enquiry.


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The mayor of Ciudad Valles, Mexico, recently ordered 15 of the new all-electric Cybertrucks manufactured by Tesla Inc.
Mayor Adrián Esper Cárdenas said the Cybertrucks will be used for police patrols and other services in the central Mexican city of 176,935 people.
“I reserved 10 two-motor and five three-motor models,” Cárdenas said during a press conference Nov. 29, according to Mexican news outlet El Imparcial.
“It’s not about speed because we don’t want speed. What we’re looking for is power in order to pull water pipes, the garbage trailers. They’ll have twice the loads of a normal truck,” Cárdenas said.
The Cybertruck was unveiled during a glitzy event in Los Angeles on Nov. 22.
According to Tesla’s website, the new truck will come in three versions: a single-motor Cybertruck starting at $39,000; a dual-motor model for $49,000; and a top-of-the-line three-motor variation for $69,900.
Production could start in late 2021 for the single and dual-motor version, and late 2022 for the tri-motor version, according to Tesla. The vehicle revealed on Nov. 22 was just a prototype, with many analysts guessing what the final product will look like.
Tesla’s Cybertruck is available for pre-order with a $100 deposit. Cárdenas said he has already reserved the trucks by making a deposit of $1,500 with his own money.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, said the company has already received more than 200,000 pre-orders.
“The important thing is that regardless of the fact that the cost can be a little high, the benefit is that if you don’t have to perform maintenance or put gas in them, you’ll be able to save 24 million pesos a year, and with that you’ve paid back half of the investment,” Cárdenas said during his Nov. 29 press conference.
Ciudad Valles joined the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in wanting to use the Cybertruck as a police vehicle.
Shortly after Tesla unveiled the truck on Nov. 22, the Dubai Police Force tweeted an image of the truck emblazoned with their logo: “#CyberTruck Dubai Police — 2020.”


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Star Citizen has now raised $43 million total through its crowdfunding efforts, Roberts Space Industries has announced. The latest milestone unlocked a set of marine combat armour for backers. Rewards have been announced for $44 million and $45 million, with fans asked to vote on what will be offered at $46 million. Star Citizen is expected on PC in 2015.
Buy our t-shirts, yeah
They're far more stylish than your average video game website tat.


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Crypto infrastructure startup Conduit has emerged from stealth with a $7 million seed funding round led by blockchain-focused investment giant Paradigm.
The new capital will help Conduit continue its first product launch and toward its goal of achieving profitability, Conduit founder Andrew Huang told CoinDesk in an interview.
Paradigm is one of the titans of the crypto venture capital industry, raising a then-record $2.5 billion for a new fund during the tail end of the bear market in Nov. 2021, which has since been topped by Andreessen Horowitz. Conduit has close ties to Paradigm – Andrew Huang is the brother of Paradigm co-founder and managing partner Matt Huang, who recused himself from the investment process. Andrew Huang also spent eight weeks as an entrepreneur in residence at the firm.
Conduit’s first product was created in conjunction with Optimism (OP), a layer 2 blockchain network that offers optimistic rollups - a way of bundling transactions to reduce fees and traffic congestion while maintaining the underlying security of Ethereum. Conduit offers a managed service that helps developers easily and quickly deploy their applications to Optimism. Conduit and the Optimism Foundation will work together to support developers launching apps on the chain and transition to its forthcoming Superchain blockchain network.
Conduit’s target customers includes decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, game companies and non-fungible token (NFt) platforms, to name a few. Teams that launch rollups with Conduit are eligible to earn a share of certain fees and financial rewards.
Read more: What Is Optimism?
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, institutional digital assets exchange. Bullish group is majority owned by Block.one; both groups have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary, and an editorial committee, chaired by a former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, is being formed to support journalistic integrity.


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CUSTOMS will buckle under Brexit unless the Government invests a fortune at our biggest ports, haulage bosses warned yesterday.
MPs were told that leaving the EU without a customs union deal would create “enormous” disruption without the hiring of thousands of new staff.
EU products would have to undergo the same checks and red tape as those coming in from outside the bloc.
Execs said it could delay EU goods coming into the UK by lorry by at least 24 hours – threatening chaos for businesses such as supermarkets and Amazon.
Containers may be held up by up to four days in ports as customs staff are forced to check products they currently waive through.
James Hookham, deputy chief of the Freight Trade Association, said the port of Dover wasn’t big enough to cope with the extra number of lorries that would have to park up – or the shipments that would have to be stored.
He said there would have to be a whopping 300 million additional checks.
And he warned: “Dover doesn’t have the space. Absolutely categorically we should avoid physical checks on our lorries.”
Andrew Baxer, head of Europa Worldwide Logistics, urged the Government to start planning now how it will invest in recruitment and new IT systems.
He revealed there were huge inconsistencies in the approach to customs checks - with Tilbury customs closing at four o’clock while Dover is open around the clock.
The exec - who voted FOR Brexit – said: “There are very significant things the Government needs to do.”
Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “I’m very concerned about the evidence we have heard and the way this could hit manufacturing.”


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Need a guide through the world of games? Our newsletter shows you why play matters.
Why Brands Should Bet on Virtual Influencers
From posting fake sponsored content to pretending to fly on private jets, influencer culture has sometimes been guilty of fakeness, but the next wave of virtual influencers reaches a new level of illusion. Lil Miquela is one such star with 1.5 million followers on Instagram. She has partnered with GIPHY and Prada, posed wearing Diesel and Moncler, and even moonlighted as a contributing arts editor to Dazed Magazine.
Investors are in. After closing a round of financing earlier this year, Brud, the AI company who created Lil Miquela, became worth $125 million. Brud isn’t alone, either. Venture-backed companies like Shadows, SuperPlastic, and Toonstar are also developing virtual influencers.
“One of the things that excite us about synthetic characters is the ability for either startups or even for individuals to create these characters that they can use to create media that is high quality and enjoyable,” Peter Rojas, a partner at the investment firm Betaworks Ventures and investor in SuperPlastic, told me during an interview for a forthcoming podcast.
“It’s partly a form of self-expression, but also, if people are going to pay increasing amounts of time and attention to [synthetic characters], how is that going to change the media landscape? How’s it going to change entertainment?” Rojas said.
Surprise, surprise, games have led the way. Game designer Richard Garriott coined the term “avatar” in games with Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, released in 1985. Since then, avatar customization has become a key entertainment feature in video games, especially massively multiplayer online games(MMOGs), and non-gaming virtual worlds, such as Second Life.
One of the earliest virtual avatars was Max Headroom, a fictional AI character portrayed as “the world’s first computer-generated TV host” but who was really a man in prosthetic makeup. In 1998, Gorillaz debuted as a virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, inspired by sci-fi, anime, and rock videos. Created by Crypton Future Media, the virtual Japanese pop star Hatsune Miku was “born” in 2007 and has since performed sold-out concerts all over the world. Today, you can see her influence on virtual YouTubers, which are blowing up in Japan.
As you can see, Lil Miquela’s predecessors have made their respective marks on everything from music to TV. So, it’s only natural that artificial characters would step into the spotlight on social media.
Coherence tops realness. Social theorist and media scholar Rob Cover asserts as much in his work, which frames the use of social media as a way that individuals perform their identities online. According to Cover, someone’s identity isn’t static but something an individual reinforces through categorization. Gender, for example, is a common way someone defines themselves.
Sometimes, people police each other’s identities. For example, if someone is dressed as a punk but only listens to classical music, that person is confusing to other people, potentially causing a negative reaction. Cover calls this “coherence.” It’s the key to understanding why virtual influencers have the potential to take off in the future: As long as a virtual influencer is “coherent,” it doesn’t matter if they are real.
When it comes to “authenticity,” Lil Miquela’s popularity shows that when people follow an influencer on Instagram, they care more about a persona than authenticity. Brands already have an established voice, so they could easily create a virtual character with an “authentic” personality. It can be as simple as establishing what a character will or will not do. For a similar relationship, look no further than fandom to find rabid fans who are attached to fictional characters.
Realistic avatars will push us toward the virtual. Last month, Facebook revealed that it is investing in realistic face-tracking avatars as the key to VR’s future. Even if avatars trend toward being as realistic as possible, that could still mean people will become more comfortable with more anonymous virtual characters.
The Facemoji app easily allows you to turn your face into a 3D emoji with one tap. Its selling point, though, is to “make your Facemoji look a lot like you—or whoever you want to be.” Modulate is going even further with the development of “voice skins,” which transforms users’ voices live by filtering them through artificial intelligence software. The outgoing voice can be set to resemble a certain gender, speaking style, or celebrity.
Both tools provide the freedom to express yourself any way you’d like and offer protection from online harassment based on gender. On Twitch, women who stream are regularly harassed and objectified, while men are met with discussions about their gaming skills, according to a 2016 study. Considering all this, anonymous avatars start to look pretty appealing, and the growth of anonymous avatars will normalize virtual influencers as well.
Brands, eye track this: Consumers don’t necessarily need to follow an influencer who is real as long as its persona is interesting, consistent, and authentic. In the future, every brand could potentially create their own virtual influencer, someone they can completely control, who never ages or dies. Not to mention, a virtual influencer means automatic brand safety.
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Parenting retailer Mothercare has unveiled a plunge in UK sales but was able to cheer investors with good progress in its turnaround plan and online growth.
The group, which also owns the Early Learning Centre, saw like-for-like sales in the UK drop by 6.7% in the 15 weeks to July 14, although analysts said this was in line with expectations.
Mothercare saw shares jump 8% after it said new boss Simon Calver's cost-cutting plan, including a reduction in UK store numbers from 311 to 200 by 2015, was still on track to deliver in the second half of the year.
The babycare firm, which slumped to a £103 million loss in the year to March, said 16 stores had closed in the period and its recently revamped website had seen positive sales growth in the last five weeks.
Meanwhile, its international division, which has offset some of the weakness in the UK, saw sales increase 11% as it opened another 25 stores, taking total overseas outlets to 1,053.
Mothercare's trading update covers a tough period for retailers as record levels of rainfall have hit companies across the sector.
Retail bellwether Marks & Spencer last week reported a 6.8% fall in non-food like-for-like sales in the 13 weeks to June 30 - its worst performance since December 2008.
And official figures revealed mediocre growth of 0.1% across the whole sector as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee was confirmed as having "no significant impact".
Mothercare moved its website to a new platform in May, which initially caused "significant disruption" but soon returned to strong growth.
Matthew Taylor, analyst at Numis, left full-year underlying pre-tax profit forecasts unchanged at £8.1 million, compared to £1.6 million last year.


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Cyber Monday may be a week away, but we know of one very good reason to start your online holiday shopping early. Jewelry designer Dana Lorenz has just launched an e-commerce site for her lower-priced Fallon line, Fallonjewelry.com/estore. “We see so much online response to Fallon via our social networking vehicles that it seemed natural to progress with e-commerce,” Lorenz told Style.com. “Our boutique is so special, but not everyone lives in or travels to New York City. The e-commerce site will be a combination of best-sellers, celebrity and editor favorites, and pieces I hand-picked as classics.” Here’s the best part: Style.com readers will get a special 25 percent discount for the next 36 hours. Just enter STYLE36 as the promo code. Happy shopping.
Courtesy of Fallon


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September 25, 2010 8:06:42 am
“While it’s true Web search is not the only game in town,searching information is what it is all about,” Schmidt said in ‘Wall Street Journal’ interview video posted online yesterday.
He described Apple as a well-respected competitor and Facebook as a “company of consequence doing an excellent job in social networking,” but said that Microsoft’s latest-generation search engine was Google’s main competition.
“We consider neither to be a competitive threat,” Schmidt said,referring to Facebook and Apple. “Absolutely,our competitor is Bing. Bing is a well-run,highly competitive search engine.”
Microsoft’s Bing and other Internet search services overtook Yahoo! for the first time to become the No 2 search engine in the United States in August,according to The Nielsen Co.
Microsoft’s Bing,MSN and Windows Live had a 13.9 per cent share of US search volume in August,up 0.25 per cent from July,while Yahoo! had a 13.1 per cent share of US Internet searches,down from 14.6 per cent in July,Nielsen said.
Google continued to dominate the lucrative search and advertising market with a 65.1 per cent of all Internet searches in August,Nielsen said.
Year-over-year,Microsoft sites have increased their search share from 10.7 per cent in August 2009 to 13.9 per cent in August 2010 while Yahoo! has fallen from 16.0 per cent a year ago to its current 13.1 per cent,Nielsen said.
Google held steady at 65 per cent.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.


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Companies know science sells so they try to drop in respectable-sounding phrases without falling foul of fair trading laws.
University of Auckland consumer behaviour lecturer Dr Denise Conroy says using scientific terms, such as “restoration” or “cell strengthening”, is a “way of positioning things as being good for our health – that by buying these products we’re doing something for our health, not our vanity”.
Skincare companies typically describe less-robust evaluations as “clinical tests”, “clinical studies”, or stand-alone “trials”.
A better term to look for is “clinical trial”. Only a robust gold-standard clinical trial can prove a product will have any effect on your skin, Dr Scott-Lang says.


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Synaptics, one of the leading companies in fingerprint sensors, announced the Natural ID FS4304, an “ultra-slim” capacitive fingerprint sensor. Synaptics sensors have been used in popular smartphones such as Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S6.
Synaptics makes small fingerprint fingerprint readers that fit in tight spaces at the bottom of a smartphone’s screen or even on its side. The new sensor also seems to be targeted at the same tight areas.
Better, Not Bigger
The so-called Madrid Report, a university study funded by Next Biometrics (a Synaptics competitor), concluded that the bigger the area of the sensor, the more accurate it will be because the reader can pick up more data points from the fingerprint pattern.
This seems to make intuitive sense. However, Synaptics said that the study was oversimplifying how fingerprint readers can obtain high accuracy, noting that there are more factors in determining accuracy than the sensor’s area alone. Synaptics said that the design of the sensor array and the design of the end-product are also important, as is the software used in combination with the sensor.
Also, starting with Android 6.0, Google is requiring OEMs to use only fingerprint sensors that have a false acceptance rate no higher than 1 in 50,000. That means any future fingerprint sensors that will be seen on the market should be at least as good, obviating the size/performance debate to an extent.
SentryPoint Security Suite: Isolation From The Host Processor
Alongside the FS4304, Synaptics also announced an advanced anti-spoofing security suite called SentryPoint, which the company claimed is the “industry’s highest level of secure biometric fingerprint authentication.” Synaptics said that its software can make the difference between a spoofed fingerprint and a real finger. The company achieves this by checking for the fingerprint’s “liveness.”
Synaptics’ SentryPoint also delivers enrollment and match in the sensor itself, which means the sensor is fully isolated from the application processor. It also comes with a cryptographic engine on the chip, a unique key generation module, TLS1.2 encrypted secure communications to the host, and a FIDO UAF authenticator.
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“Even if the host system is compromised by malware or other attacks, SentryPoint provides an added layer of protection for the user’s biometric data,” said Anthony Gioeli, vice president of marketing, Biometrics Product Division, Synaptics.
Synaptics’ Natural ID FS4304 sensor is already sampling, and it should be available in devices in Q3 this year. The company will be available at the Mobile World Congress next week for presentations to interested customers.
Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware. You can follow him at @lucian_armasu.
It's about time someone implemented that.Reply
The current implementation where the host software gets to see fingerprint data was possibly the worst idea ever conceived in security.


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The beer world is reeling with the latest big-deal brewery sale: Ballast Point is changing hands from Constellation Brands to Kings & Convicts Brewing, as VinePair reported on Tuesday.
Although details of the transaction were not public at press time, “[a]ccording to people familiar with the matter, prices as low as $100 million for the brand and brewery were in discussion,” Good Beer Hunting reports.
Constellation Brands, one of the world’s largest alcohol companies and third-largest seller of beer in the U.S. (Corona, Modelo, and Pacifico are among its beer brands), purchased Ballast Point for a record $1 billion in 2015. It was the largest craft brewery purchase in history.
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At the time, craft beer was booming. Ballast Point in particular was leading the pack with its pricey and popular IPAs, with 6-packs priced well above other similar craft brands and fans willing to pay the price. And so Constellation assumed Ballast Point would continue its upward trajectory as one of the beer industry’s most successful brands.
Unfortunately, that didn’t pan out. Sales sank. Production halved from nearly 400,000 barrels in 2016 to an estimated 200,000 in 2019. And in April 2019, Constellation closed several Ballast Point locations.
Now, Kings & Convicts, a little-known brewing company owned by industry outsiders from the outskirts of Chicago, intends to turn the ship around.
Seems like a lot of you are wondering who we are… our website has crashed! To learn more, try this link: https://t.co/rkywXUElHp
— Kings&Convicts (@KINGSnCONVICTS) December 3, 2019
Kings & Convicts co-founder and CEO Brendan Watters, a former hotel chain owner, says his company is “doing the opposite” of a conglomerate. “We’re saying, ‘Let’s bring it back to independence and innovation and see what happens,’” he told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday. He continued: “We will build up a new Ballast Point sales force and let the innovation go and get back to the roots. I think it just needs some love and focus and it’ll be fine.”
In other words, Watters claims, Kings & Convicts will fix Ballast Point with human capital and love of the brand.
I don’t buy it. Watters is the former owner of Boomerang Hotels, a group of small-town hotels including Settle Inn & Suites and GuestHouse International. He sold the chain in 2015. He and a group of investors co-founded Kings & Convicts in 2017, a brand he admits “most people in Chicago don’t know,” and that produces 600 barrels of beer annually from its single location in Highland, Ill. (A second location, in Wisconsin, is currently in planning.)
Watters also said he began talks to buy Ballast Point over a casual game of golf with a Constellation executive. He confirmed to the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday evening that one of the investors who helped close the deal — now the company’s largest — is Richard Mahoney, a wine industry bigwig and chairman of the board of The Wine Group, owner of such revered labels as Cupcake and Franzia.
Watters and his Kings & Convicts co-founders and investors are in it for the cash, not the love for craft beer. It’s more likely he saw an opportunity to make a quick buck, maybe by giving Ballast Point the boost it needs, but more likely with the intention to flip a floundering brand.
Ballast Point has long been lost at sea. Kings & Convicts’ purchasing the brand is not going to save it from drowning. Ballast Point can be bought and sold as many times as deep-pocketed investors are willing, but my prediction is it will fail.
White Claw and Coca-Cola Compete for Surge
No, we’re not talking about a surge in popularity or pricing — we’re talking about the literal word “surge.” Last week, Coca-Cola filed a complaint with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office regarding Mark Anthony Brands’ application to register “White Claw Hard Seltzer Surge,” and as-yet-unannounced product that the soda company claims infringes on its Surge brand of sodas.
According to the complaint, White Claw’s products are “highly similar and/or closely related to the goods for which opposer’s Surge mark is registered, and may be offered, at least in part, to the same or related classes of purchasers, distributed through the same or related channels of trade, and advertised and promoted through the same or similar media channels,” Brewbound reports.
It’s pretty legit. White Claw is obviously having a moment, but Coca-Cola was here first. (Surge has existed since the 1990s.) We’ll side with Coke on this one. But the bigger question is, what was White Claw’s plan for White Claw Surge? We’ll put our money on a bigger, boozier Claw, à la Four Loko Hard Seltzer.


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Talking about Honda cars that have the Type-R emblem, you could say they are cars that are oriented towards high performance and fast cars.
However, along with the rise of the electrification era, Honda also has to keep up with the times, even for Type-R cars. And Honda itself has its own way of presenting the Type-R model that will be fully electrified.
Quoted from Carbuzz, Managing Officer of Honda, Shinji Aoyama, said that the use of Solid-State type batteries aims to keep Type-R cars light. He said that Solid-State batteries are lighter in weight than other types of batteries and still fit the breath of Type-R which should be made as light as possible.
Honda CEO, Toshihiro Mibe said that the use of Solid-State batteries in Honda cars with the Type-R variant was adjusted to the character of the car. The Solid-Sate type battery is claimed not to heat up easily, making the cooling system on the Type-R electric drivetrain even more simplified in terms of size and weight.
Both Mibe and Aoyama say there are indeed drawbacks to using Solid-State batteries in Type-R cars. One of them is to reduce the fun-to-drive aspect that has become the hallmark of Honda cars with the Type-R emblem. However, they believe that compared to other types of batteries, Solid-Sate remains the logical choice for high performance-oriented car batteries.
Furthermore, Mibe said that Honda was also looking for the right technology and formula for the development of their Type-R car. “We are figuring out which gaps and directions we will choose in the future so that the electric car formula in our Type-R cars can be accepted in the market,” added Mibe. He hopes that the fun to drive aspect of the typical Honda Type-R will be maintained when migrating to a pure electric car later.
Honda itself has invested up to 310 million US Dollars for the development of this Solid-State model battery starting in 2024. Later the use of this Solid-State type battery will not be applied to all Honda car models in the future. Even so, the process of using this Solid-State battery is still in the process of testing which is still quite long.


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Months ago, the mere mention of bankruptcy in an article about Blockbuster would provoke seething responses from company reps. On more than one occasion, I received fuming messages from Blockbuster about how bankruptcy was a “worst-case scenario” that was nothing more than “a last resort.”
Now the worst case scenario has arrived. Rumors of Chapter 11 began to bubble in August, and Bloomberg reports that Blockbuster will file for bankruptcy Thursday. (And it’s now officially initiated “pre-arranged” Chapter 11 proceedings.)
We’ve already presented the best of Blockbuster’s bad metaphors. Here, we present a timeline of how the video rental giant fell.
1985: First Blockbuster store opens in Dallas.
1994: Viacom acquires Blockbuster for $8.4 billion.
1997: Reed Hastings returns Apollo 13 to Blockbuster six weeks overdue, and is dismayed by the $40 late fee.
1998: Reed Hastings founds Netflix.
1999: Viacom holds Blockbuster IPO, valued at up to $4.8 billion.
2000: Blockbuster declines several offers to purchase Netflix for a mere $50 million. Instead, the company inks a 20-year deal to deliver on-demand movies with Enron Broadband Services, a subsidiary of energy trading giant Enron.
2001: Enron files for bankruptcy amid accounting scandal.
2002: Blockbuster debuts Super Bowl ad starring the voices of Jim Belushi and James Woods, as a rabbit and a guinea pig. The company posts a $1.6 billion loss.
2003: Netflix posts first profit, earning $6.5 million on revenues of $272 million. Redbox launches a kiosk rental service.
2004: Blockbuster enters online DVD rental market. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings tells analysts in an earnings call, “In the last six months, Blockbuster has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at us.” The following day, Hastings receives a package from Blockbuster. Inside: a kitchen sink.
2005: Blockbuster launches a marketing campaign touting its new “No Late Fees” policy. Subsequently, 48 states launch investigations into the program, charging Blockbuster with misrepresenting its late fee policy to customers. Blockbuster settles for $650,000.
2006: Blockbuster, now valued at $500 million, surpasses its goal of two million subscribers for its online platform. Netflix reaches 6.3 million subscribers by December.
2007: Blockbuster hires new CEO Jim Keyes, formerly of 7-Eleven. Keyes decides to roll back the company’s Total Access plans. “Clearly our spending on that one channel was exceeding our returns,” he said during a company earnings call. After losing a half-million subscribers in the third quarter, Blockbuster announces it will no longer report its subscriber count.
2008: Blockbuster proposes buying struggling electronics chain Circuit City. Blockbuster soon withdraws its offer after it’s universally panned. Circuit City files for bankruptcy in November. Keyes also expresses doubt about Netflix in an interview: “I’ve been frankly confused by this fascination that everybody has with Netflix…Netflix doesn’t really have or do anything that we can’t or don’t already do ourselves.”
2009: Blockbuster rolls out Blockbuster Express, its kiosk system designed to compete with Redbox.
March 2010: Blockbuster touts 28-day exclusive window over Netflix for new releases. The company also reintroduces late fees, which had been costing the company $300 million in revenue annually.
May 2010: In an interview with Fast Company, Jim Keyes is asked whether Blockbuster’s financial troubles were due in part to Netflix’s success. “No, I don’t know where that comes from,” he says. Keyes denies his company is going bankrupt.
June 2010: Keyes compares Blockbuster to Apple, claiming that its On Demand service is the equivalent of the iMac.
July 2010: Blockbuster launches Droid X app. Blockbuster is de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange after shares hit all time lows.
August 2010: Though ailing from a debt of $900 million, Blockbuster’s head of digital strategy explains, “We’re strategically better positioned than almost anybody out there. Never in my wildest dreams would I have aimed this high.” Blockbuster adds video games to by-mail subscription plans for no additional cost, but neglects to mention that new releases will not be available for three months.
September 2010: Drowned in revenue losses of $1.1 billion, sources say Blockbuster plans to file for bankruptcy. The company is valued at just $24 million.


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Walgreens has announced the appointment of Rosalind (Roz) Brewer, a graduate of Spelman College, as the company’s newest Chief Executive Officer. When she begins her new role in March 2021 working at the company’s headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois, she will be the only Black woman to currently run a Fortune 500 company.
Walgreenspany’s newest Chief Executive Officer. When she begins her new role in March 2021 working at the company’s headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois, she will be the only Black woman to currently run a Fortune 500 company. has more than 9,000 locations and generates about $140 billion in annual revenue, and Brewer is the right person for the job. She brings a proven track record of leadership and operational expertise at multi-national corporations, with deep experience in strategic development, marketing, digital transformation and loyalty, innovation and technology, supply chain and store development.
She most recently served as Chief Operating Officer, Group President and member of the Board of Directors of Starbucks Corporation, where she has been instrumental in helping the company accelerate its growth strategy, expand its global reach and drive value for all of Starbucks’ diverse stakeholders.
Prior to joining Starbucks, Brewer served as President and CEO of Sam’s Club, the members-only warehouse channel of Walmart Inc. While there, she successfully grew membership, transformed merchandise and amplified the use of digital technology to enable a seamless shopping experience at scale, which led to sequentially improved comp sales.
Brewer earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College and attended Wharton’s Advanced Management Program and Stanford University’s Directors’ College. She is a former director of Amazon, Lockheed Martin and Molson Coors Brewing Company. She also chairs the board of trustees at Spelman College. She is currently ranked #27 on Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.


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Those hoping for big upgrades in terms of selfie capabilities when the iPhone 14 lineup launches later this year might be in for a treat, with a new report claiming that we can expect to see a new autofocus system being deployed.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted a report to Twitter this weekend saying that a new front-facing camera module is set to be provided by a combination of companies.
Genius and Largan are expected to provided lenses, while Sony will offer up the sensors. Both Alps and Luxshare are thought to be the companies that Apple has ready to provide the autofocus system.
“iPhone 14’s front camera will upgrade to AF (vs. the existing FF), significantly improving the selfie and video performance,” says Kuo via a Medium post. “The critical hardware upgrades include adding a VCM and upgrading to a 6P lens (vs. the existing 5P).”
Apple’s selfie cameras have remained largely unchanged for some time, at least in terms of the iPhone lineup. This addition of autofocus capabilities should make for improved shots all around.
Apple’s iPhone 14 is expected to be announced in or around September with a number of improvements including a 48-megapixel camera on the Pro and Pro Max variants. Those Pro models are also thought to be the first iPhones to offer an always-on screen as well, something that many Android devices have offered for years.