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Chip maker Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) reported mixed fourth-quarter results yesterday, and Intel stock dropped sharply in response to INTC’s report.
The company’s earnings beat analysts’ consensus estimate, but its revenue missed the consensus outlook. Intel’s data-centric business was weaker than expected, as the revenue growth of its Data Center Group slipped below 10%, after running at 20%-plus over the past several quarters. Moreover, the company’s Internet of Things revenues dropped year-over-year in Q4 after they grew for the first three quarters of the year. Finally, its gross margins fell meaningfully.
Worse yet, Intel provided really ugly Q1 and full-year guidance. After its revenue jumped by 13% in 2018, INTC provided 2019 revenue growth guidance of just 1%. The weakness will be led by its data-centric businesses, whose growth is expected to tumble to around 5% this year from 20% last year. Intel’s Q1 guidance, which calls for flat revenue growth and negative growth by the data-centric businesses, is even worse. Finally, the chip maker’s margins are expected to decline year-over-year in Q1 and in all of 2019.
Overall, Intel’s fourth quarter earnings report had a lot more bad news than good news, and that’s why Intel stock dropped more than 5% in the wake of the results.
But this decline of Intel stock is a buying opportunity. INTC stock is a long-term winner, and this is just a bump in the road.
Intel stock is dirt-cheap, and it has enormous exposure to growth sectors. The company looks well-positioned to beat expectations going forward. Headwinds are priced into Intel stock, while the sentiment towards it is dour.
In other words, Intel stock looks very well-positioned to head materially higher in 2019.
Continuous Growth Drivers Remain Strong
Perhaps the biggest negative takeaway from Intel’s Q4 report is that the company’s strongest growth driver (the datacenter market) is slowing dramatically. The company’s datacenter business had been growing at 20%-plus rates throughout all of 2018. It grew just 9% last quarter, and it’s expected to keep slowing next quarter and next year.
But this slowdown is ephemeral. It’s the result of near-term noise from a macroeconomic slowdown, especially in China, and global-semiconductor-capacity issues, which are hitting Intel’s cloud business particularly hard.
Those issues will eventually be fixed. The global semiconductor market won’t slow down forever (the long-term trend of that market has been up, up, and away since 1995), and semiconductor-capacity issues won’t stick around forever, either.
As a result, these headwinds will inevitably fade. When they do, Intel’s continuous growth drivers will become well-recognized and push Intel stock higher.
The continuous growth drivers underlying Intel stock are all AI and data-related, and they are very, very strong.
The datacenter market will continue to grow by leaps and bounds over the next several years as more data is collected, stored, and analyzed in the cloud by enterprises around the globe.
The IoT market is just starting to come into its own, and over the next several years, it will rapidly expand as internet connectivity is integrated into most consumer products.
AI end markets, like autonomous driving and voice assistants, are still benefiting from huge investments and will one day turn into massive businesses. Automation is just scratching the surface of its global potential. And, while the PC and smartphone markets aren’t growing by all that much, they probably won’t shrink anytime soon.
Overall, Intel stock still has multiple, strong, positive, long-term catalysts. Some noise is affecting Intel’s numbers right now due to factors outside of Intel’s control. Eventually, that noise will pass. When it does, continuous growth drivers will push Intel stock higher.
Intel’s Results Can Beat the Estimates
One of the best ways for a company to drive its stock higher is by delivering consecutive, beat-and-raise quarters. It looks like that is exactly where Intel is heading in 2019.
For all intents and purposes, it looks like INTC just issued conservative guidance. It projected just 1% revenue growth in 2019, versus 13% in 2018, while calling for data-centric revenue growth to slip from 20% to about 5%.
Those are massive slowdowns that likely won’t materialize. The global economy is cooling, but it’s still expected to grow by 3.5% in 2019, just 0.2 percentage points lower than 2018’s 3.7% growth rate. In a global economy that’s slowing by just 0.2 percentage points, it’s tough to see Intel’s growth rates dropping by 12 percentage points.
In other words, Intel can now easily beat analysts’ 2019 expectations. Intel’s management set the bar low due to various macroeconomic uncertainties. But those uncertainties will clear up over the next few months. Intel’s numbers will come in much better than expected, and Intel stock will rally.
The Cheapest And Most Stable Option in the Chip Space
In the semiconductor space, Intel is often mentioned alongside Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) given the overlaps among the three companies’ operating businesses and growth drivers. Yet, despite these comparisons, Intel stock is much cheaper and more stable than Nvidia stock and AMD stock.
For a chip stock with robust and broad exposure to AI and data related tailwinds, Intel stock is dirt cheap. Nvidia stock trades at over 20 times NVDA’s forward earnings. AMD stock trades at over 30 times its forward earnings. Neither of them has a meaningful dividend. That stands in stark contrast to Intel stock, which trades at 11 times its forward earnings and has an above-average, 2.4% dividend yield.
Meanwhile, Intel stock is significantly more stable and less risky than its peers, mostly due to the company’s large size, robust cash flows, and dominant market position.
Over the course of the last eight months of 2018, AMD stock went from under $10, to nearly $35, down to $16, back up to $24, down to $16 again, and back up to $20. During that same stretch, Nvidia stock went from $220, to nearly $300, down to $180, back up to $220, down to $140, up to $170, and down to $130.
Such wild gyrations are normal for AMD and Nvidia. But Intel stock never exhibits such volatility. Over the past eight months, Intel stock has bounced between $40 and $50.
Less volatility means less risk. As a result, Intel stock is not only the cheapest play on the data and AI revolutions, but the least risky, too.
Intel Stock Can Approach $60 in 2019
Intel’s fundamentals imply that Intel stock can approach $60 in 2019.
Driven by a mix of strong data-centric growth and tepid PC-centric growth, Intel’s overall revenue growth should trend around 2%-3% over the next five years, raising its annual revenue to $80 billion by 2023.
Meanwhile, Intel’s gross margins will trend slightly higher, due to its expansion into higher-margin-end-markets, like AI and automation. Also, Intel’s operating-spending rates should drop slightly due to its consistent revenue growth. This combination of gross-margin expansion and opex leverage should drive INTC’s operating margins towards 37% by 2023, versus the 34.5% operating margin that’s expected this year.
A 37% operating margin on $80 billion of revenue makes EPS of $5.75 seem achievable by 2023. Based on Intel stock’s historically normal forward multiple of 13 and a 10% discount rate, I arrive at a fiscal 2019 price target of more than $55.
The Bottom Line on INTC Stock
Intel stock dropped sharply after the company’s ugly fourth-quarter-earnings report spooked investors. But the spooky things about that report are all near-term in nature, and the company’s longer-term trends remain favorable. As a result, the weakness of INTC stock creates an opportunity to buy the cheapest, least risky chip stock with broad exposure to the AI and data revolutions.
As of this writing, Luke Lango was long INTC and NVDA.


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When you think stock photos, these days you likely think of crowd content web sites like iStockphoto or stock.xchng, rather than traditional, professionally sourced stock image companies like Getty Images (which actually owns iStockphoto) or Juperiterimages. Had things gone differently a year ago, however, the defining stock photo site might have been Flickr.
Flickr is currently the banner site for photo sharing, but users of the site are required choose a license that at the very least demands attribution (and generally limits use in some way) and selling photos isn’t facilitated. About a year ago at the end of 2007, however, there apparently existed a plan that would have changed that.
TechCrunch wrote today about a recent blog post by UX designer Sarah Cooper detailing her work on a cancelled 2007 project at Flickr called “Flickr Stock.” According to Cooper, “The concept of Flickr Stock was to create an online marketplace where existing Flickr users could offer photos for sale as well as purchase photos taken by others.”
The project was apparently abandoned, however, and in July of last year Flickr announced a partnership with Getty Images. Under the terms of that deal, Getty would identify talented Flickr members and approach them about selling their images via a Getty’s marketplace. The partnership is exclusive and invite-only — Getty’s editors control who gets to participate.
Supposedly, Flickr Stock would have been different and would have been open to all Flickr members. That sounds a lot better to us, and it likely would have been more profitable for Yahoo! — it certainly would have been more profitable for members. Though the financials of the arrangement between Flickr and Getty are unknown, there is a ton of money to be had in crowd produced amateur stock photography. iStock’s 2007 revenue was a healthy $71.9 million, of which $20.9 million was distributed to members in royalties.
iStockphoto has just 3.2 million photos for sale — Flickr has over 3 billion images in its galleries. Sure, a good portion of those are things that would never do for stock photos — vacation pictures, party snapshots, screenshots, etc. — but given that Flickr attracts more than its fair share of ultra-talented photographers, it’s a good bet that at least 0.001% of its photos are stock worthy. Likely, that number is a higher.
If 3 million sale worthy photos means greater than $70 million in revenue each year, Flickr might have passed on a gold mine by canceling Flickr Stock. Further, it would allow the hardcore Flickr users who add so much value to Flickr — many of whom pay for that privilege by upgrading to Pro accounts — to make a little back, and back up a few Brinks trucks to Flickr in process. Flickr Stock would be win-win for everyone (except Getty). Let’s hope Flickr reconsiders.
Cooper has removed her blog post, but you can still catch it in the Google cache. Also, be sure to check out our list of 15 stock photo sites where you can sell your photos.

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Association Rejects Bureau's Recent Allegations
OTTAWA, Sept. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) today offered the following statement regarding recent actions by the Competition Bureau regarding Common Short Codes. The Bureau's actions could disrupt the text message services, such as severe weather alerts, charitable donations, flight status updates or sports scores, on which millions of Canadian consumers depend. And equally as alarming, the Bureau's demands could significantly slow down - or even reverse - the deployment of e-commerce in Canada.
"It is most unfortunate that the Competition Bureau's actions could potentially impact the ability of Canadian consumers to access the text messaging services they have come to enjoy and rely on," said CWTA President & CEO Bernard Lord. "CWTA and our members will do everything we can to ensure our customers can continue to choose to access these services."
Every day, Canadians enjoy the convenience of text messaging services using Common Short Codes, with more than 700 such services in market at any time. These include charitable giving, news alerts, voting on popular television shows, weather updates, real estate services, public transit schedules, entertainment, contests, airline schedules, sports highlights, mobile content, personal banking, marketing, social network updates and parking payments, to name just a few.
Wireless carriers do not make or control the text messaging services, but instead they only manage the billing for the third-party creators and operators. There are strict standards governing how consumers register for Common Short Code services, and CWTA and the providers have proactively put in place a set of detailed requirements, including how third parties can advertise these services.
CWTA and wireless service providers believe it is essential that consumers be provided with clear and concise information before opting-in to text messaging services, as well as how to deal with unwanted messages. For this reason, CWTA implemented a requirement that third-party creators and aggregators of these services obtain consent from each customer in accordance with a double opt-in process before commencing service.
CWTA reached out to the Bureau last year seeking guidance about what possible remedies exist under the Competition Act for non-compliant advertising by companies utilizing Common Short Codes, and to offer any assistance CWTA could provide the Bureau in pursuit of such remedies.
It was CWTA's expectation that the Competition Bureau would welcome this proactive and collaborative approach to protecting consumers from misleading advertisers. While wireless carriers do not have the legal authority to collectively deal with companies that use misleading advertising, the Competition Bureau, as an enforcement body, does have that power if it chooses to exercise it.
We were therefore extremely disappointed to receive an ultimatum to either enter into a specific settlement agreement or face immediate litigation. When we sought instead to engage in productive dialogue with the Bureau, their response was to proceed with litigation. The unreasonable approach of the Competition Bureau will only serve to slow progress on an issue for which CWTA had already requested the Bureau's guidance.
The Competition Bureau is choosing to pursue a costly adversarial path that will ultimately yield no net benefit to consumers, while at the same time is refusing to pursue those advertisers who make the statements at issue and who are legally responsible for them. In fact, the Commissioner is trying to override Parliament by applying liability to the carriers and CWTA for the statements of others, where the law does not do so.
In addition, the Competition Bureau's unprecedented demand that CWTA and the wireless carriers accept liability for third-party advertisers could impede innovation and growth in e-commerce in Canada, which is in stark contrast to the Federal Government's own focus on growing the digital economy.
For their part, wireless service providers will take all appropriate measures to maintain services and choices for Canadians. We are asking the Competition Bureau to focus its efforts on working with CWTA and the wireless service providers to implement reasonable and actionable solutions that will help them protect consumers from misleading advertisers.
Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA)
CWTA is the authority on wireless issues, developments and trends in Canada. It represents cellular, PCS, messaging, mobile radio, fixed wireless and mobile satellite carriers as well as companies that develop and produce products and services for the industry. (www.cwta.ca)
SOURCE: CANADIAN WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION
For further information:
Marc Choma, CWTA
613-233-4888 ext. 207


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Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 22, 2013
Just over half (56%) of freelancers say their biggest complaint is the uncertainty of income that comes with the job. And 18% are tired of their family and friends thinking they don't have a "real job or are not busy," according to a survey by CreditDonkey.com, a small business credit card comparison and personal finance website.
The survey results reflect a realistic take on the financial struggles and realities of freelance professionals, who have grown in number since the most recent recession as companies laid off workers in high numbers and became wary of hiring full-time staff.
Survey Findings: http://www.creditdonkey.com/freelance-uncertainty.html
While freelancers complain about the uncertainty of income, the constant hustle, and problems getting paid, the vast majority – some 92% – say they are happy with their choice of freelancing.
- Nearly 1 in 3 became an independent contractor because of a desire to start their own business. 17% did it because they were laid off.
- When asked what they like the most about freelancing, 34% said the flexible schedule, 22% said the freedom, and 19% said being their own boss.
- Almost half – some 42% – said they provide some type of creative service. 30% provide operational support, such as administrative assistance. 20% provide marketing and 19% provide IT services.
From November 5 to November 27, 2012, CreditDonkey.com surveyed 424 independent contractors in the U.S., age 18 and over using multiple-choice questions and short-answer questionnaires.
CreditDonkey.com provides information on the credit issues, news, and trends facing entrepreneurs through proprietary market research and analysis. Visit our newsroom at http://www.creditdonkey.com/news.html to stay informed with credit card news, deals, reviews, and tips from CreditDonkey.com.


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|NPD: U.S. toy industry grows in 2015|
|Written by Taylor Berglund|
|Monday, 01 February 2016 12:11 PM America/New_York|
U.S. toy sales grew by 6.7 percent in 2015, according to retail sales data from The NPD Group. The toy industry generated $19.4 billion and marked one of the strongest performances the industry has seen in a number of years.
Content was a key driver behind the growth of the toy industry in 2015. Whether it be a movie (Star Wars, Jurassic World, Minions and Avengers), television show (Paw Patrol), app (Minecraft) or a strong YouTube following (Shopkins), all of these properties with ties to content were top contributors to the growth of the category. Movies in total outperformed the market in 2015, growing by 9.4 percent. With the early release of Star Wars toys on Force Friday, Star Wars managed to become the No. 1 property for the year, with over $700 million in sales. It also brought in more sales and contributed more growth than Jurassic World, Minions and Avengers combined.
Juli Lennett, U.S. toys industry analyst for The NPD Group, commented on the growth.
“The toy industry had an incredible year and, as is typically the case, there isn’t one reason,” Lennet said. “There were a number of factors coming together to grow the industry nearly 7 percent in 2015.”
Nine of the 11 super-categories posted gains in 2015. Games/Puzzles and Vehicles grew the fastest at 10.8 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively, followed by Building Sets and Outdoor & Sports Toys. Outdoor & Sports Toys and Dolls had the largest dollar gains, followed by Building Sets and Infant/Toddler/Preschool Toys. Star Wars was the No. 1 absolute dollar growth contributor to three of the super-categories: Action Figures, Vehicles and All Other Toys.
With Christmas falling on a Friday in 2015, consumers had one extra day to shop in the week compared to last year. As a result, the week of Christmas (Dec. 20-26) grew 25 percent, and its growth was larger than all the other weeks in Q4 combined. The week of Christmas also represents 8 percent of all toy sales for the year, and is the second-most important week of the year for the toy industry—the week before Christmas being No. 1 at 8.5 percent, illustrating the importance for retailers to stay well-stocked until Christmas Eve.
NPD also announced that the best-selling toy of 2015 was the “Shopkins 12-pack Assortment” from Moose Toys.
“What was especially interesting to see this year among the top 10-selling items was the wide diversity of toys from simple to complex,” Lennett said. “In addition, among the top toys were evergreen properties like Hot Wheels, Barbie, Star Wars and Ninja Turtles as well as relatively new properties like Shopkins, Paw Patrol and Minecraft. Price points were also wide ranging, from under $1 to over $150.”


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Amazon is set to bring its palm-swiping technology to Colorado’s famous concert venue Red Rocks Amphitheater.
According to the Associated Press, this marks the first time the technology, known as Amazon One, will be used outside the company’s stores, which consumers use to pay for things by simply swiping their palms.
To sign up for a ticketing service, concertgoers will have to hover their fingers over the device beginning Tuesday.
According to the AP technology is free and you don’t have to create an Amazon account.
For those who want their palms to be scanned, there will be a separate lane at the concert venue.


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It gets up to 40 kilometers a liter under Japanese tests, which translates to more than 93 mpg, a 20 percent improvement from the 2015 model. In the U.S., its gets 55 mpg in combined city and highway driving, about 10 percent better.
The fourth-generation Prius goes on sale in Japan in December, and rolls out in the U.S. and other markets early next year. A price was not announced.
Toyota Motor Corp. disclosed details of the 2016 Prius at a Tokyo showroom Tuesday. It was shown at the Las Vegas auto show last month, but the Japanese automaker didn't release details then.
Toyota to launch new Prius from year-end, starting in Japan


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It is reported that at the beginning of this year, household appliances, kitchen appliances, furniture, sanitary ware, building materials and other enterprises collectively raised prices by 5-12%, setting off the first wave of price hikes. In June, as raw material prices continued to rise, many companies announced an increase in product prices. After a lapse of three months, paper, rent, labor and other cost prices once again ushered in a small peak, the industry's another round of price hikes will come!
In recent months, in addition to the continuous increase in the prices of raw materials such as waste paper, nickel and copper, the cost of factory rents and labor has also increased, and the operating costs of enterprises have further increased.
18 paper companies raised the price of waste paper since August
On August 3, the Ministry of Finance issued a $60 billion list of tariffs, levied a 5% tariff on wood pulp, and imposed a 20% tariff on household paper, specialty paper, some cultural papers, and paper products. As the volume of imported waste paper continues to shrink, the supply of domestic raw materials is insufficient, and the domestic waste paper gap will be further expanded. The rise in prices of raw materials such as solid waste and wood pulp has further spurred the rise in paper prices.
Since August, a total of 18 paper companies have adjusted the recycling price of waste paper. Seven of them have adjusted upwards by 100 yuan per ton, and five have adjusted upwards twice. In addition, Chenming Paper, China Paper, Tianhe Paper, Sun Paper, APP and other more than 10 companies have issued price increases, starting in September, the price will increase 200-300 yuan / ton.
In terms of metal nickel, some experts said that due to the recent destocking of stainless steel, the price of stainless steel has increased greatly, and the home appliance and kitchen appliances industry, which are mainly made of steel, will have a significant impact.


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Finnish food packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki has decided to initiate the process to divest its operations in Russia. This follows an earlier decision to stop all investments in Russia at the outbreak of the invasion of Ukraine. Huhtamaki considers that the current evolution of the situation and the long-term outlook in Russia will prevent the realization of its growth strategy and long-term ambitions in the country. Huhtamaki will continue to prioritize investments that capture the significant growth opportunities in the rest of the world, in line with its global ambitions and 2030 Strategy.
Huhtamaki has four manufacturing units in Russia, employing approximately 700 people and has successfully supported global and local customers over the last 30 years. The net sales in Russia represent approximately 3% of the Group’s total net sales.
Huhtamaki will explore the market for potential buyers and will maintain its operations during this transitional period, subject to supply chain availability, to meet its contractual and regulatory obligations and to safeguard employees and customers.
Smurfit Kappa Group plc has decided to exit the Russian market. The Group has already suspended support for its Russian operations including any imports and exports and any short or long term funding.
“This exit will be effected in an orderly manner, during which we will continue to pay our employees and fulfil our legal obligations. Our Russian business represents less than 1% of forecasted sales,” the Company said in the press release.
Smurfit Kappa is a leading company in the production of paper-based packaging.


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New Zealand needs to develop more infrastructure to make travelling the country in electric vehicles easier, according to a recent research project.
The five-month trial research involved two Parisian tourists travelling more than 13,000km to 45 destinations across New Zealand in a prototype electric campervan.
JUCY co-founder and COO Dan Alpe said that while the tourists managed to travel most of the country, the experiment also revealed shortcomings in the country’s electric vehicle infrastructure.
“One of the key findings of the trial was that in some parts of the South Island there are long distances in between vehicle charging stations which our current battery range can’t easily traverse.
“For example, there are no campgrounds between Blenheim and Kaikoura, let alone any charging facilities and only two fast-charging stations in the entire West Coast.
“This meant the tourists had to stop every 100kms to charge for five hours and, in a number of cases had to knock on the door of a private household to ask to charge their vehicle overnight.
“There was also a significant cost variation in the cost to power the battery each time, with one campground wanting $45 just to charge the vehicle – compared to a $5 to $10 at most fast charging stations around the country.
“International tourists come to New Zealand expecting to find a country which has embraced a sustainable philosophy and it is clear that more work needs to be done for us to meet these expectations,” he said.
JUCY is working alongside academics to produce new electric campervans, and the tourism company has paid attention to the results of the research in their developments.
“The trial data showed us there are some key areas we need to focus on, including reducing the weight of the vehicle and increasing the capacity of the battery to allow us to get 200 km from each charge.
“Our collaboration with industrial design specialists at Massey University will see us completely redesign the interior and exterior of our campervans using new materials which are lighter and more aerodynamic.
“We will also be looking at the integration of solar panels and developing more advanced battery technology to find new ways to get more distance from each charge – without travellers having to compromise on features such as air conditioning to conserve power.
“There is also a significant educational role to be undertaken about electric vehicles – particularly among campgrounds and tourist centres who need to understand the importance of EVs in the future of New Zealand tourism.”


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There is a lack of trust between startups and enterprises, which are hindering the success of both parties in Australia, according to a group of venture capitalists, startups, and KPMG representatives.
Latest from Aimee Chanthadavong
Bitcoin company Digital CC is all cashed up to accelerate the roll out and commercialisation of its AirPocket product in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has expressed disappointment in the amount of students taking up STEM education, days after the release of Australia's 2015 Budget, which made no specific details of how the government will be supporting STEM learning.
The Fintech 100 list by KPMG and H2 Ventures has predicted that global fintech investment is expected to jump 66 percent to over $20 billion in 2015.
Dell ANZ managing director Angela Fox has outlined that access to capital, talent, and technology will further boost entrepreneurship in Australia.
Freelancer has reported that cash receipts came in at AU$12.8 million for the first quarter of the 2016 financial year, despite a stronger Australian dollar and fewer business days.
The Australian Taxi Industry Association (ATIA) has urged the Competition Policy Review to revise the taxi industry's competition regulations, with belief that some governments have already failed to exercise appropriate powers.
Following the report that a woman was allegedly raped by an Uber driver in New Delhi, Uber has decided to suspend operations until it completes a review of its service.
Uber is looking to formally establish itself as an e-commerce company that provides smartphone applications in Indonesia to avoid legal hurdles that may come out of a current police investigation into the company's operations.
Startup Victoria, a not-for-profit organisation, has been launched to strengthen Victoria's ICT technology sector by assisting technology entrepreneurs with their ventures in terms of venture capital, marketing, and product development.


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(Pineville, N.C.) — It has been a few weeks since a man was shot and killed at Carolina Place Mall in Pineville, but shoppers and employees say they’ve been relatively unaffected by the violence.
Khali Amir Holmes, 24, of Charlotte, died Jan. 13 after he was shot by an employee of the store DTLR, according to police.
DTLR is a “lifestyle retailer of street-inspired footwear, apparel and accessories,” according to the Carolina Place website.
The shooter, whose name has yet to be released, turned himself in shortly after the shooting, police said, and no charges have been filed.
“I had an employee shoot someone inside the store,” said a DTLR employee during a 911 call. “Somebody came in the store and started fighting and they got shot.”
Investigators believe Holmes and the shooter had an ongoing dispute before the altercation and the shooting was not a random act of violence.
Regardless, those who visit and work in the mall say they aren’t overly concerned about the incident.
“That shooting could have happened anywhere,” said Erin Daniels, a Winthrop University student who frequents the mall.
“No one is guaranteed safety when they go anywhere,” she said. “I’m not going to hide from certain places, like the mall, just because a shooting took place.”
“At first I wasn’t sure what was going on. They pretty much just said that there was an incident and we didn’t know it was a shooting until we got home,” said Collyn Sheaffer, who was shopping at the mall when the shooting occurred.
Only a portion of the mall was closed off, he said, while police were investigating the scene.
“We were still able to shop around, so we didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” said Sheaffer.
Lauren Travis, an employee at Carolina Place Mall, said managers at the mall have informed their employees of the shooting, but many of them haven’t gone over specific procedures.
“I know most malls do active shooter drills, but I’ve never done one,” said Travis, who has worked at the mall for over three years.
Weapons, including firearms, are strictly prohibited inside Carolina Place, according to the mall’s code of conduct on its website.
While no charges have been filed against the shooter, police said that could change as the investigation continues.


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Henry Dimbleby, who is leading the independent review into the National Food Strategy, is calling for evidence as a way to ‘gather inspiration to help us transform the food system’. Read the full article here.
Henry Dimbleby writes for the Economist Intelligence Unit Food Sustainability Index on Ideas to Transform England’s Food System
In the UK, the food system provides jobs for one in seven of the population. Much of this is made possible by a free market that performs a million daily miracles: producing, exporting, importing, processing and serving up a dazzling variety of reasonably priced foods in an abundance unimaginable to previous generations. But in the […]


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How does a small West Kootenay clothing store become a social media sensation literally overnight?
All it takes is a little creativity from staff and a “Hot Boss”.
JJ’s Fashions in Trail has attracted over 1.2 million followers and over 22.7 million “Likes” on video-sharing app TikTok, the latest and most popular social media platform.
“Our personal accounts have blown up too,” said JJ’s hot boss Rhylan Streloff. “I think mine is at 157,000, the store’s Instagram had 800 followers when we started, it now has 67,000. So it’s been pretty crazy.”
JJ’s, like many local businesses, had been hit hard by the pandemic, so in October, store employees Madicyn Dobie and Paige Witt decided to combine fashion with fun and create a post of two young employees swooning over their obliviously handsome boss.
They convinced Streloff to play along and Dobie filmed and edited a short 15-second video of the two young women popping to the Jack Harlow tune “Whats Poppin” in an effort to get their Hot Boss’ attention.
The video’s success was unexpected.
“He wanted to take the first video we made down,” said Dobie. “Then we woke up the next day and it had three million views.”
Streloff was a little self-conscious and concerned at first, but soon the popularity and growing number of followers helped ease any reservations.
“It was funny, but I was worried because it was a little edgy, and I am always worried about what people think, but in the end we are just having fun,” said Streloff.
And as for the term “Hot Boss?”
“It’s a little strange for me, but I just have to take it as a joke, and have fun with it. Even the coffee bar across the street, they write it on my coffee cup.”
The JJ’s team collaborates on all their videos.
Dobie’s editing skills are impressive and the videos promote the home-grown Kootenay-Life line of clothing, as Madi and Paige struggle mightily to get noticed.
The exposure proved a big help in launching JJ’s online website, and while it hasn’t yet proved a huge financial windfall, its social media reach is off the charts with over 100 million views so far.
“That [the pandemic] was the reason I didn’t take it down, and we kept doing this,” explained Streloff. “At any point we could be shut down and our business has been affected so to get an online store going, and building a following this way, at least we know we have the backup and a little revenue coming in.”
JJ’s has been in business for 37 years, started by Rhylan’s grandmother in Castlegar and continued by his father. Rhylan took over the business after working for 10 years in the oil and gas industry.
Dobie has worked at JJ’s for the past three years, and is a nursing student at Selkirk College with an affinity for social media. Her own Instagram followers boast over 15,000, so collectively the store’s online profile is exploding.
The attention from outside the Kootenays is also growing, both in demand for product and for interviews. Streloff has been contacted by numerous news outlets, including a British newspaper.
“It’s so cool, you hear businesses like to give people freedom to create and everything and it all expands, and that’s all we did,” said Streloff. “We tried to have a relaxed attitude and let Maddy do her thing, and the next thing we know we’re blowing up on social media platforms, so it’s pretty cool to watch.”
In Canada, TikTok doesn’t pay its successful influencers like they do in the U.K. and the U.S.A. using Creator Funds.
Not yet anyway.
Streloff says that may happen in late 2021 or 2022. For now, there are in-app purchases for users to buy and gift to content creators, who can later turn the gifts into money.
“If we had this account in the States or the UK we’d be making a significant amount of money, which is unfortunate,” added Streloff. “But when we do ‘lives’ people give us gifts, so there is a little bit of money there, and there’s a few platforms that have reached out.”
Streloff is all-in going forward, although he would like to see the focus shift more to promoting the clothing and customers.
“But then we probably wouldn’t get as many views,” he noted.
As for Madicyn, she’s thrilled with the results, neither anticipating the incredible exposure for JJ’s, nor their growing status as TikTok influencers.
“We’re literally ecstatic,” said Dobie. “When we hit one million followers, we were freaking out. We’re from Trail, and it’s such a small town and a small area so for anyone whether a business or anything.
“For a million people to follow you when you’re from such a small area - it’s insane.”
Check out the TikTok videos yourself or go to www.jjsfashions.com


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According to the press release, "We have always been passionate about making great entertainment accessible to everyone, and the new price for PSP, as well as the continued growth of the 'Greatest Hits' library, reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting and expanding the PSP community," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We are pleased that we are able to engineer savings for the consumer at this stage of PSP's lifecycle, allowing more individuals to experience PSP for the first time. In particular, we have recently seen a steady rise in the number of teens adopting PSP as their primary handheld entertainment system, and we expect the new price will accelerate that trend."
Sony also reminds players that the future of PSP is quite bright, especially with the upcoming God of War: "Ready At Dawn couldn't be more pleased with our success bringing Daxter to the PSP platform last year, and now we have another opportunity to blow away expectations of what a developer can accomplish on a portable when Kratos hits the 'small screen' in God of War," said Didier Malenfant, co-founder and president, Ready At Dawn Studios. "PSP is an ideal platform for us to work on because we have a high level of freedom to be creative, and we can deliver gameplay experiences that rival ones you'd get from a computer entertainment system."
[Update: According to Engadget, the PSP Entertainment Pack will also receive a $30 cut, from $250 to $220.]


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Nvidia has developed what it calls “the perfect starter recipe” in plans to help original design manufacturers boost AI cloud computing for hyperscale data centres.
In doing this, Nvidia has set up a partner program which will provide each manufacturer with early access to the new Nvidia HGX reference architecture, GPU computing technologies and design guidelines.
The HGX reference design is built to enhance high-performance, efficiency and scaling requirements that are unique to hyperscale cloud environments.
HGX is powered by eight Tesla GPUs and Nvidia’s NVLink interconnect technology, which enabled to be deployed in existing data centre racks around the world using hyperscale CPU nodes.
Ian Buck, GM of Accelerated Computing, Nvidia said: “Accelerated computing is evolving rapidly- in just one year we tripled the deep learning performance in our Tesla GPUs- and this is having a significant impact on the way systems are designed.
“Through our HGX partner program, device makers can ensure they’re offering the latest AI technologies to the growing community of cloud computing providers.”
Nvidia says that 10 of the world’s top 10 hyperscale businesses are currently using Nvidia GPU accelerators in their data centres.
Also, HGX is the same design used in Microsoft’s Project Olympus, Facebook Big Basin Systems and Nvidia’s DGX-1 AI supercomputers.
The Nvidia Tesla P100 and V100 GPU accelerators are both compatible with HGX, which offers users with immediate upgrades of all HGX-based products once the expected V100 GPUs become available later in the year.
IBM Cloud recently made Nvidia’s Tesla P100 GPU accelerator available on cloud, enables companies to have near to instant access to Tesla P100.
With the addition of the HGX architecture, it offers benefits for cloud providers that are looking to host the new Nvidia GPU Cloud platform.
This manages fully integrated and optimised deep learning framework containers like Caffe2, Cognitive Toolkit, MXNet and TensorFlow.
Taiyu Chou, GM, Foxconn said: “Early access to Nvidia GPU technologies and design guidelines will help us more rapidly introduce innovative products for our customers’’ growing AI computing needs.”


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BHS is to expand its food offering with two new contracts and will hire 250 new staff as it seeks to reassure the industry about its future.
New BHS owner Retail Acquisitions has signed a deal with food wholesaler Booker Group to help expand its convenience food offering to a further 20 stores, a move it believes will create 250 jobs.
The expansion comes after the “successful piloting” of a convenience food offering in Romford, Staines and Warrington.
Retail Acquisitions has also struck a deal with Compass that will see the food service provider take over the operations of all its cafes and restaurants as part of a “multimillion-pound” project.
BHS chief executive Darren Topp said: “These two strategic deals mark the start of a new journey for BHS. We aim to surprise consumers with an expanded range of products and services and to return this iconic and very British brand to the hearts of people across the country.
“This frees up my team to focus on what we do best: sourcing and selling great home products and clothing at great prices, while allowing BHS to expand into the new areas.”
BHS was acquired by Retail Acquisitions a month ago after being sold by Sir Philip Green for £1.
The Compass and Booker deals come shortly after it was claimed that suppliers to BHS have had credit insurance withheld or slashed.
Some of the company’s biggest suppliers have had their cover reduced or halted altogether since BHS was taken under new ownership, reports The Telegraph.


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1inch teams up with Unstoppable Domains to enable users to use human-readable domain names when buying or sending crypto assets
We covered 1inch back in August after the DeFi tech startup joined forces with KuCoin Wallet to launch its native swap feature. 1inch is a distributed network for decentralized protocols on Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Optimistic Ethereum, Arbitrum, Fantom, and Gnosis Chain.
Since our last story, the 1inch team has been busy working on new a feature to enable its wallet users to enter human-readable domain names when buying or sending crypto assets, just so they can perform transactions more easily.
Today, 1inch announced it has partnered with Unstoppable Domains to allow 1inch Wallet users to perform transactions in a more user-friendly way by replacing complex addresses with domain names.
Driven by a mission to encourage mass adoption of DeFi products through improving user experience, the 1inch Network is thrilled to announce a partnership with Unstoppable Domains, an NFT domain name provider and digital identity platform.
Previously, users had to interact with lengthy alphameric crypto wallet addresses. From now on, they will enjoy the new option of replacing those complex addresses with straightforward names.
Where do these names come from? Once purchased, the crypto wallet address name, provided by Unstoppable Domains, belongs to its holder forever since it is minted as an NFT on the blockchain with no minting and no renewal fees. An NFT domain can be more than a payment address for wallets, providing a universal decentralized digital identity and serving as a unique username across apps and platforms. When creating usernames for crypto, users have a great choice between different endings like NFT, Wallet, Crypto, X, DAO etc.
So, in order to transact with crypto, the 1inch Wallet users will now enter an address name looking like Andy.wallet or Money.crypto or any other creative yet simple word combination chosen as a user domain. Such domains also increase transaction security by thorough address checking and preventing sending errors.
1inch always strives to improve the user’s transaction experience, among other things, by collaborating with cutting-edge DeFi projects. In line with this strategy, the usability of sending or receiving crypto doubles within the 1inch Wallet using domain resolution.
“The issues of user experience, security, and identity are still holding back Web3 mainstream adoption,” says Sergej Kunz, 1inch Network co-founder. “The partnership with Unstoppable opens up opportunities for overcoming these barriers by making Web3 onboarding more fun and attractive, while users will also benefit from a user-friendlier way of transacting,” he adds.
“The 1inch wallet is a DeFi lover’s dream, and Unstoppable is helping make it even easier for DeFi enthusiasts to manage their finances and own their identity on Web3,” said Sandy Carter, SVP and Channel Chief at Unstoppable Domains. “We’re thrilled to partner with 1inch to make transacting with, accessing, and buying crypto simpler and more intuitive than ever.”
Founded in 2018 and considered to be among America’s Best Startup Employers in 2022, according to Forbes, Unstoppable Domains is the number one provider for NFT domains. With a mission of facilitating Web3 navigation, it provides handling digital identities and creates understandable crypto domain names.


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I&M Bank (Rwanda) PLC delivers a 45 percent growth in Profit Before Tax on the back of continued investments in digital solutions for its customers.
In line with the favorable momentum in the local economy, the Bank has reported profits before tax of RWF 8.3 Billion for the first nine months of 2021, up from RWF 5.8 Billion recorded in the same period last year.
Commenting on the financial results, Mr. Robin Bairstow, the CEO of I&M Bank (Rwanda) PLC said: “Our results highlight our efforts in improving our digital infrastructure in line with our strategy and aspiration to be Rwanda’s leading financial partner for growth. We will continue building state-of-the-art digital platforms and growing the MSME sector which significantly supports the Rwandan economy.”
The full Q3 2021 press release is available here.


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Ashley and Luke Norman, who run Lawn Enforcers, had £1,000 worth of equipment stolen from their van at the Bilston branch of B&Q on Thursday.
The theft included a mower, two strimmers and a post hole borer.
The pair parked in in the area where tradesmen load their goods, but when they entered the store to pay for their supplies, the thieves struck.
As there was no CCTV coverage in the trade section of the car park, police told the pair that there was little they can do.
Ashley, 29, from Coseley, said: “I parked in the trade section.
“While I was inside, the stuff was taken. I just want to make people aware.


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Ontario’s Illicit Cannabis Shops Are Thriving, But New Regulations Could Soon Put An End to Them
Last week, Ontario issued its first 25 private cannabis retail licences through an independent lottery system.
While the licences have been divided regionally, it is expected that these 25 stores will have to service Ontario’s entire population of 14 million (to put that in perspective, there are currently 24 retail locations in Newfoundland and Labrador, which has a population of 526,702).
Back in August, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government announced its intention to adopt a private retail system for selling cannabis, abandoning its plans for a public mode.
In response to this news, several cannabis entrepreneurs began investing in new ventures that they hoped would be included in this initial roll-out. Unfortunately, rampant supply shortages have caused the province to become exceedingly stingy with their licences, and slow to reform, leaving several businesses leaders high and dry, losing money as they wait for their name to come up.
“I think the people applying and complying are feeling stressed,” cannabis entrepreneur Abi Roach, who heads the Cannabis Friendly Business Association, told Civilized. “The people operating in the gray market are conducting swift business these days.”
These “gray-market” shops — storefronts illegally selling medical marijuana — continue to operate in Ontario, to little opposition. Considering these locations aren’t, strictly speaking, legal, they don’t face the same regulatory concerns that those attempting to legitimize might face.
Additionally, with so few retail licences being issued in this initial round, Roach adds that there is some concern that the stores that are allowed to open first have the opportunity to corner the market, creating a monopoly that would make it difficult for new businesses to stake their claim.
With these issues in mind, what incentive do gray-market stores have to close shop and try and place their bid for a piece of the legal cannabis pie?
According to Brian Gray, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General, the pressure will soon be on for illegal dispensaries that have chosen to remain open, as doing so could net them some serious fines and jail time.
“The province will contribute $40 million to municipalities over two years to help with enforcement costs related to keeping their communities safe,” Gray told Civilized.
The penalty, he said, for corporations that allow illegal cannabis to be bought or sold on their property is a maximum fine of $1 million dollars and/or two years in prison for a first conviction.
He added that prior convictions would also prevent these business owners from entering into the legal industry at a later date, as they could become ineligible for any number of transgressions under the new Cannabis Licence Act.
Some of the offences cited by Grey that would render a person ineligible for a licence include a previous association with organized crime, the sale of cannabis, including selling unapproved cannabis products and accessories; purchasing product from a person other than Ontario’s authorized wholesaler and non-compliance with certain tax statutes.
Gray asserted that that the current lottery model “will only be temporary,” until supply is sufficient enough to meet demand, and that if these gray-market sellers want to have any chance at all to legitimize, they will have to shut down immediately.
These scare-tactics do appear to be working — at least so far. According to government statistics, there has been an 89 percent reduction in illegal storefronts in Toronto, Ottawa, Peel and York, as well as a 44 percent reduction province-wide since October 16, 2018.
But, considering how the current cannabis shortage and customer dissatisfaction with Ontario’s online store has led to a continuing demand for alternatives, it’s doubtful the gray-market industry will disappear any time soon.


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Samsung Artik Cloud announced Monday a collaboration with T-Mobile to enable the launch of Breezie, an IoT solution for senior care. The collaboration with U.S. wireless provider T-Mobile to support Samsung Artik Cloud, will allow healthcare solution platforms to get to market faster and implement richer, connected services.
The Samsung Artik Cloud is part of the Samsung Artik Smart IoT platform that unifies hardware, software, cloud, security and partner ecosystems in a single offering so that enterprises and healthcare companies can reduce the time, cost and risk typically associated with the delivery of complex IoT solutions. Samsung Artik Cloud complies with HIPAA requirements.
Samsung Artik Cloud is an open data exchange platform for the Interoperability of Things (IoT). Artik Cloud provides easy-to-use, open APIs and tools to securely collect, store, and act on any data from any connected device or cloud service, and is designed to accelerate time to market and revenue of a new generation of IoT solutions and services.
Artik empowers developers with easy-to-use APIs and SDKs, extensive documentation and rich tools. It hides the complexity inherent in IoT behind open, enterprise-grade APIs. The smart IoT platform provides end-to-end security and data protection that starts at the hardware level, securely on-boards new devices, and extends to cloud and device interactions with the ecosystem.
By integrating Samsung Artik Cloud and T-Mobile, companies like Breezie don’t have to sacrifice interoperability with other connected devices and services. The onboarding and interoperability of Samsung Artik Cloud allows connected devices – such as Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, iHealth Feel Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor and the Pulse Oximeter – to communicate with each other.
Samsung Artik Cloud also offers a simplified development process that shortens time to market and enables healthcare solution platforms to focus on differentiation and innovation.
Breezie’s Samsung tablet-based platform simplifies the complexities of connected devices to improve care and services for elderly individuals, as well as support day-to-day lives and post-surgical recovery. Each Breezie interface has more than 40 preconfigured accessibility settings and sensor driven analytics to adjust for different levels of digital literacy, as well as physical and cognitive ability.
“We are proud that Breezie selected Samsung Artik Cloud and T-Mobile as their IoT solution partners,” said James Stansberry, senior vice president and general manager of Samsung Artik Smart IoT platform. “Through the Samsung Artik Cloud and T-Mobile platform, Breezie and other leading healthcare companies can utilize the power of the IoT to provide better healthcare services, improve the lives of patients and reduce costs.”
“Together, T-Mobile and Samsung Artik Cloud are removing the pain points in healthcare and IoT to deliver a market leading platform to customers,” said Doug Chartier, senior vice president of MVNO, IoT and national retail at T-Mobile. “By joining forces with Samsung Artik Cloud, we’ve streamlined the process for companies to bring their connected IoT solutions to market.”
Last month, Samsung added to its Artik ecosystem new partners as part of the Aartik End-to-End platform.
Axsys Automation is a one-stop customer engineering partner with an extensive background in embedded product development, cloud-based solutions, embedded software, and application software development. The company also provides complete turnkey manufacturing services from concept through production.
eInfochips is a product engineering and software R&D services company with an expertise in building end-to-end solutions with the Artik platform. From semiconductor, hardware, and embedded systems to software and testing, eInfochips provides valuable support to enable customers’ product vision from research, design, and deployment through product sustainment.
Mobiliya provides device-to-cloud software engineering and system integration services with specialization in the Internet of Things, enterprise software, embedded systems, security, augmented reality and automotive. To help Artik customers realize IoT solutions, Mobiliya extends its existing set of niche engineering capabilities ranging from cloud integration, data analytics to, among other things, building end user applications.


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This year is the textile industry, "Twelfth Five-Year P […]
This year is the textile industry, "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" ending of the year, "13th Five-Year Plan" preparation of the start of the year, it is proposed by the textile industry in 2020 to achieve "textile power" target mid-term assessment. In the industry as a whole slowdown, into the single-digit growth in the new situation, the textile industry how to force the high-end, to accelerate the pace of textile power?
Recently, the "Economic Daily" reporter to follow the China Textile Industry Federation, Zhejiang Research Group to Zhejiang Tongxiang, Haining, Zhuji, Yiwu and other textile industry started as early as fast development, transformation and upgrading of urgent tasks, visited a number of textile enterprises and industrial clusters .
Industrial textiles rapid rise
"Our products are very few people do come out of the international market competitiveness is very strong, the price is more expensive than similar foreign products." Haili in Zhejiang New Materials Co., Ltd. production workshop, general manager Wang Wei to the China Textile Industry Federation Vice President Gao Yong said.
Haili De is the country's largest polyester filament manufacturing enterprises, one of its high-quality polyester industrial filament is mainly used for tires, belts, airbags and other automotive fiber areas. Haili De rapid development in recent years, thanks to its accurate market positioning and a firm and clear development ideas.
"We specialize in the high-end market, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other international first-line car brand of fixed suppliers, sales of 2.3 billion last year." Gao Wei told reporters, Haley had also done conventional products, but found low-end market homogenization of competition Serious, so they timely adjustment of the product direction, to do only in the high-end. Haili that the high-end market, although the input large, high threshold, but the high quality requirements, high value-added products, customers are stable. Today, Haley's products in the international market already has the absolute pricing power.
The development of industrial textiles is an important step in the textile industry towards high-end. With the progress of science and technology, industrial textiles are gradually replacing steel, aluminum and other materials, and more and more powerful, applications are also expanding. At the same time, due to high technical content of industrial textiles, high value-added products. Therefore, the industrial textiles in China is defined as a new growth point of the textile industry, but also the current textile industry restructuring and transformation and upgrading of the main direction.
Statistics show that last year, in the textile industry to adjust the context of deceleration, China's industrial textile industry above designated size industrial added value grew 11.7%, higher than the textile industry growth rate of 4.7 percentage points; total profit increased 13.8%, higher than the whole Industry growth rate of 7.7 percentage points.
"Machine substitutions" to achieve a comprehensive upgrade
In the new Fengming Group production workshop, a white silk cake in a row of machines on the neat and fast rotation, the robot quickly and promptly move the packaging.
New Fengming is China's chemical fiber industry leading enterprises on behalf of the spinning industry, the scale of production capacity ranks the top three. "We can maintain this benefit, mainly through continuous investment to improve existing equipment, especially the implementation of the machine substitutions project, making the operating costs continue to decline." Zhuang Fenglong, chairman of the new Fengming Group, said machine replacement effect is obvious , Greatly improving the production efficiency and quality, but also to increase the income of employees, business management level.
As a traditional labor-intensive manufacturing industry, textile enterprises in recent years, the problem is becoming increasingly difficult recruitment, labor costs are increasing. In response to this situation, many companies began to take the machine substitutions. "Although the original intention is 'substitutions', but in fact it is the textile enterprises and industries to achieve structural adjustment and transformation and upgrading of one of the important means to bring the role of comprehensive, multi-faceted, because the textile industry structure through technological progress and upgrading Improve the quality of the labor force to achieve. "Gao Yong said that the textile industry machinery substitutions is the inevitable trend of industrial development. The next 5 to 10 years, this demand trend will become more apparent.
"One Place One Product" Promote Industrial Clusters
"Last year, we removed the illegal plant more than 400 million square meters, forcing you to change the 'family factory' model, to promote the textile industry from the family to the park-style upgrade." Zhejiang Province, Haining City Xu Village Party Secretary Zhu Weiqiang said.
Haining Xu Village is an important textile industry cluster, has long maintained a "family factory" mode of production. Since last year, Haining municipal government determined to vigorously rectify the dismantling of these illegal structures of production space.
In Zhu Weiqiang view, speed up the use of high-tech and advanced technology for the transformation of textile industry, accelerate the upgrading of industrial clusters, is the only way to expand and expand the textile industry Xu village.
Coincidentally, as the hometown of Chinese socks, Zhejiang Zhuji Datang is to promote brand strategy. "The authorities introduced a number of initiatives to implement the transformation project, the goal is to promote the Datang Hosiery to better enter the international market, while leading enterprises to create well - known brands, to achieve Datang socks industry to mention file upgrade. Zhuji City, said by the letter Yang Yungui.
It is an important foundation for China's textile industry, and it has played an important role for China to become a big textile manufacturing country. At present, the total textile industry cluster economy accounted for more than 40% of the total industry economy. In the current weak demand, raw material price fluctuations and other new situations, relying on industrial clusters to build brand, open up the market, has become the main way to the development of the textile industry.


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Kia and Hyundai cars to have integrated e-scooter for last-mile connectivity
Hyundai Motors announced that Kia and Hyundai cars will sport e-scooter for last-mile connectivity. The e-scooter has been designed to be lightweight (7.7kgs) compact and foldable. The concept was showcased at CES 2017, however, the prototype gets features such headlamps and tail lamps.
The scooter will be powered by a 10.5 Ah lithium battery which gives it a range of 20 kilometres and a top speed of 20 kmph. All the power is sent to the rear wheels, and the company also has plans to install regenerative braking that could increase the range by seven per cent. The e-scooter is equipped with suspension in the front.
DongJin Hyun, head of Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Team, said: "This is the vehicle-mounted personal scooter which could be featured in future Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. We want to make our customers' lives as easy and enjoyable as possible. Our personal electric scooter makes first- and last-mile commuting joy while helping to reduce congestion and emissions in city centres."
Starts Rs 4.98 Lakhs
Starts Rs 9.69 Lakhs
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Martin Green quotes Kleine Zalze’s Kobus Basson in a recent Off Licence News piece (read it here), making the point that:
“The challenge over the next 5-10 years is to sell more wine in that upper segment. That’s the only way forward. It’s strange to see the figures drop, but producers are happy to be selling more at the upper and middle levels. Chasing numbers is not sustainable.”
We agree with Kodus – and have been making this point for years now. Chasing numbers is not sustainable, not when you’re chasing numbers that equate simply to the volume of wine sold. That approach has done us no favours; and is partly to blame for the impression that South African wine producers are basically bulk exporters of cheap blending components.
Chase the right numbers, such as those you’ll see in the SA Wine Index, and you’ll soon be convinced that Kleine Zalze’s winemaker, Alastair Rimmer, has it right when he says “If managed correctly, the trajectory for South African wine should be to the stars.”


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Two pieces of post-E3 news paint a picture of a Sony with high hopes for the PlayStation 4. Following a well-received showing at the convention last week, Sony increased its sales projections for the next-gen console, the Wall Street Journal reports (via GamesIndustry). Further, Sony does not expect third party publishers to inflict any DRM on the console, despite them having the ability to do so, according to Polygon.
Sony answered several of the industry’s burning questions regarding used games and online policies during its E3 press conference last week. Its announcements that the PS4 supports used games and does not require an internet connection were met with near universal praise. It would be surprising if publishers didn’t take the hint from that and avoid any restrictions on the PS4, PlayStation senior vice president of Worldwide Studios America Scott Rohde told Polygon.
“Technically they could do something, but it’s the standard we’re setting that we believe is the right standard and I believe that’s the way it’s going to work,” Rohde said. “When Jack [Tretton, SCEA president and CEO, during the E3 conference], punch after punch after punch, and the house almost came down with all the cheers, [publishers] heard that. They heard it loud and clear and they saw the reaction to what our friends in green talked about. I think it’s pretty clear that we’ve set a nice precedent.”
Following that positive reception, Sony boosted its own internal sales projection for the console, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House told the WSJ. Specific numbers were left out of the discussion, but House predicted that “demand may well outstrip supply.” GameStop executives reportedly agreed. The question now is whether Sony can keep this momentum going through the holidays, as Microsoft is certainly plotting ways to turn the tide.
- Sony PlayStation 5: Here’s everything we know about the PS5 so far
- Xbox Series X vs. PS5: Here’s what we know so far about the consoles
- Sony to skip E3 for the second year in a row, despite PS5’s impending launch
- 5 big Xbox Series X questions we still have after The Game Awards
- Sony rumored to unveil PlayStation 5 in February, in line with PS4 timeline


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Shares of New Relic (NEWR 3.71%) tumbled on Wednesday after the cloud software company reported its fiscal first-quarter results. While New Relic beat analyst expectations across the board, the stock was down 26% at noon EDT today.
New Relic reported first-quarter revenue of $162.6 million, up 15.3% year over year and $3.65 million higher than the average analyst estimate. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.15, down from $0.19 in the prior-year period but $0.12 higher than analysts were expecting. The GAAP net loss nearly doubled to $0.50 per share.
Some of New Relic's numbers weren't so great. The company's dollar-based net expansion rate, which measures how much existing customers are expanding usage of New Relic's products, fell to 100% in the first quarter from 116% in the previous quarter. A 100% expansion rate means that customers aren't expanding usage at all on a net basis.
For the second quarter, the company expects to grow revenue by 12% year over year to a range of $163 million to $164 million. It expects adjusted EPS between a loss of $0.03 and a profit of $0.02.
New Relic announced a new iteration of its New Relic One platform last week, but at least two analysts are skeptical that the platform revamp will deliver for the company. J.P. Morgan downgraded the stock from overweight to neutral on Wednesday, citing a "radical change in strategy" that may or may not work out. Meanwhile, Rosenblatt dropped its price target from $65 to $60 due to meaningful transition risks.
While New Relic beat analyst expectations in the first quarter, it wasn't enough to prevent a steep decline for the stock. Including Wednesday's rout, shares of New Relic are down about 17% since the start of the year.


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In December 2017, when China's packaging paper factory opened the last round of price rises in the year, similar price rises were also in progress in distant Europe.
Earlier this month, DS Smith group was the first to announce a 50 euro/ton increase in the price of recycled fiber packaging sold in Europe.
Then Industria Cartaria Pieretti (ICP), an Italian firm, announced that the price of its packaging had risen by 50 euro/ton.
Last week, the price increase was also implemented in large enterprises. First sonoco-alcore S.A.R.L. announced that the price of all packaging cardboard sold in central Europe increased by 50 euro/ton after January 1, 2018.
This week, another big firm, Smurfit Kappa, announced plans to increase the price of packaging paper sold in all European markets by 60 euros/ton from January 15, 2018.
Since 2017, the demand for corrugated cardboard in the European market has expanded, while fiber materials and energy costs are rising. European prices have bounced back to their highs after falling in October. Industry experts predict that prices will rise strongly in the first quarter of 2018, reaching a record high. They also predict that in 2018, the global packaging market will be operating at a high price, driven by demand from e-commerce and environmental policies, and that prices are likely to hit new highs in different regions.
European packaging paper is driven by the Chinese market. In 2017, the European carton enterprises that have invested in factories in China have begun to consider more options to import the original paper from Europe.


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26/11 Stories of Strength
The Indian Express group marks the 4th edition of the 26/11 Stories of Strength commemorating the 11th anniversary of the Mumbai Terror attacks and 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi. The event is presented by Bajaj Group, powered by Hindustan Unilever, Facebook and Adani Group with Star as a broadcast partner. ‘The Indian Express 26/11 Stories of Strength’ will be telecast live from 5.30 pm onwards from the Gateway of India, Mumbai on Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
100 survivors from terrorist attack will be interviewed by The Indian Express sharing personal accounts about their experience during and after the incident that took place on 26/11.
Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express said, “It’s a passion project for me because I live in Bombay across the street from the Oberoi and know the affected. 99% of the news industry, including us, spends time covering the extremes. We have produced 100 survivors who are firmly moderate, who want to contribute to society. It is a great time to speak to the survivors on how they live the way Gandhi said, how Gandhi's thoughts are deeply embedded in our psyche.”
Speaking about the partners for the event, he said, “It is a difficult product but brands want to be associated. Brands have become virtually human beings and the consumer who has an affinity or opinion of a brand, would want to see them stand up for something. We have Unilever, Bajaj Group, Adani group, consumer facing brands want to support something like this to show solidarity.”


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“BlackBerry co-founder and former co-CEO Mike Lazaridis is considering taking a run at his former company with fellow co-founder Doug Fregin,” John Paczkowski reports for AllThingsD.
“According to a regulatory filing released Thursday, the pair are exploring a potential takeover bid for the struggling smartphone company, which is already entertaining a $4.7 billion offer from its largest shareholder Fairfax Financial,” Paczkowski reports. “Together, Lazaridis and Fregin hold an eight percent stake in the Canadian company — about 41.7 million shares — and are exploring “the possibility of submitting a potential joint bid to acquire” all of the BlackBerry shares they do not already own.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: An NHL team (in Timbuktu) would be a better investment. Call up Jimmy, he’ll jump at the chance.
Apple recruits employees from beleaguered BlackBerry – October 10, 2013
DCW Blackberry begins axing 4,500 employees – October 9, 2013
Beleaguered BlackBerry hit with shareholder class action lawsuit for misrepresenting state of company – October 5, 2013
Beleaguered Blackberry reports $965 million second quarter loss – September 27, 2013
T-Mobile USA stops stocking beleaguered BlackBerry’s phones – September 26, 2013
Amateur hour is over: Beleaguered BlackBerry sold to Fairfax Financial-led consortium – September 23, 2013
Beleaguered BlackBerry’s CEO calls Apple’s iPhone old news – March 18, 2013


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NEW YORK (AP) -- The energy world is not keeping up with Elon Musk, so he's trying to take matters into his own hands.
Musk, chairman of the solar installer SolarCity, announced Tuesday that the company would acquire a solar panel maker and build factories "an order of magnitude" bigger than the plants that currently churn out panels.
"If we don't do this we felt there was a risk of not being able to have the solar panels we need to expand the business in the long term," Musk said Tuesday in a conference call.
Musk is also a founder and the CEO of the electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors, which is planning what it calls a "gigafactory" to supply batteries for its cars.
In both cases, Musk's goal is to make sure that the components critical to his vision of the future — electric cars and solar energy — are available and cheap enough to beat fossil fuels.
Musk's future customers could ignore traditional energy companies completely. They would have SolarCity panels on their roof that would generate enough power to also charge up a Tesla in the garage. A Tesla battery could then power the home at night with stored solar power.
It's a far-off vision — solar power is still much more expensive than conventional power, even before the enormous cost of a battery backup. And electric cars are less than 1 percent of the total auto market. But Musk has made a career of thinking far into the future. He is also the CEO of SpaceX, the rocket company with an ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.
SolarCity, based in San Mateo, California, is one of the nation's largest installers of rooftop solar systems. It was founded and is now run by Musk's cousins, CEO Lyndon Rive and Chief Technology Officer Peter Rive. The company also offers financing for solar systems, and last year it bought a manufacturer of mounting systems used to hold panels in place.
The acquisition of Silevo is a risk for Musk and SolarCity because it gets the company into panel manufacturing at a time when a global glut of panels has decimated the profits of panel makers. Some, including onetime industry leader Suntech Power, were forced into bankruptcy. Others were forced into solar development and installations, the kinds of things SolarCity already excels at.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. SolarCity shares were up almost 14 percent in midday trading Tuesday.
SolarCity says it won't try to turn out more of the garden-variety panels now clogging the market. Instead, it wants to make panels that are more efficient, and make them at a low cost in huge factories in order to reduce the overall cost of solar electricity. Silevo's relatively complex panels generate more power per square foot than typical panels.
SolarCity said it is negotiating with the state of New York to build what would be among the biggest factories in the world in the next two years. It would manufacture enough panels each year to produce 1 gigawatt of peak power — roughly enough panels to outfit 200,000 homes with a typical-sized rooftop system.
That would be "just a start," Musk said. Future factories would produce 10 gigawatts worth of panels.
And these panels wouldn't even look like typical solar panels, he said. Just as he drew customers to electric vehicles by making sleek, fast sports cars, Musk wants to attract homeowners to solar with pretty panels.
"We want to have a cool-looking aesthetically pleasing solar system on your roof," he said.
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When was the last time you purchased a music CD in a physical store?
Over the past decade, the music industry has undergone a huge shift. Consider the following:
- Sales of CDs have declined while sales of MP3 music downloads purchased via the Internet have increased. Digital music sales overtook physical format sales in 2015.
- Music streaming has become big business. Music subscription services allowing individuals to listen to their choice of music for a low monthly fee saw a 60 percent growth in 2017.
- Indie music talent is growing. Artists are ditching the big label name records and attempting to break through to fame via streaming platforms.
The book publishing industry is following the same movement as the music industry. Think about these trends:
- Sales of print books in physical bookstores has greatly declined. The vast majority of books are now purchased on the Internet.
- Sales of ebooks have stalled out to around 25 percent of book purchases, yet book subscription services continue to thrive—think Kindle Unlimited, Scribd, and Bookmate.
- Indie authors are growing. Many authors are ditching the big publishing companies and publishing their works independently, taking them directly to consumers.
The big announcement in the news that recently caught my attention was:
With the popularity of digital music surging, Best Buy is officially pulling the plug on music CDs, and another retail giant (Target) may soon join them. Although CDs remain a relatively popular format worldwide, sales in the U.S. dropped more than 18% last year, prompting Best Buy to drop the format entirely. The retailer will stop selling CDs and pull them from shelves on July 1. Although Best Buy used to be the top music seller in the U.S., nowadays its CD sales generate a relatively low $40 million per year.
Most mass merchandise stores have already shrunk their book and music sections. Now some big box stores are dropping their CD sales. Since book industry trends appear to be following music industry trends, how long until these stores also drop their book sales?
Yes, print book sales are still strong, but don’t let that fool you. We are now in a digital era. Moving forward, the trend for the book industry is that a higher percentage of revenue from books will come via audiobooks, ebooks and subscription services.
Subscription services are on the rise. Audiobook streaming services are beginning to pop up—think Audible and StoryTel. Serialized books via apps will also grow—think Radish and Tapas. As publishers and authors, embracing digital in the coming years will be required to stay relevant.
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April 1, 2011
adidas have been on the hunt over the past few weeks in search for challengers willing to put their passion to the ultimate test and go all in for the ultimate reward – a trip to LA, $10,000 spending money and a VIP shopping experience.
In an Australian first, footy players will be pitted against dancers and skaters, while passionate soccer players and basketballers will take on renowned street artists – all six teams will go head-to-head for one grand prize.
The adidas ALL IN Challenge is the ultimate test of skill, endurance, teamwork, fun and much more as the challengers compete non-stop for 60 hours at Melbourne’s Queensbridge Square.
Teams of three will battle across all six categories; skate, dance, Aussie Rules, basketball, art and football in a true test of staying power, passion and determination.
You can check out the search thus far on facebook, where teams of three can nominate themselves to compete across six iconic adidas categories; basketball, football, Aussie Rules, dance, skate and art. The competition will challenge ordinary conventions of both endurance and longevity, as dancers attempt to outlast burly footy players and artists prepare to topple the staying power of skaters.
Participants won’t be alone during the challenge with a number of high profile athletes expected to attend the 60 hour long live event in Queensbridge Square from Monday, 18th to 20th April to offer their support and encouragement.
The adidas ALL IN Challenge celebrates adidas’ biggest ever global campaign and the www.youtube.com/adidas Romain Gavras clip feat. Justice’s new song ‘ Civilisation’.
Would be winners should head to http://www.allinchallenge.com.au
Entries close on Friday, 8th April 2011. Hit it up ASAP Ya’ll!


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The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has displayed a very narrow view of the cosmetics and personal care industry in its proposal to restrict microplastics, underestimating the true value and complexity of the sector, says the director-general...
Gelatine trade associations from four continents have formed a new global organisation that aims to boost consumer awareness of gelatine’s role in nutraceuticals, joint health and cosmetic applications.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled seismic change worldwide, but consumers are also increasingly online, dismissing plastic, demanding transparency and choosing vegan – all significant challenges for today’s beauty industry, says the managing director...
The travel and hospitality industries have been drastically impacted by stay-at-home and social distancing guidelines. To help airlines, cruise lines, hotels, and other travel service providers return to business, the amenities and spa brand Michelle...
The adoption of social commerce is becoming more crucial for beauty brands as consumers are expected become more selective about their purchases amidst the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The year 2020 has been acutely shaped by health, political and environmental uncertainty, and fragrance manufacturers and brands must consider this on an emotional level when working to connect with consumers, says a fragrance marketing expert.
In our final episode of the Clean & Ethical Beauty Video Series, we discuss how the events of today will impact how the clean and ethical beauty category might look in the future. Scroll down to watch episode 6.
Under the lens Part II: REACH microplastics restriction
Cosmetics Europe and its member associations will continue their argument that the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) proposal to restrict microplastics on the EU market remains disproportionately weighted against beauty and personal care.
The indie beauty brand founder and long-time drug delivery specialist has, just this week, made her company’s silicon-based hybrid ingredient delivery technologies available to researchers working to develop antivirals and Coronavirus treatments.


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The article below was written about driving traffic to local Furniture Stores, but the concepts are relevant for almost all businesses wanting to attract more customers into their local brick-n-mortar location.
In 2019, Tango was discussing the changing consumer media habits with some of its top clients.
During those meetings, the clients themselves often said they no longer watched broadcast TV but watched videos on YouTube and streaming services, including TV content and movies.
Some still do watch regular old TV in their living rooms, but this shift in viewing habits has amplified during the past 2 years.
The conclusion from many of those client meetings in 2019 were plans for Tango to package up a few different types of online and social advertising tactics for our furniture retailer clients. Covid hit and all stopped for a few months. But then, furniture stores got super busy and many stopped advertising or scaled back.
Since those discussions in 2019, Covid has fueled the fire behind people using different forms of media in more and more ways other than the traditional use of broadcast TV and cable TV. Here at Tango, all of the media plans we manage have moved significant dollars into Tango’s online and social programs. While this was underway years ago, it certainly hastened during the last two years. While many of our clients continue to use TV advertising and occasional direct mail or circular campaigns, all have significantly expanded their online advertising – at the expense of traditional media budgets.
This is timely too.
TV ratings have been dropping each year, for many years. More and more people unsubscribe from Cable TV each year. Younger generations don’t even know what it is. At increasing rates, consumers watch “TV programming” and video programming through streaming services and consume media content in so many more ways than ever before. This will continue to evolve and expand. Here are a few sitting-on-the-sideline TV stats:
- Primetime Olympics in 2021 reached 15.5 million viewers. 4 years ago, the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics reached 26.7 million. London games reached 31.1 million
- The 2021 Super Bowl had its smallest audience since 2007
- MBA Finals continue to dwindle. This year was higher than last, but lower than most of the previous 10
- The MLB playoffs had its lowest ratings ever this past year.
We know this is happening and most of us have known “cord cutter” and “cord nevers” in our circle of friends.
This TV viewing trend is statistically true and reminds us that we gotta find more ways to reach today’s shopper.
What can we do?
Lots, but the “lots” takes work, a different mind set, and requires multiple advertising platforms.
The model for Tango has shifted during the past few years and now embraces the intersection of:
Embracing these 3 core categories of contemporary marketing changes our mind set in part from guessing which TV stations or shows our target audience hopefully watches, to focusing more on who that target audience actually is. The better we define the target audience, the better we can create content, and place it or send it where that audience will find it. In fact, we no longer guess about the “where” in this formula… When a furniture shopper gets wherever “there” is (where they seek information or entertainment), our content instantly shows up there too.
This shift allows us to continue to reach large audiences, but now we can narrow-in on perfect audiences, without guessing, deliver messages to furniture shoppers and those who behaviorally are furniture purchase intenders. In many cases, we can track someone who is in the store because of the advertising. And, we can track someone who received ads and actually made purchases. TV and traditional media still play a part, but no longer the dominant part of a media plan.
This big scary change of TV seemingly dying is creating massive opportunities for furniture retailers, and advertisers in general.
Change in advertising plans to reach today’s shoppers
To reach as many of today’s shoppers as possible, media plans need to diversify beyond traditional media like TV, circulars and direct mail. Powerfully, these changes allow advertising to better target shoppers lower in the purchase funnel, or further along on their purchase journey. Today, strong Tango-managed media plans can and need to include
- Google Ads, Search. Shoppers go to Google to figure out what they want and where to shop… This is foundational for every Tango client
- Social Media Posting (and boosting a little). Most retailers are doing this, but often spending too much on boosting and not enough on advertising
- Social Media Advertising. Tango has FB Blueprint Certified ad experts launching managed social ad campaigns that go way beyond posting information. Posting is important, But, Facebook advertising, which may sound a little similar to boosting posts, leverages sophisticated audience creation and optimization to reach furniture shoppers. Measurable results are better (x2 to x3 better) both quantitatively and qualitatively when compared to boosting – which again serves a different purpose
- Geofencing. A few years ago, we did not suggest Geofencing because it was primarily available only from local TV stations, Cable companies, Newspapers, etc., all attempting to reclaim lost revenue from traditional sources. As a result, the prices were high, too high to justify the results. But Tango launched a Geofencing program in 2020 and have successfully managed hundreds of geofencing campaigns. Our prices are lower than anyone’s and our results have been fantastic. We have changed our tune on this and feel all should do it. We typically start campaigns at $12CPM, and through ongoing optimization, are able to bring this cost down so that clients get even more impressions at lower CPMs. This is the only way to advertise directly to consumers shopping right now and it works. This program allows us to see how many instore shoppers actually received ads.
- YouTube Pre-roll Advertising. Catch folks who fit a perfect audience for the client. And, this campaign only spends money when someone watches an entire video (or at least 30 seconds, whichever is greater). Because people can skip a video, the ones who watch a client’s video are truly interested
- OTT-Streaming Video Advertising. This program reaches those folks consuming video in countless different ways. Identify the perfect audience, and advertise wherever they go to watch video. This program extends the traditional TV campaign reach. We have access to the same inventory as everyone, but charge less. We charge $32CPM, and in some cases are able to get inventory for less through better bidding strategies and ongoing optimization.
- Targeted Email Blasts. Launch an email campaign on Thursday and Google Analytics shows that website activity dramatically jumps on Thursday and Friday. More in-store shoppers follow during the weekend. Our fee is $20CPM which is one of the lowest in the business. And, in some cases we are able to secure demographically and behaviorally selected records for a little less. It is amazing to look at Google Analytics when we launch a campaign and see the activity dramatically spike – like clockwork.
The cost for all of these programs combined still allows a significant traditional media buy for things like TV, direct mail, circulars, and billboards. These programs add massive improvement to the over-all media reach, targetability, measurability, and effectiveness. Today, without these programs, only a minor % of all possible furniture shoppers are ever targeted with advertising.


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s the mercury continues its unrelenting upward climb this summer along with haunting problems of dry and sunburnt skin and increased lethargy as well as dullness, people are heading to the nearest spa to beat the heat and gain rejuvenation.
Industry reports indicate a growth in the spa industry in India. Currently valued at Rs 137 billion the industry with a compound annual growth rate of 30 per cent is estimated to grow to Rs 510 billion by the year 2014, according to a 2010 report by Frost and Sullivan.
Seeing the rising demand, spa centres coming up now even in smaller towns and cities are offering a wide range of summer special and beauty
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The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against Financial Education Services and its owners, Parimal Naik, Michael Toloff, Christopher Toloff and Gerald Thompson, as well as a number of related companies. In response to a complaint filed by the FTC, a federal court has temporarily shut down the credit repair company. The FTC’s complaint alleges that the […]
Mary Kay Inc. has been selected as a 2022 US Best Managed Company in a program sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal.
Following its lawsuit against AdvoCare in 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is returning more than $149 million to AdvoCare distributors who reported losing money as a result of deceptive earnings claims.
In collaboration with Alpine Supply Chain Solutions, a boutique supply chain consulting company, MONAT Global began operations in its new 150,000 square foot facility in Doral, Florida. The facility’s design, which was completed in part by Alpine Supply Chain Solutions, incorporates these details to modernize and streamline its distribution process: In-line scales to make sure […]
The FTC expressed interest in requiring companies to provide substantiated earnings claims without hyperbole or the use of hypothetical or past profits to consumers, and is considering whether lifestyle claims could be addressed in this rule as well.


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Hyundai ix35 used for world’s first fuel cell-powered car-sharing service
Hyundai has followed news of its IONIQ line of electrified vehicles and roadmap for connected car development with an announcement that its cars will power the "world's first" fuel cell-powered zero-emission car-sharing service. BeeZero has launched exclusively using Hyundai ix35 vehicles.
Hyundai describes the ix35 as the first mass-produced and commercially-available fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). The carmaker says there are currently over 250 on the roads in Europe, which it claims is more than all FCEVs from every other manufacturer combined, and that the ix35 will travel for up to 600 km (373 mi) on a full tank.
BeeZero is operating in Munich, using 50 of the ix35 FCEVs. The vehicles can be booked online or via a mobile app and the service will be run on a zone-based model. Users are able to pick the cars up in Munich's city center or in the areas of Schwabing, Haidhausen, Au and Glockenbachviertel.
"We expect to gain valuable information from day-to-day fleet operations, which we will use to further develop our hydrogen technologies and to help expanding the H2 infrastructure," says Dr Christian Bruch, member of the Executive Board of the Linde Group, of which BeeZero is a subsidiary. "BeeZero synergises two mobility trends that are gaining a lot of ground at the moment – car sharing and zero emissions – and will bring the benefits of fuel-cell technology to a wider group of potential users."
In addition to the ix35 vehicles producing no emissions, the Linde Group says that it sources its hydrogen fuel from sustainable production processes, making it completely carbon-neutral.
BeeZero launched in Munich yesterday.
Sources: Hyundai, BeeZero, Linde Group
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Blockbuster recently purchased movie download service Movielink, which was started in 2002 through a joint venture of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc., Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Studios. Blockbuster hopes to compete with companies like Netflix, which also offer their members the option of downloading movies to rent or own. Both companies offer their customers DVD rentals through the mail; Blockbuster currently has 3.6. million subscribers, and Netflix has 6.7 million subscribers.
Smart move—too bad it’s about two years too late, said Douglas A. McIntyre on 247wallst.com. In 2005, Blockbuster should have used data from its gigantic subscriber base to lure new customers in to use its stores, its DVD-through-the mail service, and its movie download options. “It would have been the most compelling package in the industry.” But instead, Blockbuster waited while everyone from cable companies and TiVo, to Apple and even Walmart got in on the act. “It waited too long.”
Blockbuster knows exactly what it’s doing, said Kevin Maney on Portfolio.com. Sure, Netflix has a big head start on them, but it doesn’t matter because until recently, movie downloads to PCs had neither “fidelity” nor “convenience,” and that’s “a losing formula.” But now it’s becoming easier to download movies, more and more people are getting used to the idea of it, and “multimedia laptops offer wide bright screens and nice sound.” As Internet movie downloads continue to move in this direction, “they will become a bigger business. And that’s what Blockbuster sees coming.”
This new strategy better work for Blockbuster, or they’re finished, said Scott Gilbertson on Blog.wired.com. “It could be a last gasp for the once king of movie rentals.” But Movielink does have the web’s largest digital movie archive, and the marriage of the two companies positions Blockbuster “to be the only 3-in-1 service with mail-in, online and in-store movie rental options.” If they want to survive, though, they need to consider their high operating costs—“namely rent on all those brick and mortar stores.”


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It’s an age-old debate: is the hot dog — a meat tube resting in a partially-sealed bread pocket — a sandwich?
Would-be sandwich arbiter Merriam-Webster thinks so. And the Internet is not pleased.
It all started with this haughty tweet, which purported to celebrate all the sandwiches we’ll eat over Memorial Day weekend.
But Twitter saw Merriam-Webster’s hidden agenda: to settle a debate that just isn’t ready to be settled.
Others brought other carb + meat combinations into the mix. What about a taco? A gyro? A quesadilla? Read more…
More about Conversations, Food, and WatercoolerMerriam-Webster said the hot dog is a sandwich, and people are furious
Merriam-Webster said the hot dog is a sandwich, and people are furious


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On February 28th, GGTalks announced it had successfully launched operations in India to promote gaming through regular industry updates and insights. The platform is expected to cover a combination of Indian and international gaming developments while providing opinion-based content from experienced esports athletes.
“We wanted to create a gaming news website that can provide the latest news and updates about games, gamers, and gaming platforms. Our writers are experienced gamers who know what they are writing,” said Vikram Singh, the CEO of Technotificaton. “We wanted to start a gaming news section dedicated to India that can provide the latest news and updates about games, gamers, and gaming platforms in India. We’ll be interviewing people from the small to large gaming communities to promote them.”
GGTalks is a subsidiary of Technotification. Technotification is an India-based organization that aims to be a reliable source for technology industry news and insights.
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