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Google Street View 'snooping' to be investigated
Google is facing a fresh investigation by the information watchdog after renewed concerns over data collected from cars talking pictures for the company's controversial Street View service.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) had previously been assured that private data had been "mistakenly collected" by the cars as they gathered photographs for Street View. But an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) into the way that Street View was managed in the United States has caused the ICO to reopen its inquiry in Britain. The FCC found that Street View cars in the US had been used to gather a wide range of personal and private data from wi-fi networks. Steve Eckersley, head of enforcement at the ICO, has written to Alan Eustace, senior vice-president at Google, demanding details about what information was collected in the UK and whether it has since been destroyed.
The ICO, which enforces data-protection legislation, said the FCC investigation had found that the Street View data collection in the US had resulted in Google's capture of "complete email messages, email headings, instant messages and their content, logging-in credentials, medical listings and legal infractions, information in relation to online dating and visits to pornographic sites".
The ICO noted that "it therefore seems likely that such information was deliberately captured during [Google Street View] operations conducted in the UK".
Google has said that it is happy to answer the ICO's questions and that it has not acted on the information it collected.
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Finally realizing that it's kind of too big of an ordeal to sort through all the games and the apps available on the iPhone, Apple has released an official "best of the best" list on iTunes. It's the official, definitive collection of hand-picked apps that Apple tells us are the essential must-owns.
The App Store now has more than 300,000 apps available. That's about three times the number of downloadable programs on the Android Market. Apple has gone through that massive list and chosen the 50 best, running the gamut from games to note-taking apps.
The list includes many of the same apps that were inducted into the unofficialApp Hall of Famethat a handful of mobile game publications put together last month.
Among the games that are part of Apple's Hall of Fame are:
Cut the Rope
Dark Nebula - Episode Two
Plants vs Zombies
The vast majority of games in the list are premium apps, ranging from 99 cents to over $10.
Apple will assumedly be updating the Hall of Fame, so we'll get to see which ones stand the test of time. And while it does help narrow down the crowded App Store, we do hope that the new list doesn't discourage developers looking to break into the market.
Nov 8, 2010

domain: news


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Recently, Nerd Bastards’ own Jason Tabrys discussed whether or not toy tie-ins to blockbuster movies are still relevant. Jason landed somewhere in the middle on whether or not that’s a good or bad thing, but toys and action figures are still a valuable side of the business regardless of what Jason Tabrys thinks. (JK, love that guy!) Anyway, in toy business meets show business news today, Warner Bros has announced that they’ve renewed their 15 year deal Mattel in a new multi-year contract.
“Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have an unrivaled portfolio of characters and a strong slate of content across all platforms which is essential to driving our global consumer products business—a business anchored by our long-term partnership with Mattel,” said Brad Globe, President, Warner Bros. Consumer Products in a press release. “With so much opportunity on the horizon, we know Mattel will bring the talents of its world-class organization to create and market product lines for fans of all ages.”
That “opportunity on the horizon” isn’t just limited to things like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the Justice League movies, or the regular slate of DC Comics animated movies and series. Nope. They’re looking to turn Arrow, The Flash, Constantine, iZombie, and Gotham into toy lines too.
“In our fifteen years of collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Mattel has been honored with bringing the stories and characters of the DC Comics universe to life in toy form,” said Doug Wadleigh, Senior Vice President, Global Brands Marketing, Boys and Entertainment for Mattel. “Mattel’s robust portfolio has helped extend DC Comics properties to new consumers utilizing the toy brands they know and trust. We are excited to continue our partnership, and look forward to supporting upcoming entertainment launches and franchise development.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal is important to Mattel because while lines like Barbie and Hot Wheels aren’t selling quite like they used to, toys associated with blockbuster movies still move units. Plus, it will give Mattel a fighting chance in the market against Hasbro, which has the licenses for Star Wars and Marvel.
“The toy industry in general has suffered a decline in demand lately as children have increasingly turned to videogames and personal electronic devices for entertainment,” the Journal writes. “Toys connected to popular movie franchises have done well, however, allowing Hasbro Inc., which has a strong portfolio of such brands, to outshine rival Mattel in recent quarters.”
“We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with Mattel and the Warner Bros. Consumer Products teams to collaborate on compelling product lines that support the many exciting DC Comics initiatives slated for the coming years including film, TV, games and comics,” concluded Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment.
Sounds like the fun will keeping going for years. Are you excited about more DC toys from Mattel?
Source: Coming Soon


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Businesses that suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy will be eligible for free safety and health inspections by the New York State Department of Labor.
The program, announced today by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, will provide businesses with free on-site inspections in hopes they can reopen as soon as possible. The free inspections are expected to save businesses up to $4,300, according to Cuomo.
Businesses can schedule a free inspection by calling 1 (888) 4-NYSDOL (1-888-469-7365) or by visiting the Department of Labor’s website.
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Olli, the world’s first co-created, 3D printed, self-driving shuttle
developed by Local Motors, made its debut in the City of Rancho Cordova
at the White Rock Corporate Campus, a large business park that is home
to 1,600 employees.
Advanced battery materials developer, Australian Mines Limited and SK
Innovation have executed a long-form off-take agreement that replaces
and expands upon the agreed terms of the binding term sheet executed by
the companies in February 2018.
Proterra, a leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, has
launched Proterra Powered vehicle electrification solutions, leveraging
Proterra’s industry-leading electric vehicle technology and expertise
to help commercial vehicle manufacturers electrify their heavy-duty
HORIBA MIRA and Coventry University are celebrating three years since
the launch of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Automotive
Research (CCAAR), with the landmark partnership supporting some of the
UK’s most high-profile projects.
Keysight Technologies, Inc., is a leading technology company delivering broad cybersecurity portfolio, including hardware, software and services, to address the growing concern of cyber-attacks on connected vehicles.
With a new coating process, researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology (KIT) have produced electrodes for lithium-ion batteries at
record speed. At the same time, the new process improves the quality of
electrodes and reduces production costs.
Tata Power and Tata Motors announced their partnership to install 300 fast charging stations by the end of the FY20, across key five cities namely Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Both companies inaugurated their first 7 charging stations in Pune, to enable the e-mobility drive in the city.


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Expedia is to buy 61.6% of European hotel price comparison and booking site Trivago for €477 million. Trivago was launched in 2005 by Düsseldorf-based founders Peter Vinnemeier, Malte Siewert, and Rolf Schrömgens. Revenue has doubled every year since 2008 and the site expects to deliver about €100 million in net revenue for 2012.
“The Trivago team built one of the largest, fastest growing and most well known travel sites in Europe conducting more than 100 million hotel searches annually through a culture focused on developing great products, building a strong brand and promoting partners’ businesses,’ said Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia President and Chief Executive. “These attributes closely align with Expedia Inc’s strategy and values and we are thrilled to have them join our portfolio.”
The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2013 pending approval from relevant competition authorities. After the deal is completed, Trivago will continue to function independently from its original headquarters in Düsseldorf.
“We are very excited to join the Expedia Inc portfolio and eager to learn from their experience, having built-up some of the world’s most trusted travel brands,” said Rolf Schromgens, Trivago co-founder and Managing Director. “Our passion and focus will remain on independently evolving our comprehensive and individualised hotel search. We will stay committed to our mission: To empower consumers to find their ideal hotel at the lowest possible rate.”


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Republican legislators don't even want the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to think about reclassifying broadband as a utility -- a route the regulator could take in order to reinstate net neutrality rules.
A U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration plan to end its formal relationship with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers could open the door to Internet censorship by China, Russia or Iran, some U.S. lawmaker...
Recent data breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus were sophisticated attacks not detected by robust cybersecurity measures, executives with the two companies told U.S. lawmakers.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took too little time testing how the many components of the troubled HealthCare.gov worked together before rolling out the insurance marketplace, contractors involved in the project said Thursday.
U.S. lawmakers plan to resurrect national data breach notification legislation that has failed to pass in past sessions of Congress, but some advocates don't agree on what should be included in a bill.
Some Republican lawmakers on Wednesday accused two U.S. agencies of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars in broadband stimulus money on failed projects, but supporters of the broadband spending questioned the Republican numbers.
Websites, mobile apps and online advertising networks targeting children will be required to follow new privacy regulations, including getting a parent's permission before collecting geolocation information and photographs from kids, under new rules ...
While representatives of the online advertising industry questioned whether new laws are needed to protect consumer privacy online, several U.S. lawmakers on Thursday called for new regulations targeting online tracking.
Two U.S. lawmakers have called on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate the use of so-called supercookies on many websites, with the two suggesting that use of the hard-to-remove tracking tools may be an unfair business practice.
A senior member of the U.S. Senate plans to introduce legislation that would require websites and online advertising networks to stop tracking Web users who ask to be left alone.
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The battle for Canadian ecommerce: Amazon vs Alibaba
Globally, the ecommerce battle is between Amazon and Alibaba right now and these two giants are set to square up to each other - in Canada. Amazon is extending its grocery and streaming services into the country, while Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba is making a direct play for Canadian business. Let’s see what the two digital powerhouses are up to over here…
The ecommerce landscape in Canada is a blank page waiting to be written. Unlike other developed countries, shopping online hasn’t quite had the same traction here, until now. There are expansion plans from Amazon, and Alibaba’s iconic chief Jack Ma is paying a visit to Canada later this year specifically to talk to Canadian leaders about how businesses here can use its platform to reach the lucrative Chinese market.
Robin Shrek, Vice President Retail and Digital Insights for consulting firm Kantar Retail, has seen a shift in the last three to four years as Canadians move from buying through Amazon.com to Amazon.ca. “The population in Canada is very digitally connected, and comfortable interacting online. But, historically, the ecommerce formula of convenience and price just hasn’t been there. Now that is starting to change. The typical shopper profile is someone who wants a good deal, the best price for the highest quality.”
READ THE LATEST BUSINESS REVIEW CANADA MAGAZINE
Despite being just the other side of the border from the US, and Amazon’s home town of Seattle, the retailer has been slower to make an impact in Canada compared to its presence elsewhere. According to Paul Brigg, Senior Analyst Canada for eMarketer.com, “ecommerce sales in general in Canada have lagged behind countries like the US and the UK by a few percentage points. It really comes down to the supply chain aspect of fulfilling online orders – that has been the biggest obstacle because of the logistical challenges involved in servicing the wide geography that is Canada and the way the population is dispersed. The supply chain channels are larger, shipping fees are attached, so pricing isn’t as attractive. The other thing we have seen is that traditional retailers have been slower to invest in the technological infrastructure for doing effective B2C ecommerce.”
As well as acquiring more distribution centres across the country and improving logistics this last year, Amazon launched its streaming video service Amazon Prime and expanded its cloud computing platform Amazon Web Services in both Vancouver and Toronto. Its purchase this year of the grocery chain Whole Foods for $13.7bn may well transform the way we shop for groceries. Within days of buying the upmarket stores, Amazon had reduced prices in both the US and Canada, bringing it more into line with the way the multinational runs its online business.
It was back in 1995 that Amazon began selling books online, beginning a process that has completely transformed how the world shops. It’s almost impossible to remember a time when it wasn’t possible to buy almost anything, from anywhere – online – and have it delivered.
Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, reported net revenues of US$135.99bn in the last year. That was an increase of just over a billion on its revenues in 2015. It is the world’s largest online retailer, directly competes with Netflix in video streaming, and sells a tablet that is in the number four spot globally.
Bezos has always been adamant that Amazon is not a retail company, but a technology company. It earns $10bn in sales from its Amazon Web Services, a cloud computing platform, which has an operating income of $2bn.
Alibaba is also one of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world. Established in 1999, it also has a charismatic founder with a vision. Jack Ma is China’s richest man with a fortune of around $25bn. However, there is a good chance you have never heard of the company. The Alibaba Group’s customer base of around 500mn, more than the combined populations of the US and Canada, is almost entirely in China. This is a sizable market. For the year ending in March 2017, Alibaba’s revenue was $23bn, an increase of 56% on the previous year. The value of the transactions carried out on its online sites last year was more than Amazon and eBay combined. Alibaba has three main platforms – Taobao, Tmall and Alibaba.com – and like Amazon it sees itself as a technology company rather than a retailer.
Alibaba’s special brand of ecommerce magic arrived this September as Jack Ma featured at a business summit (Gateway 17) in Toronto with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Where Amazon is targeting consumers, Alibaba is looking to get Canadian businesses to use its platform to sell to the newly emergent and financially well-off middle classes in China.
Jennifer Kuperman, Alibaba’s Head of International Corporate Affairs explains that for the company, expansion into Canada isn’t about the consumers, but about Canadian businesses. “We want to provide access to the Chinese consumer. The landscape in China has changed from an export economy to a consumer economy. Its growing middle class wants to upgrade their lifestyles. As Jack Ma says, Alibaba was born in China but created for the world.”
The company provides sellers with the marketing tools to appeal to Chinese buyers, consumer insights to know what Chinese consumers are looking to buy, while it takes care of the whole supply chain process. The logistics of selling to China can be complicated, and Alibaba uses a partner to help sellers navigate bonded warehouses, taxes and tariffs. Bigger brands can create a shopfront in the Canadian portal in TMall, which is fully branded.
Sales flow in the other direction as well. Its AliExpress.com site sells items such as cosmetics, apparel and electronic goods from Chinese retailers to Canadian consumers. However, Alibaba has not announced any plans to expand this part of its business, and it is not a part of the Gateway17 summit. Briggs gives the impression that this is a very small part of the Alibaba equation. “Alibaba’s business is selling into China. That’s its main focus.”
At the moment, the company has no plans to use its platforms so that Canadian businesses can sell to Canadian consumers, but this is almost certainly a part of Jack Ma’s vision for the future. When that day comes, the two tech giants will directly clash.


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YouTube is developing its own version of TikTok
By The MixDex Team Article may include affiliate links
Dubbed “Shorts,” the new feature reportedly will give users access to YouTube’s music library to serve as background tracks behind shirt video clips.
YouTube, which is owned by Google, isn’t speaking out about the potential feature, which was first reported by The Information.
Tech companies have been keeping a close eye on TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, as it grows in popularity. The recent coronavirus “stay at home” orders likely have contributed to the rise in popularity of the app — with users sharing viral challenges, dancing and other antics while stuck at home.
Sources say YouTube will add Shorts later in 2020.
Most social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, already allow users to share videos — but TikTok focuses on “super short form” videos that primarily showcase signing, dancing and other talents.
TikTok videos cannot be longer than 60 seconds — and the app gives users a variety of tools to add filters, change the speed of clips, add and interact with music and decorate clips with text and icons.
Lip sync videos are limited to 15 seconds while other clips can go to a minute.
The trend would follow the rise in popularity of time limited photo and video posts — often known as “Stories” — that were popularized by Snapchat, with many popular social media platforms adding similar features that let users create posts that “disappear” after a set time period.
The idea of the story format is that content is only available for a limited time and therefore lets users share more in realtime and create a sense of urgency to engage with content before it’s gone.
The stories format has been picked up by major news organizations with social media profiles — and some have also started dabbling with TikTok.


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OOO TSNIPI STARK will take part in the world’s largest specialist trade fair in pipeline valves – ValveWorld 2014 that will be held December 2-4, 2014 in Dusseldorf, Germany. Traditionally, this exhibition is visited by thousands of professionals from dozens of countries. This event is used as an opportunity to establish new contacts and conduct negotiations between partners.
Given the importance of import substitution in plant and machinery purchased by Russian companies, introduction of new materials and technologies to meet the ever more challenging technical requirements to valves, we invite all interested companies and organizations to conduct at the exhibition direct negotiations with representatives of foreign companies they are interested in focused on primary technical evaluation of their proposed solutions and forms of cooperation.
If you are interested, please let us know in advance:
- issues and problems you consider relevant,
- foreign companies you are interested in holding negotiations with (we can also recommend foreign partners competent in relevant areas).


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Employers announced plans to cut 48,207 jobs in March, according to a report issued by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. March’s announced cuts were 21.7 percent below February’s total, but 31.7 percent above the year-ago rate. Cuts through the first quarter of 2016 were 31.8 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2015.
“Job cuts have slowed since surging in the first two months of the year, but the pace is still well above that of 2015,” Said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “And it is not just the energy sector that is seeing heavier job cuts. Layoff announcements have increased significantly in the retail sector and computer sector as well. While it may be too early to sound the alarm bells, the upward trend outside of the energy sector is somewhat worrisome.”
During the first quarter, the energy sector announced 52,901 cuts, 39.9 percent higher than cuts during the same period last year. The retail and computer sectors also had significant increases in job cuts, with retail cuts increasing 41 percent and computer sector cuts increasing 148 percent from the first quarter of last year.
“What these sectors share in common is that they are all going through transformational changes,” said Challenger. “These changes are necessary and inevitable, but they come with a cost in the form of job loss.”
Read the Challenger Gray & Christmas release.


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We asked two leading figures in the high street and hospitality sectors what they wanted from the Chancellor today.
Here’s what David Skaith, the chair of York High Street Forum, told us:
Many businesses have seriously struggled to just survive after the pandemic, to now only be thrust into a cost of living crises, the invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing issues of leaving the EU.
We need a delay on the National Insurance rise. And some kind of cap on energy prices, especially for smaller businesses who are still struggling after the pandemic.
And Helen Heraty the owner of award winning boutique hotel Grays Court on Chapter House Street in York, called for the cut in VAT to stay put for hospitality.
A raise now would be “catastrophic, with accommodation and food being the hardest hit,” she told YorkMix, adding
The increase in VAT is money that goes straight into the government’s pocket – which means businesses will have to raise prices for consumers who are already struggling with the increasing cost of living.
You can read the full story here.


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Cars up to a year old are selling for more than they cost new, a report showed yesterday.
The average price of second-hand vehicles has risen 24 per cent in 12 months as record numbers change hands.
Data from Auto Trader shows that around 10,000 used vehicles registered in the past year – 17 per cent of the total – are on sale for more than the showroom price.
Some used models are being sold for up to £7,000 more than where customers buy them new.
Last week was the 76th in a row that their prices have risen. The boom is being driven by problems in rolling out new cars because of critical shortages of semiconductor chips.
It means impatient buyers are turning to the used market rather than waiting for new models.
The analysis showed the average price of a used vehicle was £19,018.
But the electric Skoda Enyaq had an average second-hand cost of £46,970 compared with £39,960 new. Volkswagen’s electric ID.3 was £33,000 second hand but £28,990 out of the factory.
Video: What’s Moving the Price of Bitcoin? (The Independent)
For a petrol Peugeot 208, the figures were £24,000 and £21,410 respectively (representing 13 per cent more for second hand).
When cars more than a year old are included, some models have seen their second-hand average asking price increase by more than 40 per cent.
These include the Jaguar XK, Hyundai i30 and Ford Focus.
In August, production of cars slumped by more than a third due to the semiconductor chip shortage. The chips are used for controlling functions such as winding down windows electronically and cars cannot be built without them.
Industry experts say the shortage may effect automative supply chains until mid-2022.
The spike in second-hand sales, which has seen the market grow by more than 108 per cent, is also due to the emergence from lockdown.
The reluctance to return to public transport and a backlog in young people passing driving tests after having to postpone them due to the pandemic are also fuelling demand.
Auto Trader’s Richard Walker said: ‘With levels of used-car price growth once again smashing previous records, there is a lot of speculation around how long this boom could last.
‘While inflation in itself does pose a potential risk to consumer demand, we don’t expect to see price growth slow any time soon.’
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said motorists were turning to used cars because of supply shortages, with others seeking personal mobility and ‘remaining wary of public transport as they return to work’.Internet Explorer Channel Network


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Aldi Tarleton: what's in the middle aisle and how much does it cost?
A new Aldi has opened in Tarleton this week, and here’s what shoppers can expect to find in the famous ‘middle aisle’.
Known formally as the ‘Aisle of Aldi’, visitors will be able to find Specialbuys every Thursday and Sunday.
During opening week, the store will be running its Baby and Toddler Event, including a Chicco Bedside Crib for £129.99, moses basket with rocking stand for £34.99 and a Fisher Price Play Gym for £19.99.
The store was opened by Team GB bronze medallist Anyika Onuora at 8am on Thursday.
Treat for foodies as new Hickory’s Smokehouse in Hutton opens three days early
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Bargain two-bed terraced house with neat modern finish up for sale
Modern four-bed semi-detached home on the market for just £120k
What's on the menu at a Hickory's Smokehouse?
Anyika gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables to the first 30 customers in the queue, and went on to deliver a virtual assembly for pupils at Tarleton Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School as part of the supermarket’s initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh – inspiring children aged five to 14 years to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.
What else is on offer at the new Aldi in Tarleton?
In addition, Aldi Tarleton offered pupils at the local primary school the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store.
Children at Tarleton Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them. Anyika announced the winner during the assembly and the pupil was presented with their £20 voucher.
Store Manager Tony Breen said: “It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks.
"I’m also thrilled that we’ve been able to support Tarleton Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School through our partnership with Team GB.”
How is the community benefitting?
Additionally, the new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Tarleton to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community.
Local charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to seven days a week.
Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email [email protected].


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IGGESUND, Sweden, Sept. 13, 2016 (Press Release) -Four entries made of paperboard from Iggesund Paperboard have been selected as finalists in this year’s edition of the Pro Carton ECMA Awards in packaging design. The winners will be chosen on the 15th of September.
MIU MIU is a fragrance carton from Coty converted by Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS). It uses a combination of embossing and foil embossing to create a pattern designed to create associations with the fashion world and some of the other products in the MIU MIU series.Read more
ESPOO, Finland, Sept. 13, 2016 (Press Release) -Miller Impression Award 2016 prizes were announced at the Miller Flexo Forum in Sunne, Sweden. Walki was victorious and collected a first prize in the category of “Flexible Paper Process".
The first prize was for Nils Sperre, a preprinted liner used in a solid board box for frozen seafood.
The arguments for the Walki’s success were:Read more
LONDON, Sept. 13, 2016 (Press Release) -EVEN.pro, organizer of the SEPEM Industries shows (seven trade shows across France), has organized a single event dedicated to all bulk technologies, in strict compliance with the specifications that have propelled the success of SEPEM Industries since 2006.
The VRAC TECH Expo trade show combines all professions, within a wide array of expertise, providing the opportunity for bulk industries and users to focus on the solutions they’re seeking, all in the same place at the same time…Read more
WILMINGTON, DE, Sept. 13, 2016 (Press Release) -Solenis, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals, has received patents in both the U.S. and Europe for its Biobond technology, an innovative program that improves sustainability and productivity for manufacturers of recycled paperboard.Read more
GRAZ, Austria, Sept. 13, 2016 (Press Release) -International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from Heinzel Group to rebuild the PM10 at its Laakirchen paper mill in Austria. As from the third quarter 2017, PM 10, which is currently producing SC paper, will be producing waste paper-based lightweight containerboard. After full conversion, PM 10 will be among the most efficient paper machines in the lightweight containerboard sector with a working width of 7,500 mm and a design speed of 1,600m/m.Read more
ANNWEILER, Germany, Sept. 1, 2016 (Press Release) -A new bird has landed: UC2 STORCH with 25 % grass content. After a successful development and test production we are very proud, to introduce a new cartonboard quality to our product range,which is especially eco-friendly and conserves resources. The quality UC2 STORCH contains up to 40 % grass pulp in the middle layer,which means a content of approx. 25 % of the complete cartonboard.Read more
LENNINGEN, Germany, Sept. 12, 2016 (Press Release) -This year sees Papierfabrik Scheufelen exhibiting at the international trade fair for creative packaging for the first time. At the centre of its presentation is the company’s latest product development, the single or double-sided coated premium board phoenolux.Read more
HALLE, Germany, Sept. 9, 2016 (Press Release) -Following consecutive years of very strong growth, Greatview Aseptic Packaging has taken a decision to enlarge its German factory in Halle (Saale). A strong increase in Greatview’s international sales resulted in a 55% increase in 2015 over the previous year in the number of packages produced in the Halle factory. Continuing growth in demand in 2016 has prompted an additional investment of approximately €23 million in new equipment and facility expansion.Read more


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FedEx expands in Commerce City
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FedEx Freight Corp. will break ground in Commerce City Tuesday on a new service center.
The Memphis company is building a 170,000-square-foot facility that will have 241 doors. FedEx Freight is relocating from its current service center at 5601 Holly St., also in Commerce Center. The current service center has 152 doors and measures 46,000 square feet.
The new facility will be the second-largest service center in the country. The largest, with 277 doors, is in Dallas.
FedEx Freight is the less-than-truckload subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX).
The service center will be in Marty Farms Industrial Park at 96th Avenue. The current service center is at 5601 Holly St.
FedEx Freight accounted for $1 billion of FedEx Corp.'s $8.5 billion in revenue during the quarter ended Aug. 31, and $150 million of its $784 million in income.
Groundbreaking takes place at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17. Participants will include Commerce City Mayor Sean Ford; Dennis Beal, vice president, physical assets, FedEx Freight; Adams County commissioners Alice Nichol, W.R. Fischer and Larry Pace; and guests, customers and employees.
The new service center is expected to open in November 2007.
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Indian start-ups have stepped up to do their bit in resolving the oxygen crisis that has come about with the second wave of Covid-19. We have witnessed how popular names in the start-up ecosystem spared no thought in rolling out employee wellness benefits, organising vaccination drives, and doing everything they can to procure oxygen concentrators from countries like China to fill the gaping hole in India’s healthcare system. While most start-ups are not undertaking full-fledged construction and are raising funds to purchase equipment and import parts, a number of innovative start-ups are attempting to create affordable alternative solutions.
Start-ups who are building Oxygen Concentrators in India
Indeema Fibres Pvt. Ltd., an IIT Kanpur start-up is all set to supply 5500 oxygen concentrators this 25 May. The start-up bagged the order post approval from the Department of Science of Technology along with the Prime Minister’s Office. Interestingly, Indeema Fibres has always been in the Oxygen Concentrators business and now have a critical responsibility at hand. They are tasked with producing Covid-specific concentrators that need 90% concentration. Indeema has received their very first order for 4500 oxygen concentrators from the ONGC CSR fund.
Engineering & Environmental (E&E) solutions
The next start-up that has come up with an innovation to tackle the cost problem of a generic oxygen concentrator is Engineering & Environmental (E&E) solutions. The start-up has successfully built and tested a low-cost oxygen concentrator prototype at Aligarh. While an imported oxygen concentrator costs anywhere between INR 65000 – 90000, this low-cost alternative is priced at just INR 35000. Which is a massive difference and a big step towards making the much-needed medical equipment affordable for all in India caught in the second wave of the pandemic.
The technology behind this prototype is called Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) which requires Zeolite as a commercial adsorbent. However, Zeolite is currently not available at the scale at which they require which has halted the mass production of this product.
The Phi Factory
The Phi Factory is a Hyderabad based start-up which has come up with a unique device called their ‘portable oxygenerator’ as part of the start-up’s ‘Vayuputra project’. Priced at INR 2500, these alternative oxygen concentrators can produce oxygen for 12 hours. The start-up is currently working to fulfil over 45000 requests from government departments, state governments, and individuals.
The next start-up working to provide a sustainable alternative to the oxygen problem in India is Exalta. A renewable energy start-up, they recently launched mini oxygen concentrators that are 100% Made in India and do not rely on import of parts. Priced between INR 20000 and 40000, Exalta’s mini oxygen concentrators are based on their innovation called ‘solar oxygen tree’. The devices are currently being manufactured in Noida and if scalable, can help tackle the oxygen crisis in the country.
Indeema Fibres an IIT Kanpur start-up is all set to supply 5500 oxygen concentrators on 25 May, 2021.
What’s in it for me?
Air product start-ups need to innovate during this crucial juncture. Quick thinking is required with solutions that can drastically cut down the prices of oxygen concentrator manufacture, one can expect big orders from governmental organisations, hospitals, and corporates. New-age technologies like IoT can optimise oxygen usage. As an air product start-up, you need to think about procuring this technology and successfully testing it. Multi-specialty hospitals will be quick to place large orders owing to the huge demand. Innovations, cost-effective, and quickly deployable solutions are the need of the hour during the humanitarian crisis that the country is gripped with.


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The capsule collection is enriched with new models
JAC Srl, a company founded by Cesare Pizzuti and the Torresi family, launches a new youthful brand of footwear that is ready to make a break with the past and give life to a new modern style.
We interview Gianfranco Modenese, owner of Relaxshoe, an established reality in the comfort footwear sector, with a presence on the main international markets, to find out the reasons for the success of the brand and how it is preparing for post-pandemic recovery
A virtual event, to which the pandemic has now accustomed us, to appreciate all the news that the footwear industry has to offer for next season.
Gherardo Felloni, creative director of Roger Vivier, recounts the new AW2021 collection with a short film that celebrates the icons of feminine beauty of the past, while at the same time transporting them to a state of ‘waiting’ and suspension, just like us.
Following the government decision to authorise the holding of international fairs in physical format starting from mid-June, Pitti Immagine announces the dates and locations for the upcoming summer fairs.
The ‘Made in Italy’ brand of footwear returns to the stage of fashion with a new capsule collection exclusively designed by the stylist Mario Dice.
Giulia Campeol, also known as ALLAGIULIA, rereads in a young and fashionable key the traditional ‘Friulana’ babouche, in a striking mix of tradition and modernity.
The company from Treviso, specialised in the production of outdoor footwear, presents its first model created from components of vegetable origins, which are 100% certified biodegradable.
Born from the creativity and ecological awareness of Sustainable Shoe Designer, Flavio Mancuso, and Mitteleuropean artist Maria Katharina Rauchenberger, the brand expresses the potential of elastic in a green and modern scope.
Upcycling that breaks rules and conventions: from Ellen Hodakova Larsson and Yekaterina Ivankova come not only new fashion business models but also creative ways to reuse all sorts of materials, considering the values of ethical and environmental responsibility
Ready for the outdoor season with a line of sneakers for him and boots that combine style, performance, and comfort, with the aim of ensuring lightness and safety when out for a walk
The Spanish brand moves forward on its pathway of sustainability, and with its new label, creates products made using practical and more responsible raw materials
According to the study “The consumers behind fashion's growing secondhand market” conducted by Vestiaire Collective and the Boston Consulting Group, in the next five years the resale of secondhand items will grow at an annual rate between + 15% and + 20%
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The consumer electronics brand has agreed a five year deal from 2009. LG had considered sponsorship of a Formula One team but elected to partner with F1 to become its official technology partner.
There will be an LG logo on on-screen timing details and can now use general Formula One footage in its advertising.The brand also pledged to increase marketing spend in 2009.
In 2005, LG became the broadcast sponsor for ITV's coverage of Formula One after agreeing a one year deal. The deal followed the brand's title sponsors of 'Formula One comes to Regent Street' a year earlier when Formula One cars were paraded down the street ahead of the British Grand Prix.
The move comes as electronics and mobile firms boost their links with major sports and entertainment events to drive brand awareness with younger customers. The deal follows hot on the heals of mobile operator O2's deal to replace Carling as the title sponsor of all Academy music venues across the UK once the beer company's contract expires at the end of this year.
LG's rival Sony Electronics has also recently extended its sponsorship agreement for the UEFA Champions League seasons 2009 to 2012.
LG Electronics has been developing its sponsorship of global extreme sports events, with the latest deal for the 2008-2009 LG FIS Snowboard World Cup which takes place across 15 countries. The UK event launched as part of the Free Sports On 4 Freeze music and sports festival at London's Battersea Power Station last month.
LG marketing director Andrew Warner said the electronics company was ‘looking for more opportunities to engage consumers.'
Warner said LG also plans to ramp up its marketing activity around its Fulham Football Club sponsorship to target consumers at football matches. The electronics company will also target people going to events at the LG Arena in Birmingham - currently the NEC Arena - which is currently being refurbished to include new seating, hospitality, bars and restaurants.


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For Thousands and thousands of Jobless, Christmas Is a Season to Endure, Not Have a good time
Nicole Craig, an unemployed mother of two from Pittsburgh, has no Christmas presents for her two children, and the ham she bought with grocery stamps is far less than the usual Christmas dinner. Months behind her rent and utility bills, she struggled to afford formula and diapers. But there was one thing she couldn’t give up: a small Christmas tree and the ingredients that go with it.
Ms. Craig spent the last $ 7 in her bank account on tinsel, a symbol of the light in the darkness of 2020. “It’s my baby’s first Christmas,” she said. “I wanted him to see a Christmas tree.”
Although Ms. Craig, 42, lost her job advising youth at risk through no fault of her own, she can’t help but blame herself for seeing Christmas decorations and other memories of a holiday she can barely celebrate. “I don’t even want to think about it because I feel so bad for my kids,” she said. “I feel like a failure.”
For Ms. Craig and millions of other Americans who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, this is a holiday season that is more for the weather than the fun. With unemployment benefits running out and an unforgiving job market few berths, many will remember this Christmas because it made painful sacrifices rather than the joy of exchanging gifts and enjoying festive meals with family.
The arrival of vaccines and the approval of a new federal aid package give hope, but they come too late to save this year’s celebration – especially with the prospect that this winter could bring the darkest days of the pandemic.
“I’m really scared of what’s going to happen,” said Ms. Craig.
The long delay in reaching a congressional agreement on an aid bill has resulted in fewer gifts under the tree, despite the pandemic separating families and shifting this year’s holiday cheer to video chat gatherings.
For many families, the $ 600 per person stimulus payments are already included in the bill approved on Monday for rent and other necessities. President Trump’s call for Congress to increase the amount to $ 2,000 per person could provide additional cushion – or torpedo the legislation altogether.
Meanwhile, unemployed Americans like Monica Scott of Lakeland, Florida, seek solace in the past.
“All I can talk about this year is memories,” said Ms. Scott, who is five months pregnant and had to quit her job at an Amazon warehouse because of the risk of miscarriage loading and unloading heavy packages. “Last year has been great – so many toys, clothes and shoes.”
Ms. Scott, 34, wants to have a Christmas dinner with her three boys – 14, 10, and 8 years old – but food will be limited because she relies on food stamps and has no kitchen. Ms. Scott lives in a motel after being evicted from her apartment last spring, but hopes to find a permanent home soon.
“It’s just a room with a bathroom,” she said. “The rent is due and I don’t know where it will come from. I could move in with my sister, but she has her children and it’s just not convenient. “
Ms. Scott and others will also be reaching out to food banks to put the Christmas dinner together.
“We usually make ribs, martinelli’s cider, a couple of desserts,” said Jessica Hudson, a full-time student and mother of two from Millbrae, California. “We won’t be able to do that this year. ”
Ms. Hudson and her unemployed partner are doing their best to make Christmas as merry as possible: they bought stockings and candy at the dollar store and for the past few weeks have been decorating the local streets for the most beautiful houses for theirs Can take kids on a ride to see them on Christmas Day.
Apr. 23, 2020 at 1:12 am ET
Ms. Hudson’s 13-year-old Marleigh had only one thing on her Christmas list this year: a family camping trip to Yosemite National Park. Mrs. Hudson tried to find a way to say no. “She basically gets an iou for Christmas, when the pandemic is over and we can travel, we’ll take her,” Ms. Hudson said. “But the truth is, we can’t afford to do that right now.”
Jamie Snyder, who lives in Grayling, Michigan, bought her kids big tickets last Christmas: a new TV for her daughter, an Xbox for her son. But since her husband was laid off in June and then took a job with a $ 20,000 cut in wages, money has been tight.
To buy simple gifts for the children – a video game, a new sweater – Ms. Snyder used the money she would have spent on the electricity bill. When this payment falls due on January 10, she fears that her electricity will be cut off.
“We just want you to have something to look forward to,” said Ms. Snyder. For Christmas dinner, she will rely on a program at her daughter’s school to provide meals to families in need.
There’s a touch of Dickens to this year’s celebrations, except that the relevant story isn’t “A Christmas Carol” but “A Tale of Two Cities”. Even as stock markets hit record highs and waiting lists for luxury goods like Peloton exercise bikes increased, around 20 million workers were receiving unemployment benefits through state or federal programs at the end of November, according to the Department of Labor.
Some of the luckier ones try to give something back. Sterling Beau Schecter, a machinery and equipment appraiser, received a 20 percent raise in October and, as a result, increased his charitable giving to a local church.
“I am very grateful for the blessing of having a job and I try not to take it for granted,” he said. Mr. Schecter, 26, lives in Chicago but was able to return to Fort Worth for Christmas.
In a normal year, around 30 members of his extended family gather on Christmas Eve. This year, only his immediate family will be spending time together to keep pandemic guidelines.
Nevertheless, his mother is planning a Christmas party – with turkey, mashed potatoes and bread rolls. Mr Schecter and friends are planning to rent a local movie theater this week for a private screening of a Christmas movie.
Workers like Mr Schechter have generally been more resilient in the pandemic recession than workers in the service sector with fewer skills and lower wages. Although the unemployment rate fell from 14.7 percent in April to 6.7 percent in November, the pace of employment has slowed. At the same time, the new state unemployment benefit entitlements are close to a million a week.
Many of the unemployed come from industries such as hospitality, travel, food service and entertainment, which were still suffering from the first strike of the pandemic back in the spring when a new round of bans and restrictions hit in the fall.
At 10.2 million, employment in the food service sector is down more than two million from February and fell again in November after recovering in the spring and summer.
Few experts expect these sectors of the economy to rebound until mass vaccination kicks in and consumers are comfortable eating indoors – or even allowed to in places like New York and California. Similarly, stadiums, airports, and amusement parks will most likely rest until temperatures rise and the virus is repulsed by vaccination-induced herd immunity at some point in the next year.
One of those waiting is Tresa Watson, 44, who served four and a half years as a server and host in the premium suite of the Fiserv Forum, home of the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks. By the time she was fired in March, she was making $ 35,000 to $ 40,000 annually, enough to buy a car seat for $ 199 for her new grandson, Khalil, last year.
This year she brings him a toy laptop, cuddly toys and a broom and dustpan set from Melissa & Doug, the children’s toy maker. Most of all, though, she focuses on vacation experiences that don’t come with a price tag, like spending time with Khalil, and is grateful that she can pay the rent and keep the lights on for now.
“I will give the gift of love and hope and prayer,” she said. “And to remain hopeful that this too will pass.”


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More than a million Google accounts have been hit by malicious software, a security firm said Wednesday.
Check Point said in a blog post that the attack campaign, known as Gooligan, is expanding to an additional 13,000 devices a day. The malware steals authentication tokens that can be used to access Google Play, Gmail, Google Photos, Google Docs, G Suite and Google Drive.
Gooligan features a Trojan horse type of attack, in which the malicious software poses as legitimate apps for Android smartphones and tablets. Names of the malicious apps include StopWatch, Perfect Cleaner and WiFi Enhancer, according to the Wall Street Journal. Once installed, these apps automatically install other apps, some of which can steal user names and passwords to post fake reviews of products.
Google responded to a request for comment with a link to its blog post about the attack. In the blog post, Google said it has found no evidence that Gooligan has accessed user data access or that specific groups of people have been targeted. “The motivation…is to promote apps, not steal information,” Google said.
Check Point said Gooligan is a variant of an Android malware campaign found by researchers in the SnapPea app last year.
People who are worried that their Google accounts may be compromised can check on the Check Point website.
First published November 30 at 8:47 a.m. PT.
Update, 9:37 a.m. PT: Comment from Google added.


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A world record-winning giant vegetable grower from Cwmbran, Torfaen, is helping his community grow their own food during the coronavirus lockdown.
Three-time Guinness World Record champion Kevin Fortey has been supplying his neighbours with seeds to grow vegetables such as radishes, carrots and onions.
Strict measures put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and protect those most vulnerable to the virus mean shopping for basic necessities must be as infrequent as possible, according to the advice.
As a result, stockpiling has left supermarket shelves empty and online shopping slots full, leaving some people struggling to access fresh food.
With the Prime Minister urging consumers to shop online during the lockdown, supermarkets' online systems for booking deliveries have been overwhelmed.
Normally only around seven per cent of UK shoppers opt for online grocery services. Now demand is many times higher than that and getting a delivery slot is proving impossible for many.
Kevin Fortey hopes his giant vegetables will feed dozens of people in his area.
"I've got a 23 kilo beetroot here that is probably enough to feed my whole neighbourhood," he said.
"Now I'm in the process of getting my soil ready and grow rooms all set up so I've got plenty of stuff for the summer.
"There could easily be food shortages with production lines going down, but there doesn't have to be if people grow their own."
Local resident Howard Thomas said: "It's good to see the community coming together with the coronavirus epidemic that's going on here.
"Thanks to Kevin Fortey, who's renowned for his giant veg, for supplying seeds for families to come together, growing them in the garden, creating activities and hopefully at the end of it all, eating the produce."
Kevin is currently growing lettuce, cabbage, beetroot and kol rabhi at his home with more veg to come through the summer.
He was due to pass on his growing tips at a series of events this summer including the Royal Welsh Show, which has now been cancelled due to the pandemic.
He said: "I usually use sowing and growing as a way to build the community but now we have to do our gardening on our own.
"But the thing is I will never be truly alone as I always have my veg for company."
Coronavirus: Everything you need to know


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By Olivier Sorgho and Lina Golovnya
(Reuters) -Belgian chemicals and battery materials company Umicore raised a key earnings forecast on Friday on the back of a strong performance in its EST unit which makes cathodes for electric vehicles, boosting its shares more than 7% to a one-month high.
The group said it now sees full-year adjusted operating profit (EBIT) to be "somewhat above" current consensus, which stands at 827.7 million euros ($845.2 million). A previous guidance from April expected it to be "slightly above" 818 million euros.
Shares in the group had fallen sharply last month after it presented a more expensive than expected 5 billion euro plan to bulk up its battery materials business, raising concerns the plan could lead to higher debt and require significant external funding.
The group is betting on supplying carmakers with battery materials to help make up for an expected decline in its lucrative businesses supplying catalytic converters which help control emissions.
"Despite the current challenging market context, I am very positive about the opportunities ahead," the company's CEO Mathias Miedreich said in a statement.
Energy & Surface Technologies (EST), the division responsible for producing cathodes for electric vehicle batteries, saw revenue grow by 21% in the half-year, Umicore said.
Analyst Sebastian Bray of Berenberg noted that margin improvement in the cathode-making segment was driving the rise in Umicore's shares.
Umicore said the improved outlook assumes precious metal prices remain at current levels until the end of the year and there are no further significant economic and geopolitical disruptions.
Prices for precious metals such as palladium and rhodium, which Umicore extracts from spent electronics and car catalysts, peaked over the last year, increasing the company's earnings, though in its latest results showed a 26% percent drop in adjusted operating profit to 461 million euros in what it said was a "less favorable" precious metal price environment.
Its Catalysis division, which makes chemical catalysts to control exhaust emissions in cars, saw half-year operating profit decline by 17%, while a consensus mentioned by KBC Securities had expected a 29% drop.
"2022 proved to be another challenging time for the automotive industry," Miedreich told analysts, pointing to lower production of ICE-powered cars in China and Europe in particular.
He added however that volumes dropped less than the global car market.
The company also announced the departure of CFO Filip Platteeuw, to be replaced from Oct. 1 by Wannes Peferoen, senior vice president of the group’s ElectroOptic Materials business unit, saying Platteeuw was leaving "to pursue other interests" without giving any further detail.
Its shares were up 5.1% at 35.81 euros by 1129 GMT, having risen as high as 36.84 euros, their highest since before the negatively received June statement.
($1 = 0.9783 euros)
(Reporting by Olivier Sorgho and Lina Golovnya; Editing by Barbara Lewis and David Holmes)


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Article by Ryan Bray, via Consequence of Sound
Now that smart phones essentially double as portable music players, the iPod has more or less become a relic. But that shouldn’t take away from what a monumentally influential invention it’s proven to be. It’s not a stretch to call the first successful mass-market mp3 player one of the single-most game-changing innovations of the last two decades. With a gadget smaller than your wallet, Apple altered the way we access and listen to music. We take for granted in 2018 that music essentially exists for the taking across a host of different platforms, but it took the iPod to transform music from a massively profitable commodity to something more akin to a free resource.
Apple deserves credit for transitioning the world over from physical media to mp3s and later streaming. Facts being what they are, no other company brought an mp3 player to market that came remotely close to rivaling the iPod. But the mp3 player’s origin story doesn’t begin in Cupertino. Some 300 miles away in the San Fernando Valley, another company beat Apple to the punch with a device of its own.
In 1982, Chong Moon Li founded Diamond Multimedia, a company that became one of the leading manufacturers of graphics and sound cards in the 1990s. Diamond Multimedia also was one of the earliest companies to dabble in the then-nascent field of digital audio players. In September 1998, the company went to market with the Rio PMP300, which arguably served as the precursor to what Apple would eventually develop just a few short years later. In fact, it’s hard not to look at the PMP300 as a crudely constructed iPod. The device shares the iPod’s rectangular shape as well as many of its most distinct features, most notably the display screen and click wheel.
Continue reading here.


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Cannabis Wire, a trade publication dedicated marijuana industry coverage, is to launch a newsroom on blockchain-based journalism platform Civil.
According to an announcement from Civil, Cannabis Wire’s newsroom is targeted at offering different types of content for both individual consumers and larger organizations such as farms, lawmakers and lobbyists.
“We’re promoting a more objective standard for responsibly covering the cannabis industry. Many people don’t realize the scope of it today, and the myriad ways it can affect them,” said Alyson Martin, co-founder of Cannabis Wire.
Civil touts a mechanism that can incentivize Cannabis Wire’s newsroom staff to disseminate quality journalism by distributing the content over its decentralized platform. Readers pay for content with cryptocurrency, and the system sidesteps the need for advertisers and avoids political influence…
Read Full: Cannabis Publication to Launch on Civil’s Decentralized News Platform


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It's a familiar playbook for Google and Alphabet: Offer high-quality products like Gmail or Chrome, build a massive user base, and then capitalize on that reach to paternalistically promote safer practices across the tech industry. So far, this strategy has generally proved to be extremely effective. Now Chronicle, a company born last year out of X, Alphabet's "moon shot factory," is going to try it for defending corporate networks.
On Monday, Chronicle announced its first product: Backstory. The tool is a cloud platform on which companies can store their network-intelligence data indefinitely, allowing them to use Google's search smarts to comb through logs and gain insight into emerging digital security threats. For example, an organization that missed a breach on its network initially will be able to use Backstory to find the origins of the incident and track what played out as a result. Crucially, Backstory customers will also benefit from the discoveries Chronicle makes by looking for patterns and anomalies in the combined data set of all its clients.
For this effort, Chronicle is courting the broader security industry, hoping to share data with other threat-intelligence firms and even contract to provide data storage services for other security companies’ clients. Chronicle already has the security firms Avast and Proofpoint signed on as Backstory “insight partners,” and it is also integrating with the endpoint-security firm Carbon Black.
“One of the things we unexpectedly found in IT departments was that there were a lot of these internal efforts to do something like this,” says Stephen Gillett, CEO of Chronicle. Gillett has previously served stints as the chief information security officer at Starbucks and chief operating officer at Symantec. “People tried to tackle this themselves, but they realized quickly that [such efforts] don’t scale, they break. That’s why we’re working very hard to bring the security industry with us and actually get into technical integrations with them.”
A cloud platform that analyzes historic network-intelligence data sounds like a million other security products on the market right now. But Gillett says that few can come anywhere close to offering the “nearly unlimited computing, nearly unlimited storage, and networking capabilities” of an Alphabet company. Customers will pay a flat rate for Backstory based on how many employees they have, unlike other offerings that charge primarily on the amount of data a customer is storing.
This is a classic benefit for a Google-adjacent company, and depending on how it fares under scrutiny with clients, Backstory seems like it could offer powerful services for defenders. In a demo for WIRED, Chronicle chief security officer Mike Wiacek showed how Backstory's user interface wrangles massive amounts of information into understandable, easily customizable data visualizations. The platform also works in tandem with another Chronicle-owned asset, VirusTotal, an invaluable index of malware samples that the security industry already relies on. VirusTotal and Backstory aren't directly integrated, but researchers within an organization or incident responders can use information they get from VirusTotal about a threat as fodder for search queries in Backstory. This way they can check whether a particular malicious domain or malware signature has ever cropped up on their network.
As always, though, all of this also invites questions about whether such initiatives overly centralize the tech industry. Collaboration within the security community and among defenders is certainly valuable and productive. But handing yet another Alphabet-owned company a huge chunk of sensitive data has its own trade-offs. Wiacek was one of the architects of Google's internal security schemes, which have certainly proved their resilience so far, but with infinite data comes infinite responsibility.


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China aims to heavily increase its investment in Southeast Asia ahead of the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, and plans for the amount to increase by a factor of five to US$150 billion by the year 2020.
Although China and the ten member nations of ASEAN used to compete on exports and attracting foreign capital, the two regions have since found opportunities for cooperation and synergy in manufacturing, services and other industries, according to Noel Quinn, the general manager of Asia-Pacific commercial banking at HSBC in Hong Kong.
Quinn also noted that while China exports a large amount and variety of goods to ASEAN, Southeast Asia is now a major exporter and producer in its own right.
“Trade flows between China and ASEAN are driven as much by the evolution of regional production networks and trade integration initiatives as by rising regional domestic demand”, he elaborated.
Facilitating ASEAN-China investment and trade will of course, require the proper infrastructure.
Some the larger projects between the two regions are numerous highways, as well as a high-speed rail line between Kunming, China and Singapore. The line will run through China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore and is expected to cost US$7 billion.
A shift mainly driven by labor cost in China
There are several factors that are causing the dynamics of trade in Asia to shift, but the most important might be the increasing costs of labor and manufacturing in China.
The country is moving further up the value chain and producing more high-tech goods, while countries in ASEAN such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines are using their lower costs as an advantage.
In addition, the Chinese economy is changing from one dominated by exports, to one driven by its 1.3 billion consumers. This trend is expected to continue by many experts, as the number of people belonging to China’s middle-class increases from 250 million to 600 million by 2020.
Because of these two reasons, China is searching for ways to sustain an increasingly wealthy population that is showing less of an ability to produce goods on a large scale and at a low cost. This means looking at regions such as ASEAN, as well as Africa, which have potential to develop their manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
Dealing in the Yuan
As the U.S. Dollar fluctuates and the future of the Eurozone looks bleak, an increase between ASEAN-China trade will also boost the Yuan’s prospects of becoming a major international currency for settlement.
The movement of Yuan into ASEAN usually goes through Singapore, the de-facto financial hub of the region. Yuan deposits in the city-state grew from US$195 billion to US$220 billion in the first quarter of 2014 alone, while Yuan loans increased by nearly 25% to more than US$300 billion, according to data by SWIFT.
In summary, ASEAN will lead the world in adopting the yuan as a global currency as it begins using it for trade settlement, financing and investment as the region’s faith and dependence in the U.S Dollar weakens.
Note: This article was originally published by InvestAsian . The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily state or reflect the views of Thailand Business News


text: It was just yesterday that we reported that the Chinese authorities have finally given the Google-Motorola deal the green light, and now that the deal is close to completion, what are some of Google’s plans for the Motorola Mobility division that they bought off Motorola for $12.5 billion? Well according to the latest set of rumors (via TechCrunch), it seems that Google might be looking at shaving off 30% of the 19,000 strong work force which amounts to about 5,700 employees. Granted these are merely rumors for now, and they should be treated as such and be taken with generous doses of salt for now. At this point in time Google has declined to comment on the rumors, but what do you guys think? According to TechCrunch, when Google had acquired DoubleClick, they cut about 40% of its 1,600 employees. This set the precedent that Google could be looking to do the same with Motorola Mobility. In any case with the deal now approved, we are interested to see what Google has planned for Motorola Mobility and if these job cuts are to believed. Until then, be sure to check back with us for more updates!


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Survey: Number of new companies in Hungary falls 22% in H1
The number of companies established in the first half of the year saw a year-on-year fall of 22% in Hungary, which counts as a “drastic decrease”, Bisnode said in press release today citing data from its survey.
In the first half of 2014, more than 16,000 companies were launched, and this number dropped to slightly more than 12,500 in HI 2015, Bisnode said. According to the business information company, if no changes are made to the legislation involved in launching a company, this year could see a record low of new companies, around 24,000. This would be a significant drop from last year’s 30,000.
According to Bisnode, less people believe that by launching their own company they can achieve a stable income. Based on the decreasing number of new companies and the increasing number of terminated companies, there appears to be a diminishing entrepreneurial spirit in the country.
Bisnodeʼs survey states that until 2011, the number of new companies was on the rise, however since then, this number has decreased dramatically.
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The event, SI Lights: The World is our Runway, is a benefit for the St. Ignatius Scholarship Fund as much as it is a celebration of the school’s seniors and the St. Ignatius community.
Genius! Fashion world loves superlative descriptors and enjoys rewarding talent with generous praise. What happens when the mind behind the next genius look is Artificial Intelligence? Isabella Urbina (BA Fashion Journalism) reports on the latest fashion tech milestone.
Coming Soon! The Premiere of Issue 9 of 180 Magazine and Launch of OneEightyMagazine.com. Fashion School Daily elaborates on what goes into making our most prized magazine!
Eleven students from diverse backgrounds, eleven distinct points of view, one blank canvas: a classic collared shirt courtesy of an iconic retailer GANT.
Find out what the only dedicated and accredited Fashion Journalism and Fashion Styling programs in the United States hold for students at Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
BFA Fashion Styling graduate Katelyn Johnson teams with Karlie Kloss for Adidas/Stella McCartney Shoot at Wanderlust Yoga Festival in Squaw Valley.


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As driverless technology moves away from the laboratory and closer to production, automakers are visualizing what new opportunities vehicle travel may hold for en route activities beyond napping, shopping, reading or watching a video.
Last year, Daimler AG (DDAIF) unveiled its Mercedes-Benz F 015 luxury in motion, whose seating arrangement could adjust to a miniature version of a lounge when the vehicle is in driverless mode, with all four occupants facing one another.
At this year's CES exhibition in Las Vegas, an annual confab that has been surpassing traditional auto shows in terms of displaying futuristic technology, companies that once only touted entertainment or other digital services are seeking to expand their market to cars.
Nissan Motor (NSANY) on Wednesday tweeted a hint that it plans to introduce Microsoft's (MSFT) - Get ReportCortana digital assistant into the cockpits of its automobiles. The software maker has been experimenting how to integrate Cortana into a windshield so occupants might, for instance, make dinner reservations or view their location on a digital map.
Honda Motor (HMC) - Get Report said it is teaming with DreamWorks Animation to create an augmented and virtual reality (VR) proof of concept for "in vehicle experience." Once distraction no longer is an issue because a robot is driving the car, why not wear VR goggles?
A proof of concept, called Honda Dream Drive, uses VR goggles to allow passengers to experience a virtual world activated by the motion of the vehicle. The CES display, Honda said, will featuring content from DreamWorks' animated movie Trolls.
"Entertainment in the car is rapidly changing as consumers rely more and more on personal devices and Honda sees new opportunities to create unique experiences for our customers," said Honday's John Moon. "The collaboration with DreamWorks enables Honda to enhance the in-vehicle experience through new ways of delivering information and entertainment."
Real-world services ready to be used today are becoming more sophisticated as well. Hyundai Motor (HYMLF) said that its Blue Link wireless emergency communication service will allow Alphabet (GOOG) - Get Report Google Home to be used to activate door locks and ignition via voice activation.
How soon before an Amazon drone will be able to deliver a hot pizza to a driverless car full of hungry pre-teens trapped in freeway traffic?
Doron Levin is the host of "In the Driver Seat," broadcast on SiriusXM Insight 121, Saturday at noon, encore Sunday at 9 a.m.
This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.


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How to enlarge your horizon and activities in China as a cleantech company? Learn more from an expert panel and take part in an interactive Q&A with online networking.
Join our webinar to hear the FIT trade commissioners on the current economic situation in China, travel restrictions and financial support of the Flemish government for companies engaged in business with China.
The Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC) and the Belgium – Hong Kong Society organized an online dialogue with Mr. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on September 22, 2020 to discuss the new National Security Law of Hong Kong.
China released their plans for constructing the Hainan Free Trade Port on 1 June 2020. Hainan Province will become the largest special economic zone in China and be transformed into a Free Trade Port. The BCECC organized an information session on the business opportunities of the Hainan Free Trade Port.
The BCECC, together with CATIS, organized an online matchmaking event for B2B businesses involved in light industrial products on 20 August 2020.
The BCECC, together with CATIS, organized a B2B matchmaking event specialized in cashmere products from Inner Mongolia on 30 July 2020.
The BCECC organized a meet & greet with the future Ambassador and Consul Generals for Belgium to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai on 25 June 2020. They held speeches, followed by a short Q&A session.
The BCECC, together with CATIS, organized a B2B matchmaking event specialized in consumer goods and housewares on 24 June 2020.
The BCECC invited 2 European manufacturers in China to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their business on 18 June 2020.
China has one of the most dynamic and complex consumer market in the world today. After transitioning out from being a push market, Chinese consumers now know very well what they want. The BCECC and VOKA organized a webinar on consumer Food & Beverage trends in China on 2 June 2020.
To help companies in the turbulent business climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCECC again cooperated with CATIS to organize the “2020 B2B Online Match-making Metting for medical materials” on 25 May 2020.


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New York | Less than three weeks before the launch of its new Xbox console, Microsoft has sent a strong message to its main rival Sony by buying ZeniMax, the parent company of the publisher of the hit series “The Elder Scrolls” for 7.5 billion dollars. “And” Fallout “.
With this acquisition supposed to be finalized in mid-2021, the biggest ever made by Microsoft in the video game sector, the Redmond giant (Washington, northwest) intends to position itself against the Japanese group, which is preparing to him also to market its PlayStation 5 in November.
Founded in 1986, Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax's main subsidiary, is one of the world's largest private video game developers. In addition to the development of “The Elder Scrolls” and “Fallout”, she notably publishes the shooting titles “Doom” and “Dishonored”.
The acquisition of this company “brings to the Xbox an impressive portfolio of games, technologies and talents as well as a list of great commercial successes,” Microsoft said in a statement.
Its goal is to “give even more resources to more than three billion video game players around the world,” said Microsoft boss Satya Nadella.
Catching up with Sony
On November 10, Microsoft is due to launch the Xbox Series X, its next-generation console that will sell for $ 499. A smaller version, the Xbox Series S, will be available for $ 299.
The American group hopes to catch up with Sony, which has sold twice as many PlayStation 4, the model currently on sale, than Xbox One.
Microsoft also intends to generate significant income thanks to a lucrative sector, whose pace of development has further accelerated thanks to containment.
“The cultural phenomenon of video games makes it the largest and fastest growing form of entertainment in the world,” Microsoft said.
The video game industry “is expected to generate more than $ 200 billion in annual revenue in 2021,” added the computer giant.
For his part, Bethesda boss Robert Altman said the deal with Microsoft is “a natural progression after several years of collaboration. ”
On the CNBC channel, Xbox boss Phil Spencer assured that ZeniMax would continue to operate independently, suggesting that there would be no cuts in the workforce of 2,300 company employees.
On Wall Street, Microsoft's action did not really benefit from this announcement and fell 0.3% at mid-session.
Calibrated for the “cloud”
For several experts, the acquisition of ZeniMax should give a boost to the already massive presence of Microsoft in the field of video games designed for the “cloud” (remote computing), which come in the form of software. instead of being stored directly on the device.
Thanks to this operation, the American group “strengthens its position in the online video game market, because they (ZeniMax and Bethesda, note) offer competitive products that can be added to + Game Pass + subscriptions and capable of repelling attacks from Sony, ”wrote in a note Anurag Rana and Gili Naftalovich, analysts for Bloomberg Intelligence.
Cloud Gaming, Microsoft's cloud-based gaming platform, went live last week for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox's subscription-based game library (on console or PC).
The buyout of Bethesda also allows Microsoft to add 8 new video game creation teams to its studios.
The developer's next flagship titles, including the sci-fi game Starfield, will be able to appear from the day of their launch on Xbox Game Pass.
“If the Xbox and the video game have been successful, Microsoft is aware of the need to increase its revenues from its customers, which we believe this agreement should encourage,” said in a note Daniel Ives of the investment company Wedbush Securities.


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New York (VNA) – A 40-strong business delegation from the US will launch an investment promotion programme in Vietnam from March 3-6, aiming to expand trade and investment cooperation in the Southeast Asian country, according to an official from the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC). In a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc on February 25, USABC Chairman Alex Feldman said the delegation will hold many activities to interact with officials from the Vietnamese Government, ministries and sectors, and work with local businesses and partners. It will also practically contribute to celebrating the 25th anniversary of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties, he added. In recent times, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US has increased economic diplomatic activities to promote investment, trade and tourism cooperation between the two nations. The embassy recently coordinated with a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh to work with … [Read more...] about US firms eye stronger investment cooperation in Vietnam
Established in Japan in 1971, kidswear brand Miki House puts children’s needs firmly at the heart of everything they do. Designed to be soft, safe, and comfortable, their beautiful collections are crafted with meticulous attention to detail, from their carefully sourced fabrics and ergonomic footwear to their zero-twist yarns and thoughtful stitching. … [Read more...] about Japanese kidswear brand opens first store in Vietnam
According to local banks, customers suffering the most were firms involved in transportation, storage, accommodation, tourism, restaurant and food service. Others include agricultural and fisheries companies whose major export market is China and those whose main materials are imported from China. … [Read more...] about Gov’t keeps macroeconomic targets unchanged despite epidemic
Recent figures by the Vietnam E-commerce Association show that global OTAs such as Agoda.com, Booking.com, Traveloka.com, and Expedia.com are holding 80 per cent of the nation’s market share. A large proportion of international visitors use services provided by foreign OTAs. Many local visitors have also used services provided by foreign OTAs. … [Read more...] about An internet economy: a golden treasure trove?
Meanwhile, ZuumViet has been posting driver recruitment advertisements for its ride-hailing app since early December, offering financial incentives for its first 3,000 drivers. ZuumViet’s services will include ZuumBike (motorbikes), ZuumCar (4-seater and 7-seater cars) and ZuumLux (luxury cars), according to the company’s website. The company has yet to publicise a launch date. … [Read more...] about Alarming practices among new ride-hailing services


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Tag - Joybook
BenQ on Monday launched the latest addition to its JoyBook Lite netbook lineup with the U103. The 10.1-inch PC is unique in that it features a sub-1-inch thickness and Intel's new 1.66GHz Atom processor, as well as the option of a 32GB solid state drive in addition to a standard, 500GB hard drive. Windows 7 is preloaded onto either, depending on the spec. The JoyBook Lite U103 is also the first netbook of its size to feature SRS TruSurround HD and SRS CS Headphone features for virtual 3D audio.
BenQ recently announced the upcoming release of its ultra-portable netbook, the 13.3-inch Joybook Lite T131. Weighing in at just under 4lbs, the 13.3-inch T131 sports a 1.6GHz AMD Sempron 200U processor based on the same platform as the Athlon Neo and which should give performance better than netbooks without a major increase in bulk. A minimum of 1GB of RAM is onboard, as is an ATI Mobility Radeon X1270 graphics chipset that can drive HD video playback. The standard 250GB hard drive -- a 320GB drive is an option -- comes preloaded with Windows Vista Home Basic.
Taiwanese hardware maker BenQ on Tuesday announced the upcoming release of its latest ultra-portable netbook PC, the 2.9lb, 11.6-inch Joybook Lite U121 Eco. Sporting a screen resolution of 1366x768 and a 16:9 aspect ratio, combined with the availability of large-capacity storage drives and an HDMI output, the Joybook Lite U121 Eco is intended as a minor media hub. Processing power comes from a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 that, with the optional six-cell battery, gives it a life expectancy of eight hours. A three-cell battery is the default choice.
BenQ on Wednesday announced the release of the new Joybook S57, a media-centric notebook with a 15.6-inch, LED-backlit screen capable of a greater-than-720p (1366x768) resolution. The high-spec screen, which also has a relatively quick 8ms response time, plays movies at their native 16:9 ratio. The system is also taxed only lightly when playing HD video from the optional Blu-ray combo drive thanks to hardware decoding on an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 graphics chipset, which also brings mid-range gaming to the notebook.
BenQ has released its Joybook Lite U101 netbook in its home market of Taiwan. The netbook sports a 10.1-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio screen with an LED backlight unit that provides a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and a response time of 8ms. It uses an Intel Atom CPU rated at 1.6GHz and can be ordered with either 120GB or 160GB hard disks or 4GB or 16GB solid state drives preloaded with either Linux or Windows XP Home. Graphics processing is handled by the onboard Intel 945GSE chipiset while built-in memory is rated at 512MB, upgradeable to 1GB.
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Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj
Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket
The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94
Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa
SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If
Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm
Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE