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A security firm has recently discovered a DoS (Denial of Service) vulnerability in the iPhone’s latest firmware- 1.1.4. The firm, Radware, reports that the iPhone is vulnerable to such attacks because of a design flaw that are caused by a repetition of memory allocation operations in the OS’s dynamic memory pool. Itzik Kotler, security operation center manager at Radware, explained,
Apple has issued a security patch for its Safari Web browser, fixing the flaw that earned one security researcher US$10,000 at the CanSecWest security conference.
The flaw was exploited by Independent Security Evaluators Researcher Charlie Miller to gain access to a MacBook Air computer three weeks ago. It lies in the WebKit open-source HTML rendering engine used by Safari and several other Mac OS X programs.
Dear Hackers: Here's a personal challenge from me, Jason Chen. Make the iPhone work with the Nike+ Sport Kit. The current status now, when you plug the adaptor into the iPhone, is a message that reads, sadly "This accessory is not supported by iPhone."
The introduction of both native third-party applications and enterprise support to the iPhone is likely to sap further marketshare away from Palm and Research in Motion, says an investor note from Needham & Co.
Charlie Wolf of the financial group explains that neither company will be in a safe position with the anticipated June release of the iPhone's version 2.0 firmware making the Apple device more viable not just as a home user's device but also in the enterprise market that Palm and RIM have called home for some time.
Before my fiancée and I headed to Syria to study Arabic, we often heard there was one advantage to living in a police state: almost no crime. So it came as a surprise when Sara and I returned to our Damascus apartment one night after a dinner party to find splintered wood in the hallway — wood that had once been part of our front door.
I made a beeline for the living room to check on our most valuable possessions: my MacBook and Sara's MacBook Pro. Both gone.


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Grinding Gear Games announced a new Ultimatum expansion for the action role-playing game Path of Exile (PoE). Some unique challenges are waiting for you, and
MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV announced on Twitter that the old hairstyles that were previously available are now returning. Fans also celebrate because charm is the
Free2Play MMORPG Virtuverse for Steam will take you into a galaxy full of possibilities. The adventure takes you to the planet Stig, where you should
The biggest game on the Twitch streaming platform is GTA 5. Now, it’s back in Xbox Game Pass and can be purchased at a meager
We reported that the WOW 9.1 version of the dominance chain finally came to life. The patch should land on the PTR within two weeks.
Sony announced new free games that will be available to PS Plus members in April 2021. As always, PS4 has two games, while PS5 has
Players who like dark games should be familiar with the Path of Exile I believe many people are also playing the Path of Exile of
IT Takes Two is a cooperative game that is currently receiving positive reviews on Metacritic. Especially for the PC and PS5 versions, the reviews were

domain: news


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The director general of Fair Trading, John Bridgeman, said he would not now refer the supply of milk to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission but would "monitor the situation closely". He added that he would not hesitate to take further action should it prove necessary.
The main dairy companies such as Unigate and Northern Foods have complained bitterly about the existing Milk Marque pricing structure, saying it fails to reflect supply and demand and results in higher prices for consumers.
Currently, the system allows prices to rise when there is an excess demand for milk but does not provide for a corresponding fall in prices when there is a demand shortfall.
The big change is that if Milk Marque receives a bid for less than 90 per cent of the milk on offer it will lower the price and hold a further round of bidding. The changes will not come into force until next April.
The Dairy Industry Federation gave a "cautious welcome" to the changes though added that it would need to see how they worked in practice. The Federation's John Price said some of the principles lacked detail and other points were still unclear. "It's a step forward but we will need to see how it works in practice before we give the changes our wholehearted support."
Mr Price said that the OFT's statement did not address Milk Marque's monopoly over the transport of raw milk. Dairy companies feel they should have the option of providing their own transport arrangement if it can be shown that their systems are more efficient that Milk Marque's.
Shares of big dairy companies rose on the news. Unigate shares closed 10p higher at 432p. Northern Foods put on 3p at 205p.
David Hallam, an analyst at the broker Williams de Broe, said: "There is now a mechanism under which milk prices can go down when the market conditions show it would do so under normal circumstances." He added that in the current climate of over-production of milk in the UK "milk prices should go down".
Both the Northern Foods chairman, Christopher Haskins, and the Unigate chairman, Ian Martin, have attacked the Milk Marque price structure, regularly giving vent to their anger at its results presentations. "There has been a fairly concerted effort by all the major milk processors. This is a result of that," Mr Hallam concluded.
The Government deregulated the milk market in November 1994, sweeping away the old Milk Marketing Board system in a move which sent milk prices sky high.
The Dairy Industry Federation made a formal complaint to the OFT at the time of deregulation that Milk Marque was abusing its dominant position in the milk market to inflate prices.
The leading dairies have been battling against a sharp fall in doorstep sales of milk as a growing number of households opt to buy cheaper milk at supermarkets. Doorstep sales have fallen by around 16 per cent on last year. Both Northern Foods and Unigate have taken radical action to restructure their milk businesses, including the closure of many bottling plants.
- More about:
- British Cycling Federation
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- Foreign & Commonwealth Office
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1Collision is excited to announce the addition of its first location in Virginia, Huber Collision Center in Fredericksburg.
Opened in 2000, the independent collision repair facility is part of a dealer group owned by Clay Huber and includes Mercedes-Benz of Fredericksburg and Volvo Cars Fredericksburg. Phil Rice is the general manager.
"We are excited to add our first dealership location that operates as a standalone shop," said John Hollingworth, 1Collision's director of new location development. "Phil Rice is an excellent operator and we look forward to working with him and his team to take their business to the next level."
“The industry is changing at such a rapid rate,” said Rice, who has worked at Huber Collision Center for three years. “We are not interested in becoming consolidated or selling, so we felt the best way to move forward is to partner with like-minded people we can grow with like 1Collision.”
Rice said the partnership with 1Collision will allow Huber Collision to connect with a group of people from across the country who have similar goals and aspirations without selling the organization to a consolidator.
“While other auto body shops have been taken over by large corporations with headquarters thousands of miles away, we have been locally owned from the beginning and plan to stay that way,” said Rice.
The Huber Collision team is looking forward to growing its business with 1Collision.
“1Collision has a great track record with processes both on the front and back end,” said Rice. “They also have a great network with different vendors.”
Rice said they also hope to learn from other shops in the network.
“If someone has already encountered a barrier or obstacle and they have already worked through the problem, it’s great to hear about the experience and learn from it,” he said. The family-owned company includes a team of 25 employees who range from those who are brand new to the industry to others who have worked there for 17 years.
“Local ownership enables us to be actively involved in day-to-day operations, decision-making and quality control and to make investments that are best for our customers,” said Rice.
One of these investments was the shop’s decision to become certified by Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. Huber Collision is also a AAA Approved Auto Repair Center and staffed with I-CAR Gold Class professionals.
The team prides itself on providing excellent customer service and repairing cars correctly.
“We work diligently every day to do the best that we can to keep our customers, vendors and staff informed throughout the repair process,” he said. “I want everybody to understand the reason we come here each day is to serve our customers and make a living. We can go home in the evening to what's most important, which is our families.”
One of the ways Rice keeps his team connected is through daily production meetings. “We are able to identify the customers and vehicles that need priority attention and develop a plan as to what is going to take place,” he said. “Sometimes, those plans change and if you aren't willing to effectively communicate that on a floor level, then it creates confusion or dissension within the organization.”
Huber Collision Center also believes it’s important to support the local community and demonstrates its involvement in a variety of ways.
“We are invested in this region and its people and consider it an honor to be able to serve our neighbors, friends and the many newcomers who find their way to this beautiful region of our state and nation,” said Rice. “We have an ongoing commitment to reach out---alone and in partnership with local nonprofit organizations---to help people in our community receive the basic necessities of food, clothing, safe shelter, health care and the right to life.”
In addition to sponsoring the annual Fredericksburg Christmas Parade, some of the organizations the company assists include Choices Women’s Center, Christian Youth Theater, the Fairy Godmother Project, the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation and the Rotary Club of Rappahannock-Fredericksburg.
“Our goal is to gain our customers' trust by always seeking to do what is fair and right, to build our employees by empowering them to succeed, and to strive for excellence in everything we do,” said Rice.


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In 2019, many auto experts said Tesla was making a big mistake by deciding to sell cars only online, arguing that whatever bad feelings people had about dealerships were essential to the auto business.
But the strategy, which was adopted by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and combines direct sales with a limited number of stores and service centers, appears to prove naysayers wrong. The company dominates the growing electric car market, even as other manufacturers struggle to sell cars due to a shortage of computer chips.
Tesla’s approach, which has been copied by other young electric car makers like Rivian and Lucid Motors, could eventually have major ramifications for the auto industry. Most automakers and car dealerships are making big profits right now, as the shortage of new cars has driven up prices for both new and used cars. Still, automakers and dealerships may eventually need to embrace some of the changes Tesla introduced to win over shoppers who have grown accustomed to buying cars online.
People who have traded in conventional cars for electric vehicles made by Tesla and newer companies said they were happy with the experience and would consider buying future cars in the same way.
“Easiest big purchase of my life, crazy easy,” Rachel Ryan, who lives near Los Angeles, said of her 2021 purchase of a Tesla Model Y. “I bought it while my husband was at work,” she added. “When he got home, I told him he wouldn’t be driving my minivan anymore.”
Ms. Ryan said the only service issue she had was a flat tire from a nail. “Tesla came to my house to fix it,” she said. “Any questions I have, I just emailed, and they’re there in minutes.”
Buying online is a must for people who want to buy an electric car made by Tesla, Rivian or Lucid, whose customers can only buy online and directly from the manufacturer. But online car shopping attracts a large chunk of all car shoppers, even those who buy combustion-engine cars through dealerships, said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at Cox Automotive.
“Our data shows that consumers want to do more processes online, but most don’t want to eliminate the visit to the dealership altogether,” Krebs said. “They just wanted the dealership experience to be something else – focused on the product, the product features and a test drive.”
She said some dealerships started digitizing all or part of the buying process at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when showrooms closed like other retail businesses. In Europe, some automakers have gone even further. Daimler, Volkswagen and Volvo sell cars directly to consumers or have announced plans to do so.
American automakers have also signaled that they would like to make big changes. Ford Motor chief executive Jim Farley told an investor conference this month that the company’s distribution and advertising costs per car were about $2,000 more than Tesla’s. Mr Farley said Ford wanted to sell electric cars online only at non-negotiable prices without keeping a large inventory of cars at dealerships.
He added that dealerships would remain important but should become more “specialised”. He compared what’s happening in the auto industry to retail, where the rise of Amazon has forced established retailers to sell more on the internet and use physical stores in new ways.
“It’s kind of like what happened between Amazon and Target,” Mr. Farley said. “The target could have walked away, but they didn’t. They’ve equipped themselves with an e-commerce platform, and then they use their physical store to add groceries and make returns much easier than Amazon.
Established automakers are unlikely to cut out dealerships for another reason: State laws often require them to sell cars through franchised dealerships and can make it difficult, if not impossible, for automakers to deal directly with dealers. clients.
Tesla lobbied state lawmakers to change laws governing auto sales and got lawmakers in many places to allow the company and other automakers that had never had dealerships to sell cars directly to customers.
But in some states like Texas, where Tesla is now based and has a factory, the company has struggled to persuade lawmakers to change laws and rules that favor dealerships. For example, Texas offers a $2,500 rebate to people who buy electric vehicles, but buyers of Teslas aren’t eligible because those cars aren’t sold through franchised dealerships.
The National Automobile Dealers Association, which represents dealerships, has long opposed direct car sales and has urged lawmakers to require Tesla to use dealerships, arguing that dealerships are vital to the auto industry and businesses. local economies. They also said Tesla’s approach was far less convenient for car buyers and owners.
“We’re the face of the manufacturer in every small town in America,” former association president Bill Fox told AutoGuide.com in 2015.
How Elon Musk’s Twitter deal went down
A successful business. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, capped off what appeared to be an unlikely attempt by the notorious mercurial billionaire to buy Twitter for around $44 billion. Here’s how the case unfolded:
The dealer association did not respond to a request for comment.
It’s not just dealerships who have criticized Tesla. Some Tesla owners complain that repairing or fixing issues with their cars can be an ordeal.
The automaker operates around 160 service centers in the United States, which is far fewer than more established companies – Chevrolet, for example, has more than 3,000 dealerships nationwide. Tesla is committed to sending a technician to customers’ homes for minor repairs, but larger issues should be handled by mechanics at service centers.
James Klafehn of Ithaca, NY hosts a YouTube channel that focuses on electric vehicles and related topics. He bought a Tesla in 2019 and posted videos documenting how difficult it was to troubleshoot various issues because he lives hours away from a Tesla service center.
In an October 2019 video, he was scathing about problems with his Model X sport utility vehicle, which included a hole in a panel and a dent in a door weatherstripping. “I’m not excited to make this video. I was dreading it hoping for something positive to happen,” he said. “Unfortunately after five weeks of owning the Model X, the service experience of Tesla has been very mediocre.”
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Other owners who live far from Tesla service centers say distance hasn’t been an issue. This may be because electric cars generally require less maintenance than combustion engine vehicles.
Bill McGuire, editor of Mac’s Motor City Garage, a website for car enthusiasts, said he drove 99 miles from his home in Toledo, Ohio, to Clarkston, Michigan, for a test drive at a store Tesla and then picked up his car from a Tesla service center in Columbus, Ohio.
“It was my first experience buying a car online – it was a bit of a surprise and mostly a pleasant one,” Mr McGuire said. “Some people might want a lot more grip.”
The only problem he had with his Model 3 was condensation in the taillights. Tesla sent a technician and the taillights were replaced in his garage.
Other electric car startups, like Rivian and Lucid, have even fewer showrooms and service centers than Tesla. Rivian has 19 in the United States, and Lucid only has 10, with seven more expected to open this year. That hasn’t deterred tens of thousands of people from booking cars made by the two companies.
Like Tesla, both automakers offer to send technicians to customers’ homes for minor repairs and say major repairs will be handled at service centers. To allay buyers’ fears that more extensive mechanical work could be an issue, Lucid goes so far as to promise free transport to its nearest service center for cars in need of major repairs.


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MASON, Ohio -- Members of the military get free admission to Kings Island over the Fourth of July weekend.
The offer is available July 1 to 4 to active or retired military members who present a valid military identification. Anyone who qualifies for free admission also can purchase discounted tickets for up to six family members for $34 each.
Kings Island also will celebrate its famous blue ice cream on Sunday, July 1 -- proclaiming the day as National Blue Ice Cream Day. The Smurf-inspired treat debuted in 1983, and the park has sold hundreds of blue ice cream cones every day since.
The celebration will include blue ice cream-inspired treats, eating contests and a special blue ice cream photo opportunity.
Then, on July 4, Kings Island will have its annual Independence Day fireworks show. It's a 20-minute-long display, longer than the usual nightly display.


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New Zealand Post has tapped Pitney Bowes to improve customer experience.
New Zealand Post will utilize Pitney Bowes IntelliJet 20 Printing System and the Print+ Messenger system to integrate print and mail by transforming plain white paper and envelope into more valuable, personalized color communications.
Across the globe, direct mail is re-emerging as an effective way for businesses to reach consumers. In fact, in New Zealand while mail volumes have been declining in general, research by AC Nielsen showed business-to-consumer communications have been growing for the past several years.
“We’re rethinking the possibilities for how we treat transactional mail through these advanced print and mail solutions that are the first of their kind in the Asia Pacific region,” said Ashley Smout, New Zealand Post Chief Operating Officer, Mail and Communications.
By implementing a White Paper Factory process, New Zealand Post can achieve efficiencies by streamlining print and mail workflow to produce colorful transactional documents for its customers while increasing the value of each document.
The company said that the IntelliJet system is a fast, intuitive and accurate system and New Zealand Post clients will benefit from the proven effectiveness and increased open and response rates that can be achieved by adding color and customization to the envelope.


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The following Starbucks Odyssey Journey will include a stamp “designed by Aku” and a $100,000 donation to the charity Blessings in a Backpack, which fights childhood hunger.
On its dedicated Discord channel, Starbucks’ Web3 loyalty program Odyssey announced a new partnership with non-fungible token (NFT) collection Aku for its upcoming digital collectible Stamp.
The Aku collection, designed by former Major League Baseball player Micah Johnson, encourages young children to dream big. Celebrities like Tyra Banks, Pusha T, and Trevor Noah have bought NFTs from the collection.
The new Journey called “Aku Adventure” by Starbucks will debut on July 17 and allow Odyssey users to “embark on a mission with Aku.” The new Stamp was “designed by Aku,” according to the Discord thread, and Odyssey participants will still be allowed to access the Journey through August 13, 2023.
In addition, Starbucks disclosed that as part of the launch, they would provide $100,000 to the charity Blessings in a Backpack, which works to combat child hunger.
For a number of months, Starbucks has been distributing limited-edition NFTs to members of the exclusive Odyssey loyalty program. “The Siren Collection,” which included 2,000 Stamps priced at $100 each, was released by the company in March. Demand for the drop was so great that some eager collectors complained of lengthy wait times and technical difficulties. The coffee chain’s “The Starbucks First Store Collection,” a 5,000-piece Stamp collection with a $99 price tag, was introduced in April with a smoother roll-out.


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Today will be a milestone day - and not just because of the fact that the Avengers: Endgame has just dropped! On the anime/manga side of the entertainment industry there was a major announcement: Shonen Jump Weekly is about to change everything we know about its publishing practices!
Here's the official announcement from Hisashi Sasaki himself!
It's a new Shonen Jump! Check out this video from Hisashi SASAKI about our future!December 7, 2018
The long-short of what the video announces is that Shonen Jump will now be attempting to remain competitive in the market, and fight scan piracy, by doing the following:
- Shonenjump.com or the Shonen Jump app will be offering simultaneous releases of both Japanese and English translation manga chapters.
- The service will offer subscribers unlimited reading for just $1.99 a month.
- In addition to new chapters, the entire backlog of Shonen Jump will also be available to fans.
That's a massive change from the current model, which is released monthly as a multi-chapter digital magazine, with a higher average subscription cost. The biggest change will be the approach to the back catalogue: instead of having to wait for series to be collected into volumes, and then buy those volumes, fans will now be able to catch up on popular series like Dragon Ball Super, My Hero Academia, Boruto, One-Punch Man or Tokyo Ghoul at rapid pace, and low cost.
As Sasaki states, this new strategy was born of the observation over the last year or so that giving away free digital chapters of popular series actually increased manga readership. Already this sounds like a progressive step forward, as the manga and anime genres continue to go through a massive evolution, to better fit this new reality of global mainstream interest.
Here's the full statement on the changes that are coming, from the official Shonen Jump website:
Coming December 17, 2018!
FREE chapters of One Piece, My Hero Academia, Boruto, Dragon Ball Super and many more!
- Official and same day as Japan!
- New chapters weekly!
- With new series coming!
- Unlock the Shonen Jump digital vault of 10,000+ chapters
- Catch up on current hits from any point, revisit old favorites and discover new series for ONLY
- $1.99 a month!
- Start your 7-day free trial beginning December 17, 2018!
- Are you a current paid member? Go here to learn how this change will affect your membership!
As stated, the new Shonen Jump service goes into effect on December 17, 2018.0comments


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Jun 09, 2017 01:58 PM EDT
A new report indicates that LG is preparing to launch two new handsets, G6 Pro and G6 Plus. The tech company may release the handsets in Korea on June 27.
A few months ago LG released its stunningly beautiful flagship handset G6. Even some recent rumors at the onset of the current month revealed that the company could expand this G6 lineup. Now the latest report originating from South Korea pointed out this fact.
According to GSMArena, the latest report indicates that two new smartphones of the G6 lineup may see the daylight on June 27, 2017. But, the interesting fact is these two LG handsets the G6 Pro, and the G6 Plus will land first in Korea. That means consumers in Korea can cherish these phones first.
It is said that the G6 Plus will feature the wireless charging and 128GB of built-in storage. The existing G6 model of LG in the U.S. market only has this wireless charging option. Reports about the G6 Pro handset indicate that the smartphone will support 32GB of storage. Now it is not yet clear why the G6 Pro model will have such a small amount of the built-in storage.
The G6 Pro and the G6 Plus may surface with the new Optical Astro Black color version. The Astro Black color is quite different from the basic one, but, it delivers a unique look. It must be the first time for the LG to introduce this color version for the two upcoming handsets.
The important fact is the Astro Black color handsets will deliver different tones obviously depending on the angle of the light rays. The Science Times previously revealed that both the handsets of the LG would be equipped with the Snapdragon 821 chipset. The G6 Pro and the G6 Plus will also have the 5.7 inches Full Vision Display.
So it is quite clear that the key difference between these two handsets of LG must be the storage capacities. LG has recently launched the LG Pay, a mobile payment service, in South Korea. It is expected that the two new models G6 Pro and the G6 plus will contribute to the success of this mobile payment service.
The G6 Plus is said to be priced at $890 and the G6 Pro will land with a price tag of $712. No official confirmation about the arrival of the G6 Plus and the G6 Pro is surfaced so far. So it is not yet clear whether the models will be available in other parts of the world or not in the coming months.
2. 10:57 PM
25 cups of coffee a day is still safe, experts say
3. 10:44 PM
France’s Solar Panel Road Deemed a Complete Failure
4. Aug 16, 2019
NASA Pinpointed Japan's Tropical Storm Before Landfall
2. Aug 16, 2019
Male Or Female: New Study Shows Possibility of Segragating Sex Cells
4. Aug 16, 2019
Supermassive Blackhole Glows Brighter Remains A Mystery


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John-John's has turkey and dressing
John-John's Restaurant, 920 Howard St., Spartanburg, has turkey with dressing this week with two side items, buttermilk chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans and BLT sandwiches with fried green tomatoes and potato salad.
Customers can choose four items on the Saturday breakfast menu for $5. Saturday's breakfast menu includes grits, eggs, bacon, salmon patties, bologna, fish, pancakes, fatback and fresh-cut roasted potatoes.
Each week, we’ll print your food news in our Wednesday Life section and Sunday Business sections. E-mail your news to email@example.com.
Include the owner or manager’s name, restaurant’s full name, address, hours and business telephone number with your news item.
Items will be edited for style and length and printed on a space available basis.


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Smartphone Archives -
See something out in the world that you want to buy? Now you can just Snap it up.
Santa Monica’s Snap Inc. announced a partnership with Amazon on Monday that will enable users to point their smartphone cameras at a pair of shoes, the barcode on the bottom of a shampoo bottle, or any other object…
Shares in Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, which raised $ 4.7 billion in one of Hong Kong’s largest tech initial public offerings in recent years, fell on their debut as the broader market rose.
WSJ.com: What’s News Asia
With HTC entering the race, a second cryptocurrency supporting smartphone created by a major electronics manufacturer is now on its way to the market. Could this be the start of a trend by all device makers to embed features such as hardware wallets into phones to help increase sales among more tech savvy consumers?
Exodus From Fiat to Crypto
Taiwanese consumer electronics manufacturer High Tech Computer Corporation or HTC (TWSE: 2498), will release its own cryptocurrency-focused smartphone. The company has announced it is developing a “blockchain-powered” device that will be based on Google’s Android operating system which will be named Exodus.
The phone is expected to contain a universal wallet and a “built-in secure hardware enclave” supporting cryptocurrencies and dapps (decentralized applications). HTC reportedly also wants to create its own network with each phone serving as a node to facilitate trading within it. Finally, the company is examining the possibility of selling the device for cryptocurrency as well. “Through Exodus, we are excited to be supporting underlying protocols such as Bitcoin, Lightning Networks, Ethereum, Dfinity, and more,” Phil Chen who is responsible for the development told Thenextweb. “We would like to support the entire blockchain ecosystem, and in the next few months we’ll be announcing many more exciting partnerships together.”
Cryptocurrency Support as Killer App
If you follow the electronics market carefully, you must know that HTC has not been doing so well in recent years despite creating some great devices. In that context it is possible to imagine that the company is betting on a cryptophone to give it a more edgy brand to attract privacy-minded young people and the more tech savvy crowd. However, other companies have explored the field before HTC and it is thus possible that many more will soon feature built-in cryptocurrency support in their devices.
Earlier this month we reported on the technical details that have emerged about Sirin Finney, an ultra secure mobile device promising to keep your cryptocurrency transactions private. The phone will feature an embedded cold storage wallet, and will be built by the same company that builds the iPhone, Foxconn. And back in March of this year, the Chinese smartphone maker Huawei was rumored to be in serious talks with Sirin Labs about the device too.
How long until all new phones will support crypto as default? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock.
Do you agree with us that Bitcoin is the best invention since sliced bread? Thought so. That’s why we are building this online universe revolving around anything and everything Bitcoin. We have a store. And a forum. And a casino, a pool and real-time price statistics.
The post HTC to Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency-Focused Smartphone, Exodus appeared first on Bitcoin News.
In a move that is roiling the telecom industry worldwide, a global telecom equipment-maker has halted its main business operations. The announcement comes after ZTE, China’s second-largest telecom equipment company, was found by the US to have illegally shipped its products to Iran, per Reuters . In response, the US Department…
In the latest move to make hotels appeal to young, tech-savvy travelers, one of the world’s biggest hotel companies is launching a smartphone app that can control the television, air conditioner, lighting and curtains in the hotel rooms.
Hilton has begun testing its app on 500 rooms in four hotels…
Embattled Chinese smartphone maker, Huawei, is rumored to be in serious talks with Sirin Labs to bring its handset into the cryptoverse, possibly incorporating the Swiss company’s cold storage wallet along with its system to instantly convert fiat to crypto. This comes at a time when, in the US, at least one regulator is insisting carriers drop Huawei out of security concerns.
Huawei Said to be in Talks with Sirin Labs, Maker of The Finney
What if the world’s third largest smartphone company distinguished its product by teaming with a crypto-savvy phone operating system, allowing it to provide cold storage and a way to instantly convert fiat to crypto? That’s the tantalizing rumor out of Bloomberg this week.
China’s Huawei Technologies Ltd “is considering developing a mobile phone that will be able to run blockchain-based applications, according to two people familiar with the plans,” the story ran. Applications by way of Sirin Labs’ SIRIN OS would parallel the set’s existing Android software. And though neither company has confirmed negotiations proper, Sirin took to Twitter and forwarded Bloomberg’s story.
Sirin Labs is most famous for 2016’s Solarin smartphone, retailing for $ 16,000, and, more recently, its successful initial coin offering (ICO) last year in preparation to launch The Finney (named after Hal Finney), a smartphone claimed to include an embedded cold storage function and a way to automatically convert fiat to crypto. According to Sirin, preorders for the phone are already more than 25,000.
US Carriers Urged to Dump Huawei
“The plans would mark the first foray of a major smartphone maker into blockchain, the decentralized ledger used to record cryptocurrency transactions, potentially bringing the technology closer to the mass market,” the report stated. Sirin Labs’ Telegram revealed back in February, “Amazing meeting just concluded between Sirin Labs and Huawei. Among other things discussed was the possibility of cooperating together to bring blockchain technology to the masses in a secure way.”
Meanwhile, Huawei is coming under attack from US regulators such as the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) who believe the company to be a security, espionage threat. In fact, FCC chairman Ajit Pai released a statement proposing a freeze on funds to providers who use Chinese companies like Huawei.
Mr. Pai urges barring “the use of money from the FCC’s Universal Service Fund to purchase equipment or services from companies that pose a national security threat to United States communications networks or the communications supply chain.” This follows his earlier statement to congress where he insisted lawmakers consider the “security threat that Huawei and other Chinese technology companies pose to our communications networks.”
Assuming the smartphone, cold storage wallet collaboration goes forward, chances are it will never see the US market as a result.
Do you think such a phone will materialize, or is it just hype? Let us know in the comments!
Images via Pixabay, Huawei, Twitter.
At news.Bitcoin.com we do not censor any comment content based on politics or personal opinions. So, please be patient. Your comment will be published.
The post China’s Huawei Rumored to Partner with Cold Storage Smartphone Maker appeared first on Bitcoin News.
I have had my Amazon Echo for over a month now. I use it to check the weather, traffic, and sports scores. But frankly, other than that, it’s a speaker taking up space.
Nintendo said it would soon terminate its smartphone app “Miitomo”—which had gained attention as the game maker’s initial foray into the smartphone business—because it failed to attract enough number of players.
WSJ.com: US Business
A society of high-minded French purists have deemed another English-derived word unfit for their language. According to the Local , Commission d’enrichissement de la langue française has zeroed in on the use of “smartphone.” Known in English as the Enrichment Commission for the French Language, the group is affiliated with conservative…


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Independent Italian restaurant, Figo, has officially launched at International Quarter London (IQL), the £2.4 billion joint venture development between Lendlease and LCR.
The new 3,024 sq ft space, catering to 100 customers, features food that reflects traditional and modern Italian dishes with a regional focus, and includes a cocktail bar and open plan kitchen to create a warm ambience and theatrical atmosphere. Figo comes from the team behind Bella Vita in Hackney’s Broadway Market.
Guy Thomas, Head of Retail at Lendlease, said: “The drive at IQL has been to combine popular East London operators with best-in-class national brands. Figo, with its original base in Hackney, has developed a strong local following, and we are confident the expanded offer available in this popular independent eatery will be warmly received by the people who shop, work, and visit the area.”
Tony Manconi, Founder of Figo, added: “Stratford has such a vibrant and diverse community, and IQL sits in the heart of this. Our expansion plans were carefully considered, and we believe Lendlease and LCR’s development offers us the best of both worlds – close proximity to Bella Vita retaining our loyal customer base, and the ideal location to grow as part of this huge east London community.”
Nash Bond and CF Commercial represented IQL, Figo represented themselves.


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WhatsApp has finally launched video calling across its entire platform – meaning that iPhone, Android and Windows Phone users can use the feature together.
The feature has been teased for months, but the messaging app (that boasts over a billion users) announced it in a blog post today.
It puts the Facebook-owned app in direct competition with the likes of Apple’s FaceTime, Microsoft’s Skype and Google’s recently-released Duo app .
“We’re introducing this feature because we know that sometimes voice and text just aren’t enough. There’s no substitute for watching your grandchild take her first steps, or seeing your daughter’s face while she’s studying abroad,” WhatsApp said.
“And we want to make these features available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones or live in countries with the best cellular networks.”
Because WhatsApp uses data, rather than a phone signal, it can be used over Wi-Fi, which makes it a popular choice for people who want to keep their bills down.
All you need to do to access a video call is hit the call button in the top right hand corner and choose whether you want to make a voice or video call to your contact. It’s possible to switch the camera mid-call from the front-facing to the rear camera on your phone.
“Over the years we’ve received many requests from our users for video calling, and we’re excited to finally offer this feature to the world,” the company said.
This is the latest in a series of new features from Facebook-owned WhatsApp. Recently it has added the ability to tag users in group chats and add stickers to messages just like Snapchat .
It also decided to share all of your user data with Facebook, in a move that got some people a little bit angry . However, pending an investigation from the European Union, the two companies have paused their sharing agreement.


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Oxbury Bank breaks even as it nears £1bn in lending
The agricultural bank is set to reach full-year profitability in 2023.
The major growth milestone for the bank capped off a year of rapid growth as it hit £850m of lending.
Oxbury Bank, which secured a £25m funding line from British Business Investments in August, said it expects to reach a full-year of profitability in 2023 and is targeting a £1bn balance sheet by 2024.
“Our customers are the lifeblood of the UK food supply chain and we are delighted to support them in their critical endeavours.”
Oxbury Earth is the company's core banking platform, which it says enables rapid product development and data solutions that help farmers and the food chain supply to deliver “improved sustainability, provenance and productivity”.
The bank started lending to SMEs in the rural economy in March 2021 and launched ‘Oxbuy NewGen’ last September, an initiative to provide funding and advice for new farming ventures.
It has also launched a new asset finance product to drive revenue growth through embedded finance.
“With the launch of our Asset Finance proposition, innovations in embedded finance solutions in the UK food supply chain and opportunities to deploy the Earth platform in overseas territories, we are confident that Oxbury’s growth and profitability will accelerate even further in 2023 and beyond,” Farrar added.


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Japanese food group Meiji Holdings has increased its production capacity for probiotic yoghurt in response to growing domestic demand.
As part of its “Take Off 14” mid-term business plan, Meiji has said it is focused on expanding and fostering businesses in growth.
The company is working “aggressively” to grow sales of probiotic yoghurt, a product it expects to see “sustained” future growth. During 2012, Meiji saw probiotic sales rise by more than 50% to JPY57bn (US$570m). The company added fiscal 2013 sales are expected to outperform 2012 by a “significant margin”.
In order for production to keep pace with growing demand, Meiji said on Monday (18 November) it is working to increase capacity.
“At the Moriya plant and Kyoto plant, the current production sites for our mainstay probiotic drinks, we have added a new production line at each facility and will begin operation of these lines starting next month. These upgrades will increase current production capacity by more than 30% by the end of January 2014,” Meiji said.
Meiji has invested JPY2.7bn in Moriya and JPY2.1bn in Kyoto.
The group manufactures and markets Meiji Probio Yoghurt and Meiji Yoghurt R1 for sale in Japan.
In a seperate announcement, Meiji has revealed it plans to enter the Chinese chilled dairy market. The company said it is targeting growth in China, Asia and the US.


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Always on the mind of the keen gardener is: what’s new? With a long tradition of plant exploration and amateur breeding, in past years the majority of new introductions originated in the UK but, more and more, the latest, coolest plants are coming from across the Atlantic.
Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina likens it to an American version of our Victorian era. Even for some previously British stock-in-trade plants such as hellebores, the bulk of new varieties now come from the United States, sometimes fuelled by UK genetics that hopped the Pond.
The horticultural tide has turned, so to speak, and for several reasons. For one thing, not to overstate the obvious, the US is big – really big.
And with that size comes an astounding variety of climates and habitats – 11 hardiness zones, 12 heat zones and habitats ranging from prairie to coastland, mountains to tropics. And, of course, lots and lots of land for growing and trialling plants. Even without the giant state of Alaska, the US encompasses more than eight million square kilometres (three million square miles). That’s a lot of room to play with.
And an army of American plant breeders, from amateur to professional, has been playing in earnest, growing acres of stock plants in search of variegated leaves, disease resistance, repeat blooming or rare flower colours, and testing varieties across the country for tolerance to cold, heat, high humidity and drought. Geoff Needham, a British transplant to the US and president of Plant Haven, a marketing agency for plant breeders, says: “European breeders will say their plants are hardy but they’re really not. If a plant has been trialled in the US, it will have jumped all the hurdles.”
Then there is the American gardener to consider — a formidable consumer. While previous generations devoted many hours a week to gardening, baby boomers have triggered a significant change in style. Jerry Gorchels, a technical product rep for Chicago-based PanAmerican Seed, calls it the “hectic tech age”. Now Americans are focused on low-maintenance gardening and bulletproof plants.
According to Rick Schoellhorn, the director of new products for mega-grower Proven Winners, they expect “annuals to bloom for months, perennials to be immortal and plants even to be 'abuse-tolerant’.” All of which puts pressure on breeders to keep pushing envelopes. One result is tough, adaptable plants, which also means plants that translate well to other countries, especially as climate changes continue to alter needs and perceptions. In the UK over the past few years, temperatures and humidity are up, frost days are down and rainfall has been sketchy. It could be time to tweak the usual plant list — more daylilies and sedums, fewer delphiniums and phlox.
Although one goal in the US is to create plants that will thrive over the widest possible range, there is also plenty of work being done on a smaller scale. Even if a variety works well in only one region, say, the South East or California, that is still a large market. So breeders have the freedom to develop regionally specific plants. From sea to shining sea, this presents limitless possibilities, with a diversity of genera and species to explore. Some of that diversity can be found growing in nearby fields and woods, since another consequence of being a vast and varied country is the wealth of native plants. In the US, natives number a prodigious 18,000 species. Compare that with about 4,000 British natives.
Long popular with breeders and gardeners in Europe, US natives are now equally hot in their homeland. Witness the explosion of echinacea and coreopsis varieties. Another genus, baptisia, is on the verge of hitting it big with cultivars ranging from smoky purple to pink to tawny bronze, thanks to breeding work by Plant Delights, the Chicago Botanic Garden and Walters Gardens, Michigan.
Obviously economics plays a huge role in driving the juggernaut of American plant introductions. Development of new varieties is no longer just about charming eccentrics moving pollen from flower to flower on the hairs of a paintbrush, though those folk still make significant contributions. Selling plants has become big business, which is not surprising, given American enthusiasm for the industrial model. While a geranium may differ in its production methods from a can of corn or a car, one look inside a state-of-the-art, multi-acre greenhouse complex, with its potting machinery, endless rolling benches, and neat rows of uniform plants does bring Henry Ford to mind.
One step further: if plants can potentially bring home millions of dollars, they are worth full-scale marketing campaigns and, just like Ford, Nike, or Coca-Cola, many American growers now invest considerable money and effort into branding themselves and touting their introductions. Proven Winners, though a wholesale company not a retailer, puts its name, big and bold, right on the pot. And the Wave petunia campaign launched by Ball Horticultural Co would rival a rock star’s promotional tour.
Mass-production successes owe much to technology such as tissue culture, which makes it possible to generate plants that might not replicate naturally or would take too long. One company that has taken this science to heart is Terra Nova Nurseries near Portland, Oregon, which annually pumps out six million plants via the lab. It has more than 600 named cultivars to its credit, including a planet-covering carpet of Heuchera varieties.
It also helps business that sharing plants around the world has become so easy. According to Richard Saul of ItSaul Plants, cuttings of his top-selling Coreopsis 'Jethro Tull’ can go from his nursery near Atlanta, Georgia, to anywhere in the world in just two to three days. Often American growers contract with tissue culture labs or growers overseas to expedite things. This year Saul’s Euphorbia 'Shorty’ and reblooming Kniphofia 'Echo Mango’ and 'Echo Rojo’ will hit the British market, produced by a grower in Ireland.
In recent years another key element in the profitability (and creativity) of the horticulture industry is the patent system. Having initiated the Patent Act of 1790, the US later had the revolutionary idea to include plants, issuing the Plant Patent Act in 1930. This protects the work of a breeder and requires a fee be paid to that person from the sale of each plant for a period of time (17 to 20 years).
Once big growers realised that royalties from plant patents could generate significant revenue, the rush was on to form private breeding programmes to develop “proprietary varieties”. Although most in the industry point out that royalties are not a get-rich-quick plan, in 2010 Terra Nova cleared more than $1 million in royalties.
But it’s not all a bottom-line mentality. Players at every level are still strongly motivated by their love of plants. The end result is more than mercenary. It’s about getting plants into the hands of gardeners. And though many nurseries are motivated to grow plants that suit the mechanics of the industry (will it fit on a truck shelf?), the wider goal is to develop plants that are truly garden-worthy. And, of course, the adrenalin rush of finding something new.
- Jenny Andrews has been a garden editor and writer for the past 10 years. Prior to that, she got her hands dirty as a horticulturist at Cheekwood Botanical Garden in Nashville, Tennessee.


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These days, your credit score can affect more than just your ability to get a home loan. A bad credit report can drive up your insurance premiums, cost you a business loan and possibly ruin a job opportunity.
But not everyone makes credit king. In fact, FICO, the company that came up with the model used to determine one’s credit score and dependability, estimated that 20 million to 25 million Americans have little to no credit score on file. Another 30 million to 35 million have poor credit ratings. This means that more than 50 million Americans have to get by each day without much access to credit.
For some folks, this is a conscious choice, based on a belief that credit cards create more problems than they solve.
“I am against the use of credit cards,” New York resident Scott Gamm told MainStreet. “Credit cards allow us to spend money frivolously. By not using credit cards, you don't have to worry about late fees, inactivity fees, high credit card interest rates and, most importantly, accruing debt.”
Other readers agree.
“Businesses and banks keep pushing their credit cards, but I tell them it is a form of slavery,” California resident Phyllis Shamoon wrote on MainStreet’s page. “I have notices posted at the bank, phone co. and cable to not offer me anything. If I want it, I will ask what they have.”
For others, a creditless life is the product of one or more financial missteps. California resident Tanya Payne saw her credit score plummet after she lost her job and, as a result, was evicted from an apartment.


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Canterbury liquor retailer and director to pay $125,000 for worker exploitation
The Employment Relations Authority ordered Nekita Enterprises Limited, a business that operated a number of bottle stores across Canterbury, to pay $90,000 in penalties for breaching employment laws.
Papatoetoe bottle store to pay $46,000 for exploiting worker
A bottle store in Papatoetoe is the latest bottle store to be penalised and ordered to pay arrears for exploiting a migrant worker by breaching their employment rights.
Minimum sick leave entitlement proposed to increase from 2021
The Government has introduced the Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill to increase the minimum employee sick leave entitlement from 5 days per year to 10 days per year.
The minimum wage is increasing – make sure you are prepared
The Government confirmed today that the adult minimum wage will increase, from $18.90 to $20.00 per hour on 1 April 2021.
Tauranga superette and director to pay $60,000 after exploiting worker
Shah Enterprise NZ Limited, a superette in Tauranga trading as Greerton Foodmarket, was ordered by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) to pay $32,000 in penalties.
Ex-Kiwifruit contractor to pay $276,000 for exploiting migrant workers
A former Bay of Plenty kiwifruit labour contractor and its former owner have been ordered to pay more than $250,000 by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), for exploiting six migrant workers.
A bakery in Taumarunui ordered to pay $90,000 for migrant exploitation
Husband and wife owners of The Bakehouse Café must pay $70,000 in penalties, plus $20,000 compensation to two employees, following a judgment by the Employment Court.
Planning the perfect Christmas party
We’re not party planners, but these tips can help you arrange a Christmas party that is safe and enjoyable for everyone.
Talented students can help retailers meet extra demand during the Christmas rush
With Christmas approaching fast and ongoing increases in retail spending, your business may be finding it hard to recruit the extra help you need.
How to enforce a payment from an employment dispute
You have been through a dispute resolution process with your employer; they have agreed to compensate you, but you haven’t received anything so far. So how do you enforce a payment from your employer?


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Opinion: How we can avoid the next health care supply shortage — essential generic medicines
Phlow Corp. co-founders, VCU dean discuss prescription drug shortage solutions
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, America is witnessing something many of us once thought impossible: critical shortages of health care supplies. Doctors are devising ways to make one ventilator serve two patients, and citizens are sewing protective masks for donation to local hospitals. While this kind of American resourcefulness is uplifting, it is a situation that is completely precarious and avoidable.
Despite the fact that the U.S. is the largest consumer of pharmaceuticals in the world, another, possibly more dramatic, health care shortage is looming: essential generic medications. Many of these drugs were already in short supply prior to the pandemic, and the problem is worsening by the week. But here’s the good news: It’s not too late for America to head off this crisis.
Of the more than 4 billion prescription medicines dispensed in the United States last year, only 20% were produced in America. Over the past few decades, America has lost a key domestic manufacturing industrial base, essential generic medicine ingredient manufacturing. We import the bulk of our most important generic medicine ingredients from foreign countries, especially China and India, who also have health care systems that have been overtaxed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an unsustainable and dangerous supply chain vulnerability.
Are we prepared for a scenario in which the vast majority of our essential generic medicines are unavailable because overseas manufacturers cannot — or will not — supply them? Now is the time to come together and bring back generic pharmaceutical manufacturing back to American soil.
We have abundant technology, knowledge and infrastructure to accomplish this here at home. What would it take to mobilize our forces and create a robust, sustainable supply chain of essential generic medications in our country? We need visionary public-private partnerships.
Engineering researchers in universities including MIT, Rutgers and Virginia Commonwealth University are creating advanced manufacturing methods which dramatically reduce the financial and environmental cost of producing pharmaceuticals. These include advances in continuous flow processing, which produces active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in an uninterrupted stream — instead of batch-by-batch processes, as they are commonly produced today. Continuous flow processing is much more cost effective than batch processing and generates less waste. More importantly, APIs produced in this way are more consistent and tend to be of higher quality.
Much of the research to create these methods is currently funded by nonprofit organization grants to universities seeking to make life-saving medications more accessible to the developing world. If we are to re-secure this critical industrial base, government, private corporations and nonprofits must act quickly to tap into these advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing breakthroughs for the benefit of the U.S. population as well.
Coming together to manufacture critical generic medicines and their ingredients in the U.S. is essential to ensuring the health care of Americans and is a matter of national public health security.
This is urgently needed for the treatment of COVID-19. Essential generic medicines include sedatives and other drugs to help patients who require ventilators, medicines to support blood pressure control, and antibiotics to help fight infections common in these patients. It is equally necessary for the post-pandemic world. A commitment to domestic manufacturing of essential generic medicines will bring significant benefit to society. It will also boost the U.S. economy by providing a highly skilled workforce for the future. In other words, it will save — and improve the quality of — millions of lives.
We stand in a transformative moment in American history and have the advantage of awareness. The actions we take today will have a significant impact on the future. In the midst of this devastating COVID-19 there can be a silver lining. Let us seize this rare opportunity by bringing the public and private sectors together to build a safer, healthier and more hopeful American future for generations to come. We can do it, here and now.
Barbara D. Boyan is the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of Virginia Commonwealth University’s College of Engineering. Dr. Eric S. Edwards is co-founder, president and CEO of pharmaceutical startup Phlow Corp., as well as the chair of VCU’s School of Pharmacy Graduate Advisory Board. B. Frank Gupton, also a co-founder of Phlow Corp., is chair of the VCU College of Engineering’s Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, as well as director of the Medicines for All Institute.


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Alliance Tire Americas’ Primex brand forestry tires are now offered as OE on a variety of John Deere log skidders and wheeled feller-bunchers.
Allen Lyons has been appointed to the position of Vice President of Aftermarket Sales, West and Canada, and Seth Walters was promoted to Vice President of Aftermarket Sales, East.
Alliance Tire Americas has introduced a new VF (very high flexion) tire for the largest class of high-clearance sprayers.
Alliance Tire Americas (ATA) has announced a private reception for its dealer partners attending the 2017 SEMA show followed by Elton John’s Million Dollar Piano concert on Nov. 1 in Las Vegas.
The Alliance Tire Group (ATG) is kicking off a social media contest that will allow winners to meet country superstars Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt this weekend at “Rock The South” music festival in Cullman, Ala. ATG is a sponsor of the event and will have a booth at the show.
Alliance Tire Americas (ATA) will be the exclusive tire sponsor for the fourth year of the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA).
Alliance Tire Americas Inc. is launching a motorcycle giveaway at its booth (#12100) during the Mid-America Trucking Show.
Alliance Tire Group is expanding its Galaxy severe duty solid (SDS) tire line with the new Hulk Deep-Tread SDS.
Alliance Tire Group is rolling out its own medium truck tire brand in the U.S. – Constellation.
Alliance Tire Americas (ATA) has hired logistics expert John Mancinelli as vice president of operations. Prior to joining ATA, Mancinelli spend 15 years leading complex operations, logistics, demand planning and customer support organizations for global leaders in consumer/food products and apparel manufacturing and sales, including The Gillette Co. (later P&G), The Timberland Co. and Welch
Following the acquisition of Alliance Tire Group by Yokohama Rubber Corp. earlier this year, ATG has announced organizational changes that reflect the realignments in effect. Toru Nakamura has been appointed chief technical officer. In this position he will head ATG’s R&D and project management functions, and also drive activities related to procurement, technical, production and


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We're still nine months away from the next iPhones, but already plenty of rumours are starting to circulate — about their names, new features and potentially a brand new design. These headlines — and quite a few more for Android and Windows fans — after the break!
The 2017 iPhone: two competing rumours
There have been plenty of rumours surrounding next year's iPhone, which will mark the iconic product's ten year anniversary. Many reports have suggested big changes are to be expected, with Apple eschewing their normal tick-tock release schedule for something altogether more dramatic: the iPhone 8. However, other rumours suggest we'll see the usual modest upgrade: the iPhone 7S. Here are some details on each rumour.
Rumour 1: iPhone 7S — small changes, a new colour
A recent report from Macotakara suggests that we'll see two new iPhones in 2017: the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus. The phones will have the same design as this year's model, but will come in a new red colour scheme. They could also be powered by a new Apple A11 chip and come with some small camera improvements. Overall, this would be in keeping with Apple's previous release schedule, and would set up 2018 to be the year that bigger changes are introduced.
Above: We'd expect a similar colour to Apple's red iPhone 7 case, shown above
Rumour 2: iPhone 8 — big changes, new features
Before the Macotakara report, most rumours uniformly agreed that we'd see big changes next year. Common themes include an all-glass design and a larger curved OLED display, at least in one model. The OLED display would likely be made by Samsung, and would boast better contrast and lower battery usage. The fingerprint sensor and front-facing camera would move below the glass, while the traditional earpiece would be replaced by the same kind of piezoelectric speaker we saw on the Xiaomi Mi Mix. Wireless charging could also be added. With thinner bezels (or none at all) and no other surface components, the new iPhone would have a stunningly modern look.
Above: the Xiaomi Mi Mix, which was released earlier this year with incredibly thin bezels and a rounded rectangle display, could have influenced Apple's design choices
UK release date
One thing that isn't up for the debate is the release date. We expect that the iPhone will be launched in early September as usual, with shipments first arriving towards the middle of the month. For example, we could see an Apple event on September 6th, pre-orders would begin on September 8th, and phones would start arriving on September 15th.
Will we see the iPhone 7S or iPhone 8 next year?
Normally, I'd say that the iPhone 7S would be assured. Apple like to keep their cycles quite consistent, after all. Yet I'm more inclined to agree with the iPhone 8 camp, given that this will be the tenth anniversary iPhone, and also that we saw such minimal design changes from the iPhone 6 to this year's iPhone 7. We are due a big design upgrade, and I think 2017 is the perfect time to do it.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Super Mario Run demo available
Super Mario Run, the first real smartphone game from Nintendo, is now available as a demo on the App Store. The gameplay is similar to Temple Run, with your character endlessly running, but with a side-on view like other 2D Mario games. Each level can be replayed multiple times to collect several series of collectable coins. The full game will cost $10, making it one of the more expensive smartphone games, and requires the internet to run. However, there won't be any future paid DLC; your $10 gets you the full and complete game. It'll be out in full on December 15th, and will arrive on Android sometime next year.
Fitbit buys Pebble, shuts it down
Fitbit has agreed to buy popular e-ink smarwatch maker Pebble -- or at least, its employees and intellectual property. Fitbit won't be supporting Pebble's products, so support will soon end for these and Kickstarter backers of recent products may never get their promised goods. Instead, refunds will be issued. It's a big kick in the teeth to Pebble's passionate fans, who have kept the company afloat through hard times, but you can see the reason behind it.
Samsung will ditch headphone jack, physical home button for Galaxy S8
Next year's Galaxy S8 has big shoes to fill. As well as following up the widely successful and highly rated Galaxy S7, Samsung will be looking to offer a solid replacement for owners of the combustible Note 7. According to recent report from Bloomberg, Samsung will simplify the S8's design by removing both the 3.5mm headphone port and the physical home button that has featured on every past model. Instead, the phone will have a software home button as we've seen on Google's Nexus and Pixel phones. Bezels on the phone will be minimised or eliminated as we saw on Xiaomi's Mi Mix, and this may cause the fingerprint reader to move to the back of the phone as well. The phone is expected to be released in March or April, as usual.
Chrome for Android now allows downloads of web pages and more
A big new feature is arriving for Chrome on Android: downloading. You can now download web pages to read offline, and downloading videos, music and other media has also become easier. You can also share downloads with other users. The new features were designed for the Indian market, but will come in handy here in the UK too. As of Saturday the feature hasn't hit the UK app store, but it should arrive soon... or you can download it earlier from APK Mirror.
Microsoft demos Windows 10 running on Snapdragon mobile CPU
Microsoft have built a version of Windows 10 that runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor, allowing mobile phones to run full versions of Windows apps like Photoshop. The brief demo is impressive, and should allow future Windows phones to transform into proper PCs. The current implementation of this, called Continuum, essentially runs phone apps on PC peripherals; this is something altogether more exciting. Rumours suggest that Microsoft will debut a Surface phone in the second half of 2017 with this capability, running off a Snapdragon 835 mobile processor. Microsoft definitely needs a shock to the system to save Windows Phone; could this be it?
Cortana now available in the UK
Microsoft's Cortana voice assistant was finally released in the UK for Android this week; an iOS version is coming in a few weeks. Once installed, you can ask the assistant questions, set reminders, check the weather and so on. The app also allows you remote access to your Android phone from your PC; you can see incoming calls and respond with text messages, for example.
Wow, what a news week! Thanks for checking it out, and be sure to let us know what you thought in the comments below.
Will is a gadget fanatic, working from cafes to turn coffee into technology articles. Follow him on Twitter @wsjudd.


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What Are We Doing to Our Food?
MAKING changes to our food is not a new idea. In fact, for generations man has been skilled at altering foods. Careful breeding techniques have resulted in many new varieties of crops, cattle, and sheep. Indeed, a representative of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that “virtually every food you buy has been altered by traditional breeding.”
Breeding is not the only way to alter food. The food industry has developed many procedures to treat and process food, whether to enhance its flavor or color or to standardize and preserve it. People are accustomed to eating food that has been altered in one way or another.
But a growing number of consumers are alarmed at what is now being done to our food. Why? Some fear that modern techniques presently in use are compromising the safety of food. Is this alarm justified? Let us examine three areas of concern.a
Hormones and Antibiotics
Since the 1950’s, small doses of antibiotics have been added to the feed of poultry, pigs, and cattle in some places. The purpose is to lower the risk of disease, especially where animals are kept together in close quarters. In some lands hormones are also added to animal feed to speed up animal growth. Hormones and antibiotics are said to protect animals against infection and to make intensive farming more profitable, with benefit to the consumer in the form of lower prices.
So far so good. But does meat from animals that are fed these additives carry any risk to the consumer? A report by the Economic and Social Committee of the European Communities concluded that there is a chance that bacteria will survive the antibiotics and be passed on to the consumer. “Some of these bacteria, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, may be a direct cause of severe human diseases via the food chain,” the report found. Furthermore, what if the food chain contains not only bacteria but also residues of antibiotics? Fears have been raised that as a result, germs causing diseases in humans could gradually develop a resistance to antibiotics.
What about hormone-treated meat? A professor in Munich, Germany, Dr. Heinrich Karg, comments: “All experts agree that meat from hormone-treated animals is not harmful to health, provided that the substances are administered in accordance with the guidelines.” However, the newspaper Die Woche reports that on the issue of the safety of meat from hormone-fed animals, “for the past 15 years, researchers have been unable to agree upon a common viewpoint.” And in France the question of hormones in meat has been answered with a resounding ‘No! Hormones should not be used!’ Clearly, the controversy is far from resolved.
Since trials started in Sweden in 1916, at least 39 lands have approved the practice of exposing such foodstuffs as potatoes, corn, fruit, and meat to low levels of radiation. Why? Irradiation is said to kill most bacteria, insects, and parasites, thereby reducing the consumer’s risk of contracting foodborne disease. It also increases the shelf life of the product.
Of course, experts say that ideally, the food we eat should be clean and fresh. But who takes the time to prepare fresh food regularly? “Ten minutes for breakfast and fifteen minutes for lunch and supper” is, according to Test magazine, the length of time the average person spends for meals. Not surprisingly, then, many consumers prefer food that is ready to eat and has a long shelf life. But are irradiated foods safe?
In 1999 the World Health Organization published a study carried out by an international panel of experts. They concluded that irradiated food “is both safe to consume and nutritionally adequate.” Supporters compare the irradiating of food to the sterilizing of medical bandages—also done by irradiation—or to the passing of luggage through an electronic scanner at the airport. Critics, however, insist that irradiation reduces the natural goodness of food and may involve risks that are as yet unknown.
Genetically Modified Foods
Geneticists have for some time been able to transfer a gene from the DNA of one organism into the DNA of another within the same species. Today, however, geneticists can go much further. For example, there are strawberries and tomatoes that have been modified with a gene taken from a fish, making them less sensitive to low temperatures.
Much has been said both for and against genetically modified (GM) foods.b Proponents say that this type of biotechnology is more predictable and controllable than traditional methods of plant breeding, that it will increase crop yields and reduce human starvation. But are GM foods safe to eat?
A report on the subject was prepared by a team of scientists representing academies in England and the United States as well as Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and other nations of the developing world. Published in July 2000, the report stated: “To date, over 30 million hectares [70 million acres] of transgenic [GM] crops have been grown and no human health problems associated specifically with the ingestion of transgenic crops or their products have been identified.” In some quarters GM products are held to be as safe as conventional foods.
Elsewhere, though, there is widespread uncertainty. In Austria, Britain, and France, GM foods are viewed with mistrust by some. A Dutch politician said of GM foods: “There are certain types of food we simply don’t like.” Critics of such food also point to ethical questions and to possible dangers to the environment.
Some scientists feel that these are early days for GM food and that more testing ought to be done on the possible risks to consumers. For instance, the British Medical Association feels that genetic engineering promises great benefits for the population. Yet, it states that some areas of concern—such as the question of allergic reactions to GM foods—mean that “further research is needed.”
Making Balanced Personal Choices
In some lands as much as 80 percent of the food eaten is processed. Often additives are used to intensify or standardize flavor and color, as well as to lengthen shelf life. In fact, one reference work notes that “many modern products, such as low-calorie, snack, and ready-to-eat convenience foods, would not be possible without food additives.” Such foods are also more likely to contain genetically modified ingredients.
For years agriculture worldwide has depended upon practices that many people view as harmful. The use of toxic pesticides is just one example. Moreover, the food industry has for some time been using additives that may have caused allergic reactions in some consumers. Are new food technologies significantly more hazardous than these practices? Even experts cannot agree. In fact, weighty scientific reports support opposite sides of the argument and seem to help polarize opinion.
Because they view high-tech foods as hard to avoid or because they view other concerns as more pressing, many people today decide not to worry about the matter. Others, though, are quite concerned. What can you do if you and your family feel uncertain about eating processed foods that seem overly complicated by modern technology? There are practical steps you may choose to take, some of which are discussed in the following article. First, though, it may be wise to make sure that we have a balanced outlook on the issue.
Food safety is like health. There is no current way to achieve perfection. According to the German magazine natur & kosmos, even among people who are known to take the utmost care in the selection and preparation of food, nutrition is always a compromise. What is beneficial to one can harm another. Is it not wise, then, to cultivate a balanced attitude and avoid extremes?
Of course, the Bible does not tell us what decision to make regarding today’s high-tech foods. But it does teach us about a quality to cultivate that will help us in this matter. Philippians 4:5 says: “Let your reasonableness become known to all men.” Reasonableness can help us to make balanced decisions and avoid extremes. It can hold us back from dictating to others what they should or should not do in the matter. And it can keep us out of pointless, divisive debates with those whose thinking on the subject may differ from our own.
It must be admitted, though, that many of the hazards connected with food are not so controversial. What are some of these, and what safety precautions can you take?
a What we eat is largely a matter of personal preference. Awake! does not make recommendations as to eating or abstaining from the various foods discussed herein, regardless of the technologies used in their preparation. These articles are intended to inform readers of the facts as they are currently known.
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Is the consumer affected by hormones and antibiotics fed to cattle?
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It is wise to read the labels on food carefully
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There are advantages to purchasing fresh food regularly


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Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Sept. 13, 2019:
Love’s adds 180 truck parking spaces with two new locations
New Love’s Travel Stops locations in Oklahoma and Wisconsin are adding 181 truck parking spaces to the company’s network.
The new location in Big Cabin, Oklahoma, off of I-44 offers 79 truck parking spaces, a Carl’s Jr. restaurant, a Speedco on site, eight diesel lanes, seven showers, laundry facilities and more.
Another new Love’s in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, off of I-43 provides 102 truck parking spaces, a Hardee’s restaurant, a Speedco on site, seven diesel lanes, seven showers, laundry facilities and more.
Rovi releases GPS-enabled dashcam
Dashcam manufacturer Rovi has released its new GPS Dashcam Prime, which features high-definition and low-light recording, Wi-Fi connected streaming, GPS location and speed recording, collision detection and more. The camera records in 1080p at 30 frames per second with a 150-degree lens.
With the included GPS antenna, the camera automatically overlays the current vehicle speed on recorded video and records the exact position at all times. Using the free Rovi Live app, drivers can transfer recorded video to smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs via Wi-Fi connection. A parking mode also activates recording when motion is detected, allowing the device to record in the event of an accident while the vehicle is parked.
The camera retails for $179.99 and is covered by a 12-month warranty.


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Archives for AEC/O Archives - Architosh
Last week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote that Apple is indeed fielding a new immersive reality headset that will deliver both AR and VR functions. The device—possibly called Apple Reality One—is the fruit of a 1,000-person-strong team at Apple (Technology Development Group). A Game Changer? Gurman says Apple is entering a highly competitive market already led […]
AMC Bridge expert discussions continue with the “Path to Digital Twins – Hype vs Reality” webinar.
AMC Bridge announces its CAD-to-BIM translation software demonstration. This takes BIM and metadata in a 3D model from Creo Parametric and imports it into Autodesk Revit.
KEWAZO robotic solutions reduce accidents, save on labor shortages and enable automation and data analytics workflows into the modern construction site.
Solibri Inside is the new SaaS offering integrated into Vectorworks Architect 2023 — helping architects streamline BIM model checking and save time and money.
Rendering workflows have always pushed computer hardware to the limit and still do. And they can altogether tie up a computer during render time. Stantec has gotten beyond this limit thanks to AMD Radeon PRO GPUs.
New features in Vectorworks Cloud Services and Nomad mobile app leverage new advanced Apple technologies for reality capture, more…
Technologies like HoloBuilder and the RICOH THETA X camera are transforming construction job site monitoring and adding critical efficiencies to collaborative workflows during and before construction.
Bentley Systems announces two new executive appointments.
Snaptrude reaches key V1.0 release. The new collaborative design and BIM application—aimed at architecture—offers cloud-era technologies, works through a web browser, and is always up-to-date.
Chaos announces that its V-Ray 6 for Revit connects with Enscape, so architects can easily share data between the two applications.
Anthony Frausto-Robledo is a featured guest on TRXL Podcast — Anthony and Evan Troxel discuss recent features on Architosh on the Revit Open Letter and Autodesk Forma.
A connected world post-Covid suggests new possibilities for how the AEC industry will solve big problems—like climate change, remoteness and collaboration, and how to learn and benefit from convergence in multiple sectors.
Revit users now benefit from the power of immersive, real-time rendering from Epic Games’ Twinmotion software.
Tect can Uber-ize the building industry’s three-sided market dynamics between architects and their contractors (demand-side) and the building manufacturers (supply-side), resulting in streamlined economics for everyone.
Vectorworks, Inc. Wins Architectural Design Product of the Year at 2022 Hammers.
iTwin to empower Bentley Infrastructure Cloud and advanced engineering applications for the infrastructure industry.
A strong third quarter for Bentley Systems The bottom line for all three quarters of the year looks good. Year on year profits are up too.
The Nemetschek Group today announced that the Supervisory Board has appointed Louise Öfverström as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Abvent’s Archicad business units joining Graphisoft will bring key benefits to architects and engineers in two of Europe’s key AEC markets.
As Nearabl adopts Bentley iTwin, it extends the use of its technology within the global infrastructure, construction, and design industries.
Following their mergers and acquisitions, Chaos leads the global AEC industry for visualization—aims to unify workflows.
Xpresso returns this month after a one-month gap due to unforeseen circumstances—free newsletter is read by executives in over 75 percent of the AEC/O industries’ top software companies.
Energy design in architecture progresses with new rapid operational energy analysis tools in Autodesk Spacemaker.
360-degree photography via newly released RICOH THETA X is helping generate persistent eyes on the job site—something architects can greatly benefit from.
Economist Milton Friedman said, “the most important single fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.” The truth of that fact is up for serious debate amongst AE firms who have signed the recent Nordic Revit Open Letter.
Autodesk introduced key new improvements and advancements to its Autodesk Construction Cloud solutions during AU22.
Autodesk introduced industry cloud solutions at AU22 — and a big paradigm shift for the AEC market in particular with Forma.
Building Together 2022 attendees gain actionable and practical insights into key AEC industry challenges shared by leading experts in sustainable architecture, digital transformation, and more…
This year’s Vectorworks 2023 updates deliver some compelling time-saving new features and improvements, just in time for an AEC industry that is getting more vocal about the need for productivity and the value they extract from software.
The AEC industry is on the cusp of necessary dramatic change due to maturing technical paradigms, economic realities, changing cultural perspectives, and pressing environmental and geo-political realities.
Bluebeam Cloud is unveiled, offering a major milestone for one of the construction industry’s leading software companies and one transformed for the business of building.
Vectorworks 2023 product line focuses on process automation, allowing more time for design in overall workflows.
Michael Campbell joins Bentley Systems as its new Chief Product Officer. He leads more than 1,500 colleagues in the company’s product advancement group.
Autodesk continues to show that AutoCAD technology offers powerful benefits for multi-stakeholder collaboration across both AEC and manufacturing workflows.
Matterport introduces its all-new Matterport Pro3 camera, together with major updates to its digital twin platform. The Matterport Pro3 Camera is the one of the world’s most advanced 3D capture devices.
Architosh dives into Graphisoft’s shared Future Road Map and Adaptive Hybrid Framework—including notes on BIM performance leadership, IFC technologies, Apple Silicon, and DDScad.
Vectorworks 2023 product line is teased out ahead of its formal release in the coming weeks. Big push on BIM updates coming.
BIM with Vectorworks is behind a small architecture studio in Halifax—making a big impact one building at a time.
Ideate Software launches Ideate Automation 2.0 to automate time-intensive BIM (building information modelling) tasks in the background. On its own, Ideate Automation can be used to export PDF files. However the full extent of its power becomes apparent when used in conjunction with other Ideate Software products.
USD gets a boost from NVIDIA with new partners and industrial extension of the open format for next generation metaverse and AI.
The future of Bluebeam software technologies for AECO is set to be at least partly explained in Road Map keynote talk—plus more at XCON 22.
Digital Energy has just announced the release of ODIN Safety, powered by Bentley Systems iTwin. The combination of ODIN Safety data and insights visualized with Bentley Systems iTwin technology, makes it much easier for management quickly to assess the health and safety risks associated with any particular activity.
This latest version offers architects and designers many innovative feature updates. Enscape is not a standalone application. It plugs into your existing modeling software, giving you an integrated design and visualization workflow across all project phases.
TestFit secures major Series A funding round—aims to use proceeds to further expand into other segments and better serve customers.
VREX and BricsysCAD BIM are now teamed to facilitate virtual reality-based collaboration workflows amongst AEC stakeholders.
Originally aimed at engineers, IES product range has expanded and developed to include a collection of powerful tools that architects will find invaluable for modeling the energy efficiency of the buildings they design. IES was at the 2022 AIA National in Chicago. This is a brief roundup of its various tools for architects.
Good UX (user-experience) design is paramount in successful BIM applications and UX design practices will improve outcomes in BIM industry.
Nemetschek Group announces its investment in UK-based start-up SymTerra. This is a new communications platform for mobile devices aimed squarely at the construction industry.
We cover Graphisoft news regarding BIMx, BIMcloud SaaS, and DDScad coming from the company’s 2022 Launch Event.
Graphisoft announces Archicad 26 at major launch event, along with vision and roadmap, plus BIMx, BIMcloud and DDscad updates.
Conceptual design and its key participants are undeserved in the overall AEC workflow. Most of today’s architectural software is focused on the later stages of construction documentation and the construction itself. Spaces is a powerful yet easy-to-use sketching application that runs on iPad and Apple Pencil, created specifically for architects and designers.
Graphisoft BIM technologies are expanding via a larger ecosystem of tools, integrations, and expansions. Huw Roberts explains the details.
Snaptrude is engineered so that architects and interior designers can work on their designs and communicate with their teams. Being cloud-based, it works on virtually any modern computer system, anywhere in the world that has a reasonably good internet connection.
We focus on Project Management applications shown at AIA22 in Chicago and make note that FactorAE among this group was a 2022 Architosh BEST of SHOW honoree.
Architosh announces 2022 AIA National BEST of SHOW honors for the most interesting and compelling software and digital technologies at AIA22.
Architosh kicks off its AIA22 (AIA National Conference and Expo) coverage of digital software and hardware technologies for architects.
From the Quest to Varjo, NVIDIA to Apple, three technologies take us towards the Metaverse over a multi-decade technology cycle. We hear from The Glimpse Group’s CEO about what they are and where these technologies are going.
New ThinkStation P360 Ultra from Lenovo delivers industry-defining tiny SFF workstation performance with discreet graphics.
Alfred Scott updates WildTools to version 10.6 for the MacOS only PowerCADD application once quite popular in AEC.


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One lucky winner will take home $20,000 at McGann-Mercy's Annual Christmas Raffle and Chinese Auction this weekend.
The event takes place Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the McGann-Mercy High School auditorium, located at 1225 Ostrander Avenue in Riverhead.
The annual raffle will have ten winners -- including a grand prize winner, who will take home $20,000. Tickets for the grand prize raffle cost $100.
In addition, over 150 gift baskets and gift certificates, donated by Mercy families and local merchants, will be featured in the Chinese Auction. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information on the event or to purchase a Holiday Raffle, call the Development Office at 631.727.5900, ext. 34 or click here.


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Gaming is one of the best uses for a 4K TV, right? Or is it? We check out the pros and cons.
The game maker closes out one of its strongest ever fiscal years. The next step: finding a big hit in the months and years after its most successful launch.
For decades, the Internet has been like the Wild West, with anonymous users creating racist or hate-filled posts. Now the world's largest social networks are doing something about it.
The color-changing Algara stone can instantly coordinate with any outfit -- but only if it gets enough funding.
HDMI 2.0a is the latest update to the HDMI specification. Here's what it is, and what it means, and why you should care.
The graphics chipmaker, which plans to wind down its Icera wireless chip business, expects to incur charges of $100 million to $125 million this year.
The company had previously said it would lose $1.4 billion in its fiscal year ended March 31, but it has now revised that number down to 126 billion yen.
The social network reportedly loosens its grip on the News Feed by letting users handpick friends and pages that will get top billing.
The social network's head of public policy in Europe says changes to how regulations are handled there could prompt Facebook to stop bringing new features to its service.
HTC says that its revenue was up 25 percent in the first quarter, but its forecasts are not encouraging.


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The Marketing Team at Solihull College & University Centre were thrilled to pick up two awards at the FE First Awards 2018 in Warwick earlier this week.
The FE First Awards are part of the College Marketing Network’s annual conference, which brings together college marketing professionals from across the country to share best practice.
The team scooped the ‘Gold’ Award in the hotly contested Event Management category – which focused on the promotion and execution of the College’s ‘Try it’ Open Event. The event featured the College’s new ‘Fast Forward’ Careers Explorer which offers prospective students the chance to find their dream career and the course that could get them there. A virtual reality introduction to the careers explorer, developed with digital innovation company DevClever, was a big hit with guests. The event attracted record numbers of visitors across both college campuses.
For the second time in three years, the team were also recognised for their higher education summer campaign, picking up a ‘Highly Commended’ award for the promotion of the college’s university level courses. Promotion included online retargeting, digital radio and streaming services, ITV Hub, newspapers, targeted social media, outdoor advertising and more.
The judging panels for the awards were made up of further and higher education professionals and marketing industry experts. Marketing Manager Sean Howitt commented ‘We’re really proud to receive this recognition from the sector. We work hard to ensure we are promoting the newly merged College using the most effective methods available to us. We’ll continue to look for new and innovative ways to reach our audience’.
The team are now looking forward and focused on building on this success in 2019.


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Euclid: February sales less than lovely
People might have gone all out on fancy dinners, but when it comes to shopping in stores in the month of February, they were a bit more reluctant. That's the takeaway from the Euclid Benchmarks Report for February 2014. According to Euclid sales increased less than 1% for the month.
Shoppers weren't as interested in buying items in-store in the month of February, despite the advertising for Valentine's Day. According to new data out from Euclid sales for February increased only 0.7% (2014 vs 2013) despite retailers' best efforts to bring shopping into stores. Euclid's experts believe the severely cold winter has kept many shoppers from hitting retail outlets as traffic into stores decreased about 3% for the month.
Other interesting findings from the Euclid Benchmarks Report include:
• Storefront conversions increased nearly 1%
• Shopper bounce rates increased 2% (YoY)
• Shopping session times were nearly equal for 2013 vs 2014
"Valentine's Day did not have nearly the positive impact on shopping activity this year compared to last year. Cold, stormy weather and the growing ease of online fulfillment drove an increasing amount of Valentine's Day related shopping to online e-tailers and away from the physical store, resulting in 10 percent less store traffic year-over-year for the week preceding the holiday," writes the company.
February 25 was marked as the 'most engaged' shopping day with consumers spending an average of 25 minutes in-store while Wednesday, February 19 was tagged as the least engaged day. On the 19th shoppers had higher than average bounce rates and lower store conversion rates, as well.
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stocks tumbled to their lowest levels since the presidential election yesterday, extending a recent slump that has come amid fears that economic growth is slowing.Not mentioned in this article was a comment by the IBM CFO. Reuters reported that IBM
The sell-off yesterday was ignited by surprisingly weak earnings from I.B.M., and steepened throughout the day. It was the worst single day for the market this year and capped the worst week since August.
But it may be that general uncertainty - something that the stock market and millions of investors have never warmed to - is the real force behind the decline.
While some economists are now suddenly predicting slower economic growth, others are not. And no one is talking about a slump. Federal Reserve officials have been worried about inflationary pressures, but any economic slowdown might help relieve those.
'Right now it's a no vote on the economic outlook for the next six months,' said Joseph Liro, an economist and market analyst with Stone & McCarthy Research Associates. 'And that is because of the uncertainty about the impact of oil' on consumer spending, corporate profits and inflation, he said.
The persistence of crude oil prices above $50 a barrel, he said, 'is certainly doing something to consumer sentiment,' a fact reflected in the decline in April consumer confidence reported yesterday.
Worries that the economy may be softening flared up this week after reports showed weak monthly retail sales and an unexpected surge in the nation's trade deficit with the rest of the world. Many economists have lowered their estimates on how much the economy grew in the first three months of the year and are reviewing their forecasts for the rest of the year.
Chief Financial Officer Mark Loughridge said the company had trouble closing short-term services contracts in the last two weeks of March and that, as a result, he could not predict whether IBM would live up to analysts' second-quarter targets.Furthermore, those who do what's called technical analysis on stock prices claim that the stock market indices have reversed their primary upward trend (which presumably took effect when the Dow rose about 10,400 last November) and are now heading downward. If you look at the accompanying chart, prices seemed to peek in January of last year and have been heading slowly downward since then. The period between the election and now looks like a brief Republican bubble, which has since burst. The current question is how far lower will prices go.
Large, round numbers like 10,000 on the Dow are always psychological barriers. It will be interesting to see what happens if we get there or to 9,700.
Of course trends change all the time, and so-called technical analysis is like reading tea leaves. But nonetheless, something does seem to be happening. It may be that the Federal deficit, the trade deficit, the price of oil, etc. are starting to take their toll.
When the markets crashed a few years ago, a longer term prediction was that the following few years would see no long term price trend but that prices would see-saw over a price range for quite a few years. Perhaps that's really what's happening. The second chart gives a longer-term view.