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Another startup is graduating from StartupCity Des Moines. Tikly, the low-cost online ticketing agency helmed by 23-year-old entrepreneur Emma Peterson, will spend its last day at the technology-based business incubator today. Peterson will move the company into the Lovejoy Building in downtown Des Moines. “We are very excited to continue our story ...
Emma Peterson’s low-fare ticketing firm Tikly has certainly turned heads in 2012. The company was named to a list of five startups across the country to watch in July. National technology blogs have written about the small Des Moines-based startup, which makes its home in StartupCity Des Moines. And when organizers looked ...
Des Moines-based Tikly’s founder and CEO Emma Peterson has made no secret in the past that her ticketing startup’s journey would have been different without the early help of friend and mentor Ben Milne of Dwolla. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that as her one-year-old startup’s Facebook integration ...
Tikly founder Emma Peterson has got to be one of Big Omaha‘s biggest fans. In 2011, a chance meeting at the Silicon Prairie News event with Christian Renaud, who would become one of the founders of StartupCity Des Moines, led to her fledgling ticket service receiving an invite to be one ...
Note: I will be blogging and Tweeting from Big Omaha today and tomorrow, following the Iowa technology community as they make their way through the networking conference that will bring in speakers from across the country. Leading up to Big Omaha, veterans of Silicon Prairie News’ two-day technology and entrepreneur conference ...
It’s only been about eight months since Emma Peterson launched the online ticketing site, Tikly.co (that is right, no “M”). Since then, an “inner circle” of bands, venues and event-planning sites have used it to sell tickets to shows and festivals. The roster of artists continues to grow. However, one thing ...
It has been a rallying cry StartupCity Des Moines mentor-in-residence Christian Renaud has repeated to anyone who would listen since his and Tej Dhawan’s tech incubator opened its doors in October. Now, those words have gone national. “The coasts have no monopoly on smart people. There are smart people all over this ...
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Posts Tagged ‘ One97 Communications Ltd. ’
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Hero Corporate Services chairman Sunil Munjal and Adventz Group chairman Saroj Poddar are reportedly looking to buy a stake in digital wallet and e-commerce firm Paytm. Munjal and Poddar are together negotiating to buy Paytm shares from early investor and former IDFC Securities analyst Nikhil Vora, ...
If there is one man who is wholeheartedly welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes, it’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma. The Paytm founder and CEO has turned out to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the move as the cash crunch prompted people to increas...
26 December, 2016 |
Mobile wallet and e-commerce firm One97 Communications Ltd’s bid to seek a trademark for Paytm has hit a hurdle with global online payments company PayPal Inc. challenging the Indian company’s move. PayPal has filed a notice with the Indian trademark office in which it opposed Paytm’s applicat...
15 December, 2016 |
Paytm’s founder and chief executive Vijay Shekhar Sharma has sold 1% of his holding in the digital wallet’s parent firm One97 Communications Ltd, to raise nearly $48.1 million (Rs 325 crore). With the latest transaction, One97’s valuation reportedly stands at $4.8 billion (Rs 32,438.4 cror...
9 December, 2016 |
One97 Communications Ltd, the owner of digital wallet Paytm, said on Monday it will merge its wallet business with its upcoming payments bank to comply with Reserve Bank of India’s directions. The digital wallet will be transferred after the company gets necessary regulatory approval to start Payt...
5 December, 2016 |
Just a day after the blockbuster launch of its mobile point-of-sale (PoS), mobile wallet firm Paytm has halted the rollout of its App PoS. The launch – which would have taken Paytm’s total merchants count from 15 lakh to 1.5 crore in just a week (as per the company’s claims) – has be...
25 November, 2016 |
One97 Communications Ltd, which runs mobile wallet and e-commerce platform Paytm, on Monday announced that Mark Schwartz, vice chairman of US-based investment banking major Goldman Sachs Group and chairman in Asia-Pacific, will join its board, according to a statement. Schwartz, who is currently bas...
24 October, 2016 |
One97 Communications Pvt Ltd, which runs mobile payments and commerce platform Paytm, has roped in Ruchita Taneja Aggarwal and Priya Karnik of Citibank for its yet-to-launch payments bank. Aggarwal will head banking operations while Karnik will spearhead product development for banking operations se...
16 May, 2016 |
SoCoMo Technologies Pvt Ltd, which runs on-demand delivery services startup and auto-rickshaw aggregator Jugnoo, has raised more money at its existing valuation after pushing back a planned Series C funding round. The Chandigarh-based startup said on Monday it has raised an additional $10 million (R...
18 April, 2016 |
Mobile wallet and e-commerce firm One97 Communications Ltd has appointed Shinjini Kumar, a former RBI executive and currently director at management consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), as CEO of its payments bank. Kumar is expected to take charge next month, according to separate media r...
19 February, 2016 |

domain: news


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NEW YORK, June 25 (GenomeWeb News) - Proteome Systems has begun the process of filing an IPO with the Australian Stock Exchange, according to Keith Williams, the company's CEO.
Williams told ProteoMonitor this week that the company had to take a significant cut to its original planned listing price in order to go public. The company now plans to file with an approximately AU$160 million ($110 million) listing, compared with the AU$300 million ($206 million) that it had hoped for. Consequently, the company now aims to raise AU$35 million rather than an anticipated AU$45 million in the IPO. Patersons Securities is managing the stock float.
Williams expressed confidence in the stock's ability to succeed in the public market at the listed price. "I am pretty comfortable in terms of comparables, because many of the listed biotechs are at an early stage, [and] we have a real solid business in terms of 140 employees," Williams told ProteoMonitor. "So in comparable terms I think it was fairly easy to get to the price we got."
Still, Williams said an erratic growth pattern of the company's revenues was to blame for what he admitted has been a frustrating experience with investors. (For a complete version of this story see the June 25 issue of ProteoMonitor.)


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updated 04:50 pm EDT, Tue September 6, 2011
Ofcom: tech complications may push back 4G sale
The largest wireless spectrum auction in the UK may be pushed back to the spring of 2012, according to a Tuesday report. The country's regulator, Ofcom, blamed the delay on many technical and legal issues. The potential delay is at least three months later than originally planned, though Ofcom added it has always said the original timescale was ambitious.
"Ofcom has been explicit in its aim to begin the 4G auction as soon as is practicable and this remains our objective," a spokesperson stated on Tuesday.
Britain is setting out rules about how much 4G spectrum providers can buy in order to protect the country's smallest operator, 3, and to ensure competition. But the delay isn't good news for 3 either, as its larger competitors have spare spectrum they can relocate to high-speed data traffic from basic voice calls. Those other operators are Everything Everywhere, Telefonica's O2, and Vodafone.
The Ofcom spokesperson also added that due to the technical issues that need to be solved, a commercial roll-out of a 4G network in the UK won't be possible until 2013 despite when the auction happens.


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Sakuai On Smash Bros: "Players Don't Know About How Hard We Work"
Posted on Friday, August 9 @ 06:47:30 PST by Alex_Osborn
The fourth entry in the Super Smash Bros. series has been in the works for quite some time and Wii U owners are growing impatient. However, what a lot of gamers might not know is just how much effort goes into each installment in this popular Nintendo brawler.
In the latest issue of Famitsu, franchise director Masahiro Sakurai highlighted the incredible difficulties involved in developing a Smash Bros. game. Here's what he had to say:
When you think about three years like that, that’s the amount of time between entering middle or high school and graduating from it [in Japan]. You have all these people working their fingers to the bone to complete just a single project. The games I make tend to be played for a long time, and whether I’m satisfied with the results or there are things I’m not happy with, it always takes a lot of time to make them.Makes you appreciate all the work that goes into developing a game like Smash Bros., eh? The latest entry, which will be coming to both Wii U and 3DS, will launch sometime next year.
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Grofers co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa told PTI that the company started making operational profit in January and expects to become cash positive by the end of this year.
"Our path to profitability has accelerated during the lockdown, and after achieving operational profitability in January, we are on track to become EBITDA and cash positive by the end of this year. We are observing market sentiments and aim to hit the capital market by the end of 2021," Dhindsa said.
Earlier the company had plans to go public in 2022.
The company closed the financial year with a revenue of around Rs 2,500 crore and the valuation of Grofers is estimated to be close to Rs 6,000 crore.
"As an organisation, we have always channelled our efforts towards providing value to our customers. And, we will continue to do so by staying true to our brand promise of low prices through our focus on building an efficient supply chain and technology-driven innovations," Dhindsa said.
According to the data shared by the company, Grofers shipped 4.4 crore items last month, with 99.7 per cent accuracy and since the lockdown began. It claims to have served 42 lakh households by the end of May.
"Our platform continues to witness high demand and we expect this to stabilize at 30 per cent higher than pre-COVID levels. There has also been a 40 per cent increase in basket size as compared to the pre-COVID era. We are seeing 64 per cent first-time online grocery shoppers and 15 per cent first time online shoppers," Dhindsa said.
During the lockdown, Grofers opened three new facilities and two more are in the pipeline at Bhiwadi and Lucknow.
"We are looking to add 10-15 facilities before the end of this year. We are helping our manufacturing partners with logistics, working capital, and distribution so that we can maintain constant supplies of goods for our customers. We started reverse picks on our own trucks and procured goods from the warehouses of our FMCG partners," Dhindsa said.
Currently, Grofers has 10,000 partner stores to run a fast and lean supply chain from manufacturers straight to consumers.
"Over the last two months, we have hired over 3,000 people for our supply chain operations, and plan to hire another 2,000 warehouses and delivery staff in the coming months," Dhindsa said.
He said that the company has identified and hired delivery and warehouse personnel from the companies operating in industries deeply impacted by the current crisis such as textiles and car rentals.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- ET Markets
- Apple: Need Solid Reason to Take Down Betting Apps
Apple has told Indian officials that it needs a "concrete reason or a legal requirement" to fully comply with the Centre’s directive to take down betting apps from its App Store, according to people directly aware of the matter.Political Stability Helping Drive Investments to India
Chip Bergh, the global chief executive of denim maker Levi Strauss & Co., said political stability has helped Indians stay optimistic about the future, driving consumer demand as well as investment by multinationals.FAME Electric 2-wheeler Beneficiary Tally Slashed
Nearly every second electric two-wheeler sold under the Centre’s ambitious ₹10,000-crore electric vehicle promotion scheme was based on false localisation claims, an investigation has found, said people with knowledge of the matter. This has prompted the government to slash its official sales tally, they said.
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Google Pixel 7 Pro pre-orders will start on October 6
Google will unveil its Pixel 7 series on October 6 during the Made by Google event. Ahead of the event, Google has now announced that the Pixel 7 Pro will be available for pre-order on October 6.
In an ad posted on the official "Made by Google" YouTube channel, Google made fun of the smartphone to some "Pixel users" for getting an exclusive first impression on the smartphone. The ad shows people from all over the world looking at the Pixel 7 Pro and their first impressions of the new smartphone in hand. In the video, the Pixel 7 Pro is blurred in people's hands, but near the end, the Pixel 7 Pro is revealed, subtitled "Pre-orders start October 6, 2022."
Now, the ad only shows the Pixel 7 Pro, not the Pixel 7, as some in the video refer to it as a smartphone. The ad confirms that the Pixel 7 Pro will be available for pre-order the same day as the launch event. While the ad only mentions the Pixel 7 Pro, it's likely that the Pixel 7 will also be available for pre-order at the same time. While pre-orders have been confirmed, we still don't know when the Pixel 7 series will arrive.
Google doesn't usually launch its high-end Pixel smartphones in the country, but will bring its A-series mid-range Pixel devices to Hong Kong. Google usually announces which regions its new Pixel smartphones are coming to ahead of launch, so we're expecting an announcement in the next few days as well.
The Google Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Google Pixel Watch will be launched during the "Made by Google" event on October 7th. The Google Pixel Watch will be the Mountain View, California-based giant's first smartwatch, and it will feature a circular dial, as we saw in the teaser image. The Google Pixel Watch is said to feature an OLED display and a Samsung Exynos chipset and will run on Google's WearOS.
On the other hand, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will feature a second-generation Google Tensor chip called Tensor G2. The teaser image from Google also shows that the Pixel 7 Pro will have triple rear cameras, while the Pixel 7 will have a dual rear camera setup, similar to its predecessor.
The Google Pixel 7 Pro recently appeared in a benchmark listing on Geekbench, which hinted at some of the smartphone's specs. The Geekbench listing suggests that in addition to the Tensor G2 chip, the Pixel 7 Pro is also hinted to come with up to 12GB of RAM and will use a "Cheetah" processor. The benchmark listing also hints at the Pixel 7 Pro's GPU specs, as well as the smartphone's single-core and multi-core benchmark scores.


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Bangladesh (BBN)- Bangladesh’s overall import orders increased by more than 19 percent in April 2013 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year despite political unrest, officials said.
Opening of letters of credit (LCs) against imports, generally known as import orders, rose to US$ 3.32 billion in April, 2013 from $ 2.78 billion in the same month last year, according to the central bank statistics.
“We expect that the rising trend of overall imports may continue in the coming months,” a senior official of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) said, adding that the lower exchange rate of the US dollar against the Bangladesh Taka (BDT) and availability of the greenback have contributed to the increase in the overall import orders.
On the other hand, the settlement of LCs, generally known as actual imports, increased by over 2.0 per cent to $ 2.75 billion in April 2013 from $ 2.68 billion in the same period of the last year, the BB data showed.
The country’s overall import orders, however, came down to $ 3.32 billion in April last from $ 3.49 billion in March 2013 while the actual imports rose to $ 2.75 billion from $ 2.73 billion.
“The import orders for different essential products including fuel oil, capital machinery and back-to-back imports for readymade garment (RMG) increased substantially during the period under review,” the central banker noted.
The import orders for capital machinery increased by 89.31 percent to $ 212.54 million in the month of April last from $ 112.27 million in April 2012.
The BB official also said the capital machinery import orders for the apparel and clothing sector, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications have increased in the recent months.
However, the actual import of capital machinery also rose to $ 158.28 million in April this year from $ 137.99 million in April ’12.
The import orders for petroleum products increased by 62.78 percent to $ 527.41 million in the month of April this year from $ 325.23 million one year ago while the opening of back-to-back LCs for RMG products including fabrics and accessories rose to $ 516.96 million in April 2013 from $ 454.17 million in April 2012.
“The import may fall in June mainly due to announcement of the national budget,” a senior official of a leading private commercial bank (PCB) said, adding that the banks are now interested to invest in different sectors including trade financing for utilising their increased supply of foreign exchange.
BBN/SSR/AD-26May13-10:40 am (BST)


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Choice & Competition Can Help Save Medicare
The long-anticipated surge of retiring baby boomers is upon us. The Medicare trustees recently estimated that Medicare Part A (the hospital insurance trust fund) will go bankrupt in 2026, only eight years from now — and three years sooner than they predicted in last year’s report.
At my organization, a private online marketplace for health insurance, consumers are concerned. But their decisions and behavior provide important clues about where policymakers can go from here. For decades the debate in Washington has centered on benefit expansion, benefit reduction, or tax increases. In the real world, consumers are offering a fourth way to preserve Medicare: choice and competition.
Policymakers may not think of Medicare as a haven for shopping, but thanks to technology that is changing. At eHealth, we’ve seen a dramatic surge in shopping among Medicare-eligible Americans.
According to one key metric, seniors are more enthusiastic about our online tools than millennials and other consumers are about Snapchat and Instagram. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS), an objective industry tool that measures the willingness of customers to recommend a company’s products or services, is 91 — a figure described as “almost perfect” by Joel White, President of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage. (Snapchat received a NPS of -6 while Instagram received an NPS of 64.)
Meanwhile, our online prescription drug tool is saving seniors eligible for Medicare more than $500 per year on average in prescription drug costs. We’re proud of these results, but more important are the implications for policymakers and taxpayers. Seniors are passionate about shopping for health care, and when given the power to choose they can force competition and drive down costs.
This should come as welcome news for policymakers contending with serious — and fixed — demographic challenges. As the Wall Street Journal recently reported, the number of retirees to workers has spiked dramatically in recent years. In 2010, there were 21 retirees per 100 workers — a ratio that held steady for three decades. The figure jumped to 25 retirees per 100 workers in 2017. By 2030, only 12 years from now, that ratio will surge to 35 retirees per 100 workers.
At the same time, people are living longer after they reach age 65. In 1965, when Medicare was created, the average person who reached 65 could expect to live an additional 14 years. Today, it’s about 20 years. Life expectancy after 65 is now 84.3 for men and 86.6 for women.
Watching this demographic wave approach is, in part, what prompted warnings from President Bill Clinton’s former Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and many others. As Bowles said in 2011, “I think it’s clear, if you do simple arithmetic, that the fiscal path that the nation is on is simply not sustainable.” That is more obvious today than ever.
Sadly, Washington is no closer to a solution today than when the demographic bubble became apparent decades ago. In fact, both parties may be farther apart than ever before. Yet, that has not always been the case. By looking to consumers, Congress can recover its lost consensus around choice and competition.
Twenty-five years ago, Alain Enthoven, a health-care consultant to President Jimmy Carter, wrote prophetically:
To offset the expenditure-increasing effects of an aging population and an expanding array of medical technologies, we need to foster a process of continuing productivity improvement and of development of cost-reducing technologies. Only ongoing competition to provide value for money can do this.
Since 1993, leading policymakers from both parties — including former Senators John Breaux (D-LA), Bob Kerry (D-NE), Pete Domenici (R-NM) and current members of Congress including Senator Ron Wyden (D-WA) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) — have all embraced Enthoven’s vision and worked to translate his insights into legislation.
Markets are imperfect. But nothing in the history of civilization has done more to make scarce goods and services common and affordable than equipping consumers with choice and buying power. It’s no surprise that two parts of Medicare that are especially popular with seniors, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D (the prescription drug benefit), incorporate a significant measure of consumer choice and competition — a fact that has been recognized by people on both sides of the aisle.
A study by the left-leaning Brookings Institution found that Medicare Advantage plans save money and achieve better patient outcomes than traditional Medicare. Technology is helping seniors make smart choices about which plans will best meet their medical and financial needs.
Meanwhile, Medicare Part D actually costs less than anticipated. The right-leaning American Action Forum put it well: “The Medicare Part D program has achieved the rarest of distinctions among federal entitlement programs: it is both highly successful in its mission, and consistently comes in under budget.”
The senior shopping spree is great news for America, and should be motivation to unify a divided Congress around solutions that work.
Scott Flanders is the CEO of eHealth, Inc., a private online marketplace for health insurance.


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As the craft beer industry continues to evolve, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that brewers need to think long-term.
But what are the steps that long-term thinking entails? It’s more than just making sure a recipe is scalable and the production and sales are set to grow. There are logistics challenges, packaging changes, key hires. It’s their behavior at key decision points that can help a craft brewer build a sustainable business model.
Mattson Davis, the President of Kona Brewing, is a brewer who survived those business challenges and created a vehicle for his products to flourish. During his keynote presentation during the Brewbound Craft Beer Session — which takes place on Dec. 5 at the Loew’s Santa Monica Hotel — Davis will tell the story of the long transition of the Kona Brewing Company, which went from an isolated brand on the Hawaiian islands that produced just 3,000 barrels of beer in 1997 into one of the largest craft brewers in the country in 2011, when it will pass 160,000 barrels.
During his presentation, Davis will distinguish between a brewery and a company, drawing upon specific choices he made when growing the Kona brand. His presentation will address key issues for craft brewers — the battle to own their home markets, how to win product placement, and the overall ways to think strategically when it comes to growing and distinguishing a brand in a crowded market. Finally, Davis will explain his role in the final play to create sustainability for Kona — its sale to the Craft Brewers Alliance, last year, for $13.9 million.
About the Brewbound Craft Beer Session
The Brewbound Craft Beer Session is a half-day business conference addressing the topics that most directly impact the decisions craft brewers are faced with as they look to grow their brands. The event focuses on the business side of the craft, offering brewers a unique opportunity to learn and network from industry experts.
About Kona Brewing Co.
Kona Brewing Co. is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ (HOOK), with distribution in 28 states. Mattson Davis began with the company in 1997 as a General Manager of what was then Kona’s only production facility, Davis helped launch the first Kona brewpub in 1998 and the second and third locations in 2003 and 2008 respectively. Kona Brewing is currently up over 20 percent this year in its home market of Hawaii.


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Dec 24th, 2012
Bif Naked's just released "Forever: Acoustic Hits & Other Delights" and here, she talks with VO about her life, reflections and musical loves.
Dec 12th, 2012
The Australian DJ prank which led to a suspected suicide has set the internet on fire. And yet the most fundamental questions around the topic of free speech are almost completely ignored.
Sep 13th, 2011
Global sensation Pippa Middleton, sister of Kate Middleton, will be reportedly featured in a documentary by an U.K. production company.
Sep 7th, 2011
This season, it's all about colour and decades of styles. Look towards the 40s and 70s as sources of inspiration, but with a modern and tailored twist. Colour me reckless With little of what's...
Aug 31st, 2011
Today is the 14th anniversary of Princess Diana's untimely death after she and her Egyptian boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, died in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma underpass in Paris. The car's driver...
Aug 24th, 2011
Dubbed one of Canada’s best live acts, the Vancouver-based music group Delhi 2 Dublin (D2D) are selling out show after show with their electric swagger. It started as a one-time gig, a favour. In...
Jul 1st, 2011
Wills and Kate are greeted like rock stars on what would have been the 50th birthday of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Jun 30th, 2011
Get ready for your close-up, Canada.
Jun 27th, 2011
Eager snail mail awaiters can expect to start seeing Post Canada trucks parked in front of their yards as early as tomorrow. It's back to work for Canada Post. The mailboxes are to be unsealed today...
Jun 27th, 2011
Royal fashion watchers are abuzz with excitement as they anticipate Kate Middleton's dress choices in Canada.


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Dianne Dunderdale, who lives on the Shropshire/Powys border, says her husband paid £560 to 'goticketsuk.com' for tickets for her and her friends to go the singer's concert, which was held at Shrewsbury Town Football Club last week, but they never arrived and the couple are still awaiting a refund.
She said: "The tickets were £140 each and we were looking forward to the concert. A week before we had an email to say the tickets would be dispatched. That brought us up to the weekend before the concert. We were then told they had run out of tickets as they had double booked. They said we would have a refund within the next seven to 10 days but we have not had anything. He's frustrated that someone could do such a thing, my friend was so upset as she was so looking forward to going."
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has identified a number of reports made by the public surrounding the online ticket vendor.
Victims have purchased tickets for concerts or festivals due to take place many months later.
Upon purchase they are instructed that they will receive physical tickets along with further correspondence nearer to the event date; however, as the concert or event date has drawn closer and victims have attempted to contact 'goticketsuk.com' for an update, a response has been received suggesting a number of reasons why tickets cannot be sent.
These include an overbooking of tickets at the venue, a delay receiving the tickets from a supplier, or that the tickets have simply had to be cancelled.
Steve Profitt, deputy head of Action Fraud said: "This is a huge problem. It is all about supply and demand. People want to see the big names. When tickets become available they sell out within minutes. At that point in time they will do anything to get a ticket. A lot of the websites are set up to target big events but the tickets never arrive."
There appears to be a number of victims who were expecting to attend a Robbie Williams concert in Coventry and there have also been some reports which have indicated fraudulent ticket purchases for The Demon Dayz Festival.
The NFIB would encourage anyone who has purchased tickets or passes for upcoming events via 'goticketsuk.com' to contact Action Fraud in the first instance, especially in cases where no correspondence has been received surrounding their purchase so that a report can be taken.
Anyone affected by this, or any other type of fraud, can report it to Action Fraud by visiting actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.


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1. The company did not mention what was found in the audits.
2. We are hoping to make a mention today itself before the court.
3. That may be why its Chinese maker dropped any mention of the phone from its website.
4. Another time there was no mention at all of a boom.
5. Microsoft does not mention the possibility that email account names will be recycled.
6. BlackBerry said I could write about my meeting but could not mention any specifics.
7. Microsoft should absolutely mention this policy in their service agreement.
8. He also did not mention any role for the military.
9. They also did not specifically mention talks with Karzai or his representatives.
10. Sony also removed any mention of the movie from its website by Wednesday afternoon.
11. Not to mention we just faced the worst winter in a long time.
12. There is no mention of the many innocent people killed.
13. It gave no reason and did not mention the recording.
14. The directive does not mention Google or any other online service by name.
15. Not to mention, Google may not be able to squeeze enough battery power into the small device.


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Owner of industrial packaging company is buried in cardboard tube that he always wanted to sell as coffinBy Mason White 10:53 AM November 2, 2016
|Frederick (Fred) Norman Lee and the coffin|
By: Wayne Morin
The owner of an industrial packaging company came up with an idea for space saving coffins.
However, so far, the company has never taken the idea to the market.
Frederick (Fred) Norman Lee of Ireland, who was the owner of Industrial Packaging Ltd, thought that a cardboard tube would be the perfect way to bury people.
Lee wanted to sell the cardboard tube as a coffin so people can be buried standing up. Lee, who died at 97 years old, got his wish as he was the first person to be buried in a cardboard tube.
The tube is 25 inches in diameter and is usually used for casting concrete columns. The coffin was made of 12 sheets, each covered in a layer of waterproof glue, Lee’s son Ken said.
On the coffin tube, the family engraved a loving message of how Lee was the wonderful husband to his wife Patricia and proud father of his children.
In the 1950s, Lee began the now highly successful Industrial Packaging company in Bray, which is now run by some of his sons.
“He was the king of the cardboard tubes and now he was buried in one,” Ken added.


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Britain’s cost of living squeeze is set to worsen with the highest global food prices in half a century lasting until 2023 as the gas crisis sends fertiliser costs soaring, experts predict.
Supply chain analysts said supermarkets cannot insulate shoppers from mounting cost pressures indefinitely after warning that a cold winter risks pushing food prices up even further.
Global food prices have rocketed to their highest levels since 1975 in real terms. They will increase next year and remain elevated into 2023, according to economists at BCA Research.
Prices are already above levels seen during the last food crisis early last decade, which sparked social unrest across the world.
Pressure on fertiliser prices is set to intensify this winter after the gas crisis fuelled a near tripling in the key food cost input to record highs.
Abdolreza Abbassian, economist at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, warned food producers “cannot afford to have a bad year ahead” as many crops are already in a “tight situation”.
“The big worry now is … what could be on the horizon for production in 2022 for crops that heavily depend on inputs, such as fertilisers,” he said.
“We may go through a temporary stand-up in prices for a while but it may not last too long if the high fertilisers [costs] start having a negative impact on production and yields ... you would be expecting that this higher input cost is eventually going to make a dent somewhere.”
Supply chain chaos, soaring fertiliser prices, higher shipping costs and worker shortages have combined to push food bills around the world in 2021. Food price inflation in the UK has been accelerating in recent months, hitting a 14-month high of 2.1pc in October, according to Kantar.
Robert Ryan, chief commodities and energy strategist at BCA, warned higher freight, fertiliser and fuel costs will be passed on to shoppers through higher food prices next year.
He said: “We should start seeing this feeding through and the longer we get this cold weather and elevated natural gas prices, the more of this is going to feed through over time.”
Mr Ryan added that food price pressures are likely to be increased by a 90pc chance of a La Niña weather pattern causing a colder winter.
Experts warned that persistently high prices will force grocery retailers to pass on even more costs to shoppers.
Prof Wyn Morgan, an expert on food economics at the University of Sheffield, said: “They cannot hold consistently rising costs all the time; it does start to affect their bottom line.
“They're in a good position at the moment but that won't last forever. If it is that continually elevated level, there needs to be an adjustment. There is a potential for [food price inflation] to rise and the problem with that is that it affects everybody.”
The UN estimates that the cost of global food imports will rise by 12pc to $1.7 trillion this year with poorer countries bearing the brunt of the pain. Food prices make up a far larger share of the inflation basket in developing economies compared to the UK, where it accounts for just a tenth of consumer prices.
David MacLennan, the head of US food giant Cargill, warned last week that food prices will remain high next year as worker shortages and supply chain problems persist. “I thought inflation in [agriculture] and food was transitory. I feel less so now because of continued shortages in labour markets.”


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Eurovideo and Black Forest Games have released a new video for Giana Sisters: Dream Runners. The game is going to be an accessible, quick, wild and – most important of all – pure fun multiplayer-game. In the latest video, the developers from Black Forest Games explain what features they have integrated, reveal their inspirations and demonstrate the nastiest power-ups that you can throw at your so-called friends.
Additionally, Black Forest Games has launched a blog, where all of the Giana Sisters: Dream Runners costumes are revealed. You can race around the nine different tracks as one of the colorful sisters, or dress yourself in the sneaky garments of a Ninja, trump around in the armor of a Knight, be a rickety robot or disguise your character as … an Owl. Yep, seriously.
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners is a standalone spin-off from the critically acclaimed Giana series and is set to release June 2015 on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Dream Runners will be a budget-priced arcade title and available only via digital distribution.


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2020 Operating Business QLICI of the Year Award Recipient
CDE: AMCREF Community Capital LLC
Developer: RWDC Industries
Owner: AMCREF Community Capital LLC
Location: Athens, GA
RWDC Industries is an early-stage biotech company located in Athens that harnesses nature to produce the materials in commonly used products. More specifically, RWDC Industries creates Solon brand bioplastics, which can replace traditional petrochemical plastics in packaging materials, particularly food packaging. RWDC uses locally sourced recycled waste cooking oils as a raw material for manufacturing their bioplastics.
The development’s CDE AMCREF Community Capital provided $7.7 million in NMTC allocation which allowed RWDC to close its financing gap and accelerate product development. The NMTC financing also helped RWDC secure long-term contracts and create jobs in the local community.
“RWDC is just the type of business AMCREF looks to support with NMTCs,” said Susan Seagren, managing director at AMCREF Community Capital. “RWDC is a high-growth company in an innovative new industry providing skilled, well-paying jobs via partnerships with local technical colleges and workforce groups. They’re also renovating a vacant facility in an economic development priority area. Finally, their biodegradable plastics address a pressing worldwide environmental problem.”


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Exicom, which provides charging solutions for electric vehicles (EVs), will set up a legal entity in Europe in order to succeed in a new market.
“The plan is to create a legal entity and also work with distributor partners. If we just sit in India and try to distribute through distributors, we can’t build a big business. Having a local presence is crucial because, like every market, the European market has different regulations, a lot of complications, and a different language,” said Priyank Agarwal, Vice- President, Strategy and Business Development – Electric Mobility, Exicom.
The company is considering markets including the Nordics, the UK and the western part of Europe. “We have initiated the implementation of our strategic plan, which includes staffing and establishing our office. Our operations are expected to commence by the end of the CY 2023.”
In FY22, it posted revenues of ₹71 crore and expects to close this year at around ₹200 crore.
To reach its five-year goal, the company is increasing its international presence and estimates that its European expansion will generate $50 million in revenue in the next five years.
He told businessline, “In the current fiscal year, we anticipate revenue of $1 million from our charging business in the SEA market, of which $0.6 million has been raised till January 23. Currently, we are present in Malaysia with a 40 per cent market share. Though it is a small market, it demonstrates that we can compete on the world stage. And now we are launching in Europe.”
In terms of investment, including the new manufacturing plant in Hyderabad and the Europe expansion, it will invest Rs 200 crore over the next two years.
However, Agarwal noted, “India will remain our biggest market as per our strategy. We supply chargers and home charging solutions to more than 80 per cent of the Indian market. To grow further in the domestic market, we will launch new products and are planning a product refresh for the entire portfolio, which we do every 3–4 years.” The company works with players such as MG, TATA, Mahindra, KIA, Hyundai, Audi, Volvo, and more.
Exicom’s current product line includes AC units from 3.3 kW to 22 kW and DC fast chargers with capacities ranging from 15 kW to 360 kW. The company produces more than 16 different charger variations and has a monthly production capacity of 3,000 to 4,000 units. Additionally, it also has a small charger, the Spin Free, which is a compact, portable charger that is included with electric vehicles (EVs) and has a power output of 3.3 Kw.


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This Special Drone Has Mastered the Art of Self-Stabilization
Cernescu Andrei / 3 years ago
While Amazon and presumably other companies are still working on safe and secure ways to deliver products to their customers using drones, a team of researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland has already developed an impressive technology that enables a flying drone to remain stable at all times. Stabilization is very important when it comes to delivering various objects, as natural hazards such as gusts of wind or technical malfunctions can cause conventional drones to fail and crash thus damaging the package. This particular drone self-stabilizes and is able to land safely in any situation, all thanks to a special camera that points towards the ground, and an inertial measurement unit.
The measurement unit includes a three-axis accelerometer, a distance sensor, a gyroscope and a software suite that stores and analyzes the gathered data. The drone also features a microprocessor that’s comparable power-wise to those found in regular smartphones. When it is flying in a stable position, the gadget analyzes the environment and records its most notable landmarks. During a sudden event, that data helps it recover its position and find a safe landing spot. Those responsible for the development of this equipment compared it to a tightrope walker: “When walking on a rope, a static point is fixed in the environment and its weight is moved to redress the balance.”
Thank you TechnoCrazed for providing us with this information.


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Increase in Visitor Spending Noted in 2019 Guilford County Impact Study
23 Nov, 2020
Domestic visitors to and within Guilford County spent $1.591 billion in 2019, an increase of 7% from 2018. The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.
“Guilford County has continued to rank third in the state in travel and tourism expenditures, with $1.591 billion generated in 2019.” said Henri Fourrier, President of the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We also ranked third in direct tourism employees along with one of the largest year-over-year increase in direct tourism employement by 5.3%.”
Tourism impact highlights for 2019:
- The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 15,000 in Guilford County.
- Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Guilford Countywas $426 million.
- State tax revenue generated in Guilford Countytotaled $81 million] through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. About $35 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.
Visitors to North Carolina set a record for spending in 2019. The $26.7 billion in total spending represented an increase of 5.6 percent from 2018.
These statistics are from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2019,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by the U.S. Travel Association.
“The numbers confirm the strength of North Carolina’s tourism industry as an anchor of economic development,” said Wit Tuttell, director of Visit North Carolina. “As the No. 6 state in the country for overnight visitation, we can attribute our success to the natural beauty and authenticity that visitors experience, and to a passionate effort to inform and inspire travelers. The money they spend benefits everyone by sustaining jobs and reducing our residents’ tax burden.”
Statewide highlights include:
- State tax receipts as a result of visitor spending rose 5.0 percent to more than $1.3 billion in 2019.
- Visitors spend more than $73 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $5.92 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.7 million in state taxes and $2.2 million in local taxes).
- The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 235,000 North Carolinians.
- Each North Carolina household saves on average $551 in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state.


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The get-off of online video-led social networking big TikTok has led to its Chinese father or mother corporation, ByteDance, being classified as a hyperscale datacentre operator, Synergy Investigation has verified.
The analyst house’s quarterly hyperscale datacentre market tracker details shows that in just 3 years, ByteDance has risen from obscurity to develop into the world’s seventh-major datacentre spender.
In accordance to Synergy’s second-quarter details, Amazon remains the world’s major datacentre trader and spender, followed by Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Apple.
ByteDance is one of 3 Chinese gamers whose datacentre investment decision and enlargement ideas have been flagged as noteworthy by Synergy in its second-quarter market tracker, with Alibaba ranked sixth and Tencent eighth in phrases of datacentre invest.
“The point that Amazon, Microsoft and Google continue to account for around half of the world’s mounted base of hyperscale datacentres is not seriously new news,” explained John Dinsdale, chief analyst at Synergy Investigation Group.
“However, what we are looking at is a huge force from the Chinese hyperscale operators, with a whole lot of new datacentres being opened. ByteDance is specifically noteworthy as it is virtually a new entrant to the hyperscale scene.
“It was little acknowledged 3 years in the past, but has develop into a significant participant, many thanks in large element to the achievements of TikTok.”
The short-kind online video-sharing internet site has risen to prominence around the earlier 3 years, with sector estimates suggesting it currently has just about 690 million active monthly end users.
In accordance to Synergy’s details, China – along with the US – is property to much more than half of the world’s hyperscale datacentres, of which there are now 659 in existence as of the close of the second quarter. This is much more than double the range that ended up live and operational in mid-2016.
“The future most well-liked spots are Japan, Germany, the United kingdom, Australia, Canada, Eire and India, which collectively account for twenty five% of the total,” explained the corporation in a assertion.
In accordance to Dinsdale, Synergy’s details shows that, on regular, 16 new datacentres have arrive online each and every quarter in the course of the earlier 3 years.
“The development of hyperscale datacentres is really considerably on a straight-line trajectory,” he explained. “On leading of that new datacentre make, the hyperscale operators are also incorporating ability at current services and are consistently ripping out and changing server components that has achieved the close of its operational lifespan. That all provides up to huge and escalating quarterly investments in datacentres.”


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ISTANBUL — Turkish luxury retailer Beymen is banking on attracting considerable local and international traffic to its largest flagship in the new Zorlu Center here.
The 108,000-square-foot unit houses some 400 international brands, 73 of which are exclusive to the location. Together with luxury boutiques for Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, Stella McCartney, Tory Burch, Valentino and Saint Laurent, the flagship constitutes 20 percent of the total leasable area at the shopping center. The project cost $28 million, and is expected to generate annual revenues estimated at $100 million.
The mall has several other luxury fashion brands; local and international fashion labels for men, women and kids; technology stores, such as the first Apple store in Turkey; international jewelry brands, and home decoration stores.
Zorlu is billed as Turkey’s first and only “mixed use” project with five different functions, including a culture and arts center, Raffles Hotel, business center, shopping center and residences. Situated in the heart of Istanbul, overlooking the Bosphorus, the center aims to become a tourist landmark, drawing international customer traffic mainly from Russia, nations that made up the former Soviet Union and the Persian Gulf. Plans for advertising in the global media are in place to fan international interest.
Beymen stores generate about 20 percent of their sales from tourists.
Elif Çapçı, chief executive officer of Beymen, asserted that the flagship’s mix of merchandise, art and architecture is unique.
“There already have been inquiries about store expansion or partnership opportunities from countries such as the U.S. and China,” Çapçı said.
The women’s department boasts shops-in-shop from brands such as Balenciaga, Givenchy, Ralph Lauren and Reed Krakoff; “tunnel shops” — accessible both from within store and from the mall — for Céline, Chloé and Bottega Veneta, and a large cosmetics area with the world’s leading brands, some of which are exclusive to the store.
Leather goods are a core category, spread over almost 11,000 square feet showcasing brands like Gianvito Rossi, Charlotte Olympia and Isabel Marant.
The men’s store hosts brands such as Armani Collezioni, Kiton, Corneliani, Canali, Luciano Barbera and Polo Ralph Lauren, some of which offer made-to-measure services.
Men’s and women’s departments offer VIP fitting rooms, and the kids’ department features newborn and kids collections of several international brands.
The importance given to art is not secondary in Beymen. Meticulously picked art pieces and furniture are scattered around the store, in addition to six zones allotted for custom artwork designed for the store. A 12-foot-wide sculpture of two reindeer with interlocked horns by Ali Ibrahim Öcal decorates the terrace, and 20 feet of neon artwork by Lale Delibas covers a wall stretching between two floors are two examples. The store supports local artists, showcasing their work and organizing several art events, such as exhibitions or talks.
The architecture of the store is designed to foster a boutiquelike feel. A monumental staircase connects two levels, with a café, gifts and books located on the stair landing.
“It is nice to create a beautiful store, but it is great to create a successful one,” said Wolfgang Michel from Michelgroup, the architecture and design office in charge. “We translated the business plan into design. Customer flow is the key to a successful store.”
Beymen operates 18 stores in total, including seven locations in Istanbul, eight in other cities of Turkey and two stores in the Middle East — in Cairo and Erbil, Iraq.
Zorlu Center is also a destination for upscale dining. Marquee restaurants include Morini, located in the women’s department, where New York’s Michelin-star chef Michael White oversees the menu.
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)
As one of the most recognizable models in the world, Christy Turlington Burns has an insider’s view of the fashion industry and the allegations of sexual harassment swirling around it. “I can say that harassment and mistreatment have always been widely known and tolerated in the industry. The industry is surrounded by predators who thrive on the constant rejection and loneliness so many of us have experiences at some point in our careers,” Turlington told WWD, along with her suggestions for how the modeling world should protect younger women and men. Read more on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: Tony Palmieri) #wwdnews
@asics America has tapped a new brand ambassador: famed DJ/record producer @steveaoki. This initiative is intended to set the tone for the new brand identity and philosophy and will include partnerships with influencers and in-store and off-line activations that will continue into next year. This is Asics’ most significant marketing effort in two decades, and is expected to attract younger consumers to the brand. #wwdfashion
24-year-old Jean Prounis is redefining the rules of jewelry. Formerly a studio assistant to Jemima Kirke and a design apprentice at Ghuran, she focuses on handcrafted subtleties and ancient goldsmithing techniques. “There was a really sterile feel in the environment and I wanted to have jewelry with character that shapes how you wear it everyday,” Prounis said. Each piece is hand made in New York, either by Prounis or three other jewelers in the district. #wwdfashion
“These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering differently abled adults to express themselves through fashion,” said @tommyhilfiger of his line of adaptive apparel, which launches today. The line consists of 37 men’s and 34 women’s styles based upon the pieces from the spring Tommy Hilfiger sportswear collection. #wwdnews


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Kevin Brennan, Kellogg’s UK marketing director, isn’t sure that consumers want to see FMCG companies in social media. And he wasn’t ROFL when he said it.
Despite marketing brands in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods space, Brennan is taking it slower when it comes to the fast-paced, social Web — at least until he hears a smart strategy.
Borrowing a line from Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy Group, Brennan recently descibed social media and digital marketing as an experience akin to “walking into a restaurant and meeting five different waiters with five different menus.”[more]
Kellogg’s UK marketing chief faults ad agencies for what he sees as a lack of creative ingenuity and digital guidance as FMCG brands try to navigate the social Web. Brennan admitted he doesn’t “understand half the problems well enough that we have to deal with.”
It’s not that he doesn’t think they’re important, as he added that the digital revolution “is probably as profound as the advent of television, but way more complex.”
He could look to his colleagues across the pond. Brandweek‘s 2010 “Superbrands” report heralded the success of Kellogg’s US relaunch of Special K last year, which brought it to No. 4 ranking in the $6.6 billion ready-to-eat cereal category – a 12.9% rise to $249.9. The secret – adding fiber and pitching to weight-conscious consumers via social media.
A “Be Victorious” morning news television campaign, and a website partnership with MSN.com and its Facebook page offered healthy eating-tips and a Special K Challenge of substituting two meals daily with the cereal.
Brennan persisted in saying he sees “a lot of disintegration” in the digital ad landscape for FMCG’s, and a lack of digital- and social media-savvy talent, perhaps due to insufficient investment. “I know for agencies that’s difficult because that’s not necessarily where the money is. But agencies should invest.”
Refreshing to hear a marketing honcho voice his confusion over social media — even as one of his company’s core brands pops in the digital and social arena.


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Sky to fight Ofcom over push for broadcaster to share premium sports and movies
BSkyB vowed today to use all available legal avenues to challenge regulator Ofcom's plans to force it to sell its sports and movies content to rivals at regulated prices.
The satellite giant said it disagreed 'fundamentally with Ofcom's approach, analysis and conclusions'.
Its comments followed the third consultation document by Ofcom, which believes BSkyB has 'an incentive to restrict the distribution of premium channels'.
The watchdog said the satellite broadcaster is thought to be charging high prices to competitors for the use of its premium content.
It said the situation had a 'detrimental effect on consumers' by reducing choice and constricting innovation in the pay television market.
Game on: Sky has reacted angrily to Ofcom's push for the broadcaster to share its sport and film content
The regulator said: 'Ofcom's proposals aim to ensure consumers benefit in the short term from an increased choice of supplier and of platform, and in the longer term from enhanced innovation and investment, especially on non-Sky platforms.'
'A new Ofcom-commissioned study suggests that Sky is earning aggregate returns in excess of its cost of capital, and is likely to continue to do so. Our concern is that they are likely to be reflected in high prices paid by consumers.
'Ofcom believes [regulated wholesale prices] is the most appropriate way of ensuring fair and effective competition. We do not believe that this proposed.'
Ofcom set out proposals for pricing which it said were above the level needed to allow BSkyB to make a 'reasonable return'.
But BSkyB said: 'In light of Ofcom's determination to pursue its preferred outcome, we will use all available legal avenues to challenge this unwarranted intervention.'
Sky's rivals were quick to endorse the Ofcom move. Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT Retail, said: "UK consumers are benefiting hugely from the most open and competitive broadband market in the world so it is time for Ofcom to open the doors of the pay TV market and let in the fresh air of competition.
'Prices have been too high for too long but this could all change if Ofcom breaks Sky's stranglehold by creating a level playing field.'
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On Tuesday at Meta Connect 2022, Facebook's parent company dropped the codename of their next VR device and introduced Meta Quest Pro. They went into detail of how they will be improving and focusing on social VR through partnerships with Microsoft and YouTube. They also announced that they will be introducing avatars on WhatsApp, Messenger and video chats.
Meta Quest Pro priced at $1,499.99 is a high-end headset that will hit the market on October 25. The device will give people an experience of full-colour mixed reality. Meta introduced this new headset with the hopes that people will be able to use it to work and play in the Metaverse.
The pancake lenses help reduce the size of the headset and show sharper visuals. It also features a new curved battery and high-resolution outward-facing cameras that capture 4 times as many pixels as its predecessor.
Meta has also advanced inward-facing sensors to help capture natural facial expressions. The idea is to improve users social presence and make them feel like they are right there with the person. This is because when the earlier VR set was launched it was boring for users as most of their time was spent alone.
During the event, Satya Nadella, Microsoft Chairman and CEO announced that they will be partnering with Facebook to improve and advance the tools to be used in Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 2 next year. These include apps like Microsoft Window 365 and Microsoft Teams that will give the users the ability to join a team meeting from inside Meta Horizon Workrooms.
Microsoft team meets inside Meta Horizon Workrooms. | Meta
Meta is also planning to develop Meta Horizon Worlds so that users can through calls or messages visit friends hanging out with VR. The company is also having tie-ups with the YouTube VR team that will help the users watch YouTube videos together.
Future of Social VR | Meta
These collaborations with YouTube and Microsoft will help Meta focus and improve social VR so that the users can work, play and communicate with each other as they would normally do when they are present together in the physical world.
Meta has also unveiled the next generation of Meta Avatars that are going to be more expressive and detailed. They are also going to be introducing these avatars to video chat, Messenger and WhatsApp.


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PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Watson Laboratories, Inc. today issued a voluntary nationwide recall for two lots of Hydrocodone Bitartrate and APAP Tablets, USP 10 mg/500 mg. A customer complaint was received for tablets that were thicker and darker shade than the other tablets. It is possible that some tablets from lots 519406A and 521759A exceed the weight specification and may contain higher than indicated amounts of the ingredients Hydrocodone Bitartrate and/or Acetaminophen. Unintentional ingestion of excessive amounts of acetaminophen may potentially result in an adverse event, including liver toxicity, especially in patients on other acetaminophen containing medications, patients with liver dysfunction, or people who consume more than 3 alcoholic beverages a day. The product label warns consumers that acetaminophen overdose can potentially cause severe liver damage, at times resulting in liver transplant or death. Unintentional ingestion of excessive amounts of hydrocodone may result in an adverse event, including an increase in the severity or frequency of side effects, such as sedation or respiratory depression, particularly in patients who are elderly, have severe kidney or liver impairment, or are also taking interacting medications, for example other sedating medications or certain antidepressants. No reports of injuries related to the recalled product have been received to date. The recall includes the following product lots:
Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets, USP 10 mg/500 mg, 500 count NDC 00591-0540-05, Lot Numbers 519406A and 521759A both with the expiry date April 2014.
Hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen 10 mg/500 mg tablets are indicated for the relief of moderate to moderately severe pain. The affected lots were distributed between 6/27/2012 and 7/18/2012 to wholesale distributors and retail pharmacies nationwide. The lot numbers can be found on the manufacturer's bottle label. Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Acetaminophen Tablets are approximately 0.6 inches in length, blue, bisected capsule shaped, with "Watson 540" de-bossed on one side of the tablet. Consumers who have lots 519406A or 521759A should contact their pharmacy or health care professional. Consumers who are unsure if they have the affected lot numbers should consult their pharmacy or health care professional.
Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:WPI) is trading at unusually high volume Tuesday with 2.2 million shares changing hands. It is currently at two times its average daily volume and trading up $3.01 (+2.4%).
Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:WPI) hit a new 52-week high Monday as it is currently trading at $127.42, above its previous 52-week high of $126.53 with 1.3 million shares traded as of 9:35 a.m. ET. Average volume has been 1.1 million shares over the past 30 days.
Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:WPI) is trading at unusually high volume Tuesday with 2.8 million shares changing hands. It is currently at 2.7 times its average daily volume and trading up $2.55 (+2.1%).


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CID Resources will extend the lifestyle brand into the estimated $1.8 billion medical uniform market.
The new collection will feature a variety of Vera Bradley designs and will comprise of products ranging from uniforms to matching totes and bags to ID badge holders.
“Vera Bradley enters new product categories when it can deliver its signature style paired with new functionality missing from existing products in the market. The medical uniforms market alone is estimated at $1.8 billion in the U.S., and our research indicates that nearly 20 percent of our customers identify themselves as working in the health care industry,” says Rob Wallstrom, chief executive officer, Vera Bradley. “We are delighted that we will be able to offer beautiful apparel and accessories solutions not only to these existing customers but to introduce Vera Bradley to thousands of other medical professionals as well. We are thrilled to inject our version of functionality, color, and especially fun into this important product category.”
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The Aero on Travis Pastrana’s Subaru WRX STI Gymkhana 11 Car Is Mad Science
This car needs to fly, but also land smoothly—preferably on all four wheels.
Travis Pastrana’s wild Subaru WRX STI is an extreme evolution of a rallycross car dialed up for Gymkhana 11, the tire-shredding YouTube extravaganza in which Pastrana sends it through his home town of Annapolis, Maryland. In order to top the previous performances by a certain Mr. Ken Block, chief designer Jonathan Carey had to come up with a Subaru that "looks like it's doing 1,000 mph standing still," yet can also complete huge jumps without nosediving into the ground on landing.
Then, there's the downforce package that at first glance may look like it's all for the high-speed cameras, yet according to Bertrand Vallat and Chris Yandell—technical director of Subaru Motorsport USA and vice president of Vermont Sportscar, respectively—will also help the car stay level, even when sliding sideways at high velocities. To achieve this, the team built an accurate 40-percent scale model with functional steering and suspension, ready for an extensive wind tunnel session.
On this advanced rolling road, Subaru's new Gymkhana car model could even be lifted up to simulate how it does when in flight, which is crucial for Travis Pastrana's stunt show.
With the resulting aero package featuring multiple add-ons such as the upper and lower diaplanes, stacked fender winglets all made of carbon fiber, a massive rear diffuser and a two-stage wing that can level this car mid-air to avoid a Dukes of Hazzard-style landing, this insane Subaru WRX STI is all science, with perhaps just a little dash of TV madness for good measure.
Gymkhana 11 drops today, featuring the 2022 Subaru BRZ along with multiple sets of melting Yokohamas. All the tire smoke shall help us understand how the air goes...
Got a tip on other wild Subarus? Send us a note: firstname.lastname@example.org


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The 2019 Bajaj Dominar has been launched. The Bajaj Dominar 400 is the flagship bike for Bajaj. Keeping it updated is very important. The 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 has been launched at a price of Rs 1.73 lakhs (Ex-showroom, Delhi). Dealers in multiple cities have started accepting bookings for the bike for an amount of Rs 5,000. The company will be bringing in the 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 this year. There will not be too many changes on it, but it will get a few tweaks. The Dominar has anyways, been getting progressive improvements which have made this motorcycle more refined from the time it was launched. We have experienced the Dominar over the last 2 years and have seen subtle improvements in the bike. The Dominar 400 2019 will see more such improvements in refinement and power delivery. It will get newly styled alloy wheels. New suspension and for the first time on an Indian bike – USD (Upside Down) forks too. There will be new colours on offer and also new body graphics will be seen here. To know more about what’s new on this bike, scroll down below.
Recently the current Dominar’s did receive a change in the form of an ECU update. The bike’s top speed according to owners has come down. This has to do with the mileage we think. But for the 2019 Bajaj Dominar, we think that the bike will be more powerful and will get higher top speed. Check out below a video of the underproduction Dominar being chased by a Duke 390. Last year the Dominar 400 had won our Bike of the Year award. It was declared a winner, considering various parameters like pricing vs features.
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Price in India
|2019 Bajaj Dominar||Price|
|ABS||Rs 1,79,870/- (ex-showroom Delhi)|
The price of the 2019 Dominar 400 is a good one. Dealers in multiple cities have started accepting bookings for the bike for an amount of Rs 5,000. Now the price of the bike will get a price hike of Rs. 6000. Now the price of a bike will 1.79 lakhs.
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Colours
The 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 currently has two main colour, the Aurura Green and the Vine Black. Apart from that, there are now colours available on this bike right now. The bike will now be available in red colour. This colour has been shown in the Indian Television commercial. in addition to that, the bike is being internationally sold with that colour. This colour will be available in 2 months right before the festive season. Therefore it will become a perfect buy for the consumers. The alloy wheels also get a new look.
Also Read: Royal Enfield Himalayan Price and Review
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Updates
Some of the most prominent updates for this bike is going to be the USD forks, like the ones used on the KTM 390. It means in the future the suspension and handling manners of the 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 are set to improve. Bajaj will make sure that bike is more comfortable at any speed with its all-new setup and riders going hyper riding are less fatigued.
Another update the bike will see is the standardization of ABS here. The Bajaj Dominar400 had optional ABS. Standard dual channel ABS will be great. Bajaj will also continue with the six-speed gearbox with the slipper clutch. The bike and its engine will be compliant with BS6 norms. If you scroll down and check out the spy shots below, the exhaust now gets a twin end-can design and the radiator upfront it bigger and re-designed. This could be due to the emissions and other regulations with BS6.
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Specifications
|Technical specs||Dominar 400|
|Type||Single cylinder, 4 strokes, DOHC,4valve, Liquid-cooled, Triple Spark, FI|
|Max power(PS @ RPM)||40 Ps @ 8650|
|Max torque(Nm @RPM)||35 @ 7000 rpm|
|Top Speed (kmph)||156|
|Front||Telescopic, 43mm USD Fork, 135mm travel|
|Rear||Multi-step adjustable Mono shock with Nitrox, Wheel stroke of 110mm|
|Front||ABS, 320 dia disc|
|Rear||ABS, 230 dia disc|
|System||12V, 8Ah VRLA|
|Headlamp||LED with AHO, 10 units|
The 373cc engine will continue on the 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400. The six-speed gearbox will also be the same. There is a slipper clutch on the bike as well. The power has increased but those figures will never eat into the class-leading KTM Duke 390. There is a change in the way power is delivered and there will be an ECU remap which will allow for higher top speed and better fuel mileage. The bike will also come with ABS as standard and the bike will now get USD forks which will improve ergonomics more. The vibration that was present in the first lot of the bikes, beyond 5000 rpm, has been eased out now. The Dominar 400 2019 will be even smoother. There is continuous development happening on its engine to make it more refined. This is a suitable bike for touring.
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Dimensions
|Bajaj Dominar 400 Dimensions|
|Front Tyre||110/70 R17 radial|
|Rear Tyre||150/60 R17 radial|
|Brakes||320mm dia, 230mm|
|Fuel Tank||13 litres|
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Video
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Mileage
Bajaj Dominar 400 Mileage
The Dominar 400 2019 will be a fuel efficient bike. A bike of this capacity offering a mileage of about 35 km/l in the city, it pretty good. On the highway, it will return about 40 km/l. The current bike we have tested and seen does not give great mileage. This problem will be rectified on the new bike.
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Design
The 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 will see no change in design. This aspect will remain unchanged. The power cruiser design is finding more acceptance now. The Dominar is a good looking motorcycle. It has a good street presence. The Dominar 400 2019 will weigh about 182 kilograms. Those looking a for a comfortable cruising bike will find the 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 suitable. The fully digital instrument cluster will remain. It will have a speedo, tach, trip meters, fuel gauge and also a digital clock. Another display has been added to the tank where there is a gear indicator too.
2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 Competition
The Dominar 400 2019 will not have any direct competition. The closest rival is the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 and 500. The Dominar is often pitched against this bike. Other bikes that compete somewhat are the Mahindra Mojo and KTM Duke 390. The BMW G310R will also compete with the Dominar 400 2019.


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Netgear, the networking hardware giant, announced several new cybersecurity and privacy features for one of its most popular offerings. The Netgear Armor security product, embedded into routers like Nighthawk and Orbi, will now detect threats using a method designed specifically for smart appliances.
The new features have data protection capabilities that prevent the transfer of login information, banking details, or other information that could identify you over encrypted networks.
There is also anomaly detection, powered by machine learning, to monitor how the devices you connect to your network usually work. Anything out of the ordinary gets blocked.
What else will Netgear Armor do?
Netgear Armor will also attempt to protect smart devices from bots and brute-force attacks while preventing DDoS (denial-of-service attacks) and protecting networks from malicious exploits-backed intrusions.
Netgear Armor is available to customers who have specific Wi-Fi 6 routers. The company added that it plans to release the tools to more users in the coming weeks.
At present, Netgear Armor is free for 30 days and then $99.99 for an annual subscription. President of connected home products and services at Netgear, David Henry, explained that it may overwhelm people to know what is required to keep IoT devices safe, given how many we now have.
An umbrella for all your gadgets
Henry added that the company added the security features after it realized that a new approach to security was needed.
There are new threats created for TVs, smart thermostats, home theatre systems, light switches, gaming consoles, smartphones, smart speakers, security cameras, and other smart home gadgets.
With that in mind and a report by Bitdefender proving that the threats are serious, Netgear built the system into the routers, to ensure that while on a Netgear-powered connection, there is no need for separate solutions for each piece of connected technology.


text: So for the latest version of the Quai 54 basketball tournament in Paris, Jordan did a simple flip of the "Military Blue" Air Jordan Retro IV—replacing the traditional "Flight" tongue tag with a Quai 54 one. Was it as cool as last year's Vs? Not really. But seeing that they were limited to just 24 pairs, these IVs seem to be as sought-after as any Jordan that's come out in a while. This size 9 pair is already going for 20x what a normal pair of Military IVs will, and there's still plenty of time left.


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Pink diamond to fetch £ 37m at auction
Apink diamond is expected to fetch more than £ 37 million at auction. The sparkler looks set to be the priciest sparkler in the world if it breaks the £ 28.5 million record, which was set by the Graff Pink diamond in 2010, when it goes on sale at Sotheby’s auction in Geneva, Switzerland.
David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby’s European division, said: “It is difficult to exaggerate the rarity of vivid pink diamonds weighing only five carats, so this 59.60 carat stone is simply off the scale, and passes, I believe, into the ranks of the earth’s greatest natural treasures.
“You can’t take your eyes off it.”


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There seem to be some conflicting news when it comes to how the Wii U affects sales of the current Nintendo Wii games console. In the last weeks of June there were reports that demand for the Wii in Japan had slowed, not only with the console but with game titles as well. Now this was a little shocking, as the successor will not be released until some time in 2012.
Sales of the Wii were believed to have increased by about 300 units in a week, which do not seem much, but Punch Jump reveled that because Nintendo’s profits have slumped they need all the sales that they can get. We certainly have to worry about these low numbers, but there seems be some confusion when you study the sales.
Punch Jump now reports that just one week later 9,511 Nintendo Wii units were sold, that’s an increase of almost three thousand in one week. We cannot say for certain why this was, but maybe it could have something to do with store incentives, new titles or just people had managed to save enough to buy one?
This is certainly a long way off how many Nintendo used to sell of their Wii console. They had sold 20.1 million in one year, which then dropped to 15.1 million the following year. If these sales numbers keep going the way they are, then we have to wonder if Nintendo will have the funds to carry on with the release of the Wii U, or they might be forced to bring it forward?
There could be a ray of light for the time being though, as Wii Motion Play is now out and also comes with a red Wiimote with Motion Plus. There are 12 games in this new version, and should help to get the family involved once more. Now we cannot say for certain if this game will help to increase sales or not, it all depends on a number of factors.
These are as follows: positive reviews, price, playability, and if consumers have not already made the transition to Kinect or Move.
We still cannot say for certain how popular the Wii U will be, because from what we can see its biggest issue will be its price. There have been suggestions that this could be over $600. However, just remember that this console will be bursting with the latest hardware and will be more powerful than the Xbox 360 or the Sony PS3, or so we thought. Maybe things will sort themselves out with Nintendo, and that sales will pick up soon, but we have to remember that we are still trying to get out of a recession.
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


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Lotus Cars has built the first extruded and bonded aluminium chassis at its new manufacturing facility at Hurricane Way, Norwich, 10 miles from its headquarters in Hethel, UK. The chassis is designed for the Lotus Elise, and has been built for validation and quality checking of the new manufacturing process. Although not destined for a final vehicle, the chassis will remain at the factory for testing. Lotus says that as chassis manufacturing volumes at the facility grow steadily over the next few months, it will help ensure that the processes adhere to the globally recognised quality standards expected.
The 12,300m2 facility has the capacity to build several thousand chassis per year. During 2021 the company expects that around 1,500 units will produced at the site for the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora models. Set to employ 125 highly skilled operatives, technicians and engineers, the site also houses the welding and fabrication of sub-frames, suspension components and other key parts for Lotus cars.
Lotus announced in July 2020 that as part of its expansion programme, the company had outgrown its existing facilities in Worcester and Norwich, and so would bring together both production processes into one new combined location – the Hurricane Way facility. Tooling has already been upgraded in readiness for a new range of Lotus sports cars to be launched in the coming years.
David Hewitt, executive director of operations at Lotus Cars, said: “The production of this first lightweight chassis is a significant landmark for the new Hurricane Way facility. In parallel, we are close to finishing our new assembly facility at our Hethel HQ. By the end of the year, the whole of Lotus’s sports car manufacturing facilities and processes will be either new or vastly improved. This will give us solid foundations to maintain our leadership in the rapidly changing low-volume automotive assembly industry.”


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Verizon has announced that the company invested more than $627 million in its New Jersey wireline networks and information technology infrastructure in 2012 to enable Verizon networks to continue to meet the state's growing broadband, communications and information needs.
“The economic health of New Jersey is increasingly tied to robust and modern communications networks, and Verizon’s continued infrastructure investments ensure that New Jersey stays at the front of the line in state-of-the-art communications for both consumers and businesses,” said Paul Sullivan, Verizon region president of consumer and mass business for New Jersey.
“Advanced networks spur innovation, commerce, business development, learning and communication at an accelerated pace," said the executive for Verizon, with a major presence off North Maple Avenue in Basking Ridge.
“As one of the largest private capital investors in the state, Verizon is helping to break down traditional technological boundaries, empowering people and businesses in New Jersey to connect however, whenever and wherever they want. This creates opportunities that are borderless and that bring great benefits to our customers, employees, suppliers and communities across the Garden State,” Sullivan said.
Even so, William Huber, president and business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Unions Local 827 — part of a larger group of union locals that just signed a contract with Verizon last fall after more than a year of intense, sometimes contentious bargaining — pointed out that there are ways that Verizon's investment isn't as large as is needed.
One of the issues of the long negotiations between the unions and Verizon from 2011 into late 2012 was the company's commitment to wireline phone service.
Huber said the landline based phones sometimes held up better than wireless devices during Hurricane Sandy — but he said there still are tens of thousands of wireline phone-based customers throughout New Jersey still waiting for phone service to be restored. He said those customers are in northern New Jersey in places such as Hoboken as well as the shore areas.
Huber said copper line-based systems held up through power outages, but fiber optic lines must be backed by a power source with a larger, more reliable battery.
According to Huber, Verizon's commitment to FiOs, a bundled fiber optic product for communications, is required by the company's franchise agreement with the state.
One of the unions' concerns, Huber said, is that senior citizens who rely on landlines as a lifeline do not lose phone service when power goes out.
In Verizon's news release, the company said that more than half of U.S. consumers say internet service is their home’s most important convenience, according to the Verizon FiOS Innovation Index, a series of consumer research surveys.
More than 50 percent of all survey respondents also indicated an interest in remote health monitoring and virtual medical visits, which are enabled by ultra-high-speed networks and innovative applications.
“Whether it’s sharing photos or videos from your laptop with friends, watching TV on your tablet, or monitoring blood pressure online, our networks are delivering to consumers and businesses an experience that is second-to-none in meeting their communications needs,” said Sullivan.
Verizon said the company's major wireline infrastructure programs in 2012 included:
- Continued deployment of the company’s award-winning, 100 percent fiber-optic FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services. At year’s end, FiOS services were available to more than 1.9 million New Jersey homes and businesses.
- The introduction of breakthrough speeds with FiOS Quantum Internet for consumers and small businesses, featuring download/upload speeds of 50/25, 75/35, 150/65 and 300/65 megabits per second (Mbps). The two highest downstream speed offers — 150 and 300 Mbps and the new 65 Mbps upstream speed are some of the nation’s fastest mass-scale Internet speeds available.
- Continued FiOS innovation.
- FiOS television services anytime in a variety of devices, including Flex View and FiOS TV Online, to which Verizon added 12 new brands, representing more than 50 channels, including Showtime, FOX, VH1, NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
- TV beyond the set-top box, featuring 75 live, linear channels delivered via Xbox, iPad and an array of Samsung and LG smart TVs and Blu-ray players, according to Verizon's announcement.
- Content enhancement by adding 28 new channels, such as BBC HD and Cartoon Network HD; more than 17,000 video-on-demand titles, including free VOD from NBA TV; and a significant expansion to Verizon’s free on-demand offerings from TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network and Showtime. FiOS TV now offers more than 50,000 VOD titles each month.
- More than 200,000 Verizon customers nationwide who had repeat repair calls on their landline phone service moved their service from Verizon’s copper network to the company’s all-fiber infrastructure, which is less susceptible than copper to moisture and water damage and offers a better service experience.
- Continued deployment of fiber-optic links to wireless providers’ cell sites throughout New Jersey as these carriers expand their infrastructure to meet ever-growing demand for wireless broadband and advanced 4G services. In 2012, Verizon deployed fiber optics to connect 310 of these sites in the state.


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Survey finds that 54% of families planning a late summer holiday intend to staycation in the UK!
Ah, the annual summer holiday – the packing, the changing currency, the queues to go through security, the finding out your flight’s been cancelled… it’s safe to say British holidaymakers have been put through the mill this year when it comes to going abroad. A spate of pilot strikes for airlines like Ryanair, and an air traffic control workers’ strike in the South of France, has resulted in literally thousands of flights being cancelled to popular destinations in France, Spain and Italy.
Never mind, though; at times it’s been so hot in the UK, what with the unexpected heatwave, that it’s been hotter than the likes of Ibiza! So maybe going abroad on holiday is not worth the trouble? By running a survey of 2,480 Brits, Satsuma Loans decided to find out whether the glorious weather we have experienced this summer has altered our late summer holiday plans…
The survey revealed that a significant 54% of families planning a late summer holiday are considering doing so in Britain, because of the great weather we’ve been experiencing (and will again soon, according to forecasters!). Other reasons given for staycationing included wanting to get to know Britain better (22.6%), not having to speak another language (13.1%), not being able to take pets abroad (12.7%), the weakness of sterling against the Euro (8.4%), not being able to drive (5.3%) and the risk of cancelled flights (4.1%).
But deciding where to go in Britain could be the biggest challenge…
We’ve all heard of quintessential British seaside resorts like Blackpool and Eastbourne, but there are actually dozens of great beaches throughout the whole country. To help families choose on where to staycation, Satsuma Loans has created this helpful and detailed interactive guide to Britain’s beaches!
Surprisingly, the survey also found that Brits have on average only ever visited 8 beaches in the UK!
Satsuma Loans also asked respondents what they thought was the most quintessential part of a British seaside resort. Over half of us associate fish and chips with British seaside resorts; and indeed there is nothing better than a paper-wrapped portion of freshly battered cod accompanying hot, salty chips dressed in vinegar, ketchup or brown sauce (delete according to taste!) – that’s if the seagulls don’t get them first… 17% of respondents said pleasure piers – those classic walkways which stretch into the sea, lined with souvenir shops, fortune tellers’ booths, amusement arcades and food stalls. Some of the best examples include Brighton Palace Pier, which dates from 1899, or Cromer Pier, which includes a theatre.
Other quintessential British seaside items include multi-coloured beach huts, like at Southwold-on-Sea, pebble beaches, candyfloss and cheeky post cards, with their truly terrible innuendos.
Encouragingly, nearly two thirds of us believe that British seaside resorts are experiencing a revival, as investments have been made into several, making them more appealing for visitors. Margate, for example, has undergone a decent amount of regeneration, following the opening of the Turner Contemporary art gallery in 2011, and the multi-million pound makeover of the Dreamland amusement park, which relaunched in 2017. And Hastings has reinvented itself as an art destination, with the opening of the Jerwood Gallery in 2012.
But even before all these fancy additions, there was something wholesome and appealing about our British seaside resorts, with their donkey rides, 99 ice creams, and buckets and spades, as 71.5% of the over 50s surveyed look back at their childhood British beach holidays with nostalgia. And we don’t even expect it to be Ibiza or Dubai levels of heat, either; the survey asked what the ideal daytime temperature is for a summer beach holiday, and the most popular answer was 24°C. Perfect for wearing a string vest, knotted hanky on your head, and socks with sandals.


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Royal Caribbean's three-year-old Liberty of the Seas is emerging this weekend from a significant overhaul that is bringing a number of new features that first debuted on the line's newer Oasis class ships.
The upgrade, also coming later this year to the 3,634-passenger Liberty's sister ship, Freedom of the Seas, includes the addition of a Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, a Cupcake Cupboard cupcake store and an over-sized outdoor video screen in the ship's main pool area.
In addition, the "DreamWorks Experience" -- a shipwide infusion of Dreamworks characters such as Shrek that first rolled out on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas two months ago -- is being implemented on Liberty of the Seas. Other features that debuted on Allure that are being added to Liberty include 3-D movies and complimentary passenger service kiosks.
In an interview with USA TODAY, Royal Caribbean senior vice president for hotel operations Lisa Bauer says the additions all are things that have been a hit on the Oasis class ships that will make Liberty a more alluring vessel.
The nursery, in particular, should appeal to the growing number of families that are cruising with small children, and the growing number of multi-generational families that are cruising, Bauer says.
"We launched it on Oasis, and it's been very well used and gotten great feedback," she says, noting that passenger surveys had shown that the line needed to do more for children under the age of three. "We've heard that (the under three age group) was an area where we weren't as strong, and we had a strategic focus on providing more value for those smaller guests."
The Cupcake Cupboard, a colorful shop selling gourmet cupcakes at several dollars a pop, also got great feedback after debuting on Oasis, Bauer says.
"This started out being something that we thought was playful but ended up being big with guests," she says.
The new Cupcake Cupboard on Liberty is taking the place of the barber shop along the ship's indoor Royal Promenade. Bauer says the barber shop is moving to the vessel's spa.
In a couple cases, the additions Royal Caribbean is making to Liberty involve things that come with an extra charge, such as the Cupcake Cupboard. But Bauer says the impetus for the additions isn't making more money. It's all about giving passengers more of what they want, she says, noting that even with extra charges outlets such as Cupcake Cupboard aren't huge moneymakers.
"We have to staff that, and we're charging a minimal charge for those cupcakes," she says. "It's only to control demand. I could put another jewelry store there or a Sunglass Hut and make a ton more money."
One other major change in the works for Liberty is the addition of a Broadway show, Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, in the ship's main theater. It's arrival comes on the heels of the debut of Broadway shows on both Oasis (Hairspray) and Allure (Chicago: The Musical) that have been getting high marks from passengers, Bauer says.
Liberty of the Seas is just one of five ships Royal Caribbean has scheduled for notable overhauls this year -- nearly a quarter of its 22-ship fleet. Freedom of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Splendor of the Seas also are getting makeovers that will include the addition of new features.
Cruise Loggers, share your thoughts below.


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Rapleaf appears to have been dealt a major blow on Friday when Facebook announced it had banned the data broker from scraping its site for user profile information. While it’s unclear how much San Francisco-based Rapleaf depended on Facebook data to generate revenue, getting cut off from the biggest source of social media data in the world looks like a bad business development.
According to a blog post authored by Facebook engineer Mike Vernal, the two companies reached an agreement that will delete all user IDs in Rapleaf’s databases, as well as mandating that the data broker halts activities on Facebook indefinitely. Neither company is responding to requests for more information on the deal. In fairly vague terms, Vernal wrote that a data broker had been paying application developers for user IDs, but he did not state that Rapleaf was indeed the broker in question. He also revealed that the Palo Alto, CA-based social company had placed some developers on a six-month suspension due to their data sales activities.
Meanwhile, the Facebook engineer wrote: “In taking these steps, we believe we are taking the appropriate measures to ensure people stay in control of their information, while providing developers the tools they need to create engaging social experiences. We look forward to broader cooperation from everyone in the web community to confront issues that impact all of us.”
While digital platforms and their advertisers grapple with digital video challenges, one savvy retailer found a way to capitalize on what would become the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube's history.
We all know that Facebook is a viable source of huge amounts of mobile traffic with relatively cheap CPCs). It’s too good an opportunity to ignore in today’s digital landscape - even if your mobile landing-page experience isn’t up to snuff.
For years now, brands have heard that augmented reality (AR) is one of the next big things, but there's a strong argument to be made that it hasn't quite lived up to the hype. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, however, believes that AR is a big part of the future.
Only a few days or so into the 2017 season, here are 10 different ways that Major League Baseball teams were using social media around Opening Day last week, and what brands of all shapes and sizes can learn from these teams.


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Cable Technology Feature Article
Businesses Subsidize Consumers
By Bob Emmerson, TMC European Editor
Data from Point Topic on the worldwide cost of business and residential bandwidth indicates some interesting patterns. Businesses are subsidizing consumers, which isn’t surprising since that has always been the telecommunications model. But the best place for a business to be is in North America and the worst place for consumers is … can you guess? It’s North America.
In the USA and Canada a company will pay 2.38 times as much for a DSL connection as a household. This compares to a multiple of 4.23 on average in the Rest of the World.
In North America a business will pay 1.13 times as much as a household for FTTx and 1.89 times as much for a cable service. In the RoW a business will on average pay 6.47 times as much for FTTx and for cable the multiple is 1.93.
The result is that households in North America will pay between 10 percent and 20 percent more for their broadband service than their counterparts in other regions.
The gap is at least partly due to the differential in residential and business tariffs. North American operators are extracting a better ARPU from their household services while sacrificing some revenue from companies.
Bob Emmerson is TMC's (News - Alert) European Editor. To stay abreast of the latest news affecting the European market, check out Bob's columnist page.
Edited by Juliana Kenny


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Fantastic Four - New Trailer
20th Century Fox have released a new trailer for the Fantastic Four reboot film.
Guardians of the Galaxy - Trailer + Featurette
Marvel have released a new trailer and a featurette for Guardians of the Galaxy.
Nathan Schroeder - Concept Art for The Avengers
Nathan Schroeder has released a gallery of beautiful concept art he created for The Avengers film.