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Amazon under fire over testimony on sellers’ data
With help from John Hendel and Cristiano Lima
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— Amazon’s no-good, very bad day: The online retail giant is facing questions about its past congressional testimony, and increased pressure for CEO Jeff Bezos to testify before Congress, after a new Wall Street Journal report on how it uses sellers’ data.
— Stuck in the middle: Senate Commerce Chairman Roger Wicker is being pulled into talks with the FCC and Defense Department over Ligado Networks.
— News rescue: As more local newsrooms shutter, media groups have suggestions for what Congress can do — or push tech companies to do.
IT’S (FINALLY!) FRIDAY; WELCOME TO MORNING TECH. Leah Nylen here, your MT guest host for today. Shoutout to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) for showing Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) how one should actually make a tuna melt.
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Tech of the Town
WHAT THAT BOMBSHELL REPORT MEANS FOR AMAZON — The Seattle e-retail giant hasn’t had a good week. First, it was hit with a price-gouging lawsuit. Now, Amazon is facing allegations it either misled or lied to Congress after a Wall Street Journal report Thursday that its employees used third-party seller data to develop its in-house products. As Cristiano reports, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said the panel will “seek clarification from Amazon.” Amazon disputed the Journal’s account, but said it would investigate.
— Heat from Congress: Judiciary antitrust subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said that “at best” Amazon lawyer Nate Sutton misrepresented the company’s business practices, while “at worst, the witness Amazon sent to speak on its behalf may have lied to Congress.”
— Bezos testimony: The controversy is also leading to more calls for Bezos to appear before Congress. Unlike the CEOs of Apple, Facebook and Google, Bezos has never testified. The Hill reported in Februarythat White House trade adviser Peter Navarro had urged the panel to call the Amazon founder to testify on the company’s efforts to block sales of counterfeit goods. Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance — a vocal Amazon critic — and the heads of at least two other public interest groups are now also pushing for the committee to seek testimony from Bezos.
— Antitrust scrutiny: The European Commission opened an investigation into Amazon’s use of third-party data last summer, and will likely want to hear more from the company in light of the WSJ’s report. The FTC has also been talking with Amazon sellers since last year and will probably have questions for the online retail giant.
— Knowledge is power: Some key information about third-party sellers — such as how much of a product is sold or the product rating — can be reverse-engineered by anyone with enough knowledge of Amazon’s marketplace, said Shaoul Sussman, a lawyer who represented an Amazon seller in the congressional probe. But the amount a brand spends on advertising versus how much product it sells (called the conversion rate) isn’t known by anyone — except Amazon. “That information gives them a lot of power that other brands do not have when they launch a product,” said Sussman, whose research into Amazon has been funded by Mitchell’s ILSR.
PAI, ESPER COURTING WICKER IN LIGADO FIGHT — The Trump administration crossfire involving Ligado Networks’ controversial 5G bid is putting Wicker (R-Miss.) under pressure from all sides. The FCC approved the satellite company’s bid for 5G operations this week despite the Pentagon and other government agencies saying Ligado’s plans could disrupt GPS signals. Any legislative response would likely require the support of Wicker, who also sits on the Armed Services Committee (where panel leaders are clamoring for a congressional fix to the “mess”).
— Wicker is watching closely but keeping his powder dry. “I have discussed this with both Secretary of Defense [Mark] Esper and FCC Chairman [Ajit] Pai, and I believe that a fair and impartial evaluation is necessary to advance our leadership in wireless technologies,” the chairman told John in a statement Thursday. “I am reviewing the FCC’s order with that in mind.” A panel aide added that Wicker has heard concerns from all parties about the merits and accuracy of their particular studies and is continuing to hear from them regarding Pai’s order.
WANTED: A LIFELINE FOR LOCAL JOURNALISM — The current economic decline has gutted newsrooms across the country. Only a few news outlets have successfully navigated the Small Business Administration’s PPP loan program — online news company Axios and newspapers The Seattle Times and the Tampa Bay Times said they received loans. Seventy-five senators, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter urging federal agencies to use local newspapers and broadcasters for advertising public notices. A Thursday event hosted by Public Knowledge looked at some of the options.
— More government money: The government-funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting got $75 million under the CARES Act to distribute to local radio and TV stations. But that may only amount to $75,000 per station, said Craig Aaron, co-founder of the nonprofit Free Press. Congress should at least double that, he said, though ideally Congress would create an emergency fund for newsroom workers with $1.5 billion.
— Expand the definitions: Only radio and TV stations are eligible for money through the CPB, said Steve Waldman, the co-founder of Report for America, which helps fund local journalists. Congress should expand that to include digital nonprofit websites, he said. They could also expand funding to podcasts, said Joaquin Alvarado, executive director of Project Accelerate at the Seattle Times. “The whole podcasting revolution is driven by people inside and outside public media,” he said.
— Make tech pay for it: In France, Google has been ordered to pay licensing fees to publishers for displaying snippets in Google News. On Monday, the Australian government said it will mandate that Google and Facebook pay publishers for use of their content. Free Press’ Aaron proposed creating a First Amendment Fund that would help pay for journalists and news organizations. “I think the platforms, in part, should pay for it,” he said.
TECH QUOTE DU JOUR: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on a debate with President Donald Trump: “Look, I’m ready to debate him. Zoom or Skype or Slack or Hangouts or in person, anytime anywhere he wants.”
PRICE-GOUGING IN THE SPOTLIGHT — As Congress begins considering its next pandemic package, House and Senate members are pushing to expand the federal government’s powers to target price-gouging. FTC and DOJ officials met (virtually) with members of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to report on their efforts. The Justice Department, which has taken the lead on efforts to stop hoarding and price-gouging of essential goods, has 180 open investigations throughout the country. The FTC is focusing on coronavirus scams such as fake cures and testing kits and has sent more than 100 warning letters since the pandemic started.
— There is no federal price-gouging law, though more than 30 states have laws that forbid large price increases during emergencies. The Justice Department is using powers granted under the Defense Production Act, which Trump invoked last month, but its probes are limited to products identified as essential by the federal government.
— Proposals: Many members want to give the FTC the power to do more. Top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Energy and Commerce panels haveintroduced a bill to allow the FTC to go after price-gouging on any products if prices “grossly exceed” the average price for the previous 90 days. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Harris have introduced another bill, based on California law, that would target price increases of more than 10 percent. Warren has dubbed it “a bright line against price increases.” At least six other bills aimed at price-gouging have also been introduced.
MERGER MORATORIUM GETS SOME SUPPORT — Democratic FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra expressed potential support Thursday for a proposal that would pause mergers during the pandemic for all companies but those in financial distress. As Betsy Woodruff Swan and I reported Thursday, Cicilline outlined his proposal at an event held by the Open Markets Institute and the OECD. Speaking at the same event, later in the day, Chopra said the House antitrust chairman’s merger moratorium “may be critical and timely. It simply cannot be business as usual for our economic policy going forward.”
— Big vs. small: Chopra, who worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before his stint at the FTC, said that like in the earlier financial crisis, larger firms are better positioned to withstand this economic crisis because of access to emergency credit and other government bailouts. “Small and midsize are on the brink and struggling,” he said, adding that Americans need to be “guarding against mass rollup and consolidation that occurs later as large firms recover first.”
Christine Bannan, former consumer protection counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, has joined New America’s Open Technology as policy counsel. Koustubh “K.J.” Bagchi, former senior counsel for telecommunications, technology and media at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, also joined OTI as senior policy counsel.
Silicon Valley Must-Reads
Interests include ASMR videos, baking and pseudoscience: Facebook said it would no longer allow advertisers to target users who show an interest in “pseudoscience” after The Markup reported on how the ad category is helping spread misinformation.
Cats controlling spaceships: Don’t worry, the feline world can’t really take revenge for Félicette. The European Space Agency clarifies that cats walking on the keyboards of spacecraft engineers working from home won’t mess up Solar Orbiter, via The Atlantic.
What Instacart and Edna E. Mode have in common: The grocery-shopping app sent cease-and-desist letters to developers who created bots to automatically grab open delivery spots, Vice reports.
Google nixed tips: The search giant was working on a feature that would make it easy for users to tip bloggers, newspapers and other publishers, TechCrunch reports, but decided not to pursue it.
The bad side of the Internet: Cybertips reporting images of child sexual abuse are surging with content moderation scaled down because of the pandemic, NBC reports.
Testing, tracing, treatments and vaccines: Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates on what needs to happen before the U.S. can reopen, in a Washington Post op-ed.
Spectrum update: NTIA unveils data to help sharing of 5G-friendly airwaves.
Misinfo challenges: YouTube’s chief product officer talks to Protocol about fighting Covid-19 misinformation.
Asking for ID: Google is going to make all advertisers prove they’re who they say they are.
Tips, comments, suggestions? Send them along via email to our team: Bob King ([email protected], @bkingdc), Heidi Vogt ([email protected], @HeidiVogt), Nancy Scola ([email protected], @nancyscola), Steven Overly ([email protected], @stevenoverly), John Hendel ([email protected], @JohnHendel), Cristiano Lima ([email protected], @viaCristiano), Alexandra S. Levine ([email protected],@Ali_Lev), and Leah Nylen ([email protected], @leah_nylen).
TTYL and go wash your hands.


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From L.A. Times/Yahoo News:
Thu, October 7, 2021, 3:15 AM·4 min read
… Using the same algorithms that Hollywood used to assemble the Incredible Hulk in “The Avengers: Endgame” from a stream of ones and zeros, photorealistic images of emergency vehicles that never existed in real life are conjured from the digital ether and fed to the AI.
I have been designing and using these algorithms for the last 20 years, starting with the software used to generate the sorting hat in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” up through recent films from Pixar, where I used to be a senior research scientist.
Using these algorithms to train AIs is extremely dangerous, because they were specifically designed to depict white humans. All the sophisticated physics, computer science and statistics that undergird this software were designed to realistically depict the diffuse glow of pale, white skin and the smooth glints in long, straight hair. In contrast, computer graphics researchers have not systematically investigated the shine and gloss that characterizes dark and Black skin, or the characteristics of Afro-textured hair. As a result, the physics of these visual phenomena are not encoded in the Hollywood algorithms.
To be sure, synthetic Black people have been depicted in film, such as in last year’s Pixar movie “Soul.” But behind the scenes, the lighting artists found that they had to push the software far outside its default settings and learn all new lighting techniques to create these characters. These tools were not designed to make nonwhite humans; even the most technically sophisticated artists in the world strained to use them effectively.=White skin is faithfully depicted, but the characteristic shine of Black skin is either disturbingly missing, or distressingly overlighted. …
Once the data from these flawed algorithms are ingested by AIs, the provenance of their malfunctions will become near-impossible to diagnose. When Tesla Roadsters start disproportionally running over Black paramedics, or Oakland residents with natural hairstyles, the cars won’t be able to report that “nobody told me how Black skin looks in real life.” …
Synthetic training data are a convenient shortcut when real-world collection is too expensive. But AI practitioners should be asking themselves: Given the possible consequences, is it worth it? If the answer is no, they should be pushing to do things the hard way: by collecting the real-world data.
Tesla should buy the rights to the World Star Hip-Hop archives. That way, nobody will ever accuse them of racism again.

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NEW DELHI: Subscriber-led competition or a battle to obtain higher number of consumers is likely to continue among rivals including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular in the Indian telecom space, a credit rating agency ICRA Tuesday said
“In a continuing competitive industry scenario, the larger telcos are vying for the subscriber base of the exiting telcos by offering competitive tariff plans. The subscriber-led competition is expected to continue for a few more quarters,” Harsh Jagnani, Sector Head & Vice President, Corporate Ratings at ICRA said.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio’s disruptive foray in September 2016 on the back of freebies led incumbents to match their voice and data tariff and that has also triggered a spree among operators to add new subscribers.
Greenfield operator Jio has added more than 100 million consumers within first six months of ist service launch. It added 16 million subscribers in first month of operations, followed by 19.6 million in October, 16.3 million in November and its highest subscriber addition so far of 20.3 million in December 2016.
ICRA said that the top four service providers added 32.6 million mobile subscribers in March 2018 with Jio adding 9.4 million subscribers followed by Idea Cellular’s 9.1 million, Bharti Airtel’s 8.4 million and Vodafone India’s 5.6 million subscribers respectively.
Meanwhile, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) in its finding last week said that the UK-based Vodafone India’s 664, 816 subscribers were eroded in April 2018.
The total telecom subscriber base in the country stood at 1,206.2 million in March 2018, following a strong addition in March, a highest monthly addition since December 2016, the Gurugram-based firm said in a statement.
Post decline for the last two months, the active subscriber base rose by 17 million subscribers in March 2018, according to it.
The top four telcos together had a subscriber base of 924.7 million, strengthening their combined market share to 78.1% as of March 2018 as compared to 67.2% as of March 2017.
The broadband subscriber base, according to ICRA, has maintained a strong growth momentum with Y-o-Y increase of 49% in March 2018.
“Considering that wireless broadband subscribers still constitute only around 33% of the total wireless subscribers in the country, there is considerable growth potential in this segment and ICRA expects this segment to show healthy growth going forward,” Jagnani added.


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Flexible devices have always fascinated the tech community. With Lenovo releasing cool, crazy videos and Samsung claiming flexible displays are “Just around the corner”, they may not be as far as we think they are. Xiaomi needed no invitation to the party as they too seem to be working on a concept of their own.
Images first surfaced on Baidu, the giant Chinese search engine. Two separate renders were released with none confirmed as of yet. They show the display on the palm of a hand bending to the contours of the hand. As to where the remaining electronics will be attached is still unknown at this point. This is probably just a very early render of what seems to be a concept phone. A video was also found on YouTube a few days after the leak. But just like the images, the authenticity is yet to be confirmed
The cost of manufacturing remains a key hurdle in the mass production of these flexible devices and displays. Samsung and LG are reportedly putting in huge resources for the research and development of Plastic OLED. Flexible light panels have been showcased in the past by LG in some videos but the plethora of sensors that modern displays need to house is a completely different ball game. Besides longevity and durability remain as constant hindrances in this new type of product. And don’t expect the first generation to be very appealing as they will almost certainly have a brick of internals hanging by them to support the display.
Curved displays have now become common. But they are a narrow field to work with. It’s safe to say flexible displays will have a lot more functionality if they do end up becoming a reality. When will that reality occur? We are excited to find out.


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Dec 22 2021 12:35PM
Technology Business News - This year, the UK became the first country to allow self-driving cars on motorways at low speed. The country is making incredible progress in the trials for autonomous vehicles and is funding innovative projects that will pave the way towards the transport revolution. Technological advancements in terms of AVs are at the forefront of this revolution.
Dec 22 2021 02:00PM
Technology Business News - Poor indoor air quality can be defined by high levels of pollutants in the air, such as dust, mould, toxic chemicals and viruses. Any one of these factors can exacerbate health problems, including asthma, allergies and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD .
Nov 05 2021 12:04PM
Technology Business News - Businesses in our mind s eye tend to fall into two categories. We separate traditional, old-world industries from the new and modern. But the lines are becoming blurred.In the past, any heavily digitised business that relied on heavily on tech was in the latter category, but this is now becoming the norm.
Oct 28 2021 02:11PM
Technology Business News - Moving to the cloud seemed to promise so much from longer-term savings to increases in efficiency and productivity. According to Flexera, in 2020 six out of 10 businesses moved their work to the cloud, and IDC predicts that by 2022, 90 of enterprises across the globe will be using multi-clouds. But there is a problem.
Analytics, Modelling & Business Intelligence Specialists


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Norrsken22, a tech venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs “building Africa’s next tech giants,” closed its first growth fund, at $205M.
According to the website, the fund received the support of founders who have built companies such as Flutterwave, DeliveryHero, Klarna, Skype, Mojang, Izettle, and King.
Led by General Partners Lexi Novitske, Ngetha Waithaka, and Natalie Kolbe, who are deeply ingrained in the African tech ecosystem, with decades of experience supporting African entrepreneurs, based in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, Norrsken22 invests across the African continent with a particular focus on the main tech hubs in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Ghana.
The firm backs relevant, disruptive, scalable and tech-enabled business models, focused on these four sectors: fintech, market enablement, medtech, and edtech.
Portfolio companies include:
- Shara, which helps merchants grow their business by financing trusted customers to make purchases and pay back in installments
- Sabi, a provider of enabling infrastructure powering the distribution of goods and services
- Autochek, a platform that enables and enhances commerce within the automotive sector
- Smile Identity, which helps African businesses confirm the true identity of their users in real-time
- Tyme, which is a multi-country digital banking group for emerging markets


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Surrey, 18 January 2017 – The Prestige Flooring Co of Cobham, has won “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz, the leading platform for home renovation and design. The independent family run business was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, home improvement and design industry professionals.
“We’re so pleased to award Best of Houzz 2017 to this incredible group of talented and customer-focused professionals, including The Prestige Flooring Co.” said Andrew Small, MD of Houzz UK and Ireland. “Each of these businesses was singled out for recognition by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts for helping to turn their home improvement dreams into reality.”
“We are absolutely delighted to receive this prestigious award from Houzz and be recognized for our customer service. Thank you to all who voted for us.” Helen Francis, Director of The Prestige Flooring Co.


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What are the qualities that make a great leader and, specifically, what makes a great CEO” There are many factors at play some might be obvious, but others might surprise you.
When it comes to productivity, the UK has been dawdling behind other countries for decades now. Other countries such as France, Germany and the US all produce more work in a week than the UK.
Close-knit, small businesses have an advantage when it comes to nurturing a company culture. Here we look at some of the big brands that have nailed it, and what business lessons SMEs can take away.
Investing in your culture is an investment in your people, says Breathe CEO Jonathan Richards. Here’s why SMEs should care about company culture.
Not quite the happiest place on Earth: Why Disneyland, Sports Direct and other big brands are failing on company culture
Disneyland may be coined the happiest place on Earth, but employees beg to differ. Praseeda Nair & Letitia Booty explore how Disneyland and other big brands are failing on company culture and what that means for the bottom line.
There is no hiding place for small businesses anymore. Operating in an era of unprecedented connectivity, everyone can have a voice, says Breathe’s Jonathan Richards.


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The marketing experts over at Marketing Week ran a new study to reveal the UK’s happiest brands and how they instil an emotional connection with consumers.
“We have conducted the first ever consumer study to identify the UK’s happiest brands,” says Isobel on their website. “The study asked consumers to identify brands against a number of ‘happy’ criteria including values such as optimistic or pessimistic, playful or boring, happy or sad, trustworthy or not trustworthy etc.”
Top 10 Happiest UK Brands
Marketing Week concluded that the study clearly suggests that both emotional and rational attributes are valid ways to leave an imprint with a consumer and brands that have a measure of both prove popular with consumers.


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Apple CEO Tim Cook is not concerned about Amazon’s Kindle Fire taking any iPad market share. During the Apple earnings call on Tuesday Cook spoke about the Kindle Fire and competition in general in the tablet market:
We’ve seen several competitors come to market to try to compete with the iPad. Some had different form factors, different price points. And I think it’s reasonable to say that none of these have gained any traction thus far. And in fact, as all of those competitors were coming to market, our share actually went up, such that in the June quarter, according to IDC, we were responsible for three out of every four tablets sold.
The Fire is enough of a tablet for those that want to push the boundaries slightly and install some games and other Apps to pass the time, but its the core Amazon services that the Fire makes readily accessible and there is a large market out there hungry for easy to consume media.


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Locali signs Florida franchise deal
Locali, a Los Angeles-based healthy convenience concept, has signed a multi-unit franchise agreement with Viable Foods to expand into Florida, .
This deals marks the first expansion outside of California for Locali, according to a press release.
Franchisee Roy Casiano operates Viable Foods with his wife Deanna Snyder. Casiano has been working in the food industry for 13 years.
"We are incredibly excited to apply our skills and expertise in the food and restaurant industry to grow Locali into a household name here in Florida," Casiano said in the release. "We are passionate about the Locali mission and lifestyle and believe that Locali's healthy-convenience model will be a great addition to the area."
Topics: Franchising & Growth


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Mattel has released a new line of Barbie dolls in wheelchairs, just in time for gift giving season, in order to falsely present ideal body standards to impressionable disabled girls.
“She looks just like me,” squealed six-year-old Emma Zimmerman, unwrapping the doll whose waist-to-hip ratio would subconsciously affect her own body image for the next decade.
Mattel took care to scale the wheelchair exactly to fit Barbie’s frame — a frame that would cause a real person’s body to collapse in on itself entirely.
Studies have shown that representation in media is critical for kids to internalize messages that will later affect their consumer behavior within the capitalistic system.
“I remember growing up and all the other girls in my class knew exactly which parts of their bodies to feel insecure about,” said 56-year-old Madeline Winters, who lives with spina bifida. “But unlike them, I just hated myself in general and wished I had a reference for which parts I was supposed to hate.”
The slightly higher price tag has not stopped parents from buying the toys and unwittingly contributing to an endless consumerist culture that would increase their lifetime spending by thousands of dollars.
After the grand release, Mattel announced an expansion of the line to include more disabilities and ethnicities, aiming to lower the self-esteem of a wider target demographic.


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GigaOM Pro readers finally moved away from big data and the cloud this week, focusing instead on research content directly tied to the Google I/O event in San Francisco and the speculation surrounding Microsoft’s splashy acquisition of Yammer.
Published earlier this spring, the most popular article of the week was Kevin Tofel’s “Is Android broken, and if so, will Google fix it?” which takes a look at the company’s OS and mobile strategy, currently the only viable contender against Apple in the market. Tofel notes that while Android smartphones as an aggregate whole continue to outsell Apple’s iPhone, Google’s mobile revenues continue to lag, and Apple’s iPad is still the clear dominator in the tablet market. Additionally, Tofel observes that the semi-open market for Android device makers and app developers has created chaos throughout the ecosystem, which impacts consumers as well. Noting that Google’s currency is information — not revenue (at least for the time being) — Tofel wonders how long the current Android market can sustain itself.
Next, in “Communications-as-a-Service: opportunities for businesses,” Dave Michels takes a look at the history and evolution of cloud-based telephony technology and Voxeo and Twilio, two of the biggest players in the current market. Michel’s research briefing provides an overview of the inner workings of CaaS framework and the major concerns and benefits of the technology, and he provides a rundown of alternatives to CaaS technology.
Last, preceding the official announcement about Microsoft’s acquisition of Yammer, David Card took a closer look at both companies in “Potential Microsoft-Yammer impact.” Card examines Microsoft’s existing enterprise collaboration platform offerings and speculates on how Yammer could best be integrated across Microsoft’s products and services.
Also popular this week:


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Egypt's central bank left its key overnight deposit and lending rates unchanged on Thursday, a step expected by analysts in an economy locked in recession for the last six months.
The bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept its key lending rate unchanged at 9.75 per cent and the deposit rate at 8.25 per cent after its regular meeting on Thursday, it said on its website.
All eight economists polled by Reuters this week had predicted the MPC would not change the rates, which it has not altered since September 2009.
Analysts say the central bank is reluctant to risk pushing up the cost of borrowing while the economy remains unsteady.
Investors and tourists retreated from Egypt after the uprising that led President Hosni Mubrak to resign in February. Growth is projected to remain weak in the second half of the year.
Urban consumer price inflation edged down to 11.8 per cent in the year to end-June from 11.87 per cent in May. Core inflation, which strips out subsidised goods and volatile items including fruit and vegetables, rose to an annual 8.94 per cent from 8.81 per cent in May.
The central bank also left its interest rate for seven-day repurchase agreements unchanged at 9.75 per cent and its discount rate at 8.5 per cent.


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Being a vegetarian or vegan is not easy in our food-obessed society. What’s a barbecue without a juicy burger or a Thanksgiving dinner without the turkey? Getting the recommended 45 grams of protein every day (for the typical woman) is a challenge for strict vegetarians who tend to rely on soy and wheat protein, but many people are allergic, so what’s a wannabe vegetarian to do?
Be flexible. There is a new class of vegetarians growing in popularity, known as “occasional” vegetarians or “flexitarians,” who eat vegetables most of the time and make an effort to reduce their animal meat and dairy intake. But no one’s perfect, right?
Apparently food manufacturers are taking notice of this new trend, reports Food Technology magazine. Food companies like Kraft Foods and General Mills are launching lines of processed vegetarian food products. So we’ll likely have more veggie-burger options to throw on the barbecue grill…but there’s still no option for the turkey this week, is there?


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Hong Kong no mask law evokes new protests
The recent decision by Hong Kong authorities to invoke emergency law and ban face masks has led to an interval of unrest. Day protests from this new no mask law have finally entered its fourth. On October 6 this law was brought into effect at nighttime, 2019.
Protestors are defying the Hong Kong no mask law by more folks wearing masks as a statement from this new emergency law imposed by government. Those protesting wear masks to conceal their identity and steer clear of punishment by the national government.
At present, some MTR train stations aren’t operational. Mongkok, Whampoa, Kwun Tong, and choose others in New Territories are under maintenance repair work still.
It is preferred that visitors avoid these higher risk protest areas: Mongkok, Shatin, Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin. The hotel concierge can help tourists with information as long as they desire to visit those certain specific areas.
For the most recent on MTR train operations, please talk with the hotel concierge or check on-line for updates.
Google News, Bing News, Yahoo News, 200+ publications
There may be the possibility that business hours in stores and supermarkets within these areas could be reduced using them closing sooner than normal.
Should be further clashes, it really is expected the Airport Express will run from Central to the Airport &ndash directly; probably on weekends. Travelers should ensure sufficient time is allocated – from three to five 5 hours – before any flight departure.
the evening hours
Clashes have up to now been largely confined to.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.


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Retailers will find negotiating red tape requirements that bit easier in future with the launch of a new licensing portal that provides a one-stop source for licence applications and registration.
The government contract was won by An Post and Escher Group, and will see the creation of a single online portal for the application, renewal and payment of licences.
Retailers will also be able to apply for several licences in a single session, with data that is common to different licences being entered only once and/or drawn from previously supplied data.
It will also be possible to make a single payment for several licences, with the relevant amounts being forwarded to the various licensing authorities involved.
The system will be initially pitched at the 20,000 business owners in the retail sector, which operates 29 core licences across 40 public sector licensing authorities, including over 30 local authorities.
Each retailer will be able to apply for a variety of licences on the new portal including those for gaming; street furniture; wine, beers and spirits sales; food business and casual trading.
Jobs minister Richard Bruton said that the online portal was being introduced in response to business demands and should significantly reduce the administrative burden on businesses.
Minister Ged Nash, chair of the ILAS steering group, added: “The feedback I often get from entrepreneurs is that while we have made significant strides in reforming and reducing bureaucracy for business, there is still too much red tape.
“The new system will save time for businesses and make it easier to apply for and renew licenses.”
The portal is expected to be available for the retail sector by December of this year, before being expanded to include licenses for other sectors.


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A new "grown, not made" strapline will feature on the front of all packs under the image of a plump tomato on the vine.
The ketchup bottles will also become crystal clear as a result of switching to recyclable PET plastic, which is said to have a glass-like clarity.
By using PET plastic Heinz claims it will reduce the total weight of its tomato ketchup bottles by as much as 9%, a saving of almost 340 tonnes of plastic material each year.
The new look, created by design agency Vibrandt, will also include a more streamlined shape and a new "easy peel" seal to make it easier to open.
Heinz wants the design to highlight that it has over 130 years experience in selecting the "perfect tomatoes" and that it uses a bespoke crop grown from its own tomato seeds.
Adrian Mooney, marketing director for Heinz sauces, said: "This major redesign clearly communicates our expert tomato credentials on-pack and emphasises the naturalness of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.
"It was extremely important that we asked our consumers for feedback before changing our iconic label and an amazing 87% feel that it better communicates Heinz's expert credentials."


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GEORGE TOWN, Aug 29 ― Teenager Guan Ah Kow and his family left Shanghai to come to the then-Malaya in the early 1920s and settled down in Penang.
After learning carpentry, Guan opened a shop making custom furniture sometime in the 1930s called Wah Dah Furnishing.
In 1954, Guan died, leaving behind eight young children and his widow.
His third child Yuen Siew Lan was only 12 years old at the time but had already started learning the family trade.
“All of us lived upstairs so we grew up knowing the ins and outs of the trade and business,” she said in an interview with Malay Mail Online.
She said after her father died, her uncle took care of the business until he too died in 1978.
Yuen took over the business then and has been keeping it going until now. She plans to close it for good on August 21.
“I am 75 years old now, I can't do this much longer and there's no one else to take over from me,” she said.
The furniture shop may have been around for over 80 years and located along the busy Burmah Road next to a temple, but it is barely noticeable as the building is set away from the road within its own ample grounds.
Other than specialising in making wooden furniture, the shop is also known for its meticulous restoration of antique furniture.
“We started restoring antique furniture when there was an increase in demand for antiques back in the 1960s,” she said.
One of Yuen's specialties is the application of gold leaf for antique furniture and ancestral tablets.
Many antique furniture, particularly those from the Peranakan era, were covered in gold leaf but some of these had rubbed off over the years.
“Applying gold leaf on the furniture is tedious work, it needs a lot of patience and a steady hand to make sure it's done properly,” she said.
The gold filigree and motifs of these pieces of furniture were all painstakingly layered with gold leaf and Yuen would spend hours layering the gold leaf back onto them.
“Most of the antique furniture we get are in bad condition so we have to repair the parts, sometimes we have to replace some parts and reconstruct the carvings on them,” she said, adding that it could take months to restore just one piece of furniture.
After repairing the furniture, they will paint it and after the paint has dried, the parts that needed to be layered with gold leaf will be brushed with a thin layer of teak oil.
“We have to make sure the oil is not too damp or too dry before I start layering the gold leaf on it slowly to make sure it is smooth,” she said.
This means she has to make sure that the gold leaf is meticulously layered onto the motifs for a smooth finish before the teak oil dries out.
She said not many people have the patience to learn to layer on the gold leaf especially when it comes to smaller complicated motifs.
“We are finally moving out of this place after living here all our lives,” she said.
Yuen, who is single, lives with her two sisters on the first floor, above the workshop and office.
“My father started renting this place when he opened the shop and we continued renting it all these years but now, since I am retiring and closing the business, it is time for us to move to our own home in Island Glades,” she said.
She said the rising cost of supplies coupled with the GST for the gold leaf were also part of the reason she wanted to shutter the business.
“I can't take the rising costs anymore and I am too old to continue doing this, at most I can do this for another five years.
“It is time to say goodbye... even if I miss this place, there's nothing more I can do,” she said.


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Paris Motor Show returns for 2022 after four-year hiatus
Last year’s Paris Motor Show was cancelled due to Covid-19, but the event’s organisers will welcome attendees through its doors next year
The Paris Motor Show will return next year after last year’s event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The exhibition is back on for 2022 and will welcome ticketed attendees through its doors between 17 and 23 October.
Also known as Mondial de l’Automobile, the Paris show was the world’s first motor show when it was launched back in 1898. Since 1976, it has been held every two years, alternating with the similarly important Frankfurt Motor Show.
- Best classic car shows to visit in 2021
Show organisers have been busy over lockdown, too, partnering with the Equip Auto trade show to form the all-encompassing Paris Automotive Week. Until now, the trade show was held on odd-numbered years so it didn’t clash with the motor show.
So, unlike previous years, the next Paris Motor Show will give guests the chance to browse stands from engineering firms, parts suppliers and repair companies, as well as view the latest concepts and production cars from the world’s biggest car brands.
As usual, the Paris Motor Show will be held in the Paris expo Porte de Versailles, which is the largest exhibition centre in France. However, we’re still waiting for a list of the attending manufacturers and traders to be published.
In 2018, big brands including Audi, BMW and Mercedes launched important cars such as the e-tron, 3 Series and EQC respectively, while French brands such as Citroen and DS hunted for headlines with the C5 Aircross Hybrid Concept and DS 3 Crossback.
Are you planning to attend the 2022 Paris Motor Show? Let us know in the comments section below…
Source: Read Full Article


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Ford to eliminate 3,800 jobs in Europe over the next three years
Ford today announced it is taking the next steps in the transformation of its business in Europe, including the elimination of 3,800 jobs over the next three years.
By 2025, Ford plans to resize its European engineering footprint, resulting in 2,800 fewer jobs. These changes are driven by the transition to fully electric powertrains and reduced vehicle complexity. Ford will maintain an engineering organization of approximately 3,400 roles in Europe, focused on vehicle design and development, as well as the creation of connected services.
Additionally, a leaner cost structure will be created for Ford’s administrative, marketing, sales and distribution functions in Europe, which includes the elimination of approximately 1,000 positions.
Ford in Europe will also continue to invest in the design and development of electric passenger vehicles, meeting consumer demand while at the same time targeting carbon neutrality across its European facilities, logistics and key suppliers by 2035.
Summary of affected jobs across Europe:
|Rest of Europe


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Fest Auto saya 2016: Tergesa-gesa untuk membeli-belah kereta RayaPOSTED BY ON 08 April 2016
SEMUA ORANG lebih bersedia daripada musim perayaan Hari Raya yang akan datang. Persoalannya - adakah kereta anda juga?
It’s a mad rush for car companies and buyers to ring in the Eid period. For one thing, most long-distance travelling especially during the holidays are by personal vehicles and when going the distance, drivers make it a monumental effort to arrive at their destinations safely.
Selain itu, car companies see this as golden opportunity to clear off their stocks as quickly as possible or – for lack of a better statement–be able to provide car buyers with various options, perhaps, at discounted rates too.
In any case, the upcoming My Auto Fest car sales carnival promises some of the best deals for Hari Raya, and buying a new car to replace or supplement an existing, older one in the household for a hassle-free balik kampung journey seems like an exciting proposition that comes at such a tempting hour.
Car-breakdown paranoia aside, if there’s one thing to look forward to despite the never-ending price-hike announcements universally lamented by Malaysians, it would be price markdowns – something we all know for sure doesn’t happen every time we turn around.
In saying so, car purchasers on the lookout for exciting deals and promotions on the newest models may just be able to find what they want and need when the My Auto Fest 2016 makes its inaugural debut in end-May this year.
“Many car companies have upped their car prices due to the slump in the Malaysian Ringgit. The MAA council along with leading car manufacturers, distributors and dealers nationwide agreed that we should organize a sales-oriented and promotional event to encourage better sales leading up to the Hari Raya festivities,” Malaysian Automotive Association (EARTH) president Datuk Aishah Ahmad said at a press conference last week.
MAA expects participating companies to provide generous offers and substantial discounts to benefit car buyers in all segments at the carnival, as well as to boost weakening consumer sentiment in the wake of Malaysia’s slumping economy.
“These offers may be in the form of direct discounts, subsidised borrowing interests for car loans or event downpayment waivers,” Aishah said.
Organised by the MAA, the event will be held at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre from May 20 kepada 22.
Event plan and rationale
There was some confusion as to why the My Auto Fest event is held in the middle of the year rather than towards the end in a lead-up to the Christmas and Chinese New Year festivities.
“Based on the latest TIV figures, the auto industry reported weak sales for the first two months of 2016. And the best way to pump up the figures is to have this sales carnival a few months before Hari Raya, which happens to be the busiest travel season in Malaysia,” Aishah told Cars, Basikal & trak.
“The sales potential for this period is therefore a lot greater. When we approached the car companies to participate in the event, we encouraged them to lay out their best deals.”
MAA is also in the midst of discussions with several banks and insurance providers to seek their support and participation in the auto show.


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As we move into 2021 (finally!), it’s good to take a look back at what changed in Q4 2020—so we can start the year off informed! Here’s a look at some of the biggest e-commerce updates from Q4 2020 and our analysts’ thoughts on the impact of these updates.
1. Google Analytics 4
In October, Google launched the latest version of Google Analytics: Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Unlike previous versions of Google Analytics, the updated reporting is now events-based instead of conversion-based. With this new interface, you can track virtually any event you want – including PDF clicks and form-fills. Learn how to set up Google Analytics 4 for your site.
Marketing Manager’s Thoughts: Christina DiSomma
“Google Analytics 4 represents a new era in website tracking, a cookie-less world in which Google relies on machine learning to help fill in the gaps in your tracking. This new Google Analytics runs alongside the old—so website administrators should add a GA property to their instance as soon as possible to start collecting data and prepare for the future!”
2. Increasing Video Ads
In Q4, we saw a lot of new video advertising options across different platforms. Amazon released the Sponsored Brand Video beta. These keyword-targeted, CPC ads can appear in search results and on product detail pages.
Google released two video ad updates. First, Google Ads Video Action rolled out in October. These ads appear both on and off YouTube in the skippable in-stream and video discovery ad formats. Second, auto-generated videos for responsive display campaigns also were released in October. Using this new tool, Google will create video ads using your logo, images, and text assets.
Senior SEM Analyst’s Thoughts: CJ Milhoan
“One of the relatively newer options out there is the Amazon Sponsored Brands video. These ads are based on keywords, so if you already have a successful Amazon program, you can leverage search term data/keywords in relation to specific products to decide what items should be featured in your video.
For example, if you know that “Black Crew Cut Socks” or “Chevy Headlights” are keywords/terms that generate decent traffic with proper returns, feature these products in your creative. Amazon is clearly trying to introduce another advertising feature to beef up its current offering.”
3. Google Ads Updates
As Google Ads turned 20 this quarter, they continued to make changes and updates to their platform.
First, Performance Max campaigns, released in October, let retailers set up one campaign to run across all Google Ads inventory including Display Network, YouTube, Discover, and Search. These campaigns are automated and supposed to run alongside standard Search campaigns.
Next, Google Ads has steadily been simplifying location reporting. These changes have made it harder to access some reporting and data, but you can check out this article to learn how to work around those changes.
For Google My Business, Google rolled out a new “Call History” feature which allows businesses to view a missed call log for up to 45 business days.
SEM Analyst’s Thoughts: Sarah French
“2020 was no exception to the past 20 years for search advertising where the only constant we saw was change. As Google continues to move to machine learning, the data available to use and campaign types are in constant flux. Although we still can see a user’s matched location by pulling a report, Google has taken this data out of the UI directly.
If the user location matched location is taken out altogether, we are essentially buying a billboard without knowing where it is located. Google has released Video action and Performance Max campaigns to push both YouTube and Discover inventory. The additional ad inventory could be good for advertisers if conversion rates stay steady with the increase.
In my opinion, the best thing Google released in Q4 for e-commerce has been the insights page. As e-commerce trends continue to change quickly, this is a good way to determine if increased conversions are due to consumer behavior.”
4. Facebook Ordered to Break Up
In a groundbreaking lawsuit decision in December, the US government declared that Facebook must be broken up. 48 states sued Facebook for anti-competitive behavior and abuse of power in the digital marketing place. The FTC is seeking to make Facebook separate from Instagram and WhatsApp.
SEM Strategist’s Thoughts: Elizabeth Kanarek
“To some, it may seem hypocritical that the government officials now want to break up Facebook after they allowed for Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp. When considering the size and market share of social media that Facebook has attained since these acquisitions, the recent lawsuits become more understandable in the efforts to increase competition in the realm of social media.
It is unclear when or if Facebook will eventually have to break itself up, but if this does come to fruition, it may lead to more complexity in marketing in these channels. Currently, one can create advertisements for WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook all through the Facebook ads platform. After these are broken up, marketers will have to separate their ads and management across all the platforms.”
5. Laws and Lawsuits
That’s not the only lawsuit going on. Around the world, big tech companies are under scrutiny for anti-trust violations and breaking privacy laws. Here’s a list of the latest lawsuits and legal action against Google, Amazon, and Social Media platforms in Q4.
- DOJ Accuses Google of Monopoly
- Google Display Anti-Trust Probe Italy
- Amazon charged Anti-Trust Europe
- France Fines Google and Amazon
- California Passes a Major Privacy Law
- FTC Issues Orders to 9 Social Media/video Sites
SEM Strategist’s Thoughts: Chris Kendall
“While California Proposition 24 is not the first data privacy legislation of its kind, and will not be enforced until 2023, I would expect its passage to accelerate the use of machine learning in ad tech. By necessity, digital advertising will have to rely less on third-party tracking as more laws such as this are passed. The challenge in the coming years will be providing relevant ads while respecting user privacy.”
6. 2020 Holiday Season
Every e-commerce business knows this holiday season was a little different – okay a lot different. Prime Day was in October this year, shipping delays had everyone on the edge of their seats, and the fate of Brick-and-Mortar stores seemed to hang in the balance. Now that the holiday season has come to an end, we can look back and reflect on what actually happened.
While Prime Day sales were down from last year, they were up compared to the last 30 days. Ad spend increased 3.8X, ad-driven conversions were up 2.6X, and sales revenue was up 4.9X compared to the previous 30 days according to SearchEngineLand.
Thanksgiving surprisingly went well for e-commerce retailers—with a $5billion increase in sales. After Thanksgiving, companies started hiring—warehousing and transportation added 145,000 new jobs while traditional retail was down 35,000 jobs.
Despite the increase in new hires and couriers, the shipping delay struggle was real. UPS stopped picking up packages from major retailers including Macy’s and Nike during the holiday rush.
During the holidays, mobile shopping was on the rise—as more shoppers made holiday purchases directly from their phones. Adobe cited mobile as 39% of sales, while Shopify cited it as 69% of sales.
Marketing Specialist’s Thoughts: Savannah St. John
“This holiday season was a time for adapting and changing for e-commerce retailers. There was a lot of uncertainty as the holidays approached. Would shoppers put off purchasing to save money? Or would they splurge to make up for the frustrating year? I think this uncertainty probably left a lot of businesses spending in the middle ground this holiday season—which might have led to a decrease in sales for those retailers.
Since our analysts watch bids throughout the day on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, they’re able to make quick decisions that keep our clients ahead of their competitors. I think this type of strategy was particularly important in 2020.”


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The Times,”The evolution of lunch for a busy office worker“, 28 July 2011 suggests that Pret a Manger is doing better than expected during the recession.
Jim Winship, director at the British Sandwich Association, reckons the market has grown by at least 2 per cent annually, including during the financial crisis. So-called “premium” sandwich makers such as Pret have benefited as diners have shunned eating out but have still sought relatively posh nosh.
The association reckons that the sandwich market, worth about £1 billion in 1990, is now worth £6.25 billion. According to recent figures from Kantar, Pret a Manger enjoyed an 18 per cent growth in sandwich sales during the 12 months to March 20. That compares with Subway at 5.3 per cent, Tesco at 3.9 per cent and flat sandwich sales at Greggs.
“There has been a lot of growth in the premium sector,” Mr Winship said. “Some retailers were wrong-footed initially.
“Their reaction was that everyone would want cheap sandwiches, but that has not turned out to be true.”
Nomura, a Japanese bank, reckons Indonesia is creating a middle class (defined as one with disposable household income of over $3,000 per year) helter-skelter. The country’s bourgeoisie, 1.6m in 2004, now numbers about 50m. On Nomura’s measure, that is more than India and bigger than elsewhere in the region. The number could reach almost 150m by 2014, representing one of the world’s most enticing markets. Newly affluent Indonesians are certainly spending.
Indonesia’s middle class: Missing BRIC in the wall” , The Economist, 21 Jul 2011
The Stonehage Group, a leading multi-family office advising Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) individuals and international families, today announced that prices of typical luxury goods and services for UHNWs based in London increased by an average of 6.0% in the 12 months to the end of April 2011, marking a significant jump in price inflation, following a 0.6% rise the previous year.
This large increase, measured by Stonehage’s Affluent Luxury Living Index (SALLI), compares to an average inflation rate of 4.5%, measured by the UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the same period.
Fore more details, click here.
Is Santa a deadweight loss? The Economist, 20 Dec 2001
It’s not just Scrooge who wants Christmas abolished, Financial Times, 20 Nov 2009
Waldfogel’s classic analysis from the American Economic Review of Dec 1993 can be found here


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With just five shopping days to go before the traditional Dutch present-giving festival of Sinterklaas on December 5, shopkeepers are sounding the alarm about poor sales.
The Dutch retail association expects total sales to amount to €450m, down between 7% and 8% on last year. While shoppers are still buying as many presents, they are spending less cash per item, the association said.
Retail chains such as Hema, the Free Record Shop and Selexyz (books) all told Nos tv they would be pleased if sales equalled last year’s. A spokesman for Selexyz said the bad weather last week had also hit book sales. ‘When it is wet and windy, people do their shopping behind a pc,’ a spokesman said.
The online retailers association told Nos it expected a 37% increase in Sinterklaas-related sales this year, following a 25% increase in 2008.
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iFund, App Store Success, Future Apps
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) has started an iFund blog covering topics about its $100 million venture capital fund for iPhone developers. KPCB has currently funded five companies with about $30 million of investment capital. Those companies include:
- Pelago social discovery and location sharing through an application called Whrrl which is live on the AppStore
- iControl a home automation and monitoring solution available in Q1
- ng:moco iPhone games launching its first titles this month
- GOGII A new social interaction and marketing platform, launching in Q4
- An unannounced venture launching in Q1
The company is excited about the prospects of the App Store and note that iPhone application downloads for the first 30 days exceeded all other US carriers combined in a quarter.
According to our estimates and M:Metrics data, thats more iPhone application downloads in 30 days than all US carriers combined have in a quarter.* That means a relatively small base of handsets (~12M, mostly US) is dramatically outperforming the other 250M.
KPCB also believes that a more sophisticated set of applications will arrive as developers become more familiar with the iPhone SDK, and claim to "know some of the apps in the pipeline" that will take things to a whole new level.
Several prominent titles have recently been released to the App Store, including Star Wars The Force Unleashed and Spore. Meanwhile, SlingMedia has acknowledged that they are working on their media player for the iPhone. Despite demoing a version of their app for jailbroken iPhones, the company has made no further announcements. We've heard, however, that they are planning on launching a beta version later this year.


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Banks within the Nordic area will make investments closely in know-how to cut back operational prices as earlier investments in digital companies begin to ship. This consists of synthetic intelligence (AI) know-how automating companies that beforehand required guide work.
Consolidation in Nordic banking was a sizzling subject within the 1990s. Again then, strategic cross-border mergers remodeled the monetary markets panorama within the area.
Main financial institution teams in every nation sought to develop from being massive gamers in comparatively small home ponds into pan-Nordic banks with a lot larger dimension and attain.
The impetus on the a part of Nordic banks to pursue development via cross-border mergers and acquisitions ignited alongside the gradual liberalisation of banking legal guidelines. The resultant improve in open-market competitors materialised each at a nationwide stage and within the European Union.
The advance of banking liberalisation diminished earlier restrictions on advertising and marketing, product growth and continuous technological innovation.
Extra basically, liberalisation meant Nordic banks needed to battle a a lot increased diploma of competitors from overseas. In opposition to this backdrop, consolidation gained extra favour. Financial institution chiefs seen consolidation as a essential part to the enlargement of buyer bases, and finally improved prospects for survival within the altering banking panorama of elevated deregulation.
The Nordic financial institution sector consolidation course of culminated in 2001, when Nordbanken (Sweden), Unibank (Denmark), Kreditkassen (Norway) and Merita (Finland) – all main gamers of their dwelling markets – merged to create Nordea. Rationalisation of this gravity had solely beforehand been the area of home consolidation.
For banks like Nordea, Danske Financial institution, SEB, Handelsbanken and DNB, the progressive Nordic area has turn into a great platform to boost their digital attain regionally, each in Europe and globally.
Nordic banks are anticipated to speculate billions of Euros to digitise and additional automate their retail and company banking platforms by 2025. The funding incorporates an entire vary of related prices.
Linked spending consists of digital and synthetic intelligence (AI) know-how acquisition, integration, personnel coaching and the event of latest subsequent technology digitised monetary merchandise and AI-supported buyer companies. Further prices will emerge as banks streamline restructure.
Digitisation and group-wide streamlining inside Nordic banks has already resulted within the centralisation of core capabilities and the large-scale closure of excessive avenue branches throughout the Nordic area.
The digital transformation of Nordea will re-shape its group organisation by 2022. The financial institution will, over the following 4 years, lay-off four,000 employees and a couple of,000 consultants. The main focus for Nordea’s latest technology-led investments have seen the roll-out of its Web-bank answer Nordea Digital Company and Nordea Join, a brand new cost service supplier answer launched in Sweden.
“Extra companies containing robotics and AI, together with new methods of organising work, results in a necessity for fewer workers. We are going to see a change of Nordea. Since investments are beginning to ship, it’s time to enter the following section to structurally decrease prices and improve effectivity,” mentioned Casper von Koskull, Nordea’s CEO.
Investments in robotics know-how can be one other key space of focus for Nordic banks. More and more, routine guide duties carried out by people, akin to month-to-month stories compiled from quite a lot of sources, are being re-tasked and carried out by software program robots.
A big share of the longer term projected funding by Nordic banks on digital/AI can be used to develop companies, capability and experience within the areas of cell cost apps and AI-based automated customer support platforms.
Nordic financial institution chiefs regard the unprecedented scale of future capital investments in new digital and AI applied sciences as unavoidable.
“New know-how and new actors, in addition to altering rules and buyer behaviours, are redrawing the map relating to who can provide financial institution companies in addition to what companies banks can provide and the way,” mentioned Marcus Wallenberg, SEB’s chairman.
Conventional full-service Nordic banks, like their European counterparts, know solely too properly that they under-estimate the tempo and problem posed by the rapidly-changing monetary companies panorama at their peril.
The normal banks will more and more encounter competitors from disruptor fintech firms, like Google and Apple, in addition to many much less well-known challengers. These newly arrived monetary companies actors proceed to develop user-friendly options for particular monetary companies.
Conventional Nordic banks have already realized invaluable classes from the PayPal platform’s capability to leverage know-how with the intention to disrupt conventional monetary companies.
Nicely-schooled Nordic banks are forming strategic partnerships with the monetary companies market’s new actors. The sweep of latest and future collaborations will doubtless lead to banks collectively creating companies and growing choices.
Collaborating with different firms
SEB partnered with Samsung within the latest launch of Samsung Pay in Sweden. The financial institution was additionally a cooperation associate within the launch of the Fitbit cost service in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
Nordea additionally partnered Samsung within the roll-out of the Samsung Pay cell cost answer in Sweden. It collaborated with Apple within the launch of Apple Pay. In March, Nordea launched a contactless cost answer via Fitbit and Garmin wearable units. The brand new service kinds a part of the improved Nordea Pockets providing within the safe cell funds area.
Collaboration between Nordic banks and the brand new actors can also be set to into blockchain know-how and AI as banks confirm and course of transactions in actual time.
Nordic banks will scale-up digitisation within the banking engine to automate inside processes and cut back administrative work.
Banks are additionally hiring in specialist IT/digital expertise and investing extra to strengthen the info evaluation and AI sides of their operations. Extra subtle methods to entry information have gotten an more and more essential useful resource as banks try to raised perceive prospects’ wants, bolster buyer loyalty and refine product and repair choices.
SEB established a technical platform – or information lake – in 2017, to allow the extra environment friendly harvesting of all information at SEB’s disposal. This consists of structured and unstructured information, inside in addition to exterior information, and the whole lot from real-time information to static information. The financial institution additionally launched a brand new digital assist system referred to as Aida to enhance the evaluation of buyer behaviour, finance wants and life-style expectations.
“Disruptive know-how forces are shaping the way forward for monetary companies. SEB might want to design and construct future banking experiences that meet quickly heightened buyer expectations,” mentioned Sara Öhrvall, who was hired by SEB in April 2018 to head-up the financial institution’s Digital, Buyer Expertise and Communications division.


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IANSDec 13, 2017 22:30:41 IST
Expanding its home audio lineup, Sony India on 13 December launched 'SA-D40' and 'SA-D20' speakers for Rs 8,490 and Rs 7,490, respectively.
The 'SA-D40' is equipped with 4.1-channel surround-sound system and 80W power output while the 'SA-D20' comes with 2.1-channel surround-sound system and 60W power output.
Both the speakers are tuned according to India's music titles, the company claimed.
Both the devices support wireless connectivity through the Bluetooth. The speakers can also memorise up to eight Bluetooth devices for easy connection.
The 'SA-D40' and 'SA-D20' speakers also come with remote control.
The devices are available at all Sony Centres and retail stores.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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If you want to see where computer-chip technology is headed, your best bet is to keep an eye on IBM. The company announced Monday that it will begin shipping servers that use a version of its PowerPC processor made with a new chip-making technology called silicon on insulator (SOI).
SOI uses very thin glass to prevent electrons from spilling outside the tiny transistors on a chip. As the individual chip transistors get ever smaller, keeping electrons where they should be is difficult. But IBM
SOI is the fourth major chip-technology advance from IBM in recent years, as part of a wide-ranging research effort to push chip performance to new limits. According to its 1999 annual report, IBM spent $5.8 billion overall on research and development, or about 6% of its revenue for that year. Bijan Davari, IBM vice president of semiconductor research and development, admits his unit received a "significant portion" of that money but would not reveal the figure. He did say the investment has paid for itself at least ten times over, mostly by making chips for other companies.
An IBM spokesman says that the companys so-called custom logic business doubled its revenue growth in 1999 over 1998. In that business, companies which lack chip-making capacity design proprietary chips for use in specific products and then turn to IBM to manufacture the chips. Among IBM's customers are Cisco Systems
The name of the game for IBM is to selectively spread its technology around, keeping the best stuff for itself. The first benefactor of the SOI technology will be IBM itself.
The company will debut the technology on its own PowerPC chip in a new series of servers.
Joe Clabby, server analyst at Boston-based Aberdeen Group, says IBM was struggling to keep up with its competitors in the server space and will now be better able to.
"A lot of people go to IBM because of the technology," says Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst with Insight 64, a Saratoga, Calif.-based consulting firm.
"Youre not necessarily going to get the lower price per wafer from IBM like you would from other foundry companies like [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp.] or [United Microelectronics Corp]. But you will get access to some really exotic technology."
The rest of the industry tends to catch up with IBM. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, for example, is close to bringing up copper interconnect capabilities on its manufacturing lines. Motorola
"A lot of people were working on copper for a very long time because the benefits were very obvious," says Insight 64's Brookwood. "But it was IBM who finally figured out how to do it, and the process they pioneered is the process that is used widely in the industry."
Although these technologies aren't likely to show up in mainstream desktop processors, they will generally appear in Internet servers where they're needed.
"Processing speed still matters in the server space," says Brookwood.
"Were still trying to figure out what to do with all the processing power that has come to desktop systems, but in servers--where you are aggregating computing demand from hundreds or thousands of users via the Internet--raw processing speed and throughput still matter. And the techniques that IBM has pioneered really make a significant contribution here."


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- Green Growth
- Your Consultant
|Thanks to renewed interest from the United States, a raft of Vietnamese products will become more readily available in the country, Photo: Le Toan|
After successfully exporting three containers of mangoes to the United States, Green Path Vietnam JSC, an import and export company in Hanoi, is preparing for their next export shipments.
“The first time, we exported mangoes from the northern province of Son La. This time, we will export the same product from the south-western province of Vinh Long,” Phung Thi Thu Huong, general director of Green Path Vietnam, told VIR.
According to Huong, mangoes exported to America have to meet three requirements. “The growing areas and the packaging units must meet the standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and be granted a code by the US. The irradiation plant must also be certified by the US,” she said.
Huong also emphasised that there are three elements which determine the success of Vietnam’s fruits in the international market. These are the price, quality, and indigenous uniqueness of the exported goods. “We have to focus on all three elements, not just quality or price. Only by combining the three, can we have a good market share in places like the US.”
In February, after over 10 years of negotiation, Vietnamese mangoes were officially licensed to enter the US market. This is Vietnam’s sixth fresh fruit to enter this Western market, following dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, lychees, and star apples.
As one of Vietnam’s leading exporters of fresh fruits to America, Vina T&T Group exported its first batch of mangoes, a total of 20 tonnes, to the US in April. Since then, the company has continued exporting its mangoes to this market on a weekly basis.
“After one month, we successfully exported 71 tonnes of mangoes there. We are exporting about 10 tonnes per week until the crop ends,” said Nguyen Dinh Tung, general director of Vina T&T.
Tung added that in 2018, the group’s revenue from fruit exporting hit $30 million. “Mangoes will help us increase our revenue by 15 to 20 per cent in 2019,” he affirmed.
According to information released on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in 2018, exporting mangoes and products made from mangoes earned $193.2 million for Vietnam. This is an increase of 24 per cent compared to the previous year, and accounts for 5 per cent of the total turnover of fruits and vegetables in the country.
With about 46 different varieties planted in the country, mangoes can become a considerable source of income for the Vietnamese agriculture industry. At the moment, Vietnam produces over 969,000 tonnes of mangoes per year, with an estimated worth value of nearly $750 million. With their sights set on a new market, Vietnamese producers now have even more incentive to increase their production.
Aside from mangoes, a number of other Vietnamese agricultural products are welcome in the US.
According to data released by the General Statistics of Vietnam, in the first four months of 2019, the export value of coffee, tea, rice, fruit, vegetables, cashews, and pepper to the US reached $508 million, accounting for nearly 11 per cent of Vietnam’s total export value for the mentioned products.
Meanwhile, statistics from the MARD showed that, from January to April, the US continued to be the second-biggest consuming market of Vietnam’s coffee. The export value is estimated at $110 million, and accounts for 10.1 per cent of the market share. However, only 15 per cent of the coffee imported into the US comes from Vietnam, meaning there is still potential for coffee exporters in Vietnam to increase their market share.
According to the National Coffee Association of America (NCA), about 63 per cent of adults consume coffee daily, of which 59 per cent consume specialty coffee. Furthermore, young Americans have become more inclined to seek out specialty coffee, and the development of small, local coffee shops allows them to try coffee from all over the world.
The US is the top export destination for both Vietnamese pepper and cashews, with total export value of $53 million and $295 million, respectively.
“Vietnam’s agricultural products exported to the US show the country’s producing ability,” Thao Xuan Sung, chairman of the Vietnam Farmer’s Union, told VIR. “The US is a fastidious market, which demands the world’s highest technical standards.”
“For this reason, entering the market also means that Vietnam’s agricultural exports have obtained a “passport” to expand opportunities to other high-grade markets,” he added. “This is a foundation for countries from the EU and members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership to trust in us.”
Meanwhile, the Vietnam Trade Office in the US has been working with Rhee Bothers Group, one of the biggest chains of Asian food distribution, to get more orders for Vietnamese products.
Robert Tran, general director of RBNC, a Canadian strategic consultant company, said that despite being a market with strict import regulations, America provides enormous potential for Vietnam’s agricultural products.
“The US, with GDP of $20.5 trillion in 2018, does not need cheap products, but suitable ones with good and stable quality,” he said.
According to Tran, to achieve results, it is important to comprehensively change the mode of production, business, and export. “It is necessary to select production areas where climate, altitude, light, humidity, soil, water sources, and other environmental factors are favourable for cultivating high quality coffee.”
Tran also emphasised the importance of using technology to create high quality products. “Manufacturers also need to pay attention to the working environment, workers’ life, community responsibility, and work to achieve certifications such as Fair Trade, and Organic,” Tran added.
In talks with VIR, Virginia Foote, chairwoman of the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) in Vietnam, said that many kinds of Vietnamese agricultural products can be exported to America, where they will be welcomed by consumers. However, she emphasised the importance of food safety. “Food imported in the US has to comply with the food standards and safety requirements. American consumers want to know the food is healthy, safe, and clean,” she said.
With an understanding of the incredible untapped potential that lies in the American market, Vietnam’s agricultural companies are trying to make the necessary improvements.
“We are focusing on producing the best quality products, and preserving those products for as long as possible,” said Huong of Green Path. “We use an electric monitoring procedure and an organic planting procedure from the US.”
Huong also said that the company is investing in new food processing areas, high-tech breeding areas, and activated carbon processing areas, in an attempt to produce fertiliser that will build a solid foundation for the development of organic agriculture in the country.
Meanwhile, Tung from Vina T&T said that in order to ensure that quality and size standards are met, his company has closely co-operated with farms to strictly control the planting procedures.
“All our material areas have been granted codes, and we tightly follow the VietGAP and Global GAP standards, which help us make products that answer to the calls of the US market.”


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Want your star sales leader to become a better coach for the AE squad? Expert sales trainer Barrett Riddleberger has studied successful sales managers for years. This has empowered him to pen a Media Information Bureau column focused on four effective strategies that could give your reps a little more fuel to fire up their sales efforts.
A top creator of scalable video commerce technology has launched a comprehensive shoppable video experience via new partnerships with smart TV pioneer LG Electronics and such media companies as WarnerMedia, A+E Networks, Crown Media Family Networks, and NBC Universal.
After years of product development and experimentation, wearable tech has started to gather pace, building an ecosystem of connected devices that is capturing the hearts and wallets of consumers. Futuresource Consulting's continuing series on top CES 2020 topics continues with this column from James Manning Smith on the "rapid acceleration of device uptake" it is seeing, resulting in a global market value of $108 billion by 2023.
On Tuesday, RBR+TVBR offered commentary from Futuresource Consulting's Luke Pearce on how esports is "edging its way into mainstream consciousness." Today, Pearce offers his analysis on the demand for consumer music hardware -- and the rise of smart speakers.
For their Alternative FCC Compliance Inspection tours, hundreds of Radio and TV Public Inspection Files have been prepped, from scratch, by Ken Benner and his wife, Karen —potentially saving millions of dollars in fines and legal expenses for broadcast licensees. In her honor, Ken shares a published newspaper column he wrote back in June of 1988 that contains great advice for 2020.
On Thursday, an editorial co-written by the Mayor of Dayton, Ohio and a former FCC Commissioner appeared in USA TODAY. It slams the Commission for its approval of Cox Media Group's Apollo deal, which requires the Dayton Daily News to reduce its print schedule from daily distribution in order to comply with FCC rules. In a retort, our editor-in-chief says the FCC isn't to blame: the Third Circuit Court of Appeals is.
As the world rang in the new year, the U.S. Census Bureau projected the nation's population total. As of January 1, 2020, the total number of people living in the United States rose by 0.61% from exactly one year ago. Since Census Day 2010, the population has grown by 7%.
The linear television market, on a two-year compound average growth rate (CAGR) basis, was down 1.5% for the whole of the 2018-19 season on an average weekly ad spend metric. Standard Media Index calls this a moderate decline in advertiser demand, and it fails to keep pace with "much larger supply losses" — a.k.a. TV viewing. When combined, advertiser CPMs are up.
So, who are the top 10 advertisers of 2019 by ad spend? How much did these companies spend on TV advertising? Ad sales business intelligence firm MediaRadar crunched the numbers, and has revealed the details just in time for New Year's Eve. One interesting takeaway: There were more than 2,000 newcomers to television advertising in 2019, including PostMates.
Featured columnist Ken Benner closes out 2019 with some office cleaning, and on the way to the trash bin stumbled upon enough subject material for decades of weekly columns. What has this octogenarian Alternative Broadcast Inspection pro have to share today? Legal tips, which should not be construed as attorney's advice but may be very helpful to you and your broadcast stations.
Consumer attention has increasingly shifted to connected TVs and the streaming content and advertising that goes along with this new living room. What does this mean for broadcast TV's future? Anthony Acquisti, the Senior Director of Client Success, Advanced Media and Analytics at TiVo -- just acquired by Xperi -- offers these thoughts in an encore column for RBR+TVBR.
As the streaming wars heat up, the audience measurement and consumer data giant Nielsen notes that it's important to be mindful of just how much time consumers are spending with different media options ... such as radio. New data gives good ol' AM and FM a positive report card.
“In an odd-numbered year when there are no major sporting events such as a World Cup or Olympic Games, once again sports has proven to be a most capable genre at bringing millions of viewers around the world to watch their TV.” That's the positive assessment from the author of the just-released Yearly Sport Key Facts report.
In a RBR+TVBR Observation, our editor-in-chief shares just a little bit of his bachelor party weekend experience in Key West, Fla. Really? Well ... he's got some things to say about what a carful of guys listened to on a four-hour car ride, both ways, and about Dish Network.
For many years, the legendary Jerry Miller served as Chief Engineer for a Twin Cities AM. Upon his retirement, Miller joined FCC staff across the U.S. and columnist Ken Benner to greatly improve the integrity of the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program. This encore column from Benner could save your media properties cash.


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Narrow your search
In 2010, Don Mattrick held negotiations about buying Zynga with the man he has now replaced, Mark Pincus.
The Xbox executive faces a Herculean task of tossing the social-gaming company a lifeline, and risks getting dragged down himself.
In a push to cut costs, become more efficient, and tread into the mobile market, the beleaguered game maker reveals some big changes with its earnings report.
Amid the hoopla over the new One, an Xbox executive reminds people without Internet connectivity that the venerable 360 is still available.
Don Mattrick sets his agenda during the company's earnings call and talks about why he loves Candy Crush, why he took the job, and how the company will dominate social gaming again.
Regina Dugan, currently vice president of engineering and leader of Google's Advanced Technology and Projects, shows interest in video games.
The founder and former CEO of the social games company has relinquished all responsibilities as chief product officer, signaling the end of Pincus' operational role at Zynga.
Zynga CEO Mark Pincus confirms that Interactive Entertainment Business head Don Mattrick will take over his position next week.
Microsoft's head of Interactive Entertainment Business, the unit responsible for Xbox, may be Zynga's next CEO, according to AllThingsD.
New CEO Don Mattrick is said to be holding an all-hands meeting Tuesday to address the executive shuffle and his vision for the company.


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‘Taste of the Mountains Wine Walk’
Stroll down Santa Cruz Avenue in downtown Menlo Park with a glass of wine in hand this weekend at the first-ever “Taste of the Mountains Wine Walk” this Saturday, Dec. 5, 2-5 p.m. There are 13 participating wineries, including Thomas Fogarty Winery, Portola Vineyard, Kings Mountain Vineyards and Russian Ridge Winery. The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association and Greenheart Land Company teamed up to put the event together, and all proceeds will benefit the Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation. Downtown shops and restaurants will be, as usual, open to the general public of all ages during the wine walk but only those under 21 may attend the tasting areas. For more information and to purchase a ticket ($45), go to scmwa.com.
Facebook farmers market
Head to Facebook’s Menlo Park campus at 1 Hacker Way for the company’s last two farmers markets of 2015 on Sunday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Dec. 6 market will also have live music from the Hillview Middle School jazz band; the Dec. 13 market will go all out with a holiday boutique, live music, food trucks, snow zone and more. Facebook launched the new market in October in conjunction with West Coast Farmers' Markets and the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce. The weekly market runs year-round on Sundays. For more information, go to Facebook.com.
Gingerbread house workshop at The Village Pub
Grab your kids and introduce them at a young age to the Michelin-starred Village Pub in Woodside through a gingerbread house-making workshop on Saturday, Dec. 12, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Like the restaurant itself, this class isn’t cheap — $85 per ticket — but it includes instruction, a gingerbread house, snack and “special gift. For more information and to buy tickets, go to thevillagepub.net.
Winter Chestnut Fest at Shoreline Lake
What says the holidays more than chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Head to Shoreline Lake in Mountain View in December Dec. 12-20 to do more than just sing the favorite Christmas song, but actually roast chestnuts. Barring inclement weather, you can pick up your own paper cone of chestnuts for $5 and go to town on the following dates and times: Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12-13, 1-3 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, Dec. 17-18, 12:30-1:30 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 19-20, 1-3 p.m. For more information, go to shorelinelake.com.
Silicon Valley Italian Festival
Mark your 2016 calendars now for the Silicon Valley Italian Festival, to be hosted at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.. There will be handmade pasta made by the chef from Donato Enoteca in Redwood City, pizza from Passione Pizza in Berkeley, gelato from Alare Gelato Italiano (also in Berkeley) and authentic Italian espresso from Mr. Espresso, an Oakland-based wood-roasted coffee company founded by an Italian immigrant, not to mention a range of cooking classes for both adults and children. There will also be speakers, a photography exhibit and movies. For more information and to buy tickets, go to siliconvalleyitalianfestival.com.


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President of MasterCraft will attend the Sydney boat show
by Ronnie Arenson on 23 Jul 2013
Coinciding with the worldwide boat show release of the new X46, MasterCraft will have president, Terry McNew in attendance at this year’s Sydney International Boat Show where Sydney dealer, TR Marine will have several MasterCraft models on show.
The new X46 .. ©
Mr McNew was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of MasterCraft Boat Company in August 2012.
He joined MasterCraft with a wealth of leadership experience not only in the marine industry, but specifically within performance water sports segment, having spent 24 years in the business with executive roles at both Brunswick and Correct Craft.
He served as President and CEO of Correct Craft from 2004-2006, and most recently has served as Executive Vice President, Manufacturing and Quality for the Recreational Boat Group at Brunswick, where he had a global responsibility for manufacturing, quality, product development and engineering for Brunswick’s recreational boat brands.
Prior to these roles, he held increasingly senior positions at Sea Ray, starting there in 1988 as a laminator and chop gun operator and ultimately leading manufacturing and PD&E. Mr McNew received his BSBA in Economics from the University of Central Florida – College of Business Administration and is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Tennessee.
MasterCraft will showcase two new models that have never been at Sydney before: the X10 and the X55. The X10 is the marque’s new 21 foot conventional V-hull and the X55 is the 25 foot 5 inch 'picklefork machine'.
But headlining all of these is the worldwide boat show launch of the 2014 X46. This new model was launched on 1 July and boat number two is now en route to Sydney, where it will no doubt wow visitors to this year’s show.
Featuring 24 feet 6 inches of creature comforts, cavernous storage and crisp handling, all designed around a hull that delivers incredible surf wake, the X46 pounds through the busiest day on the water without missing a beat and boasts space for 15 passengers inside a massive well-appointed cockpit.
Powered by an Ilmor 5.7L multi-point injection pushing 320 hp, with upgrade to the 7.4L 522hp, this machine will provide ours of fun. The wake has been fine-tuned for open water slalom to competitive wakeboard.
There will also be five other MasterCraft models on display.
More at www.trmarine.com.au
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/112302


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Arc welding products maker Lincoln Electric Co. of Euclid said it has been granted an exclusive worldwide license for Helical Robotics LLC’s proprietary magnetic robotic technology.
The agreement “will expand Lincoln Electric's automation solutions to include the industry's first trackless automated arc welding and cutting solution,” the company said in a news release. Lincoln Electric said it will work with Oregon, Wis.-based Helical Robotics to “streamline product development and system implementation.” Terms of the licensing agreement were not disclosed. Tom Matthews, senior vice president of technology and R&D for Lincoln Electric, said in the release that the licensing agreement “will greatly expand the types of surfaces that can be considered for automated welding, and will dramatically improve the efficiency of metal fabrication techniques." The technology and platforms Helical Robotics develops “allows for integrating industrial equipment into mobile magnetic robotic systems,” Lincoln Electric said. The company “will continue to develop and market its robotic systems in manufacturing, inspection, and military, among other markets.”


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Since the Government of Canada announced their plan to legalize Cannabis by October, the Town of Drumheller has been tackling the issue with full force.
Town Council held a public hearing on June 25 for the citizens of Drumheller to address concerns about proposed land use Bylaw 06-18, in which will dictate where cannabis retail stores can open.
The current Bylaw 06-18 land use regulations proposition states that a cannabis retail store must have 150 meters separation from any school, 100-meters separation from hospitals, as well as a 300-meter separation from any other cannabis retail store.
Regulations and licensing of cannabis retail stores are controlled by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC). It is very closely structured to how we treat liquor stores today.
Among those attending the public meeting were Jaydee Bixby and Patrick Parsons, who were opposed to the additional 50-meter boundary the town added around schools.
"What I am concerned about is that the land management people are trying to add more distance to the buffer zone between schools and hospitals than what the AGLC has already required, which is 100 meters." said Parsons.
Due to the Drumheller Outreach School being located on Center Street, the 150-meter boundary does not permit for a cannabis retail store on Centre street and the 100 Block of 3rd Avenue.
"They should sell it like they do anything else. In a store that is visible to regular people and not on the outskirts of town," continued Parsons.
While Parsons was opposed to the bylaw school boundary lines, he is impressed by the openness of the town council and Drumheller citizens.
"I think that it is good that the Town of Drumheller is talking about the placements of cannabis dispensaries in town," stated Parsons.
The proposed bylaw is still in ther early stages and nothing has yet been decided upon by the town.


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Meta’s Connect keynote was an opportunity for the company (Facebook for veterans) to unveil their plans for the future, including a partnership with Xbox on the Game Pass. Because yes, Microsoft wants its service to be available everywhere. Kind of like Bethesda with Skyrim.
Microsoft offers you the Xbox Game Pass on Meta
This is how Satya Nadella the general manager of Microsoft came in person to announce that thee Game Pass was going to be integrated into the Meta Quest headsets, more specifically the cloud gaming part. So after integrating our smartphones, our tablets, our PCs, our consoles and our connected TVs the Game Pass will be offered directly in the Meta Quest Store. Obviously, this information must be measured because it absolutely does not mean that Xbox Game Pass games will suddenly turn into VR. It will above all be a question of being able to play it via the cinema mode of the helmet.
In addition, not all XGP games are compatible with cloud gaming and you must have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription anyway for 12.99 euros per month. Good news that still has its limits.
XCloud Gaming box lets you stream hundreds of high-quality games to a range of devices, and this will include Meta Quest 2 in the future
For now neither Microsoft nor Meta have announced a release date for all of this.
That pThink about adding the service from Microsoft to Meta helmets?