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Epic Games have announced a new Fortnite update is coming today, v25.00 (3.92). Here are the early patch notes for the 9th June 2023 release.
Just over two weeks ago, Epic Games released the final update for Fortnite chapter 4 season 2. The update saw the release of the highly anticipated Spider-Verse collaboration.
Along with a Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2099 skin, the collaboration saw the fan-favorite Spider-Man Web-Shooters making a return with a slight name change and small tweaks to how the item works.
Last week, there was a small server-side update that was released to address any stability issues that were introduced with the 24.40 update.
Players have been waiting for the new season of Fortnite, chapter 4 season 3, to release for a few weeks now. However, the fan base has been more eager to see a new season release partly due to a popular item being vaulted.
The Kinetic Blade was vaulted over two weeks ago due to a glitch that allows players to eliminate an opponent from any distance, something which Epic couldn’t patch.
There’s no information regarding whether the Kinetic Blade will be available in the new season, but we do have some early patch notes for the v25.00 (3.92) update thanks to data miners as well as information from the newly released season three cinematic trailer.
Here’s a look at everything we know will be coming in the v25.00 Fortnite chapter 4 season 3 update.
Fortnite v25.00 Update Patch Notes (3.92) – 9/6/2023 – 9th June 2023
A couple of years ago, the only leaks we would get for Fortnite would be anything that data miners leaked from a new Fortnite update.
However, over the last year or so, popular data miners including Hypex and ShiinaBR have had numerous season themes and upcoming items and changes leaked to them by an insider at Epic Games.
The Fortnite chapter 4 season 3 theme was leaked over a month ago. Optimus Prime was leaked as a Battle Pass skin weeks ago too, along with other changes coming with the release of the v25.00 update.
It’s likely the reason why Epic Games released all of the skins that’ll be available in the season 3 Battle Pass. To start off the early patch notes, here’s the list of skins that will be in the Battle Pass along with what they look like:
- Optimus Prime
- Purradise Meowoscles
It’s already been confirmed that Optimus will be the tier 100 outfit. The Purradise Meowscles will be the additional outfit that’ll be available to unlock later on in the season.
Further leaks suggest that the new Meowscles outfit will have two different styles available. It’s possible the outfit will be unlockable when Epic releases its summer event for 2023.
Hypex posted numerous leaks that would be coming in Fortnite chapter 4 season 4 (v25.00) including the ability to ride Raptors that’ll get exhausted after a certain period of time.
This was confirmed with the release of the cinematic trailer for the new season. The ability to grind wood vines similar to how players can now in mega city was also leaked and recently confirmed by the cinematic trailer.
In fact, everything we saw in the trailer will be coming in today’s v25.00 (3.92) chapter 4 season 3 update. A lever Pistol will be coming to the game along with a Mythic Drum Shotgun.
Helicopters will be available with a launcher attached to it that’ll deal 35 damage to opponents. An Epic/Legendary Thermal Bolt Action Rifle will be added in the v25.00 Fortnite update today too. Again, all of these features that were seen in the trailer were already leaked more than two weeks ago.
A Kinetic Boomerang was also spotted in the cinematic trailer. Thanks to data miners, we also know a Wildwasp Jar, Cybertron Cannon, FlapJack Rifle, and a Thermal DMR will be available in the new season. Bomb flowers, Stink flowers, and Slurp plants are new items that’ll be available too.
Finally, there will be a ropes and chains launcher in chapter 4 season 3, although the full extent of how this new item will work is unknown.
Aside from what was seen in the trailer, we know a 14 days of Summer event will be making a return along with a racing mode being added to the game with speed objects, cosmetics, a car garage, sky/ground race tracks, and more.
During downtime, we’ll be covering everything related to the new season including any leaks. Be sure to keep up to date with our coverage over here.
The post New Fortnite Update v25.00 3.92 Patch Notes Today – 9th June 2023 (Chapter 4 Season 3) appeared first on Fortnite Insider.


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Amazon.com Inc is rapidly ramping up the billions of dollars a year it spends on licensing and creating TV shows and movies, signaling the retailer plans to be in show business for the long haul.
The issue came to the forefront of investors’ attention last week, when Amazon stated a step up in its own spending on movie jobs could be one of many reasons it may report a loss this quarter, even as it anticipates more than $39-billion in total sales.
The stocks of the company, though up 33 percent this year, have dipped 5 per cent.
Wall Street analysts estimate Amazon’s spending material will have tripled to more than $4.5-billion at the end of the year from 2014.
Catching customers’ attention with movie represents one of the main investments of the company, people said. Spending amounts doesn’t break out, and it declined comment.
This year the business has increased its footprint considering launching a studio and picked up its first Academy Awards.
“We expect Amazon to quickly exceed Netflix’s yearly spending on movie,” said Needham amp; Co analyst Laura Martin, who estimates that Netflix Inc, the top online television service, will spend $6-billion on content this season.
MEANS TO AN END?
The fast-growing investment in initial video is only one of several simultaneous moves by Amazon into new areas, such as brick-and-mortar retailing with its planned acquisition of Whole Foods Market Inc..
Amazon has provided little detail for investors why, or on where it’s spending extra on material, which makes it tough to evaluate whether the investment is currently working. It has said video is an integral advantage of its own Prime shopping club, whose members have a tendency to buy goods .
“When we win a Golden Globe, it will help us sell more shoes,” Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said in a Recode tech conference this past year. “People using Prime Video … renew at higher prices, and they convert free trials at higher rates.”
One of the people knowledgeable about the operations of the company said Amazon has economists and information scientists conducting computer models to ascertain how video influences whether shoppers sign up after a trial period for Prime.
Subsequently, deciding the funding for spending that was movie involves a complex set of factors, such as subscription fees and spending by Prime members’ value, the person said.
SUCCESS NOT ASSURED
Despite its award wins for distributing “Manchester by the Sea” and producing TV shows such as “Transparent,” Amazon’s Hollywood push hasn’t been entirely successful.
An early plan to allow anyone submit opinions and online an attempt to disrupt the lengthy and costly greenlight system of Hollywood — has been abandoned.
Some have voiced concern that Amazon is currently focusing on niche audiences that are Prime Video users, such as jobs with director Woody Allen.
Costs mount. Amazon paid $10-million to score distribution rights to “Manchester by the Sea” — one of the biggest deals ever in the Sundance Film Festival. And it’s paying about $50-million to flow 10 Thursday-night games to the U.S. National Football League this season, five times what Twitter Inc had paid for the very same rights.
The frugal company threw a sign it hasn’t managed to shave off as much of Hollywood substantial prices as it may have expected, awards show celebrations, also.
“The bets they need to create on content are subject to the vagaries of the film industry,” said Paul Verna, an analyst at research company eMarketer. Being in Hollywood is “completely different from being a data business or a tech company or a apparatus company.”

domain: news


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LONDON (ICIS)--European expandable polystyrene (EPS) prices in November settled €50-75/tonne ($68-101/tonne) lower than in October, though less than the €85/tonne drop in feedstock styrene monomer costs, on good demand from the key insulation market and strong competition on the sell side.
Demand for EPS insulation grades has been high in November, reflecting a mild winter that has boosted the construction sector. Nevertheless, demand has started to decline and is expected to get worse, along with the weather, as Christmas draws near and construction work subsides.
In contrast, demand for packaging material, such as used in EPS fish boxes, is expected to rise in the run-up to Christmas but is anticipated to drop soon after.
($1 = €0.74)


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There’s been an explosion of business intelligence (BI) tools in recent years, or tools that analyze and convert raw data into info for use in decision making. Investments in them are on the ris
More venture capital keeps trooping into Africa’s B2B e-commerce retail, a space where startups are digitizing informal trade to get thousands of merchants to operate more efficiently. This time, it
The gig economy has, to use a well-worn word, disrupted industries from ride-hailing to quick-service restaurants. Contract work has its downsides, namely on the pay and benefits side of the equation.
When the consumer opens an account and hits savings milestones for products they want to buy from their favorite brands, they can receive cash contributions from the brands.
The company was founded in January 2020 to make engaging with paying customers and thus building creator businesses as effortless as possible.
Loyal is building an animal pharmaceutical company that is developing therapeutics aimed at extending both lifespan and healthspan for dogs.
Ascend is moving insurance into the digital age by with a payments platform that combines financing, collections and payables.
Vowel's meeting operating system has the goal of making meetings more useful before, during and after.
Weav, which is building a universal API for commerce platforms, is emerging from stealth today with $4.3 million in funding from a bevy of investors, and a partnership with Brex. Founded last year by
“We intend to build the Standard Oil of renewable energy,” said James McGinniss, the co-founder and chief executive of David Energy, in a statement announcing the company’s new $19 million s
Michael Waxman, co-founder and CEO of dog food startup Sundays, acknowledged that dog owners have no shortage of options when it comes to feeding their beloved pets — but he still thinks there’
Venture capitalists plow more dollars into men's health.
Called Rory, the new line will target menopausal women with treatments for hot flashes, insomnia and more.
Nearly eight months after launching a platform to connect college students with local job opportunities, Campus Job has raised a $7.8 million Series A round of funding led by General Catalyst Partners
Spring, the Instagram for shopping, has today closed $25 million in Series B funding led by Box Group, with participation by Yuri Millner, Groupe Arnault, Google Ventures, and Thrive Capital. Spring h


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BRYN MAWR TRUST Co trimmed its holdings in Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 215,615 shares of the footwear maker’s stock after selling 1,011 shares during the quarter. Nike accounts for about 1.0% of BRYN MAWR TRUST Co’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. BRYN MAWR TRUST Co’s holdings in Nike were worth $15,986,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Nike by 42.4% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,133,675 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $158,219,000 after purchasing an additional 635,410 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Nike by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 125,760 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $9,324,000 after acquiring an additional 2,797 shares in the last quarter. CSat Investment Advisory L.P. increased its holdings in Nike by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. CSat Investment Advisory L.P. now owns 1,623 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $120,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Nike by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,054 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $523,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi Pioneer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Nike by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi Pioneer Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,020,709 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $149,815,000 after acquiring an additional 594,493 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.62% of the company’s stock.
Shares of Nike stock traded up $0.47 on Friday, reaching $89.20. 7,016,564 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,816,634. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Nike Inc has a twelve month low of $64.99 and a twelve month high of $90.00. The company has a market capitalization of $140.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.67.
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. Nike’s payout ratio is presently 36.36%.
A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NKE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Nike in a report on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Nike in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Nike from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Macquarie set a $96.00 target price on shares of Nike and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies set a $93.00 target price on shares of Nike and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and twenty-five have given a buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $87.10.
In other Nike news, Chairman Mark G. Parker sold 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.00, for a total value of $12,300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 1,539,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $126,276,966. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric D. Sprunk sold 40,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.82, for a total value of $3,513,151.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 316,504 shares of company stock valued at $26,620,816 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: “BRYN MAWR TRUST Co Reduces Position in Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE)” was originally reported by Baseball Daily News and is owned by of Baseball Daily News. If you are accessing this article on another site, it was stolen and republished in violation of US and international trademark & copyright laws. The original version of this article can be read at https://www.baseballdailydigest.com/news/2019/04/21/bryn-mawr-trust-co-sells-1011-shares-of-nike-inc-nke.html.
NIKE, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, markets, and sells athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories worldwide. The company offers NIKE brand products in six categories: running, NIKE basketball, the Jordan brand, football, training, and sportswear. It also markets products designed for kids, as well as for other athletic and recreational uses, such as American football, baseball, cricket, lacrosse, skateboarding, tennis, volleyball, wrestling, walking, and outdoor activities; and apparel with licensed college and professional team and league logos, as well as sells sports apparel.
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IPO in sights of Scotch Malt Whisky Society owner
Mark Hunter: ‘privileged’
Artisanal Spirits Company, the owner of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, is considering a stock market flotation following a sharp rise in sales.
The global membership group has announced strong results for 2020, defying the US hike in tariffs, and has hired global drinks industry veteran Mark Hunter as chairman.
The company said the appointment of the former Molson Coors CEO recognises its desire to lay the foundations for the next stage in the company’s growth and ASC has appointed N+1 Singer to explore options, including an IPO.
ASC said it has benefited from the growing demand for premium single cask Scotch malt whisky domestically and overseas.
Revenues grew to £15 million, driven by a 30% increase in ecommerce sales and continued international success.
Overseas trade now accounts for 69% of overall revenues, against 59% in 2019 and 54% in 2018.
Global membership of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society increased 4% in the year to c28,000, owing to an increase in the number of sign-ups made through online channels.
Overall, EBITDA (including other income) increased by £0.5m to £0.6m, despite the negative impact of £0.7m, as a direct result of the US’s 25% tariff on single malt scotch whisky, which was imposed in 2019 and recently lifted.
The largest international market by value is China with more than £3m of sales followed by the US on £2.7m.
The ASC said it expects continued strong growth overseas, particularly in China,, Germany, Japan and the US.
Paul Skipworth, who has now moved into the role of deputy chairman of the Artisanal Spirits Company, said:“Over the past five years as chair, I’m delighted that company revenues have nearly tripled, stock levels have quadrupled and the business has changed positively and dramatically from being 80/20 UK/International to around 30/70 UK/International.
“The foundations for success have been built and are delivering results year on year. Further ambitious plans are under consideration. I have no doubt that the future is bright for the ASC.
“I believe that the ASC is extremely well positioned to take advantage of the global consumer trends of premiumisation; digital engagement and e-commerce; internationalisation of brands and consumers and the consumer thirst for knowledge on the creation, authenticity and heritage of the products that they consume.
“Combined with its stock holdings and supply relationships with over 100 distilleries worldwide, I believe that the ASC will continue to grow strongly in the years ahead.”
New chairman Mark Hunter is a seasoned global alcohol industry leader having managed some of the world’s leading alcohol brands in a career spanning over 30 years.
Most recently he was president and CEO of Molson Coors and has significant experience in the North American, European and other international markets. He is a current non-executive director of TreeHouse Foods Inc, a US-listed manufacturer and distributor of private label packaged foods and beverages.
He said: “I feel very privileged to take on this role at such an exciting time for ASC and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
“SMWS is a special organisation, delivering only the very best single cask, single malt whisky, craft spirits and entertainment to its loyal members around the world. Working alongside the ASC executive team,
“I am committed to continuing the work of my predecessor, Paul, in ensuring the Society continues to grow and thrive while protecting the distinctive culture and values that make it so unique,”
David Ridley, managing director of the Artisanal Spirits Company, said: “Attracting someone of Mark’s calibre to ASC is testament to the success we’ve had and the opportunities that lie ahead.
“Mark knows the alcohol industry inside out, but just as importantly is a proud Scot who loves our product, buys into our philosophy and lives and breathes the same values we do.”


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Sega sues Kmart for $2.2 million tab
Video game maker Sega of America on Thursday sued Kmart Corp. for allegedly refusing to paying a $2.2 million tab.
The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in San Francisco, claims Kmart failed to remit $2.2 million of a $25.9 million bill for Dreamcast video game consoles shipped since September 1999, when Sega launched the machine in North America.
Sega stunned the game industry in January when it revealed plans to bow out of the hardware business on March 31, the end of its fiscal year, and focus solely on producing games.
At the time, reports suggested that Kmart dropped Sega's console in August. The lawsuit, however, claims it was Sega that halted shipments to Kmart in July for being delinquent.
"This ongoing, malicious lack of payment by Kmart does not produce a working environment for companies to trade with one another," said Charles Bellfield, a Sega spokesman in San Francisco.
Bellfield said Kmart accounted for less than 5 percent of Sega's North American sales and that Kmart had no impact on Sega's decision to leave the hardware business. Worldwide, Sega sold more than 6.5 million Dreamcasts, about half in the United States.
"It would be wishful to think that Kmart would have been able to save the Dreamcast," said P.J. McNealy, senior analyst at Gartner Group Inc., a research firm headquartered in Stamford, Conn.
Kmart, based in Troy, Mich., declined to comment Thursday.


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Reliance Industries Limited on Friday announced that Intel Capital, the investment arm of chip giant Intel, has invested Rs 1,894 crore in Jio Platforms.
Jio Platforms now has an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore.
Intel Capital’s investment will translate into a 0.39 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis, said the company.
“We are excited to work together with Intel to advance India’s capabilities in cutting-edge technologies that will empower all sectors of our economy and improve the quality of life of 1.3 billion Indians,” said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries.
Intel Capital joins the list of marquee firms like Silver Lake and Facebook who have recently invested in Jio Platforms, taking the total investment amount to Rs 117,588.45 crore.
Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, today has more than 388 million subscribers.
Wendell Brooks, Intel Capital President, said, “Jio Platforms’ focus on applying its impressive engineering capabilities to bring the power of low-cost digital services to India aligns with Intel’s purpose of delivering breakthrough technology that enriches lives”.
“Through this investment, we are excited to help fuel digital transformation in India, where Intel maintains an important presence.”
Jio Platforms has made significant investments across its digital ecosystem, powered by leading technologies spanning broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain.


text: Today, Acer announced a variety of new devices that will be powered by Intel technology. The new Acer Chromebook 15, the industry’s first Chromebook with a 15.6” display, features a 5th generation Intel® Core™ or Intel® Celeron® processor. The updated Acer Aspire R 13 and Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook will feature the new 5th generation Intel Core processor to deliver performance in a lightweight and thin package. The Acer Revo One, featuring the new 5th generation Intel Core processors, is a small and stylish desktop system that is designed to be the entertainment center for the entire family. Acer also introduced the new V Nitro Black Edition high-performance notebooks with a 17.3” full HD screen that is powered by a 4th generation Intel Core i7 Quad Core processor and feature the Intel RealSense 3D camera. For more information, visit Acer.


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Read the complete story about the new Volkswagen seven-seat SUV at AutoGuide.com.Volkswagen announced today that it will build its new seven-seat crossover at its Chattanooga, Tenn. plant.
Despite being the worlds number two automaker, Volkswagen is having a hard time in the U.S. market and the company hopes a large utility vehicle that will sit above the Touareg will help shore up its sales here. The mid-size sedan segment expanded from roughly 7500,000 in 2009 to about 1.4 million currently.
“The Chattanooga-built midsize SUV will allow us to fulfill the wishes of our dealer network, bringing new customers to our showrooms and additional growth for the brand,” VW Group of America CEO Michael Horn said. “We are eager to be entering this growing vehicle segment with a world-class, seven-passenger SUV from Volkswagen.”Volkswagen
Volkswagen’s yet-unnamed SUV will begin rolling off Volkswagen’s Chattanooga assembly line by the end of 2016, the company said today. Horn also said the MQB-based crossover will be offered with a diesel variant.
Apart from announcing the official decision to build the SUV there, Volkswagen also announced a commitment to invest $7 billion in its U.S. operation by 2018 including a new research and development facility in Tennessee that will employ 200 engineers. Early reports suggested that Volkswagen was leaning toward manufacturing the SUV in the U.S. over its Puebla, Mexico plant where the seventh-generation Golf is being built for this market.


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Here’s Internet of Things news-you-can-use for the week of April 2. Get this summary (and more!) in your inbox every Friday morning when you subscribe to Stacey’s newsletter.
Microsoft lays IoT security groundwork with Sorpis: Microsoft has released the details of a new security research project called Project Sopris. The company released a paper documenting what Microsoft believes is the path to secure connected devices powered by a microcontroller. The seven elements make sense but right now they are spread across a wide variety of players. This may be a challenge because Microsoft believes the hardware, firmware and operating system must be well integrated to offer the best security. This is a tall order given that the market for the hardware and software is still so fragmented. I plan to dig into this a bit more with various companies in this security stack for next week. For the curious, the elements are: a hardware-based root of trust, a small trusted computing base, defense in depth, compartmentalization, certificate-based authentication, security renewal, and failure reporting. (Microsoft)
Big security battles in the courts: ADT is suing Vivint for deceptive trade practices and other counts in U.S. District Court in Florida. The lawsuit alleges some pretty skeevy behavior by Vivint sales agents. They allegedly go to older residents with ADT signs and tell them they are there to upgrade their ADT equipment. They then switch out the gear to Vivint’s products and present the resident with a Vivint contract to sign. ADT says it received 321 complaints about Vivint in 2014, and another 307 complaints in 2015. When contacted for comment, Vivint said it believes the lawsuit is without merit and it will defend itself “vigorously.” (Lawsuit)
This is not how you do things: Speaking of skeevy (or just stupid) the CEO of a connected garage door opener called Garadget took issue with an angry customer leaving a one-star Amazon review, so he bricked the pissed-off-customer’s device. If you are a startup and you get mad at someone you cannot break their product (even if you do offer them a full refund if they return it). All that does is make anyone who was considering your product turn around shaking their head. (Ars Technica)
Court does the FDA’s job on mobile wellness apps: Using your smartphone to detect your heartbeat, your blood pressure or even your fetus’ heartbeat isn’t necessarily a great idea. They aren’t medically accurate. The FDA isn’t going after companies making these apps because they aren’t actively harmful and it has bigger fish to fry. But the NY Attorney General decided he had the time. (Wired)
Whelp, this is pretty meta: Computer vision is seen as crucial in our quest for self-driving cars and for safer robots. But computers are confused by people, and teaching machines to understand what we’re doing is a tough problem. Part of the problem is that computers have to be trained exhaustively to recognize individual parts before they can go further. So researchers have decided to create virtual humans with their parts already labeled for machines, so machines can go deeper than mere facial recognition to understand what people running, riding, falling and more look like. That’s right, we’re building virtual humans to teach computers how to understand real ones. (New Scientist)
Remotely programmable SIM cards are good for the IoT: Softbank plans to build SIM cards that are non-removable, but also remotely programmable for use in connected devices like wearables, robots and connected cars. The programmable “eSIMs” mean that instead of taking out a SIM card to change operators or users, the SIM is built into the device and is remotely programmed as needed. (Venture Beat)
How IoT will change healthcare: I think a lot about connected healthcare because it’s such a good example of how gathering tons of data and analyzing it can change lives. I hadn’t thought about how it could also change the way hospitals are physical built and where they are built. But telemedicine and connected medical devices mean that doctors can be in one place monitoring dozens of patients around a region. This vision of collecting experts in one place monitoring the health of a disparate group of people is actually a common one in factory automation, where aging experts are stretched thin trying to cover manufacturing operations around the world. (The Economist)
Ford will build a data center to hold car bits (and bytes): Ford expects connected cars to generate 200 petabytes of data by 2019 so it will spend $200 million on a data center for it. I suppose it didn’t want to give the data to Google’s or Amazon’s clouds. (The Register)
MIT’s 10 Breakthrough Technologies list is out: The whole list is always a must-read for me, but there are two trends that deal with IoT. They are IoT-supported botnets and self-driving trucks. Both feel pretty last year, but that’s okay by me. I’m still eagerly reading about practical quantum computing. (MIT Technology Review)
There’s a rugged Raspberry Pi: This might be your first stop if you want to prototype a low-power industrial IoT product. (Element14)
This is gross: Another security flaw in an internet-connected sex toy. I for one will not be going anywhere near a sex toy like this. London escorts provide a much better sensation anyway. Nonetheless, this security breach should be treated very seriously as a consequence of the repercussions that might ensue. Lock it down, y’all. (Boing Boing)
People like using their voice to control stuff: This feels pretty obvious, but there’s a nice chart. (Parks Associates)
Opportunity knocks: If you want to apply to Techstars’ IoT program in NYC then you have until Sunday. Go forth and apply!


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Paul Holmes 30 Oct 2006 // 12:00AM GMT
On the 20th anniversary of the “Big Bang” in the City of London—the 1986 reform of the London Stock Exchange and deregulation of financial services markets—a new survey of leading City opinion formers by financial services public relations specialist Penrose Financial says that the event changed the way financial institutions marketed themselves and was instrumental in the development of the now booming financial PR industry.
The vast majority (89 percent) of respondents said they believe a strong and positive media image is more important to the growth and success of their company than it was 20 years ago, which is reflected in significantly higher PR budgets. The same number also said that chief executives are now involved in their firms’ PR activity, highlighting the importance attached to reputation management at the highest level.
The most important reasons for the increased focus on reputation management are that financial markets are now less opaque and more open to scrutiny and that there is increased competition in the marketplace for new business: a direct consequence of the deregulation of financial services.
Other highlights of the survey include:
• 93 percent of respondents believe they communicate better than 20 years ago
• 81 percent of respondents said that the percentage of their marketing budget allocated is significantly more or a bit more than 20 years
• Blogging and the EU’s proposed MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) are not seen as major threats to brand reputation
• Shareholder and investor pressure to improve brand strength, the brand strength of competitors and increased globalisation are the three factors most likely impact use of PR in the next five years.
According to Gay Collins, managing director of Penrose Financial: “Big Bang broke down the barriers to competition in the City and left many firms fighting to survive. In this more dynamic marketplace companies began to realize that their brand was the key to success and that this had to be proactively built and protected. Those firms who believed they could rely on their established place in the City’s pecking order were the ones who inevitably disappeared or were taken over.
“The survey shows that firms have come to realise the value of reputation management and are prepared to invest in protecting and strengthening their public image. The fact that 89 percent of chief executives are involved in PR activity at some level, demonstrates that PR has become a topic for the boardroom.”


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Realme is going to launch its three new products today through an online launch event. This launch event marks the entry of Realme into the new IoT product category. Realme’s Smartwatch, Smart TV, and Realme buds air are going to be launched.
The launch event will start at 12:30 PM today with live streaming can be watched on official social media handles of Realme. Realme is set to launch a new 10,000mAh power bank along with its Smart Watch, Smart Tv, and Buds Air Earphones. As of now, we know about four products of Realme. Realme might make an announcement on its upcoming phones in the market.
As per company claims, Realme TV comes with a bezel-less display with a brightness intensity of 400 nits. Chroma boost picture engine is an additional feature to increase image processing. 64-bit MediaTek Chipset runs the smart TV assisted by mali 470 MP3 GPU. Also, this TV comes with four speakers with an output of 24W.
Realme Smart Watch:
The smartwatch comes with a 1.4-inch touchscreen colored display with colorful straps. It also facilitates a health assistant that works 24/7 along with the assistance of fitness and activity tracker. We can control music playback and camera using the feature in the smartwatch.
Realme Buds Air Neo:
Realme buds come with the true wireless earbuds enabled with Bluetooth 5.0. The 13-mm bass booster true wireless earbuds come with a 17-hour playback hour with 3-hours of charging. Functions like Music control, voice assistants are available on these air buds. The air buds come Red, Olive green, and white color variants.
Realme is coming with a 10,000 mAh power bank. The image of the same was revealed on the official twitter account of the company.
The prices of these products are not yet revealed, and we would know once the launch event takes off.


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DAMODA’s 200 indoor drones landed in CCTV Spring Festival Gala, creating a new world record
New Year's Eve, CCTV Spring Festival Gala is still a sumptuous "meal" to accompany thousands of Chinese people. On the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, as a "regular" of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, DAMODA uses technology and creativity to help CCTV Spring Festival Gala bloom more brilliantly.
In the performance of the Spring Festival Gala "Youth to the Sun", along with the actors' heartfelt interpretation, 200 drones changed their lights and shape, which became a highlight of the gala and also showed the infinite splendor and charm of the fusion of digital technology and culture and art.
This is the fourth consecutive year that DAMODA has participated in CCTV Spring Festival Gala from 2019 to 2023, and this time DAMODA has created a new world record for the number of indoor drone formation performances with 200 indoor drones. The "black technology" that appeared in the Spring Festival Gala is the new generation of industry-leading indoor V2 drone formation, which adopts the industry's latest patented technology to achieve centimeter-level accurate positioning in X, Y, and Z directions using UWB station, and through the unique indoor base station positioning continuous splicing technology, which makes the indoor performance space more prominent than before. It can be continuously extended to solve the problem that GPS cannot be used indoors. In order to create a more dazzling effect, the indoor drone adopts a fully transparent elliptical egg luminous body design, enabling the audience to view the best result.
Shenzhen DAMODA Technology Co. Ltd. was founded in 2016. In July 2016, we completed the first light show of 80 UAV formations in China and founded the first UAV flight performance team in China.
DAMODA is a national high-tech enterprise integrating UAV formation product research and development, production, sales, and flight performance services. Also, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology identified us as the "little giant" enterprise, which is the world's leading Sky digital new media solution provider.


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What just happened? Epic generated quite a bit of controversy throughout the PC gaming community when it announced that Deep Silver's highly-anticipated Metro Exodus would be an Epic Games Store exclusive. Many Metro series fans were disappointed by this decision, and some even felt that Exodus' sales would suffer due to the move. However, Epic wants you to believe the opposite is true now.
Despite how impressive that number looks on the surface, it omits quite a bit of important information.
For example, Metro Exodus' marketing budget was likely significantly higher than Last Light's, and the PC gaming community is much larger now than it was back in 2013 (which was when Last Light launched).
Furthermore, it's not surprising for an ambitious sequel in a well-known franchise to outsell previous titles. The Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Grand Theft Auto V's excellent sales numbers are proof of that.
As such, whereas Epic may feel that Exodus' success hasn't been hampered at all by its exclusivity, the company's sales comparison alone doesn't really provide enough concrete information to support that hypothesis.
Had the game launched on both Steam and the Epic Games Store, perhaps Exodus would have sold even better. For now, it's impossible to make a firm conclusion.
In other news, the controversy surrounding Epic's alleged Steam data mining continues to heat up.
For the unaware, users recently discovered that Epic's Game Store client had been quietly copying their Steam localconfig.vdf file behind the scenes for the purpose of friends list importing.
Epic said this was a bug, and the process was only meant to happen after users explicitly agreed to it (the issue has been fixed as of writing; now you have to opt-in for the copying process to begin).
Valve was quick to respond to the situation, claiming that the localconfig.vdf file is "private user data," and "not intended" to be used by other software or 3rd party services at all.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has somewhat-amusingly fired back now, noting that since -- by Valve's own admission -- the data is indeed owned by users, they can "do with it as they please."
"[Users] own the data on their hard drive, and if they choose to import it into other programs it's their right," Sweeney said to PC Gamer. "And I think that's the fundamental principle that's at stake."
Regardless of where you stand in the Epic vs. Steam debate, it's clear that the Epic Games Store isn't going anywhere anytime soon. As such, PC gamers should brace for more exclusive games, and perhaps a competitive response from Valve, over the coming months.


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A filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed that Samsung (005930) will be using the term “Hyper Bright Display” to describe screens for some of its upcoming products. The company was quick to trademark the term prior to the unveiling of the Galaxy S IV, which is significant because recent rumors suggest that Samsung’s latest smartphone will be equipped with a new kind of AMOLED display, called “green PHOLED,” that will be 25% more efficient than older AMOLED panels. The technology is said to make the handset’s 5-inch full HD display brighter than any of the company’s earlier models. Samsung will introduce the Galaxy S IV, possibly with a “Hyper Bright Display,” at Radio City Musical Hall in New York City and BGR will be on hand to bring you the news as it breaks starting a 7:00 p.m. EDT.
UPDATE: RootzWiki reports that the USPTO has rejected Samsung’s “Hyper Bright Display” copyright application on the grounds that “‘hyper bright’ is a very common type of LED display.” It will be interested to see if Samsung still refers to its new displays as “hyper bright” even if it doesn’t own a trademark for the term.


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ROME, November 23 (Reuters) – Italy on Monday signed a partnership with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group to build virtual stores for Italian products, in a move aimed at boosting business-to-business (B2B) exports amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Made in Italy Pavilion” will serve as a permanent online exhibition where Italian companies will be able to show their products and catalogs to buyers around the world.
The project will initially target about 300 Italian companies, the Italian trade agency said in a statement, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises in the food and beverage, clothing and design sectors, and industrial technology.
SMEs are the backbone of Italy’s economy, with about 5.3 million companies employing more than 15 million people, a Prometeia research center study shows.
“I am sure our company will not only fulfill this task but will realize that this is a necessary and easy step to take,” said Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio in an online presentation on the initiative.
In September, Italian exports grew 2.1% year-on-year, said the national statistics bureau Istat, fueling hopes that foreign trade could revive an economy that is expected to contract at least 9% this year due to the coronavirus.
Alibaba, which does business in about 190 countries, saw sales for the post-COVID-19 November “Singles’ Day” shopping extravaganza reach $ 74 billion, making it the world’s largest sales event.
“The pandemic has taught us that we need to accelerate the digitization process … to sell Positano sandals, Sicilian ceramics and grappa from Friuli everywhere,” said Rodrigo Cipriani Foresio, general manager of Alibaba group’s southern Europe. ($ 1 = 0.8404 euros) (Reported by Angelo Amante, edited by Gavin Jones and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)


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The advanced 10-nanometer chips could first be used in mobile devices and other consumer electronics, like game consoles, that demand high-performance and low power consumption.
The plan was included in the latest technology roadmap unveiled by TSMC about one year after the chipmaker attributed its delay in making 450mm wafers, originally scheduled in 2015, to semiconductor equipment suppliers’ postponement in developing advanced equipment for manufacturing amid the industrial slump.
Chipmakers can get 2.5 times more chips from a 450mm wafer than from a 300mm wafer.
Taiwan and South Korea are expected to be the two largest markets for semiconductor equipment this year, with purchases totaling US$9.26 billion and US$11.48 billion respectively, according to SEMI figures.
While in other news, Industry migration to 3D ICs to take place in 2015-16
The industry's gradual migration toward 3D ICs with through-silicon vias (TSV) is unlikely to happen until 2015 or 2016, according to sources at semiconductor companies. Volume production of 3D ICs was previously estimated to take place in 2014.
Leading foundries and backend assembly and test service companies have all devoted much of their R&D efforts to TSV development, and are making progress. The major players are believed to be capable of supporting 3D ICs by 2014, but the emerging technology going into commercial production may not take place until around the 2015-16 timeframe.


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By Carlena Knight
Farmers in the south-west of Antigua will be offering a variety of their fresh produce to the public during their inaugural Farmers Market this week.
The area from Christian Valley in Jennings to Claremont in Old Road boasts more than 200 farmers known to produce the famous Antigua Black Pineapple, a wide variety of mangoes and root crops.
This Wednesday, the public can snap up these items and many more at reduced prices.
Yesterday, the South-West District Officer, Oniecia Anthony, explained the reason for hosting the event.
“Farmers are producing more since the Covid pandemic and … they sometimes find it difficult to sell at the market with the competition that’s going on.
“So, in talking with the farmers, the idea came about that we will have our own South-West Farmers Market, showing that we too in the south are producing food and can produce as well as those persons who have 80 to 100 acres of land,” Anthony said on the Observer AM radio show on Monday.
Registration for the farmers is free and those who are interested are asked to call 720-9628 to do so.
Farmers are required to wear facemasks, and will be situated in a socially distanced manner while each station will have its own hand-washing facilities.
Anthony is encouraging the public to attend.
“We are encouraging the public to come and support them. We are having this event just in time for Easter. We have everything just in time to make the ducanas and the chop-up just for Easter,” she said.
“Persons will also be there selling seedlings and also some poultry farmers will be selling their eggs; [some] will also be there selling natural fertilisers, or what we call manure.”
The Farmers Market will be held at the entrance to Christian Valley on Wednesday from 6am to 3pm.


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10 MILLION VEHICLES PRODUCED SINCE 1968
Wednesday, April 20, Mioveni plant (Romania), a Urban Gray Duster Extreme L.E. just off the assembly line, takes a commemorative and highly symbolic photo. It is indeed the 10 millionth Dacia vehicle produced since the birth of the brand.
- 2,6 million Dacia Sandero & Sandero Stepway, the best-selling vehicle to individuals in Europe since 2017
- 2,3 million Dacia 1300 (and variants)
- 2,1 million Dacia Duster, the best-selling SUV to private customers in Europe since 2018
- 1,95 million Dacia Logan and Logan MCV
DACIA, A BRAND THAT CONTINUES TO GROW
Dacia started assembling its very first vehicle, the Dacia 1100, in August 1968.
The following year, the iconic Dacia 1300 model gave birth to a whole family of derivatives (sedan, station wagon, sports coupe, LCV). It remained in production for 35 years and has left its mark on the Romanian automotive landscape.
The takeover of the brand by Renault Group in 1999 opened a new chapter in the history of Dacia.
With the launch of Logan in 2004, Dacia became an international carmaker and the pace of sales accelerated. In 2005, Dacia opens a production line outside Romania, at the Somaca plant in Casablanca (Morocco).
The expansion of the model range (Sandero, Duster, etc.) and their immediate successes make it necessary to expand production capacity:
- inauguration of a brand-new plant in the port city of Tangier (Morocco) in 2012,
- opening in 2016 of a production line in Oran, exclusively for the Algerian market,
- production of Spring, Dacia’s first 100% electric vehicle, will start in 2020 at the Shyian plant in China.
Dacia vehicles are currently sold in 44 countries, mainly in Europe and the Mediterranean basin


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Retail Players Adapt To Pricing Fluctuations, Fast-Changing TrendsFebruary 8, 2023
Beverage alcohol retailers are planning to capitalize this year on projected steady growth trends for Tequilas, Bourbons, and Irish whiskies, but spirits-based RTDs appear to be the catalyst poised to spearhead industry gains. These developments and the rapidly changing beverage alcohol landscape have retailers increasing their cooler space and investing in technology to keep pace with pricing fluctuations.
Sales of spirits-based RTDs at Kreston Wine & Spirits’ two Delaware stores were strong in 2022 and continue to grow. “High Noon ($10 a six pack of 355-ml. cans), Crown Royal ($14 a six-pack of 12-ounce cans), Jack Daniel’s ($10 a six-pack of 12-ounce cans), and Cutwater ($13 a six-pack of 12-ounce cans) continue to grow even during the winter months,” says owner Bob Kreston.
The Wilmington, Delaware-based retailer recently expanded its Middletown location from 6,400 square feet to 11,200 square feet and is expanding refrigeration to keep up with the influx of canned offerings. “We kept our existing cooler and are adding a 17-door cooler,” says Kreston. “With the growth of craft beers, hard seltzers, and canned cocktails, it’s nice to increase the variety that we offer chilled.”
At Sal’s Beverage World’s three stores in the metro Chicago area, store owner Vince Liotta is testing electronic shelf tags, which will help alleviate the stress of the constant price changes. “The electronic price tags will automatically change as I raise prices in my system, similar to how my website works,” he says. “Old sale prices will turn off and return to regular prices and the new sale prices will turn on. We are seeing a huge number of price changes on the horizon, and I don’t think there is going to be any sign of stopping. Adding these tags will help us to match competitor sale prices instantly and also make sure our pricing in-store is accurate.”
Liotta and Kreston both reported strong Tequila sales in 2022, and it appears consumers in both markets can’t get enough hand-selected single-barrel Bourbons. “So far in 2023, I have already received and sold three hand-picked barrels that were actually supposed to ship in 2022,” Liotta says.
Kreston tries to get as many hand-selected single-barrel Bourbon offerings as he can for his stores. “People love them, and we do well with them,” he says. “We’ve created a nice following and clientele that gets excited when something new comes along. We do some in-store tastings. The following and demand for single-barrel Bourbons is amazing.”Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.
Tagged : Crown Royal, Cutwater, High Noon, Jack Daniel's, Kreston Wine & Spirits, Sal's Beverage World
GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2021 DATA AND 2022 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2022 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.


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Bega Cheese is facing another tough year as drought continues to squeeze milk supply and lift farmgate prices in Australia, analysts say.
But with its boosted milk intake and the price of retail dairy products on the rise there are also opportunities for the diversified processor.
Along with the weather and how to maximise earnings on whatever milk it can secure from farmers, Bega management will be keeping a close eye on the fate of the Lion dairy assets and on Fonterra’s future in Australia in the next few months.
Fonterra is yet to make its plans in Australia clear but has flagged intentions to pull back on overseas operations and focus more on its home base.
The Kiwi dairy giant has already lost so much milk supply in Australia that it has closed the Dennington plant in Victoria and has others running below capacity.
Japanese brewer Kirin’s sale of its Lion dairy and drinks business could also present opportunities for Bega - such as a possible role in managing plants and milk supply.
China’s Mengnui Dairy - a potential buyer of the Lion business before its $1.5 billion bid for Bellamy's - learned from its Burra Foods acquisition that managing plants and milk supply is not straight forward.
Industry experts also expect smaller dairy assets to come on to the market, presenting bolt-on opportunities for bigger players.
It is understood UK-based multinational PZ Cuzzons has been trying to sell organic yoghurt brand five:am but interest so far is falling well short of the $80 million it paid for the business in 2014.
While there might be light at the end of the tunnel, Bega faces another challenging 12 months.
Dairy manufacturers once again offering a farmgate milk price well in excess of what it should be under normal circumstance
— Belinda Moore, Morgans analyst
Morgans analyst Belinda Moore says things could get worse before they get better; weak full-year results had underlying net profit after tax down 12 per cent to $38.3 million.
This was in line with downgraded guidance but Morgans was unimpressed by the performance of Bega Foods, which includes the Vegemite and peanut butter brands, and Bega’s stretched balance sheet.
Ms Moore warned investors that Bega faced a tough fiscal 2020 and the Bega management agrees the challenging conditions will continue.
“Falling milk supply and excess manufacturing capacity are continuing to cause fierce competition for milk and is seeing dairy manufacturers once again offer a farmgate milk price well in excess of what it should be under normal circumstance,” she said.
On a positive note, Ms Moore said retail prices for some dairy products were on the rise and that could help Bega pass on some of the higher cost of milk.
The biggest positive for Bega last year was that it boosted milk intake by 41 per cent to a company record 1.06 billion litres - thanks in part to the $250 million acquisition of the Koroit processing plant in western Victoria.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission forced Saputo to jettison Koroit as part of its $1.3 billion Murray Goulburn acquisition in 2018. Saputo guaranteed Koroit would be supplied with 300 million litres of milk a year until July 2020 under sale terms to Bega.
Bega’s net debt increased $287.3 million, or 2.5 times EBITDA, after funding acquisitions and the additional milk at Koroit.
While Morgans has a hold on the stock, Bell Potter has it as a buy with a target price of $5.50.
Bell Potter saw plenty of upside in the wake of the full-year results based largely on the drought in eastern Australia breaking sooner or later.
To me there almost seems an inevitability about Bega becoming a target at some stage
— Mark Topy, Select Equities analyst
“We don’t believe the current operating earnings of Bega are reflective of what the business is capable of generating under more normal seasonal conditions,” analyst Jonathan Snape said.
The firm views Bega as a play on a return to normal rainfall and sees earnings growth from 2020-21 through the move to boost production of lactoferrin, a specialty protein used in health foods and infant formula.
Bega chairman Max Roberts said the past year would go down as one of the most difficult in dairy farming history with communities under strain and Bega facing intense competition for a diminishing pool of milk.
Popular and respected Bega executive chairman Barry Irvin also took extended leave to battle cancer.
Dairy Australia has forecast milk production to fall by up to 5 per cent this year because of drought, high water and feed prices.
Bega’s opening farmgate milk price for fiscal 2020 was $6.60 per kilogram of milk solids (compared to $5.85 a year earlier) and it increased the price to $6.75 by August.
Select Equities analyst Mark Topy said Bega faced a major challenge in managing rising farmgate prices and trying to pass costs on to the domestic market.
Mr Topy said Fonterra had taken its eye off the ball in Australia with its milk supply estimated to have fallen from two billion litres to about 1.4 billion litres.
However, he warned big players like Saputo, with about two billion litres, and Bega faced competition from a host of other companies chasing significant volumes for high margin products.
Select Equities has a hold on Bega but expects it to emerge in a strong position once milk supply bounces back.
Mr Topy said the premium Mengnui was willing to pay for Bellamy's, essentially an infant formula marketing company that relies on subcontractors, might spark renewed interest in Bega given its drought-affected share price, processing assets, retail footprint and solid brands.
"To me there almost seems an inevitability about Bega becoming a target at some stage," he said.
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GTA 5 and GTA Online haven't been in the news quite as much recently as Rockstar's remastered trilogy of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas have been stealing most of the headlines. Not for good things either, for the most part anyway. The studio has been criticized for the poor state The Trilogy is in to the point that it has issued a public apology and is working on fixes for its many problems.
A little good news about anything GTA is very welcome right now. The reveal that everyone who plays GTA Online will be getting free money will do the trick. GTA Online's latest update has been rolled out and it includes exactly that, among quite a few other special Black Friday deals. Log in this weekend and the money will be added to your count during a 72-hour period starting on December 2, 2021.
Unfortunately, the $500,000 to be spent anywhere in Los Santos won't arrive in time for this week's in-game Black Friday deals. While the weekly update features more of the same for the most part, there are additional savings to be had to celebrate every shopper's favorite weekend of the year. The Avenger is half price, as are the Luxor and Luxor Deluxe, and you can currently get any and all of GTA Online's yachts for 40% less than usual.
Prior to GTA Online's bumper Black Friday sale, and before the arrival of The Trilogy, Los Santos was subjected to an alien invasion. Well, sort of. The mysterious event, which took place over Halloween, included UFOs hovering ominously over the city. Players couldn't get near them due to vehicles cutting out whenever they came close, and once the event was done the UFOs just left.
As for The Trilogy, despite what you may have read online experienced for yourselves, it hasn't been all bad. The three remastered games are packed with cool easter eggs, most of which we probably haven't even found yet. One may even hint at what players will see in GTA 6. A bar wall in San Andreas is covered in photos featuring UFO sightings, and players are convinced one of those photos is a screenshot from the still unannounced GTA 6.
Source: Read Full Article


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YouTube engineers just keep bringing the online video masses new features to try. This time, the video site is implementing a test-run of autoplay video suggestions on select users’ accounts.
Indian tech blog TechloMedia first noticed the introduction of autoplay videos. Users who have the beta autoplay feature active on their accounts notice an “up next” box with the autoplay toggle to the right of their currently-loaded video (or below the video player if the video is in Theater Mode).
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The autoplay toggle is set to “on” by default, but users have the ability to switch it off before the next video plays. If users opt to keep the autoplay option turned on, the “up next” message will load on the screen after the current video is done, instead of the usual grid of suggested videos.
A YouTube spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch the autoplay feature has been rolled out to only a few global users. “With more videos coming to YouTube every minute we’re always experimenting with ways to help people more easily find, watch and share the videos that matter most to them,” said the spokesperson. “We’ll consider rolling features out more broadly based on feedback on these experiments.”
The potential benefits of autoplay suggested videos means users will discover content more easily and won’t have to spend time searching for something new to watch. To be clear, YouTube users have always been exposed to autoplay videos as a component of YouTube playlists, but those playlists are curated by another user and aren’t necessarily custom-tailored to any given viewer’s viewing habits. The autoplay video suggestions helps address that problem, ideally serving up videos to viewers that they’re interested in watching.
Facebook started using autoplay videos this past year (albeit muted in user’s feeds) and has seen its video interactions and shares go up tremendously. The lean-back online video experience has also been gaining more traction in the industry. But it’s no secret the online video masses tend to dislike autoplay videos, no matter how well they work for brands and advertisers. The majority of comments on TechCrunch’s article state their autoplay frustrations, and one response in particular points out tech-savvy users will just find ways around the feature:
YouTube users in particular aren’t used to the autoplay format unless they have specifically chosen to watch a playlist. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of feedback YouTube gets from the experiment and whether or not the online video site will implement autoplay video suggestions in the future.


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Motorola’s One Fusion+ is coming to North America. The $399 had previously only been available in Latin America and India, and Motorola hadn’t mentioned anything about bringing it stateside.
The One Fusion+ stands out for a few reasons. That all starts with the impressiv camera setup. It’s got 4 in total, an eight megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, five megapixel Macro Vision camera and two megapixel depth sensor, a 64 megapixel high-resolution sensor, and a 16 megapixel pop-up selfie camera.
This phone has a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730 processor and a rather large 5,000 mAh battery that will last for over two days on a charge.
The One Fusion+ will ship stateside in less than a week. That device costs $500 until supplies last, after which it will be priced at $700.
Featured Image Credit: [Motorola]


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Australian-based hotel management company StayWell Hospitality Group and Cristal Group, a leading hospitality group in the Middle East, are joining forces with the announcement of a strategic alliance.
The newly formed alliance wi
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and the Mabrouk Group, Tunisia’s preeminent investment group, will be introducing a new luxury experience to Tunisia with the opening of Four Seasons Hotel Tunis in late 2017.
Perched along th
Hilton has signed a management agreement with hospitality debutant Al Marwan Group to open a new DoubleTree by Hilton property in Sharjah, UAE.
Scheduled to open in 2020, DoubleTree by Hilton Sharjah Waterfront Hotel & Suites
Expanding its footprint in the hospitality sector, Dubai-based The First Investor group, a subsidiary of Al Fardan Group, has acquired the Carlton Downtown hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Formerly the Warwick Hotel, it is the third ho
Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, has appointed Blue Square Consultants (BSC) to represent the company in India.
Jumeirah Group currently operates 21 hotels in nine destinations ac
Leading hospitality chain AccorHotels has partnered with real estate company Arabia Group to manage Fairmont Pyramids Hotel and Residences - Egypt's newest property which is set to open in 2020.
The management deal also includ
Gulf Air has launched an online Group Bookings Facility on the its official website gulfair.com.
The group bookings facility is available to both travellers and travel agents wishing to avail of preferential deals on bookings of 1
Jumeirah Restaurant Group (JRG), the homegrown restaurant management company based in Dubai, will expand its portfolio of international restaurants and brands with the launch of Flow, a new healthy eating and creative hub in Jumeirah Emirates To
The Organizing Committee of the World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi has announced the support of the Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) in the delivery of the 2019 Congress.
The agreement appoints Hala Abu Dhabi as the Official Travel &am
The Paris Gallery Group of Companies, a world known name for all brand perfumes and fashion, has announced plans to 30 new stores for the its various brands and subsidiaries across the Middle East.
The expansion plan will take the


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Scottish franchise news, latest from franchising in Scotland
New business wins for robertson technologies
robertson technologies, the Leith-based IT support and consultancy firm has taken a major step forward by winning three significant new pieces of business worth a total of £75,000 over the next three years
the streat franchise opens in Airdrie and Queen St, Glasgow
Once in a lifetime opportunity to secure first class franchise at a bargain price
The Original Poster Company franchise has resales for sale in Scotland
Greeting card distribution franchise The Original Poster Company has resale opportunities available in Scotland and are seeking hard working prospective franchise owners to invest in these existing territories.
Nailzone franchise training to be the best
Nailzone franchise secures Government funding for students at its accredited Training Academy
Working towards a new career just got a whole lot cheaper after Glasgow-based Nailzone won Government funding for students at its city-centre Training Academy.
Stockbridge is in for a treat with new Baguette Express franchise
Baguette Express, the chain that makes the Britain’s tastiest snacks, is serving up a summertime treat with the opening of a brand new outlet in busy Deanhaugh Street, between the bustling Edinburgh neighbourhoods of Stockbridge and Comely Bank.
Cartridge World franchise seeks budding entrepreneurs in Dundee
Flying in the face of the recession, Cartridge World, an international franchise business is actively seeking budding entrepreneurs keen to start up successful businesses in the Dundee area.
Cash Generator franchise to expand across Scotland
National retailer Cash Generator is to double its presence in Scotland, opening 14 new stores in the next two years, creating 100 jobs and signalling an investment of £2.8 million into the Scottish economy.
the streat franchise comes to Scotland
Ireland’s fastest growing café franchise opened an office in Glasgow’s south side in January this year with ambitious expansion plans for cafes in every major Scottish city and town.


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BOSTON and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MediaSilo and Wiredrive are launching SHIFT™, a new brand identity for the combined companies. SHIFT will change how creators develop and deliver their work, providing solutions that streamline the process of creating, sharing and securing valuable creative assets. The two companies first came together in early 2017 to combine their expertise and strengthen the development of tools that service nearly three million users in agency, brand and post-production creative work.
"SHIFT reflects the changes we see happening in the industry today. We are in the middle of a massive transformation in the media landscape, and as advisors and vendors we have front row seats. This means we are in a unique position to provide solutions that support content creators of tomorrow," says Kai Pradel, CEO of SHIFT. "We support media creation at any scale and are turning our attention toward a new generation of tools that address the demanding workflows of today's creatives."
SHIFT is now the umbrella brand for the company's flagship products: MediaSilo, Wiredrive, SafeStream and Screeners.com. SHIFT will address all aspects of creative workflow, providing solutions to the most significant challenges facing industries which, hindered by workflow conventions, compressed timelines and reduced budgets, still demand powerful creative. The company will introduce new products starting this summer that reimagine collaboration in the fast-growing market of content creation, eliminating workflow silos, and addressing the security and scale needed to create media at the enterprise level.
SHIFT: The Choice for Enterprise Media
SHIFT gives individuals and teams from enterprise media companies, agencies and brands access to a secure ecosystem that embraces the unique needs of creators and eliminates compromises. For those involved in the lifecycle of creative content, SHIFT and its products and services provide an environment that is safe, scalable, inspiring, empowering and efficient.
Both MediaSilo and Wiredrive, leading collaboration platforms for creators and creative companies, address video workflow issues, delivering tools that allow users to stay focused on creativity and content. Each of these solutions will continue as part of SHIFT:
More to Come
Moving forward, SHIFT will develop new platforms and services that build upon the capabilities of today's solutions, reflecting the changing nature of video content creation and distribution in an increasingly open, global marketplace. The company will preview its first new product at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in April in booth SL9205.
To learn more, visit the new corporate site at shift.io.
SHIFT is the world's largest SaaS platform for video-driven creative workflows with more than 2,000 enterprise customers worldwide. SHIFT recognizes that in the advertising, media and post-production markets, creators need an environment that is free from hurdles and processes that get in the way of producing outstanding content. At every step of the creative lifecycle, SHIFT provides tools that enable professionals to focus on what really matters—working with freedom, speed and a sense of security. Combining proven solutions from MediaSilo and Wiredrive, SHIFT empowers creators at all levels to develop and deliver exceptional work.
For more than a decade, creative professionals have relied on SHIFT solutions for the most high-profile work in the market. Of note, 85 percent of 2018 Golden Globe winners were SHIFT customers, and in 2017, 40 percent of Oscar winners and 92 percent of Super Bowl ads were produced using SHIFT products. Today, 70 percent of all scripted and reality television is touched by a SHIFT solution. With offices in Boston and Los Angeles, SHIFT makes great content possible everywhere.
SOURCE SHIFT Media


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Air Max 95 Orange
Electric cars will also be part of the celebrations, including a 1912 Detroit Electric car.
Koehn came up with the Air Max 01
in Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge.
Four stations will be set up across the park and will contain three bins at each one, plus one not so visible garbage bin. The first bin will be for glass, metal or plastic containers. The second bin will be for clean paper products, including newspaper, card board or white paper. The third bin will be for food scraps and soiled napkins and tissues. Attendants at each station will help people dispose of their waste properly.
The first Farmer's Market of the year will be part of Earth Day, as well.
A local chapter of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, along with the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society are organizing a bike give a way for Earth Day. Bicycles that are in reasonably good condition are being Black Nike Air Max Womens 2013
"It's based on the idea that Air Max 95 Orange we live in an abundant society and we don't have to work so hard to make a lot of money to buy what we need," said Koehn.
Station pilot project.
Blue boxes have already been placed at various stores downtown Maple Ridge for people to donate gently used articles of children's clothing, books and toys to the freecycle. in front of the ACT. All of the items collected will be available for people to take at the freecycle on Earth Day.
collected at the recycling depot (10092 236th Street).
A "freecycle" in the Studio Theatre at the ACT is one of the new attractions.
As a final touch, the Maple Ridge Quilting Guild is creating reusable pennant style bunting to decorate the many booths that will fill Spirit Square on Earth Day.
"If you see something you like or your kid likes just take it," said organizer Leanne Koehn, daughter of Ridge Meadows Recycling Society founders Julie and Dave Koehn.
The ACT will also host activities, including the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society's information tables. The recycling society's anniversary video will be played on various screens.
VACC will also show how to use bus bike racks.
There will also be plenty of entertainment.
All of these items that we need already exist, said Koehn, and this takes the stigma off of reused items.
idea after seeing it in action at the Richmond Maritime Festival.
Celebrate Earth Day in Maple Ridge
Another new initiative that will make it's debut at Earth Day will be the Zero Waste Air Max 95 Safari
"It's really about keeping things out of the landfill," said Koehn.
Air Max 95 Orange
Mens Nike Air Max 95 Cheap


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Amino acid specialist firm Ajinomoto has lauded the findings of a new Japanese study which highlighted the potential of umami ingredients, such as the various glutamate-based substances, to reduce consumer salt intake and improve public health.
Amino acid specialist Ajinomoto has predicted that more cost increases are likely in FY2023 due to continuous inflationary pressures, even though the company reported record-breaking sales and profits last year.
Japan food heavyweight Ajinomoto has highlighted localisation and innovation as key pillars of its sustainability strategy in the firm’s most recent report, with its leaders pledging to take a ‘fundamentally different’ path from other MNCs.
Japanese food giant Ajinomoto has highlighted alternative proteins and frozen foods as two of the firm’s key growth strategies, in its first public report issued since its new leadership took over office earlier this year.
Japan flavouring giant Ajinomoto believes that major growth opportunities lie ahead for the firm within the plant-based meat alternatives and ready-to-eat product sectors, where it believes MSG and other glutamate solutions can provide the required flavours...
Japanese F&B giants Ajinomoto and Meiji have called for more harmonised food regulations planned in collaboration with the food industry address local malnutrition problems as well as ‘big gaps’ with international standards.
Leading Japanese firms Asahi, Ajinomoto, Kirin, Hotei Foods, Nippn and Nissin have underlined how their manufacturing, R&D and employee safety are being maintained as certain prefectures come under another state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brands and suppliers need to innovate with speed and agility to meet the meet changing demands from APAC’s consumers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an expert panel featuring a raft of top firms has concluded.
Japan’s food seasoning giant Ajinomoto is proposing amino acids like monosodium glutamate (MSG) as a candidate to help fight dementia and is working on a new range of seasoning products to help improve cognitive health.
Japanese F&B firms in Japan such as Nissin, Ajinomoto, Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin, Kewpie, Hotei Foods, and Megmilk Snow Brand say they are battling to provide 'business as usual', despite the state of emergency in the country due to the COVID-19...


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Walmat’s efforts to penetrate to New York have been the focus of considerable media attention the past few years so it is somewhat strange to find no mention of the company in a report out this week on commercial real estate trends.
Laura Pomerantz, a principal with the New York-based commercial real estate firm of PBS Real Estate noted that “2011 will see big changes on the streets of Manhattan. New and unexpected retailers are transforming shopping dynamics from Madison and Fifth Avenue to Times Square and the Upper West Side.”
Her fellow principal at the firm, John Brod, added, “Expect to see a rise in office rental rates driven by pressure from foreign investors, a decline in vacancy rates and a lack of new developments.”
The omission of Walmart from the retail real estate trend discussion is noteworthy because the firm’s principals go on to describe how value-oriented retail is becoming more fashionable in Manhattan. They mention companies such as Uniqlo and Urban Outfitters located on Fifth Avenue as an example along with such other retailers as Timberland, Desigual, Who A.U. and JC Penney executing leases to open on 34th Street.


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MICROSOFT’S PUSH TOWARD BIOMETRICS SECURITY
Microsoft has been building better alternatives to passwords into its forthcoming version of Windows, including support for two-factor authentication and biometrics. Now the company is joining forces with the Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) Alliance industry group to spread those technologies to other designs, according to SlashGear.
MORE FIDO in the News
C-Net: Apple Says its New Logon Tech is as easy as Passwords but far more Secure
Apple has begun testing passkeys, a new authentication technology it...June 15, 2021
Finextra: Visa invests in LoginID to accelerate Fido-certified SCA
Visa has invested in LoginID, the startup behind a series...June 4, 2021
IBS Intelligence: FIDO2-certified LoginID secures new investment from Visa
LoginID, a FIDO-certified authentication provider, has announced securing additional investment...


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Impossible Burger Receives $75 Million Investment
How much would you pay for a hamburger that tastes like the real thing but isn’t actually made from meat, thus alleviating many of the environmental, ethical and health concerns that come with being a carnivore? If you said $257 million, I’d say you’re the kind of person who’s willing to splurge, but you’ve also hit the number right on the head.
Impossible Foods, the Redwood City, California-based company behind the meat-free Impossible Burger (touted for its ability to “bleed” just like real beef), just announced it had closed another financing round, adding an additional $75 million to its coffers, bringing total investment in the business that launched in 2011 to $257 million. Among others, the latest round of investors includes Bill Gates who joins previous high profile stakeholders like Google Ventures. Needless to say, the brand is no longer simply under pressure to make a tasty vegan burger, but to sell a lot of them.
Rachel Konrad, Impossible Food’s chief communications officer, defended her company’s need for plenty of capital, explaining that Impossible Foods has ambitions far beyond its current scope of supplying meat-free burgers to a handful of restaurants. The brand is thinking globally… as in literally every single person on planet Earth. “The reason Impossible Foods exists is to satisfy the world's voracious craving for meat in a way that's sustainable and scalable for nine billion people by 2050,” she told FoodNavigator-USA. “That's a huge task that requires a lot of R&D and investment. But if we accomplish our goal, we will have a huge positive impact on the environment and be a successful business.” Also worth noting is that though ground beef is the brand’s current focus, Impossible Foods says that other meats like chicken, pork and fish are planned moving forward.
The company also has competition in the non-meat meat space, as Beyond Meat's Beyond Burger rolls out in 600 Kroger stores this summer.
The ambitious goal of serving nine billion people starts with scalability, and Impossible Foods is about to take its first major step, planning to open its first commercial-scale manufacturing facility in Oakland by March of next year. In the meantime, if you want to taste the future right now, we put together a list of the 40 restaurants in 16 cities that are current serving the famous “bleeding” patty.


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Posted by Dale Buss on December 19, 2013 07:17 PM
As the whole restaurant marketplace becomes a mash-up, it's little surprise that Chipotle is pursuing a fast-casual niche that's growing just as its own fresh-Mex segment has taken off: pizzerias.
Chipotle invested in a chain called Pizzeria Locale with a restaurant in Denver that actually opened in May, and it's considering two more locations in the city, according to USA Today. It's too soon to say whether Chipotle will open Pizzeria Locales in other parts of the US.
"Opening Pizzeria Locale using a model similar to Chipotle allows us to make extraordinary pizza, made with high-quality ingredients accessible to everyone," said Chipotle CEO Steve Ells in a press release.Continue reading...
chew on this
Posted by Dale Buss on December 19, 2013 01:45 PM
The restaurant business remains tough, and so it didn't take long for Darden to say "uncle" to an activist investor who believed that the best path for the owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains was to spin them off into a separate company while clustering its faster-growing startup concepts in another.
Darden met Barington Capital Group halfway on Thursday by declaring that it will jettison Red Lobster and take other steps. It'll hold a tax-free spinoff of the seafood brand to shareholders or it might sell Red Lobster in a move aimed at boosting lagging shareholder value and profitability.
"As consumer demand dynamics have changed, Red Lobster's priorities and operating support requirements have come to differ meaningfully from those of Darden's other brands," the company said.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on December 19, 2013 09:18 AM
Target hit by credit card breach of as many as 40 million customers that started on Black Friday.
Whole Foods stops selling Chobani in favor of non-GMO yogurts.
Chipotle joins fast-casual pizza race.
A&E suspends patriarch Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty over anti-gay remarks.
Allstate launches new online game to help avoid holiday mayhem.
AstraZeneca buys out Bristol-Myers Squibb in diabetes joint-venture.
Bayer buys cancer-drug partner Algeta for $2.9 billion.
Boeing loses out to Saab in providing fighter jets for Brazil and taps likely CEO successor.
Chevrolet sees a top US marketer leave.
Christie's finalizes appraisal of Detroit Institute of Arts collection.
Daimler gets stake in Aston Martin with engine supply deal.
Darden spins out Red Lobster amid shareholder pressure.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on December 13, 2013 12:48 PM
Back in October, McDonald's named Amazon's Atif Rafiq its first chief digital officer as the space has become critical to the struggling burger chain's success. And now the latest effort—a mobile app—is being tested at select locations across the US.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the simplistic app—which already has a live version in the UK—offers up coupons to consumers that specify what they want to eat. New deals pop up every six weeks, and it also includes a restaurant locator and menu listing.
McDonald's is playing catch-up with competitors like Five Guys and Chipotle, which already attract a younger crowd than McDonald's does and already have apps available that allow for mobile odering—something the McD app doesn't have. "It's premature to speculate on the future of the McD App," Lisa McComb, a company spokeswoman, said in an email to the Tribune.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on October 31, 2013 06:21 PM
The average American household will spend $44 on candy for Halloween this year, a total aggregated spend of more than $2 billion. And the top chocolate brands—Snickers, M&M's, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups—won't be the only brands to benefit.
This year brings the usual bonanza of contests and antics from a broad swath of brands eager to show their playful—and spooky—sides.
From Google's witchy animation to FedEx's Zombie Survival Kit, here are a few that caught our eye:Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on October 29, 2013 09:23 AM
Apple sees profits fall despite higher sales of iPhones and offers disappointing holiday forecast.
Red Bull is subject to big wrongful-death suit.
Sears considers spinning off Lands End unit.
Air Serbia launches in Europe.
Boeing considers non-union plant for 777x.
Burger King may rescue corporate cousin Heinz after McDonalds ketchup snub.
Consumer Reports drops Toyota Camry from its recommended list over crash test.
GM lifts Opel marketing in Russia.
Google amends EU antitrust proposals as it looks to triple number of Glass testers and prepares to launch smartwatch.
Guess signs first Indian model, Priyanka Chopra, as new brand ambassador.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on October 25, 2013 09:33 AM
Twitter seeks $1.4 billion in biggest web IPO since Facebook and hires NBC vet as news chief.
Microsoft shares jump 5 percent on positive earnings.
Instagram rolls out in-stream ads as Facebook seeks boost in mobile revenues.
AT&T leans on less-lucrative tablets.
Apple sees Carl Icahn raise his stake in company and demand $150-billion buyback, while its VP of product design goes to Tesla.
BMW unveils 2 series coupes.
Boeing gets $21 billion in plane orders from China, report says.
BP ramps up drilling again.
Chipotle backs "Food for Thought" content area on Huffington Post.
Chobani touts quality in new campaign after recall.
Coca-Cola Femsa says new tax in Mexico would hurt jobs.
Dunkin' Donuts rolls out enhanced loyalty program.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on October 23, 2013 08:04 PM
Panera may be getting caught in a strange sort of pincers: It now offers too many menu items for its staff to serve efficiently. But its biggest new competition may be coming from Starbucks that wants to emulate Panera by greatly expanding its own menu.
For now, the bigger problem for the St. Louis-based chain is what to do about comparable-store sales that rose by only 1.7 percent during the third quarter, short of the company's expectations. Overall revenues grew by 8 percent, but CEO Ron Shaich predicted flattened sales in the fourth quarter.
Shaich identified the comp-sales problem in part as stemming from "operational friction, including capacity and throughput constraints." Translation: Panera outlets tend to have either too many menu items, or they're too complex, or there aren't enough staffers to handle the demands of preparing the food as well as the customer flow. Or all of the above.Continue reading...


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The all-new $1.5-million Ferris wheel at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier will be revealed during a dedication ceremony Thursday, May 22nd. The event is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. at Pacific Park and a wheel lighting ceremony is scheduled for 8:45 p.m.
Following the lighting ceremony, all guests may ride the all-new Ferris wheel free from 9 p.m. to midnight. Pacific Park will also provide free popcorn, cotton candy and live music.
Local dignitaries and business leaders are expected to attend the dedication, including Santa Monica Mayor Herb Katz, Santa Monica City Council members, and Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Misti Kerns.
“We have strived to create a Ferris wheel that Santa Monica and all of Southern California can be proud of for years to come,” says Jeff Klocke, director of marketing and sales at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. “We are extremely excited to present the all-new Ferris wheel’s enhanced lighting features punctuated tonight by a pyrotechnics extravaganza that will be set to synchronized music.”
The first lighting of the all-new Ferris wheel will be showcased by a five-minute pyrotechnics show by Pyro Spectaculars by Souza, who has created fireworks shows for Super Bowls, summer and winter Olympic Games, the Statue of Liberty’s 100th anniversary tribute and various theme parks.
The Pacific Wheel contains 160,000 energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lights providing dynamic computer-generated lighting every evening. The enhanced LED lighting will also provide 75-percent greater energy savings than the previous incandescent bulbs, according to Pacific Park.
With the adaptation of its solar-power application, the Pacific Wheel will continue to be the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, according to a Pacific Park spokesman.
The new Ferris wheel was manufactured by Chance Morgan Inc. in Wichita, Kansas, and stands 130 feet above the Pacific Ocean, featuring 20 gondolas with a maximum six riders per car and accommodating up to 600 riders per hour.
Pacific Park offers 12 amusement rides, 21 midway games and an oceanfront food plaza.
For information and hours of operation, (310) 260-8744, or www.pacpark.com/.


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Google Play Pass is designed to go head-to-head with Apple Arcade, which the Cupertino, Calif-based tech giant launched last week.
Apple officially launches its Arcade online gaming service that will allow subscribers to play more than 100 games curated by the tech giant for $4.99 a month.
Blackstone is 'in advanced talks' to buy and lease back the Bellagio and MGM Grand Las Vegas casinos from MGM Resorts, a report says.
Activision Blizzard shares receive an upgrade from analysts at Nomura Instinet, who note its recent and upcoming game launches are generating positive sales and buzz.
Investors need to have patience, but this is a solid strategic move by the company.
Apple analysts have built slight revenue and earnings increases into their models based on the company's new iPhones and services announced on Tuesday.
Analysts at the firm upgraded the stock to buy from hold.
Wynn Resorts and three other casinos have their stock price targets cut by a J.P. Morgan analyst Friday over concerns about events impacting Macau.
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"No matter how insignificant your budgets or your resources are, find a way to start measuring," said Ian McGonnigal, senior director of services worldwide at George P. Johnson Co., which specializes in experiential marketing. "I like to say that if someone hasn't come for your results yet, they will be [coming]. It's not a question of if, it's when. You will be held accountable for your results, [especially] in this new environment where everything is measurable. More and more we're finding through our own surveys people are looking to their marketing tactics to prove ROI."
McGonnigal and his company realized this when it teamed with IBM Corp. to build a system for measuring ROI. After nearly five years of planning, Steve Waugh, head of global events at IBM, said he believes they have finally worked the kinks out of the system.
"We do about 5,000 events per year," Waugh said. "[We were going to] trade shows like PC Expo, we were spending millions of dollars and we just didn't know if we were getting anything out of it. We learned a lot; and I remember having the results of postevents in my hand, and going to a financial stakeholder and saying: `This does not make sense to invest in anymore.' That's when we started to change the conversation. We were spending so much money and just assumed that going to [an event like] PC Expo was a good thing."
After the system was finalized, Waugh recognized there was no need to make assumptions about what was working and what wasn't—he had solid numbers to give them those answers. "The game changed," Waugh said.
According to McGonnigal: "Regardless of what companies you work for, the game is changing. It's important to understand that [your measurement system] needs to be flexible and it needs to adapt."
So how did they do it? The key was to design a system that was specific to IBM. Every company must consider "external influencers that will make it difficult," McGonnigal said. "There are internal [influencers] as well—what kind of company you have, what products you sell, your systemic infrastructure. All of these things are going to impact what metrics [you choose]. There are some generalizations: Measurements should be based on your objective; any company can apply that. The purpose is to understand if you're successful or not. Measure significant things, and make sure your measurement is used for change."
Waugh admitted that while the idea of change can be difficult, it is necessary. For this reason, some marketers are reluctant to confront results. "When you go into measurement, it brings about whether your event was effective. It can buck conventional wisdom. Sometimes people are happier not knowing."
McGonnigal said IBM made major changes to its events program once measurements were in place. "We canceled 20% of our campaigns worldwide when they didn't show results," he said. "The 20% was low-hanging fruit, but it made a huge statement," Waugh said.
So what specifically can a company do to put together a system of measurement? Companies that have been successful with measuring ROI advise that you set your goals ahead of time and make sure every aspect of your event is geared toward accomplishing those goals.
Carrie Freeman Parsons, VP-marketing at Freeman, a com-pany that manages and produces events, said, "For a typical trade show, what we have seen customers do is consider all the constituencies that are involved in an event. You might have the opportunity to recruit new people. You might have the marketing view of brand enhancement; you may have the sales view of closed deals, the executive view of how much press do you want, how many meetings with high-end customers do you want. All those discussions have to be agreed upon in advance. At the end of the day, all of that strategy is what will drive the tactics that you execute down the road. Documenting how each of these groups [meets the agreed-upon goals] would measure success."
Waugh said IBM's success has also resulted from breaking the event into parts. "For tactic efficacy, we will look at it individually and measure things like how do we get the list of attendees, how many people did we invite, how many responded and how many came. Depending on the event type, which sessions did they go to? [We look at] the tactic-specific measurement. [Then we look at] awareness—did we impact people's impressions of IBM?"
The best way to determine how people feel about an event is to ask. Dax Callner, VP-communications strategist at experiential marketing agency Jack Morton Worldwide, said "Advocacy levels [are] based on one single survey question: `[From 1 to 10], how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?' Based on the scores, we can measure changes in advocacy levels as a result of our activities. It's been tied to actual action."
Measuring the quantity and quality of leads generated during an event, Callner said, can help determine ROI. "We do a hot/medium/ cold evaluation. Based on formulas, we can predict incremental revenue of our time. If out of 10,000 [leads], 500 are hot leads, and we know that hot leads are equal to $1,000 of revenue, then we can predict how much we are going to make."
Callner and his team make sure to survey as many event attendees as they can. "We ask a number of questions," he said. "We monitor their behavior onsite [using RFID swipe cards]—how they are participating—and based on that data we come up with some kind of analysis that says we delivered the right level of experience. ...We want to make sure that it maps back to the brand."
Finally, McGonnigal said the most important aspect to take into consideration is the cost of measurement. Determining ROI, he said, "takes time, resources and money. All these things need to be understood." Do not, he added, spend more on measuring your results then you do on the event itself.
If a company can take away one thing from this ROI call to arms it's if you're looking at ROI not just as a dollar amount, then it's certainly measurable, Parsons said. "You can quantify whether or not you accomplish your goals."


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If you are living in America, chances are you’re familiar with the little pink ribbons. They seem to be plastered on everything — from makeup and jewellery to gardening tools and even buckets of fried chicken. But at least they are for a good cause. If we see this symbol and purchase these products, that means we are supporting breast cancer research, right?
Well, surprise, surprise — that is exactly what you are meant to believe and an example of marketing at its finest. It is truly sad to realize how much power marketing and advertising campaigns have over us.
Considering that about 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, the Breast Cancer Foundation represents a noble cause that certainly deserves money for research and treatment. Unfortunately, their efforts only appear honourable on the surface; in reality, the multi-million dollar company behind those pink ribbons — the Susan G. Komen Foundation — puts less than a dime of each dollar toward actually finding a cure for breast cancer. And that’s just the beginning of the problem.
Where Does The Money Actually Go?
The Komen Foundation’s assets total over a staggering $390 million. According to Charity Navigator, the foundation reported a total revenue of nearly $312 million in the fiscal year ending in March 2010. In an article published on AlterNet, however, Emily Michele breaks down how this money was actually spent, showing that only 20.9% of the funds are actually going to breast cancer research, despite the heavily marketed “search for the cure” being their most publicized mission. So where else does the money raised go?