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Google's Project Glass demo is certainly the coolest hardware demo so far this year. Behind the scenes is something equally intriguing: artificial-intelligence software.
The augmented-reality glasses, which Google co-founderwas spotted wearing yesterday, created a huge buzz Wednesday when showing, from the wearer's perspective, how they could be used.
In the video, the small screen on the glasses flashes information right on cue, allowing the wearer to set up meetings with friends, get directions in the city, find a book in a store, and even videoconference with a friend. The device itself has a small screen above the right eye on wrap-around glasses which have no lenses.
For the most part, the augmented-reality glasses do what a person could do with a smartphone, such as look up information and socialize. But the demo also shows glimpses of an artificial-intelligence (AI) system working behind the scenes. It's the AI system that could make mobile devices, including wearable computers, far more powerful and take on more complex tasks, according to an expert.
"The new thing that Google was showing was the interaction model using new hardware, rather than truly showing the potential of such a device," said Lars Hard, the chief technology officer of AI software company Expertmaker. "AI can actually enhance and improve different decision situations."
Although there isn't a precise, agreed-upon definition, artificial intelligence describes computer systems that accommodate human-like behaviors, through features such as speech and gesture recognition, and mimic human thinking. Working with a mobile device, artificial-intelligence systems can perform tasks in the background and bring highly relevant information to users, Hard said.
The Project Glass hardware was operated primarily by voice commands, an indicator of Google's work on voice recognition for mobile devices like Apple's Siri. Siri, which has been well-received, translates spoken commands into actions for the iPhone, such as looking up information or making appointments. Google is reportedly working on.
The makers of Project Glass said the hardware is designed to help "you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment," according to a Google Plus post. "We think technology should work for you--to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don't," said Babak Parviz, Steve Lee, and Sebastian Thrun, three employees from , on the post introducing Project Glass.
In one scene of the video, for example, the wearer takes a picture of a poster by pressing a button on the glasses and sends it to himself. This new type of user interaction is quicker than, say, pulling a phone or camera out of a pocket.
The demo also shows that the software operating the glasses is location aware. A notification tells the wearer that the No. 6 subway is shut down as he walks up and the system suggests an alternate route for getting to his destination.
To have a wearable computer aware of its physical surroundings and present personalized information to the user requires artificial intelligence and machine-learning software in the background, noted Hard. It turns out Thrun, a Google fellow and member of the Project Glass team, is an artificial intelligence and robotics expert who is instrumental in another Google X project, the.
"This puts Google out in front of Apple; they are a long ways ahead at this point, Michael Liebhold, a senior researcher specializing in wearable computing at the Institute for the Future told The New York Times. "In addition to having a superstar team of scientists who specialize in wearable, they also have the needed data elements, including Google Maps."
AI in the cloud
A more sophisticated AI platform with a wearable computer could do much more than find friends online and provide maps, said Hard.
Having wearable screens could help doctors make diagnoses, be used in business negotiations, or in service industries, such as retail, Hard said. Although an augmented-reality screen is smaller than a smartphone, it has the potential to present the "right information at the right time" and show complex data such as diagrams, he said.
The hope for AI software is that it will process information in the background and present targeted information as needed, he said. In shopping, for example, the AI system would sift through lots of data to come up with very granular and personalized recommendations, rather than recommendations based on past purchases as computers do today.
"Even though the technologies today deliver this type of service, they are relatively crude and boring in many respects," Hard said. "We're going to see lots of changes to that, using big data and machine learning."
Another Project Glass contributor, Babak Parviz, is a bionanotechnology expert at the University of Washington who foresees wearable devices used for medical diagnostics. In 2009, he wrote an essay at IEEE Spectrum describing how augmented-reality contact lenses could be equipped with biosensors to detect and communicate information on blood sugar levels from eye fluids.
Judging from the enthusiastic reception of Project Glass, wearing augmented-reality glasses may become the ultimate fashion statement for technology fans in the near future.
But there are plenty of skeptics who fear what a poorly done system would look like.
A video Google Glasses: A new way to hurt yourself, showed a steady stream of information distracting the wearer and the voice recognition backfiring. Another video from Rebellious Pixels superimposes ads, based on Google searches, on Google's demo video popping up incessantly.from Tom Scott called
Apple's Siri has given millions of people their first taste of the artificial-intelligence concept where a digital personal assistant does a few tasks and provides an alternate interface to touch or typing. Now with Google's Project Glass we get a hint of the potential of bringing that AI to a wearable device.


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In an interview with Lefteris Adelinis on Radio Active, Yiorgos Stylianou of the Cyprus Consumer Association outlined how consumers can better protect themselves.
Piracy is an important issue for the EU as it not only harms companies and the economy more generally, but poses health and safety risks to consumers.
The Commission’s list focuses on webpages which offer products for sale which are protected by copyright, e-sale platforms as well as ‘online pharmacies’. It also listed outlets and shops outside the EU which sell counterfeits.
“The problem is the sellers on such platforms and how such internet platforms check or control whether such sales violate EU regulations,” Stylianou said.
He said that not only do buyers suffer a financial loss from the purchase of a counterfeit product, but so do manufacturers and copyright holders.
Moreover, he warned that the product purchased may actually never reach the buyer if it is blocked by authorities.
One important indication whether a product is counterfeit is a significant difference in price, he added. “We must be skeptical when a product is sold at an extraordinarily low price,” he said.
Buyers can also check whether the actual internet platform does sell authorised products. “Consumers must check very thoroughly before they place an order,” he said. As regards pharmaceuticals, he noted that medicine on sale online may have substances which are banned in the EU, and consumers should therefore be extra careful.
Prices may be attractive, but safety is paramount, so here too there must be very good market research including checking that the medicine bought on line is that prescribed by the doctor.
He also advised that those who do choose to buy online buy a small quantity so that they can then check the medicine with their doctor and to guard against the possibility that the website does not sell pirated products.
Making consumers aware of websites which sell pirated products helps protect not only consumers, but manufacturers as well as authorized sellers who otherwise face unfair competition.

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“Something Has to Give”
Global container terminal operators have seen consistent profit margins in the range of 20 percent to 45 percent in recent years.
Even in 2009, when the storms of global economic volatility were raging and volumes fell by nine percent, container terminal operators maintained their margins, according to research from Drewry Maritime Research.
But the researchers at Drewry wonder whether the global container port industry may be entering a new phase, where those kinds of robust margins are no longer sustainable.
The industry enjoyed double-digit growth as the global economy emerged from the Great Recession, rates which have since plateaued to around five percent per year.
In 2015, ports grew by around one percent and in 2016 it that rate will be around 2.5 percent, according to Drewry.
“These are the lowest growth rates ever seen by the industry apart from in 2009,” states a Drewry report. “The industry has adjusted to a new normal of five-percent growth per annum, but what if the new new normal is less than half of this?”
There are several factors which suggest rough waters ahead for port terminal operators, according to Drewry. Container ship sizes have been increasing dramatically in recent years, a phenomenon not seen in the run-up to 2009. Bigger ships mean lower-frequency services and greater volume peaks.
Larger carrier alliances means that the bargaining power of terminal customers is on the rise. “This is a double edged sword though,” says Drewry, “because as ships and alliances get bigger, the choice of ports and terminals that can accommodate them reduces.”
Acquisitions in the port terminal business has intensified in recent years, putting upward pressure on prices for these companies and downward pressures on returns given the challenging shipping environment.
The Drewry report envisions several possible scenarios to ameliorate the situation, none of them all that likely or attractive. Terminal operators and shipping lines could cooperate “to mitigate the negative impact of larger ships and alliances.” Terminal operators could demand significant price hikes from shipping lines, but it is doubtful whether price increases would stick.
Terminal operators could accept lower margins and returns and some of them could choose to leave the market. Or, they could refuse to invest in new capacity on the grounds that the returns are insufficient to satisfy their shareholders. “This is an extreme option that will in effect leave shipping lines with nowhere to berth their large ships,” says the report.
“The global container port and terminal industry is on the cusp of a critical turning point,” the report concludes. “To safeguard the provision of suitable capacity and productivity for the long term, changes will have to take place to ensure sufficient returns on investment for port operators. Something has to give.”


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’ British subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover
has slashed by a third its break-even volume threshold – the minimum it must sell to cover production costs –to 400,000 units as part of its targeted cost savings projects Charge and its sequel Charge+.
The company’s break-even volume was 600,000 units in FY19, when Charge took off to cut costs and improve cash flow, JLR
’s chief financial officer Adrian Mardell told analysts.
“We've effectively reset the investment and the structural cost base (by) eight years now,” Mardell said on an analyst call on Tuesday, explaining that the luxury car maker had a comparable break-even volume of 425,000 units back in FY14.
“And that's before the power of the Reimagine and the Refocus programs kick in fully,” he said.
The project Refocus is the successor of the company’s Charge and Charge+ initiatives, which cumulatively helped JLR save £6 billion since FY19. Refocus envisages £1 billion of cost savings in FY22, coupled with several consumer-focused and competitive initiatives.
“We believe the lower capex and the government’s stimulus would support JLR, and the focus on cost control would improve (Tata Motors’) standalone margin. Moreover, tight control on capex and R&D would lower its automotive debt to a greater extent over the next 2-3 years,” said Mitul Shah, head of research at Reliance Securities.
The company expects sales in FY22 to climb more than a fifth, Mardell said during the same call. The Coventry-based company sold 4,39,600 vehicles in FY21, which was a decline of 13.6% over the preceding year.
A lower break-even volume ensures that the company manages to remain profitable even during periods of unpredictability and low sales, like the ongoing crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We expect the demand situation, particularly on the global side, to keep improving. We are already seeing strong performance in the US and China and as more and more people are getting vaccinated, the UK and Europe are starting to improve,” said PB Balaji, group chief financial officer at Tata Motors.
JLR accounts for over three-fourths of Tata Motors’ consolidated revenues and thus its performance has a large bearing on the Mumbai-based automaker’s financials. The luxury car unit reported pre-tax profits of £534 million in Q4 and £662 million for the full year before exceptional charges.
However, it took a write-down of almost £1.5 billion during Q4 due to project Reimagine, under which it plans to make Jaguar a completely electric vehicle brand by 2025 and electrify most of Land Rover’s models by 2026. Subsequently, several ongoing projects were discontinued, resulting in a £952 million non-cash write-down. The company also wrote down £534 million of restructuring charges, which are expected to be paid in FY22.


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BMW recalls 323,700 cars in Europe
BMW has confirmed that it will recall 323,700 cars across Europe due to a faulty component that could cause engines to catch fire. Just under a third - 96,300 - of the affected vehicles are in Germany, while 75,000 are in Britain, a BMW spokesman has said. Some 23,500 cars in France and 24,700 in Italy are also hit. The Europe-wide recall came after the company was forced to take back more than 100,000 cars in South Korea over the problem. BMW also had to apologise as more than 30 of its vehicles caught fire this year there.


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Show organiser Michael Bennett said converting the Friday trade day into a public one was made at the request of exhibitors.
"It has become increasingly obvious that the great attraction for exhibitors is the prospect of being able to show off their entire range to large audiences of cycling enthusiasts," said Bennett.
The show risked looking busy on the two public days but looking slack on the two trade days. With a single trade and press preview day, numbers are more concentrated.
Thursay 26th September is the trade day and visitors will be encouraged to pre-register to "ensure all those who want to attend can do so with the minimum of fuss to maximise their time at the show," said Bennett.
"Trade visitors will be welcome on any of the four days but the show will change its emphasis to appeal to the general public for the remaining three days."
Bennett believes the PR potential for the show is great, and an ‘extra’ trade day not in the best interests of the bicycle industry:
"Taking into account the widespread support and commitment we have already recieved from our exhibitors we are confident that this exhibition will provide the industry with a platform that will capture the imagination of the national media and give cycling the kind of media attention it deserves."
Bennett is reluctant to release details, at this time, of who is exhibiting but it’s believed the show is attracting anchor brands such as Trek.


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- Credit Cards
- Credit Card Companies Aggresively Promoting Cash-Back Deals
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - 5:28 AM
From USA Today
Credit card companies and retailers with credit cards will be more aggressive than ever this holiday season in promoting cash-back deals and savings benefits, credit card experts say.
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Take a sneak peek at Fort Worth’s newest luxury hotel
By year’s end, both Fort Worth and Arlington will have flashy new hotels and restaurants.
Wicked Butcher is weeks from opening in the lobby and lower level of the Sinclair, a remodeled 1920s art deco tower at 512 Main St. in downtown Fort Worth.
Sometime in late August — maybe before Wicked Butcher — Cut & Bourbon will open in the new Live! by Loews Arlington, 1600 E. Randol Mill Road.
Both cities have high hopes for the new hotels.
The Wicked Butcher will be a bi-level restaurant operated by the Dallas-based owners of Wild Salsa and Chop House Burger in One City Place.
Dallas-based DRG Concepts also operates Dallas Chop House and Dallas Fish Market, and elements of both are promised at Wicked Butcher.
Passersby will recognize the Sinclair sign outside the Wicked Butcher’s front door. It has new letters, but the same sign hung outside former tenant Picchi-Pacchi, now relocated to 411 W. Seventh St.
Wicked Butcher will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner on the main floor, and a more elaborate steakhouse and butcher shop menu on the lower level.
It does not have a ballroom. The lower level could be used to serve a Thanksgiving or Christmas lunch, but no plans have been announced for holiday meals that might compete with the Omni Hotel.
Cut & Bourbon, meanwhile, is a corporate steakhouse and restaurant from New York-based Loews Hotels, adjacent to Texas Live!
Well-traveled Loews chef “Moose” Benhamacht has moved to open the local Live! by Loews restaurant, described as serving steaks, salads, roast chicken and burgers.
Publicists have not said yet whether the hotel will serve holiday meals — Thanksgiving is a Dallas Cowboys game day — but Arlington needs a new holiday dining option after nearby Humperdink’s closed.
More coming soon on both restaurants.


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Many stakeholders in the Ballast Water Industry, including ship owners, wanted to be informed regarding an announcement that an association for ballast water equipment manufacturers is under establishment. Mouawad Consulting cautions of some pitfalls and shortcomings that it highlights through this article.
BWMC is effective since Sep 2017, but, there are still grey areas which need clarification, such as the important issue of IOPP Certificate recoupling. Mr Jad Mouawad, BWM expert and owner at Mouawad Consulting, provides insight into the ‘debate’ about the role of class societies on IOPP recoulping & decoupling.
Jad Mouawad, CEO at Mouawad Consulting, clarifies important issues with respect to the BWM Convention implementation after MEPC71 and says that from 8 September 2017, industry will officially start protecting the marine environment through exchange. Regarding MEPC 71, Mr. Mouawad commented that IMO focused on the practical implementation of the Convention, more than just high level policy making which is an interesting turn. He considers that the new BWM dates allow considerable time for ship owners to make their decisions but also for vendors to obtain necessary USCG Type Approvals.
Jad Mouawad, Mouawad Consulting AS, says that the shipping industry must become a leader in green technology by voluntarily working on reducing its environmental footprint. However he says, this is a far reaching scenario taking into account that 2017 is expected to be a continuation of the regulatory trend of 2016.
Jad Mouawad, Owner at Mouawad Consulting, comments IMO’s decision on BWM Convention at the MEPC 70 and advises ship operators how to get prepared for the implementation due on September 2017.
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Alpheus acquires Net Star, expands Houston telecom network and services
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Alpheus Communications LLC, a Houston-based fiber and networking solutions company, is adding to its local telecommunications business by acquiring Net Star Telecommunications Inc., a Houston-based network and data center services provider.
Alpheus has pursued a rapid expansion strategy throughout 2012, including adding enterprise solutions, such as Internet, voice and data center services, to its fiber services. By acquiring Net Star, Scott Widham, Alpheus’ CEO, said in a statement that the company could expand its enterprise network and add new customers.
“This transaction illustrates the industry trend of consolidating non-facility-based providers with facility-based providers like Alpheus,” Widham said in a statement. “Bringing more customers onto our network is a win-win scenario where Alpheus gains operational scale while offering additional, affordably priced services to our customers.”
Earlier this year, Widham told the Houston Business Journal about Alpheus’ business model of growing from a facility-provider, or a company that just provides equipment like fiber and data storage for service companies like AT&T, to a company that has its own business services like Internet and voice.
“It’s a model that has been proven over and over again,” Widham said. “I was the CEO of Broadwing Communications (based in Austin before Colorado-based Level 3 Communications Inc. purchased it for $1.7 billion in 2008), and we organically grew through this enterprise strategy. We are taking this wholesale company that has done really well in the past and growing its business more rapidly.”
Molly Ryan covers manufacturing, technology, the Port and logistics for the Houston Business Journal. For her breaking stories and industry insights, follow her on Twitter.
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As the wave of interest in Facebook’s stablecoin Libra continues around the world, it appears that Mark Zuckerberg’s foray into digital currencies has a new and powerful ally. Fitch, one of the big three credit rating agencies, gave it a thumbs up in a recent report. Fitch in Love with Facebook’s Fiat-Backed Libra What is it precisely that Fitch has fallen in love with? Well, in praising the centralized token, Fitch focuses on Libra’s fiat-backed status: “A potential advantage of Libra versus other cryptocurrencies is its full backing by a reserve basket of fiat currency assets managed in a reserve
In the first edition of The Daily this weekend, we cover the details around the launch of a new cryptocurrency exchange rating system by Cointelligence. Also, South Korean exchange Bithumb has announced it’s establishing an OTC trading desk in Hong Kong, and the popular messenger service Telegram has postponed the launch of its TON network until March.
Cointelligence Launches Crypto Exchange Rating System
A company specializing in data research and analysis for the crypto economy has recently announced it’s launching a cryptocurrency exchange rating system. Cointelligence, which develops tools for investors, already offers rating services for initial coin offerings (ICOs) and security token offerings (STOs).
This is a paid-for submitted press release. CCN does not endorse, nor is responsible for any material included below and isn’t responsible for any damages or losses connected with any products or services mentioned in the press release. CCN urges readers to conduct their own research with due diligence into the company, product or service mentioned


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E. Marinella celebrates the Past, Present and Future with an event at Pitti Uomo
E. Marinella, the sartorial brand of Neapolitan origin tells its centenary history made up of four generations in an exclusive event to be held at Pitti Immagine Uomo, as the brand’s first official presence on the Pitti Uomo international calendar.
Scheduled for 12 June at the Limonaia in the Giardino Corsini, the company traces more than a century of elegance through its fabrics, its famous ties and its accessories, recounting the evolution of a style that has always stood out for the refinement and quality of the raw materials.
Past, present, and future come together to give life to three unprecedented creations: a limited edition that starting from a solid tradition stands out for its research and innovation.
© Pitti Press


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Supermarkets now sell us 97% of our groceries. As the big four continue to grow, small and independent competitors are in steady decline.
This week Ed Miliband backed a stronger voice for local people who oppose the spread of supermarkets in their towns. But the issue is not simple: supermarkets also offer jobs, convenient shopping and low-priced food. But have they become too powerful ... and if so, what can be done about it?
In the studio this week we have a panel of experts:
Phillip Blond is the director of the thinktank ResPublica which recently published The Right to Retail – Can Localism Save Britain's Small Retailers?.
Shiv Malik is an investigative journalist and author of Jilted Generation: How Britain Has Bankrupted its Youth. He reported from Bristol on the recent riots at the new Tesco store in Stokes Croft.
Nils Pratley is the Guardian's financial editor.
Leave your thoughts below.
The Guardian is editorially independent. And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all. But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work.Support The Guardian


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Disasters, whether natural or man-made, are often unavoidable. However, it can be worse when a business knows one is about to happen, like in the case of Hurricane Sandy, and is powerless to prevent it. And while measures can be taken to reduce the chance of hardware failure and other crises, unexpected issues can still occur. However, according to Sys-Con Media, with the right tools a business will have little to no reason to worry about these disasters.
According to the news source, regardless of whether a business has days of warning in advance of a crisis or literally no chance to prepare, if it already has disaster recovery software in place, the only shock that should come is when the lights turn off. And while a company can’t necessarily implement data backup solutions in time for an unexpected event, some disaster preparedness solutions, such as online backup services, can be implemented with days to spare.
DRaaS, or cloud-based disaster recovery, provides a business with fast-acting tools that are based off-site and often in an entirely different geographic region than the business itself. This provides the company a safe place to store data backups that can be implemented swiftly due to the cloud flexible nature. According to Sys-Con, a business can begin migrating to the cloud with data backup software almost immediately, which can be a lifesaver for businesses that see a crisis coming.
Additionally, the cloud offers a variety of benefits that a company cannot get with any other disaster recovery solution, specifically uptime. With the cloud, a company can access its data backups without office availability, allowing remote working to continue despite a power outage or other localized issues. This means that workflow doesn’t have to be interrupted at all, as employees will still have access to the internet from home or other remote locations.
Reliability and growth
In addition to the reliable and flexible access benefits of the cloud, online backup services also provide critical room for growth later on due to low costs and reduced infrastructure. This allows businesses to expand related initiatives, such as mobile working and other trends, which can improve overall business processes, not just disaster-related ones. Overall, the cloud is a powerhouse for disaster preparedness that offers numerous advantages in a variety of ways.


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The world’s first-ever Warner Bros. branded indoor theme park, scheduled to open this summer, has revealed details about the highly anticipated Gotham City.
Batman fans will be able to experience interactive experiences such as four state-of-the-art rides and attractions, themed restaurants and memorabilia shops — all inspired by the characters and stories from DC’s famed comic books and movies.
Park general manager Mark Gsellman, stated: “Home to fan-favourite DC Super Heroes, we’re very excited for our guests to experience the immersive environment of Gotham City, where Batman will emerge from the shadows to help fight crime and stop the city’s super villains. From heart-pounding flight simulators to authentic landmarks, this land is sure to leave a lasting impression on guests of all ages.”
Visitors to the park will be able to experience adrenaline-fuelled rides and attractions such as Batman: Knight Flight, a high-tech flight simulator with immersive scenery; The Riddler Revolution – a rollercoaster; The Joker’s Funhouse; Rougues Gallery Games, etc.
The theme park will also include souvenir shops such as Park Row Pawn Shop and Monarch Theater Gifts, also based on the comic and movies.
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi will feature a total of 29 state-of-the-art rides, interactive family-friendly attractions and live entertainment across six immersive lands, including Metropolis, Gotham City, Cartoon Junction, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch, and Warner Bros. Plaza. The theme park is yet to announce its official opening date.


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AUSTIN, Texas — Avoiding Elon Musk can seem difficult these days, especially if you live in central Texas near Tesla and other companies run by the billionaire.
And as if that wasn’t enough, self-proclaimed “massive Elon fans” are driving a giant sculpture of Musk’s face – on the body of a goat riding a rocket – around the Austin area.
The sculpture’s owners run a cryptocurrency company called Elon Goat Token and say it is designed to honor Musk’s contribution to cryptocurrency. The sculpture is meant to symbolize that Musk is the GOAT – an acronym for Greatest Of All Time – which is why the billionaire’s head is on the body of a goat.
Sitting on the back of a semi-trailer, it’s more than 30 feet long, 20 feet tall, and Musk’s head, which wears a Dogecoin necklace, is about 6 feet tall. The sculpture also includes elements such as simulated rocket fire, smoke, lasers, and lighting.
To market and promote the cryptocurrency platform, Elon Goat token holders hope to personally present the statue to Musk.
While there’s no telling Musk will accept the sculpture, the owners hope to deliver it to Tesla headquarters on Saturday after a corporate event, “GOATSgiving,” a gathering for fans of Musk and cryptocurrency. Participants are also invited to join the delivery.
Musk has yet to confirm he’s aware of the statue or say if he’ll be in Austin that day.
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Richard Latimer, co-founder of Elon Goat Token, said the sculpture caused a lot of buzz and served well with the marketing goal of “just being crazy and out there”.
“We dedicated the statue (Elon Musk) because he championed crypto at a good point and blew everything up. With everything he’s done with (cryptocurrencies) Doge and Baby Doge and a bunch of other coins, we decided why not do the same but really go out there and do anything and bring him something,” Latimer said.
Its creators say the memorial to Musk cost $600,000 to build. The project was primarily funded by cryptocurrency transaction fees and funds from members of the cryptocurrency community, the company’s founders said.
What is an Elon Goat Token?
Cryptocurrency is a type of digital asset that can be used for online payments and can come in a variety of forms, each with different values, from bitcoin to dogecoin, a type of meme coin that Musk is very fond of.
The billionaire first backed bitcoin in 2021 when he bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin through Tesla, although the company sold most of it earlier this year. Musk has since become more interested in Dogecoin, which is based on the Shiba Inu meme, and occasionally tweets about cryptocurrency.
How did Elon Musk’s sculpture come about?
Ashley Sansalone, one of the crypto firm’s founders, said that the project started after he was asked to advise an Elon NFT project, which led to the idea of building a physical monument of the Elon GOAT NFT project.
After consulting a designer in California, they decided that putting it on a trailer made the most sense. Since the statue is posable, Sansalone said it made sense to just drive it over to Musk.
Construction on the sculpture began about a year ago, and before coming to Austin, it toured a number of states including Arizona, Washington and California.
Sansalone said most people who see the sculpture in person have had positive reactions, although he acknowledged the statue has received some negative comments online from people he said are “anti-capitalism or anti-Elon.”
“We started a token project around it and built a community around it. And it’s just been a really fun, interesting journey, to say the least,” said Sansalone.


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Amul claims others are selling oil in butter cookies; Britannia makes cholesterol jibe.
Snap’s local team in India will focus on expanding strategic partnerships, building an engaged community of creators and users and servicing local advertisers.
Big lifestyle, garment brands hit by slump are bringing down festive production.
Viewership for the last match may decline to about half of what it would have been if India had been playing, said advertisers and media buyers.
Chinese etailer shuts down partially, refunds money amid action against ‘undervalued’ products.
The food industry has expressed its concerns over the draft of the proposed changes in labelling rules drawn up by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
India is the most important market for Miniso even though the US, Indonesia and Canada are fetching higher revenue, Li said.
India Inc is expected to spend Rs 1,000-1,200 cr on advertising to cash in on cricket mania
FSSAI also suggests liberalisation measures to help cos set up businesses more quickly; proposal to be sent to ministry of health & family welfare soon.
Last week, FSSAI asked the Food and Drug Administration across states to issue licences within two months of an application being filed if no inadequacy is found.
- No blogs yet have been written by the author, we’re sure the author will contribute one soon


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Twitter introduces a faster version of its app called – Twitter Lite. As the names itself suggest, this new app is a leaner version of the primary Twitter app on mobile phones. The brand promises that this app loads 30% faster and offers navigation.
To experience it by yourself, you can visit mobile.twitter.com from your mobile phone.
The app also features a data saver mode which when turned on can save up to 70% of mobile data, the brand claims.
It is also important to note that Twitter has partnered with Vodafone – one of the largest telecom service provider in India, to promote the app to users.
Introducing Twitter Lite on mobile web! 📱
— Twitter (@Twitter) April 6, 2017


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As the ever-lengthening election season gears up, you can expect to receive more political mail. Political mail – also called campaign mail – provides a nice revenue lift for the U.S. Postal Service during election years. In fiscal year 2014, the Postal Service earned more than $317 million from political mail.
The holidays might be over but the package returns season is in high gear. It kicked off in mid-December, shortly after the first wave of holiday deliveries, and is expected to run through most of this month.
Returns track with the online retail market — as shopping online grows, so, too...Read More


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For Sale By:Dealer
Engine:3.0L 182Cu. In. V6 GAS DOHC Naturally Aspirated
Safety Features: Anti-Lock Brakes, Driver Side Airbag
Power Options: Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Power Windows
Sub Model: 4dr Sedan CXL 3.0L FWD
Exterior Color: White
Engine Description: 3.0L V6 CYLINDER
Interior Color: Cocoa/Light Cashmere
Trim: CXL Sedan 4-Door
Number of Cylinders: 6
Drive Type: FWD
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
Options: Sunroof, Leather, Compact Disc
Buick Lacrosse for Sale
- 4dr sedan leather fwd new automatic gasoline 3.6l v6 cyl champagne silver metall
- 2006 buick lacrosse cx, salvage, runs and drives, damaged, wrecked
- 2010 buick lacrosse cxl sedan 4-door 3.0l(US $13,999.00)
- 4dr sedan cx automatic gasoline 3.8l v6 cyl slatestone metallic
- 2013 buick lacrosse sedan(US $24,692.00)
- Cxl heated camera assist bluetooth 2013 2012 2014 one owner usb remote start(US $26,880.00)
Auto blogMon, 10 Dec 2012 11:57:00 EST
We admit it. We have no earthly idea how this whole thing is going to shake out.
Typically, after driving a new car or truck, we come away prepared to hazard a guess as to whether said model has a good chance of being a sales success. We've amassed enough time watching the industry, scrutinizing the competitors, and so on, to make a reasonably educated bet. Yet here we are, days removed from driving the new 2013 Buick Encore, and we still have no bloody idea.
We've spoken at length previously about the fallacy of poor hatchback sales in the US, and with the runaway success of its Chevrolet Cruze sedan, it's somewhat unsurprising to hear that General Motors is rethinking its decision not to sell an overseas five-door variant in North America as it looks to plug a number of holes in its lineup. GM North American President Mark Reuss admitted during a media luncheon this week that not offering the model "... was a pre-bankruptcy planning mistake," says Forbes. With the next-generation model already well-along in development, it's likely that the current Cruze hatch (shown above) won't see US dealers.
Reuss admits not offering the model "was a pre-bankruptcy planning mistake"
In what must have been a far-reaching conversation, Reuss hinted at a number of new products for many GM brands, including "a much more beautiful Panamera" range-topper for Buick (which sounds a bit like the line of reasoning the TriShield brand has been pursuing with its Riviera concepts) and a "Ford Transit Connect-fighter" to supplant the recently announced badge-engineered Chevy City Express from Nissan.
Ever look at a concept car from a foreign auto marque like Opel and wonder what relevance it will have to you as an American consumer? Well, we'll tell you: at least as far as the Opel Monza concept goes, it could mean a lot.
Speaking with Automotive News at the Paris Motor Show, Opel chief Karl-Thomas Neumann said, "You will see the Monza when you see the next Insignia." And the Insignia, we needn't point out, is essentially ported over to American showrooms as the Buick Regal.
The relationship between the Regal and Insignia only stands to grow closer as Opel design chief Mark Adams has also been charged with tightening the bonds between the two automakers positioned on opposite shores of the Atlantic. Adams also intends to imbue the next Insignia with more "premium brand values" in order to "add polish to the brand." Which in turn means that the Regal will be designed to look more upscale, too.


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Although the economic performance of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries hasn’t quite lived up to the hype of a few years ago due to a myriad of factors, everyone agrees we shouldn’t discount China just yet.
In fact, China is evolving at a stunning pace. All sectors of its economy are growing, the demand of the middle class for Canadian products is constantly increasing and there are incredible business opportunities for Canadian companies. But to seize such opportunities, there’s very little room for error.
That’s why the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Canada-China Business Council and the Y20 Canadian Young Entrepreneurs, organized a roundtable that was held today in Shanghai, where businesses of all sizes shared strategies and ideas on how to navigate and succeed in the challenging Chinese market.
In particular, Canadian Chamber member companies discussed their experiences with entering the Chinese marketplace with Canada’s next generation of business owners and corporate leaders, giving them valuable insights and advice. Participants also heard some innovative suggestions and thought-provoking questions from entrepreneurs and SME owners.
The main takeaway of the discussion was that China represents an opportunity for businesses of all sizes if the conditions are right and if they are willing to put in the efforts and build the relationships. Their strategies can vary, but the basic fact remains: Canada has to lay the groundwork for a stronger relationship with China.
The Canadian Chamber delegation and the Y20 Canadian Young Entrepreneurs are both in China to participate in their respective summits, the B20 and the Y20, taking place ahead of the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit.


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Consumer groups have advocated against the Financial Conduct Authority’s implementation of a PPI claims deadline at any time because the City watchdog and the banking industry need to create a system that would inform and make it easier for the elderly and disabled possibly mis-sold PPI to claim their refunds.
Elderly mortgage and personal loan customers are at risk of losing their refunds because of the PPI claims deadline. The FCA’s proposed “consumer communications campaign” only focuses on television and Internet advertisements. Generations above millennials and baby boomers are not too tech-savvy, and CMCs are likely to take up the slack to process elderly customer’s mis-sold PPI refunds.
Almost all UK consumers with mis-sold PPI are likely to find their repayments delayed. According to the Association of Claims Companies, which represent legitimate CMCs, data collected from their managers responsible for consumer PPI claim processing report banks increasing their use of an alibi regarding missing consumer details.
The ACC compared its April 2017 data back to its June 2016 data. The data indicated that almost all banks had never used the alibi until it had a sudden spike on March and April 2017, a few months after the announcement of the FCA’s PPI claims deadline.
ACC CEO Simon Evans said banks are likely unable to pay their consumers at the time to use an alibi extensively. The ACC noted Blackhorse, a motor financing company, for jumping from 0% to 80% from January to April 2017 in using the alibi.


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DFS Lab’s 2022 Wrap Up
2022 has been a trying year.
For the African tech ecosystem, it’s been an especially harsh shift from the highs of 2021’s blistering funding sprees that saw the continent break $5 billion in venture capital dollars. This year, it’s likely we’ll beat that number by a bit, but the pace of growth as grinded to a halt.
For founders, this is a pronounced change. Joseph Benson-Aruna on our team penned a thoughtful message to our founders which he stressed a few points of focus:
- Don’t panic and prepare for the long term
- Re-evaluate for the short term by managing your burn
- Remember the difference between being cheap and frugal
- And finally, be kind to yourself and your team
For investors, 2022 has likely been defined by one’s experiences leading up to this year. Investors who jumped onto momentum-led deals at record high valuations are likely adjusting their fund models as paper returns are muted. Those who went through the crucible made of consistently oversubscribed rounds are likely feeling a bit of what Charles Hudson at Precursor termed the “Revenge of Capital.”
In startup ecosystems around the world, we are seeing the fallout of over-ambitious valuations combined with trigger-happy venture capital. Flat and down rounds are now commonplace. Teams with business models without clear pathways to profitability are forced to consider pivots, or reconsider operating entirely. Unfortunately, this also means layoffs everywhere.
It’s bad everywhere. However, the effect of this downturn on the African tech world is likely to be even more existential. While the end of cheap capital in most other tech ecosystems meant that the world of revenue-less growth was over, in Africa, this moment forces a deeper reckoning of what models are even possible.
Whereas in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and even most of Latin America — the pullback is against businesses that can’t monetize enough of a customer’s wallet, we are left to answer if those customer wallets even exist. From traditional ecommerce to neobanking, we are yet to see definitive traction that consumers in most African markets can be served profitably through models we’ve inherited from high-income areas. Just as the end of this cycle signals the death of the growth-at-all-costs model elsewhere, it also signals the end of the copy-and-paste model in Africa.
To that end, we see this as a year of (painful) transition. The ecosystem is being forced to mature beyond the singular metric of money raised.
Yet, the ecosystem is maturing. Founders are building tech companies for a growing list of industries. The discussion around the hybrid nature of our markets is growing louder. We hear more voices discussing both physical and digital approaches and we see deeper attempts to understand both formal and informal markets. We believe in building Cyborgs not Androids in Africa and our pipeline has grown tremendously in quantity and quality in 2022.
We at DFS Lab have kept pace to support those building the future of digital commerce in Africa. We added three new members to our team in 2022 who not only increased our ability to serve founders, but to serve them with authenticity as our team grew to be 50% African and 50% women, something Jake and I felt was critical when we started the firm.
We also kept investing. In 2022, we invested in over a dozen deals and added 8 new teams — bringing our portfolio of investments to just over 35 startups across several African markets (Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Senegal, and Zambia). We believe they exemplify founders who understand the African tech opportunity in the next decade and all the challenges that come with it.
We’ve been busy outside of our direct investments. In 2022, we partnered with the Mojaloop Foundation and the Stellar Development Foundation to run virtual design sprints with 47 startups who are solving some of the most challenging problems in Africa’s payment space (read more here and here).
We continue to believe that evidence-based insights are critical to informing not only our investment thesis but also in supporting our founders and clients in navigating complexity. In addition to the plethora of research we do (often in stealth mode), this year we launched our own survey documenting the digital adoption and readiness of more than 2,500 micro and small enterprises across Kenya and Nigeria in the retail value chain — (to our knowledge) the first dataset of its kind.
We’re building this firm for the long haul and have been incredibly lucky to work with a community of founders, investors, mentors, and friends who share a similar vision of what we can accomplish together.
And as always, be kind to yourself and your team.
We’ve got some exciting announcements lined up for 2023 so please do follow us at @TheDFSLab and at dfslab.net.


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Edmp Inc. lifted its stake in shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 35,346 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. General Mills comprises about 1.5% of Edmp Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Edmp Inc.’s holdings in General Mills were worth $1,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in General Mills by 80.2% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. G&S Capital LLC raised its holdings in General Mills by 27.8% during the fourth quarter. G&S Capital LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in General Mills by 25.4% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Advisors Inc. now owns 1,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in General Mills by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 2,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highwater Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in General Mills during the fourth quarter worth approximately $87,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Shares of NYSE GIS traded up $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $43.95. The company had a trading volume of 3,361,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,632,576. General Mills, Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.42 and a 52 week high of $56.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.76.
General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 19th. The company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.04. General Mills had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 29.44%. The firm had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that General Mills, Inc. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.46%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. General Mills’s payout ratio is 63.02%.
In other General Mills news, Director R Kerry Clark sold 7,849 shares of General Mills stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.26, for a total transaction of $347,396.74. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,337,315.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.59% of the company’s stock.
Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim assumed coverage on General Mills in a report on Tuesday, January 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $49.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $41.00 target price on General Mills and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 30th. Barclays reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of General Mills in a report on Thursday, December 20th. Piper Jaffray Companies reissued an “average” rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of General Mills in a report on Thursday, December 20th. Finally, Standpoint Research assumed coverage on General Mills in a report on Wednesday, December 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $37.59 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.45.
General Mills Company Profile
General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, grain, fruit, and savory snacks, as well as organic products, including refrigerated yogurt, nutrition bars, meal kits, salty snacks, ready-to-eat cereal, and grain snacks.
Featured Article: 12b-1 Fees


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A brand new state regulation went into impact in Minnesota on Friday allowing the sale of edible merchandise containing the psychoactive cannabinoid THC. Underneath the measure, meals and drinks will be infused with as much as 0.3% THC, though the cannabinoid can solely be derived from hemp.
The measure permits meals and drinks to be infused with as much as 0.3% THC, supplied that the cannabinoid has been sourced from legally produced hemp, which was legalized by the 2018 Farm Invoice. The laws permits edible merchandise with as much as 5 mg THC per serving, with a most of fifty mg per bundle. The sale of edibles with hemp-derived THC is restricted to adults 21 and older.
Hashish advocates say that they’re shocked the invoice handed on the finish of the 2022 legislative session as a result of Republicans within the state Senate have been staunchly against payments that will legalize the leisure use of hashish. Steven Brown, the CEO of Nothing However Hemp, stated that he plans to start promoting as much as a dozen new merchandise with hemp-derived THC at his six retail shops in Minnesota. He expects dozens of extra merchandise to be obtainable inside a number of months.
“In some methods, we legalized hashish,” Brown told local media.
Hemp THC Merchandise Legalized by 2018 Farm Invoice
Though hemp merchandise containing as much as 0.3% delta-9 THC have been already authorized underneath the 2018 Farm Invoice, the laws didn’t put a restrict on delta-8 THC, which will also be derived from hemp. The Minnesota invoice was written partially to handle the proliferation of delta-8 THC merchandise, lots of which have excessive quantities of the psychoactive cannabinoid.
State Consultant Heather Edelson drafted the Home model of the invoice. She stated that the measure is meant to handle a public well being concern, noting that since hemp-derived THC merchandise have been obtainable in Minnesota, there was a rise within the variety of calls to poison management facilities.
“There have been these merchandise that primarily didn’t actually have laws on them. However folks have been consuming them,” Edelson told Minnesota Public Radio. “They have been being offered everywhere in the state of Minnesota, and plenty of them in fuel stations.”
The laws consists of labeling necessities for meals and drinks containing hemp THC. Merchandise containing both CBD or THC have to be clearly labeled and offered solely to adults 21 and older. The regulation doesn’t regulate who can promote hemp THC-infused meals or drinks and doesn’t set a restrict on the variety of merchandise that may be bought.
Republican Senator Mark Koran, the creator of the Senate model of the invoice, stated that he adopted the lead of state well being officers in drafting the laws.
“With the federal modifications in 2018, the [Minnesota] Board of Pharmacy and Division of Agriculture acknowledged the necessity for laws on sure merchandise and labored with the Legislature to limit the market,” Koran stated in a press release. “That’s what this invoice does.”
Though the quantity of THC permitted is pretty low in comparison with infused meals and drinks permitted in states which have legalized adult-use hashish, they comprise sufficient THC to have psychoactive results, particularly for the uninitiated consumer. And with no restrict on the variety of merchandise that may be purchased, even larger doses are simply obtainable.
“These items will get you excessive, little doubt about it,” stated lawyer Jason Tarasek, founding father of the Minnesota Hashish Legislation agency and a board member of the Minnesota Hashish Affiliation. “Everyone’s calling it hemp-derived THC, which makes it sound like one thing aside from marijuana. However I went on social media and I known as it adult-use marijuana, as a result of that’s what most individuals are going to contemplate this to be.”
Minnesota Senator Desires New Legislation Modified
Republican Senator Jim Abeler, the chair of the Senate Human Companies Reform Finance and Coverage Committee, stated that he didn’t understand that the invoice legalized edibles with delta-9 THC, including that he believed the laws solely utilized to merchandise with delta-8 THC.
“I assumed we have been doing a technical repair, and it winded up having a broader influence than I anticipated,” Abeler stated, saying that the state legislature ought to contemplate scaling again the brand new regulation.
However Majority Chief Ryan Winkler, who helps complete efforts to legalize leisure hashish, stated that Abeler’s suggestion to roll again the regulation is “ridiculous,” noting that the senator “voted for it.”
He signed the convention report,” Winkler stated. “This can be a step ahead in direction of a coverage we strongly help.”
Edelson agreed, saying that “Bringing extra shopper protections actually was my aim.” However she admitted that the brand new regulation brings Minnesota nearer to the legalization of leisure marijuana. “There was no thriller about what we have been doing right here.”


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BlockX Unveils Exciting Rebrand and Expands Global Presence with Eight Years of Blockchain Excellence
February 26, 2024 : BlockX, formerly known as Blockchain Expo, proudly announces an exciting rebrand as it celebrates eight years of successful events dedicated to the exploration of blockchain technology.
BlockX is dedicated to adapting to the dynamic blockchain industry, constantly empowering users, and staying at the forefront of innovation.
BlockX, a series of cutting-edge events, has been a must-attend for Blockchain enthusiasts over the past eight years, providing a platform to evaluate the latest advancements and innovation in blockchain, cryptocurrency, NFTs, web3, and more.
Key Highlights of BlockX:
- Global Presence:BlockX will continue its legacy by hosting in-person events in key locations, starting with California, Amsterdam, and London. These strategic locations have been chosen based on previous years of success. With proven success to ensure a diverse and inclusive environment that fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and networking among industry professionals.
- Year-Long Series:Building on eight years of success, BlockX is set to captivate audiences throughout 2024, with additional locations to be confirmed. The year-long series aims to cater to the growing demand for high-quality blockchain events, providing attendees with unique insights, valuable connections, and exposure to the latest trends in the industry.
- In-Person Events:
- California: June 5-6, 2024
- Amsterdam: October 1-2, 2024
- London: TBC
- More locations to be confirmed.
About BlockX: BlockX is a forward-thinking series of events that brings together blockchain enthusiasts, industry leaders, and innovators to explore the limitless possibilities of blockchain technology. With a rich history spanning eight years, BlockX is dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences for its participants, fostering collaboration, and driving the blockchain industry forward.
For more information about BlockX, please visit https://www.blockchain-expo.com/
Media Contact: Kirsty Whiting, Senior Marketing Manager, firstname.lastname@example.org


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- The 2021 Jeep Gladiator lineup has added a new trim level called the Texas Trail that’s only sold in Texas.
- Along with unique exterior decals and special interior accents, the Texas Trail features gloss-black 17-inch wheels and 32-inch mud-terrain tires.
- The Gladiator Texas Trail is currently on sale at Texas Jeep dealerships.
Texas now has its own version of the 2021 Jeep Gladiator pickup truck: the new Texas Trail model, which will be exclusively sold in the Lone Star State with a starting price of $41,930.
For anyone wondering why the Gladiator lineup doesn’t offer a Delaware or Idaho special edition, Jeep says the Texas Trail model was created to celebrate the largest truck market in America, and that happens to be in the country’s second-largest state.
Based on the Sport S trim, the Texas Trail is equipped with gloss-black 17-inch rims shod with 32-inch mud-terrain tires and the Trailer


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There have been various rumors over the past few months claiming that Samsung is working on a device that can fold inwards and outwards. Another report had claimed that the company could launch it as the Galaxy Z Fold Tab. Now, the first credible information about the existence of such as device has come to light.
A new patent from Samsung has been published that shows a “multi-foldable device” that can fold inwards and outwards. Patent experts at LetsGoDigital have created renders based on the diagrams included in Samsung’s 52-page patent document. Going by those images, the company seems to be working on a foldable smartphone with three screens and two hinges. When it is fully opened, the device has a giant screen with a dual-punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. This screen appears as big as a tablet’s screen, and the device even features an S Pen.
When the left and right portions of the device are folded inwards, the two screens join to form a smaller display. The S Pen can either be magnetically attached to one of its sides for charging or stored in the recess created by the two smaller screens for faster charging. Folding the two portions of the device outwards turns it into a phone with a full-screen display on the front and two displays at the rear. When fully opened, the device has a dual-camera setup at the rear, including an LED flash.
While outward folding displays are at the risk of getting damaged more easily, Samsung could be working on stronger protection for the display. It is certainly a good thing to know that the company is working on a dual-foldable device that can truly transform into a large-screen tablet. Such a device could open up a lot of possibilities in terms of usability and productivity. However, it could take a couple of years before we actually see Samsung launching such a device.
You can look at the original diagrams from Samsung’s patent documentation in the image gallery below. Would you buy such a dual-foldable tablet from Samsung? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.


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Corine Tan wants to make the Gen Z workplace a space of vulnerability, empathy and different points of view.
Put your money where your mouth is by shopping with intention.
It’s time to end systemic racism.
Beauty belongs to all.
A Korean-American mom is going viral after sharing how she talks about racism with her kids.
The special collection features a curated lineup of phone cases designed by Asian artists.
With anti-Asian attacks spiking across the U.S., the fact that this collaboration is entirely Asian-led isn’t lost on the trio.
Hate crimes on the Asian community have increased by 150 percent over the course of 2020, data shows.
Jasmine Shao’s channel, studyquill, has 710,000 subscribers and her videos rack up millions of views.
Melissa Ong quit her corporate tech job to pursue TikTok comedy full-time.


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Zenaida Hadji Raof Laidan, DOST Region 12 director: Science and technology play a vital role in the halal industry of the Philippines, a predominantly Christian country.
Seeing the potential of Islamic finance and the halal industry in the Philippines, businesses might as well look into how they can get halal certification for their products.
Halal literally means “permissible or prescribed by Islam.” But it also became a standard of quality for non-Muslim consumers because halal products are healthier – no alcohol and no pork or pork-derived products. Its opposite is haram, which means “forbidden.”
The Muslim global population is estimated at 1.8 billion as of 2015 and nearly two-thirds, or 62 percent, live in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Pew Research Center.
With future international events such as the 2020 Olympics in Japan, there will be demand for halal-certified products, especially for Muslim tourists as Japan’s signature dishes include pork.
In the 2018 World Halal Assembly Philippines (WHAP), held Jan. 18 and 19 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, Muslim and non-Muslim halal enthusiasts gathered and discussed the different aspects of the halal industry in the country.
WHAP was organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Soccsksargen region (Region 12) with the theme “developing halal premium brand through science, technology and innovation.”
Zenaida Hadji Raof Laidan, DOST Region 12 director, chaired the two-day assembly, which was attended by government officials, ambassadors and delegates from different agencies.
The Department of Trade and Industy (DTI) secretary chairs the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Board, as prescribed in the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act (Republic Act 10817), which was passed in 2016.
Laidan said that DTI started hiring Muslims who could better navigate through the halal process.
The value of the global halal food and lifestyle sector will reach $3 trillion by 2021, according to a projection by the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report.
Muslim millennial travelers are expected to represent a $100-billion market by 2025, based on a report by MasterCard and Muslim travel website HalalTrip.
DTI Assistant Secretary Abdulgani Macatoman said last year that DTI was targeting to export $1.4 billion worth of halal products for this year. With the implementation of RA 10817, exports are expected to increase.
“Halal is a way of life. It means pure, healthy and safe,” Laidan said in her speech.
She also emphasized the role of science and technology in the halal industry of the Philippines, a predominantly Christian country.
DOST Secretary Fortunato de La Peña said in his speech that halal products increase consumer confidence.
Now the DOST also has a “OneLab” network, composed of one-stop laboratories for testing – including halal testing – of various products.
OneLab services include profiling of fatty acids of animals and plants, DNA analysis of food and other processed products, gelatin content analysis of milk and dairy products, testing of genetically modified organisms, alcohol content analysis of beverages, qualitative detection of haram in meat products, and detection of lard in baked products and edible oils.
There are OneLabs in the Soccsksargen Region (Region 12), the Davao Region (Region 11), and Calabarzon (Region 4).
Firms interested in availing of the DOST halal quality seal should write to the DOST Region 12 office in Cotabato City.
The office also has application forms and these will soon be available in the DOST Region 12 website for downloading.
The halal personnel will also conduct ocular assessment and visits to the requesting firm.
According to Mufti Mustafa Ceric of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who also chaired sessions during the WHAP, halal is not just food choice but also a practice in terms of good actions toward people. Even fashion, cosmetics and dating take halal or appropriate forms.
Source: Yara Lukman, INQUIRER.net


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Moak: Mississippi T-Mobile customers hit in breach
If you’ve applied for credit at the wireless provider T-Mobile in recent months, your identity could be in danger. A major data breach announced last week has sent shock waves through the wireless community, not necessarily because of its size or brazenness, but because the hackers went after one of the “Big 3” credit reporting agencies; Experian.
Hackers broke into Experian’s system and stole personal information of as many as 15 million consumers nationwide who had gone to T-Mobile to apply for cell phones and service accounts. T-Mobile had sent the customers’ data to Experian to check their credit-worthiness. The hack affected data from consumers who applied for service or device financing at T-Mobile USA, Inc. from Sept. 1, 2013, through Sept. 15, 2015.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, in a news release Thursday, noted the breach affected as many as 89,000 Mississippians.
The only bright side (if you could call it that) is that the hack didn’t delve into the credit database; rather, thieves stole information such as “customers’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, identification numbers (typically a driver’s license number, military ID, or passport number) and additional information.”
If you were one of those consumers, you should be receiving a letter to that effect. Hood advises you to check your credit history and monitor your accounts. “Experian and T-Mobile will offer affected consumers two years of credit monitoring and identity protection services at no cost,” Hood explained. “Experian will also waive the cost of freezing consumer’s credit to prevent a criminal from taking out a line of credit in a consumer’s name without permission.” To find out more about the incident, visit www.ProtectMyID.com/SecurityIncident or call Experian at (866)-369-0422.
“We encourage impacted consumers to seek credit freezes as soon as possible, as well as take advantage of credit monitoring services,” he said.
If you believe you are a victim of identity theft or any other scam, contact the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division at (601) 359-4230 or toll free at 1-800-281-4418. Additional resources about protecting your identity can be found at www.agjimhood.com.
Contact Bill Moak at moakconsumer @gmail.com.


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Internet marketing teams could find that consumers are more receptive to their campaigns if they focus on subjects relating to television and online gaming.
According to research carried out recently by Hitwise, TV and gaming topics dominate web searches in the UK.
In a post on the Hitwise Analyst blog, Richard Seymour, UK client intelligence analyst at the firm, said TV represents 14.2 per cent of all non-branded searches carried out by UK consumers.
Online games account for the second biggest proportion of searches at 13.9 per cent, while travel, sport and finance complete the top five.
Hitwise took the top 1,500 search terms used across all search engines during the last three months of 2008 and assigned subject areas to all non-branded terms.
The most common TV-related terms during the 12 weeks to January 3rd 2009 were ‘X Factor’, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, ‘Eastenders’ and ‘TV Listings’.
According to the 2008 Google Zeitgeist, ‘Facebook’ was the most popular search term in the UK last year, followed by ‘BBC’ and ‘YouTube’.


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NEW YORK (AP) — A national retailer sold Chinese-made flooring that emits hazardous levels of formaldehyde, a federal investigation found.
The laminate flooring was sold by Lumber Liquidators until last May, when the company announced it was halting sales. A long-awaited federal safety review found the flooring gave off enough formaldehyde gas to irritate the eyes, nose and throat of many people.
There also was enough gas from the product to trigger breathing problems in people with certain health conditions, like asthma.
The formaldehyde also increased cancer risks by a small amount.
U.S. officials released the analysis Wednesday. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which oversaw the testing, is continuing its investigation and has not announced any penalties related to the findings.
The company did not dispute the new report's findings.
"We support their recommendations and share their (the agency's) commitment to educating consumers," a company statement said.
Based in Toano, Virginia, Lumber Liquidators sells flooring at 375 stores in North America.
The investigation was triggered by a "60 Minutes" report early last year.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission commissioned testing of samples of the flooring, taken from the same lots as samples examined by the news program. The samples had been manufactured six months to three years earlier. Testing was performed at three different labs.
The results were provided to another federal agency — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC and a sister agency analyzed the results to calculate the health impact of the detected levels of formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a pungent smell, used among other things to manufacture building materials and household products. It's a common indoor air pollutant. Researchers say the amount of formaldehyde given off by new products ebbs as time passes.
Formaldehyde levels can vary widely from home to home. But on average, there are about 50 micrograms of formaldehyde per cubic meter of air, the report said. The analysis found the amount of formaldehyde released by the new flooring could increase that level by as much as another 280 micrograms — a six-fold increase.
Such levels can cause nose and throat irritation for many people. For asthmatic children, it can increase the chances that breathing problems will require hospitalization.
"We estimated there is a health concern," said Pat Breysse, head of environmental health at the CDC and its sister organization, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Long-term exposure to formaldehyde in workplaces has been linked to rare cancers of the nose and throat. Breysse said such exposures wouldn't commonly be seen in a home. But the analysis said there was a small added cancer risk from formaldehyde released from the flooring at levels seen in the testing. Investigators estimated between two and nine additional cancer cases in every 100,000 people exposed.
Last week, Lumber Liquidators was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to environmental crimes related to Chinese flooring. The Department of Justice said the company made hardwood floors in China from illegally cut Mongolian oak trees in Russia. Those trees are needed to protect endangered Siberian tigers and Amur leopards because their prey eats the acorns from them, the Justice Department said.
Lumber Liquidators will pay $7.8 million in criminal fines, more than $1.2 million in community service payments and nearly $970,000 in criminal forfeiture. It will also pay about $3.2 million through a related civil forfeiture. The company also agreed to a five-year probation period.


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Breaking Down Plastics: New Standard Specification May Facilitate Use of Additives that Trigger Biodegradation of Oil-Based Plastics in Landfills
Despite efforts to encourage the recycling of plastic water bottles, milk jugs and similar containers, a majority of the plastic packaging produced each year in the United States ends up in landfills, where it can take thousands of years to degrade. To address that problem with traditional polyethylene, polypropylene, Styrofoam and PET products, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working with the Plastics Environmental Council (PEC) to expand the use of chemical additives that cause such items to biodegrade in landfills.
Added during production of the plastic packaging, the compounds encourage anaerobic landfill bacteria and fungi to break down the plastic materials and convert them to biogas methane, carbon dioxide and biogenic carbon – also known as humus. These additives – simple organic substances that build on the known structures of materials that induce polymer biodegradation – don’t affect the performance of the plastics, introduce heavy metals or other toxic chemicals, or prevent the plastics from being recycled in current channels. (more…)


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With foldable technology becoming the next big thing in the world of smartphones, Xiaomi is experimenting a next-level foldable phone after the Mi Mix Fold. However, what makes it different from previous foldable phones is the new wraparound display which has been patented by the company.
This patent was leaked by ‘LetsGoDigital’ in the form of images. According to the images the phone resembles the Huawei Mate X but this phone is a single screen that goes around the whole device. The thicker side of the phone bears the phone’s cameras and a button to open the device.
Moreover, this unique design allows users to use the main camera as a selfie camera as well. According to CEO Lei Jun, the wraparound display is a challenge that just goes to show how complex the making of the phone was and how it almost never came into being.
All in all, this is merely the patent of the device hence changes may occur to the device.


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The latest MYOB business monitor survey reveals Hawke's Bay is the country’s best performing region.
The survey of 1000 business owners and operators found 57% of operaters in the Bay reporting growth in the year to February 2014 and 59% expecting growth in the 12 months to February 2015.
Canterbury and Waikato also performed well, with 47% and 42% respectively reporting growth in year to February.
MYOB New Zealand business division sales manager Scott Gardiner says businesses in the region will welcome increased government spending to ensure they see the benefits of economic growth.
“The economy is doing well at the moment and many of the regions, especially those that have seen the benefits of a buoyant agri-business sector, are doing well,” he says.
In contrast, 35% of Bay of Plenty businesses reported a revenue loss of 35%, outstripping the 21% showing gains. In Northland, just 27% of businesses saw their revenue increase.
But Bay of Plenty is expecting some improvement with 38% forecasting revenue growth but still tempered by 23% expecting a drop.
“There are several key areas in the country where SMEs are continuing to struggle. Any investment in this area will make an enormous difference,” Mr Gardiner says.
“SMEs are vital to our communities – they provide services, create employment and support social development. We hope to see plenty of focus from the major parties on enhancing regional prosperity through supporting local business.”
The monitor suggests the most popular policy any party could focus on would be reducing the cost of broadband.
Some 76% of regional business operators would support this policy, while 62% of regional business operators believe ultra fast broadband would make a positive difference to their business.
“Over half of all regional businesses don’t currently have any online presence," Mr Gardiner says. “It would be great to see an increased focus on ensuring regional businesses can enjoy the benefits of the online economy.”
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Clarity over tooth bleaching ‘looks positive’
Chief dental officer Barry Cockcroft promised dentists a ‘positive step’ towards clearing up the confusion over tooth whitening today (Friday) at a presentation held by the British Dental Bleaching Society (BDBS).
The BDBS staged a bleaching symposium to kick off a two-day World Aesthetic Congress which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Dentists have been urgently calling on the government to clear up the confusion over tooth whitening products.
And yesterday (Thursday) CDO Barry Cockcroft met with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and went some way towards resolving the concerns about the position trading standards officers are adopting in relation to tooth whitening products.
Dentists claimed that the Essex investigation by trading standards officers, which took place last month, was having a major impact on the availability of hydrogen peroxide-based whitening products to dentists – a supply problem that the BDA said could lead to patients seeking ‘illegal and dangerous’ whitening treatments elsewhere.
Mr Cockcroft told delegates at WAC that a proposed amendment on tooth bleaching would be going from the Commission to the EU Parliament and that this was a positive step.
Also addressing the crowd at the symposium was Mike Volk, sales and marketing manager at Dental Directory, the company affected by the recent trading standards stance.
The company had been stopped selling tooth whitening kits by local trading standards officers at Essex County Council following a patient’s complaint regarding the product.
He told dentists that he had now received a ‘definitive, unambiguous statement from trading standards officers that the company could now continue selling the product for professional GDC registrants and for chairside use only.


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ABC's iView online video on demand service will be accessible on Sony's Internet-connected BRAVIA televisions and Blu-ray players from mid-May.
The Linux-eliminating PlayStation 3 firmware update that many originally hoped was an April Fools' Day joke rolled out on the first of this month. Players are reporting console-breaking bugs caused by the update and already hacker George Hotz has a w...
National broadcaster SBS has confirmed it is interested in televising a match from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in 3D. An article in The Australian quotes Paul Broderick, SBS director of technology and distribution, as saying that that the broadcaster is ...
When Sony launched its PSP Go last year the company had high hopes. The device was supposed to help PlayStation Portable shipments increase by almost a million units for the year and spearhead Sony's digital download push into the portable gaming mar...
It's been a year since Panasonic debuted the first digital camera that combined the compactness of a point-and-shoot with the flexibility of interchangeable lenses. The Lumix G1 kick-started a new segment in the camera market, which this week saw a n...
Sony is developing a 3D camera that will give consumers the ability to create their own 3D content, the head of Sony's digital imaging business unit said Thursday.
Nobody can deny that Sony is a trailblazer when it comes to technological innovation -- from the PSX onwards, the company has continually shaped the future of gaming. What might be less obvious is that they are also pioneers of homoerotic imagery in ...
Sony will begin selling 3D TVs in Japan on June 10 and worldwide at about the same time, it said Tuesday. A firmware upgrade to its PlayStation 3 console that adds 3D support and other 3D-compatible home electronics products will also be available to...
A study by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service pegs the PlayStation 3 as the ultimate winner of this generation's console war: "Lifetime PS3 sales are predicted to reach 127 million units, compared to 103 million Wii units."
Sony is countering Apple by developing its own handheld products that include a tablet-like device and a smartphone that can download and play PlayStation games, The Wall Street Journal said in a news report on Thursday.
Sony has restored service to the PlayStation Network by resolving a glitch in the internal clock of some PlayStation 3 consoles that recognized 2010 as a leap year and wrongly added a Feb. 29 to the clock.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
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My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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When Apple announced the iPhone 8 and iPhone X - the first iPhones to offer wireless charging - it also revealed that it is also developing its own wireless charging mat on which it will be possible to charge three Apple devices at once: an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.
That wireless charging pad will be called AirPower, and here, we discuss the possible release date and pricing of the accessory, along with the design, features and iOS device compatibility.
Apple has also filed a patent for the device which could give us an insight into features we might see in the future; read more about Apple's wireless charging patent here.
AirPower is not the only wireless charger that will work with iPhone, of course. We've also rounded up some of the best wireless chargers available now.
AirPower release date
At the iPhone event in September 2017, Apple confirmed that AirPower wouldn't be released until 2018: "Look for the AirPower charger next year," said Phil Schiller. More than six months later the company is yet to provide a concrete release date.
In the small print of some marketing materials the company has used the phrase "early 2018", which would ordinarily point to April or before. In fact, two separate reports led us to expect a launch in March - an Apple Post report from Feb and another from DigiTimes - but nothing was announced at or around the education-focused event on 27 March.
Evidently Apple is still trying to get AirPower ready for launch, and while a launch by the end of April is needed to properly fit the "early 2018" phrase, it wouldn't surprise us if the company held it back until WWDC in June. Some pundits even think that "early 2018" was an error by someone in marketing, since the public announcements have only ever said "2018".
Note, however, that AirPower has already had its big announcement, so would not necessarily have to wait for a press event. When it's ready, Apple will simply pop it into the online store and post a notice on its website.
As for the price, Apple is well-known to add an 'Apple tax' to its products, making them more expensive than the majority of the competition, but will this also be the case with AirPower?
We expected that the technical advances of AirPower (that we discuss below) will point towards a premium price tag.
Polish retailer X-Kom is showing the AirPower priced at 999 Złotych - that's about £211 or $294. However, the price might not be as high as that: As noted by Polish blog ThinkApple, many products that cost 999 Złotych on the Polish site are priced at $199 in the US. It could, however, just be a placeholder until official pricing is confirmed, we'll just have to wait and see for sure.
While Apple is still preparing its AirPower for launch, a Chinese company has started producing an AirPower mini. Like Apple's AirPower, this AirPower can charge an Apple watch and iPhone X simultaneously. It will cost $15. It is likely that Apple will not be happy about the use of the AirPower brand, and it's very unlikely that the charger will be accredited as MFi (Made for iPhone) by Apple.
AirPower design and build
In terms of design, Apple's AirPower wireless charger doesn't look that different to the plethora of wireless chargers already available.
Based on the video showcase at Apple's September 2017 keynote, we know that the AirPower is a white mat large enough to accompany three devices (iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods) at the same time, with a single power lead connected to the wireless charger.
While wireless charging is provided, the wireless charger itself still needs to be plugged in - something that may sound obvious to some, but it's worth pointing out for those new to the world of wireless charging.
AirPower features and spec
So, what makes Apple's AirPower wireless charger better than anything else on the market? First up it's built on the Qi wireless charging standard, although we're not sure at this time whether the AirPower will be compatible with any Qi-enabled device.
Apple has filed a patent for a wireless charging device that could give us an insight to some other features it could offer, via AppleWorldToday. The patent suggests that the device could also transmit wireless power signals to a wireless power receiving electronic device, which could pave the way for true wireless charging - as in charging over the air, rather than vi conduction when placed on a mat.
However, this technology may be a little further down the road. For now it seems that the AirPower will be the first wireless charger capable of charging three device at once, and it doesn't matter where on the surface each device is laid - it should still receive the charge.
It doesn't stop there, either, as AirPower also has the ability to intelligently manage the charging system by allowing all compatible devices to 'communicate' between each other.
"The system has a great interface. They intelligently work together and communicate with each other to manage the charging through one more efficient charging system. This is not possible with current standards but our team knows how to do this," Tim Cook said on stage at the event.
That means that if you're charging both your AirPods and iPhone 8 on the AirPower, the devices should communicate with each other and 'decide' how much power each device requires.
The current charge of all devices on the AirPower mat will also be displayed on the iPhone 8/X if it's also on charge, another feature not offered by other wireless chargers.
AirPower device compatibility
Will existing iOS device be compatible with AirPower? Unless you've got yourself an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X, you won't be able to charge your iPhone using AirPower.
It's a similar story with the AirPods - despite Apple showcasing wireless charging on AirPods at the announcement, existing AirPod cases aren't Qi-enabled. The Qi-enabled AirPods case should be made available before the release of AirPower, but no solid release date is yet in place.
We're not so sure about the Apple Watch, though. AirPower is confirmed as being compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3, but whether previous generations are compatible is yet to be seen.
A report has appeared in Japanese website Macotakara suggesting that AirPower will detect the Apple Watch Series 3 by "special radio waves" a function "available only to Apple". This is the only way it's possible to charge the Watch Series 3, because of its Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable, according to the Japanese site.
Older Watches use wireless charging based on the Qi standard, but require MFi-based authentication. It's possible that Apple will offer this in its own wireless charging mat, but only time will tell.
Don't be disheartened, though - there are ways of getting wireless charging on older iPhones, it just isn't built in.


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Belk teams up with Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on 3-year deal
Belk Inc. has something to cheer about in Texas. The Charlotte-based retailer has signed a three-year agreement with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
The deal includes endorsements, appearances and co-branded marketing initiatives.
“The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ stylish reputation, Southern flair and influence in Texas as well as around the world made the partnership with DCC a natural fit for Belk,” Jon Pollack, executive vice president of marketing, sales promotion and eCommerce, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with America’s favorite cheerleaders for years to come.”
Financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed.
Belk apparel will be featured on the ninth season of reality TV show Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders-Making The Team.
The show's new season begins taping Saturday.
In October, Belk will be the exclusive provider of the iPromise clothing line — outside of Dallas Cowboys Pro Shops — to benefit Dallas-based Susan G. Komen.
Belk is the nation’s largest privately owned department-store chain, with 300 stores in 16 Southern states. That includes 14 locations in Texas.
In April, Belk opened its first flagship location in Texas at Galleria Dallas. That three-story, $20 million store measures roughly 180,000 square feet.
It carries designer brands such as Nanette Lepore, Pink Tartan, Bonobos, Eileen Fisher, French Connection, Free People, Michael Kors, Laura Mercier and a Kate Spade Shop.
Jennifer Thomas covers retail, health care and education for the Charlotte Business Journal.
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"This week, the company began sending out emails to users informing them that its user guidelines have been updated to "[make] it clear that all types of ad blockers, bots, and fraudulent streaming activities are not permitted".
Users who will keep their ad-blocking software active after this date may get their accounts suspended or banned entirely.
That figure represented 1% of total users, and 2% of people using the ad-supported service.
Spotify has updated its Terms of Service agreement, implementing an explicit ban on the use of ad blockers. Some users have found ways around these ads, though, such as modified applications and ad-blocking tech.
The Terms and Conditions of Use state that "circumventing or blocking advertisements in the Spotify Service, or creating or distributing tools designed to block advertisements in the Spotify Service" will result in the removal or suspension of your account.
But thanks to the new terms of service, Spotify has the freedom to immediately shutdown an account without warning. Spotify said past year that it estimated two million people - one per cent its total users, and 2 per cent of people using the ad-supported service - were using its free service in a way that generated no revenue for the company or musicians.
An eMarketer report previous year said that a quarter of USA internet users, or about 70 million people, deploy ad blockers. "The format is really evolving and while podcasting is still a relatively small business today, I see incredible growth potential for the space and for Spotify in particular".