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Starting at 1.30 p.m. EST on this Friday, August 5, the Weber Cup is the annual Europe vs. USA tenpin showdown taking place at EventCity, Manchester, England. The American team is looking for their first win in three years.
The ultimate champions will be the team that reaches 19 points first. Play runs from Friday concluding in an exciting climax on the evening of Sunday, August 7.
ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
The network is currently available to 95 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.
The Weber Cup is the tenpin bowling version of golf’s Ryder Cup as two four-man teams from Europe and the USA compete over three days in a series of singles, doubles and baker format matches.
The Weber Cup will be staged over five sessions – 6.30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, and 12.30 and 6 p.m. British Summer Time (BST) on Saturday, Aug. 6, and Sunday, Aug. 7. The tournament will be produced by Matchroom Sport television and broadcast live on Sky Sports as well as other channels around the world.
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The Columbus Region—a thriving 11-county area in Central Ohio—is home to 2.2 million people and is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the Midwest. Since 2010, the Region has led the Midwest’s largest metros in job, population and GDP growth. Home of the world’s most recognizable brands—Scotts, Express, JPMorgan Chase, Nationwide, Abercrombie & Fitch—innovative small businesses and powerhouse research and academic institutions, the Region has experienced strong economic growth, ensuring a vibrant future for people and companies of Central Ohio.
The Columbus Region—a thriving 11-county area in Central Ohio—is one of the most dynamic and diverse metropolitan regions in the U.S. Centrally positioned in the Midwestern state of Ohio, between Chicago and New York City, the Columbus Region’s strategic location puts it within a 10-hour drive of 47 percent of the U.S. population, giving it greater access to the U.S. market than any other major metro. The state capital of Ohio, Columbus is a major logistics hub, and boasts a high concentration of fashion designers, retail innovators, manufacturers and colleges and universities. More than 450 internationally-owned companies employ nearly 60,000 people in the Columbus Region.
Carvana, a leading e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, has announced plans to open a new inspection center in Heath, Ohio, with upcoming hiring events for up to 100 new employees.
Alcorta Forging Group, a 100-year-old Spanish automotive supplier, has announced plans to establish its first U.S. manufacturing operations and regional headquarters in Marysville, Ohio, investing $15 million and creating 50 new jobs with a potential expansion to double in 5 years, pending state and local approvals.
Slalom, the $1.6B modern consulting firm focused on strategy, technology and business transformation, has announced plans to expand in Columbus, Ohio, creating over 85 new jobs and investing nearly $550,000.

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Sydney: January 16, 2022: Online marketplaces and ecommerce sites have enjoyed unparallelled growth during the pandemic. With this surge in demand comes a rise in customer service and swamped retailers are turning to outsource partners for help. Sharon Melamed, Founder of Matchboard, says her matching site has received a higher than ever number of outsourcing….
March 2021, Sydney: Matchboard has launched its Guide to Technology for Contact Centres and CX (2021 edition) to provide technology buyers with an independent overview of the most popular technologies powering and transforming today’s customer experience. In launching the Guide, Matchboard’s Sharon Melamed said, “The contact centre/CX software marketplace is changing so rapidly, with new….
SYDNEY — December 1, 2020 — Matchboard’s Sharon Melamed has been appointed to the Industry Advisory Board of the University of Sydney School of Computer Science. Melamed said, “COVID seems to have triggered a trend for organisations to appoint entrepreneurs to their boards as a way of fostering a spirit of innovation. I am excited….
SYDNEY — April 27, 2020 — Mumbrella announced Matchboard as a runner-up in their Business Boost contest aimed to support SMEs through Covid-19. More than 200 companies applied in a highly competitive process judged by five luminaries in the Australian media and marketing industry. Matchboard will receive $15,000 worth of digital advertising on the Mumbrella….
SYDNEY — April 7, 2020 — In response to unprecedented demand on contact centres in Australia, Matchboard has launched the Contact Centre Hotline to provide free phone advice on any contact centre challenge or question an organisation may have. Challenges may vary from technical to operational, such as “how do I ensure security for work-at-home….
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — March 24, 2020— Bucking the trend of business decline amidst Coronavirus, contact centre outsourcing companies in Australia are recording a surge in demand. This was the conclusion reached by Matchboard, which conducted a snap survey of suppliers on its platform last week. Key findings include: Almost 80% of outsourcers said they were….
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — November 25, 2019 — Founder and Managing Director of Matchboard, Sharon Melamed, has taken out the Entrepreneur 2019 title in ARN’s Women in ICT awards (WIICTA). For a full list of category winners, click here.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — September 30, 2019 — Capping off a month of award wins, Matchboard was today announced finalist for Innovator of the Year in the My Business Awards 2019. The winner will be decided at a black-tie dinner on November 15 at The Star Sydney. Managing Director, Sharon Melamed, said, “It’s a proud moment….
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — June 10, 2019 — When Sydney entrepreneur Sharon Melamed heard the now famous quote from the film Avengers: Endgame, “I love you 3000”, she couldn’t help but smile. Her award-winning B2B matchmaking platform, Matchboard, just celebrated its 3000th match, a major milestone for the 7-year-old business. Anyone can use Matchboard’s website to….
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — February 1, 2018 Sharon Melamed, Founder of business matchmaking site Matchboard, may have started a new trend in the small business community – supporting small charities with pro bono marketing. In her New Year’s manifesto, Melamed wrote: “The wake-up call happened last month – two people I knew personally and professionally died of cancer. As….
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — April 13, 2017 B2B matching site Matchboard has been named one of Westpac’s top 200 “businesses of tomorrow”, a vote of confidence in the company’s unique trust-based platform for matching buyers and sellers in the sales and service arena. Westpac announced the names of the businesses on April 7, adding that these 200 companies….
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — March 6, 2017 — The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is at a turning point – automation of back office and contact centre processes is rising steadily, eating into the BPO vendors’ bread-and-butter; and client focus on customer experience outcomes is causing a rethink in location strategy. Against this backdrop, countries such as Fiji,….
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — October 5, 2016 — Matchboard, a B2B matching platform which launched in 2012, celebrated its four-year milestone this month with the announcement that it has received an Export Market Development Grant to accelerate its push into the UK. Matchboard is a free online service which uses proprietary matching software to match “buyers” with….
LONDON, ENGLAND – August 14, 2017. Online dating sites have been around for years, but the concept of a matchmaking site for the commercial world is relatively new. Now, through advanced matching algorithms similar to dating sites, businesses can find their “perfect match” suppliers online too. Leading the way is AboutMatch, the international arm of Australia’s award-winning Matchboard platform, which….
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – September 2, 2015 – Matchboard, a B2B matching platform which launched in 2012, celebrated its three-year milestone this month with some statistics which attest to the success of its unusual business model, built entirely on trust. Founder, Sharon Melamed, said, “When I started Matchboard, I wanted to solve a problem I saw….


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Four Moroccan students of Pharmacy have presented their home country’s traditional nutrition and culture to fellow students and professors of the University CEU Cardenal Herrera.
“Food not only is an elixir of life, it is a symbol of a country’s culture, which brings people together”, Dra. Loles Silvestre Castelló, professor of Nutrition of the University CEU Cardenal Herrera, opened a culinary event organized by four of her students of Pharmacy: Yasmine Svistakova, Fatima Zahra Bidnaben, Salma El Omari and Maha Aherdan Homman-Ludiye presented the typical food and customs of a country which is “geographically so close to Spain, but in terms of cuisine and traditions totally different: Morocco.”
The four girls had worked for weeks on the presentation to take interested fellow students and professors on a culinary journey to their home country, where food still enjoys high priority. The Moroccan daily life is oriented towards having lunch and dinner together: children, for example, usually eat at home in their lunch breaks and on Friday, which is “not a normal day for Moroccans”, the whole family comes together to have North Africa’s traditional staple food: Couscous.
Spices are – without doubt – the defining point to any authentic Moroccan meal and are also known to be used for their medicinal value. “Moroccans include at least three different kinds of spices in every dish”, explained Yasmine Svistakova. Moreover, the girls elaborated on the nutrients of other important native products of their country which is rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood.
Their religion also influences Moroccan cooking as Muslim dietary restrictions, for example, prohibit the consumption of pork and alcohol. During the holy season of Ramadan, when Muslims fast during the day, a thick soup called “Harira” is served at night. Yasmine, Fatima, Salma and Maha have adapted to the Spanish food culture – also due to the fact that they cannot find all the typical Moroccan products in Valencia’s supermarkets. “Of course, we can also find fresh vegetables and fruits in the Spanish markets, but it is difficult to find “Halal-food” here. Our parents always give us tons of Moroccan products when we are at home to take it with us to Spain”, said Fatima Zahra Bidnaben.
Some of the culinary highlights of the Moroccan culture are certainly the special dishes served during Moroccan wedding ceremonies, which are supposed to show the “generosity, hospitality and happiness of the families.” The students, professors and employees of the University CEU Cardenal Herrera not only were given a profound impression of the Moroccan culture, but also the opportunity to try the authentic taste of the country´s cuisine: Couscous, traditional sweets, juices and tea left no doubt about Morocco’s richness in flavors, aromas and colors. International student Marielle Falourd from France got to the heart of it: “The girls really took us on a journey to Morocco – it was great to get to know their interesting culture and the food was just delicious!”


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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — If there’s any time of year to tuck away the New Year’s resolutions and bring out the cash, it’s Girl Scout cookie season.
Girl Scouts across the country are setting up stands once again and will continue to sell their lineup of iconic cookies through April. That lineup does have one new addition in 2023 — the Raspberry Rally.
This new cookie looks very similar to the Thin Mint with a chocolatey coating, but underneath is a pink, crispy, raspberry-flavored cookie.
The Raspberry Rally, however, will be sold exclusively online starting on Feb. 27, and directly shipped to customers’ homes. This new method will “allow Girl Scouts to learn new skills and build their ecommerce business,” according to the organization’s website.
Anyone wishing to pre-order before Feb. 27 will need to contact their local troop.
A release from Girl Scouts of the USA said the community-supported cookie sales represent the world’s largest entrepreneurial program for girls. It’s a program known for developing life skills in young girls such as money management, people skills, goal setting and decision making, according to the organization.
Funds raised from each year’s cookie sales go toward experiences such as service projects, troop travel and summer camps.
Want cookies and don’t know anyone with your local troop? Visit the Girl Scouts’ online cookie finder at Girlscouts.org. It’s worth noting, though, that each of the 111 Girl Scout councils across the country “sets cookie season timing in their own local market,” so troops in your area may not be selling cookies in your neck of the woods just yet, according to a representative for the national organization.
“The majority of councils conduct their cookie season for about a six- to eight-week period per year, most between January and April, but some start earlier in the fall,” according to a GSUSA spokesperson.


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Paris, February 6th, 2024 - Didomi, a leading data privacy solutions provider, announces its new membership with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in the United States.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is the world’s leading trade association for the digital advertising industry. Working with member companies, the organization produces industry standards and best practices, fields critical research, and fosters thought leadership, education, and workforce development.
“IAB’s superpower is our members. As the only media and marketing trade body that truly represents the entire ecosystem, it is our belief that the challenges of our industry require us all to have an equal seat at the table.
There has never been a more important time for collaboration among brands, creative and digital agencies, ad tech companies, and platforms.”
- David Cohen, CEO at IAB (Source: IAB)
As a leader in data privacy with offerings ranging from Privacy UX to consent management and privacy governance, Didomi has paved the way in Europe since the onset of the GDPR era before going global, with customers worldwide and an increased presence in North America.
After joining the IAB Canada TCF in 2023, the company is excited to share that it is listed as a member of IAB in the United States and is looking forward to increasing collaboration, partnerships, and business activity in North America amidst a critical time for data privacy in the region.
“Didomi has been actively involved with IAB Europe for years, including as of late in developing version 2.2 of the TCF. With a growing international presence, a partnership with the IAB in the United States was the logical next step.


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Ford launches Figo priced at Rs 3.5-4.48 lakh
US carmaker Ford today launched its much anticipated global small car 'Figo' in the Indian market, priced at Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4.48 lakh.autos Updated: Mar 09, 2010 17:07 IST
US carmaker Ford on Tuesday launched its much anticipated global small car 'Figo' in the Indian market, priced at Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4.48 lakh.
The company said it would be exporting the car from India to various markets across the globe, with South Africa being the initial target.
"For years, we have been seen as offering only premium priced products in India, and that has kept us as a small player operating in only 20 per cent of the market. With Figo, customers will see a premium product offered to the mainstream market at an affordable price," Ford India executive Director (Marketing, Sales and Service) Nigel Wark told reporters here.
The car would be available with a 1.2 litre petrol and a 1.4 litre diesel engines. While the entry-level version of the petrol variant will come at Rs 3.5 lakh, the diesel one is priced at Rs 4.48 lakh.
The company claimed that the car would give a mileage of 15.6 kilometre and 20 kilometre in every litre in the petrol and diesel versions, respectively.
The company is also looking at making India an export hub for the small car.
"We are preparing for export and South Africa will be the first market where Figo will go out of India. We will be adding more markets to Figo's list later," Ford India Managing Director Michael Boneham said.
The Figo would be produced at Ford India's Chennai plant, which has an annual capacity of two lakh units.


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Starkville businesses ready for large crowds ahead of gameday weekend
It's a big weekend for football in the Magnolia State
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- It’s a big weekend for football in the Magnolia State. Number 11 Ole Miss hosts number 10 Alabama while Mississippi State hosts number 1 Georgia.
Both games are sold out and expected to bring a lot of traction to both Oxford and Starkville.
Davis Wade stadium is sold out meaning thousands of fans will turn into thousands of customers. High-profile games on the schedule can book hotels in advance like the La Quinta Inn, throwing curveballs at the hospitality staff.
“Sports are going to be sports so you know whenever people want to check in is going to depend on what time the game is If it’s an early game people are going to want to check in before they leave, if it’s a late game people usually kind of try to struggle in afterward so it just depends, we have to monitor when is half time, will it go into overtime we have to be ready for all of that,” said the front desk manager at the La Quinta Mary Nicholson.
Nicholson said their guests have it all: a comfy place to lay their heads, an easy commute to the campus, and a restaurant outside their front doors.
At Walk-Ons, general manager Terry Long knows he has to get extra hands on board for Saturday’s game.
“We have to put all of our aces in places, we bring in everybody we can that can fit the role and we try to stagger people so we don’t overwork our people as well. They don’t have a walk-on in Athens they don’t have them there yet so we can give them that Louisiana flavor over here in Starkville Mississippi so we’re excited about that,” said Long.
Both Long and Nicholson say that the weekend will bring lots of fans and that means lots of money, but there’s more going on in the heart and soul of Starkville.
“We actually have, Friday night before the game we have an unwind shopping event so it’s shopping and wine tasting in downtown Starkville,” said the director of tourism at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, Paige Hunt.
Hunt said the weekend will be full of festivities and she can’t wait for the biggest game of the year.
“There’s just lots of great activity going on around town this weekend. I’m always excited to show off Starkville to visitors and football weekends are perfect opportunities because we have thousands of people coming to our community and I’m excited to see the bulldogs play in a night game in Davis Wade, said Hunt”
The Mississippi State game will kick off Saturday at 6 p.m.


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There are a few proven ways to make a splash with tech product news. One does not involve any PR sleight-of-hand – the news gets attention on its own merits. It so disruptive and interesting that the media just have to cover it. Pretty rare but it happens.
The more traditional PR launch is like a six gun salute. You cue up your news, share it in advance with selected journalists (or offer an exclusive), pre-brief them under embargo, if you’ll forgive a little PR jargon, and voilà! Launch day comes, nicely choreographed with a press release over the wire and ready-made stories.
Another, more clever approach relies on secrecy to build buzz. You throw out some crumbs of info to build anticipation and keep people guessing. On launch day the tension is released like a punctured balloon. People swarm around the news.
Apple has been a master of the last approach. The guessing game is satisfied by the big reveal – Apple’s legendary ritual for showing off the latest device (recall Steve Jobs’ famous rejoinder: “There’s one more thing!”). It’s captivated us, driven people to wait in long lines, and gave another reason to be excited about working in tech.
But I’m getting the feeling that the thrill may be gone. Many were underwhelmed by the latest news (somehow debates about ear phones seem inconsequential with everything else going on in politics and the world). The routine by now has become predictable.
Plus, it gets harder to keep news under wraps. The NY Times wrote about Apple iPhone 7 news – a day before the company made its formal splash. The main focus, though, was not about the anticipated features, it was about the news leaks. Traditionally secretive Apple still keeps their cards close to the vest. But, according to the article, there’s a cottage industry of news busters that spoil the surprise party.
We know about [latest features] thanks to a global information chain, one that shadows the supply and manufacturing chain that produces Apple’s products. The shadow chain is intended to ferret out Apple rumors: promoting them, discussing them and then discussing them some more, long before they become facts.
Does this mean that the big reveal is done in tech? I don’t think so. Few companies are watched as closely as Apple.
Sure, there are many chances for details to leak early. This is especially true of funding and M&A news, which typically involves many parties trying to stay ahead of ever vigilant sleuths.
In a world of TMI and crowd-sourced news tips, those who can tease their announcement, and use stealth and secrecy and keep people guessing can still make a splash.
It just might not be Apple


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The Best of Google I/O: Project Glass, Nexus 7 Tablet, Nexus Q Home Entertainment System, and More (Fast Company)
Google announced a slew of new products at its annual developer conference, including the long-awaited Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus Q (pictured left), a home media streamer for Android devices. Betabeat A black orb with a glowing blue stripe, the Nexus Q is not just pretty, it’s Apple-quality pretty. The Verge The Nexus Q is not intended to be a standalone device and requires one or more Android smartphones or tablets to provide access to Google Play content. Engadget Google announced it’s adding support for the purchase of movies on Google Play, as well as TV shows by episode or by season, and even magazines all available now. The New York Times On the underside of the Nexus Q is its most intriguing feature, a simple inscription: “Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A.” The Verge The 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet will come pre-loaded with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google’s latest operating system. Available in black or white, an 8GB version will be priced at $199, with 16GB for $249 this July. All Things D Building the Nexus 7 tablet was no easy task, says Asus chairman Jonney Shih. First off, Google gave the company only four months to build the product. Then there was the task of building a high-end tablet that could sell for just $200. Plus, he said, Google can be kind of demanding. Wired In Jelly Bean, Google has a proper Siri fighter, but she has no fancy name a la Siri or Samsung’s S Voice. In Jelly Bean, the voice assistant simply emerges with a tap of the microphone icon in the ever-present search box on Android’s home screens. Ars Technica There’s a big question that always looms large over the announcement of any new Android version: These features look nice and all, but will my device ever be upgraded? VentureBeat Stop the dadgum presses! Googler Louis Gray just told us about a new Google+ feature that you won’t read about anywhere else. The Next Web If there’s one thing this year’s Google I/O opening keynote will be remembered for, it’s the skydiving, biking and abseiling demo of Google Glass. If you missed the epic moment, here it is. GigaOm However, when you stand back from all the announcements made by Google and increase the periphery, you start to notice that this is a company that is fighting a lot of battles on many fronts. In some places it is winning, but most places it is trench warfare.
Apple Said to Prepare iTunes Changes to Improve Sharing (Bloomberg)
Apple Inc. plans an overhaul of iTunes that would mark one of the largest changes to the world’s biggest music store since its 2003 debut, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. By year’s end, the company will more closely integrate its iCloud file-storage service with iTunes, so users can more seamlessly access and manage their music, videos and downloaded software apps across different Apple gadgets, the people said. Apple also plans new features for sharing music, the people said.
AppSlap: Citia Is a High-Tech CliffsNotes for Business Books [Video] (SocialTimes)
Citia is a new iPad app that condenses nonfiction eBooks into sharable, 3-D note cards. In this episode of “App Slap,” we take a look at what Citia does with Wired co-founder Kevin Kelly’s latest book, What Technology Wants.
Facebook Promotes User Education with New Icon Above Ads (Inside Facebook)
Facebook has added a small icon linking to an “About Facebook Advertising” page next to the word “Sponsored” above ad units on the site. This gives users a quick way to learn more about how Facebook ads work and why users see the ads they see. Techcrunch Ads, not payments, are the future of Facebook monetizing mobile, but it needs content to show them beside. The new Follow action announced Wednesday could deliver that content by letting you follow someone in a mobile app, and then sending the updates you’d normally see in that app back to your ad-laden news feed. Bloomberg The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based advocacy group, wrote the FTC Wednesday urging the agency to investigate Facebook’s decision to display @facebook.com e-mail addresses under the ‘Contacts Info’ section of users’ profiles. The New York Times According to two Facebook engineers who asked not be named because they are not authorized to speak about unreleased products, Facebook has completely rebuilt its iOS application to optimize for one thing: speed.
Twitter’s New Follower Notification ‘Digests’ are Just Right: Less Email, More Discovery (The Next Web)
We’ve heard reports that Twitter has revamped its new follower notification emails beyond the the new format it introduced recently, and the latest change is a significant one that makes the emails considerably more valuable for users of the microblogging service. The new email provides a digest of new followers, rather than a dedicated email for each single new follower, which cuts down massively on inbox overload and inconvenience.
Back to the Future: Myspace Co-Founder Chris DeWolfe Joins the Board of Talenthouse (All Things D)
Myspace co-founder Chris DeWolfe will be joining the board of innovative social media and marketing firm Talenthouse. In an interview Wednesday, DeWolfe said the company — which links creative talent to brand advertisers — reminds him of the best of what Myspace did in its early days, when it was a hip and hot hub of music and other entertainment activity on the Web.
Five Months After Launch Chill Raises $8M For Social Video Discovery (SocialTimes)
When Chill, previously a social TV-viewing experience, relaunched in January as a social video discovery site, it seems it was a very good decision. The new Chill has taken off like wildfire over the past five months, quickly becoming a favorite amongst online video fanatics and Wednesday they announced an $8 million funding round.
New Zealand Court Finds Megaupload Search Warrants Illegal (Reuters)
Search warrants used when 70 New Zealand police raided the mansion of the suspected kingpin of an Internet piracy ring were illegal, a New Zealand court ruled on Thursday, dealing a blow to the FBI’s highest profile global copyright theft case. TorrentFreak In addition, the data removed from New Zealand by the FBI (which they claim was ‘not stolen’, since it was ‘only data’) was also ruled to be illegally obtained, and should not have been taken out the country. AP / Yahoo Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak says the U.S. piracy case against Kim Dotcom is “hokey” and a threat to Internet innovation. “It’s just kind of ridiculous what they did to his life,” Wozniak said in a telephone interview. “An awful lot of Kiwis support him. The U.S. government is on thin ground.”
What Makes a Kickstarter Campaign Successful? Northwestern Students Launch One to Find Out (SocialTimes)
For the past year, members of Northwestern’s Creative Action Lab have been studying the effects of social media fundraising on creativity and innovation. After interviewing more than 50 backers and creators of crowdfunded projects large and small, the team has compiled some best practices for launching successful campaigns on Kickstarter and other sites.
Hollywood Agents Join App Frenzy (Wall Street Journal)
Creative Artists Agency is going into the mobile-apps business. The agency, whose clientele includes Will Smith, James Cameron and Natalie Portman, is a partner in publisher Moonshark Inc., whose first release arrives in Apple Inc.’s App Store today. In the iPad game “DancePad,” players use their hands to simulate breakdance moves like moonwalks, spinning windmills and robotic popping and locking. CNET The app, originally the brainchild of several USC students who were inspired by finger break-dancing videos on YouTube, has the benefit of star power. It has J-Lo as its cheerleader and a promo video featuring break-dancing crew Jabbawockeez of America’s Best Dance Crew fame.


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Home > News > The wonders of nanotechnology
March 9th, 2007
The wonders of nanotechnology
Small is set to change the face of food processing sector in the near future. Express Hospitality talks about how nanotechnology can increase the shelf life of processed foods.
Nanotechnology is concerned with the production and control of materials and objects on a nano-scale, which is, to say the least, small is set to change the face of food processing sector in the near future. According to Yashnanotech, a division of Yash Management & Satellite, the implementation of nanotechnology will increase the shelf life of processed foods drastically. Nano-packaging will be able to maintain the product's freshness while nano-encapsulation technology will allow for controlled release of the core or inner material.
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers
Atom-thick CCD could capture images: Rice University scientists develop two-dimensional, light-sensitive material December 20th, 2014
Oregon researchers glimpse pathway of sunlight to electricity: Collaboration with Lund University uses modified UO spectroscopy equipment to study 'maze' of connections in photoactive quantum dots December 19th, 2014
Instant-start computers possible with new breakthrough December 19th, 2014
Iranian Scientists Use Nanotechnology to Increase Power, Energy of Supercapacitors December 18th, 2014
First Home-Made Edible Herbal Nanodrug Presented to Pharmacies across Iran December 17th, 2014
Scientists trace nanoparticles from plants to caterpillars: Rice University study examines how nanoparticles behave in food chain December 16th, 2014
Iranian Scientists Convert Curcumin Existing in Turmeric into Edible Nanodrug December 15th, 2014
Nanoparticles Prove Effective in Removing Phosphor from Calcareous Soil December 10th, 2014


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Payday lenders and the stock market prices for their publicly traded shares are at record highs.
Why? Because payday loan lenders have been transitioning away from mono-line payday loans for the past several years.
If you’ve been following our advice here at PaydayLoanIndustryBlog.com, you’re no doubt aware that micro-lenders – that is payday, car title, signature, line-of-credit lenders – have been busy creating new loan products for years. That means for many lenders, the stereotypical “payday loan” product makes up less than 20% of their loan portfolios.
Of course, the folks at Bloomberg just figured this out. Too bad they’re too busy to listen to the earnings report calls we enable our readers to jump on!
Enova International Inc. has more than doubled so far this year, the best performer in the Russell 2000 Consumer Lending Index, followed by rival Curo Group Holdings Corp., up 64 percent.
Ready to launch your consumer loan business? CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED


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August 3, 2012 2:39 AM EST
London Olympic Fashion Disasters
The first week of the London 2012 Olympics has been a thrill-a-thon of greatness by sportsmen and women from Great Britain and around the world.
But while spectators have been focusing on the performances, the world's greatest athletes have sometimes been revealed as paying scant attention to their own wardrobes.
The fashion police went into the attack immediately when the Space Age-inspired uniform worn by Team GB for the opening ceremony was heavily criticised. Some fans called it "garish" and "unflattering".
British designer Stella McCartney was forced to deny she was behind the white and gold tracksuits created by high street chain Next after some critics claimed it made the British squad look like "a team of Elvis impersonators".
Renowned fashion designer Giorgio Armani, however, was praised for the "sleek" tracksuits that he created for the Italian Olympic team.
Many teams, including Jamaica and Brazil, have also managed to embody the spirit of the games with their sporty creations, while others fell short of the mark.
IBTimes UK takes a looks at some of the fashion hits and misses of London 2012.
Space Age-inspired uniforms worn by Team GB for the Olympics opening ceremony were created by high street store Next. However, the garish outfits did not go down very well, with some fans describing the British squad as 'a team of Elvis impersonators'. Or even Abba.
US swimming champ Ryan Lochte wanted to wear these snazzy trainers to pick up his gold for the 400-metre individual medley but was forced stick to the regulation American uniform
Team USA wore a very formal outfit, designed by Ralph Lauren, to the opening ceremony for the London Olympics. The entire ensemble, complete with French beret looked more appropriate for a sailing trip rather that competing in the games.
Despite clearly paying great attention to detail, these suits designed by Bosco are a sight for sore eyes - literally
Fashion designer Giorgio Armani was the mastermind behind Italy's Olympic uniform. Despite the lack of colour, they actually look like something that winning athletes would wear.
Jamaica's Olympic uniform, designed by Bob Marley's' daughter Cedella Marley, represent the Caribbean island perfectly. It's bold, vibrant and full of colour.
It is not clear why team Slovakia thought a black fedora would represent athletic prowess
Team Brazil came ready to compete in their official uniform kit. The sporty styles and bright colours looked just as fun as the games should be.


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In 2009, Kraft Foods wanted a catchy name for its new version of Vegemite, a yeast-based spread popular in Australia. Instead of hiring a branding agency, the company decided to crowdsource the task. Kraft asked people in Australia to submit and vote on potential names for the new product. After 48,000 entrants made suggestions, the winning name was “iSnack2.0.” When the company announced it, bloggers and fans ridiculed it and the company retracted it a few days later. Not only was the name scorned, but it had also been trademarked previously.
The iSnack2.0 incident illustrates the perils for businesses that try to take advantage of the supposed wisdom of the crowd. It’s no mystery why the idea appeals: instead of hiring one person for a task, a business can pay little or nothing to divide it up among thousands, often getting the work done faster to boot. But while companies have had some success divvying up simple jobs like categorizing products, harnessing the crowd for more complicated tasks has proved difficult. Even as crowdsourcing became a buzzword, it became apparent that getting useful input from a faceless mob in an unstructured online environment was harder than it seemed.
Now, third-party companies have sprung up to act as liaisons between businesses and diffuse groups of potential contributors. These companies say they can attract specialized crowds to help solve a wide variety of problems in such diverse industries as chemicals, design, and the Web. “It turns out that when you have tasks that require creativity and planning at a higher level, the overhead involved and the need for consistency across the whole task makes [crowdsourcing] very difficult,” says Judd Antin, a research scientist at Yahoo who studies online collaboration. “We’re at the beginning of understanding how to take advantage of the efforts of many of thousands of people.”
To start off, one needs the right crowd. That’s apparent from the company Threadless, often cited as a successful example of crowdsourcing. Threadless, which sells T-shirts online, asks people to submit ideas and vote on designs that they like and would buy. The Threadless staff assesses each shirt for ranking, comments, and “social score” (the number of tweets about a design, or the number of times people logged in to Facebook have clicked that they “like” the item) and picks a final design to print. The power of Threadless lies in its crowd: 1.5 million voting members have submitted over 300,000 T-shirt designs.
But few companies have such an engaged community or time to build one. That’s where crowdsourcing companies like CrowdSpring, CrowdFlower, Victors & Spoils, NineSigma, and InnoCentive come in: they offer crowds for specific tasks.
Trada, founded two and a half years ago, straddles the line between traditional outsourcing and crowdsourcing: it takes on a company’s project and farms it out to a widespread pool of people. In particular, Trada gets these people to help companies create and improve ad campaigns on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. A tourism company, for example, would bid on keyword combinations (like “Hawaii vacation” or “Europe tour”) and write short text for an ad. When a Web surfer types in that keyword, the company’s ad comes up alongside the search results, and if the ad is clicked on, the company pays the search engine the amount it bid. The ways of improving an ad campaign are numerous; companies can switch or combine keywords or make them show up only at certain times of day, for instance. But comparing results and making the changes can be laborious. Those are the tasks that Trada turns over to a crowd of workers. If a business aims to spend $1 a click and a Trada worker creates a successful campaign for 80 cents a click, Trada and the workers keep the difference. Trada’s customers include Warner Bros. Music and the New England Patriots.


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The interest in funding entrepreneurship in the shipping industry continued to skyrocket last year, according to a report from innovation firm Rainmaking and Danish Ship Finance, which has examined 160 startups working on digitalization in the maritime sector.
Funding for the new initiatives grew significantly last year compared to previous years. The same is true for the number of funding rounds, according to the report.
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A project to give more power to low-income, marginalised and isolated communities across Yorkshire to confront the challenges posed by climate change and widening inequalities has been awarded £5m in funding.
Freeths is proud to announce that as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and its wider ESG strategy it is now a certified B Corporation (“B Corp”).
The latest addition to the Volvo range, the fully electric Volvo EX30, has finally arrived at Stoneacre Sheffield on the 22nd of January 2024. Despite its compact size, this SUV embodies the outstanding qualities synonymous with the Volvo brand.
On the eve of COP 28 in Dubai, a ground-breaking survey of 1,000 businesses – mostly SMEs – by the British Chambers of Commerce Insight’s Unit shows 40% of companies don't know any details about the UK’s net zero target.
Astrophysicists are one step closer to understanding how the heaviest chemical elements are created in the universe, thanks to a camera designed and built at the University of Sheffield.
Market-leading logistics company Pawson, has engaged expert infrastructure consultancy Market Infra on a hydrogen feasibility project.
Newable Lending has provided a £300,000 Export Finance facility to International Energy Products ltd.
Astronomers are one step closer to understanding one of the most enduring solar mysteries, having captured unprecedented data from the Sun’s magnetic field.
British consumers are angry at the retail industry for producing plastic waste and frustrated with current reuse and recycling systems, according to research from the University of Sheffield.


text: Coal company forced to file bankruptcy. The coal industry used to be a money making machine. Times have changed. The world has turned to cleaner forms of energy. The coal industry has now fallen on hard times. Companies are struggling to survive. Yet another company had to pay a visit to a bankruptcy attorney for help. Patriot Coal needed a bankruptcy lawyer in order to file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company had simply run out of money. The bankruptcy filing saved the company. Without the filing, the company would have had to shut down its business operations. The company has suffered from the declining market for coal. All hope is not lost. It appears the best hope for survival is to find a buyer to buy the entire business inside the bankruptcy case. The bankruptcy lawyers have a lot on their plate. The future of the business and all of the company jobs are at stake. Patriot Coal is very optimistic a buyer can be found. The company stated its negotiations with a buyer for most of the company’s assets are at a highly advanced stage. The company went on to state that proposals and counterproposals have been exchanged. If everything goes according to plan, the company hopes to file a motion soon with the bankruptcy court. This motion will seek court approval for bidding procedures. This will be the first step to find a buyer for the company. The bankruptcy lawyers involved might have saved the future of the jobs of all the employees of the company. Thanks to the bankruptcy filing, a new buyer will give the business a chance at survival. A new owner with deep pockets could keep this venture going strong for many years to come. Bankruptcy attorneys will be working long and hard to make this deal happen.


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|Bid||0.00 x 1000|
|Ask||0.00 x 1800|
|Day's range||313.45 - 321.99|
|52-week range||251.51 - 485.83|
|Beta (5Y monthly)||1.30|
|PE ratio (TTM)||41.90|
|Forward dividend & yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y target est||N/A|
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 05, 2022--lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) today announced plans to introduce the brand to more communities around the world by opening two new stores and a local e-commerce site in Spain. With significant runway ahead and the Company’s "Power of Three ×2" growth plan, which includes a quadrupling of its international revenue from 2021 levels by year-end 2026, lululemon enters Spain as the first new market in Europe since 2019.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 02, 2022--lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) today announced financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2022.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 19, 2022--lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) today announced that its financial results for the first quarter fiscal 2022 will be released Thursday, June 2, 2022. The company will host a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time to discuss the financial results.


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"My only question is, who is our bigger enemy, Jay Powell or Chairman Xi?" Trump wrote amid a series of tweets that rattled markets Friday.Politicsread more
Stocks dropped after Donald Trump ordered that U.S. manufacturers find alternatives to their operations in China.US Marketsread more
"We don't need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them," Trump tweeted.Politicsread more
Yields slipped after Powell said that the central bank will continue to act as appropriate to sustain the economic expansion.Bondsread more
Here are the products that stand to be the most affected by China's new tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods.Marketsread more
The president tweeted Friday morning that he was ordering "our great American companies" to "immediately start looking for an alternative to China."Marketsread more
Semiconductor stocks and shares of Apple slid on Friday after President Donald Trump said U.S. companies should "immediately start looking for an alternative" to their...Technologyread more
The two American car companies are among the top exporters of U.S.-produced vehicles to China along with BMW and Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, according to industry data obtained by...Autosread more
Multinationals that rely on the supply chain from China are tumbling after President Donald Trump ordered them find alternatives to their Chinese operations.Marketsread more
Powell repeats his pledge to keep the economic expansion going while acknowledging that tariffs and other factors are causing growth to slow.The Fedread more
These are the stocks posting the largest moves in midday trading.Market Insiderread more
Ned Davis, the founder of his namesake research firm, found success as a day trader for about three decades. But now, he wouldn't even try it.
"I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole now," Davis said at the company's annual investment conference in Boston on Tuesday.
The reason for that is "algos," he said.
Algos (short for algorithms) refers to computerized trading, where a computer executes trades in fractions of a second if certain conditions are met. For example, if the breaks below its 200-day moving average — a key level closely watched by traders — then the algo would sell shares of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, which tracks the broad index.
They are a faster and much more cost-effective way of trading and they've also made it nearly impossible for humans to find an edge to exploit, Davis said: "The algos have taken all of the inefficiencies out of the market."
When he was a day trader, Davis said, he was able to take advantage of inefficiencies in the market and make money off of them. Now, algos compensate for them almost instantaneously.
"They say you can't make money day trading. I did it for 30, 33 years," the 73-year-old Davis said. But "they've taken the short-term [opportunities] out of the market. I've just gotten more and more long term."
The proliferation of algorithmic trading has skyrocketed in recent years. J.P. Morgan estimated in 2017 that about 90% of daily trades are done by computers, while only 10% are executed by regular stock pickers.
Algos have faced lots of criticism for creating volatile swings in the market. In December, billionaire investor Leon Cooperman said the Securities and Exchange Commission should investigate computerized trading, noting it has created a "Wild West environment in the stock market. "


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The first quarter saw the worst performance of the 10-year note going back to 1980.
But that hasn’t been the case of late, with the 10-year yield
slipping around 15 basis points from its late March high. That is not all — the U.S. dollar
has softened, and the trading in eurodollar
futures suggests reduced expectations for the number of interest-rate hikes between now and the end of 2024. “That all kind of makes sense with a slower growth trajectory beyond this year,” says Joe Lavorgna, the chief economist of the Americas for Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking.
This year will see “gangbusters growth,” says Lavorgna, the chief economist for the White House National Economic Council in the latter days of the Trump administration. “If the economy was healthy before the [COVID-19] pandemic began, it would make sense the economy would come back quite quickly, and that’s certainly been the case in the U.S.” But Lavorgna distinguishes between gross domestic product growth and the U.S. jobs picture, which is still over 8 million jobs short of pre-pandemic levels.
And this job outlook is dependent on the small-business side, where the data haven’t been great. “If we significantly lift marginal tax rates, and the tax rates on capital, that’s going to really hurt the S corps,” he says, referring to businesses with no more than 100 shareholders. The White House didn’t reply to a question about S corporation tax policy.
Lavorgna isn’t fearful of goods and services inflation, and, as a result, says the Fed won’t begin to taper its bond purchases before 2023 — and won’t lift interest rates before the next presidential election. The New York Federal Reserve’s survey of primary dealers, in March, found Wall Street expecting that the taper would begin in the first quarter of 2022, with the first hike in the third quarter of 2023. “If you’re going into 2022, and growth is a lot slower, the delta is negative, and inflation isn’t really picking up, it’s going to be very hard for the Fed to taper,” the Wall Street veteran says.
In the last cycle, it took seven years from the last interest-rate cut to first interest-rate hike. “This time around, the Fed is more ingrained in markets, the forward guidance is much stronger, the balance sheets are much bigger, it’s occurring against massive debt,” he says. “How in the world can the Fed possibly step back from bond buying, it seems very difficult to me.”
Lavorgna says the Trump White House had expected the Biden administration to continue with its China tariffs. But he says there are three distinct differences in economic policies. The Trump administration’s desire was to encourage reshoring by making energy cheap and dependable, he says. The second difference is the corporate tax rate, which the Trump administration lowered and the Biden administration wants to increase; and the third is the regulatory framework. “And that’s where, to me at least, on the small business side, you can have some significant stress,” he says.
He says the one thing he began to appreciate working in Washington, D.C. was the psychology of the economy. “Sentiment is probably more important than I would have guessed for economic activity,” he says. “Going in I thought, ‘that doesn’t really matter because companies are opportunistic, they will figure out a way to navigate.’ Well, that’s true, but psychology is important.”
Netflix misses on subscriber numbers
Speaking of tapering, there is a possibility the Bank of Canada will reduce its government bond purchases when it announces its rate decision at 9 a.m. Eastern.
shares slumped 8% in early premarket trade, after the streaming service provider missed expectations on subscriber growth and also guided for a disappointing second quarter. The Netflix numbers may impact Roku
the maker of streaming devices.
Telecommunications giant Verizon Communications
and stock-market operator Nasdaq
are among the companies reporting results. ASML Holding
the microchip-equipment maker that is part of the Nasdaq-100, jumped in Amsterdam trade, after lifting revenue guidance and completing a stock buyback program early.
starts trading on Wednesday after pricing its initial public offering at $56 a share, giving the software maker a $29 billion valuation.
Still stuck in the mud
were languishing early on Wednesday as well.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury
To get around lockdown restrictions, the Design Museum in London has reopened its gift shop as a supermarket, with products like rice and coffee wrapped in packaging designed by artists.
Also in London, a pharmacy opened with all the products — from razors to toothbrushes — made out of felt.
Need to Know starts early and is updated until the opening bell, but sign up here to get it delivered once to your email box. The emailed version will be sent out at about 7:30 a.m. Eastern.
Want more for the day ahead? Sign up for The Barron’s Daily, a morning briefing for investors, including exclusive commentary from Barron’s and MarketWatch writers.


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The survey based on a poll of 1,100 businesses also found that 25 percent of independent business owners expect holiday sales to increase at least 4 percent and 15 percent expect sales to drop by at least 4 percent.
The survey also found that after the results of the presidential election, 62 percent of business owners expect that the economy will be better next year than it was in 2012.
More breaking news
- US employers add jobs, but unemployment rate up
- NY applications open for $20M land bank funding
- For sale: A nearly nonexistent insurance agency
- US consumer spending up in June
- End of the road (as we know it)
- LIE real estate all about the exposure
- Power lunch? LIE has quite a menu
- Debit overdraft fees often exceed cost of purchase
- Vitaminwater cries uncle, switches back formula
- Probe of Cuomo commission takes another turn


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Respawn Entertainment, one of the promising, relatively new video game development studios, is preparing to hit the market once again with a sequel to its most critically acclaimed 2014 mecha first-person shooter game Titanfall. But this time, the budding developer is facing increased competition, but as the team behind Titanfall 2 works on the game diligently, the developer is hopeful the game will “appeal to as many people as possible” with its brand new campaign mode and more.
Respawn Wants Titanfall 2 to “Appeal to as Many People as Possible” - Single-Player Campaign Will Let You Explore the Game's Intriguing Universe
Titanfall 2 is Respawn co-founders’ Vince Zampella and Jason West’s next big game. Not only the upcoming first-person shooter game will feature a separate full-fledged campaign mode unlike its predecessor, it will also introduce the franchise to Sony’s PlayStation 4 as it releases later this year in October for consoles and PC. The team responsible for handling the development on Titanfall 2 is now 30 percent larger than the one that worked on Titanfall.
All this effort that the team is putting in the development of the sequel will hopefully enable players to enjoy a game that brings back the world of fast-paced warfare of Titanfall, yet manages to be different in itself and “appeal to as many people as possible.” In an interview with Eurogamer, Respawn Entertainment co-founder Vince Zampella said: "we're spending years of our lives pouring everything we can into this - we want it to appeal to as many people as possible."
“For as long as there were single-player campaigns, no one got too upset. There were people really into competitive multiplayer who said, ‘I don’t know why they bother,’” Lead single-player designer, Mackey McCandlish, added. “But then we took the campaign and suddenly people come out the woodwork, like ‘what did you do with the campaign?!’, like some dark matter of players out there who got all vocal. It’s different audiences.”
Respawn is not affixing a story with Titanfall 2 just to tick a box or to boast about it only in press release or interviews, either. Fans of the first title in the series were apparently very interested in having a proper single-player campaign, and the fact that the game didn’t have one was not interesting. “I think it has to do with the universe," Zampella continued. "We tried to put some of that into the multiplayer first time around and teased it, and people's interest was piqued."
In a similar discussion during an interview with CNET, the team explained that the new single-player campaign won't feel anything like a Call of Duty campaign. "It really isn't your average linear, for lack of a better word, corridor FPS," the developer said. "It's not like you're getting pulled through this series of explosions or people yelling at you. There's going to be very quiet moments where you're taking in a broad environment and you have to figure out how you're going to traverse it."
As the game releases later in the year, Respawn entertainment faces increased competition. Not only Activision’s upcoming shooter is more sci-fi than any previous Call of Duty games, but it also has another gem to offer; remastered version of hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a cherished game that Zampella and Jason, and most of the staff at Respawn itself worked on before the co-founders had to leave Infinity Ward following a very public law suit. However, this doesn’t mean Zampella doesn’t want to see one of the finest games resurrected, in fact, he wants Activision to keep it good and not “f**k it up.”
Titanfall 2 releases this year on October 28 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. What do you have to say about Titanfall 2? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


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Tackling the digital divide with cheaper services and better content
The term “digital divide” is about who has, and who hasn’t got access to information and communications technologies such as the internet and mobile phones. And access doesn’t just mean actually having physical access (such as actually owning a phone, for example), access also means knowing how to use these technologies, and being able to afford to use them. There’s been a lot of progress in the developing world in bridging the digital divide, especially as mobile adoption rates have exploded over the past decade. But many challenges remain.
Those challenges, and strategies to meet them, are the topic of a new report by the renowned American think-tank, the Brookings Institution. In the report, Darrell West, founding director of the organization’s Center for Technology Innovation, analyzes why some 4.3 billion people on the planet are still locked out of the digital revolution. onMedia put a few questions to West about what the divide is as wide as it is and what might be done about increasing connectivity in the developing world.
Is there one primary factor behind the divide? Or is it a combination of issues?
One of the largest barriers to internet access in the developing world is the high cost of devices and internet services. For many people, smartphones and tablets remain far beyond their financial means. And even if they can pay for a device, they cannot afford the telecommunications and data usage charges that are required to access the internet. Some governments also are worsening the cost situation by imposing new taxes on mobile devices or telecommunications fees. That makes it even more difficult to solve the affordability crisis in internet usage.
The biggest problem of the digital divide is all the people who are not reaping the benefits of the digital revolution. Increasingly, people are applying for jobs, getting educated, and accessing health information online. Those without internet connections are not able to do these things and this puts them at a disadvantage compared to others who are connected. That widens inequality and access to new digital tools.
You say it is especially important to make progress on digital access in the cases of India and China. Why?
Half of the world’s unconnected (2.2 of the 4.3 billion) live in China or India. This means that in order to solve the digital access problem, we have to pay particular attention to those countries. Each has a large number of people outside the technology revolution. Internet service providers and website operators need to provide content in the local languages common in those places and undertake steps that encourage a diverse and uncensored internet. In conjunction with addressing cost barriers, these steps will bring more people into the digital world and provide economic opportunities for those who go online.
Data charges are often cited as contributing to the digital divide. You’ve said zero-rating programs are effective ways to expand access. Can you explain?
Zero-rating programs help those who are poor in the developing world get access to services and information that otherwise would be too expensive. Telecommunications firms waive data caps for a range of basic services and this encourages greater internet usage. In combination with free wi-fi services, this can open up a range of websites and encourage them to become more active online.
You point to a diversification of content as key to bringing more people into the internet fold. What kind of content would be more appealing to those who are not online now?
People want to use the basic content that other people are accessing. They want to be able to apply online for jobs, check the weather, use social media and find necessary information. If they are in remote rural areas, internet access helps them broaden the marketplace and buy products outside their local village. Anything that broadens their horizons and gives them access to more diverse content is useful from their standpoint.
Problems of digital literacy and a fear of the internet, especially among older people, are cited as stumbling blocks. How can these problems be tackled?
Many elderly people in the developing world don’t know how to use computers or worry about the security of their online activities. They hear stories about hackers and think they may be victimized. We need educational programs that reach these individuals and give them the digital skills necessary to encourage safe, online participation. Older people want to use the internet to stay in touch with their children and grandchildren so that provides a means to get them to learn how to go online for basic information and services.
Darrell M. West is vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings and the founding director of the Center for Technology Innovation. He is also the editor-in-chief of the technology policy blog TechTank. His current research focuses on educational technology, health information technology, and mobile technology. He is the author or co-author of 20 books, including including Going Mobile: How Wireless Technology is Reshaping Our Lives, Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education, and The Next Wave: Using Digital Technology to Further Social and Political Innovation. You can follow him on Twitter here.
Interview conducted by Kyle James, edited by Kate Hairsine
RELATED ONMEDIA POSTS
Pictures: Darrell West, Brookings Institution; flickr.com/Mike Licht CC:BY


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SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft Corp. is rolling out a redesigned search site in the coming days and hopes it will lure more Web surfers than the two most recent incarnations, Live Search and MSN Search.
The new site, Bing, adds touches intended to make everyday Web searching a little less haphazard. Bing also tries to make it easier for people to buy things, book travel and find credible health information.
History has not been kind to even the best search innovators. Many companies, including Amazon.com Inc. and IAC/InterActiveCorp., and startups such as Hakia, ChaCha and Cuil have tried to improve on the basic “10 blue links” format of search results, but Google Inc. has remained unstoppable.
Microsoft’s last effort, Live Search, failed to catch on partly because the software maker didn’t do much to promote it. Marketing is no guarantee of success — IAC heavily advertised makeovers of Ask.com — but this time, Microsoft appears to be taking no chances. Ad Age reported Microsoft plans to spend as much as $100 million on advertising Bing.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft has been stuck in third place behind Google and Yahoo Inc. for years. Its share of U.S. search queries was 8.2 percent in April, according to the research group comScore Inc. Google was used for 64.2 percent of queries, and Yahoo’s share totaled 20.4 percent.
The numbers are important. Google’s healthy profits are tied to its search dominance because companies will pay more to reach a wider audience when they place ads alongside search results. Microsoft, by contrast, posted a quarterly loss in its online advertising business.
“We want to do better,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said yesterday at The Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, Calif.
When asked why Microsoft chose “Bing,” he said, “The name is short, it’s easy to say, it works globally.”
To mount a credible challenge to Google, Microsoft tried taking over Yahoo last year. But after Yahoo rebuffed its $47.5 billion offer, Microsoft turned its attention to improving its own Live Search.
Ballmer reiterated yesterday that Microsoft is still interested in a search partnership with Yahoo and not an outright acquisition, but he didn’t disclose any new details.
Some of Bing’s features showed up on a Microsoft blog in March, when the new site was known as “Kumo.” The most obvious difference is a bar of links running down the left-hand side of Bing search results pages. Some searches — especially ones for celebrities or travel destinations — yield links to help narrow results into categories. For pro athletes, it might offer links for statistics and highlights. For Thailand, categories include weather and real estate.
Bing also lists related search terms on the left, not at the bottom of the page like Google does.
Microsoft isn’t banking on beating Google, said Mike Nichols, a general manager in the search group. But Microsoft does want to transform its also-ran search image.
“We want to capture a unique position in consumers’ minds. They need to know why is it that they should use this product,” Nichols said in an interview.


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Baby it's Coal Outside
- Written by Mark Kuhar
May 3, 2012 – Blogging live this week from the Coal Prep show in Lexington, Ky. A few years ago this was called Coal and Agg Prep, but the aggregates portion didn't catch on. Despite that, there are a number of people here who either sell or market equipment and technology for the aggregates industry, so it's been good to see them, and catch them up on all the latest industry news and gossip, and talk up the virtues of Rock Products. At least one supplier let me in on a huge secret that will not be released to the industry until just before MineExpo. Can't say any more, but it will be BIG!


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Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, is looking forward to receiving a letter from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, before complying with the new petrol pump price of N108 per liter.
Abubakar Maigandi, its national vice president, told journalists on phone on Thursday, May 7, 2020, that the Corporation would approve once the marketers exhaust their stock at the previous price.
Despite NNPC ‘s announcement of a product pump price reduction from N145 to N125. 50 per liter on 30th March, virtually all the retail outlets, including the corporation’s affiliate ones still retained the former price.
But Maigandi who commended the Federal Government on the downward review of the pump price said marketers were still buying petrol for N111 per liters even when NNPC had announced the penultimate price reduction of N125. 50 per liter.
He said: “Immediately we receive an order from the government, we can reduce the price.”
On why marketers refused to comply with the previous announcement of price reduction, he said: “Now we have the old stock, once the old stock is finished, I know we are going to receive the order from the government then we will reverse to the new price.
He said the supply of petrol from the depots was fair but “they (depots) have not started selling at the new rate. We are also waiting for them to start selling at the new rate so that we can also adjust. The depots are still selling at N111 per liter.”
Maigandi said it was the same rate the depots sold while the government directed that petrol should sell for N125 per liter, saying the rate at which the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, PEF, was paying marketers was very slow.
Meanwhile, IPMAN president, Chinedu Okoronkwo, has called for increased local refining of petrol to mitigate the impact of the crash in global crude oil price on the nation’s economy.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria that the Federal Government should encourage investment in establishing modular refineries in the country.
“It is not all gloom. This will allow many people to see the opportunities on how to come into refining our products locally and we believe the government can encourage this by giving them incentives.
”When we refine here locally, we can even sell below what we are selling now to Nigerians which will be good for our economy.
“We need more modular refineries so that we can be able to enjoy these our God-given resources,” Okoronkwo said.
He said the recent reduction of Ex-Depot Price of Premium Motor Spirit by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, from N113.28k per liter to N108.00K per liter was not surprising due to the removal of subsidy.
Okoronkwo said: “The announcement of the new ex-depot price is what you should expect in a deregulated regime.
“There is no more subsidy and it is the market value that determines the price.
“We have started the journey to deregulate the market like what is obtainable in AGO (diesel) and we will get there gradually.”
He also explained why some marketers were still selling the PMS at N125 per liter despite the reductions made in recent weeks to the product.
Okoronkwo said: “It is not about compliance with the price reduction because some people can even sell below the current price.
”The market is not being regulated again so it depends on the individual marketer to do what will attract customers.
“There is the availability of products and customers and they have the right to choose where they want to buy fuel, and these filling station owners know that,” he said.


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It seems those “free” movies and songs, which millions of computer users happily downloaded over Kazaa, are not going be free after all. Sharman Networks – the company that produced the popular Kazaa software – has agreed to pay more than $115-million to the entertainment industry to settle global piracy lawsuits.
In a dramatic close to the legal battle between file-sharing software developer Kazaa and the entertainment industry, Kazaa said on Thursday that it has agreed to pay at least US$100 million to four record companies and an additional amount to motion picture companies to settle two lawsuits.
Kazaa will pay Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment Ltd., EMI Group. and Warner Music Group Corp., said Alex Jacob, a spokesman for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. He could not specify the exact amount of the payment or the distribution to each company.
Kazaa will make a separate payout to motion picture companies, he said. Jacob could not say how much that payment would be or which companies would receive it.
The settlement marks an end to U.S. and Australian lawsuits filed by major recording labels and motion picture companies in an attempt to stop copyright infringement over the Kazaa file sharing network. The U.S. suit was filed by a group of movie studies lead by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. against Grokster Ltd., the file sharing network that closed late last year to settle the legal battle. Sharman Networks Ltd., which owns and distributes the Kazaa software, was named as a defendant in the suit.
The Australian suit was filed by the a group of record companies including those receiving the payout from Kazaa.
As part of the agreement, Kazaa said it would implement filtering technologies that would help prevent its software from being used to share copyright-infringing files. Kazaa and the record and movie industries also said they will work together to develop a legal model for distributing digital music and movies.
The parties were vague about Kazaa’s future model. Kazaa plans to work with the music and motion picture companies to make peer-to-peer file sharing a part of future online digital entertainment, Kazaa said. Kazaa will make more announcements about its new business model in the near future but it’s too early now to say how exactly that will pan out, said Felicity Campbell, a spokeswoman for a firm that represents Kazaa.
The settlement follows an Australian ruling last year in which a judge found that Kazaa authorized the widespread violation of copyright works, ordering Kazaa to make changes to the way its system works.
The U.S. Supreme Court last year said that file sharing software developers can be held liable for copyright infringements by their users. At the time Kazaa said that ruling wouldn’t apply to it because Kazaa requires users to agree not to use the software to infringe on intellectual property.


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Will return of auctions lift values?
By Jeremy Hunt North-west correspondent
PEDIGREE livestock could be moving through sale rings in England and Wales by early spring, but there is no guarantee that the fall of the gavel will herald a buying bonanza.
Months of private trading of pedigree beef and dairy stock – and the unprecedented numbers of dairy cattle sold as complete herds – is making it impossible for auctioneers to estimate values and likely levels of supply.
While some pundits predict the floodgates will open once DEFRA announces its auction sale protocol and sales resume, more reticent auctioneers believe they may have to "spread the net wide" to draw enough entries for their monthly pedigree dairy fixtures.
Tom Brooksbank, of auctioneers Norton and Brooksbank, believes prices for dairy stock will not reach dizzy heights when auctions resume. He envisages demand will be fired by those who have already re-stocked by buying in whole-herds.
"There are bound to be higher cull rates among entire herds that purchased for re-stocking that have had to adapt to new management systems. Those in that situation could well be back in the market in the spring to buy replacements," says Mr Brooksbank.
The company hopes its sale centre at Kirkby Thore, near Penrith, may be among the first to open. "There have been no animals through the centre for 13 months. We hope that will be in our favour when DEFRA announces the auction sale regulations," says Mr Brooksbank.
Bagshaws Meg Mellor hopes monthly sales of pedigree dairy cattle at Uttoxeter market will restart in March or April. But she is reluctant to predict prices.
"I dont think trade will be as strong as some expect. Although there will be a demand for cattle from owners of flying herds who have been deprived of their traditional source of supply, the milk price is underpinning everything at the moment.
"Some producers who were hanging on have decided that the milk price is looking too uncertain and have decided to sell. Compared with a couple of months ago this could bring more cattle to market. Its giving buyers a wider choice and a chance to strike favourable deals," she says.
Although some farmers opted to restock with complete herds, there is no doubt that the resumption of auctions will provide milk producers with the chance to cherry pick. Carlisle auctioneer Edward Brown is convinced that it will improve prices for the best pedigree black-andwhites.
"Having a few really good cows is what makes milking a herd of cattle worthwhile and I think a lot of dairy farmers will treat themselves this spring," says Mr Brown, of Harrison and Hetherington.
But he does not expect price levels to be unrealistic – even for the best. "There will be a good but sensible demand. The milk price will keep the brakes on the job while the economics of efficient milk production will hopefully ensure a strong demand for the best genetics."
Beef bull buyers will have their first chance to acquire sires through the ring at next months Perth sales where entries are only slightly down on last year – Limousin (204), Charolais (400), Simmental (168), Aberdeen Angus (136), Beef Shorthorn (30), Blonde dAquitaine (21) and Belgian Blue (12).
"This is the first major influx of stock into Scotland since last Februarys bull sales," says a spokesman for United Auctions.
"We are still finalising biosecurity measures with officials on both sides of the border but there has already been a good demand for catalogues. "We anticipate the sale will be a land mark event in the recovery process,"
March will see the return of pedigree bulls at Carlisle at the British Limousin Cattle Societys fixture. Auctioneer David Thomlinson expects an entry of about 100 and is confident that the breed societys main May event will attract more.
"A large number of beef bulls have been sold privately but there are still plenty of buyers who decided not to bring any stock on to the farm last year and they will certainly need a new stock bull this spring.
"That will probably create a lively trade for big, powerful bulls – the sort that are fit and ready to be turned out to start work straight away." *


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Saving for an iPhone X? Perhaps you've sold a car or taken an extra job to finance the ultra-expensive new Apple phone?
Well, you'll probably be disappointed to know that the $999+ iPhone X actually costs around $370 to produce, according to IHS Markit.
The business intelligence company's engineers have torn down the iPhone X and estimated that the 64GB variant of the device is made of $370.25 worth of materials.
This makes the iPhone X the most expensive phone to make. According to IHS Markit, it's $50 more expensive than the 256GB iPhone 8 Plus. By comparison, a 64GB Samsung Galaxy S8 is only made of $302 worth of materials.
Of course, the "bill of materials" does not include costs like R&D and marketing, which are considerable, especially for a new, forward-looking device such as the iPhone X. IHS Markit says that Apple has likely maintained its "typical" hardware margins for the iPhone X.
The report offers some insight on the cost of individual components. For example, the iPhone X's TrueDepth 3D sensor system costs $16.7, while the phone's 2435x1125-pixel OLED screen, together with the cover glass and the Force Touch sensor, costs $110, according to the company.


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Renowned plant-based meat maker Meatless Farms on Monday launched a nation-wide campaign that the brand claims is aimed at boosting the British morale for meatless eating, with an unapologetic catch-phrase ad copy.
The British company, known for realistic plant-based meat products, said they’re targeting Britons who have recently cut down on burgers and meat in lockdown with the provocative slogan in the latest ad-copy, the Guardian reports.
Speaking about what the company says is a ‘light-hearted’ advertisement, Meatless Farm’s chief growth officer Michael Hunter said: “We felt the nation needed a bit of a lift as it’s been a tough time for everyone, so more than ever we wanted to create something light-hearted and fun that consumers would remember when they are looking for alternatives to meat.”
“Throughout lockdown we’ve seen a surge in sales, with more and more Brits trying or considering making the swap to plant-based, even if it is just once a week,” he added.
The ad copy that reads ‘Now that’s a M… F…’ Burger!’ will be soon visible in british TV, social media, supermarket packaging, radio and electric cars.
The Leeds-based brand seeks to “help people reduce their meat consumption by making swapping to meatless easy,” with their realistic faux meat products.
This year is set to mark a landmark drop in global meat eating rate owing to the economic impact of the pandmeic and the novel virus’ zoonotic origin that has sparked fears of contamination.
The change, as Bloomberg noted is not just per-capita but overall. A UN report predicted, the dramatic drop in the per-capita consumption of meat-eating will not return to pre-pandemic levels not until at least 2025.
The coronavirus pandemic, which has a zoonotic origin, has invoked a trend against consuming less meat. There has been a significant shift in the number of Britons opting for vegan alternatives, with supermarket and trademark trends reflecting the growth.
Meatless Farm, part of the significantly growing market of vegans in the UK, has alone grabbed 10% annual growth in the segment, becoming the fastest growing such brands in the UK, according to statistics and market research firm Nielsen.
The company’s own survey with OnePoll in may that 37% response from consumers were positive when asked whether they want to see meatless options in restaurants when they re-open.
The meat industry is one of the severely hampered by the Pandemic; one after the other cluster of COVID-19 outbreaks from slaughterhouses around the world prompted closure in the US and European nations.
Meatless Farm products are available in TESCO, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons, Whole Foods, Green King among other retailers in the UK. The products are also internationally available in the US at Whole Foods only, and Canada in Lowblaws and Longos.
Have you been consuming less meat like the whole world? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
(Cover image courtesy of Meatless Farm via the Guardian)


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California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation forcing beverage companies to use increasingly higher percentages of recycled plastic in coming years, but he signed other bills of consequence.
During his first year as governor of the country’s most populous state, the Democrat from San Francisco had a number of recycling-related bills land on his desk.
The following is a roundup of decisions Newsom made this year on several recycling-related bills:
Recycled content mandate
On Oct. 12, Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 792, which passed out of the Assembly with a 60-12 vote and the Senate with a vote of 31-7.
The bill requires producers of beverages in the California Redemption Value (CRV) program to have 10% recycled plastic in their bottles by 2021 and 50% by 2030. It was described in the media, including by Plastics News, as the world’s toughest recycled-content mandate.
California law requires beverage producers to submit information on their virgin and recycled plastic use to the state. According to the latest reports, a relatively small number of them use any amount of recycled plastic in their bottles.
According to Newsom’s veto message, he objected to amendments that gave bottle manufacturers an “out” from meeting the targets under certain circumstances. The legislation included a component stating that upon request from beverage companies, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) was required to re-evaluate whether the mandates are realistic in light of market conditions, recycling rates, availability of food-grade recycled resin, recycling infrastructure capacity, and beverage manufacturers’ progress toward the targets.
Looking at those factors, the department could reduce or suspend the mandates. The department’s decision could also be appealed to an administrative law judge.
“While I support strong minimum recycled content standards, late amendments to this bill would result in a costly, burdensome process that undermines the worthy intent of this legislation,” Newsom wrote. “The waiver petitions allowed under this bill would put the burden on the state to prove to manufacturers that their products can meet recycling goals, rather than making clear that manufacturers have the responsibility to create products that can meet these goals.”
The amendments that gave manufacturers the possibility of a pass lessened opposition from beverage companies. Nestlé Waters North America had praised the final bill. The company reported earlier this year its containers sold in California averaged 37% recycled plastic, making it one of the largest consumers of recycled resin in the state.
After Newsom announced he wouldn’t sign the bill into law, AB 792 author Rep. Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, posted on social media he was disappointed by the decision. “I will continue to work on this issue in the coming year and hope that we can get this across the finish line,” he wrote.
Glass bottle bill sunk
Newsom also vetoed a bill that allowed higher incidental levels of lead in recycled-content glass bottles and jars. Senate Bill 232 temporarily raised the limit from 100 parts per million to 200 parts per million if the heavy metal content in a container was a direct result of the manufacturer using recycled glass in the bottle. The relaxed requirement would last through the end of 2023.
The change would have brought California law in line with Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) model legislation and European Union regulations. SB 232 passed both the California Assembly and Senate unanimously.
In his veto message, Newsom wrote that while he supports increasing recycling efforts in the state, he doesn’t believe the state should risk potential exposure to toxic substances.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have unequivocally stated that there is no safe level of lead exposure, especially for vulnerable populations like our children,” he wrote. “We need to ensure that the food products we give to our children are in glass containers that are safe for consumption.”
Emergency subsidies for redemption centers
On Oct. 12, Newsom signed Assembly Bill 54, which provides subsidies to help keep container redemption centers around the state in business.
Under state law, retailers selling CRV program drinks are required to redeem empty containers if the “convenience zone” they’re located in isn’t served by a standalone redemption center. In recent years, hundreds of redemption centers have gone out of business around the state, including the complete closure earlier this year of RePlanet, which was once one of the largest redemption center operators in the state.
That has meant more stores have become subject to the redemption requirements, although many haven’t been redeeming containers.
AB 54 provides a short-term exemption from that requirement for stores affected by the RePlanet closure, authorizes CalRecycle to spend $5 million to support container redemption pilot projects in unserved convenience zones, and approves providing another $5 million in subsidies to existing recycling centers.
The $5 million to redemption centers is on top of an earlier $5 million in subsidies legislators authorized when they approved the state budget this summer.
The bill was declared urgent. “Because of the unprecedented closures of recycling centers statewide, reduced access to redemption locations for consumers, declining recycling rates, and higher associated costs for grocers and retailers, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately,” according to the legislation.
In signing the bill, Newsom released a statement calling it “an important but stopgap measure to address the recent closure of recycling centers throughout the state.”
“The California Beverage Container Recycling Program has long faced structural challenges and is in need of reform,” Newsom wrote. “I look forward to working with the Legislature in the coming year on a comprehensive solution for this program as part of the ongoing discussion about the future of how we manufacture, reduce, reuse, recycle and compost materials in California.”
Extending market support programs
Newsom on Oct. 9 signed Assembly Bill 1583, which makes a number of changes affecting recycling in the state.
First, it removes the requirement in state law that all plastic containers have the resin identification code and chasing arrows symbol.
Next, it reauthorizes a couple of recycling market subsidy programs. Specifically, it extends a market development program through which CalRecycle provides low-interest loans to recycling businesses. Originally set to expire on July 1, 2021, the program was extended to July 1, 2031. It also extends a program through which the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority provides sales tax breaks for companies buying equipment to set up or expand recycling facilities. The program was set to expire Jan. 1, 2021, but the bill pushes the expiration date out to Jan. 1, 2026.
Additionally, AB 1583 directs CalRecycle to convene a Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling. It would “issue policy recommendations to achieve specified market development goals and waste reduction goals and provide regular feedback to the department on public messaging designed to encourage proper recycling and to minimize contamination in curbside recycling programs,” according to the legislation.
Requiring restaurants to provide recycling service
Newsom on Oct. 2 signed Assembly Bill 827, which requires some businesses to offer their customers recycling and organics collection service. The requirement applies to businesses such as restaurants that are already required to subscribe to those services. AB 827 exempts full-service restaurants with waiter service. The bill goes into effect July 1, 2020.
Banning hotel toiletry bottles
Finally, on Oct. 9, Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1162, which prohibits hotels from providing plastic single-use shampoo, conditioner and lotion bottles.
Starting in 2023, it applies to all establishments with 50 or more rooms. It goes into effect for smaller hotels in 2024. The bill’s sponsor said California is the first state to ban the small bottles, according to The Sacramento Bee. The small bottles are difficult to recover at MRFs because they can fall through screens and join residue destined for disposal.
The California Legislature is in an interim recess during its 2019-20 legislative session. It reconvenes Jan. 6, 2020.
More stories about California
- Stakeholders respond to California recyclability report
- SB 54 advisory board elects StopWaste director chair
- Recology upgrades MRF serving Northern California


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A collection of news and information related to Dermatologists published by this site and its partners.
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This post has a correction. See below for details.Chapped lips, flyaway hair, dry skin, cracked elbows — Southern California winters may be mild, but they still cause beauty problems. "Independent of where you live, your skincare regimen needs to change with the seasons," says Dr. Ava Shamban,...
Special to the Los Angeles TimesThe holidays are the season of sparkle. And that goes for beauty treatments as well as for Christmas trees. Spas and beauty companies are capitalizing on the allure of jewels and precious metals, hoping to harness radiance and a feeling of indulgence by...
The blurry vision began early last year. Roy Lawrence ignored it as long as he could. But after falling off a ladder at his construction job, he knew he had to see a doctor. He went to a community health clinic in South Los Angeles, where doctors...
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Nest Bedding’s newest mattress will only be sold on Amazon
Next month, high-end direct-to-consumer mattress company Nest Bedding is going to start selling on Amazon — but with a twist.
The 6-year-old company will sell a $399 discounted queen-sized mattress called The Flip exclusively on Amazon to reach a new consumer target: the platform’s trove of price-conscious shoppers. That mattress will not be available on the company’s own website or in its 11 California-based stores.
The idea is that those Amazon customers, perhaps a college graduate looking for a cheap, starter mattress or the buyer on the lookout for a guest mattress, will purchase The Flip and then eventually turn to Nest Bedding’s line of upper-end mattresses, the majority of which fall in the $899 to $1,799 range, for their future beds.
“There’s a lot of people who shop on Amazon, but it’s more of a commodity purchase,” said Joe Alexander, CEO and founder of Nest Bedding. “We want this to be an introduction to the customer who might never find us because they’re looking for an inexpensive bed and that’s not really what our brand is.”
The approach is a unique one in the competitive space as most DTC mattress companies that Nest Bedding competes with, such as Casper, Leesa and Purple, are either sticking to selling on their own sites, selling their current merchandise on an online marketplace like Amazon or Walmart or are partnering up with retailers to sell in-store, such as Casper’s deal with Target. Competitor Tuft & Needle is the exception. Back in November, competitor Tuft & Needle launched its own Amazon-exclusive mattress called The Nod. With Nest Bedding’s brick-and-mortars, the number of which it plans to grow in 2019, it doesn’t feel the need to partner with larger retailers for their physical destinations.
To begin promoting the new mattress to Amazon shoppers, Alexander said Nest Bedding will be spending around $200,000 on Amazon display and search ads, equating to about 5 percent of its yearly marketing spend of $4 million.
Alexander said the company would be happy with selling anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 mattresses on Amazon in the first year. The company currently makes 60 percent of revenue from online sales and 40 percent from its stores. Alexander said the company is profitable and made $28 million in sales in 2018.
Nest Bedding is likely to not get to the point of selling all its merchandise on Amazon because the platform takes a 15 percent commission off each item sold, said Alexander. “We haven’t pushed our products on there because, frankly, the commission Amazon takes is so high; we would have to raise our prices just to accommodate the customer,” he said.
Alice Fournier, vp of e-commerce and digital at Kantar Consulting, said this approach could give Nest Bedding the growth it is looking for without impacting the rest of its business. According to a 2017 report from One Click Retail, now Edge by Ascential, Amazon has more has more than tripled its annual furniture sales since 2015, bringing in $4 billion in furniture sales in 2017. Over any other category, mattress sales composed the majority of sales, bringing in $1.1 billion that year.
“It’s a way to get scale,” she said. “The mattress space is such a crowded category. Growth requires expanding into shopper segments that are not typical, and providing access to a lower price point on Amazon allows targeting a much larger shopper base.”
But the move also means Nest Bedding will face more competition with mattress-in-a-box brands that also sell on Amazon, as well as Amazon itself. In September, Amazon began selling its own AmazonBasics foam mattress at a starting price of a low $130.
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