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If you do a log of gaming on your phone or tablet, you’re very accustomed to seeing ads on your games. While it’s not a typical feature of gaming consoles, Microsoft has reported plans to add ads to the Xbox, as early as this fall. Read on to learn about how this could affect your gaming.
Microsoft Exploring Ads on Xbox
According to sources, Microsoft is currently in the exploration phase with the plan to add ads to Xbox by the third quarter. It’s taking a closer look at placing the ads in free-to-play games and determining which adtech companies could be used to create an ad inventory.
The sources of this information gave an example of ads showing up on digitally-rendered billboards in a car-racing game. It’s unknown whether Microsoft’s plans will also include avatar skins or video ads in gaming lobbies.
A disclaimer is warranted at this point: Microsoft has not confirmed these plans. It will say only on the subject: “We are always looking for ways to improve the experience for players and developers, but we don’t have anything further to share.”
Certain forms of advertising are already being used on Xbox. Purchased ads can appear on the Xbox dashboard through Yahoo and in certain games through Anzu.
Advertisers could use this platform to message Xbox users in the midst of their gameplay. Game developers would be provided the tools to sell ads.
Microsoft Not Interested in Ad Revenue
The sources claim Microsoft isn’t interested in the revenue this advertising would bring. The revenue would go to the game developers and adtech companies. Microsoft’s goal, it’s believed, is to build an Xbox ad network. The company wants to provide revenue to free-to-play game developers.
The sources added that these plans have been in the works as far back as 2018 or 2019. The release of the Xbox X and S in 2020 brought greater focus to these plans.
Yet, Microsoft is still moving cautiously, as there are concerns that adding ads to Xbox games could lead to irritation with users. According to the sources, the ultimate goal is to only add advertising that doesn’t disrupt gameplay.
Additionally, Microsoft doesn’t want to compromise customer data. While it has collected data on Bing, other sites, and software, the current plans are to not allow advertisers to use the data in the ads, as there are regulatory controls, and they’re not compatible cross-platform. One of the sources believes there is a 10-year-goal overall.
Microsoft isn’t alone in its journey along this path. NBCU is beginning a partnership with Angu. Similarly, Microsoft has recently acquired Activision Blizzard and adtech platform Xandr.
OE Studios CEO John Higgins believes this is the direction all gaming companies will move in. Microsoft, if it follows through on these plans to add ads in Xbox games, would be preventing Sony and Amazon from collecting some of that revenue.
If you want to skip out on the gaming console and game on your mobile, read on to learn how to connect an Xbox controller to an Android device.
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The public and private sectors go in parallel lines and have a common interest in the planned customs union, according to the report issued by the Federation of the GCC Chambers of commerce and industry.
The governments of the GCC countries need to involve the private sector in the discussion of the procedures and regulations relating to the customs union, it urged.
The union aims to facilitate the free movement of goods and unify the procedures relating to the veterinary quarantine and treating the products of a GCC origin as a national product, it noted.
As for the trade volumes among the GCC countrie s, the report said they went up from USD six billion in 1984 to over USD 85 billion in 2011.
In 2003, the first year of the enforcement of the customs union, the trade exchanges soared by 31 percent.
Data of bilateral trade between 2003 and 2008 show that it grew by an annual average of 28 percent, it added. (end) ay.gb KUNA 160108 Apr 13NNNN

domain: news


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After a survey of the founders and CEOs of the 102 blockchain industry, a new report shows that the blockchain is still in urgent need of rectification. According to the report released by Los Angeles-based cryptocurrency company Zage, although blockchain technology has introduced some user-friendly projects in the large-scale commercialization process last year, many people still feel that the technology is too complicated. .
The report entitled "Practical Application of Blockchain Technology" states:
- Unwilling to lag behind, Microsoft released the Ethereum Application Development Kit
- What challenges does the blockchain face in the real economy? Academic experts think so
- Trend analysis: The transaction volume of the Bitcoin chain exceeds the on-chain, and the main application scenarios tend to be centralized
- Interpretation of the trend of blockchain industry after the central collective learning about blockchain
- HKEx will start blockchain bidding
- Under the epidemic, blockchain is expected to make up for shortcomings in social online operations
“When asked what is the key to mass-blocking the blockchain, 41% of respondents believe that a seamless user experience is the most important.”
This is not surprising. For those who can download the Bitcoin blockchain from GitHub and make it work, they don't need much guidance, but the average user is different. The lightning network, still in the experimental stage, is more challenging.
QLC Chain founder Allen Lee said:
“I personally think that when blockchain technology enters everyday life, people will no longer talk about blockchain. Because this is a back-end technology that consumers don’t need to understand.”
The good news is that big companies are well aware of the ease of use issues and are working hard to solve this problem—for example, under the direction of Jack Dorsey, Square recently hired a designer to specifically address these issues.
One of the biggest problems pointed out in the report is the challenge of using DApp, including those that focus on finance, namely DeFi. Although the prospects for these products are good, they are too tricky for the daily use of consumers.
However, some of the CEOs surveyed said they believe that the issue of usability is only a short-term issue.
20|30 Group co-founder David Siegel said:
“At the moment, the technical content of the blockchain is too high, but within a few years it will be as simple as using a mobile app.”
Hope is like this.


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If you ever caught yourself lusting after a "mini" version of the HTC One M9, it might be time to give up the dream. According to a report by Focus Taiwan, HTC North Asia president Jack Tong said the company has axed its "mini" product line, as it considers it out of fashion with the industry's trends.
Mr. Tong pronounced the "mini" HTC phone dead at the HTC One M9+
's launch event in Taiwan, proclaiming the industry is moving towards smartphones with screens sized 5 inches by diagonal or more, and the company has adjusted its roadmap accordingly. In other words, expect HTC's mid and low-range products to grow up in screen size really soon. The premonition is already on its way to fulfilment, as HTC's latest budget offering is the 5.5-inch dual-sim One E9+
Anyway, the mini line's demise is just another nail in the coffin of the "compact smartphone", rendered into the state of a niche device by bigger, badder phablets. But who knows, maybe a hand size-conscious manufacturer will find a way to make no-compromise phones like the Sony Xperia Compact series universally cool again!
Another nail in compact smartphones' coffin.
As far as "mini" phones are concerned, HTC still has the One mini
and One mini 2
to offer. These are lower-priced smartphones that mostly look the part of their bigger cousins, but certainly don't feel as nice. The One M9+, though, is a specs-intensive revision of HTC's 2015 hero phone, made to satiate the Asian market's prevalent interest in the absolute high-end of mobile hardware. Whereas the regular One M9 has a 1080p display, the M9+ rocks a 1440x2560 resolution screen, and its octa-core MediaTek chip that's in place of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 SoC provides, generally, the same top-tier performance. Another worthy upgrade in the One M9+ is the fingerprint sensor inside its home button.
This impressive spec sheet has been influenced by Taiwanese carriers' demands, the target result being a version of the One M9 flagship that's even more competitive in the fast-paced Asian market. According to HTC, demand for the One M9+ in Taiwan is already "slightly better" than for the M9.
HTC One M9+
source: Focus Taiwan


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Original article was published in Fall 2017 issue of Häät magazine (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway). Translated by Apropos lingua
Year ago information about the great priced bridal dresses of Victoria & Vincent started spreading among brides like wildfire.
In a year Victoria & Vincent spread across the Nordics and Northern Europe.
The success of the brand is great news for the brides: higher volume makes sure their prices will stay affordable in the future too – without sacrificing the high quality.
We would like to present their amazing 2018 collection!
See more at www.victoria-vincent.com


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Brandon Wood, the manager at Kactus Kush Farms, has an autoimmune version of rheumatoid arthritis, resulting in some serious health issues and having to take several pharmaceuticals to deal with the pain. Wood, however, doesn’t reach for the ibuprofen anymore; he reaches for CBD oil.
CBD oil has been sweeping the nation, providing users an alternative way to treat anxiety, depression and pain, no medical marijuana card needed. As of yet, there is not much scientific research supporting purported health benefits of CBD.
“CBD stands for cannabidiol,” Wood said. “Cannabidiol is the concentration oil that you get from the cannabis family. We source from the hemp plant, cannabis ruderalis, which is the non-psychoactive sister in the cannabis family. Hemp has extremely high levels of CBD and very low levels of THC, which makes it legal and we are able to use it.”
Unlike medical marijuana, CBD oil doesn’t have high levels of THC. In order to be sold, CBD oil must have 0.3 percent or lower THC, which won’t make the user fail a drug test.
Seth Kent, a University of Arizona alumnus, is passionate when it comes to CBD oil and what he wants to accomplish with it. After working in produce and growing his own organic produce, Kent created the Kactus Kush Farms store in 2018, recently bringing it to Tucson.
“We want to educate people about alternative medicine,” Kent said. “It’s how this whole thing evolved. We realized that there is a need to educate people out there and bring people in and show them the other alternatives that are out there.”
What many people might not know is our bodies create cannabinoids on a daily basis. Wood said that we have an endocannabinoid system in our bodies that fills the gap between the immune system and the brain, making us able to process the identical plant based version.
“It allows our body to do things like fight inflammation, pain, diabetes, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, dementia, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease and cancer,” Wood said. “It helps people with mental disorders like anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.”
In addition to helping with mental disorders and pain, CBD oil has also allowed some of its users to fight addiction and take a step back from opioid painkillers, he added.
“I’ve got a good friend with diverticulitis that called me a month ago and said he’s been on these meds that make him sick to his stomach,” Kent said. “He heard CBD oil might be an option, he tried it, and now he said he hasn’t felt this good in months.”
CBD oil has also been claimed to help people de-stress and recharge, but research has not proven any of these claims, either. Brooke Boshears, a worker at Kactus Kush Farms, said she likes to use CBD oil after a long day at work.
“I like to feel stress free after coming home from a day at work and just letting it all go,” Boshears said.
Wood also said CBD oil can come in handy to stressed college students. He said students can use the CBD oil as a way to focus and help with pre-test jitters.
“A lot of college kids that are under large amounts of stress have succumbed to supplementing their lifestyles with Adderall and Ritalin to stay awake and keep up,” Wood alleged. “We found that this is a really good market to get those kids away from the pharmaceuticals. This will help with mental focus, stability, rest and test anxiety.”
Another Tucson CBD oil location, Your CBD Store, has also noticed the supposed beneficial effects CBD oil has on college kids. In addition to helping them stay focused and get a goodnight sleep, Tina Thompson, the manager for the Wilmot location, said she has noticed many customers buy it for anxiety issues.
“We’ve seen a lot of millennials come in with anxiety issues,” Thompson said.
CBD oil also comes in many different forms. At Kactus Kush Farms, everything from the bottled water to lotion has CBD in it.
“The sky is the limit with what you can do with it,” Wood said.
Similar to Kactus Kush, Your CBD Store also carries various products that all contain CBD oil.
“We offer water solubles, pain creams, vaping, different edibles and facial products,” Thompson said.
Since cannabis has a negative stigma around it, many people may perceive CBD oil as something dangerous, Wood said, adding that it’s important to sit down with the customer and educate them about the product.
“The moment you say cannabis, a lot of people think it’s bad, so we do a lot of educating,” Wood said. “When you take a step back and look at it from a different perspective, people tend to take another look at it.”
Walgreens and CVS announced CBD oil products will be sold at certain locations and more research is being done on the topic.
“It will only continue to grow,” Kent said.
Follow Jamie Donnely on Twitter


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has added ‘print-at-home’ e-vouchers to its range of cinema vouchers for the B2B sector.
With the new e-vouchers, ODEON hopes to increase demand from its corporate audience. The scheme has been developed by specialist marketing services agency
Odeon has also opened a
where corporate clients can purchase the new e-voucher along with its other vouchers.
Shireen Alvis, head of sales for ODEON Cinemas, said: “We are seeing increased demand for bulk vouchers for use as business-to-business gifts, incentives, for use within employee benefits and as rewards for staff motivation.”
“E-vouchers are going to make it so much easier and more cost-effective for companies to give clients and staff the gift of a great film experience,” adds Andy Stone, account director at Opia.


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Fyre Festival was promoted by the likes of Kendall Jenner as an event where the public could rub shoulders and party with the social media elite, on an island in the Bahamas. In a way the event 'fed itself', with lesser known 'influencers' willing to pay top dollar to be pictured there.
In reality, despite selling out, it was an unmitigated disaster. The organiser is now in jail for fraud, as a result. Is this the watershed moment which prompts brands to question their allegiances with influencers?... the FTC in the US is already cracking down on the practice of 'promoted content'.
Every new advertising medium has a massive backfire. In the UK 60 years ago there was a TV campaign for Strand cigarettes. The strap line was 'you are never alone with a Strand'. It looked cool, employed the hottest actor of the day, and was an abject failure: people simply didn't want to be associated with a product for loners... or losers.
I wonder if we are approaching a tipping point, whereby being a part of the 'social media herd' will be the 'new uncool', and the loner is back in vogue... maybe this time smoking a JUUL vape?... ;-)
Has Fyre Festival burned influencers? "Fyre was basically like Instagram coming to life."


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WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, this week, Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio introduced the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act. The legislation would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lower the required level of sugar/solids content (brix standard) in not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice from 10.5 percent weight of orange juice soluble solids to 10 percent.
U.S. Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Al Lawson (D-FL), Bill Posey (R-FL), John Rutherford (R-FL), Gregory Steube (R-FL), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Charlie Crist (D-FL), and Vern Buchanan (R-FL) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Senator Rick Scott said, Florida’s citrus growers work incredibly hard to make sure American families can drink delicious, fresh from Florida orange juice. Unfortunately, growers across our state have faced hardship in recent years due to crop disease and severe weather. I'm proud to join Senator Rubio to introduce legislation which thoughtfully amends citrus standards, keeps healthy Florida orange juice on the shelves and supports the needs of our citrus growers.”
Senator Marco Rubio said, “Forcing the orange juice industry to import and mix juice from foreign oranges to meet an arbitrary FDA standard would mean the end of Florida orange juice. This common sense bill will provide relief to Florida citrus growers and processors who have faced challenges in recent years due to disease and hurricanes, and allow them to continue marketing Florida orange juice.”
Read more from the Lakeland Ledger article, Lawmakers from Florida seek to change FDA rules for sugar levels in juice oranges, below:
“The federal Food and Drug Administration could eventually reduce the amount of naturally occurring sugar required in pasteurized orange juice following the filing of a bill Tuesday by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio from Florida.
The measure would direct the FDA to lower the required level of sugar, known as the Brix standard, in not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice from 10.5% to 10%.
Since 1963, the Brix standard has been in effect and has not been modified. Meanwhile, growers have been struggling to keep levels high at a time when sugar levels have been declining because of groves infected by the HLB disease, also known as citrus greening.
The bill, which sponsors called the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act, will go through the committee process before the full House and Senate votes on the measure.
According to Fred Gmitter at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, ‘HLB has made it virtually impossible on an industrywide basis to meet those higher Brix values, to be able to sell their juice.’
According to Matt Joyner, executive vice president and CEO at Florida Citrus Mutual in Bartow, the 0.5 percentage point reduction in sugar level is not significant enough to affect consumer tastes and provides similar nutritional value.
‘We have worked with the FDA to show them that ... from a nutritional standpoint, this is the same healthy product,’ he said.
Joyner also said the bill had strong bipartisan support from Congressional leaders in Florida for an industry that has been struggling lately. Rubio and Rick Scott, Florida's other Republican senator, were the original Senate co-sponsors.
‘Florida’s citrus growers work incredibly hard to make sure American families can drink delicious, fresh from Florida orange juice,’ Scott said in an email.
‘Unfortunately, growers across our state have faced hardship in recent years due to crop disease and severe weather. I'm proud to join Senator Rubio to introduce legislation which thoughtfully amends citrus standards, keeps healthy Florida orange juice on the shelves and supports the needs of our citrus growers.’”
Read the full article in the Lakeland Ledger HERE.


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There have been 45 golf cart crashes within the second quarter of 2023 within the Sumter County portion of The Villages.
Capt. Robert Siemer reported the determine in his quarterly regulation enforcement updates Friday earlier than the Neighborhood Growth District 1, 2 and three boards of supervisors at Savannah Middle.
Whereas that quantity might sound excessive, Siemer famous there are 50,000 golf carts in The Villages. He stated the 45 golf cart crashes, whereas unlucky, can be thought of about “regular” for The Villages.
He additionally reported there have been 22 golf cart tickets issued in April, Could and June by the sheriff’s workplace.
As well as, there have been 366 automobile crashes within the second quarter of the yr within the Sumter County portion of The Villages. There have been 561 visitors tickets issued to car drivers.


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More information is likely to be considered to be personal data by UK courts in light of a new ruling by the EU's highest court, a data protection law expert has said. 20 Oct 2016
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Innovative technology to recycle billions of plastic bags
May 20, 2017
Transnational consumer goods company Unilever will pilot an innovative technology to recycle plastic sachets, preventing billions of sachets entering oceans and landfill.
The multinational manufacturer – which includes brands such as Persil, Radox, Dove, Walls and Marmite – sells billions of products in single-use sachets each year, including cosmetics and food products, particularly in developing and emerging markets.
These plastic sachets will now be recycled through a system called CreaSolv Process, in which the packaging will be recovered and then reused to create new Unilever products – supporting the company’s circular economy ethos.
David Blanchard, Chief Research and Development Officer at Unilever, said: ““Billions of sachets are used once and just thrown away, all over the world, ending up in landfill or in our waterways and oceans. We intend to make this tech open source and would hope to scale the technology with industry partners, so others – including our competitors – can use it.”


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Cinkciarz.pl, the mobile app of the online currency exchange company, has just conquered Android Wear watches.
Version 1.2.8 of the app by the FX company Cinkciarz.pl brings currency rates to Android Wear smartwatches. Up until now, the app supported smartphones and tablets running on Android.
The app displays the rates of three selected currencies on the watch. The data is sent from a smartphone and updated online every hour. The less patient can refresh currency rates on demand.
This is not the first hi-tech success we have seen from Cinkciarz.pl. The company has already developed its financial app for Google Glass.


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The value of property sold under auction has hit a five-year high of $102.27 million, although the actual number of sales has not increased.
There have been 34 sales this year, the same as last year, but the total value increased by 41 per cent, from $72.5 million, property consultancy JLL said yesterday.
Residential has dominated the listings, with 26 homes put up for auction - 88 per cent being mortgagee sales.
The auction market has been quiet in this quarter, with total sales value plunging 76 per cent to $10.83 million from $45.65 million in the three months to Sept 30.
Only four properties have been sold this quarter, down from 12 sold in the previous three months.
Two of three residential properties sold were mortgagee sales; the fourth was an industrial property.
JLL said big-ticket items sold earlier in the year, particularly in the residential and commercial sectors, largely contributed to the rise in total sales value this year.
A single-storey bungalow with redevelopment potential at 25 Branksome Road contributed $16.30 million to the residential sector when it went under the hammer in September, making it the biggest auction deal this year.
Apart from 2013, the number of residential properties put up for auction since 2009 has consistently surpassed the combined number of industrial and commercial sites, said JLL. In 2013, residential real estate accounted for a low of 46 per cent of all listings.
The past two years have marked a significant growth in the percentage of mortgagee properties as a portion of residential auction sales, a departure from 2010 to 2013, which saw mortgagee listings making up less than 50 per cent of total residential sales.
Ms Mok Sze Sze, JLL's head of auction and sales, said: "In the environment of an impending further increase in interest rates and softening of the rental market, we are likely to see more mortgagee sales put up in 2016. The majority of these are likely to comprise residential properties."
R'ST Research director Ong Kah Seng said auctions could be seen as an "opportunity hot spot to snap up properties at good bargains, amid a general, marginal price decline".


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Slack spikes 8% after Uber decides to use the chat app for its 38,000 employees (WORK)
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
- Uber said it would use Slack across its entire workforce of 38,000 employees, Business Insider's Paayal Zaveri reported Friday.
- Slack jumped as much as 8% in early trading Friday.
- It's the second large account Slack has won recently: IBM said on February 10 that it would roll out the work-chat app to its 350,000 global employees.
- Watch Slack trade live on Markets Insider.
- Read more on Business Insider.
Slack just landed another big exclusive account.
The popular work-chat app surged as much as 8% in early trading Friday, to $29.70 per share, after Uber said it would use Slack across its workforce of 38,000 employees, Business Insider's Paayal Zaveri reported.
It's a big win for Slack, which has had heavy competition from other workplace platforms such as Microsoft Teams. Uber and Slack also have a history: In 2016, the ride-hailing company decided to use a platform called HipChat, saying Slack wasn't able to keep up with its needs.
But Slack has since made strides, and Uber has been a customer of the platform since 2019, Zaveri reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Winning large accounts such as Uber and IBM bodes well for Slack, Wall Street analysts covering the company told Business Insider. The company has a consensus price target of $26.58 and 11 "buy" ratings, eight "hold" ratings, and three "sell" ratings from Wall Street analysts, according to Bloomberg data.
Shares of Uber fell as much as 2% in intraday trading on Friday. Slack has gained 22% year-to-date through Thursday's close.


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Ukraine will be guaranteed access to UK financial services as it seeks to rebuild its shattered economy following the signing of a ground-breaking new deal, the Government has said.
Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko will sign the digital trade agreement in London on Wednesday.
Officials said the deal – based on a similar agreement earlier this year between the UK and Singapore – will support digital commerce through the facilitation of cross-border data flows.
It follows an approach by the government in Kyiv over the summer to see if such an agreement would be possible.
Digital trade is considered to be particularly important in the current conflict with Russia where the fighting and the damage to infrastructure makes physical trade more difficult.
The agreement also allows for greater co-operation between the UK and Ukraine on cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
Ms Badenoch said: “The landmark digital trade deal agreed today between our two countries paves the way for a new era of modern trade between us.
“This agreement will mean our businesses and governments can collaborate even more and ensure Ukrainians have access to essential goods and services digital trade opens up.
“This will help protect jobs, livelihoods and families now and in Ukraine’s post-war future.”


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DALLAS (KDAF) — Well, unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, the best available job in the entire country has now officially been taken. A San Antonio man has been announced as Favor Delivery’s first-ever Chief Taco Officer.
So, what does that even mean?
Well, the Texas-based delivery service has selected Chris Flores as their CTO! Flores will be put to the difficult and grueling task of traveling across the Lone Star State in search of the best tacos Texas has to offer.
According to a press release, “Flores will receive over $10,000 for his role as Chief Taco Officer – taste testing tacos across Texas over the course of two months – as well as food, transportation, accommodations, custom Favor swag, and free delivery from Favor for a year.”
As a native of Texas and to his home in San Antonio, Flores believes that every city in Texas will have its own story to tell through its tacos and it looks like he’s going to do his part in helping share them!
“I love Texas because of the melting pot of different cultures that have migrated here and adopted the taco into their cuisine,” said Chris Flores, Favor’s Chief Taco Officer. “I’m so excited for this opportunity to travel Texas while seeing and tasting the different impact the taco has had on each region.”
First up? Dallas-Fort Worth, of course! He will also be checking out Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Houston, Lubbock, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, Waco, and more across Texas. Favor isn’t stopping there though, they’re offering free delivery on tacos Tuesday, July 12! “Get $0 delivery fees on any order from the Free Taco Delivery category in the Favor app on Tuesday, July 12, 2022,” the press release says.


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No doubt, one of the best things about this job is the opportunity to drive a variety of cars, everything from bargain-basement econo-boxes to top-of-the-line luxury sport coupes. For a car guy, that’s like a dream come true.
But one of my latest weekly test-drivers was in a category all by itself, not only because it’s so rare, but because of the stuff it actually runs on: Honda’s hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity.
According to Todd Mittleman, director of environmental public relations for Torrance-based American Honda, my FCX Clarity was one of only about six currently on the streets. Honda aims to lease about 200 of these cars to customers in the next two to three years, most of them in Southern California. (Jaime Lee Curtis, pictured with car below, is among the new owners.)
To be one of the 200 granted a lease, strict criteria must be met, most important of which is how many miles you drive and how close you are to a hydrogen refueling station.
That last part, regarding hydrogen-refueling infrastructure, is what could make or break hydrogen-powered cars in the coming years. After all, even if a car such as the Clarity emits zero emissions and gets the equivalent of 60 mpg, if there is nowhere to refuel the thing, what’s the point? In Orange County, there is currently just one public refueling station, and that’s on the campus of U.C. Irvine.
Like every other person who gets to drive one of the cars, a 15-minute re-fueling orientation is required. While it’s not rocket science, and mostly mimics refueling with gasoline, the process with hydrogen is slightly different. One must enter some information on the station’s console, hook up and lock in the fuel nozzle, and let the pump do its thing. Refueling itself took about five minutes, and provided a range in the Clarity of about 240 miles.
According to UCI’s Tim M. Brown, Ph.D., who led the orientation, there isn’t much danger in refueling with hydrogen; since it is lighter than air, if there were a leak the gas simply moves straight up into the atmosphere.
Driving-wise, the Clarity feels pretty much like, well, a regular car. The biggest difference I found is its engine noise, or lack there-of. Like gas-electric hybrids, the car can be nearly silent. That’s “nearly” silent. It takes some time to get used to the high-pitched whines created under the hood and carriage as the hydrogen (in gas form) reacts to power an electric motor.
Otherwise, Honda has created a top-notch car in the FCX Clarity, which produces the equivalent of 134 horsepower and 189 lb-ft of torque. Steering is spot on, and luxury touches like heated and cooled seats made driving the four-passenger sedan a joy.
Even with the always-before you glowing orb of driving/fuel feedback and and perhaps the world’s smallest shift lever, I often forgot that I was driving such a unique — and uniquely powered — vehicle.
“Is it fast?” asked one young gate attendant, taking in the car’s futuristic looks.
Well, no, it isn’t. But that’s not the point.
With the Clarity, Honda is pursuing just one more way to create a more environmentally friendly car while weaning us off of foreign oil.
(Critics have contended that hydrogen production takes energy, too. In response to that Honda points to the ability to create hydrogen using solar energy, such as at its R&D station in Torrance, pictured at right. Also of note is a recent Parade interview with GM R&D director Larry Burns, who pointed out that it takes hydrogen to create gasoline, and “The amount of hydrogen used to make gasoline today could fuel 200 million fuel-cell vehicles.”)
If you want to try a Clarity yourself, getting in one is more like a raffle. You must enter at Honda’s FCX Clarity Web site to be one of the roughly 200 customers granted the three-year, $600 a month lease of the vehicle. For those who do, they very well might be driving the future today.
[For full specifications on the FCX Clarity, please click HERE. Click to enlarge pictures below.]
More car reviews:
- Review: Kia’s latest model has heart and Soul
- Review: Land Rover LR2 HSE
- Review: Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
- Review: Honda Insight hybrid goes far for the dollar
- Review: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited 4wd
- Giddyup: Acura TL SH-AWD is smooth beast
- Review: Kia Borrego EX 4×4
More Green trends…
- Forbes on Fisker: Is Irvine the next Detroit?
- Sparks fly over electric cars on ‘Letterman’
- Jay Leno raves about Aptera electric vehicle
- Scientists unveil chocolate-powered race car
- Meet the Zero S — a truly electrifying motorcycle
- Hydrogen car caravan gases up in OC
- How to get 81.5 miles per gallon
- Honda Insight winner “still beaming”
- Toyota announces pricing on 2010 Prius hybrid
- Mitsubishi confirms it will bring electric car to U.S.
- GM, Segway show off two-wheeled electric progeny
- Hyundai ups ante with Nuvis Concept
- Irvine’s Fisker Automotive gets another $85 million in capital
- Top 5 cleanest gas cars of 2009
- Tesla Model S makes world debut: First photos and more
- More than 500 sign up to buy Tesla Model S in first week


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Pinterest is on a crusade to be a personal stylist for its 250 million monthly users, and it just introduced a total overhaul of its product pin system to do it.
Now, any time a user is on any home or style pin — say, for example, an image of a black silk shift dress — they will see a “recommended” section of items that are visually similar, and for sale. The user can then select to see even more options on a shopping-only feed.
“Pinterest has always aspired to feel hand-picked for you, recommending what to make for dinner or recommendations for your home; that has always been the vision — and with recent advances in machine learning and computer vision, it is a closer reality than ever,” said Pinterest spokesperson Jamie Favazza.
Despite advances in computer vision, engineers still have to methodically catalogue data on items; a specific type of bag, for example, might have a thousand similar styles, she said. In 2014, Pinterest acquired image recognition and visual search startup VisualGraph, and since then, it has accelerated its visual search capabilities. Lens, for example, launched in February of last year to let users match Pinterest content to a picture taken in “the real world.” Users can take a picture directly within Pinterest or upload a photo later.
Now, Favazza said, Pinterest is starting to unify text search and image search, meaning someone could do a text search for “holiday party style” and then upload a picture of a black dress, and Pinterest will ideally serve up visual inspiration for how to style that dress for a holiday party.
Favazza said the goal is not for users to be aware of using “high tech,” but rather to create a seamless, intuitive experience. “We don’t want the user to think, ‘I am going to type a query and then take a picture.’ Pinners are using very advanced machine learning and computer vision, and don’t even realize it,” she said.
To that end, the visual search engine this week is replacing its Buyable Pin format in exchange for Product Pins, which are designed to work better for both retailers and users. The new pins will be shoppable with real-time pricing and stock information (meaning no more “out of stock” dead-ends), and they will link out directly to a retailer’s site. When an item becomes out of stock, it will now no longer have a shopping tag icon, and it will ultimately be filtered out in exchange for newer products. Today, there are “hundreds of millions” of shoppable pins.
The Pinterest app also added a new shortcut called a long press that shows related, shoppable products from a variety of brands any time someone is looking at a home decor or fashion pin.
Retailers can enable Product Pins by adding specific metadata to their e-commerce product pages (which is free). When someone saves something from their site, Pinterest will automatically turn it into a Product Pin with dynamic pricing and stock information. Retailers can also work directly with Pinterest to add an entire product catalog to Pinterest as Product Pins.
A home decor pin and related, shoppable products, as seen on the Pinterest app
In an announcement on Tuesday, Pinterest’s head of shopping product, Tim Weingarten, reported that in the past quarter since Pinterest began testing the new shopping features, clicks on products to retail sites have increased 40 percent.
Influencers and small businesses can take advantage of shopping on Pinterest with a product-tagging feature called “Shop the Look.” Until September, this feature was only accessible to larger companies. The feature helps “democratize product discovery,” Favazza said. And, of course, any size brand can still pay for promoted pins.
Accessibility to smaller businesses has been an increasingly significant focus at Pinterest under the tenure of new COO Francoise Brougher, who came to Pinterest from Square in February. Brougher, speaking this week at the Marie Claire Power Trip held at Pinterest’s San Francisco headquarters, said that the changes this week are just some of many ongoing updates going forward.
A few months ago, the Pinterest app replaced categories, including a designated shopping category, with more “personalized and integrated recommendations,” based on user feedback that they wanted to discover shoppable items all over, in the same way they would find other recommendations on Pinterest.
Favazza emphasized that the updates simply reflect the way people shop.
“Instead of a dedicated space for shopping, you are shopping naturally, and a lot of times you don’t realize you are shopping. In tech, we call that ‘discovery’ or ‘search,’ but consumers call that shopping. We have taken an approach that integrates the experience and shoppable products with what people are doing on Pinterest,” she said.
She added that the more people use Pinterest, the more it will feel like its content is just for them. “The premise is to help you discover things you didn’t know you wanted before you even asked.”


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This should never have to happen indeed it didn’t have to happen but it seems the strict vetting procedure Ferrari adhere to when selling exclusive hypercars to exclusive ultra-high-net worth clients doesn’t take into account momentary acts of stupidity.
The 6.5-litre V12 Hybrid powered LaFerrari needs little introduction. Only 499 units were made and each one sold costs £1m GBP.
Ferrari selects it’s most loyal customers to sell each car and for good reason because Ferrari does not want LaFerrari owners to make a quick profit.
A used LaFerrari is now valued at around £3m-4m GBP, that price will have just gone up a notch because now there are 498 models in circulation.
The owner of this deceased LaFerrari was participating in the 2016 Ferrari Cavalcade in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy before being overwhelmed by a desire to show off.
The occupants survived but they will have to walk around wearing a paper bag over there heads for the rest of their lives.
We believe this incident is equivalent to committing a war crime. We also don’t get these group brand events. whats that all about? Eh?


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Same day, different holiday: Mid-autumn festivals across East Asia
N.Korea could use nuclear weapons at any stage of conflict: Pentagon
Yoon hosts luncheon meeting with Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima on Chuseok
Swimmer, gamers celebrate Chuseok with gold medals
Memorials commemorating Itaewon crowd crush to be erected at accident site
The many regional flavors of songpyeon, a Korean holiday dessert
Opposition leader proposes meeting with Yoon amid growing party feud
NewJeans hits 1 bln streams mark on Spotify with debut album
Expressway traffic congestion persists on 2nd day of extended Chuseok holiday
Whisky imports surge 40% through August, suggesting record-breaking year
Hyundai Genesis makes final list for N. American Car of the YearBy Korea Herald
Published : Dec. 10, 2014 - 21:28
The two other cars tapped were Ford Motor Co.’s Mustang and Volkswagen AG’s GTI, Hyundai Motor America, the sales and marketing arm of South Korea’s No. 1 carmaker, said. A total of 28 cars were considered for the 2015 awards and 10 were shortlisted in late September.
The winner of the award will be announced at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit that runs from Jan. 12-25.
The new Genesis, launched in late 2013 in South Korea, started reaching the North American market this year and has been getting rave reviews. It also undercut all of its main luxury car rivals by over $10,000.
“We are thrilled that the Genesis has been listed as a finalist among the amazing cast of contenders, and we anxiously await the jury’s final vote,” HMA president David Zuchowski said.
The jury is made up of over 50 veteran full-time automotive journalists in the United States and Canada.
Hyundai’s Sonata, the Acura TLX, the Audi A3, the Chrysler 200, Honda Fit, Mercedes-Benz C-class and Toyota Camry had been on the shortlist.
In 2009, the previous generation Genesis became the very first North American Car of the Year win for Hyundai. Since then, the company’s Elantra compact won the title in 2012, while its Sonata midsize sedan was runner-up in 2011.
HMA said it sold 27,069 Genesis sedans in the United States in the first 11 months of this year, with 2,431 sold in November alone. (Yonhap)
Articles by Korea Herald
S. Korea wins bronze in pistol mixed team event for 14th shooting medal
Traffic heavy on expressways following Chuseok
S. Korea to extend $5 mil worth of fertilizer aid to Ukraine via U.S. agency


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New Delhi, 29 September, 2016: Samsung India today announced its plans for the festival season, which include new, innovative product launches as well as the ‘Samsung Smart Utsav’ promotion offers. Just ahead of the festival season, the Company has announced the launch of new televisions, refrigerators, microwave ovens, washing machines and air conditioners, under the ‘Smart Utsav’, which will last till November 5.
Samsung Smart Utsav will give purchasers a large group of offers crosswise over different product categories,for example, Televisions and Home Appliances. The current year’s bubbly campaign concentrates on maximising customer engagement crosswise over stages. Customers will get numerous gifts on the purchase of selected models of Samsung TVs, refrigerators, microwave ovens, washing machines or air conditioners. The rundown of freebies include a LED TV and Home Theater Systems. The energizing offers also includes extra warranty, Power Banks, Galaxy J2 phone, simple EMI plans and cashback. Far beyond individual product category offers, Samsung has also reported a CE Bumper Offer in which 500 winners stand an opportunity to win an excellent prize of a Panel TV, Refrigerator, Washing Machine or Microwave Oven.
Mr. Rajeev Bhutani, Vice President, Samsung India Electronics said:
“As consumers prepare themselves for the upcoming festive season, it’s an exciting time for us to be a part of their lives and celebrations. This time, once again Samsung wish to double the joy of festive season by giving compelling choices to our customers and a chance to win their favourite product. We received a phenomenal response last year during the festive season, and are confident that this year will further add to the joy and celebrations.”
Exciting offers for Indian Consumers
Purchasers searching for the ideal viewing experience from Samsung’s range of SUHD, Curved UHD and Smart TV range will get guaranteed gifts extending from free home theater system worth up to INR 48,990, free two year warranty and easy EMI alternatives. Additionally on buy of the Joy Beat and LED scope of Televisions, purchasers get guaranteed gifts running from free Power Bank, Free speakers, Free DVD Player, and free two year warranty on selected models.
Similarly, those looking to purchase from the home appliances range of Refrigerators, Washing Machines, and Microwave Ovens will get a range of benefits including free Galaxy J2 (2016), 80 cm (32”) LED TV, easy EMIs, cash back, 10 Pc Borosil dinner set and 5 Year Warranty on Convection range of Microwave ovens.
On purchase of Air conditioners, consumers get a chance to win a free AC worth INR 40000/-, free AC installation, cash back up to Rs 5000 or 2 free AC Services. In Tamil Nadu, AC installation at INR 499 only.
CE Bumper Offer
This festive season, Samsung has also announced a CE Bumper Offer in which 500 winners stand a chance to win a Panel TV, Refrigerator, Washing Machine or Microwave Oven on purchase of Samsung products. In order to participate, on purchase of Samsung consumer durable product, customer has to send an SMS message to 56677. The results would be declared in 5 intervals during the offer period. The winners would be announced on 26th September, 6th October, 18th October, 27th October and 14th November, 2016 on Samsung website www.samsung.com/in/offer/diwali-2016.
Samsung India launched innovative products in the Consumer Electronics category this year ranging from ACs with DURAFIN technology, Refrigerators with Digital Inverter technology, ADDWash and ACTIVWash washing machines and 44 new models of televisions ranging from SUHD, Curved, Smart and Joy Beat range of Televisions.


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The latest entrepreneur to join the debate on net neutrality is Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal.
His comments come after Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal went on the defensive after consumers starting 'downvoting' the Flipkart app on Android platform after reports that it had signed up for Airtel Zero, a service many Internet users feel violates net neutrality.
Sachin Bansal had tweeted, "I'm for #NetNeutrality. I spend time/money helping startups in India. Will never support things which suffocate innovation..."
Net neutrality, simply put, refers to all data and sites being treated and charged equally, be it Flipkart's app or any other apps, including WhatsApp, YouTube, Skype etc. Airtel Zero is a service where you don't pay data charges for using the Flipkart app, but Flipkart pays Airtel for this.
For all the other services, you continue to pay data charges. Critics like Zomato's Goyal feel offering a free service is discriminatory.
Airtel insists the concept of Airtel Zero has got nothing to do with net neutrality. Many may not realise it yet but the controversy is critical for hundreds of millions of Internet users in India.
Manish Vij, CEO, SVG Media and Angel Investor told NDTV, "Entrepreneurship is all about garage start-ups, right! So 2 major points, one is licensing and the second one is differential rates and differential tariffs. We would not want the entrepreneur to go back to the license raj and not fight in a neutral level with the big startups."
The government says it believes in using the Internet for citizen empowerment. So if you have any suggestions to make on net neutrality write to Trai at email@example.com - you have time till April 24.


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Shippensburg University’s Dr. Nicole Santalucia, professor of English, is set to release her latest book “The Book of Dirt.”
Her new book highlights surrealism to slapstick that chronicle outrage, love and fear wed to the terrain and culture of south-central Pennsylvania.
The book is described as timely poems of resistance that celebrate marriage, sobriety and survival where lesbians crawl out of the grave that America has been digging since its inception.
“My new body of work confronts misogyny, homophobia, and addiction. ‘The Book of Dirt’directs the reader’s gaze at Pennsylvania as it dismantles ignorance and attempts to get to the other side of the hostility that has taken over so much our country. These poems excavate the roots of contemporary traumas by gazing at difficult realities,” said Santalucia.
Santalucia will be giving a reading of the book at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg on March 26 at 7:00 p.m.
“The Book of Dirt” is published by the New York Quarterly Foundation, Inc. and is set to release February 20, 2020.


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'Fully functional' technology solution allows employees to engage with options all in one place
Risk solutions provider Aon has created an app for employees to access and manage all their benefits via a smartphone - the ‘first' of its kind, according to the firm.
The Aon App, which uses fingerprint or facial recognition technology, provides total reward statements through to full benefits enrolment to users regardless of location.
Employers can direct campaigns tailored to employees in a way that reflects the growing trend in the industry towards consumer-style engagement, while employees can interact with their offering, which includes third-party benefits such as personalised pension information.
Tailored to each client with customised content and available to download through the App Store and Google, the app can be used as an entry point into online benefits as it does not need another platform to function.
It also supports engagement campaigns plus includes push notifications for announcements such as a flexible benefits election window, wellness awareness weeks or total reward before a pay review promotions.
"The difference between the Aon App and anything else is that it is fully functional, meaning employees don't just access information, they can fully interact with their benefits too," said Jon Bryant, director, online and communications, at Aon.
"This is an increasingly vital part of an engagement campaign. Our workplaces are changing so rapidly plus we have light-speed changes in what we experience as consumers. The upshot is that employee expectations are growing - they want to access and interact with benefits just as they do if they're buying something from an online retailer," he added.
"In a world where one too many clicks are a barrier, employee benefits have to be as simple as possible to help employers engage employees in a far better way. This is a game-changer to help employers to instantly and relevantly communicate and interact with employees - no matter their location, age or digital experience."
Revealed at This Can Happen
At This Can Happen
'Turning it into a positive'
'Manage the gap'


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Bruce Halle established Discount Tire Company nearly 50 years ago in America. The company grew from a humble one-store operation to become the world's largest independent tire and wheel retailer.
Scottsdale, Ariz. (PRWEB) June 17, 2009
Bruce T. Halle, founder and chairman of Discount Tire, the world's largest independent tire and wheel retailer, and his wife, Diane M. Halle, president of the Bruce T. Halle Family Foundation, received honorary degrees from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, UK, in recognition of their philanthropic work and generous support of the Scottish university.
In the first dedication ceremony ever to take place at Queen Margaret University's new campus in Edinburgh, students and the community took part in a special event to hear from world-class entrepreneurs Bruce Halle and founder of the Kwik-Fit tire and exhaust business, Sir Tom Farmer.
Professor Anthony Cohen, principal at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh said: "Bruce Halle established Discount Tire Company nearly 50 years ago in America. The company grew from a humble one-store operation to become the world's largest independent tire and wheel retailer."
To honor the Halle's business success and philanthropic lifestyle, Queen Margaret University named its 250-seat lecture theatre after the couple.
"The Halle's personal philosophy of involving the local community with their business mirrors our University's wish to contribute to our community. The Halles have an extraordinary record of selfless philanthropy, with particular interests in healthcare, education and the visual arts. The Halle Foundation provides grants to organizations and causes which will enhance the quality of individual lives. The Halle's philanthropic activities match Queen Margaret University's mission," said Cohen.
About Discount Tire
Discount Tire, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the world's largest independent tire and wheel retailer. Also known as America's Tire in Oregon and some parts of California, Discount Tire currently operates more than 750 stores in 22 states across the country. At tires.com, customers can research, order and make an appointment for service. For more information about Discount Tire and America's Tire, visit http://www.tires.com.


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Vietnam is getting into the car business with its own brand.
Real-estate conglomerate Vingroup JSC’s auto unit VinFast yesterday marked the rollout of its first vehicles from its assembly line, embodying the aspirations of the fast-developing country’s government to build a modern manufacturing sector.
“This makes a great contribution to the national economy,” Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a speech during a ceremony at VinFast’s complex of six automated factories constructed in 21 months in the northern port city of Haiphong. “It affirms the [Vietnamese] Communist Party’s policy that the private sector is a very important driver of the economy. I want VinFast to go to the regional and global markets.”
VinFast, which is to start delivering cars to customers on Monday, wants to be the first Vietnamese company to succeed at challenging foreign competitors such as Toyota Motor Corp, Ford Motor Co and Honda Motor Co in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
Xuan Kien Automobile, known as Vinaxuki, failed to win over brand-conscious Vietnamese with its local car models before folding in 2015.
The first VinFast rollout, a hatchback named Fadil, is initially priced at 394.5 million dong (US$16,900).
Vingroup said in 2017 that it planned to invest up to US$3.5 billion in its auto business.
The company is also producing sedans, sport utility vehicles and electric motorbikes.
However, the company faces challenges in Vietnam’s aspirational culture.
“Product quality is a concern” among consumers, said Truc Pham, a senior analyst at ACB Securities JSC in Ho Chi Minh City. “Vietnamese people favor foreign brands for high-value products. It will take years for customers to accept a new local brand.”
VinFast plans to make 250,000 vehicles during a first stage of operations, with projected production increasing to 500,000 vehicles a year by 2025.
The company said last year that it expects to begin exports in the middle of next year.
VinFast said it received 10,000 vehicle pre-orders a year ago.
Vietnamese purchased 119,497 new vehicles in the first five months of the year, an 18 percent jump from the year-earlier period, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
The vehicles are not completely made in Vietnam. The Fadil uses the chassis of the Karl Rocks model by PSA Group’s Opel. The sedan and SUV are built on frames from BMW AG, designed by Italian design house Pininfarina and have components engineered by Magna Steyr.
Jim Deluca, the former vice president of global manufacturing for General Motors Co, was hired as VinFast’s chief executive officer.
Vingroup embraced the government’s aspirations to see domestic manufacturers make high-value products for the nation’s growing middle class in an economy that has expanded at an average rate of 6.6 percent since 2000 — boosting annual incomes to almost US$2,600 from about US$400.
NOT ALL GOOD: Analysts warned that other data for last month might be less rosy due to the virus and analysts expect the PMI to contract again next month Chinese factory activity saw surprise growth last month as businesses went back to work following a lengthy shutdown, but analysts said that the economy faces a challenging recovery as external demand has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, while the World Bank said that growth could screech to a halt. China is slowly returning to life after months of tough restrictions aimed at containing the virus, which put millions of people into virtual house arrest and brought economic activity to a near standstill. The strict measures saw a closely watched gauge of manufacturing plunge to its lowest level on record in February,
The output of the global smartphone industry this year is to contract by 7.8 percent on an annual basis as the COVID-19 pandemic ushers in a global recession, Taipei-based market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said in a report on Monday. The global production of smartphones is expected to fall to 1.29 billion units, as the pandemic dampens demand for consumer electronics, leading to a decline in shipments across Europe and North America, TrendForce said. With consumers delaying smartphone purchases and thereby lengthening the device replacement cycle, overall prices would suffer a setback that is expected to negatively affect the profitability of smartphone
ELECTRONICS Lite-On delays sale of unit Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) yesterday said it would postpone the sale of its solid-state drives (SSD) business to Kioxia Holdings Corp, formerly known as Toshiba Memory Holdings Corp, due to disruptions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the Taiwan-based electronics components supplier struck the deal with the Japanese firm, agreeing to sell the unit for US$165 million. Citing unfinished integration work due to the pandemic, Lite-On has deferred today’s closing date until further notice, adding that the delay would not have a negative effect on the unit’s operations. AUTO PARTS Hiroca approves dividend Automotive interior parts supplier Hiroca
ALL ABOUT STRATEGY: The company is optimistic, saying that its gross margin should increase year-on-year, but it is scaling back on its plans to expand capacity Quang Viet Enterprise Co (QVE, 廣越), which makes down jackets and garments for sportswear and outdoor brands including Adidas AG, yesterday said that revenue might drop 5 to 10 percent annually this year as some customers trimmed orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That would mark its first revenue decline since 2016. Quang Viet posted record-high revenue of NT$16.26 billion (US$537.45 million) last year, up 22 percent from 2018. Down jackets made up 40 percent of it revenue last year. North Face Inc and Patagonia Inc are this year likely to reduce orders by 20 to 30 percent from a


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Apple, Intel and IBM will report their earnings this week, and Apple is expected to report a rise in income.
When Apple reveals its results July 15 Bloomberg reports analyst optimism that the company will say third-quarter net income rose to 15 cents per share on revenues of $1.95 billion. Apple earned 5 cents per share a year earlier.
While Apple does not comment on future plans, investors are thought to be optimistic for the release of its future Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) OS, and speculation surrounding the future release of its upgraded iMac range in September.
Apple will webcast its results announcement from 10pm (BST) in QuickTime format.
Intel and IBM are also expected to release positive reports.


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In one year, Ladera Ranch resident Shelly Ehler has gone from pitching her poncho-like bath towels at home parties to selling them at Legoland and Six Flags Magic Mountain’s water parks.
The towel – Ehler calls it the Show No – will hit the water parks this month. It’s a standard bath towel that has a vertical slit in the middle and it’s decorated with colorful ribbons around the neckline.
The poncho-like towel allows users to change underneath them without showing anything. Ehler calls the Show No a 3-in-1 towel: lay it flat as a beach towel, throw it on and change underneath it, or wear it as a poncho for protection from the sun and to keep warm.
So far, Ehler, a substitute teacher in the Capistrano Unified School District and a mom of two, has been making batches of the towels at home.
That’s about to change, however, as a sudden burst of success also has led her product to be showcased NBC’s “Today” show. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb are scheduled to feature Show No on Friday during NBC style editor Bobbie Thomas’ segment on new items in the fashion world, according to NBC.
“It is more exciting than words can say,” Ehler said. “I am actually still in a bit of shock. My emotions range from extreme joy to panic, but one thing this journey has taught me is to be joyful in the present moment and be grateful for all my blessings.”
Ehler said she is looking for a manufacturer to handle the increased demand for the towel, which comes in eight colors and 17 styles. The sales jump has been inspiring, she said.
“My husband and I have struggled the last few years being small business owners during a recession,” she said. “It has been quite a journey that has taken us both from denial to anger to despair to fear and then, thankfully, to joy and now peace.”
Ehler’s husband Brian designs and prints the custom ribbons, manages the showno.com website and helps pack and ship the towels.
“We work side by side and I could never do this without him,” she said.
She said they both have experienced a spiritual awakening that has changed their lives.
“When I made the decision to look forward instead of back, this idea (of Show No) flowed into my life,” she said. “I know with all my heart that it didn’t come from me, but through me.”
Ehler also attributes the motivational DVD “The Secret” to her success. She watched it two months ago to see if it “worked.”
“I made a list of everything I wanted to manifest, and ‘I want to be on the ‘Today Show’ was No. 4 on my list,” she said. “Dreams come true, miracles happen and ‘The Secret’ works.”
Ehler said she is developing another product with Six Flags Magic Mountain, yet to be revealed.


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"The company would add 30-35 new stores to the existing 18 over the next three years. We will invest in a range of Rs 4-4.5 crore (Rs 0.40-0.45 million) on each store," Globus Stores president Subhash Chhabra said on the sidelines of a retail conference.
Globus' stores are built on an area of 10,000-12,000 square feet and the company would open as many as 10 to 15 outlets every year for the next three years, he said.
Apparels contribute nearly 90 per cent of Globus' India revenues while the remaining 10 per cent comes from the accessories.
Chhabra said the company is particularly strong in women and kids wear segments.
Garments for men contribute 25-30 per cent to its turnover.


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SAN JOSE, Calif. The Consumer Electronics Association plans to set standards for stereo 3-D glasses. The move is one of many efforts aimed at paving the road to interoperable 3DTV products for the digital home, a concept some see as the next big thing in television.
"Almost every stereo 3-D device comes with its own set of glasses and almost none of them are compatible," said Chris Chinnock, president of Insight Media, a market research company focused on display technology.
The 3D@Home industry group will draft a list of existing 3-D glasses and their attributes to help the CEA identify compatibility issues. It will also draft a document on user requirements for 3-D glasses, said Chinnock who sits on the board of the year-old group which now has 40 members.
The CEA aims to set separate standards for active and passive glasses. It has scheduled a May 12 meeting to take up the issue.
"Whether work is approved to start [on 3-D glasses] remains to be seen," said Brian Markwalter, vice president of standards and technology at CEA.
Last fall, the CEA started exploring standards for 3DTV and kicked off an effort to update for stereo 3-D the CEA 861 standard that defines an uncompressed video interconnect at the heart of HDMI.
"They are trying to move things along as quickly as possible," said Chinnock.
Standards for glasses are just one small piece of the puzzle needed to deliver interoperable 3DTVs. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers said earlier this year it will kick off in June an effort to set standards for a master file for stereo 3-D content.
For its part, the 3D@Home group is working on document that will map out the many different technical approaches to rendering stereo 3-D content on consumer systems. It will also draft a list describing the various encoding techniques used to compress stereo 3-D content.
"We're asking standards bodies and industry groups what they need," said Chinnock. "There are a lot of moving parts here."


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A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST NEWS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
GOOGLE’S IN THE GAME
GOOGLE took to the stage at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week to reveal its new gaming initiative – Stadia.
This is not a new hardware platform for gamers – “no boxes” as Google put it – but a cloud-based system that allows players to dive in anywhere, from laptop to desktop, from phone to tablet.
Google says the games on offer (which will, of course, require high-speed internet access) will be console quality and stream in 4K HRD up to 60fps, when possible.
There’s even a Google-made controller in the works.
The big innovation, though, is a close tie-in with YouTube – which, of course, is already a massive platform for gamers… although at the moment, only for watching them.
Google says that with Stadia, gamers will be able to click instantly into playing a game while watching a video of it…
Aside from that, they didn’t say much about how the whole thing would work – only that it would require the Chrome browser on computers, and would work only on Android in the mobile world, at least at first.
There was no word on pricing, or on whether it would be a subscription service, or a store-type experience.
It will, though, be coming “some time this year”.
Google vice president and general manager Phil Harrison speaking at the GDC Game Developers Conference
The controller for Google’s gaming initiative, Stadia


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Hathaway’s Diner is on the market
Owners of the beloved Wellington restaurant Hathaway’s Diner have announced they are selling the business.
In a post shared on February 5, Pamela and Lyle Charlet wrote that they will be retiring: “With a heavy heart we are writing to inform you of our hopes to retire from our small but widely adored diner…The truth is we are tired and would like the opportunity for some much needed rest and relaxation before moving forward with some of the other dreams we have been holding on to.”
They are hopeful that someone new will step in to take over the business. No firm date has been announced, apart from the possibility of a transition by March 2020.
- Edmonton will be home to the first Canadian location of US-based chain California Pizza Kitchen. No location details have been confirmed at this point.
- Guru’s second restaurant, located in Ice District (#108, 10111 104 Avenue), opened last week.
- Leva has rebranded their Garneau cafe (86 Avenue and 111 Street) to be in line with the rest of their Ace brand.
- Hawaiian Poke and More is now open at 7256 101 Avenue.
- Saskitoba Handmade Perogies will be opening later this week in Leduc (1501 8 Street).
- Hansen Distillery’s Northern Eyes whisky will be released on February 11, 2020.
- Stump Kitchen LIVE! will be featured as a part of the Chinook Series on February 14, 2020 at the Arts Barns. Tickets are $22.
- The Downtown Business Association is hosting a panel discussion on food and the food industry on February 25, 2020 at Campio Brewing. Panelists include Patrick Saurette of The Marc and Henry Song of Buok Fresh Kitchen. Tickets are $10 and include pizza and beer.
- Lydia offers an early review of Hawaiian Poke & More.
- The Journal raved about June’s Delicatessen, and with this “legitimate deli” claims that Edmonton is now complete.
- Leduc recommends the xiaolong bao at Shanghai Grill.
- Sharon revisits Korean mainstay Won Jung Gak.
- Graham celebrates the classics at Bistro Praha.
- If you’re still looking for a treat to share with your valentine this Friday, here are some ideas: a doughnut cake from Farrow, heart-shaped doughnuts from Ohana, cheeky “Bae Collection” sugar cookies from Confetti Sweets, and heart-shaped pretzels from Zwick’s.
- Chef Andrew Cowan (of Northern Chicken) is no longer involved at Say Uncle, and tweeted that it’s “probably a good idea for people to avoid that place at all costs.”
- Respected local brewer Alley Kat has been sold to a pair of St. Albert-based entrepreneurs. Jason Foster breaks down what it means for the craft beer industry in Alberta.
- Linda was interviewed by the Holland Herald, KLM’s flight magazine, to share her thoughts about places to visit in Edmonton.
- Also from Linda, she checked out the winter igloos at the Riverside Bistro (at the Courtyard Marriott).
Urban Agriculture and Farming
- Community Supported Agriculture with Riverbend Gardens are now available for the 2020 season. They’re offering a $20 gift certificate to those who purchase by February 14.
- Local entrepreneur Jonathan Mui hopes one day his countertop garden business Micro can help shift climate change.
What I Ate
- With the Hathaway’s announcement, Mack, Emily and I made a trip down to the diner over the weekend. It’s been some time since our last visit, but the hospitality is still something of a marvel. Emily and I shared some pancakes and eggs, but that didn’t stop her from eyeing up Mack’s eggs benedict.
Eggs benedict with back bacon from Hathaway’s Diner


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Facebook revealed one of its current topics Libra Cryptocurrency which will help to buy things or send money to people which will be nearly free of charge.
The mission of Facebook is:
“A simple global currency and infrastructure that empowers billions of people.”
It begins with a new cryptocurrency designed for payments ranging from micropayments to settlements costing any fees. As well as they have enabled smart money use cases like dynamic contracts, which could enable blockchain based loans or insurance.
The Libra Cryptocurrency can be successfully paid out using third-party wallet apps or Facebook’s own Calibra wallet.,
which will make into WhatsApp, Messenger and its app. Along with this Facebook also released its white paper making more clear about Libra. You can also cash out or buy Libra Coins online or,
at local exchange points like grocery stores, shopping centers, etc.
Facebook is starting up a company called Calibra which will deal with crypto dealings and secure user’s privacy so that it will never amalgamate your Libra payment and Facebook data in any case.
To dominate Libra’s future and squeeze up the tons of cash out of it immediately,
Facebook has used a smart way by pulling payments into its domain.
Libra Cryptocurrency value will be pegged to a market-value basket of several trusted currencies.
Libra is fully secured as every time the user deals with traditional currency for Libra, that money will go into the reserve, and remain there until the customer withdraws money from the system.
Risk and Reward
Facebook had to face both a threat and an opportunity. If a contender like Google or an upstart built a popular coin and could monitor the transactions, they’d learn what people buy and could work in on the billions spent on Facebook marketing.
Facebook also wanted those 1.7 billion people who lack his bank account they might choose the one who offers them financial services as well as online identity providers too.
As yet existing cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and Ethereum weren’t properly organized as their unanchored price was receptive to huge and unpredictable swings making it hard for merchants to accept as payment.
Now Facebook wants to make Libra coin the evolution of PayPal. Facebook is hoping Libra will become easy to set up, more omnipresent as a payment method, more efficient with fewer fees, more accessible to the unbanked, more flexible thanks to developers and more long-lasting through decentralization.
Along with this, Facebook also writes
“Success will mean that a person working abroad has a fast and simple way to send money to family back home, and a college student can pay their rent as easily as they can buy a coffee”.
That would be the best benefit provided to the people when they stuck paying rent in insecure checks while exploitative settlement services charge an average of 7% to send money abroad, taking $50 billion from users annually.
How does Libra Cryptocurrency work?
Encash in a local currency,
Spend them like dollars without big transaction fees or your real name attached, cash them out whenever you want.
Facebook knows that wouldn’t trust the use of cryptocurrency so the social network recruited the founding members of the Libra Association, a not-for-profit that oversees the development of the token, the reserve of physical world assets that gives it value and the governance rules of the blockchain. They also gave their funding like each founding member paid $10 million to join and become a validator node operator.
The soon to be founding members of the association are
- Payments: MasterCard, PayPal, PayU, Stripe, Visa
- Technology and marketplaces: Booking Holdings, eBay, Facebook/Calibra, Farfetch, Lyft, Mercado Pago, Spotify AB, Uber Technologies, Inc.
- Telecommunications: Iliad, Vodafone Group
- Blockchain: Anchorage, Bison Trails, Coin base, Inc., Xapo Holdings Limited
- Venture Capital: Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Initiatives, Ribbit Capital, Thrive Capital, Union Square Ventures
- Non-profit and multilateral organizations, and academic institutions: Creative Destruction Lab, Kiva, Mercy Corps, Women’s World Banking
Facebook is still hoping their best to make their association with 100 founding members before the official Libra Cryptocurrency launch.
Libra Governance — Who Gets a Vote
How to join the association?
Members must have a half rack of server space a 100Mbps or above best internet connection,
A full-time site reliability engineer and enterprise-grade security.
Investors who are Crypto-focused must have more than $1 billion in assets under management,
while Blockchain businesses must have been in business for a year, have enterprise-grade security and privacy and custody or staking greater than $100 million in assets.
Libra Cryptocurrency – A Stable Coin
A Libra is a unit of the Libra cryptocurrency represents by three wavy horizontal line Unicode characters. A word Libra comes from the word for a Roman unit of weight measure.
The Libra Association is still hammering out the exact start value for the Libra,
but it’s meant to be somewhere close to the value of a dollar, euro or pound so it’s easy to conceptualize.
The Libra Reserve — One for One
Every time people cashes in a dollar or local currency, that money goes into the Libra Reserve
And., an equivalent value of Libra minted and doled out to that person. Now when any founding member cashes out from the association,
Libra Cryptocurrency they give back is destroyed or burned and they receive the same value in their local currency back.
That means there’s always 100% of the value of the Libra in motion, added with real-world assets in the Libra Reserve.
Today’s money doesn’t work for everyone. Those of us living comfortably in developed nations
Likely., don’t see the hardships that befall migrant workers or the unbanked abroad.
Libra has the potential to get more money from working parents back to their families and help people retain credit
Even if they robbed of their physical possessions.
If Facebook succeeds and legions of people cash in money for Libra,
And., the other founding members of the Libra Association could earn big dividends on the interest.
There is one disadvantage of Libra that
If Libra hacked or proves unreliable, it could cost lots of people around the world money
While souring them on cryptocurrencies.


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IDC tracks 'third platform' computing
- 30 October, 2012 21:48
IT research firm IDC New Zealand has appointed former Telecom strategic alliances manager Adam Dodds to the role of research manager, IT services.
Dodds will be responsible for IDC's research into a new area of third platform computing, which includes cloud computing, big data analytics, social business and mobility, IDC says in a statement.
Dodds joins IDC from Telecom New Zealand where he held the role of managing the strategic alliances team and prior to that he was financial solutions development manager at Gen-i, covering ICT products and enterprise outsource agreements.
"The research manager is a critical role for IDC and the broader industry and we have spent the last months carefully assessing our future research direction," says Ullrich Loeffler, country manager IDC New Zealand. "This will enable IDC to provide relevant strategic and tactical insights to our clients, at a time when each link in the ICT value chain is forced to redefine and reinvent their business models."
"The increased demand for a more 'utilitised' IT model represents both a challenge and an opportunity for all. The customer models are changing and the global influences are getting stronger," says Dodds.
Rethinking the worst case
The brand called CIO
Motorola turns to the Moto G's price to reserve its smartphone fortunes
Virtual desktop computing service: The next cloud disruptor?
Google app translation service now available to Android developers
Case Study: The True Value of Conference Calling
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Getting sales territories and perfecting their associated incentive compensation plans is a challenge even for the most seasoned of sales executives. The effectiveness of a plan relies heavily on the data available and how it’s being utilised. In this global survey of 229 sales/marketing executives, we look how sales managers use data—or respond to the lack of it—in developing sales territories and incentive compensation plans.
How to win the data centre
To compete and win in today’s supercharged global marketplace, companies must roll out new applications and services faster than ever, while maintaining round-the clock availability and responsive performance amid exponentially increasing traffic. In this whitepaper, we look at the demand for dynamic and flexible infrastructure that underlies application services. Click to download.


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BEIJING (Reuters) – Google Inc on Monday launched free downloads of licensed songs in China, while sharing advertising revenue with major music labels in a market rife with online piracy.
Lee Kai-Fu, president of Google in greater China, said one reason Google lagged in the mainland search market was because it did not offer music downloads, the missing piece to its strategy in a market where it trails leader Baidu.com Inc.
“We are offering free, high quality and legal downloads,” Lee told reporters. “We were missing one piece … we didn’t have music.”
The service offers downloads of some 350,000 songs — from Chinese and foreign artists — a number that will rise to 1.1 million in the coming months, said Gary Chen, chief executive of Google’s partner www.Top100.cn, a Chinese music website co-founded by basketball star Yao Ming.
Music from artists signed by Sony Music, Warner Music, EMI and Universal Music will be available on the service, which Google has no current plans to expand beyond China, said Lee.
“This is the first serious attempt to start (monetizing) the online market in China. I can’t overestimate how important this is,” said Lachie Rutherford, president of Warner Music Asia Pacific and Asia chairman of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
Users will be able to search by musical measurements such as the level of “beat” in a song and “instrumentality,” as well as by artist and song name.
IFPI said last year that more than 99 percent of all music files distributed in China are pirated, and the country’s total legitimate music market, at $76 million, accounts for less than 1 percent of global recorded music sales.
The new service will attract users away from illegal download sites because the music and service will be of a higher quality, said Warner’s Rutherford.
Downloads of unlicensed music and videos are rampant in China, the world’s biggest Internet market by number of users.
While Google dominates the global web search market, in China Baidu holds more than 60 percent of the market, more than double Google’s share.
Copyright 2009 Reuters. Click for restrictions.


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The Chinese e-commerce giant Suning present at CES 2019 the project “Magic Runway”, the intelligent vending machine.
While technologies similar to the Suning “Magic Runway” have been deployed at Neiman Marcus and Sephora in recent years, the Suning experience also includes a smart stylist function that can detect a customer’s gender and age and provide outfit recommendations.
Suning also unveiled a heat map based on thermal analysis to study passenger traffic flow in stores. This technology is designed to help store managers and operators learn about customer habits and preferences, resulting in improved efficiency and merchandise management.
Suning also showcased what it calls an “intelligent vending machine,” the Biu Robot. The AI-powered bot is based on facial recognition and can cruise within a certain range of any retail venue carrying goods for shoppers to look at and pick up. The robot uses weight recognition to determine which products customers pick up, and shoppers can pay by simply scanning the robot’s QR code.


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Golden Leaf Holdings (CSE: GLH) (OTCQB: GLDFF), operating under Chalice Farms, a premier, consumer-driven cannabis company specializing in retail, production, processing, wholesale and distribution, has seen a 43% increase in recorded daily 4/20 revenues and a 68% increase in the past two years on the same store footprint. That growth comes as the company eyes additional partnership marketing opportunities in the Oregon market, including a vendor collaboration program, which the company piloted during the 2020 holiday season. In the announcement, the company noted that collaboration and co-marketing partnerships were at the heart of this year’s 420 performance, which saw the convergence of digital and physical retail coming together and resulting in strong engagement and revenue. The company is committed to being a leader in the cannabis landscape, and is subsequently carefully investing in technology and content marketing. “Overall, this was an exceptional day by any measure — definitely a 4/20 for the books,” said chief cultivation officer Meghan Miller in the press release. “After what has been a challenging year for so many, to be able to come together and celebrate, along with a phenomenal 4/20 was a special moment for all involved. We would not be here without the partnerships we have forged over the past year and a half, and we can proudly say our partners feel the same way. We look forward to seeing what the next year holds in store for us all,” said Miller.
To view the full article, visit https://ibn.fm/TsRze
About Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd.
Golden Leaf Holdings is a premiere, consumer-driven cannabis company specializing in production, processing, wholesale, distribution and retail, with seven dispensaries in Portland, Oregon. The company is committed to developing a dynamic portfolio built around the recognized brands of Chalice Farms, with a focus on health and wellness. Markets served include Oregon, California, Nevada and Washington. For more information about this company, visit www.GoldenLeafHoldings.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to GLDFF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/GLDFF
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Could This App Save Your Baby from SIDS?
A new baby monitor and app are using smart technology in an effort to fight Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
MonBaby is a button which uses a fine motion sensor to detect breathing, movement and sleep position. Measurements are recorded five times per second and instantly sent to parents’ smartphones using Bluetooth technology.
The monitor will also alert parents if a baby has flipped from the back to stomach in an effort to decrease the chance of SIDS.
MonBaby is being manufactured now.


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Apple's pro-grade Mac has been tweaked since its debut at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference back in June.
Roger ChengFormer Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
ExpertiseMobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social MediaCredentials
SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
The super-pricey, super-powerful
is finally coming to market -- even if it's later than anyone expected. And
is throwing in some extras to make good on its delayed launch.
Apple will release the Mac Pro in December. It didn't provide a more specific launch day or say when customers would be able to preorder the flagship desktop computer.
The new Mac Pro, which starts at $5,999, represents the first major upgrade of the device since 2013 and is Apple's attempt to win back creative professionals who've fled to more powerful Windows machines. The company has spent the year revamping its lineup for pros, which included a new 16-inch MacBook Pro with a redesigned keyboard, better battery and improved speakers. CNET Editor Scott Stein says it's not quite like the old-school MacBook keyboard in his first take. "Think of the new MacBook Pro keyboard as a happy medium between the two," he says.
Since its debut, Apple made a few tweaks. There's now an 8-terabyte solid-state drive option for the Mac Pro, with twice as much memory as previously stated. The Mac Pro will now be able to handle six simultaneous streams of 8K video, twice the number promised at
That's a lot of horsepower and far more than the average person would need. But the Mac Pro is designed for power users in the special effects business or other industries that requires a massive amount of power for things like image or video rendering.
They'll just have to wait a little longer than expected.
Apple Mac Pro: Expensive, sleek and definitely not for grating cheese


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The Agenda: Kelly Wearstler, Fendi Casa, And Erica Tanov Turns 25Author:Lindsey Shook
Kelly Wearstler Furniture Collection
Everyone’s favorite interiors expert, Kelly Wearstler, finally launched her own line last month. If you haven’t yet checked out the 59-piece collection in person, beeline to WeHo this weekend for some serious window shopping. There you’ll find bold shapes, rich textures, and metallic patinas that ooze luxury. For the collection, Wearstler has teamed up with artisans the world over, including North Carolina-based E.J. Victor, who produces furniture for Ralph Lauren and Aerin Lauder, among others. And the pieces representative of the Cali spirit are even made locally.
When: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Mon.–Sat.; Noon – 6 p.m., Sun.
Where: 8440 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles
Beloved Bay Area apparel and home decor designer Erica Tanov celebrates 25 years in business with a bold collaboration and Black Friday blowout sale. Tanov partnered with renowned art photographer Todd Hido on a limited-edition commemorative booklet (complimentary with store purchase) documenting the designer’s past work, including iconic pieces like the Lola silk slip dress, and highlighting her trademark pattern-mixing approach. Get your hands on one during this year’s Black Friday sale on November 27, when everything in-store is 20 percent off.
When: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Berkeley store; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Marin store
Where: Erica Tanov, 1827 Fourth St., Berkeley; Erica Tanov at Marin Country Mart, 2415 Larkspur Landing, Larkspur
California has always been a big market for the classic Italian design house, so much so that they relaunched Fendi Casa L.A. with this month’s opening of a new West Hollywood showroom. Expect the same caliber of handcrafted furniture and home accessories and a spacial collaboration with Trussardi—think sumptuous fabrics, fine woods, and supple leather.
When: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Mon.–Sat.; Noon – 5 p.m., Sun.
Where: 8833 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles
“Interventions: Cayetano Ferrer”
Hawaiian artist Cayetano Ferrer works in remnants. He starts with fragments—the parts that so often get discarded—of ancient textiles, found pieces of carved wood, sections of marble, or even an Art Deco-age ashtray stolen from a casino lobby to create sculptures and installations that explore the idea of repurposing archaeological waste. The centerpiece of this exhibit, an interesting commentary on high-brow versus low-brow culture, is a wall-to-wall rug comprising industrially manufactured carpet sections from the Bellagio, the Palms, and other casinos, all embellished with Greek and Egyptian motifs.
When: Through Sun. 3/13/16
Where: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara
San Francisco-based tastemaker and founder of the Independent Fashion Bloggers organization, Jeanine Jacob, adds a new venture to her stylish repertoire. Mrs. Peasy curates boxes ($25–$600) of artisanal and vintage table settings to help take the pain out of hosting dinner parties. Look out for the newest additions to her collection—brass and wood elements, farm tables, benches, and handwoven rugs.
Out on the Town: 2023 Design Awards Celebration
To celebrate the Bay Area-based winners of the 2023 California Home+Design Awards, McGriff Architects hosted an intimate gathering at this year’s…
- May 25, 2023
Exclusive: Armadillo introduces the Eden and Corsica Collections
The B-Corp certified Australian based rug brand Armadillo just introduced two new collections- Eden and Corsica- that are available exclusively through…
- May 25, 2023
Artist Misha Kahn’s work, now on display at Friedman Benda in Los Angeles, dissolves the boundaries between art and sculpture and…
- May 24, 2023


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Search Result For
Result(s) found: 7
Liva outshines in mall space with unique innovation
The study across malls showed positive consumer response with 71% consumers noticing the dropdown and 68% recalled seeing the innovative dropdown, out of which 54% appreciated the campaign.
LIVA @ Kolkata Fashion Expo
This March, the textile fraternity saw the launch like no other; Birla Cellulose did a grand launch of its fabric brand, LIVA with their new stylish brand ambassador Kangana Ranaut. Expected to play a key role in producing excellent fabric to the fore, LIVA is an endeavour to reach out to the end consumer with a quality offering that is in line with current fashion trends.
A new star in fashion is born!
KK Maheshwari, Group Business Director ´ Fibres and Textiles, and Managing Director, Grasim, spoke eloquently addressing the press a few hours before the launch of brand ´LIVA´ stating that the launch of LIVA was ´indeed a defining moment for us as we take another major step forward in the continuing journey of Birla Cellulose towards achieving greater heights of excellence and growing leadership globally.
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Methanex Corp., Vancouver, B.C., is stepping up its methanol production and marketing operations on a large scale.
It has disclosed plans to buy the methanol operations of Fletcher Challenge Ltd. of New Zealand in a deal valued at more than $700 million (U.S.). It plans expansion of methanol capacity, citing a growing market for methanol-derived methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) as an octane enhancer for oxygenated gasoline.
Subject to several approvals, Methanex will acquire from Fletcher Challenger:
Petralgas, a 520,000 ton/year methanol plant in New Zealand.
Synfuel, a New Zealand pl...


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Nissan to Invest $663 Million in Renault’s Electric Vehicle Unit Amid Restructured Partnership
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
- Nissan will invest up to $663 million in Renault’s electric vehicle unit, Ampere, as part of their restructured partnership.
- The agreement follows months of negotiations, allowing both companies to focus on navigating the changing automotive industry landscape.
- Renault will lower its stake in Nissan to 15%, putting their relationship on equal footing, and the overhaul is subject to regulatory approvals.
Nissan and Renault have reached an agreement in their restructured partnership, with Nissan set to invest up to $663 million in Renault’s new electric vehicle unit, Ampere. The prolonged negotiations were partly due to concerns from Nissan about protecting its intellectual property in future collaborations. With the deal finalized, both companies can now focus on navigating the rapidly changing automotive industry landscape.
Nissan faces challenges in the Chinese market, the world’s largest car market, where it is contending with an increasingly challenging outlook for foreign automakers. Although the Japanese automaker nearly doubled its first-quarter profit and lifted its full-year outlook with the help of a weaker yen and strong sales in Japan and North America, it remains concerned about its sales outlook falling below production capacity in China.
As part of the investment, Renault will reduce its stake in Nissan to 15% from around 43%, equalizing their relationship. The investment in Ampere aligns with Nissan’s role as a strategic investor, securing the company a board seat in the new entity. The value of Ampere has been estimated at up to 10 billion euros, and other investors like Qualcomm have already expressed interest. The overhaul is subject to regulatory approvals, and completion is expected in the fourth quarter of 2023.
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