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Floor Covering Weekly July 1, 2013 : Page 1
Vol. 62 No. 13 A Hearst Business Publication July 1, 2013 $4 F LOOR C OVERING W EEKLY The Industry’s Business News & Information Resource Getting LVT installation right 7 Group strength personal stamp Flooring America dealer packs power By Janet Herlihy Mari and Rob Menefee and their daughter Alina build new traditions. Flooring America new vision, voice By Amy Joyce Rush Keith Spano, president of Flooring America and Floor-ing Canada, is understandably enthusiastic. Just weeks before convention, the company has come o of its “Friends Send Friends” mobile tour which allows Spano and his team the opportunity to engage one-on-one with members and their customers across Keith Spano the country. And he has a lot of exciting initiatives to talk about with his members both in the U.S. and Canada. Spano, who came to Flooring America after a stint at Avalon Carpet, said, “Over the last two years, we’ve changed the voice of Flooring America and Flooring Canada. It’s about being the most recommended flooring store across America. It’s where friends send friends. Everyone can talk about being the best, the best selection, the cheapest.” What he wants is for the expe-rience to be so positive that customers not only tell their friends about it but actu-ally refer them to Flooring America stores. Part of his strategy includes changes in the team running the co-op. e newest member of Flooring America manage-ment is Je Schwalb, previ-ously with a large retailer in St. Louis. Schwalb started mid-June and holds the post of vice president of merchandising. “We’ve changed a lot of our team through natural progression. It’s a di erent vibe now,” said Spano. “ e word is getting out that we are di erent, even within (parent company) CCA.” In fact, Spano considers Flooring Amer-ica a marketing/merchandising group. “Our job is to protect our members and give them the ability to increase their prof-itability and close rates and give them the tools to do that.” over the business. He built the third location in Fairfax, Va., in 2003. It is still a family endeavor as Rob Menefee’s [W, V.] Rob Menefee grew up in the ooring business. Now CEO of Flooring wife, Mari, is a co-owner, working on business America and FA Design Build, based here, development and accounting functions. Menefee is using that heritage as a spring board Finding the format that fits to launch new and creative operations. e business experimented with various His father, Ed Menefee, was a ooring manufacturer’s rep, who opened a ooring groups, rst joining CarpetMax in the early store with his wife Shirley in White Plains, 1990s and then moving to Abbey. “We Md., in 1979. Rob Menefee began his ooring switched to Flooring America in 2007,” education the re as an installer and working Menefee explained. Vinnie Virga, former president of Flooring in the warehouse on weekends and during vacations. In 1992, a er earning a degree in America, recruited Menefee. “I had a great business at the University of Mary Washing-relationship with him and now Keith (Spano) has been tremendous. He listens and has ton, Va., he began working in sales. e Menefees added a second location great ideas that he brings to the members.” Keith Spano, president of Flooring America, in Woodbridge, Va., in 1985 and, when his parents retired in 2001, Rob was ready to take Continued on page 16 Bentley: Back to its roots By Janet Herlihy [C] It’s been almost a year since Interface sold Bentley Prince Street to Domi-nus Capital and the company, which has returned to its Bentley name, is on track to reach its goals, according to Ralph Grogan, president and CEO. Grogan came on board in January a er former president Anthony Minite stepped down. In May, the company announced a rebranding strategy, returning to the name Bentley and what that name was most known for — product design and innovation. Bentley showed o its new brand at NeoCon in a showroom inside the Merchandise Mart as well as its new agship Chicago showroom — a 3,500 square foot lo -style space located at the Kinzie Design Center across the street from the Mart. Designed by tsvdesign, the new showroom provides a sophisticated stage for Bentley’s stylish products. Grogan was happy with the reception of Bentley’s broadloom and carpet tile at NeoCon, even as he is dealing with a few Continued on page 21 NeoCon: Back to business By Janet Herlihy and Amy Joyce Rush [C] By all accounts, this year’s NeoCon, held here last month, was a success — energy was good, product was innovative and ooring suppliers continued to grow their business in the commercial segment. “ e industry is in a great mood and it shows. at speaks across all product cate-gories. e economy is recovering,” noted Byron Morton, vice president of leasing for Merchandise Mart Properties (MMPI). “There is a big step change this year from last year,” asserted David Vida, executive vice president of Boylu, the commercial arm of Beaulieu. Je West, vice president of marketing and product development at Patcra , agreed optimism was back at NeoCon adding, “ is show is more about connection than orders but you will nd out about a project here.” Added Kent Clauson, vice president of Glen Hussmann and Tom Ellis of Tandus Continued on page 18 brand at Mohawk, “Commercial has been very strong and great growth year over year. We’ve done disproportionately well because of investments that we’ve made.” Jack Ganley, president of Mannington Commercial, said, “ ere is more of a sense of optimism and people are taking samples of products with them for projects. Corpo-rate is starting to break loose and, to a lesser degree, retail. ose segments were waiting to see how business would be in the rst P e r i o d i c a l For breaking news updated each business day, visit us online at www.fcw1.com Continued on page 21
Group strength personal stamp
Flooring America dealer packs power
Rob Menefee grew up in the flooring business. Now CEO of Flooring America and FA Design Build, based here, Menefee is using that heritage as a spring board to launch new and creative operations.
His father, Ed Menefee, was a flooring manufacturer's rep, who opened a flooring store with his wife Shirley in White Plains, Md., in 1979. Rob Menefee began his flooring education there as an installer and working in the warehouse on weekends and during vacations. In 1992, after earning a degree in business at the University of Mary Washington, Va., he began working in sales.
The Menefees added a second location in Woodbridge, Va., in 1985 and, when his parents retired in 2001, Rob was ready to take over the business. He built the third location in Fairfax, Va., in 2003.
It is still a family endeavor as Rob Menefee's wife, Mari, is a co-owner, working on business development and accounting functions.
Finding the format that fits The business experimented with various groups, first joining CarpetMax in the early 1990s and then moving to Abbey. "We switched to Flooring America in 2007," Menefee explained.
Vinnie Virga, former president of Flooring America, recruited Menefee. "I had a great relationship with him and now Keith (Spano) has been tremendous. He listens and has great ideas that he brings to the members."
Keith Spano, president of Flooring America, noted, "Rob has three beautiful Vision stores. [He] helps other members as well as helps us with membership."
Recession teaches vital lessons
Menefee's business survived the recession by taking action to reduce costs early. "In 2009, we made a major reduction in staff, going from about 80 employees to about 40. We are now at 50," Menefee said.
As painful as the layoffs were, there was a positive effect. "The staff now has been through hard times and is being rewarded for their loyalty. I spend a lot of time with mid-level managers, because I found that the personal side is as important as the business side in maintaining relationships. The staff now is better rounded and stronger and when we hire, now we look for the same type of strong people."
Flooring America helped Menefee survive a 50 percent layoff and end up with a strong, loyal team by recommending Romano Consulting Group, a retail support service that is a strategic partner of CCA Global. "David Romano helped me find ways to build morale for the remaining staff," Menefee recalled. "One way was to devise an incentive plan for every employee, from sales, to warehouse, to accounting. We have quarterly reviews for everybody where we talk about strengths and how we can improve. It worked during the recession and we are continuing it now. For example, the warehousemen receive half the money generated by recycling pad. We save money on disposal and are paid by the recycler and share those profits. That encourages them to do a good job with the pad." Menefee explained.
Finding new business opportunities
Menefee looks to find more ways to serve his customers. Wanting to get more of remodeling projects than the flooring, he setup FA Design Build in 2004. It is a full service remodeling and contracting firm. "We are a licensed and insured Class A general contractor and focus on remodels of kitchens, bathrooms and basements," Menefee said. In 2006, FA Design added tenant multi-family commercial projects.
"We hired an interior architect, who had worked at a Home Expo. She meets with customers and creates a new plan. We have estimators, who then sell the projects. We now get the floor plus the rest of the work." About one third of each retail showroom is devoted to kitchen and bath remodels with vignettes set up and a designated staff of designers.
Right now, flooring is about 75 percent of the business but Menefee expects that to switch at some point to Design Build generating 75 percent. "Two out of three of our flooring customers are doing more than floors. We want the whole project."
Flooring America launched a partnership with Stanley Steemer this year in January that Menefee accepted. "As retailers, we usually don't complete the cycle to maintain the carpet we install. The partnership helps us help our customers maintain their warranties," Menefee said.
Read the full article at http://bt.e-ditionsbyfry.com/article/Group+strength+personal+stamp/1442112/165459/article.html.
Bentley: Back to its roots
It's been almost a year since Interface sold Bentley Prince Street to Dominus Capital and the company, which has returned to its Bentley name, is on track to reach its goals, according to Ralph Grogan, president and CEO.
Grogan came on board in January after former president Anthony Minite stepped down. In May, the company announced a rebranding strategy, returning to the name Bentley and what that name was most known for — product design and innovation.
Bentley showed off its new brand at NeoCon in a showroom inside the Merchandise Mart as well as its new flagship Chicago showroom — a 3,500 square foot loft-style space located at the Kinzie Design Center across the street from the Mart. Designed by tsvdesign, the new showroom provides a sophisticated stage for Bentley's stylish products.
Grogan was happy with the reception of Bentley's broadloom and carpet tile at NeoCon, even as he is dealing with a few bumps in the road. "Bentley is a product driven company," Grogan emphasized. "I was surprised that the product pipeline was not as full as I would have thought. It's a major area to work on and get it full again," he said.
With modular carpet continuing to grow in the commercial market, Bentley's carpet tile line is posing another problem. "We have a fantastic cushion carpet tile and I assumed the line (where it is made) was easily convertible from cushion tile to hard back tile, but it's not. We are engineering the cushion line now to be able to run hard back too, because we need to be able to make both."
Despite these few glitches, Grogan stressed, "We are in good shape in five months. I'm pleased with the progress and very happy with our team."
Going forward, Bentley will be about focusing on the areas that characterized the original company. "When they hear Bentley, people think of beautiful products, great quality and great customer service. We are working hard on those areas. We are extremely customer focused and as a smaller company, we are nimble and can react quickly to the market."
Bentley recently achieved gold certification for its facility from the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB.) Bentley was the first carpet manufacturing facility in the country to receive silver rating from the USGBC's LEEDEB in 2007, and remains the only carpet manufacturing facility to receive LEED certification.
Read the full article at http://bt.e-ditionsbyfry.com/article/Bentley%3A+Back+to+its+roots/1442113/165459/article.html.
Flooring America new vision, voice
Amy Joyce Rush
Keith Spano, president of Flooring America and Flooring Canada, is understandably enthusiastic. Just weeks before convention, the company has come off of its "Friends Send Friends" mobile tour which allows Spano and his team the opportunity to engage one-on-one with members and their customers across the country. And he has a lot of exciting initiatives to talk about with his members both in the U.S. and Canada.
Spano, who came to Flooring America after a stint at Avalon Carpet, said, "Over the last two years, we've changed the voice of Flooring America and Flooring Canada. It's about being the most recommended flooring store across America. It's where friends send friends. Everyone can talk about being the best, the best selection, the cheapest." What he wants is for the experience to be so positive that customers not only tell their friends about it but actually refer them to Flooring America stores.
Part of his strategy includes changes in the team running the co-op. The newest member of Flooring America management is Jeff Schwalb, previously with a large retailer in St. Louis. Schwalb started mid- June and holds the post of vice president of merchandising.
"We've changed a lot of our team through natural progression. It's a different vibe now," said Spano. "The word is getting out that we are different, even within (parent company) CCA."
In fact, Spano considers Flooring America a marketing/merchandising group. "Our job is to protect our members and give them the ability to increase their profitability and close rates and give them the tools to do that."
One such tool is a new partnership with Stanley Steemer, a household name in carpet cleaning. The companies cross pollinate by attending each other's conventions and advertising each other's brand to consumers. Noted Spano, "This program is starting to get legs. It's a great strategic partnership, a fantastic relationship. Why not partner with the best name in cleaning?"
Spano said that there are a host of things the company does that aren't product driven. A prime example is the co-op's real estate division that saved members more than $12 million in rent reductions over the past five years. "We have programs in place to significantly reduce dumpster fees, reduced fuel expenses for your vehicles, reduce office supply expenses, phone bills, etc. — saving our members real money on real costs they endure every month."
The company is at the forefront of technology and works hard to bring its members everything they need to succeed in today's market and beyond. "We need to work smarter, not harder. Our members already work harder than anybody," said Spano.
That philosophy prompted Flooring America to put 300 iPads out in the field last year with the goal of having an iPad in every member's hand. "We've created an iPad app that is awesome. Our members can scan an order right through the iPad," he said. Members are now being urged to bring their devices to convention because that will be paperless.
There is also an app, My Floor Story, which allows consumers to recommend, review and give testimonials. The app is but one way the company ties technology to its overarching goal of being the most recommended flooring store.
Flooring America Social Tools (FAST) is its local social marketing management team. "That's our engagement. We do everything from Facebook, Twitter. LinkedIn — we create content," said Spano.
FAST is in its third iteration. The first step, said Spano, was Tweeting for members, then came Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Now the company has added Pinterest which, he said, is going terrific. "The fact that we have a social media platform where we syndicate content for our members and layer on their own hyper-local content is best of both worlds. It allows us to do the heavy lifting for them," said Spano.
Flooring America was among the first to embrace new technology and media so fully. "Our members are very engaged and probably a little more tech savvy than on average," said Spano. "And, even if the store owner didn't understand, the manager or someone in the store did."
Customer Assessment Sales Helper (CASH) is a professional sales tool for the iPad or tablet to help qualify customers and guide sales people to match customers with the right product and help to improve their close rates. CASH integrates with Flooring America's CRM system and helps members to enhance customer satisfaction, he added.
But make no mistake; Flooring America's technology prowess is not about being hip. Spano said that everything the company does is measurable. "We've been able to show (members) cost per lead to the stores and what the marketing ROI is."
Where to next?
One battle the store has taken on aggressively is the fight against the home centers. "We've gone on the offense. People were conservative. Now that things are looking up and we're hearing great things from the members and seeing it in numbers, there is momentum behind us. It's time to go on the offense," he said.
Spano that the co-op is encouraging advertising and remodeling of showrooms. "We are changing the perception of the consumer. What we are hearing is that people want to buy local; they want to buy for the local retailer that supports the little league team. The beauty of the co-op is it keeps money within the community," he said.
He pointed to a growth within the membership as one solid sign of an economic upturn. "Owners are opening new branch locations. Owners opening new branches are a great sign, a great barometer and this year we've seen an incredible wave of locations." Spano explained that in a normal year, there would only be a couple of stores with the wherewithal to expand. This year, he said, it is close to 20 — and that's just current member growth.
Even with some 500 store fronts, Flooring America/Canada is still looking to grow. Again, the company is taking a proactive stance by creating a Flooring America team dedicated to that goal.
"We have plenty of room to grow," said Spano. "We are being selective so that we have the best dealer in every market. We are pretty much everywhere but not in North Dakota and Rhode Island. But we have 50 members in Canada and are always looking for the best retailers," added Spano. The co-op's recruitment website is www.Join.flooringamerica.com
"Our Advisory Council and our neighborhood network coordinators reinforce a compelling difference of Flooring America/ Canada over all other groups and that is: It is a membership run by the members, for the members, and our member's success is why we come to work every day and why we enjoy what we do," he said. "One of the things that separate us is that our members are family — that's a big difference. It's a very personal relationship. Their success is our success. We take that very personally."
Read the full article at http://bt.e-ditionsbyfry.com/article/Flooring+America+new+vision%2C+voice/1442115/165459/article.html.
NeoCon: Back to business
Janet Herlihy & Amy Joyce Rush
By all accounts, this year's NeoCon, held here last month, was a success — energy was good, product was innovative and fl ooring suppliers continued to grow their business in the commercial segment.
"The industry is in a great mood and it shows. That speaks across all product categories. The economy is recovering," noted Byron Morton, vice president of leasing for Merchandise Mart Properties (MMPI).
"There is a big step change this year from last year," asserted David Vida, executive vice president of Boylu, the commercial arm of Beaulieu.
Jeff West, vice president of marketing and product development at Patcraft, agreed optimism was back at NeoCon adding, "This show is more about connection than orders but you will find out about a project here."
Added Kent Clauson, vice president of brand at Mohawk, "Commercial has been very strong and great growth year over year. We've done disproportionately well because of investments that we've made."
Jack Ganley, president of Mannington Commercial, said, "There is more of a sense of optimism and people are taking samples of products with them for projects. Corporate is starting to break loose and, to a lesser degree, retail. Those segments were waiting to see how business would be in the first quarter before spending money."
Corporate appeared to be a major focus here, though hospitality, retail and healthcare were also reported to be strong. "Corporate office is really booming. Designers are saying that is the largest vertical segment they are working on," said Morton.
Corporate renovations are being fueled by the changing work space characterized by open formats and collaboration. "The workspace is so different today because there is a new generation occupying it and doing different things. A couple of years ago the big buzz word was collaboration and now we're adding connectedness. But you still need to address privacy from floor covering to wall covering to furniture and do it in cool ways," noted Morton.
In fact, Mohawk's new Street Thread carpet tile collection is based on new work environments as well as the younger workforce that will inhabit them. Noted Clauson, "Our big message here is around design and the idea of street art — combining what is happening in the outside world with the office." He added that Street Thread has application possibilities for corporate and higher education, for example. Tom Ellis, Vice President of Tandus, noted, "We are up double digits in corporate space with our Powerbond."
Tandus, purchased by Tarkett in September 2012, was recently merged with resilient supplier Centiva. Here at NeoCon, the company showed the integration of its hard and soft surface programs offering designers "Fit for Purpose" strategy.
"It's interesting how our language is starting to come together," Ellis said, adding that the company offers different product and application from the same supplier. The company is working towards developing coordinated product for hard and soft surface. "It's not Garanimals but it's obvious when you put them together."
And technology too is just changing everything, according to Morton. "The integration of technology has been the trend for several years but now we are seeing some companies get into the technology business," he said.
Shaw had a lot to talk about here in addition to new carpet tile and broadloom programs. According to John Stevens, marketing for Shaw Contract Group, "Our focus is on becoming more of a global brand." The company's carpet tile plant in China is due to open this month and a new website for the contract group is also launching. "We are more focused, more committed to clients around the world," he said.
Color is king
"Floor covering is so exciting this year because colors are bright and not only are they playing with textures now they are playing with the actual shape of the product," noted MMPI's Morton.
Crossville's porcelain stone collection Argent includes 12 bold colors and 8 neutrals. "The line is rich, opulent," noted Lindsey Waldrep. "We are all tired of being depressed. It's been a long time."
Johnsonite added rubber sheet to its mix with Arcade, available in 20 colorways. Its linoleum product comes in a wide range of colors, is made of 96 percent renewable resources, Cradle to Cradle Certified and USDA Bio-preferred. ID Freedom is the company's new line of LVT.
"I love this show because it's more than just about product, it's about ideas. And Shaw's hexagon tile idea is great," said Morton.
Shaw showed carpet tile in a hexagon shape while Mannington showed its new custom capabilities with its Amtico acquisition showing hexagon LVT.
"It's been one year since we bought Amtico. At this show, we are highlighting the capabilities, which is a key differentiator. LVT from abroad comes standard, we can make anything," explained David Sheehan, newly named vice president of commercial hard surfaces. "[Designers] are able to get this beautiful offering with a Mannington face — they know and respect that."
Hard surface in the hunt Hard surface products, especially LVT, are making substantial inroads in the commercial market.
While last year, Shaw Hard Surface focused on LVT, this year was all about sheet goods — printed design on sheet that will create an intimate environment in institutional space, according to Allie Finkell, marketing manager for Shaw Hard Surface. The product is anti-microbial and does not need to be polished. "We've had great feedback. When you are putting a floor down for 20 or more years, you want durability and lasting design," she said.
Metroflor showed here for the second time. Russell Rogg noted, "This is a process we embarked on seriously last year. We are in it for the long haul." The company focused mainly on two of its products here in Chicago — Aspire, a floating, groutable tile; and, Intact, which features a treatment on the back of the tile that keeps it in place. With these two products, noted Rogg, Metrofl or has a lot to offer this market.
And while LVT and ceramic tile are obvious leaders, hardwood is also seeing opportunity in the contract arena.
According to wood supplier DeChateau, the company has grown with hospitality and retail installations. One advantage, according to Chicago rep Sarah Collins, is that the company's maintenance procedure allows for small onsite repairs to be made. The company is also in the midst of moving its manufacturing from Amsterdam to San Diego with a targeted July opening.
Read the full article at http://bt.e-ditionsbyfry.com/article/NeoCon%3A+Back+to+business/1442116/165459/article.html.


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Upcoming AMD APUs Feature Built-in Gesture Control Powered by eyeSight
Following hot on the heels of AMD's product news from CES, eyeSight today announces that its leading gesture control technology has been integrated into AMD's upcoming Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) platforms, "Richland" and "Temash"; intended primarily for desktop, laptop and tablet PCs. With eyeSight's gesture recognition closely optimized and integrated into AMD Gesture Control, AMD's "Richland" and "Temash" APU solutions are able to process gestures with optimal speed, accuracy and efficiency. With eyeSight's gesture technology, AMD is providing an ideal solution to the snowballing demand for intuitive gesture-capabilities in both business and consumer devices.
eyeSight gesture recognition capabilities have been uniquely optimized for AMD APU technology. These enhancements enable unmatched recognition performance in challenging light environments, utilizing a standard image sensor.
By running the video processing algorithms on the upcoming APUs, eyeSight was able to reach remarkably low CPU consumption compared to running on traditional X86 CPUs. In some cases, the processing time has even been reduced by a factor of 20x- allowing eyeSight to introduce additional code and significantly increase recognition accuracy.

domain: news


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Nintendo’s March 17 Indie World presentation revealed a few great upcoming games for the Nintendo Switch. Many of these are timed exclusives for consoles. Here is every announcement and trailer showcased today.
Check out the new ‘Hostile Takeover’ trailer for Shakedown: Hawaii, showing you some of the ‘business practices’ you can engage in.
After missing the 2017 release date, Vblank Entertainment has finally revealed the release date trailer for Shakedown Hawaii.
Path To Mnemosyne is coming to Nintendo Switch on April 16. The unique puzzle adventure game takes place in a world of infinite zoom.
Etherborn is a gravity-puzzle platformer set in an M.C. Escher-like world.
NIS America has revealed a brand new trailer for The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince showcasing the game’s puzzling gameplay.
Wargroove is now available on Nintendo Switch. Check out the launch trailer for this deep strategy-focused indie game.


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FM Global has released its 2022 global resilience index which ranks 130 countries on how well they can cope with stress and disruption. FM Global ranked NZ 19th, with a score of 86.8.
The data aims to help inform strategic corporate decisions, like evaluating supply chains or new plant sites by evaluating the relative resilience of a country’s business environment.
The index uses 15 measures of resilience, with two new measures introduced this year focusing on Climate Risk Exposure – how much economic activity is susceptible to severe floods and winds; and Climate Risk Quality – ability to withstand such events through building codes and code enforcement.
While New Zealand ranks highly in terms of supply chain factor, ranked 7th with a score of 91.6 (infrastructure quality, control of corruption, corporate governance, supply chain visibility and supply chain timeliness) our risk quality is worse, with a ranking of 44th and score of 74.5, in part due to our low score of 8.2 on the Seismic Risk Exposure category.
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Cisco estimates that 50 billion devices and objects will be connected to the Internet by 2020. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the next technology transition where devices will allow us to sense and control the physical world. At the recently concluded Techcircle Startup 2014, eminent panellists discussed the prospects and pain points of being in the IoT space. The panel—moderated by Sanjay Nath, co-founder and MD, Blume Ventures—highlighted some interesting implications of IoT with regards to the explosion in mobile growth and the importance of IP. Following are some of the forward-looking observations made by the panelists:
Vinay Nathan, co-founder, Altizon Systems
A century ago, IBM was founded by combining the skills of tableting, recording and computing while the world looked at these as three different businesses. IBM merged these to give value to enterprises. IoT is similar in the sense as it merges technology, sensor and sensor networks with computing at the edge to do data ingestion and many other things in a heterogeneous manner. It took us seven months to build our product, after several retractions. You have to find a way to be funded to do all of that. Another big challenge in India is compliance. That's another key area that you need to plan; otherwise it will suck up your bandwidth in no time. But India has every skill set that is needed.
Bahubali Vasant Shete, managing director, Connovate Technologies
The market size of IoT is overestimated to start with but underestimated in the long term. We are underprepared to embrace IoT as the country lacks infrastructure and the ecosystem for entrepreneurs to get started in this space. We have to rely on the right hardware partners most of which are Chinese. In terms of funding, we received less than 5% of the crowd funding for Gecko from Indians which shows that the IoT market is not largely appreciated. But this is the right time to get into it. Cisco is talking about a 99 cent IPv6 device getting into almost everything that we talk about. With that kind of adoption falling in place, IoT is going to be huge. The size of the market will be humongous though it will not be immediate.
Abhishek Latthe, CEO, Sensegiz
With mobile, India has had a boom period for the last five years. But IoT has drawbacks as it relies on technologies like Bluetooth or NFC which are not present in all budget smartphones; this tech comes only in high-end phones. That leaves only about 10% of the phones used in India equipped to handle IoT products. The brighter side of being in this part of the world is that you can get a product developed at a much lower cost. So if we started in Silicon Valley, we would have spent 10 times of what we did. And until your product sets the ball rolling, if you have an IP, some enterprises may be interested in integrating your tech in their products which can be a primary revenue generator.


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This year, in a stark change of strategy, Adidas released a series of videos that offer a glimpse into the lives of sporty female celebrities. Supermodel Karlie Kloss is shown coding, doing pirouettes, and baking cookies. “Creating is delicious,” Kloss says, before winking at the camera. DJ Hannah Bronfman goes from surfing to frying up octopus to showing off nail art. Women’s NBA All-Star Candace Parker does headstands before hanging out with her daughter in matching pajamas. “My mom is a beast,” her daughter Lailaa squeaks at the camera.
Throughout its 96-year history, the German athletic-wear company has partnered with athletes at the top of their game. As far back as the 1936 Olympics, Adidas sponsored the African-American sprinter Jesse Owens. From the very start of David Beckham’s football career in the early ’90s, he’s worn Adidas football boots. In 2012, Adidas signed basketball star Derrick Rose and created a shoe that bears his name.
The company’s biggest sport stars were almost always male. But these days, it’s making a concerted effort to reach female consumers, and the company’s branding strategists have determined that women respond to a different message. Rather than portraying women focused on a single sport, they believe female consumers will respond to images of women who incorporate their athletic pursuits into a busy lifestyle.
This shift comes, in part, because of broader cultural changes. According to Morgan Stanley Research, sports participation among high school girls has jumped from 17% to 35% in the last 35 years, which has cultivated a generation of women who want to incorporate fitness into their everyday life. This has driven the so-called “athleisure” trend: Activewear has moved out of the gym, with women wearing stylish yoga leggings and sweatpants to brunch and even the office.
Brands have been quick to adapt to these changing norms. “There’s been a notable change in women’s retail, with every single brand—from H&M to Zara—having sportswear within their mix,” says Alison Stewart, VP of global brand strategy at Adidas. “There are more and more players coming in.” Sportswear sales have increased 42% over the last seven years and currently make up a $270 billion global market. According to Morgan Stanley’s projections, the outlook for sportswear over the next five years looks even more promising.
And yet, during the very same period that people were filling their closets with more sneakers and running pants than ever, Adidas sales have been in decline. The company saw a 38% drop in its share price from 2014 to 2015, with sales plummeting by the same percentage. Adidas has also been losing market share: For decades, it was the second largest sportswear company in the world after Nike, but in 2014, Under Armour overtook it, pushing it into third place. As of last year, Nike owned 45.2% of the sports footwear market and 27.8% of the sports apparel market, while Adidas owned 5.5% and 4.5% of those categories respectively.
So now, Adidas is playing catchup. One part of the company’s current five-year plan, according to Stewart, is to build a brand that will appeal to the woman currently buying athleisure clothing—a customer that Adidas describes as the versatile female athlete.
To tackle this challenge, Adidas has created key management positions that focus on catering to women. In February, Nicole Vollebregt, who has worked for Adidas in various roles for nearly two decades, became the company’s first head of global women’s business. “My team is tasked with championing the versatile female athlete throughout the organization,” Vollebregt says. “We work with all the other business units to make sure that we’re delivering products and experiences that she wants.”
The company also hired Christine Day, who was Lululemon’s CEO from 2008 to 2013, to be a strategic adviser. Day has valuable insight about why women’s activewear has become so popular in recent years, since Lululemon has often been described as the brand that ushered in the “athleisure” era by creating chic yoga pants that women wear all day. But Day is quick to point out that “athleisure” does not accurately describe what some women are looking for in their outfits, because the term suggests that they aren’t serious athletes. “The women I know who go to power yoga or spin class are not casual,” Day says. “Athleisure has led to a lot of poor-quality garments that aren’t really suited for performance sports. It’s become just a new form of casual wear.”
She makes the case that a lot of brands on the market—including Lululemon—do a disservice to women by creating fashionable pieces that don’t perform. After years of scrutinizing activewear, she’s concluded that many clothes that are marketed for sports don’t live up to the challenge. They chafe, don’t have flat-seaming or four-way stretch, and don’t offer coverage or support for intense activity. She believes that Adidas can try to regain its footing by creating better quality products that its competitors, while also ensuring that the garments and shoes are as stylish as those created by fashion brands. “Sewing with two different fabrics is a very complex thing to do,” Day says. “Adidas has years and years of technical research that make it possible for them to achieve this.”
This year, Adidas rolled out a shoe called the Pure Boost X. Rather than simply adapting male running shoes for women, which it had previously done, the company invested in studying the female foot in motion to create a shoe that would adapt to it. Since women have higher arches, the Pure Boost X has a floating arch that the company claims will deliver more support. “It’s the first running shoe that was designed specifically for a woman’s foot,” Vollebregt says. (It is worth noting that Ryka has been designing shoes for women’s feet for 25 years.)
Adidas has already developed a bra with a heart-rate monitor built into it and has a pipeline of other garments that incorporate wearable technology. Vollebregt says that Adidas will continue to release products like this over the next few years that will help the brand stand out in a crowded marketplace. “We’re reaching out to women who really see themselves as athletes in their post-collegiate life,” Vollebregt says. “But that performance technology that we have, whether that’s fabric or running shoes, is huge, and that’s something that all of those fashion brands don’t have.”
It’s one thing to create high-performing products for this versatile female athlete, but it’s an entirely different challenge to get her attention and create a brand that speaks her language. Day makes the case that unlike men, women are not particularly inspired by the prowess of top soccer players or Olympians, but are motivated by being part of a community. “Hero athletes aren’t as big a deal to women,” Day says. “They are more influenced by other women and purpose and health and wellness.”
This observation is borne out in the data that Adidas has collected from MiCoach, its fitness training app. When it comes to workout patterns, there are clear gender differences. Men’s running times tend to cluster around even time increments—five or 10 minutes, for instance—suggesting that they are trying to improve on their personal best. Women, on the other hand, tend to run in groups, so their running times cluster with those of the friends they run with.
“Young males are really interested in honing and perfecting their craft as an athlete,” says Stacey Burr, the general manager of the digital sport business division at Adidas. “It’s about how they can run faster, jump higher, kick the ball with a better technique. Women are more interested in the participation and completion aspect of it, and the social aspect of sharing their experience in the race.” Adidas has discovered that women are twice as likely to use fitness trackers and apps as their male counterparts, perhaps because they are more interested in the community-oriented nature of these devices.
Adidas has responded to these findings by reaching out to real-life communities of active women. It recently announced a partnership with Wanderlust, which plans massive yoga festivals and events. Eighty-five percent of those who attend Wanderlust get-togethers are women, and the majority of them are millennials. Adidas will be highly visible at all of Wanderlust’s 108 U.S.-based events, selling products and doing brand activations. The company is also starting a large influencer program with Wanderlust participants by creating a consortium of top athletes who will lead running and yoga courses.
This collaboration also takes a page from the Lululemon playbook. “Yoga was very important to the Lululemon mind-set because it said something about being mindful, so women were really joining the yoga movement,” Day says. “It was a brand halo for Lululemon.”
Adidas’s ultimate goal is to rebrand itself as a company that women will identify with. Day believes that this has been hard to achieve in the past because Adidas is a manufacturer, so its products appear in a wide variety of places—from Bloomingdales to Dick’s Sporting Goods to discount outlets—which makes it hard to control its own image. Adidas is hoping to right the course by claiming a voice on its own channels, from its website to its brick-and-mortar stores to its social media streams. The video series of women incorporating sports into their lives is a good example of this strategy at work. “When we embark on something new, it may take us a little longer because we are a big organization,” Vollebregt says. “But once we decide on an initiative and turn on the tap, we can ramp up extremely quickly, because we have thousands of our own stores globally.”
[Vollebregt Photo: Clayton Cotterell]


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Two Australians have died and another is ill after contracting Listeria infections, prompting a warning from authorities for pregnant women.
The Federal Health Department is investigating the three cases from Victorian, Queensland and New South Wales. All cases occurred in people over 70 years old, with significant underlying health conditions. The two deaths occurred in Victoria and NSW.
Investigations have found that smoked salmon is the likely source, and authorities are using the incidents to remind pregnant women, to ensure their food is prepared and stored safely, and to avoid certain foods.
What is Listeriosis?
It’s an illness which is usually caused by eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria are can grow in food at refrigeration temperatures. Most people who are exposed to Listeria only develop mild symptoms, though illness can be severe in those most at-risk, which includes pregnant women.
How to avoid Listeria
The best way for pregnant women to avoid Listeria is to eat freshly cooked or freshly prepared food.
Try to avoid foods that have a higher risk of Listeria contamination such as:
- chilled seafood such as raw oysters, sashimi and sushi, smoked ready-to-eat seafood and cooked ready-to-eat prawns
- cold meats from delicatessen counters and sandwich bars, and packaged, sliced ready-to-eat meats
- cold cooked ready-to-eat chicken (whole, portions, or diced)
- pre-prepared or pre-packaged fruit or vegetable salads, including those from buffets and salad bars
- soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta
- refrigerated paté or meat spreads
- soft serve ice cream
- unpasteurised dairy products.
You can further reduce your risk by:
- avoiding food that is past its best before or use-by date
- refrigerating leftovers promptly and using them within 24 hours, or freezing them
- cooking food thoroughly
- reheating food until it is steaming hot
What are the symptoms of a Listeria infection?
The Federal Health Department explains that an infection starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and sometimes diarrhoea. People can start experiencing symptoms within a few days, but symptoms can take a number of weeks to appear after eating a contaminated product.
It’s tricky knowing what you can and can’t eat while pregnant, but these articles are full of good-to-know information:


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An English dealership has donated a number of mini electric cars to a hospital to help kids deal with their visits. More like this, please.
Tag: radio flyer
Bjorn Nyland gives us a quick but in-depth look at the Radio Flyer Tesla Model S for kids. Overall, he's pretty impressed. It's a step above most rivals.
Check out the Radio Flyer Tesla Model S!


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Sixty-two people in eight US states have been sickened this year from salmonella linked to papayas imported from Mexico.
The Centers for Disease Control say the illnesses have been reported between mid-January and June 8th and of those, 23 have led to hospitalization. No deaths have been reported.
The CDC is particularly concerned about papayas being sold in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. People are also being asked to avoid eating fresh papayas if they’re not sure where they’ve come from. (Business Insider)
- But papaya is so good.
- There are plenty of other fruits to eat in the summer.
- You can still eat papaya, just make sure they’re not from Mexico.
- The CDC says there are more than a million cases of salmonella reported in the U.S. each year.


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KIM Kardashian has divulged her aim with the new skincare line SKKN and expressed her master plan to build a lifestyle empire.
Kim, 41, co-founded the American shapewear and clothing brand Skims, a company which has been valued at $3.2 billion in January of this year.
In an interview with the New York Times, Kim Kardashian detailed the process of creating her new skincare line SKKN as well as her ambition to further expand into different areas of commerce.
When discussing the inspiration for her new skincare line Kim was quoted as saying, “I wanted to just stay true to exactly what I use, even if everyone was saying this is overwhelming”.
She continued, in reference to the nine-step skincare routine, “That’s why I’m here — to break it down, to be like, ‘They’re all necessary'”.
When discussing the cost for the system’s nine products, which according to the Times adds up to be “$630”, Kim justified the hefty price tag by explaining her refusal to compromise on the best ingredients.
“It’s definitely more prestige, and in order to get the types of ingredients that I would not really miss out on, it was kind of a necessity,”
The Skims founder then added: The products I [personally] was using that were comparable were way more expensive, not to compare anything. I tried to get the quality for the best price that we could.”
Kim later offered the journalist an inside look at planned future products.
Products that included her own lines of “makeup, perfume, bathroom accessories, and housewares” or as the shapewear mogul put it, “a lifestyle”.
As previously stated, altogether the nine items, including a cleanser, a toner, and an exfoliator, in Kim’s “prestige” SKKN line comes to a total of $630.
Fans of the reality star took issue with the high price point.
On Twitter, one wrote: “$630? That s**t better be super-sized. Who the hell could afford that?”
Another chimed in: “You can buy all of that stuff for less than $100 with other brands. None of that stuff is special.”
One user on Reddit added: “So incredibly unlikeable this makes her”.
Another described the famous family as “really entering they’re out of touch era…”
Despite the reaction, billionaire Kim maintains that high prices are a “necessity” in order to obtain the quality ingredients for her products.
The mom-of-four also stood by the lengthy nine-step routine, insisting that all the products are “necessary.”
SKKN IN THE GAME
Kim officially announced the launch of a brand new skincare line via Instagram on Wednesday.
The announcement was, of course, accompanied by a slew of sexy promotional photos.
In the shots, the TV personality wore a skimpy tan two-piece bikini with a matching skirt wrap, as she showed off a glowing tan.
Kim also snapped photos of her collections of products, as well as an up-close shot of her flawless facial features.
The beauty mogul captioned the post: “I’m excited to finally introduce to you SKKN BY KIM, a rejuvenating nine-product skincare ritual that I have developed from start to finish.
“I’ve been so privileged to learn about skin and skincare over the years from the world’s top dermatologists and estheticians, and every bottle from my new line is filled with the knowledge I’ve accumulated along the way,” she explained.
Kim continued: “You will experience refillable packaging, and clean, science-backed ingredients designed to nourish all skin types, tones, and textures at all stages of maturity. I created this line so that everyone can feel confident in their skin, and I can’t wait to finally be able to share it with you!”
The mother of four concluded her announcement, saying: “SKKN BY KIM is launching on June 21 at 9a PT / 12p ET exclusively on SKKNBYKIM.COM.”
SAVING KIM’S SKKN
In January, The Sun exclusively broke the news of Kim’s new skin line, as well as the name of the company.
But securing the new venture wasn’t the easiest process, as the TV star was forced to go to war with a business owner over the use of the word “SKKN.”
Sources told The Sun last year that the California native wanted to rebrand her previous beauty line since KKW stood for her married name, “Kim Kardashian West,” which she has since filed to change following her single status.
The Sun obtained documents that show the SKIMS founder filed a trademark to acquire the name SKKN that will cover “retail store services featuring skin, cosmetics, hair, nail and beauty products, tools and accessories, fragrances, perfumes, candles, vitamins and supplements” along with many more departments, including home furnishings.
However, the reality star was met with legal pushback from Cydnie Lunsford, the owner of SKKN+, a Black-owned spa and beauty center in New York City.
According to legal documents obtained by The Sun, SKKN+ has been using the small business moniker since “at least 2018”, years before Kim filed to use the same name for her company.
But clearly, that didn’t stop the model who has now moved on full force with her new skincare line.
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New Delhi: The Indian kitchen faces a tough time this festive season. A combination of factors — surging fuel prices, erratic rains, and festive demand — has caused a spurt in the rates of kitchen staples onion, tomato and potato.
Price data from Delhi’s Azadpur mandi — Asia’s biggest wholesale fruit and vegetable market — shows that the average price of tomatoes has increased by nearly 300 per cent in a month.
Wholesale prices had touched the Rs 60/kg mark on 13 October, up from Rs 16 on 7 September, and retail rates — the cost at which customers purchase it — are in the Rs 70-80/kg bracket.
The wholesale price of potatoes has risen to Rs 20 from Rs 10 in the same period, and that of onions to Rs 40 from Rs 17.
At the Vashi APMC wholesale market in Navi Mumbai, the price of tomatoes has increased to Rs 57/kg from Rs 35/kg on 7 September.
According to data compiled by the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry, Kolkata has registered the maximum increase in the retail price of tomatoes among major cities.
On 13 October, tomatoes were being sold at Rs 75/kg in the Bengal capital, compared to Rs 27/kg a month before. In Delhi and Chennai, the price was Rs 72/kg, up from Rs 31/kg and Rs 28/kg, respectively. In Mumbai, the prices surged to Rs 58/kg from Rs 21/kg.
Pradeep Sonkar, a wholesale vegetable seller at Sealdah’s Koley market in Kolkata, said “tomato prices have witnessed the maximum increase with wholesale rates going up from Rs 22/kg to Rs 65/kg in a fortnight”.
“Even the prices of other perishable vegetables and condiments such as ginger, garlic, lemon and coriander have shot up,” he added.
‘Trend to continue for now’
Mintu Chauhan, a tomato wholesaler at Azadpur mandi, said its wholesale price “across Delhi could further rise to Rs 70-80/kg for a month as crop arrival from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana has been hampered since last week”.
“Moreover, states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, which are major producers and suppliers of onions and tomatoes, have witnessed severe crop damage owing to heavy rains in September,” Chauhan said.
He added, “The early-monsoon downpour in Himachal has destroyed a considerable amount of crop, while the end-monsoon showers damaged crops in southern and central states.
“The new crop of Maharashtra and Karnataka will arrive in a few months and only then will the prices of tomatoes cool down. As of now, even in Bengaluru, the wholesale price of tomatoes is Rs 30-40/kg, which surges when transported to Delhi with high fuel prices,” Chauhan explained.
The Azadpur mandi caters not just to Delhi but also the adjoining states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, besides Rajasthan. Around 20 per cent of its stock is transported to markets in southern states too.
Budhi Raja Singh, a wholesale trader of vegetables at Azadpur mandi, said the arrival of onions has suffered the most severe blow since this is the crop’s lean season.
“However, the prices have not surged as much as those of tomatoes due to suppressed demand during Navratri,” he added, citing the Navratri tradition observed by many whereby they abstain from non-vegetarian food as well as onions and garlic.
“Once it is over and the festive demand continues till the new year, the price of onion will also pick up with other vegetables and even touch the previous year’s record of Rs 100/kg,” he said.
Singh also blamed the current situation on erratic rains.
“Maharashtra, MP and Karnataka all are leading producers and suppliers of both onions and tomatoes across the country. This year, the production was hit earlier with lower rainfall, and the remaining crops were thrashed by heavy unseasonal rainfall in September,” he said. “Therefore, the prices of both commodities will remain high this year at least until festival season.”
Traders say rising fuel prices — petrol and diesel prices have breached Rs 100/litre in many cities — have further worsened the situation by pushing up transportation charges.
“With rising fuel prices, all costs, packing, labour for loading and unloading, along with overall transportation… everything has contributed to increasing the prices of vegetables,” said Awadhesh Singh, a wholesale onion, garlic and tomato trader at Ghazipur, another wholesale mandi in Delhi.
“If we paid Rs 150-170 for a katta (carton) of 25-30 kg from Maharashtra to Delhi, now we have to pay around Rs 200-230. With additional supply disruption from states — such as shortage and quality deterioration and festival demand — vegetable prices will further shoot up in the coming days. We are expecting the three vegetables to be sold at least above Rs 50/kg for the next few months,” he added.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)


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The campaign will run through 2024 across 15 second TV spots; 15 and 30 second radio spots; 06, 15, 30 second social and online video; streaming audio and video; out-of-home marketing; paid digital; and search and programmatic display.
At the heart of the campaign is musician and Speedway superfan, JD Eicher. After catching the attention of Speedway for his odes to the brand on Instagram, the brand enlisted Eicher to give the Speedway jingle a fresh spin, aptly named, "There's Always More at Speedway." Eicher performs the tune across the TV and digital spots in a full circle moment that celebrates the little moments of daily convenience.
"We're proud to unveil this new Speedway campaign which reinforces to our customers that in addition to being a favorite pit stop for fuel, Speedway is a destination for so much more – like craveable, high-quality snacks at a great value," said Marissa Jarratt, 7-eleven executive vice president, chief marketing & sustainability officer.
7-Eleven also added a Speedway collection of hats, tees, sweatshirts and tote bags to its 7Collection online merchandise store.
Irving-based 7-Eleven Inc. operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven stores, the retailer operates and franchises Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Company, and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits locations.


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CES 2014 in Las Vegas Highlights: Kobo Aura HD eReader from Kobo Inc.
Jan 13 2014, 12:41am CST
Toronto-based company, Kobo, announced a slew of e-readers today.
Aug 28 2013, 12:27am CDT
Kobo just announced their new eReader line-up and for the first time will be selling an Android tablet.
Sep 6 2012, 6:51am CDT
Little E-Reader That Could Pushes Ahead
May 24 2011, 5:12pm CDT
Kobo, an eBook service provider with more than 3.6 million users in over 100 countries worldwide, announced the launch of the all-new Kobo eReader Touch Edition today.
May 23 2011, 2:18pm CDT


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Report: Microsoft could debut Xbox One game streaming stick and ‘Xbox TV’ at E3
Petri’s Brad Sams said he believes that Microsoft will debut a Chromecast-like media stick at E3, optimized for streaming Xbox One games remotely, as well as a Roku-like, stripped-down version of the Xbox One that could play some basic UWP apps from the Windows Store. Sams puts the price of the Chromecast-style device at about $100, and the Roku-like “Xbox TV” at about $150 or so. – Mark Hachman, PCWorld http://ift.tt/1sgzg0E
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A six-member domestic large-cap equity management team led by Gregory R. Lai, which joined Invesco as part of its purchase of Morgan Stanley Investment Management's retail business earlier this year, left to launch a new independent boutique under an old name, Affinity Investment Advisors.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Lai said the move brings Affinity full circle. Affinity had been an independent boutique from 1992 through May 2007, when it was acquired by Morgan Stanley Investment Management.
The team — comprising Mr. Lai as lead portfolio manager; Jeffrey L. Randolph as COO; Jordan Floriani, Stephen Pelensky and Michael Petrino as portfolio managers; and Emmy Chang, as senior analyst — remains intact, Mr. Lai said.
While praising both MSIM and Invesco for the resources and support those firms provided to the team, Mr. Lai said Affinity will look to remain independent.
Although his team was included in the sale of MSIM's retail business to Invesco, Mr. Lai said institutional clients accounted for the bulk of the money Affinity team was managing.
According to the firm's August ADV filing with the SEC, Affinity Investment Advisors has about $600 million in assets under management.
Invesco spokesman David Bachert confirmed that Mr. Lai's team has left Invesco. He declined to provide further details.


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The Associated Press
During Apple's annual shareholders meeting, CEO Tim Cook said the board and management are in "very, very active discussions" on what to do with Apple's cash. Wall Street is clamoring for Apple to share more of its cash, which amounted to $137 billion at the end of last year and is still growing fast because of the company's massive profits. Here's the amount of cash and securities held by Apple at the end of each fiscal year, which runs through late September:
2005: $8.3 billion.
2006: $10.1 billion.
2007: $15.4 billion.
2008: $24.5 billion.
2009: $34.0 billion.
2010: $51.0 billion.
2011: $81.8 billion.
2012: $121.3 billion.
Source: Apple annual reports
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This fox plays like a cat when he gets his paws on a golf ball. (Video)
Something unusual: Acupuncture for ailing sea turtles. (Photos)
Germany seizes the pet after the Biebs fails to get it from customs.
Can you guess why this pigeon is the world's most expensive?


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“Advances in different fields are converging to make space less the final frontier and more like the next startup garage.”
-Newsweek, February 2, 2015
From rockets to data analytics, commercial space startups are flipping the existing business model on its head by providing highly scalable products and services. The commercial space industry is experiencing unprecedented disruption that will fundamentally change how commercial markets and the U.S. government plan, acquire, and use space-based capabilities.
Unlike Government exquisite systems (Space 1.0) or commercial exquisite systems (Space 2.0), Space 3.0 is being driven by venture-backed startups that are leveraging a variety of converging factors to produce a new wave of affordable products and services. From reliable space access to new analytics for remote sensory data, startups are disrupting current processes and establishing a new space ecosystem.
Inside the Next Startup Garage
Space is hard. Luckily, there are several converging advances that are helping startups launch, sometimes literally, entirely new product lines.
Access to Space
Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to be specific. New launch vehicles and rideshare options are increasing access and decreasing costs.
Adoption of commodity hardware coupled with the use of agile development methods.
Lower costs and fast development allow startups to accept greater risks.
Affordability and tailored services are opening the space market to new customers.
Investment in a Commercial Ecosystem
Venture firms are investing in the new ecosystem ranging from launch systems to data analytics.
A Commercial Space Ecosystem Framework
CosmiQ Works believes that a viable commercial space ecosystem depends upon the success of several market sub-segments. CosmiQ Works has developed an overarching framework as a way to visualize the emerging capabilities in commercial space.


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Philips Avent’s final swansong before factory closure
- Credit: Archant
A Suffolk manufacturing plant due to shut down in July has been providing headbands for facemasks during the coronavirus lockdown as its final swansong after operating for 84 years.
Philips Avent, the baby product making factory in Lower Road, Glemsford, announced its shock move to close last year and is using its final months of production to help with the Covid-19 situation.
The factory is set to cease manufacturing on July 31, affecting 425 jobs but before the closure, the factory has been working to provide headbands for PPE equipment. Within a fortnight, the company had modified an existing tool and created a plastic mould to make headbands for facemasks producing two bands every 20 seconds for free distribution to hospital trusts.
Brian Bowen, tool room manager, said the staff involved had many years’ experience and “were happy to support NHS staff who were doing such a great job”.
Colin Smith has been with the company, originally called Cannon Rubber after first opening in 1936 in Tottenham, since 1970. The business relocated to Suffolk in 1971 and Mr Smith moved with them in 1979.
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Mr Smith, engineering stores co-ordinator, is very sad to see the plant close and said: “I have worked for the business since leaving school.
“I’m proud to have been part of such a successful business and to have worked with some very clever engineers and tool makers.”
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Coca-Cola is now on a quest to start producing the next generation of its PlantBottle, based entirely on bio-products.
In attempt to create a 100 percent renewable paraxylene to turn into plastic bottles, Coca-Cola has started a partnership with three independent biotechnology companies, namely Wisconsin-based Virent, Colorado-headquartered Gevo and Dutch Avantium. Coca-Cola selected them after a detailed two-year research effort and analysis of different technologies by Coca-Cola's R&D team and a technical advisory board, the company explained.
The partnership will look to come up with a cost-effective method to produce paraxylene in large-scale quantities. There are no strict deadlines for the roll-out of the new bottle officially announced, but Coca-Cola hopes that by 2015 it will have opened a new commercial plant for full-scale manufacture of the product.
Rick Frazier, Coca-Cola's vice president of commercial product supply, commented that producing bio-based materials is not new in a lab, but the joint project will be the first to see full-scale global production within "a few years." The project will be a major step toward manufacturing all of the company's plastic packaging from responsibly sourced plant-based materials, Frazier added. The three companies will have to develop all materials in line with all industry recycling requirements, he stated.
Virent CEO Lee Edwards said that the company's patented technology involves catalytic chemistry to turn plant-based sugars into a variety of products identical to petroleum-based materials, including bio-based paraxylene, a key component in producing 100 percent plant-based PET packaging. In his comment on the partnership, Tom van Aken, Avantium CEO, explained that the firm's YXY technology involved in making bio-based polyethylene-furanoate bottles will be used in the process, while Gevo's CEO Patrick Gruber added that paraxylene from bio-based isobutanol will be also used in the process.
Coca-Cola claims that its current PlantBottle is the only fully recyclable PET bottle made with up to 30 percent plant-based material. It was introduced in 2009 and more than 10 billion first-generation PlantBottle packages have already been distributed in 20 countries worldwide. It has two main components: mono-etylene glycol (MEG), which makes up 30 percent of the PET and is already made from plant materials, and purified terephthalic acid (PTA), which makes up the other two thirds. Coca-Cola said that once the project is complete, PTA will be replaced with plant-based materials, too.
At present, PET is the third most widely-produced polymer in the world, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PET makes up about 20 percent of the world's polymer production and about 30 percent of that PET goes into making plastic bottles.


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Because Nintendo hates money and common sense, the NES Classic and SNES Classic are still not consistently in stock anywhere in the United States. Sure, there are fire sales — and plenty of resellers on Amazon — but new stock coming into an online store is still big news.
ThinkGeek has confirmed that it has NES and SNES Classic stock sitting in its warehouse right now. But rather than a conventional online sale, which is liable to be riddled with bots, the company is trying a new system to get as many consoles into the hands of fans as possible.
ThinkGeek is running a lottery system instead of first-come-first-served. The company says that not only is it more fair, but it should help with weeding out the bots:
We know that many of you who were hoping to get a Nintendo NES or SNES Classic Edition for the holidays were disappointed by the lack of supply. We feel you. But there’s still some time left, and we’re trying to distribute them in the fairest way we know.
We received a shipment of NES and SNES Classics to our warehouse, and we’re holding a drawing to let you buy them without having to be at your local store the moment the truck shows up. Because ain’t nobody got time for that.
The SNES Classic and NES Classic are bound to be ideal gifts for the holidays, thanks to the retro value and the fact that they’re both cheap games consoles that come preloaded with a bunch of games.


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WASHINGTON—Today animal protection and conservation groups sent a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to respond to a legal petition to protect the common hippopotamus under the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service was required to respond to the March 2022 petition within 90 days, but nearly a year has passed, and the agency still has not responded.
The petition filed by Humane Society International, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Legislative Fund and the Center for Biological Diversity seeks to secure federal protections for this iconic species, which is disappearing from the wild. Hippos are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, drought, poaching, and the international demand for hippo parts, including teeth, skulls, ivory, skin and meat.
Adam Peyman, wildlife programs director for Humane Society International, speaking on behalf of HSI and the HSUS, said: “Hippos are targeted by poachers and trophy hunters for their teeth, skins, heads and more. As the top global importer of hippo trophies, parts and products, the United States government can no longer ignore its responsibility and the critical role it can play in curbing legal trade in hippo parts. It must step up and ensure that this iconic species receives crucial Endangered Species Act protections.”
Between 2009 and 2018, the United States imported thousands of hippo parts and products, including over 9,000 teeth, 700 skin pieces, 4,400 small leather products, 2,000 trophies and 1,700 carvings. Combined, these imports represent a minimum of 3,081 hippos killed to fuel legal U.S. trade, which remains unchecked in the absence of ESA protections.
“Hippos are adored by the public, and U.S. protections would help ensure they’re around for future generations to enjoy,” said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Most people don’t know that the U.S. market fuels hippo loss through demand for their ivory, skins or trophies for home décor. These keystone aquatic animals deserve to thrive in the wild, not be served up to the world’s largest hippo importer.”
Across many parts of the United States, hippo parts and products are readily available for purchase. A 2022 undercover investigation by HSI and the HSUS revealed thousands of items made from hippo parts for sale in the United States. Products made from hippo leather, such as belts, shoes and purses, and items made from hippo ivory, such as carvings and handles on knives and bottle openers, were among the most common items found for sale. Trophies, such as shoulder mounts and mounted teeth, were also available for purchase. Some of these products may have been illegally acquired or traded due to the lack of effective regulations and enforcement within hippo range countries.
The Endangered Species Act protections that the groups are seeking would place near-total restrictions on most imports and sales of hippo specimens and provide awareness and funding to achieve the ESA’s conservation goals.
“When it comes to keeping hippos safe from extinction, we have no time to waste,” said Tracie Letterman, vice president of federal affairs at Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Federal protections are long overdue as hippo populations suffer from numerous threats. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must step up to help ensure this species is around for decades to come.”
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the common hippopotamus as “vulnerable,” meaning it is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. There may be as few as 115,000 adult hippos remaining in the wild in Africa today, with populations continuing to decline in most range States.
- Hippos are not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. As a result, domestic trade within the United States is not regulated at a federal level, and imports of hippo parts and products are not scrutinized under the ESA’s strict standards.
- Hippos are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, meaning that legal trade in their parts must be controlled to prevent it from threatening their survival. Despite their inclusion on CITES Appendix II, the species’ conservation status continues to deteriorate, and at the most recent CITES Conference of the Parties, member states failed to adopt a proposed revision to hippos’ CITES listing that would have prohibited all exports of wild specimens for commercial purposes.
- Between 2018 and 2021, Humane Society International and the Humane Society of the United States conducted an undercover investigation of hippo parts and products being sold in stores throughout the United States and online. This investigation found a variety of hippo parts and products readily available for purchase in many states. Products found included leather products (purses, belts, Western boots and hides), raw ivory (molar teeth, tusks and full skulls), worked ivory (carvings, scrimshawed tusk, painted tusk, ivory-handled bottle openers and knives, and figurines), and trophies (full shoulder mounts and mounted teeth).
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Artist, Fabian Williams is launching Resurrection, the first NFT collection of its kind, to highlight mural art that has been destroyed or suppressed over time.
Online PR News – 17-February-2022 – Atlanta, GA – "Occasional Superstar" Fabian Williams is an Atlanta-based artist who uses his talent to create
politically and socially relevant contemporary themes.
After his first Colin Kaepernick painting was damaged, he responded with #kaeperbowl, a
hashtag centered on Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta that sparked a global media frenzy. Fabian's
creations are also now making their way into the NFT arena.
Fabian is launching Resurrection, the first NFT collection of its kind, to highlight mural art that
has been destroyed or suppressed over time.
Murals and wall art have been torn down, degraded, and in some cases, completely removed by
wall owners throughout history. Fabian realized that NFT technology would allow those murals
and symbols to live on the blockchain in perpetuity.
Williams' very first NFT series was The Resurrection Collection. In Atlanta, the original mural
was demolished. On February 13, 2022, the Mural was resurrected in Los Angeles, California,
during Superbowl 56. The 100 Limited Edition Exclusive NFTs sold out in less than 24 hours
after they were released.
The new Resurrection Mural NFT will be available on 2/17/2022 at 12 PM EST. There will only
be 1000 available.
Contact : Dazzle Daniels
Phone Number : 970-460-7707
Website : https://fabianwilliams.art


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To promote Bitcoin to companies, NASDAQ listed MicroStrategy hosted the Bitcoin for Corporations virtual interactive seminar yesterday. The purpose of the event is to share advice on how companies can buy BTC as a treasury strategy.
According to MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, the first day was a resounding success, with over 1,400 firms taking part. Day 2 continues today, with the focus of discussion on vendors presenting to the attendees.
Bitcoin as a Hedge Against Uncertainty
MicroStrategy hit the headlines in August 2020 as the first public listed firm to buy significant Bitcoin quantities as part of its treasury strategy.
The firm outlined its reasons for doing so in a press release. In it, they say the approach intends to maximize long-term value for shareholders. But more than that, Saylor spoke of the benefits of Bitcoin over cash as a response to macroeconomic factors.
“MicroStrategy spent months deliberating to determine our capital allocation strategy. Our decision to invest in Bitcoin at this timewas driven in part by a confluence of macro factors affecting the economic and business landscape that we believe is creating long-term risks for ourcorporate treasury program ― risks that should be addressed proactively.”
Since then, Saylor has become an evangelist for Bitcoin, promoting the cause on numerous fronts.
More recently, Saylor gave an interview in which he gave a price prediction of $15 million per token. He believes this is possible if the flood of capital from all other sectors, such as real estate, stocks, etc., makes its way into the leading cryptocurrency.
Not Everyone Agrees With Saylor’s Assessment
Business analyst Frances Coppola applauded MicroStrategy’s move to use its piles of cash, especially in a zero-interest market. But she questioned why the firm didn’t invest in new product lines or upgrade existing ones, rather than splurge on BTC. She also raised the issue of cash flow risk by going Bitcoin heavy.
To add, holding significant quantities of BTC may be cause for consideration that MicroStrategy is an investment company or perhaps a de facto Bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The implications of which may have legal and regulatory ramifications.
This issue is perhaps the biggest stumbling block in terms of CEOs jumping on board with Bitcoin. And Saylor is aware of the issue. In a tweet to promote the virtual seminar, he said:
“If you are interested in the legal considerations firms face while integrating #Bitcoin into their corporate strategy, you are not alone. We have professionals from more than 1400 firms joining us tomorrow for this discussion. There is still time for your legal team to attend.”
Day 1 of the event includes a discussion on the legal considerations companies face when buying Bitcoin.
Feedback indicates that the seminar has been a smash hit. Saylor says an “avalanche” of firms will make the move from cash into Bitcoin within the next 12 months.
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iPhone 11 is now officially the successor of last year’s XR which according to Apple is one of the most popular smartphone worldwide since its launch. Since it’s last iteration not much have changed but there are few changes which differentiate the iPhone 11 from its predecessor.
First off, there’s an extra camera on the rear and its an ultrawide sensor, which enables 2x optical zoom out while having a 120-degree field-of-view and f/2.4 aperture. The main cam has f/1.8 aperture and OIS. The main camera is a 12MP wide lens with f/1.8 aperture and OIS.
There are some new camera features also which debuts with this new series such as enhanced Smart HDR and a Night Mode that automatically triggers when it’s needed.
Apple says this phone shoots the highest quality videos ever, compared to any smartphone and they are calling it “Cinematic”. For the people interested in numbers, iPhone 11 shoots at up to 4K@60fps, and with Extended Dynamic Range at up to 4K@50fps with both the sensors at the back.
On the front, iPhone 11 get a 12MP wide-angle.lens which clicks pictures at a resolution of 7MP but you can fit more people in it if you flip the phone into landscape mode. The front camera supports in 4K@60fps and it also gets a 120fps mode which lets you shoot slow-motion selfie videos or call it “Slofies” as Apple say it.
Behind the hood, we get A13 chipset powering the phone which is 20% more powerful than the A12 and beats the Snapdragon 855 in both CPU and GPU performance in Apple’s testing.
As it was rumored, there’s no sign of “Touch ID” but Face ID is now 30% faster and works from extended angles.
Talking about the battery life, there’s an addition of 1 hour of extra usage when compared to last year’s XR under unknown circumstances.
iPhone 11 is supposed to be much more resistant to physical damages as Apple claims to use toughest glass ever used in a smartphone.
The iPhone 11 packs IP68 water and dust resistance (up to 30 minutes submerged in up to 2m of water). Sadly there’s no 5G in this years iPhone but we do get Wi-Fi 6, and faster Gigabit LTE modem.
The iPhone 11 will be available in black, yellow, green, white, purple and PRODUCT(RED)
Pre-orders for iPhone 11 will start this Friday, on September 13, while the iPhone 11 will be available on September 27 in the first wave of more than 30 countries including India.
As per pricing goes, the base variant with 64GB of storage will be retailing for $599 in US while in India it will be sold for INR 64,999.


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- About bilaterals.org
- Feb-2016: New ISDS platform launched
- Sep-2004: Launch announcement
- Feb-2015: Relaunch of bilaterals.org
- Mar-2013: Relaunch of bilaterals.org
- Jun-2009: Relaunch of bilaterals.org
- Dec-2008: An update from bilaterals.org and logo design contest announcement
- Dec-2006: bilaterals.org in Spanish & French
- Sep-2006: Update from bilaterals.org
- How to participate
- Key issues
- Texts of agreements
S. Korea, ASEAN sign FTA on services
Korea Times | 11-21-2007
S. Korea, ASEAN Sign FTA on Services
By Kim Yon-se
Korea Times Correspondent
SINGAPORE — South Korea signed an agreement on the services sector with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) here Wednesday.
Following the summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and 10 ASEAN leaders, Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and 10 commerce ministers from the Southeast Asian countries signed the services free trade deal.
The deal is the third part of a four-step process to reach a ``full’’ Korea-ASEAN FTA by next year.
The two sides signed an agreement on ``basic items’’ and ``goods’’ in August 2006 (first step) and an agreement on ``dispute resolution systems’’ in December 2005 (second step). The agreements went into effect in June 2007.
They are scheduled to sign the last-step accord on ``investment’’ next year.
``The government believes in the importance of the Southeast Asian bloc _ South Korea’s fifth-largest trade partner,’’ an aide to President Roh said. ``Concluding an early FTA is needed because ASEAN is also seeking deals with our major trade competitors.’’
The government believes the two sides agreed on a high level of liberalization, saying that it will free up to 97 percent of all items of goods, while tariffs for 90 percent will be eliminated in stages by 2010.
The agreement will also create a market of 548 million people with a combined economy of more than $1.4 trillion.
A kind of joint declaration signed between leaders from each side, the framework agreement forms the basic structure of the South Korea-ASEAN FTA which would also benefit goods made in the inter-Korean industrial park in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong.
Aside from the signing of the services deal, Korea and the 10 Southeast Asian countries signed a memorandum of understating (MOU) on establishing the Korea-ASEAN Center, which will be built in Seoul.
Through the center, the two sides will seek expansion of trade volume, promotion of tourism and cultural exchanges.
Before the signing of the FTA, Roh and 10 ASEAN leaders agreed to cooperate in resolving the North Korean denuclearization issue and to expand ties in various fields such as regional security.
Roh also discussed countermeasures against environmental and climate issues during the third East Asian Summit (EAS) which includes leaders from India, Australia and New Zealand.
``The EAS leaders exchanged views on sustained regional development, global disasters and cooperation on environmental crises,’’ said Roh’s spokesman Cheon Ho-seon.
News from the movements
27-May-2016 UNI Global UNIHoy UNI Global UNI y los sindicatos afiliados piden a los gobiernos para organizar con urgencia un debate público democrático sobre los impactos potenciales de Tisa.
25-May-2016 abcBurkinaAujourd’hui, lundi 23 mai 2016, seuls le Nigeria et la Gambie n’ont pas signé cet APE. Est-ce une bonne ou une mauvaise nouvelle ?
25-May-2016 FocusThe Philippine government is hoping the EU-Philippines FTA wil facilitate more tuna exports to the EU, but the industry is riddled with issues of low wages, unfair labor practices, poor and slave-like working conditions.
24-May-2016 TNIThe Philippines has a web of investment treaties which severely constrain the government’s ability to regulate or close polluting mines, a legal straitjacket that will become even tighter if the EU–Philippines Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) proceed
23-May-2016 TNIEuropean municipalities join the battle against TTIP to protect sovereignty and public services, demonstrating how to take political initiative and build an alternative economy
20-May-2016 AITECDans l’ombre du traité transatlantique entre l’Union européenne et les États-Unis (TAFTA), les chefs d’États de l’UE pourraient bientôt approuver un accord de commerce et d’investissement tout aussi inquiétant.
20-May-2016 Local FuturesThe Global to Local Webinar Series addresses key issues in the global to local debate.
19-May-2016 S2BA new leak reveals that 5 EU member states are proposing to introduce investor-to-state dispute settlement for all cross-border investments within the EU.
bilaterals.org is a collaborative space to share information and support movements struggling against bilateral trade and investment deals which serve corporations, not people. Multilingual. Global. No one owns it. Open publishing. Get involved.


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Some independent artists have been notably rude about Spotify royalties in recent months. However, a new partnership between the streaming music service and digital distributor TuneCore means many more indie and unsigned acts could be getting their songs onto the service. Spotify has been added to TuneCore’s list of distribution outlets, alongside iTunes and Amazon MP3 (among others). TuneCore says its artists generated 26.2 million downloads in 2009, and 37.4 million streams. Source: Music Week
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Our subscribers get the most important digital music news and analysis delivered to them every morning and full reports every week plus access to a massive archive of data and previous reports.
For a free two week trial of Music Ally, sign up here. No strings attached – we promise!


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FUZHOU, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), China's leading lithium-ion battery and energy storage system producer, has reached a multi-billion-dollar deal with Swedish carmaker Volvo.
Under the agreement signed Wednesday, CATL will supply lithium-ion batteries for next-generation Volvos and its sub-brand Polestar models over the coming decade.
CATL's battery modules will be used on Volvo's upcoming SPA2 and its existing CMA modular vehicle platforms worldwide.
Volvo, owned by China's Geely, is launching EV models under Volvo and Polestar as it takes on global peers in the increasingly competitive market.
In 2017, Volvo Cars announced that all the models it introduces starting in 2019 will be either hybrids or powered solely by batteries, becoming the first mainstream automaker to forsake the internal combustion engine. The cooperation with CATL is a major step towards its electrification ambitions.
The deal with Volvo is also the Chinese battery giant's latest effort to expand its global footprint.
Founded in 2011, CATL has inked supply contracts with a slew of global car manufacturers including BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler and Honda.
Headquartered in the city of Ningde in southeast China's Fujian Province, CATL is the world's largest maker of lithium-ion batteries with an annual sales volume of 21.31 GWh in 2018.


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Portfolio's website has an interview with Kim Culmone, the designer responsible for Barbie's wardrobe. She reveals that in the future, Barbie dolls will come packaged with cosmetics, and that she looks at the Paris runways for ideas. But I think my favorite quote is this: “We’re used to looking at a fashion on the street and saying, ‘Oh my God, that would be perfect for Barbie.
Carine Roitfeld On Her Own Barbie Doll, Magazine, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen
How cool would a Carine Roitfeld Barbie doll be? Well according to a recent interview with the inimitable Miss Roitfeld in Madame, a supplement to the French paper Le Figaro, a Carine Barbie almost happened. She told the paper that she gets so many offers for projects, one of which was from the folks at Mattel. Sadly, Roitfeld shot that offer down. Future projects "must be logical and make sense" she said. Carine's gone back on her word before--she did after all, say she wanted to branch out from the magazine world after her tenure at Vogue Paris ended, only to recently announce she has plans to launch her own publication. So let's keep our fingers crossed just in case (think of all the amazing mini Monolos and Givenchy you could buy!).


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The Indian born chef Rasheed is bringing a whole new dining experience to the city by launching his exciting menu of Indian Street Food and Craft Beer at Cafe Diwali.
Taking over the premises that was previously Cranes Wine Bar, the chef will be bringing the heart of India to the medieval city of Salisbury.
Rasheed had always been wanting to start a restaurant for a while and now he is delighted to have finally found the right venue to share his exclusive range of delicious Indian food.
He has been joined by Chef Kumar, who has over 25 years of experience and a high reputation.
Rasheed aims to create a style of cooking that hasn't been seen in England previously, making Cafe Diwali a truly authentic taste of India.


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Exciting times, friends. While we’ve been cleaning up the proverbial ticker tape left behind by jubilant celebration over the recently-stalled antipiracy bills, the Pirate Bay – arguably the premier resource for pirating digital content – has already moved on to the next big thing.
The site has announced a new category called “Physibles” that houses digital files that can be downloaded and used in conjunction with 3D printers to print out actual, physical objects:
We believe that the next step in copying will be made from digital form into physical form. It will be physical objects. Or as we decided to call them: Physibles. Data objects that are able (and feasible) to become physical. We believe that things like three dimensional printers, scanners and such are just the first step. We believe that in the nearby future you will print your spare parts for your vehicles. You will download your sneakers within 20 years.
As of right now, the Physibles section of the Pirate Bay has only a few odds and ends – a 3D model of a camera lens, a model 1970 Chevelle hot rod and a whistle, to name a few – but as the prices of 3D printers continue to fall and people one day get used to the idea of, say, purchasing an otherwise tangible product from Amazon and then printing that object out themselves, you can see where a site like the Pirate Bay could really start to ruffle some retail feathers.
The site spins the announcement with a more humanitarian outlook, however:
The benefit to society is huge. No more shipping huge amounts of products around the world. No more shipping the broken products back. No more child labour. We’ll be able to print food for hungry people. We’ll be able to share not only a recipe, but the full meal.
Such a future is still several, if not tens, of years off, but the ability to print relatively simple objects (even food) is already here and will continue to get more refined over time. Even questions about intellectual property as it pertains to 3D printing have already been raised.
You may recall last year that Shapeways.com, a site that lets users share 3D printer files with one another, found itself associated with a legal scuffle between one of its users and Paramount Pictures. The user had apparently recreated a prop from Paramount’s movie Super 8 and, according to Paramount, was offering to sell 3D printouts of it.
Now imagine a day when everyone has a 3D printer at home. We’ll surely be able to purchase 3D printer files from people and companies far more adept at creating models of printable objects than we are, and assuming these files will be relatively easy to duplicate due to their digital nature, we’re bound to witness plenty of litigation over what’s legal to copy and what’s not.
As Shapeways points out when commenting on the Pirate Bay news, “Being able to download product files is not new, Shapeways has had downloadable models for years, as has Thingiverse and Google Warehouse, but let’s see how this affects the 3D printing IP debate. “


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Starbucks has now had its rewards program since 2009, though the coffeehouse chain has retooled it numerous times over the years.
Super-loyal customers who use Starbucks’ membership program account for about 40% of sales at the company’s US stores. Now Starbucks is taking steps it believes will make the program more attractive.
Starting on April 16, the coffee company’s rewards members in the United States and Canada will start earning rewards sooner and have more options when redeeming points. For customers who use a Starbucks rewards credit or debit card, points won’t expire. (They still expire after about six months for other members.)
Digital rewards programs are a way for companies such as Starbucks to increase loyalty and learn more about their customers. The update is designed to bring even more people into the program by offering more choice.
The current rewards program works like this: Customers get two points, or stars, for every dollar they spend. Customers need to hit 300 stars within one year in order to start qualifying for rewards. Once they qualify, they can get a free drink or free food for every 125 stars. If they hold on to the points until they reach, say, 250, they can redeem the points for two free drinks, two food items or one of each.
The new system lets people get different rewards for different amounts of stars, and starts at a lower tier. Members can cash in 25 stars for an extra espresso shot, dairy substitute or another flavor pump. For 50, they get coffee or tea or a bakery item, and so on.
More flexibility can serve more types of customer behaviors, Matthew Ryan, the company’s chief marketing officer, told CNN Business.
“There are people who like to spend at very low levels, and there are people who like to hoard a lot of points,” Ryan said. “Right now, we have just the middle point of the range.”
Other companies are getting creative with their own loyalty programs.
Chipotle, which announced its first national rewards program last week, gave out cash on Venmo to share the news. And Burger King announced a $5 per month subscription service that gives members a free cup of small hot brewed coffee a day.
READ MORE: News5Cleveland.com
Article Courtesy of CNN and WEWS News 5 Cleveland
First Picture Courtesy of Alex Wong
Second Picture Courtesy of Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star and Getty Images


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Despite cutting costs, consumer internet start-ups struggle to turn profitable2 min read . Updated: 07 Feb 2018, 10:17 PM IST
Analysis of 43 consumer internet firms' results shows cumulative losses of more than Rs19,200 crore on revenues of Rs26,090 crore for fiscal 2017
Profitability remains elusive for consumer internet start-ups in India, with little evidence that months of cost-cutting amid a funding slowdown has borne fruit.
An analysis of the earnings reports of 43 consumer internet companies showed cumulative losses of more than Rs19,200 crore on revenues of Rs26,090 crore for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2017. Together, losses for these 43 start-ups rose by 27% from 2015-16 and revenues increased by 26% in the same period. Mint sourced the financial reports of the companies from Tofler and the Registrar of Companies.
After an 18-month-long boom, funding has slowed for consumer internet start-ups since the end of 2015. Losses ballooned out of control in the boom years as start-ups spent freely on discounts and advertising but the spending didn’t yield sufficient revenues, prompting investors to force start-ups to cut costs.
But the financials of the 43 start-ups reveal that the consumer internet economy is still on shaky ground and confirm the fact that most start-ups still rely heavily on discounts to drive sales. The latest numbers indicate that start-ups will need external funding for years to come. (All of the 43 start-ups have raised at least $10 million in capital, and most of them have raised much more.)
Only one company, insurance retailer PolicyBazaar, eked out a profit in 2016-17. Policybazaar, which raised roughly $75 million at a valuation of $500 million from new and existing investors in October, was the standout performer in the consumer internet pack.
The company nearly doubled revenue in fiscal 2017, helped by the fast expansion of its new business Paisa Bazaar, a marketplace for consumer loans, mutual funds and other products. It has said it wants to go public by the end of 2018.
For some others, including online marketplace Flipkart, India’s most valuable start-up, revenue growth slowed. Losses at some companies rose at a faster pace than revenues despite efforts to cut costs.
The combined valuations of Flipkart ($14 billion) and digital payments firm Paytm ($11 billion, including the marketplace business) account for more than 65% of the cumulative valuation of the 43 start-ups, according to Mint research.
Two unicorns, or start-ups valued at $1 billion or more, cab-hailing service Ola and classifieds Quikr, haven’t filed their financial results for 2016-17. Some others such as grocery ordering app Grofers, fashion retailers Limeroad and Voonik and ticketing service Bookmyshow, which was the only consumer internet start-up to turn in a profit in 2015-16, are also to report their earnings.
To be sure, there are clear signs of improvement at some companies. For instance, at five large start-ups—Zomato, BigBasket, Swiggy, Oyo and Lenskart—revenues rose at a faster rate than losses. Others such as furniture retailers Pepperfry and UrbanLadder reported that losses narrowed.
Additionally, the valuations of some start-ups, including Flipkart and Zomato, have either declined or mostly remain unchanged from their peak valuations in 2015. This indicates that the gap between their valuations and financial performance is narrowing, albeit at a slower pace than what investors expected.
The financials of payments firm Paytm in 2016-17 aren’t comparable to the previous fiscal year partly because of a restructuring exercise that resulted in a spin-off of the company’s e-commerce business. Paytm’s results include those of Paytm Payments Bank, a separate entity.