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Google has this week added a new method to pay for music, applications, books and movies whilst browsing its Google Play online store from your mobile devices.
Now a variety if carriers will allow you to charge your Google Play purchases directly to your monthly phone bill. For example in the U.S. T-Mobile customers can now charge purchases from Google Play directly to mobile bill, and in Japan, DoCoMo, KDDI and Softbank customers can do the same.
Others include, Italy Vodafone: Korea KT, SKT, LGU+ : Spain Vodafone: UK T-Mobile International, Vodafone : Germany T-Mobile International, Vodafone:
The new Direct Carrier Billing added by Google to its Google Plus online store now makes it easier for users to purchase apps and no credit card or registration is required to use the service.
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We all know that certain chemicals in everyday products are harmful: mercury and lead, just to name a couple. But how harmful, and what can we do about it?
A landmark new bill has been introduced in Congress that addresses toxins in products that most Americans use every day, from shampoo to toilet cleaners. The bill was introduced in April by Senator Frank R Lautenberg, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health. It is an overhaul of the “Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976” (TSCA), an antiquated law that in its current state leaves most Americans at risk of exposure to toxic chemicals.
Senator Lautenberg states: “America’s system for regulating industrial chemicals is broken. Parents are afraid because hundreds of untested chemicals are found in their children’s bodies. EPA does not have the tools to act on dangerous chemicals, and the chemical industry has asked for stronger laws so that their customers are assured their products are safe.” This Act will “empower EPA to get tough on toxic chemicals.”
Momentum is also building to make companies more accountable for the chemicals that they put in their products. More studies are popping up linking these chemicals to certain health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, reproductive problems… the list goes on.
One such chemical that has gained extensive media coverage is BPA, or bisphenol A, a chemical found in hard, clear plastics and most cans containing foods or beverages. Media outlets extensively reported on the effects of BPA in baby bottles. But the chemical has proven harmful to adults as well. A study of more than 1,400 people ages 18 to 74 “found that those with the largest amount of BPA in their urine had nearly three times the risk of heart disease and more than twice the risk of diabetes as those who had the lowest levels.” In addition, scientists found that BPA levels that are only one-fifth the “safe” dose established by the FDA trigger an alarming release of insulin in the pancreatic cells of mice. Higher levels lead to pre-diabetes or insulin resistance, says Frederick vom Saal, a biologist at the University of Missouri. BPA also suppresses the release of a hormone from fat cells that normally protects against diabetes and heart disease.
And that is just one example. There is now a movement to make the public aware of what they are consuming and the potential effects on their health. Sites such as www.healthystuff.org and www.saferchemicals.org have gained in popularity. Consumers are beginning to boycott products with chemicals such as BPA, which has led to a large shift in some manufacturers’ practices and products. Even CNN’s Dr Sanjay Gupta has joined the discussion in Toxic America, investigating some of the toxins that companies are releasing into our environment while producing these products, which in turn affect us as well.
Until now, the government has turned an almost blind eye, using decades-old research to determine “safe” levels of toxins in products. The introduction of this bill brings hope to many who have been on the crusade to see practice changed. Says healthystuff.org, “These reforms would phase out the most dangerous chemicals from the manufacturing process; require industry to take responsibility for the safety of their products; and use the best science to protect vulnerable groups.”
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domain: news


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Just in time for this weekend's Overwatch stress test and the launch of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate on PC, Nvidia has released a new set of Game Ready drivers, promising "optimizations" for both games and an SLI profile for Syndicate. You can grab them on the Nvidia site.
You can also see Nvidia edging into VR middleware with each release. These drivers "also introduce support for GameWorks VR 1.0, a SDK that enables virtual reality game developers to increase game performance, reduce headset latency, and further improve the VR PC gaming experience".
Even though we've tried it, VR still feels like a hypothetical technology. It's easy to forget that the Vive and the Oculus Rift are aiming for release next year. Here's a video showing some of the software that might be driving the games. Apparently you can run an SLI config that devotes a graphics card to each eyeball.


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The annual Global Retail Theft Barometer, underwritten by Checkpoint Systems, reveals that UK retailers lost more than £3.1bn worth of inventory in 2014, equating to 0.89% of total retail sales, with shoplifting the biggest problem for home improvement stores.
When analysing shrinkage - comprised of shoplifting, employee theft, supplier and administrative errors - as a percentage of sales, the UK performed better than most nations, ranking fifth best, behind only Norway, Switzerland, France and Poland.
However, value-wise, due to the size of the UK retail industry, stores lost the sixth most globally, behind the USA, Japan, Russia, Germany and China.
The latest report highlights that, in 2014, shoplifting accounted for 26% of all inventory loss, while retailers saw £770m stolen by employees and a further £300m lost as a result of supplier errors. Globally, UK stores had the worst level of administrative and non-crime losses, with 40% of all shrinkage coming as a result of internal errors, such as pricing mistakes - Brazil was the next highest with 29 percent, followed by Spain at 25 percent.
According to the figures, dishonest employees accounted for a larger share of total shrinkage than the year before - an increase of nine percentage points. Shoplifting and internal errors also accounted for a higher percentage of the total loss in 2014, while the biggest reduction was seen among suppliers, where there was a decline of 12 percentage points on the year before.
From sector-to-sector the source of shrinkage varied, highlighting the importance of understanding where losses are incurred. In grocery stores, administrative and non-crime errors accounted for the largest share of losses. For home improvement and gardening stores, shoplifting was the key cause of shrinkage, with customers responsible for 70% of their losses.
Across the country, shoplifting remains a major issue for retailers. Despite seeing a decline in shrinkage as a percentage of sales, thieves continue to target stores. More than £800m was stolen in 2014, with official Police data revealing that there were more than 329,000 incidents of shoplifting nationwide in the same year - a 3% increase on 2013 levels and around 27,000 more than in 2012. Of the 44 forces analysed, just 14 recorded a decline in shoplifting last year.
Shoplifters and dishonest employees primarily targeted small and easy-to-conceal items, as well as high-value items with high resale value. When sorted by retail vertical, the most stolen items included fashion accessories, power tools, mobile device accessories, wine and spirits, and razor blades.
The latest edition of the Global Retail Theft Barometer reveals that the UK retail industry continued to spend around £2bn on loss-prevention solutions - the equivalent of 0.58% of sales in 2014. Of the retailers surveyed, CCTV/DVR, security guards, and alarm monitoring solutions are used by a majority of stores, with three in four respondents reporting usage of each of the solutions.
Among product-specific loss prevention solutions, 63% of retailers used EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance - labels and hard tags/EAS antennas) solutions. Spider wraps and security keepers (38%), and shelving solutions to control product access (38%) were used by retailers in the UK.
Checkpoint Systems' Russell Holland commented: "Overall, we've seen shrinkage as a percentage of sales decrease in 2014. That's positive news for retailers, who have maintained their loss prevention spend, during a difficult financial period, to keep losses under control.
"That said, the problem is that inventory loss not only represents an erosion of the bottom line, it means someone else can't buy a product. Solutions that help keep merchandise available are invaluable and are proven to improve sales. Ultimately, with the rise of omni-channel retailing placing the high street under strain, protecting profits is the only way to ensure long term success.
"What's vital is that stores use the wealth of data available to identify where their losses are coming from."


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Smartclip becomes ad partner for LG Smart TV platform
12 July 2012
Multiscreen brand advertising platform Smartclip has struck a deal to sell ad inventory across LG Electronics’ Smart TV platform in Europe, Russia and Australia.
The deal will allow Smartclip to sell pre-roll ads, banner ads and interactive ad formats across the platform. The company will also be able to offer refined targeting opportunities through its ad-serving technologies.
The partnership covers a total of 14 markets. The first pan-European advertiser will be German fashion brand New Yorker.
"Europe is one of the world’s largest TV markets so it is great to be able to work together with one of the largest TV manufacturers worldwide on such an exciting product,” says Smartclip vice-president Shirlene Chandrapal. “Connected TV is beginning to really take off and LG Smart TV is the perfect way to reach consumers on all levels of engagement.”
Smartclip, part of the Adconion Media Group, currently delivers video ads across multiple connected devices including smartphones, tablets, games consoles and connected TVs. It has major operations in Europe, Australia, the US and Latin America.
“Content developers and content service providers will be able to focus on top quality content provision based on this tangible profit-making business model and advertisers will also have great opportunities utilising this effective marketing tool for global TV advertising campaigns,” says LG Electronics Smart Business Centre service business division vice-president Youn-jae Seo.
The LG Smart TV platform is accessible through all Smart TVs, Smart 3D Blu-ray players and the Smart TV Upgrader.
David Hing, London


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Organic soybean demand relies heavily on imports
A commodities trader says the U.S. organic soybean demand is relying on more imports.
Ryan Dornink with All-Star Trading in Schaumburg, Illinois tells Brownfield the organic soybean import market fell off for a while in the U.S. during the pandemic, bringing increased domestic prices for organic beans but, “Over the past year or so, we’re starting to see more and more imports at a little bit cheaper numbers so it seems like the soybean markets is starting to fall off from where it was.”
Dornink says last summer’s forward contracts were setting some record numbers for organic soybeans, but not anymore. “Contracting for new crop last summer was anywhere from 34-38 a bushel it seemed like, and probably down to more of the 23-26 range now, so we’ve seen a significant drop off in the summer which is being pushed by imported product coming into the country.”
And even with lower prices, Dornink encourages growers to consider the switch to organic soybeans because the demand is there. “We’re pretty reliant on imports and yeah, not necessarily because of pricing. It just doesn’t seem like there are quite enough (organic) soybeans grown here to meet the country’s meal needs.”
Dornink says there has been volatility in the organic soybean market similar to the other commodities, and he believes that’s why many farmers are holding off on switching to organic. Most farms must also use organic practices for three years before they can become certified as organic.
Dornink spoke to Brownfield during the recent Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin.


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Google is de-branding its product price comparison tool, dropping what the company admits now was an ill-conceived brand, “Froogle,” and calling it something that I hope they didn’t pay a consultant to dream up, but what is a vast improvement and worthy of whatever the fee was, nonetheless: Google Product Search.
Quote from CNET News.com:
“I don’t think we understood the complications with rolling out another brand,” Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president of search product and user experience, said. “While it was a cute and clever name, it had issues around copyright and trademark, as well as internationalizationâ€¦The pun (to “frugal”) isn’t obvious.”
I’m impressed with her candor.
I think it’s also telling that Foogle, introduced in 2005, never dropped the “Beta” — until, well, now.
Lots of good Danny Sullivan.
Technorati Tags: google


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Shoppers said basic fruit and vegetables were missing in supermarkets across the country.
Brexit and Covid blamed for shortages.
New post-Brexit customs rules explained as consumers warned they could lead to some shortages 01/01/2021
A UK business spoke about having no choice but to raise the prices of its goods as trade between the UK and the EU becomes increasingly difficult, ITV News Reporter Martha Fairlie reports on New Year's Day 2022.
Britain has been outside the EU’s legal regime for a year and has faced a number of impacts.
Post-Brexit restrictions could be a cause of incoming food supply disruption, with stricter EU rules potentially causing shortages thanks to changes to customs declarations on goods entering the UK.
THE SNP has warned that households across the UK are set to feel the “bitter bite of Tory Brexit” this New Year, with a significant number of people concerned about food prices, shortages and delays to gifts due in part to Brexit.
After leaving the EU's single market with its free movement of people, goods, services and capital, he says: "We are fishing in a smaller pool."
"Where do you think the raisins come from? Chester?"
Seeds of Italy Brexit tweet goes viral 16/12/2021
Paolo Arrigo from Seeds of Italy is going viral on Twitter.
How Brexit and the food supply chain crisis might take a bite out of your Christmas dinner 08/12/2021
With the pandemic worsening supply chain problems and UK worker shortages caused by Brexit, there’s a chance we may need to adapt our Christmas dinners this year.
End-of-life patients being cared for at home are having to wait for bedsore-relieving equipment, one family member has said.
Brexit cited as one of the top causes of the supply crisis as suppliers warn of xmas booze shortage 27/11/2021
A new nationwide poll suggests that many people believe that Brexit is one of the top factors causing the ongoing supply chain crisis. The findings come as a group of 48 wine and spirit companies warn the Transport Secretary that Britain is set to face a Christmas alcohol shortage.
Retailers and farmers explain what shoppers should expect as Brexit and supply chain problems bite.
New polling suggests a large number of Brits blame Brexit for impending Christmas supply chain chaos.
There are supply issues with medical devices, fuel and food costs.
Some types of wine and spirits may not be available unless ministers take urgent action to fix lorry driver shortage and shipping delays, say alcohol suppliers.
Greggs suffers vegan sausage roll shortage as bakery becomes latest victim of supply chain crisis 17/11/2021
Britain is facing a shortage of Greggs vegan sausage rolls after it became the latest food product to suffer from supply chain disruption.
‘I’ve never known it like this’ – the UK’s struggle to get the Christmas turkey to the table 13/11/2021
Poultry farmers and meat processors have struggled to cope due to Covid- and Brexit-induced staff shortages. But help may soon be at hand.
Voters now want to rejoin the EU, polls show, in evidence that goods shortages and spats with Brussels are fuelling disillusionment with Brexit. / He pointed to the 77 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds who support rejoining – and no fewer than 80 per cent of those who failed to vote in 2016, adding: “The Brexit story isn’t going away any time soon."
The well known logistics company, chaired by German billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne, has been tasked with delivering “medicines and medical goods which are at risk of shortage” into the UK “within days”.
Brexit: The crisis that must not be named 04/11/2021
Now that Brexit has been ‘done’, the British government is refusing to talk about it. But the rapidly escalating crisis in the UK has everything to do with the country’s departure from the EU. The opposition, meanwhile, has gone awol.
As crises mount, the polls show voters turning at last. But the national newspapers that backed Leave – even the two now edited by Remainers – continue to pretend there is nothing wrong.
THE “Brexit effect” that resulted in empty shelves in shops last month and which was blamed on a lack of HGV drivers, could hit Scotland this coming winter with a shortage of drivers for gritting machines.
ALISTER Jack has been told to apologise to the people of Scotland for the "unmitigated disaster" of Brexit as he faced angry MPs in the Commons.


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Portland, OR – February 24, 2022 – Chalice Brands Ltd. (CSE:CHAL) (OTCQB:CHALF) (“Chalice” or the “Company”), a premier consumer-driven cannabis company specializing in retail, production, processing, wholesale and distribution, today pre-announces its financial and operating results for the fourth quarter 2021. All amounts stated are in US Dollars unless otherwise noted.
Fourth Quarter Preliminary Unaudited Financial Highlights:
- Record quarterly revenues of $8.9 million, a 61% year-over-year increase compared to $5.5 million for the same period in 2020.
- Estimated gross profit margin before fair value adjustments for the fourth quarter 2021 of $3.6 million, or 41% compared to $1.7 million, or 30% in 2020. Gross margin improvements are due largely to increased vertical contribution from the Company’s manufactured products.
- Record total revenue of $29.3 million for FY 2021, a 34% year-over-year increase compared to $21.9 million for FY 2020. Fourth quarter of 2021 is expected to conclude the Company’s first-ever adjusted EBITDA positive year and fifth consecutive positive quarter.
- Gross profit for 2021 of $12.6 million, or 43% compared to $6.8 million at a 31% gross margin in 2020. Gross margin improvements were accomplished as a result of increased vertical contribution from the Company’s manufactured products.
“We are proud the Company set another record generating over $8.9 million in revenue during the fourth quarter and growing 61% year-over-year,” said Jeff Yapp, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chalice Brands. “Despite a challenging quarter in the Oregon market, with overall sales declining 6% versus the same quarter year ago, we are pleased with the resiliency our Chalice stores have shown against the overall market pressures. We continue to improve Homegrown integration into the overall program and made a number of changes in our product mix, store merchandising, marketing and retail leadership that we believe will have a significant impact on growth in 2022.”
The financial information included in this news release is preliminary, unaudited and subject to adjustment. It does not present all information necessary for an understanding of the Company’s financial results for the fourth quarter of 2021. The Company will provide its full fourth quarter financial report at the next earnings call, to be announced at a later date.
About Chalice Brands Ltd.
Chalice Brands is a premier consumer-driven cannabis company specializing in production, processing, wholesale, distribution and retail, with twelve dispensaries owned and four dispensaries under management in Oregon. The Company is committed to developing a dynamic portfolio built around the recognized brands of Chalice Farms, with a focus on health and wellness. Chalice operates nationally through Fifth & Root and has operations in Oregon and California.
Visit investors.chalicebrandsltd.com for regular updates.


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BEIJING (Reuters) - Technology companies have nothing to fear from China's new anti-terrorism law which aims to prevent and probe terror activities and does not affect their copyright, China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, rebuffing U.S. criticism as unwarranted.
The draft anti-terrorism law has caused concern in Western capitals as it could require technology firms to install "back doors" in products or to hand over sensitive information such as encryption keys to the government.
OXFORD, England (Reuters) - A top cyber security researcher has warned German banks that their retail payment systems have security flaws that could allow fraudsters to steal payment card PIN codes, create fake cards or siphon funds from customer or merchant accounts.
Karsten Nohl, who is credited with revealing major security threats in mobile phones, automobiles, security cards and thumb-sized USB drives, told Reuters he has found critical weaknesses in software that runs retail point-of-sale terminals in Germany.
LONDON (Reuters) - Apple has warned that a British plan to give intelligence agencies extra online surveillance powers could weaken the security of personal data for millions of people and paralyze the tech sector.
Britain unveiled proposals for new online powers last month that it said were needed to keep the country safe from criminals, fraudsters and militants, including the right to find out which websites people visit.
BOSTON (Reuters) - Networking equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc said on Monday it has launched a product review to look for tampering after rival Juniper Networks Inc's disclosure found code in firewall software that made it vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Juniper warned customers on Thursday that it had uncovered "unauthorized code" in its firewall software, saying it could be exploited to allow an attacker to unscramble encrypted communications that travel through the security devices.
M/C Partners is a Boston-based communications-focused private equity firm, originally the media/communications arm of TA Associates and spun out in the mid-80s. The firm was an early investor in Western Wireless, Nextel, and a host of smaller wireless companies across the country. Its most recent big wireless deal helped to fund the initial build out of MetroPCS in 2001-2002.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Net Insight's new invention that enables synchronized live broadcasts on TV, tablets and smartphones could double its total addressable market in 1-2 years and should have a healthy impact on profit margins, its chief executive told Reuters.
The Internet often has a lag of a minute or more compared to traditional TV, causing particular headaches for broadcasters of live events such as sports, which Net Insight promises to help its customers do away with.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Implementing the biggest shake-up to Europe's fragmented data protection laws in two decades may fail to provide companies with the consistency and simplicity that had been promised across the 28-nation bloc.
A patchwork of privacy laws in the European Union, dating back to 1995 when the internet was in its infancy, was criticised for lacking teeth and being interpreted differently across the EU.
(Reuters) - New European legislation on data privacy is helping push up regional demand for cyber insurance, industry specialists say, after companies such as TalkTalk and Experian were affected by hackers earlier this year.
The European Union agreed this week to change fragmented data protection laws, forcing companies to report breaches likely to harm individuals to national authorities within 72 hours.
TORONTO (Reuters) - Cable company Shaw Communications Inc gutpunched its main telecom rival with a surprise offer to buy wireless operator Wind Mobile, sinking shares in Telus Corp on Thursday amid competition fears.
Telus fell to its lowest since early 2014 as analysts cheered Shaw's move, which if completed, would give Wind more financial heft to expand its network and provides Shaw with an established wireless product to bundle with its Internet, television and landline services.
(Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc has decided not to split into separate chipmaking and technology licensing businesses, concluding a six-month strategic review instigated by hedge fund Jana Partners.
San Diego-based Qualcomm, the biggest maker of chips used in mobile phones, said on Tuesday its current structure offered unique strategic benefits that cannot be replicated.


text: India is Asia’s most investment savvy economy and more than two-thirds of the country’s affluent class prefer to use various investment products to achieve their financial goals and greater social mobility, says a study. According to a new Standard Chartered study of 11,000 emerging affluent consumers across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 68 per cent of Indian people belonging to this segment are using investment products to achieve their financial goals, as compared to an average figure of 57 per cent. As per the study, the number one financial goal for India’s emerging affluents is saving towards their children’s education which is also the top savings priority across the markets in the study. The study said, 31 per cent of emerging affluents is selecting mutual funds, a quarter (25 per cent) choosing fixed income investments and 22 per cent equity investments. All figures are higher than the average in the study, which is 16 per cent, 19 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively.


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Samsung is reportedly developing two new TWS earphones. They are the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. The Galaxy Buds 2 and 2 Pro were released in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Earlier this year, the Galaxy Buds 3 duo were rumored to arrive. According to a new report, the upcoming TWS earphones from the South Korean brand have been spotted with model numbers.
The Galaxy Buds Pro and 3 are regularly being worked on by Samsung, according to Galaxyclub. SM-R630 and SM-R530 are the model numbers for these devices. Both models are being worked on by the South Korean brand, according to the publication. Furthermore, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s charger’s battery has been spotted on a certification website, but no more details have been revealed.
There is no more information about the Galaxy Buds 3 duo in the report. Additional details about the South Korean brand’s upcoming TWS earphones have not yet been revealed. The Galaxy Buds FE was launched by Samsung in October of last year. The other TWS models in the brand’s audio portfolio have become quite old since they are the latest ones. Thus, the next-generation Buds 3 is long overdue.
In July or August this year, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and 3 Pro are expected to launch at Galaxy Unpacked. Additionally, smartwatches, tablets, and foldables will be showcased at the event.


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CBS has already sold 65% of the slots for the super bowl bonanza next year, which is rather impressive considering the dire economic times we're in. At this time last year NBC had sold 85% of the slots, but they didn't have to battle the financial crisis that has made a lot of brands wary of splurging on expensive media slots. One great ad during the bowl gets repeated views all over the web for days, even years later. Lets hope that our 37 years of super bowl commercials collection gets a good year when we add year 38.
People we're rather dissapointed with last years crop, as there were so many movie trailers in it, though some gems shone through. My personal favorite is Alec in Huluwood while other popular commercials were Monster, Moose, Miller High Life's one second campaign, bridgestone moon riders, overall a fair mix of action with Audi - Chase and some quirky with David Abernathy, while pretty much everyone hated Vizio - at least here on Adland (judging by the votes).
Prices haven't gone down much either, it's $2.7 million-$2.8 million per spot, and sources are saying that CBS is telling potential customers that leadoff spots in pods are already fully booked through the first half of the game. Wow!


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Noted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple's much-rumored iWatch will hit store shelves late next year, not in 2013 as many market watchers expect, with a 1.5- to 2-inch screen, focus on biometrics and deep integration with existing iOS devices.
In a note to investors obtained by AppleInsider on Wednesday, Kuo said he does expect Apple to release a wearable accessory, namely the iWatch, sometime in the future, but doesn't see the company debuting the product any time soon.
Unlike other analysts, Kuo, who has a proven track record in accurately predicting Apple's product rollouts, believes Apple will ramp up production in the second half of 2014, a period more than one year later than current estimates.
In the report, the analyst mentions Apple will probably enter the wearable computing market with a watch offering, dubbed as the "iWatch," instead of a glasses product like Google Glass. Backing up the claim, Kuo points to the Cupertino company's recent patent filings related to curved screens and batteries.
"Investors shouldnât be misled by the word âWatchâ. We think iWatch will not be positioned as a time-telling device, nor as a device that displays information from other Apple products," Kuo writes. "We are positive on the iWatch because its wearable design is helpful for offering more secure user identification and biometrics functionality."
As rumored just two days ago, Kuo says iWatch will use either a 1.5 or 2 inch panel. However, instead of OLED panels, the device is likely to leverage existing GF2 touchscreen technology, much like Apple's current iPad mini and iPod nano, as the format is well-suited for small screen applications. Production of the display will probably be handed to Japanese or Korean suppliers.
Interestingly, Kuo believes the supposed iWatch will sport a "secure user identification mechanism" and biometric functionality, both of which could become main selling points for the device. With biometrics, the iWatch can better safeguard an owner from unwanted user access, while providing advanced healthcare features. Currently, devices like the Nike+ FuelBand and other wearables offer pedometer functions and, in some cases, heart rate monitoring. If such functionality were to be built into Apple's watch, it could open new doors to the healthcare hardware industry.
Also borrowed from the iPod nano will be an application processor, or AP, which will allow for integration with Apple's existing iOS device ecosystem.
As for the 2014 release, Kuo says Apple may not have adequate resources to develop an iWatch variant of its iOS mobile platform as it would require significant changes to the operating system. Also, with wearable computing devices being a nascent sector, components are too scarce to reach the critical mass production requirements needed to satiate an expectedly high demand. Kuo believes manufacture will likely start in earnest during the second half of next year.


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Apple Fixed Two Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities in macOS 12.3.1 Monterey, But Hasn't Released Updates for Big Sur or Catalina
Thursday, April 7, 2022 1:06 PM
With the release of macOS Monterey 12.3.1 on Thursday, March 31, Apple addressed two critical vulnerabilities that may have been actively exploited in the wild, but as Intego pointed out this week, Apple left macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina users vulnerable.
The macOS Monterey 12.3.1 update fixed a pair of security flaws, including an AppleAVD issue that could allow an application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges and an Intel Graphics Driver issue that could allow an application to read kernel memory. Apple said that it was aware of reports that these vulnerabilities "may have been actively exploited," aka there are attacks that use these specific security holes.
Apple often provides security updates for macOS Catalina and macOS Big Sur users alongside macOS Monterey updates to make sure that Mac users who continue to run older operating systems remain protected. Apple has not done so in this case, and there are no security fixes for macOS 11 Big Sur or macOS 10.15 Catalina.
macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina are still being supported with updates for notable vulnerabilities, so it is not clear why security fixes have not been released. According to Intego, this is the first time that Apple has not released simultaneous security patches for Big Sur and Catalina alongside fixes provided for macOS Monterey.
Big Sur remains vulnerable to CVE-2022-22675 (the AppleAVD bug), while CVE-2022-22674 (an Intel Graphics Driver bug) likely impacts both Big Sur and Catalina, based on research conducted by Intego.
There are some Mac users who choose to remain on Big Sur or Catalina who could install Monterey to get security fixes, but other Mac users have older hardware that is not able to be updated to Monterey, and these users have no way to address the security flaws that are now publicized.
Intego estimates that around 35 percent of Macs in use today could be affected by one or both vulnerabilities, and Apple has not responded to the site's request for an update on when security fixes might come out for Big Sur and Catalina.


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Customs Union to work out the further cooperation with Ukraine – V.Putin
The current situation in Ukraine may adversely affect the market of the Customs Union. Therefore, there is the urgent need to provide the required measures to protect commodity producers and exporters of the countries-members of the Customs Union, declared Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, on March 5.
Ukraine is the key economic partner of the Customs Union. There are strong industrial and trade relations, Ukraine is also included to the free trade zone of the CIS. The extraordinary situation in Ukraine is a serious concern. There are possible negative consequences for the market of the Customs Union, V.Putin said.
According to him, the countries-members of the Customs Union need to work out possible measures to protect the domestic market, and discuss some parameters for the further cooperation with Ukraine.
You should be authorized to post comment
In January-September, Russia exported over 19.9 mln tonnes of grains - Rosstat
On November 25, Russia purchased over 67 thsd tonnes of grains to the intervention fund
In 1-2 years, Russia to start exporting buckwheat - Ministry of Agriculture
Russia: weather factor to reduce grain export volumes in November – expert
On November 24, Russia purchased over 99 thsd tonnes of grains to the intervention fund
In 2015, Russia to produce 103.5 mln tonnes of grains – forecast
In mid-November, Russia lowered grain export supplies from the seaports
November 23, 12:10
In the third week of November, Russia exported 660 thsd tonnes of grains – Rosselkhoznadzor
November 23, 11:00
Russia exported over 15 mln tonnes of grains - Ministry of Agriculture
November 23, 09:40


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- National Semiconductor shares climbed more than 5% Thursday evening after the chipmaker posted better than expected quarterly earnings and a rise in gross margin, but shares of Quiksilver Inc. dropped after the apparel maker's revised forecast came in below Wall Street's outlook.
New Century Financial shares were also lower after the subprime specialist said that it will stop taking loan applications.
The Nasdaq-100 After Hours Indicator, which tracks evening trading of the index's leading technology stocks, surged 6.4 points to end at 1,752.86.
National Semi NSM shares climbed 5.3% to finish up $26.63. The company reported a 45% drop in third-quarter net earnings to $71.5 million, or 22 cents a share, amid softer chip demand. But the result topped Thomson Financial's forecast for earnings of 20 cents a share.
Sales fell 21% to $431 million, below the average estimate of $434 million. Gross margin rose to 59.8% from 58.9% as its product mix improved, according to the company. It also forecast fiscal fourth-quarter sales of $444 million to $457 million; analysts expect $451 million. See full story.
Quiksilver ZQK dropped 12% to $11.40 after its 2007 earnings forecast fell short of consensus estimates. The Huntington Beach, Calif.-based surf-and-skiwear apparel maker said that it sees earnings of 53 cents a share on revenue of $2.45 billion. Analysts expected earnings of 77 cents a share on sales of $2.45 billion.
For the first quarter, earnings fell to $2.5 million, or 2 cents a share, on higher revenue of $552.5 million.
New Century Financial NEW, -0.87% shares fell 4.4% to $3.70. The mortgage lender has stopped accepting loan applications because some of its financial backers are refusing to provide access to financing, according to a regulatory filing.
It said it expects to resume accepting applications as soon as it is able, but it can't assure that it will do so. See full story.
Blue Coat Systems Inc. BCSI rose 6.1% to $34.12 after it reported third-quarter revenue of $47.1 million, above Wall Street's outlook of $36 million.
The Web-communications firm said that it expects fourth-quarter net revenue of $51 million to $54 million. Blue Coat also announced that it hasn't completed the restatement related to its past stock-option grant practices, but plans to file certain financial reports before March 30.


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Wegmans Food Market, Inc. won approval Monday from Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court to set up separate yet self-contained stores within its supermarkets in which beer can be sold and drunk both on the premises and to taken home – as long as it's under two six-packs.
According to published reports, the court's unanimous decision allows patrons to bypass the beer distributors that dominate the state's off-premise market -- and where customers have to purchase beer by the case.
Attorney Robert Hoffman said the Pennsylvania Malt Beverage Distributors Association would appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court, claiming that distributors could face considerable losses if regulations are changed by the courts.
R.J. O'Hara, a lawyer representing Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans, said the limit of two six-packs on take-out purchases would ensure that grocery-linked restaurants will not devastate business at beer distributors.


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Fresh Market eyes West Des Moines
Upscale grocer The Fresh Market is expected to open a 23,000-square-foot store in the Mills Crossing retail and commercial development under construction at the northeast corner of 60th Street and Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines.
The North Carolina-based chain could open the store this fall.
A spokeswoman for the company said it was not ready to announce details for the West Des Moines store, its second Iowa location. It opened a Cedar Rapids location in October. The Fresh Market operates 169 stores in 27 states.
Stores feature a bakery, meat counter, fresh seafood, large cheese selection and a product department with more than 400 items and a large organic selection, according to the company’s website.
The Fresh Market filed documents with the Polk County recorder’s office outlining leasing plans for the new store. The company plans to sign a 10-year lease.
Hurd Real Estate is developing Mills Crossing, a 17-acre parcel that will include a 75,000-square-foot retail building, where The Fresh Market will be located, and several other smaller retail buildings. Hurd’s offices will move into a 30,000-square-foot, three-story office building on the site.
The retail buildings likely will be completed before the office space, owner Richard Hurd said.
“We are hoping to build the smaller buildings this summer,” he said. He is talking with several possible tenants, but declined to name them. The construction schedule will “hinge on who makes commitments to the project,” he said. “The first commitment is the most difficult.”
The Fresh Market’s plans are contingent on approvals from the city of West Des Moines for things like building design, hours of operation and outside seating, Hurd said.


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There are jobs to be had in the wood products industry. They need you. They need you. They need you to educate yourselves and help steer their companies into the next millennium.
Here’s a mind-blowing factoid for you.
Industry Canada says there is a immediate need for 2,000 wood processing specialists in Canada, and a long-term need for 3,500. They also estimate the need is eight times that in the United States.
WE NEED SKILLED WORKERS
Why does the wood products industry need skilled workers?
1. Technological Advances
The wood products industry is in the midst of a technological revolution. Plants are renovating. New high-tech machines are coming fast and furious. Companies need employees who can operate, install, fix and dream up these machines. And, of course, these machines are all computerized. In fact, everything is computerized. In this industry, you have to ship, draft, design and sell on computers. And that takes skill.
2. Declining Timber Supply
Let’s face it. The timber supply is not what it once was. Companies are being forced to do more with each log, in order to maximize both the wood and their profits. Many companies are starting new value-added initiatives. And they need employees who can help ignite these initiatives and make them a success.
3. Remaining Competitive
Technology and the declining timber supply are forcing companies to change. If they don’t, they won’t survive. They have to be more innovative and more competitive.
They have to be smarter.
And that’s why they want an educated work force. People who can adapt and think. People who can help keep these companies profitable for years to come.
4. Shortage of Skilled Workers
There quite simply aren’t enough skilled workers to go around. The stats back it up and the anecdotal evidence is huge. At the University of British Columbia, wood processing students are getting 6 or 7 job offers in their third year. Imagine that.
The need for skilled workers is real.
But you should hear it from the people most affected – the industry leaders and educators.


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VeriFone has signed a $485 million, all-stock, definitive agreement to buy rival card terminal outfit Hypercom just weeks after a hostile bid was rejected.
Under the terms of the deal, unanimously approved by both boards, Hypercom shareholders will receive a fixed ratio of 0.23 shares of VeriFone common stock for each Hypercom one, valued at around $7.32 based on the closing price yesterday. VeriFone will also assume outstanding warrants and stock options in the transaction.
The agreement comes after Hypercom aggressively rejected a £337 million, all-cash, hostile bid from VeriFone in September, accusing its rival of significantly undervaluing the company.
In response to the bid, it adopted a stockholder rights plan to fight off VeriFone and hired UBS and DLA Piper as financial and legal advisors.
Said a statement at the time: "Hypercom believes that VeriFone's proposal is opportunistic and intended to disrupt its business, which has successfully taken market share from VeriFone in several markets."
Now, the new bid has been backed by Hypercom's board and is expected to close in the second half of 2011, subject to shareholder approval.
Hypercom says it has increased revenue from almost $290 million to approximately $450 million over the last three years but it is the company's 23% market share in Europe that has attracted VeriFone. Only last month it entered into exclusive talks to buy the point-of-sale business of Europe's Gemalto as part of a wider strategic partnership between the two firms.
VeriFone CEO Douglas Bergeron, CEO, says: "Hypercom has established itself in a number of important European markets, and this acquisition is an excellent and complementary way for us to accelerate our overseas growth, increase innovation and build value for our shareholders."


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New froth for JD Wetherspoon
JD WETHERSPOON has recovered its dominance of the pubs market after the rate of sales growth slipped during the World Cup.
Like-for-like sales were still a respectable 3.8% in May and 3.5% in June, but have steadily grown since then to 5.9% in August. Across the year they were 5%. After warning in July that full-year results would be at the lower end of expectations, Wetherspoon delivered a respectable £53.6m of pre-tax profits to shareholders today, within its own predictions, on a 24% jump in turnover to £601.3m.
Although chairman and founder Tim Martin is anti-television, music, smoking at the bar and the euro, he has embraced elements of modern drinking society - children and cappuccinos.
While Wetherspoon over the past few years has secured children's licences for certain pubs, it has now decided to extend this throughout its pubs estate. Children are accompanied by equally hungry and thirsty adults and the family spend has hugely boosted sales of soft drinks and food.
Martin is also to open all pubs at 10am, an hour earlier than before in order to serve coffees and breakfasts.
The number of pubs opened during the 12 months ended 28 July was slightly down on last year at 87, compared with 94, and there are another 25 sites under construction with a further 188 in development. A final dividend of 2.12p ups the total to 3.22p, a 10% increase on the previous year. The shares jumped 12p to 303 1/2p.
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Lexus has announced it is to add a second vehicle to its growing stable of high performance models. The new F-designated car will be given its world premiere at the Detroit motor show on 13 January and will join the recently launched RC F high performance coupe in the Lexus range.
Download this release as a PDF below
Lexus To Reveal New Track-Ready Performance Model At The Detroit Motor Show
Please click here to see the press contacts at Lexus (GB):Show Press Contacts


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Activision has announced what we all expected: assive numbers from Modern Warfare 3. The game has sold 6.5 million units within its first 24hrs in the U.S. and UK, amassing for the publisher $400 million day one revenues.
The $400 million day one sales make Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer’s efforts the third consecutive year that Call of Duty managed to outsell its predecessors by vast amounts, with Modern Warfare 3 outdoing Black Ops day one sales by nearly 1 million units.
Black Ops sold 5.6 million units in 2010 when it made $360 million in its first day, compared to Modern Warfare 2 which sold 4.7 million and made $310 million when it released in 2009.
According to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, Life-to date (LTD) sales of Call of Duty “exceed worldwide theatrical box office for “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings,” two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.
“Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row,” Kotick added.
“Call of Duty is more than a game. Itâ€™s become a major part of the pop cultural landscape. It is a game that core enthusiasts love, but that also consistently draws new people into the medium. It is the most intense, adrenaline pumping entertainment experience anywhere,” said Activision Publishing boss Eric Hirshberg.
“I would like to thank our incredible teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games for making a brilliant game. But most of all, I would like to thank our millions of passionate fans worldwide. We made this game for you.”
Modern Warfare 3 is now on sale worldwide for PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii. The latter port was handled by Black Ops developer Treyarch.
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My eye was drawn to the provocative headline, “Alcoa head says weak dollar is bad for US industry.” How could that be? Aren’t American manufacturing firms being hurt by an overvalued dollar that increases the price of their goods made here relative, say, to imports from China? That may be true, I learned, but that is not what bothers Klaus Kleinfeld, the CEO of Alcoa. He is worried because a weaker dollar makes the products that Alcoa manufactures outside the United States more expensive inside the United States. “It is actually hurting us substantially,” Kleinfeld told the Financial Times. “Most [US manufacturing firms] have an even larger manufacturing base today outside of the U.S.”
The German-born and educated Kleinfeld, who until recently headed Siemens, said he had been discussing the matter with officials in Washington. And what, I wonder, was their response? “Yes, Mr. Kleinfeld, we know it’s a big problem. We’ve been trying for years to get American manufacturers to ship their jobs overseas, and now this decline in the dollar is undermining our efforts." I wonder what Ron Bloom would have said.


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Ubisoft confirmed earlier this year that its multiplayer shooter XDefiant would be launching sometime this summer, and last month, executive producer Mark Rubin said that the game was on track to hit that launch window. However, the title has hit a bit of a snag behind the scenes – specifically, with its certification process with PlayStation and Xbox – which could result in a slight delay.
In an update published on Ubisoft’s official website, Rubin has revealed that though XDefiant was submitted for certification in late July, but was sent back as a “Not Pass” by Sony and Microsoft about a month ago. According to Rubin, that was because of compliance bugs, which he describes as bugs that “relate to the systems and overall experience that the first parties expect from games on their platform”- like, for instance, Trophies or Achievements not being properly tracked.
“At the end of July, we started this process, and we got our first results back by mid-August, which was a Not Pass,” Rubin’s message reads. “We realized then that we had more work related to compliance than we had anticipated. If it HAD passed, then we would have been able to ship at the end of August. But it didn’t and so we have spent the last 3-4 weeks fixing those issues and getting ready to do another submission.”
Rubin says XDefiant will once again be submitted for certification to the platform holders, likely within the next two weeks, and depending on what the results are this time around, the game could launch anywhere between mid-September (which wouldn’t be long from now, obviously) to mid-October.
“We will hopefully be submitting to 1st parties in a little less than 2 weeks,” Rubin says. “If that Passes cleanly, then we could be looking at a mid-to-end of September release. There is, however, a likely scenario where we get a conditional Pass, meaning we have to do a Day 1 patch with some final fixes to ensure compliance. If we do need to do a Day 1 patch, then that pushes our date out to early/mid-October.”
Rubin goes on to acknowledge that not having a firm release date for a game that’s due out in the next few weeks is unusual, before adding that with XDefiant, Ubisoft instead chose to adopt an approach that would allow players more input on the game before it was out, even if it meant not having a concrete release date at this point in the process.
“If we were following the standard rules for game releases, we would have set a date far enough in advance with enough buffer to have a confident release date,” he said. “However, like a lot of things with this game, we have not chosen the typical route. Having millions of people play your game long before it’s ready is not normal. Not being afraid to show an unfinished game to millions of people with all its flaws is not normal. These were real tests and not just marketing events. So, when it comes to when we will release the real answer is ‘as soon as we can.’ And we will continue to update you with more info when we have it.”
When it launches, XDefiant will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. PS4 and Xbox One versions are also in development, though there’s no word on when they will be out.


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Iowans apparently stocked up for the worst but also did plenty to celebrate the New Year if sales at Iowa’s largest grocery store chain are any indication. Ruth Mitchell, corporate spokesperson for Hy-Vee, says items were flying off the shelf in the final two weeks of 1999. She says those were the two best weeks of sales in the history of the company.Mitchell said sales of Y-2-K supplies were brisk, but there wasn’t any panic buying. Mitchell says they sold more than 100 truckloads of water over the amount sold in past years.She says sales for traditional party supplies also increased.Mitchell says the Y-2-K bug did not get the best of Hy-Vee and all computers are doing just fine.Hy-Vee has 179 stores in Iowa.
You are here: / / Iowans prepared and partied as 1999 came to an end


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During last year’s parents evening and parent’s day, a lot of food rich in sugars and fats was sold at the door. Therefore, at the beginning of the year, the Eko-skola President and Vice-President had a meeting with the School council and discussed the matter with the teachers, SMT and parents involved to try and reduce unhealthy food options especially doughnuts.
This left a good result and we already saw a huge improvement. No unhealthy food was sold and this was replaced with healthier foods like spinach and tuna pies, ricotta pies, apple pies etc. The people buying only had the opportunity to eat healthier food. This positive practice was also reinforced when the Eko-skola committee members joined in to help and started to sell strawberries during the parents’ day. This was done not to raise funds but to promote healthy eating and therefore were sold at a break even value. Wafer cups were used to distribute the strawberries so that no additional waste is created in the process. This was a very successful practice and resulted in all the strawberries being sold before mid-day.
The cooking club at our school also worked in collaboration with the eko-skola members to promote healthy eating. In fact, they prepared, on two occasions different healthy items that were sold to the students during the mid-day break. They prepared pumpkin muffins and oats cookies. The recipes to both these healthy snacks were also placed on the Eko-skola notice board.


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Freshly acquired by Facebook (FB) for an eye-popping $19 billion, the messaging service WhatsApp has announced another noteworthy development.
Speaking at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the tech company’s chief executive, Jan Koum, announced that the new Facebook company is working on adding free voice-calling into the WhatsApp messaging app in the second quarter of the year.
WhatsApp’s voice service is expected to be available first on Google (GOOG)’s Android and Apple (AAPL)’s iOS platform, then expand to others like Windows Phone (MSFT) and Blackberry (BBRY), Koum said.
“We are driven by the mission that people should be able to stay in touch anywhere and affordably. Our goal is to be on every mobile phone in the world,” he added.
Citing market researcher Ovum, Reuters News noted that the news of the world’s biggest messaging service adding voice calls to its service “will likely be seen as worrying for telecom operators worldwide, which got about $120 billion from text messaging last year.”
Koum also said that WhatsApp’s $19 billion acquisition by Facebook would not interfere with his vision to develop the product to reach the next 1 billion users. No advertising will added to the service, he said.
Around 70% of WhatsApp’s 465 million users use the app every day, according to Facebook. The service claims it is currently adding over one million new users a day.
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At the Gamescon Convention in Cologne, Germany, Microsoft announced plans to offer FIFA 14 in Europe for Xbox One pre-orders. The company also spoke about the slate of games that will be available at launch. Zumba Fitness is very unlikely, highly unlikely, to be in a bundle offering in a sign that Microsoft just doesn’t get the XBox mom market.
Presumably, Microsoft and Activision are talking about a Call of Duty: Ghosts bundle for those places where soccer isn’t going to cut it (cough, cough, the US).
In addition to Zumba Fitness: World Party, FIFA 14 and Call of Duty: Ghosts, expect to see Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Cobalt, Dead Rising 3, Fable Legends, Just Dance 2014, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, Need for Speed: Rivals, and Skylanders: Swap Force. a total of 24 launch titles are expected to be available.
In other interesting news from Gamescon, UbiSoft announced a Kinect version of a new game called Fighter Within and showcased the title in the video below:
“Fighter Within taps into the ultimate fighting game fantasy by offering players the most engaging and physical motion fighting experience on Xbox One,” said Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, Ubisoft. “Players will square off against their friends to test their skills, prove their dominance and unleash their Fighter Within.”
Engadget also took a look at the new Kinect for Xbox One at Gamescon. Check out the video below. Pretty cool stuff.


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ROYAL Mail has introduced a massive shake-up of its Sunday parcel delivery service in a bid to try and keep pace with online rivals.
As of yesterday, the companies' Sunday delivery service was made available to over 12,000 of its online retailer customers, a giant increase from the current 75 large online retailers.
Now, any retailer or marketplace seller using the Royal Mail Tracked24 service will be able to provide a next day delivery for items ordered on a Saturday.
Internet purchases surged during the pandemic but demand has eased off with the end of lockdown restrictions.
But the number of letters being sent has dwindled in recent decades as more mail is sent digitally.
Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: “We all know how convenient it is to order something online that will arrive the next day.
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"It frees up time with the family, in the garden, or enjoying your favourite sport.
"Now you can do the same when ordering from thousands of smaller online retailers using our Tracked24 service, seven days a week."
He added: "Royal Mail is transforming to make sure we deliver what you need now and in the future.
"This change will help thousands of businesses to offer the most convenient delivery options to their customers and to compete and grow.
“The UK already trusts Royal Mail to deliver their purchases six-days-a-week both quickly and conveniently.
"From now on you can trust us to do just the same seven days a week."
Royal Mail is currently in negotiations with unions over workers' pay.
It is offering a 5.5% pay rise if targets and conditions are met but this is opposed by the Communication Workers Union.
But it has also asked workers to commit to Sunday shifts to allow the new parcel service to be rolled out.
Landon said the current roll-out had been agreed with unions.
He added the Sunday delivery plan so far did not include letters but added he would not 'say no to expanding' the service if there was a demand for it.
Earlier this year, people were outraged about plans for new barcoded stamps that could leave first and second class stamp invalid.
And last month, a price increase saw the cost of a first class stamp reach 95p.
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PS5 SSD Tested – PlayStation 5 loading times have been demonstrated in a real world setting and oh boy. OH BOY.
Search Results for ps5 ssd
Members of the Returnal development team have revealed their thoughts about the PS5 SSD and Tempest 3D Audio technology. Find out more here.
The lead programmer for Far Cry 6 has heaped praise on the PS5 SSD, describing the tech as a ‘game changer.’
The PS5 SSD allows full worlds in Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart to be loaded up in ‘less than a second,’ developer Insomniac Games has said.
The PS5 SSD has attracted yet more praise, this time from Cory Barlog, the director behind PS4’s God of War.
The Lord of the Rings Gollum developer Daedalic has revealed how the PS5 SSD allows the studio to create environments without chopping them up.
According to the developer of the Ori games, the PlayStation 5’s faster SSD won’t be fully leveraged by third-party studios.
The PS5 SSD capacity allows developers to skip the need to implement LOD in games to create the illusion of detail, Mooneye Studios has said.
Epic loves the PS5 SSD, that much is obvious. But it’s now said that it actually had to rewrite bits of the Unreal Engine with the device in mind.
The PS5 SSD offers more than just storage space: It allows the console to run about 100 times faster than the PS4, Sony has said.


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O&W Inc. hopes to raise $5,000 in October through sales of a limited release beer from Green Flash Brewing
Ypsilanti, Mich. – O&W Inc., a family owned, independent beer distributor based in Ypsilanti, is setting an ambitious goal to raise $5,000 for breast cancer research through sales of Green Flash Brewing Company’s Treasure Chest, an IPA brewed with passion fruit.
Throughout the month of October, for every pint of Treasure Chest sold during special events, O&W Inc. will donate $1, the retailer hosting the event will donate $1 and Green Flash will donate $1.
“We’re proud to work together with Green Flash Brewing and retailers throughout southeast Michigan to raise money for such an important cause,” said Kit Wanty-Lambert, vice president of Marketing for O&W Inc. “We applaud Green Flash for taking a creative and innovative approach to raising awareness of breast cancer and funding for breast cancer research.”
Green Flash Co-Founder Lisa Hinkley, a breast cancer survivor, is passionate about giving back to those whose lives have been affected by this disease. Through the Treasure Chest program, now in its seventh year, the brewery has raised over $300,000.
“As a breast cancer survivor, I am encouraged to see the Treasure Chest program grow every year,” Hinkley said. “Through the unwavering support of our customers, distributors and retailers, we are making strides in our efforts to raise money towards awareness and prevention, and I am hopeful the program will only continue to make a difference in the lives of individuals affected by breast cancer. I applaud O&W Inc. for their commitment to finding a cure for this disease.”
Green Flash first brewed Treasure Chest in 2011 and has rotated through different styles every year. This year’s iteration is a bright and tropical IPA featuring Green Bullet, Warrior, Citra, Cascade and Simcoe hops. The beer is finished with an infusion of passion fruit tea.
You can find a full list of Treasure Chest events in southeast Michigan here.


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There’s an onslaught of new beer companies vying for the attention of promiscuous craft beer drinkers, so how do you stand out from the crowd?
With more than 3,000 companies all trying to earn shelf space, simply making a high-quality product and hoping consumers will take a chance is the surest way to fail in today’s crowded craft marketplace.
Long-term success for emerging craft brewers requires an enormous attention to detail, strong brand positioning, clearly defined identities and well-executed product marketing initiatives.
That’s why Brewbound is excited to have a pair of Chicago-area entrepreneurs joining Tuesday’s Brew Talks event, which will take place at the Lagunitas Brewery taproom at 5:00 P.M. CST.
Michael Kiser, a brand and portfolio strategist who has worked with a host of large and small brewers will join Solemn Oath Brewing’s co-founder and president, John Barley, in a discussion that will dissect the branding efforts of successful beer brands.
Together, the pair will explain how small brewers can develop and introduce new brands while also communicating a strong narrative and connecting with new consumers.
Designed to provide brewers, distributors and retailers with an intimate opportunity to network and learn the business of beer in craft-friendly locales, Brew Talks Chicago will also feature a special, 1-on-1 conversation with Lagunitas founder, Tony Magee.
In addition to hosting conversations with local beer industry experts, Brewbound will also be raising funds for Foundations of Music, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing music education programs to students in the Chicago Public Schools system. 100 percent of the suggested contribution proceeds ($10 – $100) will be donated to Foundations of Music.
About Brew Talks:
Launched in 2013, Brew Talks are gatherings designed to provide craft brewers, distributors and retailers the opportunity to come together and have in-depth discussions on the business side of craft beer. The events serve as an educational and networking opportunity for beer industry professionals and all events are broadcast globally via a free live stream.
Brew Talks is sponsored by Owens-Illinois, the world’s leading glass container manufacturer, and BeerRun Software.


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After the digital space and FMCG, socially responsible ventures are attracting investment from angles. According to one source, there are close to 4,600 active investors of which about 60 per cent are angels.
With angel investment set to rise exponentially in the next 12 months, let’s take a look at one investment consultancy which prides itself as the big equalizer when it comes to bridging the gap between capital, and socially responsible business ideas.
After a women’s self-help group of ten farming community successfully supplied the pulp of indigenous Indian fruit jamun to a Nasik-based company, which manufactured wine from this pulp, Delhi-based Turiya Investments came into focus.
Devender Patel, a local social activist in Madhya Pradesh, put the investment firm in touch with this group known as Van Durga. The brainchild of Luke Talwar, 27, Turiya is the angel investment consultancy that prides itself on being outside the old paradigm of funding not only tech start-ups.
“We’re not the typical old-school angel investment firm,” quips Luke, who started the firm with like-minded industry professionals from IIM and Harvard after giving up a lucrative business in architecture and art. Turiya is considered an exalted state of being, and this is why this name is apt for a firm that’s committed to making a difference to marginalized communities by leveraging their business ideas into doable, industry-friendly best practices.
“In this case investment in agriculture is also a development worth taking note of as future generations of farmers are choosing not to be in agriculture but in the tertiary sector. Investment to agriculture is, therefore, a great service to the country,” points out Luke. “In the case of Van Durga, the women’s self-help group from Madhya Pradesh who we are assisting in selling fruit pulp to various industries including the wine manufacturer in Nasik, we really went the extra mile,” informs Luke. Turiya hand-held this group of farming women to procure de-seeding machines, pulping machines and the cold storage unit while teaching and motivating them to produce farm products for the end-use market. “We don’t typically see our clients through the proof-of-project stage, but we did this for Van Durga because we saw a lot of potential in their business idea,” he says. The Van Durga project, which is an agroforestry venture, is a 16-crore rupee investment for the company that identified OsmiumGlobal.com as an investor.
As for the product, jamun wine isn’t just novel for the Indian market, it’s also a product with numerous health benefits. “Nasik produces 80 per cent of the country’s wine, the temperature being just right for wine production,” Luke explains. Next Van Durga could be selling custard-apple pulp, another fruit grown on their farms, to a leading ice-cream manufacturer.
“Just as the wine company in Nasik is a third-party in this venture, we plan to hook Van Durga up with various third-party producers who can use fruit pulp in a variety of ways to create exciting new products for the Indian market,” says Luke.
Under Turiya’s watchful eye, the Durga women are managing their time and resources optimally, and the raw materials are all ethically sourced bringing value to the end consumer, and manufacturer.
This is how Turiya proposes to bring socially relevant business ideas to life. Investments could range from a few crores to hundreds of millions of USD. No matter what the budget, the one thing Turiya promises is scaling up businesses that are ethical, and give social ideas a new lease of life.


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Arguing over which console is better has been a habit of gamers since the start of console gaming itself.
There are plenty of elements at play, from a machine’s power to its exclusive games. This generation was no exception, with the PS3, XBOX360, and PC fanbase arguing about which is better even now, as we move into the next generation. Each machine has its own niche, so of course there is no clear winner in the ‘war’—but that doesn’t make those arguments futile. Since competition is the main driving factor of the games economy, systems which have clear differences and unique advantages mean a generation is likely to be successful overall. With the leak of rumored specs for Microsoft’s codenamed ‘Durango’ and Sony’s codenamed ‘Orbis,’ we can see this trend continuing in the next generation.
Microsoft Hardware Open House Hosting Event on January 24th
Will they showcase the new Xbox 720?
The 720 is not mentioned in the program details but maybe just maybe it would be a great time to show some much anticipated details about the upcoming console to those in attendance.
"Please join us for an exclusive open house on January 24th in the new Microsoft Technology Center in our Silicon Valley Campus in Mountain View. We will be showcasing some exciting devices, including the Xbox 360, Kinect, Surface, Windows 8 on an 82” touchscreen from Perceptive Pixel, and our newly launched SmartGlass application. We’ll have leading engineers from our hardware, manufacturing, and software teams on-hand to speak about what Microsoft has in store for the future."
There is rumor that Xbox 3 may limit exactly what kind of games you're allowed to play. According to sources speaking to Kotaku, the Xbox 360's successor will have some kind of anti-used-game enforcement. There's no explanation of what that means, but speculation surrounding the issue says the console could outright reject used-games altogether.
Online passes are a recent staple in staving off used sales. Limiting what used buyers can access is a protective measure for publishers, much to the chagrin of parts of the gaming community. Chris Kohler of Wired argues that the death of used games is inevitable, and passes are the first step toward something exactly like a native anti-used game something integrated into consoles. He notes, of course, that digital is the future of buying games, but in the meantime we may be looking at "an interim period in which the disc as a delivery method is still around but...becomes more like a PC game, which are sold with one-time-use keys that grant one owner a license to play the game on his machine."
VG247 has rounded up the latest batch of rumours that suggest new codenames for the mysterious hardware duo.
New reports have reaffirmed previous claims that Microsoft’s console will run on an AMD chip going under the codename of ‘Oban’ that was scheduled to go into mass production at the end of this year. However, component quality concerns have reportedly lead to a delay to the schedule.
It also adds that the current codename for the hardware is ‘Kryptos’, replacing the previously rumoured ‘Durango’.
Indeed, it’s not the first time we’ve heard of Xbox 720 production worries, with a report in September claiming that Oban yields were “worse than painfully low” and a possible delay from the then rumoured September 2013 launch.
As for PS4, its internal codename is said to be ‘Thebes’ with AMD also providing the key components. Global Foundries or IBM are set to become the likely manufacturer, with a release supposedly set for 2014.
A newly leaked document is shedding some light on Microsoft's plans, for what it calls the "Xbox 720" or it's codename "Durango."
The presentation references future improvements like SmartGlass, a Metro dashboard, and Xbox TV apps. Alongside its incremental Xbox 360 updates, which some of these have been announced at this years E3 event. Microsoft has a clear vision for its next-generation Xbox 720 console. Lets dig into some of these plans to bring you the best bits.
New information has come to light this week on the XBOX 720 developer kits codenamed "durango".
The development kit is described as "an anonymous-looking black box" that has many parts in common with standard gaming PCs".
It's placeholder dashboard contains the name Durango, a word that has long been rumored as Microsoft’s codename for the next Xbox.
The dashboard’s two options are D3D11Game1 and NuiView, described as "a simple tool for rendering camera views and data from an attached kinect peripheral."
Kinect functionality is a logical inclusion for the dev kit, as upgraded kinect features have been heavily rumored.
Recent rumored job listings for the next gen console are as of now:
Deus ex 4
Just Cause 3
Enhanced 3D capabilities
There are Reports that the most recent round of development kits were sent out in February, with Intel CPUs and an NVIDA graphics card. The kits sport 8GB of RAM (though other sources say 12GB) and have a 64-bit operating system.


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Translation by:rosanna o'sullivan
An immense market is preparing itself for a new technical revolution - electronic or 'e-paper'
What if, tomorrow, we hold in our hands the equivalent of the Daily Prophet from the Harry Potter adventures or USA Today as envisaged by Spielberg in his film ‘Minority Report’? With text displayed on plastic-coated paper, we would turn the pages virtually with a click, and illustrations would come to life. OK - tomorrow, it probably won't happen, but why not the day after? For Bruno Rives, founder of Tebaldo, an agency involved in new technological trends and usages, there is no doubt that 'we are now in year zero of electronic paper.'
The concept has existed for several decades. But it has now reached its 'technological maturity', according to Jacques Angelé, director of technological programmes for Nemoptic, a French company at the cutting edge of e-paper development. 'Ideally, this new object weighs 150 to 200 grams, is 5mm thick, and 7 to 8 inches diagonal. It must be simple to use and be constantly updated; if not, it’s just another PDA or palmtop.' After several unsuccessful attempts, like the Cybook launched in 2000 by French company Cytale, the e-paper is now ready.
On your marks, get set…… develop!
Numerous businesses are positioning themselves so as not to miss the boat, as it is all expected to move very quickly. Angelé predicts that, 'everything will play out over the next three years.' Until then, the main players in this market are getting a foothold and we will certainly see a 'bonus for the first on board.'
Europe and its innovative businesses are well positioned for when the time comes, but the competition will be fierce, both in the development of this little technological marvel, and in its applications in the press or in publishing.
Even the first electronic ink is European! 'Of course, E-ink comes from American MIT, but the patent for it was given to Philips, a European, so that it’s integrated with the paper,' explains Rives. European companies are blossoming: Nemoptic (France) is developing electronic ink, Plastic Logic (UK) is working on the paper whilst Ganaxa (France) is thinking about the software.
Elsewhere, in January, Plastic Logic announced the installation of a new factory in Dresden, East Germany, to develop its e-paper. It'll be the first centre in the world producing flexible plastic screens. 100 million Euros was invested in ‘Silicon Saxony’, which beat New York and Singapore to the contract. And this is indeed where the competition lies. 'We are good at technological supplies, but much less so at situating ourselves in the markets,' according to Rives.
Most of all, stay ahead of the game
How can we fight, or even just resist when faced with the Chinese, Japanese and Americans? Angelé believes we must 'unite the players to propose competitive solutions, and not just defence strategies. With an acute awareness of the economic interests at stake, we could energise the industry, anticipate the evolutions and even facilitate them!' His company also works hand-in-hand with other French businesses on the ‘Sylen’ electronic reader.
Regarding the applications for this new technology, in press or publishing for example, the same case applies: European businesses must definitely not rest on their laurels. 'The big players have already seen the immense market that is preparing and, like Amazon, are positioning themselves so that the average user goes to them for what they want,' Angelé explains. We need to understand their point of view: this is a new support enabling the creation of numerous editorial or commercial partnerships that will give the consumer access without an intermediary, without the barriers of language or national law!
New start for the press?
Regarding the press, each is considering their electronic declension after taking its place on the Internet. Les Echos, a French economic daily, is amongst the first to take the plunge. 'Via the site lesechos.fr, we will now very quickly propose a subscription enabling us to deliver the first machines at the end of April/beginning of May,' announces Philippe Jannet, technical director of the electronic edition of Les Echos. The content will be continuously updated, and will support Bluetooth, Wifi and GPRS connections.
'It’s a new opportunity for the press!' rejoices Rives, who personally worked on this project. 'It's a chance to seduce readers who don’t usually read the papers, and re-conquer those who have turned to the free papers. The investment is not so big if we consider what’s involved!'
The condition is that they take into account the reader who will require a 'richer format and will not be content with one newspaper only. The content must be enhanced with encyclopaedic information, graphics, and so on,' suggests Rives. This is a requirement for which the Belgian daily De Tidj paid the price. It 'threw in the towel, its version being an identical copy of the newspaper but in e-paper format. It didn't take into account the particularities of the machine,' explains Jannet, assuring that Les Echos would not commit the same strategic error.
As for us, we will also have to get used to a new object. Though a page in black and white doesn’t shock us if we think of it like a pocket book, it may seem austere for other applications. Will it be long until it hits colour or video, and will it long before we get a foldable electronic page? Maybe the technological attraction will make us forget the grainy texture of paper between our fingers. In principle, and even Rives agrees, that it is 'certainly a difficult alchemy.' But, he reminds us, 'paper did not explode in 321 BC, we had to wait until the 1500s.'
Translated from Epaper, année zéro


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Ad revenues for TV in the UK shrunk by two percent in 2017, the first annual dip since 2009 according to estimates from WARC and the Advertising Association (AA). However the Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report’s results for the UK ad industry as a whole were positive, showing 3.5 percent year-on-year growth in Q3 driven by the strong performance of mobile advertising.
The WARC/AA data found TV spend in Q3 of 2017 declined by 0.8 percent compared to 2016. While initial data shows that TV spend across digital and traditional formats returned to growth in Q4, they believe the increase will not have been enough to avoid an overall decline for the year, predicting TV ad spend to have shrunk 2.0 percent.
TV revenues are expected to return to growth this year though, thanks largely to increased spending on digital TV formats. UK video on demand (VOD) ad spend grew 13.3 percent in Q3 compared to the previous year, and WARC/AA expects total TV ad revenues to grow 1.5 percent this year as VOD spending continues to climb.
While TV struggled last year, the outlook for the UK ad market as a whole was positive, as it recorded its 17th consecutive quarter of market growth. The report attributed these results in large part to mobile, which grew 30.7 percent year-on-year in Q3 to £1.3 billion.
Total mobile ad revenue actually surpassed total TV ad revenue for the first time in Q3, though the report says TV still bought in significantly higher display revenues (display includes video under WARC/AA’s definition). Mobile’s growth has been largely thanks to investment in mobile search and social channels, according to WARC’s data editor James McDonald.
Mobile spending on social channels specifically saw a 44.7 percent year-on-year increase in Q3, and this coupled with rising mobile spending on paid search leads WARC/AA to estimate that 2017’s total mobile ad spend to exceeded £5 billion.
Stephen Woodford, CEO of the Advertising Association, hailed the results as encouraging, and said they demonstrate the ad industry’s importance to the UK economy. However he also emphasised the potential significance of Brexit, saying the industry needs to help the government negotiate a deal which will support UK advertising.
“As we work through Brexit, we need to help Government make the best decisions to support our industry and, by extension, the wider UK economy as we target growth across the nations and regions and in an increasingly global marketplace,” said Woodford.


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It’s a question as old as, well, Facebook (or marketers’ interest in the social network).
One study from last June said the average fan is worth $136.38. In a recent report, ComScore said the answer is far more nuanced than that. The online analytics firm teamed with Facebook to look more closely at Starbucks, Bing, and Southwest brands, and it determined a fan is only as valuable as the number of Facebook friends he or she has.
Here’s how it works, in a nutshell (via Advertising Age): If you don’t like a brand, the only way you’ll come in contact with it is if one of your friends comments on the brand’s post. The more friends that person who comments on a brand’s post has, the more likely it is that more people will see it.