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latest news releases from the newsroom
Reeltime Rentals, Inc. Retains Cypress Consulting to Lead Web Development
SEATTLE, Feb. 8, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Reeltime Rentals, Inc., (Pink Sheets:RLTR) announced that it has retained the services of Cypress Consulting to lead the Company's branding and web development efforts. Cypress will provide complete end-to-end design and development of ReelTime's consumer web interface for the roll-out of ReelTime's Rental-on-Demand service. Cypress is an acknowledged expert in their field, and will be developing the new application's back-office systems as well as the front-end interface accessed by customers via the public website. The new website will allow consumers to create membership accounts and download DVD-quality movies to their Internet-enabled devices, such as computers and set-top boxes.
Healthnostics Announces News Database Service with Reuters Health
BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 8, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Healthnostics, Inc. (Pink Sheets:HNST), a medical and bioscience information analytics and patient care improvement company, today announced a link up with Reuters Health to create a locally archived database of Reuters Health news offering reprints and e-prints of Reuters Health professional news in conjunction with Reuters' archive distribution partner, Valeo IP.
Welwind Energy International Corporation
REPEAT -- Vitasti Executes Letter of Intent to Acquire Rights to New Sugar-Free Sweetener
ENCINITAS, Calif., Feb. 8, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Vitasti, Inc. (OTCBB:VITS) today announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent ("LOI") for the acquisition of certain exclusive rights for the use of X-W8 from SweetSue LLC. X-W8 is a sugar-free substitute baking and sweetener formulation comparable to the Splenda baking and sweetener mix. Under negotiation are rights for use in Canada, USA and other international territories. Pending completion of its due diligence, Vitasti may pursue an outright acquisition of SweetSue LLC.
Sempra Energy Raises 2004 Earnings-Per-Share Estimate
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 8, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) today raised its earnings-per-share estimate for 2004 to approximately $3.80, due primarily to the increased profitability of its commodity-trading business. Sempra Energy, which will announce its fourth-quarter 2004 earnings Feb. 23, 2005, previously had provided 2004 earnings-per-share guidance of $3.15 to $3.25.
StockGuru.com Announces Profile Coverage of Protocall Technologies
DALLAS, Feb. 8, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- John Pentony, Publisher of StockGuru.com, announced today that the website has initiated profile coverage for Protocall Technologies Incorporated (OTCBB:PCLI). Protocall is an innovator of on-demand digital content distribution. Its flagship SoftwareToGo(R) electronic delivery system is the industry's standard for on-site production of brand name software CDs, for both traditional and Web retailers. Protocall provides retailers and software publishers with specialized systems programming, digital rights management and electronic merchandising services for front and back-end fulfillment operations. Market-leaders CompUSA and TigerDirect.com are both early adopters of Protocall's on-demand business model.


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The merger of Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s has hit a speed bump.
The Federal Trade Commission has asked Bass Pro Shops for more information on its $5.5 billion acquisition of Cabela’s, a move that will hold up the Oct. 5 deal for what two sources close to the situation said could be a few months.
Bass Pro had hoped to get clearance under its first regulatory review that expired this week.
Cabela’s acknowledged Tuesday afternoon it is refiling it merger application with regulators, giving them until Dec. 29 to decide whether to ask for a second request. A second request review typically takes several months, at a minimum.
“You usually refile because you think with a few more weeks you can avoid a second request,” a DC source not directly involved in this merger said.
“It means you are optimistic,” the source added.
Bass Pro, in a confidential lender presentation, said 45 percent of its customers also shop at Cabela’s.
Bass Pro has agreed to buy Cabela’s for $65.50 a share. Cabela’s shares dipped 2.8 percent in the minutes after nypost.com broke the news Tuesday morning of the extended FTC review, before closing at $62.54, up 7 cents.

domain: news


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A Marsden motorcycle photographer is on a roll after securing a place in the final of a national photography contest.
Amateur snapper, Tom Lonsdale, certainly has lightning quick reactions after he took this amazing shot of three bikers traversing Himachel Pradesh in the Himalyas as part of an organised tour called Trip Endura in 2008.
Tom, 66, who is a self-employed landscape architect and urban designer at Placecraft in High Fall, is now hoping for a podium finish in the scenic category in the final round of Carole Nash’s Moto Foto competition.
It was his dual love of biking and photography that helped him discover his talent for ‘outdoor landscape photography’.
He said: “I think of photography as my art and sharing it is a big part of the pleasure, so the prospect of getting it into a national calendar is really exciting.
“Photography and motorcycling have long been passions of mine and I have been lucky enough to be able to entwine the two.
“Biking has given me the chance to go to adventurous places and capture the stunning scenery around me.”
If selected as one of the 12 winners, Tom could see his photo featured in Carole Nash’s official 2015 calendar, which will be handed out to thousands of bike fans at the Motorcycle Live Show taking place at the NEC in Birmingham in November.
He is also in the running to win £1,000 in cash and a Nikon D7100 digital camera kit worth £1,079.99.
A married father-of-two , Tom has been riding bikes for more than 50 years and currently owns a BMW R1200GS Adventure.
He said: “There are so many appealing reasons to ride a motorbike but for me the principle reason is the feeling of freedom and autonomy that it allows me to experience.
“It’s a major part of my life.”
Head of Marketing at Carole Nash, Rebecca Donohue, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with the quality of the entries. “There are some really fantastic biking photographers out there and myself and all at Carole Nash wish Tom the very best of luck.”
A panel of expert photographers and bikers are now judging the entries and details of the winners will be announced soon.
For further details about the competition, visit www.carolenash.com/motofoto


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The Consumer Reports findings follow on the heels of the recent set of tests conducted by the personal-health TV program The Dr. Oz Show, which found similar results and aired them on national television. In a September 9 letter to the show's producer, an FDA official dismissed the findings, charging the tests did not distinguish between arsenic in its inorganic form, which is highly toxic, and its organic form, which is relatively benign. The letter rebuked the show for publicizing the results, calling it "irresponsible and misleading."
But the Consumer Reports data won't be so easily dismissed. According to the article, "most" of the arsenic it found in juices was of the toxic inorganic variety. And while in an online Q&A about apple juice and arsenic, the FDA calls organic arsenic "essentially harmless," it adds a few paragraphs later that "some scientific studies have shown that two forms of organic arsenic found in apple juice could also be harmful, and because of this, the FDA counts these two forms of organic arsenic in with the overall content for inorganic arsenic."
Pretty disturbing evidence and the FDA is proven to be nothing more than a lackey for the industry. And this is with regulations, can you imagine what the levels would be without them?
There's Arsenic in Your Kids' Apple Juice | Mother Jones
â€œThose who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities,â€
I have only one thing to do and that's
Be the wave that I am and then
Sink back into the ocean
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- Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:44 am
tsk tsk don't you realise all this environmentalist nonsense is a commie plot to wreck the american economy with to much regulation? Joking aside I reckon there are cocktails of pesticides and insecticides out there whose long term effects are only beginning to show. Not that I profess to be an expert. I live in an area bounded by land that cannot be farmed because of long term industrial pollution and where there are massive landfill sites in what used to be disused old quarries that can't be build on or used in any way.
GW removed an awful lot of regulation that got in the way of business looks like it will be children that pay the price.
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Arsenic has long been recognized as a poison and a contaminant in drinking water, but now concerns are growing about arsenic in foods, especially in fruit juices that are a mainstay for children.


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Currently Browsing: PSP
Once you've gathered all your Obsidian and built yourself a portal to the Nether, you'll find yourself in unfamiliar territory (well, you will if it is the first time you've been there).I've written this guide to give you all the information you need to deal with the unique mobs with living in the Nether in Minecraft.
This week on Miitomo Drop we have the chance to win sets of Gothic Fashion.There are 3 new Miitomo Drop stages for the Gothic Fashion event.
The concept is simple, use the cameras at the base to spot and shoot down enemy bots.The TV screen is used to show the view of all twelve of your base's cameras.
Developed by Digital Extremes, Warframe is a free to play, cross platform, over the shoulder (or third person) shooter.The panel was made up of Digital Extremes staff, including:
Digital Extremes is an extremely player driven company.
Just Monsters 5 is launching on mobile systems, so prepare for the release with pre-registration gifts and bonuses!Developer Square Enix, the renowned studio behind such fantastic franchises as Final Fantasy, is currently working on the upcoming release of Justice Monsters Five, a brand new mobile title on Android and iOS.
Sorry, lost my composure for a second when I saw a a cat dressed as a sun goddess taking the form of a wolf.The downloadable content will be available alongside the release of Monster Hunter Generations this summer.
Swedish developers Zoink and publishers Rising Star Games released the physical version of Zombie Vikings Ragnarök Edition for the PS4 this week for $19.The bonus features in the Ragnarök Edition come in addition to an already impressive game full of fantastic graphics and great storyline (written by Zach Weinersmith of SMBC Comics).
With Whispers of the Old Gods coming out in just a few days, Hearthstone developers have been going crazy (perhaps due to some darker outside influence?The new board draws inspiration from the classic Stormwind board that players have been using since the game's original release over two years ago.
Sanjay Gupta is the Executive Vice President of Marketing, Innovation and Corporate Relations of the Allstate Insurance Company, and a member of Allstate’s senior leadership team.Prior to joining Allstate in 2012, Gupta was the Chief Marketing Officer at Ally Financial, where he led the global re-branding efforts and the rapid growth of the consumer deposit business.
Members beat the S&P 500 by 55% with undervalued stocks
I’m a financial editor with a proven track record of identifying stocks that significantly outperform the market.My investment advice can be found in Forbes Investor and Forbes Special Situation Survey – the two longest running investment newsletters currently published by Forbes Media LLC – for which I serve as editor.
Traditionally, power has been defined as the ability to effect change, but to be truly powerful today,one has to possess an entrepreneurial mindset, spirit, and approach.Whether it’s leading a multinational firm focused on innovation, launching a startup solving a decades-old challenge,or spearheading a social movement that will improve the lives of millions, it’s all entrepreneurship.
How big will the data get?This year we may collect more data about the human body than in all the history of medicine so far.
His diverse leadership experience spans across enterprise software, Internet, retail, and consumer technology.He currently advises early stage companies, and serves on the board and as an independent director of Chipotle Mexican Grill.
The preeminent gathering of the world’s most powerful people for a critical discussion on applying wealth and resources to solve today’s most intractable problems.The 400 Summit on Philanthropy will focus on solutions for the shortcomings of K-12 public education in the U.
After having success with some early initiatives (and learning some really valuable lessons!As Jean would be quick to tell you, a good investment is a good investment -- even if the way you measure a return changes somewhat as you move across sectors.
Driven by technological advances, innovative manufacturing techniques, the biggest domestic energy boom in a century and a new generation of pragmatic, tested leaders in industry, education and government, the nation’s industrial core is rebounding.Employment in manufacturing hubs is rising.
Outside of newsletters, I'm also responsible for money and investing coverage on Forbes.As a Charter Member, you get one Conservative and one Aggressive stock in each issue.
Not a day passes that I don’t scour the market for opportunities in stocks and equity options.Outside of newsletters, I'm also responsible for money and investing coverage on Forbes.
On April 21, digital gaming market research firm, Newzoo, published a new market research forecast on different gaming platforms' global market shares.The report states that mobile devices will be leading gaming platform in the coming years.
What can mental illness in games tell us about our society and how we view people with mental illnesses
Mental illness stereotypes have been frequently used in video games.According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), mental illness is described as:
Kelli explained that games are used to reflect the culture that makes them.


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Those of you who are fans of the Harry Potter series, you will be interested to know that Scholastic will be releasing a new set of paperbacks to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. These new editions will be released September 2013!
The new covers for these special anniversary versions will be done by Japanese artist Kazu Kibuishi. Take a look at the cover for the Sorcerer’s Stone below:
Be sure to check in to see photos of the other covers when they are released! What do you think of this new cover? Will you be buying the set with the new covers?
Source: Entertainment Weekly


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FULL INTERVIEW: Note7 owner describes phone fire on Southwest flight
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The phone that caught fire on a Southwest Airlines flight at Louisville International Airport on Wednesday was a replacement for the Galaxy Note7 that was previously recalled by Samsung, according the phone's owner.
Brian Green, a Louisville native who lives in New Albany, told WAVE 3 News he had turned the phone off at the request of the flight crew before it caught fire.
"They asked everyone with a Note7 to power down their phones," Green said. "I was powering it down. I hit the button on the side, the menu came up. I shut down the phone, saw it was going through its power-down cycle."
Green said he put the phone in his pocket, and within a few seconds he heard a pop. When he took the phone out of his pocket, it was smoking. Green dropped the phone on the floor, where it singed the plane's carpet.
+ Samsung phone to blame for plane evacuation at SDF
+ IMAGES: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 catches fire on plane at SDF
+ Passengers recall moments during Galaxy Note7 fire on board plane
+ Feds launching investigation into Galaxy Note7 fire at SDF
+ How, why to get your Samsung Galaxy Note7 phone replaced
+ Note7 owner says smoking phone was a replacement from Samsung
Green told WAVE 3 News reporter Katie Bauer he couldn't believe what was happening.
"You hear about the phones having these issues and you wonder how likely is it to happen, and then it happens to you."
>> MOBILE USERS: Tap here to watch Green's interview
Green said the smoke from the phone filled about five rows in the plane.
"It was electronic smoke," Green said. "It was that brown, green-gray, real ugly stuff."
Brian Green was flying to Baltimore for a business meeting that was scheduled for Thursday. He ended up catching a later flight on Wednesday.
Copyright 2016 WAVE 3 News. All rights reserved.


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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's total trade in September 2014 improved 1.6 per cent to RM119.72 billion from RM117.88 billion a year ago, while the trade surplus was recorded at RM9.33 billion, said the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
In a statement today, MITI said that increases in trade were recorded with Singapore which rose by RM1 billion, India (RM861.7 million), Australia (RM806.2 million), Saudi Arabia (RM706.4 million), Kuwait (RM410.9 million) and China (RM333.2 million).
Exports of manufactured goods for the month rose by 2.2 per cent to RM49.14 billion compared with September 2013, driven by higher exports of electrical and electronics (E&E) products by RM1.15 billion especially electronic integrated circuits; iron and steel products; and processed food.
"Optical and scientific equipment as well as chemicals and chemical products also contributed to the increase in exports," it said.
Exports of agricultural goods rose 11 per cent to RM6.57 billion, contributed mainly by higher exports of palm oil (crude palm oil, fractionated palm oil, palm kernel oil, olein and stearin) and increased export volume.
Exports of mining goods fell by 4.6 per cent to RM8.43 billion, with lower exports of crude petroleum.
For the nine-month period of 2014, MITI noted that Malaysia's trade for the period has exceeded the RM1 trillion mark with total trade valued at RM1.078 trillion.
The achievement was supported by strong demand from major markets mainly the US, the European Union particularly the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, as well as Asean.
Exports increased 8.6 per cent to RM569.66 billion and imports rose by 5.5 per cent to RM508.01 billion for the first three quarters of this year, while the trade surplus expanded by 43.3 per cent to RM61.64 billion.
Trade expansion with major markets of Asean increased by 4.7 per cent; the EU (6.2 per cent), China (4.1 per cent), the US (6.6 per cent), Japan (2.5 per cent), Australia (25.3 per cent), Taiwan (16.6 per cent), Hong Kong (20.9 per cent), South Korea (8.2 per cent), Saudi Arabia (40.7 per cent) and India (7.3 per cent).
"Almost 90 per cent of exports to Asean comprised manufactured goods such as petroleum products, chemicals and chemical products, optical and scientific equipment, machinery appliances and parts, and E&E products.
"Apart from that, crude petroleum as well as palm oil (crude palm oil, fractionated palm oil, palm kernel oil, olein and stearin) were among the products that recorded growth during this period," it said.
Trade with free trade agreement (FTA) partner countries expanded by 5.4 per cent to RM675.55 billion with exports expanding 7.2 per cent to RM365.11 billion and imports rising 3.4 per cent to RM310.44 billion.
Malaysia's exports to China for the first three quarters were sustained at RM67.73 billion compared with RM67.83 a year ago.
This was driven primarily by exports of E&E products, which expanded by RM2.66 billion, and led by higher electronic integrated circuits exports.
Continuous demand from the US electronic industry saw exports to the country improving by 8.9 per cent to RM47.16 billion in the first nine months, while imxports increased by 3.9 per cent to RM39.13 billion.-- Bernama


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Because of a worldwide shortage of helium, prices for the lighter-than-air element have ballooned. They’ve hit the ceiling, gone sky high, been launched into the stratosphere. Has the quota for bad puns been met yet?
Helium does a lot more than make balloons soar and give you an “Alvin and the Chipmunks” voice. Among other things, the substance is used in MRI machines, high-tech manufacturing, and physics research. A shortage of helium is not a subject to be taken lightly. (That’s the last one, promise.)
Helium is usually generated as a byproduct of natural gas mining, and we’re currently in the middle of a shortage of helium, due partly because the recession has slowed natural gas production. About three-quarters of the world’s helium is produced in the U.S., according to the Kansas City Star, and while production is supposed to be increased by the end of the year in spots ranging from Wyoming to Russia, the element is expected to be in short supply for months, if not years.
Nevada’s Elko Daily Free Press reports that balloons account for only 10% of the helium market. Costs associated with MRIs, research and medical imaging, and semiconductor manufacturing may all rise because they use helium.
But what about the really important thing, i.e., balloons? Many business owners say they’re doing their best to avoid passing along higher costs to customers. Often, though, there’s simply not much helium to come by, leaving balloon sellers as grumpy as Carl Fredricksen, the old curmudgeon (and balloon enthusiast) voiced by Ed Asner in the Pixar movie “Up.” Florists in Nevada report that they’re plain out of helium, with balloons sadly “remaining deflated and gathering dust” about stores, according to the Elko Daily Free Press.
Earlier this summer, party stores in Canada said that the price for a tank of helium had increased 300%. “We’re told hospitals get it first, then manufacturing and we get what’s left,” one balloon retailer said, while explaining that he had to raise prices due to the helium crisis.
In Kansas City, one balloon decorator said he’s been forced in situations to (the horror!) use regular air instead of helium. When helium is absolutely necessary, prices are adjusted to the current marketplace. A pair of 50-foot balloon arches used in a charity race are triple the price that they were a few years ago.
Florists, party stores, and decorators hope that the supply of helium increases by the Halloween-St. Patrick’s Day period, which is peak season for balloon sales. As for Valentine's Day, which is usually the year’s biggest day for balloons, sales of flowers and chocolates will probably be more pumped-up than usual come February 14, 2013.


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Sainsbury family could make a bid
THE Sainsbury family are considering taking direct action to ensure that the supermarkets chain does not get sold off on the cheap.
City sources say that Sainsbury family shareholders, who own a 36% stake, are wondering whether to launch their own bid to take the group private.
This would protect their name which has hung over the door for 135 years and would enable them to revive the group away from the public glare.
Widespread bid speculation has prompted the family shareholders to discuss their options. They are loathe to see a private equity firm buy up Sainsbury and reap all the rewards.
City sources say discussions are 'in their infancy', however some family members including Science Minister Lord Sainsbury are said to support the idea of a family-backed takeover bid.
Some family shareholders are considering whether they could finance a £7bn bid on their own. They would do this by taking on bank debt and raising billions by selling off the property portfolio.
However, other family members are cautious about betting their inheritance on such a deal, so a private equity firm may need to be brought in to buy them out.
Former Asda chiefs Allan Leighton and Archie Norman - who are tipped to launch a takeover bid - could be brought in to bolster the management team if it were taken private.
Lord Sainsbury owns around 23% of the shares, but the rest of the 36% holding is dispersed quite widely among family members - some of whom have divergent views.
The chain was floated on the stock market in 1973.
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With the growing number of large-scale hacks and revelations of government surveillance still fresh on people’s minds, a company called Neone is introducing a way for families and friends to more privately share content, including files, photos, videos and more, with one another without having to rely on the cloud. Instead, with a piece of hardware it’s calling the Neobase… Read More
Amazon has a new crowd-publishing platform called Write On, which is a direct competitor to Wattpad, the social network with self-publishing authors offering up their content for free, and working together with the community to incorporate feedback into their ongoing work. The Amazon version launched last October as an invite-only beta, but now it’s a full-fledged product available to… Read More
You’ve probably seen plenty of products advertised on Facebook, but today the company is announcing a new unit called product ads, with features aimed specifically at helping businesses sell their products.
The big difference is that the ads are dynamically optimized, meaning that the products you see will be tailored based on your activity and interests. Basically, they adapt to show… Read More
Facebook’s Graph Search, the tool that lets you search in plain language across information shared by friends and anyone on Facebook to find stuff like “People who live in my city from my hometown,” or “Friends of friends who like Paula Dean,” or whatever other weird and terrible combination you can dream up, is now available to all users on the platform with U.S. English set as their default language.
Graph search, for those who don’t have it yet, is a pretty fun diversion and an admittedly useful tool in certain contexts (like looking up people you might want to connect with when visiting a new place for the first time, and who might be connected to you in some meaningful way), but it’s also the perfect opportunity for everyone to revisit their privacy settings, especially as Graph Search improvements on the roadmap for future introduction include even more granular capabilities, like parsing individual posts and comments, and becoming available on mobile.
As Facebook itself notes, that means this is when you should be looking at who has access to what in your FB privacy settings, to insure that the unprecedented scope of the new Graph Search tools don’t encroach on territory you’d rather keep private… but the full roll-out of Graph Search also comes alongside the death of one of the features that might be most sorely missed by Facebook users who also happen to be privacy enthusiasts.
Facebook announced back in December that it would be retiring the “who can look up my timeline by name?” setting in the “coming months,” citing very limited use anyway, and the fact that it actually didn’t prevent discovery from other means anyway. What it did was prevent people from seeing you in results if they searched for your name directly in the Facebook Search bar – which, despite their attempt to minimize its importance, was probably something people who didn’t like it very much appreciated being able to turn off.
The official line from Facebook is that “[n]ow that people have had an opportunity to explore [its new privacy controls introduced back in December,] we are starting to retire this setting for the small percentage of people that use it.” But that’s likely to do much to reassure users who aren’t thrilled about Graph Search’s advanced discovery powers to begin with. Still, Facebook has been very upfront about its goals: you don’t build a knowledge graph by defaulting to making your social network as private as possible.
Origami, the new family-focused product from Y Combinator-backed mobile social network Everyme, has now arrived after nearly a year of development. A spin-off of sorts, Origami takes some of the original inspiration behind Everyme – that people are looking for new ways to share outside of larger, more open social networks like Facebook – and tweaks the formula to address the needs of parents and families, specifically.
“What we saw pretty early on was that probably 50 percent of the usage on Everyme is families,” explains Origami co-founder Vibhu Norby. “And that’s 50 percent of total Circles [Everyme’s groups], but in terms of actual usage, it was almost 100 percent of people using it with their families,” he says. “We felt like we found the market, but the product itself wasn’t really intended for that.”
Sustained by its $2.15 million A round, the company has been focused on Origami, a new product build from the ground up, since August 2012. Like Everyme, Origami offers both a web and mobile platform that allows families to connect with each other in a private group, and share photos. But the service goes further, too, offering tools for sharing videos, creating albums, and adding text-based entries for posting stories, recipes, or other notes.
Launched into private beta this February, 90 percent of the families on Origami today are new parents. “They take the most photos, they share the most photos, and they have the biggest desire for privacy,” says Norby. “We really want to work with the parents’ workload – the idea that they take photos all day long, they take a lot of photos on weekends especially, and they don’t have time to share every single photo in real-time. They want to sit down when the kids are in bed, and think about sharing them then,” he says.
With the new service, parents can set up a homepage for their family, and even grab a custom domain which Origami acquires on their behalf. (e.g. “JonesFamily.com,” “JonesFamilyPics.com,” etc.) The site itself, like Everyme, is beautifully designed and simple to understand. Buttons on the right side of the homepage direct users to share a photo, video or story, and another feature called “Family Request” lets users prompt other family members to share photos, videos, or stories of their own.
Another section of the site lets users create photo albums, and allows for import from your computer as well as a number of other photo-sharing sites including Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, and SmugMug. These collections can also be shared via email, or back out to Facebook and Twitter.
At launch, Origami also has apps available for iPhone and Android, understanding that not all family members may be using the same mobile platform. Here, users can also post and view the moments and photos albums, plus receive notifications when new content has been added.
The service still has some kinks to work out – not bugs, necessarily, but places where the experience could be a little smoother. For example, if you go to upload from social services, there’s no way to retrieve the photos y0u haven’t already put into albums; it also can’t access those photos you’ve been auto-uploading from your phone to Facebook, Google or Dropbox (the latter two of which are not supported), and in some places on mobile, it’s missing multi-upload. But the product is still in development, and many of these features are still in the works. For example, the multi-upload function is just two weeks away.
Overall, the site fills a niche that many other mobile-only or mobile-first startups have ignored: that parents may want more of fully-fledged social experience, rather that just an app. Often, new parents (and especially moms) turn to standard blogging platforms these days instead of traditional “baby books” to record those early memories, but Origami offers another option for that kind of sharing with a service that falls somewhere in between a Tumblr for parents and a private social network.
Norby says the company’s vision is to re-create the experience of “home,” and that’s something which the real domain names it gives its users’ websites provides. “Facebook is not a home, let’s be honest – it feels like another person’s service,” he says. “[Origami] is private. It’s its own place somewhere on the Internet.”
Origami is not free, but its pricing, like the service itself, is simple. There’s only one tier: after a free 30-day trial, it’s $5 per month (discounted to $50 per year, if billed annually) for unlimited photos, videos, members, and the custom domain.
Really my only problem here is that I have to figure out how to import all the content I have spread out across all those other family-focused and private social services – Path, Notabli, Kidfolio, 23snaps, Tweekaboo, Hubble, Famil.io, Familiar, and others.
Being an early adopting parent can be tough.
Facebook wants you to log in. Real bad. But the social network hasn’t traditionally gone out of its way to streamline password recovery. The site’s finally make things a little smoother with Trusted Contacts, a redesign and rebrand of its Trusted Friends offering. Go into Security Settings and you can list three to five e-pals, who can help you log back into the site before your farm goes belly up. Contact them and let them know you need in, and they’ll get a security code and instructions to help you get back to the wall.
Via: The Next Web
Tencent’s social blogging site, Qzone, has Asia’s largest active social network user base, with 600 million (and counting) users who log in more than twice a month.
I spoke to Peter Zheng, vice president of Tencent’s social network group. He’s been overseeing Qzone’s evolution for the past eight years. He told me that when Qzone was launched in 2005, it was initially planned as a Geocities-style blog community, before the company decided to add social aspects by linking blogs to users’ QQ accounts. “Luckily, when we started, Facebook wasn’t common in China. There were some challenges from other platforms like microblogs such as Weibo, but these [Twitter-like channels] are quite public, and people saw QZone as a more private space,” he said.
It wasn’t always supposed to be walled, but QZone inherited the company’s older QQ contact list that added people based on user IDs, not more universal identifiers like email addresses or phone numbers. And unlike what we’re used to on Facebook or LinkedIn for example, you can’t see who your friends’ friends are because of the way those lists were architected, said Zheng.
“For a while, we were concerned that that made it hard for people to expand their friends lists. Our legacy was closed, and we thought it hindered the expansion of the network,” he said. But it seemed to work out. “Over time, our users told us that they didn’t want to add contacts the way you do on Facebook. When everyone is added deliberately because you sought them out, you’re just adding buddies you want to share your updates with. Turns out that was a way to keep your friend circles tight, and our users are keener to share on Qzone because of that,” he said.
This is the mantra of some of the “private” sharing platforms like Path—some with more success than others—but Tencent seems to have stumbled upon the working formula and had its popularity multiplied by the sheer volume of users coming onboard in its home country.
Over 100 million users concurrently on Qzone, with most of them concentrated in China
Another way it has fueled its user growth is an early emphasis on the mobile phone. The Qzone app was released in early 2010, and included features like photo filters and the option to record voice memos. While a typical Twitter or Tumblr user would take a photo, open it in a separate app to dress it up, then open the blogging app to post it, all of this can be done within Qzone’s app, reducing the friction to post. (Instagram was launched towards Fall 2010.)
The Qzone app has also added features that caught on with Asian users earlier than they did in the West, such as decorative water marks. “Asian users like to decorate their photos, not just filter them,” he said. Qzone’s app also allows users to add a voice clip as a status update, or tag it to a photo. “That makes it feel more personal. You can send a gift and attach a voice clip from the phone too,” Zheng said.
When he showed me a typical Qzone page, I was boggled by how busy the page was, with animations and audio. “It’s almost like MySpace,” I say.
“Sort of,” he agreed. “But it isn’t really the form factor that matters the most. Maintaining the relationship with your existing user base and keeping them happy goes a long way. You want to be on the social network that your friends are on, and always keeping it fresh means users stay happy.”
Tapping the ideas of 22,000
It is here in Shenzhen’s hi-tech district that Zheng’s 2,000 or so engineers work on Qzone. The Tencent headquarters is a sprawling skyscraper, dwarfing its myriad grey-washed neighbors. While I had problems getting my cab driver to register exactly where I wanted to be in the already famous Hua Qiang Bei cluster, simply saying “Tencent” in English got him to immediately acknowledge, exclaiming “Teng Xun Da Sha”, which translates to Tencent Plaza in Mandarin.
Started in 1998, Tencent is China’s largest Internet company by revenue, and was the first Internet company in the country to break through the $1 billion revenue mark in 2009.
My arrival at the headquarters was kicked off with a tour of the impressive lobby showcase area. A big, gleaming board reflected how many users were concurrently on QQ—156 million that Wednesday afternoon, with a peak of 172 million. The company counts an active user as someone who logs in more than twice a month, and by that measure, has an impressively high retention rate of 700 million out of its 1 billion total users worldwide.
156 million users chatting on QQ instant messenger at the same time
“This is the same tour that our CEO, Pony Ma, gave to (Chinese Communist Party general secretary) Xi Jinping when he visited,” informed my guide in impeccable English. I asked her how long she’s been working for Tencent, and she said she’s been with the company for the past two years since she graduated. “I do not consider myself young here,” she said, shaking her head.
And perhaps she can’t. The average age of Tencent’s 22,000 employees is merely 26—a feat made possible by an aggressive, ongoing hiring campaign that takes Tencent to tertiary institutions in the country in order to sniff out their finest.
The constant influx of fresh blood could be one of the reasons why Tencent has kept up with China’s relatively young Internet population. China’s average age across its user base is just 25, while in the US, that number is much higher at 42.
How do you juggle ideas coming in from thousands of young, enthusiastic minds? “Unfortunately, you have to cancel projects if they don’t work after a certain time, usually several weeks or months,” said Zheng.
“There are no bad ideas, only bad execution. So we give all ideas a fair chance, but we look for teams with bad execution and we do kill their projects,” he said.


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Pizza is going posh.
A food category that’s been declining for five years, pizza players are ramping up menus and aiming their sights on the 48 per cent of Canadians who stop by a restaurant at least once a day.
“There is definitely a strong market for lunch, we’d like to be part of that,” says Pat Finelli, chief marketing officer for Pizza Pizza, which officially launches a new line of personal, thin crust pizzas Monday.
The new recipes have a whole-wheat crust and ingredients like arugula, asparagus, tuna and a medley of mushrooms. Starting at $4.99 each, the press release promises “artisanal and gourmet as what you would find in a high-end dine-in pizza restaurant.”
The timing is no coincidence. Pizza chains all over North America have been announcing menu changes — Domino's Pizza launched a new line Monday, adding a fresh, handmade pan pizza to their menu — even if the new item has nothing but the most classic toppings, as is the case of the recently introduced Margherita Pizza at Mamma’s.
This week Boston Pizza also launches 26 new items on a revamped menu, one year after bringing on celebrated chef Michael Gray. Though every category on the menu has fresh recipes, there is an undeniable theme: pizza spring rolls as an appetizer and Smores pizza for dessert.
“We know our guests probably first came to us because of our pizza,” says Perry Schwartz, communications director for the chain. “We make a great pepperoni pizza, but we also have all these other great flavours and dishes.”
Gray notes pizza is not only going upscale, it can be tailored regionally. Montreal’s Boston Pizza customers can get a smoked meat pizza with pickle, for Vancouverites it’s butter chicken. “It’s unexpected ingredients that you would get in a sandwich or a burger or a pasta dish, and bringing them into the field of pizza to get something new and unique,” he says.
Ordering pizza, especially at supper time from home, has been in a freefall, says Robert Carter, executive director of food service for market research firm NPD Group. In 2008 Canadians consumed 370 million servings of quick-serve pizza, a number that has dropped to 313 million annual servings.
Compounding the problem for the quick serve market is the explosion of good quality and extensive variety of frozen pizzas sold at grocery stores, Carter notes. “That’s really taken a lot of customer traffic from the pizza category,” he says.
It’s innovation that Canadian customers respond to.
“We see that through a number of different categories – coffee is an excellent example,” Carter says.
And since people spend more when on the premises than when ordering in, Pizza Pizza wants you to do more than remember that indelible phone numbered jingle. They want you to visit. The new product line is available for walk-in orders only at nearly 400 locations in Ontario, Québec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, half of which have been recently renovated to be more inviting, Finelli says.
“I want people coming to our restaurant and eating a hot, thin crust pizza,” he says. “Different taste profiles will attract different women, different men, different cultures.”
In the last few years several independent pizza restaurateurs have closed and the big chains have mainly had price to compete, with a customer base that is, at best, remaining stable, Carter says.
The new menu choices are upping the ante, which bodes well for pizza lovers and the pizza curious.
“I love the idea that more mainstream places are trying to duplicate thin crust, good quality, Italian-style pizza,” says Dana McCauley, an expert on food trends and innovation. “If you don’t live near Pizza Libretto, or one of those downtown Ossington or Danforth types of pizza places, you really are stuck with just your basic take-out pizza we’ve all grown up with.”
No matter how the new menus do, chains are looking to the future even as the new menus launch.
“Ideas for 2013 are already locked and loaded and we’re working on ideas for 2014 and 2015,” Gray says.


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Noticing that the frozen-dessert landscape has shifted toward a more health-conscious culture, Ritter’s Frozen Custard has incorporated into its menu more cultures — the probiotic kind found in tart frozen yogurt sold at some of the nation’s fastest-growing chains.
Ritter’s, which has made its name since 1989 selling custard, rolled out a tart frozen yogurt last month in response to changing consumer tastes and increased competition from brands like Red Mango and Pinkberry.
Gary Occhiogrosso, chief development officer for franchisor Trufoods LLC, said Ritter’s franchisees are reporting strong sales of the tart yogurt and no cannibalization of the brand’s core frozen-custard lineup, which has allowed the operators of Ritter’s 31 locations to serve a market need and grow their top lines with favorable margins.
The introduction of frozen yogurt didn’t involve partnering with any new suppliers, and Ritter’s is able to procure and sell the product for the same prices as its frozen custard. The average check has remained the same since Ritter’s rolled out tart yogurt, but the appeal to more customers has benefited franchisees, Occhiogrosso said.
“The concept of the frozen yogurt is really one that speaks to the business model of Trufoods, which is we’re working constantly to help increase our franchisees’ sales,” he said. “From the franchisees’ point of view, they want to respond to the needs of their customers, and we want to respond to their needs.”
Frozen yogurt’s appeal with consumers is apparent in the growth of several concepts, including the 80-plus-unit Pinkberry of Los Angeles and 70-plus-unit Red Mango of Dallas, as well as Anaheim, Calif.-based Yogurtland, which has nearly 90 locations and plans to have 130 restaurants opened by year-end.
Another longtime player in the market, Salt Lake City-based TCBY, will emphasize more prominently the healthful profile of its signature product, including the presence of probiotics and active cultures, as it rolls out new locations rebranded with a more contemporary look.
For Ritter’s part, selling tart frozen yogurt not only fends off competition from upstarts like Pinkberry and Red Mango but also gives it a key point of differentiation from other chains that sell soft serve or frozen custard, like Dairy Queen or Culver’s, Occhiogrosso said.
“We’ve found that we’re the only guys out there selling probiotic frozen yogurts other than the companies that specialize with that one product,” he said.
Like TCBY, Ritter’s will sell several flavors of frozen yogurt, rather than offer only one or two varieties and then rely toppings to differentiate the flavor profiles of its products. Occhiogrosso said the yogurt is available in mango, strawberry, strawberry-kiwi, raspberry-pomegranate and red raspberry.
“The other major difference for us, since we run the frozen yogurt through a batch freezer, the product is very smooth and creamy in texture,” Occhiogrosso said. “The mouth-feel is very much like ice cream, even though it’s fat-free. It’s a very big difference from yogurt places doing soft serve, because that product is filled with a lot more air, so it’s not as richly textured.”
The tart yogurt can be substituted into all Ritter’s custard-based treats and beverages, including its shakes, sundaes and Glacier mix-in treats.
In addition to Ritter’s Frozen Custard, Trufoods also franchises the Wall St. Deli, Pudgie’s Famous Chicken and Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips brands, making a system of approximately 100 locations and $40 million in annual sales.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].


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BEAVER TWP., Ohio (WKBN) — Angels for Animals is inviting everyone to shop for a cause this holiday season with its 20th annual Antique, Collectibles and Christmas Sale.
The sale is all made possible through donations and volunteers.
“It’s amazing because people, first of all, they donate — we had people in here yesterday purchasing who had donated items worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars, and they’re in here buying more,” said volunteer Sarah Carroll.
All the proceeds go right back into the shelter and help with costs — every time a cat gets rescued, it costs Angels for Animals $400 for intake processing.
“It’s just so expensive, and particularly these days where so many people are abandoning their pets because they can’t afford to take care of them, just having the resources to be able to provide support for the animals is really important,” Carroll said.
“We are asked to save thousands of them and so each one of them are very expensive endeavors to take under our wing, but we want to save all of them because every dog and cat deserves a permanent loving home,” said Angels for Animals founder Diane Less.
The event began on Friday with an early bird special.
“We had an awesome turnout last night, we had 150 people here for the early bird so right there we raised $750 for the shelter so we can save two cats,” Less said.
The sale will also be available Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and during shelter hours on Dec. 10 and 17 at the Andrews Hall at Angels for Animals.


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The biggest Indian car manufacturer and seller, Maruti Suzuki India said on Tuesday that it would voluntarily recall 69,555 diesel cars, manufactured between March 8, 2010 and August 11, 2013, to refurbish the faulty wiring harness fitment. The recall includes the Swift, Swift Dzire, and Ritz models, and the company will inspect and repair limited number of units, 132,486; 55,938; and 1,131 units respectively.
“This exercise is limited to vehicles within the above specified range and does not pertain to any other vehicle of the Company or its exports,” the company said.
Car owners can also check at the company’s website whether their vehicles are among those faulty ones that will be recalled.
A company’s spokesperson said in a statement that, “dealers will contact owners of all the affected vehicles and the dealer workshop technicians will inspect the wiring harness fitment’s condition and carry out the necessary repairs, free of cost.”
This is the third recall from the car seller, this year. Previously, in April 2014 the company recalled 1,03,311 units of its well known models such as Ertiga, Swift and DZire, manufactured between November 12, 2013 and February 4, 2014 to replace faulty fuel filler neck.
MSI said, during September, sales of these cars (Ertiga, Swift, Ritz, Celerio, Estilo and DZire) were up 18.1 percent, at 43,304 units as against 36,679 units in the year-ago month. On the other Hand sales of mini passenger cars such as Alto, A-Star and WagonR were down to 13.4 percent at 35,547 units as against 41,061 units in the reporting month for the previous year.
However, On Wednesday the company reported an increase in sale of 4.6 percent in its total sales in September 2014 at 1,09,742 units as against 1,04,964 units in the same month last year. In addition to it, the company’s domestic sales report during September was 99,290 units, up 9.8 per cent from 90,399 units in the same month in 2013.
A total of nearly 6.1 lakh vehicles have been recalled by various car manufacturers in India, ever since auto industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers started a voluntary recall for safety related issues in July 2012.


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MISSOULA – An advertising campaign for Montana Snowbowl set off a social media flurry of criticism, calling it “fat shaming” and “sexist.”
The ad that showed up at Missoula College and some breweries stated: “Dear extra body fat, you have two options: make your way into my boobs or get the f- out”.
Snowbowl owner Andy Morris said it was a breakdown in communication between Snowbowl and their ad agency.
Morris said that was one of the rejected slogans for a series of ads for the ski hill. He called it “crass’ and immediately asked Spiker Communications to pull it.
He addressed the issue on Snowbowl’s Facebook page saying, in part: “We had our ad agency remove them immediately. We did not nor would not approve an ad of that nature. Please feel free to address questions or concerns to us as we work through this unfortunate misunderstanding and misrepresentation of our ski area.”
Wes Spiker of the ad agency said they also apologize if the ad offended anyone and said it was a mistake on his part. He explained that the agency was trying to reach a younger crowd.
Spiker posted the following message on the Snowbowl Facebook page:
Wes Spiker here, author of the line on this guerrilla wild posting that has people riled up. First, we apologize to anyone who took offense. It was not my intent to offend anyone, we showed the line around to a handful of ad people and it was well received and thought to be very funny. This is not the ad campaign for Winter that breaks in tomorrow’s Missoulian. This was an attempt to reach younger people in town at six locations, local breweries mostly, and one at Missoula College. And it was in hindsight a bad idea. But our job is to push the envelope and get people to notice our work and our clients. Snowbowl DID NOT approve of this message, it was a test on our part to see how it would fly with the younger audience. Snowbowl offers the best skiing in the region and it’s only going to get better when they open the new terrain later this season, and again I am sorry to have offended so many people.
The posters were in six locations in town and have since been taken down.
- Reported by Jill Valley


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August 26, 2016 by deltagamegirl22
As if the stunning sculpts and fantastic narrative aren’t enough- There’s never been a better time to get involved in the Wyrd and wonderful world of Malifaux. Wyrd Games has announced a new global campaign for Malifaux, called Divergent Paths.
The campaign will launch next month in September, and more information will be released very soon – so keep your eye out for that!
Will you be participating in Divergent Paths?
"The campaign will launch next month in September..."


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Wall Street Higher After Jobs Data
Stocks rose on Friday, adding to their best two-day run in nearly three months, after a report showed the economy added more jobs than expected in February.
Employers added 227,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said, and the unemployment rate held at a three-year low of 8.3 percent. Investors were looking for a gain of 210,000 jobs, according to a Reuters poll.
"This continues to show that job growth is going at an encouraging pace," said Sean Incremona, an economist at 4Cast in New York. "Upward revisions to the previous month and a solid February keep that positive sentiment alive."
Shares of Monster Worldwide Inc (MWW.N), an online employment agency whose stock is sensitive to changes in the employment outlook, rose 4.4 percent to $8.97. The Dow Jones business training index .DJUSBE, which also tracks Manpower Inc, Rob Half International Inc and TrueBlue Inc, rose 0.9 percent.
Also lifting stocks was Greece's winning strong acceptance of its bond swap offer to private creditors, averting the immediate risk of an uncontrolled default. The market had run up for two days on hopes of success.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI gained 18.92 points, or 0.15 percent, to 12,926.86. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX rose 2.35 points, or 0.17 percent, to 1,368.26. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC added 4.94 points, or 0.17 percent, to 2,975.36.
Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital, had said a better-than-expected payrolls number would set the S&P 500 index to move up into the 1,385-1,400 range next week. The index closed at 1365.91 on Thursday.
"It will set the stage for the market over the next few trading sessions to establish a new trading range," Cardillo said.
Exactly three years ago the S&P 500 posted a 12-year closing low at 676.53 during the height of the financial crisis. The index has more than doubled since then, although it stalled last year before resuming a rally in 2012.
China's annual consumer inflation slowed to a 20-month low in February, and factory output and retail sales also cooled, giving policymakers ample room to further loosen monetary policy.
Shares in Texas Instruments Inc (TXN.O) fell 1.3 percent after the chipmaker said revenue growth would resume in the second quarter, signaling an end to the inventory correction that dogged it last year.
Shares in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O) sank 13.3 percent on fears it may lose its near monopoly in the U.S. single-cup coffee market after Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) outlined plans to launch a rival coffee machine. Starbucks rose 2.7 percent to $51.72


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EverQuest Next cancelled because 'it wasn’t fun'
At least EverQuest Landmark survived.
Over the past few years we have been hearing about the fourth installment in the EverQuest franchise, EverQuest Next. Despite a slew of updates we heard come to the game like new classes and races, the game has been cancelled by developer DayBreak Games (formally SOE).
DayBreak president Russel Shanks broke the news to the community through a post on the official studio site, saying that while the develops had worked hard on the game it simply was not a fun game:
"For those familiar with the internals of game development, you know that cancellations are a reality we must face from time to time. Inherent to the creative process are dreaming big, pushing hard and being brutally honest with where you land. In the case of EverQuest Next, we accomplished incredible feats that astonished industry insiders. Unfortunately, as we put together the pieces, we found that it wasn’t fun. We know you have high standards when it comes to Norrath and we do too. In final review, we had to face the fact that EverQuest Nextwould not meet the expectations we – and all of you – have for the worlds of Norrath."
Prior to it's cancellation it was announced that EverQuest Next would be ported to the PlayStation 4 after its PC release.
Development for EverQuest Landmark, the world building game announced alongside Next, will continue as planned. The world building game had been planned cross into EverQuest Next, allowing the community's creations to be seen in the MMORPG. Landmark was released on Steal Early access in May 2014 at the price of $19.99 for the standard game, $59.99 for the 'Explorer Pack' and $99.99 for the 'Trailblazer Pack'.
Landmark is set to launch this Spring, according to an announcement released alongside the cancellation for Next.


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Digital Assets: Japan’s Nomura Holdings Incorporates Digital Assets Subsidiary In Switzerland
The new Nomura digital business is titled Laser Digital.
Nomura Holdings (TYO: 8604), the Japanese investment banking behemoth, has incorporated Laser Digital Holdings AG in Switzerland for its new digital assets business, Laser Digital. Laser will focus on the three core businesses of Secondary Trading, Venture Capital and Investor Products. (Nomura)
Kentaro Okuda, Nomura Holdings, Inc., President and Group CEO, said: “Staying at the forefront of digital innovation is a key priority for Nomura. This is why, alongside our efforts to diversify our business, we announced earlier this year that Nomura would be setting up a new subsidiary focused digital assets. We look forward to sustainable growth in this new business under the leadership of Steven and Jez.”
In May, the Japanese bank said the proposed new digital business would provide its institutional clients with access to a wide range of new products and services and contribute meaningfully towards responsible innovation in the digital asset ecosystem.
Laser Digital will be run by Steven Ashley as Chairman and Jez Mohideen as CEO, according to latest announcement.
The first of Laser’s businesses would be Laser Venture Capital, which will invest in companies in the digital ecosystem, with a focus on Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Centralized Finance (CeFi), Web3 and Blockchain infrastructure.
However, Laser would announce new services and product lines as it moves ahead with the staged launch of the business.
Switzerland was chosen to locate the new digital business because it is an established destination with a robust regulatory regime for digital assets and blockchain projects, and an attractive talent pool.
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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A growing line of self-serve order pick-up innovations from Apex are on display at the National Retail Federation’s annual Big Show and Expo this week. The new features are aimed at helping retailers respond to rapidly changing consumer expectations as the shift to online shopping and order pick-up options accelerates. Apex is introducing its flagship innovation, the Axcess Click & Collect Solution. This automated smart locker solution provides a large, industry leading configurable touchscreen monitor with dynamic graphic user interface (UI) while expanding the variety and flexibility of compartment sizes and configurations for retailers.
“With over 85% of consumers purchasing additional items when they come to pick up their orders in store, our retail customers will be able to enhance that experience with location-based marketing, utilizing options like in-store beacon promotions to further engage customers via loyalty programs and store apps,” said Apex CEO Kent Savage. “We are excited about the innovations on display at the NRF show. Our dedication to listening to the desires of our customers and providing solutions for what the marketplace needs today and into the future is the cornerstone of the Apex advantage,” Savage stated.
The Apex click & collect lockers are connected to a robust cloud-based technology platform called Apex Cloud. They easily integrate with and connect with an organization's existing e-commerce, point-of-sale systems (POS), mobile apps, Mobile Wallet, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and warehouse management system (WMS). Its actionable data gives retailers a view of their customer’s pick-up preferences, order processing, compartment utilization, across the enterprise or at a store level. This powerful platform has processed billions of transactions for diverse companies all around the world. “Our 2019 Holiday season numbers are still coming in but what we can share is our Axcess Click & Collect solutions processed hundreds of thousands of orders during this last holiday season,” concluded Savage.
In addition to the new UI options, Apex has expanded its Axcess Click & Collect Lockers to provide more capacity and flexibility, allowing for hundreds of different cabinet and compartment configurations which enable retailers to tailor the experience to their brand.
About Apex Supply Chain Technologies
Apex is the world’s leading provider of self-serve automated solutions for use in a variety of industries and applications including retail, foodservice and logistics industries. With world headquarters in Mason, Ohio, Apex has offices in Australia, Germany, Poland and the UK. To learn more, visit us online at our website on LinkedIn or on Twitter.


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Hereâ€™s Senator Kennedyâ€™s perspective:
"What we are looking at is the very rare circumstance. It would be used in the most limited kinds of circumstances, where the FDA â€¦ wants to give approval for a drug but is not sure and fears advertising will lead to massive use of the drugs.â€
But FDA already negotiates such circumstances. Thatâ€™s the key word, â€œnegotiate.â€ And itâ€™s not a finesse. Minus that word itâ€™s â€¦ unconstitutional.
And there are many people, far less holy than Senator Kennedy, who see this as the first step towards banning pharmaceutical advertising altogether.
Consider what a Consumer Reports analyst said, "We don't know, and we won't know, how truly safe a drug is until it's been used in millions of people. The real testing of these drugs takes place after a pill hits the market, and that's why the advertising needs to be regulated."
Drugwonks does not believe that less information makes anything or anyone safter.
Make no mistake â€“ this is a battle not only over the future role of the empowered health care consumer â€“ but for the First Amendment.
Others are now saying, based on this new negative momentum, that DTC television ads will need to be more than one minute long to appropriately convey fair balance and adequate provision.
But itâ€™s not a question of the time â€“ itâ€™s a question of the presentation. Can ads do a better job properly balancing risk and benefit? Most certainly. But itâ€™s not necessarily a question of â€œmoreâ€ as much as it is a question of â€œbetter.â€ And that means the FDA and industry (along with their advertising agencies) need better social science to determine how to best communicate such information to consumers.
Sounds like a good opening assignment for the agencyâ€™s new advisory committee on risk communications.
If we truly want to create a situation where our medicines are â€œsaferâ€ we must learn how to better communicate risk and benefit â€“ not limit it.
Otherwise the empowered health care consumer might very well be gone in 60 seconds.


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For the first time in 2016, eMarketer expects the majority (51.2%) of adult mobile phone users in the US to use mobile banking.
Archives for March 11, 2015
US advertisers will spend $19.02 billion on magazine ads in 2015, up just 0.9% from 2014.
The US magazine audience grew 9.3% between December 2013 and December 2014, from 1.43 billion to 1.59 billion.
As viewability rates experienced a strong increase in Q4 2014, US video ad completion rates while in-view did, too, rising 6 percentage points from Q3 2014 to 26.0%.


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Twitter is on fire – and even Dictionary.com – with people criticizing Forbes’ new magazine cover dubbing reality TV star Kylie Jenner as a “self-made” almost-billionaire.
Forbes released its August issue of 2018’s “America’s Women Billionaires” on Wednesday and was immediately met with a barrage of comments on Twitter slamming the outlet for calling the youngest daughter of the “Keeping Up with Kardashians” dynasty a “self-made” woman.
Dictionary.com was the first to criticize the use of the word, tweeting, “Self-made means having succeeded in life unaided.”
Self-made means having succeeded in life unaided.
Used in a sentence: Forbes says that Kylie Jenner is a self-made woman. https://t.co/sr8Ncd7s5A https://t.co/ehEL7Cf6KV
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) July 11, 2018
That tweet, however struck a chord with Twitter users, generating more than 100,000 likes and 40,000 retweets. One user described calling Kylie Jenner a “self-made billionaire” is “like claiming you made soup from scratch because you opened a can and reheated.”
“Self-made”? Really? It’s easy to become a billionaire when you’re parents are millionaires…It’s called generational wealth + nepotism.
Try Oprah Winfrey, who was raised on a small Mississippi farm by her grandmother, for self-made *whispers Kylie also isn’t a billionaire yet* pic.twitter.com/UQGrJxno8z
— Shelby Ivey Christie (@bronze_bombSHEL) July 11, 2018
Jenner, who is the younger sister of Kim Kardashian West, created her own cosmetic line – Kylie Cosmetics – in 2015 with $250,000 of her own money that she made through modeling gigs. Her company is now worth an estimated $800 million and she owns 100% of it.
Additionally, the 20-year-old made another $100 million through other revenue streams including her appearances on her family’s reality show and other social media endorsements. Jenner has more than 110 million followers on Instagram.
Forbes did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment on the backlash.
The post Forbes Faces Backlash Over Dubbing Kylie Jenner ‘Self-Made’ Almost-Billionaire appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
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Tickets on sale now
Houston Fashion Week is set: Project Runway winners & up-and-comers plan Octobercatwalk debut
Talk about making an entrance. After much chatter and speculation, Fashion Houston is set to unveil plans for five days of runway shows and parties Oct. 11-15 at Wortham Theater Center. The mix of designers ranges from Project Runway winners and up-and-coming talents to a handful of established names, all of whom, organizers hope, will raise Houston’s reputation as a fashion hotspot.
Event organizer and Momentum Audi General Manager Jared Lang is spearheading the week of fashion shows and started planning the event last October.
“We are a grassroots effort, but we wanted to grow the image of Houston as a talented city,” Lang said.
To that end, the city is well-represented by designers Cesar Galindo, Toni Whitaker, David Peck, Elaine Turner and Chloe Dao, all of whom hail from Houston. Lynn Wyatt, an ideal style representative, is also involved in the event, which says a lot since she has attended her share of New York and Paris fashion shows and is close friends with designers Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino.
Lang confirmed Project Runway winners Christian Siriano and Irina Shabayeva are showing as well as Lauren Bush, Kiton, Lela Rose, and Lyn Devon and a special presentation by Net-a-Porter.
Tickets start at $35 for standing-room-only and climb to $250, which grants seating on the first three rows and access to VIP parties. Audi, The Four Seasons and Laura Mercier have all signed on as sponsors and Lang said Laura Mercier will be heavily involved in the VIP party scene. While the fashion shows will take place in the Wortham, a tent will be erected in Fish Plaza to hold lounges and pop-up shops.
With the exception of a Fashion Houston press conference in June, details have been scant regarding the shows, schedules and designers and the emergence of a secondary group, HFIG Houston Fashion Week 2010, added to the confusion. Lang said he wanted to the dust to settle before releasing event information.
“There have been some scheduling changes and some designer changes and we have moved some things around and added another night, but now we are 90 percent ready,” Lang said. “The other group is not affiliated with us, but we applaud them for their efforts and maybe next year we can do something together.”
Dao is leading the pack of Houston designers with an announcement party at her Rice Village store, Lot 8, Thursday from 7-9 p.m. She will dish on designers, the schedule and even give hints about her own collection. There will also be an opportunity for party-goers to win two VIP tickets and two backstage passes to one of the shows.
So with the countdown to Fashion Houston started and tickets on sale, one question remains. What to wear?


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For those who have already ordered a wedding dress, you might have no choice but to buy a dress for the event.
But, as the price of dresses continues to rise, some brands are making a comeback to cater to the growing demand for more elegant wedding dresses.
The Royal Family is no exception, as it has been selling its royal wedding gowns for nearly 20 years.
With the royal wedding trend set to continue, many brands have started to make the transition to more stylish dresses, which are now available online.
But, if you want a royal gown that will go down well with the royal family, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before you order.
“We’ve made some adjustments for the past couple of years to make sure we’ve got a product that people will really enjoy and they’ll feel comfortable buying,” says Ashley Lattner, senior fashion and fashion merchandising specialist at the Royal Family.
Lattner says she’s made the decision to keep the dress price at $250 per dress, but the dress has been available for more than 20 years now, and some of the dresses have been upgraded.
The dress also comes with a complimentary, personalized bouquet.
“The dress itself is a very nice gown,” says Lattners.
“It’s one that people are going to be very, very excited about.
But the dress is also a beautiful piece of work, so we’re going to do a couple of things to make it even more appealing.”
Lattners has seen a lot of demand for the gown.
“I’ve seen a few customers come in and say, ‘I was just looking for a more elegant dress,'” she says.
“They wanted something that was a little more elegant.”
Lately, the dresses are also available online in more designer fabrics, such as silk, satin, and ivory.
“I don’t know how much more we can sell,” says Jacqueline Crampton, fashion director of the Royal Household.
“We have a huge amount of fabrics and fabrics that we can’t sell.”
Crampton says the royal household has made the choice to keep its dresses affordable and to focus on their quality.
“The dresses are great,” she says, “but I think the real message is that we’re trying to offer the best dress we can for as many people as possible.”
For those who are just looking to add an extra sparkle to their day, Latters advice is to choose a gown that’s a little different from the ones that have been available in the past.
“When you’re choosing a gown, it’s important to remember that you want to be able to wear it and be able enjoy it in a way that suits you,” she advises.
“When it comes to a gown or a dress, if it’s going to go down a little bit better than the one that you were expecting, then it’s probably worth it.”


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Quick Note: Google's Sergey Brin Trash Talks Smartphones, Praises Google Glass
February 28, 2013 11:47 AM
comment(s) - last by
Brin said smartphones are "emasculating"
yesterday, according to Google.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who appeared at the TED stage yesterday, explained that smartphones don't allow their users to interact enough with the outside world, and even called them "emasculating." People walk around with their faces buried in their smartphone's screen and swipe at a piece of glass.
"Is this the way you're meant to interact with other people?" asked Brin. "It's kind of emasculating. Is this what you're meant to do with your body?
"When we started Google 15 years ago, my vision was that information would come to you as you need it. You wouldn't have to search query at all."
According to Brin,
-- a hands-free, voice-activated headset with augmented reality features -- is that vision materialized. Brin showed Google Glass off at TED, saying it's the way people were meant to interact with one another while still using digital technology.
Google Glass is being offered to early adopters right now for a steep price of $1,500.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Google Glass.....
2/28/2013 6:13:05 PM
So whoever voted this down, do you have an issue with someone actually having a discussion on this forum? Seems I said exactly what a majority of others here are saying, essentially that it looks to be the foundation of something that could be really great. Or do you just think in its infancy this is the best sh!t you ever saw and how dare someone challenge that notion?
"The whole principle [of censorship] is wrong. It's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't have steak." -- Robert Heinlein
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A North Lynn supermarket is under threat as owners start a consultation to move its operations to an out-of-town site.
Asda has started a consultation to shut its store in St Nicholas Retail Park, Edward Benefer Way, and move its staff over to the branch in Langley Road, South Wootton.
The company says the store has been under-performing and that the “economics of retail in this area don’t add up”.
The North Lynn store was bought two years ago as part of a £778 million deal to take over 194 Netto branches.
An Asda spokeswoman said: “The decision to explore closing the store has not been taken lightly. We’re in the business of opening stores - and will open more by the end of this year. However, the economics of retail in this location just doesn’t stack up.
“We are in consultation with the colleagues that work across the store and our aim is to give all affected employees jobs in other local Asda stores.”
She said the firm aims to redeploy all of the affected staff into the South Wootton store but is holding a consultation with staff.
News of the possible closure has been met with disappointment .
Loke Road Fish bar owner Wayne Simper said: “It is not good to see empty shops in a retail park, especially not a big shop. We want the area to be thriving rather than moving everything to the other side of town.”


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A patent troll by the name of Penovia LLC has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. The lawsuit claims that Apple's iPad infringes their acquired patent that's about a maintenance technique that monitors office machine status without personal attention. This is the typical type of case that the Federal Trade Commission is now studying to find ways to assist tech companies from having to waste their time fighting such suits.
In December Congress overwhelmingly passed the "Innovation Act" bill aimed at discouraging frivolous lawsuits by patent holders. The move was backed by companies like Apple, IBM, Cisco and Google. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte sponsored the bill which won strong bipartisan support in passing by a 325-91 vote. We're now learning that the Senate Bill Targeting Patent Trolls is on the Fast Track.
MAZ Encryption Technologies, a document security firm, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. The patent infringement lawsuit concerns Apple's iOS security system and architecture. This is their second patent infringement lawsuit against Apple in the past year. This time around, the lawsuit extends to security technology behind Apple's new iPhone biometric security feature Touch ID.
On the February 15 we reported that IPCom who was suing Apple for US$2.2 billion dollars was seeking documents from Apple in a California Subpoena. It was reported at the time that Samsung and Google lawyers were to represent the licensing firm against Apple. Well, that didn't help any being that the German Court threw out the case today finding that there was no infringement.
More than 100,000 companies were threatened in 2012 alone with infringement suits by businesses whose sole mission is to extract royalty revenue, according to a White House report. Those entities, called pejoratively "patent trolls" by critics, filed 19 percent of all patent lawsuits from 2007 to 2011, according to the Government Accountability Office. In December, the U.S. overwhelmingly passed the "Innovation Act" against patent trolls. Today in Washington, the justices debated how best to deter meritless suits as they weighed in on the rules that govern fee awards in patent litigation. Apple and Google are among the companies urging the court to lower the bar for fee awards.
New out of Shanghai today states that Apple is suing a Chinese government agency and a domestic company by the name of Zhizhen over patent rights for its "Siri" personal assistant. The Beijing Number one Intermediate People's Court will hear the case on Thursday
Patent Assertion EntityTLI Communications has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. The patent infringement lawsuit concerns Apple products and processes that are used to capture, upload, store and organize the digital images it receives from mobile devices having telephones.
It was reported this week that patent holding company IPCom, based in Munich, has sued mobile-device makers globally over mobile technology it acquired from Robert Bosch GmbH in 2007 to collect license fees. The company is now specifically suing Apple for 1.57 Billion Euro (US $2.2 Billion). FOSS Patents interestingly noted that Samsung and Google lawyers are to represent the licensing firm against Apple. Bloomberg's report noted that "Apple's lawyer Wolrad Prinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont argued the language of the patent is restricted to one bit while the 3G standard uses three bits. The court shouldn't allow an interpretation that goes beyond the actual language the patent was granted for." Patently Apple has now learnt that IPCom has filed an ex parte for an order in California allowing them to obtain targeted discovery from Apple to be used in their case in Germany. Our report provides you with an overview of IPCom's filing.
Late last night, the Northern District of California Judge Lucy Koh, the federal judge presiding over the Apple vs. Samsung trials, denied Samsung's request for a retrial in their patent dispute with Apple, but also chastised Apple's lawyers for making the Korean firm's "foreignness" an issue in closing remarks to the jury.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. The patent infringement lawsuit concerns Apple's newest A7 processor and the products that it powers.
Texas base patent troll Hilltop Technology LLC has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. The patent infringement lawsuit concerns Apple's iPad Air and other Apple devices using a capacitive touch display.
The Penn State Research Foundation has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, and Samsung Display Co., Ltd.).
Late yesterday, Judge Lucy Koh, the federal judge presiding over two Apple v. Samsung patent cases in the Northern District of California, issued a summary judgment order which found Samsung's Android-based devices to infringe an Apple patent on word recommendations (autocomplete) and declared a Samsung patent on multimedia synchronization invalid.
In June 2013 there was a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Cellular Communications Equipment LLC against HTC, LG, ZTE, BlackBerry and Pantech. The patents in that suit which originated with Nokia and Siemens Networks were noted as being owned by Acacia, a patent licensing firm. Cellular Communications Equipment (CCE), a subsidiary of Acacia, is now setting their legal eyes squarely on Apple in a new lawsuit that includes the wireless carriers who redistribute Apple's iPhones (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile USA and others.). Interestingly, four out of the five patents in this lawsuit are associated with essential patents used by the 3GPP member organization. In today's report we provide you with an overview of the lawsuit while providing you with all of the important links back to each of the patents noted in this case for the legal minds amongst us who wish to delve into each of the patent claims that are noted in all five counts against Apple.


text:
Marietta, Ga — Body Training Systems (BTS) signed agreements with The Alaska Club and MVP Sports Clubs to partner in supplying branded group fitness programs, the company recently announced. Both The Alaska Club and MVP Sports Clubs have committed to running BTS' full group fitness system and becoming BTS Platinum Elite.
“We are planning for strong expansion and see BTS being a valuable relationship that will assist us at being the best we can be,” says Robert Brewster, CEO of The Alaska Club, which operates 17 health and fitness clubs in Alaska.
MVP Sports Clubs owns and operates seven state-of-the-art fitness and sports facilities in Orlando and Michigan.
“Rich's team of 70 people and 30 years industry experience was a key factor for us,” says Michael Kigin, MVP Sports Clubs vice president of operations. “We feel our shared philosophies of focusing completely on creating a world-class customer experience are perfectly paired. We are confident that our partnership will greatly enhance our group fitness experience and positively impact retention.”


text:
Toy trade show unveils hot holiday toysPosted: Updated:
PHOENIX -- It may be hard to even think about the holiday season in the midst of our triple-digit temperatures. But you can bet that toy manufacturers are already rolling out what are sure to be the hottest toys for next Christmas!
3TV's Heidi Goitia gave us a sneak peak at some of those hot items at a toy trade show going on in Phoenix this weekend.
The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) 2014 Annual Convention & Expo is underway at the Phoenix Convention Center. Top-sellers include everything from chemistry sets to costumes to craft kits.
Kathleen Tomes of Brilliant Kids Products showed off some innovative ideas, like non-toxic "play tape", which allows you to can make your own roadways for your matchbox cars. "Basically you can roll out your world," says Tomes. One looks like a train track, one looks like a street, etc.
"Magformers" are also a must-have.
Eco-friendly is one of the buzzwords for the toys this year. "That's a big movement we're seeing," says Tomes. "Also, inspiring creativity."
ASTRA has picked all this year's top toys for all ages for the 2014 holiday season. For a complete list, visit ASTRA's website.


text:
Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off on Monday, June 10 at 10:00 AM PDT (13:00 PM EDT, 18:00 PM GMT). With just a few days to go, it's time to take a look at all the rumours that have been swirling around, and to speculate on those that are the most likely.
When the company announced the conference in April, it was mentioned that "new versions of iOS and OS X" will be revealed, naturally referring to iOS 7 and OS X 10.9. Whilst many would look forward to a hardware launch, Apple's move to adjust its iPhone launches later in the year means it's far from likely. WWDC 2013 is expected to focus primarily on software.
It's almost certain iOS 7 will make its debut at WWDC. We know that Jony Ive has led the team to rethink the design and usability of company's mobile OS, and if leaked photos are anything to go by, it's clear Apple are moving towards a 'flatter' interface, favoured by platforms such as Windows Phone. Since its release alongside the original iPhone in 2007, users have complained that the company's mobile OS is 'stale'. Given the advent of Windows Phone 8 and Android 4.2 'Jelly Bean', Apple's 5x4 grid of app icons have, for many users, become unfit for purpose.
With Live Tiles on Windows Phone and widgets on Android, a simple grid of icons provides far less interactivity than on rival platforms, leading many to abandon their iPhones in favour of cheaper devices with larger screens, faster processors and more advanced operating systems. It has been reported iOS 7 will include a flatter, cleaner design, as well as the possibility of native Flickr and Vimeo integration.
The demand is clearly there, given that tickets for WWDC 2013 sold out in 1 minute 40 seconds, netting the company $89,000/second in ticket sales; almost 160x their normal revenue speed through hardware and content sales. Initially there were reports that the company were having difficulties in getting the software ready for the advent, however more recent reports, and the suggestions on the WWDC tickets themselves, show that this shouldn't be an issue.
OS X 10.9
Also expected at WWDC 2013 is the next major iteration of Apple's desktop operating system, OS X 10.9. As with the 2012 release of OS X Mountain Lion, developers were expecting previews beginning around February ahead of a late summer release, however no such announcement has been made.
Rumours surrounding OS X 10.9 have been far more sparse than those surrounding iOS 7, although it has been reported by MacRumors that the next update to OS X will include Siri and Maps integration, as well as enhancements to Finder and Safari, Multiple Monitor Support and updated multitasking functionality. Job postings up on the Apple site additionally show that the company is interested in integrating the technology further into its products.
Given the reported issues the company was having in getting iOS 7 ready on time, Apple had also reportedly been pulling in OS X engineers in order to assist the process. The Loop's Jim Dalrymple corroborated this with a simple "Yep." It's unclear whether this has made any difference to the features available to show off at WWDC, though.
It's been reported Apple's notebooks are likely to receive a refresh at Monday's WWDC. After Intel announced its 4th generation of 'Core' processors on Tuesday, it seems increasingly likely that the Mac lineup will be taking them on reasonably soon.
Notebooks appear to be the likely candidates for an update, becoming the main hardware upgrade seen at the conference. 9to5Mac reported on Monday that new model numbers had leaked, hinting at notebook updates in the immediate future.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a reliable track record over the past few years, has suggested that internal updates with the inclusion of Haswell chips may not be the extent we'll see at WWDC, with the possibility of a slimmer 13" Retina MacBook Pro, MacRumors reports:
We expect the 13" Retina MacBook Pro will have a slightly slimmer form factor for increasing its portability. Also we think the camera spec will be upgraded from 720p HD to full HD. This will improve FaceTime and video conference quality in the high resolution Retina display.
With regards to the MacBook Air, the analyst believes that dual built-in microphones will be introduced, as seen on the Retina MacBook Pro last year:
We forecast that this year's new MacBook Air model ail also have dual built-in microphones as a result of positive feedback on this feature in Retina MacBook Pro, which delivers clear voice quality on FaceTime and VoIP service.
Apple creating a iTunes-based streaming service has long been in the rumour mill. Competing with online radio services like Pandora and streaming packages like Google Play Music All-Access and Spotify, 'iRadio' would tap into the company's iAd service to generate revenue, whilst keeping the service free for users. This business model would prove highly attractive for users and advertisers, and has the potential to knock existing streaming services off the top spot.
Back in April it was reported that Apple were closing deals with major music labels in order to release a service informally dubbed 'iRadio'. Recently the company were alleged to have signed a deal with Warner Music in order to unveil the service at WWDC, the New York Times reported earlier this week.
Apple aren't known for unveiling products before they're happy with them ("what about Maps?"...I hear you say), so we can't be entirely sure if 'iRadio' will make an appearance at the conference. As with the rumoured iWatch, Apple would likely hold a dedicated press event for an entirely new product.
It is unclear yet whether Apple intends to offer a live stream of the event, as it has done in previous years, however Neowin will cover all major releases from the event on Monday. Again, WWDC 2013 kicks off at 10:00 AM PDT (13:00 PM EDT, 18:00 PM GMT).
Images via TheTechBlock, Apple


text:
Online gamers in China may soon have their fun cut short if a new timing system set to be tested in October becomes part of a mandatory software standard expected from the government later this year.
BEIJING (The Hollywood Reporter) -- Online gamers in China may soon have their fun cut short if a new timing system set to be tested in October becomes part of a mandatory software standard expected from the government later this year.
"This timing mechanism can prevent young people from becoming addicted to online games," said Kou Xiaowei, deputy director of the Press & Publications Administration. The PPA is one of several Chinese government bodies that oversee online publishing.
Seven of China's biggest online game publishers, including Nasdaq-newcomer Shanda Entertainment, have pledged to "sacrifice short-term revenue" from the 11 games to be tested in order to create a "healthy environment" for online gaming, a PPA spokeswoman said.
Shanda did not reply to requests for comment.
China's online population of 103 million is the world's second largest after the United States, and its online gaming market is increasingly lucrative. China's online gamers, mostly males between 14 and 24 years old, spent about 4 billion yuan ($493 million) on their Internet alter egos in the first six months of this year, the official Xinhua news agency reported in July.
Rapid growth in Internet use has sparked government concern about the addiction to "massively multiplayer online role-playing games," known as MMORPGs, which allow thousands of users to interact with one another in a virtual world using instant messaging to communicate.
A clinic to treat Internet addiction has opened in a military hospital in Beijing, authorities regularly shut down illegal Internet cafes, and the PPA and five other government agencies recently joined together to restrict imports of foreign entertainment media, including online games.
Meanwhile, China plans to invest 15 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) within the next three years to speed the development of the domestic online gaming industry, Yu Yongzhan, another PPA deputy director, said in July.
The new timing system is due to be tested for 20 days beginning Oct. 1, at the start of a weeklong holiday in China.
Counted among the often violent games in the test are several that originated with programmers outside China. The new timing system will issue players a warning at three hours, then limit their ability to increase their score and collect prizes.
After five hours of play, the system will erase all scores and prizes but will not disconnect players automatically. If players continue to play after five hours the system will continue to restrict their ability to raise their scores and win prizes.
The planned test will include Shanda's "The Legend of Mir II" and "The World of Legend," NetEase's "Westward Journey Online" and "Fantasy Westward Journey Online," The9's "World of Warcraft" and "MU," Kingsoft's "JX Online" and "First Myth Online, Optisp's "The Legend of Mir 3G," SINA's "Lineage II" and Sohu's "Blade Online."
The proposed timing system is expected to be mandated for all MMORPGs in China later this year or in early 2006, the PPA spokeswoman said.


text:
In response to the looting of a food store near Abuja, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has announced increased security measures at its warehouses nationwide.
The incident occurred over the weekend when hundreds of people looted a warehouse in Gwagwa, on the outskirts of Abuja, highlighting the social unrest triggered by rising prices and economic challenges.
While the NEMA clarified that the looted warehouse did not belong to them, the agency expressed its commitment to enhancing security nationwide at its offices and warehouses.
The move aims to prevent similar incidents and safeguard essential supplies.
The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Mariya Mahmoud, confirmed the looting and described it as a crime “beyond hunger.”
She emphasized the need to reinforce security around all warehouses, acknowledging the challenges posed by the country’s economic crisis.
The looting incident comes amid nationwide protests against soaring living costs, with thousands of Nigerians participating in demonstrations organized by the Nigeria Labour Congress.
The economic crisis, exacerbated by removing fuel subsidies and currency controls, has led to a significant spike in living costs, with inflation reaching nearly 30% in January.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who implemented the reforms, has called for patience, stating that the measures will attract foreign investment.
However, the impact on citizens has been severe, forcing many to skip meals and cope with food shortages.


text:
The protective cases of Mi 12, Mi 12 Pro, and Mi 12 Ultra have been leaked online. These cases also show the camera positions of three Xiaomi smartphones. According to previous reports, this sugges
Puede obtener cualquier radio para coche aleatoria, pero si está buscando el consejo de unexperto para elegir mejor para sus necesidades, entonces ha llegado en el lugar Correcto.
The superstar recalled earlier when the exit/entry of the new debut gave a struggling troubadour a break, excerpted from "Exit/Enter: Fifty Years and Counting".
Earlier this fall, Exit/In, on
Caroline Clauson / Released on December 3, 2021
On November 23, volunteers from the National Aerospace Intelligence Center took a group photo in front of the food bank truck.
The luxury car market has been growing in India. Luxury car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have been launching new and updated models for our market. The popularity of luxury car
Efforts are being made to support the existing city regulations, which govern mobile business/temporary merchants, hawkers and lawyers.
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The development of the next-generation Honda Civic Type R has entered the final stage, and the newly released image shows the hot hatch that will be tested at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
Denver (CBS4)-A mobile truck was shown at the State Capitol on Tuesday, which can help street dwellers get rid of drug addiction. Lieutenant Dianne Primavera, Governor, welcomes the endorsement of