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On Thursday, March 16, Microsoft is planning to reveal more of its grand scheme for implementing AI chatbot ChatGPT’s features into yet more aspects of our lives – specifically, how the tech firm has big plans to “reinvent productivity with AI”.
Besides being utterly meaningly corporate marketing jargon, this notion of ‘reinventing productivity’ is concerning at best, especially since we don’t know what it actually entails yet. Speculation is rife that Microsoft plans to integrate ChatGPT into the Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) software suite, along with the Dynamics 365 suite for enterprise use.
This comes hot on the heels of Microsoft shoving the chatbot into almost everything it owns. Starting out with the integration of ChatGPT into Bing and following rapidly with AI-powered additions to Skype and the Windows 11 taskbar, Microsoft has been going hard when it comes to AI in its software.
We had already speculated about the ways in which ChatGPT could transform Microsoft’s consumer software suite, so it’s not like this is a huge surprise. However, I’m worried about the whole prospect; Microsoft is rushing into its AI implementation plan, and it’s going to cause more problems than it solves.
The AI arms race
Microsoft’s apparent desire to shoehorn AI features into yet more of its products is likely a response to competitor Salesforce’s own moves in partnering up with ChatGPT creator OpenAI to bring the chatbot to Slack (as well as Snapchat introducing its own AI chatbot) This sort of reactionary decisionmaking is rarely a wise move, especially when it involves AI.
We’re witnessing a real-time arms race to cram AI tech into every aspect of our lives, and I wouldn’t trust Microsoft (or any huge tech company, like Google or Meta) to be the harbingers of this chatbot renaissance. Right now, Microsoft is demonstrating a lack of caution when it comes to ChatGPT and AI in general, especially since it’s a space yet to see serious regulation from major governments.
I will admit that AI coming to the 365 suite is actually a much less horrible idea than, say, letting ChatGPT make video content. The ability to ask ChatGPT something simple like ‘add some animations to my PowerPoint presentation’ or ‘reformat this text document as a letter’ is both useful and relatively non-threatening – though the potential for Microsoft Word to simply write content for you is a bit concerning, especially for the academic space.
I’m not saying that ChatGPT being added to these tools is going to ruin our lives, but it has issues – and I’m definitely not convinced that Microsoft is taking all the right precautions here. This is a situation where caution will be rewarded; Google isn’t letting people get up close and personal with its new AI just yet, and Microsoft themselves had to limit the Bing chatbots replies after a whole load of weirdness from the AI. Charging ahead with more AI tools right now? Not a good look.
Twitter-based leaker @PhantomOfEarth pointed out @XenoPanther’s discovery of a bunch of strings tucked away under the hood in build 25314 referring to taskbar grouping.
👀 More signs of a feature for choosing taskbar app grouping behavior/showing labels (in simple terms, never combine is returning) in 25314, could we finally see it soon? New strings:’Options to group similar windows on taskbar”Show labels on taskbar pins’ https://t.co/JN4XKSkIdAMarch 9, 2023
What does this mean? Well, it’s a tantalizing hint that as previously rumored, Microsoft is going to bring back the ‘never combine’ option when it comes to grouping apps on the taskbar.
In other words, rather than having multiple instances of the same app automatically grouped together on the taskbar (stacked vertically), you can have each of them separated into individual entries (horizontally) on the bar.
Elsewhere in build 25314, there are some minor tweaks, the most significant of those being a change to File Explorer, namely the addition of Access Keys. These are single keystroke shortcuts labeled by a single letter in the context menu of File Explorer – simply hit the relevant key to swiftly execute the command in question.
Furthermore, those using Azure Active Directory will now see recommendations for files they might find useful or relevant at the top of File Explorer Home.
Analysis: It seems like Microsoft is finally listening on the taskbar
When cooking up Windows 11, Microsoft made some mystifying decisions with the interface, leaving out some core bits of functionality seen in Windows 10, most notably with the taskbar. The ability to never combine (stack up) running instances of the same app was one of those features that got dropped.
To see a glimmer of hope that it might be inbound for the future, then, is certainly welcome. Although we still question exactly why it has taken so long for Microsoft to look at implementing this. And we must remember, this is only tinkering in the background in early testing for now – eventually it’s possible nothing could come of it, though we’re trying not to entertain that possibility, frankly. The lack of this feature is a deal-breaker for us, personally, in Windows 11.
As for the other notable taskbar omissions Microsoft made with Windows 11, drag-and-drop support was returned to the bar not so long ago. And in the future, we may also see the resurrection of the ability to move the taskbar from the bottom of the screen to the sides or top. (Currently, it’s locked down at the foot of the screen for Windows 11 users, whereas those on Windows 10 can move it around, of course).
So, it seems that Microsoft is slowly rethinking and reversing course on its taskbar philosophy with Windows 11, and frankly, it’s about time. Especially given all the feedback and voices shouting about these bits of functionality being stripped away for no good reason – not that we can think of, anyway. And don’t give us any excuses about streamlining or simplifying the UI, these can be options in Settings that no one who’s bothered about this sort of thing ever has to look at.
In short, Microsoft, please keep going along this path of reversal, because, you know, we’d like to get back to a Windows 10 level of functionality with the taskbar, if that’s okay?
WhatsApp could soon be adding expiration dates to group chats so you no longer have to deal with so much clutter in your inbox.
If you open up your Whatsapp right now we expect you’ll find a backlog of defunct chats for group projects that have long been handed in, coordinating for events that happened years ago, and communicating with school friends you haven’t seen in a decade. Most of these you'd probably long forgotten about, with the unnecessary chats clogging up your smartphone’s storage with messages and images from chats you no longer need.
According to a leak, WhatsApp is set to get a feature that will help unclog your inbox called 'Expiring Groups' (via WaBetaInfo). If the feature is added you should find it on the group’s info page; using it you’ll then be able to set when you’ll be prompted to 'clean up' the group choosing either one day, one week, or a custom date. You could also remove the group’s expiration date.
Based on the leaked screenshot, each user would have to set their own expiration date for the group, and it looks like WhatsApp won’t automatically delete the group. Instead, it will seemingly remind you that it might be time to leave the group or delete it, but the decision will be yours.
We’d suggest taking this news with a pinch of salt, though. WaBetaInfo has noted that the Expiring Groups feature is still in development – so not only is it apparently not ready for a full release, it’ll likely be some time before the feature makes its way to the WhatsApp beta. As such there’s a chance we’ll never see the feature launch – the developers could decide to scrap it – or by the time Expiring Groups launches, it could function differently.
You don’t have to wait for this Expiring Groups feature to launch if you want to remove old WhatsApp groups. In your Inbox long press on the chat you want to remove and then tap the menu button in the corner (the three dots) that appears, then Exit Group. Alternatively, you can Archive the chat so that it’s no longer in your Inbox but you can return to the chat later if you choose to.
Some of the most popular Google Workspace apps are set to look rather different following the rollout of a new design scheme from the company.
Users of the likes of Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides will soon start seeing a refresh as the company's “Material You” design expands to its office software.
As well as cosmetic changes, the upgrade will also bring some new features for users, including a redesigned Google Docs toolbar and a streamlined design interface across the apps.
Google Workspace changes
“In the coming weeks, you’ll notice a new look and feel for Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides on the web,” a Google Workspace blog post announcing the news noted. “Following the release of Google Material Design 3, the refreshed user interface is purposefully designed to streamline core collaboration journeys across our products.”
“These key visual and interactive design changes will help you get your best work done faster by emphasizing the tools within our products used most frequently.”
Inspired by Google’s Material Design 3, the company says the refresh provides some of its most popular tools with a more modern look that will deliver a simpler, more streamlined UI that helps users work more efficiently.
Some of the more obvious changes users will spot include the new Google Docs toolbar, which is now a long “pill” shape that is not just thicker, but also stretches across your browser window. There are more precise options to make your text size bigger or smaller by a single point (rather than by 2x or more) and a number of new dropdown menus that group together similar functions into a single location, such as paragraph formatting.
The ubiquitous “share” button is also a softer, more rounded design, and in a lighter blue/green/yellow shade depending on which program you are using, and the button to start a Google Meet call directly from a document has been simplified from a multi-color option to a basic camera image.
Elsewhere, the status information (including last edit and version history) is now gathered in a single clock-face icon in the top-right hand corner, and there is an improved interface for setting rulers and gridlines.
The changes are rolling out now, and will be available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers, and users with personal Google accounts.
Microsoft has deployed a new version of its Bing chatbot (v96) featuring improvements to make the AI smarter in a couple of key areas – and a big change has been flagged up as imminent, too.
Mikhail Parakhin, who heads up the Advertising and Web Services division at Microsoft, shared this info on Twitter (via MS Power User).
OK, it took longer than we initially expected, but finally Bing Chat v96 is fully in production. Give it a try! Now, onto fully shipping the tri-toggle…February 28, 2023
So, what’s new with v96? Parakhin explains that users of the ChatGPT-powered Bing will now experience a ‘significant’ reduction in the number of times that the AI simply refuses to reply to a query.
There will also be “reduced instances of hallucination in answers” apparently, which is industry lingo meaning that the chatbot will produce fewer mistakes and inaccuracies when responding to users. In short, we should see less misinformation being imparted by the chatbot, and there have been some worrying instances of that occuring recently.
The other major news Parakhin delivers is that the so-called tri-toggle, known more formally as the Bing Chat Mode selector – featuring three settings to switch between different personalities of the AI Bing – is set to go live in the “next couple of days” we’re told.
Analysis: Long and winding road ahead
The ability to switch between a trio of personalities is the big change for the Bing chatbot, and to hear that it’s imminent is exciting stuff for those who have been engaging with the AI thus far.
As detailed previously, the trio of personalities available are labeled as Precise, Balanced, and Creative. The latter is set to provide a chattier experience, and Precise will offer a shorter, more typical ‘search result’ delivery, with Balanced being a middle road between the two. So, if you don’t like how the AI is responding to you, at least there will be choices to alter its behavior.
Various different versions of the Chat Mode selector have been tested, as you would imagine, and the final model has just been picked. This is now undergoing honing before release which should happen later this week as noted, but we’re guessing there’ll be plenty of further fine-tuning to be done post-release.
Certainly if the overall Bing AI experience has been anything to go by, as the whole project is, of course, still in its early stages, and Microsoft is chopping and changing things – sometimes in huge ways – seemingly without much caution.
The current tuning for v96 to ensure Bing doesn’t get confused and simply not reply will help make the AI a more pleasant virtual entity to interact with, and the same will hopefully be true for the ability to switch personalities.
At the very least, the Creative personality should inject some much-needed character back into the chatbot, which is what many folks want – because if the AI behaves pretty much like a search engine, then the project seems a bit dry and frankly in danger of being judged as pointless. After all, the entire drive of this initiative is to make Bing something different rather than just a traditional search experience.
It’s going to be a long road of tweaking for the Bing AI no doubt, and the next step after the personalities go live will likely be to lift that chat limit (which was imposed shortly after launch) to something a bit higher to allow for more prolonged conversations. If not the full-on rambles initially witnessed, the ones that got the chatbot into hot water for the oddities it produced…
ChatGPT has quickly become one of the most significant tech launches since the original Apple iPhone in 2007. The chatbot is now the fastest-growing consumer app in history, hitting 100 million users in only two months – but it's also a rapidly-changing AI shapeshifter, which can make it confusing and overwhelming.
That's why we've put together this regularly-updated explainer to answer all your burning ChatGPT questions. What exactly can you use it for? What does ChatGPT stand for? And when will it move to the next-gen GPT-4 model? We've answered all of these questions and more below. And no, ChatGPT wasn't willing to comment on all of them either.
In this guide, we'll mainly be covering OpenAI's own ChatGPT model, launched in November 2022. Since then, ChatGPT has sparked an AI arms race, with Microsoft using a form of the chatbot in its new Bing search engine and Microsoft Edge browser. Google has also quickly responded by announcing a chatbot, tentatively described as an “experimental conversational AI service”, called Google Bard.
These will be just the start of the ChatGPT rivals and offshoots, as OpenAI is offering an API (or application programming interface) for developers to build its skills into other programs. In fact, Snapchat has recently announced a chatbot 'called My AI' that runs on the latest version of OpenAI's tech.
For now, though, here are all of the ChatGPT basics explained – along with our thoughts on where the AI chatbot is heading in the near future.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that's built on a family of large language models (LLMs) that are collectively called GPT-3. These models can understand and generate human-like answers to text prompts, because they've been trained on huge amounts of data.
For example, ChatGPT's most recent GPT-3.5 model was trained on 570GB of text data from the internet, which OpenAI says included books, articles, websites, and even social media. Because it's been trained on hundreds of billions of words, ChatGPT can create responses that make it seem like, in its own words, “a friendly and intelligent robot”.
This ability to produce human-like, and frequently accurate, responses to a vast range of questions is why ChatGPT became the fastest-growing app of all time, reaching 100 million users in only two months. The fact that it can also generate essays, articles, and poetry has only added to its appeal (and controversy, in areas like education).
But early users have also revealed some of ChatGPT's limitations. OpenAI says that its responses “may be inaccurate, untruthful, and otherwise misleading at times”. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also admitted in December 2022 that the AI chatbot is “incredibly limited” and that “it's a mistake to be relying on it for anything important right now”. But the world is currently having a ball exploring ChatGPT and, despite the arrival of a paid ChatGPT Plus version, you can still use it for free.
What does ChatGPT stand for?
ChatGPT stands for “Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer”. Let's take a look at each of those words in turn.
The 'chat' naturally refers to the chatbot front-end that OpenAI has built for its GPT language model. The second and third words show that this model was created using 'generative pre-training', which means it's been trained on huge amounts of text data to predict the next word in a given sequence.
Lastly, there's the 'transformer' architecture, the type of neural network ChatGPT is based on. Interestingly, this transformer architecture was actually developed by Google researchers in 2017 and is particularly well-suited to natural language processing tasks, like answering questions or generating text.
ChatGPT was released as a “research preview” on November 30, 2022. A blog post casually introduced the AI chatbot to the world, with OpenAI stating that “we’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way”.
The interface was, as it is now, a simple text box that allowed users to answer follow-up questions. OpenAI said that the dialogue format, which you can now see in the new Bing search engine, allows ChatGPT to “admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests”.
ChatGPT is based on a language model from the GPT-3.5 series, which OpenAI says finished its training in early 2022. But OpenAI did also previously release earlier GPT models in limited form – its GPT-2 language model, for example, was announced in February 2019, but the company said it wouldn't release the fully-trained model “due to our concerns about malicious applications of the technology”.
OpenAI also released a larger and more capable model, called GPT-3, in June 2020. But it was the full arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022 that saw the technology burst into the mainstream.
How much does ChatGPT cost?
ChatGPT is still available to use for free, but now also has a paid tier. After growing rumors of a ChatGPT Professional tier, OpenAI said in February that it was introducing a “pilot subscription plan” called ChatGPT Plus in the US. A week later, it made the subscription tier available to the rest of the world.
ChatGPT Plus costs $ 20 p/month (around £17 / AU$ 30) and brings a few benefits over the free tier. It promises to give you full access to ChatGPT even during peak times, which is when you'll otherwise frequently see “ChatGPT is at capacity right now” messages during down times.
OpenAI says the ChatGPT Plus subscribers also get “faster response times”, which means you should get answers around three times quicker than the free version (although this is no slouch). And the final benefit is “priority access to new features and improvements”, like the experimental 'Turbo' mode that boosts response times even further.
It isn't clear how long OpenAI will keep its free ChatGPT tier, but the current signs are promising. The company says “we love our free users and will continue to offer free access to ChatGPT”. Right now, the subscription is apparently helping to support free access to ChatGPT. Whether that's something that continues long-term is another matter.
How does ChatGPT work?
ChatGPT has been created with one main objective – to predict the next word in a sentence, based on what's typically happened in the gigabytes of text data that it's been trained on.
Once you give ChatGPT a question or prompt, it passes through the AI model and the chatbot produces a response based on the information you've given and how that fits into its vast amount of training data. It's during this training that ChatGPT has learned what word, or sequence of words, typically follows the last one in a given context.
For a long deep dive into this process, we recommend setting aside a few hours to read this blog post from Stephen Wolfram (creator of the Wolfram Alpha search engine), which goes under the bonnet of 'large language models' like ChatGPT to take a peek at their inner workings.
But the short answer? ChatGPT works thanks to a combination of deep learning algorithms, a dash of natural language processing, and a generous dollop of generative pre-training, which all combine to help it produce disarmingly human-like responses to text questions. Even if all it's ultimately been trained to do is fill in the next word, based on its experience of being the world's most voracious reader.
What can you use ChatGPT for?
ChatGPT has been trained on a vast amount of text covering a huge range of subjects, so its possibilities are nearly endless. But in its early days, users have discovered several particularly useful ways to use the AI helper.
Other language-based tasks that ChatGPT enjoys are translations, helping you learn new languages (watch out, Duolingo), generating job descriptions, and creating meal plans. Just tell it the ingredients you have and the number of people you need to serve, and it'll rustle up some impressive ideas.
But ChatGPT is also equally talented at coding and productivity tasks. For the former, its ability to create code from natural speech makes it a powerful ally for both new and experienced coders who either aren't familiar with a particular language or want to troubleshoot existing code. Unfortunately, there is also the potential for it to be misused to create malicious emails and malware.
ChatGPT doesn't currently have an official app, but that doesn't mean that you can't use the AI tech on your smartphone. Microsoft released new Bing and Edge apps for Android and iOS that give you access to their new ChatGPT-powered modes – and they even support voice search.
The AI helper has landed on social media, too. Snapchat announced a new ChatGPT sidekick called 'My AI', which is designed to help you with everything from designing dinner recipes to writing haikus. It's based on OpenAI's latest GPT-3.5 model and is an “experimental feature” that's currently restricted to Snapchat Plus subscribers (which costs $ 3.99 / £3.99 / AU$ 5.99 a month).
OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman has confirmed that it's working on a successor to the GPT-3.5 language model used to create ChatGPT, and according to the New York Times this is GPT-4.
Despite the huge number of rumors swirling around GPT-4, there is very little confirmed information describing its potential powers or release date. Some early rumors suggested GPT-4 might even arrive in the first few months of 2023, but more recent quotes from Sam Altman suggest that could be optimistic.
For example, in an interview with StrictlyVC in February the OpenAI CEO said in response to a question about GPT-4 that “in general we are going to release technology much more slowly than people would like”.
He also added that “people are begging to be disappointed and they will be. The hype is just like… We don’t have an actual AGI and that’s sort of what’s expected of us.” That said, rumors from the likes of the New York Times have suggested that Microsoft's new Bing search engine is actually based on a version of GPT-4.
While GPT-4 is unlikely to bring anything as drastic as graphics or visuals to the text-only chatbot, it is expected to improve on the current ChatGPT's already impressive skills in areas like coding. We'll update this article as soon as we hear any more official news on the next-gen ChatGPT technology.
Google has announced that it's bringing end-to-end encryption to group chats in the Google Messages app. The security upgrade is heading to beta users first before being rolled out more widely.
End-to-end encryption means no one, not even Google, can read the content of messages. It's already supported in the Google Messages app for one-to-one chats, but now (via The Verge) it's going to be added to group conversations as well.
“End-to-end encryption is starting to roll out for group chats and will be available to some users in the open beta program over the coming weeks,” Google says. “This shouldn’t even be a thought – just an expectation and something anyone texting should not have to worry about.”
From SMS to RCS
In the same announcement blog post, Google revealed that the ability to quickly react to a message with any emoji is coming to Google Messages soon as well. At the moment, only a selection of emojis can be used as reactions.
Alongside a mention of these new features, Google also continued to push hard for RCS (Rich Communication Services) to become the new standard for everyone – the technology, an upgrade on SMS, is now widely available but has yet to be adopted by Apple on its iPhones.
Google's post also acknowledged the 30th anniversary of the SMS, a milestone which emphasizes how old the technology is as well as how overdue we now are for a standard that can fully replace it.
Analysis: SMS should really be history
The arrival of SMS three decades ago helped to transform the way that we communicate with each other – even if the messages were limited in terms of characters, and many phones could only store a limited number of texts at any one time.
Now, apps like WhatsApp and Slack have taken us far, far beyond those limitations. Messages can be much longer and include photos, videos or audio, and we can even tell when recipients have opened up the messages we send them.
It's benefits like these that make RCS a worthwhile upgrade, improving the security of messages and making features such as group chats much better. Google didn't create the standard, but it is heavily promoting it.
However, whenever an iPhone user texts an Android user, SMS is still the protocol used. Google wants that to change, but it's unlikely that Apple ever will – Apple knows that iMessage is one of the key reasons that people stick with iPhones.
It seems that Apple forgot about the A13 Bionic processor that powers its own Studio Display, as a recent firmware update caused the monitor to malfunction.
On April 8, Apple stopped signing iOS update 15.4 after it pushed down update 15.4.1 on March 30. Normally when an update stops signing, it’s not available anymore and can no longer be installed. But since Studio Display uses 15.4 and cannot install 15.4.1, this meant that over the weekend users were out of luck.
According to MacWorld, anyone with issues using the monitor was met with a message stating: “Apple Studio Display firmware update could not be completed. Try again in an hour. If the problem persists, contact an authorized Apple service provider.”
As of April 10, Apple has fixed the issue and users have reported that the firmware update was installed without a hitch. However, the tech giant will most likely need to overhaul the signing and un-signing of iOS updates since multiple products require various versions to operate.
This isn’t the first time the Apple Studio Display needed a fix. Soon after its launch, the monitor received an update in order to fix the low quality of its webcam, as reported by multiple outlets such as TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal.
Analysis: the perils of an ecosystem
When you have a whole lot of products that are supposed to work with each other seamlessly, but they aren't running on the same system, problems are bound to pop up.
While Apple is known for a very tight product catalog that keeps the number of models currently being sold to a fairly lean lineup, Apple has been expanding its offerings in recent years.
Whether it's the Apple HomePod, the recent Apple AirPods 3, or any number of its MacBook and Mac products, Apple is having to juggle a lot more discrete systems that are supposed to work without the user even really thinking about it. It's kind of Apple's thing, so while it's kind of funny to think that Apple accidentally nerfed its own high-end workstation monitor by mistake, it's also symptomatic of a growing number of interlocking products where it becomes harder to predict what any single change to the system will have.
While Apple typically runs a tight ship, we wouldn't be surprised if we saw more of this kind of thing in the future.


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Zynga took a nasty little hit to its second quarter earnings by barely breaking even. And that’s being generous. While Wall Street was hoping to see revenue of $157 million, the San Francisco-based gaming company, currently notable for “Farmville,” took in $153 million in revenue with a $.07 per share loss. Ah! But what is a mere $.07 in the grand scheme of things, you might be wondering? Well that grand scheme adds up to a $62.5 million loss. Last year at this time the company’s loss was but a mere $15.8 million. However, there is hope on the mobile horizon, or so Zynga feels, as “Farmville 2: Country Escape” has become an Editor’s Choice in the Apple App store – a very significant barometer of what makes a game successful. Then there are those handy licensing deals with the NFL and Tiger Woods, among others, that Zynga is counting on to turn those earnings in the up direction.
It’s about to get a whole lot nastier – but luckily, not for consumers – in cyberspace thanks to the nifty new alliance that was forged between Barnes & Noble and Google. Yes. I did write Google – well Google Shopping Express, to be more precise. The two companies have teamed up to provide a little competition to Amazon. But that’s not in the official statement, of course. The partnership, which should give a much needed boost to the bookseller, will provide same-day delivery in certain areas, just like rival Amazon. After all the trouble Amazon caused for book publisher Hachette, this new deal probably couldn’t have come at a better time as consumers are feeling a little less affectionate towards the e-commerce giant. Google Shopping Express has already teamed up with major retailers like Target and Costco. By the way, you can subscribe to Google Shopping Express free for the first six months, with a subscription fee to be determined at the end of that time. Or you could just plunk down $4.99 per order. Happy shopping!
Pay it backwards…
Fannie Mae, who once upon a time had to hit up taxpayers to the tune of $116 billion at the height of the financial crisis is about to have paid us all back in full. Sort of. The mortgage lending company just reported its tenth straight profitable quarter – $3.7 billion in profits, in fact. And a check for that amount is in the mail…to the US Treasury. After the Treasury cashes that out, Fannie Mae can take a breather as it will have more than fully repaid its debt. And while that $3.7 billion profit might seem impressive, that figure is actually a 63% decrease over the same period last year, where Fannie Mae pulled in over $10 billion in profit. Incidentally, Fannie Mae earned $84 billion in 2013. Not bad for a year’s work, huh?

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Everyone knows one of the best things about Christmas is the dinner.
Many Christmas fans will be heartbroken to learn that their main meal could be at risk.
Because major food producers have warned that meat supplies may run out within two weeks.
Kwasi Kwarteng (Business Secretary) has been locked in crisis talks and negotiations with energy bosses.
According to The Sun’s report, Whitehall hosted high-level talks as rising gas prices threatened the supply and production of food.
One of the country’s biggest meat firms said Christmas dinners could be off.
Meanwhile, Ocado said it was unable to deliver frozen goods due to a shortage of dry ice produced by carbon dioxide (CO2).
A shutdown of two fertiliser plants in the north of England — which produces CO2 as a by-product — has caused big issues in meat supply and other foods.
The factories had to close due to the high gas prices after providing 60& of domestic production of commercial CO2.
This gas is used to stun livestock before they are slaughtered and to pack food to extend their shelf life.
Nick Allen, British Meat Processors Association boss, said that businesses can continue for less than two weeks until CO2 stocks run dry and that no meat will be made available.
He said: “Everyone is outraged these fertiliser plants can shut down without warning and take something so essential to the supply chain off-stream just like that.”
Ranjit Singh Boparan, the owner of Bernard Matthews and 2 Sisters Food Group, also said Christmas could be “cancelled”.
He commented: “The supply of Bernard Matthews turkeys this Christmas was already compromised as I need to find 1,000 extra workers to process supplies. Now, with no CO2 supply, Christmas will be cancelled.”
One meat industry figure said getting hold of CO2 was “hand to mouth” said that the public should expect to see price rises in shops in the next few weeks and months.
Mr Kwarteng reportedly held crisis meetings yesterday with energy bosses including Centrica and EDF where the “impact” of high global prices was talked about but there were no current supply concerns.
Industry figures said there is already a “perfect storm” over the Christmas run-up and a shortage of haulage drivers.
There are fears that four smaller energy companies may go out of business next week, with larger companies looking to take over a million customers.
Due to the lack of tariffs in the market, Compare The Market, a popular online comparison site, has stopped offering energy quotes.
The Environment Department said: “We have had extensive meetings with representatives from the meat production and processing sectors, and are continuing those conversations this weekend.”
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4:47am PT by Carolyn Giardina
BBC Testing Mind-Controlled iPlayer
We've seen the idea of mind control in the movies — for instance “The Force” in Star Wars — but now the BBC is testing mind control for its iPlayer, it revealed on Thursday in a blog post.
The iPlayer is the broadcaster's VOD service that allows for catch-up viewing and access to some original content on TV screens, computers, tablets and other devices.
The U.K. public broadcaster reported that it took a brainwave reading headset and created a “mind control TV” prototype designed to allow a consumer to open an experimental version of BBC iPlayer and select content, using their brainwaves. To do this, it collaborated with user-experience studio This Place.
“Our first trial run saw 10 BBC staff members try out the app, and all were able to launch BBC iPlayer and start viewing a program simply by using their minds. It was much easier for some than it was for others, but they all managed to get it to work,” wrote Cyrus Saihan, BBC digital’s head of business development.
The BBC is now examining how this could be used to improve accessibility, as well as its potential as a user interface.
“An important potential benefit that brainwave technology might offer is the ability to improve the accessibility of media content to people with disabilities,” Saihan wrote. “For example, people affected by motor-neurone disease or suffering locked-in-syndrome may increasingly be able to use brain-computer interfaces to get a better experience of digital and media services than they currently do, potentially opening up the online world of information and experiences that the rest of us now take for granted."
As to its potential as a user interface, Saihan explained that mind control technology could be an additional, more advanced method, alongside voice control, of satisfying people's desire to access digital content as quickly and easily as possible.
Said Saihan: "You can imagine a world where instead of having to get up from your sofa or reach for your remote, you just think ‘put BBC One on’ when you want to watch TV."


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Local pharmacies concerned about future: ‘We’re on track to be bankrupt’
Nearly 500 neighborhood pharmacies in the city are considering cutting hours or staff this year because of financial concerns, according to a recent survey.
Small pharmacies are being “choked” by pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) that control how much they get reimbursed for drugs purchased by customers through insurance plans. Acting as a middleman between insurers and pharmacies, PBMs charge insurers and pay the pharmacy, rather than the insurer paying the pharmacy directly. But the price the pharmacy gets from the PBM can be less than what it originally paid for the drug, according to multiple pharmacists.


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£7m Bristol Reuse and Recycling Centre opens its doors
Today (21 June), marks the opening of a new Reuse and Recycling Centre on Hartcliffe Way, in South Bristol.
The first visitors welcomed to the site include Mayr Marvin Rees, Bristolian actor Joe Simms and Bristol Waste Managing director, Tony Lawless, amongst local residents – all bringing items to the site to be reused or recycled.
The new £7m site will be open seven days a week, 8am - 6:45pm (summer hours). The facility, Bristol Waste says, will bring additional recycling capacity to Bristol, helping to ‘meet growing demand and providing residents with a modern, accessible, facility that will help reduce congestion at the existing sites’.
Features such as a one-way traffic system will enable residents to ‘safely sort their items into easily accessible, dedicated bins, making it easier and more convenient for everyone to recycle their household waste’.
Bristol Waste told Resource: “The new Hartcliffe Way Reuse and Recycling Centre has a number of innovative features, such as pedestrian and bike access, which is helping Bristol reduce it’s carbon footprint as well as responding to resident requests.
“In addition, we will be providing a bike trailer loan scheme, free of charge. Residents will be able to book a trailer, take it home, fill it up and bring items to the site for reuse, recycling or disposal.
“The site will also be home to our largest reuse shop, selling good quality pre-loved items, with a focus on furniture and IT items. The shop has a large workshop to check items over, PAT test and ensure they are ready for their new home.”
Profits from the Reuse Shop will be reinvested in waste reduction schemes and supporting local charities. Examples of some popular items that will be on sale include televisions, paint, furniture and other electrical items.
Bristol Waste continued: “Also new for Hartcliffe Way are undercover parking bays, giving people year round protection from the elements when using the site.
“A brand new booking system will also make it quick and easy to access the site without needing to queue. Residents can book as far ahead as two weeks, or as little as one hour before they visit. It is also helping reduce carbon emissions from idling cars.”
The booking system replaces the odd and even number plate system. Those without internet access are able to make a booking by phone.
Bristol Waste added: “We will also be installing a 2m high ‘bug hotel’ on the site to help the surrounding areas rewild and help support the insect population. At the launch event, the guests will also be invited to throw wild flower seeds on the banks around the site.”
The bug hotel was designed by local scenic sculptor Johnny Mann.
Mayor Marvin Rees said: “This is a fantastic moment for the city. The opening of the brand-new household recycling centre on Hartcliffe Way is going to make recycling easier and more convenient for people living in the area, which we hope will encourage residents to recycle more. A local site will also minimise the amount people in the south of Bristol will have to travel which will also have huge benefits for the environment.
“Part of our commitment to making Bristol cleaner and greener is further reducing the amount of waste that is sent to landfill, and this centre will help us to achieve this goal by supporting people to recycle, repair and reuse – giving pre-loved items a second life.”
Tony Lawless, Managing Director, Bristol Waste Company added: “Delivering a project of this scale, and of such importance to the sustainability of our city has been incredibly rewarding and challenging.
“The pandemic made us value our precious resources more. It highlighted the need to waste less and recycle more in our own homes and beyond. This new site will provide a solid infrastructure for the south of our city to lead the way to a more sustainable future.
“The recycling centre will help save valuable resources, offer low-cost household items to local residents and help us reach our ambitious recycling targets.”


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More than 50 Sports Industry Start-ups Worldwide Compete for Spot at SFIA 'Start-Up Challenge'
SFIA announces close of application process for inaugural competition with unprecedented amount of entries from entrepreneurs around the world
Silver Spring, MD, June 27, 2016 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announces today the close of applications and release of judges for its 2016 SFIA Start-Up Challenge. The competition takes place this fall at the 2016 SFIA Industry Leadership Summit (ILS) in Denver. ILS brings C-level executives from across the sports & fitness industry together to examine an assortment of issues surrounding their businesses and the economy.
Throughout the past two months, 55 up-and-coming companies, which are located everywhere from Miami and Canada to Australia and Brazil applied to win 10 minutes of stage time to pitch their ideas to industry executives, C-Suite attendees and SFIA’s Board of Directors at ILS. The applicants are involved in verticals including wearable technology, sports medicine, sporting goods products and sports management software.
“The fact that CEOs from all over the globe are competing to be one of the five final contestants is nothing short of remarkable – especially with this being the first SFIA Start-Up Challenge,” said John Peters, SFIA Senior Director of Business Development. “SFIA continues to do everything it can to facilitate the growth of start-ups and create opportunities that will change the future of the sports and fitness industry. We’re honored to provide these start-ups the platform to showcase innovation in front of these industry-leading executives.”
The final lineup of judges for the challenge include:
• Brian Anderson, Entrepreneur, Angel Investor
• Tony Armand, CEO of United Sports Brands
• Dan Arment, President of Riddell
• Chris Clawson, President of Life Fitness
• Adam Franklin, Vice President of Franklin Sports
• Steve Griffin, Founder of G5 Capital
• Catriona Harris, Co-Founder of Uproar PR
• Jonathan Ram, Executive Vice President of New Balance
• Amir Rosenthal, CFO of Performance Sports Group
• Michael Savage, CEO of Empower Fitness
• Glenn Silbert, SVP of Under Armour
• Mike Zlaket, President & CEO of Rawlings Sporting Goods
• Bob Puccini, President of Mizuno USA
• Jim Weber, CEO of Brooks Running
“The fact that we received so many applications from various countries is a great indicator that innovation is alive and well in our industry,” added Peters. “Based on the interest from these entrepreneurs, it’s clear the industry recognizes ILS as one of the top sports conferences for executives to network, tackle common business issues together, and develop meaningful relationships.”
The five finalists, which will be announced on July 18, receive publicity leading up to the event, recognition on stage during the annual ILS Awards Ceremony and real-time feedback from investors. The winner receives a spotlight in the ‘SFIA Insider Blog,’ additional exposure through SFIA’s marketing channels and a winner’s plaque. In addition, the winner will receive one year of SFIA membership and a public relations campaign from Uproar PR, an award-winning international firm specializing in sports and fitness companies.
The 2016 ILS will be held on September 14-15, 2016 at the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa in downtown Denver. The list of attending companies includes, Adidas, Life Fitness, Mizuno, Nike, Speedo, Under Armour and many more.
Registration is limited to the first 200 executives. Register here: www.sfia.org/ilsregister
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness
research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.


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With each passing day, more consumers are embracing the precepts of a greener lifestyle. The Natural Marketing Institute, Harleysville, PA, recently released a report encapsulating the market it calls LOHAS, an acronym for “Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability.” The report described “an integrated, rapidly growing market for goods and services that appeal to consumers who have a meaningful sense of environmental and social responsibility and incorporate those values into their purchase decisions.”
“Today, a majority of consumers are incorporating environmental considerations into their day-to-day lives — not just attitudinally, but by voting behaviorally with their dollars by spending $290 billion on goods and services that are environmentally-friendly, socially responsible and/or healthy,” commented Gwynne Rogers, NMI's LOHAS business director.
The study data were collected in 2008 in collaboration with Georgetown University and assimilated into a report released last month, identifying six general U.S. consumer spending market sectors. In order of greatest to least they were: Personal Health ($117 billion), Green Building ($100 billion), Eco-tourism, ($42 billion), Alternative Transportation ($20 billion), Natural Lifestyles ($10 billion), and Alternative Energy ($1 billion).
Green Building included expenditures on items like Energy Star appliances and certified homes. Eco-Tourism consisted of travel dollars spent on nature excursions. Alternative Transportation was comprised of dollars spent on hybrid, electric and diesel vehicles plus car sharing. Natural Lifestyles consisted of home furnishings and apparel.
The most lucrative LOHAS sector, Personal Health, spanned spending on natural/organic food, personal care and supplements. According to Ms. Rogers, the market continues to be the most appealing of the sectors for a variety of reasons.
“There are a lot of big and established industries in the Personal Health sector, including organic foods and dietary supplements. In part, the things that are in there have been around longer than hybrid cars or green building,” she said. “And because they are consumer packaged goods and it’s a lot easier to dip your toe into LOHAS by buying an organic apple than by dropping $25,000 on a hybrid car.”
The natural and organic food segment was the largest component within Personal Health, having contributed about a third of the sector’s $117 billion total. In the case of organic foods, they’ve been around for a long time and there’s an established definition. It’s something consumers can relate to on a daily basis and is widely available.
Conversely, the smallest category within the Personal Health sector was natural and organic personal care products, which represented less than 10% of the total $117 billion figure. Though the category continues to grow, its shortcomings represent additional, yet challenging, advancement opportunities.
“There’s a lot going on here,” began Ms. Rogers. “The natural and organic personal care segment is growing quickly but consumers don’t fully understand what natural personal care is.
“There are several competing standards for what is classified as natural and organic personal care so even if consumers are able to figure out what a phthalate is or why they should avoid sodium laurel sulfate, in contrast to the food segment’s highly recognizable USDA Organic seal, the personal care world is just a little bit more complicated to navigate. Beyond that, it’s something that would appeal primarily to women rather than men because they’re more into the category in the first place,” she explained.
When asked to compare the state of the Personal Health sector as represented in the current report to a similar consumer spending report NMI released in 2004, Ms. Rogers said shifting data sources precluded NMI’s ability to present an accurate picture of the sector’s evolution.
In terms of where she expected the sector’s spending to fare looking forward, she said, “The news over the last couple of weeks related to organophosphates and phthalates and things like that is likely to spur some additional consumer spending.”
Despite all signs pointing to continued future growth in the LOHAS Personal Health sector there is still much work to be done by retailers and marketers by way of properly educating consumers. Ms. Rogers illustrated the potentially damaging effect of consumer confusion via a recently published article in the New York Times about the Government Accountability Organization (GAO) supplement review. “You can go back and forth about whether those were good analyses but at the end of the day the consumer will read the New York Times article and not get involved in all of the details. That could have a less than desirable effect on the supplement industry,” she said.
On the whole though, the outlook for sectors affiliated with LOHAS is very promising and “reflect a high-growth marketplace with rapidly increasing mainstream interest and consumer engagement,” according to Steve French, NMI’s managing partner.


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Essentia Water, "the pioneer of ionized alkaline water in the U.S.," recently debuted a new campaign with singer Tate McRae dubbed 'Stop for Nothing.' The new initiative is focused on the importance of hydration for performance and how water helps to build stamina and resilience. The campaign will include 30, 15- and 06-second spots that will roll out on digital and social channels, along with online video platforms.
“This last year has shone a light on the importance of resilience and self-care,” said Zola Kane, Chief Marketing Officer at Essentia. “Our new campaign is in response to that. It takes motivation, strength and stamina to maintain performance, and we want to help people replenish with Essentia Water, knowing that hydration is key to renewal, recommitment and resilience.”
The new ad will appeal to Gen Z and Millennial consumers as it focuses on self-care and features an artist who is popular with these demographics.
Image Credit: Essentia Water
Essentia Water Launches New 'Stop for Nothing' Campaign
1. Hydration for Performance - Brands should focus on the importance of hydration for performance, and how water helps to build stamina and resilience.
2. Digital Advertising Campaigns - Brands should create digital advertising campaigns with 30, 15- and 06-second spots that will roll out on digital and social channels, along with online video platforms.
3. Self-care Marketing - Brands should focus on self-care marketing, particularly targeting Gen Z and Millennial consumers, as it is a trend that is becoming increasingly popular with these demographics.
1. Beverage - Brands in the beverage industry should develop and market products that promote hydration for performance, such as ionized alkaline water, and create digital advertising campaigns to promote them.
2. Music - There is an opportunity for the music industry to collaborate with brands to create campaigns that promote hydration for performance and feature popular artists who resonate with Gen Z and Millennial consumers.
3. Marketing and Advertising - Marketing and advertising agencies should focus on creating self-care marketing campaigns for clients, particularly those targeting younger consumers, and utilizing digital platforms and social media channels to reach them.


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The prominent retailer is not happy by simply providing services for mobile phones to stores, so it wants to take a step ahead and open a good deal of stores by itself.
With Orange releasing NFC implemented SIM cards, NFC or Near Field Communication will be one step closer to next year for the people. The company expresses its desire to work in collaboration with a number of smartphone manufacturers to ensure this new technology flourishes well.
Recently, a survey conducted in Philippines revealed that this nation with a 92 million population has around 87 million subscribers using cell services. This constitutes 94% of the total population of the country. It is like a drop of water into the vast ocean. International Telecommunications Union pegged world-wide cell phone subscribers at approximately 5 billion. Just imagine, each owner use a cell phone just for a year, and if so many people discard their cell phones each year, the carbon footprint from obsolete handsets can create astronomical harm to our Earth’s environment.
Ofcom, a telecommunication regulator holds that all cell phones should have free access to Freephone numbers.
After Gingerbread, version 3.0, called Honeycomb, is expected to be launched the next year. However, there appears to be some confusion, and so the next upgrade is likely to be the 2.4 ver. instead of 3.0.
In the third quarter of the financial year, RIM or Research in Motion grew by 40% despite the onslaught by several handset manufacturers like Apple, which intends to increase its share in the business market. Quite amazingly, their rise in revenue was $5.49 billion.
Of late, I have participated in a competition so that I can get an LG Optimus 7 Smartphone having really neat and new feature known as Augmented Reality.
The end of a year always brings a spark to give some awards. The cell phone industry is not immune to this as well.
Unless someone steals the show at the eleventh hour, LG Optimus 2X seems to be the world’s first Smartphone with a dual-core processor.
What more do you need? A new unrestricted data usage tariff has just been launched.


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Data from over a thousand Mobclix users last month shows some interesting demographics on Android users.
Probably the most interesting stat in the Mobclix survey is that a minority of Android owners prefer a touch screen to a physical keyboard. That means there is still significant money to be made with slider phones and new devices like the Droid Pro, which have BlackBerry-like keyboards. Perhaps that is an overlooked reason behind Android's success versus Apple's iPhone.
The survey was done with 1,052 Mobclix ad users during October in the U.S. Check out the graphic below:
Most iPhone apps lose money, but some freebies -- like Shotgun -- rake in the cash
As an app, Shotgun Free doesn't do much. Give it a shake and it makes the sound of a shell being chambered. Tilt it up sharply and the gun fires with a bang as loud as an Apple (AAPL) iPhone can make -- which isn't terribly loud.
But the app is popular. It's been downloaded nearly MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Oct 10, 2009 3:14 PM ET
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A new result has shown up in the Geekbench database that shows a Microsoft PC with Qualcomm's rumored Snapdragon 8cx Plus chipset. It seems that the Redmond firm is testing out the upcoming SoC.
Windows 11 Insider build 23595 has some Copilot changes and more
windows 11 insider preview promo
Windows 11 build 22635.2841 starts removal of Steps Recorder
windows 11 insider preview
Snapdragon 8cx plus RSS
According to a new report, Qualcomm could be readying a new Snapdragon 8cx+ chipset for Windows 10 PCs. As is typically the case with Qualcomm 'plus' chips, it offers a higher clock speed.


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“Our customers want to see a car, try a car and have the time to make a good decision. Those bits can’t be shortcutted.”
What Car? has interviewed Eddie Hawthorne, chief executive of Arnold Clark, having initially trained as an auditor and chartered accountant before joining the firm in 1990 and taking on managing director duties in 1998.
Despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the firm recorded strong results, selling more than quarter of a million cars in 2020, and Hawthorne and his team have their eyes set on matching pre-covid sales this year. That resilience has earned Hawthorne an Autocar Outstanding UK Leader Award, announced today, and he has dedicated it to “every one of the incredibly hard-working team at Arnold Clark.”
How has business been since lockdown eased?
“We’ve seen incremental gains over what we were achieving online as lockdowns have eased. It’s really been quite busy, albeit with a little bit of a dip since people have started to go back into work and edge a tiny bit back towards normality.”
Which is stronger, new or used sales?
“Used has been strong throughout the pandemic, or at least since the first lockdown lifted. But this past March was very strong for new cars too, and it’s been okay since.
“The worry with new cars is stock availability as a result of the semiconductor shortage; it’s a challenge now, and it’s becoming more of a problem for us from some manufacturers. Some are okay, some aren’t and it’s something we’re watching because it’s hard to give a blanket answer on how long it will last – but we’re factoring it in for the rest of this year.
“It’s frustrating, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the past 18 months it’s flexibility and adaptability and how critical it is to carry on, regardless of what comes your way.”
Casting your mind back, how did shutting up in March 2020 feel?
“Personally, I felt a big wave of failure because the business had never ever had to shut the doors before. But once you get past the fact that it’s not anything that’s within your control, you quickly move on. Then the issue was, “Right. Okay. How do we preserve our business? How do we protect the staff? How do we make sure that we’ve got a viable business to return to, to open up again?” That really was the challenge for all of us, and it kept us busy.”
What did you learn from re-opening that you hope will stay?
“The one thing that stands out for me is how we are now so much more efficient – and customers are conditioned to helping us be that way. Where, previously, a car might have been booked in for a ‘morning’ service with the expectation that it would be dropped off around 10am, customers are now happy to take a slot to the minute. That helps our efficiency no end and gives the customer a better experience because we can be more precise in knowing when the work will be finished.
“Likewise, we can handover more cars in a day; there’s more of a structure to proceedings, and that includes sending a walkaround video with the car before the customer arrives. Now, the need to socially distance drove that, but I suspect it’ll work well in future too, so people can see and understand their car prior to collecting it. Most people just want to sign the paperwork and get in the car – sending a video tour the day before means they can do just that.”
What won’t change?
“It’s a hard one to predict, but I do think that the transition to hybrid and electric is more dependent on being able to test drive, simply because people want to try it before they buy it.”
Are you looking to expand?
“If the right opportunities come up, yes. Arnold Clark is about more profit from more volume, and that comes as the end result of hard work, good customer experience, and really pushing the volume through, so we’ve actually geared our business up for a large increase in volume this year and next year.
“We sold about 330,000 cars in 2019, new and used. We sold just over a quarter of a million cars last year. So obviously that has made a wee bit of a dent in our turnover. We don’t think we will be that short of getting back to 330,000 cars this year and our aim is to get to 400,000 cars within the next two to three years. We’re definitely going to grow – the key is to do it in a way that is right for our business. There will be structured growth, including around click and collect and a few other ideas that we have.”
Looking back, what lessons have you learned?
“I was asked this the other day, and I joked that I would have retired in February 2020! It’s been a tough year, but I think the thing I can be proudest of is the way the team have all pulled together to get through it – actually, to the extent that I have the genuine problem of a lot of them having too much holiday to take!
“The pace we have adapted at has been remarkable. I’m proud of that, and proud of everyone. The challenges might keep coming, but we’ve proved that we are resilient and adaptable.”
View the full interview here


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DACHSER names its new CFO
DACHSER has picked experienced logistics CFO Robert Erni to succeed Burkhard Eling, who will become CEO of the family-owned company. Erni will begin his onboarding phase at DACHSER as deputy director on September 1, 2020. He will assume full responsibility as CFO starting January 1, 2021.
Earlier, the 54-year-old Erni was CFO at listed logistics provider Panalpina, where he headed the merger with Danish logistics group DSV. During his time at Panalpina, he successfully managed various acquisition projects in addition to two substantial SAP rollouts and the organizational changes these required, thus supporting the company’s global growth strategy. Erni began his career at logistics company Kühne+Nagel, where he held posts in Hong Kong, India, Argentina, and the US before returning to his home country of Switzerland, where he was in charge of global controlling at company headquarters.
“Robert Erni is an extremely experienced CFO who has spent over 30 years working in the logistics sector. We are delighted to have him on our new Executive Board and look forward to working with him to address future challenges in a way that creates value and growth,” said Burkhard Eling, CFO, DACHSER on Erni’s appointment.
DACHSER CEO Bernhard Simon, who will head the company’s supervisory board as of 2021, adds, “Being CFO of a family-owned company like DACHSER is about much more than mastering the figures: our CFO maintains close relations with our shareholders, shapes the strategy process, and in so doing also plays a major role in the operational business. In Robert Erni, we have found a CFO who can fully meet these requirements from January 1, 2021 onward.”
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Eastern Airlines has roped in Mike Duggan as director of International Cargo Business Development. Duggan will also be responsible to lead and support the carrier’s move into freighter operations.
Amid over 18 per cent and 19 per cent drop in the overall market tonnage and FTK (freight tonne-kilometres), respectively, the Group managed to hold on to 5 per cent and 10 per cent decrease.
The announcement on September 16 was welcomed by the country’s beleaguered airline sector, which has been lobbying for months for the reopening of international travel.
From a more efficient baggage-handling system that accommodates luggage of all sizes and shapes so skis don’t need to be dropped off at a special coun
The company has been well established for many years in both countries through network partnerships and decided to open its own offices in each location to offer customers a full spectrum of multi-modal services.
FAA approval officially enables reciprocal EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) approval, which is anticipated in the very near future.
The global rollout of CargoWise across a. hartrodt operations in Asia, South and North America, Oceania and Europe, will be a staged process with completion by March 2023.
The hospital which included generators, tents, HEPA filters and medical equipment, can facilitate up to 200 people to receive potential lifesaving treatment.
Glyn Hughes, current global head of cargo at International Air Transport Association (IATA), leaves the airline industry organisation amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mike Honious will succeed Randy Tucker, who is retiring as President & CEO of GEODIS in Americas.
By mid-October, Qatar Airways will operate 46 weekly flights to 14 destinations in Africa, including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Entebbe, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Mogadishu, Nairobi, Seychelles, Tunis, Windhoek and Zanzibar.
In addition to handling its regular cargo business, it also transported surgical supplies, sanitizers, face masks, coronavirus rapid test kits and more
It expects to handle some 23,000 tonnes per annum for the two airlines, which have both signed three-year handling agreements commencing September 1, 2020.


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While San Diego Comic Con began life as, well, a comic book convention, over the years it has turned into a mass media pop culture show with anime popping up in the 1990’s, and the first decade of the century being taken over TV show and movie promotions. Well, it appears that video game companies are now jumping into the mix to make huge announcements.
It used to be that all major video game announcements were made at E3, but considering the bombshell that was dropped at the Comic Con this weekend, that is no longer the case.
Can we say Street Fighter X Tekken? Oh, and Tekken X Street Fighter?
Before you jump out of your skin at the idea of the two biggest names in fighting games taking on one another, just know that it is going to be a while before they’re released. Absolutely no release date has been announced yet, so I’d say this year is out for sure, but 2011 might be possible depending how far into the development process they are.
All that aside, Joystiq is reporting that Capcom is developing Street Fighter X Tekken using the new Street Fighter IV engine. If that wasn’t enough, Bandai Namco will be working with Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada to release Tekken X Street Fighter.
Both games will be released for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.
What say you? Are you ready for Chun-Li vs. Nina Williams?


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Samsung and Zip Partnered on Movie Streaming App
Canadians with Samsung’s SMART Televisions, Blu-ray players and Home Theatre systems will soon be able to stream entertainment services from Zip.ca, a provider of on-demand movie and television content. According to Samsung Electronics Canada, a Zip.ca application is coming soon to Samsung’s home entertainment systems which allows Zip.ca members the ability to instantly watch movies and TV episodes from Zip.ca.
With more than 82,000 titles in its library this partnership is an additional option for Zip.ca members to choose what they watch, how they watch it, and for how long. This partnership also fits within it’s Nth-Screen connectivity strategy, which they believe will drive the next generation of consumer electronic devices.
"For the past year, Samsung and Zip.ca have been working together to solidify a service that would provide Canadians with the latest movies and TV programs at the mere push of a button," said Scott Richards, CEO, Zip.ca. "Consumers want outstanding technology to watch their favourite programs, so Samsung was a natural choice for this partnership."
"Realizing the changing entertainment landscape and the demand for online entertainment, this new partnership will help Canadian's access Zip.ca's expansive catalogue and underscores our goal of developing smart technologies that deliver content with convenience to meet consumers’ needs," said David Vitale, Head of Marketing, Samsung Electronics Canada.


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“Pixar originally didn’t want to do the project [Coco VR] because they didn’t think we could hit the quality bar that they found acceptable,” said Ben Grossmann, Co-Founder of Magnopus. “We had to prove ourselves.”
And they did just that. Magnopus is an entertainment experience company founded by people that have decades of experience, awards, and creativity. The Google meta description for their website explains that they aim to “tell stories without borders” and the “What” page of the site states that they’re “creating the impossible by any means necessary.”
What better way to do that than with the immersive power of virtual reality?
“All new employees at Magnopus are told that, regardless of the problem or how new they are, that they have the power to raise their hand and say that something isn’t good enough,” said Grossmann.
From what I’ve heard in talking to people from Disney and Pixar, that’s very much along the lines of the same ideas those companies preach. Walt Disney himself once famously said, “Whatever you do, do it well,” and that feels like it’s ingrained into the DNA of not only Pixar and Disney as companies, but Magnopus as well. They may not be the household name that Pixar is, but it doesn’t mean that their work isn’t of award-worthy quality already.
In fact, Magnopus has already earned three different Emmy award nominations for its projects in the VR arena (Mission: ISS, Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab, and Coco VR) and it’s only a matter of time before one of them takes home the prize.
“Our secret sauce is all the projects that you haven’t seen,” said Alex Henning, another Co-Founder of Magnopus in an interview. “Being willing to iterate a lot and to try a lot of things early, to fail fast as it were and build up our knowledge as quickly as possible by tackling real world challenges.”
During our chat Grossmann told me that “Magnopus” is a portmanteau of the Latin words for “greatest work” (Magnum Opus) and they’ve built their entire company around that mantra. And they’re focusing so heavily on VR because they see it as the future of entertainment — at least until something better comes along.
“We want to take people beyond the movie theater,” said Grossmann. “We founded Magnopus right around when Oculus was getting out of Kickstarter and started out very quietly. We’ve stayed quiet. All the time people spend talking at conferences is time not spent actually pushing things forward. You could just go build it.”
Each of Magnopus’ three major VR projects to date (listed above) have been about not just replicating things you can see elsewhere, but rather putting you inside of an experience that transports you. Instead of re-enacting or watching a scene from the recent Blade Runner film, the Memory Lab experience gives you total freedom. Instead of walking through the land of the dead as Coco, you actually become one of the skeletons with full customization in a multiplayer sandbox environment. And Mission: ISS is still one of the best, most visually impressive, and engaging space simulations out there. The fact that NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency were all involved in that collaboration is immediately apparent.
“The mindset for us has always been to look for areas that we feel like we can concentrate and create some sort of lasting impact,” said Henning. “As interesting as it is to create this type of content, that’s just scratching the surface of what all of the applications of this technology [VR and AR] might be.”
There’s still a long way to go though. What Magnopus straddles the line between game and movie in a way that few things have and it really feels like the idea of a “VR experience” is starting to become more defined. Compare Coco VR to something like the Beauty and the Beat VR dress rehearsal and it’s like night and day. This stuff is truly on another level.
“You have to build up a culture where quality is a critical bar,” said Grossmann. “This medium is still so young and still evolving and there is a lot of stuff out there that just doesn’t work well. Now is the time to figure all that stuff out before the spotlight turns on with tens of millions of consumers.”
Obviously for a collaboration with Pixar, using their own original IP, it’s going to be sticky. That’s a company that cherishes their attention to quality and detail. The fact that they originally turned down Grossmann, Henning, and the rest of Magnopus — despite their previously existing awards and work — speaks volumes.
“For Coco VR, we asked ourselves, since it is an interactive experience that puts the user at the center, how little story can we have and still have it be fun? How much narrative is too much narrative? What’s the balance between linear and non-linear? If you take two friends and put them somewhere with fun stuff to do, we found most people will create their own experiences.”
As a consumer and someone that spends a lot of time in VR, it’s easy to notice things that don’t work well. As much as I love Skyrim VR, even after dozens of hours, I still find myself unsure about which buttons bring up which menus while playing. But if I put someone in Job Simulator, even if they’ve never tried VR or even a video game in their life, it’s immediately intuitive.
“For good VR, the technology should be invisible and it should just feel like magic,” said Grossmann. What better way to create magic than to get Disney and Pixar involved?
The Pixar Touch
“A couple years ago as VR was hot in the industry there was conversation internally about ‘Should we do VR’ at Pixar,” said Marc Sondheimer, Producer on Coco VR. “Something like a short story we could tell. At the same time we started thinking that an existing property would make it more cost effective. We even had the Disney Technology and Innovation Group approach us to explore VR with one of our film projects.”
And then, enter Magnopus. Their collaboration pitch was initially turned down, but they were able to win over Pixar with their ideas and attention to detail. This isn’t Disney’s first foray into VR by any means, especially if you consider The Void’s Star Wars experience, all of the 360 video work they’ve done, and the one-off apps we’ve seen pop up on stores. ILMxLAB’s Trials on Tatooine is still a fan favorite as well.
But the Coco VR project was very different.
“Usually we start with a traditional movie script and iterate on that before production, but VR is a different beast than cinema,” said John Halstead, Supervising Technical Director at Pixar. “We did go through a few versions of something you’d maybe call a script but it read more like a list of potential outcomes than an actual script.”
It’s a fascinating process to think about. Since a VR experience is a space that you can exist in, rather than a rectangle you stare at, there are so many more variables. The viewer’s whims and interests are for more likely to derail what you have planned since you can’t force someone to look at something in VR.
“We do a lot of story boarding, so our version of story boarding for this was basically creating a rough build of the experience and going through and talking about goals and what works,” said Halstead. “Like a 3D story board.”
One can only hope that Pixar’s interest in VR continues. The main thing that VR needs right now is great, immersive content from the masters of their craft. On the gaming front studios like Sony, Bethesda, Ubisoft, and more are all pushing VR heavily in their projects, so if more Hollywood-caliber companies like Pixar continue to step up, we could see a lot more projects like Coco VR getting awards and nominations from companies like Magnopus and others.
“We are still exploring the medium, but there are no concrete plans to shift attention from film to VR or anything like that,” said Sondheimer. “We are still interested in it and exploring it, but it’s also playin an important role in film production too. We are putting sets inside game engines so directors can explore the spaces in a headset as they make the film. That’s already being used in both Toy Story 4 and another 2019 film.”
Okay so, Toy Story 4 VR…please? Now that Kingdom Hears 3 is getting a VR experience, anything is possible, right?


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Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Google is moving quickly to restore some of the features and functionality it previously removed from multiple products in response to Sonos’ patent infringement case. After its victory in federal court on Friday, the company plans to undo the restrictions it implemented on speaker groups.
“We recently made a change to speaker groups for Nest speakers, displays, and Chromecast where certain devices can only belong to one speaker group at a time in the Google Home app,” the company wrote on its Nest community blog. “In light of this legal decision we’re happy to share that we will be rolling back this change. Devices will be able to belong to multiple speaker groups and you will no longer run into an error when trying to add a device to…
The Verge – All Posts


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Germany’s state telecommunications agency has banned smartphone watches designed for kids, saying that the “the devices violated Germany’s strict surveillance laws,” according to The Guardian. The agency also encouraged parents to destroy the watches.
“Via an app, parents can use such watches to secretly listen to a child’s environment. They are to be seen as a prohibited transmitter,” Jochen Homann, president of the Federal Network Agency, said in a statement, according to The Guardian. “Our investigation has also shown that parents have used the watches to listen to teachers in the classroom.”
Gizmodo reports that the ban comes nearly a month after the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) issued a statement saying that these types of watches are a threat to kids’ privacy, though the Federal Network Agency didn’t reference the BEUC’s findings in it’s own statement. In addition to urging parents to destroy the devices, the Agency has also asked Germany’s schools to watch out for their usage in the classroom.
Read more about the ban on The Guardian.


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Google Glasses, the Nexus Q home entertainment streaming device, Android software upgrades, and a Nexus tablet shine at day one of Google's I/O developer conference.
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As Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer put it in one of his more manic moments, "Developer, developers, developers, developers. Developers, developers, developers ..." Google has developers too and their projects will play a major role in sustaining the health of the Android ecosystem.
Building A Mobile Business MindsetAmong 688 respondents, 46% have deployed mobile apps, with an additional 24% planning to in the next year. Soon all apps will look like mobile apps – and it's past time for those with no plans to get cracking.


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A pear-shaped, vivid orange diamond to lead Christie’s Geneva Magnificent jewels auction next month, could fetch as much as $20 million, or $1.3 million per carat, experts predict.
The auction house said in a press release it would offer the 14.82-carat rock, the largest known orange diamond in the world, on Nov. 12, just a day earlier than Sotheby’s scheduled auction of its “Pink Star,” valued at more than $60 million.
According to the Gemological institute of America (GIA) strongly coloured diamonds in the orange hue range, known as known as fire diamonds, rarely exceed three or four carats once they are polished. “The Orange” is almost four times larger than that size range.
Based on GIA’s coloured diamond grading system, as the shade of strongly coloured diamonds evolves from orangey yellow or amber to orange, the occurrence becomes progressively more rare.
The last time an orange diamond of these characteristics appeared at auction, it weighed 5.54 carats. The rock known as “The Pumpkin Diamond” fetched $1.3 million at Sotheby’s in 1997, selling to Ronald Winston, a son of Harry Winston Inc.’s founder.


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DIT’s Innovative Triumph: Electric Tricycles Revolutionize Local Transportation
In a groundbreaking achievement, the subsidiary innovative company of the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) has unveiled its remarkable feat – the successful design and assembly of four electric tricycles (Bajaji) using locally sourced materials in just three months. This development promises to reshape the landscape of local transportation, offering an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional petrol-powered tricycles.
The revelation was made during a recent visit by Prof Carolyne Nombo, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, to the institution. Agnes Kimwaga, the Marketing Manager of the company, proudly presented their achievement and shared their vision for the future.
Ms. Kimwaga’s enthusiasm was palpable as she detailed the company’s accomplishments. Alongside the locally assembled electric tricycles, they have also successfully put together an additional 20 tricycles using imported parts. This blend of local craftsmanship and international components underscores their commitment to both quality and sustainability.
One of the standout features of these electric tricycles is their reliance on rechargeable batteries for power. When properly charged, these batteries can propel the tricycles for distances ranging from 80 to 100 kilometers. This sustainable approach not only reduces the environmental footprint but also promises significant savings for tricycle operators.
A Testament to Quality and Collaboration
In Ms. Kimwaga’s explanation, she emphasized that these tricycles are of exceptional quality. The process of their creation and assembly engaged both the company’s dedicated employees and students from DIT. This collaboration has resulted in a product that stands out in terms of durability, functionality, and design.
The market’s enthusiastic response to these electric tricycles has been nothing short of remarkable. Their high demand has prompted the institute to set in motion plans for mass production. Certification from the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) is already underway, and once completed, these innovative vehicles will be officially introduced to the public.
What sets these electric tricycles apart from the ordinary ones on the market is their use of rechargeable batteries and sturdy metal frames. In Ms. Kimwaga’s words, “Our tricycles at the back seat can accommodate six passengers, that is to say, two more than the usual tricycles common in the market.” This increased capacity has generated considerable interest among drivers, tricycle owners, and dealers alike.
Economic Benefits and Environmental Impact
These electric tricycles not only provide a solution to the challenges posed by fluctuating fuel prices but also offer the potential for increased profitability. Carrying two extra passengers can translate into higher earnings for tricycle operators while simultaneously reducing the overall cost of transportation for passengers.
Ms. Kimwaga concluded, “When we are done with the certification process underway, we shall be capable of engaging in mass production of these tricycles.” The horizon for these electric tricycles appears promising, offering a cleaner, more efficient, and economically viable mode of transportation that could significantly benefit both operators and passengers alike.
The Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology’s innovative foray into electric tricycle production signifies a remarkable step forward in local ingenuity and sustainable transportation solutions. As these eco-friendly tricycles near mass production, they hold the potential to revolutionize the way people commute in Tanzania and contribute to a greener and more economically sound future.
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Microsoft Producing Voice Recognition App For iPhone
Those of you familiar with the time-old rivalry between software companies Apple and Microsoft probably appreciate the significance of the fact that Apple has created their own software development platform in the iPhone and iPod touch. The App Store is a hit, and everybody wants a part of it, even Microsoft, who recently unveiled plans for their own iPhone app, TellMe.
Microsoft said back in March that they were considering trying their hand at making an iPhone app out of their voice recognition service for the Blackberry and WinMo phones, and now it looks like they’ve made their decision. It’s a big step, even though TellMe is technically run by a different company that Microsoft acquired in 2007.
In case you didn’t know, TellMe is a voice recognition application that allows you to simply press a button and search for things using voice commands. Saying a business name, for example, will bring up results for companies located near by. Sadly it doesn’t search contacts, so no voice dialing yet.


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Microsoft today released the seventh developer preview build of its Windows Internet Explorer 9 browser. The new preview build, includes new demos, including HTML5 Galactic, Shakespeare’s Tag Cloud and an HTML5 Sudoku Solver game. The preview — unlike the beta release — doesn’t include the new user interface.
Microsoft also said that “13 million people have downloaded the IE 9 test builds” since the company first made its browser available to testers in March, 2010.
Here’s a video of changes in action:
The latest preview build is downloadable as of noon ET today from the IETestDrive site.


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Fix Auto UK announced it has acquired its second independent collision repair center.
The organization has purchased Ian Hughes Motor Body Repair Centre in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, from previous owner Ian Hughes, who is retiring from the industry after establishing the business over the last 30 years. Ian’s son Simon will stay with the operation and will be taking on the role of General Manager going forward. The 15,400 sq. ft body shop will now transition into Fix Auto Colwyn Bay.
This latest purchase follows Fix Auto UK’s announcement last summer that it had taken a majority share in


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Snapchat is taking wish quite definitely TikTok. The business announced it’ll certainly commence testing the brand new feature, allowing Snapchat customers to set their Photos to music, much like TikTok’s app. This feature may permit Snapchat to profit from the breaking from the TikTok market. Already, programs such as Byte, Triller, Dubsmash, Likee, and other […]Continue Reading
Facebook could be hosting up to 8 billion views each day on its system, but a wide most that viewership is going on in silence. Just as much as 85 percent of video views happen with the sound away, according to multiple publishers. Take, for example, feel-good internet site LittleThings, which usually averaged 150 million […]Continue Reading
Facebook is developing methods to insert computer-generated likenesses of men and women into photographs within an artificial intelligence project called “Wish You Were Here.” The social network wants to make it easier for users to “blend” persons into their images, regardless of whether they were nowhere near the original subjects at that time. AI software […]Continue Reading
Facebook likes continue steadily to play an essential role in how content is prioritized in Facebook users’ feed. That’s why it must be a target of your advertising goals.And that’s also why we updated this post to provide you with 7 Methods for getting More Facebook Likes in 2019. Facebook has deprioritized it as a […]Continue Reading
Google is rolling out a new Privacy Screen for Google Drive on iOS and iPadOS, which allows you to require Face ID to gain access to your files. This feature will likely be very welcome by Google Drive users around the world by the appearance of how many Internet surfers are searching on Google for […]Continue Reading
TikTok is readying the release of a fresh augmented reality ad file format as the favorite video software continues to rapidly crank up its ad item advancement to bring itself good loves of Instagram and Snapchat. The “AR brand effect” ad allows TikTok users to include interactive visual effects from advertisers with their TikTok videos […]Continue Reading
A new tool letting you transfer your photographs and videos from Facebook to some other service …..Continue Reading
Ariana Grande has reunited with her Victorious castmates to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary during coronavirus self-isolation. And, naturally, Ari jumped on a Zoom call to reconnect with her friends because let’s be honest – Zoom is our lives now. The Into You singer posted a screenshot onto her Instagram showing her hopping on a […]Continue Reading
Now, this is a story all about how precisely THE NEW Prince of Bel-Air cast reunited on the growing season finale of Will Smith’s Snapchat show Will FROM HOME. The reunion occurred on the first installment of the show’s two-part season finale Wednesday, with the next part premiering Thursday. Castmembers Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks), DJ […]Continue Reading
Facebook’s new feature for group video Messenger Rooms gets ready to contend with services like Zoom, Skype….Continue Reading
Facebook is adding a fresh reaction to live alongside on the button and the common reactions: ‘Hug.’…Continue Reading
While it isn’t yet possible to cover up your profile photo from a particular contact, there are many hacks you can test out to…Continue Reading
You play on a map of the world, where in fact, the positions are significant cities on the planet. These cities are connected by several edges…..Continue Reading
Looking for family friendly activity? Join Michael for an at-home workout you can do with the whole family. watch ……Continue Reading
Instagram is one of the most bustling avenues to fame. It may seem unrealistic at first, but many people are earning huge amount of money ……Continue Reading
In a post sharing their findings, developers Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry make clear that TikTok uses Content Delivery Networks, or CDNs, as a way to better transfer their data all over the world. To boost performance, these CDNs move the info over HTTP.Continue Reading
Instagram Live, which launched in 2016 and is among the many features of Instagram Testimonies, allows users to broadcast video recording to their followers instantly.
Follow the steps in ………
According to YouTube, since it prioritizes employee wellness, the platform will, for a while, rely less upon human moderators to examine content material uploaded to the website. In their place, the business will lean more greatly on its automated assessment systems.Continue Reading
When Facebook introduced response control keys in 2015 that enable you to respond to a content with a center or a sad face rather than merely a “like,” it had been a vast improvement. Now, Facebook is focusing on a puzzling reaction key for the coronavirus period: a COVID-19 themed button. Researcher Jane Manchun Wong, […]Continue Reading
YouTube is thinking about launching an attribute within its software to contend with video sharing software TikTok directly. “Shorts,” which is defined to start by the end of 2020, maybe the most critical attempt by a Silicon Valley tech firm to rival the Chinese-owned app, which includes become hugely popular in the last year.
Shorts allows users to upload……….
COVID-19 affected many life sectors including social media. Some Social media influencers business will be limited in the coming few days.
In 2018, global shelling out for influencer marketing on Instagram reached $5.67 billion, as the industry itself was estimated to grow to an astounding $9.7 billion in 2020, according to Influencer Marketing Hub.
Most of you might recall TikTok being the hit op single by Kesha. And we don’t blame them. But also for the teens of the world, it has taken a different meaning. Try asking among Gen Z’ers, and they’ll let you know that TikTok is a new subculture.Continue Reading


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In doing so, Musk and Tesla would be breaking new ground in the the payments industry as Bitcoin has yet to be used widely as a method to pay for goods and services, in large part still seen by the majority of owners and investors as a form of ‘precious metal‘ similar to gold or silver, albeit in non-physical form.
Hitherto large scale ups and downs in the value of the cryptocurrency could work against the quick adoption of Bitcoin or other similar currencies being adopted as a form of payment, however, especially for items as expensive as next generation automobiles.
“It was wise of Tesla to announce that it will deem its investment in Bitcoin as an “alternative asset.” That is certainly appropriate, because Bitcoin might be coming into greater acceptance as currency, but it is not cash,” Mr. Anthony Michael Sabino, professor of law, at St. John’s University has been quoted as saying not long after the firms announced it owned cash and the cash equivalent of US$D 19.4 billion once the sale of new shares had taken place.
“It certainly seems that beyond embracing it as a store of value for his own trust or his own assets, it does appear that Elon Musk is embracing it as a transactional tool as well,” was a comment added by Mr. Michael Venuto, a co-portfolio manager at Amplify Transformational Data Sharing fund with investments in the cryptocurrency tech industries.
Adding to the speculation and in part giving a boost to the cryptocurrency concept, a finance professor, Mr. Richard Lyons, at the University of California Berkeley was quoted in Japanese media as saying “I think the trend is inexorable,” adding that (Bitcoin and other cryptos) “will become transactional currencies increasingly over the next five years. It’s not going to happen overnight.”


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More than 50% of smartphone users have iPhone in Japan
Japan’s Kakaku.com’s report shows that more than 20% have Smartphone, and more than 25% of people under 39 have Smartphone. I was surprised to see that more than 28% of teens responded that they had Smartphone. Note that 14.5% of teens said that they didn’t have any cell phones.Continue »
Effects of Microsoft & Yahoo deal on Japan’s search market
Today, Microsoft and Yahoo made it official announcing a 10 year search deal.Continue »
Japanese mobile web market is getting hotter!
Mobile Internet and mobile search have a long history in Japan. These are some of th e points, which you should know about mobile internet, mobile web and mobile search in Japan that would lead you to successful mobile SEO and SEM campaigns.Continue »


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Walmart said it plans to spread its Black Friday deals from one day to three events in November.
The “Black Friday Deals for Days” campaign includes:
- Event 1: Deals begin online November 4 with new deals in stores November 7:
- Event 2: Deals begin online November 11 with new deals in stores November 14;
- Event 3: Deals begin online November 25 with new deals in stores November 27.
“Customers trust Walmart to deliver an amazing Black Friday year after year. Although this year’s event looks different, our commitment to what our customers depend on us for – the absolute best prices of the season on hot gifts from top brands – hasn’t changed,” Scott McCall, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for Walmart U.S., said. “I’m really excited that this year, when it matters most to our customers, we’re offering them more convenient and safer ways to shop Black Friday at Walmart, whether that’s from the shelf in one of our stores, ordering online and picking it up curbside or having it delivered right to their front door.”
Photo courtesy Walmart


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The managers and owners of an illegal clothing factory in Italy are due in court on Friday over the deaths of seven Chinese workers in a fire last December.
Five people are facing homicide charges.
The victims worked and lived at the Teresa Moda factory in Prato, Tuscany.
The fire on 1 December 2013, was the deadliest in living memory in Prato.
Some 15,000 Chinese are estimated to be living in the city illegally.
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|Bid||27.44 x 1800|
|Ask||0.00 x 1100|
|Day's Range||29.10 - 30.22|
|52 Week Range||29.10 - 108.82|
|Beta (5Y Monthly)||2.50|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||13.93|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
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Paul Carbone, Yeti's chief financial officer since 2018, announced Sept. 23 that he will resign and return to Boston to pursue a business opportunity that allows him to stay closer to family.
Yahoo Finance Live anchors discuss stock performance for Yeti and DocuSign following reports that both companies will welcome new executives in October.
Yeti Holdings Inc. said Friday that Chief Financial Officer Paul Carbone is resigning effective Oct. 28, to pursue a business opportunity that will allow him to be closer to family in Boston. The provider of outdoor products such as coolers and drinkware and backpacks has commenced a search for a replacement. Shares were down 3.5% premarket and have fallen 65% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 has fallen 21%.