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Microsoft shuts down Project Spark
When Project Spark was initially revealed back at E3 2013, there were signs that the title was going to be highly impressive. Offering up a diverse and more complex video game creation toolset in comparison to rivals such as LittleBigPlanet, many hoped that the project would turn into something special. Unfortunately, it seems as though the experiment is coming to a close, with Microsoft confirming that the game is being shut down.
In a post over on the official Project Spark website, community manager Thomas Gratz announced the news. As it turns out, the game has already been removed from both the Xbox Marketplace and the Windows Store, meaning that it can no longer be downloaded by curious gamers. What’s more, online services such as accessing user-created content will no longer be available as of 12 August, 2016.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for our team that we do not take lightly,” Team Dakota community manager Thomas Gratz said in a statement. “When Project Spark transitioned away from active development last fall, many of our team members moved to other projects within Microsoft Studios. While this means there have been no layoffs at Microsoft, it also means it’s simply no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping Project Spark up and running with meaningful updates and bug fixes, so we have come to this hard decision.
Microsoft says it will offer credit that can be used in the Xbox or Windows Store to players who purchased a retail copy of Project Spark.”
More info at – Source


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Chinese mobile brand Huawei has signed up two major Hollywood stars, Scarlett Johansson and Henry Cavill, to appear in a European campaign for its new P9 smartphone.
A teaser for the campaign, created by Havas London, was unveiled in the U.K. this week, at an event held by Huawei in partnership with camera brand Leica, whose technology is used in the phone.
The ad looks to be highlighting the quality photographic capabilities of the P9 and P9 Plus. The phones, which aimed at competing with both Samsung and Apple, feature two 12-megapixel cameras, one dedicated to color and the other to black and white shots. In the ad, Cavill represents monochrome and Johansson represents color.
Huawei is the world's third largest smartphone player; the company recently launched a corporate image campaign in China aimed at boosting its appeal as a consumer brand.

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Owning a business isn’t just a lot of work – it’s an expensive feat. With changing health care laws, increased minimum wages and new credit card technology, small business owners have had many important changes to keep up with in recent years, especially with regard to the things they pay for and the taxes they owe. One such change that’s particularly relevant this time of year is the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, better known as the PATH Act.
Passed in December of 2015, the PATH Act increased and froze the amount that small business owners can deduct from their taxes for certain business expenses. Under the PATH Act, businesses that spend $2 million or less on equipment can deduct the full purchase price of that equipment, up to $500,000. This deduction falls under Section 179 of the tax code. The Section 179 limit – currently at $500,000 – has fluctuated over the years, giving small business owners the opportunity to deduct as much as $500,000 some years and as little as $25,000 other years. The PATH Act not only reinstates the deductible limit at $500,000, but it also makes that limit permanent.
Under a complex tax code like that of the United States, it may not seem like changing a single section could do much, but the PATH Act creates an exciting opportunity for small businesses. According to the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), the PATH Act could greatly impact small business activity, potentially allowing businesses to add 197,000 new jobs and generate $18.6 billion more economic productivity than previous years. With a large deduction available, business owners may be more likely to invest in valuable upgrades like additional manufacturing equipment, new fleet vehicles and more. As a result, they could expand their business operations, employ more workers and offer current employees additional benefits and perks.
Running a business may not become any easier, but the PATH Act can at least make it a little less expensive. When filing your taxes this year, think about the Section 179 deduction that could be available. Consult your business’s accountant or tax advisor for professional advice related to Section 179 and other tax deductions available to small businesses.
Independent We Stand is dedicated to helping independent businesses across the country engage their communities and encouraging customers to buy local. If you’re a business owner, get buy local resources, tips and news by registering for a business membership. Your business will also be included in our ‘locals only’ search engine and mobile app. If you’re a consumer, take the pledge to buy local to join the movement.


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A mural by elusive British street artist Banksy depicting a child enjoying falling snow that is in fact pollution from a burning bin has been sold for over 100,000 pounds ($130,000) to a British art dealer. After a night of partying, Atlanta woke up ready for more on Sunday as the final countdown to Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams began under a blanket of security and an online protest. The projectiles have caused many injuries, mestinon including lost eyes, in the Yellow Vest protests. The police say the weapons are needed to keep the peace. A plan to build a repository in granite bedrock has progressed smoothly for years, in contrast to the United States experience with Yucca Mountain. Despite federal legislation passed 15 years ago, food labels dont always alert consumers to allergens that may be present in packaged goods. The president described negotiations between Washington and Beijing in positive terms but said, Without the tariffs, we wouldnt be talking. Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg is planning to unify the underlying messaging infrastructure of the WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger services and incorporate end-to-end encryption into these apps, the New York Times reported on Friday. An Englishwoman proves it is possible to manage a business in 21st century Britain and make a modest living, without the use of modern-day technology. Hayley Platt looks at Dani Church's ferry business on the Suffolk coast, which has been in her family for 125 years. Gene Steratore, a former N.F.L. referee, is the CBS rules analyst, which just might be a harder job than making calls on the field. Really. Mestinon 350mg sales. Russia will no longer observe the 1987 nuclear pact, which the Trump administration suspended on Friday. China urged both powers to observe the agreement, but showed no interest in joining it. Skywatchers howled at the moon at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles when the full lunar eclipse appeared shortly after 9 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday and our celestial neighbor was bathed reddish-orange during a Super Blood Wolf Moon. In Where Reasons End, an unnamed narrator plumbs the nature of suffering and the limits of language in a dialogue with the child she mourns. New research on potential allergens fits with a wider hypothesis that complete avoidance of risky substances doesnt work well. Cheap mestinon buy mastercard. Googles newest Chromebook, made by Samsung, only costs $249 and offers the same general performance of ChromeOS is a smaller, lighter package. Howd they do it? This model uses the same chip type that powers smartphones and tablets. Take a look at my hands-on thoughts.
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HDS joins string of disk floggers hiking drive prices
'Temporary' increase after deadly Thailand flooding
All mainstream disk array suppliers seem to be raising prices. Here's what Hitachi Data Systems, the latest one to do so, says:
As with other companies in our industry, HDS has witnessed a global cost increase from hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturers due to the devastating floods in Thailand. To date, Hitachi has absorbed these price increases; however, on February 1, 2012, we will have to raise the list prices of the HDDs we sell by 5-15 per cent to offset the cost increases being passed to us from our suppliers. We expect the increases to be temporary until the industry returns to a more stable production level.
Or it's old stock that they've not been able to shift.
Re: HDS not Hitachi
"Don't confuse HDS with Hitachi."
Don't confuse Hitachi Data Systems with Hitachi? Okay, if you say so....
Dell seem to be holding their prices
I got a requote on an Equallogic SAN array a few days ago and it was unchanged from a few months ago. Which either means they are generously absorbing the cost increase for now or we were being screwed months ago, lol!


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Fashionably late to the party, as always.
Of the three console makers currently on the market, the only one that continues to region lock its machines is Nintendo. It comes off as hopelessly outdated- not only is the Wii U’s region lock unlike either the Xbox One or PS4’s full region freedom, but the region lock on the 3DS, which came after two decades of region free Nintendo handhelds, misses the point of a handheld entirely.
A lot of people have spoken out about Nintendo’s draconian region locking policies, and now, Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata has given the clearest indication yet that the company may be about to reverse its stance. Speaking at a shareholder meeting (translation via NeoGAF), Iwata said that he was ‘optimistic’ that region locking on Nintendo machines would soon be a thing of the past.
“Removing region-locking from current game machines presents various issues, so we don’t consider that to be very realistic,” he said. “However, regarding NX, given the customer feedback and proposals from the market, while nothing has been decided yet, we’re currently investigating internally what problems there would be in realizing it. You can think of that as the current situation. I understand your desire, so I’d like to look at it optimistically going forward.”
So, the long and short of it is- on Wii U, 3DS, and New 3DS? The region lock will stay. For future Nintendo machines? It is far more likely Nintendo will embrace the region free future.


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Tag Archives: Panasonic
Panasonic successfully crowdfunded around $100,000 for a limited edition farting robot cat with voice and facial recognition. Nicobo looks more..
Panasonic debuted a new AI and Internet of Things platform this week in India. Miraie, which combines the Japanese words..
Recent breakthroughs that have brought us modern-day voice assistants tend to have a common element, the cloud. Deep learning neural..
Tom Taylor, senior vice president of Amazon Alexa, today announced that Alexa Onboard would be rolling out for in-car infotainment..


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We have more exciting news to bring you today. Alongside our Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO update last Thursday, this week we bring a big update to everyone’s favourite one-make car, the Porsche Cup.
This update is slightly different, whereas the Ferrari 488 EVO consisted of updating existing setups already on the latest physics change, the Porsche Cup original setups were created before V1.6, meaning they are all CDA1’s outside of Imola.
So it was time to bring this fantastic car up to date, we have worked hard over the past couple of weeks to understand fundamentally what has changed and make a dedicated set of CDA2 setups optimised for the latest patch.
We have taken this update on a track by track basis, refining and adjusting concepts we have learnt in our testing. There were 5 key areas we focused on that signify the biggest changes to the setups that came before these latest updates:
- Wheel Rate adjustments
- Bump Stop adjustments
- Aero/Rake revisions
- Fine-tuning ARB values
- Fine-tuning Damper values
In total 15 circuits have been adjusted, with Imola being the only one in the GTWC bundle to not be touched, as being a DLC circuit, came with the latest V1.6 update.
Because these are setups that were optimised on the latest patch, rather than direct replacement R01 and Q01 files, they are named as new files with CDA2 at the start to avoid any confusion. As an existing customer, simply go into the download area of your profile and the new CDA2 setups will be present.
British GT Package Arrives
In addition to the update detailed above, we have also released the Porsche Cup British GT setup bundle for the car which includes Snetterton, Oulton Park and Donington. Having tested Brands Hatch and Silverstone both on the British GT BOP as part of the release, we have taken the decision to use the updated GTWC setups we have created as our BGT baselines, as in our testing there were no major differences.
You can find the new British GT bundle package here.
So overall, today marks a big bumper update for the Porsche Cup from us, we hope you enjoy both the updated existing content and the new BGT package and if you have any questions whatsoever, don’t forget to come and join our Discord server.


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-- Someone entered an East Broad Stree residence on Aug. 3 and stole Wii game controllers valued at $300. Detectives learned the items were sold at an area game store.
-- On Aug. 1, it was reported that someone broke the passenger window out of a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck at a Duncan Avenue residence, causing an estimated $350 damage.
-- An employee of the Gibbstown RiteAid store told police on July 31 that someone stole approximately $200 fro her pocketbook. She sad other employees were also missing cash and personal items. Police have identified and are attempting to locate a suspect in the thefts.
-- Someone scratched a 2004 Honda and put red paint on it at a Democrat Road residence on July 30, causing approximately $500 damage.
-- Someone stole approximately $5,000 worth of jewelry and some cash froma Memorial Avenue residence on July 27. Police believe a door had been left unlocked at the house.
-- Someone entered a Congress Drive residence on July 28 through an unlocked door and stole cash and electronic items valued at $2,500. More property was stoen from a 2008 NIssan.


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How Much The Ghostbusters Business Would Be Worth In Real Life
When there's something strange in your neighborhood, most people know to call the Ghostbusters. The original team kept New York City safe across two movies in the 1980s, and later this month, the reboot will show a new team getting into that line of work. However, while busting ghosts is definitely exciting, it still remains a job, which means that these characters still have to worry about money. Fortunately, thanks to some number crunchers, we've now learned that the original Ghostbusters organization would actually be a decent business to run by today's standards, with a few minor changes here and there.
Starting off, the folks at BizDaq looked at how much the Ghostbusters' revenue is (adjusted for inflation), and while that number was never clearly provided in the original movie, they estimated that it's nearly $1.1 million annually. Okay, that's pretty good, but then, of course, expenses have to be considered, like their base of operations. The fire station rental is in an expensive neighborhood, meaning that they're paying about almost $549,000 a year to set up shop. Then there's the equipment, like the Proton Packs, the Ghost Sniffer and the Ecto-1. All together, those cost approximately $250,000. Once you factor in the "stock value" of the ghost containment unit and the ongoing annual costs of running the business reaching nearly $937,000, in total, the original Ghostbusters team is valued almost $627,500.
BizDaq cited Ghostbusters' brand awareness, their growth potential and the "growing prominence" of the occult are all positive factors for the business. However, they also noted that the rising outgoing costs aren't helping matters, as those take out nearly half of everything they bring in. Overall, it sounds like the original Ghostbusters were off to a great start in that first year, meaning they had the potential to become a profitable business.
Longtime Ghostbusters fans remember that in the original movie, Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz and Egon Spengler started the Ghostbusters after they were fired from Columbia University. While they may have been able to find jobs at other institutions of higher learning, they instead opted to open their paranormal extermination business, a.k.a. the Ghostbusters. Eventually Winston Zeddemore was added to the team, and while the foursome separated after the first movie, they retimed for Ghostbusters II, presumably keeping the business operational. Going off these new numbers, as long as they figure out a way to cut costs in a few areas, they can make the Ghostbusters one of New York's best business, not to mention most important when it comes to stopping spirits and other ethereal threats.
The Ghostbusters reboot hits theaters on July 15, but I'd like to think that in that other universe, the original crew's business is still open, even if they leave the ghost busting in the streets to a new staff.
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.


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Don’t miss the new SLIDE SHOW ad for a 1968 Camaro RS/SS L89 in Spokane, Washington. It’s said to be all numbers matching and built with a Muncie 4-speed transmission, factory 8-track and more. You won’t find many in this color either. It’s called Tripoli Turquoise.
This car has been SOLD.
Don’t miss all of the great cars for sale this week in the latest Cars On Line Newsletter! There’s even more to see at Cars On Line.com.
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Rick Murray, Head of Edelman’s Chicago office on how technology and social media has given PR a boost
About Rick Murray
Rick Murray is president of Edelman’s me2revolution. This new, global group is Edelman’s media lab, exclusively dedicated to identifying, testing, incubating and championing new forms of communications that get people talking across new platforms and channels. In this new role, he will also continue to serve as client relationship manager on Unilever’s AXE brand marketing business.
Prior to taking the helm of me2, Rick directed the Edelman’s various creative business units (design, production, interactive services and brand experiences), while also spearheading the development of its word of mouth marketing offering.
His principal areas of expertise include: brand identity, positioning and strategy; integrated marketing communications; and non-traditional marketing in both traditional and emerging channels. Today, he provides strategic and creative counsel to many of Edelman’s accounts including Microsoft, Nissan, Johnson & Johnson and Burger King.
Before joining Edelman in 2001, he served as executive vice president of Golin/Harris International, and worldwide managing director of its CrossMedia division, an integrated marketing communications business he founded in 1996. At G/H, his acquisitions of Creative Event Marketing and Ovation Studios broadened the group’s geographic scope and enabled CrossMedia to credibly service larger opportunities with Nortel Networks, Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, TimeWarner and Samsung.
Rick Murray's Latest Tweet
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One Gigabit-per-second Wi-Fi is coming to market with Cisco Systems’ products for hospitals, universities, law firms and other organizations. The portfolio is aimed supporting high-bandwidth services like HD streaming video, Web conferencing, and data backup and transfers within the enterprise.
The growing number of employee-owned mobile devices and the expansion of network throughput is driving unprecedented usage levels of such services, Cisco said—and enter the new portfolio.
"We are continuing our leadership in the market with this rollout of 802.11ac offerings and are positioned to change the landscape for enterprise-class network infrastructure,” said Chris Spain, vice president of Product Marketing for the Wireless Networking Group at Cisco. “We are in a new era of the digital lifestyle, and our customers are looking to increase employee productivity for those working on their mobile devices, by supporting the higher bandwidth applications popular amongst these users. Cisco's new 802.11ac modules will support devices now operating on this standard while more effectively utilizing spectrum in the workplace."
Based on the 802.11ac standard, the Wave 1 Module for the Cisco Aironet 3600 Series supports Wi-Fi speeds of up to 1.3Gbps, operating in the 5GHz range. Cisco also said that its Cisco Aironet 3600 Series field upgrade module to support the second part of the 802.11ac standard Wave 2, which includes MU-MIMO for switchlike performance in a wireless environment and higher bandwidth support via additional spatial streams and channels.
The Methodist Hospital System and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) are early adopters of Cisco's 802.11ac products. Methodist is Houston's third largest health system, and UNSW is a leading Australian research and teaching university. Both organizations wanted to accommodate mobile devices in greater quantity and provide them with better performance.
"Our team is dedicated to finding ways to use technology to improve staff operations and create an efficient workflow to treat patients faster, all the while decreasing costs,” added Armand Stansel, director of IT Infrastructure services at the Methodist Hospital System. “Implementing a WLAN infrastructure has provided us with reliable and predictable wireless connectivity. We're looking ahead to upgrade to 802.11ac to advance the use of mobile devices in our environment, including video collaboration for viewing remote operations, real-time medical imaging and medical device connectivity in the hospital. Now, it is easier to manage the multiple mobile devices used by staff, patients and doctors, so we can stay focused on enriching our healthcare operations and patient care."
The Amazon Echo, not the Apple Watch, became the last iPod-like product largely because of a far more accessible price point, a more compelling name, …
Apple's 13 percent sales decline and subsequent stock price drop this week has lead to the usual crazy talk about how to "fix" the company. Vivek Wadh…
Over the past 13 years, Apple has been one of the most successful companies in the world of tech, posting sales growths in 51 straight quarters. That …
Travel may be starting to make a bit of a comeback, as a new report suggests that shared-space providers like Airbnb and WeWork are on the rise.
One of the great downsides to having a lot of content in any one place is that, after a while, it starts looking downright pointless to add more.


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Carlsbad gyms, fitness centers reopen as state COVID-19 restrictions eased
Carlsbad's fitness community embraced the reopening of gyms throughout the city. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham lifted restrictions on fitness centers on June 1 to allow them to open at 50% capacity.
Gyms were closed down by the governor statewide in March to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with restaurants, retailers and other "non-essential" businesses.
Group fitness classes remained banned under the state's restrictions.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Carlsbad Current-Argus.
Lujan Grisham said New Mexicans should remain vigilant as businesses were allowed to reopen by continuing to practice social distancing and wearing protective masks when not eating, drinking or exercising.
As of June 8, New Mexico had 9,062 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a total of 38 in Eddy County and 32 in neighboring Lea County.
Southeast New Mexico continued to have lower numbers than northern portions of the state, with McKinley County in the northwest reporting 2,746 cases and San Juan County reporting 1,990 cases.
“Reopening our economy is not an invitation to forget about the risks of this virus – it is a mandate that we be more cautious and careful about our choices and decisions than ever before,” Lujan Grisham said.
“Just because you can go doesn’t mean you should. Ask yourself: Is this business operating with safe practices? When in doubt, err on the side of safety and stay home.”
While they were allowed to reopen, many local gyms and fitness centers in Carlsbad adapted to the new guidelines, increasing sanitation efforts and encouraging social distancing among guests.
Body Evolution has come up with some creative ways of keeping its members in shape. When the pandemic first hit this gym organized outside workouts limited to five people in March and has added videos from its trainers for people to view online back in April.
Work out from home:Live-streaming workouts and challenges available in Eddy County
Now with the gym re-opened with a 50% capacity limit, Aaron Ruiz, sales manager, marketing director and personal trainer for Body Evolution, noted the gym has nearly been back to normal with a few minor changes.
"We're not doing babysitting and we're not doing classes right now," Ruiz said. "We're hoping to introduce (the classes) next week."
Ruiz said the gym hasn't had to worry about exceeding its 50% limit because with Body Evolution North being a 24-hour gym and Body Evolution South being converted into a 24-hour gym, the gym rarely gets more than about a quarter of the initial capacity full.
"The only thing that's really changed is the oilfield guys," Ruiz said. "All the members who have been with us the last few years are all still here. The oilfield guys aren't around as much."
The staff makes sure to wipe down everything once an hour if the machines aren't in use and gym members know to disinfect their weights and workout areas after working out.
"We're taking every precaution," Ruiz said.
Martin Lebrun, the owner of Carlsbad's Anytime Fitness, keeps his gym open 24 hours now but has extended the amount of hours his staff is there to assist with the sanitizing of equipment. Now staff will be on site from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., two additional hours. All the equipment is available but the gym is currently not holding any group classes.
For the 10 hours the gym doesn't have staff in the building, Lebrun noted a drop-off in late night gym excursions and makes sure everything is cleaned in the morning
"What’s cool about our keyless entry is we can see trends," Lebrun said. "We have a low turnout after midnight as a result of COVID. So we have a short period where we don’t have staff there. We review our DVR from last night to see if there’s anything out of the ordinary we have to take care of."
Carlsbad's rec centers still waiting
Ted Cordova, the City of Carlsbad Assistant Coordinator of the sports complex, said the complex itself will reopen on June 15 "for conditioning and skills development and will be following all the guidelines set by the governor".
Sports amid pandemic:The cost of no summer sports felt in Carlsbad amid COVID-19 pandemic
Cordova noted the National League portion of Carlsbad's Little League has canceled its season due to COVID-19. The batting cages and fields will be open and individuals who wish to simply walk around the area while adhering to social distancing are allowed. The splash pad and the playgrounds are closed to the public.
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway is still working on the logistics of reopening the Pecos Riverwalk Recreational Center in addition to the skate park, hockey rink and playground which are all located nearby.
"Social distancing guidelines will be similar to those at the sports complex, and the recreation center’s capacity will also be limited for the time being as we re-adjust," Janway said. "Basketball courts will be re-opened, but there will be a limit on how many people can use a court and limits on scrimmages and games. Some services such as equipment checkouts may also be limited for the time being."
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, email@example.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.
Matthew Asher can be reached at 575-628-5524, firstname.lastname@example.org or @Caveman_Masher on Twitter.


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Ireland Is Booming
Trends in Ireland’s Employment Market
The start of 2019 has continued to see strong growth in employment. Ireland’s unemployment rate is now at its lowest level since February 2008.
According to the Central Bank, there is expected to be an additional 89,000 jobs created in the Irish Economy over the next two years. This will bring our total employment to a record number of 2.3 million. Currently we are 5.6% employment rate. According to the CSO, 50,500 people joined the workforce in 2018.
Currently Ireland is home to
* 9 of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies
* 9 of the top 10 software companies
* 12 of the top 15 medical tech companies
The pharmaceutical industry is also seeing growth with numerous jobs announcements and growth in companies such as Aerie Pharmaceuticals and Chanelle Pharmaceuticals announcing the creation of 350 jobs in Galway.
Electronics and Technology Sector
In the electronics and technology industry; Valeo in Galway has a recently announced to invest €44 million to create 50 new R&D jobs. This is a very exciting area to work on leading edge technology with autonomous cars. Also announced recently is EML payments to expand its Galway operation employing 20 people. EMCA – automation company in Cavan is also set to create 42 new jobs over the next three years.
Ireland is also home to a large variety of technology companies including Cisco, First Data and also successful indigenous companies. There is a huge demand for software engineers and developers.
The Medtech sector is a huge growing sector with Boston Scientific; a global leader in less invasive medical devices that have many opportunities in Engineering, IT, Supply Chain, HR and Science sectors currently across they’re 3 sites in Ireland. Boston Scientific employ almost 6,000 employees in Ireland and continue to grow and expand with the most recent growth in their Galway facility.
There is also high demand for language jobs in Ireland, with languages such as German, Spanish and French in high demand.
Supply Chain Sector
Jobs in supply chain and logistics is also increasing with a number of jobs for buyer/planners, sourcing specialists, demand planners, value stream and supply chain manager roles. The removal of trade barriers has allowed EU firms to export more which has lead to a demand in logistics jobs. This also has resulted in a need for supply chain specialists to have strong negotiation skills with suppliers.
These companies will host an array of job opportunities in Ireland from Manufacturing Engineering jobs, Quality Engineering jobs, R&D Engineering jobs, Supply Chain jobs, Production jobs and Language jobs.
At HERO Recruitment, we are proud to say we partner with some of the world’s leading medical device, pharmaceutical and manufacturing companies.
If you’re interested in speaking with us further regarding job opportunities in Ireland Call us now at our Galway office on +353 91 730022 or our Cork office on +353 21 2066287 or our Dublin office on +353 1 6190279
HERO’s 4-Day-Work-Week Culture At HERO, we know your colleagues can help improve your mood and self-esteem. Friendships…
Episode 4: Katie Devin, Product Manager, Needles and SMC Medical at TE Connectivity
Episode Summary We’re excited to bring you the next episode of the High-Flyers in STEM podcast,…


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METALLICA ANNOUNCE THE WORLDWIRED 2017 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR IN SUPPORT OF HARDWIRED…TO SELF-DESTRUCT
Metallica today announced their WorldWired 2017 North American tour in support of their new album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct. The WorldWired 2017 tour is produced by Live Nation and kicks off on May 10th in Baltimore, MD at M&T Bank Stadium. The tour will crisscross its way across North America into the summer, marking the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and Grammy® Award winning band’s first proper North American tour since 2009. Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat will be the main support acts for the tour run.
Presale tickets will be available to Legacy Fan Club members beginning on Tuesday, February 14 at 9:00 AM local time, with presale tickets available to all Met Club members beginning on Tuesday, February 14 at 11:00 AM local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning this Friday, February 17th at 10:00 AM local time. Each ticket purchased will come with a copy of the Hardwired…To Self-Destruct album, available as a physical CD or a digital download. Visit HERE for complete ticket info.
Hardwired…To Self Destruct was released on November 18 on Metallica’s own Blackened Recordings record label and debuted at No. 1 around the world, selling over 800,000 copies worldwide in its first week.
The album was produced by Greg Fidelman with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Praise for Hardwired…To Self-Destruct includes: The New York Times: “Metallica has embraced its adulthood, reclaiming the attack of its music while jettisoning the image of a hard-rock band as young, fast and out of control;” Rolling Stone: “Metallica’s ‘Hardwired’ shreds back to vintage eighties terror;” Decibel: “Metallica balances legacy, longevity, and longitude with Hardwired…To Self-Destruct;” Kerrang!: “This is Metallica galvanized, refreshed, refocused and rediscovering themselves. Best thing they’ve done since The Black album? Yep;” The Guardian: “Metallica have just made their finest record in 25 years;,” NME: “Metallica remain both vital and innovative;” San Jose Mercury News: “Metallica has once again delivered an album that echoes and underscores the mood of millions;” and much more.


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SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQX: PLPRF) (the “Company” or “PLUS”), a cannabis and hemp branded products company in the U.S., today announced that it has entered into a partnership with CannRx Biosciences (“CannRx”), a leading Israeli cannabis firm in the boutique field of cannabis-based botanical medicine, to enhance the onset of the Company’s products.
To read the full press release from Plus Products Inc., click here.
This headline brief is meant to help you stay on the pulse of your favorite cannabis-related companies. Sometimes, just figuring out which marijuana stocks may be moving can be one of the toughest parts of trading and investing in them.
Every day, The Daily Marijuana Observer seeks to keep stakeholders informed with as much of the latest news possible to keep you informed of any catalysts that may impact the companies you care about. Be sure to subscribe to cannabis stock updates here so you never miss an update.
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Henkel, a German consumer products group, said Monday it has agreed to buy Dial Corp. for some $2.9 billion, offering shareholders of the U.S. company an 11 percent premium.
Henkel said the deal, to be financed initially with cash and debt, would provide an immediate earnings boost. The Duesseldorf-based company said it later expects to sell a significant part of its minority U.S. investments in Clorox Co. or Ecolab Inc., or a combination of both.
The deal represents an 11 percent premium over Dial's closing price of $25.88 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange and a 22 percent premium over the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company's six-month share price average, a Henkel statement said.
Henkel is a major European maker of detergents, cosmetics and adhesives. Dial is a leading U.S. manufacturer of deodorants, soap and other personal and household care items. It also has interests in the food industry.
Henkel shares were down 2 percent at $69.05 in morning trading on the Frankfurt stock exchange.


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(June 16, 2020) – Sunny Isles Beach Miami is thrilled to announce its beaches, hotels and resorts, restaurants and other businesses are open to visitors and residents alike. Following CDC guidelines and protocols, establishments are presenting a worry‐free environment to enjoy a getaway at the beach.
“Our hospitality community couldn’t be more diligent in offering a safe and welcoming atmosphere for visitors to enjoy,” stated Ibis Romero, CTC, Executive Director of the Sunny Isles Beach Tourism & Marketing Council.
A three‐minute video was recently produced by the local tourism community to convey the extra steps being taken to ensure guest safety.
Ideally located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Sunny Isles Beach Miami provides just the right amount of seclusion and uncrowded, two‐and‐a‐half‐mile stretch of white sandy shoreline for a family summer escape.


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Im sure this isn’t something new to all of us. Especially iPhone users out there, you KNOW it. The fact that we need to constantly plug in for battery power is beyond frustration. Somehow this video seemed to depict Samsung mitigating this issue. The new Samsung S5 with lesser power issues? Really? While I highly doubt so, I do think the commercial resonates with a lot of people out there. Most of us suffering from the mediocre battery performance from smartphones are compelled to make a switch to another brand often promising us longer, more robust battery performance. Well, i do think this is a rather amusing commercial of how Samsung would sell through benefit but at the expense of Apple.
Samsung Galaxy S5
I know this should have come much earlier. But the concise article from The Verge gave more insights to the upcoming Samsung S5. We see how important and convenient smart phones are to our social behaviors and remains perpetually integral in our daily routines. Samsung’s S4 had previously drove it’s offering to the stratosphere, leaving little room for its next innovation. While many might think that way, it might not be true. Im an iPhone user but occasionally, I would check out Samsung’s offerings. While there is little adjustment to the facade, the new innovation, S5, boosts a huge repertoire of new functions to woo you over. If being avant garde and living on the edge of technology is something up your alley, then this might just be the phone for you.
We now have a fingerprint scanner as well as several important features like an Android back button and capacitive keys. And I see how the tech giant is trying to move into the health segment by improving its gadgets to incorporate more personalized functions that aims to monitor your health progress. Atop of that, the S5 has attempted to built more functions around its home button too. These include tying up with merchants like Paypal making purchases through fingerprint scanning. Definitely a smartphone worth waiting for isn’t it?


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KUALA LUMPUR (July 13): Mestron Holdings Bhd, whose net profit for its financial year ended Dec 31, 2022 (FY2022) almost tripled year-on-year, is optimistic of an even better year ahead as it sees visible growths and further catalysts in all three of its business segments, with possibly a record turnover for its second quarter ended June 30, 2023 (2QFY2023).
The group’s executive director Gary Loon Chin Seng said its lighting and pole segment — Mestron's core business — has seen an average of purchase orders amounting to RM10 million each month.
As at the end of the first week of July, Loon said Mestron’s outstanding orders for the segment — where orders are typically completed in three to four months — are estimated at RM80 million to RM100 million, translating to about eight to 10 months of future sales volume.
“Bear in mind, we are still getting new purchase orders everyday,” the 47-year-old told The Edge at the conclusion of the group's extraordinary general meeting recently, highlighting the “aggressiveness” of demand for lighting and poles.
As a supplier for ongoing projects such as the Pan Borneo Highway, West Coast Expressway, Central Spine Road and the Kota Bharu-Kuala Krai Highway, he said there was a strong revitalisation in the business following good highway development progress with the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The group has also supplied some of its products to Tenaga Nasional Bhd’s (TNB) advanced metering infrastructure project, which aims to install smart metering in 9.1 million households in Peninsular Malaysia by 2026 and requires 100 monopoles per month for 6,000 TNB substations.
Besides that, Mestron said it has a strong presence in private developments such as Serenia City and City of Elmina by Sime Darby Property Bhd, Eco Majestic and Eco Sanctuary by Eco World Development Group Bhd and Gamuda Cove by Gamuda Bhd.
Mestron, incorporated in 2002, started venturing into the telecommunication (telco) segment in 2017. Loon said the group has so far secured orders for about 200 telco towers under phase one of the Jalinan Digital Negara (Jendela) programme that seeks to enhance the country's 4G network capabilities.
“We were a major supplier for the phase one of Jendela implementation and phase two is starting up by the end of this year. So there will be another round of demand,” Loon said.
The group was also involved in the initial stage of the 5G network implementation, said Loon, who believes Mestron stands a good chance to be one of its major infrastructural suppliers to provide high mast lightings and telco monopoles.
With the government’s introduction of a dual network model for 5G roll-out, Loon expects Mestron’s telco business to see a "second boom”.
As for its third segment, the renewable energy (RE) business that it ventured into in 2021, Loon said Mestron’s investment in a 2MW biogas power plant in Gua Musang, Kelantan has been completed and is now pending approval for its commercial operation date from the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Seda).
“We are targeting to start supplying to TNB from this month. In fact, it has been postponed for two months due to some technical issues,” Loon said, but did not elaborate.
Mestron’s biogas plant has a 21-year power purchase agreement with TNB at a rate of 39 sen plus per kWh. The plant is projected to contribute an annual profit after tax of RM3 million on a revenue of RM6 million — based on full capacity — from 2024 onwards.
Mestron posted a net profit of RM9.43 million for its FY2022, about three times FY2021's RM3.21 million, as revenue jumped 92.22% to RM112.16 million from RM58.35 million, thanks to increased demand for pole and outdoor lighting products. Its lighting and pole segment contributed 69.87% of Mestron’s FY2022 revenue, followed by the telco segment at 22.16% and the RE business at 7.98%, primarily from its solar energy business.
For its 1QFY2023 ended March 31, 2023, Mestron’s net profit about doubled to RM2.54 million from RM1.38 million a year ago, as revenue grew 25.64% to RM26.9 million from RM21.41 million, driven by the sale of its specialty and telco poles.
Loon said the group's overall profit margin is about 10%, with the telco segment providing the highest profit margin of 15% to 20%.
Meanwhile, despite the intensity of ongoing demand, Loon said Mestro's manufacturing plant in Puchong, Selangor, is running under-capacity due to the limited capability of its in-house machinery.
“There are still a lot of processes that depend on manual labour, which we are trying to cut down for a more automated process, and which in turn provides a better quality control system,” he said.
Loon also said Mestron has not been impacted much by changes in steel prices for its pole making business, nor has it been affected by the weakening of the ringgit.
“We are able to react very fast if there are any changes to steel material price due to the short turnaround time of our orders. Whenever there is an increase of raw material prices, we pass the cost over to the customers,” he said. “We also make sure that we are able to secure our supply in the next six months. Most of Mestron’s raw materials are sourced locally, but we do have some importation from China. And so far, the ringgit versus renminbi is very stable.”
At the EGM, the group obtained its shareholders' approval to amend the group's constitution to transfer its listing on the ACE Market — where it debuted in 2019 — to the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia by November this year, which it believes will accord the group greater recognition among investors.
Mestron shares closed unchanged at 43 sen apiece on Thursday, giving the group a market capitalisation of RM424.9 million. The group's share price has appreciated over 26% in the past one year.


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.online Is Poised to Be the Next Leading Domain Extension in the Industry
SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwired – Aug 27, 2015) – After record-breaking registrations in its first two launch phases, .online continued the trend when it went into general availability on August 26 with 37,544 registrations on the first day — a major milestone for new top level domains (TLDs). The generic extension .online is now available on a first come, first serve basis across more than 100 registrars worldwide.
“.online has extensive global appeal and relevance as it applies to anyone and everyone — hence, we expect it to be a popular domain option,” said Richard Stevenson from 1&1 Internet, Europe’s leading domain name registrar and a global leader among web hosting providers. “Businesses and individuals alike will be attracted to both the clarity and vast potential for attractive new names that .online offers them.”
With the current heavily-overcrowded market for generic domains, there is significant need for a new generic extension like .online. Many companies have opted for a second or third choice domain due to the scarcity of good or short domain names. The generic .online has mass appeal to any business, institution or individual looking to obtain a domain that may already be taken, and create a unique name to differentiate itself in the Internet namespace.
In its first phase of launch (Sunrise) which is exclusively for trademark holders, .online recorded 775 registrations, the highest by any new generic domain extension. Aside from 39 Fortune 500 companies like Apple and Bank of America securing its brands on .online, here’s a sample of the diversity among the Sunrise registrations:
In the second registration phase, a 7-day early access period, .online broke registration records with 1,130 names registered such as the nifty www.geeks.online among other generic names like:
“We have seen a trend where customers select domains that are relevant and easy to remember – just like .online,” said Theresa Geraghty from GoDaddy, the world’s largest ICANN-accredited registrar. “The .online extension has broad appeal to a vast number of potential customers.”
“Google’s recent announcement on the new domain, www.abc.xyz, has been the ultimate validation for new domain extensions and should be a game-changer in terms of impact on the domains industry; it’s come at the perfect time with the launch of .online,” said Sandeep Ramchandani, Business Head of Radix, which has already successfully launched extensions like .press, .website and .tech among others. “We’ve seen celebrities, brands and big businesses using new domains which makes the launch of .online — an intuitive, generic term — possibly the best extension to be launched yet.”
.online had 39,449 domains under management at the end of its first 24 hours.
Radix is a leading generic top-level domain (gTLD) registry with exclusive rights to manage seven new domain extensions including .online. With this new domain, individuals and businesses can obtain their first domain choice and ensure that it is easy to recall and globally recognized.
As an active participant in ICANN’s process, Radix plays any instrumental role in the global diversification of the Internet namespace. Domains can be registered through any of any of Radix’s 100+ accredited registrars. For more information visit www.radix.website.


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Today, three new Pokémon Utility Hole Covers, or PokéLids (Pokéfuta ポケふた) were unveiled in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. The three new PokéLids depict: Kairyu, Miniryu, Armorga, Hakuryu and Airmd and are based on various landscapes in Tokorozawa City. Pictures from the press release have been added to an Imageboard thread
Each PokéLids is an original design and each is unique. The PokéLids will continue to be installed for years to come. More than 200 PokéLids have been installed already in locations throughout Japan and they will serve as an opportunity for many people throughout Japan and around the world to learn about the charms of Pokémon and Higashiosaka City.
The PokéLids that are installed will gradually become PokéStops for the location-based game Pokémon GO for smartphones.
Three PokéLids in Tokorozawa City
1) Kairyu's PokéLid: 1-13 Namiki, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture (埼玉県所沢市並木1-13)
2) Miniryu and Armorga's PokéLid: 143-3 Matsugo, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture (埼玉県所沢市松郷143-3)
3) Hakuryu and Airmd's PokéLid: 1 Hiyoshi-cho, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture (埼玉県所沢市日吉町1)


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Demand for low and no alcohol alternatives continues to grow .
Seven new versions of popular rum .
SCOTLAND might not be the warmest of countries, but Edinburgh-based brewer Innis & Gunn has released a new ‘Tropic Like It’s Hop’ passionfruit pale ale — adding a bit of tropical flavour to the off trade.
WINE brand Echo Falls has released not one, but 30 limited edition occasion labels for its bottles.
Retailers looking to springboard off RTD's popularity with young adult consumers, adding PMPs into the premix might be well worth investigating.
CORNWALL-based Sharps Brewery has invested £1m in a major nationwide advertising campaign for its flagship beer Doom Bar.
AUSTRALIAN agony uncles Brad and Dan are back as part of the latest media blitz for Foster’s.
STOWFORD Press cider has been relaunched with new plastic-free packaging, tapping into consumer concerns about the environment.
STRONGBOW cider is back on TV after it launched a new advert centred around ‘local heroes’.
RELEASED just in time for summer, Thatchers has relaunched its Rascal Cider with a brand new look.
BROOKLYN Brewery is the latest brand to try its hand at low-alcohol beer, in the shape of its new Brooklyn Special Effects range.
HARDYS has just launched its first ever alcohol-free chardonnay in response to what Accolade Wines sees as growing demand for low or no alcohol alternatives.
THE no and low alcohol beer segment is growing at nearly twice the rate of the 5% ABV segment, according to AB InBev – the brewery behind Budweiser.
Young adults on a limited budget can be keen bargain hunters when purchasing fuel for studying – or partying .
Global Brands' brightly patterned designs are to encourage consumers to share pictures of their drink on social media .
Young adults “love” convenience, according to snack brand Symington’s .


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apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is scheduled to report its first-quarter results for its fiscal year on Thursday, and the tech giant’s quarterly report gives investors additional insight into how its supply chain is performing and what the implications are. may provide insight into It’s on every important iPhone.
November, Apple (AAPL) warned China’s COVID-19-related disruptions may reduce iPhone 14 shipments. Since then, Apple’s (AAPL) Foxconn, a major iPhone maker, also known as Hon Hai Precision (OTCPK: HNHAF), have received Alleviated workers’ anxiety and dealt with the impact of China’s COVID-19 policies. result Revenue dropped significantly in November.A month later, Foxconn saw Earnings rebounded sharply in December as the company’s main iPhone factory in Shenzhen, China, returned to normal operations.
Furthermore, China effectively demolished COVID-19 policies that have hindered economic growth in the world’s most populous country. Relaxation of travel restrictions.
analyst consensus Predict apple (AAPL) reports quarterly earnings of $1.96 per share and earnings of $122.05 billion.
In addition to the state of the iPhone and its supply chain, Apple (AAPL) and its management team, led by CEO Tim Cook, could provide investors with insight into the health of consumers as the global economic outlook continues to weaken and recession fears surface. there is.
Wells Fargo in the recent past cut The forecast for 2023 cites a sharp year-to-date share price rally and signs of “increasing weakness in consumer demand.”
“Overall demand push vs. weakening consumer demand…and uncertainty about the pace of China’s post-COVID lockdown recovery remains an increasingly cautious stance into 2023. [estimate calendar 2023 iPhone shipments] 216.4M, or -7% [year-over-year]or about 10% below consensus,” analyst Aaron Lakers wrote in a note to investors.
Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan has set a neutral rating and a price target for Apple at $153 (AAPL), recently Said The outlook for the March quarter is very weak, perhaps 20% higher than expected.
“The tone of the call is very important for understanding the underlying demand trajectory. [December quarter] The supply of high-end Pro models of the iPhone was severely constrained,” Mohan wrote in a note to customers.
Mohan added that his iPhone tracker showed that device availability had normalized, adding: “This allows us to conclude that demand may be lower than expected. [the first-half of 2023].”
On the bright side, Apple (AAPL) will be a “net plus” if it sees a reacceleration of the service due to improved backgrounds in video games and more stable advertising, Mohan added.
Other positives include a reduction in the impact of foreign exchange, continued reopening of China, and increased vertical integration, as Apple does (AAPL) continues to bring more components in-house, Mohan explained.
Last month, Deutsche Bank lowered its 2023 forecast for Apple (AAPL) Ahead of the iPhone maker’s first-quarter earnings announcement.


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The electric carmaker confirmed on Tuesday that the Justice Department had requested documents following Musk’s August 7 tweet that he was considering taking Tesla private and had secured funding for the deal. Bloomberg was first to report, earlier Tuesday, that Tesla might be facing a criminal probe by the federal government.
Tesla said in a statement regarding the DOJ’s probe that it was cooperating with a “voluntary request” for documents and has not received “a subpoena, a request for testimony, or any other formal process.”
“We respect the DOJ’s desire to get information about this and believe that the matter should be quickly resolved as they review the information they have received,” the company said.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has also launched a probe regarding Musk’s tweets, on top of another reported investigation it’s already undertaken on Tesla regarding disclosures about its Model 3 production issues. According to Bloomberg, citing two people familiar with the matter, the Justice Department’s criminal probe is running in tandem with the SEC’s civil inquiry into Musk’s privatization declarations.
This all began in August when Musk tweeted that he had the “funding secured” to potentially take Tesla private at $420, a deal that would have priced the company at $70 billion, making it the largest corporate buyout ever. The tweet raised eyebrows because it wasn’t clear how much groundwork had actually been laid for such a maneuver, and it’s illegal for companies and executives to give shareholders misleading information about potentially meaningful corporate events.
Shareholders could either to sell at 420 or hold shares & go private— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018
Musk and Tesla put out a couple of blog posts trying to explain the thought process behind his privatization tweets, but ultimately, a couple of weeks later, Musk said he would keep Tesla public after all. That hasn’t put to bed scrutiny on his original declarations.
Musk’s erratic behavior is costing Tesla investors a lot of money
Tesla’s stock price dropped by as much as 7 percent on Tuesday after the Justice Department’s probe was reported. The day of Musk’s surprise privatization tweet, Tesla’s stock closed trading at $379.57; on Tuesday, it ended the day at $284.96, a roughly 25 percent drop in its price.
Even beyond the will-he-or-won’t-he dance on keeping the electric car company public, Musk’s behavior has become increasingly problematic. He continues to accuse one of the Thai cave rescuers of pedophilia, and this week, his target, Vernon Unsworth, sued him for libel. Earlier this month, he appeared to smoke marijuana on a podcast with comedian Joe Rogan.
While that’s not exactly the end of the world — an estimated 55 million US adults use marijuana — some board members are reportedly concerned about Musk’s recreational drug use. Musk gave a wide-ranging interview to the New York Times last month in which he discussed his overwork and Ambien habits and, according to the publication, “alternated between laughter and tears” as he spoke.
Two of Tesla’s top executives — chief accounting officer Dave Morton and HR chief Gaby Toledano — also said they were exiting the company this month. Morton had been at Tesla for only a month.
It hasn’t been all bad news for Musk as of late — his SpaceX this week announced plans to send Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to the moon. But the entrepreneur’s conduct consistently seems to overshadow many of his successes, and as evidenced by the DOJ’s probe, his problems aren’t going away.


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Junio will be using the freshly raised funding to build its product, strengthen its team and focus on customer acquisitions.
Founded by former Paytm executives, Junio is a kids focused digital pocket money startup which has raised an additional Rs 5 crore from Venture Catalysts, HNI investors, and Family Offices led by the Rajiv Dadlani Group. After this fundraiser the fintech company has raised a total of Rs 15 crore in its seed round.
Moreover, the startup also said that it has crossed 50,000 users within a month after its launch. The company claimed that the app has strong acceptance among the parents and children community.The startup will help in providing financial knowledge and lessons about money management and finance.
Co-founder Ankit Gera said in a statement, “We are excited with the early traction we have seen for Junio. Over the course of next few months we will be rolling out some interesting product features, and have a full-fledged marketing launch ”.
Adding to his statement he said, with an investor backing Junio has gained the potential to unlock new opportunities in kids-focused digital payment options in India.
On the investment into Junio, Rajiv Dadlani said, “There is a huge, inherent and unmet need for Junio’s products amongst teenagers and the parent-children community. Given their vision and strong execution, also the digital pocket money/virtual card segment, being at a nascent stage in India, with huge growth potential.”
Founded in September 2020, the Junio smart card lets children make physical and online purchases (through the app) using digital pocket money. The goal is to promote desired behaviour among children along with developing an understanding of the value of hard-earned money.
In addition to instant pocket money transfer, the Junio app also allows parents to know about the spending done by their children. It also lets parents create in-app daily tasks for their kids and tie them with perks.


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I'm not really smart enough to argue with the late Marshall McLuhan, but I'm beginning to think that perhaps the medium isn't the message. For app developers, the message may be the new platform.
How did the wireless industry perform in the first quarter quarter of 2013? Check here throughout the first-quarter earnings report season for full earnings reports from the wireless industry's carriers, handset makers, equipment suppliers and others.
Canalys offers a few recommendations that game developers should keep in mind as they try to crack the top 25:
Synacor struck a deal with casual game producer Zynga that could allow Synacor customers such as Cable One and Charter Communications to add Words With Friends, FarmVille2 and other games to their TV Everywhere online video portals.
How did the wireless industry perform in the third quarter of 2012? Check here throughout the second-quarter earnings report season for full earnings reports from the wireless industry's carriers, handset makers, equipment suppliers and others.
Check out this week's most-viewed stories across Fierce's wireless publications:
Mobile app companies have a wide range of options when it comes to generating interest in--and downloads of--their smartphone apps. They can spread the word through Twitter and Facebook, they can generate publicity through press releases and news articles, and they can spend money to advertise their app.
FierceWireless and the other Fierce publications give you the latest news every day to kee you up to date. But we also do a whole lot more than that and this week was especially busy in terms of
Zynga is one of the top players in mobile gaming, with its "With Friends" and "-Ville" series regularly topping the list of most downloaded apps for the App Store and Google Play. The social gaming
Mobile game developers are competing in one of the most difficult of all mobile application markets. Although the mobile game market is full of promise, it does not offer financial success to the


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[EDIT: Since publishing this story, it has come to our attention that this story is indeed about storage technology, not charging technology. We're investigating our sources to try and better understand the advancement made in Japan]
The time it takes an electric car to fully recharge from empty has always been the technology’s Achilles heel, with even a so-called rapid-charge taking half an hour for a car like the 2012 Nissan Leaf.
As most consumers will tell you, they think electric cars should refuel as quickly as gasoline ones.
But that goal might soon be in sight thanks to a joint project between Kansai University in Japan and Nissan’s own team of electric car engineers. Between them, the team has managed to develop charging hardware a new type of battery system which reduces the time it takes to rapid charge a car like the 2012 Nissan Leaf from 30 minutes to just 10 minutes.
By replacing the battery with capacitors and changing the electrode material inside capacitors from carbon to tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide, the engineers discovered the power circuits inside the car could the charger could handle more power, increasing the amount of power that could be safely fed into the car’s battery pack. In other words, the advance isn't in battery technology, it's in charging technology. , allowing the car to charge more quickly than a conevntional battery could.
As well as dramatically shortening the time it takes an electric car to charge, the new capacitor material could have big implications in everything from computers to medical equipment, increasing efficiency and improving power output of many different devices.
Fast Charging 2011 Nissan Leaf
Sadly however, the newly-designed rapid charging system could be as many as 10 years away from being used in commercial applications, so we’re stuck with a 30-minute rapid recharge time for now.
Then again, 30 minutes isn’t that bad, is it? After all, that’s not much slower than the time it takes you to visit the restroom, buy a coffee and queue for gas, now is it?


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For those of you who attended this year’s CX Summit in New York, it was an excellent opportunity to connect with business leaders and contacts after a three-year hiatus from our annual in-person event. This year’s theme centered on building a resilient business amid recent economic trends and turmoils. Speakers and panelists from the technology, retail, and financial services industries shared their strategies for staying competitive and retaining workforces amid uncertain market conditions.
As part of the summit, the TaskUs Risk + Response team sat down with John Matas, Director of Risk & Fraud Operations for Etsy, to discuss the growing challenges and opportunities in financial crime compliance and fraud prevention. The panelists and participants discussed budget prioritization and internal awareness efforts to combat fraud, technology innovations such as case management platforms and RPA automation, as well as emerging fraud typologies.
After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, online commerce continues to shift, evolve, and surprise. Customers’ increasing preference to purchase goods and services through online platforms and marketplaces brings new and severe challenges, like the rise and growing complexity of “Friendly Fraud.”
On the surface, the term “Friendly Fraud” may seem harmless at first, but rest assured that there’s nothing “friendly” about this growing trend. Friendly Fraud, as defined by fraud.net, “typically involves an actual consumer obtaining goods or services from a merchant, then claiming they did not make the purchase, did not receive the goods, request a refund from a false claim, or only received a fraction of the items, to keep the goods or services without paying for them.”
The repercussions of Friendly Fraud (an estimated 20% growth YoY from 2019 onward per LexisNexis) include surges in disputes, triage, and chargeback fraud schemes that span the range of individual perpetrators to more complex organized crime rings. They have left the e-Commerce platforms and marketplaces to combat those responsible.
According to the True Cost of Fraud study, every $1 of fraud now costs U.S. retail and e-commerce merchants $3.75, reflecting nearly a 20% YoY increase in fraud costs since 2019. To counterbalance this, merchants and platforms alike are turning to highly dynamic anti-fraud, KYC, and further identity verification measures to help combat this growing trend of losses. Arming your fraud teams with an efficient system can help your organization weather the storm now, and into the future.
The rise of technology to help monitor and support both the merchant and customer sides allow for the implementation of additional safeguards like delivery verification (photos, date/timestamps) and documented system recording (purchase information, transaction timestamps and details, and historical customer purchase information that includes things like location, product/service type, and many other defining characteristics). This is to ensure your teams have the crucial information available to them in the event of a fraudulent transaction, chargeback/dispute, or, in some cases, both simultaneously.
Fraud rates are climbing steadily at a conservatively estimated rate of 20% per year. Coupled with the uncertainty of a recessed economy, simply throwing additional money and resources at the problem isn’t in the cards for most organizations. Many are attempting to practice one of the TaskUs core values—“Doing More with Less”—something most would deem “uncomfortable” to say the least.
As John walked us through a few anecdotal solutions, the common theme of prioritization and realistic expectations weaved their way throughout the segment. The takeaway when it comes to plateaued or possibly shrinking budgets is two-fold. The first is to analyze where your weak points are within your program. Figuring out how to prioritize your organization’s needs will help align your efforts and set realistic expectations while establishing specific focus areas when securing your organization’s overall risk probability.
The second area is recognizing that anti-fraud measures are never a zero-sum game.
While historically seen in some institutions as a cost center, fraud programs can withstand the initial write-off through specific and ongoing reporting. Showing the results of your program’s initiatives and efforts can help realign the conversation from “cost center” to an integral piece within your organization’s operational model and drive real results to your company’s bottom line.
When you optimize both sides of this coin, you’ll find a strong business case to stand beside amid growing fraud complexities, regulatory requirements, and evolving schemes.
While Organized Retail Crime (ORC) is not a new phenomenon, there’s a new wrinkle in the playbook. In recent years, we’ve seen online platforms innovating how they serve customers and developing new methods to reach underserved or previously unserved customer bases. While the value added is clear to most consumers, these new service models come with their own compliance challenges for these platforms.
One of the focus areas is around the complex and organized fraud schemes emerging on both buyer and seller fronts. While incidents are more common on one side or the other, there’s been an interesting uptick in buyer/seller collusion.
Instances have been reported where a buyer and seller work together to defraud a platform through fictitious or fraudulent transactions allowing either side to file a chargeback or dispute normally ends with the platform holding the bag. This has become a more common scenario for illicit actors attempting to clean dirty money by structuring fraudulent sales and purchases.
In some cases, the perpetrator on both sides turns out to be the same individual or group where the seller poses as the buyer, “purchases” the service or product from the seller, and then files a non-delivery or other fraudulent claims, resulting in a refund from the platform used to host the transaction. The money is sent directly into a shared account, and the seller then moves to another account to hide the money.
Due to the nature of chargebacks and disputes, criminals have also found that going directly to the credit card issuer or platform is a more efficient way to scam and defraud their way to an easy payday through the manipulation of return and refund services offered by both.
The key takeaway from this growing phenomenon is that documentation and recording are essential. Similar to the chain of custody tracking in Law Enforcement evidence, accurately tracking and monitoring the movement of goods and services in your e-Commerce platform reduces the risks of an ORC outbreak on your platform.
In a stressed economic environment, the motivation of illicit actors and those desperate enough to attempt to commit financial crimes continues to rise. It’s a perfect storm that can be the source of significant pain for platforms and companies that are ill-prepared to handle the uptick in attempted crimes. The key to staying ahead is to arm your teams with the necessary means to combat these crimes and proactively protect users from falling victim to them. Reporting and prioritization of resource allocation allow you to develop typologies and stay ahead of trending schemes. And most importantly, as the world continues to reopen in the wake of the recent pandemic, information sharing is of the utmost necessity.
Networking at events like the recent CX Summit allows professionals to share insights, experiences, and recommendations on the problems we all face.


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Bono Gets Lucky
Further proving the crossover appeal of Daft Punk, one of rocks most iconic figures has jumped on the “Get Lucky” bandwagon. At this year's (RED) auction at New York City’s Sothebys auction house, U2 front man Bono took to the stage, joined by funk curator Nile Rodgers on electric guitar, to perform the Daft Punk hit single. Hitting that stage in his trademark rose colored glasses, Bono gave it his all, and we’re sure, made the robots proud. Check out his performance in the video below. Raising a total of nearly $13,000,000 for charity, Bono's "Get Lucky" was just the climax of a spectacular evening.


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The Food and Drug Administration plans to start testing food for traces of glyphosate, the world’s most commonly used pesticide.
I know what you’re thinking: the federal government wasn’t doing that already?!
Shockingly, no. The FDA assumed that glyphosate – the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup – was a safe herbicide and wasn’t testing for it. But we now know that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen, according to the World Health Organization. Other scientific research has indicated that exposure to glyphosate doubles a person’s risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The weed killer is linked to other health effects such as liver and kidney damage.
In recent years the use of glyphosate has exploded as industrial agriculture has adopted more genetically engineered, or “GMO,” corn and soybeans, designed to withstand the pesticide. A Monsanto scientist discovered glyphosate’s extraordinary weed-killing potential in the early 1970s; the company began marketing it as “Roundup” in 1976. Today, it is the nation’s most popular agricultural herbicide. Some 250 million pounds of it were sprayed on U.S. crops in 2014.
Studies have found glyphosate residues on soybeans, even at levels Monsanto considers extreme. And these studies have found more residue on genetically engineered crops than non-GMO varieties.
In response to more glyphosate being found on food, the Environmental Protection Agency keeps increasing the threshold for how much glyphosate the agency considers safe. For example, since 1999 the EPA has raised the safe threshold for glyphosate on corn 49-fold!
When the FDA starts testing for glyphosate, we will have a better idea of just how extreme our exposure is to the weed-killer. Until then, the simple solution is to demand the right to know if your food is genetically engineered to withstand this pesticide.


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As Forbes described it “the most important industrial company in the United States”; The American multinational automaker Ford (NYSE: F) Motor Company is most popular for automobiles and commercial vehicles. It also deals with luxury cars under the Lincoln brand and specializes in producing tractor and automotive parts. Ford (NYSE: F) has shares in Mazda of Japan, Aston Martin of the United Kingdom and Jiangling of China. Its joint ventures include ChanganFord Mazda and FordLio Ho in the Chinese market. AutoAlliance,Thailand, FordOtosan in Turkey and FordSollers in Russia. In a nutshell this is what the company is worth and how it branches out.
Among Ford (NYSE: F)’s latest invention is the F-series pickup. It received a positive response from the customers on its website and has been the best-selling truck in America for over 37 years. This brings the question to mind that with such positive stats instead of rounding off prices at the higher scale, why is Ford (NYSE: F) offering discounts on it and as a result hindering the company’s profit for sure. The current Ford (NYSE: F) deal on F-150, offers 5 years of 0 percent financing along with a $1,500 bonus for trade in of selected items. If however the Federal Reserve shifts the interest rates, the company could suffer losses or possibly a greater margin.
Looking at the competitive environment all around, it has been concluded that maybe the F-series discount was less of an offer but a respond to the competition. The biggest competitors in the market for Ford (NYSE: F) are the General Motors Co (NYSE:GM)’s Chevy Silverado and Chrysler’s Dodge Ram. The F-series sales fell by 4.2 percent last year which means a total of 68,109 in the month of August. However if we look at the last eight months the percentage drop is around 0.4 which means a total of around 467,174 cars. Contrarily Silverado sales have risen by around 12.8 percent in August, selling around 49,201 units and the percentage increase is around 1.1 percent if we consider the last eight months with a total sales figure 331,977.
Ram on the other hand, hasn’t posed any direct threat to the pickup sales of Ford (NYSE: F) but it has steadily taken away a huge portion of the market share in 2014 and at this stage seems likely it will eventually cross Silverado’s sales by 2015. Ram was nominated the 5th best automobile in America this August. Its sales rose by 32.6 percent to 43,775 units and remained at a high of 20.7% through out to 283,256.
Even though the F series is to date the market leader but threats from multiple companies has started which is the reason why Ford (NYSE: F) has started offering incentives and other attractive offers with its sales. These are tactics necessary to maintain and increase Fords market share because Dodge seems to be threatening sales. But the question that arises now is that could this deal end up costing the company more?


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NEW YORK (March 7, 2019) — Adweek, the leading resource for the brand marketing and advertising community, today announced the launch of a new advisory committee under the Brandweek portfolio: the Gen ZEOs Council. This new committee comprises six of the industry’s most innovative and creative entrepreneurs from Generation Z, defined as people born between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s. This fast-growing class of business leaders are shaping the modern brand marketing ecosystem and paving the way for the future of the industry.
The members of the new Brandweek Gen ZEOs Council are:
- Aanikh Kler, Co-founder & COO of TruFan
- Andy McCune, Co-founder & COO of Unfold
- Drake Rehfeld, Founder & CEO of Demeanor
- Dylan Gambarella, Co-founder of Next Gen Summit
- Swish Goswani, Founder & CEO of TruFan
- Tiffany Zhong, Founder & CEO of Zebra IQ
The aim of the Gen ZEOs Council is to contribute a unique perspective to the discussion around the future of brands from the vantage point of younger marketers and entrepreneurs. Members will share best practices and insights with each other and with the Adweek audience. The content can be found under “Inside the Brand”on Adweek.com.
“We wanted to make sure we pulled forward the brilliance and best practices from the future leaders of our industry. By assembling this council, Adweek is in the unique position to do so for our community.” Said Danny Wright, Adweek’s Chief Brand Officer.
Redefining what it means to be a creator, innovator and business owner today, the Gen ZEOs Council members are committed to providing the Adweek and Brandweek community with insights and perspectives to successfully navigate the complex and constantly shifting landscape of today’s marketing and media world. Bringing these key voices to the forefront, Adweek recognizes the demand to synthesize a diversity of opinions and further its position as the premier voice in the marketplace.
“We are thrilled to have such a smart and talented group lending their expertise to this initiative,” said Nadine Dietz, Adweek’s Editor of Inside the Brand(formerly known as Marketer Moves).“Not only will their valuable insights be an asset to Adweek, their contributions and guidance will ensure that our content channels and events continue to resonate with the brand marketing community as it evolves to embrace up-and-coming leaders and younger voices with a fresh outlook on the industry.”
“I’m excited to be partnering with Adweek and joining its first-ever Gen ZEOs Council in paving the path forward for this next generation of entrepreneurs,” says Tiffany Zhong, Founder &
CEO of Zebra IQ. “It’s important to show Gen Z and future generations that age is just a number and taking action is what truly matters, especially when showcasing diverse opinions spanning age, gender, ethnicity and other key human attributes. I’m so lucky to be on a council with people I admire, and I’m stoked for what’s to come!”
Adweek is the leading source of news and insights serving the brand marketing ecosystem. First published in 1979, Adweek’s award-winning coverage reaches an engaged audience of more than six million professionals across platforms including print, digital, events, podcasts, newsletters, social media and mobile apps. As a touchstone of the advertising and marketing community, Adweek is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their job better.


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Importers: Did you know that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has proposed to amend the existing rule on the General Certificate of Conformity (GCC)?
Amendments including the requirement for the electronic filing of GCCs for regulated imported consumer products with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the time of filing the CBP entry, or the time of filing the entry and entry summary, are just some of the proposed amendments.
Not keen on this idea? You are in luck!
The CPSC recently voted to hold a workshop and seek additional public comments on aspects of its proposed rule on Certificates of Compliance, which the Commission first published on May 13, 2013.
Interested parties are invited to participate in, or attend the workshop, and to submit written comments.
The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2014 in the CPSC Hearing Room, 4th Floor of the Bethesda Towers Building, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814.
Registration is now open using the following link, where you can also read the formal notice by CPSC:
Questions or comments? Post below or email me at email@example.com
Keep up with me at www.fashioncompliance.com or:
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/FashionCompliance
On Twitter @fashcompliance


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Oak Ridge will celebrate Earth Day 2012 on Saturday, April 28 at the Civic Center. The event starts at 11 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m. There will be numerous exhibits, including GreenVillageGreen, which is an online newsletter on how to live “green.” The food vendors includes ice cream, pizza, and more.
The events will include the Green Mile, Dock Dogs, and a bike rodeo. There will also be a Soles4Souls shoe drop-off site.


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Samsung is notoriously slow at rolling out software updates, especially new versions of Android. Following months of beta tests for Android 8.0 Oreo, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ received the final version in February, and the 2016 Galaxy S7 and S7 edge finally started seeing it earlier this month. The latter ground to a halt, unfortunately, as 8.0 Oreo caused boot loops and spontaneous reboots on some S7 series devices. It’s a temporary stoppage, but we’re unsure when the rollout will resume.
Samsung’s European help forum responded by saying, “Following a limited number of cases where Galaxy S7 devices have rebooted unexpectedly with the Android 8.0 Oreo, we have temporarily stopped the rollout of the update. We are investigating the issue internally to ensure that the impact to the affected devices is minimized and the rollout of the update can resume as quickly as possible.”
Samsung’s Canadian help forum also posted a similar response, saying, “S7/S7 edge Android O upgrade is pending a fix for a technical issue discovered post initial rollout, Updates will be shared as available.”
If you’re adversely affected by Android 8.0 Oreo on your S7 device, you can try one of the troubleshooting suggestions from Samsung’s European forum.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has had to halt an Oreo update. The same thing happened when they began updating the Galaxy S8 and S8+ (rebooting, etc.). After a couple of weeks, the update resumed so we hope it won’t be long before the S7 and S7 edge get a stable version of 8.0 Oreo.
Have you updated an S7 or S7 edge and run into trouble? Let us know in the comments.


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The Xbox 360 topped the charts again in April, marking the 28th consecutive month Microsoft’s gaming console has outsold Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii consoles. According to research from NPD Group, the Xbox 360 accounted for 42% of current-generation sales with 130,000 units sold last month. It wasn’t all good news, however, as sales plummeted 50% from 261,000 units in March. As a whole, the industry continued to struggle in April with total gaming sales down 25% year-over-year from $657.5 million to $495.2 million. Microsoft and Sony’s next-generation consoles are expected to help sales pick up when they launch ahead of the holidays this year.
In the past year, Microsoft has increased its efforts to dethrone Google as the world’s top search engine. To accomplish this, the company has launched a “Scroogled” advertising campaign that looks to shine a light on Google and its sometimes questionable privacy practices. The company has previously attacked Google’s search engine and Gmail service, and is now taking aim at its Chrome Web browser. iCosmoGeek obtained an internal video that is believed to be created by Microsoft that mocks Google’s latest Chrome commercial. Google recently created an advertisement touting Chrome’s ability to sync addresses and passwords across smartphones, tablets and desktop computers. Microsoft’s video attacks the company, meanwhile, for tracking customers and monetizing their personal information with targeted advertisements across smartphones, tablets and desktops. Google’s original video and Microsoft’s parody follow below. More →
The latest numbers from IDC show that Windows Phone is still having a tough time gaining traction, as the operating system was found on just 3.2% of all smartphones shipped in the first quarter of 2013. And things could look even worse for Microsoft in the second quarter since Windows Phone devices will have to go toe-to-toe with heavyweight flagships being rolled out by both Samsung and HTC, as well as the low-cost BlackBerry Q5 that BlackBerry is aggressively pushing into emerging markets. In fact, the only company that’s really devoting a lot of resources toward manufacturing and publicizing Windows Phone devices is Nokia, which really has no choice since it has chosen Windows Phone as its exclusive operating system. More →
Microsoft is building a smaller Surface tablet according to multiple reports, and a new rumor on Thursday suggests it will feature a 7.9-inch display when it launches in late-June. Digitimes reports that Microsoft’s smaller Surface slate will make use of 7.9-inch display panels supplied by none other than Samsung Display, the one-time Apple supplier now in search of new clientele. The report also notes that despite the rising popularity of 8-inch tablets following the launch of Apple’s iPad mini, suppliers aren’t expecting much from the new Surface considering its predecessors’ sales performance.
Microsoft doesn’t want to hear Google CEO Larry Page get on his high horse about the need for less negativity and more cooperation in the tech world, especially since his company just sent a cease and desist letter telling Microsoft to pull its YouTube app from the Windows Phone store after Microsoft violated Google’s terms of service by removing ads from videos. Per The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson has now thrown Page’s words back in his face by saying that it would be happy to bring ads back to the Windows Phone YouTube app if only Google would be more open and cooperative. In particular, the spokesperson said “we’d be more than happy to include advertising but need Google to provide us access to the necessary APIs” while adding that “in light of Larry Page’s comments today calling for more interoperability and less negativity, we look forward to solving this matter together for our mutual customers.”
College graduates would love to land a job at Google, Apple or one of the many startups in Silicon Valley. But according to a survey from Universum Global, there are quite a few students who would prefer the rainy days in Washington over working in the golden state. The American Student Survey asked students from five different fields of study — business, engineering, IT, natural sciences and liberal arts — about their ideal company to work for. Companies such as Google and Apple unsurprisingly topped the charts in almost all categories, however there were some surprising results: Microsoft consistently outranked both Facebook and Amazon. The company ranked higher than Amazon in all fields of study and even higher than Apple in IT. Students found Microsoft more appealing than Facebook in almost all categories as well, with the exception of liberal arts.
Google is not happy with Microsoft’s attempt to remove YouTube ads for Windows Phone users. The Verge reports that Google has asked Microsoft to remove YouTube from the Windows Phone app store because Microsoft has allegedly created its own version of the app “without Google’s consent” and “with features that specifically prevent ads from playing.” Since Google makes its money primarily through online advertisements, it’s not surprising that it would be upset at another company removing the ads, even if it does deliver a better user experience. In a cease and desist letter sent to Microsoft, Google says that “by blocking advertising and allowing downloads of videos, your application cuts off a valuable ongoing revenue source for creators, and causes harm to the thriving content ecosystem on YouTube.”
Google CEO isn’t very happy that Microsoft decided to integrate its Google Talk messaging service into its Outlook webmail platform without extending a similar offer to Google for the Gmail platform. Page, speaking during the Google I/O developers conference Wednesday, said that Google always pushes to have open-source platforms that other companies can use but lamented the fact that much of the tech industry doesn’t extend the same courtesies for many of its own innovations. Page went onto say that he was “sad” that companies such as Microsoft were “milking off” Google’s innovations by not being as open with their own software.
With Microsoft planning to release an overhauled version of Windows 8 over the summer, some may be wondering when the company will give a similar treatment to its Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system. The answer, says ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, is likely not until 2014. Instead, Foley’s sources say that Windows Phone users can expect three smaller updates to roll out throughout the rest of 2013 in preparation for a more substantial update sometime next year. These updates will include “support for CalDAV and CardDAV, so that it will continue to work with Google contact and calendar syncing services” and will “reintroduce support for FM radio… a feature which was part of the Windows Phone 7 operating system platform, but which was cut for Windows Phone 8.”
It may be time for Steve Ballmer to crank up his famous “Developers, developers, developers!” chant again if it will get software developers more excited about Windows Phone 8. Sameer Singh at Tech-Thoughts has charted the growth history of the three major mobile app stores and has found that Windows Phone’s app store is lagging behind where iOS and Android were 30 months after their initial launches. What’s more, he’s found that the additions of new apps to the Windows Phone 8 app market have markedly slowed over the past six months, whereas iOS and Android both saw significant rises in app additions over the same periods after their initial launches. Singh speculates that the slowdown in interest from developers is due to “limited install base, low user engagement, monetization challenges and regional developer restrictions,” among other factors.
The Windows Phone platform is in serious need of high-quality applications. Microsoft recently announced that its Windows Phone app store is home to nearly 150,000 applications, however the operating system is still lacking fan favorites such as Instagram, Dropbox and HBO GO. Windows Phone devices released by Nokia and HTC have been well received by critics, but most reviews share one common complaint — not enough good apps. Vesa Jutila, Nokia’s global head of smartphone marketing, admitted in an interview with Engadget that “the biggest complaint is that customers are missing the apps they want.” The executive noted that there were some significant gaps in the marketplace, although he claims Nokia is “addressing this very strongly” with help from Microsoft.
As someone who admires the innovations that Microsoft made with Windows 8 while at the same time recognizing the platform’s glaring flaws, I’ve found it encouraging that the company has decided to own up to some of its mistakes and dial back some of the big changes it made to its operating system with the release of Windows 8.1. The new update, which Microsoft announced Tuesday would be available as a public preview starting on June 26th, will reportedly bring back the Start button as an option and give users the choice of booting up their computers in desktop mode. But the feature that really has me excited about Windows 8.1 and that makes me think Microsoft is serious about listening to its customers is that it’s providing the update free of charge for all Windows 8 users. More →
Microsoft’s admission last week that it would need to make changes to its Windows 8 operating system to address a steeper-than-expected user learning curve has sparked two very different reactions from media and analysts. On the one side, Microsoft’s backtracking on Windows 8 is seen as a sign of humiliating defeat that could even point the way toward CEO Steve Ballmer’s exit from the company. The Telegraph takes this particular angle with a report that focusses on the “hostile reception” to Windows 8 and that quotes an analyst who says that “investors think Ballmer’s the wrong guy” to run Microsoft because “he missed tablets and he missed smartphones, and that these are the two areas of technology that really count.” More →


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Today, as the axis of the food & beverage world has shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, safety and cleanliness have taken center stage.
“If there is a positive coming out of this, it is the fact that we have had a chance to look at how we do things and how we can do food & beverage differently,” says Stephanie Glanzer, senior vice president and chief of sales, MGM Resorts International.
Buffets, as we know them, are a thing of the past, contend industry experts. If they survive this pandemic at all, expect one-sided offerings where staff will serve your attendees; self-serve may never return.
However, not all properties have given up entirely on buffets. Rosen Hotels & Resorts plans to continue with buffets, although food will be served by banquet servers to keep guests from touching serving utensils.
“Banquet staff will be wearing masks and gloves while in guest contact and serving food and beverages; all buffets will be single-sided only with a distance barrier created to deter guests direct contact with food items. Rolled silverware will be offered with the option of rolled plasticware, and all plated meal functions will be served with no pre-set courses; napkin service has been suspended, and all waters will be pre-set with disposable lids,” explains Leslie Menichini, VP, sales & marketing, Rosen Hotels & Resorts for Rosen Shingle Creek, and Gary Bitz, the hotel’s director of catering.
Today, expect to enjoy boxed lunches and dinners with colleagues carefully seated six feet apart from each other.
“We are doing things differently right now. We are focused on microdining,” says Corporate Executive Chef Dewey Losasso of Bill Hansen Catering.
Another constant will be plate covers to protect food from airborne pathogens.
Similar to buffets, passed hors d’oeuvres at cocktail receptions are sure to vanish. So will glasses of wine left out on trays for guests to help themselves. Wine glass covers are sure to become popular and remember: these are an excellent sponsorship opportunity.
Also, a no-contact way to buy drinks will have to be developed because cash bars will not meet sanitation standards. Fortunately, there are now apps available to purchase electronic drink tickets.
Coffee breaks will look much different than we remember them. The days of your attendees helping themselves to coffee and tea will be replaced by staff who will make your favorite hot beverage, providing the perfect opportunity to turn your coffee break into a barista bar instead.
Coffee Breaks Among the Food & Beverage Changes
“We have seen our last traditional coffee break,” says Dana Pellicano, Marriott’s vice president of food and beverage. “Innovative, smaller, bespoke solutions are coming to that space.”
“Food safety has always been important, but in the past, it was just kept behind the kitchen door,” says Tracy Stuckrath, CFPM, CSEP, CMM, owner, thrive! meetings & events, “We can look at the need for additional food safety as a burden, an additional labor cost, or as the opportunity to upgrade the service.”
To avoid the hazmat ambiance, have your servers skip the antiseptic-looking rubber gloves and replace them with white gloves. “Your meal function becomes a white-glove experience,” Stuckrath says. “Today’s action stations will have protective plexiglass walls, so get paint markers to decorate those walls and also include menu items in big, bold letters. Think about the clear film you see on store windows. Not only can you have fun with this, but it is also a great sponsorship opportunity.”
Given today’s new normal, it is more important than ever to coordinate with the catering manager and chef at your meeting or event venue. Remember, they are your partners. Be sure to address your concerns to them upfront.
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