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CarSoup.com is re-launching several all-new, redesigned, mobile-first niche websites to connect powersports enthusiasts with powersports dealers this spring and summer. The new sites were specifically designed to work with how shoppers view, research and find these vehicles—smart phone and tablet services. We have already gone live with an all-new CycleSoup.com, and will soon go live with sites for ATVs, snowmobiles, boats, personal watercraft (PWCs) and recreational vehicles.
“We’re harnessing the power of CarSoup.com—what we’ve done well with cars and trucks and SUVs—and applying it to powersports markets,” says Su-Lin Velin, CarSoup.com’s Director of Marketing. “These new sites give powersports dealers an effective way to reach more of their in-market, local shoppers. Plus, those shoppers in the market for a new cycle or sled or whatever the case will find a great selection to choose from on these sites.”
Becoming a CarSoup.com PowerSports dealer is easier than ever. For a limited time, you can get a FREE trial with no-obligation. We have a new PowerSports Division leader, and enthusiast himself, Mike Manthey, who can sign you up now. Email him at firstname.lastname@example.org or call him at 952-707-8557.
As a dealer, you know that a vital piece of buying or selling a car is the transfer of title. As DMV.org explains, if your customers are buying at the dealership, most of the required paperwork will be handled by the dealership. However, if individuals are selling their cars themselves, they will need to legally transfer the title to the buyer. You as a car dealer can play a role in this private-party transaction, and maybe even make a little green for your services.
Indeed, some local car dealers will actually help individuals do this for a small fee, which can be a good option, especially if those individuals might be concerned about safety when completing the transaction, or don’t have sufficient time to do it themselves. CarSoup.com is exploring a way to connect our shoppers with progressive dealers. Send us a note to learn more or to participate. Send email to email@example.com.
Title requirements vary from state to state. For state-specific information, visit DMV.org. This website has compiled the title information that specifically applies to your respective state.
The used-car market is off to a solid start in 2015, as wholesale used vehicle prices in the first quarter rose 1.3 percent from a year ago, according to the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index. But some segments are performing better than others. Which segments?
Trucks are up—no shock there—and compacts are down. SUVs are flat.
Given this boom in used, wholesale prices, predictably, are going up. In April, NADA used car analysts noted wholesale prices of used vehicles at auction climbing by 2.3 percent during the month of March. “There appears to be no letup in the demand for (used) cars from the data we’re seeing,” says Jonathan Banks of NADA. “While extreme winter weather created a pent-up demand situation in several markets helping the pricing figures rise, it appears the American buyer is ready to acquire a new set of wheels.” Plus, early spring is tax refund season, too, which may influence suddenly flush consumers to start shopping for a new ride. Is it time to fill your used inventory, and market it online? CarSoup.com can help! Send a note to firstname.lastname@example.org.
Auto sales are surging, as the New York Times recently reported. So much so that large investors are getting into the business of “moving metal” in a big way, including business titans such as Warren Buffett and his company Berkshire Hathaway. But, the real game changer for the auto industry, the Times says in the same article, is the significant role online shopping and research now plays. Is your dealership engaged and actively selling in this digital marketplace?
Franchise car dealers these days are not only surviving, but thriving, the Times reports. A big reason for the revival is the simple math of fewer locations receiving more business. But industry experts say the story goes much deeper than that, and reflects a profound shift in the business model of auto sales. Dealers increasingly have the high-tech atmosphere of an Apple store, and consumers arrive fully informed about a car’s features and price. In many cases, most negotiations will already have been done over email. More and more thorough research and shopping are done in the digital space. Find out how your dealership is doing and how your Account Manager at CarSoup.com can help you flex your digital muscle, by reaching out to our team here. To read the rest of this New York Times article, click here.


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More victims of last summer's salmonella outbreak at a local International House of Pancakes have settled their cases with the national food chain.
Dean Boyd, the victims' attorney, requested Friday the 320th District Court dismiss another seven plaintiffs from the case, according to court records.
Four victims in March and another seven earlier this month settled the claims.
Following the recent settlements, six of 24 claims filed in the original May 2010 petition still were pending.
Neither Boyd nor IHOP attorneys returned calls for comment Monday.
While both sides continue to negotiate the remaining claims, an August trial date has been set. The terms of the settlements are confidential.
The case stems from three separate salmonella outbreaks, starting in June 2008, that sickened about 125 customers of the restaurant on Western Street, according to the initial court filing.
IHOP closed its doors three times in response to more potential salmonella cases.
A June 2008 city review found 11 IHOP employees tested positive for salmonella. In the last case, which prompted a September 2008 closing, city officials determined the cause was an infected water bath used to warm bottles of syrup.

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There’s an industry-wide shortage of Christmas trees this year.
Not if you are in the market for a five-foot Fraser fir, but there are few large trees or Noble firs, considered the best in the Christmas tree business.
“There are simply less and less growers in the market right now. There’s fewer family tree farms that are wanting to carry on because, frankly, it’s not a huge money maker in most cases,” said Wes Robinson, co-owner of the Alouette Tree Farm in Maple Ridge.
People who like fine Christmas trees will generally look for a Noble because they are a firmer, have stronger branches and they last longer in a heated house, Robinson explained.
“But the problem is, they are hard to grow. They take a long time to grow.”
The turn-around for a Noble fir takes eight to 10 years compared to the three to six it takes for a Douglas or grand fir, most common in the province.
“And the reason they are more common is the growing period is a more shorter period of time,” Robinson noted.
The Alouette Tree Farm is a small you-cut that has been part of the family business for over 20 years. But the family now finds itself one of the few left on this side of the Fraser River.
Robinson says the Christmas tree market is completely diversified across the country. In the east, the market services the American market. In British Columbia, though, there are more trees imported from the United States than are grown domestically.
“Historically, that’s the way it’s been. And most of those trees come up from Washington State and Oregon,” said Robinson.
Farmland down south is cheap, he added, and there is a great growing environment there, better climate conditions.
Growers that supply western Canada are growing fewer trees, he said.
“This is partly due to the fact there is a change in demographics. There are fewer wholesale trees that are open and functioning right now and less profitable in the industry, so fewer are being planted and fewer being harvested.”
Christmas trees have also become less profitable for big box stores. Those like Ikea and Home Depot would purchase fresh cut trees, price them low in the hopes of attracting customers into their stores.
“I would say for the late ‘90s and most of the early 2000s, one of the strategies that big boxes have used is loss leader. Let’s get them here for the Christmas tree, then let’s overcharge them on something else,” said Robinson, explaining that his business serves a different clientele.
“Our base business is giving people the opportunity to have an experience, not just to buy a tree. You come down and you get some free apple cider and you get a chance to sit around a fire and you get to cut your own tree, if you want,” Robinson said.
“That’s the niche we are in and that’s the niche we want to continue to serve.”
This year a majority of the trees on his farm are Fraser and grand firs. In the past, he brought in Nobles from a different farm. However, this year his Noble fir supplier was unable to supply him with any of the popular tree.
“So we do have some limited quantity of Nobles growing in our fields, but because they take a long time to grow, they are quite small,” said Robinson.
He has also brought in some eight-foot trees, but expects them to go quickly.
“We’ve got Fraser’s available. We’ve got lots of Grands available. We have virtually no Nobles and virtually no Douglas firs either,” continued Robinson.
The Fraser fir is defined by shorter stronger branch and good needle retention and is second only to the Noble when it comes to longevity.
The grand fir is more defined by a flat needle. Needle retention is not as good as the Noble, but they are still a tree that is popular because of the fragrance.
“They are the true smell of Christmas,” said Robinson.
In general, though, he increasingly sees more people walking away with a five-foot tree because living spaces are becoming more compact.
“They are easy to handle, easy to decorate and the dog is not going to knock it over.”
• The Alouette Tree Farm is open Dec. 7 from noon to 5:30 p.m. and Dec. 8 to 10 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 15 to 17.
For more information, go to alouettechristmastreefarm.com or call 604-467-0100.


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SIPSEY – Jason Patterson of Sipsey is a hospice nurse practitioner by day, but most nights you can find him in his kitchen wearing gloves and rolling out his homemade dough. By bedtime, which is …
SIPSEY – Jason Patterson of Sipsey is a hospice nurse practitioner by day, but most nights you can find him in his kitchen wearing gloves and rolling out his homemade dough. By bedtime, which is often after midnight, his counter is full of his one-of-a-kind rolls.
He got started with his baking business by accident.
“It all started from a Facebook joke,” Patterson said. He posted that he’d made too many orange rolls and asked if anyone would be interested in any?
His Facebook page lit up.
He planned to give the rolls away, but people started offering to buy them. That was in November 2018, and by New Year’s, he’d sold 85 trays of sweet rolls.
“That’s a lot for two people because we’re making our dough from scratch,” he said.
Patterson works day shift in as a nurse practitioner, so his wife Sarah gets the dough started while he’s working. When he comes home in the evenings, he takes the dough to the next level.
“When I get home from my day job, I roll out the dough and do the filling,” he said. After this, he rolls, fills, cuts, and places in a pan for baking.
He started a Facebook page called the Bearded Baker Co. and invited all his friends to like the page. All of a sudden, the orders were coming from people he didn’t know, according to Patterson.
He was looking for a name that stood out. Since he has had a beard since September of 2017, he came up with the Bearded Baker, as a name.
“I’ve kind of pigeon-holed myself because now I can’t shave,” Patterson mused. His cousin designed a logo for the page.
Patterson received the cottage food license early in February. This is a fairly new law in Alabama that allows people to make non-hazardous foods in their home and sell to the public directly, according to Patterson. This means that under this license, Patterson can’t do mail order, and he has to sell the food personally. He had to take a food safety course with an exam at the Alabama Extension Office in Jasper.
He started out writing orders down in a notebook, and he was overwhelmed. He moved it all onto a spreadsheet on his computer.
Patterson offers raspberry, orange, cinnamon, and peach rolls. Another offering includes homemade dinner yeast rolls. His number one seller is his peach roll.
“I thought it would be my orange or cinnamon, but it’s the peach roll,” he said. The inside is butter, peach preserves, and brown sugar. He also makes a homemade icing to go on top. “Mine are definitely dessert rolls,” he said.
He markets through Facebook. If someone wants rolls, they message him on Facebook, and they respond quickly. Most people want to know about pricing and location. The couple responds with prices and delivery information. They try to do most deliveries on the weekend.
“I can sell my goods at festivals, farmer’s markets, I can set up on the sidewalk,” he said.
The Patterson’s are doing the Irish Heritage festival in Hanceville on March 16. They’ve thought about a food truck, “but that takes a lot of capital,” he said.
Patterson likes all kinds of cooking. “I like to do Southern recipes that people my age don’t cook, like chicken and dumplings,” he said.
Where is this business headed? He’s going to take it slowly to see where it goes. He hopes to get a feel for how the public receives them at the festival in March.
He has to be mindful about his products because they have to be totally cooked. “I don’t want to have too much product and not enough business,” Patterson said.
He follows up on sales to make sure that customers enjoy his rolls. He’s doing something right because he’s getting repeat customers.
Danni Capps Weldon, who attends Grace Baptist Church with Patterson, said that his rolls are amazing.
“We bought peach, orange, and cinnamon rolls from him for Christmas morning,” Weldon said. “These rolls will be a new tradition in our home.”
Both Patterson and his wife worked at Chick-fil-A when they were younger. “I loved that job, and I like to think that’s where I learned my customer service skills,” he said.
Patterson’s wife Sarah was born in Dora, and he was born in Bessemer. The couple will soon celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. They have three children.
For those who would like a taste of the Bearded Baker’s rolls, visit TheBeardedBakingCo on Facebook.


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Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) stock dwindled above 2% after the bell as the sales outlook for the Q3 and full-year failed to impress the street. However, the storage provider reported better-than-expected results for the second quarter.
The company’s stock has plunged 30% since May after the first quarter results failed to impress the street. Earlier this month, the share price touched a new 52-week low of $12 mark.
For the third quarter, the company is guiding revenue of $434-446 million ($440 million at the midpoint) compared to $466 million projected by the street. The company usually doesn’t provide earnings guidance, but analysts are anticipating non-GAAP earnings of 13 cents per share.
Looking ahead for the full-year guidance, Pure Storage has revised downwards the outlook provided in the prior quarter. The company is now expecting sales of $1.645-1.715 billion ($1.680 billion at the midpoint), which is lower than the $1.70-1.77 billion ($1.73 billion at the midpoint) provided last quarter. The street is projecting top line of $1.73 billion and non-GAAP earnings of 22 cents per share.
Revenue rose 28% to $396.3 million aided by strong growth from product sales (up 25%) and subscription services (up 42%). Adjusted earnings came in at 1 cent per share, flat over last year. Analysts were projecting revenue of $393.1 million and adjusted loss of 4 cents per share. The company surpassed estimates on both the top and bottom line metrics.
Pure Storage is expecting increase in demand for its products as data analysis by companies are witnessing huge adoption. In addition, the trend towards moving towards flash-based storage devices from traditional disks is going to be a tailwind for the cloud-based flash-storage offerings.
The company added 450 clients in the second quarter, bringing the total client base to nearly 6,600. Client additions improved 28% over prior year period. Out of the total customers, above 40% are Fortune 500 firms.
As of June 30, the top 25 customers had spent about $9 on new purchases from $1 of initial purchase within the first 18 months. If we take into account the entire client base, from $1 initial purchase, the clients made $2 purchase within 2 years.
This trend is encouraging for investors and expected to continue in the latter half of the year. It clearly shows the ability of the company to up-sell its products to its existing clients.
Operating expenses surged 28% due to increasing spending on research and development (R&D) and sales and marketing (S&M) and general & administrative (G&A) metrics. R&D expenses jumped 27% while S&M costs increased 29% followed by 18% jump in G&A spending.
The company is currently improving its product offering in line with the customer demand. As a result, it is seeing increased investments in R&D and sales and marketing to broaden its reach. This is going to be a drag on the earnings in the latter half of the year.
Earlier this month, NetApp (NTAP) Q1 earnings surpassed estimates, while revenues came in line with consensus. Revenue contracted 16% while adjusted EPS was down 38% due to drop in product and hardware maintenance services.
The massive slowdown in the IPO market continued in the second half as the challenges posed by high inflation and interest rate hikes weighed on investor confidence. Meanwhile, there is
The automotive sector is one of the worst affected by the combination of high inflation and rising interest rates. Consumers have become more cautious and are prioritizing their purchases with
The IPO market has witnessed muted activity this year, and things don’t seem to have improved in the second half. The upcoming public listing of video game technology firm Ultimax


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Culture Management Group – curators and owners of the brand Afrochella took an exciting trip to South Africa dubbed “Road to Afrochella”.
Afrochella is West Africa’s biggest cultural festival covering food, arts, fashion & culture that has been in existence for over 5years in Ghana.
#RoadToAfrochellla was birthed out a creative idea to bridge the cultural gap between South Africa and Ghana; to have a taste of both cultures and the people of South Africa get to experience Afrochella on their own turf. Road to Afrochella began by first visiting Ivory Coast in the mid-part of the year.
Afrochella in partnership with Ciroc and FrontBack took over Johannesburg on Sunday night, October 30 2022 at the Altitude Beach with exciting performances from top SA artists; Nirvana Nokwe, Daliwonga, Young Stunna, Focalistic. Dj Loft, Dj Pizzaro, Kojo Manuel, Gyakie and Stonebwoy made up Team Ghana with a combined force to introduce Ghana’s music and got the crowd excited about it.
After putting up an amazing event, they took to the streets of Soweto, Johannesburg and Suncity to experience various tourist sites and the rich and vibrant South African culture at first hand.
The main event is poised to take place in Accra, Ghana this December – 28th and 29th, 2022 at the Elwak Sports Stadium. Tickets are available on Afrochella.com and curatedbyculture.com for residents in Ghana.


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July 16, 2010 4 Comments
Just a day after Comcast launched their 4G Mobile Internet Service in Washington, D.C., they begun rolling out their 100 Mbps high-speed Internet service to businesses in the city, making the Washington, D.C. one of the first in the nation to gain access to the company’s new speed tier.
The wideband “Deluxe 100″ service, which initially launched in the Twin Cities, will allow users to download a large 2 GB file (such as a hi-resolution X-ray or graphic design) in about 2.5 minutes. Downloading the same sized file on a typical 1.5 Mbps T1 line would take almost three hours, the company said. The service is available to Comcast Business Class customers for $369.95 per month.


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Toys R Us was one of the powerhouses of the toy industry. So as a manufacturer or retailer, it would be easy to currently feel a little unsure about the future. Consumer habits are changing fast and as an industry, we must keep abreast of these adjustments and adapt to them accordingly, in order to maintain and grow.
Despite these changes, and the uncertainty they bring for many, I think it’s important to instil some confidence back into the toy market and wider children’s industries.
A study published in February (Statista Consumer Market Outlook – Segment Report) reported that worldwide revenues from toys and games are increasing with a growth of 2.2 per cent in 2017 YOY, and that toys and games represented 65 per cent of worldwide hobby products in 2017 (US$109 Billion). Globally the average per capita spending on toys and games was US$68 in 2017, with Denmark, Norway and the UK having the highest per capita spend.
So the spend is there, we simply need to ensure the consumers are being exposed to, and suitably impressed by, the plethora of good toys that are on offer in the UK market. There are some key things to consider when pulling apart the current changes in the toy market and adapting to put your best foot forward.
Consumer habits are changing
The way people are using online and bricks and mortar retail is constantly evolving. Nasdaq has reported that 18 per cent of all UK retail purchases are expected to occur online this year. And by 2040, 95 per cent of purchases are expected to be facilitated by eCommerce.
With changes like this occurring, we, as an industry, need to adapt also. While TRU perhaps wasn’t hitting the retail mark any longer, there are many exciting advancements in children’s retail. These initiatives are set to inspire parents and bring together internet and bricks and mortar sales, as well as bringing some much needed theatre into retail.
Standing out from the crowd
The Entertainer recently revamped some stores to put children at the forefront of its design, following research with parents. The new Westfield store has been designed to offer children an engaging, exciting and more entertaining shopping experience. Led by new technologies such as animated window screens, interactive floor projections, augmented reality mirrors and The Launch Pad Tech Tables, the store has retained some of its old favourites, such as its counter steps at tills.
Taking a different approach to getting customer through the doors, Philip Bier, founder of Danish retailer, Tiger, has recently launched the first ID Kids store in the UK. The retailer will primarily stock exclusive and own brand products at low prices, making it a destination store for consumers. The French company also offers a click and collect service, fusing online shoppers with the bricks and mortar outlets and enticing them through the shop door.
And then there is us. Fundamentally Children recently launched the inaugural Good Toy Zone at popular London venue Under 1 Roof Kids. The Zone features a range of toys endorsed by our Good Toy Guide, which children and their families can come along to and immerse themselves in. They can stay and play, get to know the products, and find out first hand what they like and what they want to take home. We offer brand hours, product demonstrations and much more to engage with children. And once families have found toys that are right for them, they are able to purchase there and then, via the eCommerce hub – www.fundamentallychildren.com/goodtoyzone, having them conveniently delivered to their home.
Despite bricks and mortar retail becoming more engaging and exciting, though, it would be naïve to think that sales won’t continue to migrate online. As a result, even if you are purely a bricks and mortar retailer, it’s crucial to be providing a strong online offering. Websites need to be easy to navigate, search and use and accompanied by marketing which brings consumers to your online portal.
Toys are expected to show continued growth in Europe (Toys for toddlers and kids| Consumer MarketsMarket forecast for Toys for toddlers and kids in Europe through 2021). In the hobby products market, 27.2 per cent of total revenue is expected to be generated through online sales by 2021 compared to 22 per cent in 2017.
It’s a great idea to try and tie up bricks and mortar and online sales where possible, as we are doing with the Good Toy Zone, so that you aren’t losing sales to others selling the products online which customers have enjoyed in your shop.
Competitive pricing is also key online. The beauty of the web for consumers is that they can price compare on items quickly and easily. This can be a stumbling block for independent retailers who don’t have the buying power of the multiples. So offering exclusive lines, and providing online offers can help to keep customers buying from you.
New market segments
Key to consumers is being able to find products suitable for their children’s particular age. So categorising both in store and online to help parents easily find suitable toys and gifts will really help with sales. It’s not rocket science to ensure that toys for pre-schoolers are separate from tween offerings, but it could be worth breaking this down even further.
DHX Brands has recently launched a project to carve out a new sector within the preschool market. First Steppers is a subcategory for the younger end of preschool, supporting the unique needs of children from six months to two and a half years.
Fundamentally Children worked with DHX Brands to find out what parents thought about preschool products. The results showed that parents with children in the First Steppers demographic, often become confused by the age appropriateness of products within the preschool category, leading to fewer purchases. And so, First Steppers was born.
So a more tailored approach to help guide your customers to find the right toy, and indeed to help manufacturers to better match developmental ages and stages, can be key to unlocking purchases.
The final piece of the puzzle could lie in your customer’s experience. Going the extra mile will create loyalty, often over and above pricing and other factors.
ThinkJar has shown that 55 per cent of consumers are willing to pay more for a guaranteed good experience. The company also showed that a bad experience could lose more than that one consumer – 13 per cent will tell 15 or more people if they’re unhappy. While a positive one can spread far and wide with 72 per cent of consumers sharing a good experience with six or more people.
And catering for your customer and their needs will go a long way to get them coming back time and again. Wunderman showed that 54 per cent of UK consumers feel more loyal to brands that show a deep understanding of their preferences and priorities.
Customer experience is high on the multiples’ list of priorities and it’s easy to see why. Catering for all sections of your audience can pay dividends. The Entertainer recently introduced Quiet Hour on Saturdays to make their stores more welcoming for autistic children, thus welcoming a large number of families who may otherwise avoid bricks and mortar retail.
Similarly, but outside the direct toy space, Sainsbury’s has launched a dementia aisle in some stores, offering slow moving checkouts for those who struggle with the usual pace of stores. Making small changes to accommodate those who may otherwise be put off shopping in the traditional way, could make for destination stores.
So, although the news has been a bit doom and gloom recently, there’s really lots to be positive about. Change can create worry, but in this case, it should be embraced, as there is still plenty of good news in children’s industries and so much opportunity to generate sales, allowing Good Toys and products to thrive.


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ESpeed falls into the red
ESpeed, the bond dealing network operated by money broker Cantor Fitzgerald, made a net loss of $1.5m (â¬1.2m) in the three months to June 30 after making profits of $9m for the same period last year. Costs rose following a failed bid to buy bond exchange MTS.
The firm's electronic trading revenues plunged 35% to $18.8m, despite an 11.4% rise in volumes. Sales of software rose from $7.6m a year ago to $10.4m.
Revenue fell 13% to $37.5m.
Howard Lutnick, chairman and chief executive of eSpeed said: "Our commitment to customised pricing and technology solutions has helped improve eSpeed's market share in our core US Treasury business for two consecutive quarters. We continue to focus our efforts on new products and believe that both foreign exchange and futures will have a positive impact on our business next year."
For the third quarter 2005, Lutnick said he expected to generate revenues of approximately $37m.
The second-quarter loss follows a disappointing first quarter in which profits plummeted 87% to $1.3m. It also comes just a month after the company lost its bid to buy Rome-based MTS, which was sold instead to stock exchanges Euronext and Borsa Italiana.
In the 12 months to December 31 last year, eSpeed saw net profits dive 28%, hit by a fall in market share and software and litigation charges.


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Emirati gamers get Arabic portal to sharpen their skills as a community
Online gaming in the Middle East had picked up pace during the pandemic as residents started looking for alternatives to outdoor activities for recreation. The number of gamers in the region crossed the 100 million mark during this period, while UAE and Saudi Arabia emerged as the frontrunners among the Arab world's digital arenas.
The Emirates, which is already home to a VR gaming park, is currently building a hub where gaming startups could thrive, along with the Middle East's first certified academy for e-sports. Rising popularity of virtual showdowns in the regional tech oasis, has also made it the ideal launchpad for a first of its kind Arabic gaming community.
Rolled out by global tech brand Lenovo, the Legion Community is designed as an ecosystem where gamers can meet peers online, challenge each other and exchange knowhow. The digital duelists can also learn tricks of the trade by interacting with pros, and can participate in forums.
After enjoying a presence in Italy, Spain and Nordic countries, Lenovo's Legion portal has been upgraded to cater exclusively to a growing Arabic speaking audience. Gamers can also stream their content and reach out to new viewers in addition to their friends.
Staying up to speed with regional trends will also provide an edge for Lenovo, which already works with influencers to create Legion devices including gaming smartphones. As the community evolves, tournaments and quizzes will also be added to the mix, for the development of an engaging environment.
In addition to passionate players strengthening each other with tips and tricks, gaming pros will also supply exclusive content to support budding regional talent.
The UAE has been in the spotlight for the past few years, with Sony hosting a spectacular launch event for the PlayStation 5, right on top of the iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
Recently a Dubai-based e-sports firm Power League Gaming also launched its 10,000 sqft studio, with a cafe from where visitors can watch live broadcasts and gaming events.


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Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Matters of Public Interest
I rise today to share with the chamber and with the community the parlous situation in which agriculture and horticulture find themselves in this country. I refer to horticulture, to livestock production and to broadacre farming. It is interesting to follow on from Senator Thorp and her discussion about manufacturing, because the largest manufacturing sector in this country is food manufacturing. Indeed, the state of Tasmania is very prominent when it comes to the food manufacturing sector.
It was only three weeks ago that I had occasion to be with the Hon. Sharman Stone in Shepparton in the electorate of Murray when SPC announced that it would be unable to take a full quota of fruit from many of the growers who have supported it for three generations, with some growers to have their trees removed completely and utterly because there will be no contract at all and the others to have contracts at quota levels which will not make them viable. As I say, second and third and even fourth generations of the same families have been involved in the canning industry. It is a tragedy to see this happening. Yes, it is the high value of the Australian dollar, and there is an allegation of dumping going on—cheap competition from markets overseas—but once again this industry, proudly a small business enterprise industry, is on its knees. Certainly, action has to be taken. I know there is engagement with the minister for agriculture, and I hope there is also engagement with the trade minister and others, and with the Victorian state government, to deal in some equitable way with the problems that are occurring not only in the Goulburn Valley but also, I understand, along the Murray River and in other areas.
I turn to the parlous situation confronting livestock industries right across this country, particularly in North Queensland, the Northern Territory, the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia, and of course down into our pastoral and even our agricultural areas. It is terrible to be a prophet of doom, but when in June 2011 the trade in live cattle to Indonesia was summarily banned, with no advance notice at all, I made two predictions. The first was that this would eventually hurt the meat processing industry, as indeed it was hurting the live cattle and subsequently the live sheep industries. That has come to pass. At the time, the meat processors thought this was a good deal: 'We have greater access to stock. Therefore, prices will come down and we will not be hurt.' Well they are hurting badly. The second was that we needed only a poor wet season across the north of Australia and we would have an animal welfare disaster of a scale and a type we had never seen in this country. Regrettably that is exactly what has been happening and that is why at this moment 300,000 cattle in Queensland are facing either being humanely destroyed or starving to death. It was a wholly preventable incident and that is where the tragedy comes from—it was a wholly preventable incident.
Let me put some statistics on the map for people who do not understand the industry. You will often hear, 'Live exports have taken such a significant proportion of cattle away from the market.' Ninety-two per cent of all Australian cattle are processed in Australia. Only eight per cent were processed through live exports to other specific niche markets. For those who think that the live export industry in some way was starving meat processing and causing abattoirs to close, they are completely and utterly fallacious comments. Two-thirds of Australian produced beef is sent overseas. We are the second biggest exporter of beef in the world—not the second biggest producer but the second biggest exporter.
It has been suggested that we go back to seasonal abattoirs and that we can process all of these animals on shore. As a young veterinarian I remember seasonal abattoirs in towns like Broome, Derby, Wyndham and Tennant Creek, all of which have closed. Why? Not because of the live export trade. They were long closed by the 1970s and the 1980s. The first shipment of live animals that went from Darwin to Indonesia was in 1991, unfortunately coinciding with the Dili massacre in East Timor. This dishonest and untruthful statement about abattoirs closing because of the live export trade is absolutely wrong.
We export our beef to a range of markets—Japan, the US, South Korea, South-East Asia and the Middle East. Whilst this is an aside to my comments this afternoon, Australia is being badly hurt because we do not have a free trade agreement with South Korea. America does, so they have a great advantage over us in selling into that market. We do not have a free trade agreement with China, which New Zealand has, so in China we are significantly disadvantaged. These issues have to be corrected and changed and they will only be corrected once we get a coalition government here in Canberra.
Recently the comment was made by animal activists—and I thought, 'What a put-down'—that a business model relying on one market, which can change at a whim, provides no surety or future security for producers. As a young lady from Animals Australia said:
It is disappointing to continue to hear that the five-week suspension to Indonesia in 2011 is still being blamed for issues facing the industry in 2013.
You bet they are disappointed! That same organisation and the other activists can largely thank themselves for the animal welfare disaster occurring across the north and the west of this country at the moment. In the cattle herds across the north the cows are heavily in calf and will soon drop their 2013 calves. Their previous calves have now been weaned and are still on the rangelands. Of course the calves from the preceding years should already have gone overseas but they are out there competing. That is why—added to poor seasonal conditions—we do not have sufficient feed.
It has been put to the wider community that in the Middle East markets there has been an increase in the sale of sheep meat—into countries like Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. What a fantastic thing that is because for a long time, for up to 40 years, the two trades have been complementary. The reliability of our live export trade to those markets has also led to increases in chilled meat sales, although they aspire to different markets. The increase in sales of sheep meat in recent times into Qatar is largely because that country, now a high-socioeconomic country, is building more hotels and restaurants and taking more of our chilled meat product, and how proud we are about that. But the second market, the low-socioeconomic market, the market which is comprised of the majority of people in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and particularly Saudi Arabia, are markets which the meat trade will never supply simply because they are low-socioeconomic and do not have refrigeration systems. They will buy out of wet markets.
Do we want to see an increase in meat sales? Of course we do. This country has tremendous capacity to provide both. As I have said so often and will go on saying: of the 109 countries around the world that export live animals only one country has ever invested time, money, resources and expertise into increasing animal management, animal husbandry, animal nutrition, transport and welfare, and that is Australia. Should we ever be denied the opportunity to continue live export trading into those markets two things will happen—animal welfare standards in those countries will deteriorate back to levels which we do not want to see and, secondly, as has happened in Saudi Arabia and as is happening now in Indonesia, we will also lose our meat markets.
Since 2011 the number of live cattle exported into Indonesia has halved. If the economic theorists are right, they would say that that would obviously lead to a doubling, at least, of meat sales. Well, what has happened? Our meat sales into Indonesia have also halved. We were supplying protein to 69 million low-socioeconomic Indonesians prior to the time the live trade export was summarily banned. No longer is there a supplier of that protein going to those people. The cost of meat is so high in Indonesia that it is, again, only those from high-socioeconomic backgrounds who are able to enjoy it. Australia's reliability as a supplier of protein has been shot. Over the last few years we have had representatives from the UAE and other countries saying, 'We want to come and buy your farming land. We want to run animals so that we can guarantee a supply to our own markets.' We have always said to them, 'No. We are a developed country. Allow us to grow these animals. Allow us to send you the product and you can consume it.' But, no, that circumstance has now changed completely.
I think it was in the year 2009 that the RSPCA commissioned the company ACIL Tasman to do what would be best described as a summary desktop study of the impact on the Western Australian sheep industry if the live export trade were phased out. Remarkably, the live export trade has been the one reason why we have supported prices in sheep in Western Australia for up to 40 years, because there has been competition between meat processing and the live trade. ACIL Tasman—how they achieved it I do not know—came to the conclusion that there would be no change in the prices if the live trade export ceased to be a competitor. Let me tell you some statistics of the last six to eight months. As recently as a few minutes ago one of my colleagues sold a line of rams for $44 that, last year, he would have got $120 for. He lost money on a line of ewes by sending them to the market recently where he sold them for $15 a head, and this time last year he would have got $60 a head for them. I could, of course, go on at greater length, but I simply leave the message on this topic that if animal welfare standards are to be preserved in this country and in our target markets Australia had better stay in the game.
In the last few moments available to me I want to reflect on the broadacre farming circumstance in my home state of Western Australia. I was asked to speak at a crisis meeting of 1,000 farmers in the Eastern Wheatbelt town of Mereddin two weeks ago. That was a town where I commenced my career as a veterinarian. It is a district that my family has been involved in for many, many years and it was so distressing to see that circumstance. But there are some lessons. Australian farmers would probably be amongst the few who do not insure themselves against loss of income. We all know that in any non-farm enterprise any prudent business person would always insure themselves against loss of income. It is the case that the more indebted a business is the more the bank would require that you have a form of loss of income insurance to protect the bank's investment, let alone the farmer or the businessman themselves. Indeed if you look at agriculture around the world—North and South America, Europe, the Eastern Bloc countries, South Africa—the concept of what I would call 'risk mitigated' or even 'multiperil' crop insurance is quite common. It has not been so in this country.
Whilst in the industry we appreciate some of the gestures being made now by the federal government and state governments to assist broadacre farmers, it really comes down to their capacity to know that they are going to be able to farm next year and their capacity to take out some form of insurance that will protect them against drought, against frost and against other events that cause loss of crop yields. There are a couple of new products in the market now from a Canadian company and from a Swiss company. So we have some competition and different products. I will leave this topic with the observation and the plea that if we are to actually do something for broadacre farming in this country, if we are to preserve the long-term integrity of food production, I would urge government as well as the industry to examine this type of option to ensure their future.


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5G explained: How it works, who it will impact, and when we'll have it
The future is wireless, and it's really fast. 5G data networks promise to usher in a new era of digital transformation powered by lightning-quick phones, enhanced virtual and augmented reality, the Internet of Things, and countless more technological wonders.
At least, that's what mobile carriers and device manufacturers would like us to believe. 5G represents the fifth generation of wireless data networks, and while some phones released this year might boast of being "5G enabled," devices with true 5G won't ship any time soon. Right now the nomenclature used for the technology is mostly marketing fuzz, and all four major mobile carriers in the U.S. are squabbling about the definition of "real" 5G.
In preparation for broad deployment, every major data carrier in the U.S. is actively marketing 5G. Verizon launched a campaign called 5G Home, an internet service that runs on Verizon's network. AT&T recently rolled out a campaign touting a data network the carrier calls "5G Evolution," a rebranding of LTE technology. Sprint promptly sued AT&T and claimed the carrier was misleading customers about what qualifies as 5G. T-Mobile enlisted physicist Michio Kaku to help the company promote their "5G for everyone" marketing campaign. (Kaku is also a CBS News contributor; he was not involved in this story.)
The economic potential of 5G is so significant President Trump tweeted, "I want 5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible. It is far more powerful, faster, and smarter than the current standard. American companies must step up their efforts, or get left behind."
5G could be a truly revolutionary technology, said Future Today Institute founder and quantitative futurist Amy Webb. In the near future the tech will enable "city-scale networks and city-scale spatial computing. Not just the Internet of Things (IoT) as it relates to your office or home environment but a city where devices and sensors and all sorts of things are connected."
What is 5G?
The name "5G" is a broadcast transmission protocol devised by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a global consortium of telecom groups; it refers to a spectrum of radio frequencies that carriers like Verizon and AT&T will use to transmit data. The radio signal transmits information at an extremely high frequency (EHF), or "millimeter wave," which allows for connections significantly better than current 4G networks.
The technology promises to transmit a high volume of data to mobile and IoT devices, like connected traffic lights. By some estimates, 5G wireless networks could deliver data at nearly 10 gigabits per second, several orders of magnitude faster than current 4G networks which peak at about 100 megabits per second.
"4G was a faster way to connect to the internet on the go," said Sanyogita Shamsunder, vice president of 5G Labs and Innovation at Verizon. "5G is not only higher throughputs and higher speeds but it fundamentally is a different way to construct the network to provide fast response times from the internet to the mobile end point, whatever it may be: a phone, a robot, an IoT device."
But with great speed comes great complexity. Because the millimeter wave used by 5G transfers information at short distances, more transmitters and base stations, signal repeaters, are required. This could result in prolonged deployment times and spotty coverage, or no coverage in rural areas. 5G waves are also more susceptible to atmospheric interference and weather conditions like rain.
Modern cell towers transmit 4G LTE signals over distances up to several miles, but 5G requires a dense concentration of smaller transmitters to cover the same relative area. Transmitters can be hidden in plain sight on utility poles, street lamps, and rooftops in urban areas. In rural areas there are fewer opportunities to distribute transmitters.
"Opportunities we see in rural markets are around using 5G, perhaps less for just raw speed, and more for these different IoT use cases, so being able to connect farms and farming equipment and sensors in these agriculture locations, so that you know farmers can get much more insight into how crops are doing and get much better yields out," said Samsung's Alok Shah, VP of Networks Strategy, Business Development & Marketing.
There are also security challenges associated with 5G. Chinese tech giant Huawei is one of the world's largest makers of 5G base stations and transmitters in the world, but its products are currently unavailable to American consumers because of sanctions placed on the company by the U.S. government. Huawei has long faced suspicions of espionage, which its founder and president, Ren Zhengfei, denied this week in an exclusive interview with "CBS This Morning" co-host Bianna Golodryga.
Suspicions about the company turned to actual charges in January, when the company, its CFO and a subsidiary were indicted on 23 counts ranging from money laundering and obstruction of justice to stealing trade secrets.
Virtual reality, augmented reality, and more
In spite of the challenges associated with the technology, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about 5G, said Verizon's Shamsunder. "When we built the 4G networks, we didn't know what was possible. We had video as one of the major use cases but very quickly we enabled industries, the ride hailing industry probably wouldn't exist if we didn't have cellphones today," she said.
Augmented reality and virtual reality are likely to gain traction quickly, said Shamsunder. Most contemporary headsets must be directly connected to a PC using USB 3.0 cables. If those headsets were connected to a 5G mobile network instead, the hardware could potentially be untethered, letting the consumer use VR and AR technology in their home, car or on a flight.
Several startup companies are experimenting with AR and VR technologies at the Verizon 5G Lab Alley, a coworking space in lower Manhattan. Evercoast is a volumetric capture software to build personalized holographic content. The system uses 16 high-definition cameras that capture images from 180 degrees to record real-time 3D scans. The captured images are then transferred to the cloud and a hologram is rendered almost instantly. After capturing the image, users can look at a glass display or through virtual reality goggles to see themselves in different outfits or settings. It's a truly futuristic use of 5G tech.
In the next five years, said Shamsunder, 5G could transform a broad spectrum of industries, including "shopping and education, first responders, public safety, perhaps even nurses and physical therapists."
What excites her most, though, are the innovations that have not yet been invented. "I don't know precisely what is coming," said Shamsunder, "but I know it's going to be wireless and it's going to be exciting."
for more features.


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New York, NY (November 25, 2020)—Taking place online this year, the Audio Engineering Society’s AES Show Fall 2020 Convention welcomed thousands of virtual visitors for its livestreamed and on-demand sessions featuring top names in audio engineering and production. Hot on the heels of that success, it has been announced that next year, as trade shows return to in-person events, the AES Show 2021 will co-locate with the annual NAB Show, October 11–13, 2021, in Las Vegas.
Typically held in New York City, the AES Show co-located with NAB New York 2017 through 2019, but with the traditionally Las Vegas-based NAB Show moved from April to October of 2021, the AES Show 2021 will be held at the Westgate Hotel (AKA the former Las Vegas Hilton), adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center where NAB Show will be held October 9–13, 2021. NAB New York will not take place in 2021.
“Our October co-location with NAB Show New York for the past few years has proven mutually beneficial for attendees and exhibitors alike,” said Colleen Harper, AES Executive Director. “We all miss the engagement and excitement of the in-person AES Show and look forward to once again interacting at the convention with professional audio manufacturers and our colleagues.”
In the meantime, the recent virtual AES Show 2020 was no slouch when it came to interactions. Delivering the AES Show to nearly 4,400 attendees worldwide over a full month of livestreamed events, various forms of on-demand content, and interactive live discussions and Q&A required a host of engineers, along with help from the Central Sound team at Arizona PBS. Video and live feeds took over multiple control rooms at Central Sound for audio and video production, utilizing a variety of production software and services such as the Adobe Creative Suite, OBS, StreamYard, Source Elements, Rendezvous Conferencing, and Zoom, which were further switched and encoded via Wirecast for distribution on various platforms. Streamguys was the primary CDN and streaming solution partner for the live technical convention.
“The logistics of funneling a worldwide audience the hundreds of sessions that make up an AES Convention across three websites were daunting,” said Central Sound at Arizona PBS Manager, Executive Producer and Engineer Alex Kosiorek, who headed up streaming and on-demand content delivery. “Our team of committed professionals rose to the occasion to ensure the success of a multi-faceted, complex online event.”
Highlights included featured livestreamed events with FINNEAS, Jackson Browne and Friends, Imogen Heap, and the AES Show opening statement from New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Hochul, as well as the Platinum Panels series, hosting top recording engineers, producers, and mastering engineers. Special Events Chair Lisa Roy commented, “More than ever, leading artists, engineers and producers were enthusiastic about supporting the AES Show and reaching out to their peers around the world, to share their knowledge and to share their message of us all working together to navigate these troubled times. Inspiration and insights were shared in abundance!”
Once again, AES Show attendees were also treated to a series of AES Show TechTours, now in virtual form and dubbed “7 Audio Wonders of the World,” taking visitors to an international host of some of the most iconic studios around the globe. Featured tours included Skywalker Sound (Nicasio, CA), Galaxy Studios (Mol, Belgium), The Village Studios (Los Angeles, CA), Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN), Abbey Road Studios (London, UK), United Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA), and Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, CA), and included live Q&A sessions with studio hosts and talent. AES Show TechTours Chair John Krivit stated, “Unbound by the virtual nature of AES Show 2020, attendees had unparalleled insider access to world-leading facilities followed by engaging dialog with the staff and engineers who provide the environments for chart-topping creativity.
For the AES Convention’s trademark open-session roundtable discussions, topics included Hip-Hop and R&B, Immersive and Spatial Audio, Audio History, Networked Audio, Sound Reinforcement, Game Audio and XR, Immersive Music, and an Audio Builders Workshop session. AES Show Sound Reinforcement Track Chair and Historical Track Co-Chair Dan Mortensen, who also hosted several of the discussion, commented, “People were so eager to reconnect with their peers and mentors, particularly enjoying getting ‘face-time’ with special guests like legendary Woodstock engineer Bill Hanley, who not only stopped in but graciously went overtime to continue the conversation. My AES Section (Pacific Northwest) has discovered that one of the few upsides of these times is the easy ability to very personally network in real time with people who are sitting literally anywhere in the world and share our mutual love of audio on an ongoing basis. These roundtable discussions showed that this capability is translatable to a full-sized Convention.”
All presentations will remain online and open to registered attendees through November 30, with additional Partner Showcase exhibitions and virtual booths remaining open through December 18.
AES Show 2020 • www.AESShow.com


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DPD doubles its pick-up network in UK
DPD UK has revealed that over 3,000 parcel shops from Collect+ will be added to its network of pick-up points. The deal will expand the network to over 6,000 stores nationwide.
[Webinar] Grow your business with the right digital strategy
B2B sellers shift to online self-service for more customer convenience and higher revenue. Research from Forrester shows how firms should react to this new paradigm. In this webinar, Joe Cicman, Sr. Analyst at Forrester, talks about B2B strategies. Join us on June 24th at 4 p.m.
The 3,000 Collect+ outlets that will be added are owned by Paypoint, which made a deal with parcel delivery firm DPD UK. As a result of this deal, 97 percent of the British population will now be within 8 kilometers of a DPD Pickup store.
97% of Brits are within 8 km of a DPD pick-up point.
DPD Pickup launched in 2015
DPD launched its network of pick-up points in the United Kingdom in 2015 and it has grown significantly since, both in terms of stores recruited to the network and parcel volumes.
Customers can collect parcels at tons of stores
Currently, DPD customers can collect parcels at stores from Sainsbury’s/Argos, Matalan, Go Outdoors, Blacks, Millets, Homebase and Doddle Click and Collect points in Morrison’s. The latest partner, Collect+, was created in 2009, with PayPoint becoming the outright owners last April.
“Our aim is to have the most accessible parcel network in the UK, and to give our parcel recipients real convenience and even more control over how their parcel is delivered”, Dwain McDonald, DPD UK’s CEO, comments. ” Therefore, this is a key partnership for us and I’m really pleased to be working with PayPoint and growing the network in this way.”
Our aim is to have the most accessible parcel network in the UK.


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Kate Spade Handbags
Scott Mlyn | TBEN
Women are spending more money when shopping for handbags during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest quarterly results from the owner of Coach Tapestry.
And that could be in part because consumers are buying larger, more expensive bags to store bottles of Clorox hand sanitizer and wipes.
“I don’t know about you, but carrying around 20 pounds of Covid product in a small cross-body just won’t work,” said Stacey Widlitz, head of SW Retail Advisors. “Big bags are back. … It’s about carrying your life in your bag.”
Tapestry, which also owns the Kate Spade brand, said Thursday that its revenue per handbag globally grew by more than 25%, on average, in the first fiscal quarter, which consisted of growth of more than 20% in North America.
Management explained that the gains were largely fueled by the handbag maker which reduced its promotions, thereby selling more items at higher prices.
It also reduced its dependence on wholesale partners, such as department stores, which in the past weighed on profits.
“We focus on driving [average unit revenue] by being close to our consumers and delivering products that our consumers appreciate, ”CEO Joanne Crevoiserat told analysts.
Tapestry shares rose over 9% in pre-market trading.


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She's calling foul! Basketball Wives star Brittish Williams believes the ankle bracelet device she's been subjected to wearing is taking a toll on her career and finances.
As she awaits trial over identity theft charges, Radar reported she's asked a judge for the device to be removed because she isn't able to fulfill job obligations with it on.
To start, her legal team claimed she isn't allowed to film for Basketball Wives as "producers of the show do not want the ankle monitor to be visible. This creates stark limitations on the outfits and costuming that Ms. Williams can utilize. Ms. Williams does not engage in work for which she gets to choose her own outfits and clothes."
Earlier this year, she was denied permission to travel to Mexico to film for the series, which she believes could jeopardize her future on the show.
In addition, the VH1 star had to give up the opportunity to model for Rihanna's lingerie line Savage x Fenty, as they didn't want the bracelet to appear in the campaign.
"This lost opportunity cost Ms. Williams at least $30,000 with additional payments that would have been available for Instagram appearances and posts. Ms. Williams has also had offers to appear as a model and spokesperson for products by Fashion Nova and Pretty Little Thing Clothing," her team stated. "Again, the offers from these companies were delayed due to the presence of the ankle bracelet. Again, this cost Ms. Williams tens of thousands of dollars in income to which she would have otherwise been eligible."
According to the paperwork, Williams' attorney argued that she should be allowed to take the bracelet off since she has no criminal past and isn't a flight risk. The judge has yet to make a decision.
The reality star has plead not guilty to the multiple charges thrown at her, which include misuse of a social security number, bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.


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The Price of Soda These Days
Sometimes, lawsuits make sense and are necessary to help enact change that creates a safer, fair world. Even fast food lawsuits that some people instantly call frivolous can be important. The whole McDonald’s “hot coffee” lawsuit from years ago is an example. The woman in that case suffered severe injuries that altered her life, and the coffee was far hotter than it should have been.
However, there are plenty of other examples of fast food lawsuits that aren’t quite as impactful and that probably shouldn’t have been filed in the first place. Of course, in the litigious society in which we live, even the weird cases get filed and head to court. Take the following example.
A Prime First World Problem
You’ve probably heard the term “first world problem”. It simply means that the problem is trivial or merely a frustration when compared to serious issues that are facing parts of the world. This lawsuit is a good illustration of that.
A woman in New York would sometimes enjoy having a nice, cold soda from the Burger King that was located a mere three blocks from her home. This restaurant sold the large Coke for 89 cents, which doesn’t seem like such a bad deal. However, the woman later found out that another Burger King location that was a whole six blocks from her home sold the same size drink for…wait for it… 69 cents. As you can imagine, the woman was angry. How long had she been wasting those two dimes?
After discovering this devastating information, what could she do? Well, she certainly wasn’t going to walk the few extra blocks to save the 20 cents. That would take a lot of effort and she probably didn’t think it was fair. She believed that she should be able to get the soda for 69 cents from her location. Of course, most people know that different locations will often have different prices for items on the menu. This often happens with franchises.
Is a difference of 20 cents that big of a deal? If she decided that she wanted to get one of the sodas twice a week, she would only be spending an extra $1.60 a month. It’s not exactly a life-altering amount of money for most people who live in New York.
Let’s say that this woman was extremely thirsty and didn’t want to drink anything in her house, such as water, for an entire month. Even then, she would only be paying an extra $6 a month if she bought the soda for 89 cents. If that $6 is life-changing and needed in her life, she might want to rethink drinking that much soda. After all, if she saved that 89 cents each day, she would save $26.70 a month.
Instead of walking further and getting the cheaper drink, just sucking it up and paying an additional 20 cents, or opting not to buy the drink at all, she sued. One of the interesting things about the case is that she did not try to gouge Burger King for a lot of money. Instead, she only sought $100 in damages.
Typically, representatives of a defendant would show up in court, even in these types of frivolous lawsuits. However, in this case, Burger King did not even bother showing up to court. You might imagine that this would somehow give favor to the plaintiff in the case, but it didn’t. despite not making the court appearance, Burger Kind still prevailed in the case. It goes to show that they thought it was that frivolous and it seems that others agreed with the sentiment.


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Home Shopping Gaining in China
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) _ Home Shopping Network, a virtual symbol of American’s desire to shop around the clock, is making inroads into the People’s Republic of China.
The network has purchased a 21 percent stake in a Chinese cable company that serves about 19 million households. It reaches just a small portion of China’s 1.2 billion people, but Home Shopping Network officials expect the number of cable subscribers in the communist country to grow.
The terms of the deal with TVSN (China) Holdings Ltd. were not disclosed.
With the alliance, Home Shopping Network also gains a source for Chinese-made products to sell to its U.S. customers.
Currently there are 75 million to 85 million cable subscribers in China, said Jed Trosper, chief executive officer for Home Shopping Network’s International Division.
``If we wanted to reach 85 million homes in Europe, we’d have to be in six countries,″ he said.
HSN already airs TV shopping channels in Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and France.
TVSN launched its broadcasts about eight months ago from Shanghai. Like American home shopping channels, its big sellers are jewelry, including the home shopping standby cubic zirconia and cosmetics, although the network has tapped into the Chinese fondness for models of NASCAR and Formula One race cars.


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The world today is much more into instant food habit that is made synthetically with loads of artificial inputs, and no doubt it might be the source of many unwanted health problems among people. The food industry has encountered pressure from retailers regarding customer awareness, due to the rise in foods that are being genetically modified. A multinational agricultural company, Idaho based has procured the licensing rights of gene editing, which someday could be used for helping farmers in producing more crops and ultimately make grocery store proposals like; potatoes, strawberries, and avocados to stay fresh for a longer period.
On Monday the J.R. Simplot Company declared the deal with the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and DowDuPont Inc., and also Harvard University, the nascent gene editing technology developers. Simplot is the first among the agricultural company in receiving such a license. The chief business officer of the Board Institute; Issi Rozen stated that they think this is the transformative technology and they’re delighted about Simplot to be the first one to receive the licensing.
However, there’s no proof about the organisms that are genetically modified, called the GMOs that aren’t safe to eat but by changing the foods’ genetic code can present an ethical issue for some. The food industry also encountered pressure from retailers for genetically modified food awareness. The chief technology officer at the Corteva Agriscience; Neal Gutterson stated that the problems are about to get the right kind of food produced in the right manner. It’s significant to be able to manufacture adequate food for the existing 9-10 billion people those are going to reside on the planet for 30 long years. The gene editing technology is known as the CRISPR-Case9 and is the first part in an acronym. The CRISPR technology is extremely new and so the US “Department of Agriculture’ that regulates the production of food, published a statement notifying about the oversight of foods that are produced with the gen editing tech.


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Local economy showing signs of life
Sales-tax collections in Grand Junction and Mesa County are reflecting some life in the Western Colorado economy.
We hope it’s just the beginning of a rejuvenation of the local economy much battered by national woes and the steep decline in the western Colorado energy industry.
“There are some positive signs we’re moving in the right direction,” Jodi Romero, the financial operations manager for the city said when noting that March receipts were off 4 percent from the previous March.
In January, the same comparison showed that receipts were down 18 percent.
Those figures suggest the steep drop might be leveling out.
The figures suggest to Mesa County Finance Director Marcia Arnhold that the Grand Valley economy is getting ready to grow again, though not as robustly as anyone might like.
“We certainly don’t expect (revenue) to come back quickly, but hopefully we’ve bottomed out and we can begin to grow,” Arnhold said.
We should expect some improvement, of course, with the arrival of summer, when we hope to see tourism begin to fill hotel rooms, restaurants, the downtown shops and the stores at Mesa Mall.
In that vein, we hope the arrival of Cabela’s, the sporting goods giant that took over a long-empty department-store space at the mall, proves to be a regional draw for western Colorado and eastern Utah. We hope other longtime businesses, such as Gene Taylor’s Sporting Goods and Sportsman’s Warehouse, see a spillover from people drawn to check out the West Slope’s newest retail offering.
One good thing about an economic slowdown is that prices tend to fall and we’d encourage any Grand Valley resident to take that into account when considering purchasing new cars, new sporting equipment and the like.
It won’t just fill a personal need, but every dollar spent in the Grand Valley is one more step toward much-needed new hiring and new investment here.
The forecast for gasoline prices to remain at $3 a gallon or below also is a hopeful sign and we hope it translates into more business from out of town than the western Colorado hospitality industry might have anticipated — from hotels to restaurants to wineries and roadside fruit stands.
Western Colorado obviously has a long way to go to begin its economic recovery and the sales-tax revenues we’re seeing now constitute only the smallest of steps in the long journey to economic recovery. Even if those steps are not yet in the right direction, we hope that they are at least turning away from the wrong one.


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EV owners fed up with 'inoperable' public charging stations in US
Electric vehicle owners are fed up with the sorry state of public charging infrastructure in the US, and their basic complaints are of either the EV charging station malfunctioning or being out of service most of the time, a first such report has revealed.
San Francisco: Electric vehicle owners are fed up with the sorry state of public charging infrastructure in the US, and their basic complaints are of either the EV charging station malfunctioning or being out of service most of the time, a first such report has revealed.
According to the report by consumer insights and data analytics provider J.D. Power, one out of every five respondents ended up not charging their vehicle during their visit to a public charging station.
"Of those who didn't charge, 72 per cent indicated that it was due to the station malfunctioning or being out of service," the findings showed.
Tesla Supercharger ranks highest among DC (direct current) fast chargers with a score of 739. It is the only DC fast charger brand to rank above industry average.
"Public charging continues to provide challenges to overall EV adoption and current EV owners alike," said Brent Gruber, executive director of global automotive at J.D. Power.
"Not only is the availability of public charging still an obstacle, but EV owners continue to be faced with charging station equipment that is inoperable," Gruber mentioned in the report.
The report comes at a time when several countries, including India, give a renewed thrust on laying EV infrastructure to reduce their dependence on traditional fuels.
Despite that more public charging stations are in operation than ever before, customer satisfaction with public Level 2 charging declined from last year, dropping to 633 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 643 in 2021, while satisfaction with the speedier DC fast charger segment remains flat at 674.
"This lack of progress points to the need for improvement as EVs gain wider consumer acceptance because the shortage of public charging availability is the number one reason vehicle shoppers reject EVs," the report noted.
Tesla Destination also ranks highest among Level 2 charge point operators with a score of 680.
"Stations need to be added to areas where there are currently gaps in heavily travelled routes and in high-density areas for people who don't have access to residential charging," said Gruber.
Industrialists including Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal, ArcelorMittal Chairman and MD L N Mittal, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, Tata Power CEO and MD Praveer Sinha, DCM Shriram Chairman Ajay S Shriram are scheduled to attend the ceremony.
Vedanta obtained financial and non-financial subsidies including on capital expenditure and cheap electricity from Gujarat to build the semiconductor plants, the first source with knowledge of the matter said.


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Below are some recent highlights of biosimilar news:
On August 20th, two companies announced that they had launched competing biosimilars of Eli Lilly’s FORSTEO (teriparatide) in Europe. First, Gedeon Richter announced that it launched TERROSA in Europe after it received approval from the European Commission. According to the announcement, the launch of TERROSA last month directly followed the expiry of patent protection of the reference product FORSTEO. Second, Stada announced that it launched MOVYMIA. According to the announcement, Stada will be gradually launching MOVYMIA in 24 countries. CEO Peter Goldschmidt stated that “[t]he launch of MOVYMIA is another important expansion of our biosimilar portfolio in Europe.” Both biosimilars, and the reference product, are indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis.
On August 21st, Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. (NK) announced that it obtained approval for its 60mg and 150mg dosages of Trastuzumab BS NK, its biosimilar to HERCEPTIN (trastuzumab), for breast cancer with HER2 overexpression. Nippon has been marketing the product under other indications and dosages since August 2018.
On August 31st, Biocon announced that the FDA had issued a second complete response letter (CRL) to Mylan regarding Biocon’s facilities in Malaysia, where it intends to manufacture its biosimilar to LANTUS (insulin glargine). According to the announcement, “the CRL did not identify any outstanding scientific issues” and that Biocon is not expecting the CRL to have any impact “on the commercial launch timing of [its] Insulin Glargine in the U.S.”
On September 6th, Novo Nordisk announced that it is expanding its affordability options for its follow-on insulin products NOVOLOG and NOVOLOG MIX starting on January 2, 2020. According to the announcement, the products “will be priced at a 50 percent discount compared to the current list price of the branded versions.”
On September 9th, Samsung Bioepis announced that BRENZYS, its biosimilar to ENBREL (etanercept), became available in Brazil through Brazil’s public health system, Sistema Único de Saúde (“SUS”). In December 2017, BRENZYS was approved by Brazil’s health regulatory agency for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. According to the announcement, over 75% of patients in Brazil rely on SUS for health care coverage, and the agreement with SUS will allow Samsung Bioepis to supply BRENZYS for 10 years.
On September 11th, Teva Canada announced that Health Canada granted a Notice of Compliance for HERZUMA, its biosimilar to HERCEPTIN (trastuzumab) for the treatment of early breast cancer, metastatic breast cancer, and metastatic gastric cancer. According to the announcement, Health Canada’s issuance of a Notice of Compliance demonstrates that “HERZUMA and HERCEPTIN are highly similar and there were no clinically meaningful differences in purity, potency and safety between them for the three approved indications.”


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CAMARILLO, Calif. — The JumperPack mini is a 12,000mAh lithium-ion jump starter that has to power to jump start vehicles with up to eight-cylinder engines, can charge mobile devices including smartphones and tablets, has a flashlight for emergency situations and weighs less than a pound, says manufacturer Cyntur.
The JumperPack mini features:
•Battery Life – the JumperPack lasts up to one year on a single charge
•Capability – Starts four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines up to 25 times after a single charge
•Advanced Features – The JumperPack features SafeJump technology, which prevents reverse charge, reverse polarity, over-current and short-circuits
•Safety – The JumperPack exceeds safety standards
•Size and Design – it’s compact – weighs less than a pound, and easily fits in most glove compartments
•LED Lights – Packed with 200 lumens, the JumperPack also functions as a torch or emergency strobe light
•2.1 USB port – quickly charge smartphones, tablets and more while on the go
•Pricing and availability – the JumperPack mini is available at an affordable price of $99.99 at Cyntur.com and Target stores nationwide
•Weatherproof – Has an IPX3 weatherproof rating to withstand the most demanding weather conditions
For more information, visit http://www.cyntur.com.


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Electric Scooters, Controversy Roll Out In Cities Across The U.S.
With Meghna Chakrabarti
Electric scooters are the new biggest thing on two wheels. They’re popping up in cities across the country, but not without controversy.
Callum Borchers, reporter covering the innovation economy in Boston for member station WBUR. (@callumborchers)
Sanjay Dastoor, CEO and co-founder of electric transportation companies Skip Scooters and Boosted Boards. (@sanjaydastoor)
Adam Stephens, deputy city attorney of Milwaukee. Part of a federal lawsuit against Bird Rides Inc. over refusal to remove Bird scooters from public streets and cease rental business.
Susan Shaheen, professor and co-director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley. (@SusanShaheen1)
From The Reading List
Vox: “Electric scooters’ sudden invasion of American cities, explained” — “Hundreds of motorized electric scooters quietly descended upon San Francisco seemingly overnight in March.
“And then one day in June, they were gone.
“In the months before their rapture, the scooters puzzled, infatuated, and infuriated residents. Those who dared to try them discovered a whimsical and cheap way to get around. Non-riders saw a swarm of locusts devouring precious inches of sidewalk and street, backed by companies that were the epitome of tech-bro arrogance. The city panicked, ordering that all scooters be removed until it could come up with a permitting process.
“San Francisco is a microcosm of the promise and perils of the scooter stampede. Already, scooter companies operate in 65 cities and are vying for the top prize, New York City. Some city officials, however, are desperately trying to rein in and regulate scooters, which often appear without warning and without local input.”
WBUR: “‘Ghost’ Scooters Add Mystery To The Standoff Between Bird And Cambridge” — “Electric scooters from Bird Rides, Inc. can still be rented in Cambridge, one week after the city’s deadline for the company to leave. Whether the scooters can be found is another matter.
Over a three-day period this week, WBUR found — or, rather, didn’t find — more than two dozen ‘ghost’ scooters advertised in the Bird smartphone app that did not exist in real life. Other users encountered the same problem.”
Milwaukee Business Journal: “Milwaukee’s lawsuit against scooter startup Bird moves to federal court” — “The city of Milwaukee’s lawsuit against the electric scooter-sharing business that began operating in Milwaukee about two weeks ago has been moved to a federal court.
“Attorneys for Bird Rides Inc. elected to move the suit to a federal court on Thursday, July 12, according to Milwaukee County documents, the day before the Santa Monica, Calif.-based startup was to appear at an injunction hearing at the Milwaukee County Court. The hearing was for a motion the city filed against Bird, ordering the company to remove its motorized scooters from public streets and sidewalks and cease its rental business in the city.”
Washington Post: “The electric scooters swarming our city won’t solve our commuting calamity” — “What we really want are jet packs and flying cars, okay?
“We need to George Jetson and Marty McFly our way out of our traffic and commuting calamity. Light rail, Mag-Lev, even a reliable Metro would work, too.
“The electric scooters swarming our city this summer?
“Not the answer.
“They’re like what happens if my son’s fifth grade squad took over the city planning commission and PeeWee Herman was their board chairman.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’ve tried the scooters, and they’re totally fun, cheap and effective. They are perfect answer to what used to be a sweaty, five-block walk in between meetings in downtown D.C.
“But many of the 65 or so U.S. cities — from Washington to San Francisco — are confounded by what to do with the traffic newcomer. Should the motorized scooters be regulated like cars? Bikes? Or pedestrians?”
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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MINSK, 24 May (BelTA) – The trade between Belarus and Russia is growing at a fast pace, Aleksei Avdonin, an analyst with the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR), said on the air of the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA has learned.
“Belarus' manufacturing industry, agriculture, our producers can fully replace certain goods and services that are imported, which will help boost trade [between Belarus and Russia]. Already over 4-5 months, the trade has grown significantly. The two countries are very likely to be able to maintain momentum, and we will see good results by the end of 2022,” Aleksei Avdonin said.
The analyst added: “The most important thing is that it will contribute to the efforts to improve the well-being of citizens of the Republic of Belarus and citizens of the Russian Federation.”


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BOSTON — Beleaguered dairy farmers could be getting more money from the state to offset losses from souring milk sales.
By: Christian M. Wade
Source: Gloucester Daily Times
A bipartisan proposal gaining traction on Beacon Hill would double the state’s dairy farm tax credit to $8 million, which supporters say would prevent more farms from going bust. The measure, which was cleared two weeks ago by the Legislature’s Revenue Committee, has support from dozens of lawmakers.
“Dairy farms are struggling,” said Rep. Brad Hill, R-Ipswich, who supports expanding the tax credit. “We need to do whatever we can to help them persevere.”
Hill, whose district includes Herrick Farm in Rowley, the last commercial dairy farm in Essex County, said expanding the credit is vital to preserving a dwindling number of farms in the north of Boston region and statewide.
“These dairy farms are part of the fabric of our communities,” he said. “And people need to understand that if we don’t have farms, we don’t eat.”
Massachusetts has lost a number of dairy farms and is down to about 160. That compared to more than 800 three decades ago, according to agriculture officials.
While there are smaller dairy operations that bottle their own milk and make ice cream, cheese and other products, such as Richardson’s Dairy in Middleton, large-scale operations that provide milk for the regional market are rapidly disappearing from the landscape, dairy farmers say.
“There’s been a dramatic decline,” said Brad Mitchell, policy director at the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation. “Unfortunately it gets lower every year.”
Catherine de Ronde, an economist with the Agri-Mark Dairy Cooperative in Andover, which works with about 1,100 dairy farmers in New England and New York, previously oversaw the tax credit program that helps dairy farmers recover losses in years when it costs more to produce milk than they get in sales.
“It helps them pay their bills, whether its feed or fertilizer,” she said. “And the best part is that the money is being directly reinvested in the dairy farms.”
Currently the average paid to a diary farmer for milk is about $17.50 per hundred pounds, while the average cost of production is around $22 per hundred pounds, according to the state Department of Agriculture and the farm bureau.
Meanwhile, retailers price milk at nearly $4 per gallon or more.
“There’s a pretty big margin between what it costs to produce milk and what farmers are getting paid,” de Ronde said.
The tax credit was signed into law by then-Gov. Deval Patrick in 2008 as part of a farm preservation bill and is currently capped at $4 million a year.
Eligible farmers get an income tax credit for producing milk in any month when milk prices fall below a “trigger” set by the state to reflect production costs. Any monthly losses by farmers are totaled at the end of the tax year.
For last year, reimbursements through the program ranged from $180 to $182,133 per farm, according to Department of Revenue figures. Locally Herrick Farm in Rowley received $73,625 through the program, while Richardson’s Dairy in Middleton got $65,859.
Dairy farmers say demand has sagged in recent years, mostly because of reduced purchases of their products by China and Russia.
System needing reform
Meanwhile, a rise in milk production led to a supply imbalance, sinking prices for farmers around the world.
In New England, a drought that affected the region for several years has intensified the financial burdens that were already gripping dairy farms.
Besides the tax credit, the state provides other kinds of assistance such as low-interest loans and grants to help dairy farmers.
Many farmers blame their straits on a highly complex federal pricing system that’s failed to adjust for changing costs.
The system, which dates to the 1930s, sets a national floor for what farmers get paid. It adjusts the rate to respond to supply and demand, and different costs faced by farmers in different regions.
The system’s critics say it does not do enough to account for higher costs for farmers in the New England, who face long supply lines for feed and fuel, cold winters and a shorter feed-growing season than dairy farmers elsewhere.
Dairy farmers said they doubt the problem will change until the federal government adjusts its pricing system to give them a larger share of profits. Some have talked of a quota system, similar to Canada’s, to stabilize prices. They’re pushing for that in Congress with a renewal of the farm bill, which expires next year.
Mark Duffy, of Great Brook Farm in Carlisle, called the state tax credit a “safety net” for beleaguered dairy farmers, but it needs to be increased.
His dairy operation, which has about 80 cows, was reimbursed about $30,000 last year through the tax credit program, according to DOR figures.
“If we want to preserve dairy farms and keep our milk local, we need programs like this,” he said.


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Apple is reportedly in advanced discussions with credit card companies over a new mobile payment system, which could launch alongside the iPhone 6. According to a report from The Information, the Cupertino company's new system could allow iPhone users to easily pay for goods with their devices using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, rather than NFC—no physical cash or card would need to be exchanged. So far, Visa is reportedly onboard, with deals being worked on with other major credit card companies.
The Information says a user's entire banking information would be uploaded to the wallet, and that Apple's iPhone 6 would include a "secure element" to store this sensitive information. With something like Touch ID, Apple actually stores a user's fingerprint inside Apple's A7 chip, so the new payment method could use a similar method. The system, according to the report, would be operated without any carrier intervention, meaning Apple would ostensibly have full control.
This isn't the first time Apple has been linked with its own mobile payment service. As far back as 2012, Apple said it was taking a "slow and steady" approach, but rumors have heated up over the past several months, with a report from 9to5Mac claiming Apple was already chatting up major retailers. Additionally, a report back in April said Apple was "very serious" about mobile payments, and it sounds like the company is ready to unveil what it's been working on.
If indeed the service does launch with the iPhone 6, we could see something as early as mid-September. With the new iPhones expected to feature a more advanced Touch ID, and even Apple's iPads rumored to include the technology, now would seem like an opportune time to launch the mobile payment system.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra's Space Zoom camera is amazing and a bit creepy
The Galaxy S20 Ultra supports up to 100X zoom, which Samsung calls Space Zoom, but is it any good? Can a phone really product usable photos at 100x zoom? We've got our Galaxy S20 Ultra already so join us to find out!
Win an iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch with the Reader's Choice giveaway!
What's the best phone of 2019? Is it the iPhone 11 Pro, Pixel 4 or OnePlus 7T? What about the best laptop, games console, tablet and more? Vote NOW in the Reader's Choice awards and win BIG in time for the holidays!
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Bring your art into the next dimension with these 3D pens
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“A new commodity spawns a lucrative, fast-growing industry, prompting antitrust regulators to step in to restrain those who control its flow. A century ago, the resource in question was oil. Now similar concerns are being raised by the giants that deal in data, the oil of the digital era. These titans—Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft—look unstoppable. They are the five most valuable listed firms in the world. Their profits are surging: they collectively racked up over $25bn in net profit in the first quarter of 2017. Amazon captures half of all dollars spent online in America. Google and Facebook accounted for almost all the revenue growth in digital advertising in America last year.
“Such dominance has prompted calls for the tech giants to be broken up, as Standard Oil was in the early 20th century. This newspaper has argued against such drastic action in the past. Size alone is not a crime. The giants’ success has benefited consumers. Few want to live without Google’s search engine, Amazon’s one-day delivery or Facebook’s newsfeed. Nor do these firms raise the alarm when standard antitrust tests are applied. Far from gouging consumers, many of their services are free (users pay, in effect, by handing over yet more data). Take account of offline rivals, and their market shares look less worrying. And the emergence of upstarts like Snapchat suggests that new entrants can still make waves.
“But there is cause for concern. Internet companies’ control of data gives them enormous power. Old ways of thinking about competition, devised in the era of oil, look outdated in what has come to be called the “data economy” (see Briefing). A new approach is needed.
“What has changed? Smartphones and the internet have made data abundant, ubiquitous and far more valuable. Whether you are going for a run, watching TV or even just sitting in traffic, virtually every activity creates a digital trace—more raw material for the data distilleries. As devices from watches to cars connect to the internet, the volume is increasing: some estimate that a self-driving car will generate 100 gigabytes per second. Meanwhile, artificial-intelligence (AI) techniques such as machine learning extract more value from data. Algorithms can predict when a customer is ready to buy, a jet-engine needs servicing or a person is at risk of a disease. Industrial giants such as GE and Siemens now sell themselves as data firms.
This abundance of data changes the nature of competition. Technology giants have always benefited from network effects: the more users Facebook signs up, the more attractive signing up becomes for others. With data there are extra network effects. By collecting more data, a firm has more scope to improve its products, which attracts more users, generating even more data, and so on. The more data Tesla gathers from its self-driving cars, the better it can make them at driving themselves—part of the reason the firm, which sold only 25,000 cars in the first quarter, is now worth more than GM, which sold 2.3m. Vast pools of data can thus act as protective moats.”


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For experienced designers, SensorTile.box offers developer and expert modes that can help in creating sophisticated applications
STMicroelectronics, a global leader in semiconductors, announced that it is launching SensorTile.box, a flexible Internet of Things (IoT) plug and play module that can help a range of customers from young people to expert designers and beginners to IoT professionals, in discovering the power of IoT. In addition, they can quickly understand how easily sensor information can be collected and sent to the cloud.
The new module can be easily connected with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to a smartphone, enabling users to watch the sensors function as a pedometer, environmental monitor, asset tracker or as other instruments.
For experienced designers, SensorTile.box offers developer and expert modes that can help in creating sophisticated applications by utilising a graphical wizard or by writing custom embedded code.
SensorTile.box will be displayed as a latest demonstration platform for Azure IoT Central that simplifies connecting smart devices to cloud for data capture and analysis.
Suitable for users of any skill level
Speaking on the development, Andrea Onetti, General Manager – MEMS Sensor Division, STMicroelectronics, said, “SensorTile.box is uniquely flexible. It can be configured for users of any skill level to support learning, prototyping, or even as a module within a commercial end-product.”
“Now IoT Plug and Play certified and compatible with IoT Central, it connects out-of-the-box with Azure IoT to further extend opportunities for learning and new-product development,” Onetti added.
Tony Shakib, Principal Group PM Manager, Microsoft IoT Business Acceleration, Microsoft Corp, said, “SensorTile.box will be showcased as a demonstration platform for Azure IoT Central, which aims to help everyone understand the benefits of IoT and the cloud and show them how easy it is to connect.”
The new module features ST MEMS devices for motion, environmental and context sensing housed in a strong 57mm x 38mm x 20mm IP54 plastic container. The new module is likely to be available from the beginning of June this year.


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McDonald's says it aims to cut its global greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
The target covers everything from the beef in its burgers to the lights in its restaurants.
On Monday (October 4) the burger chain also said it was working with the nonprofit Science Based Targets initiative to revamp its existing climate goals.
By 2030 it aims to cut a third off emissions from suppliers and its nearly 40,000 restaurants.
United Nations scientists say the world's net emissions must fall to zero by 2050 to limit climate change.
McDonald's joins more than 1,000 companies that have signed similar pledges.
About 80% of its emissions come from the supply chain, in particular its use of beef, chicken, dairy and other proteins.
The U.S. chain is one of the world's biggest buyers of beef.
Now McDonald's says it will use new guidelines from the Science Based Targets initiative to cut emissions from agriculture, land use and forestry.


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Tata Digital wants to balance unit economics and growth simultaneously, according to a person directly involved.
The co-branded cards are aimed at fans of Tata brands, offering maximum benefits to users of the Tata Neu app for shopping.
Tata Digital has already got board clearance to receive investment of Rs 3,462 crore over two instalments from Tata Sons.
Banerjjee has earlier worked with Accenture and Infosys and also worked at Venda, one of the enterprises built by Rezolve’s Chairman and CEO, Dan Wagner, which was sold to Oracle in 2014.
Prior to joining Neu in 2019, Banerjjee worked as the CTO of Tata Cliq. He joined the group in 2016 and extensively worked with TCS.
Based on the GMV of key categories on Tata Neu, JM Financial believes the value of Tata Digital "could be upwards of $15 billion".
This comes at a time when quick commerce is seeing increasing competition. With Zomato, Swiggy, Zepto doubling down on its delivery services, the sector has been one of the most watched out space
While company executives did not share a specific timeline for express deliveries, Tata Neu plans to leverage their supply chain capabilities which will be available across all its categories
Tata's top boss N Chandrasekaran outlined the core philosophy of the conglomerate's biggest digital bet which seeks to simplify the lives of the Indian consumers by saving time and providing omnichannel services with a formidable physical footprint. Ashwin Mohan gets you a wrap of the top management commentary.
Tata Digital had last week launched its much-anticipated app Tata Neu, which houses several top Tata brands such as Tata Croma, AirAsia, and BigBasket.
Tata Neu is a key part of the 154-year-old Tata Group's plan to take on established giants such as Amazon, Walmart's Flipkart, and Jio Platforms.
Elon Musk joins Twitter's board, Apple announce date for WWDC 2022, Amazon Labor Union's historic win, and more.
"It is a Neu day today! ...We look forward to learning continuously, to keep evolving, and meeting the needs of our consumers. Welcome to the Neu World," Chairman of Tata Sons Natarajan Chandrasekaran said.
The app will allow users to access a range of services from the company-owned brands including Air Asia, BigBasket, Croma, IHCL, Qmin, Starbucks, Tata 1Mg, Tata CLiQ, Tata Play, and Westside
Tata Neu: The application allows users to book hotels with Taj, use AirAsia for flights, Croma for buying electronics, Cliq for beauty and luxury products and Tata Sky to manage satellite TV.
Tata Group's super app 'Neu' promises "super rewards" and brings airlines, hotels, medicines and groceries in one place.
Tata Neu -- the conglomerate's much-anticipated super app -- is here, but in limited supply. Our reporter gets early access and reviews it


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ThinIO, here comes something incredible
Well we’ve been busy! Very, very busy. In the next week you will see the culmination of two years work on a product
What’s New with ThinKiosk 4.1?
We’re proud to announce the BETA launch of ThinKiosk 4.1 just five months after the launch of ThinKiosk 4. We want to