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DHL Express and Singapore Airlines partnership takes offer with the delivery of a new Boeing 777 Freighter at Singapore Changi Airport on Tuesday. The freighter sports a dual livery and will be operated by SIA on routes to the U.S. via South Korea thrice weekly.
On Tuesday (August 16, 2022), Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced an expansion of their partnership with DHL Express, the world’s leading international express service provider, took delivery of a new Boeing 777F Freighter at Singapore Changi Airport. Sporting a dual SIA and DHL livery, the aircraft will be operated by Singapore Airlines on routes to the U.S. via South Korea three times weekly from August 2022. The 777F has a range of over 6,000 nautical miles, while offering a capacity of 102 tons, 20 percent more payload capacity compared to a Boeing 747-400F.
In Tuesday’s announcment, DHL Express’ Executive Vice President for Aviation, Mr. Robert Hyslop, said,
“Our global DHL Express aviation network consists of a combination of owned and partner airlines, which allows us to respond to increasing customer demand with agility and flexibility. The new Boeing 777 Freighter demonstrates our ongoing effort to strengthen our network and adjust flight routes, as well as lower our carbon emissions to achieve greener logistics. Singapore Airlines’ expertise in flight operations will enable us to better meet our customers’ needs in cross-border commerce, as we leverage the strategic location of our South Asia Hub in Singapore.”
Also commenting on the launch of the partnership, SIA’s Vice President – Commercial, Mr. Lee Lik Hsin, said,
“SIA’s longstanding partnership with DHL reinforces Singapore’s position as a key air cargo and e-commerce logistics hub, and highlights our firm commitment to our cargo business. Air cargo also plays a vital role in keeping global supply chains open. Apart from supporting the fast-growing e-commerce segment, this new freighter operation provides a foundation to expand the partnership between SIA and DHL in the future.”
Boeing’s Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing – Asia Pacific, Ms. Christy Reese, added,
“We are thrilled that the partnership between DHL and Singapore Airlines will be predicated on the strength of Boeing 777 Freighters. The versatile 777 Freighter is the world’s largest, most capable twin-engine freighter and can fly long-range trans-Pacific missions in excess of 6,000 nautical miles with 20 percent more payload than other large freighters like the 747-400F. The airplane, which is capable of carrying a maximum payload of 102 tonnes, will deliver superior tonne-per-mile economics for DHL and Singapore Airlines as they look to sustainably address increased demand in the global air freight market.”
In March 2022, DHL Express and SIA signed a Crew and Maintenance agreement to deploy five Boeing 777 Freighters, which will be operated by SIA pilots, with maintenance overseen by Singapore Airlines. The second 777F is scheduled to enter service in November 2022, at which time both freighters will operate the Singapore-Seoul Incheon-Los Angeles-Honolulu-Singapore route six times weekly. The other three freighters will be delivered throughout 2023 and will operate on routes between the U.S. and Singapore via points in North Asia and Australia.
Source: Singapore Airlines


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This article was updated on Feb. 25, 2018, and originally published on Aug. 29, 2017.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares surged more than 140% over the past 12 months as robust sales of its GPUs and Tegra CPUs fueled a streak of big earnings beats. NVIDIA posted double-digit annual sales growth over the past nine quarters, and analysts expect its revenue and earnings to respectively rise 28% and 35% in 2018.
But looking further ahead, NVIDIA's growth looks less certain. Its revenue and earnings are expected to rise 15% and 16% next year, respectively, as certain tailwinds fade and its headwinds strengthen. Let's discuss those challenges, and how they could alter NVIDIA's path over the following year.
The best-case scenario for NVIDIA
Let's first examine a best-case scenario for NVIDIA, in which everything goes right for its GPU and Tegra CPU businesses. In this rosy future, NVIDIA's current-gen Pascal GPUs will continue holding their ground against AMD's (NASDAQ:AMD) new Vega chips, and its next-gen Volta GPUs (which will launch later this year) will crush AMD's next-gen "Vega 2.0" chips.
AMD was expected to offer its new Vega-based Radeon RX 64 and 56 chips at lower prices than NVIDIA's comparable Pascal-based GTX 1070 and 1080 GPUs, but they were eventually launched at comparable prices. Therefore, without a clear cost advantage (which has usually been AMD's strength), NVIDIA could keep dominating the low-end and high-end gaming GPU markets with its wide range of GeForce cards.
NVIDIA would also benefit if Qualcomm's (NASDAQ:QCOM) planned merger with NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) is delayed or blocked. That deal would make Qualcomm the biggest automotive chipmaker in the world, and the chipmaker would likely use NXP's BlueBox autonomous driving platform to challenge NVIDIA's similar Drive PX platform.
Qualcomm could also use NXP's automotive reach to sell more Snapdragon Automotive chips for connected cars -- which could harm NVIDIA's Tegra business. So a hobbled Qualcomm would also give NVIDIA time to seal more driverless deals across the industry.
Meanwhile, in this best-case scenario, sales of NVIDIA's high-end data center GPUs would keep rising as companies install more GPUs for machine learning applications. Large companies looking to cut costs would also likely take a closer look at its new DGX-1 supercomputer, which puts "400 servers" into a single box powered by eight Tesla V100 GPUs and two 20-core Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Xeon E5-2698 processors.
Lastly, rising sales of Nintendo's (OTC:NTDOY) Switch, which is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra SoC, could offset any softness in Tegra sales to automakers. NVIDIA recently announced that Switch sales "contributed to" its 75% year-over-year jump in Tegra sales during the fourth quarter.
The worst-case scenario for NVIDIA
However, a lot could also go wrong over the next few quarters. First, sales of gaming PCs -- which escaped the overall slowdown in PC sales -- could decline as gamers finish upgrading their systems. Many current-gen games are ultimately limited by console hardware, which could limit demand for high-end gaming rigs.
Meanwhile, cryptocurrency miners are causing an ongoing shortage of NVIDIA's high-end GPUs. The inflated prices of resold GPUs are alienating NVIDIA's core gaming customers, and if the cryptocurrency "bubble" pops, the market could be flooded with cheaper used GPUs which would throttle demand for NVIDIA's new GPUs.
AMD's first round of Vega chips didn't seem to threaten NVIDIA's Pascal last year, but its "Vega 2.0" chips might land some surprising blows, just as AMD's Ryzen CPUs did against Intel's current-gen Kaby Lake CPUs.
As for data centers, Intel is striking back against NVIDIA with its "Knights Landing" Xeon CPUs, which aim to reduce the use of stand-alone GPUs for machine learning purposes. Intel believes that it can do this by pairing its Xeons with programmable chips called FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays).
Meanwhile, Qualcomm could finally close its NXP acquisition and immediately bundle Snapdragon Automotive chips and BlueBox systems together for automakers. Sales of the Nintendo Switch could wane, enabling AMD to retain control of the console market with SoCs for the PS4 and Xbox One. If all these things happen, NVIDIA's growth would certainly decelerate.
What I think will happen...
I think NVIDIA's wide range of chipsets and energy-efficient designs can hold off AMD in the gaming GPU market, but I'm less confident about its future in cars and data centers. Qualcomm's acquisition of NXP will be a game changer for the automotive industry, if it happens, and Intel's renewed focus on machine learning could throttle demand for its data center GPUs.
Therefore, I expect NVIDIA to climb higher over the following year on the strength of its gaming GPUs, but I doubt that it can repeat its triple-digit gains. The stock already looks pricey at 51 times earnings, which is much higher than the industry average of 37 for semiconductor makers, and its meager forward yield of 0.3% won't attract any income investors.

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America's biggest banks are in retreat, tightening lending, increasing fees, and closing branches. But one company still wants to become your neighborhood bank: Wal-Mart.
While the banking sector has been in turmoil, Wal-Mart has aggressively courted customers' pocketbooks, partnering with financial services companies to offer money transfers, check cashing and bill payments, and putting virtual checking accounts -- refillable pre-paid debit cards -- in the hands of more than two million customers.
The company downplays its desire to garner a banking license, but recent changes in the banking and regulatory landscape has only increased the eventual likelihood of a Wal-Mart Bank. The latest evidence that Wal-Mart plans to continue its push into financial services was the news last week that it had taken an equity stake in Green Dot, which manages the retailer's prepaid debit cards and is currently seeking regulatory approval to acquire a small Utah-based bank for $15.7 million.
Wal-Mart has attempted to acquire its own banking license several times since 1999. In 2007 it dropped plans to acquire an industrial-bank charter in Utah after heavy lobbying by the banking industry. Banks argued that Wal-Mart might steer lending toward favorable suppliers and away from competitors. Had Wal-Mart succeeded, its Utah "industrial loan corporation" could have handled all of its card processing and allowed the retail giant to take deposits and make loans.


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The United States Postal Service lost more than $560 million in the previous quarter (!), and it wants a pay raise to pay for it, a rise in the price of stamps by a penny. Now, a penny might not seem like much, especially against the current price for a first class stamp on a 1oz letter, but it is symptomatic of a much larger problem: the USPS, a protected monopoly in the first class mail niche and so lacking actual competition and associated innovative pressures, is a money-losing (to the tune of two and a quarter billion dollars each year) proposition.
Postmaster General Megan Brennan:
America deserves a financially stable postal service that can continue to play a vital role in our economy and society[.]
Yewbetcha. And the USPS ain’t it.
The postal service has lost money for 10 years in a row. It says the continuing red ink hurts consumers because it can’t make necessary investments to ensure “prompt, efficient and reliable postal services,” such as by updating delivery trucks and equipment.
Once again, the USPS, with its empirical performance, is making the argument for disbanding it and replacing it with competitive private enterprises in a free market economy. Sort of like the protected monopoly Ma Bell was replaced, the USPS needs—the American people need—that replacement (who pays a dime a minute for a long distance call anymore? Who needs to pay half a buck to send a letter?).


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Siemens, the German electronics and engineering giant, yesterday confirmed a 1.5bn German marks (pounds 510m) joint venture with Motorola of the US to build a state-of-the-art computer chip plant in Dresden. The factory will develop the next generation of chip technology, which will cut production costs by 30 per cent. Siemens said research and development costs would total DM1bn, with a further DM450m invested to create around 450 new jobs.
Welcome to the new Independent website. We hope you enjoy it and we value your feedback. Please contact us here.
Siemens agrees chip plant


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Naturex (Avignon, France) announced its consolidated revenue for the first half of its 2011 financial year. For the first half of fiscal 2011, Naturex saw revenues of €127.9 million, up 14.1% compared to the previous year. Organic growth for the half year also stands at 13.1%, and activity in the second quarter 2011 is well-situated despite the less-favorable exchange rate effects over the period.
The company showed sustained growth in both the food and beverage, and nutrition and health markets. Food and beverage grew 17.6% (+13.8% on a comparable basis), with €78.4 million in revenue, and nutrition and health generated €40.4 million in revenue, up 5.5%. Also the personal care division recorded less-than-significant figures for the half year, in light of a very low base.
The company also performed well in its three designated geographical regions. During the first half of 2011, Naturex opened subsidiaries in Korea, Mexico and Canada, and it now has 19 sales locations around the world. For financial growth, the mature markets in Europe and in North America are still the main engines, while the Asia-Pacific region is on track thanks to the sharp growth in the activity in Asia. And the emerging markets of Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America continue to be focused on for development.
"The strong organic growth carried out over this 1st half of 2011 confirms the technical know-how and the commercial dynamism of Naturex on markets that are sustainable promising", declared Jacques Dikansky, CEO and founder of Naturex. "Backed with this performance and our capacity to develop new projects with high value added, we are confident in our ability to achieve another year of strong growth in revenue and in profitability over 2011, in accordance with the targets announced."


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The Samsung Galaxy S III has yet to be announced but it seems that everyone will get a word on it on May 3rd because that is the day when the Samsung Galaxy S III will be made available in a few countries. The release date however, didn’t come from Samsung themselves but from a rather unique yet trustworthy source which is Amazon.com. To be precise, we are talking about the Amazon Germany.
A product that was posted up in on April 20 suggested a few things that many people did not see coming about the new Galaxy S III. Although previous leaks suggested that it will come with an 8 megapixel camera with a 4.6 inch screen, Amazon Germany claims that it will be better as it comes with a 12 MP camera and a 4.7 inch screen instead. This is definitely something new which would make the device better than its competitors.
However, it may be best to take this with a grain of salt because until Samsung releases an official statement, not much can be said about the authenticity of the post done by Amazon. Nonetheless, it is certainly something refreshing to see about the Samsung Galaxy S II successor.


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SEATTLE — Dick’s Drive-Ins announced Wednesday its plans to build a new restaurant in East King County and they’re asking for help from their customers to find the right location.
The local fast-food chain said it is considering locations as far north as Bothell, as far south as Newcastle and as far east as Redmond, Issaquah and Sammamish.
“Our customers on the Eastside have been waiting a very long time,” President of Dick’s Drive-Ins Jasmine Donovan said in a news release. “We’re excited to finally start the official search.”
The announcement comes just two weeks after Dick’s announced the launch of a food truck coming later this fall.
The company does not have a specific timeline for when the new location on the Eastside will open. Donovan said it will depend on how long it takes to find a good piece of real estate at the right price.
“We paid $1 million for almost an acre of land in Edmonds, and less than that for 2 acres of land in Kent, Donovan said. We know land on the Eastside is very expensive right now. Although, we are prepared to spend more for a good site, we are not sure we can afford the land that we need.”
To help find the land, the company is asking its customers to help give property suggestions or tips here.
The company said both of the properties for their newest locations, Edmonds in 2011 and Kent in 2018, were not officially on the market when they started searching for locations.
“Our customers gave us great leads and the city mayors, council members and development directors were exceptionally helpful in connecting us to great potential sites,” said Donovan.
The first Dick’s Drive-In opened Jan. 28th, 1954 in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood at 111 N.E. 45th Street. Burgers were 19 cents, fries 11 cents and shakes were 21 cents. Today, the company has seven locations: Wallingford, Broadway, Holman Road, Lake City, Queen Anne, Edmonds and Kent.
The Broadway store opened in 1955, then Holman Road in 1960, Lake City in 1963, and Queen Anne – the only indoor location -- in 1974. For a short time there also was a restaurant near Bellevue Square, which opened in 1965.
When the Edmonds location was announced in 2010 -- on Dick Spady’s 87th birthday -- the online survey gained more than 115,000 votes. That was the first new Dick’s Drive-In location since the Queen Anne restaurant opened 37 years earlier.
The Kent location opened in 2018 after a customer poll, similar to the Edmonds location that opened in 2011.
Cox Media Group


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News Topic:Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana
The people across the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh are perturbed over the announcement of the scrapping of PMGKAY.
The Union Cabinet decided to extend the free food grains supply under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till March 2022.
Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs has started distributing additional free 5 kilogram of food grains per person in J&K.
In a significant development, the Government of India has issued an order for the premature repatriation of IPS officer Rakesh Balwal to the Manipur cadre.
- Advertisement -
The School Education Department has proposed to conduct departmental examinations through the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC) to promote its employees.


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The first entirely post-election reading from the University of Michigan-Thomson Reuters consumer confidence survey came out on Friday. It was awful. As reported at MarketWatch, the overall index "fell to 74.5 from 82.7 in November," far below expectations of 82.0, representing "the biggest one-month drop since March 2011." Zero Hedge noted that it's the "biggest miss on record" compared to expectations.
Of course, in Establishment Medialand and with the analysts they chose to consult, the plunge has everything to do with the "fiscal cliff," and nothing to do with the reelection of President Obama to a second four-year term or his intensely partisan conduct since then. Sure, guys.
Coverage of the U of M confidence survey barely exists at the Associated Press's national site. An 8:20 ET search on "consumer sentiment" (not in quotes) only surfaced one result, wherein the AP's Christopher Rugaber only tells us that "A survey of consumer sentiment fell sharply in December, economists noted, partly over worries that taxes could rise next year." He didn't even tell us who did the survey.
Over at Bloomberg, Lorraine Woellert's coverage carried an understated headline ("Michigan Consumer Sentiment Declines More Than Forecast") and understated content (bolds and numbered tags are mine):
Confidence among consumers fell more than forecast in December , reaching a four-month low as Americans grew concerned about the possibility of higher taxes next year.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index decreased to 74.5 this month from 82.7 in November. Economists projected a preliminary reading of 82 for December, according to the median of 67 estimates in a Bloomberg survey.
The group’s gauge of consumer expectations dropped to a one-year low as households fretted that lawmakers will fail to avert the so-called fiscal cliff of higher taxes and government spending cutbacks set for 2013. At the same time, job growth, rising home values, lower gas prices and stock market gains may keep spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the economy, from faltering.
“The fiscal cliff is going to bum people out,” Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Pierpont Securities LLC in Stamford, Connecticut, said before the report. “The consumer had held up pretty well into the summer and early part of the fall and in particular consumer attitudes had been super strong. My fear is that’s going to fade a little.”
Estimates for the confidence measure ranged from 80 to 88 according to the Bloomberg survey.  The index averaged 64.2 during the last recession and 89 in the five years leading up to the 18-month economic slump that ended in June 2009.
 (tagged twice) -- "More than forecast"? How about 12 times more than forecast (8.2 points actual vs. 0.7 forecast)? I guess adverbs like "far" (for "far more") or "much" (for "much more") weren't in Woellert's dictionary on Friday.
 -- Consumer spending already faltered months ago. The third-quarter report on gross domestic product revised an already weak original annualized estimate of 2.0% in personal consumption growth down to a pathetic 1.4%. Personal consumption expenditures decreased by 0.2% in November.
 (tagged twice) -- This confirms how complete the miss was. The actual result was 5.5 points below the lowest estimate. The analyst's comment contradicts the reality of how weak consumer spending has been all along.
At least Reuters knew how to accurately describe its affiliated publication's reports, telling readers in an unbylined item that the U of M reading was "far below November's figure of 82.7 and the median forecast of 82.4 among economists polled by Reuters." Too bad the others didn't. That's almost enough to make you wonder if the Obama koolaid delivery truck missed one of its appointed stops on Friday morning.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.


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I was cleaning up my RSS feeds and came across this 9 month old blogpost (May 2nd 2008) from Amy Wohl.
Reason for posting a response 9 months later is to illustrate how time constraint some analysis can be.
“traditional vendors like Microsoft …” ? We are only 9 months further along. I do wonder if Amy still has the same opinion on the matter
Also funny to see Google become more “traditional”.. Offline Gmail …
At IBM’s Business Partner Leadership Conference, held this week in Los Angeles, IBM CEO Sam Palmisano and Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke on the state of computing and their vision for its future, both separately and togehter. The big news is that they agree:
- We are moving from a PC-Centric world to a Network-Centric world filled with millions of devices of every shape and description.
- In this Network Centric world, the PC is just another device, of decreasing importance as the emerging economies come online with their preference for mobile platforms which more closely ressemble smart phones.
- In the Network Centric World, Open Standards and published APIs are very imortant so that new innovations can easily be attached to the network and become new platforms for deelopment.
- The cloud (very large scale shared computing, available for hire) will become uibiquitious, probably sold by platform providers who will recruit ecoosystems of ISVs and provide a well-managed, secure platform, freeing both customers and ISVs from the need to implement hardware where they lack the skills or capital.
- This networkcentric Computing model will require tons of storage and new interaces and methods to discover the information and manage it.
- This enables everyone to have more access to information. Some of it will be stored in the cloud, but some of it will continue to be stored on site. It’s a hybrid world.
Large traditional vendors like Microsoft will have to choose between adopting the open standards, network centric, cloud approach, finding a new market niche, and slowly becoming less relevant. That’s why Microsoft’s chsing so hard after the consumer market with the Yahoo.
If the tradition is software and the innovation is services … Microsoft is doing pretty well …


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Vidya Balan, today, has emerged as one of the most bankable faces as far as brand endorsements are concerned, thanks to her 'desi' style with an international appeal. After having lent her face to many FMCG brands like Good Knight, Toshiba, Vidya has now been chosen as the face of Big Bazaar's Price Challenge, according to Bollywood Hungama's confirmed sources.
The source also went onto add that the aim of this 'Price Challenge' exercise was to bring out the authenticity of the campaign endorsed by Vidya, the name that personifies the brand's proposition - value and quality. This new campaign is expected to be launched soon.
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood News Today & upcoming movies 2020 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.


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‘Nod to sell Opioid drug in US positive for Dr Reddy’s stock’
The company can resume at-risk launch of Suboxone with favourable ruling from the appeals court.
The drug maker’s shares rose as much as 8 per cent during Wednesday’s session before ending up nearly 6 per cent at Rs 2,594.75.
The US Court of Appeals has lifted the preliminary injunction that had blocked Dr Reddy’s from selling generic version of Suboxone, which is used to counter opioid addiction and aid in pain management. The company can resume at-risk launch of Suboxone with favourable ruling from the appeals court.
“We see an upside to our FY19E (estimated) EPS by 10-15 per cent, given likely 4.5 months of gSuboxone (generic) sales, however our FY20E EPS broadly remains unchanged as we have already built in the Suboxone launch.We have built in USD 100mn (million) sales of Suboxone for DRRD in FY20E, assuming a four firm market,” said Elara Securities.
Motilal Oswal estimates potential sales from this opportunity to be $70 million to $80 million, based on the market size and competitive scenario.
However, the brokerage has a neutral rating on the stock on likely limited upside from current levels and as resolving regulatory issues remains a key overhang on the stock.
Nomura believes that in the initial period, the annualised EPS impact could be as high as Rs 62.5, which could drop to Rs 19.6 in next six months assuming Mylan and Alvogen enter the market.
Of 45 analysts tracking the stock, 21 have a buy rating, 14 have a hold rating and 10 analysts have rated the company as ‘sell’, according to Bloomberg data. The consensus target price is Rs 2,579.44.


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During National Food Fair 2019, the Design Center of the Philippines partnered with Material Connexion (the world’s leading material innovations consultancy organization) to bring its unique brand of design thinking to the Philippines. A trusted advisor of Fortune 500 companies, Material Connexion combines engineering with design in a forward-thinking approach to solve the growing plastic problem around the globe.
The Philippines is reportedly the third biggest producer of plastic waste found in oceans with more than 1.88 million metric tons produced every year. The prime culprit are non-biodegradable plastics that take centuries to degrade. Material Connexion’s solution to the crisis is a library of sustainable projects with the collective goal to beating the plastic problem.
Here are some of the projects underway that the food industry could contribute to and benefit from.
Made from milk
Leading in the world of milk protein bioplastics, Lactips has developed a milk-based thermoplastic that can be used for packaging material. Cosein, a protein derived from milk, is the material’s key ingredient that can double as edible food packaging. It’s both biodegradable and water-soluble, ensuring that it won’t take years to degrade like regular plastic.
No food to waste
Genecis redirects food waste from landfills to their lab in order to create polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) bioplastics that are high-quality and fully biodegradable. Not only are their products recyclable but they are also compostable. Genecis has currently processed 1,880 kilograms of food waste and produced 9,724 bioplastic spoons.
Upcycling ocean plastic
Ioniqa, a Netherlands-based tech company, is converting polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic (from water bottles and tupperware) into virgin plastic that can be reused for food packaging. They do this by breaking down PET waste to a base molecular level in order to produce a recyclable form of plastic. According to founder and CEO Tonnis Houghoudt, they can recycle waste ranging from ocean plastic pollution to a child’s fleece onesie into a water bottle, which can then be recycled (or upcycled) into something else.
Reusing waste water
Aiming to stop energy, food, and materials waste, EggPlant is producing polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) bioplastic (bio-derived and biodegradable) by reusing wastewater produced from washing dishes or taking a shower. The technology it uses filters water to separate sugar, proteins, purified water, and a bacterium that is essential to forming PHB bioplastic. Seeing as it’s bio-derived, the technology can be used as biodegradable food packaging.
Light as a feather
A forgotten byproduct of the poultry industry, feathers are the center of Aeropowder’s technology that transforms feather waste into a repurposed material called pluumo, which is made from 95 percent waste feathers and five percent biobinder. The biodegradable technology can be used to insulate perishable food in groceries.
Humble Bee is studying a masked bee species that creates a nesting material similar in form to cellophane. The material often used for polvoron may soon be replaced by this bee-sourced bioplastic that is resistant to water, high temperates, and chemicals.


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I'll be seeking to table the following urgency motion at our next Council meeting on Tuesday 9 August. This follows recent discussions I've had with Inner West Police Area Command about the rise in food theft they're seeing across the Inner West, and Addison Road Community Organisation about the sharp rise in people seeking food relief.
1. Notes the advice received from Inner West Police Area Command (IWPAC) about the increase in retail theft, particularly of food items, in the Inner West;
2. Notes the advice received from Addison Road Community Organisation about the rise in people seeking access to its food relief services;
3. Urgently investigates opportunities to:
a. Work in partnership with IWPAC, local food relief services, local shopping centres, and other relevant stakeholders to raise awareness of the supports available across the Inner West local government area (LGA), and help connect people to these services;
b. Promote support services available to residents through Council’s communication channels;
c. Provide additional funding to local food relief organisations to help them deliver these services to residents, including through Council’s grants program;
d. Work with South Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) on developing a coordinated response on this issue;
4. Writes to the Prime Minister, the Premier and relevant Ministers to express our concern about this emerging issue, and request that they provide urgent funding to organisations that provide food relief in our local government area; and
5. Provides a report back to the September Council meeting on actions taken, as well as any further recommendations.
I was recently contacted by the CEO of Addison Road Community Organisation, Rosanna Barbero, who advised that they had been contacted with IWPAC about a rise in food theft in the Inner West, and are now working with IWPAC to provide vouchers and information about their food relief services to residents.
Following this call, Council’s Director Community and I met with IWPAC on Tuesday 2 August to be briefed on the issue. IWPAC advised that they have recently seen an increase in theft from retail stores, particularly of food products.
This timing of this increase corresponds with recent rises in interest rates, food prices, energy bills and other living expenses, none of which are likely to fall any time soon.
The extent and rate of the rise has prompted IWPAC to launch community outreach to increase public awareness of support services available – including meetings with Addison Road Community Organisation, stalls at local shopping centres and social media posts – to try and prevent theft from occurring. They expressed their appreciation for the work Council already does in this space, and would welcome any further support we can provide to spread the word, and to support residents in our community who are or would otherwise be at risk of resorting to stealing food to survive.
Addison Road Community Organisation has also requested emergency financial support to help distribute food relief to residents in need. They have advised that they have seen a significant rise in recent weeks in people accessing their services. For example, in the last six weeks, the number of hampers they have distributed free of charge to people has risen from 300 a week to 478. The number of $10 vouchers they have issued each week to people who cannot afford to pay for groceries from their Food Pantry store has risen from 140 to 300 a week.
To that end, I propose that we urgently investigate how we can work with IWPAC, our existing networks and local services to connect people in need of food relief to the support they need. As this issue extends beyond our own LGA, I am also proposing that we seek to work with our local government networks and advocate to state and federal governments to address the issue, particularly in terms of securing funding for our local food relief services.


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A new OTT from UK-based Vonetize claims to be the first VOD Hollywood premium service in Africa. Branded as Aflix by SmartVOD, it will offer more than 2,000 hours of content, including movies from Disney, Warner Bros., Miramax and MGM.
Launched in collaboration with an unnamed Nigerian technology company, Aflix will charge a monthly fee of US$9.99, with additional new releases available to rent for US$4.99 for a 48-hour period. The service will also implement a local Cash and Pre-Paid payment option, including physical vouchers at stores.
The SVOD is currently available on smartphones and tablets, while there plans to bring Aflix to LG, Toshiba and Samsung SmartTVs in 2015.


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Grandview-based casual comfort food restaurant Sweet Carrot has announced the release of a new Saturday and Sunday brunch menu.
“Our brunch menu reflects that creative flair and unique combination of flavors and our team is truly excited to have an additional way to serve and connect with our guests.” says CEO Angela Petro.
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Soon-to-be-favorites such asSmashed Potatoes Benedict, Fried Chicken and Pancakes, and Cinnamon Roll French Toast will be featured among other tantalizing options.
The new brunch menu was originally planned to launch in April but delayed due to the pandemic shutdowns. Sweet Carrot has since reopened for food service Thursday through Sunday. Brunch is served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for dining in and carryout.
The restaurant has taken all precautions possible in reopening and is excited to offer comforting foods to all. Online ordering is available and encouraged.


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Microsoft has published a beta version in Apple Silicon di OneDrive only last year and now the native version of the app is available for all OneDrive users. As you may have already guessed, this version of the application offers native support for Apple Silicon chips and guarantees better performance and state-of-the-art energy efficiency.
Microsoft OneDrive supporta Apple Silicon
Support for Apple Silicon has been added to the application via the OneDrive update 22.022 dedicated to devices macOS. Here is what you read in the post of Microsoft about:
“We are pleased to announce that OneDrive for macOS sync will now run natively on Apple Silicon. This means that OneDrive will take full advantage of the processor performance improvements. We know this has been a long awaited and highly requested feature and we are happy to make it available starting with build 22.022 ”.
The update was one of those particularly awaited by mac users, as well as one that has been long-awaited, given that the Colossus of Redmond he has repeatedly explained that he has to take the time to make his software compatible with i Mac M1. In fact, integration with chips is a complex process and takes a long time to implement properly.
Just think that the same fate befell Dropbox, which has released a beta with integration to chip M1 Apple earlier this year, but the final version has yet to see the light and does not yet have a final release date.


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There is a black Barbie and even a black friend of Barbie.
But what about Barbie party supplies such as plates, cups, napkins and invitations with an African-American theme?
Barbie maker Mattel is failing to be sufficiently diverse by not putting images of a black Barbie on party supplies, according to a mother who petitioned the El Segundo-based toymaker on behalf of her young daughter.
As of Thursday afternoon, at least 4,900 people had signed the petition at change.org, which was created by New York resident Karen Greene Braithwaite.
The petition reads in part: "Offer party supplies featuring Barbies of Color! Young girls of color have birthdays, and young girls of color love Barbie. So why only offer party supplies very PROMINENTLY featuring one, white Barbie? "
In a video posted on the website, Braithwaite, who is black, said her daughter Georgia wants a Barbie-themed 5th birthday party. The 40-year-old mother notes that the toy giant already markets to girls of color through Barbies with different skin tones and hair textures.
"But if one of those girls wants to have a Barbie birthday party, there is only one choice," Braithwaite said, referring to the traditional blonde, blue-eyed glamor doll. "Is that really the message that Mattel wants to send in 2013? "
Georgia, referring to the party supplies during the video, said: "I want them in black. "
Braithwaite said her petition is for the sake of diversity, inclusion and respect. She could not be reached for comment.
Mattel spokesman Alan Hilowitz said the world's largest toymaker will consider Braithwaite's petition.
He said that Mattel's customer service team "reached out" to Braithwaite to discuss her concerns after she initially called the company.
"We work closely with various partners to develop and distribute Barbie-themed products, such as party supplies, and we will be sharing this valuable feedback with them to start conversations and evaluate the business," Hilowitz said in an email. "We listen carefully to our consumers and take all feedback seriously. "
Mattel markets Barbie to a broad global community of children and adults in 150 countries, and has made versions of its iconic doll in 45 nationalities.
Mattel introduced its first African-American doll in 1968 as Barbie's friend Christie. The toymaker has made numerous other black dolls since then, Hilowitz said.
"Mattel has had a long track record of designing diverse Barbie dolls in a multitude of ethnicities to celebrate and reflect the ethnic and cultural differences of girls around the world," Hilowitz said.
Mattel has been the focus of numerous petitions and activist campaigns, most notably an effort by Greenpeace to persuade the company to stop using paper products made from trees in Indonesian rainforests. To pressure Mattel, Greenpeace activists in 2011 scaled the company's 15-story headquarters in El Segundo to hang a giant banner decrying deforestation.
Mattel eventually agreed to Greenpeace's demand to sever ties with a paper company accused of deforestation.
Last year, a grass-roots campaign called on Mattel to introduce a bald Barbie as a nod to girls dealing with hair loss from chemotherapy and other conditions. As a result, Mattel announced last year that it would release a "friend of Barbie" that had an option to go without hair.
Other lesser-known petitions have called on Mattel to stop selling a whale trainer Barbie and to introduce a plus-size version of the doll.
firstname.lastname@example.org @dailybreezebiz on Twitter


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Apple Adds EMV Features to its In-Store m-POS System (May 13, 2014)
Apple Inc. is joining the push to accommodate EMV cards in its stores with its EasyPay m-POS, which uses a special iPhone case made by VeriFone that employees may use for customer checkout. The case features a PIN pad to handle EMV chip-and-PIN transactions, as well as a specific area observers say looks as if it’s designed to support contactless NFC payments in the future. Apple has 424 retail stores in 16 countries.
A growing number of merchants, including Walmart and Target, are prepping payment terminals for the U.S. shift to EMV, as the card networks’ October 2015 liability-shift date for counterfeit card fraud at the POS nears. Less than 10 percent of U.S. consumers have EMV cards, but that number is expected to rise sharply over the next 18 months.
The move has caused observers to wonder whether Apple—which has famously failed to include NFC capabilities in any of its handsets to date—is changing its tune. The recent rise of host card emulation technology (HCE) is prompting many payments industry players to reconsider NFC’s potential. Even David Marcus, PayPal’s president who previously declared NFC a dead end, is warming up to its possibilities via the HCE approach to storing card credentials in the cloud, rather than in the handset itself.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last week predicted in a note to investors that Apple this year is likely to build NFC into its iWatch and iPhone devices. Apple already uses the iBeacon Bluetooth-based approach to enabling contactless in-store purchases at some of its locations, and NFC could complement and enhance checkout options. Apple’s Touch ID, the fingerprint-based authentication module it rolled out last year, is yet another feature that eventually could play into Apple’s m-POS offerings, observers say.
See related stories:


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Episode 252: BL and David discuss General Mills’ scented cinema Pillsbury commercials; The Ohio Pork Council’s bacon vending machine; Google’s attempt to better navigate audio news; the Mozilla Foundation’s Privacy Not Included guide; Bose sunglasses with a soundtrack; McDonald’s hamburger takeover of reddit; new free online professional development courses from Google; Grittycon 2019; the Catholic News Agency’s Chanukah fail; Facebook’s brain drain; Quora’s data breach; …and much, much more.
Episode 190: Co-hosts B.L. Ochman and David Erickson discussed Apple’s announcement of its augmented reality platform; Google’s attempt to sell directly from search results with its new buy button; Vincente Fox’s public service video message to Donald Trump; Official presidential tweets, suitable for framing; the untested legality of #BlockedByTrump victims; McDonald’s stoner billboard; Twitter’s new deal with the NFL; The Intercept’s Reality Winner fail; real fake news; how some potential Harvard students discovered that the Internet is a permanent record; plus great new apps and stats you should know…and much, much more.
Episode 161: BL and David discuss the Wonder Woman UN ambassador; the exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones; the Kim Kardashian heist Halloween costume; cyborg surveillance beetles; a scared Ronald McDonald; Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan; Donald Trump’s Pussy Riot moment; Echo Alexa everywhere; BuzzFeed’s live election Twitter video feed; Amazon Music Unlimited; Amazon Prime Reading; Ken Bone, conquering Internet hero; Chromecasting Facebook Live video; and much, much more.
Episode 110: Co-hosts B.L. Ochman & David Erickson discussed Burger King’s McWhopper peace offering; Rand Paul’s #StandWithPaul app fiasco; the role of war photographers and the image of a drowned Syrian refugee boy; Hulu’s new kinda ad-free version; the Love Has No Labels campaign; the new streaming video platform Blab.im; Feed America’s #Spoontember campaign; Disney’s Force Friday marketing blitz for Star Wars: The Force Awakens; the hilarious Hipster Barbie Instagram account; a PSA video from an acid attack survivor; plus great new apps and important stats and a lot of stuff in between.
Co-hosts B.L. Ochman & David Erickson discussed the fallout over the Ashley Madison hack; real-time tweets in Google desktop search; bid a fond farewell to the real-life Batman; the Straight Outta meme; McDonald’s viral photo poach; buzzwords to ban; Comcast’s Watchable; Josh Groban’s singable Trump tweets; real-life tweets on Twitter; Bloomberg’s social media brand ratings; predictive photography; Mastercard’s SelfiePay; Boston Dynamics’ robot takes a stroll through the woods; plus great new apps and important stats and a lot of stuff in between.
Co-hosts B.L. Ochman & David Erickson discussed the photoshopped Vince Vaughn stock photography used to market his Unfinished Business movie release; the latest violent video to go viral; Netflix’s House of Cards native ad; skill-less Millennials; Rudy Giuliani’s latest publicity grab; a rescue adoption video game; why people unfollow brands; Facebook’s Firehose data; plus great new apps and important stats and a lot of stuff in between.
Beyond Social Media episode 59: How NOT to combat negative reviews; a case study in how to rescue dogs; and John Oliver’s rant against native advertising.


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A potential bid for global retailer Carrefour, France's biggest private employer, by a Canadian convenience store group seemed to be going nowhere on Thursday after the French government poured cold water on the idea.
Canada's Couche-Tard said Wednesday that it had made a nonbinding offer for Carrefour that values the French group at more than 16 billion euros ($19.5 billion).
Carrefour's shares shot over 13 percent higher on Wednesday in reaction to the news, but retrenched Thursday after Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he was "at first glance, not in favour of this operation", calling Carrefour "an essential link in food security for the French, of food sovereignty."
The stock traded 1.1 percent lower at 17.36 euros Thursday afternoon, but well off the day's worst levels in an indication that investors were perhaps not quite ready to bury the merger idea.
Earlier Thursday, Labour Minister Elisabeth Borne said Carrefour's current ownership "should not be put into question" and that the company's strategy "should be protected."
- 'Surprise' at Carrefour -
The government's robust reaction caused "surprise" at Carrefour itself, according to sources there who said that the flurry of hostile comments were "premature" given that merger discussions had barely begun.
"We haven't decided yet whether the interest shown is attractive for us," one company official said on condition of anonymity.
Carrefour has more than 12,300 stores of various formats in more than 30 countries, and in 2019 generated a net profit of 1.3 billion euros on revenue of 80.7 billion euros.
It employs 320,000 people worldwide, and is, according to the government, the biggest private-sector employer in France.
Couche-Tard has a worldwide network of more than 14,200 stores, and earned a net profit of $2.4 billion on sales of $54 billion in its non-calendar 2019 fiscal year.
In the US and several European countries, as well as in Latin America and southeast Asia, it operates under the Circle K and other brands.
Couche-Tard is "extremely well managed, very profitable and has always been able to make acquisitions without raising its debt level", Jacques Nantel, professor emeritus at HEC business school in Montreal, told AFP.
He said it was "not really surprising" that the Quebec-based company was on the lookout for a world leader in supermarkets after it failed last year to take over 7-Eleven stores.
"There are fewer and fewer attractive acquisition targets" in the retail sector, he said, at least ones that are "profitable and that can be merged."
An internal Carrefour document, seen by AFP, said the retailer had agreed "to examine the project" with a view to deciding whether a tie-up "would permit an acceleration of the group's development", whether it made sense for all interested parties, "especially the group's workforce", and whether it would unlock value for shareholders.
- 'No pasta, no rice' -
The Force Ouvriere union branch at Carrefour said "the offer, as it stands, seems to be a financial operation benefiting only shareholders."
Unions "will remain vigilant," warned the representative for the CFDT union, Thierry Babot.
"The government has the last word -- game over," said Fabienne Caron, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux, Bloomberg reported.
But other analysts said that Le Maire's "at first glance" rider could indicate a potential softening of his stance if, for example, there were guarantees to safeguard jobs, and a promise to keep Carrefour's headquarters in France.
They said there was little overlap between both groups in terms of their store concepts and geographical presence, which would make preserving employment easier.
But this limited scope for synergies, in turn, raised the question of how a merger would create value for shareholders, they said.
Either way, Le Maire said that the law allowed the government to block takeovers of French target companies that are deemed strategic, a provision that now also covered food security.
"If one day you go to a Carrefour store, or an Auchan (another French retailer) and there's no pasta, and no rice, how are you going to manage?" Le Maire said.
The last time the authorities used their veto power was in December, when they told US company Teledyne it could not have Photonis, a supplier of night vision instruments to the French army.


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Abu Dhabi will host the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) Conference 2022 from 19 to 20 October under the theme, ‘Global food security in the XXIs: Risks, challenges, and solutions to ensure resilient and sustainable fresh food supply chains.’
The WUWM Conference 2022, which will be held in the Middle East for the first time, will bring together major stakeholders shaping food systems, from government bodies to food producers, wholesale market authorities, food banks, logisticians, and university experts to discuss these critical issues.
The conference will review some of the best practices being deployed in global markets that succeed in drastically reducing food waste. It will also profile some of the key projects being undertaken in the region to support enhanced food chains.
AD Ports Group, the region’s premier facilitator of logistics, industry, and trade, is acting as host for the event. The conference will take place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
According to the statement, “WUWM Abu Dhabi 2022 will be one of the most significant meetings of the global food industry held this year, building on the work of their 2021 conference which examined the food supply challenges in the post-COVID-19 world.”
Mr. Stephane Layani, Chairman of WUWM, said that, “Now is the time for action, the time to take bold steps to introduce measures that will enable each industry actor to act towards the transformation of food systems into sustainability and resilience. This conference will address supply chain risks but also the many exciting opportunities for increased cooperation as a vitally important global industry.”
Other topics set to be discussed at WUWM Abu Dhabi 2022 include logistics, the role of food hubs in ensuring healthy diets, and the role of digitalization, as per the statement.


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In the lap of luxury
The latest entrant into the Indian hospitality space, Lebua Hotels and Resorts, is known for its innovative business strategies. Yet, CEO Deepak Ohri prefers to call it a branding company entering hospitality. The Bangkok-based luxury hotel brand, previously Challenge Hospitality, first entered the segment with restaurants such as Sirocco - the world's tallest al fresco restaurant - before going into hotels. Lebua has shaped the luxury accommodation and dining scene of Thailand and New Zealand, and now, Ohri is determined to do an encore in India. "We have an edge over others, but we don't compete with them. Our competition is with brands like Cartier and Louis Vuitton, which target the young, highly-educated and well-travelled segment." The food and beverages operations constitute the most important part, and Ohri claims the chain brings emotions into the hospitality business. "It is about how we understand the mood maps and passion peaks and that translates into the bottomline," he says. "Our customers are very loyal. The return rate of consumers is 60 per cent; at the global level it is 20 per cent." Lebua has drawn the attention of strategists and it is in the first stage of becoming a full-fledged case study at Harvard Business School.
Ameera Shah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Metropolis Healthcare.
"It is the process of creation that drives me forward," says 32-year-old Ameera Shah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Metropolis Healthcare. "It is all about watching your baby grow in front of you." Shah was recently felicitated as the Young Entrepreneur of India 2011 by Franchise India-Bloomberg UTV. After completing her education at the University of Texas, she returned to India to turn around her father's business from just a single pathology lab in 2003 to 65 diagnostic centres across India and overseas by 2011. The annual turnover of the company stands at Rs 250 crore today, up from Rs 12 crore in 1981. This Roger Federer fan has a bigger dream as well - to become a social entrepreneur and empower women.
Power behind puff
Andrea Jung, Chairman & CEO, Avon
In her signature pearls and business suit, Andrea Jung,52, embodies her company's profile. The Chairman and CEO of the world's largest direct selling company, Avon, was in Delhi recently as part of her 16-city world tour to celebrate 125 years of the company. In her 17 years with Avon, Jung has not only put her business acumen and innovative marketing skills to work in reviving the image of the cosmetics major, but has turned around the fortunes of the once loss-making organisation. Avon's India business witnessed a 65 per cent jump last year. Jung, who is frequently listed among the top female executives in the world, also serves on the boards of GE and Apple. "As the company for women, Avon feels an obligation and responsibility to play a leadership role in helping women improve their lives," Jung told her Delhi audience.
Mapping real India
Jocelyn Vigreux, General Manager & Sr Vice President, TomTom India
Jocelyn Vigreux preferred history over geography when he was in school. Little did he know that one day he would head TomTom's India operations, which deals in digital maps and navigation devices. To map India, he has been travelling widely, always carrying his Personal Navigation Device with him. "When we are looking at India, we are looking at creating the best quality map," he says. Vigreux previously headed TomTom's US business, which managed to win a 35 per cent market share there. It wants to achieve the same here, even with dominant players such as MapmyIndia around. He agrees that mapping India is very different. "Here streets don't have numbers!" he says. So every time a new street is added to his navigator, he feels a sense of achievement, and shares a bit of saunf (fennel seeds) with his colleagues. A small token for a small winding street somewhere in India.
Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President, Avaya
Mohamad Ali, like his renowned boxer namesake, is an adventurous man. Despite his busy schedule, he runs 16 km on weekends, goes skiing in New Hampshire and hiking in the White Mountains. Ali, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy, at Avaya, a global networking company, relishes sport. After spending 13 years in IBM, Ali moved to Avaya and guided it through the Nortel acquisition. Now he is taking Avaya through a global rebranding process. His workload will only increase in the coming days, but he is sure to still find time to climb the mountains.


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Sportswear giant Nike is taking a big step into the world of NFT (non-fungible token) after acquiring digital fashion startup RTKFT (pronounced as artifact). This decision will lead to more creations of virtual collectibles for the metaverse space.
Nike acquires RTFKT to expand its NFT business
(Photo: Josh Redd of Unsplash)
Sportswear giant Nike makes big leap into NFT (non-fungible token) world after acquiring digital fashion startup RTKFT
HypeBeast recently reported that the multinational footwear company announced the acquisition of digital sneaker collection site RTFKT. The popular startup has become widely known for its exclusive NFT sneakers.
Steven Vasilev, Chris Le and Benoit Pagotto founded RTFKT in January 2020. So far, the digital startup has already collaborated with Lexus, Takashi Murakami, Jeff Staple and more popular personalities and companies.
RTFKT is now part of the NIKE, Inc .. family ?? pic.twitter.com/5egNk9d8wA
– RTFKT Studios (@RTFKTstudios) December 13, 2021
In March, RTFKT managed to sell virtual sneaker models for $ 3.1 million in collaboration with tartist NFT FEWOCiOUS.
Meanwhile, Nike plunged into the blockchain space as early as 2019. Now it continues its adventure to further explore token collectibles like sneakers and other footwear.
“This acquisition is another step that accelerates Nike’s digital transformation and allows us to serve athletes and creators at the intersection of sport, creativity, games and culture,” said John Donahoe, president of Nike in his blog post.
Donahoe added that the company has included a group of talented designers under RTKFT, which will help them expand Nike’s service in NFT digital innovation.
In April, Cryptokickers signed their first NFT shoes as part of a deal with former NBA player Wilson Chandler, who last played for the Brooklyn Nets in 2020, according to Corner office.
Related article: Working Meetings in the Metaverse? – Bill Gates Predicts Virtual Meetings Will Go Metaverse In 2-3 Years
Adidas embarks on the Metaverse project
Earlier this month, Tech Times reported that the footwear industry is expanding its services to reach more NFT-related offerings. One of Nike’s rivals, Adidas, is one of the latest shoe brands to explore digital tokens.
According to the tech site, the German company has partnered with leading NFT brands including Bored Ape Yacht Club and Punks Comic. On Twitter, the sportswear giant added that the partnership also included metaverse investor Gmoney.
Around this time, the report wrote that Adidas was purchasing a BAYC # 8774 NFT for $ 156.00, which was equivalent to 46 ETH at the time. The company’s official Twitter account changed its profile picture after the transaction.
In total, Adidas could have already bought 13 NFT BAYCs from different sellers. It’s possible that he also owned âThe Hunt for the Lost Robbiesâ from Punks Comics, which was sold for 6.95 ETH.
In another report, Meta opened up the âHorizon Worldsâ metaverse to the public. According to Tech Times, the company has published the “phased launch” of this application which has specific requirements.
Facebook said it is currently only available to residents of Canada and the United States, but plans to expand it to other countries in the future.
The company also mentioned that the user must be 18 and over. He / she should also have an Oculus Quest VR gadget to access the Metaverse. For now, you can access it for free.
Read also: NFT “Birth of Wikipedia” auction listing underway at Christie’s | The computer that created the Internet encyclopedia
This article is the property of Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


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For the First Time in 10 Years, Google Is Not the Most Popular Website
You might be able to guess which site took the top spot.
For years, Google has dominated the top spot on the internet. Between 2011 and 2020, the search engine and internet powerhouse consistently had the most users, according to tracking sites like Cloudflare. This year, Google and all of its many entities (Youtube, Gmail, Docs, etc.) moved down to the number two slot of the most popular website globally.
In the number one spot? It's not PornHub, which was my first guess. It's also not Twitter, Amazon, or Facebook. No, we have a dark horse winner: TikTok. Moving up from the seventh spot in 2020, TikTok and its many viral trends and recipes beat out Google in 2021, according to QZ. Facebook, previously the second most popular website in 2020, was bumped down to the third spot. TikTok claims it has one billion users monthly.
If you think about it, it is not too surprising. TikTok is everywhere now, and it is not just Gen Z that has been lured to the platform. Chefs, grandmothers, celebrities, parents, and even Boomers have swarmed to the app en masse. You can scroll for hours watching videos of sketches, little snippets of life in other places, babies rolling around with kittens, and endless life hacks.


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Next in Fashion has been cancelled after a single season on Netflix.
The fashion show was fronted by fashionista Alexa Chung and Queer Eye star Tan France for its original run.
The series saw 18 designers compete in various challenges that were influenced by the latest fashion trends.
The glossy show boasted a number of big industry names appear as guest judges.
These included Eva Chen, Elizabeth Van Der Goltz, Phillip Lim, Elizabeth Stewart, Tommy Hilfiger, and Monique Lhuillier.
It is the latest show to be axed by the streaming giant after only a first season, with other casualties of recent culls including RuPaul series AJ and the Queen, ice-skating drama Spinning Out, and thriller Messiah.
Don't worry Tan fans, you can still catch the style expert on the latest season of Queer Eye, which arrived on Netflix this morning.
The fifth season sees Tan return alongside the rest of the Fab Five: Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, and Antoni Porowski.
The new run sees the gang apply their expertise in fashion, grooming, interior design, culture, and food to help improve the lives a select few people from Philadelphia.
No doubt the transformations will bring us to tears as per usual!
Tan recently told Variety about the episode this season that he found most difficult.
France said: "The most challenging was probably Lilly Yi. She was difficult because she had such a bad case body dysmorphia.
"She just really struggled with seeing herself the way I saw her and we saw her.
"Every time I would want her to put something on, she would comment on her body in a way that really upset me because of how she felt about herself."
Netflix has already returned that the smash hit show will be back for a sixth run too, which they announced earlier this year.
The following season will see the guys visit Texas to change some more lives - it is unknown if the current coronavirus pandemic has delayed the release of season 6.
Next in Fashion is available now on Netflix, while Queer Eye season 5 was released this morning on Netflix.
What did you think of Next in Fashion on Netflix? Did it deserve to be cancelled? Let us know in the comments below.


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Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co. will expand its partnership with California-based software company Pivotal to build a software program to support FordPass, a platform that allows customers to talk to personal mobility assistants to help resolve parking and other challenges.
"With FordPass, we are making it easier for consumers, whether they own a Ford vehicle or not, to get where they need to go," says Elena Ford, vice president of global dealer and consumer experience at Ford. "Working with Pivotal, Ford will be able to rapidly add new features and adapt mobility solutions and services that benefit FordPass members in the ways that fit them best."
FordPass, first introduced at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in January, is a free digital platform that will offer customers mobility services such as parking and sharing; rewards for customer loyalty; and access to FordHubs in New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Shanghai where customers can experience the automaker's latest innovations. FordPass will also offer Ford vehicle owners with Sync Connect technology to remotely start, lock and unlock, and locate their vehicle.
Rob Mee, CEO of Pivotal, says it will offer the automaker a cloud platform along with analytics capabilities. Ford first teamed up with Pivotal in December to improve its Sync Connect technology. SYNC Connect makes its debut in the spring in the new Ford Escape, with other vehicles to follow.
Ford is also working with Pivotal on its Dynamic Shuttle service for employees at its Dearborn campus that offers point-to-point on-demand rides, along with GoDrive, an on-demand public car-sharing pilot in London.


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Finance Ministry clarified that LPG subsidy received by individuals in their bank accounts will continue to be exempt from income tax.
Tax experts are, however, divided if the insertions mean that assesses will have to pay tax on subsidies they receive in their bank accounts.
Abdullah said it should be left to the conscience of the members of parliament whether they want to give up the LPG subsidy, a campaign launched by PM Modi.
With almost all households linked to bank accounts, the BJP government believes it is well poised to launch a more ambitious cash transfer programme.
At a review meeting chaired by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last week, it was informed that just over 5.5 lakh out of the 15.3 crore LPG consumers have so far voluntarily surrendered subsidised LPG and started buying the cooking fuel at the market price, a top official said.
Ace shuttler Jwala Gutta today lent support to the 'give it up' campaign for relinquishing LPG subsidy.
Currently, oil companies sell kerosene at a loss of about Rs 18 per litre. Of this, the government will foot Rs 12 and the rest will come from upstream firms.
The effort will also include exploring “the feasibility and necessity of creating a separate brand and marketing structure for commercial LPG”.


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Mike is a Wired.com staff writer covering Google and the mobile beat. He's written on a number of different tech topics, ranging from startups to social media.
Instagram’s User Base Explodes, Surpasses 40 Million
There's no stopping Instagram's winning streak. On Friday, web developer Rakshith Krishnappa noticed that in the 10 days since CEO Kevin Systrom announced the service had hit the 30 million user milestone, Instagram had added another 10 million users to its list.
Hands On With Galaxy Player 3.6, Samsung’s Answer to the iPod Touch
With the Galaxy Player 3.6, Samsung attempts to steal a bit of attention from Apple's iPod touch. But is even the inexpensive $150 entry fee low enough to compel anyone to carry both a smartphone and a second mobile device?
A Split Decision With Google Earnings: Profits Up, CPCs Down, and an Odd Dividend
In a letter to investors posted during Google's first-quarter earnings call on Thursday, CEO Larry Page announced plans for a dividend for owners of Google shares in the form of a new class of non-voting stock. The company also released its balance sheet, which came in nearly on par with Wall Street’s expectations.
Google+ Refresh: Just Like Facebook, It’s All About the Apps
Barely a year into Google's social initiative, Google+, the company has decided to re-imagine the user interface. But while Google says the focus is on a simpler, less cluttered approach, the refresh speaks volumes about where social as a whole is headed: It's about the widgetization of social.
Topping 5 Million Android Downloads, Instagram Shows No Signs of Slowing
The photo-sharing service Instagram surpassed five million downloads on the Android platform on Monday — this no more than a week after the app’s initial release on Google’s platform.
Exclusive: Facebook Deal Nets Instagram CEO $400 Million
Facebook’s acquisition of the immensely popular photo-sharing service Instagram for $1 billion is far and away the largest acquisition in the history of the world’s largest social network. But for CEO Kevin Systrom and company, it’s a windfall payday like none other.
At Long Last, Twitter Files Anti-Spam Lawsuits
Twitter took a new step in its fight against spammers on Thursday, filing a lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court against companies that create tools to automate posting to and following people on Twitter.
‘Couch Surfing’ Takes On New Meaning as Smart Devices Proliferate
Nearly half of American tablet and smartphone users are surfing the web on their devices while watching TV, according to a recent study conducted by Nielsen. What's more, more than 80 percent of those owners are surfing while TV watching at least once a month.
RIM’s Follies Continue as Man Is Stabbed at BlackBerry Party
RIM's luck is so awful, it's laughable. The company's share price is tanking. Users are abandoning BlackBerry handsets. And now, even at RIM parties, people are going home hurt -- seriously
Google’s Secret Glasses Project Unveiled: Introducing ‘Glass’
In a project that channels Geordie LaForge from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Google unveiled concept artwork and video for ‘Glass,’ an augmented reality visor meant to be worn like a pair of space-age specs. Under the supervision of Sergey Brin, the project aims to bring the capabilities of a smartphone to a user’s sight […]


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Alexander Samonov, the Founder and the ex-CEO of the nationwide Russian retailer ‘Kopeika’, has found new partners to boost his development business in Moscow. The company Accent Real Estate Investment Managers (AREIM) (http://www.areim.ru), which he founded in 2007, is actively pursuing partnership with the Portuguese shopping center specialist Sonae Sierra to develop three objects in Moscow and suburbs. The expected investments in the three initial projects are estimated to exceed $180 million.
According to the AREIM’s Retail Asset Manager Alexey Vanchugov as quoted by kommersant.ru, the partnership between the two companies consists of two distinct parts. At first, the Portuguese are planning to renovate and finish the second construction stage of the shopping center ‘Viva!’ in Butovo (South Moscow). Then the two companies will create a Joint Venture and together build shopping centers in Moscow. At present AREIM and Sonae Sierra discuss the construction of three medium-size shopping centers (~ 30.000 m sq.) in the Russian capital. The approximate cost of each of the centers can reach up to $60-90 million.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has forced his functionaries to rush up with the plan to lend the spaces around city’s railway stations to OAO “RZD” and put things into order there. He has promised city’s citizen to resolve dramatic situation by September of this year.
Agreement to lent those spaces to Russian Railways holding has been reached in April this year. On Friday, May 20, during the inspection of Moscow railway hubs Sobyanin stated that agreements has been signed.
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Tuesday, Apr 15, 2014 at 11:20 am
Friday, Apr 11, 2014 at 10:20 am
Wednesday, Apr 9, 2014 at 9:30 am
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2014 at 10:20 am
Monday, Mar 31, 2014 at 9:20 am
NLMK Brings Premium Products To The Russian Market – Abrasion-Resistant And High-Strength Quard And Quend SteelsWednesday, Apr 9, 2014 at 2:30 pm
Thursday, Feb 13, 2014 at 2:30 pm
Monday, Dec 16, 2013 at 12:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 at 11:20 am
Monday, Nov 18, 2013 at 10:20 am


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The LED Group was one of sixteen new firms added to the prestigious list. The awards gala dinner was hosted by Miriam O’Callaghan and took place in the Convention Centre. The Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards, in association with Barclays Bank Ireland, recognises indigenous Irish companies operating at the highest levels of business performance. 115 companies were awarded across four categories – newly qualified, requalified, gold and platinum standard.
LED Group was also given a special recognition award based on ‘Commitment’.
On Sunday, Ireland’s leading business newspaper, The Sunday Business Post, featured an interview with our founder Michael Slein.
The Best Managed Companies programme forced us to look in great detail at how we conduct our business across all areas and has helped us to make significant improvements to our 2020 plan. We have a detailed 2020 financial plan and the programme made us stress-test that plan more rigorously than we might have done. It made us look at some areas where we could upskill ourselves and we’re in the process of implementing those changes. We expect our spend on research, development and innovation (RD&I) to increase by 150 per cent this year compared with last year.
Read the full Sunday Business Post article here
Mick was also recently interviewed by Electric.ie, Ireland’s leading Magazine & Website for the Electrical Wholesale Industry in Ireland. Here, Michael tells the story of the LED Group, from its humble origins to the global operation it is today with ambitious expansion plans.
Read the full Electric.ie interview here
The event on Friday included a symposium and later that evening more guest speakers joined the Gala awards ceremony. Many speakers touched on the potential of Irish businesses to become the knowledge creators of Europe.
The LED Group is at a point of transition, incorporating lifelong learning into our culture. Receiving the Awards further highlighted our ambitions and renewed our confidence.
Well done to all at LED Group ROBUS and thanks again to our customers and supporters.


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Horror anime Chainsaw Man is now set to air from October 12!
Earlier than the sequence airs in Japan, its world premiere can be held on September 19. Not solely will the principle forged and director seem on the premiere, however there’ll even be an enormous announcement, which followers will be capable to catch through MAPPA’s official YouTube channel.
Whereas Chainsaw Man will even be streamed on Amazon Prime Video from October 12, in addition to Disney+ from October 13, it is unclear if abroad viewers will even be capable to watch it on these platforms.
Based mostly on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s horror manga, Chainsaw Man follows a younger man named Denji who turns into a satan hunter with a purpose to repay his lifeless father’s money owed to the yakuza. After falling sufferer to a plot by the yakuza, he merges together with his demon canine Pochita to turn into Chainsaw Man.
The manga was initially serialized from 2018 to 2020, with Half 2 additionally popping out in July 2022. Fujimoto’s different latest tasks embrace one-shot manga titles Look Again, Goodbye, Eri and Futsu ni Kiitekure.
Chainsaw Man will air in Japan from October 12, 2022.
©Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHA Inc., MAPPA
Tailored with permission from Anime!Anime!


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YouTube adds a new shorts shelf in Trending to highlight the best shorts clips
As it strives to address the trend of short videos, YouTube has announced the addition of a new Shorts shelf view on the Trending page, which will highlight the best performing Shorts clips, in your region, at any time.
As explained by YouTube:
“We have launched a Shorts shelf on the Trending page which will showcase the most popular shorts by location. Short videos will be filtered from trending results and will instead appear as a shelf. The goal here is to improve the user experience from the Trend page. »
As you can see in the example, the update will focus more specifically on the most popular Shorts clips, which should help drive more traffic to the most important content.
It will also help you with your research efforts and help you understand what people in your target market are watching on Shorts. And given the growing popularity of the option (short clips have already surpassed 5 trillion cumulative views), it could be a good way to keep an eye on the pulse and develop your own Shorts approach in the app.
YouTube also added a Shorts shelf in channel views earlier this year.
In addition to that, YouTube is also rolling out new Shorts tabs on desktop, tablets, and the web, which will give users more ways to interact with Shorts clips.
Until now, only the mobile app had a dedicated Shorts section, but again, with the option’s growing popularity, YouTube is now looking to integrate Shorts into all forms of the app.
Despite TikTok’s continued growth, YouTube remains the biggest threat to its continued success, with its more advanced monetization process functioning as a key lure for creators who may eventually feel constrained by TikTok’s more limited lucrative options.
On TikTok, creators rely on its Creators and E-Commerce Fund or brand partnerships, but on YouTube, creators can use Shorts to complement their main channel, which then brings more people back to their longer content, in which they can sign. for in-stream and pre-roll ads to monetize their work.
In other words, on YouTube you can get paid, consistently, just for being a creator, while on TikTok you may need to move on to other forms of sponsored content or product endorsements to generate at roughly the same income levels.
This could become a key sticking point, and while TikTok is still establishing other forms of monetization, YouTube is likely already stealing some of its top talent with its more advanced monetization structure.
YouTube paid creators nearly $15 billion in 2021. TikTok, meanwhile, generated about $4.6 billion in total.
Shorts may not be as good as TikTok, but as an additional way to drive traffic, that may not matter in the end.
YouTube’s new Shorts shelf in Trending is rolling out to users in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, France, Indonesia and MENA, with other regions to follow.


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Zongshen could enter World Superbikes in 2003
The Chinese Zonghsen firm has developed a 1000cc four-cylinder sportsbike which could debut in World Superbikes next year, before the road version arrives in 2004.
The 1000 will join the firm’s 750cc superbike, which is already in development, and paves the way to race in WSB, and even MotoGP.
Zonghsen World Endurance general team manager Michel Marqueton is adamant there will be a Zongshen superbike on sale within three years. He added: " The new 1000cc bike will be a classic design with an in-line four-cylinder engine. We see this type of machine as the future of superbike racing and the flagship of our range of road-going motorcycles. "
Marqueton describes the project as a " long-term evolution " . Zongshen already has the 750cc V-twin, which is due to go into production by the end of the year. It would have been earlier, but for delays in the delivery of parts from suppliers in China.
It’s due to come here as soon as it’s ready, and it could cost half the price of a rival Japanese 750.
Zongshen has its own R&D facility in China, but Marqueton has just bought new premises in France which will house the race team. Significantly, it will also be home to the European R&D centre where the new superbike will be designed.
Zongshen already has some road bikes on the way to the UK. The first shipment arrived here last week through UK importer Barrus, based in Bicester, Oxon. The three models available are the GoGo110 (a Honda C90-style commuter) which costs £1195, the Roadrunner 125 scooter (£1395) and the MRX125 trail bike (£1795).
The Chinese bike market is 20 times bigger than the UK’s, with 50 million bikes in use, and an annual output of over 10 million new bikes a year making it the world’s biggest manufacturer. Most are 50-200cc models licensed from the likes of Honda and Yamaha, which means they cannot be exported.
There are more than 200 registered motorcycle manufacturers in China and last year they sold 11.5 million bikes. But it is estimated black-market companies produce the same amount again using stock from wholesalers and cheap labour.
To read more about the 1000cc Zongshen, their plans for racing, and the biggest motorcycle market on Earth, look in MCN, on sale Wednesday June 5.


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We’re excited to announce the release of our new Catalyst Accelerator for Retail, which illustrates API development best practices for retail-specific use cases. It provides developers with access to source code, API portals, and web experiences that are designed to showcase an application network for the following use-cases:
Making inventory and location data available to online and mobile consumers can ensure they can buy what they want, when and where they want.
In the pre-smartphone world, malls were a meeting and hangout place for teenagers. The co-location of teenagers, parents, and stores was a major advantage for traditional retailers looking to drive demand and sales in their customers’ natural social scenes.
However, in today’s post-smartphone world, social scenes have expanded to social networking services like Facebook and Snapchat—contributing largely to the decline of the mall.


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Napster Canada has announced that it will be shutting down all of its services in Canada on December 16, 2011.
The company, which has offered subscription streaming music services to Canadians for the last seven years, made the move just seven weeks after it had been acquired by Rhapsody.
Rhapsody, the largest online on-demand music service in the United States with over 750,000 subscribers, purchased Napster from Best Buy on October 3rd in a deal that is set to close at the end of this month.
Napster says subscribers do not need to cancel the service as subscription fees will no longer be charged after last Thursday November 17th. Active subscribers can continue to use the service until December 16th.
Subscribers who have downloaded DRM-encoded WMA files will no longer have access to the files although they should be able to back the songs up by burning them to audio CDs.
Discuss the demise of Napster Canada in Digital Home's AM/ FM Radio and Music Industry forum .


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NEW YORK-NEW YORK — Shake Shack has been long promised, and now you can get a better idea what it will look like. The newest rendering shows a 9,135-square-foot restaurant on the resort's northern corner. Building from scratch, the estimated construction budget is a super-sized $3,871,258, with free million dollar views of Las Vegas Boulevard.
LAS VEGAS — Like to eat at the restaurants that are buzz-worthy? Check out the Heatmap with 19 restaurants that are so hot right now.
WESTSIDE — Alex Stratta's triumphant return to Vegas continues with his second restaurant now announced. He plans to take over Elements Kitchen & Martini Bar with a more casual concept. Stratta is also bringing his Italian steakhouse to the Gramercy.
MGM GRAND — Emeril Lagasse's New Orleans Fish House is undergoing a makeover to celebrate it's 20th anniversary. It might look shuttered but the restaurant remains open during the $300,000 renovation.
SUMMERLIN — Downtown Summerlin, the new shopping center that plans to debut in October south of Red Rock Resort, is shaping up with a new dining outlet announced. MTO Cafe, which has become a favorite in Downtown Vegas, is bringing a new concept to the center and adds dinner to the mix.
· All Las Vegas Coverage [~ELA~]


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SEC probes Cryptocurrency Market
by: The Knowledge GroupMarch 05, 2018
Not but a few months after cryptocurrencies underwent a historic boom that saw their prices climb almost 2000% in the course of a year, we are now entering tough times for the cryptocurrency market. As of this writing, the price of Bitcoin has dropped to right at $11,000 – almost $9,000 off of its December 2017 high. While Bitcoin is up from its February 5 closing low of $6,914, the SEC’s latest probe could indicate that even more troubles are ahead for the cryptocurrency market.
The Wall Street Journal reported on February 28 that the SEC has issued “scores of subpoenas” to acquire information from those who are in charge of the various digital currencies. Right now, cryptocurrencies are not heavily regulated, even in comparison to traditional securities such as stocks and bonds. This lack of regulation has helped the cryptocurrency market to flourish, however, investors have long feared that it would eventually come to an end. If, after their probe, the SEC decides to crack down on the technology companies and advisors tied to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, it could send the price of these digital currencies into a tailspin in a matter of days.
There is some promise to cryptocurrencies, particularly the blockchain technology that is behind them. However, the chance that regulatory bodies such as the SEC will eventually come down hard on the cryptocurrency market looms over these digital currencies like a storm cloud. As we have already seen numerous times before, the price of cryptocurrencies is outrageously volatile, and, so far, there has been no factor behind their price swings that would come close to comparing to the impact that a major increase in regulation would have. Unless you have an incredibly high tolerance for risk and want to take the gamble that digital currencies will spike up again sometime before they are likely squashed by the SEC, cryptocurrencies as an investment are best avoided.
We have an upcoming webcast covering the SEC and it’s investigations and enforcement actions, that you can sign up for by clicking here. We can also send the recording if you are unable to attend live. Our webcasts cover the latest business trends and developments as well as providing you with the chance to earn continuing education credits, you can check our library of webcasts, both live and on-demand, by clicking here.


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Here's where Obama and the Republicans stand on pocketbook issues -- and what MONEY readers have to say about those heated debates.
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Oracle appeared to confirm this week what many in the computer industry already suspected: The OpenSolaris project is dead.
Organizations hoping to streamline their deployments of Linux got two new options this week for running the open source OS remotely.
Google will put up a fight in response to the patent- and copyright-infringement lawsuit that Oracle filed over the use of Java in the Android mobile phone platform.
Oracle has filed a lawsuit against Google, charging that its Android phone software infringes Oracle patents and copyrights related to Java, Oracle said on Thursday.
A new Forrester Research report finds that while a number of open-source BI (business intelligence) offerings are providing many of the capabilities enterprises require, certain shortcomings remain.
Oracle has sketched out a five-year road map for Sun's Sparc-based servers, hoping to reassure customers about the future of the platform and reverse a pattern of declining sales.
SAP AG's admission of some liability in a lawsuit brought against it by Oracle Corp. over third-party support services will likely speed resolution of the dispute between the two companies.
Oracle said Thursday that rival hardware vendors Dell and Hewlett-Packard intend to certify and resell its Solaris and Enterprise Linux operating systems as well as Oracle VM on their x86 servers.
A Norwegian startup is assuming responsibility for maintaining an open source Web authentication technology originally developed by Sun Microsystems, and seemingly neglected by Oracle, which purchased Sun in January.
Oracle on Friday strongly downplayed comments made by co-President Charles Phillips at a conference on Thursday, saying that contrary to Phillips' suggestion, it is "highly unlikely" that it will spend roughly $US70 billion buying up companies during...
Oracle is distancing itself from comments reportedly made by its co-president, Charles Phillips, about the amount of money it intends to spend on future acquisitions.
Oracle announced this week Oracle Service Bus 11g, an enterprise service bus providing integration services in SOA environments and featuring improvements around caching and service governance.
Amazon and IBM are the "cloud champions" according to a new report, but Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Red Hat and VMware are also among the list of heavyweights in the emerging cloud computing field.
A new version of Oracle's data grid software will allow Microsoft .NET applications to scale to the same large multi-server environments long enjoyed by Java enterprise applications, according to Oracle.
The MySQL community is mostly neutral or positive about the open-source database's prospects under Oracle's stewardship, according to a newly released study.
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
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Bulgarian Business Sentiment Improves in JanuaryBusiness | January 28, 2015, Wednesday // 14:46| views
Bulgaria’s overall buisness climate indicator has risen by 3.8 percentage points in January compared with the previous month, a new survey showed on Wednesday.
The business climate indicator for the industrial sector has increased by 3.4 percentage points in comparison with December 2014, “due to the more optimistic managers’ assessments and expectations about the business situation of the enterprises.”
The average capacity utilization rate in January rose by 2.7 percentage points compared to October 2014, reaching 76.1%, according to the survey conducted by the National Statistical Institute (NSI).
Most managers expect the selling prices of their products to remain flat over the next three months.
The uncertain economic environment in Bulgaria and low domestic demand, however, will continue to constrain activity in the industrial sector.
The contruction sector also showed a positive percepetion of the situation in the country with an increase of 9.8 percentage points in the business climate indicator.
Contracts of slightly longer terms (4.9 months) have been signed as compared to those for December 2014 (4.4 months). The uncertain economic environment, competion in the sector and financial problems are seen as the main hurdles on the way to improvement.
The business climate indicator in the services sector has increased by 4.1 percentage points compared with December 2014 mainly due to the more optimistic managers’ expectations about the business situation of the enterprises over the next six months.
Managers in the services sector expect an increase in demand and improvement in overall conditions. Prices are not expected to change over the next three months. Weaknesses in economic legislation are referred to as the biggest constraint to the development of the services sector.
Retail trade is the only segment showing a decline in managers’ optimism, by 2.0 percentage points. The reserved expectations are based on the number of orders placed over the past three months. Insufficient demand is the main reason for the decreased optimism.
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- Motorola confirmed that it's working on a foldable smartphone.
- The company didn't reveal too much, but did indicate that the device could bear some resemblance to Motorola's original Razr flip phone design with a screen on the interior of the phone.
- Motorola's confirmation is the first official word from the company since rumors started emerging that it's working on a revamped Razr smartphone.
Motorola is working on a foldable smartphone, VP of Global Product Dan Dery told Engadget in an interview.
Dery's confirmation is the first official sign of life from Motorola since a January Wall Street Journal report said that the company is working on a foldable phone that'll come with a design reminiscent of Motorola's much-loved Razr flip phone.
Dery didn't go as far as to say that the company's upcoming foldable phone is going to be a revamped version of the original Motorola Razr, but he did shed a little light on what to expect.
For its foldable device, Motorola is doing something a little different from what Samsung and Huawei are doing with their own foldable smartphones. That's to say, Motorola's foldable device won't have a display on the exterior of the phone.
According to Dery, having a display on a foldable smartphone's exterior would make it prone to scratches, which could mar the experience of a foldable smartphone.Instead, Motorola is focusing on keeping the display in its foldable smartphone's interior, which lines up nicely with a design language that's similar to the Razr. Motorola even has a patent of a foldable smartphone that showcases its idea, and it bares quite a significant resemblance to the original Razr.
Dery also said that the company is looking at other types of foldable designs, too. One design he mentioned included a smartphone that folds in thirds, like "Z" shape when it's folded up into a more traditional phone mode. (You're in luck if you were hoping for something closer to the Razr design from Motorola: Dery said such a foldable design wouldn't be ready for Motorola's first foldable smartphone.)
Perhaps we're being too hopeful in expecting a revamped Razr smartphone. Perhaps it'll have a similar flip phone-type of design, but it won't bear that much resemblance to the original Razr. We'll have to wait and see.
Dery said that Motorola has "no intention of coming later than everybody else in the market" with its foldable phone. If Dery's definition of "everybody else" includes Samsung and Huawei, we could be looking at a foldable Motorola phone between spring and summer of 2019.