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Katie and I recently took over local arts event calendar MPLSART.COM and we launched this week!
Local fashion designer Emma Berg started MPLSART.COM in 2005 as a way to keep track of all the great art events around town. Shortly after, Kristoffer Knutson joined up and the site became a go-to resource for the best art events in the Twin Cities. Last May, they decided to close the doors after nearly 10 years. Updates to the site were increasingly infrequent in the later years, but the void was immediately felt among the arts community.
I pitched the idea to Katie of trying to revive the site and she was all in. We met a handful of times with Emma and Kristoffer and they gave us their blessing. We signed a contract, bought the brand for shiny silver dollar, and transferred the domain.
We immediately, put up a static HTML site listing a handful of events coming up. We ditched the Flash applet and started with a responsive design that mimicked Emma's branding so as to seem like we were not just domain squatters.
Since then, we've been doing small incremental changes to the site to get to our initial launch. In the software world, this process is called "agile" or "continuous release". All of this culminated in the initial milestone release that we launched with this week.
I'll be writing more on the technical aspects of the site as well as our mission and future plans. Some of these were touched on in an interview with Sheila Regan for the CityPages.
To celebrate the re-launch, Katie and I are hosting a launch party this Friday evening at Public Functionary in Northeast.
God, I love the Twin Cities.


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FuboTV, the US-based live TV streaming platform provider focused primarily on sports, has agreed to acquire French TV streaming and video-on-demand advertising company Molotov for approximately $190 million (roughly €165 million) in a combination of cash and equity.
According to the official release, the stock part will land around "at least 85%" of the sum.
The listed American company pitches the acquisition of Molotov, which has as around 4 million active monthly users, as an important step towards expansion into new markets. The deal is expected to enable the buyer to launch its interactive sports and entertainment streaming platform on a global scale.
Molotov will continue to be based in Paris and led by its co-founder, serial entrepreneur Jean-David Blanc. The company's 100-or-so employees will be retained by fuboTV, at least for the time being.
"Molotov has set the benchmark for ad-supported and subscription streaming platforms in Europe," said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, fuboTV. "We believe this strategic asset will help accelerate our goal of achieving global scale and operating leverage as we continue to improve and innovate on our live, interactive streaming TV experience for sports fans and their families."

domain: news


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According to a report published by 9to5mac, Apple might drop the basic 16 GB storage for its future iPhone and start at 32 GB. The information comes from an IHS Technology analyst, that posted this information on Chinese social media. IHS was right in the past, the latest accurate prediction being the iPhone SE.
This update will please many iPhone users, who are dissatisfied with the 16 GB storage option. Considering that the iPhone 6S features 4K video recording, a phone with 16GB is simply not enough. Therefore bigger storage will allow you to keep your favorite apps and videos, without the fear of running out of storage. By all means it’s not a big upgrade, but it’s a start.


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Renault Triber will be launched in 4 variants and will be equipped with a 1-litre petrol engine
Renault will not launch a diesel engine option since the firm will discontinue diesel engines from April 2020, when the new emission norms get introduced
New Delhi: French vehicle manufacturer Renault on Wednesday launched its latest sport utility vehicle Triber at a price range of ₹4.9 lakh to Ra 6.49 lakh. The new offering will be launched in four variants and will be equipped with a one litre petrol engine.
In order to be competitive with the price the company has also kept the length of the vehicle under 4 metres.
Renault will not launch a diesel engine option for the product since the company will discontinue diesel engines from April 2020, when the new emission norms get introduced.
The new product will be crucial for the company since the existing offering have not managed to get significant volumes. Renault will also focus on the rural markets with the new vehicle.
“With the launch of Renault Triber today, we will enter the largest and the fastest growing segment of the Indian automobile market. Renault Triber will reinvent the game in terms of space and modularity, targeted at a wide set of customers across segments, led by the B-segment," said Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country chief executive & managing director, Renault India Operations.
According to a press release issued by the company, Triber is a part of Renault’s product offensive strategy, which is developed keeping in mind the mid-term objective of doubling the sales volume to 200,000 units annually in India. Renault’s product strategy is backed by its widespread network of over 350 sales and 264 service facilities across the country, offering outstanding sales and service quality. Renault aims to double its network reach by the mid-term.


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The trucking operation Celadon Group Inc. (NYSE: CGI) on Thursday reported sharply lower earnings Thursday for both its fiscal fourth quarter and year-end results.
The Indiana-based fleet saw quarterly income fall 86.5% from the same time a year earlier to $1.6 million, or to 6 cents per share from 47 cents.
Revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% to $264.3 million, while freight revenue, which excludes fuel surcharges, increased 8.2% to $241.7 million. Operating income fell 74.7% to $5.4 million.
According to the company, the decline in net income and earnings per share for the quarter was attributable primarily to three factors. The largest was an approximately $7.8 million drop in gain on disposition of equipment. In addition, Celadon recorded insurance claim adjustments of approximately $3.5 million. Finally, the combination of industry overcapacity and sluggish freight volumes negatively affected its average revenue per loaded mile.
“The trucking environment during the June quarter was characterized by lackluster freight volumes, plentiful industry-wide capacity in most markets, and significant rate pressure from customers during contractual negotiations,” Celadon said in a news release. “These factors negatively impacted our average revenue per total mile by approximately 1% compared with the 2015 quarter, and average miles per seated tractor declined by approximately 2.4%.”
Celadon also said a 20% decline in spot market freight rates from a year earlier hurt its quarterly numbers.
Like several other trucking companies that recently announced quarterly numbers earlier, Celadon said it cut the size of its fleet, shedding 274 trucks, or 5.4% compared from the previous quarter. However, the average company tractor count increased by 60 trucks to 3,258 from 3,198 in the same quarter of 2015.
For its 2016 fiscal year, ending June 30, Celadon reported net income dropped 33.2% from fiscal 2015 to $24.8 million. Earnings per share fell to 64 cents from $1.52.
Total revenue for fiscal 2016 increased 18.3% from fiscal 2015 to $1.07 billion, while freight revenue increased 25.8% to $968.7 million. Operating income dropped by 20.6% to $52.2 million for fiscal 2016.


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Capcom USA has said that it’s pushing to have the likes of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and Power Stone re-released in the west as part of the PSP Remasters series.
Chatting during a Q&A session (via Siliconera), Capcom’s Christian Svensson revealed that a lot of the decision will be down to Sony, and said he is actively talking to the platform holder in regards to getting the Remaster series localised.
“Frankly, a lot of that sits in Sony’s hands, SCEA and SCEI’s hands right now,” Svensson revealed. “I could see it happening in Japan, because SCEJ has committed to that range of product. … I continue to have conversations with SCEA on this topic.”
“… We’re pushing hard for that to happen. I think that opens the door to Power Stone … to Monster Hunter. Unfortunately there’s no movement on that front right now. Still pushing.”
Quizzed further on the topic of Monster Hunter, Svensson hinted that Capcom has some info up its sleeves in regards to the multi-million dollar selling franchise.
“We mentioned the Sony issue around the PSP to PS3 line that Sony Japan is doing. I’m still pushing very hard on that, I’d like for that to happen,” he continued.
“In the absence of that, at some point in time, we will have some additional news, which is interesting, actually.”
Sony’s PSP Remasters series has only been announced for Japan at present, with Monster Hunter Portable 3rd being the first title confirmed for the new line-up.
Trophy support won’t be included in the re-releases, though gamers will be able to enjoy the added benefit of a second analogue stick, as well as carry over progress between the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.


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On the Friday afternoon of July 27, while I was working on getting ready for my family’s biennial reunion at my parents’ farm in Michigan, my phone rang. Jonathan Saperstein, CEO of Treetown USA, was returning an inquiry I’d emailed to his attorneys earlier that day. So I did what you do when a CEO calls you – put down the gardening hoe, grab a notebook, and start taking notes!
Saperstein, 30, could be one of the youngest CEOs in the nursery game, and he certainly has some fresh ideas about how to run a horticultural operation, which has gained him kudos in the industry as the leader of a young, innovative, and talented team. He says TreeTown USA is looking forward to expanding its operations and improving its systems with the addition of the Hines Division, including the team currently working at those locations.
“We’ve extended offers to Hines employees to retain their employment, and we’re committed to making the transition to new ownership as smooth as possible,” he says. “We look forward to having them join the TreeTown USA family.”
I found Saperstein to be pleasant, interesting, and easy to talk to about the sale and his plans. He’s forthcoming and frank, yet also humble about the size and scale of TreeTown USA. To clarify the company’s involvement in the Color Spot Holdings sale, he said, “We are definitely not doing annuals!” before explaining that the acquisition of the Hines Division gives TreeTown USA the flexibility and capacity to realign its production, which overlaps with much of what the company has already been producing nationwide, while also allowing it to expand into the Pacific Northwest with Hines’ location in Oregon.
“When you grow long-term crops, you have to pay attention to field layout and capacity planning. It’s ideal to produce crops close to the market where they’re sold, but if you don’t have space in those locations, you have to realign. This allows us to do that,” Saperstein says.
We’ve been in touch since then, as the sale was delayed for a couple of weeks at the request of both Wells Fargo and TreeTown USA. The sale finally closed this past Friday, August 17.
TreeTown USA’s Crops and Customers
TreeTown USA produces mostly shrubs and trees, with “a low, single-digit percentage of business in perennials,” which are mostly rewholesaled, Saperstein says. Shrubs are now its number one revenue maker, as a result of acquiring other companies like Village Nurseries in September 2017, which produces mostly shrubs. Village Nurseries is now the operation’s West Coast Division, with 10 locations in California.
With all of its farm locations, TreeTown USA has nearly 2 million square feet of environmentally controlled greenhouses, as well as another 300 acres of shadehouses, and 4,000 acres of open field, true nursery production. With the acquisition of the Hines Division, it will have more than 6,000 total acres of production.
TreeTown USA works with several prominent brands, and also has some of its own patents and brands. It produces an incredibly diverse range of plants and sizes of plants, with more than 300 species, shipping everything from a 670-gallon tree down to a 1-quart perennial, Saperstein says. The company produces more than that though, growing all of its own plants from plugs and liners to finished production. This controlled vertical integration allows the company to ensure quality production, he says.
Growing a Family Business
The company has a distinct focus on continuous improvement and works to replace infrastructure annually to allow for mechanization. Saperstein says this has been a challenge for TreeTown USA over the past year because it has had to produce crops on land that was earmarked for improvement, but having more room with the Hines Division coming online will also allow for it to do this. Mechanization is a big focus for the company, he says.
“We’re probably one of the few nursery businesses with its own industrial engineers on staff,” he says. Equipment is developed and tested on site at its facilities. Once all of the kinks are worked out, solutions are rolled out to other facilities.
“It allows us to test out and perfect what we can do,” Saperstein says.
TreeTown USA is a privately held company and started out as a family business. Saperstein’s father founded the company in 2001. Saperstein became involved in 2006, and purchased it in 2015 with his two sisters, who are not involved in the business. When Saperstein became involved in the company, it had 281 employees, and now has approximately 2,200 employed year-round.


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An industry leader with rigorous verification standards is now listing products accepted for the PMTA approval process.
Laura Tobin, press manager and spokesperson for PMTAFiled.com explained that for those who have filed a PMTA with the FDA for a product or set of products, all they have to do is fill out the form on its website to be listed on PMTA Verified.
Website visitors can also browse PMTA Verified products.
PMTA Verified’s mission is to provide up-to-date, unbiased, comprehensive product status information to allow adult consumers and the trade to make informed decisions on Premarket Authorized Products and beyond.
PMTA Verified is backed by Vape Safe Foundation, founded by Carlos Smith, MD, a board-certified emergency medicine physician. Dr. Smith has more than 20 years of acute care emergency medicine experience and is certified in both Advanced Cardiac Life Support as well as Advanced Traumatic Life Support.
PMTA Verified was born in 2016 by a nonprofit organization founded by a group of concerned Vaper’s and Industry leaders unsure where the pathway led.
Now in 2021, the company is driven down that path by a team of experts that believed back then as much as they do today.
The company is led by Smith and a passionate group of professionals that have all witnessed the impacts firsthand of limited solutions and misinformation within the communities and patients they serve.
email us here


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Gal Gadot has been unveiled as the new face of athletic giant Reebok.
The Wonder Woman star, who joins fellow brand ambassadors Gigi Hadid, Ariana Grande, and rapper Lil Yachty, is featured in the company’s latest ads wearing athletic clothes and explains the campaign is perfect for her, because she has always led an active lifestyle.
“Working out has always been a big part of my life, especially with having a mother who was a PE (physical education) teacher. I was exposed to an active lifestyle from an early age,” a statement from the actress reads. “Through fitness, I have found that I gain strength, endurance and confidence, and I couldn’t imagine a better partner than Reebok to join me on this journey.”
“We look to partner with women who instil confidence in all generations to take risks and to keep pushing, all while making a positive difference in the world,” Todd Krinsky, the general manager of the performance business unit at Reebok, adds. “Her relentless spirit and natural leadership have already captivated and inspired millions and we believe that this is just the starting point.
“Through fitness, we know that we have the power to change lives and we are elated to have such a powerhouse in our corner to tell this story.”
The 32-year-old’s new campaign comes a few months after she was unveiled as the new face of Revlon for their Live Boldly campaign, which she also landed because she represents strength and is an “advocate for women”.
“Revlon is such an iconic and groundbreaking brand, a champion of women, and I am so happy to be part of this family now,” she said in January.


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[liberationtech] WaPo releases details on US offensive cyber-ops
ramdac at ramdac.org
Mon Sep 2 15:01:52 PDT 2013
On Sep 2, 2013, at 11:13 PM, coderman <coderman at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 10:44 AM, Gregory Foster
> <gfoster at entersection.org> wrote:
>> The NSA designs most of its own implants, but it devoted $25.1
>> million this year to “additional covert purchases of software
>> vulnerabilities” from private malware vendors, a growing
>> gray-market industry based largely in Europe.
> i would love to know how much of the overall market for exploits this
> $25.1mm figure represents, and how much was exclusive vs. shared
Perhaps just as troubling…. there's no certainty that the companies who deal in cyber-arms (exploits) to governments aren't selling the same exploits to other, adversarial governments. Some companies, like Vupen, attempt to make themselves seem like they're doing humanity a favor by only selling to "NATO members", but when faced with criticism from companies who can't (or won't) outbid governments for access to exploits, Vupen had this to say:
“We don’t work as hard as we do to help multibillion-dollar software companies make their code secure,... If we wanted to volunteer, we’d help the homeless.”
Many companies against which they develop exploits aren't multi-billion dollar companies, and no one is asking them to volunteer. This company admits it doesn't want to help companies make their code secure. These are cyber arms dealers.
source for quote: http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/03/21/meet-the-hackers-who-sell-spies-the-tools-to-crack-your-pc-and-get-paid-six-figure-fees/
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Under Armour opens office in Nike's hometown of Portland
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The Baltimore sportswear maker's Pacific Northwest office will be a shoe and design center, the Portland Business Journal has learned. The Portland Business Journal is a sister publication of the Baltimore Business Journal.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA) did not immediately return a call for comment.
The move by Under Armour has long been expected and the Portland Business Journal reported in 2010 the company had been scouting Oregon for an office.
A Portland design center makes sense. The city is a hotbed of design talent because of its proximity to Nike, Columbia Sportswear Co. and the North American headquarters of Adidas.
Under Armour already employs at least two in Portland, according to a search of LinkedIn profiles. The employees include Justin Klahn, who previously worked in Advanced Innovation at Nike.
Under Armour has three job openings in Portland posted on its website: senior development manager for outdoor footwear, director of sourcing and development for footwear and outdoor footwear design.
The outdoor footwear design job is based in the company's Portland design studio, according to the job posting.
"It speaks to the strength of the cluster," said Portland Development Commission spokesman Shawn Uhlman.
When reached Friday afternoon, Uhlman was unaware of Under Armour's new presence in Portland. He did not know of any benefits given to Under Armour to moves jobs to Portland.
Several companies located in other states maintain Portland design offices, including Merrell and Amer Sports.
Under Armour employs 5,900. It had $1.8 billion in 2012 revenue.
Matthew Kish covers footwear, apparel, banking, finance and general assignment news.
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- U.S. now ‘Wal-Mart of the oil market’
- It’s also the first ‘quintuple threat’
- Markets at a glance
- Canadian dollar above 81 cents
- ECB holds steady on policy
- Retail sales rise for third month
- Rogers swings to quarterly profit
- Fiat Chrysler lowers part of outlook
- What else to watch for today
The oil market's 'quintuple threat'
Unimaginable as this may have seemed not that long ago, particularly to a big-box retailer like Canada, America has become "the Wal-Mart of the oil market."
Not only that, says Michael Tran, the U.S. is effectively the "first quintuple threat" the market has ever seen.
"While oil-producing nations were struggling, with many hanging on for survival, the U.S. has, over recent years, undergone a complete transformation and emerged with an entirely revamped standing in the global oil market," the RBC Capital Markets commodity strategist said in a new report, citing recent suggestions by the International Energy Agency that America is poised to eclipse Saudi Arabia in crude output this year and will soon take on Russia as the biggest producer in the world.
"The U.S. is the Wal-Mart of the oil market," Mr. Tran added.
"You need it? They sell it, and often at discounts to global competitors."
He cited five points behind the U.S. transformation: "Elastic" production, integrated trading, diversity of crude quality, huge storage ability and the world's "largest concentrated refining hub."
Over all, this is a key development because, as Mr. Tran put it, those five points "have completely altered previously assumed historical rules of thumb pertaining to the global oil trade and, to a degree, even dampened the impact of short-term supply outages." And it comes as crude is coming out of a three-year slump.
It's not only that America has those five things going in its favour, it's also the fact that other competitors may be able to boast some of them, but not all of them, he added in an interview.
"The U.S. shale oil phenomenon has structurally rewritten how we think about the global oil trade, both domestically and on a global basis," Mr. Tran said.
"The U.S. has unintentionally become the world's swing oil trading hub, a true quintuple threat never before witnessed."
By that, he didn't mean a threat to oil prices, but rather to those historical rules of thumb. Think of it as upsetting what we saw as the status quo.
His five factors:
1. Cheap, fast production: "The world has never encountered a built-in, rapid response mechanism like the elasticity of U.S. shale production."
2. Capacity for imports and exports: "No country compares to the sheer scale at which the U.S. both imports and exports oil. The infrastructure is unmatched by peers."
3. Crude quality diversity: "Clearly, the U.S. is blessed with light, sweet shale, but it also serves as a one-stop shop offering a wide-ranging cocktail of crudes ranging from offshore sours to re-exporting Canadian heavy barrels. The diverse offering can cater to almost any global refinery."
4. Storage: "The Gulf Coast houses one of the biggest discretionary story hubs. This is a boon for regional storage operators who can benefit from opportunities from both a term structure perspective and pricing dislocations between the U.S. and global crudes."
5: Refining hub: "The Gulf Coast is one of the world's largest concentrated refining hubs. The close proximity to refiner-challenged LATAM regions makes the U.S. the de facto custodian refinery for large parts of the Western Hemisphere."
American export trade is still young as the transformation is recent.
Indeed, it occurred in a short timespan, and here's why:
American demand for gasoline and distillate have actually declined over 10 years, as refining capacity rose.
"During that period, Europe faced a series of refinery closures, as was the fate for several Latin American refiners," Mr. Tran said.
"The oil price downturn has left several resource-rich, but financially imperiled, Latin American countries with the inability to produce enough product for domestic consumption."
And with almost 5 million barrels of refined products a day, the U.S. can have a global impact, even though much of America's production is aimed at Latin America.
"Disruption risk does not end with the Americas given that Europe is a sizable taker of U.S. distillate and Asia imports nearly 1 million barrels a day of U.S. product," Mr. Tran said.
"Latin America is the first to feel the pinch, but any hiccup in U.S. product exports sends significant ripples throughout the rest of the oil complex and keeps Atlantic Basin refining margins supported," Mr. Tran said.
"Simply put, the U.S. quietly influences and directs a significant and growing portion of the global refined product trade."
There's something else going on that bears pointing out, unique to Canada: The spread between Western Canada select and West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, is now at its biggest in about four years.
"Keystone pipeline disruptions have been the main impetus in the move beginning late last year, while temporary sourcing issues by rail providers have exacerbated the problem (with rail transportation the 'swing factor' now in increasing oil sands supply)," said Mark Chandler, RBC's head of Canadian rates strategy.
But RBC's oil analysts think that spread will narrow in time, leaving the average 2018 discount of $16 (U.S.) a barrel compared to the $27.50 on Wednesday.
These issues are standing in the way of Canadian producers "reaping the full benefits of the global oil rally," added Sue Trinh, RBC's head of Asia foreign exchange strategy in Hong Kong.
- Jeff Lewis: Canada-U.S. crude price gap grows to widest in four years
- Kelly Cryderman, Jeff Lewis: Alberta backs Keystone XL with 20-year capacity pledge
- Oil prices in 2018: It’s all about U.S. output
- Jeff Lewis: Canadian oil assets put on the block even as crude tops $60
- Natural gas producers cut spending and dividends
Markets at a glance
ECB holds the line
The European Central Bank held steady on policy today, though there was a lot to be said about the euro.
ECB chief Mario Draghi wasn't expected to change rates or asset purchases, and, indeed, he didn't.
"ECB President Draghi had a great opportunity to cool the EUR's heels this morning but he did not do so," said BMO senior economist Jennifer Lee. "Or, at least, the market didn't allow it as the USD continued to weaken broadly. There was much more discussion about currencies over the hour-long press conference than before."
Retail sales up
Canadian retailers chalked up their third straight month of gains in November, though a lot of that had to do with how much more we paid at the gas pump.
Retail sales rose 0.2 per cent, driven by gas stations, electronics and appliance stores, and general retailers, Statistics Canada said today.
When you strip out the price change impact, sales rose 0.3 per cent by volume.
"Canadian consumers flocked to the stores for Black Friday sales and to get the new iPhone, though softness in autos weighed heavily on overall spending," said Benjamin Reitzes, Bank of Montreal's Canadian rates and macro strategist.
"The gain in retail volumes combined with better manufacturing and wholesale activity puts November GDP on pace for a 0.4-per-cent gain. That would place the risks squarely on Q4 GDP growth coming in below the Bank of Canada's 2.5-per-cent call and closer to 2 per cent."
- Jeffrey Jones: From $24 in November to $47 now: Aurora’s big deal exposes a market crazy for cannabis


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Critic compares Phorm to ‘industrial espionage’
Phorm's deep packet inspection system should make some businesses wary, one critic has claimed.
Behavioural advertising system Phorm could be seen as industrial espioniage' by some businesses, according to one critic.
Phorm scans network traffic to help it decide which ads to display to the user - a system which the firm claims offers better advertising but critics say is intrusive. The EU is currently pondering whether a trial of it in the UK was illegal.
Speaking at a Westminster eForum on the subject, Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group (ORG) said it's not just individuals who are concerned with Phorm's deep packet inspection, but companies as well.
"May businesses will think commerical data and relationships should simply be private until they and their customers decide," Killock said.
"Many businesses may go so far as to think that having their data spied upon is a form of industrial espionage," he added.
Killock said that any business running a website should have a contractual relationship with any third party that will see their data.
Phorm's senior vice president for technology Marc Burgess said the anonymous nature of the system would mean any user data not relating to an existing advertising category would not be examined, so sensitive data would not be at risk.
He added that people would be able to opt out: "If they opt out, nothing touches Phorm's systems."
But Killock noted that Phorm could see data of people who weren't on the system if they were involved in communication with someone who was an email, for example, from a Phorm user to a non-user would naturally pass through the firm's system. "Where you're [Phorm] sitting in the network, you profile anybody... people and companies in particular may not want that," he said.
Burgess called that concern a "red herring," saying there was no way any real content could be taken out of the data.
Phorm's Burgess said his firm has frequently offered to allow critics to come in and examine the system. He said critic Sir Tim Berners-Lee "should come be our Hans Blix to come in and see we aren't stockpiling data."
Berners-Lee has previously said Phorm was like a "TV camera in your living room."
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"A smile is a smile all over the world." Abdelrahman Mahmoud, product manager at Affectiva, doesn't say this as a hopeful affirmation, he knows it from empirical evidence. His company spent the last eight years building an emotion recognition engine, currently used for market research and being developed for use in cars.
Emotion-aware cars could use alerts to make distracted drivers pay attention, soothe angry drivers, or, for a highly-automated car, figure out how best to hand control back over to a human driver.
Increasingly sophisticated driver assistance technology lets cars take over many driving tasks, a trend that will only increase as features such as a highway pilot, which could handle all highway driving between destinations, come into production. But these technologies may not drive in a manner that a human passenger would like. And a big debate among autonomous car technologists is how to hand back control to a human driver who has not been engaged with the driving task for hundreds of miles.
Mahmoud believes that giving cars knowledge of their passengers' mental states could alleviate these problems. For example, if a self-driving car could know when you are fearful, it could change its driving style to be less aggressive. If a car could tell when its passengers were confused or frightened, it could display its route and final destination to provide reassurance that it knows where it is going.
Affectiva's system uses a camera focused on the car occupants' faces, identifying 33 facial landmarks, Mahmoud pointed out during a presentation at Nvidia's GPU Technology Conference in San Jose today. That information gets interpreted by the computer's neural network, based on Affectiva's deep learning of over 5 million facial expressions. The computer identifies seven emotions, such as joy, surprise and fear, along with other useful attributes such as engagement.
The company has fed its network facial expressions from 75 countries. Mahmoud says that smiles have the same basic shape across cultures, but show different levels of exaggeration. People raised in Thailand, for example, tend to have a more subtle smile than people from other countries.
And while it may seem creepy to have your car watching your face and responding to your emotions, Affectiva's system does not send the video it records to a central server -- it is able to do all its emotion recognition processing on each individual installation. It will only need to connect to a server to update its recognition models to improve its accuracy.
Mahmoud said that Affectiva is currently working with several German and Japanese automakers, and although he would not reveal much about the company's clients, a prototype using the technology should be out next year.
Automakers have been interested in driver monitoring technology, but most efforts have focused on determining whether a driver is asleep at the wheel or looking away from the road. Affectiva's software offers more detailed information about people, which could make future self-driving cars seem less like soulless robots and more responsive to our needs.
Affectiva makes a working demonstration of its technology available with Android and iOS apps, available from links here.
Detroit Auto Show 2017: Everything that happened at the biggest car show of the year.
Favorite concept cars at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show: The auto industry's coolest moonshots.


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Supermarket giant Coles has surprised investors with a special dividend despite an 8.1 per cent fall in full-year earnings following its demerger from Wesfarmers.
Retail earnings dropped to $1.32 billion as modest sales growth from supermarkets and liquor stacked up against falls from fuel and convenience, plus the costs of restructuring following November's spin-off and listing.
Statutory profit for the 12 months to June 30, which included earnings from Kmart, Officeworks and Target prior to separation, dropped 9.1 per cent to $1.43 billion.
But investors were seemingly cheered by the announcement of a 24 cent final dividend and 11.5 cent special dividend, pushing up Coles' shares by as much as 4.5 per cent.
Statutory revenue was down 1.7 per cent to $38.4 billion but chief executive Steven Cain said Coles had made a solid start to its four-year transformation program.
Coles made a $145.8 million provision for redundancies and lease exit costs as it got to work overhauling its supply chain.
"It has been a year of substantial change for Coles following the successful demerger and ASX listing," Mr Cain said.
"Consumer behaviours are changing faster than ever, we are heading into the most competitive period in Coles' history, and there are significant industry-wide cost headwinds."
Mr Cain said he expected full-year 2020 earnings growth to remain subdued.
Coles reported comparable sales growth of 2.7 per cent for its supermarkets to $1.2 billion, while liquor sales grew 1.2 per cent on a comparable basis.
Combined comparable food and liquor sales grew 1.1 per cent in the group's final year under Wesfarmers' wing.
The Little Shop and Fresh Stikeez novelty giveaways had created strong customer engagement but Mr Cain admitted rival Woolworths' Ooshies scheme had created significant competition.
Chief financial officer Leah Weckert said the primary driver of the earnings decline was lower fuel volumes through its Express service stations.
In February, Coles entered into a new agreement with petrol partner Viva Energy to forgo its retail fuel margin and instead receiving a one-off payment of $137 million.
Coles' online business was profitable for the first time in its 20-year history, while the company said it was well on the way to meeting a 10 per cent target of renewable energy use following its commitment to help build three solar power plants in regional NSW.
Coles shares were still 3.63 per cent higher at $13.72 at 1255 AEST.
COLES' FY19 RESULTS
* Total revenue down 1.7pct to $38.4b
* Profit down 9.1pct to $1.43b
* Fully franked final dividend of 24.0 cents plus a special dividend of 11.5 cents.


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Local Hoboken biz sold for $26.6m
Hoboken411 reader Carl mentioned this interesting article from the NY Times.
It seems that even in our tough economic times, if you have a quality product, you can score big time!
Citrix acquires Hoboken-based Vapps
“A venture capital firm selling a small start-up for $26.6 million would be unremarkable during a typical year, but this year is far from typical. On Friday, when Azure Capital Partners announced that it sold Vapps to Citrix Systems, it was a much sought-after exit in a year when exits have been hard to come by.
The most profitable route for venture capitalists to make money off the start-ups they invest in — taking them public — has been closed off as the economy has gone into a tailspin. Conventional wisdom has been that big tech companies can find lots of good deals among the scores of start-ups that are left languishing in investors’ portfolios with nowhere to go. Yet acquisitions have been slow too.
Citrix picked off one of those deals in buying Vapps, which makes high-definition audio conference call equipment for telephones, VOIP or Skype. Vapps fits into Citrix’s workplace collaboration business, which offers products like GoToMeeting for online business meetings.”
Read the rest at the NY Times.


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“We’re seeing e-commerce growing exponentially.”
Singapore-based logistics unicorn Ninja Van—which counts European parcel delivery firm Geopost/DPDgroup as its biggest shareholder—is boosting investments in automation amid surging e-commerce volumes across Southeast Asia.
E-commerce revenues across Southeast Asia, jumped 48% to $55 billion in 2020, compared to the year before, and is expected to exceed $100 billion by 2025, Statistica.com said in a report in July. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of e-commerce as consumers stuck at home after governments enforced lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus turn to online shopping and food deliveries.
Bolstered by the e-commerce boom, the Ninja Van’s revenue has been growing at 40% to 50% annually, the company’s cofounder and CEO Lai Chang Wen, said in a recent interview with Forbes Asia. “We’re seeing e-commerce growing exponentially,” he added.
To cope with the surging volumes and speed up deliveries, Ninja Van recently opened an 80,000-square-foot (7,432-square-meter) automated parcel sorting hub—its biggest facility—in Singapore. With this new facility, the company said it can handle as many as 200,000 parcels per day, double its current capacity in the city-state.
“We’re starting to invest more heavily into long-term automation,” Lai said. “That’s going to be necessary as the whole region moves much higher e-commerce volumes.”
The company has even bigger plans across Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, its currently constructing an automated sorting facility that will be four times larger than its newly opened state-of-the-art hub in Singapore, Lai said.
While the growth of e-commerce volumes in the Philippine have slowed due to the economic impact of the lingering Covid-19 pandemic, Lai believes there are huge opportunities in the country. “We’re optimistic that the (Philippine) market is primed for growth.”
Ninja Van has sufficient cash to bankroll its expansion plans following its recent fundraising round. In September, the company raised $578 million from first-time investor Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and existing investors Geopost/DPDgroup, billionaire Eduardo Saverin-backed B Capital Group, Monk’s Hill Ventures and Brunei’s sovereign wealth fund Zamru.
Following the latest funding round, Ninja Van joined the growing list of unicorns across Southeast Asia. The startup is now valued at $2.2 billion, according to estimates by Venture Cap Insights.
With the fresh capital, the company is not in a hurry to launch an initial public offering. “We are prepared for an IPO,” Lai said. “But I don’t think we’re in any rush to do an IPO. I don’t think it will necessarily have to be next year.”
Ninja Van is focusing on innovating to expand beyond its core logistics business, Lai said. For instance, the company recently introduced its Ninja Direct, which provides enterprise customers customs clearance, supply chain financing and delivery.
“We’re constantly innovating so we can reach out to these shippers and customers,” Lai said, adding that there’s a huge opportunity for Ninja Direct as most customers in Southeast Asia import their products from China.
Lai—a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 alumnus—started Ninja Van seven years ago in Singapore as a last-mile express logistics company. Since then, it has become one of the region’s fastest-growing tech-enabled logistics companies, connecting over 1.5 million active shippers to nearly 100 million recipients across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The company currently employs more than 61,000 staff and delivery personnel that handle around 2 million parcels a day throughout the region.


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KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) of Kansas City, Kan., announced at its March annual shareholders meeting that the company achieved record sales of $3.7 billion on a consolidated basis, up 18.5 percent from the prior year, on a 52-week basis ending Dec. 27.
AWG, a cooperative wholesaler that supplies independent retailers in 19 states throughout the Midwest, earned operating income of $64.7 million, an improvement of $8.9 million or 16 percent from the previous year. During the year, the cooperative returned a record $257 million to its membership through promotional allowances, patronage and interest.
Last August AWG purchased six former Fleming distribution facilities, closing three and continuing to operate two grocery centers in Southaven, Miss., and Nashville, Tenn. The company recently began operating the third facility in Memphis, Tenn. as a general merchandise and specialty foods distribution center. To date, AWG has added over 500 retail locations to their list of customers through this transaction.
"Our company has taken advantage of tremendous opportunities this year," said Gary Phillips, president and c.e.o. of AWG. "The cooperative approach to supplying goods and services has proven to be a very efficient and effective tool in allowing our retailers to win in a very competitive environment."


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New York takes down largest cockfighting ring in state history
"Operation Angry Birds" rescues 3,000 roosters in three counties
New York's Organized Crime Task Force made nine felony arrests last weekend, as part of what state attorney general A.G. Schneiderman's office called “the largest cockfighting takedown in New York State history. “
Cockfighting is the illegal practice of forcing roosters to fight to the death, usually by replacing their natural fighting spurs with razors.
The OCTF executed “Operation Angry Birds” in Queens, Kings and Ulster counties, collecting up to 3,000 birds plus fighting paraphernalia.
In New York, cockfighting, or possession of a fighting bird at a fighting event, is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Paying to attend a cockfighting event is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a jail and a $1,000 fine.
The SPCA has established a temporary shelter to house the rescued birds.
New York's Organized Crime Task Force made nine felony arrests last weekend, as part of what state attorney general A.G. Schneiderman's office called &ldqu...
By Jennifer Abel
Sales up for brands that best meet customers' expectations
Amazon, Victoria's Secret, Macy's among brands that best promote customer engagement
The interaction of mobile and socially networked consumer empowerment, along with perpetual price promotions, have finally reached saturation levels, producing the highest levels of emotional consumer expectations for products and services in two decades, a new report by Brand Keys finds, adding that those expectations have direct effects on consumer loyalty and brand profitability.
In the Retail category expectations are up nearly 19% while the retail brands have only grown by 4% -- one of the critical findings in the 18th annual 2014 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI), conducted by Brand Keys, a New York-based brand and customer loyalty and engagement research consultancy.
For all 45 brands tracked in the Retail category, emotional engagement expectations related to "brand buzz," "shopping experience" and "value-for-dollar" exerted the strongest influence on consumer decision-making and engagement with brands. While emotional engagement levels vary by category, brands in the Retail category that best met expectations consumers held for the Category-specific Ideal (100%) were:
"Congratulations to the companies that continue to create meaningful differentiation and engagement," said Robert Passikoff, President, Brand Keys. "Our validated and predictive metrics prove that brands able to better meet consumer expectations act as surrogates for added-value, engendering engagement and loyalty than those based on the primacy of product and a coupon!"
Emotional loyalty and engagement rankings for the 2014 Retail category are:
1. Victoria's Secret
3. Abercrombie & Fitch
4. Banana Republic/Old Navy (tie)
5. American Eagle Outfitters
7. J. Crew/H&M (tie)
9. L.L. Bean
11. American Apparel
4. Big 5 Sporting Goods
5. Sports Authority/Modell's (tie)
"Meeting expectations for the Category Ideal always correlate highly with brand engagement, purchase, loyalty, and sales," said Passikoff. "The difficult part, of course, is accurately measuring consumer expectations. Most brands don't do that very well."
Categories that are more emotionally-driven are likely to have higher expectations that grow faster. More rational categories have lower expectations and move more slowly, he said.
The interaction of mobile and socially networked consumer empowerment, along with perpetual price promotions, have finally reached saturation levels, produ...
Consumer Federation of America: higher fuel standards mean lower prices
CFA supports fuel-standard initiative oulined in the State of the Union address
In the 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama mentioned various “green” initiatives, including high fuel-economy standards for heavy trucks.
Some environmentalists criticized this for not going far enough. A writer for AutoblogGreen noted “The green car rhetoric of President Obama's State Of The Union speech last night was much, much softer than it was three years ago …. It was even less vociferous than last year.”
But the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is taking a more optimistic view, releasing a report claiming that, if implemented, the proposed fuel standards will save American households a collective $29.5 billion — averaging $250 per household per year.
The full report, Paying the Freight, is available in .pdf form here. It concluded that American households currently pay about $1,100 per year in fuel costs for medium and heavy trucks. This number is not immediately visible to ordinary consumers, of course, because when you buy something in a store, you're not told how much of the price reflects the cost of shipping the item from factory to store.
The CFA also said lower fuel costs would surely result in lower retail prices for consumers “[b]ecause the transportation sector is very competitive, [so] the related cost savings in fuel will be passed through to consumers.”
Though the bulk of the report focused on dollar-and-cent matters, it did also mention the environmental benefits that would accrue from reduced fossil-fuel use, as well as the national security benefit of reducing American dependence on oil imported from countries which don't necessarily like us.
In the 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama mentioned various “green” initiatives, including high fuel-economy standards for heavy ...
By Jennifer Abel
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Chrysler recalls Ram ProMasters
The accelerator pedal may get stuck
Chrysler Group is recalling 7,935 model year 2014 Ram ProMaster vehicles manufactured July 1, 2013, through December 10, 2013.
If the accelerator pedal in the affected vehicles is pushed downward at a certain angle, it may get stuck in the wide open throttle position due to interference with the accelerator pedal stopper. A stuck accelerator pedal can result in uncontrolled acceleration, increasing the risk of a crash.
These vehicles are equipped with a brake override system. In the event a pedal is trapped, pushing on the brake pedal will brake the vehicle and enable the driver to slow and stop and turn off the vehicle.
Chrysler will notify owners and dealers will replace the accelerator pedal stopper with a larger one, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in March 2014.
Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P02.
Chrysler Group is recalling 7,935 model year 2014 Ram ProMaster vehicles manufactured July 1, 2013, through December 10, 2013. If the accelerator pedal i...
The company processed diseased and unsound animals
Rancho Feeding Corporation of Petaluma, Calif., is recalling approximately 8,742,700 pounds of meat products.
The firm processed diseased and unsound animals and carried out these activities without the benefit or full benefit of federal inspection. The products are adulterated, because they are unsound, unwholesome or otherwise are unfit for human food and must be removed from commerce.
There have been no reports of illness due to consumption of these products.
The following Rancho Feeding Corporation products are subject to recall:
"Beef Carcasses” (wholesale and custom sales only)
2 per box "Beef (Market) Heads" (retail only)
4-gallons per box "Beef Blood" (wholesale only)
20-lb. boxes of “Beef Oxtail”
30-lb. boxes of “Beef Cheeks”
30-lb. boxes of " Beef Lips"
30-lb. boxes of "Beef Omasum"
30-lb. boxes of "Beef Tripas"
30-lb. boxes of "Mountain Oysters"
30-lb. boxes of "Sweet Breads”
30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Liver”
30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Tripe”
30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Tongue”
30- and 60-lb. boxes of "Veal Cuts"
40-lb. boxes of "Veal Bones"
50-lb. boxes of “Beef Feet”
50-lb. boxes of “Beef Hearts”
60-lb. boxes of "Veal Trim"
Beef carcasses and boxes bear the establishment number "EST. 527" inside the USDA mark of inspection. Each box bears the case code number ending in “3” or “4.”
The products were produced Jan. 1, 2013, through Jan. 7, 2014, and shipped to distribution centers and retail establishments nationwide.
Consumers with questions about the recall may contact the plant’s Quality Control manager, Scott Parks, at (707) 762-6651.
Rancho Feeding Corporation of Petaluma, Calif., is recalling approximately 8,742,700 pounds of meat products. The firm processed diseased and unsound anim...
Big Red Tomato Packers of Fort Pierce, Fla., is recalling 790 - 20 and 25-lb. boxes of fresh tomatoes of lot 1106.
The tomatoes have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
There are no known illnesses associated with this lot number.
Tomatoes from the lot were distributed to a limited number of receivers in Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. All receivers have been notified.
The potential for contamination was discovered as the result of a routine random lot sample taken on January 28, 2014. All currently existing product associated with this lot number is subject to this recall.
Consumers with questions may contact Erin Cox at 772-466-0700 or email@example.com.
Big Red Tomato Packers of Fort Pierce, Fla., is recalling 790 - 20 and 25-lb. boxes of fresh tomatoes of lot 1106. The tomatoes have the potential to be c...
Wyoming Authentic Products of Cody, Wyo., is recalling approximately 365 pounds of beef jerky products due to a processing deviation.
There have been no reports of illness due to consumption of these products.
The following products, produced on various dates between November 4 and December 18, 2013, are subject to recall:
3.5-oz. (CRYOVACED) packages of “ALL NATURAL ANGUS ORIGINAL FLAVOR JERKY” with case code “05AE30811”
3.5-oz. (CRYOVACED) packages of “ALL NATURAL ANGUS PEPPERED FLAVOR JERKY” with case codes “06AE30821” , “05AE31021” , “05AE31711” or “05EIJ32511”
3.5-oz. (CRYOVACED) packages of “ALL NATURAL ANGUS HONEY FLAVOR JERKY” with case code “04AE30921”
The recalled products bear the establishment number “EST. 44972” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were sold at retail locations in Colorado, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, as well as Internet sales to individuals.
Consumers with questions regarding the recall may contact David Fales, president, at (307) 587-9841.
Wyoming Authentic Products of Cody, Wyo., is recalling approximately 365 pounds of beef jerky products due to a processing deviation. There have been no r...
You don't have to be at your desktop to keep up with the status of your return
No matter where you happen to be while working on your taxes, information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is as close as your smartphone or mobile device. The IRS has just released IRS2Go 4.0, an update to its app with new features, in both English and Spanish.
What taxpayers might find especially useful is a new refund status tracker. It provides taxpayers an easy-to-use feature that allows them to follow their tax return throughout the process. If you're shopping, for example, and wondering when you can expect that refund to hit your bank account, the app can tell you.
Around the clock help
“The new version of IRS2Go provides taxpayers another way to quickly get information and help around the clock,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “The IRS is focused on providing taxpayers with convenient self-service tools like IRS2Go, which provides details on everything from tax refunds to free tax assistance.”
IRS2GO debuted during the 2011 tax season and since then the IRS says there have been approximately 3.5 million downloads. iPhone and iPod Touch users can update or download the free IRS2Go application by visiting the iTunes App Store. Android users can visit Google Play to download the free IRS2Go app.
The IRS says its newest version of the free mobile app offers a safe way to check on your refund status. You simply enter a Social Security number, which will be masked and encrypted for security purposes. Then you select a filing status and enter the amount of the anticipated refund.
The new refund status tracker has been added so that taxpayers can check their refund status 24 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of an e-filed return, or four weeks after mailing a paper return. The IRS says the tool is updated just once a day, usually overnight, so there is no reason to check more than once a day.
Free tax help
The app can also put you in touch with free tax prep providers. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify.
This is a new feature of IRS2Go, which will direct taxpayers to the nearest VITA site by simply entering their zip code and selecting a mileage range. By clicking on the directions button within the results, the maps application on the device will load with the address, making it easy to navigate to your desired location.
Taxpayers can also use the app to request their tax account or tax return transcript. The transcript will be delivered via the U.S. Postal Service to their address of record.
No matter where you happen to be and working on your taxes, information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is as close as your smartphone or mobile de...
Feb. 9, 1964: the day Beatlemania arrived in America
It was 50 years ago today, Ed Sullivan told the band to play...
Today, 50 years later, young people probably wonder what all the fuss was about. But on February 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and entertainment, popular culture, perhaps even the world was never the same.
“Now yesterday and today our theater has been jammed with newspapermen and photographers from all over the nation and these veterans agree with me that the city has never witnessed the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool,” Sullivan said as he introduced John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr to a massive U.S. audience.
But America was a bit late to Beatlemania, which had been in full bloom for months in the group's native England. After playing small clubs in and around Liverpool, the group hired Brian Epstein as its manager. Epstein quickly and cleverly gave the Beatles a polished, professional image. Their music did the rest.
Teenagers, young women especially, screamed their approval at appearances and mobbed the four musicians if they happened to see them in public. Sullivan is said to have been at Heathrow Airport in London in the fall of 1963, where he witnessed throngs of screaming girls as the Beatles disembarked from a plane.
There is an alternate version of how the group came to Sullivan's attention. The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite aired a lengthy feature story about Beatlemania in late 1963, which can be seen below.
Following the Ed Sullivan appearance the Beatles, almost overnight, became the most popular pop music group in America. Capital Records released one Beatles hit after another.
“I Want To Hold Your Hand” shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 immediately. By the time the group quit performing in 1970 it had held the number one spot on that chart for a total of 59 weeks while topping the LP charts for 116 weeks.
Perhaps more significantly, something about the Beatles captured the imagination of young people, not just in the U.S. but around the world. The group seemed to possess an authenticity that helped launch a social revolution. Some commentators mark the start of the decade of the 1960s on that cold Sunday night in February 1964.
Huge consumer product
Before they were finished as a group the Beatles had become a huge consumer product as well. In addition to their records there were books, movies and cartoon shows and their likeness appeared on hundreds of products, including lunchboxes and bed sheets.
Debra Hess Norris, a University of Delaware professor and expert on photographic preservation, says she still has a few treasured artifacts from her days as a Beatles fan which she carefully preserves. For those buying aging memorabilia, she urges careful treatment.
"Protect these materials from high and fluctuating temperatures and humidity," she said. "Do not store memorabilia in attics or basements. House them in a stable, low-humidity environment, such as an interior closet."
After the Beatles broke up the four individual members continued solo musical careers. Today only two members of the group survive and one, Paul McCartney, has been knighted by the Queen of England.
Every few years their music is remastered and released, not just for nostalgic former teenagers with gray hair but also a new generation of fans, who find something to relate to in their music.
Today, 50 years later, young people probably wonder what all the fuss was about. But on February 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and ...
Bank of America doesn't always put its best foot forward
Once again, data brokers make asses of themselves and their clients
If we were just a tad more cynical, we'd be tempted to say “American data brokers aren't even trying anymore.” For example: if you can't cash valid checks in various stores because a verification service falsely labeled you a poor credit risk, too bad; you have no recourse except to find other methods of payment.
Or think of last month, when a Chicago man named Mike Seay, still grieving the loss of his teenage daughter who'd died in a car crash the year before, was appalled to get a form letter from Office Max, addressed to “Mike Seay/Daughter Killed in Car Crash or Current Business.”
Office Max originally dubbed Seay's claim “impossible,” then relented enough to admit the envelope was real, but blamed it on “a mailing list rented through a third-party provider.”
(Blaming “third parties” for business screwups is SOP these days. Last month, the developers of the popular Angry Birds game blamed “third party advertising platforms” for allowing the NSA to spy on its customers; Target recently blamed a third-party refrigerator repairman for its massive security breach affecting the data and personal information of over 40 million customers.)
And now, Bank of America is blaming third-party data brokers for an insulting credit card offer mailed to a California writer named Lisa McIntire. Offhand, we do not know Ms. McIntire's middle name (if she even has one), but her credit card offer was addressed to “Lisa Is A Slut McIntire.”
Once again, a third-party data source is apparently to blame; Bank of America got McIntire's name off a mailing list of members of the Golden Key International Honor Society, and a Golden Key executive determined that Ms. McIntire's insulting middle name was added to the Golden Key list sometime between 2004 and 2008, presumably by someone with database access and a grudge against Ms. McIntire.
What to do
There's not much you can do to avoid similar situations.
But here's one piece of advice we can offer: if ever you find yourself the recipient of such an obnoxious mailing and want to post images of it to share with the world, remember that blacking out your street or mailing address is not enough to protect your privacy; you must also black out the last four digits of a nine-digit zip code. For those who know how to read the numbers, those four digits either lead directly to your address, or within a few steps of it.
If we were just a tad more cynical, we'd be tempted to say “American data brokers aren't even trying anymore.” For example: if you can't cash v...
By Jennifer Abel
Frittering away the day
A new survey finds Internet surfing and socializing are the biggest time-wasters at work
How many times have you heard people say, “I just couldn't get anything accomplished at work today?”
Goofing off at work may be why.
A new survey of chief financial officers (CFOs) from Robert Half Management Resources find that water cooler chatter and Web surfing are the top time thieves at work. Nearly one-third (29%) of executives interviewed said chatting with coworkers is the greatest time-waster. Non-business related Internet use -- including social media -- ranked a not-too-distant second, garnering 25% cent of the response.
"Building relationships with coworkers and colleagues is important for office morale, so socializing is acceptable within reason," said David King, Canadian president of Robert Half Management Resources "That said, too many distractions at work can affect productivity so it's best to keep a balance between non-work tasks during business hours and professional obligations."
Death by meeting
One in 10 financial executives polled said meetings drain significant time, with the data suggesting this is most pronounced at larger companies. At companies with 1,000 or more employees, meetings received 26% of the response, versus just 9% at firms with 20 to 49 workers.
CFOs were asked, "Which one of the following is the greatest time-waster at work for employees?" Their responses:
Employees chatting and socializing
Non-business related Internet use (including social media)
Personal calls or emails
King said that if there's a noticeable amount of time spent on non-work tasks, executives should try to find out why. “It could be a matter of too much or too little on employees' plates, or a dip in staff engagement,” he said, adding that bosses need to “monitor the distribution of projects to ensure the right amount of challenge and engagement across the board."
The Canadian survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources, and was conducted by an independent research firm based on interviews with more than 270 CFOs from a random sample of Canadian companies.
How many times have you heard people say, “I just couldn't get anything accomplished at work today?” Goofing off at work may be why. A new survey of chie...
"If you are a woman, you share many of the same risk factors for stroke with men, but your risk is also influenced by hormones, reproductive health, pregnancy, childbirth and other sex-related factors," said Cheryl Bushnell, M.D., M.H.S., author of the new scientific statement published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.
The guidelines, geared to primary care providers, including OBGYNs, outline stroke risks unique to women.
What to do
Here are some of the experts' scientifically-based recommendations for treatment, including:
Women with a history of high blood pressure before pregnancy should be considered for low-dose aspirin and/or calcium supplement therapy to lower preeclampsia risks.
Women who have preeclampsia have twice the risk of stroke and a four-fold risk of high blood pressure later in life. Therefore, preeclampsia should be recognized as a risk factor well after pregnancy, and other risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol, and obesity in these women should be treated early.
Pregnant women with moderately high blood pressure (150-159 mmHg/100-109 mmHg) may be considered for blood pressure medication, whereas expectant mothers with severe high blood pressure (160/110 mmHg or above) should be treated.
Women should be screened for high blood pressure before taking birth control pills because the combination raises stroke risks.
Women who have migraine headaches with aura should stop smoking to avoid higher stroke risks.
Women over age 75 should be screened for atrial fibrillation risks due to its link to higher stroke risk.
Preeclampsia and eclampsia are blood pressure disorders during pregnancy that cause major complications, including stroke during or after delivery, premature birth, and risk for stroke well after child-bearing. Preeclampsia is characterized by high blood pressure and high protein levels in the urine, and when seizure also occurs, this is called eclampsia.
High blood pressure, migraine with aura, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, depression and emotional stress are stroke risk factors that tend to be stronger or more common in women than in men. More studies need to be done to develop a female-specific score to identify women at risk for stroke, said Bushnell, associate professor of neurology and director of the Stroke Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Noting that more women have strokes than men and have a higher death rate, American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association have issued a sci...
People in the retail game are predicting that this will be a better year for sales than 2013 -- not a whole lot better -- but better .
The National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2014 economic forecast projects retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) will increase 4.1% percent. Online sales this year projected to grow between 9 and 12%.
Preliminary figures for 2013 put sales growth at 3.7%.
“Measured improvements in economic growth combined with positive expectations for continued consumer spending will put the retail industry in a relatively good place in 2014,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Though headwinds in the form of the looming debt ceiling debates, increased health care costs, and regulatory concerns still pose risks for both consumers and retailers, we are cautiously optimistic and hopeful that the economic tides will change in 2014.
A number of factors contribute to NRF’s 2014 economic forecast, including:
Economic growth is expected to be above its long-term historical average. Early estimates for growth in the economy as measured by real GDP could fall between 2.6 and 3%, a noticeable improvement from the estimated 1.9% rate for 2013, and the fastest pace in the past three years.
The labor market is expected to continue its modest recovery averaging approximately 185,000 jobs per month, helping drop the unemployment rate to near 6.5% or lower by year's end.
Inflation as measured by the consumer price index is predicted to inch higher to as much as 1.7% in 2014.
The housing sector is expected to continue to improve in 2014, with stronger household and business confidence spurring more consumer spending overall.
“The economy remains susceptible to buffets as we are already witnessing in the New Year, thanks to harsh winter weather, domestic and global financial issues,” said NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz. “While we are careful not to ignore the challenges, we are optimistic and hopeful that future disruptions will be limited, allowing employment and business investment to grow all the while giving retailers and their customers the confidence in the economy they need.”
People in the retail game are predicting that this will be a better year for sales than 2013 -- not a whole lot better -- but better . The National Retail...
Construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and mining showed the best gains
It wasn't much of a performance, but it was better that December.
The government reports the economy created 113,000 jobs in January, more than the 75,000 the month before, but well short of the 175,000 forecast by economists surveyed by Briefing.com and the 175,000 reported by ADP.
Even so, the jobless rate dipped 0.1% -- to 6.6%.
Analysts say the last two months of disappointing job creation suggest the labor market is in something of a funk.
Where the jobs are
It was a good month for the construction, which added 48,000 jobs -- more than offsetting a decline of 22,000 in December. Employment in manufacturing rose by 21,000 in January, while wholesale trade added 14,000 jobs, and mining reported 7,000 new hires.
Among the losers were retail trade with a loss of 13,000 jobs and the federal government, where employment decreased by 12,000 with the U.S. Postal Service accounted for most of it (-9,000).
Employment in transportation and warehousing, information, and financial activities showed little or no change over the month.
Who's working and who's not
The unemployment rates for adult men (6.2%), adult women (5.9%), teenagers (20.7%), whites (5.7%), blacks (12.1%) and Hispanics (8.4%) showed little change in January. The jobless rate for Asians was 4.8% -- down by 1.7% over the year.
Dating landscape has changed in some ways, not so much in others
Have attitudes about romance and dating changed in recent years? Has the new generation of singles – people in their 20s and 30s – reshaped the whole idea of love?
Pertinent questions as Valentines Day approaches and issues explored in a new survey of singles from online dating site Match.com. The annual survey, now in its fourth year, suggests singles of all ages are leading the way toward more intimate partnerships and dramatically altering traditional beliefs about sex, love and attachment.
New to this year's survey were questions designed to explore the impact of singles on the economy and how much they spend on their dating lives.
“It's thrilling for me, as an anthropologist, to dig deep into singles' collective psyche with this annual survey, and watch singles of all ages lead the way toward a less prejudiced society,” said Dr. Helen Fisher, Match.com's science advisor.
What did Fisher learn from the responses to this year's survey? That men are far more loving -- and committed -- than most believe. That women are eagerly embracing self-expression and independence. That older people are still ‘hip’ and that new sexual and social taboos are emerging. And something else that might surprise you.
“Both sexes are entering new relationships slowly -- with the aim to make them last,” Fisher said.
Whether the two parties want the relationship to end in marriage or not, they seem to want it to be long-term, providing some of the perceived benefits of relationships from earlier generations.
Here are some things that singles should know:
That first date may be more important than you think. You might be going into it as a one-time thing but your partner may have other ideas. The survey shows that 51% of singles on a first date have “imagined a future together.” It might surprise you to learn that slightly more men than women admit to this.
You may expect to be judged by your date, but how will you be judged? If you're a man, you are more likely to judge a woman by her tattoos. You are not likely to even look at her shoes.
Women, on the other hand, don't put much stock in the kind of car you're driving. On the other hand, she will pay close attention to your clothes.
Change the subject
Are there topics of conversation you should avoid on a first date? You betcha. The survey found both men and women would prefer not to hear about your past relationships, your political views, or your belief – or lack of belief – in a deity.
What about sex on a first date? The survey shows only eight percent of women are okay with it but – no surprise here – 37% of men think it's a fine idea. Both sexes generally agree that kissing is okay.
Tried and true
But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Seventy-nine percent of singles in their twenties and 62% of singles in their thirties say they want to get married. Overall, 50% of men and 55% of women are eager to walk down the aisle.
Another thing that hasn't changed much is tolerance for tardiness. Thirty-five percent of men and 39% of women believe you only can be up to 15 minutes late for a date, while 11% of singles think being late is always unacceptable.
In the end, dating does more than stimulate your social life. It also stimulates the economy. They survey found that singles spend nearly $61.53 per month on dating-related activities, totaling approximately $738.36 each year per individual. With 111 million singles in the U.S., adds up to some $82 billion a year.
Have attitudes about romance and dating changed in recent years? Has the new generation of singles – people in their 20s and 30s – reshaped the...
New rules aim to ensure formula is safe and nutritious
Breastfeeding is one of those things that everybody -- well, mothers anyway -- say they're going to do. But for various reasons it often doesn't happen, leaving about 25 percent of newborns to start out in life as consumers of formula.
By the time they're three months old, two-thirds of U.S. infants rely on formula for at least some of their daily bread, so to speak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, taking note of this, is publishing a new rule that's intended to make sure that formula is both safe and nutritious.
“Many families rely on infant formula as either the sole source of nutrition or an integral part of an infant’s diet through 12 months of age,” said Michael R. Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine. “The FDA sets high quality standards for infant formulas because nutritional deficiencies during this critical time of development can have a significant impact on a child’s long-term health and well-being. This rule will help to prevent adulteration in infant formula and ensure infant formula supports normal, physical growth.”
Formula, of course, is supposed to be roughly similar to mother's milk but similar isn't the same as identical.
The formula produced in the United States basically uses byproducts of milk -- whey and casein for protein, along with vegetable oils for fat, lactose as a carbohydrate and assorted vitamins and minerals. Exact formulas vary from one manufacturer to another. Some use soy in place of milk.
Like all packaged foods, there are safety issues to worry about -- spoilage, contamination, etc. And since most families buy powdered rather than liquid formula, safe preparation also becomes an issue.
Improper preparation and the use of contaminated water can cause serious health problems, including death. Consumer groups routinely demonize formula manufacturers for promoting their products in underdeveloped nations where sanitation standards make it hard to ensure the safe preparation of formula.
Severe health consequences are rare in the U.S. but there are many critics who argue that not enough is done to encourage mothers to breast feed.
In 2008, some formula was found to contain melamine, a chemical approved for use in production of some plastics in the U.S., but not approved for use in food. It had earlier shown up in food products imported from China, causing numerous pet injuries and deaths in 2007, and prompting recalls of some milk products. A number of Chinese babies were killed or injured after drinking infant formula containing melamine.
The FDA later said the amounts of melamine found in formula were safe.
"Interim final rule"
Today's FDA document is called an "interim final rule." Yes, it sounds contradictory but that's how they talk in Washington.
The agency says the rule amends its quality control procedures, notification, and record and reporting requirements for manufacturers of applicable infant formula products. The rule, in part, will ensure that infant formula contains all federally required nutrients. It also establishes current good manufacturing practices specifically designed for infant formula, including required testing for microbial contamination.
Breastfeeding is one of those things that everybody -- well, mothers anyway -- say they're going to do. But for various reasons it often doesn't happen, le...
Cheese prices are rising; will pizza prices rise too?
Bad year for dairy farmers means bad news for cheese lovers
Bad news for thrifty pizza lovers: the price of cheese is creeping upwards and sooner or later is likely to hit pizza's bottom line.
Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports that since the beginning of December, cheese prices have risen approximately 16 percent for mozzarella and 25 percent for cheddar. Dairy farmers worldwide had a pretty bad year in 2013, what with poor weather and high feed costs. The milk producers' higher costs led to the higher cheese prices, which have not resulted in noticeable price increases at various pizza chains—at least, not yet.
But Bloomberg pointed out that last month, at an investors' meeting for Domino's Pizza, Domino's chief financial officer said “In the last couple of days, I’ve had a lot of questions about cheese because it spiked up, and cheese is the biggest commodity. Even taking that into account when you look at the whole basket, and you look at the projections on cheese for the year, we are still projecting that we would be down in the range of 0 percent to 2 percent.”
If cheese prices continue rising, there's a definite limit to how long pizza makers and sellers would absorb those costs without passing them along to consumers in the form of higher prices.
So what's a consumer to do? Some types of food-price rises can be dealt with by stockpiling — if this year's peanut crop is bad, it's a good idea to buy a couple extra jars of your favorite peanut butter before the price goes up.
Laying in a twelve-month supply of peanut butter to tide you over until next year's (hopefully better) crop comes in is easy; however, unless you have industrial-grade deep-freeze storage facilities, you can't stockpile a year's worth of mozzarella without it soon turning into a moldy inedible mess.
So maybe the best advice is to get familiar with pasta.
Bad news for thrifty pizza lovers: the price of cheese is creeping upwards and sooner or later is likely to hit pizza's bottom line.Bloomberg BusinessWee...
By Jennifer Abel
Subway to change recipe, remove potentially dangerous chemical from bread
The "FoodBabe" blogger may or may not deserve credit for this
The Subway sandwich chain is changing the recipe for its sandwich bread, to eliminate a chemical additive called azodicarbonamide, a bleaching agent that can make flour appear whiter. It also gives bread additional elasticity, and works as a preservative to let fresh bread last considerably longer before going stale.
So why not bake bread with this miracle chemical?
Well, according to various governments in Europe and Australia, azodicarbonamide is a “respiratory sensitizer” that can trigger asthmatic reactions. In Singapore, using azodicarbonamide in food warrants high fines and lengthy prison sentences.
In most of the world, azodicarbonamide is primarily used in the manufacture of rubber and plastics.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration takes a slightly different view: azodicarbonamide is “Generally Recognized As Safe” in food — but may only be present in densities no greater than 45 parts per million.
Pressure from the Blogosphere
Just why Subway made its decision is open to discussion. It may have been in response to a petition started by Vani Hari, the blogger behind FoodBabe.com.
Last September, FoodBabe warned her readers about azodicarbonamide in a post that asked, “Are you eating this ingredient banned all over the world?”
This week, on Feb. 4, she urged her readers to sign a petition asking Subway to remove the chemical from its breads.
Story continues below video
Today, the Associated Press reported that Subway is in the process of removing the chemical from its recipes, quoting an unnamed Subway representative who said the change was underway before FoodBabe's petition came to their attention.
The Subway sandwich chain is changing the recipe of its sandwich bread, to cease use of a chemical additive called azodicarbonamide. Subway, along with var...
By Jennifer Abel
Coca-Cola in a K-cup? Coffee makers expand at-home offerings
Hot coffee, hot soup and cold soda, all from one company
Last September came news that Campbell's soup company was joining forces with Keurig coffee makers, presumably in hopes of tapping the lucrative “customers who want their dried soup mix with coffee-flavored water added” market.
And now, Coca-Cola is making its own forays into the coffee market, having bought a 10 percent stake in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters -- which makes the Keurig machine -- in hopes of selling its beverages through an at-home system Green Mountain is devising. (Or maybe we should reverse that order: Last September, Keurig coffee joined forces with Campbell's to enter the instant-soup market, and now it's going after chilled carbonated beverages, too.) Either way, it's a big deal for Green Mountain.
"This global relationship combines The Coca-Cola Company's unparalleled brand, distribution and marketing strengths with GMCR's innovative technology and beverage system expertise," said Brian P. Kelley, President and CEO of Green Mountain.
Coke would have you think it's doing all this to make your life immeasurably better.
"Importantly, this partnership provides our consumers with a convenient way to enjoy the brands they love through in-home preparation," said said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company.
Stop the slide
It may also help Coke reverse a decade-long slide in soda consumption and put a stake through the heart of Sodastream as well.
Some of that decline in soda consumption is doubtless due to the rise in concerns over diabetes and weight gain, but blame also belongs to the rise in at-home soda fountains such as SodaStream. (Indeed, while some people might roll their eyes at the thought of an at-home soda fountain – once upon a time, the thought of people brewing their own coffee at home inspired just as much eye-rolling.)
For Keurig/Green Mountain, working Coke into its business operations will be more complicated than Campbell's. The Campbell's Soup offerings work on the same basic principle as the coffee K-cups: open the cup and add hot water. Soda-making is a completely different process, requiring a steady source of cold carbonated water.
Green Mountain says its Coke-based home drink offerings should be available by September 2015.
Last September came news that Campbell's soup company was joining forces with Keurig coffee makers, presumably in hope of tapping the lucrative “cust...
By Jennifer Abel
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Adjust shared a new report on mobile gaming in Turkey in 2023. Turkey’s app market is rapidly growing, with revenues skyrocketing from almost US$1.39 billion in 2022 to an expected US$2.18 billion in 2027. The country’s mobile infrastructure is also expanding in tandem with the increasing number of smartphone users, leading to a surge in mobile app downloads and usage.
As of 2022, over 75% of the Turkish population owned a smartphone, with 68.7 million mobile internet users. The total number of downloads has been on a steady incline, reaching 3.73 billion in 2022, up from 3.56 billion in 2021. Users are also spending more time than ever before on mobile apps, with a total of 44.4 billion hours spent.
Mobile gaming in Turkey claims the top spot
Turkey has a clear front-runner when it comes to app categories: mobile gaming, which saw over 2.1 billion downloads across all platforms in 2022. Auto & vehicle apps ranked second with 342 million downloads, while medical apps came in third. The top-performing verticals on iOS were different, as shopping came in second, followed by photo & video, fintech, and social networking apps.
User retention rates are highest for gaming and fintech apps
In the first quarter of 2023, mobile gaming and fintech apps had the most engaged users, with Day 1 retention rates of 25% and 23%, respectively. Following closely behind, auto and vehicle apps came in third with a Day 1 rate of 19%, while health and fitness apps were not far behind at 18%. Shopping and social networking apps had a lower retention rate of 16%.
Read the full report here


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Hyundai Motor’s Grandeur Diesel passed the 1,800 mark in pre-order sales. Since the releasing of Grandeur Diesel, the overall sales of Grandeur lineups also showed an upward trend. Hyundai Motor held a test driving event for the media on July 2 at the Jack Nicklaus golf club in Songdo, Incheon.
[ads id=”0″ style=”float:left;padding:9px;”]Hyundai Motor explained that the pre-order sales of Grandeur Diesel broke the 1,800 level on June 30, just 20 days after the launch of the pre-order sales on June 9. Backed by the releasing of Grandeur Diesel, the overall sales of Grandeur lineups also increased.
The overall sales of Grandeur models, which stood at 7,934 units in the first five months of this year, rose 16 percent in June alone, reaching 9,223 units.
The newly released Grandeur Diesel is mounted with an R2.2 E-VGT clean diesel engine, an upgraded version of the 2.2-liter R-Engine. It features a maximum output of 202hp and a maximum torque of 45.0kg.m, with a fuel efficiency of 14 kilometers per liter.


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With the due date for filing your taxes fast approaching, lots of Americans will soon be getting infusions of cash in the form of tax refunds. But according to a new study, they won’t be using the money for anything particularly exciting.
Around one third of Americans will use their refund to pay down a debt, while another third will either save or invest the money, according to USA Today citing a survey from Bankroll.com. Another quarter will use it for everyday needs like food or rent.
Only around 3% of people surveyed say they’ll be using their tax refund for a splurge like shopping or going on vacation.
The average tax refund is about $3,000, USA Today reports. While the money may seem like a boost, it’s really just cash the government owes you back.
April 15, 2015 is the deadline to file personal taxes for the year 2014 or ask the Internal Revenue Service for an extension.


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The Santa Clara, Calif.-basedon Monday released a 4.5-megapixel sensor that is a scaled-down version of its existing 10.2-megapixel chips, according to Eric Zarakov, vice president of marketing for the company.
HanVision, which makes cameras for the scientific market, has agreed to insert the sensor into one of its cameras. This September, Polaroid will insert the same chip into its X530 digital camera that will sell for around $399.
Foveon X3 image sensors feature vertically stacked pixels for better resolution, Zakarov said. In traditional image sensors, individual pixels for capturing red, green and blue light are adjacent to each other. A green dot directly in front of a red pixel will not be sensed directly; it becomes part of the picture through compensation algorithms which extrapolate from what was detected by surrounding green pixels.
In Foveon's sensors, vertical stacking eliminates the need for this sort of interpolation and leads to more accurate photos, he said. While the company sells 10.2- and 4.5-megapixel sensors, it has developed a 16.8-megapixel sensor in its labs, according to analyst firm iSuppli. Other companies, however, also are working on high-resolution sensors that will provide enhanced color accuracy.
So far, Foveon's sensors have been used in 10-megapixel cameras from companies likethat sell for more than $1,000.
The new sensor "uses the same three-layer technology," Zakarov said.
Sales of image sensors will rise from 253 million units in 2003 to 733 million units by 2008, according to iSuppli. Most of the growth will result from sensors made on the silicon, or complementary metal oxide semiconductor, manufacturing process, which Foveon uses.
Although it's small, Foveon is fairly well connected. The company was founded by Carver Mead, a widely published professor at the California Institute of Technology and a winner of the National Medal of Technology. New Enterprise Associates, National Semiconductor and Synaptics, the people behind Apple Computer's iPod navigation wheel, were Foveon's original investors.
Last year,, one of the three people given credit for inventing the first microprocessors, became CEO of the company.


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Days after electrical automobiles (EVs) of Ola and Okinawa Autotech catching hearth, an identical incident has been reported from Tamil Nadu capital Chennai. This time, an electrical scooter made by Hyderabad startup Pure EV burst into flames, elevating considerations concerning the security of EVs.
The now viral video of the incident, which came about close to Mathur toll plaza in Manjampakkam – a residential space in north Chennai – exhibits plumes of smoke billowing from the scooter.
The 26-second video exhibits the red-coloured EV parked on the roadside. That is the fourth such incident in 4 days.
On March 28, a video on social media confirmed Ola’s S1 electrical scooter catching hearth in Pune. The EV was parked on the roadside when the incident came about.
The over half-a-minute video confirmed the Ola S1 Professional in Midnight Blue color releasing some smoke earlier than bursting into flames and ultimately being engulfed in hearth.
Ola Electrical took cognizance of the incident and stated in a press release that it was investigating the issue. The corporate additionally assured that it could take acceptable motion as soon as the investigation is over within the coming days.
The Ola S1 Professional was launched as the corporate’s first electrical scooter final 12 months. It debuted alongside the common Ola S1.
The incident with Okinawa two-wheeler came about in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore.
After the incident with Ola scooter, information company Reuters carried a report which stated that lithium-ion batteries, whether or not utilized in electrical automobiles or digital gadgets, can catch hearth if they’ve been improperly manufactured or broken, or if the software program that operates the battery is just not designed accurately.
Ola firm officers have stated beforehand that the corporate imports its battery cells from South Korea however plans to begin manufacturing them regionally.


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Indian eCommerce is not limited to Delhi, Mumbai, and other major metro cities. India’s $80 billion eCommerce market has seen tremendous improvement in the last few years.
Government initiatives coupled with rising digital penetration has now made eCommerce accessible in almost every corner of the country. 76% of the nation now owns a smart phone and has access to the internet.
How does this help eCommerce growth?
Hear are some interesting numbers to show you the true extent of love that Indians are showing for shopping online on their phones:
- Indians are second only to the Chinese when it comes to shopping online
- Mobile phone users spent 12.84 billion hours on shopping apps in 2023
- The share of apps by Indian publishers has gone up from 47.6% in total downloads within the country in 2020 to 54.6% in 2023.
As more Indians get on the internet, they look for avenues to shop online.
eCommerce beyond metro cities
New eCommerce hotspots are emerging in various parts of the country giving tough competition to metro cities.
The new cities that are seeing an incredible growth in online shopping are:
eCommerce platforms are now expanding their operations in these cities to cater to the rising demand and consumer interest.
These new eCommerce hubs are further fuelled by the growth of UPI. Digital payments through UPI has allowed more people to make cashless transactions when purchasing online! A Redseer report has shown that 70% of the UPI users are from outside Tier 1 cities and 80% of these new users are from Tier 2 cities!
ONDC and it’s role in eCommerce growth
ONDC – the government backed eCommerce network is now live in 620+ cities in India!
This network has especially been catalytic for the growth of digital first brands in smaller towns and cities because of its ability to connect them to multiple logistics providers seamlessly.
To explain the difference – earlier if a small business from a smaller town had to deliver a product in some other part of the country, they would have to jump through various hoops. From choosing an affordable shipping provider to warehousing service to a last mile delivery partner in the destination city.
With ONDC, they now have an array of options to choose from on one platform for the entire delivery process.
Choosing Instamojo for growth
Instamojo, a D2C tech platform that is launching small businesses online, has seen a rapid rise in customers from the Hindi heartland – namely Haryana, Allahabad and more. There was a 170% Year over Year growth in sellers from Tier 2 and 3 cities!
Looking for an eCommerce platform that is affordable and simple to use? You can create your account on Instamojo for free.


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Everlane falls short. American Fashion Distribution Group Will reduce its headquarter staff by 17% and retail staff by 3% To cope with the increase in costs, which means the dismissal of 8.6% of the company’s employees, according to an internal communication intercepted business of fashion,
Specifically, Everlane Justified the decision by attributing the impact of inflation and consumer fear to the fall in demand due to a possible recession. The objective of the company is to recover profitability.
In November 2022, Everlane signed a $25 million loan deal with Gordon Brothers to fuel its growth. In September, the company raised ninety million dollars through a financing round aimed at refinancing its debt and increasing its liquidity.
Everlane will lay off 17% of its employees in offices and 3% in retail
in recent months, Everlane has launched a transformation plan promoted by Andrea O’Donnell, who Joined the company as CEO in October 2021 Replaced Ugg with the position of Brand Director of Deckers Group.
This new strategy involves “injecting more fashion” into the product.enhance, enhance the concept of a collection as opposed to individual items story telling of brands and enter the multi-brand channel for the first time.
As part of its transformation, the company recently hired a new creative director, Mathilde Mader, who has worked with designers like Kim Jones and Sonia Rykiel in the past. The designers will work hand-in-hand with Shu Hung, who has taken over as Creative Director from May 2021.
more layoffs in fashion
Today, another fashion distribution operator has announced massive layoffs in its office team to reduce costs: Stitch Fix. american online fashion company Will reduce its workforce by 20% and close one of its distribution centers in Salt Lake City,
except, Elizabeth Spaulding will step down as CEO, Stitch Fix has appointed company founder Katrina Lake as interim CEO.


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#126: Marcelo Claure - Why Softbank Invested in Career Karma
03.31.2021 - By Breaking Into Startups
Marcelo Claure is a Bolivian tech entrepreneur who founded Brightstar which was later sold to Sprint after they reached $10 billion in revenue, becoming the largest Hispanic-owned business in US history. Currently, Claure serves as Chief Executive Officer of SoftBank Group International and Chief Operating Officer of SoftBank Group Corp.
Claure oversees the vast portfolio of the Group’s operating companies, including Arm, WeWork, Brightstar, Fortress, SB Energy, Boston Dynamics, among others, along with SoftBank’s ownership in T-Mobile US. He also runs Club Bolivar, Bolivia’s most popular and successful soccer team, and is Chairman and Owner of Club Internacional de Futbol Miami (Miami Beckham United).
Today, he talks about why he decided to invest in Career Karma and why data is now the future of work.