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Joe DiNucci kicked this session off at Silicon Valley comes to Oxford, called Changing the Rules of the Game. He said that when he started an electric charging scheme for electric cars, the lefties thought it should be free. It was not conceived as a socialist enterprise. That company is Coulomb Technologies. At first, there were no cars. At first there were no customers, but he said building the infrastructure was important.
Brian Sager of Nanosolar said that instead of building big pieces of glass, it went to a printing press and has raised half a billion dollars and selling at an economic price. That involved a different type of thinking, he said. He kind of didn’t hit a glass ceiling, so to speak.
Anthony Rose said that it was interesting to see which people are innovators and others just want the old technology to stay. It’s the marketing peoples’ job to embrace new stuff and make sure people know it’s there. The music business spent 10s of millions suing everyone they could. But they could have knocked themself out of the game. Some people just want disruptive technology to go away.
Maria Sendra, a partner from Jones Day, made a point that no one has come up with yet. The world economic situation is seriously affecting the biotechnology industry. She used to have startups coming to her for money, but now countries are coming to her for money. Spain was ahead of the curve in the solar industry but things are beginning to break down. She wondered how we could build things together again. The world economic situation is one of the things that changes the game.
Megan Smith, a Google exec in charge of new business development, wonders if things were much simpler when teams were small. She wondered if there was a way all companies could collaborate to get out of hot water. The question, however, is whether anyone would want to collaborate with the MegaGoog. She is basically suggesting horizontal rather than vertical structures including something she described as “rapid prototyping”.
The chairman wondered if it was OK treating business like a game and acting in a Machiavellian manner. Sager said that at the municipal level the gamesmanship goes away when you deal with the concrete rather than the abstract – at the federal level of government there’s paralysis because they’re playing games.
Richard Sergay, from The Curiosity Project for Discovery Commmunications, said that disruption in story telling – which he claims is what the IT business is all about – is critically important. He stood up and made a pitch and wants to show us all a film, out of the blue. It’s an attempt to build 250 interesting and intelligent people from around the world. He’s an ex-hack from ABC News. One lady said she had asked about the meaning of life and had come to the conclusion that the answer was to be polite to everyone. Martha Stewart, in this film, said she is an optimist. The idea, we think, is that if you put a lot of bright people together it will change the game.
Games are not always bad and not always about killing people, said Anthony Rose – it can be very creative. Small groups of people, said Sager, could solve problems that supercomputers couldn’t solve, simply because they took a creative approach to stuff.


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Google released the Android N Developer Preview a couple of days ago, with support for most of the Nexus smartphones and tablets that you might expect it to. What may surprise you is that the Android N Developer Preview also supports an Android One handset, in the form of the General Mobile 4G. Read more
The UK carrier, EE, has just launched a new 7-inch tablet called the Robin, featuring 4G connectivity and aimed at the kids section of the market. The Robin could well find its way to a few Christmas stockings this year in the UK, so let’s see what it brings to the table.
Vodafone has just launched the Smart Speed smartphone, a 4G capable handset aimed squarely at the budget-conscious consumer. The 4.5-inch Smart Speed runs Android 5.1 Lollipop and will retail for £50 on Pay As You Go. Read more
Three has just announced it has begun to roll out its 4G Super-Voice technology in the UK making it easier for customers to make calls, send texts or go online in places that had previously had poor or no signal reception at all. While Three is calling the technology 4G Super-Voice, US readers may be more familiar with it under the VoLTE moniker. Read more
Don’t get too excited about the prospect of 5G technology coming at your disposal anytime soon, AT&T Mobility chief Glenn Lurie cautioned technology enthusiasts, adding that the fifth generation wireless technology was still years away from taking its final shape.
60-year-old farmer Richard Guy has been experiencing slow internet speeds at home for years. After noticing that his mobile’s 4G internet connectivity was faster than the broadband connection provided by BT, he decided to built his own wooden telephone mast and attached a 4G adaptor to it. He now experiences perfect high-speed internet. Read more
The UK carrier, EE, has expanded its range of Harrier branded devices with the release of its Harrier Tab that features Android 5.1 firmware, 4G connectivity, a full HD display and a Qualcomm Octa-core processor. We have the list of specifications and press release after the break. Read more
Hoping to compete in the action camera space currently dominated by GoPro, U.K. wireless carrier EE announced today the launch of the 4GEE Action Cam, the world’s first action cam with 4G technology built-in. To capitalize on the built-in connectivity, EE has built-in support for live streaming of video being captured by the device using the skeegle platform. The 4GEE Action Cam is the first of several 4G devices EE plans to launch as part of a new EE Connected Strategy. Read more
Whilst it’s waiting on approval for its £12.5 billion acquisition of EE, BT has decided to take full advantage of the 4G masts it will soon acquire by launching its own SIM-only LTE service in the UK.
We’ve heard tons of rumors suggesting that an LTE-enabled variant of the Moto G (2014) is just around the corner for sometime now, and earlier today Motorola made the speculation a reality by announcing that the handset is now available to purchase with a price tag of $346 from the company’s Brazilian online store.

domain: news


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Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) co-Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings exercised $612.13 million U.S. of stock options in 2020 as the company’s share price soared on news of subscription growth for the video-streaming giant.
The company, which crossed 200 million subscribers last year as people sought entertainment from home during pandemic-imposed lockdowns, saw its shares rise more than 67% in 2020.
Reed Hastings purchased over 1.33 million Netflix shares last year in the exercising of his stock options, according to a regulatory filing. The price at which the stock options can be exercised is set in an agreement between the company and CEO.
Netflix stock has fallen this year on news that subscription growth is slowing as people begin to emerge from lockdown orders and the global pandemic retreats. Netflix’s share price is down 14% since the end of January at $505.55.


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Electric Vehicle Council slams Victoria Government for proposed punitive mileage tax on electric cars
Automaker Hyundai Motor Company and many other organizations have openly opposed the Victorian government’s controversial proposal, under which a punitive mileage tax would be implemented exclusively on electric cars. The government of Victoria, Southeastern Australia, currently collects no such tax on gasoline-powered cars. It does not even collect a gas tax at all. But, under the new plan, the state government is trying to implement a punitive mileage tax exclusively on electric cars. As the state is not offering any sort of electric vehicle (EV) incentives, there would be no way to balance out the controversial proposed tax if it really gets implemented.
Hyundai, Volkswagen (VW), Uber, ABB, and WWF are among the many organizations that have come out against the proposed EV tax. Calling the controversial tax the world’s “worst electric vehicle policy,” they got a full-page advert published in “The Age” newspaper in Melbourne.
In an open letter published in the same daily newspaper, the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) argued that no other jurisdiction in the entire world has implemented any such tax targeting the cleanest vehicles on the road.
Opposing the proposal, the EVC wrote in the open letter, “The Andrews Government’s proposed tax on electric vehicles is the only stand-alone electric vehicle tax in the world. No other jurisdiction has introduced such a targeted levy on the cleanest vehicles on the road without significant incentives to balance it out.”
Apart from the aforementioned organizations, the long list of opponents includes EV charger manufacturer Tritium, JetCharge, EV truck converter SEA Electric, the Clean Energy Council, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Solar Citizens, Doctors for the Environment Australia, GetUp, and Environment Victoria.
The controversial EV tax would be assessed at a rate of 2.5 cents per kilometer would be charged each time registration is renewed. EV owners would have to maintain records for at least five years. Those who would fail to produce the records would be slapped with penalties. However, owners of gasoline-powered cars would not be required to produce any such mileage records. Thus, only EV owners would have to face additional burden in terms of time and cost.
In Australia, the average car is driven nearly 13,300 kilometers per year, which means the average tax would be $332 per year (US$255), which would be higher than any EV tax in the United States.
- Rivers Casino Portsmouth ceremonial groundbreaking scheduled for Dec. 7, 2022
- Alaska’s first electric school bus operating efficiently in minus 40-degree temperatures
- E-ONE bags first order for electric fire truck from Mesa Fire & Medical Department
- Genesis releases teaser image of Electrified GV70 ahead of Guangzhou Auto Show
- Daimler's Mitsubishi Fuso Delivered 300 eCanter Trucks


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What makes it the best fried chicken?
Quik Shoppe has been serving fried chicken using the same recipe since 1982.
“We actually got the recipe from one of our food service equipment vendors back in 1982,” said Bobby. “Much of [the taste] has to do with the simple process we follow, from once we get the chicken into the store, to the time it takes to go into the fryer.”
Six days a week, fresh chicken (not that frozen crap) is delivered by trucks to every Quik Shoppe location. Bobby says having fresh chicken "is a huge part" of why it's the best chicken in town.
“In our five Charlotte stores, we sell about 500,000lbs of chicken a year, which equates to about 1,370lbs a day -- all stores combined,” said Bobby.


text: It seems everyone is doing it these days. Verizon recently launched its Go90 pay TV subscription service. And although Apple, as expected, didn't announce such a plan with the new Apple TV, that doesn't remove the possibility that it could still do so a bit later. And now, the most recent rumored player is Amazon. According to sources, the retailer giant has mulled over the possibility of a paid TV program that would significantly bolster its video offering beyond the already prized Prime Video subscription.


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Reuters reports Many U.S. Firms in China Eyeing Relocation as Trade War Bites.
> U.S. companies operating in China believe they are suffering more from the trade dispute than firms from other countries, according to the poll by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China, which surveyed 219 companies, one-third from the manufacturing sector.
- More than 70 percent of U.S. firms operating in southern China are considering delaying further investment there and moving some or all of their manufacturing to other countries as the trade war bites into profits.
- Sixty-four percent of the companies said they were considering relocating production lines to outside of China, but only 1 percent said they had any plans to establish manufacturing bases in North America.
- Nearly 80 percent of the survey respondents said the tariffs have knocked their businesses, with U.S. tariffs having slightly more impact than the Chinese ones.
- One-third of companies estimated the trade dispute had reduced business volumes ranging from $1 million to $50 million, while nearly one in 10 manufacturers reported high-volume business losses of $250 million or more.
- Nearly half the companies surveyed also said there had been an increase in non-tariff barriers, including increased bureaucratic oversight and slower customs clearance.
It's clear that Trump has managed to inflict some pain on China.
It's equally clear that US companies doing business in China are also suffering.
This we call "winning" even though almost none of that business is headed for the US, or even North America.
Rather, Vietnam, India, and other emerging markets will benefit.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock


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KIDRON — If there is one thing that shouldn’t be taken for granted, it is good health. And good physical and mental health is exactly what the Tri-County Health Expo is promoting.
In its 10th year, event organizer Laura Miller expects about 3,000 people to walk through the doors of the two-day event in the Sprunger Building in Kidron.
The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 16 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 17 from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. It is located on the grounds of the Kidron Auction, 4885 Kidron Road, Kidron (although GPS has the venue listed in Apple Creek).
The free event, sponsored in-part by The Daily Record, promises to have a variety of vendors on hand that will be showcasing their products and service offerings to the public.
"This is a great opportunity for people looking at prevention," said Miller. "Medical treatment is expensive. The event will showcase vendors and products that may help people avoid pricey treatments or hospital stays. But, this isn’t just natural remedies, there will be medical facilities represented as well."
Some of the vendors are traveling from out-of-state from Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. So these will not be the vendors and products people are used to seeing on a daily basis.
Along with vendors, there will be special speakers every hour during the event. One of topics that will be talked about is Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Mark Leinbach, executive director of SpringHaven Counseling Center of Dundee and Sterling.
Other topics include gut health, brain health and stress, among others.
The popular event was started by Dennis Keim, said Miller. "He wanted to provide a show that brought natural health and medical providers together under one roof. He felt it would benefit the public."
For additional information, visit www.www.tricountyhealthexpo.com or call 330-473-2825.
Reporter Dan Starcher can be reached at 330-287-1626 or email@example.com. He is @danstarcher on Twitter.


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Market on Central resumes Saturday
Downtown Fort Dodge is on the rebound. During the last several years, storefronts up and down Central Avenue and on nearby streets that have too long been vacant are once again coming to life commercially. The city’s historic business district is becoming the home to an impressive array of new businesses. Many of these enterprises are exactly the type of family-owned and operated ventures that have long been a driving force in our nation’s economy.
The success of Market on Central, which resumes Saturday, is a superb example of the renaissance in downtown Fort Dodge.
In 2011, this splendid event was launched. On the second and fourth Saturdays of each month during summer, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., it transforms the heart of the city into a bustling village of vendors, artisans, entertainers – and more.
Each year this festival has become stronger.
During its first year, there were 10 to 15 vendors. That has grown to 42. Of those, 33 are considered anchors. Anchor vendors have made the commitment to be a part of the entire season.
Last year, Market on Central drew between 3,000 to 4,000 people to each market day.
Not content with past achievements, organizers have big plans to make the 2015 season an even bigger draw. They plan to keep it family friendly and strengthen its attraction as a shopping experience. For the opener of the new season, Market on Central is partnering with the Blanden Memorial Art Museum as a way to offer more activities and experiences. More enhancements will unfold as the summer progresses.
Market on Central offers exciting shopping, but it has an additional very serious purpose. It is helping to jump-start the small business component of the local economy. It helps introduce shoppers to the potential of Central Avenue and nearby streets. It gives an eclectic assortment of vendors an opportunity to connect with folks who may find their wares impossible to resist. The owners of many of the small businesses featured each summer have seen their participation lead to increased sales over the following months once shoppers learned what they had to offer.
The word is spreading throughout north central Iowa that Market on Central is the place to be each summer.
Put these Saturdays on your calendar and start things off by joining in the fun Saturday.


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Samsung officially blames faulty batteries for Note 7's failure
Bent negative electrodes caused one set of fires; incorrect welding allowed for problems in a second batch of batteries
Samsung's flagship Galaxy Note 7 phone was a highly anticipated device, but its demise was swift. Before the phone had even officially launched in the UK the first explosions had been seen and a global recall was imminent.
Batteries made by Samsung's SDI group were too small at one corner, causing negative electrodes to be bent and increase the likelihood of short circuiting. Separately, batteries from third party provider Amperex Technology Ltd were incorrectly welded. Points left on the batteries were able to penetrate protective insulation.
During a press conference, the firm didn't name either of the companies involved in the battery production - referring to them only as Company A and B – but it had already named them in 2016. Battery problems hit more than one batch of devices and led to a drop in mobile profits for Samsung in the third quarter of 2016.
"Samsung’s investigation, as well as the investigations completed by three independent industry organisations, concluded that the batteries were the cause of the Galaxy Note7 incidents," Samsung said in a statement. The firm said it had inspected both software and hardware, with the only faults being found in the batteries themselves.
Before announcing the findings DJ Koh, President of Samsung Mobile said he wanted to "deeply apologise" for the incident.
In the batteries produced by its own company, Samsung shows graphics of "abnormal" positioning of the negative electrode in the top right-hand corner of the battery. Samsung says the deformation combined with a thin separator and mechanical stresses is the "one major failure mechanism" with the batteries.
Samsung says: "Additional investigation is needed to understand the root-cause of the deformations at the upper corners."
The batteries produced by Amperex were described as having "multiple contributing factors relating to production quality and battery design". It was concluded missing insulation tape and the sharp edges led to the problems. Samsung, once again, said it needed further analysis to understand the root-cause of the damage.
Samsung executives appearing at its press conference said they hoped the debacle would "serve as an opportunity to improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries". Going forward the firm said an eight-point battery safety check was being introduced. This will involve durability tests as well as X-rays and other reliability checks.
As well as this it is using "multi-layer safety measures" to ensure there are consistent safety standards across its products and a battery advisory group of external advisors has been created.
Samsung has also revealed its next leading device – the Galaxy S8 – will not be revealed at this year's Mobile World Congress. For the last three years, the company has revealed leading phones at the conference in Barcelona.
According to Reuters, Samsung will unveil the S8 phone later this year but has not given a date for it to do so. On January 24 Samsung will reveal its earnings report for the final months of 2016.
Matt Burgess is a senior writer at WIRED focused on information security, privacy, and data regulation in Europe. He graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in journalism and now lives in London. Send tips to firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Tyson Foods will report fiscal 2019 earnings on Tuesday (Nov. 12) and the fourth quarter results ending Sept. 30. Wall Street expects per share net income of $1.29 per for the quarter and $5.52 for the full year, down 14% from the year-ago on an annual basis.
For the fourth quarter, Tyson likely added about $474 million to the company coffers down from $537 million reported a year ago. Sales in the quarter are expected to be $11 billion, up 10% from the prior year.
The Springdale-based meat giant recently reduced its earnings forecast after reporting short-term challenges impacting its fourth-quarter results. Tyson said it expected full-year earnings between $5.30 and $5.70 per share, which is about 43 cents shy of the company’s previous guidance. For the full year, Tyson Foods is expected to see revenue growth of 6.2% to $42.55 billion, according to the Wall Street consensus.
Tyson has been known to outperform analysts’ expectations in recent years given the number of levers the diverse company can pull to mitigate challenges. Stephens Inc. Analyst Ben Bienvenue is a little more bullish than the street, expecting fourth-quarter earnings of $1.58, nearly flat with the year-ago period. Analysts have said the beef industry has mostly recovered from the Tyson fire that disrupted processing capacity in the recent quarter. Bienvenue said Tyson’s turnaround in chicken also took longer than expected and the company continues to invest in innovation and food safety.
Wall Street expects Tyson’s operating profit of $871.2 million in the fourth quarter, up from $831 million a year ago. The company is expected to post an operating income of $208 million in its chicken segment with an average operating margin of 6%. This would be a 14.4% gain over a year ago. The company’s beef segment in the fourth quarter faced disruption in processing and expenses for repairs and added supply chain costs for re-routing cattle for processing from the disabled plant. Tyson is expected to report beef operating income of $330 million in the quarter, down about 5% from the year-ago period. Beef packer margins remain high for the industry with an average of roughly $300 per head in the recent quarter.
The pork segment is believed to have operating profits of about $63 million in the quarter at a 4.5% operating margin. That compares to $76 million reported a year ago with operating margins at 6.7%. The prepared foods segment is expected to report fourth-quarter profits of $251.6 million with an operating margin of 12%. That compares to $235 million a year ago with an operating margin of 11.2%. Through acquisitions, Tyson has also grown its international footprint. The company’s international operating income is expected to be $17.3 million for the quarter, compared to a loss of $10 million a year ago.
Bienvenue and other industry analysts have said Tyson is in a good position to benefit from the global protein gap resulting from African Swine Fever that has resulted in a 55% loss of swine herds in China, the world’s largest market.
“We see many of these issues as transitory in nature and remain positively inclined on the (Tyson Foods) stock moving into FY20 given the backdrop of ASF driven protein inflation. Tyson remains our top pick and we reiterate our overweight rating and $95 price target, Bienvenue noted. (Stephens Inc. conducts investment banking services with Tyson Foods and is compensated accordingly.)
Tyson Foods shares (NYSE: TSN) are up more than 50% this year. Shares closed Friday at $82.50, down 75 cents on the day. Over the past 52 weeks, the shares have traded between $49.77 and $94.07. Tyson’s share price peaked in early September prior to the company’s downward guidance announcement from management.


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While it was a relatively slow news day, volume circulated throughout the marketplace as floors across the NFT landscape saw green. The entire Pudgy ecosystem continues to see heavy action as Pudgys crossed 6E floors at one point, the infamous Rogs approached 1E and Lil Pudgys saw a substantial 30% spike with floors holding in the 0.6E range. Pudgy Founder, Luca Netz, also tweeted his respects to the teams of Lilverse and Sappy Seals, bringing some life to both projects as well.
Total marketplace volume checked in over $28 million with BLUR once again leading the way with over $17 million in transactions. ETH continues to play in the $1220 range.
- MVHQ and Catchmint.xyz have partnered up to unveil a new Pendings Bot that alerts MVHQ members to collections that are about to mint out based on certain thresholds. The team will continue to iterate on the new product to ensure future safety measures, proper threasholds and expanded functionality. You can see the Pendings Bot in action live in VC Hangout Chat or in our new Pendings Bot channel.
- Fidelity, an investment firm that manages over $9.6 Trillion in assets, filed trademark applications for an NFT marketplace and crypto trading services. https://twitter.com/Cointelegraph/status/1607555758136393728?s=20&t=Jr4a5bdZX9upUXu_DQKcvw ; back in October, Fidelity released their Digital Assets Study in PDF form courtesy of 'Ol Mitch https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/sites/default/files/documents/2022_Institutional_Investor_Digital_Assets_Study.pdf
- The Co-Founder of Solana, Aeya Kovenko, tweeted a thread detailing the impact of some of its major projects moving to other chains while providing some insight on future vision and plans. https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1607449836831358981?s=20&t=61mrz1rRP-k_n6zphc6tAA
- Japan is set to lift its ban on foreign-issued stablecoins such as $USDT and $USDC in 2023. https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru/status/1607405471539023881?s=20&t=61mrz1rRP-k_n6zphc6tAA
Volume flooded the market in an unexpected way as it recorded the largest trading day in ETH in well over three months registering 30K ETH traded. While trading activity dominated the day's attention, Deadfellaz and Chimpers also made exciting announcements for their holders to look forward to. That being said, many OG collections took the spotlight as they ripped with strong volume. Otherdeeds led the day trading 1400E, while Sappy Seals, Beanz, and Lil Pudgys all reached 500E or more in sales volume each, surely buoyed by the continued success of Pudgy Penguins, who today touched a 7E floor. Despite the high volume days however, their floor prices remain relatively unchanged.
Marketplaces enjoyed the day of increased volume but none more than Blur who again topped the charts with $23 million traded. Opensea finished the day with $9 million, while all marketplaces accounted for $37 million. ETH sagged a bit to close the day below $1200 at $1196.
-In a Tweet this morning X2Y2 announced a waitlist for the Alpha version of a new platform, X2Y2 Pro. No other details were released about the platform other than ways to increase your odds of access to the Alpha. https://twitter.com/the_x2y2/status/1607728760346013696
-Deadfellaz announced that it will begin reaching out to successful applicants who will be beta testing their Deadfellaz streaming avatars. The avatars will be used for those choosing to create content for the Deadfellaz brand. https://twitter.com/Deadfellaz/status/1607557294807724033
-Chimpers announced today that they will take a snapshot tomorrow of all Chimpers holders. Holders will then receive a Dojo NFT by OnCyber. https://twitter.com/ChimpersNFT/status/1607775156209860612
-Metamask and Opensea are taking increased measures against accounts located in regions currently sanctioned by the U.S. by cutting off their service or ability to operate. https://blockworks.co/news/cuban-nft-artists-encounter-limitation-of-web3-freedom
-Jimmy Yacht Club, a derivative based off of the ongoing BAYC storyline, The Trial of Jimmy the Monkey, minted out rather quickly today. The mint was initially free with 1 per wallet or .0077E per paid NFT. The floor quickly moved up to .07E before settling around .05E just two hours post-mint. The collection of 7477 has traded nearly 300E with 2850 unique holders awaiting the reveal. MVHQ specifically was able to find it very early thanks to the new Catchmint Bot. Congrats to everyone who minted! https://blur.io/collection/jimmyyachtclub
Fresh mints fired off with great success today as Soul Genesis, Metaka Wars, and g00fs all saw floors rip on solid volume with prices holding well above mint throughout the day. MFers saw a nice 15% bump with floors now in the 1.4E range. Mutant Hound Collars continue to run with a spike above 1.6E at one point and Renga had a nice 28% move with floors now holding in the 1.5E range.
Another really solid day in the volume department with a daily close of $36 million for the 2nd consecutive day. BLUR checked in at over $20 million in transactions with Opensea finishing just under $10 million. ETH continues to play in the $1200 range.
The market is staying hot. Let's keep cookin! Make sure you showcase all your hard-earned W's in the #success channel.
- China appears to be on the verge of launching its own "China Digital Asset Trading Platform" next week, with an official ceremony set to take place on 1/1. In addition to NFT's the platform will manage the exchange of digital asset copyrights across the country. https://twitter.com/CoinDesk/status/1608207221430550528?s=20&t=Lo5GUGSYkph62eYoI60PPQ
- Yuga Labs has released the next phase of the Trial of Jimmy the Monkey on the official MDvMM.xyz site. The new arg-style format will lead users down a path of clues and mysteries to unveil the lore behind the story. The next stage is scheduled to come to life on 1/11. https://twitter.com/BoredApeYC/status/1608238124538249216?s=20&t=vA538hdQaPefqdCgr0sUew
- Azuki gave a subtle nod and farewell to Ash and Pikachu from Pokemon. Both characters are set to be retired from the popular series on 1/13. https://twitter.com/AzukiOfficial/status/1608143170461921280?s=20&t=zUrKKGBclC9kb2n4eZZLsQ
- Proof Collective launched the landing page for its upcoming Grails III mint. The project will include two new mechanics: Editions and Series with a hard cap on total supply and will continue to feature art from various creators from across the space. https://twitter.com/proof_xyz/status/1608185011580342277?s=20&t=vA538hdQaPefqdCgr0sUew
- Voting for the newest ApeCoin Special Council seats concluded tonight with @veratheape, @nftgerry, and @boredapeg outlasting all other nominees. The trio will now serve one-year terms which include over $20,000 worth of $APE every month during their time on the council.https://twitter.com/GordonGoner/status/1608322690254880768?s=20&t=Lo5GUGSYkph62eYoI60PPQ
- Soul Genesis sold out at a 0.05E mint price and ran hard above 0.6E and now sits in the 0.35E range on over 300E in volume. https://blur.io/collection/soul-genesis
- Metaka Wars sold out at a 0.06E mint price and saw floors shoot above 0.2E, where it is currently holding on over 370E in volume. https://blur.io/collection/metakawarslabs
- g00fs sold out both their Allowlist and public mint phases immediately and saw their floors run up above 0.13E, with prices currently sitting in the 0.09E range on over 170E volume. https://blur.io/collection/g00fs-official
Although a bit slower today, the volume continued to pour in. Otherdeeds topped the charts with 675E in volume while Shamdoo moved on to the latest focus of his pumps, Renga, who closed with 550E traded. Finally, Mutant Hounds closed the day with another day of great volume with 400E traded as well.
Despite Blur's changes to its royalty policy it still led the pack in volume traded, registering $19 million with Opensea again following behind with $9 million. All major marketplaces tallied $33 million as ETH remained fairly unchanged at $1195.
-The ApeCoin Special Council was decided today with a late surprise as several million votes flooded in causing a shift in the standings causing popular ape influencer Gerry to overtake Degentraland. https://snapshot.org/#/apecoin.eth/proposal/0x0fb1d66dc79f164290a485fa2227c6e086dab1a87257db8139a4de4c27892c9c
-Binance has added new tools to onboard users by allowing them to purchase cryptocurrency with Apply Pay or Google Pay. This should hopefully remove some of the barrier to entry for users. https://twitter.com/Blockworks_/status/1608535941140054016?s=20&t=4FbTh8MYpaBvDJXotpo8dQ
-Blur introduced a host of changes today most notably including a mandatory creator royalty alongside an airdrop of $BLUR for creators. This is yet another chapter in the ongoing royalty wars between marketplaces with seemingly no end in sight. https://twitter.com/blur_io/status/1608580770083524608
-The Pendings minted at .025E with a supply of 999 where floors vacillated between 0.5E and .1E before rocketing up to a .5E floor where it has traded 300E volume. https://app.nftnerds.ai/collection/0x79c2dbc3ced9b873ec0e58d294313c7194c6c4a3/liveview
Weekend Recap 12/30-1/1
A big ol' Happy New Year to all of MVHQ. Hope everyone enjoyed the festivities and rung in 2023 safely. Excited to cook with everyone for another year!
A few mints held up extremely well with Toys and DenDekaDen showing strong marketplace action. Anata had a 34% pump with floors above 1.1E, Friendship Bracelets climbed above 0.4E, and Potatoz and its Memeland peer MVP collection both continued their climb upwards in anticipation of the Captainz mint later this week.
There was a solid dip in overall marketplace activity with the 2-day weekend total checking in under $45 million while ETH continued to play in the $1200 range.
- BLUR announced that its $BLUR token will launch towards the end of January and that Airdrop 3 will continue until the token launch. https://twitter.com/blur_io/status/1608852940743405569?s=20&t=3vO6fzxYcAwSLuFntsd_mw
- Popular Battle Royale game PUBG looks to integrate NFTs into its ecosystem and plans to unveil its token features in 2023. In collaboration with Web3 platform Banger, the teams began an Alpha test on 12/28. https://academy.moralis.io/blog/pubg-nft-integration-pubg-joins-the-metaverse-with-banger
- Gutter Cat Gang has launched the beta of its new online hub which will aim to be the center of their ecosystem moving forward. https://twitter.com/GutterCatGang/status/1608614506619621376?s=20&t=X1ci1EGIgNFj6zzCq2qUkA
- NounsDAO had a float appear in the New Years Day Rose Parade https://twitter.com/nounish/status/1609674062388924416?s=20&t=8RIM4VMytGwyoGG3QAPOFw
- Animoca Brands announces its Mocaverse eligibility requirements, which features its Mocalist and allows a variety of different Metaverse ecosystem coins and NFTs to participate. https://twitter.com/animocabrands/status/1609110474423140352?s=20&t=_xOIopuIo9ylaLPEC3adGw
- The Pendings team found themselves in a bit of controversy this weekend as they seemingly quickly unblocked and reblocked its collection from BLUR in an attempt to accept bids that were placed well above floor. The team put out this statement to rectify the situation. Big shoutout to @Jinzo for helping to sleuth the irregularities out. https://twitter.com/thependings/status/1609652322094964738?s=20&t=_xOIopuIo9ylaLPEC3adGw
- Punk6529 has officially opened Season 2 of The Memes with photographer and creator, CATH Simard. https://twitter.com/cathsimard_/status/1609594879923089409?s=20&t=LHpcGJVscRxMIgTU-xKmIQ
- Loopify shared pre-alpha gameplay for Treeverse https://twitter.com/Loopifyyy/status/1609596232904712192?s=20&t=bN7CX6a_DyNeV2_rXxyF8A
- Toys by 0xTechno Allowlist mint sold out at a 0.09E price and saw floors rise above 1.7E and is currently holding firm in the 1.15E range on over 800E in volume. https://blur.io/collection/toys-by-0xtechno
- DenDekaDen minted out at a 0.05E price and shot above 0.9E where it currently stands on over 370E in volume. https://blur.io/collection/dendekaden
- Juuni finally revealed and saw its floor rise above 0.5E before settling into its current 0.2E range on over 350E in volume. https://blur.io/collection/juuni-grimoire


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Disney on Tuesday released its earnings numbers for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 and, as expected, its parks and cruises business took a hammering due the coronavirus pandemic.
Shares of Disney initially declined following the report before rising about 2% in after hours trading.
In the third quarter, which ended on June 27, Disney brought in $11.78 billion revenue vs. analysts’ expected revenue of $12.39 billion. Disney managed to squeak by with a profit with its earnings per share at 8 cents vs. an estimated loss of 64 cents.
Disney’s lone segment to increase revenue year-over-year was direct-to-consumer and international. More than half of Disney’s 100 million streaming subscribers are from Disney+, with a total of 57.5 million subscribers not even one year into service. Three million of those subscribers were added in the third quarter.
Prior to Disney+’s launch in November, the company had set an initial target of 60 million to 90 million subscribers by the end of fiscal 2024.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Source: Business – Fortune


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The Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will be naming a sweet potato after the late UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.
Senior Research Scientist and Sweet potato and Taro Breeder, Dr Ernest Baafi says it's in recognition of Mr. Annan’s contribution towards sweet potato production through the founding of the Alliance for Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA).
File photo: The late Kofi Annan and his wife Nane, visited Sweet potato fields in Ghana
The Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, from January 1997 to December 2006, passed away on August 18, 2018, Switzerland.
The sweet potato plant belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are a root vegetable.
The new breed, AGRA SP-19 or CRI-Kofi Annan, is pending approval by the National Varietal Release Committee of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Since 2012, the institute has released thirteen (13) high yielding and early maturing varieties.
Despite the strides, the crop has enjoyed low level of utilization because of the sweet taste of the recently introduced orange fleshed type, rich in a substance known as beta carotene, which leads to production of vitamin A.
The high water content has limited their consumption as staple food.
Meanwhile, the institute released three sweet potato varieties in response to the demands.
File photo: The former UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, and his wife, Nane, at the Crops Research Centre
The potatoes approved by the National Varietal Release Committee comprise two less sweet varieties and one less sweet orange-fleshed sweet potato.
The sweet potato’s staple-blunt taste and low water content, makes it ideal for preparation of local Ampesi meal, Fufu flour, baby foods and potential enzyme soured for breweries and other industries.
“It has dry matter between 36-46 per cent so it won’t be soggy when it’s fried,” Dr Ernest Baafi revealed.
The new varieties are high-yielding and tolerant against Sweet potato virus and the sweet potato weevil as well as acidodes.
Dr Baafi believes the newly released varieties will boost government’s agenda such as Planting for Food and Jobs as well as One District, One Factory.
Have your say
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“We’re committed to growing and grooming a core team of communications professionals that allows us to provide our clients with a mix of senior strategic counsel and high-value campaign execution,” said Heidi Nelson, principal at Harvest.
Davis joins the Harvest team as a 20-year agency public relations professional who has led strategic brand building, media relations, social media and corporate social responsibility campaigns for some of the nation’s top brands in food, lifestyle, transportation, health and technology fields.
As account director for Harvest, Davis will be instrumental in managing key food and agriculture accounts, guiding strategy and developing new business for the agency. His food category experience includes product launch, education, policy and advocacy campaigns for organizations, such as National Cooperative Grocers Association, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s Food and Society Fellows, Organic Valley and Organic Trade Association.
Most recently, Davis worked at Twin Cities agencies Beehive PR and Haberman Media + Marketing. He’s a Nashville, Tenn., native with a journalism degree from Western Kentucky University. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and son.
Harvest also promoted Adriane Marten from account coordinator to digital and social media manager. Since joining the agency in February 2012, Marten has spearheaded numerous digital and social campaigns for food and farm clientele, including U.S. Apple Association, National Watermelon Promotion Board, Farm Journal Foundation and Willamette Egg Farms.
In her new role, Marten will continue to focus on enhancing and integrating strategic content across multi channels to support key communications objectives.
Along with a passion for marketing trends and social media, Marten plays an active role in the craft brew and bike communities, with experience working for local breweries and as a volunteer media relations manager for the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition. She holds a degree in strategic communications and minor in business management from the University of Minnesota and lives in Minneapolis.


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Hare you will fined some of the Biggest Halloween Candy Myths
Razor blades in apples
This is probably the most famous “dangerous Halloween candy” story of them all. Most parents warn their kids not to touch fresh fruit they get trick-o-treating. Halloween razor blade stories began to replace poisoned candy stories in the mid-1960s.
Jack Santino, author of “Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life,” wrote that in 1968 the New Jersey legislature passed a law mandating prison terms for people who boobytrapped apples. That year people found 13 apples with razor blades in them.
But Santino said the cases where more details are available indicate that about 75 percent were hoaxes, where the parents or the kids put the razors in themselves.
And another study tracked 80 cases of sharp objects in food since 1959 and almost all were hoaxes. Only 10 caused even a minor injury and the worst was a few stitches.
Needles in snickers
(Judy Sloan Reich, s-s / April 13, 2004)
Needles in candy
In 2000 James Joseph Smith of Minneapolis allegedly put needles in Snickers bars and gave them out to kids on Halloween. A 14-year-old boy was pricked when he bit into the candy, but no one needed medical care.
Smith was charged with one count of adulterating a substance with intent to cause death, harm or illness.
Drugs in candy
candy: cocaine poisoning
(TFW / October 19, 2004)
A three-year-old in New Britain, Conn., was diagnosed with cocaine poisoning after Halloween1994.
The finger was pointed at his Halloween candy, but no drugs were found on the leftover piece of candy.
Drugs in candy
(TFW/Iris Schneider / October 30, 2006)
On Nov. 2, 1970, Kevin Toston, 5, lapsed into a coma and died of a herion overdose. Analysis of some of his Halloween candy showed it had been sprinkled with heroin.
Detroit police concluded the boy had gotten into his uncle’s herion stash, and his family sprinkled the heroin on Kevin’s candy afterward to protect the uncle.
(TWP / October 25, 2007)
Poison on candy
In October 1988 the New York Times reported that traces strychnine were found in a box of Sunkist Fun Fruits Dinosaurs purchased in a New Jersey grocery store.
The Food and Drug Administration tested the substance and found out it was cornstarch. But the manufacturer had already destroyed 9,400 cases of the snacks because it said its image was hurt.
Snickers with drugs
(handout / October 17, 2004)
Handing out drugs
In 2000 some kids in Hercules, Calif., came home from trick-o-treating with packets of marijuana done up to look like mini Snickers bars. The police traced the fake candy to a single house.
They found the homeowner didn’t know the Snickers were actually mini marijuana packs. He was a postal worker who took the candy home when it ended up in the dead letter office.


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Everything you need to know about the Sony Xperia Z5
Want to know everything about the upcoming Sony Xperia Z5? Here’s what we know so far, including the expected Sony Xperia Z5 release date, new features and the latest specs info.
Oh Sony, when will you learn? The company’s mobile division might be struggling to turn a profit, but that isn’t enough to shutter its unique six-month release cycle.
The Japanese technology giant is widely rumoured to be plotting three new flagship Xperia devices to finish off 2015.
That’s despite the fact that it already launched three top-end handsets this year – the Xperia Z3+, the Xperia Z4, and the Xperia Z4v.
This time around, we’re expecting to see the Xperia Z5, the Xperia Z5 Compact, and the Xperia Z5+. Here we go again…
Latest Sony Xperia Z5 news – USB-C, Z5+ with 4K display
- 12 August 2015 – Sony Xperia Z5+ coming with 4K display
- 04 August 2015 – Xperia Z5 could include fingerprint scanner
- 27 July 2015 – Xperia Z5 display tipped for phablet upgrade
- 22 July 2015 – Sony Xperia Z5 a.k.a ‘S60’, coming September
- 06 July 2015 – Sony Xperia Z5 specs & release date tipped
- 10 June 2015 – Sony ‘investigating’ USB-C for Xperia phones
- 15 April 2015 – First Sony Xperia Z5 rumours surface
When is the Sony Xperia Z5 coming out? Z5 September, Z5+ late 2015
What’s new about the Sony Xperia Z5? USB-C, 4K screen, fingerprint scanner
How much will the Sony Xperia Z5 cost? £499-569 ($599-669)
Related: LG Nexus 5 (2015) – Everything you need to know
Check out our smartphone buyers guide below:
When will the Sony Xperia Z5 come out?
Back in July, German tech site WinFuture claimed that Sony has developed handsets under the codenames S70, S70+, and S60.
It reported that two of these would be arriving in September, which is generally the season for Sony Xperia releases.
What’s more, September also hosts the IFA 2015 trade-show, which is held in Berlin every year.
IFA is fertile ground for sowing the seeds of smartphones, and Sony often uses the tradeshow to launch new products.
As such, we’ll likely see both the Z5 and Z5 Compact revealed within the first week of September, in line with the event.
The case is less clear-cut for the Sony Xperia Z5+, which is tipped to arrive later than the Z5 and Z5 Compact.
It’s not clear why Sony would opt for a different release window for the phablet, but the company’s launch strategy has never really been conventional.
It’s highly unlikely that Sony will leave the Z5+ launch as late as December, because that cuts the release too close to Christmas – missed sales would be assured.
Instead, we’d say late October or November are the more likely candidate months for an Xperia Z5+ release date.
Related: Android 6.0 Marshmallow features
What’s new about the Sony Xperia Z5?
As is always the case with unannounced phones, we can never be 100% sure what sort of improvements will be forthcoming.
That said, we’ve been privy to a shedload of leaks and rumours, so we can make some educated guesses about Sony’s next smartphones.
The biggest talking point is a rumour that suggests the Xperia Z5+ will feature a 4K screen. We’re also expecting a QHD display upgrade for the Xperia Z5.
Then there’s been several leaks that have pointed to Sony opting for a fingerprint scanner, finally. That’s a feature that has been missed on every Xperia smartphone to date.
Don’t forget that although it might not appear at launch, Google’s upcoming Android 6.0 Marshmallow is almost assured to eventually roll out to the new Xperia phones.
Should I wait for the Sony Xperia Z5?
Sony is rumoured to be planning three smartphones for this autumn, so the company is clearly trying to tick all boxes.
As such, if you’re a fan of Sony devices, you’ll probably find something that suits from the expected Z5, Z5 Compact, or Z5+ line-up.
The Z5 is the core model, and looks probable to land with a 5.2-inch display, while the Z5+ is tipped with a 5.5-inch display, just like the iPhone 6 Plus. Neither form factor is particularly huge by 2015’s standards and is a lot smaller than the ridiculously big Xperia Z Ultra released in 2013.
There’s also the rumoured iPhone 6S, set for a September unveiling, so it might be worth checking out our iOS 9 vs Android 6.0 feature to weigh up the benefits of Apple’s and Google’s respective operating systems.
Check out our smartphone group test video below:
In-Depth: Sony Xperia Z5 Specs & Features Explained
It’s a great time to be a Sony fan, with three new smartphones apparently in the works.
Unfortunately, the problem with an abundance of handsets is that it’s tough to pin a given leak to a specific handset.
However, we’ve done our best to round-up what we expect to see from Sony’s new Xperia devices when the rumoured autumn launch finally arrives.
Sony Xperia Z5 display:
We’re expecting Sony to follow suit with previous handsets when it comes to its next Xperia screen sizes.
As such, the Z5 Compact is rumoured to boast a 4.6-inch display, while the Z5 is tipped to carry a 5.2-inch panel.
Leaked Z5 and Z5 Compact
When it comes to the resolution, it’s been suggested that the Z5 will use a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel screen.
That’s exactly the same panel that we saw from this year’s Xperia Z3+.
However, the US-only Xperia Z4v – also launched in 2015 – carried a 2,560 x 1,440 pixel QHD panel, which is a significant leap in resolution.
It’s anyone’s guess as to which panel Sony will opt for at this point.
Our best evidence yet is a leak of a UAProf for a mysterious Sony Mobile device that comes courtesy of XperiaBlog.
A UAProf, or a User Agent Profile, is a file that contains information about the capability – stuff like model, screen size, character set support, etc. – and preferences of a given device.
They’re useful for developers so that they can produce content in an appropriate format for a given device.
The model numbers in this specific leak are listed as E68XX, E6833, E6853, and E6883, which follow the same naming convention as previous Xperia smartphones.
What’s interesting is that this particular UAProf lists the screen resolution of the device as 3,840 x 2,160 pixels – that’s 4K/UHD.
It’s worth questioning whether there’s any real reason why Sony should use a 4K display on its next Xperia smartphone.
Using a 4K panel will create a significant drain on battery life, especially if it ends up using the year-old Snapdragon 810.
What’s more, it’ll be very difficult to tell the difference between QHD and 4K resolutions on a teeny smartphone screen.
However, there’s the argument that 4K screens will eventually become mainstream thanks to the advent of virtual reality. Many VR headsets use smartphones as display inserts, meaning the devices sit very close to a user’s eyes – you’ll need higher resolutions to keep images looking crisp.
Also, Sony Xperia handsets have, in the past, struggled to differentiate themselves in the market thanks to a lack of standout features. A 4K screen could fix that.
We should also note that it’s been rumoured that the Sony Xperia Z5+ will feature the company’s 4K X-Reality engine.
That’s the Sony-built software that lets you upscale Full HD video to faux 4K-quality. It already appears on many of Sony’s Bravia TVs.
Related: Android Marshmallow vs iOS 9
Sony Xperia Z5 design:
This part of the round-up is easy, because Sony is very predictable when it comes to the Xperia smartphone series.
Once again, Sony is rumoured to be adopting its ‘Omnibalance’ design approach to the three new phones.
If you don’t know what that is, you only need to take a look at basically every Xperia smartphone ever produced.
Typical hallmarks of an Omnibalance phone? A flat, rectangular body, a glassy – or sometimes matte – rear, front-firing speakers, and reinforced corners.
Sony maintains this design approach across its low-, mid-, and high-end phones, so it’s often difficult to identify a specific Xperia handset at a glance.
We’ve heard from various leaks that at least one of the phones will have a 6.9mm profile. That’s exactly the same as Apple’s iPhone 6, although it’s slightly thicker than the 6.8mm Samsung Galaxy S6, not that you’d notice.
Sony Xperia Z5 camera:
While we’ve seen plenty of rumours concerning the Xperia Z5 trio, there’s been very little leaked about the camera set-up.
The best we can do right now is a rumour that we’ll see a 20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
That’s compared to the 20.7-megapixel main camera and 5.1-megapixel selfie shooter that appeared on this year’s Xperia Z3+.
It’s very likely that the rumour of a 20.7-megapixel camera is true, as that sensor featured on the Xperia Z3 too. As such, it would be strange to downgrade.
It’s also not a huge leap of faith to suggest we’ll see an upgrade from a 5-megapixel front-facing sensor to an 8-megapixel unit.
Sony camera set-ups on top-end Xperia phones are usually fleshed-out affairs, so we can also expected to see autofocus, an LED flash, HDR, and probably ISO 12800.
Related: Best Smartphone 2015
Sony Xperia Z5 specs:
Right, remember that UAProf we mentioned earlier in the display section? Well aside from the mention of a 4K screen, it also gave us a clue regarding the Z5+ processor.
The UAProf in question made reference to an “MSM8994” chip, which we already know to be Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor – it’s already appeared on the Xperia Z3+.
Unfortunately, the Snapdragon 810 hasn’t received the best reviews thanks to reported overheating issues. Those alleged lofty temperatures might not fare so well trying to support the aforementioned 4K screen.
There’s also an outside chance we might see Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 820 chip appear on the device.
Qualcomm has confirmed its existence, but the top-end processor isn’t due to appear on smartphones until late 2015 or early 2016.
As such, there’s a possibility that a late-launching Xperia Z5+ might land in time to use the 820.
Qualcomm was rumoured to be giving manufacturers access to Snapdragon 820 samples in the second half of 2015, so Sony may already have its hands on the chip.
The Snapdragon 820 is built on Samsung’s highly efficient 14nm FinFET manufacturing process, and will use four custom-built ‘Hydra’ cores. Expect serious power as a result.
Other rumoured specs include 4GB of RAM (up from 3GB on the Z3+), and 32GB of built-in storage.
Related: Best Android Apps 2015
Sony Xperia Z5 Battery Life:
There’s one rumoured Sony Xperia Z5+ component that we feel warrants its own section entirely.
That’s the battery, which is reported to offer a staggeringly large 4,500mAh battery capacity.
That’s well up on the comparatively paltry 2,930mAh battery featured on this year’s Xperia Z3+.
We’ve seen huge batteries on smartphones before. Take, for instance, the upcoming Acer Liquid X2 with its 4,000mAh battery. Or the Doogee S6000, with its aptly sized 6,000mAh cell.
However, such meaty batteries are hardly the norm, so here’s a list of flagship smartphones with more conventional battery sizes, for comparison:
- Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge – 2,600mAh
- HTC One M9 – 2,840mAh
- iPhone 6 Plus – 2,915mAh
- LG G4 – 3,000mAh
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5 – 3,000mAh
- OnePlus 2 – 3,300mAh
It’s plainly evident that a 4,500mAh Sony Xperia Z5+ battery would trump the core competition.
With a cell that large, we’d expect the Xperia Z5+ to comfortably last two days, but we’ll need to wait for the actual handset – should one exist – to really test its capability.
Sony Xperia Z5 software:
There are only two real choices for Sony when it comes to mobile operating systems, and they both belong to Google.
The first is Android 5.0 Lollipop, which is a nearly year-old OS that’s featured on most of Sony’s latest devices.
Lollipop is getting on a bit now, but it’s undoubtedly formidable software, and it looks pretty good too thanks to Google’s new ‘material design’ aesthetic.
In all probability, Sony’s new smartphones will carry Lollipop straight out of the box.
The handsets will likely have been in development for months now, and Lollipop will have been immediately to hand during the process.
However, there’s also a chance we might see Google’s Android 6.0 Marshmallow making an appearance.
A handful of sites have been peddling rumours that this might be the case, although we’re not so sure.
Google only announced Marshmallow back in May, and the software isn’t due to roll out on Nexus devices until this autumn.
As such, it would seem a little premature if a Sony device turned up rocking the new software as soon as September.
If the Z5+ does end up with Android 6.0, it will be one of the first handsets to tout the new software.
At the very least, it’s very likely that all three rumoured Sony smartphones will eventually get an upgrade to Android 6.0.
Unfortunately, the Sony Xperia Z3, which originally launched in September 2014, didn’t get Android 5.0 Lollipop until April this year.
That sets a bad precedent for Sony upgrades, as the handset was one of the last to receive the update.
Hopefully Sony can turn around Marshmallow much quicker this time around, although we wouldn’t count on it.
Whatever operating system Sony opts for in the end, it’s almost assured that there’ll be some tweaks made before it reaches consumers. You’ll get some bundled features, like added camera settings, plus a host of Xperia apps pre-installed.
Android Pay is a key feature of Marshmallow
Related: Android Pay vs Apple Pay
Sony Xperia Z5 features:
Perhaps the most exciting addition that’s rumoured for the new Xperia handsets is a fingerprint scanner.
It’s a feature that’s been sorely missed on previous Xperia smartphones, despite many competitor devices having offered the technology for a while.
Google has confirmed that its next mobile OS update – Android 6.0 Marshmallow – will include standardised support for fingerprint scanners, so now is as good a time as any to finally upgrade to the sensory tech.
Also, Google is set to launch Android Pay this autumn, so fingerprint scanners will be in greater demand thanks to the extra security required to power the mobile payments platform.
There’s also a chance that at least one of the new Sony phones will feature a USB-C port.
That’s the latest USB standard that’s going to start appearing on most mobile devices over the next year.
USB-C, as seen on the OnePlus 2
Aside from offering faster transfer speeds, the new connector also features a reversible tip, just like Apple’s Lightning cables.
Sony has already admitted that it’s having “internal discussions” about whether to adopt the new technology.
Back in June, a FocusTaiwan article revealed Sony was “investigating” USB-C, but there was no confirmation that the port would be included on a future phone.
Don’t forget that Google made a big deal about USB-C at this year’s I/O developer conference, confirming that it is “heavily involved in creating a new USB Type C standard”.
The upcoming Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system will support USB-C, so it’s likely that Sony will eventually utilise USB-C, even if it’s not featured on the next round of Xperia phones.
Sony Xperia Z5 price:
It’s always difficult to pin down pricing for unconfirmed smartphones, but we can look to previous Sony launches for clues.
Interestingly, Sony’s Xperia handsets have actually decreased in launch price over the last few iterations.
We don’t expect Sony will slip below the £499 for the Xperia Z5, and certainly not the Xperia Z5+.
As such, it’s probably that the Xperia Z5 will cost somewhere in the region of £500 to £570.
The Z5 Compact, which should boast similar specs to the Z5, will likely tout a similarly high-end mark-up – we’d expect between £400 and £500.
Then there’s the Xperia Z5+, which is a bit more difficult to predict.
As that’s expected to be a seriously top-bill handset, it’s probably going to match flagship rival handsets on pricing.
Share your thoughts on what you’d like to see from the Sony Xperia Z5 in the comments below.


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Comparing the trend in VF Corporation stock (NYSE: VFC) (which owns brands such as Vans, Timberland, and The North Face) over recent months with its trajectory during and after the Great Recession of 2008, we believe that the stock can potentially gain 10% to levels around $65, once fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak are put to rest. Like most apparel retailers, VFC is essentially currently limited to e-commerce sales, as most of its stores around the world remain closed or are seeing weak footfall. It should be noted that the company generates roughly 7% of its total revenues from digital sales.
A detailed comparison of VFC performance vis-à-vis the S&P 500 is available in our interactive dashboard analysis, 2007-08 vs. 2020 Crisis Comparison: How Did VF Corporation Stock Fare Compared With S&P 500?
The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency at the end of January in light of the coronavirus spread. The rally in the equity market continued till February 19 with the S&P 500 reaching a record high, but the trend reversed sharply over the following weeks. VFC stock lost 44% of its value (vs. about a 34% decline in the S&P 500) between February 19 and March 23. A bulk of the decline came after March 6th, when an increasing number of Coronavirus cases outside China fueled concerns of a global economic slowdown. Notably, though, the multi-billion dollar stimulus package announced by the U.S. government has helped the stock price recover 28% over recent weeks (vs. about a 36% gain in the S&P 500) to its current level of close to $59.
VFC Stock Fell Because The Situation On The Ground Has Changed
Consumers under lockdown-style conditions could likely forego apparel and other discretionary consumer items and focus on buying necessities such as food and medicine. The coronavirus outbreak has forced nonessential retail stores to close across the globe. VFC had to temporarily force shut its retail stores in mainland China at the beginning of the year and soon thereafter in North America, as part of its response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business.
The coronavirus crisis led to a disappointing Q4 FY 2020 ending in May. The company’s revenues declined 11% year-over-year (y-o-y), while its adjusted earnings per share fell 70% y-o-y in Q4. In fact, the company has guided for the upcoming fiscal Q1 revenues to decline by more than 50%, given the weak shopping trend seen in this quarter. If signs of coronavirus containment aren’t clear by its August Q1 earnings timeframe, it’s likely that VFC’s stock is going to see a continued drop when results confirm reality.
VFC Stock Fared Better During The 2008 Downturn
But VFC stock witnessed something similar during the 2008 downturn. VFC’s stock declined from levels of around $15 in October 2007 (the pre-crisis peak) to roughly $9 in March 2009 (as the markets bottomed out) - implying that the stock lost as much as 35% of its value from its approximate pre-crisis peak. This marked a much lower drop than the broader S&P, which fell by about 51%.
However, VFC’s stock recovered post the 2008 crisis, to levels of about $14 in early 2010, rising by 47% between March 2009 and January 2010. In comparison, the S&P bounced back by about 48% over the same period.
Will VF Corp Stock Recover Similarly From The Current Crisis?
It should be noted that VFC’s stock fell 44% from the market peak on February 19 to the low on March 23 compared to the 35% decline during the 2008 recession. Also, since it has recovered almost 28% over recent weeks - we believe it can potentially recover by another 10% to be close to $65 once economic conditions begin to show signs of improving. This marks a partial recovery to around the $83 level VFC stock was before the coronavirus outbreak gained global momentum.
We also compared the trend in Under Armour’s stock over recent months with the 2008 crisis.
That said, the actual recovery and its timing hinge on the broader containment of the coronavirus spread. Our dashboard forecasting U.S. COVID-19 cases with cross-country comparisons analyzes expected recovery time-frames and possible spread of the virus.
Further, our dashboard -28% Coronavirus crash vs. 4 Historic crashes builds a complete macro picture and complements our analyses of the coronavirus outbreak’s impact on a diverse set of VFC’s multinational peers including Nike. The complete set of coronavirus impact and timing analyses is available here.


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Forget the shopping, forego the leftovers and get yourself to a state park on Black Friday.
For the second year, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is waiving all parking and day-use fees the day after Thanksgiving, offering a more natural - and healthier - alternative to the American retail holiday.
It's one of the only days of the year that state parks in Oregon are free; the department doesn't usually participate in fee-free days since the vast majority of state parks are free year-round. Of the 197 state park sites, only 25 charge a $5 day-use parking fee.
But the parks that charge tend to be among the most popular in the state, from Fort Stevens and Cape Lookout on the coast, to Smith Rock and The Cove Palisades in central Oregon.
The nonprofit Oregon State Parks Foundation is celebrating as well, offering special programming and raffles at Stub Stewart, Tryon Creek, Champoeg and Silver Falls State Parks from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.
The parks department isn't the only one encouraging people to get outside for Black Friday. Outdoor retailer REI is once again closing its stores and encouraging people to get into nature with its second #OptOutside campaign.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission won't waive its Discover Pass fees for Black Friday this year, but in 2017 it will waive fees for "Autumn Day" on the day after Thanksgiving.
--Jamie Hale | email@example.com | @HaleJamesB


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This week Salon launches a beta program which leverages cryptotech blockchain technology to help advertisers and users avoid ad fraud.
Since the beginning of the commercial Internet harking back to the mid 1990’s and the days of Netscape, Yahoo, MSN and even Salon, online publishers primarily pay for the cost of creating and hosting content by placing advertisements on their website. On the surface the concept seems pretty simple: Advertiser “A” wants to put a message in front of “B” audience and receives payment in return. This is how it has worked for many years. Over the past few years the programmatic (automated) advertising industry has evolved, adding layers of complexity to the advertising market and transforming the automated advertising market into a $40 billion per year business. During a portion of that period, the industry was lucrative enough for publishers to cover costs and fund growth. Unfortunately, as with many things that involve money, undesirables have found ways to hack this process and defraud the system.
Various studies examining the issue of ad fraud determine that the range of online ad fraud in 2018 will range from $7Bn to $19Bn. The result of such activity is the destruction of publishers' ad space value. For users this means seeing more bad ads and malware. The result of this will be that more users will resort to installing ad blocking software and large scale advertisers will pull their dollars out of the market until a better solution is found. This leaves publishers with an even smaller opportunity to generate enough revenue to cover content creation costs.
Ad fraud is tricking advertisers into thinking they are placing ads on a real website when in fact it is a fake site that hackers create that has no real audience to capture the ad revenue. Advertisers lose hundreds of millions of dollars per year by paying for ads they are led to believe are showing up on the assigned publisher’s site but really are redirected to third party sites that have stolen the publisher’s identity. This is called domain spoofing and it is a main reason why online advertising is not as efficient as it once was. As a result, advertisers have begun to take larger and larger portions of their advertising budget away from publishers and instead use third party verification services to combat the problem.
As ad placement dollars decrease, publishers like Salon have to create more ad space to make up the difference. More ads mean more intrusive experiences for users which led some users to resort to ad blockers. This leaves even less ad space for publishers to offer ads which has resulted in even more of a decrease in revenue. You can see the cycle here, right? Salon’s first step toward breaking this vicious cycle was introducing a groundbreaking digital mining solution in February 2018, and in the coming weeks we will be offering an ad-free paid app on mobile, tablet and streaming devices for those readers who choose to support site directly with their wallets.
There have been attempts by the ad industry to eliminate domain spoofing. The latest is an initiative called ads.txt led by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau). While most publishers have adopted this, domain spoofing still remains a significant problem. The New York Times and The Washington Post bothhave reported they still lose $3.5M each day to domain spoofing. The challenge with current verification services and ads.txt is that they can still be compromised or worked around by smart ad fraud criminals.
While mainstream technology continues to try and solve this issue to little or no avail, the emerging protocols of blockchain technology might be the answer. You might have heard about the blockchain in reference to bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Put simply and loosely, the blockchain consists of thousands of computers whose role it is to agree on and verify digital currency transactions and do so via mathematical computations creating absolute certainty that a transaction is legitimate versus some of the current financial verification methods that are based more on probability (i.e it’s probable “john doe” did indeed sign this check). This creates a system where a single entity would have to convince the entire blockchain that their activity is legitimate if they are trying to defraud the system. Blockchain, at a high level, creates immutable identity for whatever purpose a blockchain might be applied. Anything with a series of transactions or “blocks” within the blockchain are transparent and verified by all who participate.
In this case, applying the blockchain concept to the online advertising industry means creating immutable identity for publishers and advertisers. Doing so would mean each ad transaction is verified by thousands of computers that would need to confirm that the publishers are who they say they are, and the advertiser is who they say they are, before displaying the ad and money being spent or transferred.
While the industry and IAB need to help create standards around applying blockchain to the ad industry, we can start by creating blockchain identities for advertisers and publishers. In fact, it has already started. Salon is now participating in a pilot program with blockchain ad tech company Rebel AI, led by industry veterans with over two decades of ad technology experience to bring the pieces of adtech and blockchain together to create a solution. The company is the first to try and tackle this problem using blockchain technology with a version of it currently in a closed beta.
Salon is one of the first publications to create its identity on the online ad blockchain giving advertisers who also create an identity a secure way to ensure their ad dollars will not fall into fraudulent hands when buying ad space on salon.com. As the closed beta program runs, Rebel AI will be able to collect data to determine the added level of security their blockchain tech brings to domain spoofing.
If the closed beta proves as successful as we hope, advertisers and publishers will be able to refocus on putting those extra ad dollars to work to create better and safer ad experiences for users. #betterinternet


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Swipe has launched the Swipe Elite X in India on March 15. The smartphone is exclusively available on Snapdeal at Rs 3,999 with 20 percent discount.
Notably, the customers will also get additional 10 percent discount on ICICI, Standard Chartered and HDFC card on paying digitally. Elite X is available for purchase from March 15.
The device features shatterproof 5-inch LCD display. It runs on the Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The dual-SIM smartphone is powered by the 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The user can expand the internal memory up to 64GB via microSD card.
The entry-level handset is one of the cheapest dual-rear camera smartphones in the country. It marks 8MP+2MP dual rear camera. On the front, Swipe Elite X sports 5MP camera with LED flash for selfies.
Swipe Elite X comes in three color options of black, gold, and silver.
Stay tuned for more tech updates.


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dailygamesnews.com - Nintendo's continues to be most popular across Europe with Wii and DS leading the way in the latest hardware sales charts across the region. Sony's PS3 edges in front of the Xbox 360...
1. Wii: 292,000 2. DS: 275,000 3. PS3: 167,000 4. Xbox 360: 129,00 5. PSP: 89,000
Although this guy might want to look up when to use the edge.
For some reason I don't believe those PS3 numbers. They're just way too low in my opinion. How can it be selling at the same rate since 2008?
First of all, according to VGChartz, PS3 sold 116k last year and 167k this year, so I don't know how you reached the conclusion it's not doing better than last year. Second of all, OH YEAH- the supposed "internal" sales data sources this article's referencing... they just took credit for VGChartz's numbers.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Gyeonggi-do is South Korea’s most populous province. It covers 31 cities and districts. Each has its own currency. Some of the cities and districts have local paper currency. Most of them provide prepaid cards that can also be used with Google Pay. Only three cities offer a digital currency.
Samsung Electronics has been working with the province to enable simple local currency payments using mobile devices. It will utilize Samsung Pay for this purpose, allowing citizens of the 28 other cities and districts to pay by mobile phone.
Gyeonggi local currency to be linked with Samsung Pay
Gyeonggi-do and Samsung Electronics have signed an agreement to launch a local currency easy payment platform. Citizens in the 28 cities and districts that don’t have their own local digital currency stand to benefit.
They will no longer require a physical card to make local currency payments. They’ll be able to do that using Samsung Pay on their smartphones. This platform will bring the Gyeonggi local currency to the Samsung Pay Simple Payment App. Citizens can easily make payments at merchants by touching their phones to the card payment terminal.
The Gyeonggi local currency is expected to be linked with Samsung Pay after the system verification process is completed. It may go live before the end of next month.


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Leading the way with its innovative approach, Wave Boat UK unveils the UK’s first Virtual Reality (VR) boat showroom at the company’s Bournemouth showroom.
Wave Boat UK is a company that’s going places, and we don’t just mean on the water. Some of our regular readers will have read our article on their innovative Z-Line model, which can be powered by a propeller or a jet ski. It’s truly a remarkable boat and looks a tremendous amount of fun.
In addition to the launch of the Z-line to the UK market, the company is now introducing another rather interesting innovation.
Wave Boat UK is a company that prides itself on a high level of customer service. To help cement their position as one of the industry leaders, they’ve launched a VR showroom allowing customers to experience some of their excellence from the comfort of their own homes.
Customers can now become immersed in the world of Wave Boat, viewing the brand’s entire collection of boats right before their eyes. The VR showroom also goes a step further by letting customers design their own boat to their exact specification.
This interactive feature allows customers to get up close and personal with some of the company’s most popular boats, such as the new Z-Line model which has a ground-breaking design and technology and can reach speeds of up to 50mph. The option of jet power is a safer alternative and can be used in crowded waters while providing unmatched versatility.
Rob Wilson, Director of Wave Boat UK, says: “We are proud to be renowned for providing luxurious customer service to all of our customers. However, we are always on the search to keep going above and beyond.
Virtual Reality has been on my radar for some time due to its success in the design, production and manufacturing industry. Its interactive features were what initially drew me in, as this is the perfect step towards creating an innovative and imaginative experience for our customers.
I love that our customers can peruse our entire collection up close and have the option to customise their boat to their exact specification. It really adds a whole new meaning to luxury customer experience.
The VR showroom is perfect for both boating enthusiasts and those who are just entering the wide world of boating. We’re hoping that our VR showroom will also act as a method of education as customers can get a more in-depth look at our boats and understand more about the innovative design and technology which Wave Boat UK offers.”
For more information on Wave Boat and to try their virtual reality showroom, visit www.waveboat.co.uk.
Read more boating-related articles in our dedicated section here.


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ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — A brand new vinyl record store called E-town Record Lounge had its grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 17.
The E-town Record Lounge is owned and operated by two local friends and vinyl record collectors, Ryan Reed and Tim Orth. According to Reed, the idea for the new vinyl record lounge came from the two partner’s passion for vinyl record collecting, as well as both of their older son’s love of music – specifically, jamming out on the drums.
Reed and Orth both have experience with owning their own perspective businesses – Orth owns a local plumbing business, whereas Reed has had about 15 years of experience in retail and currently works in real estate.
“We both have careers, owning this record shop is not a job for me – this is about having fun!” Reed exclaimed.
The new, approximately 700-square-foot record lounge is home to about 2,000 – 3,000 original vinyl records, in addition to offering some CDs and old-school cassette tapes. According to Reed, their vast vinyl record collection spans across all genres, from rock, jazz, country, metal, alternative, and a whole lot more.
E-town Record Lounge is more than just a shop for customers to buy and sell their vinyl records – it is also a hangout spot for customers to sit back, relax, and listen to music. According to Reed, the lounge is equipped with tables, chairs, and couches – providing enough room for about 20 to 25 people to comfortably browse and listen to some tunes.
“We appreciate being a part of this growing community, and being accepted by this community,” Reed said.
The E-town Record Lounge’s hours of operation are:
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Saturdays // 9 a.m to 1 p.m.
E-town Record Lounge is located at 9 S. Market St. in Elizabethtown.


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Coming to a country near you soon …
– This Is What Happens To Gold In A Hyperinflationary Currency Crisis: Ukraine Edition (ZeroHedge, Feb 25, 2015):
As Ukraine’s socio-economic situation goes from wost to worst-er, today’s announcement by President Poroshenko that the government will take actions to stabilize the currency (which as we previously noted, appears to be heading for hyperinflation) has Ukrainians rushing for the exits into precious metals… with only one goal in mind – wealth preservation.
This is what gold does in a fiat-currency crisis. Now if only Ukraine actually still had some gold…
Furthermore, according to RIA, on Tuesday, Ukrainian television channel Ukraina announced that with the new exchange rate, the minimum wage in Ukraine stands at around $42.90 per month, which according to the channel, is lower than in Ghana or Zambia.
There are currently no plans to raise the minimum wage until December.
“Food prices among producers rose 57.1 percent, with the price for grains and vegetables rising 91 percent from January 2014 to January 2015, while the official inflation rate over the period totaled 28.5 percent.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian consumers responded to economic difficulties by cutting their spending in hryvnias by 22.6 percent, which amounts to an almost 40 percent decrease in real consumption.”
Nothing to fear though: we are sure all that hard-earned US taxpayer-lent money will be safe and sound.


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Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. had announced yesterday the $4 Billion investment to their existing Austin, Texas factory. The investment’s plan is to boost the production of ARM-based chips that are usually used in smartphones and tablets aside from renovation of the current facilities. This investment plan from Samsung does not include the $2 Billion manufacturing plant that they are going to build in its home country to better serve its customers.
Last year, Samsung had already finished the phase 2 construction of Austin facility, where they build A4 and A5 processors for Apple devices as well as other logic chips. Samsung’s total investment to its Texas plant will now account to $13 Billion, the largest foreign investment in Texas.
Can you imagine two companies that are consistently in court because of opposite accusations? Yet they have a give-and-take relationship from the inside that made both Apple and Samsung to stand in the latest technology nowadays. Though Apple replies on Samsung’s production of custom processors and other components, some analysts says that Apple is planning on getting away from Samsung and had announced the sign-up of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in producing its ARM chips for Apple mobile devices.
“The added ability in production will allow our customers to better respond to market needs,” said Woosung Han, President of Samsung Austin Semiconductor. The remodeled fab line will mainly produce mobile System-on-a-chip (SoC) on 300-mm wafers at the 28-nm process node. The renovation and upgrade will probably start next month with the focus on mass production of the retrofitted facility that will be expected on the second half of 2013.
Do not be confused about the courtroom battles of Samsung and Apple. After all, Samsung’s chip division is the largest supplier of Apple mobile devices. Do you think Apple and Samsung will not part separate ways in the next 5 years?


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Women will strut their stuff during a charity fashion show on Thursday to raise money for a St Albans charity dedicated to supporting people with HIV.
Chloe James will host the charity fashion show in aid of the Crescent, based in Russell Avenue at Cotes Brasserie in the High Street from 7pm.
Donna Nichol, owner of the High Street boutique, said: “Tickets have now sold out, which is great.
“After meeting everyone at the Crescent, they are a brilliant charity.
“It receives no government funding and is entirely run on donations, so we are keen to do all we can to keep it going.”
The Crescent is entirely reliant on donations after government funding was pulled in 2011.


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GIRT Hamburg and Bremen Chamber of Commerce invite to an insightful event on 21st Nov. 2013
Latest data suggest that India is again set on a growth track. Away from media limelight India’s hinterland has emerged as a key driver of economic growth. A recent report in the Economic Times (4th October 2013) said, “India Inc’s rural champions have probably never had it so good”. “At a time when the rest of India Inc is either groaning under heavy debt or struggling to sell in a sluggish market,” the report said, “companies with heavy rural focus are literally licking their lips in anticipation of a surge in demand in India’s villages and towns.” The news items also quoted a Deutsche Bank report saying that “years of above-average rainfall have increased rural prosperity and stock markets have responded by pushing up prices of companies with a strong rural presence.”
Apart from the monsoon this development can be attributed, at least partially, to the increased government spending on rural development. The budgetary allocation of India’s central Ministry of Rural Development, as per its Annual Report 2012-13, alone increased more than 6-folds from Rs. 114 billion ($2.6 billion in then exchange rates) in fiscal year 2004-05 to Rs. 731.8 billion ($13.5 billion) in FY 2012-13. Various schemes of the respective state governments and other ministries are not included here. Since the inception of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in 2006 a cumulative Rs. 1,3 trillion (approx. $26 billion) have been paid as wages to rural households by the Government while 13.5 billion man-days worth of employment was generated to accomplish 14.6 million various projects.
All these chances have opened up new avenues also for Indo-German collaboration beyond the big metropolitan cities and the tire-2 towns. Especially small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) can benefit from public-private partnership (PPP) projects, for which India has reportedly emerged as the largest market world-wide. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has been providing active support for SMEs tapping into this market. GIRT and the Bremen Chamber of Commerce are pleased to provide a platform to familiarize interested firms and others with the untapped, enormous chances in rural India, which can be accessed with support from BMZ. For this purpose we invite interested persons/firms to an event at the Bremen Chamber of Commerce for two insightful talks by:
- Ms. Kamini Issar-Ernst, Senior Director, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Bonn, will talk on how Germany can play a role in impacting Transformational and Sustainable Change in Rural India;
- Dr. Bianca Untied (BMZ) will elaborate on how businesses and government can collaborate within the framework of development policies and what support structures are available for German firms specially SMEs.
The meeting will take place on 21. November 2013, from 17.00 to about 20.00 hours in the Börsensaal of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce (Handelskammer Bremen, Am Markt 13, 28195 Bremen).
We look forward to an active and useful interaction with firms and other institutional players interested in India. Please send your registrations to Ms. Anja Reinkensmeier (firstname.lastname@example.org) preferably by the end of this week to secure participation as the number of available seats are limited.
We would also like to draw your attention to the South Asia Day at the University of Hamburg on Saturday, the 16th November. Amongst several prominent guests Mr. Rudolf Weiler, who founded GIRT to promote Indo-German economic relations, is taking part in a panel discussion on vocational training in South Asian countries. Further information can be found online.
Finally, I am also enclosing a recent article of ours „Go frugal! Future belongs to ‚good enough‘ products with attractive value proposition“ that has been published in GermanyContact India’s recent issue.
With best regards


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Suman Chowdhury, Chief Analytical Officer, Acuité Ratings & Research on August 2020 CPI:
"The CPI for August 2020 doesn't indicate any major relief from the inflationary pressures with the print at 6.69% as against the revised figure of 6.73% in July. The food inflation hasn't shown much of a decline, staying put at 9.05% and highlighting the continuing supply constraints in the economy. There has only been a slight moderation in the YoY inflation of meat and fish (16.5%) and pulses (14.4%) while it has remained at the same levels for edible oils (12.4%) and vegetables (11.4%). Clearly, a double digit inflation in some of these key food categories before the festive season will remain a concern for the policy makers. Core inflation also continues to remain above 5% due to cost push pressures and reinforces the potential risks of stagflation in a contractionary economy, as highlighted earlier by Acuité Ratings. The continuing concerns on inflation and higher fiscal deficit will lead to an extended pause on rate cuts and even increase the bond yields from the current levels despite the deployment of liquidity and yield management tools by RBI."


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SANTA BARBARA — At 11 a.m. today, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art will be hosting another free “Art Matters” conversation, this time featuring Kwame S. Brathwaite.
As the archive director of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive, he’ll be speaking with Charles Wylie, SBMA Curator of Photography and New Media.
They’ll discuss the groundbreaking art of his father, renowned photographer Kwame Brathwaite.
The photographer created a multi-faceted cultural movement in the 1950s and 60s Harlem, rising the statement, “Black is Beautiful.”
Mr. Brathwaite was inspired by ideas of Pan-Africanism and attuned to the central role of mass media in contemporary society, forging a new visual and cultural identity for African Americans in photography, fashion and performance.
The SBMA acquired the first of its eight Kwame Brathwaite photographs in 2018, some of which will be on view in Spring of 2021.
Free tickets are available at https://tickets.sbma.net/event-detail/kwame-brathwaite-2020-12-13/.
— Grayce McCormick


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Peter Mark Chin has resigned from the position of Deputy Executive Chairman and Managing Director for LASCO Distributors.
The LASCO Affiliated Companies made the announcement in a statement this morning.
The resignation took effect April 30.
Mr. Chin is now reportedly pursuing other interests.
The company notes that he’s given the company 27 years of sterling service, and has risen through the ranks in various senior capacities, including General Manager, Marketing Manager and Logistics Manager.
Peter Chin was appointed as Managing Director of LASCO Distributors in 2011, a year after the company was listed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
He was appointed Deputy Executive Chairman in April 2016.
During his tenure as Managing Director at LASCO Distributors, the company says he oversaw the launch of leading brands such as iCool, and also strong growth in revenues and profit.
The last audited financial statements for the period ending March 31, 2018 for LASCO Distributors reported a record net profit of over 1 billion dollars, and revenues of over 16 billion dollars.
Mr. Chin says he’s confident in the leadership, structure and staff of the LASCO Affiliated Companies, and anticipates that they will continue to be aggressive in rolling out new innovations, expanding the businesses and ensuring profitability for shareholders.


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Solana’s pockets Phantom has secured a $109 million Collection B funding led by cryptocurrency agency Paradigm.
Pockets, as probably the most vital person touchpoint, acts as a gateway for exchanges and sensible contracts. Phantom is valued at $1.2 billion after this spherical of financing, which formally made Phantom a unicorn.
A unicorn is a expertise startup that has been established in lower than 10 years however is valued at greater than $1 billion and has not been listed on the stock market.
Six months in the past, Phantom acquired a $9 million Collection A funding spherical led by Andreessen Horowitz,
CEO Brandon Millman famous that the corporate has been getting about 100,000 customers on a weekly foundation.
The corporate additionally stated it’s launching an iOS app and can launch an Android native app within the coming months
Brandon Millman expressed an eagerness to maneuver to open supply however stated it was troublesome to prioritize.
He stated that:
“As soon as it is open-source, there’s this implicit expectation round responding to people who find themselves leaving points on the GitHub repo, people who find themselves submitting pull requests, desirous to get options into the pockets,” he stated. “We do not wish to begin doing these issues fairly but.”
The subsequent aim for Phantom is to develop multi-chain compatibility and add assist for an additional blockchain outdoors of the Solana ecosystem in its pockets.
Multi-chain will present customers with extra funding alternatives.
Picture supply: Shutterstock