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Profiles in Channel CourageBy Michael Vizard | Print
Desktop-as-a-Service Designed for Any Cloud ? Nutanix Frame
Opinion: Jumping from direct sales to the channel can be daunting for any vendor, but Surf Control and Websense are having success at it and should serve as courageous examples to other vendors.
One of the most difficult missions any company can assign itself is to move from a direct to an indirect sales force.
It basically entails re-engineering every process in the company to the point where personnel turnover rates can easily reach 100 percent.
So after doing precisely that, it might be instructive to take a look at how both SurfControl and Websense are faring in the channel.
Both companies initially specialized in the area of Web content filtering software and at about the time they decided to make the move to indirect sales, each brought in new high-profile executives with, oddly enough, a lot of history in direct sales.
Pat Sueltz once led Sun's service business at a time when Sun was paying lip service to the channel in favor of direct sales. After leaving Sun, she did a short stint at less-than-channel-friendly Salesforce.com before taking over the helm at SurfControl.
Meanwhile, Websense tapped Gene Hodges, the president and chief technology officer of McAfee, to be its CEO. Hodges is well-respected among security technology professionals but only became a convert to the channel late in his career at McAfee.
Both executives then reached out to tap new channel chiefs to help revamp the sales efforts. In the case of SurfControl, Sueltz hired David Harris, who opted to essentially start from scratch. He replaced the entire direct sales force with people trained in channel sales and then completely revamped the channel portal.
All in all, the majority of SurfControl's sales now flow through the channel and just about all new business emanates through the channel
Harris says he's proud of the fact that SurfControl will pay any solution provider 105 percent of its margin on any deal that a customer forces SurfControl to take direct. Just this week the company extended its channel program to include alliances with Microsoft, Citrix Systems, Juniper Networks, Celestix Networks, Check Point Software Technologies, and Network Engines, all of which have promised to better integrate their offerings with SurfControl products.
Websense took a less straightforward route, opting to spend more time retraining its existing direct sales force rather than replacing it wholesale. That meant hiring Dave Roberts as the company's new sales chief. At McAfee, where Roberts had been channel chief, he was widely credited with helping convert that company back to an indirect sales model.
At Websense, Roberts has opted to rely heavily on distributor Ingram Micro to help manage its new reseller partners and is putting more control over channel marketing resources in the hands of regional sales managers. The vendor also upgraded IT systems so partners will get at least six months of visibility into the license renewal process.
At the same time, the company has also restricted its direct sales force to only quoting list prices.
Both companies are beginning to move upstream to deliver more complicated products designed to monitor outbound e-mail messages for compliance and, in the case of Websense, a raft of new pre-emptive security applications using the company's ThreatSeeker technology (which Hodges claims will change the way IT organizations respond to security threats).
The most striking thing about the transformations of these two companies is how much both Sueltz and Hodges have morphed into channel zealots over the last few years.
And while acquisition rumors continue to fly around both companies, along with every other company in the security sector, it looks like both are in the channel for the long haul.
As such, they can both be held up as courageous examples to other companies of making the channel work for you in spite of previous commitments to mistaken direct sales models.
Michael Vizard is editorial director of Ziff Davis Media's Enterprise Technology group. He can be reached at email@example.com.


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US- and India-based Lincode Labs Inc, an artificial intelligence (AI) vision inspection startup focused on the manufacturing industry, has raised capital in its seed round of funding.
The startup has raised the funds from US-based early-stage investment firms Come Back Capital, founded by Scott Shane, and RSCM LLC, founded by David Lambert, Lincode said in a statement. It did not disclose the amount it raised.
It also raised an additional amount in angel funding led by The Einfach Group, founded by Pratap Krishna, it added.
The company will use the funds for product development, research & development (R&D), and sales and marketing. The angel funding will be used for patent-filing and business expansion.
Lincode was founded in 2017 by Rajesh Iyengar and Ritika Nigam. The startup helps manufacturers to identify, predict, and eliminate product defects using computer vision and machine learning.
The firm says it has around 40 clients globally across industries from automotive, electronics, pharmaceutical, polymer, and metal industries.
Iyengar, who is also the CEO of the firm, said the startup seeks to make smart manufacturing lean and accessible to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
“We are also looking to enable seamless autonomous manufacturing and make ‘work from home’ easy and convenient for employees in the post-COVID-19 world,” he added.
The funding comes amid the growing coronavirus infections across the globe which has crippled business activity significantly.
In India, angel and seed deal volumes finally came off their perch amid the pandemic, falling a little more than 25% in May. Venture deal volumes, which have suffered since March when the lockdown started, continued to remain subdued last month.
Deals in the AI space
AI startups have seen a massive surge of investor interest and funding in the last few years, as companies and clients across sectors seek to address pain points in their operations. Startups are also using to open up new products, service categories, and entire sectors.
Earlier in February, CamCom, an AI- and deep learning-based startup that is focussed on quality assessment, defect and damage detection, raised pre-Series A funding from venture capital firm Triton Investment Advisors.

domain: news


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A mobility equipment hire service in Scotland has a desperate fight on its hands to save itself after it received a letter last week stating that it is set to be stripped of its local government funding.
Lothian Shopmobility in Livingston, which has been loaning mobility scooters and aids to West Lothian residents since 1991, relies on council funding to operate.
It has now launched a last-minute funding push in attempt to raise £35,000 so it can continue for another year.
MSP Angela Constance slammed the council’s decision to withdraw funding for the mobility scheme, describing the decision as a ‘bolt out of the blue’ for the organisation and its six members of staff.
She said: “This is a short-sighted decision by the council meaning hundreds of local people battling disability will be less independent, less able to do their shopping and less able to attend medical appointments.
“I am writing to the council asking them to urgently reconsider this decision given that their resource funding for the next financial year will increase by £7.5 million, and if they will be picking up the costs of assisting people with their shopping and appointments.
“This decision is also bad for business therefore I will also write to the shopping centre management and local retailers to ask what assistance they can offer this organisation.”
West Lothian Council has been forced to make cutbacks of £16m in its annual budget, which has resulted in a number of local services having their funds withdrawn.
The organisers of the scheme are concerned users who rely on the service will be left immobile and without social interaction.
Lothian Shopmobility has launched a Just Giving page to raise the necessary funds and in a social media post thanked those that have offered their help and support.
It said: “We are hoping to get some sort of donation page going and if anyone can manage to donate a wee something we would be grateful.
“We know this is a big ask and not everyone is in a position to give. But if you can that would be a great help.”
The Just Giving page has so far raised just £80 of the £35,000 needed.
The council told a local newspaper that it has a near £700,000 shortfall in its budget to be allocated to such organisations. It pledged to grant voluntary organisations and services £1m of funding next year.


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Codemasters has released Update V1.06 for F1 2021 on the PC, PS5, and PS4. The Xbox update will follow soon.
Patch 1.06 addresses a number of reported issues improving various parts of the game. Check out the changelog below for more details.
Official Website – www.formula1-game.com
- Addressed an issue where there could be no force feedback on Thrustmaster wheels if task manager was open in the background in Windowed mode.
- Addressed an issue where force feedback would not be active on Thrustmaster wheels when launching from a desktop shortcut.
- Audio will no longer stutter when connecting an official Xbox headset into the controller.
- Quick Practice will no longer cause excessive wear to components.
- Addressed high GPU usage on loading screens during Braking Point.
- Ghosting is now set to on in Ranked sessions.
- “League Racer” achievement/trophy can now be correctly unlocked.
- MFD will now pop-up after receiving minor damage.
- UDP: LapHistoryDate will now be correctly sent for an active car after another has retired.
- Addressed a potential crash while using photo mode.
- Addressed a potential crash during broadcast sequences.
- Track surface will now appear correctly for player 2 in split-screen during a wet race.
- On-track VFX can no longer be seen by other drivers in F2™ one-shot qualifying.
- Car performance can now be changed after creation of a league.
- Mid-season driver negotiations have been removed from the first season of a Real Season Start career.
- Addressed an issue where the Emirian flag could be displayed on the podium instead of the Turkish Flag.
- Tyre wear can now be viewed on the MFD during the formation lap.
- Rebalanced chapters 1,3,5,9 and 12 on Normal difficulty in Braking Point.
- General stability improvements.
- Various minor fixes.


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Dotcom willing to face US inquiry into piracy and fraud
Kim Dotcom, the internet tycoon at the centre of a US inquiry into online piracy and fraud, said yesterday he was willing to go to the US to clear his name, offering to forgo a pending extradition hearing in New Zealand.
Dotcom, the founder of the Megaupload file-sharing site, said he was willing to face court in the US if certain conditions were agreed.
“Hey DOJ [Department of Justice], we will go to the US. No need for extradition,” Dotcom (38), a German national who also goes by Kim Schmitz, posted on Twitter. “We want bail, funds unfrozen for lawyers living expenses,” he added, referring to himself and three others facing the US charges.
In its highest-profile investigation into online piracy, the FBI alleges Dotcom led a group that has netted $175 million since 2005 by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without authorisation.
His lawyers say the company simply offered online storage. The offer comes a day after a court delayed a hearing into the US extradition request until March next year. – (Reuters)


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Range Rover is Pissed at This Chinese Evoque Knockoff
Certain Chinese automakers are not unfamiliar with the idea of copyright infringement; rather, it seems they simply don’t care. This is a Range Rover Evoque, a vehicle that spearheaded Range Rover’s 2012 entry into the CUV segment. Except … uh … it’s not.It’s actually called the LandWind X7, an SUV recently revealed in China at the Guangzhou Motor Show. As you’ve undoubtedly noticed it is a blatant intellectual theft of the Range Rover design (seen below). And Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth is not happy about this fake Chinese Evoque in the least. RELATED: Compare the LandWind X7 to the 2015 Range Rover Evoque Autobiography Edition
“The fact that this kind of copying is ongoing in China is very disappointing,” Speth told the UK’s Autocar. “As a company we have invested heavily in China with our joint venture partner Chery. Anything that damages the potential profitability of our plant damages the integrity of those plans.”
The Chinese-market Range Rover Evoque, due for production at Jaguar Land Rover’s new Jiangsu manufacturing plant, will retail for the equivalent of $62,000. LandWind plans to undercut that price drastically when the X7 goes on sale later this month for around $22,000.
PHOTOS: Check out the new 550-horsepower 2015 Range Rover Sport SVR
And its similarities are more than just skin deep. The fake Chinese Evoque X7 is similarly powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, generating 188 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. Wherever did they find so little power from a turbo four? A six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic gearbox shuttle that power to the wheels.
"I will talk to our officials and I will talk to our partners at Chery to find a way around this situation,” notes Speth. “What we have seen today is not correct."
RELATED: Range Rover Sport styling received significant updates for 2014
Click Here to Read the Original Article on BoldRide


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The three major stock indices (^DJI, ^GSPC, ^IXIC) started the day higher but a jump in jobless claims and digestion of lackluster earnings have sent stocks into the red, though only slightly.
Here are some of the other stories Yahoo Finance is keeping an eye on today.
Despite headlines extolling an economic slowdown and investors pulling money from Chinese stocks, markets in Hong Kong (^HSI) and Shanghai (000001.SS) are at highs not seen in several years. What’s behind the pop?
Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App
Big drought, big money
A hot new business has cropped up in drought-plagued California — water trucks. Some residents whose wells have run dry are paying for tank trucks to deliver water to their homes.
Chevy Volt halts production
Goodbye, Chevy Volt…at least the current version. The troubled plug in hybrid won’t be produced anymore while GM (GM) clears inventory and gets ready to introduce a new model.
As the tech world salivates over the upcoming Apple (AAPL) Watch, what does the fashion world think of the new “it” accessory? We ask Yahoo Styles Editor-in-Chief, Joe Zee.
More from Yahoo Finance:
Hate your job? Here’s how to love it
Your ‘upside surprise’ guide for earnings season


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- Enterprise capitalist Chris Sacca dismissed novice merchants’ large beneficial properties in 2020 because the product of fortunate timing in a current tweet.
- “To everybody who received into buying and selling shares this 12 months, I’ve a little bit onerous fact for you: You are not really that good at it,” the billionaire founding father of Lowercase Capital and former “Shark Tank” star mentioned.
- Sacca mockingly praised day merchants in a follow-up tweet after weathering backlash for his feedback.
- “To the offended Robinhood bros who received into buying and selling shares this 12 months: I used to be unsuitable. You are wonderful,” he mentioned. “Stonks by no means go down!”
- Sacca has repeatedly underscored the dangers of buying and selling shares and different belongings equivalent to Bitcoin, particularly with borrowed cash.
- Go to Enterprise Insider’s homepage for extra tales.
Beginner merchants who scored large windfalls in 2020 merely received fortunate, billionaire investor Chris Sacca mentioned in a recent tweet.
“To everybody who received into buying and selling shares this 12 months, I’ve a little bit onerous fact for you: You are not really that good at it,” the previous “Shark Tank” star and founding father of venture-capital agency Lowercase Capital mentioned. “You simply caught a wild bull market. Take some cash off the desk.”
Learn extra: Wall Avenue’s greatest companies are warning that these 7 issues may crash the inventory market’s social gathering in 2021
Sacca’s feedback had been met with swift backlash. Dave Portnoy, the Barstool Sports activities founder who grew to become the face of a brand new technology of day merchants earlier this 12 months, advised Fox Enterprise that he does not know who Sacca is, however the investor “feels like a sore loser and an fool.”
The Lowercase chief – an early investor in Twitter, Uber, and Instagram – responded to the criticism with a sarcastic tweet ridiculing Robinhood customers, probably the most well-liked buying and selling apps.
“To the offended Robinhood bros who received into buying and selling shares this 12 months: I used to be unsuitable. You are wonderful. This has nothing to do with the market. It is all you and your mad skillz. Do not take income off the desk. Double down, on margin. Borrow all the things you may. Stonks by no means go down!”
In web slang, stonks is a deliberate misspelling of shares.
Learn extra: BANK OF AMERICA: Purchase these 16 medtech shares with robust fundamentals which might be set to soar post-pandemic
Sacca – who made his fortune within the early 2000s then misplaced an enormous chunk of it when the dot-com bubble burst – has repeatedly cautioned amateurs about buying and selling dangers, notably with borrowed cash.
“What p.c of retail possession of crypto is supported by leverage? What about shares? I’m past nervous in regards to the debt classes technology of app merchants weren’t round to study a cycle in the past,” Sacca replied to a December 26 tweet by Bitcoin bull Mike Novogratz underscoring the dangers of extreme leverage.
“Do not borrow to commerce shares/BTC,” Sacca tweeted a couple of hours later.
Learn extra: The founding father of the world’s first vegan ETF explains how her market-beating fund is of course constructed to incorporate the pandemic’s greatest winners – and why trade titans like Fb and Uber match the invoice
Sacca has issued related warnings up to now.
“I am right here to inform you that buying and selling thousands and thousands of you do not have is an exhilarating technique to smash your well being and monetary future. Enjoyable!” he tweeted in November 2019.
“Investing is an effective way to generate profits. Buying and selling is an effective way to lose it. Do your self a favor and conceal your “Shares” app ceaselessly,” Sacca tweeted in 2013.
Sacca and his spouse and enterprise accomplice, Crystal, shifted their focus from day-to-day investing to tackling points equivalent to local weather change, voter suppression, and prison justice reform in early 2017.


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IParty CEO hopes he won't face another "nightmare" this Halloween
- Jon Chesto
Halloween is iParty Corp.'s Christmas. But you can bet iParty CEO Sal Perisano is praying he won't get another white Christmas this year.
Perisano says the Dedham-based purveyor of party supplies (NYSE: IPT) depends on Halloween-related merchandise for nearly 30 percent of its annual revenues. That's why it was particularly painful last year when the region was pounded by a severe Nor'easter that left piles of snow in its wake on the weekend before Halloween - on what should have been iParty's busiest weekend of the year. A dozen iParty stores lost power and were temporarily closed, and four didn't reopen until November. The company said its sales fell 11 percent that month, compared to October 2010, a $2 million-plus decline attributable to the ill-timed storm.
But last year's devastating Halloween didn't deter Perisano from putting a big emphasis on the holiday again this year (total Halloween spending nationwide is expected to exceed $8 billion). For example, iParty opened 11 temporary stores that focus on costumes and related items in recent weeks, a similar number to last year. Most of the "pop-up stores" are in Massachusetts (including a return to the former Borders off Route 3 in Braintree). The temporary stores can serve a dual purpose: They help capture more Halloween-related sales, and they let iParty test certain markets to see how they might work for a more permanent store (the year-round Boston stores on Boylston Street and in the South Bay center started out this way).
Perisano says the topic of insuring against another freak snowstorm was discussed at iParty, but was deemed not worth the expense.
"We're hoping lightning doesn't strike twice," Perisano says. "I've been doing this for 20 years and have never seen anything like that in October. ... That could have been our biggest weekend of the year. (Instead) it was a Halloween nightmare on Halloween weekend."
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Virgin Mobile on Thursday announced the launch of its GSM services in the country, starting with five Southern circles.
Announcing the launch, CEO, Virgin Mobile India, MA Madhusudan said that the GSM Services would be rolled out in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
"This launch will help us further consolidate our position as one of the leading, youth mobile service brands," he said.
The services come with innovative offerings like 'vMingle', an integrated social networking service which brings all social networking sites at one place. It allows users to stay in touch with friends across all social networks at one time through a single log-in.
Another service is 'vGenie', which offers prompts and alerts like birthday reminders, wake-up calls and social networking updates. Another offering 'vBelong' enables users to create and design their own WAP sites for their group, college etc., he said.
For now, consumers in South Indian circles will be charged 20 paise per minute for STD and local calls to any Virgin mobile number without any special pack. Virgin Mobile customers calling any other network will be charged at 40 paise per minute for local and 50 per minute for STD calls.
Bollywood actors Ranbir Kapoor and Genelia D'Souza have been roped in as brand ambassadors for Virgin Mobile in India.
Published Date: Jan 22, 2010 01:57 pm | Updated Date: Jan 22, 2010 01:57 pm


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The director of Reed's giant EIBTM MICE event in Barcelona, Graeme...
YET-TO-BE-BUILT CLEVELAND CONVENTION CENTRE WINS HEALTH CONFERENCE AND EXPO FOR 2014 posted on: 16/8/2012 10:51:36
AMERICAS - An under-construction Cleveland Convention Centre, Ohio, has won its bid to host the CleanMed Conference and Exposition, which is estimated to attract 1,000 hospital administrators, physicians and staff and 100 exhibitors when it is held in May 2014.
The new convention centre is set to open in 2013 and its developer, MMPI Inc, is currently pursuing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for the new complex. The US Green Building Council awards certification to buildings that achieve a high level of energy efficiency and minimise environmental impact.
Positively Cleveland, the local convention and visitors bureau, says the conference is expected to generate an economic impact of US$1m and 1,500 room nights in downtown Cleveland hotels.
The conference and expo is sponsored by Practice Greenhealth and HealthCare Without Harm, an international advocate for environmental health.
“With the new convention center and Medical Mart opening in 2013 and making significant strides forward in sustainability and environmental responsibility, we saw a perfect partnership with the city and region,” says the Director of Education, Training and Events for Practice Greenhealth, Carrie Abernathy.
AFRICA - The Calabar International Convention Centre in Nigeria, which is currently under construction, has appointed conference industry specialist Paul D'Arcy as its first Chief Executive Officer, effective from January 2015.
ASIA - The Global Business Travel Association Foundation's Global BTI Outlook - India report has revealed that the country's total business travel spend is expected to grow 8.6 per cent in 2014 to US$26.2bn.
EUROPE - This year's edition of EIBTM closed having attracted over 15,500 industry professionals onsite for the three days of the show, an eight per cent increase on 2013 figures, according to organisers.
EUROPE - Moscow's Crocus Expo Convention Centre has recently added a shopping and entertainment mall which is expected to help generate up to a million visitors to the complex each week, James Willsher reports.


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By: Alexandra Miller, Sales Strategist, Valassis Digital
Published Tuesday, Sep 12, 2017
With consumer spend for Halloween reaching $8.4 billion,1 brands and retailers can drive incremental sales while helping shoppers get “spooky” this Halloween. Whether its candy, costumes, party supplies, or decorations, Americans love getting in the Halloween spirit, and are willing to spend money to do so.
Halloween Consumer Trends
In 2016, an estimated 171 million Americans celebrated Halloween and spent an average of $83 to get ready for the holiday,* with most of that budget being spent on costumes and candy, followed by decorations.
Before heading to the store, shoppers tend to seek out costume and décor inspiration, with online search being the most popular source for inspiration. In fact, social media is the fastest growing influencer – particularly Pinterest.* After finding online inspiration, discount stores and specialty Halloween/costume stores are top destinations for shoppers gearing up for Halloween, followed by grocery retailers.*
A targeted, cross-device media campaign can help your brand reach consumers that are in the Halloween shopping mindset in the months leading up to and through October.
How to Reach the Right Shoppers
Utilize cross-device identification and targeting solutions to keep your brand top of mind as shoppers get ready to trick-or-treat:
*Source: National Retail Federation: (https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/halloween-spending-reach-84-billion-highest-survey-history)


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Over 18 years ago Kerri Santoro, an agricultural student at Victor Valley Community College (VVCC), and the VVCC Orna-mental Horticulture Club started the High Desert Farmers Market to educate residents about farm direct food, and issues surrounding agriculture. Every Thursday the college campus has served as a destination location for locals to buy fresh pro-duce, shop outdoors and buy merchandise from local vendors, and become familiar and feel welcome at the campus. Throughout the years Santoro’s vision for the High Desert Farmers Market grew. Her passion for quality produce led her to apply and receive certification as a Farmers Market—which means all the produce sold by farmers is grown by those selling the product. It’s more than a guarantee that the products are genuinely farm fresh, but one can have a conversation with the farmer who harvested it.
In addition to ensuring high quality, Kerri also wanted to make it easy for low income families to eat healthy farm fresh food. This month the High Desert Farmers Market celebrates its first anniversary of accepting EBT for those on the supplemental nu-tritional assistance program.
Beyond providing quality, farm fresh food to residents, the Farmers Market has become a small business incubator. The venue offers fresh flowers, hand-made items, clothing, crafts, jewelry cosmetics and more. Kerri is proud that some small local High Desert businesses actually began as vendors at the Farmers Market!
What’s new for the future of this great outdoor market? Look for the new workplace produce delivery program coming soon.
The High Desert Farmers Market is held every Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon, and is now located on lower campus off of Fish Hatchery Road.


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Perhaps no other industry in the world has produced as many innovations over the past decade as America's high-tech sector. Until 18 months ago, tech innovation -- much of it related to the dot-com boom -- was the engine that powered the rapid expansion of both the technology business and the U.S. economy, plus a surging stock market. So as tech companies struggle to escape the doldrums, the question arises: What happened to the innovation that's supposed to sustain them through good times and bad -- and when will it return?
Undoubtedly, innovation is a powerful potion. For instance, despite the lagging economy, Apple Computer's new flat-screen iMac is back-ordered for three to five weeks even as makers of IBM-style PCs are struggling. And it has been an article of faith for years that a new microprocessor from Intel, often combined with improved software from Microsoft, can spur huge new rounds of PC sales. Moreover, it's easy to forget that as recently as the mid-1990s, most people went online using 2,400-baud connections -- a speed suitable for viewing nothing more than text-only sites.
TAKING A BREAK. The modern Web owes its very existence to rapid innovation in myriad technologies such as servers, communications networks, and Web-browsing software. So, tech companies and the economy would be much better off right now if substantive innovation -- advances that cut costs, improve productivity, or appeal mightily to consumers -- weren't taking a break.
The simplest answer for why it has is that innovation, like all things in business, comes in cycles. It surges when risk-taking is in vogue, as it was during the late 1990s. It slows when caution is in the wind, as has been the case since mid-2000 -- both in corporate research-and-development labs and among venture capitalists.
"Innovation is a state of mind: the willingness to think differently," says Nicholas Negroponte, co-founder and director of the Media Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "As such, innovation has slowed. In fact, one kind of innovator -- the startup entrepreneur -- has almost become extinct."
Fewer VCs are going boldly where no VC has gone before
That may sound like an overstatement. After all, though venture-capital investment in 2001 dropped 65% from the year before, it still came to $32.1 billion, the third-highest yearly total in history, according to research firm Venture One. Projected investment for this year is expected to fall again but will hit a still-hefty $25 billion. What doesn't show in raw numbers, however, is the degree to which venture capitalists have become more risk-averse -- using the bulk of their money to support existing initiatives, rather than going boldly where no VC has gone before.
To raise money these days, you need to be someone like Stephen Senturia. A graduate of Harvard and MIT, Senturia has been a professor of electrical engineering at MIT for 36 years. In 1982, he founded Micromet Instruments, which developed devices that monitor the hardening of aerospace and structural adhesives. He also served as a consultant for three startups -- one went public, and two were acquired by major telecom equipment providers.
SWINGING PENDULUM. Over the past four years, Senturia has received $8 million from the Defense Dept. to research microelectromechanical devices (MEMS), tiny machines used in everything from automobile air bags to medical diagnostic equipment. Last September, at a time when venture capitalists were more demanding than they had been in years, Senturia raised $7 million for a new company, Polychromix, which is building a device that will allow telecom companies to remotely manage data flows over optical networks. Polychromix expects to release its product by yearend.
Years of research, an established track record, and hefty preinvestment. These are now the characteristics most budding companies must demonstrate to attract additional funding. And while no one recommends going back to the 1990s, when 25-year-old MBAs raised millions by scrawling business plans on napkins, the pendulum has now swung far in the other direction -- too far, some observers argue.
VCs insist that innovation is as hardy as ever
The result? Young entrepreneurs with even deserving projects have become discouraged, and that may now be stifling new innovation. VCs -- who a short time ago were advising their charges to put off making a profit in favor of winning market share -- now mainly want to fund projects that will lead quickly to a viable, commercial product. Nowadays, "entrepreneurs are [encouraged] to do something achievable, where they can show they have a ready market for an idea," says Matthew Littlewood, an analyst who tracks the flow of VC money for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston.
Venture capitalists, of course, tell a different story. They insist that innovation is as hardy as ever and point to such examples as Silicon Valley venture firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which since September 11 has signed nine new funding deals, including one with integrated-circuits maker Phosistor on Sept. 12. In January, 65 venture firms bid to invest in a second funding round for Boston-based nanotechnology company Nanosys. It raised $15 million from five VCs.
LESS ME-TOOISM. VCs say despite the difficult funding environment -- or perhaps because of it -- the pace of true innovation is increasing. Just because huge numbers of entrepreneurs got money during the dot-com craze, they argue, doesn't mean it added up to real innovation. It was "me-tooism," says Wes Raffel, a technology partner at Advanced Technology Ventures in Palo Alto, Calif. "Everyone saw something someone else had done and thought, 'I can do it a little better than that.'"
Claude Leglise, vice-president of Intel Capital, the semiconductor giant's VC arm, adds that today's entrepreneurs "are much higher-quality people than two years ago. They've thought through their ideas more, and they're aware of the amount of personal sacrifice and effort it will take to launch a company and succeed."
Moreover, the $6.3 billion in VC investments in the fourth quarter, according to VentureOne, suggests that funding now may be stabilizing at levels well above those that preceded the Internet boom. The new hot sectors include MEMs companies such as Polychromix, plus companies in nanotechnology (minuscule devices) and biotech. Products that increase the Internet's efficiency also continue to attract money. "We're investing in truly big innovations rather than incremental ones," asserts Bob Nelsen, a partner at ARCH Ventures in Seattle. "Fundamental innovation always gets funded."
IPO DROUGHT. That may be true anecdotally, but industrywide numbers appear to contradict the trend. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' quarterly MoneyTree survey, later-stage companies received 64.1% of the venture dollars invested in last year's fourth quarter, up from 56.2% in 2000's fourth quarter -- when the VC market bottomed out. Early-stage investments made up just 15.9% of the total dollars, down from 23.4% in fourth-quarter 2000.
A technologist with a great idea now has little incentive to leave a day job
Moreover, many VCs vow to focus primarily on companies already in their portfolios until at least the beginning of next year. In no small part that's because they don't expect the market for initial public offerings -- the method VCs typically use to cash out their investments in startups -- to rebound in force until 2004. As a result, a technologist with a great idea has little incentive to leave a job at, say, Microsoft to start a new company -- because it probably won't attract enough funding to survive.
Even so, experts believe that innovation from new companies eventually will recover. "I believe the Next Big Thing will grow out of a new idea bumping up against an existing Internet technology, rather than from a breakthrough in quantum computing," says Rudolph Burger, director of MIT Media Lab Europe.
JUSTIFIED ECONOMICALLY. Many such ideas are floating around the battered telecom sector. Take Seattle-based AccessLine. Among other things, its technology allows employees to tap into their corporate phone network from the road, a client office, or from home. Similarly, East Hanover (N.J.)-based dynamicsoft is building instant-messaging capabilities for phones that will make it easy for callers to check ahead with the recipient to see if it's an appropriate time to connect. "A lot of the telecom companies were hype. Here the economics are justified and carriers can make money," predicts Roland Van Der Meer, a partner at Palo Alto (Calif.)-based ComVentures, which invests in dynamicsoft.
Cycles of pauses in innovation followed by renewed momentum have plenty of precedents. During the creation of the steel industry and the rise of railroads in the late 1850s and early 1860s, historians point out, investment outpaced the market's capacity to absorb it. The result was a period of retrenchment and consolidation. The golden era of steel and railroads didn't happen until 10 years later, when demand for these advances had caught up with innovation.
So perhaps the current lapse is really a new beginning -- of an era in which innovation will again deliver the growth tech watchers have come to expect. By Jane Black


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Tata Chemicals has become the latest organised player to enter the Rs 1,300 crore water purifier industry with the launch of its low-cost water purifier product, Swach. The product was unveiled by Ratan Tata, chairman, Tata Sons, in Mumbai on Monday.
Swach, available for Rs 799 and Rs 999, is capable of purifying 3,000 litres of water, after which the cartridge-bulb that purifies the water stops the flow. Bulb replacement costs Rs 299. The product does not require electricity or running water and is the cheapest purifier in the industry, costing less than Eureka Forbes' AquaSure and Hindustan Unilever's Pureit that are available at Rs1,800 and Rs2,000, respectively.
Swach has been launched after over 4 years of planning among several Tata firms -- Tata Chemicals, TCS and Titan -- and testing across small towns during the Tsunami relief period. The technology used in the product called TSRF uses ingredients such as rice husk ash and another embedded nano technology.
The product has filed for 15 patents. Tata Chemicals is looking to sell 3 million units of Swach in 5 years. While the current technology is effective against 6 types of bacteria, the company will formulate products suitable to tackle arsenic, flouride and viruses. Swach will initially be rolled out in Maharashtra and then taken to two other states shortly, in another 5-6 months.


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hp // Posts tagged as "hp"
Microsoft has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising trying to make sure Windows 10 is a success. Unfortunately, it hasn’t spent enough time making sure its manufacturing partners send the same message. At least, that’s what appears to be the case according to a new report from our friends at Laptop Mag. That magazine runs an annual feature where they contact tech supporRead More
Microsoft and Google have not got along over the past few years. You see, Microsoft doesn’t like how Google’s Chromebooks are taking away PC market share. Microsoft argues that Chromebooks are useless when they’re not connected to the internet and that users are extremely limited when it comes to software and features. Both of those things are true. Unfortunately for Microsoft, many usRead More
Since 2010, PC sales have been in steep decline. A lot of that market share has gone towards tablets. Some have pointed to these sliding sales as indication that we’re living in a “post PC era”. These people are right, of course. We live in a mobile world and consumers are changing their habits. However, there is some good news for PC users: the slide appears to have stopped (more or lRead More
Windows 8 reached a significant milestone on its path to being released later this year. Microsoft announced that it had released its final build of Windows 8 to manufacturers. Called the ‘RTM’ stage of development (Released To Manufacturers), this allows Microsoft’s hardware partners to start optimizing their devices for release later this year. Over the next few months, hardware manufacRead More
Sep 21st 2010 - by Fix My PC FREE in: News | 0 Comment
The HP Mini 5102 may be inexpensive, starting at $399, but the materials used are not low-quality. Netbooks are an interesting breed of computer to me.I understand the need for their existence, but I hRead More


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HOW CLEAN IS YOUR PAINT BOOTH?
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID A DEEP-CLEAN?
By Bianca Mazziotti
Paint booths are an essential part of any collision repair shop—but what does it take to deliver exceptional service every time?
Rod Katchuck, the head painter at Bergen’s Auto Repair in Saskatchewan, says you can only rely on a clean booth to put out a clean vehicle.
“I do a full clean once a month,” said Katchuck, who knows that even though it is time-consuming, it is worth cleaning their downdraft paint booth regularly. “Between removing the filters, washing the walls, reboot coating, and replacing all the filters, you’re looking at about three hours.”
The importance of cleaning goes beyond the vehicle, as paint booths that haven’t been cleaned regularly can become a safety risk.
“You want to keep a log on it as well— Fire Marshals can ask for that. If the exhaust isn’t clean it can become a fire hazard,” said Katchuck.
At Eastside Collision Repairs in Manitoba the bodyshop holds two paint booths: one is a JBI downdraft that is 60 feet long, and the other is a GFS downdraft. Les Heshka, general manager at Eastside, says that they also highly prioritize cleaning when it comes to their paint booths. “I guess you could say they are cleaned daily, but it depends on what kind of cleaning you’re talking about,” said Heshka. “Filter changes go anywhere from three months to a year. For the downdraft filters, the floor filters are changed out weekly.” Of course, Heshka says dirt is a painter’s worst enemy, so his business ensures regular shop maintenance themselves and once a year they have a company come in and do a thorough cleaning of their paint booths.
Rob Armstrong, the operations manager of Trinity Collision Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, says the floor filters get cleaned every 14 days when it comes to their two Garmat paint booths. The shop schedules the cleanings during down production times, which is typically a Monday morning.
“Most of the vehicles that would require paintwork to be done are usually completed by Friday,” said Armstrong. “Then on Monday, it’s a little bit of a quiet time during startup. So, it makes it an easy transition as the vehicles are getting repaired and sent over to the refinish department.” Armstrong says cleaning the paint booths is more of a tedious job than it is a highly skilled job.
“It’s not something that is glamorous, but it needs to be done,” said Armstrong. “And the staff knows that because it directly affects the kind of quality that we produce at the end of the day.”


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Three quarters of UK automotive firms warn of ‘no-deal’ Brexit catastrophe, finds new industry survey.
Half already hit by uncertainty, with one in five having lost business and a third cancelling or postponing UK investment decisions.
Impact on profitability, ability to win overseas business, investment in UK operations and workforce cuts cited as biggest ‘no deal’ concerns.
Withdrawal agreement offers breathing space to negotiate ambitious future relationship and frictionless trade – essential to safeguard UK automotive industry and jobs.
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A high-profile pricing dispute that saw one of Canada’s largest food makers stop shipments of chips and snacks to the country’s largest grocer has been resolved.
Loblaw Companies Ltd. says brands like Cheetos, Doritos and Ruffles will be back on store shelves by Easter weekend after it resolved the matter with Frito-Lay Canada.
Loblaw spokeswoman Catherine Thomas declined to comment on specific vendor negotiations but says the issue was about providing value to customers.
From sleek corporate hubs to cozy creative studios, this magazine is a celebration of diversity in workspace excellence.
With generative AI on the scene and picking up speed, businesses need a partner to help them strategically integrate these powerful tools. And healthcare is no exception.
She says the grocer is happy to have a wider assortment in its chip aisles once again at varying prices to suit customer needs.
Thomas says products will begin shipping Monday and Loblaw expects to be fully stocked before the weekend.
Frito-Lay spokesperson Sheri Morgan confirmed that the company has mutually resolved matters with one of its retail partners.
She says Frito-Lay is committed to Canadian manufacturing and operations and is looking forward to resuming product distribution from coast to coast in the coming days.


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Christmas Mad Mom Has Transformed Her Home Into Real-Life Gingerbread House (LOOK)
A Christmas-mad mom has transformed her home into—a real-life gingerbread house. 67-year-old Virginia Hoffman spent ‘hundreds of hours’ festooning her property into a vision from a fairytale. Homemade decorations include candy canes, giant gumdrops, peppermint swirls, huge chocolate and wafer cookies, and an oversized gingerbread man. Interior designer Virginia, of Salt Lake City, Utah, says […]
The post Christmas Mad Mom Has Transformed Her Home Into Real-Life Gingerbread House (LOOK) appeared first on Good News Network.
Source: Good News


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Why Is China’s Cold Chain Infrastructure Underdeveloped?
It seems like a Catch 22. China is a country that has a growing demand for fresh food and could offer huge opportunities for exporters of perishable foods. Yet Chinese companies haven’t yet make the required investments in cold transportation, storage, and distribution infrastructures, to take care of the growing taste for fresh food among China’s more affluent consumers.
According to a recent report, shippers’ concerns over liability prevent them from offering door-to-door perishables services.
Shippers perceive that if they deliver direct to consumers, they will become liable for any tainted produce that may arrive. That, according to the report, is why door-to-door supply chains have not emerged in the Chinese perishables market even have they have elsewhere in the economy.
Perishables shippers want frequent updates on the conditions of their cargo. But this scrutiny usually doesn’t extend beyond the airport of entry into China. Ironically, Chinese consumers’ growing demand for imported perishables is driven largely by concerns over domestic food quality.
According to a report from a European bank that studied the issue, “China’s demand for fresh, safe and high-quality food is outstripping its capacity to produce and deliver domestically. The growth in consumption of perishable food in China will only continue if supply chains deliver on quality and safety. To a large extent this depends on the proper cooling of products during storage, handling and transport.”
Investments in perishable storage capacity and distribution channels are one of the keys to making this opportunity a reality, according to report. In fact, cold storage capacity grew by over 800 percent in China over a period of eight years but that still hasn’t closed the cold chain gap.
Concluded the report: “China’s cold chain sector is still lagging and needs to improve in terms of both quality and capacity.” China’s cold chain sector will only improve “once cold chain companies start adapting their business models into higher-value strategies in response to the higher service needs of their clients.”


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Ukraine becomes global leader in flour exports
Ukraine became the world's leader in flour exports in the 2015-2016 marketing year (MY), or July 2015 through June 2016, with shipments amounting to 344,000 tonnes, which is 32.5% up from the 2014-2015 MY, according to the press service of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, citing Advisor to the Chairman of the Board of PJSC Agrarian Fund Serhiy Sakirkin.
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AutoZone alerted authorities on Tuesday that it had been a victim of the Clop ransomware gang’s MOVEit attacks earlier this year. According to a breach notification filed with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, the data leak from the auto parts retailer impacted 184,995 people. The hackers acquired personal information, including full names and social security numbers, the notification said.
The incident happened in May, as a part of a string of attacks linked to Clop. The hackers exploited a vulnerability in file transfer software MOVEit, attacking more then 2,000 organizations and impacting 62 million people, according to researchers at Emsisoft.
AutoZone realized it had fallen victim to the Clop attack in August, but it didn’t suss out what data had been affected by the attack until earlier this month. That said, Clop claimed responsibility for an attack on AutoZone in July, publishing 1.1GB of internal and employee data from the auto retailer, according to Bleeping Computer.
“AutoZone became aware that an unauthorized third party exploited a vulnerability associated with MOVEit and exfiltrated certain data from an AutoZone system that supports the MOVEit application,” AutoZone wrote in a notification to customers. It’s unclear which parts of the AutoZone systems the Clop hackers accessed and, although the Maine notification says social security numbers had been leaked, AutoZone did not provide any specifics.
AutoZone rakes in $17.5 billion in revenue each year, operating more than 7,000 retail locations.


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A suburban brewery is planning to expand into Grand Rapids.
Ada-based Gravel Bottom Craft Brewery & Supply said it plans to open an new 18,000-square-foot facility and is considering the former MC Sports store in northeast Grand Rapids, at 3150 Plainfield Ave. NE.
The beer styles produced in Ada would also be available at the Grand Rapids location.
The brewery will present its plan to the city on Oct. 12. It hopes to begin construction between this December and February 2018.
You can read the entire article on the website of our partner, the Grand Rapids Business Journal, or pick up this week's edition of the Business Journal on your newsstand.


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NEW YORK (Kyodo) — Toyota Motor Corp's U.S. sales rocketed about 35 percent in March from a year before after Japan's top automaker offered sharp discounts to lure back consumers after massive recalls, U.S. media reported Tuesday.
The forecast was provided by Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. on the sidelines of a forum sponsored by the National Automobile Dealers Association and IHS Global Insight, the reports said.
Earlier this month, Toyota launched a large-scale sales promotion campaign featuring zero-percent financing for five years on top-selling models, including the Camry.
This, combined with resumed advertising, is expected to have propped up Toyota's March U.S. sales to around 180,000 units, a steep recovery from dismal showings in January and February.
In February, new car sales by Toyota tumbled 8.7 percent from a year before, making it the only slumping company among major U.S., Japanese and South Korean automakers operating in the United States, according to another research firm, Autodata Corp.
Major automakers are due to report March U.S. sales results on Thursday.


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Showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo, the SR 150 will be the least expensive Aprilia in the country. It goes on sale next month (August 2016) and will be manufactured at Piaggio’s manufacturing facility in Maharashtra.
What is it?
According to the company, the Aprilia SR 150 will offer the ‘feel of a sports bike with the ease of a scooter’. Specifications of the Auto Expo exhibit included a carburettor-fed, 11.5PS and 11.5Nm producing 154.4 cc, four stroke engine. The 14-inch, multi-spoke wheels — which are said to replicate the design of those found on Aprilia race bikes — were shod with 120/70 tubeless tyres. For braking duties, a disc brake up front and a drum at the rear were present on the show bike. But the company is yet to announce the final specs and city-wise pricing.
Where will it be positioned?
At an introductory price of Rs 65,000, the Italian designed and engineered Aprilia SR 150 will be positioned keeping the urban youngsters in mind. In comparison the 150 cc Vespas are dearer by about Rs 20,000.
When and where can you buy it?
Bookings for the same will begin shortly, and the scooter will be available from next month onwards.


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OAKLAND, CA — The Clorox Company announced that second-quarter earnings fell nearly five percent, according to MarketWatch.
Quarterly earnings were $86 million, down from $92 million in the year-ago quarter, the story stated.
Total sales increased from $1.19 billion to $1.22 billion, the story noted.
Clorox expects a sales growth of 3-5 percent for 2009, the story added.
Click here to read the complete article.
For related information, click here.


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A US judge has ruled that Apple conspired with publishers to raise the price of electronic books, the Associated Press reports.
Manhattan judge Denise Cote said the firm "created a mechanism and environment that enabled them to act together in a matter of weeks to eliminate all retail price competition for their e-books."
She also ordered a new hearing to determine damages to be imposed on the technology firm.
The conspiracy was said to be designed to challenge online retailer Amazon's dominance of the burgeoning market.
Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer called the ruling "a victory for millions of consumers who choose to read books electronically."
Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said: "We will continue to fight against these false accusations. We've done nothing wrong."
More top news
Anger at the verdict in the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown has left the US deeply divided during its celebration of togetherness.
For most of the country, tomorrow is set to get off to a more pleasant start as it should be drier and brighter with the odd sunny spell.
A man who was abused by John Allen as a child has spoken out as the former care home boss has been found guilty of a further eight charges.


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A recent report surfaced that practically accused Google of charging manufacturers a rather hefty fee to license its Google Mobile Services on Android. The Android maker has now come out to deny such a business practice, though some of its recent moves might make some remain a bit cautious.
Ubuntu will be including a default new scope with the aim of encouraging its philosophy of Free Culture directly into the user experience via the search engine of the OS. It will allow The Pirate Bay users to perform BitTorrent searches directly from the desktop.
We've heard extensively about the gradual decline of the consumer PC market, with industry leaders feeling the pain as consumers gravitate towards more mobile devices: tablets and smartphones. NVIDIA is one such company that has felt the squeeze, and its response is a strong one: an expansion of its business model with an announcement that it will begin licensing Kepler architecture.
It has been a bit since Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, and today it has posted a write-up detailing how game licensing for the gaming console works. One particular area of concern has revolved around used games, which was partially detailed on May 24 in a policy leak. The licensing details posted by Microsoft clear up a few areas of questioning, such as whether used games can be given to friends and resold.
Netflix customers in the US will soon get a host of new shows coming their way, thanks to a content-licensing agreement between Netflix and two content providers, Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. Television Group. The deal means that tons of new shows from Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TNT, and more, will be making their way to the streaming service as soon as late March.
It would appear that HTC is now set up to pay two giant companies for the rights to use their patents rather than face their legal wrath: their newest being Apple for $6-8 USD a phone. The other company HTC is into for cash-per-device is Microsoft, revealed all the way back in 2010 as an industry changing agreement for $5 USD a phone. The difference between that fee and this are small for HTC and for Apple and Microsoft in the end, but for this one fact: it does still appear that Microsoft makes more from Android-carrying device patent license fees than it does from its own Windows Phone platform - though that may change in the oncoming Windows Phone 8 season.
Struggling BlackBerry platform holder RIM announced today that it has reached a licensing deal with Microsoft, but instead of RIM licensing out its tech like CEO Thorsten Heins has suggested many times in the past, RIM is the one paying out the licensing fee this time around. The deal gives RIM access to Microsoft's Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) technology, a system that allows for the easy transfer of large files between PCs and other devices like smartphones.
Apple and Motorola have apparently started discussing a licensing deal for some of Motorola's standard-essential patents in Germany. FOSS Patents reports that Motorola announced the work-in-progress deal last night, though the two have yet to agree on the price that Apple will pay for licensing. As many of you already know, Motorola and its new parent company Google have taken Apple to court, attempting to get a number of iDevices banned for patent infringement.
Apple and Samsung may currently be duking it out in the court room, but a freshly-surfaced Apple presentation from 2010 shows that the iPhone maker tried to strike a licensing deal with Samsung long before the jury became involved. Apple, as many of you already know, is taking Samsung to court over allegedly copying the iPhone in its own devices, but this new presentation shows that Apple tried to resolve the dispute by offering to license its patents to Samsung. Given the fact that Apple is currently suing Samsung for $2.5 billion, it seems that negotiations didn't go so well.
Google and Rovi Corporation have announced a new patent licensing deal that will help Google offer a more complete fiber TV service. Google Fiber's TV service was announced last week as a part of its new fiber Internet offerings, and thanks to this new deal with Rovi, Google will have access to the company's "interactive program guide patent portfolio" for set-top boxes. The announcement says that these patents apply to mobile and online platforms as well, so that's something to keep an eye on.
This week Microsoft has made an agreement with yet another group in their IP Collaboration system in which rather than getting sued by the giant, groups agree to pay a fee for utilizing technology Microsoft has patented. The Amdocs group is the business working with Microsoft today, they being best known for their software and services for billion and customer support for telecommunications groups such as T-Mobile, Comcast, Vodafone, DirecTV, and more. This agreement covers Amdocs' use of Linux-based servers in its data centers.


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New Zealand Q1 BoP Current Account data
BoP Current Account Balance for Q1, 662 mln
- expected 282mln, prior was -3.194bn
Current account to GDP ratio (YTD) for Q1, -3.6 %
- expected -3.8%, prior was -3.3%
A much wider than expected kiwi current account surplus
More from Statistics New Zealand:
- "Imports of petroleum products fell to their lowest value in just over nine years, as prices plummeted in the latest quarter, to their lowest level in over a decade," international statistics manager Jason Attewell said.
- Lower oil prices at the start of 2015 drove a decrease in New Zealand's overseas expenditure in the March 2015 quarter
- New Zealand's annual current account deficit was $8.6 billion (3.6 percent of GDP) for the year ended March 2015. This compares with a deficit of $7.8 billion (3.3 percent of GDP) for the year ended December 2014.
- The larger annual current account balance was mainly due to a fall in exports of goods, which was driven by falling dairy prices over the past year.
- "Increased spending by overseas visitors in New Zealand, our second-largest source of export revenue, partly offset the fall in exports of dairy products over the past year," Mr Attewell said.
NZD is trading a few tics higher in the wake of the release:


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The Tulip Festival Steering Committee is pleased to announce that a craft show will return to this year’s list of events during the festival. The craft show will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, in the basement of Iowa State Bank.
Individuals who create handmade, original crafts are invited to apply for the craft show, and are encouraged to include Dutch items as a portion of their items to sell. Only handmade, original items will be accepted into the show, and no food or beverage items will be accepted.
Applications for the craft show are open until March 15. Applications from individuals meeting the craft show requirements will be accepted on a first come, first served basis as space is limited. Individuals accepted will be notified by April 1, and an entry fee of $35 will be due by April 15 following acceptance.
For more information or to apply, visit the Craft Show Application page.


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- Elon Musk has threatened to walk away from his Twitter buyout over bot accounts on the platform.
- Twitter says less than 5% of accounts are bots, but Musk and others argue it could be much higher.
- Bots are famously hard to measure and could have real implications for Twitter ad revenue.
For most of us, Twitter bots may seem like just another online pest. But for Elon Musk, they might be enough to scrap a multibillion-dollar deal.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has proposed buying and privatizing Twitter in what he views as a way to "unlock" its "extraordinary potential" as a global free-speech platform.
But since submitting a $44 billion buyout offer in April, Musk has become increasingly focused on spam and bot accounts on the platform. He said in May that the deal can't move forward unless there's proof that less than 5% of Twitter accounts are bots — on Tuesday, Musk accused Twitter of "actively resisting" his efforts to investigate fake accounts and threatened to pull out of the deal altogether.
Musk's fixation on bots has led observers to wonder if the issue is just an excuse to wriggle out of the deal following a Tesla stock slump. But bots do have real implications for ad revenue, and bot accounts are famously tricky to measure.
Here's what we know about Twitter's bot issues and what it could mean for the Twitter deal.
Why are there bots on Twitter and how long have they been around?
While Musk may be laser-focused on bots in 2022, they're nothing new for Twitter — in fact, bot accounts have existed on the platform since its founding in the mid-aughts.
Perhaps the most famous example of the power of Twitter bots was in 2016, when a Russia-linked troll farm unleashed over 50,000 bots in an effort to sway the outcome of the US presidential election.
But not every bot is created to run political interference. Rival companies may create bots that click on their competitors' ads in order to skew their rival's analytics. Or, bots might be designed to flood a site with traffic to cause a denial-of-service attack, Guy Tytunovich, the founder and CEO of cybersecurity firm Cheq, told Insider.
"Bots are created to mimic a human being's behavior in order to benefit the proprietor of said bot," Tytunovich said.
How many bots are there on Twitter?
Measuring the exact number of Twitter bots is a thorny issue, and everyone seems to have a different estimate.
Twitter has long maintained that fewer than 5% of the accounts on its platform are bots. That figure is the result of quarterly human reviews of "thousands of accounts, that are sampled at random, consistently over time," Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal tweeted in May.
But Musk is arguing that Twitter's figure is low — very low. He said during a recent episode of the "All-In" podcast that he thinks the number is at least 20%. "Currently what I'm being told is that there's just no way to know the number of bots," said Musk at the time. "It's like, as unknowable as the human soul."
Some outside firms have taken a stab at figuring it out. Data analytics firm GlobalData found that 10% of Twitter's active accounts are posting spam, which was based on a sample of 22,000 tweets.
At Cheq, Tytunovich's team analyzed 5.21 million visits to its customers' websites that originated from Twitter and found that 11.71% of those visits were by bots. Cheq found that the majority of those accounts were malicious bots and scrapers, which collect large swaths of data from web pages.
But Cheq's analysis was based solely on the bots that actually clicked on an ad and were sent to another website, which means that bots that didn't click on ads weren't counted.
"I'm imagining that the number is far higher in terms of the bots that are on Twitter," Tytunovich said.
Why is it so hard to measure?
Part of the challenge of measuring bot accounts is that the concept of spam itself is subjective, Sidharth Kumar, GlobalData's senior data scientist, wrote in a blog post about the firm's findings.
"It is almost impossible to confirm the identity of the entity behind a tweet handle," he wrote. "Additionally, the definition of spam account may differ for everyone. Incessant tweeting of non-original content can be considered spam, but some may choose to see it as a very active user sharing articles/opinions."
Agrawal has made a similar point: "FirstnameBunchOfNumbers with no profile pic and odd tweets might seem like a bot or spam to you, but behind the scenes we often see multiple indicators that it's a real person," he tweeted last month.
Twitter says it's impossible for an outsider to determine whether an account is, in fact, a bot, because doing so requires user data like IP addresses, phone numbers, geolocations, and how the account behaves when it's active.
Why does Musk care about bots so much?
The short answer: advertising revenue.
Musk's team is arguing that if there are more bots on Twitter than the company is saying there are, the proportion of real users who will actually be shown ads is smaller, which would impact ad revenue.
"How do advertisers know what they're getting for their money?" Musk tweeted in May in response to Agrawal. "This is fundamental to the financial health of Twitter."
But some speculate that spam may just be a loophole for Musk to get out of the deal. Although he waived his right to comb through Twitter's finances before purchasing the company, his purchase agreement is void if he's able to prove that Twitter misled him.
Which means that if Musk can prove that more than 5% of Twitter's users are bots, he may be able to walk away altogether.
What happens next?
Twitter has so far refused to hand its internal user data over to Musk, but that may be about to change: Twitter has reportedly given in to Musk's demands and will allow him access to its "firehose" of internal data, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
While it may seem like a victory for Musk, Twitter's leaders are reportedly skeptical that this data will prove useful to his investigation — due to a wrinkle in how bots are measured at Twitter. When Twitter says less than 5% of accounts are bots, it's measuring a random sample of mDAU, or monetizable daily active users — as in, users who were logged in on a given day through Twitter's website, or a Twitter application that's able to show ads.
The New York Times reported that this means in order to investigate Twitter's claims, Musk will most likely require a team of experts and massive computing capacity to process that "firehose" of data — which includes more than 500 million tweets sent every day.


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Commercial Counsellor and head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US Bui Huy Son has said Vietnamese firms should take a methodical approach to exporting aquatic products to the US.
While signalling a breakthrough improvement in the local logistics service market, Vietnam’s new regulations have raised concerns over e-commerce among EU investors.
PSNews - Owners of Suzuki Raider 150 Fi bikes eligible for the recall have until the end of December 2019 to bring their vehicles in for a free replacement of the faulty parts.
The CP Vietnam Corporation, based in the southern province of Binh Phuoc, plans to invest in a project to raise and process 100 million chickens per year for export.
Some 120,138 ha of rice fields affected by a lack of water and saltwater intrusion in the southern region will be used to grow other crops in 2018, according to the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Apart from co-working spaces which have already taken root in Vietnam, the market is now expected to receive the co-living trend—a new trend of sharing living space.
Sapa’s upcoming achievement of town status will pave the way for more opportunities for investors in the real estate market.
Starting from a single green building, Singapore has risen to become the green city of Southeast Asia aiming to green out 80 per cent of the construction works in the city. Do Ngoc Diep, specialist at the Green Building Project of the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, looks at Vietnam’s chances of realising its dream of becoming “a green spot” in the region.
PSNews - The Vietnam Online Business Forum 2018 took place on March 14, in Hanoi by the Vietnam E-Commerce and announced the Vietnam E-commerce Index in 2018 of provinces and cities across the country.
The heavy toll taken by coal-fired power plants has prompted many pro-environmental international organisations to oppose banks in several nations that plan to provide loans for these plants in Vietnam, which mandatorily still considers coal a big power generator for the energy-thirsty country.
Japan – one of countries leading the way in implementing the advances of the 4th Industrial Revolution, is witnessing strong investment from Vietnam’s information technology (IT) firms.
One year after the US’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the remaining 11 Asia-Pacific countries, including Vietnam, have signed a new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to remove tariff barriers in the region.
The Vietnamese Government encourages foreign firms in milk production and processing to expand production, upgrade technology, apply energy saving solutions in the country.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc advocated boosting cooperation between Vietnam and New Zealand in fields of mutual interest such as education-training, organic agriculture, smart agriculture, and infrastructure while addressing the Vietnam-New Zealand Business Forum in Auckland on March 13.
Economics, trade, and investment between Vietnam and Japan have seen constant developments over recent years with Japan having always been one of Vietnam’s most important partners, has said Vietnam Chamber of Commerce of Industry (VCCI) Vice President Hoang Quang Phong.
Vietnam remained the third largest trading partner of Laos in 2017, trailing Thailand and China, according to the Vientiane Times.
Vietnam’s agriculture reached an export value of US$36.5 billion last year. With positive signals in the first two months of 2018, the sector aims to grow 3.05% this year with an export value of US$40.5 billion, higher than previous plans.
63% of businesses in Vietnam believe the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) signed on March 8 will have a positive impact on their operations, according to HSBC’s comprehensive survey of global businesses.
Vietnam’s total export value was estimated at US$33.62 billion by the end of February, a year-on-year increase of 22.9%, revealed the General Department of Customs.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked People’s Committees of cities and provinces with large areas of shrimp farms to employ different solutions in order to reach targets set in the national action plan for the development of the shrimp industry through 2025.


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Markit, the research group, and Ipsos Mori, the survey firm, polled 1,500 adults across the country.
They reported that 38% of households saw their financial situation deteriorate in July compared with the previous month.
By contrast, just 6% agreed there had been an improvement on this metric.
As such, the overall index rating - where a score above 50 point indicates a positive trend and a reading below this figure reflects the opposite - fell from 35.1 points to 34.4 points month on month
"The latest reading signalled that the rate of deterioration in household finances was as severe as the survey-record seen in March 2009."
Elsewhere, 45% of residences had less money to spend in July, and a modest 8% boasted a greater amount of available funds.
At 31.8 points, down from 35.0 points in June, the resulting index score here was the lowest since the survey first started in February 2009.
Indeed, Markit's analysis argued shoppers are facing a major "squeeze" in this area, with negative knock-on effects on savings rates, and heightening the need for unsecured credit.
When discussing the outlook for the coming 12 months, totals stood at 38.8 points for July, measured against 34.6 points in June.
However, 49% of households anticipated their economic circumstances would get worse in the next year, while only 27% predicted enjoying an improvement in these terms.
Inflation is another ongoing issue, as 81% of respondents stated their cost of living is currently rising, and 88% expected this trend to continue in the next 12 months.
One bright spot came upon assessing job security, yielding 42.3 points and increasing from 41.9 points in June, and the best level recorded since May 2010.
Even in this category there were discernable differences between consumer perceptions.
"Reduced job insecurity was largely confined to the private sector, as those in the public sector saw a steeper fall in job security than during June," Markit said.
Tim Moore, senior economist at Markit, warned that rising bills and the fragile condition of the UK economy could potentially "knock confidence" in the future.
"Higher living costs and stretched disposable incomes continue to weigh heavily on consumer finances," he said.
"However, the forward-looking parts of the survey are slightly less downbeat, suggesting that increasing numbers of households expect a break in the clouds."
Data sourced from Markit; additional content by Warc staff


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Along with the barrage of updates and novelties unleashed today from Cupertino, Apple has pushed out the Apple TV 4.4 software update, which features some new ways to stream content to your TV.
The most notable addition is AirPlay mirroring, which allows you to stream whatever is on your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 directly to you HDTV. Just as hockey season is about to get underway, Apple has added the NHL to the list of sports leagues you can subscribe to for live streaming games. For your more serious side, the update adds access to free, live Wall Street Journal video content. That's all pretty cool! Oh and you can look at images recently synced to Photo Stream—too bad we already decided Photo Stream is flawed and kind of creepy. [Apple via MacWorld]


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Banks must be agile in their uptake of technology or risk losing their market to nimble electronic retailers, according to one industry expert.
Jerome Svigals, director of the Smart Card institute, was presenting a Lafferty webinar on Retail Banking 2020, and argued that it is up to banks to move quickly enough to preserve their market positions.
A key catalyst for change in the next decade was said to be smartphones, with their ease of use, increasing functionality and ubiquity driving a move from branches to devices.
"There will be a dramatic increase in the use of [mobile] self-service in the banking industry. We're starting to see the demise of face-to-face banking," Svigals said.
This change will provide economic benefits to banks, in addition to convenience to the customer.
"It's up to 95 per cent cheaper to deal with a mobile transaction than a transaction in the branch. The growth of ATM use demonstrates the acceptance [of this change]."
On the growth of internet banking, Svigals commented that customers will be given unique URLs to access their accounts, rather than the common point of entry that is standard at the moment.
Access to this URL could come from a barcode, read by a smartphone. A PIN would be required to access records, transactions and other functions, with a move to an additional biometric (such as a fingerprint scan, also performed by the smartphone) layer of security in the future.
"This direct access opens up self-service opportunities," Svigals continued. "The same concept will be used in almost every industry. If banks operate in this way, they could potentially sell on the service to other industries."
However, with far less reliance on branches and human resources, the industry appears to be open to whoever first grasps and runs with the new technology. Svigals suggested that there is as much chance of an electronic retailer moving into banking territory as there is of a bank leveraging its own services in other markets.
Return to business news headlines
View Business News Archive


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Ford to close Jaguar plant
MORE than 2,000 manufacturing jobs are to go in the Midlands following Ford's decision to close its Jaguar car plant at Browns Lane in Allesley, Coventry.
The move, which had been widely expected, reflects growing over-capacity in the automotive industry.
Jaguar said the decision was taken due to poor sales. Last month it put three of its UK factories on short-time working and said it was cutting production by around 10%.
In a separate move, Jaguar revealed that it will quit Formula 1 at the end of the season. The company's racing team came back into Formula 1 in 2000 but has never done better than 7th place in the Constructors' Championship and has never started a race from pole position.
Business leaders in the West Midlands, meanwhile, said the closure was potentially disastrous and could cost the regional economy more than £50m a year.
Louise Beard, chief executive of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said that as well as 2,000 job losses it would spell the demise of a world-renowned brand long associated with the city.
She said: 'A great deal of smaller firms in this area rely on Jaguar for trade. With 2,000 people made redundant, the loss of wealth from the economy would devastating and could be anything over and above £50m annually.'
As well as Browns Lane, Jaguar also has a research and development facility in the Whitley area of Coventry, employing about 2,000 people.
Coventry has long been at the heart of UK car manufacturing - the first car maker set up in the city in 1896 and as early as 1911 there were 7,000 car workers in Coventry.
Browns Lane is the home of the XJ saloon and XK sports car. Production of the cars is likely to switch to the nearby Castle Bromwich site in Birmingham, which makes the S-Type.
TGWU general secretary Tony Woodley and Amicus general secretary Derek Simpson, who held talks with Jaguar today, argued that Ford, which owns Jaguar, would be breaking agreements about the future of the plant if the closure went ahead.
The union leaders said an agreement in 1998 stated that Browns Lane would be the assembly site for large luxury saloons and sport cars. The agreement, signed by unions and the company gave a commitment about the development of Jaguar's West Midlands sites as well as future investment.
The unions could now launch a ballot for industrial action. Local Labour MPs, including Geoffrey Robinson, a former managing director of Jaguar, have urged the company to keep the factory open.
As well as Jaguar, Ford also owns Land Rover and Aston Martin. Ford is expected to counter any bad news in Coventry with an announcement of a big investment in its factory at Dagenham in Essex.
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One of Australia’s oldest institutions, Australia Post, has announced that customers will now be able to buy bitcoin on participating exchanges within minutes through its Digital iD service.
Australia Post Delivers Bitcoin
Now Australians will be able to buy bitcoin through their post office. Australia Post lets users sign up to local Bitcoin exchanges through its Digital iD service, which eliminates the need to take selfies and verify documents.
Think ‘Log in with Facebook or LinkedIn’ button, but for buying BTC [coin_price].
Brisbane-based Bitcoin exchange, Digital Surge, for example, is among the first adopters of the Digital iD platform, local news outlet Micky reports.
Director of Digital Surge, Josh Lehman, says the new service helps speed up the registration process that could discourage many potential users.
“Digital iD allows us to verify the identity of a prospective Bitcoin buyer in minutes,
instead of the days it takes other exchanges,” Mr Lehman explained.
For the first time, an Australian can log on to a computer, punch in their driver’s licence or
passport details, and be buying Bitcoin within minutes.
Digital iD also works with Australian companies Coinjar and Coin Loft, and could boost confidence for potential investors, who were previously reluctant to submit personal data to questionable online services.
Digital Identity Service Struggles
Australia Post has struggled with its Digital iD program, however, as seen by recent budget and staff cuts amid controversy and a potential conflict of interest with another government digital ID program, according to local news portal Innovationaus. In addition, an attempt to gauge the possibility of securing funding from the private sectopr has also been reportedly “halted.”
The Digital iD project was rolled out earlier this year after development began in 2016 with 13 participating organizations, a number which has now grown to over 40, including Queensland Police, CUA, and Airtasker.
The process is simple. Customers submit their national ID such as a driver license or passport once, and then only use a smartphone app and QR codes instead. But ultimately, Australia Post’s Digital iD service does store all of this personal information on their central servers, which certainly aren’t immune to cyber attacks. The service does give users control over which bits of personal data are shared.
“Digital iD gives people more control over the personal data they share with organizations,” General Manager of Australia Post’s Digital iD, Cameron Gough, says.
A Privacy for Usability Tradeoff
Using this new way to buy bitcoin in Australia may indeed become the easiest method currently available. At the same time, there is a tradeoff for people who may value privacy over speed and convenience.
In June, Bitcoinist reported that the Australia Taxation Office (ATO) announced it will collect Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on cryptocurrency gains. In other words, users should expect to pay capital gains tax since their newly-purchased bitcoin can be easily traced to their digital ID.
Nevertheless, this has not stopped Australians from buying bitcoin as the number of cryptocurrency holders has nearly tripled since the beginning of 2018. Therefore, Australia Post, which services 11.7 million addresses across the country based on the latest data, could attract some new buyers of bitcoin who prefer to trust a government corporation over some off-shore exchange.
Would you use Australia Post to buy bitcoin? Let us know below!
Images courtesy of Shutterstock


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Wal-Mart Worker Reportedly Fired… for Stopping Assault
Because low prices matter more than people, Wal-Mart has reportedly canned a late-shift worker — this time for coming to the aid of a customer who was under physical assault.
Kristopher Oswald, a 30-year-old Wal-Mart employee in Michigan, subdued an assailant in the store’s parking lot, thereby saving a female customer from untold harm; that much is not in dispute.
What is in dispute, however, is Wal-Mart’s apparent pride in sacking a good samaritan, such pride as demonstrated thus:
A spokeswoman for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. told The Associated Press on Thursday that while the company understood Oswald’s intentions, his actions violated company policy.
“We had to make a tough decision, one that we don’t take lightly, and he’s no longer with the company,” company spokeswoman Ashley Hardie said.
It’s heartening to know that Wal-Mart carries the moral fiber to make the tough decisions. Remember that, when next you shop.


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Taking a brave leap into a marketing concept that positions bookkeepers as nurses, mopping the worried brow of business owners has won recognition for a local company.
At the New Zealand Bookkeepers Association conference, Number Nurses won the innovative marketing award for its quirky branding that shakes off dull images of administration work.
The franchise is owned by chartered accountant, Kirsten Hawke, who re-launched the business in August 2016.
“Number Nurses creative presence, online and in print, is smart, sassy, informative and effective,” says Ms Hawke.
The high-profile founder, Gayle Buchanan, died in 2015 and Ms Hawke was determined to continue her friend’s legacy.
“The messages are infused with humour that resonated with Gayle and lighten the load for clients.”
Fulfilling Gayle’s wish to franchise the brand, there are now two new franchisees on board, with one based in east Auckland.
The re-launch campaign was tight and well executed with brand exposure through an international magazine, Franchise NZ and provincial newspapers, all raising the profile of bookkeeping as an exciting career and business opportunity.
Social media presence is extremely active with 6914 likes on Facebook, and the online presence and marketing materials are regularly updated.
“Gayle’s larger than life personality and aspirations were a hard act to follow but we are determined to nurture her bigger plans to spread the business model here and overseas,” Ms Hawke says.


text: Toyoda Gosei has teamed up with major sports equipment manufacturer Asics to make a sustainable sneaker using airbag fabric remnants from the manufacturing process. Starting on 26 January, the Asics Sports Style and other models will be available for purchase at Asic’s online store and elsewhere.Airbag fabric and steering wheel leather remnants are difficult to recycle, and Toyoda Gosei has been transforming these materials into bags, pen cases, and other products that it sells under the Re-S eco brand. Asics has also been seeking ways to incorporate recycled materials in its sneakers and sportswear.This joint project has been achieved with a shared mindset between the two companies in working to achieve a sustainable society. These sneakers use a highly durable nylon fabric while also featuring excellent design, including embroidered seams. They were planned to appeal especially to younger people with a high environmental awareness.Toyoda Gosei will continue joint product planning with Asics to utilize material remnants generated in its plants.


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Since it’s Inception in 1985, Hannibal Industries, Inc. has Successfully Racked Up its Sales with Business in Several Industries
September 3, 2015, (Los Angeles, Calif.) – Today, Hannibal Industries, Inc. celebrates its thirty-year anniversary and congratulates its eight original employees who have been with the company from its inception. Since opening its doors in 1985, Hannibal Industries has quickly expanded from its Los Angeles headquarters into global markets and has added additional facilities. Each year, the company produces and ships well in excess of 90,000 tons of steel between its two divisions.
President Blanton Bartlett (on the left) and Vice President Steve Rogers (on the right), are proud to work alongside original employees (from left to right): John Ngo, Lyle Ung, Kim Vun, Joe Battaglia, Heidy Moon, Jorge Rodas, Kant Wong (not in the picture) and Peter Chang (not in the picture).
“Hannibal has had great success over the years and we owe that success to our team,” says President, Blanton Bartlett. “We have successfully grown our business, formed valuable alliances, through providing carbon steel tubing and storage solutions to massive operations around the world. The monumental steps Hannibal has made are in thanks to our dedicated team and we look forward to growing and serving our customers for many more years to come.”
The company celebrated its thirty-year anniversary with family members at Knott’s Berry Farm this past weekend. Hannibal’s anniversary celebration hosted a DJ, games, activities, a guest appearance from Snoopy and a personalized cake for its attendees.
Hannibal Industries’ employees and families had the opportunity to pose for pictures and capture memories with Snoopy at Knott’s Berry Farm.
In 2008, Hannibal Industries, Inc. acquired full ownership from Mitsui & Company (U.S.A.) through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and recently celebrated seven-years as an ESOP. Throughout the years, Hannibal has been awarded two patents, became an ESOP, created innovative solutions, formed valuable partnerships, established international sales channels through strategic partnerships, acquired and expanded facilities and among other accomplishments will expand its business into Houston to better serve its clients in the south.
Hannibal Industries provides carbon steel tubing to metal distributors and storage solutions to the food and beverage, home improvement, warehouse distribution, manufacturing, cold storage distribution, retail, archive storage, automotive and Third-Party Logistics Providers (3PL). The company works closely with system integrators, consultants and forklift suppliers to offer innovative solutions.
Additional information on Hannibal Industries is available at http://www.hannibalrack.com, on Twitter @HannibalRack, on the HannibalRack YouTube channel and on LinkedIn.
About Hannibal Industries, Inc.
Hannibal Industries, Inc., headquartered in the Los Angeles metro area, is a pallet rack and steel tube manufacturer with a diverse product line that enables the company to provide material handling products to some of the largest operations in the world. This employee-owned company is the largest U.S. manufacturer of steel pallet rack west of the Mississippi River.
The company’s industry leading product offering includes TubeRack, Metalsistem, Structural Pallet Rack, Roll-Formed Selective Pallet Rack, Hybrid Systems, Cantilever Systems, Pushback Systems, Pallet Flow Systems, Case Flow Systems and Drive-In Systems. Engineering and design services offered by the company include: system design; seismic engineering; permit administration; in-house installation and custom fabrication. A true innovator, Hannibal Industries was awarded a patent in 2006 for a pallet rack system adjustable safety restraint, and currently has a patent pending for its TubeRack. For additional information, visit www.hannibalrack.com.
For more information, contact:
Hannibal Industries Media Relations/
Master Plan Communications, Inc.


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A waste of good whiskey?
Associated Press Writer
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ” Here’s a sobering thought: Hundreds of bottles of Jack
Daniel’s whiskey, some of it almost 100 years old, may be unceremoniously poured down a drain because authorities suspect it was being sold by someone without a license.
Officials seized 2,400 bottles late last month during warehouse raids in Nashville and Lynchburg, the southern Tennessee town where the whiskey is distilled.
“Punish the person, not the whiskey,” said an outraged Kyle MacDonald, 28, a Jack Daniel’s drinker from British Columbia who promotes the whiskey on his blog. “Jack never did anything wrong, and the whiskey itself is innocent.”
Investigators are also looking into whether some of the bottles had been stolen from the distillery. No one has been arrested.
Authorities are still determining how much of the liquor will be disposed of, and how much can be sold at auction.
Tennessee law requires officials to destroy whiskey that cannot be sold legally in the state, such as bottles designed for sale overseas and those with broken seals.
“We’d pour it out,” said Danielle Elks, executive director of the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
The estimated value of the liquor is $1 million, possibly driven up by the value of the antique bottles, which range from 3-liter bottles to half-pints.
One seized bottle dates to 1914, with its seal unbroken. Elks said it is worth $10,000 on the collectors market. Investigators are looking into whether the liquor was being sold for the value of the bottles rather than the whiskey.
“Someone was making a great deal of profit,” she said.
Tennessee whiskeys age in charred white oak barrels, but the maturing process that gives them character mostly stops when it is bottled. A bottled whiskey can deteriorate over a long period of time, especially if it is opened or exposed to sunlight and heat.
Christopher Carlsson, a spirits connoisseur and collector in Rochester, N.Y., said old vintages of whiskey in their original containers are highly prized.
“A lot of these bottles are priceless,” he said. “It’s like having a rare painting. It’s heavily collected.”
The raids, prompted by a tip, were conducted at two warehouses and a home in Lynchburg, about 65 miles southeast of Nashville. Another raid was at a Nashville hotel room where drinks were being served and bottles were being sold.
For now, the whiskey is being stored in a Nashville vault.
Elks acknowledged that pouring out the whiskey would not be a happy hour for her.
“It’d kill me,” she said.
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Messaging from CDOT changes, but Independence Pass is noted as closed on its website but not for mudslides
Independence Pass east of Aspen is listed as closed according to the state’s transportation department, but the road was not shut down Wednesday because of mudslides but rather to lessen traffic.