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Investors may be wary about Yum Brands (NYSE:YUM) going into earnings with the stock trading at fair value. While there is the potential for a 3% to 5% downside on continuing China weakness and sentiment, the long-term picture is firmly intact. The company is one of the best plays on the emerging market consumer and has strong cash flows from its franchised U.S. operations.
One of the best emerging consumer plays out there
In 1999, Yum Brands had over 20,000 stores in the United States and just under half that amount internationally. The company made $14.5 billion on its U.S. operations and $7.3 billion internationally. While the international story was becoming a significant driver, growth was still firmly tied to the domestic market.
In the last fiscal year, the Great Wall of China pictured the cover of the company's annual report and that pretty much says it all. The company now franchises most of its U.S. operations and tomorrow's growth is all about China and the emerging markets. Just 28% of the company's operating profit is now attributable to U.S. operations with China accounting for 42% and 30% coming from other international markets.
Facing a sluggish economic recovery and high unemployment in the United States, the early switch to a franchise model is an advantage for the company. Franchise fees topping $800 million in 2012 make the U.S. operations a cash cow regardless of any weakness in consumer spending.
That cash flow strength helped the company announce its ninth consecutive double-digit dividend increase in September. Yum pays a 2.1% yield and targets a payout ratio between 35% to 40%, leaving plenty left over for growth.
The company has an ongoing growth target of 15% in China and 10% across the rest of its international segment, compared to a 5% growth target in U.S. operations. The company's acquisition of Little Sheep over a year ago has helped to diversify its overall menu offering in the country. Results from the hot pot chain are mediocre so far, helping to boost sales in the country while weakening margins slightly as management brings the stores into the fold.
The KFC brand was hit hard in China over the Avian flu epidemic this year and it may take time to rebuild customer faith. Seeking Alpha contributor Chris Katje discusses the recent large declines in Chinese same store sales across the company's stores but reasons that new menu items at Taco Bell may save the stock.
Besides long-term growth potential, comparables for same store sales, especially in China, could lead to a big surprise upside next year. Any return to target growth in the region could significantly improve sentiment. Even given the slowdown in Chinese GDP growth, there will still be an estimated 300 million moving to the cities over the next six years and this could lead to explosive growth for the company.
Short-term pain, long-term gain
Long-term optimism aside, expectations and a fair-value price multiple may hold the shares back over the next couple of months. The company is expected to post earnings of $0.93 per share on revenue of $3.54 billion this quarter. This represents a 6.1% decrease in quarterly earnings against a 1.1% decrease in sales.
Yum posted a decline of 8.3% in sales last quarter over the previous year and has averaged revenue loss of 1.5% over each of the last four quarters. Earnings per share fell 16.4% last quarter and earnings growth has averaged -0.1% over the last four quarters.
Results last quarter were hit hard by the impact of Avian flu in China with same store sales declining 20% in the country. Same store sales grew 1% in the company's other markets but margins declined 2.7% on the quarter. Shares fell 3.6% over a period of three days after the announcement and have traded in a tight range since then.
The shares trade for 23.4 times trailing earnings, just under the industry average of 23.5 times and over the company's five-year average of 18.5 times trailing earnings. The company's lead in China growth should support valuation but further weakness in sales as KFC tries to rebuild its brand could bring the shares down in the near-term.
I am expecting $0.95 per share on Tuesday's earnings, just over the consensus and $3.07 per share for the full year. Any news that Chinese consumers are still hesitant to trust the KFC brand will hit sentiment by a comparable amount seen last quarter, between 3% and 5%.
Over the next year, weakness for the American consumer should not affect the company much due to the majority of its U.S. operations being franchised. I expect the company to use its menu success at Taco Bell across KFC and Pizza Hut over the next year with a lineup of new items. A few may flop but all it takes is a couple really interesting and popular additions to bring people back. Margins may weaken a bit on the increase to marketing but then should bounce higher on volume.
Yum Brands has hedged its U.S. operations with a franchise model so the segment is basically a cash cow for the company. Its international stores, especially in China, hold a compelling long-term story with urbanization to be a big driver going forward. Investors wary about shares trading at fair value should look at the longer-term and wait out any near-term valuation weakness.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


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Nearly 2 million more people than last year are expected to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year, even as consumers have continued the trend of starting their holiday shopping earlier in the year. "Black Friday stopped being a one-day event years ago, and this year some consumers started shopping for Christmas as early as Halloween," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. Read more.
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ARM to Release Mali 450 for Mid-range Devices
ARM is developing Midgard architecture and T6xx GPUs for upcoming high-end devices. At the same time, the Mali 4xx GPUs will be transferred to mid-range segments and the company is currently preparing a new GPU chip called Mali 450. The Mali 450 will be twice as powerful compared to the Mali 400 used in the International version of the Samsung Galaxy S2. It has twice as many cores (8 cores) and should be roughly similar in performance level compared to the overclocked version of Mali-400 used by the Samsung Galaxy S3.
The Mali 450 is really just a Mali 400 GPU with the same clock speed, but with twice as many cores. It means, there’s still a possibility for manufacturers to increase its clock rate further, like the way Samsung did with the Mali 400 GPU used by Samsung Galaxy S3. ARM will also release T604 in 2012 and T658 in 2014 for high-end devices, which are expected to smash current mobile records for graphic performance.


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Panel tackles Tenn. tax changes
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- Jeannie Naujeck
- Staff Writer
Some state business taxes may increase, but businesses also can expect a new set of economic incentives to stimulate growth, a panel of tax experts told business owners today during a panel discussion.
Many of the changes are being implemented due to new laws enacted during the most recent legislative session, including a repeal of the tax exemption for family-owned commercial real estate properties, commonly known as “FONCE.”
The panel, sponsored by public accounting firm Carr Riggs & Ingram, included Reagan Farr, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Revenue, and attorneys Michael Sontag, tax practice chairman at Bass Berry & Sims, and Michael Stewart of Branstetter Stranch & Jenning, who is also a House District 52 state representative.
Among the changes the panel noted:
• Most industrial/commercial rent will no longer be exempt from franchise/excise tax. There are new penalties for failing to notify the state in a timely fashion of exemption from such taxes. Deduction for rent expense paid to an affiliate can now also be subject to limitations.
• Only 50 percent of business tax now may be offset by personal property taxes. An organization’s dominant business activity will determine its business tax rate.
• Job tax credit and headquarter relocation credit increases are now available to eligible businesses statewide.
• Personal property taxes will now shift in administration to the Department of Revenue from local authorities.
New economic incentives the panel highlighted include:
• Jobs Tax Credit — New legislation reduces the number of new jobs required to receive the Tennessee jobs tax credit to 500.
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- Some people who get COVID-19 develop lasting symptoms, like loss of taste or smell.
- A new cookbook was formulated specifically to help coronavirus long-haulers enjoy food again.
- The book, “Taste & Flavour,” is available for free as a digital download.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
For coronavirus long-haulers, loss of taste and smell is one of the persisting symptoms. Now, a new cookbook aims to help those people enjoy food again.
The book, “Taste & Flavour,” features 18 recipes with stunning food photography and is being offered for free as a digital download.
UK Chefs Ryan Riley and Kimberley Duke spent months formulating the recipes, designed specifically for people experiencing an altered sense of taste and smell due to COVID-19.
“If you’re living with taste loss no one talks about it,” Riley told Insider. “But six months of not being able to taste something and you form a mental barrier to food. It can become a mental health problem in itself.”
Researchers estimate about 10% of people who become infected with COVID-19 become long-haulers, meaning they have symptoms that last for months and for some, indefinitely.
A quarter of people who experience an altered sense of smell or taste improve within a couple of weeks, according to John Hopkins Medicine. But for most, the symptoms persist and some have gone more than a year without improvement.
Riley and Duke, who run a cooking school for cancer patients experiencing loss of taste, spent months working on the recipes. They consulted with Barry Smith from the University of London’s Centre for the study of the Senses, a leading UK researcher for loss of smell as a COVID-19 symptom.
Riley said about 80% of taste is actually smell, so the two senses are considerably intertwined. Some COVID-19 long-haulers experience anosmia, a loss of smell or taste, while others experience parosmia, a distorted sense of smell.
Creating the recipes for the book involved heightening certain flavors while avoiding others. Coffee, for instance, can smell like sewage to some people with parosmia. Things like onion, garlic, eggs, roasted meat, and nuts can smell “repulsive, almost like rotting flesh,” Riley said.
“It’s quite hard to write a recipe without garlic and onions,” he said. “They’re the basis of flavor.”
Instead, the chefs focused on amplifying the savory flavors and “adding texture and brightness to make up for the lack of depth.”
Riley and Duke tested nearly 300 recipes to narrow them down to the 18 that made it into the book.
They relied on intense savory flavors like soy sauce, miso, parmesan, and mushrooms, and tried to touch on all five basic tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami – and stimulate all the senses. They also used ingredients that stimulate the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for sensations in the face and sinuses and can be felt when eating foods like horseradish and wasabi.
Riley called the miso butter potatoes with green herb vinegar the “perfect” recipe in that sense. The potatoes are umami-rich. The miso and soy sauce are umami and salty. The white pepper and fresh mint stimulate the trigeminal nerve. The green chile adds crunch for texture. The vinegar sets off the sour receptor.
Even though it seems like a simple recipe, Riley said, “it’s actually designed to stimulate all of the senses and a lot of the different taste buds, but also has to taste really nice.”
Riley said the reception to the book has been incredible, with people from around the world reaching out to thank them.
“Flavor is important. I think that’s what we’re desperately trying to make people understand,” he said.
Riley and Duke started Life Kitchen, their free, nonprofit cooking school for cancer patients, after both had lost parents to cancer.
“I’d seen my mother go through all of the sadness and pain of not being able to eat,” Riley, who lost his mother to cancer at age 20, said.
In 2017, he first had the idea to do a one-off cooking class for cancer patients whose taste had been altered by the disease or the treatment. But after a tweet about the class went viral, they launched Life Kitchen as a full-time endeavor.
“It’s depressing if you can’t taste,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest pleasures that we all take in this world. If you take that away, life really becomes a diminished experience.”
Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at [email protected].
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Inflation in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan - InflationThe economy grew 3.6% in the January-August period compared to the same period of 2020, accelerating from the 2.7% increase recorded in January-July. The non-oil sector continued to lead the upturn, increasing by close to 6.0% in the first eight months of the year. Industrial production growth gained considerable steam, underpinning the recovery, while capital spending slid at a softer rate in year-on-year terms in August. Additionally, nominal income dynamics improved for the fourth consecutive month, translating into a further acceleration in retail sales growth. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani oil prices hit a two-year high in late September, boding well for the country’s important oil sector, while efforts are underway to guarantee the full operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, which could boost trade and tourism ahead.
Azerbaijan - Inflation Data
|Inflation Rate (CPI, annual variation in %)||4.0||12.4||12.9||2.3||2.6|
5 years of economic forecasts for more than 30 economic indicators.
Azerbaijan Inflation Chart
|Exchange Rate||1.70||-0.66 %||Jan 01|
|Stock Market||0.1||0.0 %||Jan 07|
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Careerline Tech Center students learning about new auto batteries from LG Chem engineers.
HOLLAND, Mich. (WZZM) - On Wednesday, several engineers from the battery maker, LG Chem, were invited to Careerline Tech Center to teach students about electric powered batteries, despite the company's struggles over the new technology.
"We're working with LG Chem about future technology that's coming out," says Dave Searles, Director of Careerline Tech.
The LG Chem engineers are working for a company that's struggled to produce a single battery at its Holland plant in two years.
When asked if its important for students to learn about a failing technology, Searles said, " I can't determine what's failing and what's not right now."
Searles says LG Chem was selected to teach students in auto mechanics, engineering, and alternative energy. WZZM 13 asked Searles if it was a good idea to bring LG Chem in, even though the company's struggled with its own battery technology.
"I don't know on their end," says Searles. "I can only attest to what we're doing here with our program."
Searles says the school's focus is not on whether electric battery technology is successful or not, but instead to expose students to as many forms of alternative energy as possible.
"Battery, wind, solar, we have all those conversations," says Searles. "This is just one component of that exploration."
The school plans to have other local businesses teach about alternative energy in the future.
"We can't see down the road into the future, we can only explore," says Searles.
WZZM 13 tried to contact LG Chem for comment about teaching the class, but was unable to reach anyone. LG Chem officials said the engineers were not allowed to speak on camera.


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Update: check the latest version of Comodo’s free mobile security app
Once upon a time, the Blackberry from RIM was the most popular and prestigious device to own in the emerging class of products known as smartphones. People used to joke about the “Crackberry” addiction. Having a Blackberry put you in league with the world’s power elite in business and government.
No more. Beginning with the introduction of iPhone in 2007 and Android based phones in 2008, the Blackberry share of the mobile device market has steadily dwindled. Considering recent news, you have to wonder if the end is near.
Look at these headlines from just today:
- Blackberry Sales Tumble 45% in $965M 2Q Loss (Bloomberg)
- T-Mobile U.S. Stops BlackBerry Retail (Zacks Equity Research)
- Silver Lake boss on buying BlackBerry: No thanks (CNBC)
- Outrage over executive pay at BlackBerry (CNBC)
- Gartner to IT shops: Game over for BlackBerry (Computerworld)
Funny thing though, the RIM stock is actually up today because their losses are not as bad as the market expected. Go figure! Day to day market often seem to defy logic, which is one reason I got out of investment sales 30 years ago!
Still, I expect that if the company survives it will end up being a semblance of its former self. It will probably retreat entirely from the smartphone market and is currently up for sale.
This is a cautionary tale for any company that achieves iconic status, especially in the technology field. Times change and they can change quickly. Today’s generation has long forgotten technology giants like Wang, Digital Equipment, Sperry and Lotus. But wasn’t it just yesterday that Netscape, MySpace and Infoseek ruled the web?
Even companies like IBM and Microsoft, who took their turns at dominating the technological, business world have lost much of their luster. Their names no longer have the meaning in the cultural zeitgeist as they did at their peak.
If Blackberry, the once king of smartphones is dead, then long live the new kings. The consumer market for tech is like a fickle lover, quick to change the object of its affections. In this very competitive world, folks at Samsung. Apple, Google and other pretenders to the throne will have to work the royal rears off to be kings of the hill.
That makes the demise of Blackberry not so much a tragic tale, but the price of progress.


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A lot of Tesla/Puerto Rico news today on Electrek! After our two previous reports, now we learn that Tesla will stop Powerwall shipments to installers engaging in price gouging in Puerto Rico. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories October 6
Tesla Powerwall Stories September 29
Earlier this month, we reported on survivors of hurricane Irma, which hit the islands of Caribbean communities, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, writing ‘SEND TESLA’ with the debris of their destroyed home.
At the time, we couldn’t be sure what they meant, but now we have a better idea since Tesla confirmed that have been sending hundreds of battery packs to power outage-ridden Puerto Rico. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories September 28
As we reported just yesterday, Tesla Powerwall 2 installations finally start to accelerate.
Now Tesla unveils the red ‘Founder series’ Powerwall 2 and prepares deliveries for the winners of the referral program. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories September 27
After Tesla unveiled and started taking orders for Powerwall 2 almost a year ago, the deployment of the company’s new home battery pack has been fairly slow.
Now it looks like it’s finally starting to accelerate as the company dominates the market in California and starts to expand. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories September 5
Tesla unveiled and started taking orders for Powerwall 2, its latest generation of home battery packs, almost a year ago (October 2016). As we reported at the time, the product at that price point was a game changer in the residential energy storage market.
Yet, installations are still very limited in the US today as thousands of reservation holders are still waiting.
Now it looks like Tesla is finally expanding the reach of the highly anticipated product. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories August 25
Tesla has been slowly ramping up production of the Powerwall 2, the latest generation of its home battery pack. A lot of reservation holders are still waiting for the device, but Tesla started installations in a select few markets.
One of those lucky homeowners has been sharing his experience in a series of interesting videos. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories June 9
Australia is currently one of the largest markets for energy storage, which is why it’s not surprising that it is one of the first to receive Tesla’s Powerwall 2 home battery pack, albeit late.
We have learned that the first installations have started down under and one of the first homeowners to receive the device gave an account of the process. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories June 6
Most energy industry watchers saw the growth of energy storage to be inevitable in order to support renewable energy growth and to stabilize the grid, but deployment had been slow until now.
Several new projects coming online during the first quarter 2017 made it the first significant deployment of energy storage in the US to date: 234 megawatt-hours of energy storage. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories May 22
Ever since the acquisition of SolarCity, Tesla has been looking to create synergies between its energy producing products, solar panels and now solar roof tiles, its energy storing products, Powerwalls and Powerpacks, and its energy-consuming products, its electric vehicles.
The latest synergy effort will take the form an in-car app for monitoring power generation – confirmed CEO Elon Musk. expand full story
Tesla Powerwall Stories May 12
Tesla has already been offering energy storage services to electric utilities with the Powerpack – like its 80 MWh Powerpack station with Southern California Edison.
But now, the company announces that it will be bundling its residential energy storage product, the Powerwall, with the Powerpack to create “a single resource of shared energy.” expand full story


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Dish's Designated Entities Give Up 197 Spectrum Licenses
Oct 2, 2015, 7:31 AM by Eric M. Zeman
Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless LicenseCo surrendered 197 AWS-3 spectrum licenses and paid a $413 million fine to the FCC for defaulting on their $3.3 billion payment. Dish Networks participated in this year's auction through Northstar and SNR. Dish hoped the smaller stature of the designated entities would qualify them for a discount on the spectrum licenses. Together, they won $13.3 billion worth of licenses and expected to receive a discount of $3.3 billion. The FCC later concluded that Dish held a controlling interest in the designated entities and they did not qualify for the small business discount. As such, the entities were on the hook for the full $13.3 billion. The companies paid the FCC $10 billion, but missed the deadline for paying the final $3.3 billion. As such, they have returned the spectrum licenses and paid the resulting fine. The FCC will re-auction the licenses after next year's 600MHz incentive auction, though Dish, Northstar, and SNR will be on the hook to cover the balance if the licenses don't win $3.3 billion when put back on sale. Dish and the smaller companies held onto some 505 spectrum licenses won during the AWS-3 auction, for which they have paid in full.
Feb 9, 2022
Samsung today announced its lineup of flagship phones for 2022: the Galaxy S22 series. The top-end S22 Ultra sees the biggest changes as it essentially absorbs Samsung's Note series with an integrated S Pen stylus and a more Note-like shape and design, instead of the Contour Cut design of the other models.
Sep 7, 2022
Apple has revealed the iPhone 14 series, with new features, improved specs, and new size options. In place of a Mini option, the iPhone 14 will come in the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen size options as the Pro models.
Mar 23, 2021
OnePlus today announced the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, its newest flagship phones. The 9 Pro is a true flagship-class phone with a QHD AMOLED display with variable refresh from 1 to 120 Hz, and IP68 water rating, starting at $969.
Apr 14, 2020
OnePlus has revealed its new lineup for 2020 — the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro — both of which have 5G. They also manage to pack larger batteries into slightly thinner bodies compared to their predecessors.
Jan 14, 2021
Samsung today officially unveiled its Galaxy S21 series of flagship phones for 2021. All three models sport a distinctive new "Contour Cut Camera" design where the metal frame extends around one corner to surround the rear cameras.


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Ethereum price (ETH) is crashing today. It has fallen by more than 18% in the past 24 hours to the current price $500. This price is also substantially lower than this week’s high of $625. ETH is not alone. Bitcoin has dropped by 13% in the past 12 hours while Ripple price is down by more than 30%.
There are three primary reasons why Ethereum price is falling today. First, many retail buyers are exiting their previous trades after making substantial profits. Indeed, at the weekly high of $625, the price was more than 66% higher for the month. Indeed, the crypto fear and greed index is still at 93, which is extreme greed, as shown below.
Crypto fear and greed index
Second, the price is falling because of the decision by Coinbase to disable Coinbase Pro in response to a complaint by the SEC. The Pro version allowed people to trade digital currencies using margin, which helps them to multiply their profit and losses. This was a substantial blow for the company because it had already attracted more than 100,000 users to its platform.
And earlier today, the United Kingdom became the next country to ban crypto derivatives. In the statement, the FCA said that the products were relatively risky for retail traders.
Third, analysts believe that Ethereum price is also falling because of the upcoming ETH 2.0 upgrade. This upgrade will smoothen the Ethereum network and make it safer and faster. It will achieve this by transitioning its platform from a Proof of Work to Proof of Stake.
Therefore, while this transition is partly the reason why the currency has surged, analysts are concerned about whether it will happen next week as previously planned.
Ethereum price technical outlook
On the daily chart, we see that Ethereum price soared to a multi-year high of $625. That was a 554% spike from this year’s low of $93. Now, the price has lost more than 20% of those gains and is trading at the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level.
Therefore, at this stage, the outlook for the currency is neutral. If it manages to break below the 23.6% retracement, the next target will be the 38.2% retracement level at $420. However, on a positive side, it is possible that the price will resume the upward trend as bulls start to buy the dip.
ETH technical chart


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Land Casino's thousands lose their jobs
US unemployment statistics climbed to a 15 year high in November, with the travel and entertainment sectors taking a major beating due to lay-offs, Associated Press reported this week.
Workers at hotels and casino resorts have taken some of the biggest losses, with the accommodation industry shedding 36 600 jobs in November, while the amusements, gambling and recreation sector laid off 13 100 workers, the Department of Labour reported, part of the 533 000 total jobs cut in November that pushed the U.S. unemployment rate to a depressing 6.7 percent.
The travel and gambling sectors have been particularly hard hit by the recession, as consumers have cut back sharply on discretionary spending.
Some of the most visible layoffs have come from the casino industry, where large land gambling complexes have cut jobs on a big scale. In early November, the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City laid off 400 workers to cope with the economic downturn. Later in the month, the Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michegan cut 100 employees. Also last month, the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in West Virginia cut 93 jobs, mainly maintenance workers and carpenters.
In some communities, casinos are a major employer. "These complexes employ thousands and thousands of workers," American Gaming Association President and Chief Executive Frank J. Fahrenkopf told the Associated Press reporter. "And those thousands of workers buy cars, buy washing machines. So it's a major negative impact on the communities where we do business when we have to cut back."
The bad news seems set to continue into December, AP speculates, citing plans this week by Black Gaming to suspend casino operations at the Oasis Resort Casino Golf & Spa in Mesquite, Nevada, and lay off 500 workers. Seneca Indian Nation's casinos in Niagara Falls, Buffalo and Salamanca also cut more than 200 jobs this week.
Overall gaming revenue dropped 4.6 percent nationwide in the third quarter. And the fourth quarter has been particularly difficult for the hotel industry, as consumers and businesses have cut back even more sharply on travel spending. During October, occupancy for the U.S. hotel industry dropped 6.5 percent compared to the same month a year earlier. Last Friday, Fitch Ratings lowered its outlook on three major hotel companies, saying the fourth-quarter declines have dimmed its forecast for the sector.
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Gambling News :
Is Gibraltar Out of Luck in US Tax Challenge -
Gibraltar's challenge to the UK 15 percent point-of-consumption tax on online gambling operator revenues has already failed in the UK High Court, and it looks as if it may be rejected by the European Court of Justice too.
Quickspin are now available in Denmark -
#quickspin The roll-out strengthens the long-standing partnership between the supplier and the operator, with Quickspin games already available on Vera&John’s websites around the world.
UCypher Launches -
Indian entertainment and media entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala has announced the formation of UCypher, an eSports tournament in which ten teams will compete.
Extreme Live Gaming In deal With Betsson -
Extreme Live Gaming, a subsidiary of the Novomatic Interactive group, has announced a live dealer product deal with the Betsson online gambling group, with an initial launch planned for Betsson.com, followed by other brands in the Swedish group's portfolio.
Expansion Mode For BoyleSports -
The Bambury premises are situated in Kildare, Meath and Dublin and will be refurbished and rebranded after acquisition, with the total of 31 staff remaining in employment..
Safecharge Q4-2016 -
Online e-cash processing firm Safecharge, where Playtech's Teddy Sagi is a majority shareholder, released a trading update on its Q4-2016 performance Thursday, flagging record transaction processing volumes and revenues.
ASA Most Controversial Ads of 2016 -
Paddy Power's penchant for advertisements that cause a stir saw the betting company mentioned twice in the Top Ten most controversial adverts of 2016 released by the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK Thursday.
Yggdrasi To Enter Italian Gambling Market -
Yggdrasil’s Italian offering will include the company's collection of in-game promotional tools, BOOST, improving gamification, and the social sharing tool, BRAG. The company’s mobile product will also be available on its HTML5 iSense 2 platform.
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Destiny Xur Location and Items for November 7, 2014 Revealed, All You Need is Truth
Just in case you need to know what Xur is selling this November 14, go check out his location and items here.
Another Friday is here and yep, that means another Destiny Xur location post here on PlayStation LifeStyle.
For this weekend, Xur – Agent of the Nine is in the Tower Hangar and has brought his usual assortment of Exotic items, which of course includes an Exotic weapon. Don’t forget, Bungie will soon raise the Light level cap in Destiny’s first expansion, so it might be a good idea to stock up on Exotic items now.
As for this week’s Exotic weapon, it’s none other than the Truth rocket launcher. It should help a fair bit in Strikes, Raids and even in PvP. You can check out the full list of Xur’s wares in the gallery below.
In other Destiny news, Activision has confirmed that development on Destiny 2 is already underway. Not only that, the publisher has also announced that there are over 9.5 million registered users for Destiny! Now that’s a lot of Guardians!
Which Exotic item will you be picking up this weekend? Should Bungie start rolling out new Exotic items right this moment to keep things fresh? Sound off and let us know, Guardian!


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By Pat Anson, PNN Editor
It’s no secret that illicit fentanyl has become a scourge on the black market. The potent synthetic opioid – about 100 times stronger than morphine — is now involved in over half of U.S. overdoses. Fentanyl is being found in a wide variety of street drugs, including heroin, meth, cocaine and marijuana, and it is increasingly used in the manufacture of counterfeit painkillers and other fake medications.
“As traffickers have expanded into the sale of fentanyl-containing counterfeit pills, the scope of users who were exposed to fentanyl increased significantly; the prescription pain reliever misuser population is almost ten times that of the heroin user population,” a recent DEA report warns. “The presence of fentanyl-containing counterfeit pills in an area is increasingly associated with spikes in overdose deaths.”
Although there is no hard evidence that drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with kratom to boost its potency, some in the kratom community think it is inevitable that someone will try. There have already been cases of kratom products being adulterated with hydrocodone and other opioids.
“I don’t know that there’s been a case of fentanyl in kratom, but since that’s what they are finding in everything else and that is the most dangerous drug out there now, it stands to reason that someone who would spike kratom with hydrocodone would now spike it with fentanyl either wittingly or unwittingly,” said Jane Babin, PhD, a molecular biologist and consultant to the American Kratom Association (AKA), an advocacy group for kratom vendors and consumers.
Like other dietary supplements, kratom products are essentially unregulated and there are little or no quality controls.
In an effort to change that, this week the AKA officially launched a good manufacturing practice (GMP) program, which will require producers of kratom products to meet strict manufacturing standards verified by a third-party auditor if they want to be certified by the AKA.
“The AKA GMP Standards Program will help reassure the public and demonstrate to the FDA, DEA, lawmakers, and others that the kratom industry is acting responsibly,” AKA president Dave Herman said in a statement.
“The AKA GMP Standards Program will also protect kratom consumers from unscrupulous vendors who produce kratom products using sloppy manufacturing procedures that allow for contamination, and equally important the standards program will exclude vendors who deliberately adulterate kratom products to boost their effect by adding dangerous and sometimes deadly substances like fentanyl or morphine.”
In recent years, millions of Americans have discovered kratom, which has been used in southeast Asia for centuries as a natural stimulant and pain reliever. Kratom is widely available online and in smoke shops, but the quality of what’s being sold and where it comes from is often unknown – even by the people selling it.
“The stuff that’s sold as kratom in the United States cannot be reliably proven to be kratom,” Edward Boyer, MD, a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School, recently told PNN. “There is evidence to suggest that some of the kratom sold in the United States is adulterated to make it more potent, to make it more powerful.”
Boyer says some kratom products have been found to contain artificially high levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine, one of the naturally occurring alkaloids that make kratom act on opioid receptors in the brain. Manufacturers may also be lacing kratom with opioids and other drugs.
“One theory is that some unscrupulous vendors may be spiking kratom with something more potent to drive business. It may be even more prevalent than we know, which could account for some of the reports on Reddit and Blue Light (online message boards) that say kratom is addictive and it does lead to euphoria,” Babin said in an email.
A handful of states have already banned kratom and there is speculation that the DEA will soon try again to schedule it as a controlled substance, something the agency backed away from in 2016 after a public outcry. The FDA has recently mounted a public relations campaign against kratom, what the AKA calls a “shadow ban” that has led to kratom shortages.
Could the AKA’s effort to improve the quality of kratom products backfire by giving ammunition to federal regulators who want a nationwide ban?
“That kratom may be adulterated is not a reason to ban it. There are reports all the time of dietary supplements, even ones sold by reputable companies like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe, are adulterated with prescription drugs, banned substances and who knows what else,” says Babin.
“The other thing to consider is that if kratom is banned, demand may lead to a black market. It will likely be smuggled in and/or products not containing kratom will be sold as kratom and those may be spiked with other substances, including fentanyl.”


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Tecno has finally launched its Tecno Phantom X with some real good specifications except its processor as it is the Helio G95. Actually, the product page of the smartphone has gone live but the company has not revealed the price of the smartphone yet. Now, let’s get into the specifications and features of the newly launched Tecno Phantom X smartphone.
The Tecno Phantom X runs on Android 11 OS and is powered by the MediaTek Helio G95 chipset. It is a 4G chipset, so the device will not support 5G, it is a 4G device. Coming to its display, this phone offers a 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED curved Super AMOLED panel supported by a 90Hz refresh rate. This phone has an in-display fingerprint scanner.
The Helio G95 chipset of this phone is paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Coming to the camera section, this phone offers a triple rear camera setup with an LED flash and a laser focus that includes a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 13MP portrait lens. For selfies, this phone has a dual front camera setup of 48MP primary and an 8MP ultrawide sensor and that too supported by an LED flash.
This phone fueled up by a 4,700mAH battery supported by 33W of fast charging. For heat dissipation, this phone is loaded with Liquid Cooling. Tecno hasn’t compromised the build quality as well, as both sides are protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5. This phone has a thickness of 8.72mm and it is available in two different color variants: Starry Night Blue and Monet’s Summer.
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The vice president of the group that represents California’s citrus industry says the western port shutdown is already threatening to take a huge chunk out of the industry’s annual $2.4 billion take.
Bob Blakely with California Citrus Mutual says central and southern valley growers are able to get their product onto boats, but not much further.
“But, even with that, they’re still experiencing delays of seven to 10 days, and we’ve heard as much as two-week delays in getting the fruit from the port onto the ship and into the water.”
He says Asian shipments represent $500 million alone.
– Anthony Pollreisz


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There's never a dull moment in the auto industry at this time of year, and that's certainly been the case all this week as more than 40 new cars, trucks, SUVs and concept vehicles were unveiled at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
The 10-day show is typically a good indication of some of what we'll see here in Vancouver when the industry and all you car lovers gather from March 26-31 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.
New Car Dealers Association of B.C. member relations and communications manager Darryl Halse and I had the pleasure of joining our own Vancouver Auto Show manager Paul McGeachie for the kickoff to the Toronto Show - celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
We have a few years on them here in Vancouver; we'll be celebrating 93 years when our doors open next month.
Most exciting from my standpoint, as one who deals directly with our dealers on a regular basis, is the chatter I'm hearing that indicates people are excited about cars again.
News out of the National Automobile Dealers Association conference in Orlando, Fla. earlier this month shows 82 per cent of Generation Y (all you 20-and 30-somethings) is excited to buy a car.
Why, you might ask?
I'd put money on the fact that it has a lot to do with quality and pricing - and perhaps just as much to do with manufacturers' focus on efficiency. As evidenced in Toronto - the newest vehicles to hit the market are available in a diverse range, including clean diesel, high efficiency gas, electric, hybrid and plug-in electric.
Alongside the sparkling new cars and bold concept vehicles were also several firms looking to plant a charging station in your yard and on a highway near you.
Here in British Columbia, the government announced $1.3 million in funding last month to install 13 fast-charging electric stations on the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and in Merritt. The new stations will charge you up in just half-an-hour and are scheduled to be in place by March 31. Good news for all those excited new car buyers interested in electric and hybrid options, but wanting to ensure they have a place they can stop and juice up.
As I wandered the 600,000 square feet of show floor in Toronto I couldn't help notice some of the fantastic new technologies coming to a vehicle near you.
GM, for instance, picked up the top technology award for its front centre and flexible venting airbags, which debuted on 2013 Chevrolet models (for more on that, see Bob McHugh's Auto View column on page C21).
Which only proves that even amid all the glitz, safety is still key.
Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC.


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Sunday, November 8, 2015
Second NBA Store in the Philippines
Managed by International Athletic Trading Company, Inc. (IATC), the new NBA Store is offering basketball enthusiasts authentic NBA merchandise and memorabilia. The store features extensive selection of NBA products from all 30 teams, including: official jerseys, footwear, performance gear, lifestyle apparel, basketballs, toys and collectibles. Fans can also find autographed NBA memorabilia as well as a personalized jersey service.
“The initial flagship NBA Store in Glorietta has established itself as the premier destination for NBA fanatics in the country and we could not be more excited to fuel their passion with the unveiling of our second store,” said Melvin Lloyd Lim, President and CEO, IATC. “By opening our doors in the heart of Metro Manila, we look forward to providing more fans access to a comprehensive assortment of NBA merchandise, bringing the authentic NBA shopping experience to Filipinos.”
“We are thrilled to expand our footprint with the opening of the second NBA Store in the Philippines,” said Carlo Singson, Associate Vice President and Country Manager for the Philippines, NBA Asia. “IATC is the ideal partner in our efforts to outfit more Filipinos in their favorite NBA apparel and to offer the widest range of NBA merchandise in the Philippines.”
The NBA Store is carrying products from brands such as adidas, NIKE, Under Armour, New Era, Panini, Spalding, Stance, 2K Sports, and many more, including select NBA apparel exclusive to the store.
Regular store hours of the NBA Store in Mega Fashion Hall are 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.
Earlier this month, the flagship NBA Store in the Philippines received the 2015 Asia Sports Industry Gold Award for the “Best Sports Retail Campaign” in recognition of the store’s industry leading standards.


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Bing Improves Search Auto Suggestions: Now Faster & Better
Dan Marantz, Senior Program Manager Lead at Bing announced on the Bing Search Blog that they have made two improvements to the auto-suggestions.
Bing’s auto-suggest is now faster and a lot more accurate, according to Bing. Bing said two “themes” are behind the change including navigational queries coming to the forefront of auto-suggest and search history being more extensively used within auto-suggest.
They sped up the auto-suggest by using a technique called “ghosting” where Bing will show the suggestion in blue highlighted text in the search box and then show alternatives below. You can tab or press the down arrow to access those suggestions and press enter or click to search for that query. Bing said this has sped up user searches by over 16%.
Google obviously uses the technique called Google Instant which actually loads the search results almost immediately as you type. Google launched Instant on September 8, 2010.


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Commonwealth Bank has denied it is about to conduct a major overhaul of its agency roster.
A source close to CBA told B&T that the major bank is looking to almost halve the number of agencies on its roster and in-source as much work as they could.
Furthermore, speculation has been brewing amongst the industry that CBA is set to pitch its creative account, which has been held by M&C Saatchi since 2012. B&T is aware of several senior industry figures who are convinced that it’s happening.
However, CBA chief marketing officer Monique Macleod has denied the bank is planning any changes or reviews to its panel of agencies.
“M&C Saatchi is our lead creative agency, Ikon is our lead media agency, and there’s no changes to that,” she told B&T.
“We have a tier two panel, and there’s no changes going onto that either.
“We’ve got some things that we’ve done in-house already. We have some capability that we’ve been building out internally, but there’s no significant difference to what we’ve already got.”
Following a competitive pitch process with representation from major agency groups, BMW Group Australia has appointed Atomic 212° as the lead agency to manage their media planning and buying. The appointment is effective from January 1st 2021 and is a testament to Atomic 212°’s data-led smarter, faster and accountable media model. The account will sit […]
With temperatures up to 40 degrees across Australia last week, it’s safe to say it’s officially Summer weather. Enter beach delivery by Deliveroo to guarantee a sand-free sandwich or burger whilst you enjoy the rays and waves. From 2 December, Australians nationwide will be able to set many of the country’s 10,000 beaches as their […]
John Chaplin (pictured), former Chief Product Officer of Hogarth Australia and Co-founder of award winning digital agency Fusion, has launched a new digital product design company, Diagram. Based in Sydney, Diagram are a collective of creators and makers who partner with individuals, agencies, startups, business and industry to design and build considered, elegant digital products. […]
After announcing the mega acquisition of workplace chat company Slack yesterday, tech giant Salesforce has made a raft of announcements as part of this year’s annual Dreamforce event, which has been held virtually. Headlining the announcements was news of Salesforce Hyperforce, which comes as a reimagination of the company’s platform architecture built to securely and […]
DoubleVerify has today announced the launch of the DV Publisher Suite, providing the measurement, insights and tools digital publishers need to improve ad delivery, assess inventory quality and maximize yield. For publishers, generating revenue has never been more complex. Today’s demand-side landscape consists of thousands of potential buyers, each with their own unique requirements, transacting […]
Verizon Media has announced the launch of its new unified identity solution, Verizon Media ConnectID. Built on the foundation of Verizon Media’s consumer-first values and market-leading advertising technologies, the new unified ID solution is designed to support advertisers, publishers and consumers as the digital landscape evolves away from cookies as a way to manage and […]
VMLY&R NZ announces Fleur Head is stepping into the role of Managing Director VMLY&R New Zealand following the resignation of current MD James Mok. Head was previously Managing Director of VMLY&R Wellington. Wellington-based Head, who has more than 25 years agency and management experience across both the Auckland and Wellington markets, will lead VMLY&R NZ […]


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INDIE Live Expo 2021 Scheduled for June 5, to Showcase 300 Upcoming Indie Games
INDIE Live Expo announced that their digital showcase of indie titles will return to stream on June 5, 2021.
The event takes place in Tokyo, but the developers have their eyes set on western releases. Those who wish to watch the 5-hour event can tune in on June 5 at 2 am PT on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Bilibili in English, Japanese, and Chinese.
Publishers including 505 Games, Inti Creates, and Playism will be present alongside many other developers from around the world. Many highly regarded upcoming titles chosen by the Indie Live Expo Board will feature as part of “INDIE Live Premiere,” including both reveals and new information for games coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
“INDIE Picks” features will showcase selections of intriguing currently available titles hand-picked by members of the international gaming media. Throughout the show, “INDIE Waves” will feature 15-second bites of games both current and upcoming from developers worldwide. A special segment will dive into a Czech Republic indie studio, the third such in INDIE Live Expo history, focusing on how culture affects game development worldwide.
Developer Why So Serious? (Touhou Luna Nights, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth) will reveal a new project during their segment and Cygames will also be present.
“Our third INDIE Live Expo will be our biggest yet,” said Ryuta Konuma, Founder, Ryu’s Office. “We want to formally thank everyone who submitted their incredible indie games and all of our partners for making it possible to highlight so many. I can’t believe we were able to fit in even more games than INDIE Live Expo II!”
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on the reveals from the show.
You can watch the trailer below:
This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate Noisy Pixel earns from qualifying purchases.


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Benetton Formula One’s new commercial director Brian Sims is joining from API Motorsport, not from within the company as reported in Marketing Week, last week. Sims was a founding member of the Motorsport Industry Association.
BT Payphones is launching a promotion with Odeon cinemas which offers consumers two tickets for the price of one when they book seats from any BT payphone nationwide. The promotion runs until January 7.
More than 60 per cent of the country’s 16- to 21-year-olds expect to have sex at a Millennium Eve party, according to those shagadelic marketers at Durex manufacturers London International Group. A third of the young revellers expect to get jiggy with someone new, according to the saucy survey. How things have changed since the […]
OMD, the media buying arm of DDB Worldwide, has consolidated its hold on cosmetics and fragrances giant Coty’s media buying and planning after gaining the US, German and French business. The US business is worth $40m (£25m). Media centralisation into the OMD network is part of a strategy by Johannes A Benckiser, now owned by […]
Scottish Courage is understood to be preparing to launch a premium McEwan’s beer in Scotland to target younger drinkers. The brewing giant is believed to have earmarked £2m for the launch, likely to include a TV campaign. It is thought the company is keen to revitalise the brand, which has suffered declining sales and an […]
Freestone’s lawyers claim Yellow Pages has copied its design and wants compensation so it can rebrand. If they are successful, it will break the chain of small firms losing their corporate identities to the big guns.
Cat Protection, the animal welfare charity, has unveiled its first TV ad. The 30- second film by Doner Cardwell Hawkins features a virtual cat which dies and goes to heaven. It airs on December 26 and runs to mid-January. Media buying is by Booth Lockett Makin.
Graeme Norways, former creative director and co-founder of BANC, is poised to take a senior creative role at Armando Testa, the Italian advertising agency which launched in the UK this year.
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is unveiling its new tour structure this week, as part of an overhaul of men’s tennis. The relaunch is likely to include an enhanced ranking system, unified branding, and an upgrade of TV coverage. Sports group ISL secured the TV and sponsorship rights for $1.2bn (£750m) in April this […]
Wall Street Journal Europe has appointed Doug Baxter as senior director marketing and communications. He was previously chief executive of Smurfit Media UK. Daily Telegraph group promotions manager Anne Hogarth has been appointed as marketing and promotions director UK.
Some of ITV’s biggest customers are to meet this week to draft their objections to the Carlton/United News & Media merger. The meeting follows a presentation on Friday to senior agency and client figures by Lord Hollick, chairman of United, who would become chief executive of the new group, and Nigel Walmsley and Malcolm Wall […]
The X-Stream Network (www.x-stream.co.uk), the subscription-free Internet service provider, has signed a content supply deal with ebop (www.ebop.co.uk), an online lifestyle magazine. The agreement allows X-Stream users to access ebop’s lifestyle, shopping and club information.


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REC Silicon has posted revenue of $59 million for the second quarter of 2018, a 15% drop compared with the same period in 2017. The polysilicon producer also saw its EBITDA fall into the red, posting a loss of $9.6 million.
The company blames the loss on reduced demand from the solar sector, and polysilicon production figures for the quarter show REC’s struggle to find buyers – capacity utilization rates were lowered in early June to around 25%, but despite this, polysilicon inventory rose by 401 metric tons (MT). Total production was 2,491 MT, and sales 2,077 MT.
REC Silicon’s Solar Materials segment was responsible for much of the company’s overall loss – contributing only $20 million in revenue – a 38% decrease over the previous quarter’s $33 million, and an EBITDA loss of $8.4 million, primarily attributed to the write down in the value of existing inventory, in anticipation of low future sales prices.
Presenting the results, REC Silicon CEO Tore Torvund pointed out that the company performed much better in its supply of silane gas, which achieved increased production and revenue.
In July, the company announced it would be reducing the workforce at its polysilicon facility in Moses Lake, Washington “due to the ongoing impacts of the trade war between China and the United States.” This trade war is cited as a continuing risk to REC Silicon’s liquidity.
Though it estimates that cost reductions will allow it to meet cash flow requirements for the next 12 months, the report for Q2 candidly states that “the company’s liquidity is dependent upon increases in demand for solar grade polysilicon, or a resolution to the solar trade war in the United States.”
Utilization at the Moses Lake facility is expected to remain at 25% “until the trade war is resolved or market conditions improve.” The joint venture facility in Yulin, China, in which REC Silicon has a 15% stake, having reduced this earlier in the year, produced 1,000 MT of polysilicon during the quarter, after coming online in Q1 2018 and producing 800 MT in this period.
“We are very satisfied with the development of the Yulin JV, and I am very hopeful that this will be good investment for REC,” commented Torvund in the results presentation. “We are inside the Chinese market, only 15% but we have an opportunity down the road to increase our partnership to 49%”
Guidance figures for the full year have also been reduced. Overall, REC Silicon now targets production of 9,284 MT in 2018, and target cash production costs of $15.9/kg in the third quarter, and $12.4/kg for the full year, at its fluidized bed reactor plant in Moses Lake.
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YouTube is actually trying to assist marketers take advantage of the climbing intake of YouTube material on residence TELEVISION collections along with the development of Video Action projects to Connected TELEVISION (CTV) positionings.
As revealed through YouTube:”If your target is actually to steer on the web purchases or even produce tops, our team advise making use of Video Action initiatives. Online video Action projects create it very easy to locate brand-new clients successfullyin a solitary initiative through mixing stock coming from all over YouTube as well as Google video recording companions-as well ascurrently YouTube CTV. For the very first time, efficiency marketers may make the most of YouTube on CTV to steer as well as assess transformations. As you may observe in the above instance, Video Action projects show a URL at the end of the display screen, urging more activity on the company’s web site. Which, dued to the fact that individuals can not click on or even touch on a URL web link on
their TELEVISION collection, is among the greatest techniques to steer straight action– though it is actually much less ‘straight’than the regular meaning of that phrase. While mobile phone online video usage remains to climb, CTV browsing has actually additionally found a stinging spike, along with additional folks trying to see on the web content on their property TELEVISION collections. Large gamers like Netflix as well as Disney+embody the room, yet extra typical internet gamers like YouTube are actually likewise gaining, along with YouTube taking notethat over 120 thousand folks streamed YouTube or even YouTube TELEVISION on their TELEVISION display screens in December 2020 alone. It is actually an additional pandemic-lead intake work schedule, and also along with additional YouTube web content being actually shown on much more, larger TELEVISION
display screens, the system has actually been actually operating to include even more alternatives to assist marketers reach this viewers along with stand apart, committed, CTV choices. The growth of Video Action initiatives is actually the most up to date bear down this, while YouTube likewise gives Masthead adds for CTV, as well as has actually boosted its ownadd targeting possibilities especially for CTV initiatives. It is actually a great enhancement, which will definitely be actually useful for companies looking for standard TV-like add positioning. And also as
CTV intake remains to climb, TV-like adds are actually coming to be much more budget-friendly, along with far better targeting as well as additional particular reader choices to much better harmony price, as well as optimize productivity. It is actually undoubtedly worth looking at– you can easily discover even more concerning YouTube’s Video Action initiatives


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KL Process Design starts cellulosic ethanol production
The 1.5 MMgy facility, called Western Biomass Energy LLC and located one mile south of Upton, began production Jan. 5, according to Tom Slunecka, KL Process Design vice president of business development. The plant is a culmination of development efforts between KL Process Design, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the Wyoming Business Council and the Wyoming Department of Forestry. It has the ability to operate intermittently, so while a feedstock is in the production cycle, the company can concurrently test different feedstocks in its research laboratory.
"Because it's a small plant, we can afford to bring the plant on and off-line, and do various test runs of other feedstocks while in production," Slunecka said. "If [the feedstocks] prove out efficient in the lab, then we would be able to run that particular feedstock at full scale in the plant itself."
The plant is using ponderosa pine gathered from the Black Hills National Forest by forest thinnings operator Backer Timber Products. KL Process Design intends to test other feedstocks such as hard woods, construction waste, corn stover and switchgrass after the first year of operation, Slunecka said. "Though we've tested other cellulose-based materials in the lab from switchgrass to cardboard, the plant itself is focused on ponderosa pine," he said. "There's plenty of private ground thinnings to operate this small plant without ever entering into the national forest."
According to Slunecka, KL Process Design utilizes specially designed enzymes supplied by Novozymes to efficiently pretreat the various biomass feedstocks to be used. "It's important that KL doesn't use acids in its pretreatment process, not only from the environmental standpoint for the permitting of a plant such as this, but it also adds a great deal of value in the coproducts, making them organic in nature," he said.
KL Process Design's fuel was officially introduced to the commercial market when it supplied the American Le Mans Series with E85 for its season-opener in Sebring, Fla., on March 15. "It's probably the most robust testing platform you can possibly find," Slunecka said. "The American Le Mans Series cars are basically production-level cars that have been modified for the track, so it's long been the desire for the ethanol industry to work with the auto industry to create engines that optimize the use of ethanol."


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After doing the Z Spoke show last season in New York, Crystal Renn won’t walk any this season in New York (though she did appear in Z Spoke’s fall 2011 look book, which the label released in lieu of a runway show). New York has been slower to come around to casting plus-size models in fashion shows than Europe — and it’s been skinny-skinny as usual so far this Fashion Week — but we hear Renn has a show booked across the pond. Meanwhile, Marquita Pring, who walked the Jean Paul Gaultier show last season, modeled in Joy Cioci’s first Fashion Week presentation in the tents this evening along with a few other “plus-size” ladies who blended in seamlessly with the “straight-size” girls. You could pick the plus sisters out of the model lineup if you looked hard enough.
Related: The Rise of the Plus-Size Model
See More: Zac Posen’s Fall 2011 Collection


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The document was signed by Nikolay Podguzov, Director General of Russian Post, and Pontus Erntell, Director General of IKEA retailing network in Russia.
Currently the partners negotiate the conditions and other parameters of further cooperation, launch of which is scheduled for 2019. Range and volumes of particular IKEA products delivered by Russian Post, as well as delivery time will be fixed later.
«IKEA products are very popular all over the world, including Russia. I am sure that cooperation in the area of delivery of the online-ordered products will improve their availability for the citizens of our country and enable to increase volumes of domestic e-commerce in Russia. Taking into account the widest route network in Russia, which Russian Post operates, as well as recent launch of the large project for construction of 38 logistics centres throughout the country, we consider that our partnership has wide perspectives», - Nikolay Podguzov, Director General of Russian Post, noted.
«Cooperation with Russian Post is an important step for our company on the way of creation a system for multi-channel sales. Wide network, which the federal operator manages, will provide availability of our offer for all Russian citizens», - Pontus Erntell, Director General of IKEA retailing network in Russia, added.
Russian Post is a federal postal operator, one of the strategic enterprises of the Russian Federation. It embraces 42 000 post offices all around the country and one of the largest staffs, i.e. about 350 000 postal employees.
IKEA Group is the largest retailing organization in IKEA franchising system, which embraces 365 IKEA stores in 29 countries. Total number of employees is more than 150 000 people. IKEA considers its mission in changing everyday life of many people for the better by offering furniture and other homeware of fine quality for affordable prices. In Russia IKEA stores are opened as a part of family shopping centers MEGA. Today 14 such centers successfully operate in the largest Russian cities. Most IKEA products can be purchased online at IKEA Internet marketplace.
Source: Russian Post


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There is no denying that the release and first year of Cyberpunk 2077 could have gone better. The game launched with more bugs than NPCs, was pulled from virtual stores, and spent months receiving no major content updates while developers scrambled to fix what was a broken mess. Fast forward to 2022, though, and Cyberpunk 2077 is finally in a good place, and the rocky launch feels like a distant memory.
While it isn’t a requirement that a game releases broken for it to grab the Most Improved title at the 2022 Shacknews Awards, there is no denying that Cyberpunk 2077’s improvement wasn’t on top of an already strong offering. The developers at CD Projekt RED have spent two years getting the game into a good state, and we’re finally starting to see new content make its way to Night City. This is in part thanks to the Netflix series, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which offers crossover content that was key in getting players to return to the game again. As people like myself stepped back into Cyberpunk 2077 after bouncing off that infamous launch, we found what we hoped would be there all the way back in 2020, a quality experience in both content and performance.
Today, Cyberpunk is a visually stunning game that runs beautifully on your platform of choice, allowing players to immerse themselves in its deep characters and engaging questlines. Where bugs and performance issues once acted as blockers to having a good time in Night City, players can now marvel at the content, which is the way it should have been two years ago. The game has come so far from its rough introduction back in December 2020 that it’s earned the Shacknews Most Improved Game of 2022.
Check out our Year of the Games: 2022 article to see all of the other Shacknews Awards that have been announced so far.
Bill Lavoy posted a new article, Shacknews Most Improved Game 2022 - Cyberpunk 2077


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posted on 28th Jul 2020 00:42
Siemens Mobility and SBB Cargo International realised the digital handover of locomotives for the first time: for four Vectrons this has been achieved at the Regensburg works in April 2020.
At the time of strict COVID-19 regulations, a standard procedure for the acceptance of rail vehicles is not possible. The solution is a virtual handover via data glasses. The idea behind this forward-looking approach is simple: enabling virtual customer acceptance, without the customer having to travel on site and being exposed to the risk of infection.
And this is how the idea was put into practice: during digital handover, the technician wears data glasses - either real glasses or a kind of helmet camera. The live image and sound are transmitted directly to the customer. This means that its technician is virtually present in the vehicle during both the initial inspection and the test run.
A practice-oriented solution was the question of the hour - and Quality Manager Heinrich Brunner at Siemens had it on hand: „We already prepared for the use of data glasses several months ago. But the fact that they could be successfully tested in practice within such a short time is due to the COVID-19 restrictions."
However, such an experiment would not have been possible without the long-standing business relationship built on mutual trust with client. Such intensive cooperation with SBB Cargo International has proven its worth for more than five years: 38 Class 193 Vectron locomotives are already in service at this company.
The rail freight specialist operating on the North-South corridor crossing the Swiss Alps urgently needed the locomotives in order to perform system-critical tasks to ensure the continuity of freight transport from the North Sea ports right down to Italy. That is why the suggestion to organise a digital acceptance process caught the customer’s attention right away.
Sven Flore, CEO of SBB Cargo International, said: „Since the delivery of our first Vectron locomotives, the cooperation with Siemens Mobility has been characterised by high professionalism. It provided the basis for testing this new approach which was already presented at a customer conference in München several years ago. What looked like a science fiction show at that time has now been implemented in practice. We are proud to be the first Siemens Mobility partner to have taken this step into the digital future.“
This procedure will be subjected to further testing and improved in order to be able to deploy it as a standardised alternative for vehicle handover procedures in the medium to long term. The first handover of this type with SBB Cargo International in April was already followed by others for other clients.
For Siemens Mobility, handover via data glasses is just another piece in the puzzle of the digital future - similar to other procedures already in place such as predictive maintenance or automatic vehicle inspection. In addition to customer-related processes, further potential fields of application include authorisation procedures with public authorities and smart applications for passengers.
These and other technical innovations ensure smooth rail business operations - even in the current situation. At the moment, we mainly rely on digital handover to avoid the risk of infection. Looking somewhat further ahead, however, customer journeys for handover procedures could even become totally avoidable, thus contributing to reducing the environmental footprint caused by air travel and other individual transport modes. Siemens Mobility is already planning further digital handovers via data glasses.


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Home Posts tagged stay at home
Tag: Radio, Red FM, stay at home
RED FM promises to provide unlimited entertainment while you stay at home
MediaInfolineMar 31, 2020
93.5 RED FM has taken up the responsibility of providing its listeners with surplus entertainment. As part of their national awareness campaign, ‘Care Karona’, RED...
Paytm revamps UI with Stay at Home Essential Payments
MediaInfolineMar 30, 2020
In a bid to make consumers life simpler during the lockdown, Paytm have revamped its app UI with a ‘Stay at home Essential payments’. The platform has...
RED FM encourages ‘social distancing’ & ‘stay at home’ with Care Karona
MediaInfolineMar 26, 2020
After launching a national awareness campaign ‘Care Karona’, 93.5 RED FM is now urging people to practice social distancing amid Coronavirus Pandemic and stay at...


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Americans hoarding hand sanitizer, face masks and oat milk amid coronavirus fears
Health authorities warn the run on face masks and sanitizer may be misguided.
As fears of a coronavirus pandemic sweep across the nation, Americans have been buying up face masks, hand sanitizer and oat milk at skyrocketing rates.
Sales for medical face masks in the U.S. jumped 319% in the four-week period that ended on Feb. 22, according to data from the consumer research firm Nielsen. Household maintenance masks sales were similarly up 262% in that same period.
Hand sanitizer sales spiked 73%, though Nielsen predicts that the demand for sanitizer hasn't even begun to peak. Sales of thermometers were up by 47%, and aerosol disinfectant purchases climbed 32%.
The data also indicated high demand for shelf-stable items amid COVID-19 concerns, as Americans prepare to hunker down in the event of a widespread quarantine.
Shelf-stable pantry items are moving briskly, with oat milk sales increasing more than 300% in the one-week period ending Feb. 22. Fruit snacks, pet medicine and dried beans rose about 10%, as sales of first-aid kits, supplements and bottled water also rising during that span.
High consumer demand for face masks and hand sanitizer has rattled health officials, who've warned that a run on those products outbreak may be misguided.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn't currently recommend for healthy people to wear a mask to protect against coronavirus.
Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams implored the public to stop buying masks in a tweet Saturday, writing they are "NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!"
Medical professionals and the CDC still recommend old-fashioned hand washing with soap and water over hand sanitizers. If soap and water aren't readily available, then the CDC recommends opting for an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
"We are used to the convenience of the hand sanitizer, which we can carry around with us," Dr. William Schaffner, the medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told ABC News.
"They are wonderful, but if you happen to run out, go to a sink," he added. "Certainly do that when you get home. When you get home, hang up your coat and go directly to sink."
As for the run on supplies, Schaffner said he isn't worried.
"I think those supplies will be fairly rapidly restored," he said. "The companies say they are working hard and they will be able to supply the demand."
ABC News' Erin Schumaker contributed to this report.


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The king of the midsize hill gets an update to take on the competition.
For years, the Toyota Tacoma has had it all its own way in the sales charts. It is by far the best-selling truck in the segment. Let’s face it, though: It’s been a few years since we’ve seen a significant update in the Tacoma, and it’s facing stiffer competition. The 2019 Ford Ranger and 2020 Jeep Gladiator are here to try and muscle in on the growing market. That’s to say nothing of its perennial competition, like the Chevy Colorado and Nissan Frontier.
Admittedly, this teaser image isn’t much to go on. From what we can see, however, It isn’t a revolution from the current Tacoma. Toyota trucks rarely see radical changes, and the 2020 Tacoma appears to be no exception. There are some smart touches, though, like redesigned LED headlights and perhaps a fresh grille. The front fascia by and large retains its overall shape, and the ridges on the roof appear to be gone.
Beyond that, we can’t say much about the 2020 Tacoma. Current engine options include a 2.7-liter inline-four with 159 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque. Alternatively, you can also get the much more powerful (and popular) 3.5-liter V6, with 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. Both options currently mate up to a six-speed automatic, although some grades have a six-speed manual option as well.
Toyota usually features truck news at the Chicago Auto Show, so we’ll definitely know more at the press conference on February 7th. What’s more, we know you all are looking forward to news on the Tundra as well. While we’ve recently seen a prototype roaming the streets, we can’t confirm whether Toyota is bringing a new Tundra to the show. Stay tuned for more updates!
Check out the current Tacoma against the new Ford Ranger off-road below:


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Tesco Bank announced the hiring of Gary Duggan as interim CEO and CIO
By Joy Dumasia
Tesco Bank has announced the appointment of Gary Duggan to the roles of interim Chief Executive Officer, Tesco Underwriting, and interim Chief Insurance Officer, Tesco Bank.
Gary has spent his career in banking and insurance and is currently a senior adviser at Oxbow Partners, a European insurance consultancy. From 2017-2020 he was CEO of Saga Services, leading their insurance broking and personal finance businesses.
Before this, he was Managing Director of Junction, the UK’s largest General Insurance partnership business, and was previously CEO of Broker Network and Paymentshield at Towergate. Gary also spent over 20 years in the banking sector with Barclays, GE and HBOS.
Gerry Mallon, Tesco Bank Chief Executive, said: “I’d like to welcome Gary to our business. He has a wealth of experience in banking and insurance, which will be invaluable to us, our customers, and our partners. Tesco Bank’s acquisition of Tesco Underwriting earlier this year underlines our commitment to the insurance market and our strategy of focusing on propositions which better meet the needs of Tesco shoppers.”
Tesco Underwriting was established in 2010 as a joint venture between Tesco Bank and Ageas UK, underwriting Tesco Bank-branded car and home insurance policies. On 4 May 2021, Tesco Bank completed the acquisition of Ageas’s stake in Tesco Underwriting, enabling Tesco Bank to create an end-to-end insurance business.
Earlier this year, Tesco Bank announced that, from 1 August 2021, all its new and renewing car and home insurance policies would be underwritten by Tesco Underwriting. This will replace the external panel of six insurers that Tesco Bank currently uses, alongside Tesco Underwriting, to manage its car and home book.
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IKEA's New Furniture Buy-Back Scheme, Unpacked
While taking his kids to school a few years ago, David Hawthorn walked past a large heap of discarded home furnishings piled up on the roadside.
As IKEA Australia's Sales Manager, Hawthorn's children pointed out that most of the furniture was from the Swedish company he worked for. And this gave him an idea.
"We didn't have a way of upcycling that furniture and I thought existing furniture really is the raw materials for the future," Hawthorn told 10 daily.
"I was thinking about these resources and my kids and what they would have in the future."
After consulting with teams of people at work, local councils, businesses and customers, and trialing the idea at IKEA Tempe in Sydney's Inner West, Hawthorn's idea morphed into the IKEA 'buy-back service'.
Under the new, first-of-its-kind service, which was launched nationally on Monday, customers receive a gift voucher when they return their pre-loved IKEA furniture to a store.
Customers can go online at the IKEA website or download the app and search the item they wish to return. The online catalog includes every item sold at IKEA in the past 10 years, totaling a whopping 10,000 products.
READ MORE: 25 Genius IKEA Hacks To Try This Weekend
Shoppers then have to indicate the condition of the item -- either 'as new', 'very good' or 'well used'.
The website or app then generates an estimate of possible voucher value along with a barcode. The next step is to take the furniture and the barcode to an IKEA store, where customers can receive their voucher.
The voucher can be used to purchase anything (yes, including a plate of meatballs) and can be redeemed at any of the 10 IKEA stores around the country.
The second-hand furniture will then be available for purchase for other customers.
The move is part of IKEA's commitment to be a completely circular business by 2030. Hawthorn said the buy-back scheme has already started to be adopted internationally as part of the business's commitment to sustainability.
"We want as much back as we can so it takes away from landfill. We want to be as fair and as generous to all of our customers around the globe," Hawthorn said.
"Australians want to do the right thing but you have to make it simple ... because right now the curb is the easier option."
The new buy-back service for furniture joins other IKEA services, including the take-back of mattresses, batteries and light bulbs across stores.
Contact Siobhan at email@example.com


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PETALING JAYA: KESM Industries Bhd is expected to record steady earnings contributions in the second half of 2021, as rising electronics sensor applications within the automotive sector is expected to drive semiconductor demand.
CGS-CIMB in a report yesterday said it was cautiously optimistic about KESM’s prospects for the second half of this year.
“Although the group is seeing progressive demand recovery in production volume in the current quarter, chip shortages within the automotive semiconductor sector are affecting its volume loadings, due to delays in wafer deliveries to its customers.
“The group has indicated that while its customers are proactively procuring their wafer supplies, this supply hiccup could delay the recovery in the group’s operations in the near term.”
Nevertheless, the research house believes that the long-term trend towards electrification and rising electronics sensors application in the automotive sector will drive automotive semiconductor demand and bode well for KESM.
CGS-CIMB noted that KESM derives over 70% of its revenue from the automotive semiconductor segment.
“Meanwhile, industry research group IHS Markit expects the global automotive semiconductor revenue to grow by 18% year-on-year in 2021, fuelled by an increase in average semiconductor content value per car on the back of stronger electric vehicle (EV) sales and a recovery in global automotive demand.
“Overall, we believe industry demand recovery will accelerate in line with the global economic recovery in 2021.”
KESM provides semiconductor burn-in services and assembles electronic components.
Separately, Kenanga Research said KESM’s core net profit for the second quarter of its current financial year rose 87% to RM3.5mil, while revenue remained flat at RM68mil.
“Cumulatively, the first-half 2021 core net profit declined 26% to RM4.7mil on an 8% dip in revenue, mainly due to negative impact from the Covid-19 lockdown in the previous quarter.
“Quarter-on-quarter, core net profit for the second quarter of its current financial year rose 186% to RM3.5mil as loading volume for burn-in and testing services gradually inched upwards.
“Meanwhile, demand for electronic manufacturing services also saw marginal improvement. As a result, revenue increased 11% to RM68mil from RM61mil.”
Additionally, Kenanga Research said it expects more meaningful contributions to be seen in early 2022 for KESM.
“With revenue inching steadily upwards, net profit improvement is expected to climb at a quicker pace, owing to the group’s high degree of operating leverage.
“The group has also recently announced that it will be investing RM10mil for a 50,000-square-feet plant in Melaka to cater to higher order forecasts from its automotive customers.”
The research house said the decision to locate the new plant in Melaka was to ease logistical time and cost as a couple of its customers are situated in the area.
“Overall, macro demand for automotive is still on an upward trajectory as China’s car sales remain strong, while Europe’s vehicle sales are showing encouraging numbers.
“More importantly, the focus from this year onwards will be largely premised on EVs, which we believe will translate into higher demand for burn-in services, in tandem with the increase in semiconductor content in EVs compared to internal combustion engines.”


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Travelers have come to rely on the convenience and savings of bundled packages at online travel agencies like Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline.
This year, these third-party websites have been hit by the same wave of airline flight changes and cancellations that are widely disrupting travel.
Flight deals analyst Gunnar Olson of Thrifty Traveler, a travel education website, said he has observed more challenges for customers of online travel agencies negotiating change during the pandemic, he therefore advises travelers to book directly through the airlines.
“The problem with booking with these third-party sites is that while they may offer savings…if something goes wrong, you’re stuck with a middleman,” Olson said.
Minneapolis’ Sherry Parker loved booking trips on third-party sites like Expedia and Travelocity. This year, after flight changes and cancellations of trips booked on these sites, she will use them for research purposes only.
“I hope more travelers are hesitant to book through these third parties right now,” Parker said. “They better go through the airlines in these turbulent times.”
Parker suffered a flight cancellation earlier this year for an American Airlines flight to Reno in August that she had booked through Travelocity. American started the refund process and she received a refund quickly, she said.
But she haggled with Expedia for months to refund her $795 airfare after every leg of an April round trip for her family of four from Athens to Santorini was changed by carrier Volotea from five hours, including a 10 pm arrival in Athens the day before a 6 am return flight.
First she tried changing the flights, but it didn’t work. She said Volotea accepted the refund then because the changes took more than two hours each way. But then she spent hours going back and forth between the airline and Expedia to process the refund.
After a reporter contacted Expedia for the story, Parker, 58, a civil engineer who specializes in environmental cleanup, received an email Thursday from Expedia telling her she would receive a refund.
An Expedia spokeswoman declined to comment on specifics. “We can often resolve the issue but are limited by policies established by our partners and (are) not permitted to make exceptions on their behalf,” a spokeswoman wrote in an email. “If we make a mistake, we are committed to correcting it.”


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In North America, Windows 7 will come pre-loaded with Internet Explorer 8, no questions asked. In Europe, things are still up in the air. Microsoft initially planned to sell a browser-free version of Win7 exclusively in the EU, but it’s come up with a new scheme that would involve a browser selection ballot screen.
The Associated Press says the European Commission has welcomed the idea, although it’s still examining Microsoft’s offer and talking it over with "other browser makers and computer companies." Here’s what Microsoft is proposing, in the AP’s words:
On the browser case, Microsoft is suggesting that users of Windows XP, Vista or its latest release Windows 7 who have Internet Explorer set as the default browser would see a Web page prompting them to pick from five of the most popular browsers in Europe. Existing Windows users would get the ballot screen from a software update.
Microsoft said the list of browsers would be reviewed twice a year based on usage data for the previous six months.
As part of the scheme, Windows would remain bundled with IE in Europe, but users and PC vendors would be free to disable the browser. Until the Commission renders a verdict, however, Microsoft plans to go ahead with the browser-less Windows 7 E.
In case you overlooked all the commotion, Microsoft came under fire from the Commission recently because of a complaint from Opera Software—the folks behind the Opera browser—about browser bundling in Windows. According to an older ComputerWorld report, the Commission said a few months back it was "considering ordering Microsoft and [PC vendors] to obligate users to choose a particular browser when setting up a new PC."


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Lagos International Trade Fair for Developing Nigerian Market
Promoting Japanese brands at Nigeria‘s leading exhibition
The Lagos International Trade Fair was held in Lagos, the business hub of Nigeria, over a 10-day period from November 4 to 13. The fair, encompassing a space of 40,000 square meters, was joined by exhibitors from countries such as China, Ghana and Egypt, as well as Nigeria. With a wide range of products including food, general merchandise, home electronics, automobiles, furniture and building materials, they engaged in lively business talks and spot sales. JETRO set up its large-scale Japan Pavilion in the fair with 24 Japanese companies (30 companies with the inclusion of sub-exhibitors), which attracted 33,600 visitors throughout the fair's run.
With the extensive growth of its population over the years, high hopes have been placed on Nigeria as the most promising market in Africa. While the economy has recently been adversely affected by lower oil prices, high quality products produced by Japanese companies participating in the fair drew a great deal of interest from visitors, and a number of deals are expected to be concluded in addition to the spot sales. The Japan Pavilion, praised by visitors ranging from key local figures to buyers and consumers, was awarded the “Overall Best Pavilion” prize for the third year in a row.
Awarded the “Overall Best Pavilion” Prize
Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, visiting Canon’s stand
Providing marketing support to exhibitors
In order to support Japanese companies aiming to enter and expand sales in the Nigerian market, JETRO conducted group interviews with local consumers as part of a marketing survey. Based on questions prepared by the Japanese exhibitors beforehand, these interviews were implemented toward target demographics such as potential consumers and corporate customers. For example, a company in the food industry offered samples for tasting to see whether the products were acceptable to local consumers. In another example, an electronics company asked questions related to its function and size to understand what local consumers want. These results will be utilized to help companies aspiring to enter the market and expand sales.
Interview and tasting with homemakers
Group interview of car owners


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Making Space for Tablets
With the recent rush of electronics makers hoping to replicate Apple’s success with the iPad, there are now dozens of tablets on the market, performing an ever expanding range of tasks. A recent article by Ziba Creative Director Ryan Coulter points out some surprising ways in which this new platform is fundamentally different from its predecessors, the smartphone and laptop, and how its adoption will radically change the function of both.
Unlike smartphones and laptops, which replaced analog phones, typewriters
and filing cabinets, the tablet is pure abstraction — the love-child of two
Let’s call 2011 the year of the tablet. In the last several months, virtually every major electronics manufacturer has introduced a hopeful competitor to Apple’s iPad, and the aisles at January’s International Consumer Electronics Show were crammed with dozens of variations on the rounded rectangle.
But the idea of a portable touchscreen computing device is nothing new. You know that thing you sign when you get a package from UPS? The touchscreen tablet with a card reader that speeds you through checkout at the supermarket? Those are tablets, too. The Kindle and the Nook? Tablets, albeit very specialized ones.
So why are they popping into the foreground now? For one thing, technology. Improved flash memory, cheaper high-quality displays, more accurate touchscreens, and faster processors are converging to give us unprecedented computing function with few moving parts. Low power requirements are making technology more portable. Furthermore, the ability to stream movies and other content without actually using any memory makes the tablet the ideal mobile media-consumption platform. You don’t have to be an early adopter to see its appeal.
But the most interesting thing about the current fervor is that the tablet is one of the only consumer electronic devices with no analog predecessor. Unlike smartphones and laptops, which replaced analog phones, typewriters, and filing cabinets, the tablet is pure digital abstraction — the love-child of two digital devices. The clay tablets of biblical times were primarily designed to create content, not consume it, but the digital tablet’s onscreen keyboard barely functions. It’s no replacement for a paper notebook and sketchbook, but it’s a trade-off we accept. So why do we need a new product in our digital lives that only consumes?
Read the entire article at Fast Company Design.


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Samsung Galaxy Note 6 will reportedly skip the traditional IFA release date it has been following over the past two years in favor of an earlier launch.
There seems to be a change in strategy from the South Korean tech giant as far as rolling out of its flagships is concerned. The company has been doing everything possible to avoid any clashes with Apple’s releases, with the latest being the release of the Cupertino’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
As reported by SamMobile, enthusiasts of Samsung Galaxy Note 6 can expect to have it around in July as opposed to the previously rumored August/September release. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 5 a few days ahead of the IFA 2015 event held in Berlin, Germany. The phone was accompanied by a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, but there has been little to no word regarding the possible release of a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge+ this year.
This year, it is expected that Samsung will pull the days even closer and unveil the device weeks ahead of the IFA 2016 event that will be staged as from September 2. If everything remains constant, Samsung Galaxy Note 6 will probably be here in the summer. This is seen as a way for the company to beat competition that will be coming from Apple’s next iPhone flagship expected to be released this coming September.
Smartphone market experts have predicted that 2016 will be a bad year for major companies such as Apple and Samsung. With Apple already trying to take care of this problem with the release of iPhone SE, Samsung will be looking to make the most gains from the sales made from the phablet Note 6. Samsung Galaxy Note 5 was an amazing device, but the market did not receive it better than it did with is predecessor, Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Of course, some will point to the omission of some key components such as the microSD card and water/dust resistance, among others.
With the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 6, expect to see massive improvements, especially under the hood. Samsung will probably make very tiny changes to the design language used for the Note 5, however, a lot is going to change with respect to hardware. Since the Galaxy Note 6 is an upgraded version of the Note 5, the device will pack a superior processor, RAM, camera, S Pen stylus, fingerprint sensor, and even display, among others.
Rumors point to a slightly larger display size of 5.8 inches and Snapdragon 820/Exynos 8890 CPU like the ones used in the flagship S7 and S7 Edge. With the Note 5 packing 4GB RAM, the Note 6 will probably get something higher, with reports pointing to 6GB. The microSD card is back and it will support the 32GB/64GB/128GB variants of the Note 6. On the rear, Samsung will probably stick with the DualPixel 12MP sensor introduced on the Galaxy S7 as well as the same aperture of f/1.7. Expect even better performance and improved functionality from the S Pen stylus, especially when it comes to design.
As far as the OS is concerned, there are reports that Samsung Galaxy Note 6 might be the first Samsung smartphone to be powered by Android N out-of-the-box. However, just like with the matters of release date and spec sheet, Samsung has not confirmed any of these.