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This is a very interesting prospect and chimes in well with Facebook’s aim to offer an internet of its own in the future. Zuckerberg famously remarked in a recent statement that WhatsApp’s acquisition was meant to help Facebook bring internet access to every person on planet. While services like WhatsApp, with their wild popularity, will help Facebook reach connected users, acquisitions like Titan Aerospace will ensure that people are connected with the internet.
Titan Aerospace specializes in making solar drones which can fly for up to five years and have very high altitudes. The company’s satellites need no external power once they reach a definite altitude, charging themselves up with the solar power. These are ideally suited for launching a blanket-net of internet satellites over a huge area.
The model which Facebook seems keenly interested in is ‘Solara 60‘ by Titan Aerospace. Apparently, the drone vendor will be tasked with creating 11,000 of these to boot. Given this, it is nearly certain that Facebook plans to use these to offer internet in remote areas which internet connectivity is still not available.
The acquisition will reportedly rake in $60 million and will be a critical step forth for Zuckerberg’s Internet.org initiative. However, the ambitious project has to overcome a number of regulatory hurdles which will come when these drone-satellite mashups will be launched into the air. The long-term plan is to offer free internet connectivity to everyone on this planet. This may result in rather low-speed internet but it will still put a huge populace on the digital map.


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NEW YORK A new metal recycling company in Washington state is poised to compete in the ferrous scrap bulk export market, bringing the total number of bulk exporters in the Pacific Northwest to three.
Longview, Wash.-based PNW Metal Recycling LLC, which launched in April as a joint venture between R.S. Davis Recycling Inc., Clackamas, Ore. and Portland, Ore.-based Rivergate Scrap Metals Inc. (amm.com, April 17), has started collecting ferrous scrap for its first bulk vessel shipment at its 18-acre facility, according to several market participants.
A company spokesman declined to comment on the development, while others in the region said that they had been approached by PNW for ferrous scrap.
"They are now openly stating that they have a contract for fall cargo. Cargo is supposed to load in Longview. The new yard is not located on the Columbia River. They will need to truck product to the Port of Longview for cargo loading. They are starting to stage product in this new yard," said one market participant.
Market speculation is rife that a South Korean producer has given PNW its first bulk vessel order, rumored to be around 25,000 tonnes of ferrous scrap with a shipment date of late August or early September.
Once loaded and shipped, the vessel will officially make PNW Metal the third bulk cargo operator out of the Portland-Seattle region in addition to the regions largest bulk shipper, Portland, Ore.-based Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., and Portland-based Metro Metals Northwest Inc.
Regional players estimate that the company will be able to load one bulk cargo every two months, and many were skeptical of its viability.
"They hired a stevedoring company out of Los Angeles. We will see if it works. It will take them about 2 months to collect a 25,000-tonne vessel," said one regional supplier.
Other market participants were more dismissive.
"Theyre trying but it will not work. They would need to save up for a year to get enough for a cargo. They have never done a cargo. So you think Korea is going to buy from someone never having done a cargo and cant load for three months?" said a third market participant, while a fourth said he questions the companys ability to load bulk cargoes.
"They dont have enough scrap but theyd like to get it. Its like me wanting to load a vessel but its not realistic," said a senior executive at one regional scrap company.
One trader said PNW Metal will also be at a freight disadvantage to the bigger players who ship larger vessels from better located ports and consequently secure lower freight costs per tonne.
Nevertheless, PNW Metals entry as a bulk player is a significant development and could displace current supplier arrangements, said a second supplier.
"This will bring more competition to an already competitive market, which is good for suppliers," he said.

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Boylesports have announced a big winner on the horse racing from Wolverhampton last Friday. The punter in question got a huge €9,632 from a bet of just €15 on the all-weather card. The stake itself was on a 0.5 each way Lucky 15 bet.
So it was an ambitious gamble but one that managed to pay off at the end of the night. Diamond Reflection (7/1) ran home in the 5.10 race at Wolverhampton to kick the beat off into winning gear. Then Grey Destiny (12/1) War And Glory (7/1) followed it up in the 6.15 and 6.45 meetings.
Then there was a half hour wait before the final pick of the night took to the track. That final runner was an 8/1 shot Perfect Refuge, who came home to see the punter claim the massive winning in what BoyleSports described as a ‘savvy’ selection from their customer.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports said: “These horses weren’t all favourites so we have to tip our hats the savvy picks made by our online customer. It was the perfect start to the year and we hope they enjoy splashing out with their winnings which nearly hit €10,000 from their €15 stake.”
One of Ireland’s big-three bookmakers (Ladbrokes and Paddy Power), Boylesports are looking to secure retail property in the UK during the first quarter of 2019. According to reports they are close to landing the acquisition of a chain of UK bookmakers (unnamed).
Boylesports have been keen to get into the UK retail market and have been in talks with different independent bookmakers in terms of an acquisition. Their apparent goal is to get around 100 retail shops in the UK but are supposedly looking at more regional options than focusing on the highly competitive London area.
The operator, who holds a UK Gaming license has a strong presence and identity in the UK. In order to drive the business forward, it has been looking to feed off that positive identity which they have by getting into brick and mortar stores across the UK.
Back in 2016, they lost out to Betfred when retails stores because available because of the Ladbrokes and Coral merger. Competition rules meant that they had to sell off retail locations so that the merger didn’t give them a monopoly. But Boylesports failed with their bid for over 350 UK stores.
Ireland will have new regulations starting on the first day of 2019. The gambling tax is being doubled from 1% to 2% and Boylesports have already warned that the Irish retail division could see job losses and store closures.
There are changes coming in the UK scene as well though. The new Fixed Odds Betting Terminal limits will come into place next April, which restricts stakes to £2 (from £100). Paddy Power and William Hill have already cited concerns over brick and mortar location losses because of that.
Some of the major UK players, the likes of Ladbrokes-Coral, William Hill and Paddy Power-Betfair have been directing their attention elsewhere. The US market is starting to open up and that is prime stuff for them all to have a look at.
Boylesports have made a huge move to become the first bookmaker in Ireland to offer their customers a same-day withdrawal feature. Punters are now able to get the cash out from their Boylesports account into their bank balance in the matter of hours and not days.
Due to customer demands Boylesports launched the feature stating that it is in operation 24/7, 365 days a year, allowing people to get their cash as soon as possible.
Updating its online customers, Boylesports details that instant payout options are now available through Visa Debit cards for customers who bank at AIB, Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB.
So customers no longer have to wait for 2 to 3 working days to get their withdraw processed into their bank balance. Instead, now customers can get their funds at any time of the day including weekends and Bank Holidays.
Commenting on the update Aoife Heffron, Spokesperson for Boylesports commented “Our customers asked, and we have listened! We are thrilled to announce that our industry-leading Same Day Withdrawals feature is now live and available to all BoyleSports customers. Our brand new instant-pay-out option allows customers to withdraw their winnings with the click of a button and have it in their account the same day with most transactions only taking a couple of hours.”
She added, “We are constantly striving to make our customers experience as enjoyable and efficient as possible and Same Day Withdrawals is just one prime example of how we continue to come up with innovative ways to facilitate that.”
Sunday’s horse racing action from Fairyhouse landed a nice windfall for a Meath punter. They collected a nice €11,000 win from a Lucky 15. The punter had played a €3 Lucky 15 bet (€45 stake) on the afternoon action at Fairyhouse.
The action on the bet all kicked off with a win for Chief Justice at 5/1, a narrow win by pretty much a nostril and nothing more. Delta Work at 10/3 followed up and then when a big 16/1 shots Dinnie’s Vinner came home for three wins for three, the bet got really exciting.
There was then an hour’s wait for Wonder Laish to just about hang on and get the win in the 3.10 pm.
The bet landed the punter a nice €10,749 from Boylesports, but a 10% bonus came into effect as the bet had four winners, bringing the total windfall to €11,823.90.
Boylesports’ Aoife Heffron said: “We are delighted to see one of our customers scoop such a fantastic windfall this close to Christmas and hope that their €11,823.90 makes for a very special Christmas for them and their loved ones.”
From a betting perspective, golf is certainly no easy beast to tame. Because of the number of players in a field for a tournament, picking a winner out of the entire bunch is no easy thing to do. A wayward shot shanked into the drink can ruin a whole round, a whole tournament and a whole bet.
But one punter at Boylesports showed everyone else just how to do golf betting like a boss, as they nailed the winner of two golf tournaments not only on the same day but in the same bet.
The two selections combined to give the punter a five-figure sum with Boylesports. The punter, from County Mayo, Ireland played a €10 bet that required two winners: Xander Schauffele at the WGC-HSBC Champions as well as Cameron Champ to win the Sanderson Farms.
So that bet needed both players to win. Schauffele got the win, but that looked a bit dodgy, picking up a shot on each of the final two holes in China to take Tony Finau to a playoff. Shaufelle continued his streak by getting a birdie on the first playoff hole to win the tournament. Champ’s run was a little smoother as he defended a four shot lead that he had taken into the final day in Mississippi.
Schauffele went off at around 50-1 to win the WGC HSBC Champions, while Champ was listed around 65-1 at most sportsbooks to get the win in the US. When combined, BoyleSports paid out the winner at more than 1000-1. The bettor walked away with €10,950.
Two punters, both from Louth made bookmaker Boylesports dig deep into their pockets over the weekend as the bettors scooped winnings of over €12,000 between them last Friday.
Both punters had played a €1 Lucky 15 bet with the bookmaker on Friday evening’s racing.
One of them had picked out four winners from Newcastle which included 12/1 shot Mudawwan to pocket a cool €7,292.
The second punter picked up a €5,190 return with three selections from Dundalk and one from Newcastle in their Lucky 15. Both of the winners were from Louth.
Boylesports’ Lawrence Lyons said: “The results just weren’t going our way at Dundalk and Newcastle with winners coming at us from all angles and we must congratulate both our Louth punters, who unbeknownst to each other, served us a Friday night mauling between them with their astute picking.”


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Tuscaloosa's McFarland Mall could have new tenants, new look
Stan Pate's plans involve turning the mall into an outdoor shopping center larger than Midtown
Within the next 18 months, McFarland Mall could have new look, new tenants and a new name.
That’s the time frame Stan Pate, the mall’s owner, said he is looking at to bring a new shopping experience to Tuscaloosa.
“We will be calling it Encore Tuscaloosa,” he said last week.
The name “Encore” evokes a comeback, Pate said.
In show business, performers return to the stage to give fans something extra special during an encore. Pate said that’s what he wants to do with the mall that he purchased two years ago.
Encore will have new buildings, new landscaping and new retailers for the Tuscaloosa market, he said.
The retailers will include some major national chains that are not in West Alabama now. Pate declined to name the retailers, but said he had commitments, was in various levels of discussions and working on letters of intent and leases.
“It will be a big project. It will be the biggest project for this area in the next 10 years,” he said. “My goal is to create the new first-class project for retailing and for retailers.”
Pate said the redevelopment will cost more than $50 million and will be an open shopping development rather than an enclosed mall.
“We have been negotiating with various retailers,” he said. “We hope to set the bar higher for retailing.”
Pate, who was involved in the initial development of Midtown Village before selling the unfinished project to Cypress Equities, said Encore will be bigger than Midtown and have some larger retailers, but gave no details.
The redevelopment likely will be built around current McFarland tenants like TJ Maxx and Dollar Tree, which are in the mall building, and Books-A-Million, which has a free-standing store on the property, Pate said.
One of McFarland’s other major stores, Michael’s, an arts, crafts and decorating store, is expected to move later this year to McFarland Plaza, a shopping center north of the mall, into a space formerly occupied by Old Navy. Old Navy moved to Midtown Village when it opened in 2007.
A sign in front of the store at McFarland Plaza indicates Michael’s is slated to open there soon. McFarland Plaza’s website also shows Michael’s occupying the 22,680-square-foot location.
Management at the local Michael’s store referred inquiries about the store to its corporate office, which declined to comment about the move.
Pate said he had not received notice from Michael’s management that it intended to vacate its space at McFarland Mall. Michael’s can terminate its current lease with two-month notice, Pate said. It is no secret that Michael’s planned to move, and he expects to receive notice soon.
“I wish them well. I really do,” Pate said. “What they are doing is good for Michael’s, and it is good for the McFarland Mall” because it will make the redevelopment easier.”
Pate said the redevelopment was being planned before the April 27 tornado destroyed stores and that plans have not changed since.
Encore Tuscaloosa will not seek temporary tenants that need a place only until they can rebuild somewhere else, he said.
McFarland Mall opened in 1969 and was the third enclosed mall in Alabama. For decades, it was a major shopping destination in West Alabama, but has been in decline for the past decade.
The McFarland family, which had developed and owned the mall, sold the property to Pate in 2009. The location at the intersection of McFarland and Skyland boulevards is visible from and close to Interstate 20/59.
Pate said he expects Encore Tuscaloosa to be a prime retail destination that will serve as a gateway into Tuscaloosa.


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From Vancouver to New York, from Paris to Tokyo, that delivery truck outside your home—the rumbling motor, the belching fumes—may soon become much quieter and cleaner.
Electric trucks are driving out of factories and into service, and multiple vehicle companies are gearing up to make them. The result could be a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions—especially if the deliveries turn out to be cheaper than old-fashioned diesel engines.
In the United States, more than 6 percent of greenhouse gas emissions emitted in 2015 were from medium- and heavy-duty trucking. Transportation, including trucking, was responsible for 14 percent of emissions globally in 2010.
Because trucks need so much hauling power, they have eluded electrification until recently; a battery that could pull significant weight would itself be too hefty and too expensive. But now, improvements in battery technology are paying off, bringing down both size and cost.
Already buoying passenger car sales, the trend is now boosting the EV truck market, says Lisa Jerram, a principal research analyst for Navigant Research. Electric technology for big, heavy vehicles has also gotten a boost from smog-savvy city governments’ investments in electric buses.
According to a recent report by Jerram, the number of hybrid-electric and electric trucks is set to grow almost 25 percent annually, from 1 percent of the market in 2017 to 7 percent in 2027, a jump from about 40,000 electric trucks worldwide this year to 371,000.
In recent weeks, announcements of pending leases by United Parcel Service and advance orders for a newly introduced model from Tesla have signaled that big players are stepping into the market.
Numerous trucking manufacturers are now producing all-electric trucks or planning to, says David Alexander, research director of UK-based Truck Technology Ltd. and a coauthor of the report.
China’s BYD already has electric trucks on the road, while Daimler Mitsubishi’s FUSO is expected to be rolling soon. Smaller companies—Arrival (UK), Chanje (U.S., China), E_FORCE (Switzerland), Tevva Motors (UK), and Workhorse (U.S.)—have launched electric trucks in local markets, Alexander says. And major truck companies such as Volvo, Scania, MAN (VW) and Navistar are testing prototype electric trucks, aiming to bring them to market by 2020.
The trucking industry is diverse, with a range of sizes and loads. Long-haul 18-wheelers are not yet ready to go electric, but mid-sized delivery trucks for urban deliveries are, Jerram says. It’s not just range; diesel is pretty efficient for steady, long-distance hauling, so it’s harder for electric trucks to compete on cost, she says.
Urban delivery trucks, on the other hand, typically do a lot of stopping and starting, so their total distance driven is not that long. Plus that kind of driving in a diesel truck releases a lot of sooty exhaust, contributing to health problem in cities and ports where trucks idle.
Decreasing local air pollution was a key motivation in a project financed by the Department of Energy in the Houston area, where pollution routinely exceeds national air quality standards. In late 2015, UPS deployed 18 Workhorse experimental electric delivery trucks. The company has more than 120 fully electric delivery trucks in California, New York and Texas and more than 140 abroad, in Barbados, Canada, Europe and Japan. And it recently announced that it will deploy three new eCanter medium-duty electric trucks from Daimler’s FUSO. These lithium-ion-battery-powered trucks have a range of about 62 miles and can haul 2 to 3 tons.
“This truck is really perfect for large, heavily populated urban centers, such as Tokyo, New York, cities within California, Berlin, etc.,” says Bryan Allen, a Daimler marketing manager.
In New York City alone, a lot more UPS trucks could be electric soon. A partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and Unique Electric Solutions will help convert existing UPS diesel trucks to electric. They are hoping to convert up to 1,500 UPS trucks in New York City by 2022.
Other companies are also enthusiastic about electric trucks. Canada’s largest supermarket chain, Loblaws, unveiled a heavy-duty, “Class 8” delivery truck in Vancouver last month, manufactured by China’s BYD. It aspires to have a fully electric fleet by 2030 and says it ordered 25 Tesla electric trucks—a prototype of which was unveiled recently with typical Elon Musk hype, scheduled for delivery in 2019.
The Journey to Electrification
Globally, regulations such as proposed bans on internal combustion engines in France, the UK, China and India are helping to create this market, Jerram says. Although some of those targets are vague or years away, some regions are taking more concrete steps. The California Air Resources Control Board’s Advanced Clean Local Trucks plan has proposed that 2.5 percent of truck sales be zero emissions starting in 2023, rising to 15 percent by 2030.
But what was long an industry barrier to adoption of electric trucks may prove to be its greatest boon.
“There’s a business case that electric trucks will save fleet operators a lot of money,” Jerram says. In an industry with tight margins, that could sway the market, especially as operations prices continues to drop as compared with diesel.
“Big fleets—FedEx, UPS, Walmart—they know they can actually save a lot of money on fuel and overall maintenance,” Jerram says. That’s because electric vehicles have fewer moving parts that can break and generate less heat that causes stress on mechanics than internal combustion engines. There’s no need for oil changes and there is less wear on the brakes because of regenerative braking, she says. For example, Daimler claims its eCanter model will save more than $1,000 in operating costs approximately every 6,200 miles.
Still, it’s early days in electric trucking. The three eCanter trucks Daimler will deliver to UPS in the new year are part of a limited run of 150 trucks in the United States, Japan and Europe, Allen says.
While truck range has increased with battery technology improvements, it’s still a weight game, he says. In trucking, you want as much weight as possible in the goods being hauled, not in a heavy battery.
“The reality is that the batteries weigh a lot more to get that range that the truck driver needs,” he says. But the technology is continuing to improve, so FUSO is offering this truck as a two-year lease. “We didn’t want to penalize partners like UPS,” which want to be industry leaders, he says. “They operate the truck for two years. Then they turn it in, and we offer them the latest and greatest truck.”
Pepsi, when it recently placed a big advance order for the new electric truck promised by Tesla, noted that it sees ways to balance the weight equations. Among the snack foods the company routinely delivers are light packets of chips and much heavier beverages. Deliveries can be customized to maximize the range—and minimize the expense.
Heavy Duty Trucks — for Local Jobs
Although, electric trucks can’t yet replace the long-haul big rigs you see on cross-country road trips, companies are starting to roll out heavy-duty trucks for local use, such transporting goods from port to warehouse or as a garbage truck, Jerram says.
BYD has them on the road. Toyota has a fuel cell-powered heavy-duty truck undergoing trials in California, according to Alexander. FUSO recently announced a heavy-duty prototype called Vision One that it claims will have a range of about 217 miles and a hauling payload of 11 tons—just 2 tons less than a diesel rig of the same class.
It’s not surprising that China’s BYD is early out of the gate, with the first electric heavy-duty truck on the road.
“They are the largest country market we’ve forecasted for all types of electrified trucks,” Jerram says. “And if you add in Japan, the Asia Pacific region is definitely the leader.” China’s emphasis on electric bikes, cars, buses and now trucks is a strategy to deal with its air pollution—and they have a business interest, Jerram says. “A lot of Chinese manufacturers are coming into all sections of the vehicle market.”
As electric trucks make up more and more of our fleets, other things will change, too. Moving away from diesel means that “everything changes,” Allen says, “from how the trucks are serviced to fuel stations.”


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Vegan ostrich feathers have now become a reality, after fashion brand Blue District worked for years to perfect the cruelty-free material
Sustainable fashion brand Blue District has created what it describes as the world’s first vegan ostrich feathers.
The brand debuted the vegan ostrich feathers on a black vegan silk dress made from bamboo fibre. It says this is the first piece of a whole collection featuring Ethical Plumes.
Vegan ostrich feathers
In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Voise explained: “Every year, two million Ostriches are killed for fashion.
“By utilising a specific sewing method paired with very fine threading, and eco-friendly dyes, ethical plumes™ can mimic the look and feel of traditional ostrich feathers without causing harm to any animals.”
Blue District added that its ‘trailblazing launch’ will ‘transform the fashion landscape’ and better animal welfare.
The celeb partnered with eco start-up Radiant Matter to create a sleeveless jumpsuit using Biosequin.
The biodegradable and non-toxic material is innovated from plant-based cellulose. It uses no metals, minerals, synthetic pigments or colourants.
Want to be more ethical with your outfit choices? We debunk the myths behind vegan fashion here
Featured image credit: Blue District Official


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Modern Retail hires Barkho as reporter
Gabriela Barkho has joined Digiday’s Modern Retail as the company’s newest reporter.
Previously, Barkho held the post of tech reporter at The Observer.
Before that, she was a contributor at Crunchbase News and Vice Motherboard. She is also the founding editor of the online publication, Femsplain. Additionally, she has worked as a freelance reporter and served as a life and leisure editor at The Observer.
She also held the post of Harper’s Bazaar intern.
Barkho holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Newark.


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Rumor has it a newly redesigned iPad mini is supposedly coming this fall
About damn time
Apple’s upcoming iPad mini is finally getting a refresh this fall. That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is usually right about all things Apple (seriously, he’s a beast when it comes to this).
According to Gurman, he says it’s the “biggest redesign” in the device’s history, which wouldn’t take much since it’s been pretty much the same iPad mini since 2012, with minor internal updates. Gurman says it’ll look like a shrunken iPad Air (or the iPad Pro for that matter, since they’re all using the same squared-off design now).
Yes, that means no more home button for Touch ID, although Apple might add that to the power button, or maybe under the screen. That matches up with rumors from Korean blog Naver, which said an “iPad mini Pro” featuring an 8.7-inch screen would be coming later this year. The upcoming device would reportedly be wider but slightly shorter than the existing iPad mini.
Gurman’s report also matches up with a research note from Apple prognosticator Ming-Chi Kuo from the beginning of 2020, which predicts an iPad mini with a screen size somewhere between 8.5- and 9-inches will be coming in the first half of 2021.
With the pandemic having a toll on the release dates of every device, the release slipping to the second half of 2021 is understandable. Kuo also previously said that Apple is working on a mini-LED screen for the iPad mini, but it’s not clear at this time if it’s for this year’s device.
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- Apple fans already found a new thing to complain about the upcoming iPhone 13
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.


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Sharon Hunter appointed Chair of Eventfinda Board
6 November, 2017
Sharon Hunter appointed Chair of
Eventfinda has selected one of New Zealand’s most well-known and respected businesswomen to head the company’s board.
Sharon Hunter joins the locally owned and operated technology company as Chair, bringing with her 28 years of entrepreneurship and governance experience for a diverse range of private and public companies as well as charitable trusts.
“It’s a genuine pleasure to be involved with a company like Eventfinda which is simplifying the event process by combining market-leading ticketing technology with strong events marketing expertise.
“New Zealand is increasingly becoming an event’s-driven nation. There’s a cultural shift that’s seeing us spend less money on accumulating things and more money on experiences that create memories. Eventfinda’s greatest potential is in this space and given their agility and ability to act on ideas quickly, there are few barriers to success,” says Hunter.
Eventfinda co-founder and CEO James McGlinn says Sharon’s experience in digital technology represents a strategic advantage for the business, which already interacts with more than a million New Zealanders and over half a million Australians every month.
“Sharon has a powerful understanding of the way digital platforms can be used to secure engagement from her experience with one of New Zealand’s biggest events, the Rugby World Cup, as well as other technology-driven directorships. We are in the business of helping our clients create unforgettable experiences and to do that, we need to be fast, agile and responsive. Sharon totally understands this modus operandi,” says McGlinn.
Hunter achieved a public profile when at the age of 22 she co-founded PC Direct, New Zealand’s largest and most successful home-grown computer brand, which she subsequently sold in 1998. McGlinn started his first company at the age of 17, followed by Eventfinda at the age of 26, so the shared experience of youth and entrepreneurship has seen a strong bond develop between Hunter and McGlinn.
“I know what it’s like to be a young CEO, to have that entrepreneurial spirit and drive to succeed, so I bring a lot of empathy to the table and hands-on mentorship and support,” says Hunter.
That support couldn’t have come at a better time says McGlinn. “We’re excited about our ability to disrupt foreign-owned competitors in the ticketing space, and right now we are focused on growth and honing our unique capabilities to kick that disruption up a gear, so watch this space.”


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Power management semiconductors revenue in 2011 is expected to reach $33.1bn, up 6.7% from $31bn in 2010, according to a IHS iSuppli report.
The IHS iSuppli Power Management Market Tracker report said the growth will be much lower than the 37.8% in 2009-10, primarily due to a general slowdown in consumer spending and the Japanese earthquake in March.
The market is expected to grow by 3.9% in 2012 to a projected $34.4bn, continuing the low growth trend from 2011.
IHS principal analyst for power management Marijana Vukicevic said the Japanese situation righted itself by September, but by then the industry was feeling yet another constraint – the decline in consumer spending that started in the middle of the year, a situation not likely to improve until after the first half of 2012.
A tightening is already being felt, as consumer expenditures has slowed revenue expansion in the power management sector during the third quarter to just 2.3% from the earlier quarter, compared to an 8.8% increase during the same time last year.
However, the current slowdown in power management semiconductors notwithstanding, revenue expansion overall will be positive for the next five years, with growth to average 7.2% during the period.
The most promising signs are for inverters, which are anticipated to grow from $4.2bn in 2010 to $7.5bn in 2015.
Consumer demand is expected to return after 2014, with the higher levels in ensuing expenditures having a positive effect on power management semiconductors.
This will result in improved revenue growth at a projected 8.7% by that time, the IHS report said.


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From strengthened trust in social commerce to baby boomers dipping their toes into TikTok, social media finds itself in an interesting position at the start of 2022.
Insights from GWI’s report on social media trends for 2022 have painted a mixed picture.
Firstly, they have found that attitudes are changing in regards to posting. Whilst some users are posting more, many prefer their updates to be temporary or semi-private. The number of those who prefer to share content with friends and family privately has risen 9% since Q4 2020. This trend has resulted in more users relying on in-the-moment tools, like stories.
Here are some other key takeaways:
Since its release, TikTok has grown into a global behemoth, with the number of monthly users increasing by 32% since 2020.
Does this present a unique opportunity for businesses?
TikTok introduced business profiles, ads and a creator marketplace in 2020 and 2021. These tools, combined with the platform’s growing user base, are sure to attract more advertisers in 2022.
We know that users are logging into TikTok for entertainment, with content ranging from challenges and trending hashtags to lip-syncing and tutorials. Brands will need to keep this in mind when it comes to their content strategies. As users will be turned off by overt promotion, so content needs to be authentic and – we’ll say it again – entertaining.
Speaking of TikTok, in a somewhat surprising twist, the two biggest sources of TikTok’s growth are the older generations; Gen X and Baby Boomers! And they’re not just on TikTok, they own an average of 4.6 social media accounts across all platforms.
This generation is primarily logging in to connect with good causes, follow influencers, stay up to date on the latest trends and keep in touch with friends. TikTok plays a major role in this, providing a constant stream of fresh video content and inspiration across a range of topics.
We keep hearing that people’s attention spans are shortening. It’s been reported that it’s now as short as 8 seconds – down from 12 seconds not that long ago. But is that really true? What does that mean for online video?
Short-form video has certainly seen a meteoric rise. However, long-form still has its place, growing in popularity amongst Gen Z. Known for going against the grain, this generation is just as likely to watch videos over 20 minutes as they are videos under 4 minutes – predominantly on YouTube. Long-form videos typically include vlogs and how-to videos. And in fact, how-to videos are in the top two of digital content consumption across all age ranges.
Social buying is on the up, with Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shopping engagement rising by 8% since 2020.
According to Hootsuite, it’s the pandemic that has driven this growth. Before lockdowns, social commerce was mostly reserved for businesses of an innovative nature. But increased social media usage throughout the pandemic quickly changed this. And brands are now expected to be on social media. According to Sprout Social, about nine out of ten people say they buy from companies they follow on social media.
Unsurprisingly, Q2 2020 recorded the highest figures ever for global social media engagement.
This phenomenal level of engagement has since levelled off, returning to what it was three years ago. With society opening back up, competition for people’s spare time is set to increase. The Economist has called it an ‘attention recession’, with people looking to return to their pre-pandemic routines and venture outdoors again.
Advertisers can therefore no longer depend on views alone as a metric to judge the performance of a campaign. They should instead look to make action-based metrics – such as contact form sign-ups – an important part of their success criteria.
What does this mean for you? Well, the #notnews is that you need to be on social to have any chance of competing in a crowded marketplace. Understand the channel that fits your audience and produce the right type of content for that channel. And speak to us about how to do it, of course!
We would love to share our ideas and help you achieve your goals. Contact us via the links below.
You can visit GWI’s website if you’d like to read their report in full.


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Ford CEO Alan Mulally received a 2011 pay package of US$29.5m, the most in his six years in the position, the automaker disclosed in a regulatory filing.
Mulally’s earnings included $2m in salary, $5.5m in bonuses and about $21.4m in stock and option awards, the New York Times reported. The total value of his compensation rose 11% last year, when Ford made a $20.2bn net profit.
“We had a very good year last year,” Ford spokesman Jay Cooney told the paper. “The compensation committee felt that our exceptional performance in 2011 merited these compensation awards.”
Executive chairman William Clay Ford Jr received a package worth $14.5m in 2011, 45% less than the previous year. He earned a $2m salary, down from $4.8m, and fewer stock and option awards.
All of Ford’s top executives got smaller bonuses than in 2010 because even though profits increased significantly, the company fell short of some targets for the year, including those measuring vehicle quality and market share. Ford broke a string of quality improvements in 2011 as problems with a touch-screen system translated to poor ratings in a number of surveys, the report noted.
Departing chief financial officer Lewis Booth got $7.7m, down 6%. Americas chief Mark Fields earned $8.8m, about the same as in the previous year.
Mulally is the highest-paid executive in the auto industry, the report added.
Cooney told the paper Ford had posted three consecutive annual profits under Mulally’s leadership, and had reduced its debt by $27bn in the last two years. It also avoided having to join its domestic rivals, General Motors and Chrysler, in filing for bankruptcy.


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is expected to unveil
its latest iPhone lineup at an event Tuesday, which will take place in its Cupertino, California, headquarters. The new lineup will reportedly include the iPhone 11 Pro, the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the iPhone 11, replacing the XS, XS Max and XR models.
None of these devices are expected to look radically different from those released last year.
At a time when some of its competitors are launching innovative but riskier concepts, such as Samsung’s foldable smartphone and its two 5G devices
, Apple is expected to stay the course. That, too, may be risky. The iPhone business — still Apple’s single biggest moneymaker — has been lackluster at best of late. Revenue from iPhone sales has declined by double-digit percentages in recent quarters.
The iPhones won’t be the only new products on display Tuesday. Apple could also announce updates to other hardware products, including the Apple Watch, iPad and MacBooks.
The event will kick off Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. CNN Business will be on the ground reporting on all the latest.


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Fort Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) December 04, 2011
‘Tis the season to bake the cookies, buy the gifts, wrap the presents, deck the halls and trim the tree. Catalogs.com adds a twist to the holiday chorus with a contest for the best holiday decorations – on fans' computers – in the first ever “Trim Your Screen Photo Contest” on Facebook.
Facebook fans who submit a photo of a festively trimmed computer monitor, iPad or smartphone to the “Trim Your Screen” contest at the Catalogs.com Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/shopcatalogs , compete to win a grand prize of a $500 shopping spree at any combination of stores on Catalogs.com. Second place prizes of $100 gift cards to any store on Catalogs.com will be awarded to five runner-up photos. Winning photos will be selected by popular vote, which encourages entrants to collect votes for their decorated screen from other Facebook users.
“The only requirement is that the computer screen display Catalogs.com in some way – a shot of a page from the Catalogs.com website, http://www.catalogs.com , or logo. We hope everyone gets into the holiday and goes all out,” says Leslie Linevsky, co-founder of Catalogs.com. “The malls are decorated, stores are lit up … we think online shoppers should have a chance to share their creative talents.”
“You can spend hours online at Catalogs.com, shopping at over 750 stores and online catalogs. It’s easy to find what you are looking for – and discover things you didn’t even know existed. With that much time in front of the computer, holiday shoppers shouldn’t miss out on the lights and decorations: their computers should be decked for the season, too.”
Photos can be entered in the “Trim Your Screen Photo Contest” from December 1 through December 25 at http://www.facebook.com/shopcatalogs. Voting continues on Facebook through December 31, 2011. The winning entrants will be notified after January 1, 2012.
Since 1996, shoppers have universally recognized Catalogs.com as a trusted premier shopping service, attracting more than 1,000,000 unique visitors each month. The comprehensive Catalogs.com website, newly launched Catalogs.com for iPad and Catalogs.com online catalogs feature over 740 major and specialty retailers and provide shopping access via web, iPad and mobile phone platforms.


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WeaveInIndia showcases a specially-curated set of traditional handloom saris from across the country. The collection includes unstitched suits, stoles and dupattas in cotton, silk, georgette, chiffon, and linen, apart from saris in Benaras, Bandhini, Patola, Kota, Chanderi, Kanjeevaram and Ikat.
Mandira Bansal says her latest line is an amalgamation of sustainably- sourced fabrics, hand-worked to embody the colourful designs of the season.
Read the entire article at thehindu.com
Most Beautiful Collections


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Cristiano Amoruso, an analyst at hedge fund Starboard, is leaving the firm for a new gig at Lion Point, a global special situations fund which launched on April 1st. We’ve heard this from two sources.
This would be boring news, except for the fact that Amoruso was a key part of the team at Starboard who helped the firm score a big win earlier this year in its activist campaign against Yahoo and CEO Marissa Mayer.
Last fall, Starboard manager named Jeff Smith sent an open letter to Mayer and the Yahoo board announcing that his firm had taken a large stake in Yahoo. He said that he had ideas for how Mayer and the board could better run the company.
These ideas read like a list of demands because the letter contained an implicit threat: either Mayer would cooperate, or Smith would take his case to his fellow Yahoo shareholders and try to get a new board of directors hired.
Smith’s biggest demand: Yahoo could and should find a way to sell its $US40 billion stake in Chinese Internet company Alibaba in a tax-free fashion and return all of the proceeds back to shareholders.
This was a huge ask. For years, Yahoo and her management team had been planning on ways it could spend those billions of dollars. Wild ideas had been floated. Maybe Yahoo would buy a cable network? Maybe it would poach YouTube stars?
But Yahoo’s shareholders took Starboard’s side and pressed its case in meetings with Mayer and the Yahoo board. Yahoo CFO Ken Goldman was persuaded. So, eventually, was Mayer.
In January, Yahoo announced that it would spin-off its stake in Alibaba by creating a new company. The split is set to happen by the end of this year. Mayer and Yahoo will not have billions of dollars to invest in returning Yahoo to revenue growth.
The view on Wall Street was that Yahoo shareholders, thanks to Smith, had won.
This victory was made possible by an entire team at Starboard, of course. Amoruso was on that team, and, early on, he made a critical play.
During the summer of 2014, months before Smith sent his letter to Yahoo, another, smaller, activist investor named Eric Jackson reached out to Starboard to pitch an activist campaign against Yahoo.
Smith and a couple of his analysts heard Jackson out. One of these analysts was Amoruso. Smith included him because Amoruso had written a case study about Yahoo when he was an MBA candidate at Columbia.
Jackson’s idea was that Yahoo could save itself a huge tax bill by selling itself outright to Alibaba.
Smith and his analysts investigated the idea. They decided that Alibaba was unlikely to buy Yahoo. They were about to pass.
Then one day Amoruso had an idea: What if Yahoo split into two public companies? One for the core operating business, and another to hold the Yahoo stock. Wouldn’t Yahoo be able to avoid a big, multi-billion dollar tax bill that way? Amoruso called an old professor who specialised in the tax code. He agreed that the idea made sense.
Starboard decided to take on Yahoo, and a half year later, the firm had a huge win.
Amoruso’s departure from Starboard isn’t any kind of devastating blow to the firm. He wasn’t even the most senior analyst on the Yahoo team, we’re told.
But, walking out Starboard’s doors, Amoruso is carrying a little bit of the firm’s recent glory with him.
Starboard declined to comment on this story.
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The future is electric, and the future is now – at least for Washington’s I-5 corridor.
Electrician Rich Hildreth drove an electric vehicle (EV) across Washington on July 30, starting in Blaine and ending in Vancouver, to demonstrate the convenience, environmental benefit and economic impact of Washington’s network of EV charging stations.
Washington covers one-third of what’s known as the West Coast Electric Highway, a network that stretches from Blaine to Baja, California. It provides EV fast-charging stations every 25 to 50 miles along I-5 and other major roadways in the Pacific
Northwest. Electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi “I MiEV” plug into the grid to charge batteries carried onboard. The batteries in turn power the motors.
Most EVs can get a full charge at the DC-powered electric stations in 30 minutes or less, and the maximum distance a car can drive on a full charge ranges from 75 to 300 miles depending on the make and model.
Hildreth stopped at six electric stations along his route to meet with local officials and media. The topics of conversation covered climate change and his eye-catching ride – a Tesla Model S – but the main focus of the demonstration was to highlight how EV infrastructure can boost industry and local economies.
“As an electrician and a union member, I know how critical it is that our region helps lead the new green technology economy,” Hildreth said, adding that members of the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) #46 have been learning how to install and maintain EV stations around the state. “These efforts provide new investment and family-wage jobs as common-sense solutions to addressing climate change.”
He also cited the economic benefits charging stations can bring to rural communities.
“If you put one of these charging stations in a small town, it will provide a huge economic boost, because people who plug in their car will have some time to walk around. They’ll go across the street and eat lunch, or explore the downtown shops. It brings people out of their cars and into the community,” Hildreth said.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are 6,331 electric stations in the United States and more than 300 in Washington already.
Hildreth’s car garnered a lot of attention along the drive. The Tesla Model S is a luxury sedan that is not only completely powered by electricity, but is also shaking up the auto industry with its impressive capabilities.
The performance package version accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds, drives up to 265 miles in one charge, comes with an eight-year battery warranty and can seat five with an option to seat seven. The performance package costs $88,570 after a $7,500 federal tax credit that comes with the purchase.
Like other electric vehicles, the Tesla Model S incorporates mobile technologies to optimize performance and convenience. A digital touch-screen display the size of two iPads occupies the center of the dashboard and acts as a control hub for all systems in the car. It is linked to Garmin GPS for navigation, and includes applications that show how much battery life is left in the car, where the nearest charging station is and whether it’s available for use.
The Washington State Department of Transportation oversees the Washington segment of the West Coast Electric Highway. A November 2012 analysis by car expert Edmunds.com found that Washington residents were among the top consumers of electric vehicles in the United States.


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Women in Search of Deals
By George Anderson
Christine Bright, an industrial engineer supervisor for United Parcel Service, sums it up. “Everyone loves a bargain. I don’t pay full price unless I absolutely need it.”
According to a study by the Frank About Women market research firm, women today are concerned about the economy and, as a result, are doing more comparison-shopping and bargain hunting than in the past.
Not surprisingly, more women are turning to the internet to conduct comparison-shopping expeditions before heading to a store to buy. The reverse, it turns out, is also true. Women are going to the store to get real world prices before turning to the virtual one to make purchases.
For many women, shopping is a recreational experience. In simple terms, they go shopping because it makes them feel better.
About 42 percent of women shop to feel better, according to Frank About Women’s research.
Liz Rucinski, a homemaker, told Business First of Louisville, she “shops the outlet stores near Columbus, which sometimes have sales at Lenox or Talbots,” on her way to visit family in Cleveland. “My next plan is to go to Chicago on a shopping trip with my daughter,” she said.
Moderator’s Comment: Are women more price conscious today than they have in recent years? How do retailers maintain
acceptable margins in a super competitive bargain-hunting environment? –
George Anderson – Moderator


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Nancy Pelosi Exercises Apple Calls
Nancy Pelosi, representative of the 11th congressional district of California, exercised Apple Inc (AAPL:US) calls on 17th March 2023, as reported in her most recent filing.
She purchased 100 call options on 13th May 2022, with a strike price of $80 and an expiration date of 17th March 2023. On the last day of expiry, she decided to exercise those call options. As a result, she has executed a buy transaction worth $800,000 of Apple stock. As per the most recent closing price, this holding alone is worth $1.65 million.
With this transaction, she has added to her Apple Inc holding, a stock she has traded multiple times in the past few years.
Nancy Pelosi’s buy transaction comes at a time when there is news of insiders dumping their shares. Since her trade, four insiders at Apple have sold a part of their holdings. Most notably, COO Jeffrey Williams has sold nearly $54.85 million worth of Apple stock. CEO Tim Cook has also sold over $18 million worth of stock this week.
While the share price keeps moving higher in the short term, there are some headwinds for the stock. Rising interest rates, a seemingly lack of involvement in the AI race, and lower sales data have analysts thinking that the stock might be in for a correction soon.


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Home security company Ring, which makes smart video doorbells, raised $61.2 million in a Series C funding round led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers with participation from existing investor Sir Richard Branson.
SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ring, the leader in outdoor home security, today announced its newest smart security device, RingTM Video Doorbell Pro, a premium, compact Wi-Fi video doorbell. The company now has the largest line of smart, outdoor security products available today. Featuring highly configurable motion detection zones, a sleek design and a small form factor, Ring Video Doorbell Pro is currently available for preorder at www.ring.com for $249.
In addition, Ring has raised $61.2 million in Series C funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) with add-on from Sir Richard Branson. These new funds enable Ring to expand its line of smart video doorbells, further its international presence and continue to reduce crime in neighborhoods.
Jamie Siminoff, Chief Inventor and CEO of Ring, said: “At Ring, it’s our mission to reduce crime by creating a ‘ring’ of security around our customers’ front doors, homes and neighborhoods. I am pleased KPCB has joined Ring’s group of leading investors alongside Sir Richard Branson as we continue to make neighborhoods around the world safer. With these new funds, we will expand that ‘ring’ of security by adding to our high-quality, diverse line of smart security products.”
Mary Meeker, KPCB general partner, said: “Ring re-imagined the doorbell so consumers could respond – using a smartphone – to someone at their front door from anyplace, anytime. Jamie and his team continue to improve the bell while rolling out new products that allow consumers to easily and cost-effectively monitor – and engage with – all areas around their homes. We believe Ring’s new approach to home security is mainstream and powerful.”
Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group, added “Congratulations to Jamie for his leadership and commitment to building a strong company while also building such useful crime prevention products. I’m delighted to support Ring with continued investment.”
More than 50 percent of burglaries in the United States take place during the day when no one is home. Now, homeowners can give potential intruders the impression they’re home even when they are not. With both theRingTM Video Doorbell and Ring Video Doorbell Pro, users are alerted when the device’s motion sensors detect movement on their property or someone rings the bell. They can then see and speak to whoever is at their door via their mobile device, providing the illusion that they’re home. Plus, with Ring Stick Up Cam, a wire-free outdoor security camera with two-way audio and one-way video, users can monitor and protect their entire property. Ring devices have prevented countless burglaries and package thefts and continue to assist police departments across the country in identifying suspects of home break-ins.
Ring’s mission is to reduce crime in neighborhoods and empower consumers by creating a “ring” of security around homes and communities. Named one of USA Today’s Top 10 Tech Innovations of 2015, the RingTMVideo Doorbell offers a unique security solution that enables homeowners to keep an eye on and protect their homes from anywhere. While Ring Video Doorbell and the new Ring Video Doorbell Pro create a ring of security around users’ front doors, the company’s wire-free, outdoor security camera, Stick Up Cam, extends that ring to secure the entire home. With these products, Ring continues to prevent burglaries and keep homes around the world safe. For more information, visit www.ring.com. With Ring, you’re always home.
About Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) partners with the brightest entrepreneurs to turn disruptive ideas into world-changing businesses. The firm has helped build pioneering companies like Amazon, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Google, Nest, Netscape, and Twitter. KPCB offers entrepreneurs years of operating experience, puts them at the center of a vast and influential network, and accelerates their success through expertise and support in recruiting, product design and delivery, business development, strategic partnerships, and brand building. KPCB invests in all stages from seed and incubation to growth companies and operates from offices in Menlo Park, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Beijing. For more information, visit https://www.kpcb.com and follow us @kpcb.


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Reliance Jio is gearing up for its full commercial launch of its services across the country and is all set to rattle India’s data market by offering 4G data at lowest rates in the world. “Mission of Reliance Jio is to take India from data shortage to data abundance. Jio makes India the highest quality, lowest…
South Korea’s LG U+ has developed a technology to combine Wi-Fi spectrum with its LTE network.
The operator has combined LTE in unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) technology with licensed LTE bands to deliver speeds up to four times that of a standard LTE network, Yonhap News reported.
By aggregating 20 MHz of unlicensed 5.8-GHz spectrum with 20 MHz of 2.6-GHz LTE spectrum, the company was able to achieve a download speed of 300Mbps. The technology will provide transmission speeds equivalent to 5G, the operator asserts.
LG U+ said this is the first successful test of aggregated Wi-Fi and LTE spectrum from the telecom industry.
The first smart devices supporting LTE-U are expected to reach the market by the second half of 2016.
But the prospect of providing LTE under unlicensed spectrum is proving to be controversial, facing opposition even from within the 3GPP. One concern is that LTE-U will interfere with or block Wi-Fi transmissions. Original post by Dylan Bushell-Embling at telecomasia.net


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Diners used the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme 10.5 million times in its first week
The first week of the government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme has seen the government pay over £53 million towards 10.5 million meals.
Under the initiative, which is intended to boost the fortunes of the pubs, cafes and restaurants hit by the coronavirus lockdown, customers can claim up to 50% off bills at participating establishments up to a maximum of £10 each.
Official statistics show that 22,000 business have made claims so far out of a total of 83,000 that are registered to do so, suggesting more claims are in the pipeline.
Launched – or perhaps ‘lunched’ – on 3 August, the scheme runs throughout the month, finishing on Bank Holiday Monday. The government has reserved £500 million to fund the activity.
Among the businesses participating are numerous local eateries alongside chains such as KFC, Nando’s, McDonald’s, Pizza Express and Costa Coffee. Meals must be eaten on the premises – so takeaways are not included. Alcoholic drinks also fall outside the scheme.
The official restaurant finder uses postcodes to locate participating eateries in any given area. There is no limit to the number of times a person can obtain the discount.
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Diners simply ask for their bill to be reduced, and the establishment claims the money direct from the government, receiving payment within five working days.
The discount can be used for children’s meals and is capped at £10 per head. It is only available Monday to Wednesday inclusive throughout August.
Under the scheme, a party of three would get £30 off a bill of £70 (£10 each), thus paying £40.
If the bill were £40 for three diners, they would save £20 – the maximum 50% discount on their bill.


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HM-Mitsubishi Motors is revamping its dealer strategy for the Indian market. As part of the strategy, HM-Mitsubishi will be significantly enhancing its presence in the country, with increased focus on tier II locations. The company will be inaugurating 22 new dealerships by March 2011. With this, HM-Mitsubishi will have 62 dealerships across India.
“We have received an overwhelming response for the Outlander 2010, which we recently launched. And by and large we are seeing an increased demand for our brands across different locations, especially for the Pajero and Montero. Given this, and the fact that we will be launching more products for the Indian market shortly, we are adopting an aggressive dealer strategy, to establish our presence in more locations,” Mr. Y.V.S Vijay Kumar, Executive Vice President and Head of Mitsubishi business at HML, said.


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Join me at 6:20am every morning as we fire up the neurons with useless trivia that you just can't resist. We call this THE BRAINBUSTER. Or just BRAINBUSTER would be fine. You put a THE in front of it and people may start taking it seriously.
Enjoy! We'll post each day's answers here everyday!
Posts from May 2014
BRAINBUSTER for FRIDAY MAY 30th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: According to a new survey by Insurance.com, this tops the list of most embarrassing moments for drivers. What is it?
Answer: Forgetting where they parked their car.
Locking the keys in and driving over a curb are also high on the list.
BRAINBUSTER for THURSDAY MAY 29th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: the company that made this game was accused by it’s competitors of selling “sex in a box”. What game was it?
The company that produced the game, Milton Bradley, was accused by its competitors of selling "sex in a box". That accusation was probably because Twister was the first popular American game to use human bodies as playing pieces.
BRAINBUSTER for WEDNESDAY MAY 28th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: According to Americanliving.com, 1 in 14 families allow their kids to make this decision for the family every year… What is it?
ANSWER: Decide where the family goes for summer vacation!
FAVORITE ANSWERS: internet provider, summer camp, car, family pet..
BRAINBUSTER for TUESDAY MAY 27th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: Researchers find that people think food tastes better if what?
ANSWER: If it's more expensive.
FAVORITE ANSWERS: if they don't have to do dishes after, has extra gravy, on a white plate, doesn't crawl off the plate on it's own...
BRAINBUSTER for MONDAY MAY 26th, 2014
NO BRAINBUSTER - HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!
BRAINBUSTER for FRIDAY MAY 23rd, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: According to new research, airline passengers are more likely to buy a drink while they're on their way to this city. Where?
ANSWER: Las Vegas
BRAINBUSTER for THURSDAY MAY 22nd, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: Even though it's dangerous, 25 percent of people admit they have done this to save time. What is it?
ANSWER: change clothes while driving
FAVORITE ANSWERS: ran a red light, putting on makeup while driving, making coffee while driving...
BRAINBUSTER for WEDNESDAY MAY 21st, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: According to a recent study, on average it will take you about 9 seconds longer to do THIS than it did a year ago. What is it?
ANSWER: go through the drive-thru
FAVORITE ANSWERS: go through airport security, enter password, get coffee, use proper coffee terminology..
BRAINBUSTER for TUESDAY MAY 20th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: Estately did search queries to determine what each state Googles the most. Can you name one Hawaii’s top search queries?
ANSWER: Top queries for Hawaii in alphabetical order were:
Buddha / Cock Fighting / North Korea / Rastafari Movement / Slam Poetry / Spam Recipe
Here are the TOP QUERIES for all the states..
BRAINBUSTER for MONDAY MAY 19th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: According to a recent survey, mothers are more likely than fathers to admit THIS regarding their children. What is it?
ANSWER: They have a favorite child!
FAVORITE ANSWERS: they used to smoke, they drive them nuts, they look like the milk man...
BRAINBUSTER for FRIDAY MAY 16th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: Since 1970, the width of a standard ONE OF THESE has grown from 22 inches to 26 inches. A what?
ANSWER: a CASKET
FAVORITE ANSWERS: car seat, surfboard, television, spread sheet...
BRAINBUSTER for THURSDAY MAY 15th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: According to researchers, you should be using your pinky finger more often when you do what?
ANSWER: Eat a hamburger.
If you put your thumb AND pinky on the bottom bun and spread out your middle fingers on the top, it minimizes spillage.
FAVORITE ANSWERS: text, hold cell phone, put on eye-liner, say "one meeeelion dollars!"..
BRAINBUSTER for WEDNESDAY MAY 14th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: half of people in a recent survey said they could only remember THREE of these. Three what?
ANSWER: phone numbers
FAVORITE ANSWERS: birthdays, sibling's names, passwords, 3 of the 7 dwarfs..
BRAINBUSTER for TUESDAY MAY 13th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: If you want to improve your memory and problem solving abilities, you should do this more often. What is it?
FAVORITE ANSWERS: Sudoku, math, have sex, pluck chickens with tweezers...
BRAINBUSTER for MONDAY MAY 12th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: According to a new survey, you are likely to eat an average of 36% more calories than normal when you eat here.
ANSWER: A movie theater
FAVORITE ANSWERS: fast food restaurant, all you can eat buffet, mom's house..
BRAINBUSTER for FRIDAY MAY 9th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: According to a recent survey, adults are 3 times more likely to do THIS in the morning, compared to at night. What is it?
ANSWER: Yell at someone!
FAVORITE ANSWERS: take a shower,throw a tantrum, get a divorce..
BRAINBUSTER for THURSDAY MAY 8th, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: according to a study, 63% of people can recognize a fake one. A fake one what?
ANSWER: a fake LAUGH
Researchers from a study from UCLA say fake laughs DO sound different, because they're controlled by different parts of the brain.
FAVORITE ANSWERS: imitation crab meat, rolex, drivers license..and of course, orgasm.
BRAINBUSTER for FRIDAY MAY 2nd, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: more women than men will watch this sporting event. What?
Answer: The Kentucky Derby!
FAVORITE ANSWERS: bowling, curling, dog shows, wrestling..
BRAINBUSTER for THURSDAY MAY 1st, 2014
BRAINBUSTER: New research suggests that when adults smell this, they are more likely to be kinder to strangers. What?
ANSWER: Freshly-baked bread..
FAVORITE ANSWERS: blood, chocolate chip cookies, new leather car seats, rain...


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News Grabber· Registered
Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Chrysler Group has split its Dodge brand into an auto and a Ram truck unit, and said two recently appointed brand-level chief executives are leaving the company. "The brand-focused strategy has been refined further with the unbundling of the Dodge brand which now consists of the Dodge Ram brand and the Dodge car brand organizations," Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said in statement Monday. "This reorganization will allow us to protect and develop the unique nature of the product offerings within the Dodge Brand."