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The story of Melbourne-based startup Fairshare begins in a share house. Many housemates would know that living in a share house can be exasperating. As French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, poignantly said, hell is other people.
Co-Founder of Fairshare Jules Malseed-Harris is well versed in the ins and outs of living in a share house. In fact, he lived in a giant share house in Melbourne for 10 years, and experienced some serious issues with the classic share house problem: “the tragedy of the commons”.
“People took care of their own rooms but never cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms, rarely did communal shopping, and only cooked shared meals on special occasions,” says Malseed-Harris.
They were all fed up with the lifestyle after a couple years and decided to design a system where they could all earn points by doing tasks – while still having the freedom to choose where their responsibilities lie.
“It wasn’t your typical domestic arrangement but it worked phenomenally well and our house became frictionless and fun – a bit like a restaurant at dinner time,” says Malseed-Harris.
The idea for a mobile app that helps to smooth out frictions and re-engineer the shared home, was borne from this frustration. Malseed-Harris says it was the logical next step.
“Nobody had done it before and with share housing on the rise, there was clearly a real need for smoother shared living,” he says.
The Fairshare app eases the friction points in shared living by making hidden work around the house visible through the smart priority Task system, centralising household finances in Bookkeeping and introducing a House Feed to improve household dialogue. Fairshare is being positioned as a micro-social network, following Snapchat’s discovery of a privacy-oriented user base.
Using the app, housemates can see who’s around, what’s being done at home and what’s been paid. The app’s self-learning priority algorithm ranks the importance of tasks and keeps track of everyone’s shared finances – ultimately leading to a better functioning home, without any social tension.
Following the conception of the idea, Malseed- Harris and his co-founder Oliver May quit their day jobs in 2012 to bring the Fairshare vision to life. Before quitting, May was working as a trader at an investment bank in London and Malseed-Harris was working in funds management in Melbourne. As high-income individuals, they had accumulated enough capital to be able to bootstrap the business from the get-go.
Malseed-Harris reveals, however, that they’ve generated interest from some of Australia’s most successful angel investors and well-known venture capital firms, some of whom they will be advancing discussions with later this year. Names will be revealed at a later date.
During the development phase, there were only three things that really mattered in Malseed-Harris’ mind: “building a team of extraordinarily talented people, creating an amazing product orders of magnitude better than anything else that exists, and finally focusing on user growth above everything else once we release our product into the market.”
“Building a team took just over a year, creating an amazing product has taken another year, and we expect it will take us at least another year to establish a strong position within this emerging global market.”
Malseed-Harris says they’ve been very lean with their expenditure to date, spending under $100,000 for product development and team salaries.
“Almost all of the team members prefer working exclusively or largely for equity,” he says.
The Fairshare team isn’t planning on disrupting an existing market, as much as they anticipating creating an entirely new one – by “mapping out the ‘domestic graph’”.
“We see the potential market as being all products and services brought to the home, ranging from shopping to household services and perhaps even utilities,” says Malseed-Harris.
“Our primary focus is on getting our free product out to as broad a market as possible and then focusing later on integrating ourselves into the supply chain of some of these products and services.”
Malseed-Harris says there’s an estimated 1 in 20 people in Australia that live in a shared home. This number is higher in the US, Germany and other developed countries. Like other social networks that started off by focusing on a smaller segment of the broader market, like Ivy League university students, the Fairshare team view the share house market as the ideal entry point into a broader shared living market.
“[B]ecause of network effects, these sorts of platforms tend to become natural monopolies, where the best platform gains the majority of the market. We are therefore focused on building the best platform globally,” says Malseed-Harris.
Monetisation is not a priority for the Fairshare team at the moment. They’re entertaining the idea of implementing a profitable business model, but feel that it would be a mistake for a consumer-facing app such as Fairshare to prematurely monetise. Their primary focus therefore is on the actual product functionality and user acquisition.
“In the medium term, we feel that getting close to the money and looking to take a commission on delivered products and services is the logical place for us to monetise,” says Malseed-Harris.
Like what many other startups fear, Fairshare noticed a copycat emerge in Europe. This made them far more reserved during the development phase, and they decided to operate in “stealth mode”.
“We’re very conscious that getting the word out about our product and growing our user base is now our biggest challenge,” says Malseed-Harris.
Nonetheless, he admits he’s very proud of how the product has turned out, and the fact that they’ve have been able to attract an extraordinary team of engineers, designers, marketers and business strategists who’ve worked tireless to bring the concept to life.
The Fairshare team will continue to refine the product based on user feedback, but their ultimate goal is “to create a vibrant and growing community of people who love using our product.”
The app will launch officially on the iOS and Android app stores on February 21st. Fairshare’s teaser video is available to view via www.getfairshare.com. The soundtrack is by Ollie McGill, composer of viral hit Dumb Ways to Die.
Note: Corrections to the co-founder’s name have been made since time of publication.


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TOKYO, May 2 (Reuters) Toyota Motor Corp. is set to boost its per share dividend by about 30 percent for the business year ended in March, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said on Tuesday, a level in line with market estimates.
Toyota said it could not comment on specific dividend plans until it publishes its full-year earnings on May 10, but said it would steadily raise the payout if profits rise.
Japan's top auto maker has said it is aiming to raise its dividend payout ratio to around 30 percent -- a benchmark for major Western companies -- from around 18 percent in the year ended March 2005, through dividend hikes and share buybacks.
The Yomiuri, without citing sources, said Toyota would add about 20 yen to its annual per share dividend for last business year from the 65 yen paid out in 2004/05.
A consensus estimate of 17 analysts surveyed by Reuters Estimates has Toyota's dividend at 85 yen a share for last year, and climbing to 100 yen this year.
The report had little impact on Toyota's shares, which ended the morning session up 1.94 percent at 6,820 yen, in line with a 1.99 percent rise in Tokyo's transport sector subindex.
At current share prices and with the estimated 85 yen in per share dividend, Toyota's dividend yield of 1.25 percent would be one of the lowest among big auto makers. Japan's second-ranked Nissan Motor Co.'s dividend yield stands at 1.93 percent, while DaimlerChrysler AG's is around 3.45 percent.
Fuelled by key product launches, a soft yen and hefty cost cuts, Toyota is set to extend its run of record profits for the last business year, and strong earnings are expected to continue for some time.
An average of 21 estimates compiled by Reuters Estimates puts 2005/06 operating profit at 1.779 trillion yen ($15.73 billion) -- by far the biggest in the global auto industry.
Toyota has so far provided no group-based earnings estimates, but, answering calls from the investment community, will start doing so from this year, a spokesman said.
Consensus projections have Toyota's operating profit rising to 2.006 trillion yen for the year to March 2007.
($1=113.10 Yen) REUTERS CS HT0914

domain: news


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"It says 'desperation.' What we're seeing is the collapse of the whole system of weed management that was build around herbicide sales," says Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, PhD, senior scientist at Pesticide Action Network of North America. "Ecologists predicted back in the '90s that as soon as you start pouring on and designing seeds for use of one pesticide, there will be an emergence of superweeds. Bingo, that's what we have now."
"The U.S. farmer is in a crisis that was pretty much created by Monsanto. It's ironic—they're now paying for the competition's herbicides just to deal with the resistance that they, in effect, created,"
This is opening the doors for other biotech companies like Dow to push other crops through the approval pipeline, including ones designed to be used with chemical 2,4-D, one of two highly toxic herbicides used in Agent Orange.
Here's how to stop corporations from wrecking our country's farm heritage:
• Choose organic every time. There's a hot debate around organic versus local. But if you want to keep your family safe from harmful chemicals and promote a system of farming that's not fostering the spread of superweeds, choose organic. The more you vote with your pocketbook, the more other farmers may consider going organic. Organic farmers are largely protected from the problems chemical farmers face because they keep weed seed banks stored in the soil low by planting green manure and cover crops, rotating crops, and building soil fertility that boosts the numbers of beneficial critters underground. (Of course, you don't always have to make a choice. Buy organic AND local whenever you can.)
• Write a letter to the Justice Department. Send a letter to the Department of Justice spelling out how farming affects you. You can raise issues like why aren't GMO ingredients required to be labeled on food, protecting consumers, and your concerns about farming chemicals and how they affect human and environmental health.
If you want to be heard in person, speak up at a Department of Justice workshop, open to farmers and consumers, in Washington, DC, on Dec. 8.
• Read and share. Maria Rodale, CEO of Rodale and a longtime advocate for organic farming, lays out a strong case for protecting your family by supporting organic in her book Organic Manifesto (Rodale, 2010). Even stubborn family members will appreciate the read, and maybe even be inspired to buy an organic apple afterward!


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IKEA To Debut Vegan Meatballs in April
IKEA’s meatballs just got a whole lot greener. The Swedish furniture store announced this week that it will soon offer vegan “meatballs” on its menu.
IKEA first announced plans to serve vegetarian Swedish meatballs last year. At the time, Joanna Yarrow, head of sustainability for Ikea in the UK, said: “We are aware of the meat issue with greenhouse gases. We are looking at all our food products from a sustainability perspective but specifically meatballs. They are very popular and they are also our most carbon-intensive food item on our menu.”
Just how popular? Ikea sells 150 million meatballs, made from beef and pork, in its cafes each year, which isn’t that great for the environment. In fact, they’re least eco-friendly item on the their menu, due to high carbon dioxide emissions during the farming process and high methane gas emissions from cattle.
The company’s switch to vegetarian meatballs was a success, but animal rights advocates, particularly, PETA, wanted more; precisely, they wanted no animal products at all.
This week, the organization celebrated its triumph on its blog:
“Behind the scenes, PETA worked to convince the international company to go all the way and make the “veggie balls” vegan. We reminded IKEA that people are making the switch to vegan eating in droves — and offering vegan foods would ensure that all customers leave the store satisfied. We asked our members to support the effort, and more than 25,000 did just that! And it has all paid off!”
The meat-less meatballs will be offered in IKEA food courts this April. They’ll also be available for purchase at a later date.
Just another excuse to shop at IKEA (as if you needed another one).


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Dental products maker Henry Schein Inc. on Friday said it has appointed Carol Raphael to its board of directors.
The company said Raphael joined the board on Wednesday. She was the president and CEO of Visiting Nurse Service of New York from 1989 to 2011 and is an advanced leadership fellow at Harvard University. Raphael, 70, was also a member of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Medicaid redesign team.
Including Raphael, the board has 14 members.
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- US home contracts rise to 18-month high
- Economic growth in 4Q revised down
- January construction contracts up 11%


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UFU to host Women in Agriculture webinar series
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has announced plans to host a Women in Agriculture webinar series.
The UFU launched its first Women in Agriculture conference in 2019 to recognise and celebrate the contribution of women to the industry.
However, as a physical event cannot take place due to Covid-19, the union has decided instead to host a series of virtual events on April 14, 21 and 28.
Speaking on behalf of the UFU Rural Affairs Committee, chair Jennifer Hawkes said: “We are delighted to be able to hold a virtual UFU Women in Agriculture event this year.
It was really important to the committee that after the success of our first-ever physical event in late 2019 and our virtual events earlier in the year with Women in Business, that we could keep the momentum going despite the prevailing Covid-19 situation.
“There are many benefits of having virtual events as participant numbers aren’t limited by the venue’s capacity or Covid-19 restrictions, there are no travel limitations and we can spread our fantastic line up across three nights.
“There are no restrictions on viewing, male and female members and non-members are welcome to tune in as well as those who are not from a farming background. They can watch one webinar or all three if they wish.”
The virtual events will be led by BBC Farming Matters presenter Nicola Weir.
Guest speakers include:
- Veronica Morris Rural Support;
- Norma Rowan Embrace;
- Michelle Shirlow Food NI;
- Chloe Dunne PhD researcher and Breedr marketing manager;
- Esther Skelly Smith Shanaghan Veterinary Service; and
- Claire McCallion PKF-FPM Accountants.
“The agri-food industry has come on massively over the past number of years with more women managing farm businesses and taking on leadership roles due to their hard work, perseverance and a passion for what they do,” Hawkes added.
However, it is still a very male-dominated industry and through our webinar series, we want to continue recognising and empowering women in the industry while showing young students the array of opportunities that are available in agriculture.
“Our fantastic line up of influential speakers will help us to do this by sharing their views and business knowledge to create an inspirational platform.
“Their involvement will reinforce the valuable contribution our women make to the agri-food industry in which merit and talent are the key components of leadership.”


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NY aˆ” for a long time, Walmart provides drawn attention, and taken heat, based on how they addresses the workforce, including having to pay lowest earnings and promoting volatile schedules.
Now, the huge merchant was teaming with Silicon area to try to ease the their workersaˆ™ economic stress. This week, the nationaˆ™s premier exclusive workplace begins promoting its above 1.4 million workers something that will allow these to obtain wages before their particular subsequent payday.
Instead of wishing https://title-max.com/payday-loans-wa/ two weeks between paychecks, Walmart workers can now incorporate an application to access a percentage of wages all night these have worked. The goal is to help people avoid expensive payday advance loan as well as other financial obligation traps.
aˆ?We think here is the proper action to take, and we are happy to champion they,aˆ? Judith McKenna, Walmartaˆ™s fundamental functioning policeman, stated in an interview.
But Walmartaˆ™s new electronic initiative additionally highlights, albeit inadvertently, the economic fight of Walmartaˆ™s low-wage employees. Although the economy strengthens, a lot of merchandising and provider markets personnel are not generating adequate to pay bills.
aˆ?Their paychecks are way too lightweight,aˆ? stated Paul Sonn, basic counsel regarding the state job rules Project, a work advocacy cluster.
The software, which is sometimes called also, also helps staff regulate their funds by pinpointing exactly how much they’re able to securely spend before their particular next salary. Walmart pays a fee on the part of the staff towards innovation company that runs the application.
The far software has been utilized by various other businesses, but never ever on these types of big measure as Walmart is utilizing it. McKenna mentioned staff members who’re less stressed regarding their economic reliability aˆ?feel well informed and a lot more established at work.aˆ?
The minimum beginning wage at Walmart try $9 an hour or so, and is $1.75 greater than the federal minimum-wage but below the beginning salary at merchants like Costco, which will pay $13 one hour, and Target, which recently brought up the entry level salary to $11 an hour or so.
The average per hour salary for a regular Walmart employee is $13.85, although the ordinary per hour salary at Costco is about $24.50.
Every Walmart staff member are able to use Evenaˆ™s financial planning appliance, and obtain eight payments, named instapays, per year totally free. For some on the professionals, the instapays are going to be deducted off their further paycheck. The workers can pay extra if they want more than eight instapays.
Alexis Adderley, whom works nights in a Walmart circulation middle in Fort Pierce, Fla., has started utilising the actually app as an element of a pilot regimen.
Initially she got questionable, she said, the application was yet another in a long distinctive line of financial products like payday advances and aˆ?overdraft protectionaˆ? that finish travel low-income people deeper into a gap.
But Adderley, the caretaker of four males ages 8, 7, 4, and 2, said she was happily surprised.
The software, which connects to her bank-account, calculates just how much she covers property, snacks, and telephone expenses and monitors whenever she renders big monthly obligations. With that information, Even supplies Adderley a real-time estimate of how much she will be able to invest in certain day.
She makes $19.25 one hour, significantly more than the common Walmart personnel, and operates 30 many hours weekly. But cash is nonetheless tight, specifically since she is compelled to put the girl room after Hurricane Irma. Earlier recently, the app warned Adderley, 30, that she got just adequate cash to securely spend $9.08 before the lady after that income.
aˆ?i might like to cut more,aˆ? she mentioned.
Walmart executives stated they learned all about despite checking out a York Times post concerning firm a short while ago. The merchant is cooperating with another technology firm, PayActiv, which encourages some of the repayments.
These partnerships reflect Walmartaˆ™s wider effort to produce inroads in Silicon Valley, where the old-line store was wanting to obtain talent and tips to boost the digital heft in battle with Amazon.
Walmart will pay a tiny fee to also permitting people to withdraw their unique wages ahead of payday. Workers takes away just part of earnings they have already generated during two-week wages cycle aˆ” thus officially, also states, these are maybe not financing.
aˆ?You posses made this funds,aˆ? said Safwan Shah, founder of PayActiv. aˆ?Exactly who chooses you need to get paid every a couple weeks?aˆ?
Labor organizations say best investment Walmart could make is certainly not in another app, but in increasing wages.
aˆ?All of these solutions to help anyone stay income to paycheck puts the burden regarding individual, perhaps not the boss,aˆ? mentioned Carrie Gleason, which works on dilemmas influencing shopping and other low-wage employees in the middle for prominent Democracy, an advocacy people.


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‘I want to sell steak cheap, not cheap steak’: Sir Philip Green defends his revamp of aspirational but affordable women's fashion at BHS, that will appeal to ‘style-savvy women in their forties and fifties’
You wouldn’t normally describe the British high street department store, BHS, as being cool or edgy.
But in a bid to shake off it’s dowdy image, the Middle England staple is planning a revamp this week, to appeal to more style-savvy customers.
Whilst it’s current demographic are generally female pensioners, BHS’s new fashion line will target a younger group – women in their forties and fifties.
Makeover: In a bid to shake off it's dowdy image, British high street department store BHS is planning a revamp this week to appeal to more style-savvy customers
New and improved: Whilst it's current demographic are generally female pensioners, BHS's new fashion line will target a younger group - women in their forties and fifties
The Sunday Times reports that BHS’s new clothing line has taken inspiration from French designer Isabel Marant, whose trademark looks include biker boots, boho-style smocks and dresses and faux fur shearling.
‘We are going to provide aspirational clothing that’s good quality and good value,’ said the store’s owner, Sir Philip Green.
‘The expression I use in my office is that I want to sell steak cheap, not cheap steak – there is a difference.’
BHS's womenswear, left, is having an overhaul and taking inspiration from high-end designers such Isabel Marant who's faux shearling gilets and boho-style dresses, right, they have coveted
Sir Philip, whose Arcadia group includes Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, says the BHS makeover will improve the flailing brand’s quality and fashion credential.
'I want to sell steak cheap, not cheap steak- there is a difference,' says Sir Philip
BHS has been a staple on middle England’s high street since 1928, but having to rival against the likes of Debenhams, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, BHS struggled to kept up.
In 2010, BHS changed its logo,
resurrecting the uppercase form of the abbreviation that had not been
used since the Storehouse re-brand and the later re-brand in the 1990s.
But in 2013 it reported a loss of £71 million.
Sir Phillip, however, the man responsible for Kate Moss’s sell-out collaborations with Topshop, was never going to up on BHS without a fight.
Earlier this year, he announced plans to introduce 50 new food halls and a range of high-quality homeware in vamped-up shops, as well as the it’s womenswear overhaul.
Sara Bradley, BHS’s womenswear director said: ‘Our biggest challenge is changing the perception around BHS womenswear clothing.
'Home and lighting is a forte of the business and we want to get the rest of the brand up to that level.’
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Motorola's latest 4G LTE smartphone is out now, and costs just $150 or £109. Read on for all the details.
Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg shares his vision for 5G, which includes smarter networks and, of course, much higher speeds.
The French company's latest 10-inch tablet offers little other than 4G LTE capabilities.
The only thing better than being told you can buy a 4G tablet for £150 is being told you can buy a 4G tablet in a squeaky voice.
Diamonds are 4G with this smartphone that packs LTE speeds, an octa-core processor and a full-HD screen.
The new Galaxy Note 4 comes equipped with state-of-the-art LTE-Advanced technology.
It's the end of another crazy year in the tech world, so we look back at the gadgets that lit up our year, including the Galaxy Note Edge and the LG G Watch R.
The newly launched Motorola smartphone joins an elite list of Verizon devices capable of HD Voice and Video Calling.
Looking for a fast mobile hotspot and also in need of a juice pack? The Verizon Jetpack MiFi 6620L is what you're looking for. Here's CNET's full review.
LTE will run on 1.8 billion devices by 2019, predicts Juniper Research, representing 22 percent of global active connections.
The high-flying Wi-Fi balloons have gone from a far-fetched idea to delivering Internet access to a rural school in Brazil and tapping into LTE technology.
Sprint's customers can now roam across a dozen partner networks spread all over the country.
What is Net neutrality?
Learn about the debate over Internet traffic equality and why it matters.


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JOHOR BARU: Tour operators are not doing enough to support the Government's efforts to promote tourism, Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Datuk Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said.
Despite the Government having taken various steps, including the setting up of funds for them, Kadir said the operators were still relying on old products to sell their packages.
Tour operators should take the initiative to improve their business with better products for the tourists.
The Government has done a lot to help promote the tourism industry including providing financial fund on certain matters, he told reporters after a dialogue session with Johor tour operators here yesterday.
Also present were Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek, Datuk Bandar Datuk Wahid Dahlan and Johor Tourism Action Council general manager Datuk Abdul Karim Hassan.
He said the operators were still not competitive enough although statistics showed that tourist arrivals had increased from 5.5 million in 1998 to 13.3million last year.
Out of this, 7.5million were day-trippers and almost half of them entered the country via Johor.
Unfortunately, Kadir noted that these day-trippers spent their holiday in other parts of the country such as in Klang Valley, Selangor, Pahang, Malacca and Penang.
There is something wrong somewhere here and I would like to urge tour operators here to come out with special packages to attract these day-trippers to visit Johor.
Johor is fortunate as it is blessed with many beautiful islands off Mersing, the Endau-Rompin National Park and forest reserves to help promote agro and eco tourism, he said.
Did you find this article insightful?


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Via Felix Salmon, and of course the New York Times, we learn that the New York Times has a wine club. The Times sold the rights to their name to Global Wine Company, who will manage the club under the Times name in the same fashion they have done for Omaha Steaks or Celebrity Chef Michael Chiarello.
I haven’t had every wine on the NYT club list, but in general the suckitude quotient seems to be pretty low for a mass market wine club offering. Plus, as Salmon points out, you can elect to buy only one shipment of wine and not be forced to opt out of future shipments.
All in all, not a bad offering.1,254 comments


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Disney to Cut 7,000 Jobs and Save $5.5 Billion: What it Means for the Company
Disney announcing it will cut 7,000 jobs as it looks to slash $5.5 billion worth of costs. The news comes after the media giant beat wall street estimates for its first quarter earnings and revenue.
Here’s what you need to know:
Disney reporting its quarterly earnings results, beating analyst expectations, on both the top and bottom line.
The house of mouse posting earnings of $0.99/share and $23.5 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2023.
This is the first earnings report since Bob Iger made his surprise return as Disney CEO back in November. Iger sharing the company’s plans to cut costs which include reducing the workforce by 7,000 jobs.
He told shareholders he does not “make this decision lightly” and that the changes will put Disney in a better position to weather future disruption.
The Disney chief executive reassuring investors the new strategic organization “will result in a more cost effective, coordinated, and streamlined approach” to running the business.
Disney also reported an expected dip in subscribers on its streaming platform, Disney+, but an improving loss overall in its direct to consumer division.
Another bright spot for Disney was its parks and experiences business which remain strong, growing a whopping 21% as Disney fans continue to flock to its theme parks in droves.


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Looking for a new cell phone? Tired of paying $700 for a smartphone that may only last a year or two? CellPhoneAGE has a fantastic selection of Android devices from up
Last week we got word that Sony had something to show us, focused on camera improvements for the Xperia line. Today is the day, and Sony has revealed not one but
HTC has always had a pretty solid grasp on the midrange market, particularly with their Desire line. With decent specifications, low price, and solid build quality, it’s sometimes extremely hard
Not long ago at Mobile World Congress 2014, we saw a glimpse of a new mid-ranger from LG called the F70. It’s plan is to bring 4G connectivity to “millions
Sharp just announced the AQUOS Phone IS14SH, packing Gingerbread, a 3.7-inch qHD LCD display, and an 8MP CMOS camera with 720p HD video capture. NFC is also along for the ride,
U.S. Cellular has made two new announcements: a new Android phone, dubbed the Samsung Repp, and a new phone trade-in program. The Samsung Repp is a low- to mid-range phone,
The LG Optimus Sol, originally codenamed Victor, recently made a brief video debut. The SOl will be featured in two colors, sliver and black, and will be making its way to Vodafone
Remember the Huawei Ascend? It launched on Cricket Wireless in October of last year, along with a few other regional carriers. Well, it looks like Huawei has put the finishing touches on the successor to the Ascend, which they’re calling, creatively enough, the Ascend II. It’s packing a 3.5-inch HVGA display, a measly 600MHz processor, Gingerbread (Android 2.3), 5MP camera, and the usual WiFi, 3G connectivity, and a micro SD card slot.
ZTE is one of the leading Chinese brands in the world, and they have announced decent and affordable handsets in past, like the trio of new Android phones at MWC. Now ZTE is back again with the announcement of their new Android device, the ZTE X880, codenamed Libra.


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In early September 2017, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve) published, Strategies for Improving the U.S. Payment System: Federal Reserve Next Steps in the Payments Improvement Journey, a paper identifying updated tactics it will pursue to help improve the speed, safety and efficiency of the U.S. payment system. The paper builds on an earlier Federal Reserve paper, Strategies for Improving the U.S. Payment System, that was issued in January 2015. At that time, the Federal Reserve laid out its strategic vision for the future of the payments system and called for the commitment of all payment industry stakeholders to achieve five desired outcomes focused on speed, security, efficiency, international payments, and collaboration. The new paper outlines the Federal Reserve’s next phase of work, consistent with its objective to foster the efficiency, integrity, and accessibility of the payment system. Specifically, the paper presents refreshed strategies and nine new tactics the Federal Reserve will employ, in collaboration with payment system stakeholders, to help achieve payment system improvements.
The Federal Reserve’s strategies and tactics address the desired outcomes as follows:
- Speed. Faster payments tactics include efforts to facilitate industry development of a faster payments ecosystem as described by the Faster Payments Task Force in its final report, issued on July 21, 2017. The Federal Reserve is chairing and facilitating an interim collaboration work group chartered by the task force to establish a governance framework and will support other collaborative faster payments work efforts. In addition, the Federal Reserve is pursuing Federal Reserve settlement services that address the future needs of a “ubiquitous real-time retail payments environment,” and evaluating whether it should engage as a service provider, beyond providing settlement services, to help facilitate a faster payments ecosystem.
- Security. The Federal Reserve work to reduce fraud risk and advance the safety, security and resiliency of the payment system will expand beyond its Secure Payments Task Force to include a comprehensive analysis of payment security vulnerabilities, potential mitigation approaches, and misalignment of incentives that may hinder progress.
- Efficiency/International. Efforts to enhance the efficiency of both domestic and cross-border payments will continue to focus on collaborating with stakeholders to better understand barriers to improvement and pursuing adoption of standards and other solutions to address them. In particular, the Federal Reserve will continue to support industry efforts to develop and promote adoption of standards that enable end-to-end electronic processing of business invoices, payments, and remittance information.
- Collaboration. Continued facilitation of ongoing stakeholder engagement in payments improvement efforts through further outreach and education efforts to create awareness and encourage adoption of identified improvements and initiatives.
This remains an iterative initiative; the Federal Reserve notes that it “will continue to actively monitor and communicate progress, seek feedback and adjust approaches in response to developments as necessary.” According to the Federal Reserve, “[g]ood progress has been made, but much work remains to implement safe, ubiquitous real-time retail payments and enhance the safety, efficiency, and resiliency of the U.S. payment system. The Federal Reserve and payment system stakeholders face challenges on the road ahead, and the Federal Reserve is committed to ongoing collaboration and progress.
In addition to the tactics described in this paper, the Federal Reserve states that it will continue working to enhance its existing services and to advance ongoing initiatives.


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Drivers for the ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft have run afoul of the rules at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The services, which connect passengers with private drivers, are barred from business at RDU because they have not applied for commercial vehicle permits there, according to Mindy Hamlin, spokeswoman for the airport authority.
Both Uber and Lyft operate nationally and launched here during the spring. Uber promises fares that are 30 percent cheaper than a traditional taxi and has hundreds of “driver partners” in the local market.
Their drivers have been appearing at RDU for several months, and RDU police have issued warnings to some, according to Hamlin.
“The goal of the permits is to ensure the companies have the adequate insurance needed to safeguard our passengers,” Hamlin said, adding that the authority also requires safe vehicles and commercial qualifications.
It’s not clear yet whether individual drivers or the services themselves would need permits, or whether the services would even qualify for permits, Hamlin said.
Uber representatives say the company interviews all its drivers in person and, in North Carolina, requires insurance coverage for up to $1.5 million. Lyft requires a commercial liability policy with coverage of more than $1 million.
It may be difficult for RDU police to spot drivers with the service, as their business is phone-based, and cars often are unmarked, Hamlin said. However, Lyft cars do wear giant pink mustaches.
Taxi permits at RDU cost $100 each, while the fine for operating without one is $50 per citation.
Uber will pay the fines and legal costs for any of its “driver partners” cited at the airport, a spokesman wrote in an email.
The company also “will work with airport authorities to find the best permitting process,” Taylor Bennett wrote.
A spokeswoman for Lyft didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
The city of Raleigh apparently sees the services differently from the airport authority. A police spokesman said neither Uber nor Lyft must abide by the city’s taxi rules.


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Later today, reports Portfolio’s Jeff Bercovici, U.S. News & World Report will be rolling out a weekly digital digest:
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the decline and fall of newsweeklies, some of it fueled by the shift of U.S. News & World Report to biweekly, and then monthly, publication. But U.S. News hasn’t given up on the idea of the weekly news digest. In fact, later today, in a soft launch, it will rolling out a new product: a “digital newsweekly” that reproduces, in pixels, what the magazine once did in ink and paper.
“We’re creating a tailored product for readers that does what the old newsweeklies did, which was to stop time for people and say ‘What the heck happened over the last week?’ and make sense of it,” says editor Brian Kelly.
The new “publication” will be less feature-y than the print U.S. News magazine, Kelly told Bercovici, and more focused on Washington events, politics, and policy.
And—TimesSelect alert!—the digest will be a premium product on U.S. News’s Web site: A one-year subscription will cost $19.95 (although subscribers to U.S. News & World Report, Bercovici notes, will be able to download it for free). The digest, after today’s late soft launch, will normally go online around noon each Friday.


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Kohl’s Q4 profit, sales top Street; to do in-store pilot with Aldi
Kohl’s on Thursday reported earnings and sales that beat analysts’ forecasts amid surging sales and inventory controls.
Also on Thursday, the department store retailer -- which has made about 300 of its stores operationally smaller -- told CNBC it plans to lease space to discount grocer Aldi in up to 10 stores later this year in a pilot. CNBC had earlier reported that Kohl's planned to work with grocers and convenience stores to lease the unused space in its stores. Kohl’s also has an in-store partnership with Amazon that includes accepting Amazon returns at some 80 stores.
Kohl’s net income rose to $468 million, or $2.81 a share, in the quarter ended Feb. 1, compared with $252 million, or $1.44 per share, in the year ago period, which had one less week. The new tax act boosted profits by $136 million. Excluding one-time items, Kohl’s earned $1.99, easily topping analysts’ estimates of $1.77.
Revenue totaled $6.78 billion, up from $6.21 billion last year. Same-store sales increased 6.3%. Both metrics were better than expected.
In a statement, Kohl’s chairman and CEO Kevin Mansell cited the chain’s tighter inventory controls which helped boost profit margins. The retailer ended the year with 7% less inventory. (As previously announced, Mansell will step down in May, to be succeeded by Michelle Gass.)
“We improved our merchandise margins through strong inventory management and improved promotional and permanent markdowns,” said Mansell. “All areas effectively managed their expenses.”
Analyst Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, noted that Kohl’s strong fourth quarter performance numbers represented “a sharp leap in performance.” While some of it, he added, was due to the overall positive environment over the holiday period, “Kohl's also deserves credit for the various initiatives which have allowed it to capitalize on the benign economic climate.”
“Foremost among these are the improvements in the in-store offer, with the thinning out of the range and the incorporation of more branded products both helping to boost footfall and conversion rates over the holidays,” Saunders said. “Some of the more radical steps, such as allowing Amazon returns in some stores and the introduction of Amazon shop-in-shops also paid dividends. In our view, this kind of thinking also shows that Kohl's understands the need to give customers reasons to visit stores and is not afraid to experiment to achieve this.”
Kohl's ended the fiscal year with 1,158 Kohl's stores in 49 states.


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It is the end of an ecological absurdity, but also of an era for lovers of aperitifs on the terrace and restaurateurs: from this Friday April 1, it will be forbidden for cafes and restaurants to heat outside. A beneficial measure that should save half a million tons of CO2 annually.
As snow falls in large flakes over part of France, patio enthusiasts will need to get out their hats and gloves. The measure banning heated terraces, originally planned for winter 2020, officially came into effect on Thursday, March 31, 2022, according to a decision published in the Official Gazette. It should save the equivalent of the annual average emissions of 300,000 cars.
The initiative was part of the Climate Law project. It has benefited from additional time before implementation to support restaurateurs who are already severely affected by the health measures linked to the pandemic. Without a way to warm up their customers outside, they fear a drop in sales. According to the National Group of Independent Hotel and Restaurant Operators, “terraces represent 30% of the turnover of all establishments”reports Le Figaro† Indeed, since 2008 the smoking ban in cafes and restaurants had moved some of the smoking clientele to the terraces. But professionals have been warned: if they do not respect this ban, the owners of establishments risk up to €3,000 in fines.
For their part, the cities of Rennes and Lyon have not waited to make the measure effective, as heated terraces have been banned since January 1, 2020 for the first and November 2021 for the second.


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The Association of European Vehicle Logistics (ECG) and international non-profit Smart Freight Centre have published the first harmonised methodology to account for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ro-ro operations.
The project was initiated by ECG in February this year, with ECG members in the ro-ro sector contributing their experience in emissions accounting. The new methodology is aligned with existing international standards regarding carbon account for the logistics industry and will allow shipping lines to have a reference guide which will support them and car manufacturers in their decarbonisation journey, according to the ECG.
Ro-ro participants in the project included Danish shipping line DFDS, Italian firm Grimaldi Group, Toyota Group’s Japan-based Toyofuji Shipping, United European Car Carriers (UECC) and Norwegian company Wallenius Wilhelmsen.
“There was no standard methodology for ro-ro operators before and everyone has been doing things differently,” said Mike Sturgeon, executive director, ECG. “We have now reached a key milestone which will allow our ro-ro members to use a single methodology to calculate and report emissions.”
Christoph Wolff, CEO, Smart Freight Centre said: “A unified and transparent GHG accounting and reporting methodology within the ro-ro sector is expected to trigger an increase of reporting and to lay a foundation for a more structured collaboration on GHG emission reduction initiatives.”
The ro-ro firms involved provided feedback that the methodology should not solely rely on cargo mass as the unit for quantity of freight in the calculation of transport activity and emissions and asked for a set of transport operating categories (TOCs) specific to ro-ro sea transport to reflect sector-specific terminology. The TOCs are key to enable cargo owners to select the most accurate emission intensity for the transport and apply it in their footprinting. The TOC categories that apply to the automotive logistics industry are vehicle carriers, which are multi-deck ro-ro ships designed for the carriage of empty cars and trucks, and container/ro-ro cargo ship, a hybrid of a container ship and ro-ro cargo ship. These categories will be used to determine how the emissions released in tonnes per km are calculated.
Other guidance in the methodology includes starting the reporting period on a calendar year basis, so the data collected will represent the past calendar year’s operational data and remove any seasonal fluctuations.
It is hoped that the suggested methodology provides more clarity for logistics providers when calculating emissions, something which the sector has been calling for in recent years.
The guidance on accounting for ro-ro emissions will be updated regarding emissions factors in the fourth quarter of this year. The ECG has suggested that in future updates it will aim to involve a third-party verification scheme and introduce tracking of ro-ro industry averages over time to relate to international targets.
The ECG said the project is part of a wider effort towards harmonisation of emissions accounting in automotive supply chains. The ECG has been working with the German Association of the Automotive Industry, alongside other European car manufacturers, since the beginning of the year to develop a methodology for inbound and outbound automotive logistics emissions. The results are expected in the third quarter of this year.
This week, the ECG welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to extend the length of loaded trucks used in finished vehicle logistics, which would allow logistics firms to move vehicles more efficiently across the continent.


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Makers of the acclaimed and original DuPont™ Kevlar® fibre, DuPont Protection Technologies, has responded to calls from its customers, and the market at large, by launching two new products at Milipol Paris, 19-22 November 2013; confirming its position as a leader in body armour protection solutions.
The next generation of innovations made with Kevlar® – DuPont™ Kevlar® AS450X and DuPont™ Kevlar® XP™S104 -draws on analysis from the extensive relationship DuPont™ holds with global customers and demonstrates the company’s ability to extend its range of protective solutions for the military, police and security market.
The DuPont™ Kevlar® AS450X new generation multi-threat solution is specifically engineered for greater comfort to the ballistic vest wearer. Developed for anti-stab, anti-spike and combined ballistic protection in armour applications, it provides customers the ability to manufacture products that offer significant mobility and driving comfort, particularly when worn in patrol vehicles. The lightweight laminate film structure also helps enhance flexibility and can cover a greater surface area.
“DuPont is a market-driven, innovative science company and the new products we are launching this week at Milipol advance the trusted DuPont™ Kevlar® brand to address emerging and future trends, including multi-threat protection,” said Jeroen B. Jacobs, global marketing director, DuPont Life Protection. By working closely with end-users, DuPont focused on the variety of risks law enforcement officers face at all times, including handgun (15 percent), knife (35 percent) and blunt trauma (50 percent), as well as difficult climate conditions. “Our breadth of knowledge spanning 40 years of experience in this field, coupled with our integrated science, enables us to address the current and future needs of the end-user and deliver the highest levels of protection,” said Jacobs.
Also being launched at Milipol is DuPont™ Kevlar® XP™S104 fabric. Part of the successful Kevlar® XP™ brand of products, offering enhanced bullet stopping power and reduced back face deformation even in hot climates. Based on market research revealing that a water repellent ballistic solution is required, DuPont™ Kevlar® XP™S104 offers strong ballistic performance and comfort even in wet conditions. It is ideal when working in tropical climates or when stringent wet performance is required.
Developed in 1965, the DuPont™ Kevlar® aramid fibre is used to make a variety of clothing, accessories and equipment ballistic, cut and stab resistant. Due to its lightweight and extraordinarily strong properties, products made with Kevlar® have helped to save the lives of thousands of people around the world. DuPont is continuously developing new technology to address the evolving protective requirements of the military, police and security markets the world over.
DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com.
Press are invited to visit DuPont on stand 5P217 at Milipol throughout the show to find out further information.


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Microsoft is significantly expanding the scope of its Your Phone feature in Windows 10, which allows you to easily and wirelessly connect your phone to your PC to transfer files and take calls and messages on your computer.
An update to the Your Phone app enables Android apps to be used side-by-side with Windows 10 apps on the desktop. It’s a move to build upon the phone mirroring the Your Phone app already offers.
- The best Android phones right now
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- Just in: Android just got a long-overdue security upgrade — here's how it works
Currently only available to members of the Windows Insider programme, which provides early access to features Microsoft is testing out for Windows 10, the update to Your Phone is expected to make it into full release versions of Microsoft’s operating system.
In its current beta form, Your Phone will pull up Andoird apps from a connected handset and present them in a separate window on the Windows 10 desktop. From there, you’ll be able to access the likes of WhatsApp, Netflix, Instagram, Google apps, and a whole lot more, all without needing desktop versions of the apps to be installed on your PC.
It looks to be a pretty neat tool for people who want to access their phone apps while on their PC but don’t want to disrupt their flow by stopping to pick up their phone.
Samsung phones only (at first)
However, you’ll not only need to be a Windows Insider to get early access this new feature, but you’ll also need a Samsung phone. While Microsoft plans to support a range of Android devices, Samsung phones are the only devices supporting the new Your Phone feature at the moment.
That’s due to Microsoft’s close partnership with Samsung that was demonstrated with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Part of this partnership means the aforementioned phones will get access to Microsoft’s Project xCloud game streaming service when it becomes part of Xbox Game Pass, which Note 20 buyers will get three months access to for free.
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Other Samsung phones also come with a “Link to Windows” option in their drop-down menu. And Samsung phones often come bundled with Microsoft apps alongside native Google apps and Samsung’s own software, which further deepens the partnership between Samsung and Microsoft.
Microsoft regularly builds out features for Windows 10. But with the likes of the Microsoft Surface Duo on the horizon, we can expect closer ties between Windows 10 and Android devices to happen as the operating system evolves.
Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.


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A list of 10 pieces of technology now deemed obsolete or nearly obsolete, including VCRs, film cameras, and black-and-white TVs.
A look at the state of US music industry revenue for 2020, including streaming now accounting for 83% of the music industry’s income.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has released its twice a year report on US music industry sales. (A PDF version is available here.)… Read More »RIAA: Recorded music revenue grew 5.6% in first half of 2020; vinyl 62% of all physical media sales
Streaming services have become firmly cemented as the main source of revenue for the US music industry. The RIAA reports that 2018 saw a record… Read More »Streaming made up 75% of US music industry revenue in 2018
Despite writing earlier this week about compact discs’ waning popularity, there’s some good news to report in the US music industry. The Record Industry Association… Read More »Streaming made up two-thirds of US music revenue in 2017
Music industry association the RIAA has released its mid-2015 music sales statistics. For the first time, sales of streaming media services (like Spotify, Google Play… Read More »Music streaming revenue tops physical media sales for the first time
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the music industry’s organizational arm, has released a report stating that for the first time, streaming music subscriptions… Read More »Streaming music subscriptions now outsell CDs


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Is automation contributing to our continuing slow jobs’ recovery, as its use increases in so many industries (manufacturing, retail, clerical, financial services, medicine)? Seems the answer is yes and no, and still in transition, just as the use of robots is in transition. Some robots replace our skills, some robots become our tools.
An excellent long article in the MIT Technology Review, explores theses issues, which I highly recommend.
“Productivity is at record levels, innovation has never been faster, and yet at the same time, we have a falling median income and we have fewer jobs. People are falling behind because technology is advancing so fast and our skills and organizations aren’t keeping up.” [Erik Brynjolfsson, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, co-author of Race Against the Machine (2011)].
“A warehouse equipped with Kiva robots can handle up to four times as many orders as a similar unautomated warehouse, where workers might spend as much as 70 percent of their time walking about to retrieve goods.”
“Despite the labor-saving potential of the robots, Mick Mountz, Kiva’s founder and CEO, says he doubts the machines have put many people out of work or will do so in the future.”
“By making distribution operations cheaper and more efficient, the robotic technology has helped many of these retailers [e-commerce retailers, the majority of Kiva’s customers] survive and even expand.”
“One of the friendlier, more flexible robots meant to work with humans is Rethink’s Baxter. The creation of Rodney Brooks, the company’s founder, Baxter needs minimal training to perform simple tasks like picking up objects and moving them to a box. It’s meant for use in relatively small manufacturing facilities where conventional industrial robots would cost too much and pose too much danger to workers. The idea, says Brooks, is to have the robots take care of dull, repetitive jobs that no one wants to do.”
“Asked about the claim that such advanced industrial robots could eliminate jobs, Brooks answers simply that he doesn’t see it that way. Robots, he says, can be to factory workers as electric drills are to construction workers: “It makes them more productive and efficient, but it doesn’t take jobs.”
Again, we are watching the slow unfolding of technology that disrupts our earlier assumptions about our work. New, necessary skills will need to be adopted by workers. As Alvin Toffler once wrote, “The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn.”


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Scripps Networks Interactive continues to prove it is one of Knoxville’s best business success
stories of recent years.
The Knoxville-based lifestyle media company today reported a first quarter profit of $101 million, or 59 cents per share, up 39 percent from $72.5 million, or 43 cents per share, in the first quarter last year.
Revenues for the quarter eneded March 31 rose 14 percent to $536 million, driven by increased advertising and affiliate fees.
“Our strong advertising growth in the first quarter reflects the popularity of our networks and their tremendous value as marketing platforms for advertisers and distribution partners,” Kenneth W. Lowe, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement.
Advertising revenue jumped 12 percent to $324 million, up 12 percent. Affiliate fees increased 6.3 percent to $145 million.
The company has posted strong quarterly increases in revenue and profits for the past several quarters.
Scripps Networks recently announced it would sell the online comparison shopping busniess Shopzilla to Symphony Technology Group for $165 million.
Scripps Networks’ properties include the cable TV networks, HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Cooking Channel and country music network Great American Country; and related Internet brands.
Click here for company earnings report.
(Full disclosure: I own a small number of SNI shares.)
Photo: Scripps Networks headquarters in west Knoxville. (Knoxville News Sentinel archives)


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Apple first announced its Everyone Can Create curriculum at last year’s March education event – where the $329 9.7-inch iPad was launched. The course was made available in October, covering four areas: photography, music, video production and drawing.
The company has today announced that the iPad-based project guides are now available in four more languages – with a further two promised …
Apple’s Everyone Can Create curriculum is now available in German, French, Spanish and Italian on Apple Books. The free project guides for iPad, designed to help students develop and communicate ideas […] will also be available in Swedish and Dutch this spring.
The company says that the curriculum – together with the earlier Everyone Can Code initiative – has already proven popular.
Since the launch of Everyone Can Create four months ago, teachers and parents across Europe have downloaded Everyone Can Create resources nearly 100,000 times integrating creativity into lessons and assignments that help students develop new skills and new ways to express themselves throughout their school day.
Everyone Can Create builds on the success of Apple’s intuitive Everyone Can Code curriculum, which is already being taught in schools around the world, including hundreds of European institutions. Coding has transformed the global economy and created millions of jobs, and the curriculum, which uses Apple’s easy-to-use programming language Swift, allows all students to learn and prepare for the workforce.
The student guides are accompanied by a teacher’s guide with tips for lesson planning and integrating the material into their existing class program.
Apple also highlighted the number of education apps now available.
Nearly 200,000 education apps are available in the App Store today including apps like Apple’s Classroom and Schoolwork that give teachers the ability to create and share assignments, collaborate and view student progress, and tailor instructions to individual student needs, all in one place.
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Media Type: Article - Recent
Year of Publication: 2020
Author(s): Malcolm Potts
For good reason, a lot of scientific attention is focused on slowing the spread of the corona virus. However, it’s not too early to take a step back and ask: where did this virus come from, and how we can stop new pandemics arising?
Animals share a lot of diseases. People, cows, and badgers can all get tuberculosis. The 14th century Black Death killed half the population of Europe, and it was spread by rat fleas. Small pox was eliminated because a vaccine could be develop based on a similar virus in cows
HIV/AIDS, the SARS epidemic, and now the corona virus, have all jumped from other mammalian species. The AIDS virus may have come from chimpanzees, killed for the bush meat trade. Once, when I was in Gabon, my hosts said would I like to be taken to the French or to the African restaurant. I said the African, although I didn’t expect to be served fricassee of pangolin and roast civet cat. Pangolins are ant eaters. Instead of fur they have scales. I tried to be polite. and I can attest that, well cooked, pangolin scales are edible, if tasteless.
The corona virus may have come from a pangolin. In recent decades a million pangolins have been sent from Africa to Chinese shops selling traditional Chinese medicines. Sometimes only the scales are sold, but on other occasions live animals are exported. Curiosity has taken me into shops selling traditional medicine’s in China and Hong Kong. Most had a rhino horn which, ground up, is considered to act as an aphrodisiac.. Others had cages with a mixture of live exotic wild animals, such as pangolins and civet cats. It was exactly this environment in Wuhan that was the source of today’s corona virus pandemic.
The 2003 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic also began in shops selling traditional Chinese medicines, this time in Guangdong province of southern China. The Chinese government closed the traditional medicine shops, but then allowed them to reopen as the number of SARS cases fell.
We need a international effort to abolish all trade in exotic mammals and to push back in every way possible against the bush meat market. The Chinese traditional medicine shops and bush meat trade expose all of us to lethal animal viruses, as well as threatening the extinction of some species.
Now is an opportune time for the US, Italy, Iran, and other countries to lobby for an international agreement to end the exceedingly dangerous trade in wild animals of any species.
Reprinted with permission from the author.


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Oeksound Black Friday Sale: Up to 33% off soothe2 and spliff
Friday November 26, 2021. 12:50 PM , from Rekkerd.org
Oeksound has announced the launch of its Black Friday promotion, offering a discount on two of its audio plugins for a few days only. On...
The post Oeksound Black Friday Sale: Up to 33% off soothe2 and spliff appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Jan, Thu 20 - 15:44 CET


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Jersey's new LLC legislation to accommodate US institutions, fund managers
The Channel Island of Jersey has become the latest financial services jurisdiction to introduce so-called Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) legislation, in a bid to boost its appeal to such U.S. financial services entities as fund managers and financial institutions.
The legislation means that limited liability companies may now be established in Jersey for the first time.
The news was unveiled by Jersey Finance, the island's financial services promotional and marketing organisation, after the legislation was approved on 11 September by Jersey lawmakers.
In introducing the new LLC legislation, Jersey joins the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, both of which recently added LLC laws to their statute books. In August, Jersey also saw new limited liability partnerships legislation (LLPs) coming into force, following the introduction of legislation last year that Jersey Finance describes as having been "a major overhaul of Jersey’s existing LLP legislation", which had originally been introduced in 1997.
The introduction of the LLC legislation also comes in the wake of an earlier announcement by Jersey Finance that it intends to open an office in a thus-far-undisclosed U.S. city, as it looks to increase its support for U.S. financial services businesses that might be interested in establishing operations in the jurisdiction, which is a U.K. Crown Dependency.
Combination of 'flexibility, privacy' and 'protection'
According to Jersey Finance, the attraction to the LLC structure is that it "combines the flexibility and privacy of a partnership with the protective limited liability of a company", and that this has helped to drive the LLC vehicle's global popularity for "a wide variety of uses, from SMEs and holding companies to fund structuring." In the U.S., it says, they currently account for more than two-thirds of all new transparent business structures formed in the country each year.
In a statement, Jersey Finance chief executive Geoff Cook noted that LLCs are "a structure of choice for alternative investment funds" in the U.S., where advisers and managers are "familiar with LLC structures, and aware of the benefits they can provide in terms of tax transparency."
"With that in mind, we are confident that the Jersey LLC can provide an attractive proposition for U.S.-based hedge fund managers, particularly in operating master-feeder structures," Cook added.
"We anticipate strong growth in this area, [while] we also believe the LLC can be a really positive addition to our suite of vehicles more widely, to enable better international structuring.”
To read an interview with Jersey Finance technical manager David Postlethwaite on the Jersey Finance website, in which he explains why and how the LLC legislation came to be proposed in Jersey and what it is expected to achieve, click here.
- Crestbridge hires American family office specialist 'to support global growth strategy'
- Crestbridge and U.S.-based Willow Street form fiduciary services JV to help cross-border clients
- Jersey Finance opens New York outpost as it bids for role as gateway to world's markets
- Growing U.S. alternative funds industry cited as Jersey eyes New York outpost


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Product manager for EVGA Jacob Freeman confirmed the news and explained that a shipment of EVGA GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards was stolen from a truck while it was being transported from San Francisco to the company’s Southern California distribution center.
By way of a post on the EVGA forums, Freeman explained that EVGA will not register any of the stolen GeForce cards, nor will they honor any warranty or upgrade claims associated with them. Additionally, citing California Penal Code Section 496 (a), he reminded readers that it is a criminal and civil offense to “buy or receive” stolen property.
Videocardz advised customers to ensure that any GeForce graphics cards they purchase are obtained from a legitimate source. It recommends that buyers request proof of purchase or even a serial code from sellers to ensure that the item is not from the stolen truck.
It is likely that any GeForce RTX 3060 or 3090 graphics cards were stolen as part of this robbery due to the high value of the graphics cards.
GPU shortages have been a major issue in recent months, and it is likely that finding a graphics card will become even more difficult in the future. As a result, prices are rising as people scramble to get their hands on an upgrade, making it more likely that theft will be a tempting option.
Due to global pressures, the CEO of STMicro stated earlier this year that he does not expect chip shortages to be resolved until the “first half of 2023”.


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Advertisers and social media companies have been quick to jump on the latest trend of trending topics and hashtags.
They’re using the new trend to their advantage.
And they’re using it to boost their ad campaigns.
Below are the top five most popular trending topics in the last week:The #1 topic in recent weeks: The #2 topic in the week: The #3 topic in week #3: #4 topic in weeks #4-7: The #5 topic in terms of number of searches: Advertisers are using hashtags to their own advantage.
While the topics on their radar have gotten more attention in recent years, many companies still don’t know how to properly engage with their audiences.
With hashtags, advertisers are trying to connect with their fans via hashtags and to build brand awareness through hashtags for their brand.
But hashtags aren’t just a marketing tool.
They also can be a way to connect brands with influencers.
“People are connecting more with brands through hashtagged hashtags because of how they are communicating with influencer networks,” says Amanda Gorman, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of South Florida.
“They’re connecting through hashtagging.”
The most-trafficked topic in Twitter ads this week:


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Loyalists press shoppers to boycott supermarket foods from Republic
A loyalist group is encouraging shoppers in Northern Ireland not to buy southern foodstuffs as part of protests against the Brexit protocol, which has created a trade barrier in the Irish Sea.
Targets of the boycott include European-owned stores such as Lidl, which puts the Irish flag on the packaging of products including beef and sausages.
The group has released a video on social media urging a boycott of EU goods. It includes clips shot inside a Lidl store which focuses on products from the Republic of Ireland, including bacon, burgers and mineral water. A voiceover urges unionists not to buy these products. Lidl declined to comment.
The campaign for a boycott comes as tension continues over the protocol. On Friday the Loyalist Community


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The President of Toyota Motors made some interest comments about Tesla during an earnings call yesterday, even comparing the American automaker to a restaurant.
With Tesla’s skyrocketing share price this year, it is now worth more than $400 billion. To put that in perspective, Tesla is worth more than all seven Japanese automakers combined, Toyota included.
While saying his company could learn from Tesla’s many successes, Toyota President Akio Toyoda also said Tesla still has a long way to go to catch up to Toyota. At least, that’s what we think he said based on the rather unusual analogy he used.
“I am hesitant to say this — Tesla’s business, if you want to use the analogy, is like that of a kitchen and a chef. They have not created a real business in the real world yet. They are trying to trade recipes. The chef is saying ‘Our recipe is going to become the standard of the world in the future!’ At Toyota, we have a real kitchen and a real chef too, and are creating the dishes already. There are customers, who are very picky about what they like to eat, sitting in front of us, and eating our dishes already.”
While it is true that Toyota delivers millions more cars per year than Tesla, the Japanese automaker is also more than 80 years old. They also sell a full lineup of internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicles, compared to the 4 vehicles Tesla now sells.
The important part to look at is the fact that Tesla is clearly winning the race that matters right now, and that’s the race to the top of the electric market. It seems Toyota is happy to keep producing ICE, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles, while barely focussing on what is clearly going to be the future, electric vehicles.
Featured image via brandsynario


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New Delhi: Over five lakh ICICI Big Bazaar Credit Card holders will be asked to migrate to Future Card to be introduced by the Future Capital Holdings (FCH), a financial arm of the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group.
“The Future Card will be issued to the current holders of the ICICI Big Bazaar Card after obtaining written consent. We plan to migrate all holders of this card to Future Card,” said the draft prospectus filed by the Future Capital Holdings (FCH) for its upcoming initial public offer (IPO).
There were over five lakh ICICI Big Bazaar Card holders at the end of 31 August, 2007, said the prospectus, which was filed by FCH to issue 64 lakh equity shares at a premium.
Although the price band for FCH equity would be determined later, the prospectus suggests that shares would be issued at a high premium as promoter Kishore Biyani and director Sameer Sain on 27 September, 2007, were allotted 16.59 lakh and 14.78 lakh shares, respectively, at Rs117.50 each.
However, the average cost of acquiring shares works out to be Rs57.25 per equity for Biyani and Rs28.64 per equity for Sain.
The prospectus also states that Future Group, which operates retail chain Big Bazaar, has over two dozen loss making subsidiaries in its stable. These include Food-Mart Retail India, Future Knowledge Services, Pantaloon Industries, Futurebazaar India, Future Logistic Solutions, Future Media and Future Generali India Life Insurance among others.
As regards the new card, the Future Group has already signed an agreement with the ICICI Bank to launch the co- branded Future Card under which the bank would be responsible for collection and recovery of all charges and dues from customers.
Under the agreement, FCH will receive Rs600 for every card issued in addition to commission of 0.7% on sale within the Future Group and 0.2% in other outlets.
The Future Group, as per the agreement, will be responsible for marketing and distribution of the credit card and collecting application forms for customers.


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Home Tags Blizzard Entertainment
Tag: Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment has finally confirmed that they'll be re-releasing their sci-fi real-time strategy game, StarCraft.
Since EnVyUs was eliminated from Group A of Apex, everyone's attention has switch to Lunatic-Hai and their roster of superstars. The fan-favourite team has been...
For the better part of the last year, EnVyUs has been one of the best Western teams in Overwatch eSports. With specialists like Taimou, Harryhook and Mickie leading the charge, they've taken down talent from around the world, and have several major tournament victories under their belt including Apex Season 1 and MLG Las Vegas.
Today Blizzard Entertainment announced the 24th hero for their award winning game, Overwatch! Orisa is a new addition to the tank class, who fights using a "fusion driver", or a projectile machine gun.
Rogue has been somewhat absent from the spotlight as of late, being snubbed of an invite to Apex season 2 and struggling to get their talent-laden roster performing to expectations.
Social media was exploding this afternoon when the Overwatch team dropped a cryptic "news release" on the community.
Something you may not know about eSports is that teams operate much like traditional sports teams. That is, they have a strict training regimen, workout schedule and often go through organisational changes.
The last couple of months have been very exciting for the Overwatch community. There have been enormous meta shifts, a new map, the addition of Sombra, and several action-packed eSports tournaments. What's even better is that it all happened within the parameters of Overwatch's third ladder season, giving players a substantial amount of content to study and tinker with on their journey to Grand Master. Or Silver, no judging here.
Blizzard has this week unveiled that Overwatch, their hero shooter which launched in May last year, has hit the 25 million player mark, up five million from the company's October announcement.
Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind massive games such as World of Warcraft and Overwatch have announced the launch of a brand new publishing arm, Blizzard Publishing, dedicated to developing and releasing Blizzard publications and reissuing out-of-print titles.
Blizzard Entertainment have announced and detailed their discounts for the yearly Black Friday sales and have a number of great offers on their products. Available...
The first full-length graphic novel for Overwatch titled Overwatch: First Strike has been canceled. The announcement was made on the official Overwatch forums by lead...
Blizzard have released the first post-launch hero for their thunderously popular team-based hero shooter Overwatch on the game's "Public Test Region" today - a...
Blizzard has today announced the launch of the next big expansion for their MMORPG World of Warcraft, entitled Legion, will be launching on August 30.


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Brexit will have far-ranging effects on society as well as business, so it is up to publishers to continue with the “political act” of facilitating... Read more
No one in publishing can “feel smug” about the issue of gender pay, Hachette c.e.o. David Shelley has said, while urging publishers to also consider... Read more
Audio will be "centre stage" at the Quantum data conference at London Book Fair this year, organisers have said.
Publishers should make the most of the “golden age of opportunity” the industry is currently in, Dominique Raccah, publisher and c.e.o. of Sourcebooks has said,... Read more
The British high street saw a 4% rise in book volume purchases through physical stores last year, while online sales flatlined. However, online retailers continued... Read more
The “phenomenal” speed of change in the industry has led to the “curious” revolution of old technology existing with new, Penguin Random House chair Barnoness... Read more


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U.S. – Aug. 24, 2018 – Due to potential breaking system issues, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced a recall for certain Dodge and Jeep models. More than 150,000 vehicles are part of this recall, where Chrysler suggests replacement of parts and fixes to avoid potential risk and injury. It is part of a series of recalls this year relating to the breaking system in the Jeep and Dodge models.
Coating on the rear break caliber pistons is said to be default on some of the Dodge and Jeep models. Included are select models of the 2018-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2018 Journey, as well as the 2018-2019 Jeep Compass and 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The piston issue can cause gas pockets to form, which may compromise the use of the rear braking system. As of now, no injuries or accidents have been reported in relation to this particular recall.
According to Haynes Manuals, the break pistons work by allowing the break pads to connect with the brake discs. There are often several found in each breaking system in modern cars. If this part has flow issues, it can cause the breaks to operate incorrectly, such as having break pads stick or unbalanced amounts of brake fluid reaching the metal parts. It can be from common wear and tear, or an issue in manufacturing. This puts the driver and passengers at risk for not having full control in the vehicle.
Timeline of Events
This week, the Chrysler company announced the recall of 154,335 Jeep and Dodge vehicles for the break problems, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). By September 28, owners and dealers will be notified of the defect and offered solutions for repair.
In May of this year, there was a recall of more than 4.8 million Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles from the FCA, according to Cars.com. The large recall affected models from 2014-2018 that have automatic transmissions and gas engines. There was an issue with the cruise control and its electrical components, which ran the risk of the vehicle potentially accelerating and brake disengagement not working when in a cruise control mode. The automakers offered to fix the issue free of charge.
So far, the only models affected by this recall announcement are Dodge Grand Caravan, Jeep Compass, Dodge Journey and Jeep Cherokee from 2018-2019. Chrysler plans to contact owners and dealers starting September 28. If consumers have any concerns and would like to find out more details, they can contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9153. The NHTSA website also can be consulted for facts at www.safercar.gov. Owners and dealerships can contact Chrysler directly at 1-800-247-9753. The number for this recall is U86.


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Heaptalk, Jakarta — A financial platform KoinWorks has successfully organized a KoinWorks NEO Inspire competition in April this year. Through the competition, this fintech startup intends to inspire Indonesian entrepreneurs to manage their businesses more efficiently, particularly in their financial turnover.
The story pitch competition involved 9,000 participants from multiple sectors, including MSEs, womenpreneurs, freelancers, content creators, startups, and educators, but only sixty of them could continue to the next step. During the training stage, the selected candidate had also performed several activities, namely bootcamp and mentoring sessions, before walking to the primary agenda, namely presenting their business plans.
The series of these activities has become a masterclass in spreading sustainable business knowledge for candidates to be summarized for the presentation session. They must be concerned with several assessment points to pass into the next stage, such as their business knowledge, expertise in tackling finances, and business uniqueness to positively impact society.
Heaptalk features the latest business news from various industries and professionals. download and install heaptalk app for the latest information
“This competition is expected to strategically develop SMEs’ business, maximize their business expertise, and enlarge their relations using the KoinWorks NEO services. We will continue to evolve our program and innovation for our targeted participants to contribute to the economic recovery in Indonesia.” said Chief Marketing Officer of KoinWorks, Grace Hong.
The pitch session was executed at the peak of the KoinWorks NEO Inspire festival last June 25th – 26th, 2022, at East Plaza, Gelora Bung Karno. Simultaneously, the committee also implemented the awarding night session for the winners on the same occasion.
The evaluators chose a winner from each category, including Adhitya Farkhaan for the SME category, Roro Widi Astuti in the womenpreneur category, Evander Nathanael from the Freelancer category, Nienie Admajaya as a content creator, Ridha Indradewa from startup category, and Febndy Kwik in the Educator category. For the victory, the winners are rewarded US$135,000.
As one of the competition winners of the startup category, Ridha Indradewa, uttered, “I have learned that technology utilization is one of the essential points to manage our business to be efficient, one of them by operating the KoinWorks NEO feature. Through this competition, I expect to inspire other Indonesia entrepreneurs to take proactive action in optimizing their business in the future.”
Also, Leonard Theosabrata, KoinWorks NEO Inspire competition judge and Director of Smesco Indonesia, delivered his appreciation. “The progress of SMEs is one of the most critical factors for the economic growth in Indonesia. I appreciate the presence of this competition to provide them the opportunity. The extraordinary business ideas of the finalists have become evidence of the great potential owned by SMEs in Indonesia.” (SFM)


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Distributor GeigerBTC has acquired London-based distributor Shout Promotional Merchandise as part of its continued expansion strategy to support clients in the UK and across Europe.
Shout Promotional Merchandise has been in business since 2003 and has gained a reputation as one of the most innovative promotional merchandise distributors in the UK. GeigerBTC made the acquisition as part of its ongoing strategy to support the needs of global customers in North America, Europe and worldwide.
Shout Promotional Merchandise director, Carrie Benn, said: “It’s such an exciting opportunity for us to be part of a global company. The facilities Geiger has will enhance the service we give to our clients.”
Shout Promotional Merchandise director, Francina Stobart, stated: “After 16 years of leading Shout, we are very much looking forward to a new challenge.”
Geiger president, Jo-an Lantz, added: “We could not be more pleased that Fran Stobart, Carrie Benn and the team from Shout are joining GeigerBTC. Shout has a creative, energetic vibe, with a large team of professional marketeers with the experience of working with premier international companies.”
Frank Murphy, managing director of GeigerBTC, concluded: “Fran and Carrie are two exceptional business owners, they have built an amazing company, we could not be prouder to welcome them into the Geiger family.”
This acquisition follows the acquisition of EMC Advertising Gifts in January and Repsonse Marketing in May.


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And it seems the fragrance, which is dubbed "Flame-Grilled," will be released only in Japan. On April 1st. Hang on a second... But wait, this is supposedly an actual product.
According to Burger King Japan, April 1st is now "Whopper Day" in Japan. It's not a national holiday (dammit!), but website Fashion Snap reports that the company registered the day with the Japan Anniversary Association, making it one of many "unofficial" holidays that exist in the country. For example, Japan has a Pocky Day.
April 1st is also April Fools' Day, which is most certainly a thing in Japan, but a thing that is celebrated only on April 1st and not a month before.
So what gives? As Fashion Snap points out, the word "whopper" can also mean "lie," so it makes perfect sense for April 1st to also be Whopper Day. However! As numerous Japanese sites are all reporting, Burger King is apparently (apparently!) offering a limited edition Burger King perfume, which comes with a Whopper, so, I'm assuming, you can compare smells. Priced at 5,000 yen, the fragrance will only go on sale on April 1st starting at 10:30am. Limited one per customer. Did I mention it's Japan only? Yes, yes I did.
None of the fine print seems to indicate that this is an imaginary product and mid-March is way too fucking early to start with the April Fools' Day nonsense. Japanese food blog Entabe writes, "This seems like a like, but this is for real." Goodness. Let's hope so.
On the same day, Burger King Japan is also selling a "Whopper Pass," which is thirty days of Whopper meal deals, which are priced at 840 yen (US$6.93) each. But the pass, good between April 1 and April 30, is available at a bargain 5,000 yen ($41), making this a seriously good deal for those who don't mind eating Whoppers every. Single. Day.
Is this real? Or just a whooper of a lie? We'll find out for sure on April 1.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.


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Facebook Launched its New Subscribe Button For websites/Blog
Facebook , News 3
After recent announcement at LeWeb the social media giant finally introduces its
subscribe button for developers and website owners.
The new subscribe button allows Facebook users to subscribe to updates on
websites with a click of a button and the user starts getting updates from that
website/blog in their News Feed.
This plugin competes directly against RSS feeds and Twitter’s Follow button,
blog owners should consider it seriously.
|image via official announcement|
You can implement it in your website/blog via XFBML code snippet or through
iFrame.You can get the code here
It looks like Google+ is causing lots of problem to social media gaints like
facebook and twitter and they are up for redesign as facebook is about to launch
its new feature called Timeline and twitter has just launched a new version(UI)
on Android and iOS and it will be launched soon for web users.What do you think
about this battle of survival between facebook, twitter and Google+, do share
your thoughts in comment section below.
Read official announcement here


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E3 isn't far away, and it's worth remembering that companies often use the build-up to the LA extravaganza to make big announcements. Capcom, seemingly unaware of how the internet works, chose good timing for what seems like an ultimately underwhelming Monster Hunter tease.
Capcom France has posted a teaser video (via MHKogath) that points to a Monster Hunter announcement, undoubtedly for the West. Roughly translated the video promises an announcement in 'a far away country' and 'it's coming' - the video tease is below.
Plenty of eager Monster Hunter fans chatting about this online hoped it related to Monster Hunter XX coming to Switch in the West, with a '4 days' part of the message perhaps prompting a pre-E3 reveal. However, over 30 minutes after the original post Capcom France remembered to add the description that you can see in the above embedded video, which states that it's a new 'costume'. That, unsurprisingly, put a pin in the hype balloon.
Quite what they mean by the tease is unclear, but right now it doesn't seem like the MH localisation news we're anticipating. We'll find out later in the week.


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Warwick Rowing Club Senior Men support Ben Cohen’s Stand Up Foundation in their 2013 calendar and videoNovember 30, 2012
It’s nearly Christmas, and this year, as well as showing off a few Christmas gift ideas over the coming weekend, Man Crush is also going to look at the Charity side of Christmas. First up it’s the Warwick Rowing’s Senior Men from The University of Warwick Boat Club. For the last few years it’s been a bit of a tradition for these guys to produce a calendar showing the real health gains you get from competitive rowing. You can buy their fourth calendar directly from the University of Warwick Boat Club. This year proceeds go to Ben Cohen’s Stand Up Foundation. This year the Senior Girls have also produced a calendar, with the proceeds from their calendar going to Macmillan Cancer Research. I think the news you’ll be waiting for is that the Men’s team has also produced a video – “Brokeback Boathouse“, which you can download from their website, along with digital downloads from all of the previous calendars. Click here to visit the University of Warwick Boat Club and buy the calendar, or the video, and help Ben Cohen’s Stand Up Foundation.
And in case you were wondering what the guys got up to for the 2011 calendar, here’s the video:


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Bill Bonner’s latest….
As anticipated, “higher commodities shrink profit margins,” reports Barron’s. Some analysts were justifying high stock prices on the grounds that earnings were at record highs. Of course, if they were at record highs, we commented, they would most likely come down.
What’s bringing them down? Ben Bernanke’s hot money. He juices up the world’s hot money. Commodity prices go up. Commodities – especially oil, which appears to be headed over $110 a barrel — are a major cost for most producers. Higher costs with little pricing power (remember, we’re still in a Great Correction) mean lower profits.
That’s a big weakness in Bernanke’s program. He prints money ($600 billion in the first half of this year). But the money never gets into the consumer economy. Wages don’t rise. But commodity prices do. This raises prices for consumers…and business. Net result: less discretionary spending. The opposite of what Bernanke wanted, in other words.
But that’s what government almost always gets – just what it doesn’t want.


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Jobs, 53, said in a letter last week that he would remain at Apple's helm despite the hormone problem, and that he had already begun a "relatively simple and straightforward" treatment. But in an e-mail to employees Wednesday, Jobs backtracked.
"Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well," he wrote. "In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought. In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June."
Apple's shares have surged and crashed over the last year in step with rumors or news about the CEO's health and his gaunt appearance. While the top executive's health is an issue for investors in any company, at Apple the level of concern reaches fever pitch because Jobs has a hand in everything from ideas for new products to the way they're marketed. Investors fear that without Jobs, Apple will not be able to sustain its growth of the last decade, which has seen Apple branch out from its Mac computers into the iPod and the iPhone.
Last week, Jobs said his disclosure of his hormone problem was "more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say" about his health. It came on the eve of Macworld, the biggest Apple trade show of the year, and Jobs said he wanted everyone to relax and enjoy the show.
Even so, the limited amount of information in that announcement did little to soothe Wall Street's nerves. Medical experts not involved in Jobs' treatment said it was unclear what was behind his weight loss, but some specialists said Jobs' past pancreatic cancer could be the problem, since the organ makes digestive enzymes that are key for nutrition.
Apple's history of keeping information about Jobs' health under wraps is only fueling the speculation. The company waited until after Jobs underwent surgery in 2004 to treat a very rare form of pancreatic cancer -- an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor -- before alerting investors. That type of cancer is easily cured if diagnosed early, unlike the deadlier and more common adenocarcinoma.
And last summer, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple insisted Jobs' weight loss was due to a common bug, even as The New York Times cited anonymous sources who said Jobs had undergone "a surgical procedure" to address the problem.
"They'll tell you the least they can tell you," longtime industry analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technology Associates said after Jobs' disclosure Wednesday. "They're trying to have it both ways, to protect their guy's privacy and feelings and at the same time somehow signal the market."
Cook is seen as one of Jobs' most likely successors, along with Apple's top marketing executive, Philip Schiller. American Technology Research analyst Brian Marshall -- who last week predicted Jobs would step down this year -- said Wednesday's announcement tips the bets in Cook's favor.
"The company has been soft-signaling to the Street for a while now that Steve Jobs is not going to be CEO forever," he said. "This will be sort of a trial period for Cook to be chief executive."
Cook lacks Jobs' charisma and showmanship, but is seen as a solid pick otherwise.
"Tim Cook is a very experienced and highly regarded chief operating officer," said Calyon Securities analyst Shebly Seyrafi. "He's qualified."
The latest business news.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple did not give any further details about Jobs' absence. But after last week's announcement that Jobs was suffering from a hormonal imbalance, Jobs admitted that he was being treated to gain weight that he expected to put back on by late spring.
He told the world in a letter he released that he had a "nutritional problem" and that he was already being treated for it.
Jobs announced in 2004 that he had undergone successful surgery to treat a very rare form of pancreatic cancer. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company's stock sank $2.38 today, or 2.7 percent, to close at $85.33.
"Mr. Jobs is viewed as a mastermind of American business since his triumphant return to Apple in 1997," the paper wrote. "Since then, the company turned from a niche player in personal computers to a maker of gotta-have tech gadgets like the iPhone and iPod. Apple now is the No. 3 PC maker in the U.S. with a nearly 18% share."
The letter came just a week after Jobs told the world he was suffering from a hormonal imbalance. The timing of the announcement had experts and bloggers across the world asking if Apple lied about the severity of Jobs' health last week?
Steve Jobs Talks About his Health and More on CNBC
Jobs on the Web