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Hello and welcome to another Gaming Roundup from Geeky Brummie!
This week we talk Riot, Rocket League, revivals, research and releases!
WALKOUTS THREATENED BY RIOT EMPLOYEES
In what’s becoming a sad theme, Riot are the latest developers to face reports of poor workplace conditions. However, this is the latest part of the ongoing saga within the League of Legends offices.
Over the past few months, five employees have raised concerns around sexism gender discrimination within Riot, with two even filing lawsuits against the company. A couple of weeks ago, Riot attempted to force the lawsuits into private arbitration. Effectively this would force the case behind closed doors with no jury or judicial oversight, and quite possibly result in the women being silenced.
This hasn’t gone down with employees at Riot, who are currently threatening a mass walkout over the news. Demands from employees are that the cases should proceed to trial as intended, and arbitration should be dropped. It comes after weeks of distrust where employees have claimed Riot executives have said they’ll improve and then failed to follow up with action, including the lack of action taken against individuals named within the lawsuits. One of these individuals is the company’s COO, who remains in his position.
Riot have responded by saying they respect their employees’ views, but they have not yet said they’ll drop the arbitration. Walkouts are being threatened for Monday if nothing changes, so we shall see what happens.
EPIC BUY ROCKET LEAGUE
Continuing their increased dominance in the PC gaming space, Epic Games have now purchased Psyonix, the creators of vehicular football game Rocket League. What this means is that anything involving Rocket League will now be releasing through Epic, which of course means there are now concerns that Rocket League will be removed from Steam and sold exclusively on the Epic Store.
Epic themselves haven’t helped this speculation. While they have put out multiple statements clarifying that they won’t be removing the game from Steam, they’re not entirely clear. They have clarified they have no announced plans to remove the game, but this statement could easily mean they just haven’t announced it yet, not that they won’t. Similarly, many of their statements have referring to vague “future plans” or clarify that the game is currently on Steam, which no one is questioning.
If Epic go down this route, it does raise concerns about their plans within the PC market. They seem to be just throwing Fortnite money around at an alarming rate to undermine Steam rather than try and directly compete against them. They’ve already been securing a ridiculous number of exclusives, and have already removed Metro Exodus from Steam after pre-orders went up. If Rocket League goes the same way, they’ve now moved onto removing games entirely from another store, removing a choice that consumers previously had. And that’s not a great situation for players.
EARTHWORM JIM BURROWS BACK
Earthworm Jim was a bizarre little 2D platformer back on the Mega Drive and SNES, about a worm in a super suit that saves the universe. He battled lawyers in Hell, uh…”Heck”, and launched a cow from a junkyard, before flying through space to banjo music. It was a weird game that’s also one of my all-time favourites.
So imagine my joy to hear that a new Earthworm Jim, made by the original team, is on its way. Because it is on its way, and that’s excellent news indeed.
Now imagine my utter confusion when it turned out that it’s going to be an exclusive for…a new Intellivision system? According to my calendar, it’s still 2019 and we haven’t fallen into a time portal to the 1980s, so the idea of a new Intellivision console makes about as much sense as an earthworm riding a giant hamster through a series of underwater tunnels.
The Intellivision Amico is apparently a budget retro-themed system focused on remakes and sequels to classic nostalgic games, hence the EWJ connection. This connection is strengthened further when one of the people behind the Amico is Tommy Tallarico, legendary composer who worked on the original Earthworm Jim.
It’s an odd decision, and it’s very unlikely the Amico is going to be a huge hit (it reminds me of the Ouya a little) but I look forward to a new Earthworm Jim game coming to conventional systems in 2021.
SEA HERO QUEST GENERATES ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH
Anyway, enough cynicism. Here’s something about video games being used for good.
Sea Hero Quest is a VR game in which you help to navigate a boat through the ocean. You’re shown a map, and various checkpoints, and then you work out the best route through these checkpoints without the use of the map.
It was developed by Deutsche Telekom, the game studio Glitchers, and supported by various European universities. Its purpose? To study Alzheimer’s. The game replicates tests on spatial memory, and it does it better than traditional lab methods at present. Two minutes of game time is equivalent to five hours of lab research and based on the number of people who’ve played the game since its release, researchers have amassed the equivalent of 1,700 years of data.
Researchers are hoping to use this data to better identify Alzheimer’s sufferers sooner in life, before the worse symptoms kick in. By identifying how players cope with the spatial memory and navigation required by the game, they can see who struggles and is more a potential risk of the disease.
This is fantastic news, and reminds me of Foldit, another scientific research game about protein folding that has generated tons of scientific research, including the crystal structure of a virus similar to HIV. I love seeing the interactive nature of games used to better our world like this, and I want to see more of it!
This week sees the release of Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age on Switch and Xbox One. It’s the updated version of FF12 previously seen on other systems, but with a few tweaks to enhance the experience. It’s not one of my favourite Final Fantasy games (this was the point where I stopped caring, in fact), but it’s got some charms (his name is Balthier).
Next up is Close to the Sun, which snuck up on me as I’d never heard of it before this week. It looks like Amnesia if it was set in the Bioshock universe, although it’s entirely unconnected to those franchises. It’s a horror game set on a research ship in international waters during the Victorian era. Nikola Tesla’s in it (of course he is). And something’s gone horribly wrong, and it’s up to you to find out what. It looks really interesting!
But my Game of the Week this week is a small release, but I played a bit of it at an old EGX show and feel it’s worth some attention. It’s Astrologaster, available on iOS this week, with a Steam release next week. It’s all about Elizabethan astrologer Simon Forman as he solves the troubles of his patients using the placement of the stars. It’s all played for laughs, offering up a fun story-driven experience. I had a lot of fun with it back at EGX, so the full game should be a good time too.
And that’s it for this week! I’ll see you back here with more news and releases in a week, but until then, follow me on YouTube and Twitter, and we’ll have more gaming-related fun on this week’s podcast tomorrow as we continue our coverage of Insomnia Gaming Festival! See you then!


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Playmobil has released its first ever game app.
Plamobil Pirates is available on iOS platforms now and is set to hit Android’s Google Play store soon.
In the game players take control of popular figures from Playmobil’s popular Pirates toy line, as they recruit their own crew to set sail on their own pirate ship and build a pirate camp.
Playmobil says the game is in-line with the values of its toys, which help to develop kids’ creativity and stimulate imaginations.
The app itself is free, but ‘Pirate professionals who would like to speed up the expansion of their empire’ have the option to buy additional in-game currency.
Playmobil teamed up with top mobile app developer Gameloft to make the game.
"With Gameloft comes a reputation of an experienced player in the market of mobile and social games. We are excited about bringing our pirates to the digital world via a creative platform so entertainingly and in such great detail,” said Christian Buchner, project manager, from Playmobil.
“With the first Playmobil app, we are not only offering our fans a totally new mobile gaming experience, but are kick starting our presence in the booming smartphone and tablet market to enable us to make new and existing fans even more enthusiastic about our brand.”
Karine Kaiser, VP of marketing and licensing at the app's developer Gameloft, said: “For the first time, real Playmobil-brand toys will come to life on smartphones and tablets around the world. Many children will surely find PLAYMOBIL toys under the Christmas tree this year, among which is the current best selling retail product from the Pirates toy line, The Pirates Ship. We’re thrilled and eager to help Playmobil fans to discover them on digital platforms, in a complementary and entertaining experience to the one they’re used to with their favorite toys. This partnership will also allow us to enrich our catalogue of family games even more.”
ToyNews first reported news of the Playmobil Pirates app in August.
Want to receive up to the minute toy industry news straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up for the free ToyNews Daily Digest and Newsflash services. You can also follow ToyNews on Twitter and Facebook.

domain: news


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Tim Hortons was just ranked one of the world's most trusted brands
How much trust do you put in your morning cup of java? It turns out Canada places quite a bit of trust in brewed bean water, at least the kind served up at Tim Hortons.
Canadians' well-known addiction to Tim Hortons has propelled the coffee and donut chain to a prestigious position, ranked as the most trusted brand in Canada.
Morning Consult's Most Trusted Brands 2022 list just dropped, shining a light on which brands countries place the most trust in. And Timmies ranks among some real heavyweights in the global industry.
The rankings were determined by a representative sample of populations in countries across the globe, including 1,000 residents in Canada, and Tim Hortons came out on top with a net trust score of 52.25.
While markets like South Korea and Japan also ranked brands closely associated with their countries' images as their most trusted, their choices of companies like Samsung and Toyota represent significant foreign exports and serve as symbols of national pride.
Samsung manufactures a wide range of electronics for global export, while Toyota is the top-ranking auto manufacturer on the Fortune 500 list.
In Canada, cheap coffee in a paper cup and Justin Bieber-branded products are somehow elevated to the same level of brand prestige.
The United States' most-trusted brand was Band-Aid, while China and Germany both went with online payment methods Alipay and PayPal.
In Canada, we put our trust in sugary donut holes promoted by pop stars.
Other top rankings include Google in India, LiDL in France, Boots in the U.K., and WhatsApp in Italy.
A slim majority of Canadians polled do not inherently trust companies, 42 per cent of respondents agreeing that their trust must be earned.
Slightly fewer, at 40 per cent, say they tend to trust companies, which must do something bad to lose their trust. The remaining 18 per cent sat in the middle, saying they did not know or had no opinion on the subject.
Gen Z and millennial respondents ranked among the least trusting in Canada.
Small businesses ranked the highest for trust in institutions in the country with 81 per cent of respondents, followed closely by food and beverage with 71 per cent.
At the other end of the spectrum, only 32 per cent of respondents put their trust in social media while only 40 per cent trust major global corporations.
But as comical as the Tim Hortons ranking seems next to major global brands, it's not too difficult to understand why people would place their trust in such a familiar symbol of shared Canadian identity that spans across our social and cultural mosaic.
Canada is almost 10 million square kilometres in area, and over 9,300 kilometres wide at its maximum.
And yet somehow, from Iqaluit in the north to Leamington in the south, from Cape Breton Island in the east to Vancouver Island in the west, your cup of Tims will always taste pretty much exactly as you remember it.
The report on trust in the food and beverage industry cites the brand's ubiquity with over 4,000 locations nationwide (more than triple the number of Starbucks and McDonald's locations) as a contributing factor in the top ranking.
National pride in the brand is what really cemented its position, the report stating Tim Hortons' routes in Ontario and its namesake's career with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an integral part of the brand identity.
Promotions like "Roll Up To Win" have been played by more than 80 per cent of Canadians since the game's inception 35 years ago, while recent promotions like all the Biebs-branded food, drinks, and merch have increased brand awareness and loyalty among younger demographics.
And sure, Toyota cars are dependable and Samsung electronics can be flashy, but they'll eventually rust and degrade. Meanwhile, Tims is always going to be Tims.
Join the conversation Load comments


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AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For those who haven't been keeping up with the latest news for mobile phones/smart phones/tablets - the Austin, Texas based iBackPack of Texas, Inc. has been shattering new records in the exploding market segment. "I continue to be shocked at the reception for our new iBackPack product - I always knew the product was sensational - but never anticipated the kind of response we are receiving from the internet," claims Ile Jugovski, Vice President.
Austin, Texas based KPI Analytics has been chosen to handle the inbound customer service calls as well as manage all outbound telephone support and sales calls. "I've known Doug Monahan for a number of years - and in fact served as the CEO for his former company Sunset Direct. I am honored he would choose my KPI to assist with the promotional aspects for his rapidly expanding business," said CJ Hauptmeier, CEO, KPI Analytics. "We have a team of fifty people standing by in order to assist with the sales and marketing efforts."
The iBackPack made headlines last week with its announcement to push forward with the distribution of backpacks containing bullet-proof style kevlar in school children, college students and business professionals' backpacks. "The San Bernardino shooting left us no alternative other than to move forward with our bullet proof options at a much faster pace," said Doug Monahan, CEO.
Those wishing to review the Kickstarter campaign prior to its launch may click here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ibackpack/2042355245?token=9b97d0af. Pledges may not be made until the project goes live.


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Great Wall Motors, the Chinese car manufacturer, is a brand that cannot be ignored. Yes, that’s right. On top of manufacturing everything else for a global market, China ventured into automobile manufacturing and they are doing it very well. Straight out of its factories comes the latest SUV contender in the market — the Great Wall X Series. Here’s your Great Wall SUV Review for 2013.
A Potential for Greatness
From the national daily, New Zealand Herald to the South Island’s motoring website, Drivesouth, car reviewers have been unanimous in concluding that the Great Wall SUV has the potential to become a serious contender, right alongside major car brands from Japan and Korea. The lion share of the New Zealand market may still be occupied by a leading Japanese brand but one Great Wall SUV review (2013 models, in particular) points out that the X Series is likely to be the cheapest 4WD you can buy in the market. Considering the competitive price of Great Wall SUVs, it could be safe to assume that this Chinese-branded car may soon be one of New Zealand’s top selling car manufacturers.
Great Wall’s attractive price (which reportedly competes with used as opposed to new options from more established brands) does make for an alluring pitch to SUV buyers. Of late, the brand has made several improvements and promises that the next generation of Great Wall SUVs will be engineered for top safety scores and best quality.
Standard Features for Great Wall X-Series Lines
Since safety is one of the main selling points of the X-series lines, it has become standard for the Great Wall X-Series models to include many safety features such as the following: an Anti-lock Breaking System (ABS) and Electronic Break-Force Distribution (EBD) for greater vehicular break controls especially on slippery roads, two front airbags, reversing camera and bump sensors, keyless remote entry, engine immobiliser, child safety lock and anchorage points and front and rear fog lamps.
Great Wall also guarantees the quality of their SUVs by providing a 3-year warranty and 3-year road assistance. You won’t normally find this kind of offer from other car manufacturing companies and if you do, it comes at an additional price.
Apart from the safety features, the design speaks volume about the quality. Road tests show that Great Wall X-series lines have been doing better than what most have expected. Though not as powerful as its counterparts, the X-series lines can compete with top brands when moving on rough and paved roads at a maximum of 100kw at 5250 rpm and 200 nm at 2500-3000 rpm torque.
Great Wall SUV Review 2013 – Global Standards
Great Wall SUVs recently scored 5 stars for safety and has since reported that the brand’s current range has been built to global standards. What is even better news to SUV buyers is that the next generation of models will be fitted with 6 airbags, feature stability control and offer improved body structure. Naturally, this means that the competitive pricing is likely to see an increase. With current ranges starting off at over $25,000, some Kiwi buyers, however, may still consider the Chinese-branded SUV very affordable since the quality of the SUV has been improved.
Great Wall SUVs may not currently own as much share in the market as established carmakers from Japan, the US and Korea. But New Zealand reviewers indicate that a great future awaits for the Chinese brand, and much like its namesake, Great Wall could be in for a very stable footing in the market.


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VEVEY - As a signatory of the UN 'Business Ambition for 1.5°C' pledge, Nestlé is one of the first companies to share its detailed, time-bound plan and to do so ahead of schedule. The company is taking measures to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050 – even as the company grows.
Actions focus on supporting farmers and suppliers to advance regenerative agriculture, planting hundreds of millions of trees within the next 10 years and completing the company's transition to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2025. Additionally, Nestlé is continuously increasing the number of 'carbon neutral' brands.
Nestlé Chairman Paul Bulcke said, "The Board recognizes the strategic importance of taking decisive measures to address climate change. It supports accelerating and scaling up our work to ensure the long-term success of the company and to contribute to a sustainable future for generations to come."
This roadmap is the result of a complete review of Nestlé's businesses and operations to understand the depth of the challenge and determine the actions needed to address it. The company emitted 92 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, which will serve as the baseline for measuring progress.
"Tackling climate change can't wait and neither can we. It is imperative to the long-term success of our business," said Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO "We have a unique opportunity to address climate change, as we operate in nearly every country in the world and have the size, scale and reach to make a difference. We will work together with farmers, industry partners, governments, non-governmental organizations and our consumers to reduce our environmental footprint."
Nestlé's work to get to net zero spans three main areas:
The company expects to invest a total of CHF 3.2 billion over the next five years to accelerate our work, including CHF 1.2 billion to spark regenerative agriculture across the company's supply chain. These investments will be financed primarily through operational and structural efficiencies to keep this initiative earnings neutral.
|10 June||Nestlé redoubles efforts to combat climate change|
|09 June||Grocery shopping in Australia|
|07 June||Webinar: Plant-based drinks & other dairy alternatives|
|03 June||Sensory marketing – how to win in the experience economy|
|01 June||Centuries-old-fermentation technique all hot again|
|31 May||Food brands grab mukbang opportunity|
|27 May||Chinese Street Food Tour in Shanghai (video)|
|25 May||The limits of exports|
|20 May||People will pay a premium for cultured meat if given the right information|
|18 May||Food start-up BIKL explores international opportunities|
|17 May||Sky-high expectations for vertical agriculture|
|11 May||Nestlé discovers way to drastically reduce sugar content in sweets|
|10 May||SGS Digicomply (video)|
|06 May||Chocolate will cure your cough!|
|05 May||Mosa Meat grows hamburgers in laboratory|
|04 May||Understanding, Monitoring and Meeting the Differing Global Maximum Residue Limits (MRLS) For Pesticides in Food and Feed Products|
|03 May||Like nuts on legs|
|29 Apr.||Nestlé takes drastic steps to reduce its water use on a worldwide scale|
|28 Apr.||Food markets increasingly popular|
|26 Apr.||Every cup of Nespresso coffee will be carbon neutral by 2022|
|21 Apr.||Jellyfish for dinner?|
|19 Apr.||WUR-Webinar: Does Artificial Intelligence give answer to Agrifood challenges?|
|13 Apr.||Warming up for frozen|
|31 Mar.||The (food) world after corona|
|10 Mar.||What Effect Will the US Reduction in Biotechnology Regulations Have on Food Exports?|


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BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Stages Cycling has announced its list of sponsored cyclists, mountain bikers and triathletes for the 2018 season.
The list is led by Team SKY, who has ridden the Stages Power LR meter to their last two Tour de France victories.
Sponsored teams and athletes use a variety of products including Stages LR Power dual-sided meters, Stages L Power and R Power single-sided meters, and Stages Dash GPS cycling computers.
“From our beginning, Stages has relied on the world’s top professionals to test our products in the most demanding environments,” said Pat Warner, Stages Cycling’s vice president. “It is a testament to the reliability and accuracy of our products that the best riders in the world use Stages, whether it’s in the World Tour peloton, on the trail at an Enduro World Series event, or on the Queen K Highway at Kona World Championships.”
Stages Cycling Professionals include:
Team Wanty-Group Gobert
Bennelong-Swiss Wellness Cycling Team p/b Cervelo
Australian Cycling Academy
Nuun-Sigma Sport-London Race Team
Yeti Factory Racing
Cannondale Factory Team
Vynl CX Team
Richard Sachs CX Team


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If you’ve ever travelled the New York City’s subway or bus network, you’ve probably noticed its archaic payment system. Come May 2019, passengers riding the MTA subway will be able to pass through a fare gate by tapping their credit card or smartphone on dedicated terminals at each turnstile.
Although New York is one of the most important metropolises in the world, its out-of-date public transportation payment system imitates USA’s overall attitude to contactless payments. While other countries throughout the world have been using contactless payments for over a decade — the US most populous city has lagged far behind.
As the trickle of next-generation contactless payment methods become mainstream in the U.S., Americans will likely replicate Asian and European consumers who have adopted contactless as a way of life. The sparks of contactless payment revolution is apparent.
The below infographic outlines that contactless payments are on the rise in the USA:


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IKEA plans to improve AR shopping tools with help from Apple
You’ll be able to see how furniture fits in your home before committing to hours of assembly.
'Pokémon Go' to get raid battles and simplified gyms
The new gym system is rolling out today, while raid battles are "coming soon."
Meet the people behind Engadget's $500,000 immersive art grant
Just two weeks left to apply for a grant of up to $100,000.
In a bid to improve its service, Emirates introduces....AR
The airline jumps on the AR bandwagon in a gimmicky ploy to attract more passengers.
Inside The Mill’s mind-bending alternate reality art showcase
AR llamas, VR nightmares and a no-chill adventure in biometric relaxation.
Apple is the perfect anti-VR test case
Imagine a VR headset built just for the iPhone. Yeah, we can't either.
Andy Rubin's Essential is toying with the idea of smart glasses
Patents reveal that the company has ideas beyond smartphones and smart assistants.
VR headsets could soon be half the size of the Oculus Rift
Sunglass-sized virtual reality goggles may be closer than we think.
Give any VR headset mixed reality powers with this 3D camera
The depth-sensing ZED Mini is compatible with both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift.


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World’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, along with Gilera Motors Argentina, has expanded operations and inaugurated a dealership in Argentina.
The company had recently announced the revitalisation of its presence in Argentina by partnering with Gilera Motors. Gilera Motors Argentina will make new investments to rapidly expand all business operations for Hero MotoCorp’s world-class products.
This is expected to generate nearly 500 new jobs in the region. Gilera Motors Argentina has also expanded its plant in Carlos Spegazzini Province of Buenos Aires to completely renovate its infrastructure and adapt the latest automotive technologies incorporated in Hero MotoCorp products.
Hero MotoCorp and Gilera Motors Argentina also inaugurated a flagship dealership in Buenos Aires, where customers can experience the vehicle maker’s world-class products and services.
Sanjay Bhan, Head - Global Business, Hero MotoCorp, said, “We are happy to rapidly expand our operations in Argentina. We have already made significant progress since announcing our new association with Gilera Motors Argentina in October. With our soon-to-be-launched range of globally acclaimed products, we are confident of exciting the market and appealing to the customers.”
During the inauguration of the flagship dealership, Ramiro Di Liscia, Director, Gilera Motors Argentina, said, “Our association will have a multiplier effect on the local economy, generating investment and new direct and indirect jobs. We are adding nearly 500 new jobs already and expect more benefits to the local economy as we further expand our operations in the future.”
Commenting on the alliance, Omar Caruso, Vice President, Gilera Motors Argentina, said, “The new investment and new facilities that Gilera Motors Argentina is making will boost the industry in the country. Customers will also benefit from the latest technologies of Hero MotoCorp products such as the Xpulse 200 and Hunk 160R, which comply with Euro-3 and Euro-4 standards.”
Both the firms have an aggressive expansion plan that includes enlarging the sales and service network throughout the country. In addition, hero MotoCorp will soon introduce its world-class products in the country.


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Miraj Group has opened its 12th Super market in Sector 11, Hiranmagri Udaipur.
Miraj Retails, the retail arm of the well known Miraj Group from Nathdwara has won the ABP Business
Known for his roles as villain in Bollywood, actor Puneet Issar was recently in Nathdwara.
Miraj Group opened its 8th Mart in Udaipur city.
I work at Miraj Developers as their General Manager - Sales and Marketing. As the title suggests,
In the prevalent market scenario, where most projects in Udaipur are stranded for a plethora
On the night of Sharad Poornima yesterday, Miraj Group organized its yearly event 'Radha Raas
The grand wedding reception of Miraj Group’s CMD Madan Paliwal’s daughter was attended by number of h
Madan Paliwal, Managing Director of Miraj Group inaugurated the newly built packaging printing plant
Madan Paliwal, CMD, Miraj Group honored Mahendra Singh Dhoni and other members of Indian cricket


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Author: BC Writer
15 year old Joelle has been named the new face of Alopecia UK, a charitable organisation that campaigns to raise awareness of the hair loss condition. Joelle is herself affected by a rare form of Alopecia Areata, first losing her hair at the age of eight.
Within weeks of first noticing the hair loss Joelle had gone completely bald. However the hair loss did not stop there – eventually she lost all the hair on her body. Joelle is affected by the rarest form of Alopecia Areata – Alopecia Universalis – in which all hair on the body, including eyebrows and eyelashes, falls out.
Hiding the hair loss
As a young teenager, Joelle was subject to bullying by classmates who called her ‘cancer girl’, wrongly assuming she was losing her hair as a side-effect of chemotherapy. Like many young women affected by autoimmune-related hair loss conditions, she then took to wearing a wig in public to hide her bald head.
However at the age of 14 Joelle released a music video on YouTube, becoming an Internet sensation overnight. The 200,000 hits and ensuing acclaim provided the confidence boost Joelle needed to make piece with her condition and ditch the wig. She said: “I have accepted that Alopecia is a big part of my life, but it doesn’t define me.”
Moving forward, raising awareness
Joelle is now desperate to raise awareness of hairloss from autoimmune disorders to help other people affected by these conditions to overcome social stigmas.
“Hair loss in women has been ‘covered up’ by society, forcing women to hide it more, while it is acceptable for a grown man to be bald. The ultimate goal with all this publicity is to glean as much information about facts and figures, in the hope that more money will be spent on research and ultimately one day, a possible cure,” she was reported as saying.
Joelle’s new role as an Alopecia UK ambassador will see her working with the charity on high-profile projects designed to attract media attention and help ‘personalise’ the hair loss condition. Alopecia UK also works with a number of organisations to try and influence hair loss research planning for the benefit of its members. Alopecia UK actively canvasses people affected by hair loss to this end.
Currently, although Alopecia Areata Treatment can often tackle the mildest, scalp-only form, there are no truly reliable options for the more extreme phenotypes which cause baldness of the head, and from head to toe – including Alopecia Universalis.
The Belgravia Centre is an organisation specialising in hair growth and hair loss prevention with two clinics and in-house pharmacies in Central London, UK. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation with a hair loss expert or complete our Online Consultation Form from anywhere in the world. View our Hair Loss Success Stories, which includes the world’s largest gallery of hair growth comparison photos and demonstrates the levels of success that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 020 7730 6666 any time to arrange a free consultation.


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Home' Asian Aviation : AAV April 2014 Contents AsianAviation | APRIL 2014 35
These carriers have largely been attracted by the
system's low-weight but full capabilities. In particular,
the FTTS eliminates "bulky seat boxes" of other
installed systems that intrude into passenger foot
space. Lumexis says the FTTS is the lightest system
and installation weight available today at 2.27kg (5lb)
per passenger seat fully installed. Weight saving
has been achieved by using a new IFE architecture
including reducing the head-end box count and
weight; eliminating area distribution boxes, bulky seat
electronics boxes and separate passenger control
units; replacing heavy copper Ethernet cables with
fibre optics and minimising the weight of all boxes.
Zodiac Inflight Innovations (formerly IMS) has also
picked up its fair share of airline orders for its RAVE
system. RAVE has more than 20 airline customers
including Sri Lankan Airlines, Air Transat, EC Air,
Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines and
Air Niugini. Last year, the system was being installed
on aircraft at a rate of five per month.
Most recently, Zodiac revealed that Scandinavian
Airlines is RAVE's first line-fit customer, with RAVE to
be retrofitted on seven A330s and A340s and four
new aircraft. The system will be flying with SAS from
early 2015. Zodiac is pursuing other line-fit platforms,
as is Lumexis with the FTTS.
RAVE typically weighs around 2kg per seat, according
to Harry Gray, vice-president sales and marketing.
Weight-savings have been achieved through the
use of a seat-centric architecture rather than the
more traditional server-centric architecture of earlier
generation systems. RAVE comprises a single major
LRU in the seat; no distribution boxes or complex
head-end servers; a slim and low-weight seat display
that stores all of the content locally in removable SD
cards; and a single major LRU in the head-end.
DigEcor's GLIDE system, meanwhile, was
launched last year by US charter carrier Air
Transport International on its Boeing 757s, with the
system selected as it met ATI's cost, reliability and
functionality requirements. GLIDE is DigEcor's first
embedded system, with the manufacturer previously
focusing on portable players. As a result, GLIDE
benefits from the weight and simplicity advantages
of portables, weighing less than 2kg per seat.
DigEcor was acquired last year by Australian
company Total Aviation Solutions after the two
companies had worked together on the GLIDE
But if it's a wireless system you want to allow
passengers to use their own devices onboard
there's another whole heap of choices, in addition
to the Thales AVA and Panasonic eXW. Lufthansa
Systems' BoardConnect, for example, in service
with Condor, Lufthansa, Virgin Australia and Virgin
America, allows passengers to log on to the airline's
entertainment portal and watch content on their
own familiar devices, or airline-supplied consumer
devices. Most recently the system was selected by
El Al Israeli Airlines for 10 737s and two 767s.
Unlike traditional IFE systems with complicated
wiring to each seat, BoardConnect is based on a
WLAN with two to five access points in the cabin
and cabling to connect the access points to the
server. Content is streamed to passenger devices,
with the system supporting iOS, Android, Windows
8, conventional Windows or Apple devices.
Compared to a traditional IFE system, installed on
a 767, BoardConnect is 500kgs lighter which can
save around 80 tons of fuel a year, according to the
Meanwhile, solutions that deploy consumer devices in-
flight such as the Apple iPad continue to prove popular
with airlines. Bluebox, for example, has 17 customers
for its iPad solution, with the latest customers being
Hawaiian Airlines and Etihad. In March, the company
announced that Bangkok Airways is the latest to put
Bluebox's Ai portable solution into service, with the
Thai carrier using the iPad Mini for its business class
passengers. Bluebox has been particularly successful
in the Asia-Pacific region, where customers include
Jetstar, Bangkok Airways, Scoot, Thai Airways
International and Garuda, with the scale of the region
meaning it is perfectly suited to an iPad solution, says
Alan McInnes, business development manager.
The next step for Bluebox is its WiFi streaming
solution, the European launch customer for which is
currently testing the system on a 737 ahead of a full
fleet solution, says McInnes.
With such a wealth of choices on offer, and more
under development, there's no need to be bored on
a flight in the future.
DigEcor was acquired last year by
Australian company Total Aviation
Solutions after the two companies had
worked together on the GLIDE system
Zodiac's RAVE has more than 20 airline customers.
Singapore Airlines launched Panasonic's new eX3 system on its 777-300ERs last year.
Links Archive AAV March 2014 AAV May 2014 Navigation Previous Page Next Page


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The upcoming live-action version is due for theaters on March 27, 2020, and also stars Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jet Li and Jason Scott Lee.
The life and legacy of Walt Disney
It’s the latest Disney classic to be turned into a live-action flick. Among the others are “Dumbo” and “Aladdin,” which both premiered this year. Meanwhile, a new version of “The Lion King” featuring lifelike, computer-animated characters opens July 19.


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Ghana: Multichoice launches new product in Kumasi
After extensive marketing research to meet customers' needs, MultiChoice Africa, operators of Digital Satellite television (DStv) in the continent, has launched a new product called "family bouquet".
The product, which comprises over twenty (20) great television channels, is aimed at creating a platform for families in Africa to live in harmony by watching a variety of TV programmes that are family-unit-based.
To herald this good news, the "family bouquet" product was launched in Kumasi at Adum Post Office Square under the distinguished chairmanship of Mrs. Judith Agyeman, Manageress of Kapital Radio, after a two-hour float through the principal streets of the metropolis.
Samuel Baimbill-Johnson, General Manager of MultiChoice Ghana, who assured subscribers of DStv of quality premium services, said the new product requires a monthly subscription of GH¢17.90 to enjoy it always without any hitch for new customers.
"DStv will continue to provide a world class programmes preferred by our subscribers and this new product comes up with premium sport, movie, news, music and kiddy channels that are good for Ghana's family unit", he stated.
The MultiChoice Manager told The Chronicle in an interview after the launch that the company hoped to expand its currant subscription base from 14,000 to 18,000 by the end of March 2008, hoping to achieve this through door-to-door advertisement and other mass media.
(Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra), 18 July 2007)


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The Vice President for Business Operations at BTC.com has today confirmed that they will be teaming up with Huawei to launch a crypto app that will allow mobile phone users to download Bitcoin wallets. Alejandro de la Torre went on to say that the app would be available for download on Friday, with the new Huawei AppGallery pre-installed on all new Huawei and Honor phones. The roll-out for older devices expected in the near future.
Cornering the Chinese Market
Huawei is already the best-selling mobile provider in China, and the third-biggest worldwide. However, their own app store – AppGallery – is giving them even more of a market share in the world’s most-populated country, as the government has banned Android’s Google Play store and large parts of the iTunes store. And BTC.com are no small fry themselves, controlling the world’s largest BTC mining pool.
This latest move signals a rising trend towards the crypto-sphere from Huawei, who launched their own blockchain-as-a-service platform barely a month ago. And the launch of AppGallery is likely to bring around a number of exciting new opportunities for Huawei users – including plenty of blockchain and crypto options.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos
To what extent do you think Huawei have stolen a march on their rivals, such as Samsung? Let us know your thoughts.


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Mazda is one of the automakers that have confirmed their heavy committed to internal combustion engines despite the ongoing electrification process in the industry. The Japanese company believes gasoline, diesel, and rotary engines are still a cleaner solution in terms of CO2 emissions and these powertrain options will remain its main focus in the coming years.
This relatively conservative approach will be mixed with much more progressive design philosophy. Mazda’s European design boss, Jo Stenuit, recently told Autocar the manufacturer has no plans to adopt the so-called Russian doll styling approach and will instead give each new model its own identity.
“Every car that comes will clearly be a Mazda, but the way we execute the reflection of surfaces will be different in each car,” Stenuit told the British publication.
Simply put, expect to see more of the beautiful lines of the new Mazda3 in all the bigger cars that are coming from the brand but don’t look for the exact same exterior design. And, yes – one might think this design language will perfectly suit a hot hatch from Mazda but, unfortunately, the marque is not open to resurrecting the MPS badge for the newly-launched model.
Looking at Mazda’s plans, it’s probably safe to say the company's executives don’t have a clear vision of what should come out next. An RX rotary sports car is ruled out, as is an all-electric sports car. However, everyone at Mazda seems to be dreaming of a rotary performance vehicle but the current “business environment” is not allowing the automaker to build it right now. Meanwhile, a new crossover designed especially for the U.S. market is expected to join the lineup and to be produced at a new $1.6-billion factory Mazda is building together with Toyota in Alabama.


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26 May 2022
The LAPD buy a $1.2 million electric fire truck
The Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) has deployed the first fully electric fire truck in North America. This truck was made by the Austrian manufacturers Rosenbauer and have named the new fire truck the Rosenbauer RTX (revolutionary technology). The truck suits the name by being revolutionary compared to other fire trucks as it is not just a new fancy electric vehicles. This truck has two electric motors which produces 369kW at peak performance and 260 kW continuous, which equates to 490 hp and 350 hp. It doesn’t just go fast either, it can seat seven firefighters and is able to carry 1000 feet of hosing as well as store 500 to 750 gallons of water which can be shot out at 750 gallons per minute at a normal pressure or 1,500 per minute at a high pressure. The truck also has a range extender which is a 3.0 litre, 300 hp BMW diesel six-cylinder which is connected to a generator to pump up the batteries. The truck is also smaller than other American standard fire trucks making it easier to manoeuvre.
The LAFD will be the first fire department in the country to deploy a fully electric vehicle and the fourth in the world. They are very excited about the opportunities that this new vehicle will create like how it will reduce noise pollution and reduce emissions. Though this is a very exciting time for the people of Los Angeles, what is good to know is that this new vehicle cost $1.2 million.


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Macerich’s Kings Plaza kicks off Fashion Week Brooklyn
Macerich’s Kings Plaza, Brooklyn’s premier shopping destination, is set to host the opening ceremony for Fashion Week Brooklyn, starting Saturday, March 25, at 2:30 p.m. Guests can expect to see the hottest trends from Kings Plaza retailers on the runway featuring models selected from the Kings Plaza Casting Calls. “Kings Plaza is proud to host the opening ceremony of Brooklyn’s premier fashion event here at Brooklyn’s premier shopping destination,” said Dawn Simon, Area Senior Marketing Manager, Macerich.
“Focusing on fashion is natural for Kings Plaza and we invite the community to experience this incredible event dedicated to celebrating designers from all over the world.”
Fashion Week Brooklyn (FW|BK) is a bi-annual international collection show founded by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit BK|Style Foundation (BK|SF). FW|BK has emerged as one of the leading fashion events showcasing the talent of aspiring and established designers from across the globe. This year, the following elected officials will make a guest appearance as models: Assembly Member Latrice Walker, Assembly Member Pamela Harris and Senator Jesse Hamilton. Attendees include a diverse spectrum of socially conscious, influential, fashion-forward men and women.


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(REUTERS) - Suzuki will return to the MotoGP championship in 2015, the Japanese manufacturer announced ahead of a test of its prototype motorcycle in Spain on Monday.
Suzuki, who won 500cc world titles with the likes of Briton Barry Sheene, and Americans Kevin Schwantz and Kenny Roberts Jr, pulled out in 2011 saying they needed to reduce costs in the face of a global economic downturn.
They said at the time that they hoped to return in 2014.
The manufacturer joined an official MotoGP test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Monday and said in a statement that they would continue to test inside and outside Japan after that.
"Suzuki Motor Corporation will participate again in MotoGP racing from 2015," it added.
Italian Davide Brivio, Valentino Rossi's former boss at Yamaha, will manage the test team with Frenchman Randy de Puniet serving as their development rider on the 1,000cc machine.
Suzuki's return will give MotoGP at least four major manufacturers in the top category, with Honda, Yamaha and Ducati all present. Kawasaki pulled out in 2009.


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Originally posted on Welcome to Barbrah Musamba Chama Mumba's Blog:
They started with nothing. Now each of them has changed the world in some way. Take a break from your stressful day to be inspired by some of the… Continue reading 6 Startups With the Most Humble Beginnings and the Greatest Successes
Originally posted on Grist:
Norway, you already stole our hearts by divesting from coal. Now, on top of that, electric cars account for a third of your new vehicle registrations, which is the greatest proportion of purchases in the world, according to… Continue reading Norway’s approach to electric cars pays off in a big way
Originally posted on Ascom Network Testing Blog:
Whether they’re landing on the lawn of the White House, assisting in counterterrorism, or delivering your online orders, drones seem to be almost everywhere. These versatile machines are lauded for their optimization, proving… Continue reading 2015 – Year of the Drones?
Originally posted on The Daily Mack Attack:
Technology is defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. It is becoming extremely clear that our reliance on technology is becoming detrimental to our success and health. Entire organizations are brought… Continue reading Are we relying too heavily on technology?


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We've got only 51 days to go till we ring in the new decade! Not so thrilled? We feel you. Starting a new era can surely stir a mix of emotions in us, but the good news is there are a lot of exciting things to look forward to. For one, the theme for next year's Met Gala may be the most relatable yet and we're already excited to see how it will pan out. There's also the release of anticipated movies like Mulan, Black Widow and A Quiet Place II. Keep reading to know more about what to expect in the coming days.
Met Gala 2020 theme is very 'timely'
Takashimaya x Temasek Polytechnic's School of Design
Getting ready for the gifting season? Check out Takashimaya's collab with Temasek Polytechnic's School of Design for festive gift wrap options. Third-year students from the institution were invited to design the shopping mall's Christmas packaging for 2019. To showcase the creative designs, there will be an upcoming exhibition that will be situated at the atrium of Takashimaya Shopping Centre. It will remain open to the public until 21 November. Follow their Instagram account for updates.
G-DRAGON's Nike Air Force 1 "Para-noise" is about to launch
Sneakerheads, rejoice! G-DRAGON's hotly-anticipated Nike Air Force 1 "Para-noise" sneaker is about to be launched. With an upper fabrication that features a black painted overlay designed to slowly wear away over time to reveal a personal artwork created by the hip-hop icon, this pair is really a unique gem that will add value to your shoe collection. Exact details of the launch are yet to be released, but what we do know is that in Singapore it will be available via an online raffle at Dover Street Market.
adidas x MISSONI
For quite some time now, luxury brands have been dipping their toes in streetwear territory and it looks like the trend is going strong. Sportswear label adidas has been making some major advances in this fashion category. Following the success of their limited-edition line of Ultraboosts, adidas has partnered with MISSONI to give their Pulseboost a space-dyed makeover that will feature the Italian fashion house's iconic pattern. Aside from that, adidas is also rumoured to have another luxury sneaker collab next month with Prada. How exciting, right?


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By RYAN GORMAN
The founder of a revenge website that went viral sold the business within days of launching it.
Mathew Carpenter auctioned off Ship Your Enemies Glitter for a tidy sum of $85,000 this week after launching the site last week and becoming swamped with orders.
The 22-year-old, from Australia, sold the site via Flippa, an online marketplace that allows people to sell start-ups, domains and other website-related tools.
Bidding hit $70,000 within hours of the site, which referred to glitter as "the herpes of the craft world," being put up for sale, according to the Guardian. It stalled and then shot up another $15,000 to the final asking price.
Carpenter claims he earned $20,000 in the short time his site was accepting orders, according to the auction listing. More than 2.5 million people visited the website in its first four days.
He soon became overwhelmed and took to the ProductHunt forum begging people to leave him alone.
"Hi guys, I'm the founder of this website. Please stop buying this horrible glitter product - I'm sick of dealing with it. Sincerely, Mat," the glitter shipper wrote.
The site was then closed for orders, but those already placed will still be fulfilled, Carpenter told the Guardian. Carpenter charged glitter bombers $9.99 per envelope.
Ship Your Enemies Glitter went viral because of hilarious marketing copy that greeted people visiting the site.
"We f*****g hate glitter," the site claims. "People call it the herpes of the craft world.
"What we hate more, though, are the soulless people who get their jollies off by sending glitter in envelopes."
Multiple testimonials claimed to show customers happy with their glitter-stuffed envelopes being sent to foes.
"I bought this for my husband, he opened the mail before work & got it everywhere! He had to change, was late for work & might be getting fired, LOL!" wrote a woman named Grandy Chambers.
Other testimonials included a man claiming his wife left him over the glitter and another saying that sniffing glitter gave him a bloody nose.
It is not known if the site will resume taking orders once it changes hands.


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NYC saw a rise of 5,000 cases of catalytic converter thefts in just one year.
Los Angeles has seen an increase in the issue too, with "thefts on the daily."
Palladium, one of the precious metals found in the "cats" may soon become even rarer.
There has been a stark rise in catalytic converter thefts across the country since 2019 and there's a chance Russia could make it worse.
According to National Insurance Crime Bureau data, thefts surged 1,215% between 2019 and 2022. The converters, also referred to as "cats," contain valuable metals such as rhodium, palladium, and platinum. The part, which The New York Times says looks like a "metal hot water bottle," uses chemicals to turn harmful emissions like carbon monoxide and other gases into steam.
Palladium — which is extracted from other mined minerals like nickel and is more expensive than gold — is a key component in the converters. According to BBC, the global demand for palladium outweighs the supply.
Each of the metals has faced supply chain issues since the pandemic occurred, but Russia may limit its imports of palladium, according to the Times. As of March 2022, Russia is responsible for exporting approximately 40% of the world's palladium, the Times reported, citing Moody Analytics.
Jonathan Barratt, CEO of CelsiusPro in Australia, told CNBC in June last year that it's likely Russia could limit global palladium imports which would bump up prices.
As the National Automobile Dealers Association says, the converters are easy to steal and hard to track.
"Catalytic converters are easy to steal, but generally very difficult to trace to a specific vehicle, allowing them to be sold on the black market. The lack of traceable identifying marks makes the theft of catalytic converters difficult to curb," a NADA press release says.
According to NICB, people who turn in the cats to recycling facilities can grab up to $50 to $250 each.
New York City has seen a huge spike in thefts, jumping from 2,070 in 2021 to 7,000 in 2022, the New York Times reported, citing the New York Police Department.
"The NYPD has developed an etching program that allows individuals to etch a code/number to a catalytic converter and then link that code to a website where it can be tracked," the NYPD told Insider in a statement. "The etching allows police to trace the part back to the car and owner, making it less attractive for thieves to steal."
Los Angeles has a similar problem and has also hosted etching events for the same purpose.
"Just this year alone, we've seen a huge increase," a detective with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department told KTLA on Saturday, adding that the component can be stolen in under three minutes. "I'd say we have thefts on the daily. It's an unfortunate thing that we're trying to reduce."
LASD, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and the National Automobile Dealers Association did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Read the original article on Business Insider


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May 9, 2011 by staff
Roger Hargreaves, Google is celebrating what would have been the 76th birthday of children’s author Roger Hargreaves with a series of squiggles that represent characters from the homepage of the popular Mr. Men and Little Miss books.
Doodlers Google have created more than a dozen versions of the company logo with cartoon characters from the books of Hargreaves, from Little Miss and Mr. Tickle Mr. Happy and dirty sir.
Hargreaves career as an author of children’s books began in 1971 when his son asked: “What does a tickle look like?” To explain, Hargreaves created the Mr Tickle, a little orange man with a big smile, the little blue hat, and very long arms. That led to five other characters-Mr. Greedy, Mr Nosey, Happy, Mr. Bump, and Mr. sneeze-books published for the first time on August 10, 1971.
The books were an immediate success, selling over a million copies in the first three years. In the mid 70′s, books Hargreaves became a cartoon series of the BBC, which was narrated by British actor Arthur Lowe. In 1981, the Little Miss series appeared, and became a BBC series in 1983.
Hargreaves died in 1988 after suffering a stroke. In 2004 his family sold the rights to Mr. Men and Little Miss characters and by about 45.7 million chorion, which produces the “Noddy” series of books for children. According Chorion, however, son Adam Hargreaves, who first inspired by his father’s books, now writes and illustrates the series.
Chorion said that the simplicity of the series appeals to all readers. It celebrated its 40th birthday this year, according to the editorial, a Mr. Men book is sold every 2.5 seconds around the world.
A complete diagram of Mr. Men and Little Miss characters can be found on the website of Mr. Men. To see all the doodles from today Hargreaves, click through the previous submission.
Google has made news for his own scribbles on the company website, for its part, including a drawing interactive underwater-themed in honor of the 183rd birthday of author Jules Verne and 17 holiday-themed doodles that live for two days in December.
Recently, it was revealed that Google received a patent for its popular home page scribbles that cover “systems and methods for enticing users to access a Web site.”
Please feel free to send if you have any questions regarding this post , you can contact on
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are that of the authors and not necessarily that of U.S.S.POST.


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The London-based financial technology startup will enable customers in the United States to transfer money via its platform using Apple Pay.
iPhone and iPad users will now be able to quickly send funds via Apple Pay without having to add payments card or bank account data. So far, the option has been limited only to users in the UK.
“It’s much more convenient to do it this way,” Gregory Talon, consumer product lead at TransferWise, told Reuters. “Because you don’t have to type any of your card details it limits the risk of having somebody watching what you are doing.”
According to TransferWise, since adding Apple Pay support in the UK, more than 10% of iOS transactions have been realized via the app.
Launched in 2011, TransferWise is one of the largest and well-funded fintech companies in Europe. It is supported by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, and PayPal founder Max Levchin.
TransferWise aims to make it easier for businesses and customers to conduct cross-border payments. The company now processes over $1.2 billion each month in 40 different currencies and 750 currency routes.
TransferWise plans to launch Apple Pay integration in other countries during the year, including France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Australia.
A week ago, the company announced that its two co-founders, Taavet Hinrikus and Kristo Kaarmann, have swapped their positions as chairman and chief executive officer. Hinrikus will take the role of chairman, while Kaarmann will serve as CEO of the money transfer startup.
TransferWise’s previous partners include Germany-based startup Number26. The companies teamed up in 2016 to enable users of the banking app to make international money transfers via TransferWise platform.
Earlier this year, the company introduced “Borderless accounts” to let businesses to have a local bank account in up to 15 countries, accept and send money transfers, without having to step foot there.
A couple of days ago, Apple Pay’s main competitor, Android Pay, announced the roll out of the platform in Spain. The payment system will allow customers to use their Visa and MasterCard debit or credit card with BBVA in order to pay with their mobile phones. At first, the payment option will become available only to BBVA customers, but Google claims that more partners will be added to the network in the coming months. Prior to launching the service in Spain, Google made it available in Japan, the US, Russia, Canada, and Taiwan.


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A dissident shareholder is taking another swing at the management of Topps Co., as the bubblegum and baseball card company struggles to emerge from a longtime financial slump.
Pembridge Capital Management, a Manhattan-based hedge fund, has launched its second proxy fight in the past year against Topps' management, arguing that the company failed to follow through on promises to sell it's confectionary business or take other steps to boost operating profit.
"These guys just don't have what it takes to make this company profitable," said Pembridge President Timothy Brog.
Pembridge argued that the current board of directors at Topps has overseen a declining stock price, misuse of the balance sheet, poor corporate governance, poor operating performance and egregious salaries and bonuses.
Earlier this month, Topps reported an operating loss of $2.3 million, or 6 cents a share, its first annual loss since 1997.
The hedge fund said its nominees would explore everything from a sale of the entire company to a large special dividend or a significant stock buyback along with other cost-cutting measures.
Pembridge is nominating Mr. Brog, John Jones, former senior vice president and general counsel at Argosy Gaming Co., of Alton, Ill., and Eric Newman, president of Hoopeston Foods Inc., in Bloomington, Minn., to become part of the Topps board of directors at the 2006 annual meeting.
The fund has also proposed amendments that would also permit stockholders to remove directors and allow stockholders who own 15% of outstanding common stock to call a special meeting of stockholders.


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Coincidence or Exodus? According to the Associated Press, a second company is pulling gift cards from New Jersey shelves in response to that state's unclaimed property requirements. According to the article, Atlanta based InComm (which provides Visa, Macy's, iTunes and other gift cards to more than 2,500 retail locations) is leaving New Jersey at the end of June. InComm, like AmEx before it, has cited compliance with New Jersey's unclaimed property law (which requires sellers to collect purchaser name and address information at the point of sale) as the reason for the withdrawal.
UPDATE (5:15pm): According to an additional AP article, a third card seller, Blackhawk Network, has joined the exodus.


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How we are living in the UK is in a state of flux. The events of the last two years are continuing to have an impact on just about every industry – and motoring is still feeling the effects.
With the rising costs of fuel and reduced levels of car production making the headlines, it’s easy to see even from a brief glance that things aren’t where they once were. So, what’s next for motoring? Where are we heading?
UK average car price increase
Everything is going up in price. New cars have always been costly compared to their second-hand counterparts, but we’re seeing prices soaring for the latest models.
Our instinctive reaction to that would usually be to go and investigate the used car market These models have always been a great option as their age and depreciation levels make them affordable, especially if you bag a bargain that’s two years old and nearly new.
However, used cars are also going up in price in line with everything else. Some models are seeing bigger leaps in price than others though, so it’s worth taking a look around your local forecourt to see if it’s a case of a £500 or £5,000 difference.
Supply and demand issues
One of the main reasons why car prices are rising is because of supply chain issues. One part, in particular, that’s impacted the industry is a computer chip. Largely down to the impact of covid on the workforce, there’s a global shortage of these semiconductors that are crucial for everything from infotainment screens to fuel management.
Luxury vehicles are especially reliant on these chips as advanced trims will have high tech safety systems, parking sensors, and other driver assistance features.
Without parts like these, car production is grinding to a halt. This is slowing things down and making existing cars more valuable – and therefore more expensive.
Inflation and decreased purchasing power
Of course, another major contributing factor is inflation. The best economics books will explain why. Inflation levels have risen significantly recently. In autumn 2021, the Bank of England announced that it could rise to 5% – over double the target rate of 2%. By February 2022, it was at 7%.
This rise is hitting every area of our lives. And it seems that we’re looking at ways to make sure we’re not overspending on our motors, as seen in March when new car sales fell by 14% year on year.
Ultimately, we’re losing our purchasing power and until the economy rights itself, the auto industry will continue to be just another sector that’s feeling the fallout the last 24 months.


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, a costume design and manufacturing company, has announced a new multiyear contract with
(MGA), a toy and entertainment company, to design, manufacture and distribute costumes and dress-up accessories around the globe for MGA’s brands, including L.O.L. Surprise!, Rainbow High, Little Tikesand Bratz.
“We have prior experience collaborating with MGA Entertainment and are well aware of the immense popularity of their brands in retail, as well as the fervor for dressing up as these characters,” says Tara Cortner, president and general manager, Disguise. “We have exciting and innovative ideas for these lines, and you can look forward to seeing them in stores and online all over the world later this year.”
“We are pleased to be extending our relationship with Disguise,” says Mindy Puente-Escalera, senior vice president, global licensing, MGA Entertainment. “Their attention to detail and creative ideas for costumes and dress-up bring a new level of interactive play to
Disguise’s costumes and accessories for MGA Entertainment brandswill be available online, at major retailers and specialty stores worldwide this year.
See MGA Entertainment at
, taking place on June 13-15 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas.
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For the first time in Zen era, entry-level AMD Athlon APUs get four cores.
Modern laptops sometimes come without an Ethernet port, but OWC’s Thunderbolt 3 10G adapter can add a 10 GbE connector to your PC or Mac.
Pine64 has a smartphone that can work as a handset and as a Linux PC, just plug in a couple of cables.
Huawei axing its HiSilicon chip operations may be good for China’s semiconductor industry, analyst says.
Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K promises unprecedented video quality for today and a headroom for tomorrow.
A CPU maker from China has introduced a new quad-core 64-bit ARMv8 processor for desktops and notebooks. Should AMD and Intel worry?
Tencent Security finds many fast-charging devices had safety issues which could damage smartphones or laptops.
Kano’s 2nd Generation Windows 10 PC features a new SoC and comes pre-installed Kano’s Software Studio that connects computing to practical projects, history, and the arts.
Intel should stop supporting ‘special-case’ AVX-512 instructions and focus on general-purpose FPU and GPU instead, Linux founder says.
With its 1,472 independent IPU cores and nearly 60 billion transistors, Graphcore’s Colossus MK2 GC200 IPU is the industry’s most complex processor ever designed.
The first DDR5 systems boasting 4800 Mbps DRAM data transfer rates are expected to be available in 2021 or 2022.
Mythic Beasts says its Raspberry Pi 4 server performs substantially better than AWS’s Arm instances at a much lower price, but there is a caveat.
Barcelona Supercomputer Center gives a sneak peek inside its MareNostrum machine from the comfort of your home.


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Lenovo has begun to ship the highest-end models of its ThinkPad X60 tablet, which have been delayed for more than two months because of supply issues.
According to a post on the Lenovo corporate blog, the company has resumed shipments of those tablets equipped with a SXGA+ display, and expects to complete the majority of orders by Feb. 8, for those who ordered a fixed configuration.
Configure-to-order shipments will possibly be delayed further, according to Tim Supples, one of the writers in the Inside the Box blog.
"I apologize for the silence these last few days, but with the rapidly changing picture in the last 48 hours, I wanted to wait until I could share something solid. I'm sorry for the delays surrounding these orders and thank you for your loyalty to Lenovo," Supples wrote.
He emphasized that the shipments applied only to U.S. customers.
Originally, Supples and Lenovo blamed a shortage of panels for the delay, according to a post Supples blogged in the beginning of January. "[I]t turned out that the panel in question was still experiencing a shortage, and we had to bump our delivery dates," Supples wrote. "We expect to be shipping ThinkPad X60 Tablet PCs again in bunches this month," he added.


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SUV Review: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai's latest Santa Fe takes some big steps forward in all key areas, promising to be a top contender in a hot segment
Through four generations, it has been a strong contender in the hot crossover market — and now, for 2019, the Hyundai Santa Fe has been completely reworked. The introduction is set to change the lineup significantly.
To begin, the next-gen Santa Fe shares its platform with the Kia Sorento and its 2,765-millimetre wheelbase, which is up 65 from outgoing Sport model. This brings more room and better driving characteristics. Down the road, the new model will be offered as a seven-seat version but for now, the current Santa Fe XL soldiers on as the three-row ride for 2019 until the flagship Palisade rolls out next year as a 2020 model.
At first blush, the Santa Fe’s reworked exterior has an unusual look — what appear to be the headlights are, in fact, the daytime running lights. The headlights sit lower and look more like oversized fog lights. The issue is that when the lights are mounted so low, they’re prone to collecting debris — both required a wipe after the first dalliance with snow. That aside, the Santa Fe is a good looker. Yes, it’s still a two-box design, but it does have a more modern look than many of its peers.
Beneath the brightwork, there is a better set of mechanicals — well, for the most part, anyway. The Santa Fe’s engines remain pretty much unchanged. The starting point is a 2.4L four-cylinder that pushes 185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque through a new eight-speed automatic transmission, to either the front or all four wheels.
The better choice, however, is the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder. It fires a healthy 235 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque through the same slick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission and a decent all-wheel-drive system.
Hyundai’s HTRAC system changes its operating strategy, according to the drive mode selected. In Comfort mode, it’s pretty much a front-driver for fuel economy reasons. The best mode is Sport; under normal driving, it splits the power 63/37 front/rear, but can send up to 50 per cent of the power rearward when needed, giving the Santa Fe a sportier feel when pushed. Smart mode picks the best split according to the conditions and sensor input — it’s a little too conservative when it comes to being aggressive, though.
The powertrain combinations bring vastly different levels of performance. It takes the base engine some 10 seconds to get the Santa Fe to 100 km/h, which in not going to make your pulse quicken. Conversely, the turbo-four gets the riders to the same speed in 7.8 seconds. The difference is larger than it appears on paper — the base engine begins to struggle in the upper mid-range, while the turbo is paying its biggest dividend. The penalty for the better performance is extra fuel economy — just about an additional one litre per every 100 kilometres driven. That said, the one thing both engines have in common is so-so fuel economy.
The Santa Fe’s ride quality is very good without impinging on the handling characteristics. Large road imperfections are dealt with in stride, yet a fast run down a looping on-ramp saw the amount of roll limited to a few degrees. Steering feel was crisp, and when in Sport mode, the all-wheel-drive gave the Santa Fe a substantial feel. No, this isn’t a sports car, but it does have noticeably better on-road comportment and sharper responses than the outgoing Santa Fe.
Inside, the rework puts quality materials and lots of functionality at the driver’s disposal. The instrumentation is clean and customizable to a degree, while the eight-inch infotainment touchscreen — the lesser models get a seven-inch display — gives easy access to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and on this particular tester, a solid GPS navigation system. The days of a dull are finally fading — at least when it comes to Hyundai’s interior design and execution.
Of course, there is the right sort of utility. This five-seat version has enough rear seat space to accommodate two adults in comfort and a third person should the need arise. It also has plenty of room for luggage: Cargo capacity measures 1,016 litres with the seats upright — more than the Ford Edge — and 2,019 litres with the lot folded flat. The area is accessed through a power liftgate, but the real plus is the privacy cover — it has its home spot beneath the trunk floor, so it can be stowed onboard when not needed, rather than being left in the garage to collect dust.
One of the better moves is found in the allotment of safety equipment. Forward-collision alert with automatic braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beams and a drowsy-driver detector is standard on all models, save for the base. Many other manufacturers might be wise to follow suit.
The latest Hyundai Santa Fe takes some big steps forward in all key areas — it has more space, better functionality, a solid turbocharged engine and decent driving dynamics. The sum of the improvements means it will be a top contender is a hotly contested segment.


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Microsoft is officially launching Windows 7! If you’ve been using the beta and release candidate for a almost a year already, then maybe today will be just another day. If, however, you’ve just received your party pack, or upgrade box, or just bought a shiny new machine.
Boxes of the new OS hit stores worldwide. But most consumers won’t be upgrading, they’ll use Windows 7 when they buy a new computer. PCs running Windows 7 also are on sale starting, well, now.


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Portage County residents have a brand-new Mexican restaurant to try out — Coyote Mexican Grill and Cantina, located at 2500 Route 59 in Franklin Township.
Owned by Jaime Angel and managed by his brother Ramiro Angel, the restaurant is largely a family operation, as is its sister restaurant near Chagrin Falls.
“The menu every day has fresh food of good quality,” said Ramiro. “Also, I think that the portions for each person are very good for the price.”
He said the location along Route 59 midway between Kent and Ravenna is a solid spot for the restaurant.
“Route 59 has a lot of traffic,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for people driving to have lunch. The location is very good because you have Walmart, the apartments and the children’s hospital.”
Server Lucero Angel said she believes it’s close enough to Kent to attract students, as well.
“We thought it was a nice place because the college is close,” she said. “On the weekends it’s been really busy, but it’s been a little quieter on the weekdays.”
Ramiro said some of the popular menu items, which are all from family recipes, are pork carnitas and coyote fajitas.
The pork carnitas includes slow-roasted pork served on flour tortillas with lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeños, rice and beans, and the coyote fajitas features steak, chicken and shrimp served on a sizzling hot plate with rice, beans, salad, source cream pico de gallo and tortillas on the side.
The menu also includes submenus of chicken, steak, seafood and vegetarian entrees, as well as a variety of combination options.
The dessert menu features a variety of items, including flan, a Mexican custard in vanilla syrup with whipped cream, and xango, a cheesecake wrapped in a flour tortilla, deep fried and served with vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Other dessert items include fried ice cream, el canelo, sopapilla and churros.
Ramiro said he will likely set a grand opening celebration in the future. He also said he’s planning to offer karaoke on Saturday evenings, which have been popular at the family’s Chagrin Falls restaurant.
For more information, call 330-968-3894 or visit www.coyotemexican.com.
Reporter Bob Gaetjens can be reached at 330-541-9440, [email protected] or @bobgaetjens_rpc.
Source: Thanks https://www.record-courier.com/news/20200127/new-mexican-restaurant-family-affair


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- Related Games:
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
A new XCOM game has been announced and it’s got a wonderful surprise. For the first time ever, XCOM: Chimera Squad will let you play as aliens. Best of all, you won’t have to wait too long to play it — it’s arriving before the end of the month on Steam.
XCOM: Chimera Squad takes place 20 years after the conclusion of XCOM 2. A new society has emerged where humans, aliens, and hybrids living together in harmony… mostly. Not everyone is on board with the new normal, and it’s your job to protect this fragile new peace.
The announcement (via Gematsu) notes that there will be 11 distinct agents for your team, each of which will have their own unique personality. Classes can be tuned to fit your strategy, and the developers have aimed to really amp up the action with more intense missions.
Best of all, this new XCOM game won’t break the bank. You can pre-purchase XCOM: Chimera Squad on Steam right now for $9.99, a stellar 50% discount off of its normal price of $19.99. This all-new XCOM adventure launches on April 24, 2020.


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Volkswagen AG Q1 profit declinesUpdated: 2013-04-25 09:52
A new Volkswagen car is seen at the Shanghai auto show, April 21, 2013. The German auto manufacturer announced on Wednesday that its profit in the first quarter of 2013 shrank due to weak demands from European market. [Photo / Xinhua]
BERLIN - German auto manufacturer Volkswagen AG announced on Wednesday that its profit in the first quarter of 2013 shrank due to weak demands from European market.
Compared with the same period of last year, its earning before interest and tax in the first quarter of 2013 fell by 26 percent to 2.3 billion euros ($3 billion). Net profit saw an even larger drop of 38.2 percent to 1.95 billion euros.
Sales revenue declined by 1.6 percent year-on-year to 46.6 billion euros, negatively affected by declining European markets, according to the Wolfsburg-based company.
"As expected, business in the first quarter was dominated by the difficult economic environment. The markets were sluggish, especially in Europe, and not least in Germany," said Martin Winterkorn, chairman of Volkswagen Mangement Board.
The company said it was confident in its performance for the rest of this year. However, it was "not completely immune to the intense competition and the impact this has on business."
Volkswagen expected its sales revenue in 2013 to exceed the prior year figure, while its goal for operating profit was just to match the prior year level, giving the ongoing uncertainty in the economic environment.
According to European Automobile Manufactures' Association, European demand for new passenger cars in March was on the decline for the 18th consecutive month, totaling 1,307,107 units. Over the first quarter of 2013, new car registrations amounted to 2,989,486 units, or 9.8 percent less than in the first three months of 2012.
Earlier on Wednesday, another German auto manufacture Daimler AG announced that its net profit amounted to 564 million euros, dropping by 60 percent on the first quarter of 2012. The reason, according to the Mercedes-Benz maker, was the worse-than-expected development of many markets, "especially in Western Europe."
Both companies put their hope in other markets, such as China and the United States. Thanks to strong growth in China, Volkswagen's first-quarter auto delivery to customers increased by 4.8 percent year-on-year to 2.3 million vehicles.
According to Daimler's estimates, worldwide demand for cars should grow in the range of 2 percent to 4 percent this year, driven primarily by the ongoing strong growth in demand in the US and the further expanding Chinese market.
"However, as a result of the continuing economic weakness, a decline is again expected in the Western European market. Demand will thus continue to move around a 20-year low," the company warned in a statement.


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The garden center industry has undergone several significant changes since we launched our annual State of the Industry Report ten years ago. Annuals and perennials remain bread and butter for most of IGC in the United States and Canada, but other segments are beginning to show significant growth as new customers create new demand.
Houseplants continue their upward trend, with more IGCs than ever operating a houseplants and tropical plants sector. Houseplants are also the garden center’s second fastest-growing product category this year, and he’s just barely dropped from number one last year.
Over the past decade, more garden centers have raised their prices more than ever, and the rate is much higher. Increased supply and higher costs, combined with inflation, are causing the majority to raise prices more than ever before. This year he has over 90% of his IGC price increase, whereas five years ago he was 71%. Finding quality staff and managing high labor costs remains the biggest hurdle for independent garden centers this year, topping the list of biggest challenges for the fifth year in a row. This may be partly due to higher staffing levels at garden centers than have been reported in the last few years.
Following a trend that began in 2012 and continues today, more and more IGCs grow at least some of their own plant material. Businesses are increasing and growing businesses are also diversifying, with 48% reporting greater diversity in plant material grown this year, in addition to 58% reporting an increase last year.
— Kate Spielgen Editor, gardening store magazine
Landscape Market State: Strong Results Despite More Headaches
Landscapers across the country again reported rising expectations of revenue, profitability, and further growth into 2023. One area where our research showed significant leaps was median revenue for landscaping companies. In last year’s report, [business owners] Median reported revenue was $273,000. Revenue for 2021 jumped to a whopping $604,000. This could be due to several factors, one of which is that a significant number of companies with revenues below $500,000 did not participate in the survey compared to last year. Is it because they were too busy to participate in the survey, or are they just no longer in business because they closed or were acquired? I have. When it comes to confidence, owners are unsure if their business or industry will grow as much as last year.
10% were completely unsure about business growth compared to 8% last year, while 8% were not at all confident about industry growth compared to 3% last year. On a positive note, 85% said they were profitable, compared to 79% in last year’s report.
— Brian Horn Editor, lawn and landscape


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Marco Gobbetti is set to take over the new CEO role for Burberry on July 5 this year. The company has previously named Gobbetti as a successor to replace Christopher Bailey last July.
According to Burberry, Bailey will continue his role as the brand’s chief creative officer and CEO until July 4. After Gobbetti‘s official appointment as the new CEO on July 5, Bailey will move up as the new president and chief creative officer on the same date.
Before Gobbetti‘s new CEO role on the aforementioned date, he will begin his tenure in Burberry as executive chairman, Asia Pacific and the Middle East from this month until July 4.
Prior to Gobbetti‘s appointment in Burberry, he was previously the CEO of Céline as well as the chief executive for Givenchy and Moschino.


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A hundred UK companies have signed up for a permanent four-day working week for all their employees with no loss of pay, a milestone in the campaign to fundamentally change Britain’s approach to work.
Proponents of the four-day week say that the five-day pattern is a hangover from an earlier economic age.
They argue that a four-day week would drive companies to improve their productivity, meaning they can create the same output using fewer hours.
The two biggest companies that have signed up are Atom Bank and global marketing company Awin, who each have about 450 staff in the UK.
Joe Ryle, the UK campaign’s director, said there was increasing momentum in the adoption of the four-day week, even as companies brace for a long recession.
“With many businesses struggling to afford 10% inflation pay rises, we’re starting to see increasing evidence that a four-day week with no loss of pay is being offered as an alternative solution.”.
Most of the companies that have officially adopted the four-day week are in the services sector such as technology, events or marketing companies. »


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Apple has fixed a number of small bugs and glitches with the first round of iOS 15 updates, but some users are reporting that a frustrating one remains where an iPhone 13’s screen turns pink and reboots. According to a forum post, a fix could be on the way.
As first spotted by 9to5Mac, the issue cropped up on the Apple Communities Forum board, where user DPigar wrote that his iPhone 13 Pro display “turns pink for a few seconds and then reloads.” The issue was resolved with a replacement device, but several responses to his initial post as well as other reports on Reddit and Weibo indicate that the issue isn’t specific to their device.
However, according to the Chinese language site MyDrivers (translation), Apple has reportedly noted that the issue is not a hardware one. The site said Apple has advised a user on Weibo to back up their data and upgrade to the newest version of iOS, which indicates a fix could be imminent. It may even arrive as part of iOS 15.3, which is expected to land either Monday or Tuesday.
For now, you should contact your local Apple store or Apple support if your iPhone 13 is experiencing this issue on a regular basis. Apple hasn’t commented publicly or referenced it in the iOS 15.3 release notes, so it still could be a long wait.


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In May 2014, Google announced a new feature for Google+ that allowed users to create photo spheres with panorama images and would let viewers to immerse in 360 photo experiences. Today, sources claim that Youtube will be soon releasing a similar feature for videos as well.
Also Read: YouTube Rolls Out Offline Video Playback
According to Gizmodo, Youtube is ready to roll out 360 videos in the upcoming weeks, with a company’s spokesperson confirming the news. It’s not still clear whether users will have to shoot panorama-style videos and patch the pieces together or they will have to use specific equipment.
The truth is that this new type of videos is a first and firm step towards providing virtual-reality experience. Facebook has already established that this is a field of interest and future development, after the acquisition of Oculus Rift. Youtube will likely follow – could this also mean a possible 3D option for videos?
With the overwhelming majority of social media marketers predicting that 2015 will be all about video and Facebook gearing up for “war”, Youtube is releasing one feature after another and bets on the “wow factor” to keep its audience close and engaged.
Do you think that 360 videos will be a hit among users?
- Twitter’s Ultimate Challenge Is Now To Take On YouTube
- Look Out For Vessel, The Wannabe YouTube Killer
- YouTube Rolls Out Offline Video Playback
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[April 20, 2014]
Tycoons lead way on info [China Daily: Hong Kong Edition]
(China Daily: Hong Kong Edition Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Big data is a relatively new phenomenon in China, but it is already making a big impression, attracting some of the biggest names in Chinese business circles.
Jack Ma, the founder and chief executive of Alibaba Group, which owns China's biggest e-commerce platform Alibaba.com, is banking on big data for further business expansion and growth. Alibaba has invested a large amount of money on big data initiatives, including recently buying a further 20.62 percent stake in Heng Sheng Electronics Technologies Co Ltd for a contract value of 3.3 billion yuan ($530 million).
When big data can lead to big profit CeBIT: big data, social business, mobile, cloud and more As a result of that deal Jack Ma has become the largest shareholder in Heng Sheng Electronics, his cumulative stake in the company now standing at 99.1 percent.
Industry sources say the deal is the biggest move by a Chinese company regarding big data.
Explaining the acquisition, sources say Heng Sheng Electronics is a major solution provider for banking, financial investment, property, telecommunications andlogistics industries. It also provides core systems for many fund management companies, especially modules for transaction, settlement and investment.
However, the main interest for Alibaba is the large volumes of financial data that Heng Sheng has access to. Sources say that while Alibaba had increased its knowledge about people's behavior through its online marketplace taobao.com andAlipay, the online payment system, it is still looking for more data about investment and funding.
The acquisition will help Alibaba become a more powerful group, not only in e-commerce but also in financial services and banking industries, the sources say.
Tencent, the largest Internet company in China, recently launched Xin Ge - it means pigeon in Chinese - a big-data application for smart phones.
It can categorize 700 million users of the popular Tencent application QQ according to their gender, spending, interests and location.
It is also a typical example of how big data analysis is proving to be an important tool for marketing experts. The findings enable product developers do their work with specific target groups in mind.
Chinese Internet firms dig big data gold The history ofcloud computing "Big data will create a tailored and competitive e-commerce system for companies," says Zhou Tao, a professor with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu, Sichuan province.
Li Ka-shing, the richest Chinese person, is another of the big entrepreneurs betting big on big data.
In January, the Li Ka Shing Foundation set aside $3 million as a grant to the Stanford University School of Medicine for a new initiative that aims to study vast repositories of biomedical data looking for ways to improve human health and lowerhealthcare costs. Stanford has teamed up with the University of Oxford for the project.
When big data can lead to big profit CeBIT: big data, social business, mobile, cloud and more Industry sources say big data will usher in the next revolution in biomedical science and speed up the development of new drugs, along with better and more personalized, cheaper treatment.
Lloyd Minor, dean of the School of Medicine at Stanford, says that in the world of medicine there are always huge amounts of data floating around. These include electronic patient records, DNA sequencing, biological data on disease mechanisms, clinical trials and pharmaceutical records. "We can put all these large datasets to work to identify innovative approaches to treatment and improve access to care," he says.
Through his foundation, Li has provided more than $37 million to support the medicine school for a wide range of projects, such as fellowship training and equipment.
The project allows the two universities to accelerate discovery from many data bases to provide new insights into diseases and to apply targeted therapies to patients cheaply.
Li, a self-made businessman who manages a multi-faceted business empire through his Hong Kong-based companies Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, says big data will transform biomedical sciences.
"I am very excited that our foundation can help two eminent institutions join and take us to the next level of discovery that will revolutionize patient care and treatment to solve today's health-related challenges," Li says in the foundation's statement.
Miao Kaixiang, chief technology officer with the data center software division of Intel Corp, says big data can enhance the efficiency of data processing in medical imaging, medication and surgery.
Chinese Internet firms dig big data gold The history ofcloud computing (c) 2014 China Daily Information Company. All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company
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“We’ll be working across an entire range of products coming out this year, from fashion, apparel, and home[goods] and furniture to wallpapers, beauty products and stationery,” says Downton Abbey producer Gareth Neame in a CNBC interview. According to another report, Knockout Licensing will create the merchandise.
This isn’t Downton’s first foray into fashion, however. The show has a jewelry line licensed to 1928, a company that specializes in colorful stone and vintage-inspired jewelry (and now the name fits perfectly!).
Now with the new products in the pipeline, consumers can dream about adorning their estates, well, apartments and homes, as well as their bodies with merchandise suitable for Chez Crowley.


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When it opens next month in the former Prima space in Walnut Creek, Table at 7 will be the first fine-casual restaurant in the country from Killiney Kopitiam, the popular Singaporean cafe chain that dates back to 1919.
This is a big deal for a few reasons. First, Killiney Kopitiam has plans to open many more cafes in the United States in the next seven years, bringing congee and kaya toast to the masses. Also, it’s a sign that the Bay Area’s burgeoning Singaporean food scene has stretched beyond Oakland and San Francisco and into the subhurbs. And third, they’ve tapped an Oakland chef and Singapore native, Nora Haron, to helm Table at 7. Another is already slated for Santa Clara.
While Killiney cafes serve traditional eats to the fast-casual crowd — the first U.S. Killiney opened last year in Palo Alto — Table at 7 will provide finer dining, with a focus on Singaporean-California cuisine.
That happens to be Haron’s happy place.
You might know her food from Oakland’s Drip Line, where she was executive chef and gained a following for Singaporean chicken rice — or San Francisco’s Local Kitchen, where she was partner and executive chef, bringing Indonesian flair to Cali wood-fired pizzas.
During the pandemic, Haron’s West Oakland pop up, IndoMex, has drawn long lines for her beef randang quesabirria.
“When I moved to this country 22 years ago, I would always improvise when cooking, using what was available,” Haron says. “Now I’m so excited to be doing this kind of food, and I get to do it with people from my country.”
Expect, perhaps, beef randang, a rich coconut stew served over coconut grits; gado gado with kale, fried tempeh, braised beets and peanut sambal; a starter of popcorn tossed with turmeric, fried shallots, crushed makrut lime leaves; and laksa ravioli, which is the dish that ultimately won over Killiney corporate. The handmade pasta is streaked with green rau ram, stuffed with spicy shrimp sambal and finished with lemongrass-rich laksa broth and lime zest. It will be on the Walnut Creek menu.
“When we got to my fourth interview, it was time for a tasting,” says Haron, who beat out at least six candidates for the executive chef position. “They brought 20 people, so I did a get-to-know-me menu. I wanted to tell a story through my food.”
The popcorn is inspired by a street food fritter popular in Singapore. The laksa ravioli is a nod to Haron’s time as a shoe designer living in Italy — and it’s an homage to Prima, which was a destination for Italian fine dining before it closed in July after 43 years. And an item on the dessert menu, a square ice cream sandwich made with folded-over white bread, was Haron’s childhood favorite.
“It is the most nostalgic dessert from Singapore,” she says.
In Walnut Creek, the large Prima space will be divided in two; on the left will be a Killiney Kopitam cafe for grab-and-go, with Haron overseeing the baked goods and pastries. On the right will be Table at 7, offering dinner inside and on the outdoor patio. Expect a similar set up later this year in Santa Clara, where a Killiney Kopitam is going into the second-level food court at Westfield Valley Fair. A Table at 7 will be located downstairs, near the luxury retailers. That’s just the beginning.
But for Haron, it is the culmination of more than two decades of work.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been trying to push for this food,” Haron says. “Twenty years ago, this food existed, but it was catered to people who moved here from Singapore. I’m honored to be making it for everyone.”


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By 2014, Android and the Symbian OS are predicted to dominate the mobile operating system market according to a recent report by research firm Gartner.
In 2010, Symbian held 40.1 percent of the total mobile OS market share, while Android held 16.3 percent. By 2014, they are predicted to hold a combined 59.8 percent of the mobile market share. This news may come as a shock to competitors and consumers alike. iOS is predicted to drop from 14.7 to 10.9 percent, while Blackberry OS should remain fairly consistent, with only a slight drop from 17.9 to 17.3 percent.
“As the worldwide smartphone market continues to grow at a strong rate, the market dynamics among mobile operating systems continue to shift,” said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team.
“Phone vendors have been drawn to Android because it allows them to present their own approach to what a smartphone experience can be,” Llamas added. “In addition, users have quickly warmed to Android, comparing it to iOS due to its ease of use and a growing mobile application storefront.”
2014 is a long way off, so these predictions could easily change. One thing that is for certain though, is marketers will be keeping a close eye on the mobile OS war.