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It’s been one year since cruises started cancelling cruises. Can you believe it? It was January 2020 when the cruise industry saw the start of the damaging effects of the pandemic. Sadly, one year later things have gotten even worse and the cruise will not be returning anytime soon.
So, what is next for the cruise industry? Are cruise lines going to go out of business? We look at the events of the past year and try to answer some of these questions.
The story so far…
Let’s quickly take a look at what happened last year. It all began last year on January 25th. The cruise industry saw the start of what will be the toughest time in travel history.
On January 25th, cruise lines started cancelling sailings in and around China due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. One of the first ships to stop sailing was the Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas.
In February restrictions begin to be in place to stop people from certain countries, such as China, from travelling on cruise ships.
On the 4 February, there is a large outbreak on Princess Cruises Diamond Princess in Japan. 10 passengers are diagnosed with COVID-19 and the ship quarantined at Yokohama for nearly a month.
We cruised on Quantum of the Seas in February, as this was all developing. The only differences we noticed was a temperature check at the port and airport. Then countries started to close borders and we began to see itinerary changes. But through all this, cruises around the world still kept going.
On 4 March 2020, a passenger tested positive for coronavirus after returning from a cruise on Grand Princess. After this, more and more former passengers of Grand Princess began testing positive.
March 12 2020, Princess Cruises cancelled all operations for at least 60 days. They were the first cruise line to stop sailing. Other cruise lines started following suit. Canada became the first country to put a stop to cruising in its waters.
Cruise lines then got stuck on ships with ports refusing to accept them. Ship floated in international waters, full of passengers with nowhere to go.
In early March we cruised from Dubai on Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. This trip was cut short when there was a COVID scare onboard. This turned out to be a false alarm, but other countries would not accept our ship so our cruise was cancelled after two days.
Then on March 14, 2020, the CDC issued a No Sail Order suspending any further embarkation for cruise ships in US waters. Australia followed on 15 March 2020, banning all cruise ships arriving from foreign ports.
By May 2020, 40 cruise ships have confirmed positive cases of coronavirus on board.
In June 2020, Pullmantur Cruises became the first cruise line to declare bankruptcy due to the pandemic. Less than a month later by the UK based Cruise & Maritime Voyages and Birka Cruises. Later in the year, India based cruise line Jetesh Cruises ceased operations.
In a glimmer of light, several cruise lines returned to cruising in Europe in July 2020. MSC Cruises, Tui Cruises and Costa Cruises began sailings for people who live in a Schengen zone area. Meaning the vast majority of the world could still not cruise.
Many cruise lines began selling off older ships. A record high of 13 ships scrapped in India and Turkey since the start of the Pandemic.
In October 2020, we were very lucky to sail on SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream 1.
Even though there were multiple protocols in place and we had several tests, the virus still managed to get onboard in Barbados. Showing that whatever the protocols were it will still find a way on board!
It’s a sneaky and dangerous virus as it remains hidden in many people, completely unaffecting them. But when it does infect someone with pre-existing conditions or older people, it can be deadly.
At the end of October, the CDC in the USA ended the No Sail Order and introduced a new Conditional Sail Order. The new order requires cruise lines to prove their safety protocols and policies work before resuming cruises. As part of the order, test cruises must be carried out. So far, no line has carried out test cruises and Royal Caribbean are the only company looking for volunteers.
Royal Caribbean and Dream Cruises resumed cruises in Singapore. Quantum of the Seas and the World Dream began round-trip cruises to nowhere for Singaporean residents only.
Where is the cruise industry now?
Well, one year later things are looking pretty bleak. Apart from the small number of ships in Europe and Singapore, the whole industry is at a standstill.
The positive news is that the vaccine is now being rolled out with three vaccines approved for use in the UK and USA. 15 million vaccinations in the UK and 1.5 Million in the USA are due to take place before the middle of February. It’s only a matter of time before cruising resumes.
Cruise lines have spent the time wisely coming up with new protocols to keep passengers and crew safe. Most have retrofitted new airflow and ventilation technology to make them as safe as possible.
Companies such as Royal Caribbean have even changed all their menus and improved many aspects of cruising with them. Like coming up with a new type of virtual muster drill.
We are still waiting to see what the new administration in the USA will do, will the CDC change back to a no sail order? We just don’t know yet.
Just a few days ago Royal Caribbean announced the sale of Azamara cruises, and every week we hear of more cruises being scrapped. Some as young as 24 years old – cruise ships usually sail for at least 40 years.
Will cruise lines survive?
Well, this depends on how long the situation goes on for. The industry has been in free fall since the pandemic hit.
The bad publicity from the media has also left the public believing that cruise ships are deadly incubators of disease. We know this isn’t true but the media have done their best to blame cruise and turn people off! We know and you do that it’s one of the safest and cleanest forms of travel. With the new protocols, it will be the safest place to be, guaranteed!
It will take years, if not decades for the whole industry to recover from this mess
But cruise lines do not have an endless pot of money. The whole industry is throwing away billions of dollars a month maintaining empty fleets of ships.
The ships need to keep running with crew on board. Otherwise the systems and the ships will deteriorate quickly -especially in a saltwater environment. Even the toilets have to be flushed regularly to keep the plumbing working and prevent rusty pipes!
Cruise lines have sold ships, cut capital expenses, cut back on employees and raised additional capital to weather this storm.
Through all these measures, Royal Caribbean has been able to improve the company’s liquidity profile by approximately $12 billion for 2020 and 2021 combined. They estimate their cash burn to be in the range of $250 to $290 million per month during the prolonged suspension of operations.
Norwegian Cruise Line said it was spending about $160 million a month and Carnival Corporation a staggering $650 million per month. Carnival lost a total of $10.2 billion 2020 — but says it can survive 2021 without cruises if needed.
They all currently have enough cash on hand to survive well over a year without a single dollar of revenue.
When will cruise return?
This is the number one question we get asked and we are asking ourselves. Personally, and this is just a guess, we expect to see cruising come back to the USA and Europe in mid-2021. So, around June/July time at the earliest.
This can change though depending on this developing situation and the continued rollout of vaccines. Lines have already pushed cruise start dates back multiple times.
And cruise will come back slowly, we don’t expect it to go back to normal anytime soon. Expect to see a few ships first sailing with reduced capacities and a whole truckload of restrictions. New protocols will be in a place like tests, social distancing, mask-wearing and possibly even vaccination requirements.
But this will change as it becomes safer and more people get vaccinated. The demand is there, people can’t wait to cruise again and we are confident it will be back and better than ever.


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Lovefilm arrives on Amazon Kindle Fire range
Streaming service now providing thousands of movies and TV show’s on the tablet range
Lovefilm’s selection of movies and TV shows are now available to stream on the Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire.
Both tablets will come with a month’s free subscription for in the UK. Users will be able to login via Amazon account details.
Whispersync technology keeps track of the last viewed point in a video which can be resumed from another device, such as the PS3.
Meanwhile X-Ray For Movies will embed content from IMBD, which Amazon also owns, into the video, should you want extra info.
Jim Buckle, Managing Director at Lovefilm, said: “Every Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire in the UK comes with seamless integration of Lovefilm giving users access to thousands of movies and TV shows. This is a huge moment for Lovefilm and continues to expand our multi-platform offering – delivering the very best content onto the most popular devices, which can only be great news for film and TV fans.”

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Engage3, which helps retailers and brands understand, protect, and enhance their Price Image, announced that Morgan Seybert has joined the company as its new Chief Customer Officer. Seybert will lead Engage3’s customer success organization which enables clients to drive quantifiable value from its industry-leading Competitive Intelligence Management and Price Image Management solutions.
Discuss.io, the leading enterprise-grade smart video platform, today revealed a number of industry award achievements and continued record growth in H2 2020.
Bringg, the delivery and fulfillment orchestration platform provider, and SEKO Logistics are scaling up and optimising the delivery experience for their digital consumers by offering control and visibility of one of the few remaining offline touch points in a consumer’s purchasing process.
CB4 helps Urban Outfitters improve customer experience and increase sales through solving in-store product buyability issues.
Engage3, which helps retailers and brands understand, protect, and enhance their Price Image, today announced that it has completed the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 2 audit based on the Trust Services Criteria developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) for its services.
Bringg Recognized as a Cool Vendor in Food Retail: Catering to New Customer Lifestyles in New Gartner Report
Bringg, the leading delivery and fulfillment orchestration platform provider, today announced that Gartner has recognized the company in its report, “Cool Vendors in Food Retail: Catering to New Customer Lifestyles.” According to the report, “Retail CIOs should consider these Cool Vendors that enable retailers to make accurate and speedy business decisions, minimize waste, orchestrate fulfillment…
RepTrak and Onclusive are announcing a partnership that Onclusive CEO Dan Beltramo said will combine corporate reputation tracking and PR analytics for the first time.
Engage3 will open the conference on Tuesday, October 6, at 9 a.m., EDT and offer an overview of “Retail Pricing Strategies During and Post COVID-19” — presenting market trends and outlining how grocers can best position themselves in delivering value to consumers in this complex environment.
CB4 and Eroski are announcing a partnership to improve store execution and customer experience during Covid-19 and beyond. As a leading supermarket chain in Spain, Eroski understands how important it is to ensure products are available and buyable for customers during the pandemic. A recent CB4 survey showed that because shoppers now view physical retail as…
Quaero, a leading Customer Data Platform (CDP) company that powers customer experiences (CX) for large, sophisticated enterprises, today announced that Mykolas Rambus has joined the company as President.


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PUNE: Tata Motors, India’s biggest automaker by revenues and a leading player in the electric vehicles, on Thursday officially announced a new electric vehicle or EV powertrain that will power a range of its upcoming models, including a new model scheduled for the fourth quarter.
Ziptron, the soon to be introduced EV powertrain, will help it drive economies of scale and make new EVs more affordable for consumers in Asia’s third biggest car market.
Ziptron offers efficient high voltage 300V-plus permanent magnet synchronous electric motor system, better performance, long range and fast charging, and a battery warranty of eight years, and adherence to the IP67 standard.
Ziptron cars will also feature drive modes to give drivers the option to maximise range or enhance performance.
While Tata Motors has not revealed final specifications as yet, officials said that cars built with Ziptron will have a “minimum range of 250km” and will support fast charging.
The battery pack comprises lithium-ion cells and features liquid cooling to maintain the ideal operating temperature.
Typically, extremes of temperature have a huge impact on the performance of the battery system.
Earlier this year, Tata Motors had announced four new models, including “at least one EV” to be in the pipeline.
And it is more than likely that the Altroz EV could be the first model to feature Ziptron technology.
“Ziptron is designed in- house utilising our global engineering network,” Guenter Butschek, the managing director and CEO at Tata Motors, said.
“At the heart of our future EV line-up, this technology has been tested across 1 million km proving its reliability,” he pointed out. A team of 350 engineers worked on the project.
With this, Tata Motors hopes to usher in a new wave of e-mobility and accelerate faster adoption of EVs in the country, Butschek said.
Ziptron technology comprises an efficient permanent magnet AC motor providing superior performance on demand.
It also offers best-in-industry dust-and water-proof battery system meeting the IP67 standards.
Moreover, it also employs smart regenerative braking to charge the battery while on the drive, the company said.


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Harrys of London’s chief executive Steven Newey has left his role at the helm of the company just months after it was bought by an American investor.
Following two and a half years as head of the luxury mens footwear company, Newey has departed with immediate effect.
His successor has not yet been named, but the replacement process will be overseen by American billionaire and chief executive of Trinity Limited Richard Cohen, who bought Harrys of London for an undisclosed sum in May.
Prior to his most recent role, Newey was briefly group commercial director at Mulberry, after a lucrative retail career including roles at Dunhill, Tommy Hilfiger. He also spent over a decade at luxury goods and jewellery retailer Loro Piana as retail manager.
It is unclear whether Newey’s departure is related to the company’s new owner, who is thought to own an estimated 12 million sq ft of real estate in the US.
When he bought the company in May, Cohen said: “Harrys of London has been a brand I have supported and respected for a long time, bringing a unique mix of luxury, contemporary craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology and design.”
“We see huge potential for expansion across the US, London, Asia and the Middle East, and I am eager to help the team grow Harrys on a global scale.”


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Travelzoo is calling for a security “kitemark” system following the Tunisia inquests.
It comes on the day a new academic report on travel safety was published by the deals publisher.
The white paper called State of Play: The Impact of Geopolitical Events on International Tourism in 2017 was written in collaboration with Yeganeh Morakabati, associate professor at Bournemouth University, and included research in nine countries.
The 30 Britons among the 38 killed in the 2015 Tunisia attack were unlawfully killed, a coroner found last week.
In summing up the judge labelled the local police response as “at best shambolic, at worst cowardly”.
Throughout the inquest, it was reported some families of the victims said their relatives would not have gone to Tunisia if they had been aware of the Foreign Office warnings following an attack on the Bardo Museum three months earlier.
Travelzoo’s European president, Richard Singer, said the organisation was calling for a “kitemark” security system.
He said: “The kitemark system we’re proposing is a quick and simple way of seeing if an airport or hotel has met a required set of safety and security standards, similar to the government’s cyber security kitemarks, or the systems in place for food or other goods.
“Ideally the system would work in tandem with improved destination advice for consumers on government websites, as well as increased proactivity from the travel industry in showing consumers this advice ahead of the point of purchase.”
Morakabati added: “If it can be done with blue flags to tell us how clean beaches are, or certificates to let us know how environmentally friendly destinations are, then a kitemark system is certainly feasible to demonstrate how safe a destination, hotel or airport is.
“However, if these standards were in place, it would be important that implementation wasn’t just considered a box-ticking exercise; for instance, government policies would need to support any criteria set out in the kitemarks."
The Travelzoo white paper found that for 97% of people safety and security is the top concern when choosing a holiday destination, and worry about terror attacks far outweighs risk of disease, local crime and natural disaster.
For Britons taking part in the survey, 68% were more concerned with the risk of a terror attack than they were two years ago, with 75% saying the reason for this is they believe the world had become a more dangerous place. Around 40% of British respondents said they felt they were the most-targeted nation abroad.
British tourists were also far more likely to do a general internet search on a destination rather than rely on official sources such as the Foreign Office’s website when establishing a destination’s safety.
Singer added: “The inquest, and our white paper, shows we need better, easier-to-understand information on websites such as the Foreign Office and its counterparts in other nations.
“The recent FCO Travel Aware campaign is a step in the right direction, but it could be made clearer still.
“It also appears that most holidays are sold without any communication about the safety level of a destination until after the point of sale. More proactive communication about FCO advice ahead of purchase would build trust."
A third of 35 European hotels Travelzoo have spoken to believe a kitemark system should be implemented, and that figure rises to half for UK hotel owners.
Many think the idea would help with consumer confidence too. In talking to city hotels across Germany, Spain and the UK Travelzoo also found just half of UK hotels have a dedicated member of staff responsible for guests’ security but in Germany over 80% of hotels have this.
Just 43% of UK hotels surveyed have updated their security processes in recent years to be better prepared for a terror attack and half of UK hotels’ employees receive specific training to handle a terrorist incident.
Singer will presenting findings of the study today by at ITB Berlin.


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Target issues RFID mandate
The move echoes a similar decision last year by Wal-Mart
Computerworld - The top suppliers of consumer goods may have to start opening their wallets a lot wider to accommodate the mandates retailers are asking them to meet with respect to RFID tags.
Minneapolis-based Target Corp. confirmed this week that it will expect its top "vendor partners" to apply radio frequency identification tags to all pallets and cases they ship to unspecified "select" regional distribution centers beginning next spring. All vendors will be expected to comply by the spring of 2007, according to a company spokesperson.
Industry analysts said they expect more retailers to issue RFID mandates in the coming months. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. started the trend last year, asking its top 100 suppliers to begin tagging pallets and cases by the start of 2005 so it can better track goods through its supply chain (see story). Germany-based Metro Group and U.K.-based Tesco PLC followed suit, as did the U.S. Department of Defense.
Target, however, is more tight-lipped about its plans. The company declined to provide additional information about its mandate and refused requests for an interview.
Kara Romanow, an analyst at Boston-based AMR Research Inc., said she expects most retailers to adopt the technology within six to 12 months of Wal-Mart in hopes that they won't fall too far behind.
But for suppliers, the mandates can be costly, with very little near-term benefit, said Christine Overby, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc. She said the Cambridge, Mass.-based research firm studied a number of the proposed benefits, such as shrinkage reduction, automated receipt of goods, truck yard management and more accurate shipping. But the reality of today's technology makes it unlikely that suppliers will gain many of those benefits over the next 12 to 24 months, Overby said.
"Every mandate broadens the implementation plans for suppliers, and those plans, even as they're currently defined, are nearly improbable today," she said.
Overby advised suppliers to have frank discussions with their retail customers about what they're doing, what they're learning and what's not working so they can reshape the mandates to make them more attainable.
Jeff Woods, an analyst at Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc., said an RFID printer and the software to drive it may cost $100,000 to $200,000, but tags and labor costs can run into the millions. And so far, suppliers are finding no business case other than to satisfy Wal-Mart, he said.
"They are pessimistic and very upset at this point," Woods said. "They just see it as a huge cost. So the effort is really just to minimize the cost."
Woods said the new Target mandate won't necessarily require more effort from suppliers, but it will present a huge additional burden in terms of cost. He said he thinks some manufacturers will simply say no to Wal-Mart, but they won't publicly acknowledge that position for fear of upsetting such an important customer.
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Belgium-based Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) has unveiled the industry’s new investment agenda in line with its goal of achieving a low-carbon, resource efficient bio-economy by 2050.
Adopted in 2011, CEPI’s bio-economy goal includes reducing the industry’s carbon footprint by 80%.
The European paper industry currently invests €3 to €3.5bn annually throughout the continent.
Around €44bn of additional investment is estimated to be required by the industry to employ decarbonisation technologies in Europe and produce new bio-based products by 2050.
The estimate represents a 40% higher investment than current investment volumes.
Confederation of European Paper Industries director general Slyvain Lhôte said: “Investment will be the cornerstone of making this industry transformation happen in Europe.
“We project the need for 40% more investment to transform our industry base and seize new market opportunities. This can happen in Europe if we align European policies, our research efforts and financing conditions.
“Our agenda goes against the gloom prevailing in so many industries. For CEPI, getting the conditions right to invest more in Europe will be the priority.”
This year, the organisation conducted a review of its bio-economy roadmap and sent this to stakeholders for further consultation.
Once completed, CEPI will frame a revised roadmap by early 2017.
CEPI currently represents around 505 pulp, paper and board producing companies and 920 paper mills across Europe.


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The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is rumoured to be launching this summer, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. It makes sense: given the increased amount of screen space due to the folding mechanic, it's unsurprising Samsung would attach the Fold 2 to its premium range of "phablet" phones. It's also rumoured the Fold 2 might come with Samsung's S Pen, creating more synergy between the two handsets.
A new source adds weight to these rumours, claiming Samsung will be ready to launch the folding phone in August. However, in order to get it here on time, the Samsung team could be looking to make some concessions.
South Korean outlet Hankooki, spotted by PhoneArena, claims the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is ready to enter mass-production in time for an August launch. This is surprising for a couple of reasons: one, because the delays hitting the tech industry as a result of the global health crisis don't seem to be affecting Samsung, which is ploughing full steam ahead with its high-profile handset launch.
The second surprise comes from the confirmation we'll be having an August launch. Most rumours had slated the Samsung devices will come in July or August, but we hadn't yet narrowed that down.
A confirmed August launch event makes sense, which is a short delay from July while still capitalising on the gaping hole in the calendar left by Apple, which has reportedly moved its iPhone 12 showcase to November.
However, it's not all good news. The outlet reports the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 might scrimp on the screen in order to rush the device to market. The device was initially said to carry the Ultra-Thin Glass, or UTG, included on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
The UTG is said to be difficult to apply and produce en masse, which could cause the UTG to be abandoned in favour of cheaper, easier solutions like a transparent polyimide (CPI), which can be found on most other foldable phones. Samsung is reportedly looking at both options.
If so, Samsung is in danger of repeating the mistake it made in 2019 with the launch of the original Galaxy Fold. After complaints of brittle screens and faulty mechanisms, Samsung had to recall devices and soft-launch the Fold again later in the year.
Other than this uncertainty around the screen, rumoured to be 7.9" when unfolded, Samsung Galaxy Fold is said to have all the trappings of a flagship smartphone, with a top-tier 120Hz refresh rate.
Set to launch alongside the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Plus, all three devices look set to retain the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G chipsets that made Samsung's Galaxy S20 range so successful. August can't come soon enough.


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iQOO is coming up with yet another smartphone called Z3 in India. It is slated to be launched on June 8 and will come with Snapdragon 768G 5G SoC at the helm.
According to reports, the iQOO Z3 was supposed to arrive in India in early May but plans were changed due to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The event will be live-streamed on the company’s official YouTube channel. The iQOO Z3 is also said to be a 5G supported device, similar to other iQOO devices launched in India.
The handset is being teased via Amazon, which clearly indicates it will be exclusively available at Amazon. It is also confirmed that the phone will arrive with 55W fast-charging support and run Android 11-based Funtouch OS.
The iQOO Z3 was recently launched in China and it features a 6.58-inch Full HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
In terms of cameras, the iQOO Z3 features a total of four cameras – a 16MP selfie shooter inside the notch and a triple camera setup on the back consisting of 64MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro units.
We can expect the same specs to arrive in India.


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Following the March meeting of China’s National People’s Congress, it became clear that President Xi Jinping was determined to strengthen China’s manufacturing capabilities in order to shift the country’s economy away from investing in real estate and infrastructure. This move has sparked concerns about the potential consequences of generating excess capacity, which has been widely discussed in the media.
One area where this policy adjustment has led to significant growth is in the electric vehicle sector. In many markets, Chinese electric vehicles offer a noticeable price advantage due to government subsidies that are an integral component of China’s industrial policy. However, Xi Jinping’s decision to prioritize exports over domestic consumption ignores advice from economists and policymakers who recommend direct support for consumers and workers to boost consumption. A recent report by Rhodium Group predicts that this focus on industrial policy could lead to tensions with China’s trading partners, including the United States and Europe. This move suggests a level of weakness domestically and an unwillingness to address challenging reforms.
Excess capacity is a term with a specific economic definition. According to Rhodium Group, “structural overcapacity” refers to when companies maintain or expand their unused capacity without considering profitability, often because there is no economic pressure to operate efficiently. This concept is particularly relevant to China’s shift towards advanced manufacturing as a means of stimulating economic growth. The report highlights how China’s rapid economic growth in recent years has resulted in excessive capacity in various sectors based on government priorities at the time.
Overall, Xi Jinping’s decision to prioritize exports over domestic consumption raises concerns about the sustainability of China’s economic growth strategy. While boosting exports may provide short-term gains, it ultimately requires addressing domestic challenges such as inequality and lack of consumer spending power if China wants to achieve long-term success as a global economic powerhouse.


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MIRANDA KERR is not returning to the Victoria's Secret catwalk, the brand has confirmed. Rumours emerged this week that the Australian former Angel would again team up with the brand - with a contract rumoured to be worth almost $4 million being mooted by The Fix - but the company has rubbished the whispers.
Read more: Miranda Kerr Style File
"The recent reports regarding Victoria's Secret and Miranda Kerr signing a new contract are completely untrue, and we have no idea how they got reported," a Victoria's Secret spokesperson told People in a statement. "Victoria's Secret appreciates all that Miranda has done with the brand, and all the amazing things she continues to do with her own projects, but there are no plans, on the part of either party, to renew."
The model last walked in the 2012 show in New York, but since then many of her contemporaries - including fellow Angel Doutzen Kroes and fellow Australian Jessica Hart - have broken ties with the brand.
"Miranda and VS are talking about her designing a capsule collection with a portion of the proceeds going to one of her charities and her being the surprise Angel to take the runway when the show returns to NYC," an insider told The Fix. "Miranda thought her Angel days were over, but they're making her an offer too good to refuse."
Read more: Miranda Breaks Her Silence On That Fight
Read more: Miranda: Sex And The Single Life
Read more: Miranda Kerr's Photoshopping Denial


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No details were given about the project, but one employee under the condition of anonymity did note that team members were throwing around the idea of including a multiplayer mode.
No release date has been set for the project. A tentative date of sometime in 2004 is likely.
We contacted Nintendo for official comment, but the company did not return our phone calls in time for publish.
We will of course be tracking the development of the game over the next several months. Stay tuned to the site for more.


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Fast Forward Video is relocating to a larger facility in Irvine in order to accommodate rapid growth and increased demand for its digital video recorder products. On Monday, March 23, the new corporate headquarters will be at 1151 Duryea Avenue, Irvine, Calif.
FFV said its new location triples the company’s production capacity and accommodates its 40 percent increase in engineering resources over the past year. In addition, the new headquarters provides expanded facilities for FFV’s recently doubled sales staff, including a new demonstration and training room for use by both sales representatives and dealers.
“These are exciting times for our company; the new headquarters will support our current momentum as well as future growth,” said Hal J. Reisiger, president and CEO of FFV. “We are fortunate that while many other companies are retrenching we are able to invest in product development, sales and marketing, and facilities.”
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WASHINGTON, March 16, 2004 — The U.S. economy could potentially gain up to $200 billion in economic growth from increased use of computers by minority- and women-owned small businesses, according to a new survey of small-business owners in six major U.S. cities.
Kim Tubbs-Herron, business and marketing officer at Microsoft, discusses the positive impact technology can have on minority- and women-owned businesses, March 16, 2004 in Washington D.C. Click image for high-res version.
The survey of more than 1,100 small-business owners, 75 percent of them women or minorities, found that those making extensive use of computers and other information technology are significantly more successful. On average, such firms experienced substantial increases in productivity and profitability over those not fully utilizing computers. Computer-savvy companies also employed significantly more workers.
Increasing computer use by minority and women small-business owners could potentially have a significant, positive impact on the U.S. economy, say researchers at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan economic and policy research organization that conducted the survey for Microsoft Corp. The Urban Institute study estimates that greater use of technology in minority- and women-owned businesses could possibly add up to $200 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product.
Harnessing technology could potentially also help close the entrepreneurial gap affecting women and minorities. Compared with white males, they are less likely to own businesses, and face special challenges, such as more difficult access to credit and a lower survival rate, when they do. Previous studies* have found that minority- and women-owned businesses generate far lower sales and are less likely to survive.
The Urban Institute survey found that minority- and women-owned small firms making little use of computers could potentially gain sizeable annual production.
“The findings from this study should be encouraging for all entrepreneurs contemplating whether investing in technology will help their business. The answer is a resounding ‘yes,'” said Harriet Michel, president of the National Minority Supplier Development Council. “The findings are also a wake-up call for policymakers, that supporting the technology interests of small minority- and women-owned businesses can strengthen our nation’s economy and help create jobs.”
The Urban Institute surveyed small businesses in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Seattle and Washington. In addition to interviewing more than 1,100 small-business owners by telephone, researchers conducted 45 in-depth field interviews with owners at their place of business.
The six-month research project was funded by Microsoft as part of its ongoing commitment to extend the benefits of technology to underserved people and businesses.
“This research is one more step in our effort to ensure that small businesses everywhere have a chance to succeed,” said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft. “There are many challenges on the road to success. Technology should not be one of them. In fact, technology should be a great equalizer, enabling these companies to level the playing field and compete like never before.”
Many businesses surveyed reported using computers in their accounting (68 percent) and for e-mail to attract or interact with customers (43 percent). Many also reported having a Web site (42 percent). More successful small businesses reported using technology to improve office operations, service, product delivery and financial controls.
“By showing that productivity is enhanced with more extensive use of computers across a greater array of business functions, this study suggests one way to help more minority- and women-owned businesses succeed and become more prominent in the world of small business,” said the director of the study, Dr. Robert Lerman, senior fellow at the Urban Institute and professor of economics at American University.
The study found that the cost of technology does not appear to be a major barrier to its wider adoption. Only 20 percent of surveyed small-business owners believe that technology is unaffordable. Researchers also found no significant differences in technology use among minority and women business owners, compared with white male business owners.
A more significant factor than cost may be a lack of skills or access to training. The survey found that nearly half of the business owners said they lacked or were uncertain of their computer skills. Many entrepreneurs reported relying on friends and family as their main source of technical support, although social networks may not be able to provide extensive advice on using technology for strategic advantage in business.
“Making these communities more technology-competent will probably require more education, training and technical support, but our study suggest such efforts will pay dividends in the form of improved business practice and business performance,” Dr. Lerman said.
Over the past three years, Microsoft has worked with national and regional groups to increase awareness about the benefits of technology for minority- and women-owned smallbusinesses. Microsoft has held hundreds of technology workshops, providing more than 50,000 small-business owners with hands-on training, and worked with key community groups to demonstrate products and services and provide information about the advantages of technology.
About The Urban Institute
The Urban Institute ( www.urban.org ) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational organization that uses rigorous, state-of-the-art methods to analyze public policies and programs, bringing sound, objective evidence to issues and challenges confronting the nation.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
* Federal Reserve Board 1998 Survey of Small Businesses; “Race and Gender Differences in Business Ownership and Business Turnover: An Empirical Study Using a New Unique Data Series,” Richard J. Boden and Brian Headd, Business Economics, October 2002
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft®
Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .


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ITV shares slump set to kick broadcaster off FTSE 100 index
ITV shares have plummeted amid the coronavirus pandemic due to dwindling ad sales, with the maker of shows like Emmerdale and Coronation Street to be relegated from the blue-chip index.
- ITV shares struggle as ad revenues collapse amid Covid-19
- The British broadcaster faces relegation from the FTSE 100
- Advertisers show signs of returning as lockdown measures ease
The British broadcaster’s share price did attempt to mount a recovery after the initial shock of Covid-19 sent global stocks into freefall in March.
But the rebound was short-lived, with the stock on course to return and potentially fall below its year-low of 54p per share if headwinds persist.
ITV is trading at 60p per share at the time of publication, with the stock down
ITV to drop out of FTSE 100, B&M set to take its place
ITV has been a member of the FTSE 100 since 2011, but the British broadcaster is facing relegation from the index after the shake-out on 1 September due to its terrible performance in 2020.
Traditional broadcasters have struggled due to increased competition from online streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu, with the coronavirus pandemic exacerbating the challenges ITV faces.
‘The Covid-19 pandemic limits ITV's ability to create and show new content and thus attract advertising, although the longer-term trend of competition from streaming services and rival broadcast technologies is a huge factor as well. This year's first-half figures made for grim reading,’ Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said.
B&M European Value Retail is set to take ITV’s place on the FTSE 100.
ITV earnings halved by falling ad revenues
The British broadcaster unveiled its half-year (H1) earnings earlier this month, which showed that the company’s profit was almost entirely wiped out by the economic impact of Covid-19.
The pandemic has caused advertising revenue to fall by 21% to £671 million, with retailers looking to cut costs and strengthen balance sheets amid government-imposed lockdowns.
As a result, pre-tax profit for the six months to June fell to £15 million, down from the £222 million ITV reported over the same period a year ago. The collapse in ad sales led to a 50% fall in EBITDA to £165 million.
‘This has been one of the most challenging times in the history of ITV,’ ITV CEO Carolyn McCall said in its H1 earnings.
‘While our two main sources of revenue - production and advertising - were down significantly in the first half of the year and the outlook remains uncertain, today we are seeing an upward trajectory with productions restarting and advertisers returning to take advantage of our highly effective mass reach and addressable advertising platform,’ she added.
The disappointing set of H1 results has certainly hurt ITV shares, but its worth noting that its figures did come in better than many analysts had forecast. The real test for the company will be whether poor ad sales persist into the second half of 2020.
The outlook for the latter half of the year remains uncertain and unclear, but there are early signs that advertisers are beginning to return, with ad revenue down 23% in July, up from the 42% drop seen in June and the 46% decline witnessed in May.
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MANILA, Philippines – The Filinvest Group of the Gotianun family intends. in Asia and one of the top five in the Philippines. “Festival Supermall remains the premier regional shopping mall in.
“Generally [the central souq] was where everyone used to be before proper shopping malls existed. “It’s Abu Dhabi’s first regional super mall and it’s going to have everything that you need,’ said.
Once a suburban fixture, the shopping center is out to become a luxury supermall, with high-end retailers like Tiffany & Co., Burberry, and Louis Vuitton attracting people with plenty of cash to spend.
The tech behemoth owns a large slice of Taiwan’s e-commerce market, operating three different online shopping platforms in the island at the moment- the Yahoo Super Mall (B2B2C), the Yahoo Shopping.
Since opening its doors in 1992, Mall of America has revolutionized the shopping experience and become a leader in retail, entertainment and attractions.
Info Kumpulan Tips: Tips Menjaga Kesetiaan 6 quotes cinta dan kata Setia tentang arti kesetiaan buat Pacar Yang Jauh – Menjaga kesetiaan adalah salah satu bentuk komitmen dengan pasangan. Tanpa kesetiaan, cinta tidak lagi menjadi suci dan akan muncul keretakan yang menyebabkan hubungan hancur. Terlebih jika hubungan itu adalah hubungan jarak jauh atau ldr (Long Distance Relationship).
“We are delighted to partner with Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club to bring our first ever City Centre mall to the capital," added Ghaith Shocair, CEO, Shopping Malls, Majid Al Futtaim – Properties.
MIAMI, FL–(Marketwired – July 07, 2013) – Fashionistas who are ready to update their wardrobe with the latest new styles can check out the sizzling new arrivals from Jessica Simpson. MyReviewsNow.net.
Shop the brands you love at the best shopping mall in Providence. Visit Providence Place for shopping, dining, and entertainment activities.
With the steel superstructure for Cineworld now discernible above the hoarding of the expansion of Intu Watford, the shopping centre’s new leisure extension is visibly taking shape. Intu – then.
A 52-year-old who was fatally stabbed with a screwdriver in a busy shopping centre was a devoted father. “chance encounter.
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The 24th shopping centre of the group will be a mixed-use project occupying 100 rai (16 hectares), with 70 per cent for the retail complex and 30 per cent for residential and commercial buildings. It.
Visit The Outlet Collection | Seattle in Auburn, WA to shop your favorite stores, enjoy a meal at one of our many restaurants or enjoy entertainment.
SM US, Super Mall U.S. lives within Super Mall Sphere. providing convenient anytime, anywhere mobile device luxury shopping in many unique category super malls.


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Cannabis is the world’s most extensively used illicit drug. Millions of individuals throughout the world consume it, either for its psychoactive properties or for medicinal purposes.
But how many people in the world consume cannabis?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, cannabis is consumed by approximately 147 million people, or 2.5% of the global population (annual prevalence), compared to 0.2% who take cocaine and 0.2% who use opiates.
Why do People Use Cannabis?
Life isn’t always a bed of roses. We face many stressors and difficulties in our daily lives, and people employ various coping mechanisms to deal with these stressors. However, many people do not know how to manage daily life stress successfully, and as a result, they turn to recreational drugs to relieve their discomfort and tension. Cannabis is one of many recreational substances used for this purpose.
The Use of Cannabis for Recreational Purposes
The number of people who use recreational cannabis has increased dramatically over the past few years. In the United States, there were 3.43 million recreational cannabis users in 2020. This number is expected to double by nearly 2025.
Another study found that more than 52 million Americans will use cannabis products at least once in 2023 (from both the recreational and unregulated markets), which seems true now as about 18% of the US population consumes cannabis as per the statistics of 2023.
Another major cannabis-consuming country is Mexico. Mexico is potentially the largest cannabis market in the world. New Mexico’s recreational market launched on April 1, 2023. The state’s sales exceeded $5.2 million by the end of the first weekend, which is significant given the state’s population of around 2 million people.
These numbers appear to be quite concerning, as more and more people are now using cannabis and other drugs for recreational purposes.
The Future of the Cannabis Market
The past few years have seen significant changes in the weed world. Legalizing cannabis for recreational use is one of the most significant developments.
According to the World Drug Report 2023 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), cannabis legalization in some regions appears to have increased everyday usage and associated health consequences.
As per the data, over eight years, the number of cannabis consumers is anticipated to increase by 4% annually, reaching over 71 million users in 2030.
According to New Frontier Data’s calculations, the legal cannabis market will be worth more than $57 billion by 2030, according to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% between 2020 and 2030.
These numbers show that the cannabis market will grow rapidly in the next few years. It’s no surprise that cannabis legalization has contributed significantly to rising sales.
Cannabis Sales Around the World
According to predictions provided by the BDSA, cannabis use will increase over the next few years. The estimated sales of cannabis in various nations are shown below.
Sales of Cannabis in the US
The United States is by far the largest consumer of cannabis in the world, consuming a value of about $20 billion per year.
In the United States, cannabis products are legal for medical and recreational use in many states. However, the majority of people use cannabis for recreational purposes, as it was found in the research that the prevalence of cannabis use was higher in US legal–recreational states (34%) than in US illegal states (23%).
Legal cannabis sales in the United States are expected to reach $28 billion in 2023, up from $24 billion in 2023. According to BDSA, US sales will climb by 14% from 2023 to $46 billion in 2026.
Also cannabis accessories market size was estimated at USD 64.4 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 66.8 billion in 2023.
Sales of Cannabis in Canada
Canada is also among the list of countries which has legalized cannabis use and/ or sales of Cannabis. In 2023, the Canadian market for cannabis for adult use was worth $4 billion USD and is expected to reach $7.7 billion by 2026.
As the cannabis industry continues to grow, more and more companies are getting involved by offering high-quality cannabis seeds at affordable prices. The Seed Fair is one of these companies offering a wide range of cheap marijuana seeds. Whether you’re looking for autoflower seeds or weed seeds, you can find them all at https://theseedfair.com/product-category/cheap-cannabis-seeds/.
International Cannabis Sales
By 2026, international sales are anticipated to increase by a CAGR of almost 46% from 2023 to 2026, totaling $9.5 billion.
Cannabis consumption and sales have increased globally as of 2023. It is predicted that the consumption of cannabis in coming years will be much higher than it is today as more countries legalize the drug for both recreational and therapeutic uses.
The number of people using cannabis is increasing. We don’t know how many people use it regularly.


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If you're a customer of Verizon's TV, internet or phone services (fiber or otherwise) in California, Florida or Texas then sometime next year you won't be. That's because as part of a $10.54 billion deal, it's selling "wireline" businesses in those states to Frontier so it can focus on a group of Eastern states. It made a similar move dumping services across many states in 2009, and many of the customers we heard from afterward were not happy because while Frontier had different policies on how to run the service. In a separate deal, it's leasing or selling a majority of the cell towers it operates to American Tower Corporation for $5 billion. Why make all these moves? Other than kicking off a $5 billion share repurchasing program, word is this money will go to pay for some $10 billion in wireless spectrum Verizon won at auction last week.
The three states hold about 1.6 million FiOS internet customers who will be transferred when the deal closes,which is expected to be in the first half of next year. After that, FiOS will have a "contiguous footprint in Eastern states" covering Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington, D.C. As far as the other areas? Customers, wires, and about 11,000 employees will become a part of Frontier, joining the previously purchased areas and services that touch 28 states already.
The tower deal probably shouldn't affect Verizon's wireless coverage though, as it includes provisions for Big Red to sublease capacity for at least ten years, as well as access additional reserve capacity for "future use." So let us know Verizon customers, do you plan on sticking around once the deals close, or will you be looking for a better deal elsewhere?
[Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]


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Australian retail information company OzToys revealed the top-selling video game titles in 2008 in the region, with Nintendo's Wii and DS titles dominating the list along with Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV
During a year in which Australia's software sales including PC, console, and portable titles increased 48.5 percent over the previous year to reach a record total of $777 million (AU$1.12bn), the "Family Entertainment" genre saw the most growth, up 137 percent over 2007 thanks mostly in part to games released by Nintendo and Activision Blizzard.
The retail tracking firm's list of Australia's top ten video game software in 2008 according to unit sales follows:
1. Wii Fit
2. Wii Play
3. Mario Kart w/ Wheel
4. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic
5. Grand Theft Auto IV*
6. Grand Theft Auto IV*
7. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training
8. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King*
9. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic
10. Super Smash Bros Brawl
(*includes collector's editions)
Nintendo's Wii Fit
bundle was the best-selling software release in the region in 2008, moving over 373,000 units at an average price of $90 (AU$130). In fact, the only games not published by Nintendo in the top ten best-selling titles list for the year are Mario and Sonic at the Olympic
from Sega, Grand Theft Auto IV
from Rockstar Games, and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
from Activision Blizzard.
The group also notes that Australia's PC games software market grew 4.2 percent, despite most other territories seeing a decline in PC retail sales. That market's sales were down most of the year, however, until December, when PC game sales jumped to $21.1 million.
Established in 1997, OzToys is a joint-venture between GFK and The NPD Group's market research companies in Australia. The tracking service provides weekly information for traditional toy, video game, and PC software industries.


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Earlier this year it was quite obvious that the interest of Google to their own platform Daydream VR for Android has subsided, but now the company finally scored a nail in the coffin by stopping the release of Daydream headset View.
Google had huge ambitions on the Daydream from the beginning . The company expects that developers will take advantage of the possibility of creating VR applications on its platform due to the theoretical chance that they will be able to cover hundreds of millions of existing Android users. But it was not as they had hoped. The company bid that the location of the smartphone in an inexpensive means of viewing virtual reality would be a great way to use VR, has failed.
With minimal adoption after a few years, Google today confirmed that it will cease to sell his Daydream View. Although the company is quite well maintained will work Daydream with its own line of smartphones Pixel and several other Android phones, the new Pixel 4 will not support Daydream View.
If you have a compatible phone, shop Dayream, applications, and the headset will continue to function. Google said:
We do not rely on wide acceptance by consumers or developers and we saw a decline in usage over time Daydream headset View. Therefore, although we no longer sell View Daydream and Daydream is not supported at Pixel 4, the app store and Daydream will remain available for existing users.
We saw great potential in the smartphone VR is the ability to use the smartphone that you carry with you everywhere to provide an exciting experience on the go. But over time, we noticed some clear limitations that do not allow smartphones, VR be a viable long-term solution.
The first headset Daydream Google View, released at the end of 2016 , was offered a pretty good virtual reality, but was not so attractive as its closest competitor, the Gear VR. Google has released an updated version of View in 2017, which have made some major improvements, but since then have done nothing with the headset.
Despite the low cost and wide access to Daydream and even Gear VR, a mobile VR eventually gave in. Not only that, in slotova approach lacked the full 6DOF experience superior Suite, the room is smartphone headset can be cumbersome, and using the headset also meant a discharge of your smartphone battery and the temporary absence of access to the telephone, which has become an integral part of many people’s lives.
Standalone headsets like the Oculus Quest, bring many of the same benefits while avoiding the significant difficulties connecting smartphone. Of course, Lenovo has released a standalone headset Daydream Mirage Solo in 2018, but its poor ergonomics and a strange combination of the controller with the headset 3DOF 6DOF failed to attract much attention.


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US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said: "The increase in the possible rate of the additional duty is meant to provide the administration with additional options to encourage China to change its harmful policies and behaviour and adopt policies that will lead to fairer markets and prosperity for all of our citizens".
A further escalation of the dispute would be a threat to world trade as a whole.
China Thursday said it is fully prepared to deal with US' threats to escalate the spiralling trade war between the two countries and will fight back to defend its dignity and the interests of its people, Reuters quoted the commerce ministry as saying.
The next wave of US tariffs is set to kick in as soon as Wednesday, with the possible imposition of duties on another $16 billion of Chinese imports.
Unhappy Chelsea Boss Seeks Urgent Meeting With Star After Late Return
The Brazilian failed to turn up on time for pre-season training with the Blues, sparking waves of speculation over his future. Asked for an update on Willian , the Chelsea boss said: "I want to speak to him before I answer these questions".
Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated at a regular news briefing in Beijing that the United States' efforts at "blackmail" would fail.
"We hope that those directly involved in the United States' trade policies can calm down, carefully listen to the voices of USA consumers.and hear the collective call of the worldwide community", Wang, a member of the country's state council, or cabinet, said in Singapore.
President Donald Trump is weighing the idea of increasing from 10 percent to 25 percent the tariffs imposed on some $200 billion of Chinese products, mainly consumer goods, the Office of the US Trade Representative reported Wednesday.
Raising the proposed tax rate on those goods means extending the deadline for public comment on the plan from August 30 to September 5. The two sides have not held high-level talks for a couple months now. "Regrettably, instead of changing its harmful behavior, China has illegally retaliated against us workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses", Lighthizer said.
What time is the blood moon? Will thunderstorms stop you seeing it?
The moon was in flawless alignment with the sun and Earth on Friday, with the moon on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. When sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere, it will light the moon, giving it the red color and the name, Blood Moon .
The Chinese have already proposed buying more US goods in order to settle the dispute, only to have the White House-which wants to win a broader argument about intellectual property and subsidies-reject the proposal. Officials in Beijing have vowed to respond with the same amount of tariffs on USA products. The night before the agreement, he proposed in a tweet that "Both the USA and the European Union drop all Tariffs, Barriers and".
Since July 1, the States have introduced duties for goods worth $34 bln and China responded in a tit-for-tat manner.
"US pressure and blackmail won't have an effect". "Now, the U.S. coerces and pressures others unilaterally".
NFL reportedly orders Jerry Jones to stop talking about national anthem issue
Jones had already owned the Cowboys for 20 years when players moved from the locker room to the field for the anthem. The protests were started in 2016 by former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick who has is now a free agent.


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By Lauren Leffer for the Scientific American
Apple released its long-awaited Vision Pro mixed-reality headset this month. The company describes the device, which has a starting price of $3,500, as a “spatial computer,” an alternative to a standard laptop or desktop. Apple’s ads have shown people using the headset to send e-mails and conduct other mundane two-dimensional tasks, and a June 2023 press release from the company said, “Apple Vision Pro is designed for all-day use.” Enthusiastic early adopters have already recorded themselves using it for dozens of hours on end—and even wearing it while sleeping.
Yet many experts are skeptical that this kind of headset can—or should—replace our physical monitors, keyboards and mice. Some worry that using such a device for long periods could lead to motion sickness, new types of social isolation or other unintended consequences.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are incredible tools for creating unique and immersive experiences, says Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, where he researches the psychology of VR and AR. But that doesn’t mean such a headset is always a useful tool. “We don’t use it for everyday stuff. You don’t need to put on a headset to read your e-mail,” he says, or to “enter numbers into a spreadsheet.”
Apple’s 1.4-pound goggles use sensors, including a lidar scanner and a camera array, to place people into what’s been called “mixed reality.” Outward-facing cameras offer a real-time view of users’ surroundings, while two small screens—situated directly in front of their eyeballs—simultaneously display an interactive digital realm. Meta’s Quest 3 headset, released in October 2023, also uses this style of “pass-through” video technology. Mixed reality is neither traditional VR, which completely blocks out the real world, nor AR, which presents a digital overlay on transparent lenses. Instead a pass-through device translates a digital representation of a person’s environment (their hands and nearby objects, for instance) into a completely virtual space.
This means the device mediates everything about a user’s experience. It’s “the dream of tech companies because you never [have to] take it off,” says sociocultural anthropologist Lisa Messeri of Yale University, who is author of an upcoming book on virtual reality, In the Land of the Unreal. “They can always have your attention. They always know where you’re looking. They always know what you’re doing.”
To Bailenson, Vision Pro and Quest 3 are exciting technological advances that improve on VR’s graphics and AR’s limited field of view. Pass-through tech, however, also presents new risks. In a study published earlier this month, Bailenson and others assessed some of mixed reality’s short-term effects. They found that wearing a headset seriously restricts a user’s visual perception—and could also change social behavior and motor function. Plus, pass-through technology has quirks that often cause visual delays and other distortions. Color saturation varies frequently. Light dims. Some objects appear too close or blurry. Even though the Vision Pro has impressive specifications, its image resolution is still lower than what human eyes are used to perceiving.
The research team currently advises against spending hours per day with these goggles on. “We recommend caution and restraint for companies lobbying for daily use of these headsets,” the authors wrote, urging more rigorous study of the effects. Few long-term studies of VR or AR use exist. Bailenson is currently monitoring participants who regularly use mixed-reality headsets, but the results of that study are months away from being published.
“We don’t know what it means to walk around the world with reduced peripheral vision or visual distortions for hundreds of hours in a month,” says Rabindra Ratan, an associate professor of media and information at Michigan State University and a co-author of the recently published study. “This is purely speculative, but there could be effects on the way your eyes move around in space, and maybe that could make your vision worse,” Ratan suggests. “We don’t really know what that will do to our brain.”
Past research involving prismatic spectacles (glasses with stick-on overlays that cause distortions and displacement) suggests that people can adapt to significant visual disturbances, Ratan says. But easing into altered vision initially requires an adjustment period that can last for hours or even days, depending on the individual user and the disturbance’s strength. Reverting to normal vision—such as by taking off a headset—is usually quicker, on the order of minutes. Yet in each case, the gap between mind and body can make basic motor tasks such as pushing elevator buttons, high-fiving and navigating a crowd on foot much more challenging. They can also lead to serious safety concerns. When the researchers rode a bicycle while wearing a headset, they found it much more difficult. In a worst-case scenario, if someone were biking with a headset on and the battery died, their vision would suddenly be wholly obscured, Bailenson points out. And navigating with an Internet-connected device attached to your face can be downright distracting.
Already people are publicly operating moving vehicles, including cars, while wearing mixed-reality headsets. Just four days after Apple released the Vision Pro, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a statement imploring people to not drive while wearing a VR device, in response to online clips of headset-wearing drivers. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also posted on social media, noting that all available consumer cars—even ones with advanced driver-assistance systems—still require completely engaged human drivers.
Simulation’s harsh reality
AR, VR and mixed-reality headsets also frequently cause “simulator sickness,” a suite of uncomfortable symptoms that include nausea, headache, dizziness and eye fatigue. Bailenson, Ratan and their co-authors encountered simulator sickness in the majority of their device sessions, even though the tests generally lasted less than an hour. Enduring even low levels of simulator sickness could impact people’s quality of life, activity level and productivity—which is one reason Bailenson worries that people might try to rely on these devices for their day-to-day work.
Then there are the potential impacts on memory. In one 2014 experiment, Frank Steinicke, a professor of human-computer interaction at the University of Hamburg in Germany, spent 24 hours alternating between two-hour bouts of VR use and 10-minute breaks. Throughout the study, Steinicke became unsure of was real and what wasn’t. “Several times during the experiment the participant was confused about being in the [virtual environment] or in the real world and mixed certain artifacts and events between both worlds,” the research paper says. Similarly, one 2009 study found that VR use can cause children to acquire false memories—even though image resolution and quality in VR was far worse 15 years ago.
“The audio-visual display is getting better and better; therefore, I am pretty sure that virtual and real content will continue to merge,” Steinicke says. Despite his findings in the 2014 experiment, he envisions a more positive computing future in which these tools beneficially replace keyboards and touchpads.
Immersive digital worlds may also affect how well users think and socialize, potentially influencing how they work or learn. In the presence of a virtual human character, people wearing augmented reality headsets perform better on simple cognitive tasks—but worse on more challenging ones—according to one 2019 study. In a separate experiment in that same study, researchers found that people wearing AR devices felt significantly less socially connected to the people around them who hadn’t donned headsets.
It's inherently isolating to wear a virtual or mixed-reality headset, says the 2019 paper’s lead study author, Mark Roman Miller, an assistant professor at Illinois Institute of Technology who studies the behavioral impacts of augmented and virtual reality. In-person collaboration becomes more challenging when workers wear headsets because it’s impossible to show anyone else what you’re looking at or to share a screen unless additional layers of software act as mediators, Miller adds.
Miller sees these devices as extraordinary tools, but he warns that they also carry enormous potential for counterproductive distraction. He says he “treats his smartphone like his shoes” by leaving it at the door when he comes home. Augmented and mixed-reality devices could further exacerbate the problem of divided attention that many smartphone users already encounter, he says.
Messeri agrees: every common complaint about how smartphones disrupt our real-life social interactions will only be amplified with mixed-reality headsets, she says. She has spent the past few years embedded with a Los Angeles–based group of tech experts and artists as they develop projects with the goal of expanding human empathy by creating experiences that wouldn’t be possible without VR. This techno-optimist community has its flaws, she says, but its work has been exciting and shows an openness to new possibilities. In contrast, Messeri describes Meta and Apple’s marketing of their mixed-reality devices as “predictable.”
“Meta is saying VR is just another gaming platform.... Apple is saying it’s your iPad but on your face—yet another productivity device,” she says. “If, in the next technological era, all we’re doing is the same thing we do on screens now but on a screen that’s a couple inches in front of our eyes, that’s not inspiring.”
(Lauren Leffer is a contributing writer and former tech reporting fellow at Scientific American.)


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Tech firms have become so popular that they are already quite ubiquitous. In fact, they are like The Mad Titan Thanos, often foraying into other realms to conquer them. The traditional banking industry is no different, and could likely face extinction unless it fails to boost its digital footprint and innovate to meet the rapidly evolving consumer demands.
In its Fintech – Global: Bank of the Future report, Moody’s predicts tighter competition ahead between technology giants, traditional banking companies as well as an array of innovative fintech start-ups. The report cites US mortgage data to back its argument, which revealed that more than half of the home loans obtained in 2017 were through online platforms. The analysis also showed that nearly 70% of millennials preferred online platforms for full or partial borrowing, compared to just over 40% of Baby Boomers.
Separately, the rating agency added that the banking industry has been more welcoming towards new entrants these days by loosening regulations on them.
This analysis is backed by to Citigroup’s (C) Bank of the Future report, which predicts that North American banks will see tech giants seizing as much as 34% of its revenues from lending and savings, as well as investment activities by 2025. Meanwhile, the credit card segment is expected to remain relatively immune to the revolution.
Fintech startups were initially the primary threat to the banking companies, which shook the loyalty base they often prided in. But banks often resorted to acquiring the start-ups or forming partnerships with them to avoid slipping into the oblivion, besides launching their own innovative labs. According to a CB Insights report, 2017 saw the maximum number of acquisitions by US banks.
The analysis also showed that nearly 70% of millennials preferred online platforms for full or partial borrowing, compared to just over 40% of Baby Boomers.
As more tech firms including Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN) and WeChat try their hands at every possible service, banking giants might want to reconsider their survival strategies. It is also possible that we may see numerous tech-banking consolidations in the future through mutually beneficial deals.
The trend has probably started with last week’s deal between UK-based Barclays and PayPal (PYPL), in a move to enhance digital payments. The partnership is expected to allow customers manage services of both the firms together with better ease. Therefore, it may be said that while the threat looms ahead large as ever, it also poses vibrant opportunities for banking firms in the form of smart consolidations.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) reported first quarter 2023 earnings results today. Net revenues grew 12% year-over-year to $7.9 billion. GAAP net income rose 6% to $4.2 billion while EPS grew
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) Thursday reported a decline in adjusted earnings and revenues for the fourth quarter. The semiconductor giant also provided guidance for the first quarter of 2023. Fourth-quarter
Shares of McCormick & Company Inc. (NYSE: MKC) were down over 5% on Thursday after the company missed expectations on its fourth quarter 2022 results and provided a lower-than-expected earnings


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It’s not just about the numbers
Adtech continues to flourish in 2019. For many of us working within the adtech industry, one of the core terms in the business of media buying is data. While our daily tasks revolve around numbers, numbers and… more numbers… there is so much more to a successful agency than their ability to analyse and evaluate data. As we progress through February, we ought to consider some of the lingering qualms on media agencies’ minds.
Providing a 360 degree-service
In our fast-moving industry, 12 months can completely change the way we work. Media agencies and tech providers have to constantly evolve and make the most of the digital transformation in order to stay relevant in the future. Over the past year, dataxu asked a number of media agencies in the UK and abroad about the services they think will still be relevant in the future. The agency representatives that we spoke to know what brands need now and over the next few years and have already started internal processes to meet these needs.
One of the biggest areas of growth in agency’s offerings will be operational consulting. While 31% of UK agencies offer this service today, 38% expect to be working in this field by 2023. At the same time, 16% told us that they need to gain expertise in consulting in order to stay relevant in the future. This shows us that agencies are aware of the threat of consultancies moving into their sector. Accenture launching a programmatic unit in recent months did not go unnoticed. However, agencies are not planning on going down without a fight. By moving into consultancy services themselves, agencies are trying to ensure that brands will continue to see the value of independent media buyers and won’t be tempted by the sector’s new competition.
Staying on top of digital
Alongside consulting capabilities, many agencies also told us that they need to become better at developing creatives and being seen as a partner in digital transformation. While these may seem like two separate issues at first, they both come down to the same main worry: In an over-crowded industry, media agencies feel that they need to offer a complete 360-degree service to brands. By offering creative, analytical and consulting services, they will be able to grow their business at scale and retain their clients in the long term.
The disruption of industries and digital transformation are topics that every company in every sector will have to encounter and deal with over the next few years. Media agencies are perfectly placed to advise their partners; however, they will have to undergo a transformation themselves before being able to assist their brand clients. In 2019 and beyond, agencies will have to heavily invest in their programmatic capabilities. New formats such as Advanced TV and programmatic audio are spreading fast, and it will be those agencies that are able to work with a broad range of channels that will retain business.
When looking at 2019 and into the 2020s, there are a number of key topics that will stay with us for years to come. Maximising the use of data is always going to be one of them. GDPR turned 2018 into a key year for the industry, fundamentally changing the ways we are able to work. The regulation has kick-started a change that will be felt for a while, with companies across sectors rethinking their business models and coming up with ways to use data in the consumers’ best interest.
However, media agencies need to consider their future beyond data capabilities. They ought to look further afield and learn from the successes of consultancies and creative agencies. By making sure they are able to act as a trusted partner for brands, and providing an all-round service, agencies will be able to withstand changing industry trends and remain relevant for years to come…


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Days after launching the premiere V15 Pro, Vivo has launched the V15 phone in India. The V15 is simply a toned-down version of the V15 Pro that keeps the design aesthetics and pop-up selfie camera setup intact, but its Rs 23,990 price tag means hardware specs have been tweaked to seemingly justify its lower cost. The Vivo V15 will be available for buying in India from April 1 from the company’s own e-store, Amazon India, Flipkart, PayTm Mall, Tata CLiQ and all offline channels across the country.
The Vivo V15 shares the design of the V15 Pro, including its 32MP pop-up selfie camera. But it swaps the Pro’s 48MP primary rear camera for a 12MP shooter – the other two cameras in the triple cam setup are the same though, which means the Vivo V15 also comes with a secondary wide-angle 8MP and another 5MP sensor for depth sensing aka portrait photography.
The processor has been toned down too. Unlike the Vivo V15 Pro, the Vivo V15 packs a MediaTek Helio P70 processor paired with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage which is also expandable.
The Vivo V15 comes with a 6.53-inch 1080p+ LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and uses a 4,000mAh battery with micro-USB charging (fast charging is supported).
Software inside is Android Pie-based FunTouch OS 9.
Unlike the Vivo V15 Pro that has an in-display fingerprint scanner, the Vivo V15 has a conventional fingerprint scanner on the back.
“At Vivo, we believe in bringing the best in technology and user experience to our consumers. The recently launched V15 Pro received an overwhelming response from the consumers, and with the launch of V15 we further want to provide our consumers with the opportunity to experience innovative technologies such as Pop-up camera and Ultra Full-View display at an exciting price point,” Nipun Marya, Director Brand Strategy, Vivo India said in a statement.
Vivo has launched the V15 in India at a price of Rs 23,990. This is for the 6GB RAM and 64GB version of the V15. The V15 will be available for buying from April 1 from the company’s own e-store, Amazon India, Flipkart, PayTm Mall, Tata CLiQ and all offline channels across the country. The phone will be available in Glamour Red, Frozen Black and Royal Blue colour options.
Vivo is also bundling a few launch-day offers along with the V15:
-Upto Rs 10,000 exchange buyback offer with Bajaj Finserve EMI being insta-cash as buyback partner with additional Vivo benefits
-5 per cent SBI cashback on credit/debit card regular transactions and credit card EMI transaction
-Zero down payment for 8 months with IDFC First
-EMI option of Rs 1,599 exclusive with HDB on 15/3 scheme and 5 per cent additional cashback
-Benifits worth Rs 10,000 - Jio Vivo cricket offer and upto 3.3TB Jio 4G data
-Exchange offer of Rs 2,000 extra on your old smartphone
-Loyalty benefit of Rs 1,000 over above exchange value
-Upto 15 months no cost EMI option
-One time screen replacement


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Poland: Latest beverage news & analysis
Stock Spirits hosted a visit to its production facility in Poland earlier this week, with just-drinks joining a group of analysts on an early-morning flight to the south-eastern city of Lublin.
Polish food and beverage group Maspex is to buy two drinks brands from Agros Nova Group for an undisclosed sum.
Stock Spirits Group has warned that profits could miss full-year targets by as much as EUR10m (US$12.5m) as stiff competition in Poland hampers second-half performance.
Russian Standard has launched a new flavoured variant of its Polish vodka brand Zubrówka.
William Grant & Sons has extended its distribution tie-up in Poland with Central European Distribution Corp (CEDC).
Private-label syrup producer Excellence has launched a range of three syrups under its namesake brand name.
Poland's spirits industry has urged the country's prime minister not to press ahead with plans for a 15% rise in tax on the category.
Beverage and food ingredients producer Döhler has acquired Polish group Aromes for an undisclosed sum.
Beam Inc has cancelled a distribution deal with CEDC in Poland to sign a new agreement with Stock Spirits Group (SSG).
Russian Standard has appointed a president for the Polish operations of recently-acquired Central European Distribution Corp.
Russian Standard owner Roustam Tariko will take sole control of Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC) this week when a restructuring plan goes into effect.
Poland is hardly noted for its cider consumption, but all this could be about to change.
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Announcing 24 fun and healthy ways to make a difference this Christmas time...
Not all advent calendars are the same! The Gorilla Organization has teamed up with Advent of Change to offer a calendar that offers a feel-good buzz behind every door.
Instead of chocolates, each day the unique advent calendar gives you the chance to make a real difference by supporting a wide range of charities. Not only is the calendar healthy, it’s also ethically-produced and educational, advising you how little acts of kindness can make a big difference to people and animals in need.
Last year the celebrity-endorsed social enterprise Advent of Change launched the first-of-its-kind charity advent calendar. By the end of 2018, the movement had raised £100,000 for its 24 chosen charities and even received an award from the Prime Minister in recognition of outstanding contributions to charitable causes.
The calendar has been named as one of the best festive gifts by the Telegraph and Metro and was featured on ITV’s This Morning. It’s also got the backing of several well-known business leaders, including Holly Branson, entrepreneur and head of the non-profit Virgin Unite.
A gift that could fund ranger patrols for a month
Each day of this alternative advent calendar represents a 50p donation and describes how that gift could be used, giving the recipient a ‘feel-good feeling’ when seeing exactly how they’ve helped – from feeding the hungry to looking after animals from around the world.
If gorilla lovers snap up all the calendars being sold in the run-up to Christmas, then the Gorilla Organization will receive a donation of £4,000 – enough money to help keep a team of rangers equipped to patrol the forests where the gorillas live for a whole month!
Celebrating the launch, Gorilla Organization Director Jillian Miller said: “We are delighted to be part of this great initiative. The money raised by Advent for Change will go towards supporting our conservation and development projects in Africa and will make a real difference to the gorillas and the people they live alongside. Corporate partnerships such as this are an important part of our funding and we are always on the lookout for exciting new partners.”
The Charity Advent Calendar is available to buy online via the Advent of Change website, and from Waitrose stores across the country. The calendar costs £16.95, with over 70% of the sale price of this product going directly to charity – 50p going to each charity per calendar.


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It's finally almost fall time in Montreal, and one of the best things about fall is being able to go apple picking. But why should you have to travel out to the countryside to get some delicious fresh fruit? Well, this September you won't have to because Saint-Denis is going to be home to a 1km long orchard.
Not only will there be a plethora of delicious produce for you to choose from, but there will be hundreds of free activities. You can pick yourself some free apples, get some free fresh-pressed juice, participate in workshops, and even enter a photo contest for a chance to win $500. There will also be small shops set up along the street for you to pop into, and lots of food for you to purchase.
The orchard will run from September 4-6, so you have a few days to get your fill of fun, and it would be a pretty great way to spend your long weekend.
The event name, Sudbest, perfectly captures the goal of the event. Organizers call it the Sud-Ouest's "largest commercial revival initiative," bringing forward as many of the borough's merchants, artists and artisans as possible.
"The Market is intended to be a tailor-made economic stimulus tool for artists and merchants in the Sud-Ouest by giving them a commercial opportunity to promote themselves as part of an event reflecting the neighborhood," said restauranteur Gaelle Cerf, one of the event leaders, in a statement.
At the market, you can expect to find a 100% Quebec wine and cider bar run by the owners of the new convenience store Le Cinq à Sept (Ville-Émard), a bloody caesars bar at Lord William Pub and a "post-pandemic" beer made specially for the event by 4 Origines Microbrewery.
You'll find food trucks, a Perles et Paddock oyster bar, jerk chicken grilled by Boom J, Food'elles and more.
At this month's event, DJ Kelly (Rap Mommies) will be spinning on Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. On Sunday, you'll find Jazz St-Henri, 99 Wolves, and ELMNT at the DJ booth.
Fifteen stands are expected at the first Le Sudbest weekend, according to communications coordinator Julie Poulin. But Poulin told MTL Blog there are already 35 kiosks confirmed for the next event on August 28 and 29.
The third and final (for now) Sudbest weekend is scheduled for September 25 and 26.
I must admit, I had never been to New City Gas (I moved here during the pandemic — please forgive me), so I had no idea what to expect. The first thing I thought was, "WOW, this space is so cool!" We walked into the lobby-bar and I was instantly taken by the exposed brick and hanging lights, which created a boho-chic Mykonos-esque aesthetic. Of course, that included a hanging bed.
We stepped inside and walked through the mysterious yet cozy and inviting interior complete with mirrors and candles galore. Before entering the restaurant, we passed through the artisanal marketplace, featuring goods from Meraki, a Laval-based boutique filled with handmade goods and imported treasures from Greece.
Next, we headed into the restaurant, which is so spectacularly done that it feels like one of the most high-end, chic spots on the Island of Montreal but with a totally relaxed and laid-back vibe. Thanks to the decor — complete with hanging baskets, long tables, neutral tones and vibrant greenery — you truly feel like you're in Tulum or in Greece.
We tucked ourselves in for a four-course meal by Chef Massimo Piedimonte of Le Mousso. We were told that the menu was "a tour through the Mediterranean": tapas, a fish course, a meat course, and dessert. Paired with drinks prepared by sommelier Maxime Laliberté of Maison Boulud and mixologist Lawrence Picard of Nectar & Co., I was in absolute heaven.
Between courses, we checked out the open-air gallery outside by S16 and the NFT Gallery by 0x Society, which is actually the first of its kind in Canada. Both of these will be available all summer long.
When the sun went down and the lights came on, the ambiance was even more spectacular. Co-owner Alex K. told me the team was inspired by their travels to places like Tulum and Mykonos, not just for their food and culture, but for the way they exude positive summer vibes. And that's exactly what I got from Bazart from start to finish!
Expedia also shared data on Canadians' interest in visiting Quebec destinations. After Quebec City and Mont-Tremblant, Canadians seem to want to travel to La Malbaie, Tadoussac, Montreal and Gaspésie — in that order.
The results were based on searches for trips that would take place between July 7 and September 30.
At a press conference on Thursday, Premier François Legault, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several other government representatives announced huge new investments into Canada's aerospace industry. These investments are set to create "more than 1,000" high-paying jobs in Quebec and the rest of Canada.
"The projects announced today are tangible platforms for creating exciting jobs," Aéro Montréal explained in a press release.


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Three music brands and two retailers have been fined a total of €21m for price-fixing and colluding over minimum pricing from 2014 to 2018. As reported by Music Tech, a German Federal Cartel Office statement read that Yamaha, Roland and Fender would “contact Thomann and Music Store and ask these retailers to adjust their sales prices, which they also did in many cases.” The practice is illegal under EU consumer law.
According to the case, the manufacturers also threatened and imposed penalties on retailers such as suspending supply or worsened terms and conditions. Andreas Mundt, President of the German Cartel Office said: “With the fines it has imposed the Bundeskartellamt [German Cartel Office] is sending a clear signal not just to the companies concerned but also to the entire musical instrument sector that violations of the prohibition of resale price maintenance and price-fixing agreements will not be tolerated.”
In June 2020, it was reported that Roland and Korg had been involved in price-fixing in the UK with retailer GAK. They were fined £5.5m at the time.


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Changes in trademark registration
Changes have been made to the new Trademark Law (Federal Trademark Law No. 36 of 2021), which will speed up procedures and expedite the issuance of licenses. In addition, the trademark database will now become a public registry with open access for all.
Before the amendments, trademark searches were a paid service, but with the new changes there will be free digital access.
The new changes in UAE law pave the way for a new, modern era for the country, which confirms its attractiveness to global investors and innovators.
The changes are in line with the country’s ambitions to become a leading business hub, as well as to create a well-diversified economy.
The new changes are a welcome step that will certainly attract more foreign direct investment to the region, as well as further economic growth.


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Get involved! Send your photos, video, news & views by texting COUNTY GAZETTE to 80360 or email us
Redruth beauty to stage charity fashion show
7:30am Wednesday 23rd January 2013 in Cornwall
A Redruth beauty queen will hold a fashion show next month in aid of a children's hospice charity.
Miss Cornwall Galaxy, Katie Mcloughlin, has organised the event to benefit Children's Hospice South West.
It will be held at The Penventon Hotel in Redruth on Friday, February 15 at 7pm.
The show aims to showcase collections from local designers and shops, including Silly Old Sea Dog designer Alison Ballard from Newquay.
A raffle will also be held as part of the show and local businesses have donated prizes ranging from makeover photoshoots to haircuts and homemade cakes to gel nail treatments.
Katie said: “I am so happy to be organizing such a fun event in order to raise money for such an amazing charity.
“Having a child myself I knew exactly what charity to raise money for and the fashion show will be an amazing night and a great way to not only raise money for charity but to take a look at some of the amazing talent that Cornwall has to offer.
“I hope to have a great turn out and can't wait to see everybody there.”
Tickets will be on sale at The Penventon Hotel from February 1 priced at £5 per person, with children getting in free. They can also be bought on the door on the night.
Raffle tickets will be on sale on the night priced at £3 a ticket or £10 a strip.
Any local businesses wanting to donate a prize to the raffle can contact Katie on firstname.lastname@example.org


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If you remember the Google Project Tango tablet, then you’re already familiar with this device 3D mapping features thanks to the several camera sensors placed on it. As we get to know today, it seems that the Project Tango is leaving Google ATAP and get its own department within Google.
Google ATAP stands for Advanced Technology and Project, and is a skilled group that had in works both the Project Ara and the Project Tango. This Project Tango tablet is able to map the world around us in 3D by creating virtual representations of the 3D objects.
A first developer kit will be available soon to the developers. However, Google didn’t said why it decided to move the Project Tango to a proper department, but maybe we’ll get to find this thing too. What should Google create next?