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EBay ended its ad boycott against Google yesterday but said it would scale back spending on the search engine going forward.
The auction giant said the 10-day suspension showed it could shift some dollars away from Google's search engine without losing traffic or sales.
"We can make a more efficient buy and reallocate some of our spending to take advantage of some of the things we saw," said eBay spokesman Hani Durzy.
eBay Ends AdWords Boycott Against Google [nypost.com]
joined:Apr 30, 2007
I wonder if either will do some good, without a price tag attached.
EBay recently pulled ads from the world's most popular search engine in what the auction company billed as an experiment to determine the most effective means of getting customers to visit the shopping site. The move, however, had smacked of blatant retaliation as it coincided with a June 14 party that Google had been planning to siphon attention from eBay's annual user celebration in Boston.
In the past week, eBay -- one of the biggest buyers using Google's AdWords marketing program -- increased advertising on Google rivals, including Yahoo Inc., IAC/InterActiveCorp.'s Ask.com and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN.com.
EBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the experiment proved that eBay didn't need to spend as much on Google ads, which generally run to the right of Google's regular search results.
Associated Press [biz.yahoo.com]
[edited by: encyclo at 8:27 pm (utc) on June 23, 2007]
[edit reason] moved from another location [/edit]
"Google has a ton of money and should have thrown its own party that didn't coincide with the eBay event, which was simply a guerrilla warfare attempt to draw attention on the cheap," Kay said. "And for eBay to cut ads from Google -- the old-fashioned metaphor is 'cutting off your nose to spite your face.' It was all very childish."
And so say all of us.
I wonder where stupid PR stunts fit into the 'do no evil' plan; And I wonder how long ebay will be able to keep Google Checkout off their auctions?
This time, Google blinked first ...
Do you seriously think that whatever 'backlinks' ebay got made any difference? And wasn't it the news sites that got most of the links anyway?
Neither ebay nor Google were winners here; if anyone was, it was AOL, Yahoo! and Ask, who took over Google-vacated slots.
eBay -- one of the biggest buyers using Google's AdWords marketing program -- increased advertising on Google rivals, including Yahoo Inc., IAC/InterActiveCorp.'s Ask.com and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN.com....
Now they are on their way to also ruining MSN and Yahoo search.
The display url says everythingelse.ebay.com, and rover.ebay.com seems to be the target. Following the ad link shows, yet again, that no such product may be found on eBay.
added: and you could get Black Eye Online from target.
joined:Dec 29, 2003
actually, I saw slaves for sale at eBay. They said "Find them cheaper" too
When will your local technology reporter get smart enough to put the relevant question to the director of advertising at eBay? Maybe ten years from now?
I think eBay has more money than sense and it's run by very sloppy people who took so many years to figure out they were throwing money at ineffective advertising.
"Sir, how do discount slaves on eBay help the branding of your company?"
"Just a second. Maybe I can find the answer on eBay. I'll be with you in a moment."
They could just eliminate all the useless search terms they appear for and save a bundle.
Right on TropicalIsland and PotentialGeek.
If eBay simply advertised for items you can ACTUALLY BUY on eBay, they'd probably cut their Adwords budget in half, preserve their brand better, and actually convert the same since the ad clickers would be finding what the ad ACTUALLY advertised. Seems like an ad to find slaves on ebay is a lawsuit waiting to happen. C'mon eBay and Google, any programmer could write a script to block the eBay ads from appearing if the keyword doesn't appear in a auction listing on eBay, just takes a bit of processing power which eBay could assuredly afford.
So has anyone seen a reduction in ridiculous eBay advertising since they brought ads back online with Google?
They could just eliminate all the useless search terms they appear for and save a bundle. It wouldn't affect their results.
or would it?
ebay is already known to some web-savvy insiders so making their brand known isn't the issue. By showing ads for idiotic search terms they get exposure for free (nobody will klick) - and most often they'll be the only advertiser on the page. Remember: no publicity is bvad publicity ....
Any competent linguist, or any fluent speaker of his own native language, would have already seen why that action would be futile.


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As adventure tourism grows, niche startups emerge from WeChalet to ThermalRead more...
Pew Research found that 65% of experts expect mobile payments will be widely adopted in 8 years
Mobile payments could become as common as swiping a credit card by 2020, according to the latest report released by the Pew Research Center today.
Approximately 65% of experts surveyed in the study agreed that mobile payments would take off by 2020, while 33% of experts agreed with a more negative statement, which said that consumers wouldn’t trust mobile payments to replace cash and credit cards by 2020.
I'm sure that PayPal, Square, Google, Visa, LevelUp, PayDragon and others are taking notice of what the buzz is about mobile payment adoption, especially now that users have grown more comfortable shopping and checking their banking information via their pocket-sized computers.
This survey only offered two scenarios to choose from -- adoption and lack of trust -- so there is no middle ground to draw from in this survey.
Recent Pew Internet surveys have found that one in 10 Americans have used their cell phone to make a charitable contribution by text message; more than one-third of smartphone owners have used their phones to do online banking services like paying bills or checking a balance; and 46% of apps users have purchased an app using a mobile device. So the comfort is growing with phone transactions, but all of these mobile payment companies that have been making waves over the last few months are hoping that you'll feel fine leaving home with just your phone in the very near future.
Previous research from comScore found that 38% of smartphone owners have used their cell phone to make a purchase of music, e-books, movies, clothing and accessories, and daily deals as well, just as mobile retail continues to grow with vigor.
Laura Lee Dooley, an online engagement architect and strategist for the World Resources Institute, expressed her fear that there are still significant trust issues and said consumers’ fears will drive the industry. “There will always be people who are concerned with the security of their transactions,” she wrote in the study, “so the concern of someone hacking into your financial flows will continue to grow, and personal security and device-tracking companies will become an integral and major component of the marketplace.”
But because so many people are turning to their mobile devices for more functionality and information, the infrastructure and tools for safe mobile purchasing have been advancing rapidly in recent months and could quickly douse the concerns that crop up.
“For many of these experts, ‘mobile money’ represents more than just existing processes adapted to a new, more portable form factor,” Janna Anderson, director of Elon’s Imagining the Internet Center and a co-author of the study, said in a statement. “They see this as an opportunity to implement security measures that are lacking in our current financial systems, to offer consumers more control over their spending, and to even reinvent the way we think about the concept of ‘money’. Top people from Microsoft, Nokia and Netflix were among the many who said it is up to those who control transaction systems to set the timetable for adoption.”
Since other countries have been using mobile payments in one form or another, it only seems inevitable that the US will fall in step and spread the mobile options very soon, but it is definite that changes and evolutions will be a part of this process so that more people feel as comfortable clicking their phone as they do cracking open their wallet. It will likely become another option of payment and accountability for those that like to manage their money in their own personalized way.
With each of the new ways to exchange funds, there is always the concern about security and each company has been working on ways to increase customer confidence in their tools. One of the constants across all the services is the ability to track the payments you have made and accepted within the application so you have a simple history available all of the time.
Another method that many of the services offer is the ability to receive a digital receipt after each transaction into your personal email address. This option clearly keeps people informed of any activity going on with the service and credit card connected to it.
Some of the companies, such as LevelUp, also offer a pin code option so that each time you are about to complete a transaction, you have to enter a unique pin to insure that someone can't just use your phone for fraudulent purchases.
And Square's new Pay with Square app also has people build profiles that include a the photo and name of the person who owns the account to give another level of security.
But, of course, none of these are fool-proof and anyone that steals your phone could still have access to these mobile wallet services -- much like a real wallet. So the best advice is to take advantage of all of the security options you can with the various services by uploading a photo, adding a pin and syncing up to an email account that you check frequently.
Since mobile-payment technology in the United States is still in its infancy, we can expect credit card companies and the mobile payment service will spend the next year or so educating people and working with one another to create better protections to avoid fraud when moving toward convenience -- especially since everyone is expecting Visa to deliver its own proprietary payments system very soon.
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PayDragon is a mobile shopping app that lets smartphone users order and pay remotely for goods and services. PayDragon translates the convenient one-click shopping experience to the real world by enabling consumers to easily browse, scan, shop and pay for items on the go. Launched by the team behind Paperlinks, a leader in QR code marketing and mobile commerce, the PayDragon app is available for free on iPhone and Android.
PayDragon is headed by CEO and Founder Hamilton Chan.

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Some stocks have skyrocketed year to date. Indeed, shares of some technology companies more than doubled over the last six months. This rally has been fueled by improving investor sentiment and excitement about artificial intelligence. These hypergrowth stocks appear to be carrying their momentum into the year’s second half, continuing to rally to new heights.
Now, some tech stocks have achieved astronomical valuations simply due to portfolio rebalancing. While some analysts continue to predict a market downturn, there doesn’t appear to be any pullback in a number of hypergrowth stocks that keep outperforming the broader market by a wide margin. We asked artificial intelligence for its hypergrowth stock picks, and this is what it came up with.
Here are seven hypergrowth stocks that AI is loving in July.
It might not be for everybody, but one hypergrowth stock that AI is loving in July is Carvana (NYSE:CVNA).
Through six months of the year, CVNA stock has gained 740%. In January, the share price traded at less than $5 apiece. Today, it is near $40. Notably, the meteoric rise of the online used car retailer is widely attributed to a short squeeze. With more than 60% of Carvana’s stock sold short (meaning traders are betting it will go down), retail investors saw this potential short-squeeze target as one to buy.
Apparently, AI didn’t take the effects of a short squeeze into account when recommending CVNA stock. The huge gains in Carvana’s share price this year make little sense. This is especially true when one considers that prices for used vehicles have been spiraling downward. The latest data showed that used car prices in the U.S. fell 4.2% in June from May of this year. Declining prices for used cars is one of the biggest factors in pushing the inflation rate down in America. But try telling that to the “apes” on r/WallStreetBets.
Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA)
Marathon Digital Holdings (NASDAQ:MARA) is a leading cryptocurrency miner, and its stock has been surging this year. So far in 2023, MARA stock is up nearly 400%. This move has been driven higher by the huge rebound in crypto asset prices, notably Bitcoin (BTC-USD), which has rallied 83% year to date and is trading above $30,000 at the time of writing. Other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum (ETH-USD) are also on the upswing, driving demand and momentum for MARA stock.
In May, Marathon Digital reported that its Bitcoin production surged 74% year-over-year in Q1. It also said its cash holdings rose by $12 million, and the company managed to lower its net debt by $50 million.
Certainly, this is all music to the ears of analysts and investors. Marathon Digital also increased its Bitcoin holdings by 3,132 BTC, and said it plans to further expand its Bitcoin mining operations as crypto prices remain buoyant heading into this year’s second half. Other crypto mining stocks have also risen sharply this year, but MARA stock gets the nod from AI.
Perhaps a bit ironically, one of the stock recommendations on this list is pure-play artificial intelligence company C3.ai (NYSE:AI). In many respects, this recommendation makes sense, given the extreme hypergrowth seen in this stock year to date. Since January, AI stock has increased 264%, trouncing the performance of nearly every other security available. Retail investors, in particular, seem to love C3.ai, piling into the stock as they search for any investments related to the artificial intelligence theme.
No mention was made of the fact that C3.ai is a comparatively small company and stock. The company generated only $72.4 million of revenue in its most recent quarter, and holds a market capitalization of $4.65 billion. Additionally, the growing short interest in C3.ai should be considered. Currently, more than a quarter of AI stock is sold short by professional traders, meaning they are betting that the share price will decline in coming months.
Still, for now, momentum seems to be on the side of C3.ai, and it continues to be a hypergrowth stock AI thinks is worth buying.
Microchip and semiconductor company Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 benchmark during the first half of 2023. NVDA stock gained 190% between January and the end of June, far outpacing the index’s 16% first half gain. Indeed, NVDA stock continues to be in hypergrowth mode and is now up 206% on the year. Like C3.ai, Nvidia’s bull run can largely be attributed to the role its chips and semiconductors play in artificial intelligence applications.
Seen as a key player in the AI arms race, NVDA stock is now up more than 600% over the last five years. The current rally has pushed the stock to a market capitalization above $1 trillion, officially making Nvidia a mega-cap technology concern. Despite the big run this year, Nvidia’s share price is seen as having more runway ahead. The company is certainly doing all it can to capitalize on the hype surrounding AI, recently unveiling a new supercomputer called DGX GH200 that will help companies create chatbots more powerful than ChatGPT.
Electric vehicle maker Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is another AI recommended hypergrowth stock, having risen 152% so far this year. Momentum in the stock has only grown since Tesla announced better-than-expected second quarter production and delivery numbers. The closest approximation to sales the company has, Tesla reported 466,140 vehicle deliveries in Q2, crushing Wall Street forecasts. The rise in deliveries coincided with incentives and discounts offered to buyers in the first half of the year, as well as a $7,500 U.S. federal tax credit.
Tesla’s stock has also come roaring back since company CEO Elon Musk shifted his focus back to the EV maker and away from Twitter, the social media company he bought last fall for $44 billion. There had been concerns among analysts that Tesla faced competitive threats from larger, more established automakers. However, those worries seem to have been calmed by news that players such as Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) will pay Tesla for access its charging network, further cementing the company’s lead in the EV market.
Maybe it’s because Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) share price has rallied 52% this year. Or maybe it’s because the company recently became the first publicly traded company to achieve a $3 trillion market capitalization. Whatever the reason, consumer electronics giant Apple is an AI-predicted hypergrowth stock.
Having officially achieved a $3 trillion market valuation, Apple is today the world’s most valuable company. Apple is also one of the few mega-cap technology companies whose gains this year are not driven by its role in artificial intelligence.
Compared to its peers, Apple has relatively little exposure to artificial intelligence. Rather, investors seem to be attracted to the company for its strong balance sheet, impressive free cash flow, and the popularity of its electronic devices like iPhones and MacBook computers. Apple also continues to push into new areas such as online payments and augmented reality headsets. Most recently, Apple announced that it has opened a new store on the popular Chinese social media app WeChat, expanding its reach in the nation of 1.4 billion people.
Momentum behind e-commerce company Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is expected to grow, with its latest Prime Day sales event that ran between July 11 and July 12. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) analysts forecast that the latest Prime Day will generate $12 billion in sales for Amazon, which would represent 10% year-over-year growth and give the company’s Q3 earnings a nice boost. It could also help to further boost AMZN stock, which is already up more than 50% this year.
Beyond Prime Day, Amazon also recently opened its new second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia and announced plans to unveil a host of new technologies at an event scheduled to take place on September 20. The company said it will release its latest and greatest tech devices at a “Devices and Services” event in September. While it’s not clear what products Amazon plans to unveil at the upcoming event, the company launched the Kindle Scribe e-reader, Halo Rise sleep tracker device, and the Eero PoE 6 router at its similar 2022 event. Stay tuned.
On the date of publication, Joel Baglole held long positions in NVDA, AAPL and BAC. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.


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After declining slightly last week, the Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI) bounced back this week. Last week’s decline was marginal, only -1.3%, but it was the first weekly decline since the freight market began heating up in May. There is still an extremely high number of rejected tenders being counted in OTVI. To account for this, we can calculate the accepted tender volume index (using the inverse of OTRI). This metric fell more than 3% last week but has also bounced back up 1.5% week-over-week.
15,692 * (1 – .256) = 11,675 accepted tender volume index value for Oct. 1, 2020
10,553 * (1 – .052) = 10,004 accepted tender volume index value for Oct. 1, 2019
Using this metric to control for the high level of rejected tenders allows us to get a more accurate understanding of the true demand level. That level has little changed over the past six weeks. Demand remains extraordinarily high and is simply outpacing capacity.
In last week’s weekly trucking update from the Passport Research team, “The flattening,” the team referenced the carrier-facing headcount expansion at brokerages and the wage inflation at carriers as evidence this rally has legs.
Accepted freight tender volumes are running up 16.5% year-over-year despite the minor slump last week. October should give us a strong indication of demand through the end of year. Our expectations have not changed in recent weeks, and we still believe the rest of the year is bright for the freight market. Retail inventories are down 12% year-over-year, while sales are up 11%. The possibility of another round of stimulus before the election would aid this argument. While consumer confidence has faltered, spending is remaining strong given the economic backdrop. These factors lead us to believe that freight volumes could end with a massive bang.
Tender rejections: Absolute levels and momentum positive for carriers
National truckload capacity continues to remain tight as the Outbound Tender Reject Index (OTRI), a measure of relative capacity, jumped 15 basis points over the past week. This jump in tender rejections follows back-to-back weeks where rejection rates took a breather after peaking at 26.68% on Sept. 9. Ultimately, capacity hasn’t substantially loosened and the elevated rejections keep upward pressure on rates as we begin the fourth quarter.
In the two previous years, capacity has loosened throughout September as tender rejections fall in a typical soft freight month. On brand for 2020, the typical freight path has not been followed — tender rejections are slightly higher at the end of the month this year.
While OTRI has fallen ~5% off the Labor Day peak, it remains at a remarkably high 25.66%. This indicates that nearly one in four loads is still being rejected at contracted rates across the country. Rejection rates in three of the six largest freight markets are outpacing the national average for a second week in a row. Although rejection rates have slowed since Labor Day, carriers are still rejecting more than enough contracted freight to keep spot rates high.


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Stellantis announces recall for 3,50,000 Jeep and RAM models. Check details
Stellantis, the parent company of automotive brands like Jeep and RAM, has recently issued three recalls affecting over 350,000 vehicles in the United States of America. These recalls address various safety concerns across several model years.
The largest of the recalls, identified as recall 24V-132 by safety regulators, affects 338,238 Jeep Grand Cherokees from 2021 to 2023. The issue involves a steering knuckle that could come apart, potentially causing the wheel to fall outward from the vehicle. Jeep has attributed this problem to a pinch bolt that attaches the upper control arm to the steering knuckle, which may have been damaged during production.
Also check these Cars
While Jeep expects only one per cent of the affected vehicles to exhibit this problem, it is recalling all Grand Cherokees (including the L version) to replace the pinch bolts free of charge. Owners are advised to be vigilant for any "abnormal noise" while driving over bumps, as this could indicate a problem with the steering knuckle.
In a separate recall, 9,433 Jeep Grand Cherokees from the 2023 and 2024 model years are being recalled due to an issue with the auto high beam headlamp controller. When the lighting switch is set to Auto, the vehicle may fail to illuminate the high beams when requested by the driver. Jeep will address this issue by updating the software in the affected vehicles.
The third recall involves the RAM Promaster from 2022 and 2023, affecting approximately one percent of the 27,744 vehicles recalled. The issue relates to a seat belt switch sense magnet that may not function correctly. This could lead the vehicle to erroneously indicate that the driver is not wearing a seat belt when they are. Owners of these vehicles are advised to check their VIN number on NHTSA.gov or contact their local dealer for more information.
Owners of affected vehicles are encouraged to take prompt action to address these issues and prevent potential safety hazards.


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Still paying cash for petrol? Use your card
Are you still paying cash for petrol? This could soon be a thing of the past, says BP. More than 30% of all forecourt payments at BP garages are now done by debit card, while about 10% still use garage cards. Plastic will soon dominate fuel payments, says Sipho Mbelle, BP’s head of sales and marketing.
What’s smart about using a card? Well, you don’t have to carry cash and the transaction is secure because it’s done in full sight of the customer—the card isn’t taken away to be swiped.
It’s probably the safer, easier option for payment. It’s also a good crime prevention strategy as carrying cash at forecourts can be risky for customers and for staff.
In fact, my nearest garage’s ATM was blown up last week, which made me a bit anxious about driving around with cash in that area, especially after dark. Cash attracts trouble, particularly in crime hot-spots.
The Payment Association of South Africa says that seven out of 10 transactions in South Africa are being done with debit cards, which suggests that consumers feel safe with this method of payment.
Motorists can pay for fuel with any garage, fleet, debit, credit, cheque or charge card (such as American Express), or even Visa or MasterCard gift cards—the choice is yours.
Read more news, blogs, tips and Q&As in our Smart Money section. Post questions on the site for independent and researched information


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Vodafone MVNA Gamma is experiencing rapid growth, signing up 95 MVNO partners since its launch in July last year and increasing mobile sales by over 30% quarter-on-quarter this year.
The MVNA, which is aimed at the SME market, has almost tripled partner numbers after launching with 36 MVNO partners in July last year. Gamma signed its MVNA deal with Vodafone last year after pulling out of a deal with Three in January 2011. It was estimated to have around 30,000 connections at the time.
Gamma’s head of mobile services Rob Davis told Mobile: ‘We have been really pleased with the rate of takeup. We had aimed for 80 dealers but the interest has far exceeded that level. The business has been growing rapidly at 30% quarter-on-quarter this year and we are expecting growth to continue at that level and beyond next year.’Davis declined to reveal the number of mobile connections Gamma has. However, he said: ‘We have doubled the size of our base year-on-year and the outlook for next year is very good for us.’
Davis said Gamma’s MVNO partners are attracted to the proposition because it gives them flexibility and control. ‘They are MVNOs in their own right. It gives them proper ownership, which is a real asset, and unlike other dealer propositions they have control and flexibility over pricing, which allows them to do clever and innovative things to increase margins.’
Davis said most of Gamma’s 95 MVNO partners are from the more-than-500 Gamma fixed-line channel partners. He acknowledged that many fixed-line resellers find mobile a complex sell, adding that Gamma’s most successful MVNO partners had brought mobile specialists on board.
He said ‘Mobile is not an easy sell. It requires effort and we find our most successful channel partners are those that have invested in the transition, employing their own in-house mobile sales specialists as well as using our mobile specialists, and incentivising their sales teams so that they don’t revert to selling what is easy.’
Editor: Carol Millett


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Facebook, renamed Meta, lured over 140 employees from Microsoft and Apple to work on develop a metaverse.
Meta has attracted 140 Apple and Microsoft employees
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, about 70 people who worked to create augmented reality glasses HoloLens 2 left Microsoft. More than 40 of them got jobs at Meta and began to develop the virtual world. Mark Zuckerberg seems to have seduced talented experts with high salaries.
Electronics and software maker, has retained valuable talent, rewarding a bonus last year. The company provided $ 50,000 to $ 180,000 of shares to design and software professionals. However, Meta managed to acquire approximately 100 Apple employees.
However, the electronics manufacturer was able to attract Meta public relations chief Andrea Schubert, who headed Apple’s augmented reality department.
Microsoft also became interested in the metaverse and founded the Vortex studio, which will create virtual worlds. The company has opened a vacancy for the position of senior designer, whose competence includes generating narrative design. In addition, Vortex is looking for a programmer with experience with 3D games or applications.


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Art Dubai, the event's creators call the most important art fair for art from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia returns after being forced to go virtual last year due to the pandemic. Art Dubai will take place from March 1 to 5. This is good news. It's easy to explain why.
The fair has become an indispensable platform for promoting emerging and established artists from the region. Art from painting, sculpture, photography, and digital art is on display. With over 130 exhibitors worldwide, this year's edition will be the largest yet.
A notable feature of this year's event is the expanded Art Dubai Digital section, which has grown from 17 to 22 galleries despite the recent slump in the crypto market. This area offers a "360-degree snapshot of the digital art landscape," exploring the intersection of art and technology and how artists use new tools and techniques to push the boundaries of traditional art forms. And it will also be the most modern yet.
Think of it this way: The success of Art Dubai is a testament to the growing interest in contemporary art from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, which has gained global recognition in recent years. The fair has also been helped by the healthy economic climate in Dubai, which has seen an influx of Russian citizens and capital. While some have speculated that this influx could boost sales at the fair, many dealers remain cautious, pointing out that the art market is highly unpredictable.
Despite this uncertainty, Art Dubai Artistic Director Pablo del Val is optimistic about the future of the fair and its role in promoting cultural exchange and dialogue between different regions and cultures.


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Retail bankers could easily conclude that the branch system, though changing, is still working well. After all, deposits have risen sharply since 2007-8 and the total number of bank and credit union branches has fallen only modestly from 2008’s peak.
However, new data from Mintel calls that conclusion into question.
A survey conducted by Mintel in cooperation with Lightspeed (now Kantar) found that 38% of consumers now feel brick-and-mortar interactions are no longer necessary while 37% believe in-person banking still has value. The rest (24%) were undecided.
Sentiments about whether a branch is “necessary” are not the same as actually using one. Mintel found that overall 61% U.S. consumers had visited a banking branch within three months of the survey. This varied by generation, ranging from 46% of what Mintel calls the “iGeneration” (Gen Z) to 76% of the “World War II” generation (sometimes called the “Silent Generation” or “Pre-Boomers”).
Further, overall satisfaction with banking providers is high. 85% of all respondents agree they are satisfied with their current provider — 50% of them strongly agreeing, according to Mintel. In addition, 87% of consumers surveyed have a checking account including 72% of Gen Z respondents. As good as all that is, a potential danger for traditional financial institutions is mistaking that high level of satisfaction as an endorsement of the status quo.
Among other indications to the contrary, 20% of all consumer respondents use an online-only financial institution, according to Mintel. The data reveal that these online-only bank users also frequently use one or more traditional institutions.
In addition, separate research from IDology of about 1,500 U.S. online-service-using consumers found that 20% registered for new accounts exclusively on a mobile phone, up from 10% the previous year. While that figure is not banking specific, it does indicate the quickening pace of the digital transformation of commerce.
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The Risk of Alienating Branch Customers is Real
Mintel states in its report that retail banking providers are now at an inflection point “where the importance of the very hallmark of the traditional bank — the bank branch — is being seriously called into question.” Even so, banks and credit unions must “delicately navigate the cost-benefit analysis of reducing overhead,” the research firm adds. If they move too abruptly they risk alienating remote or technologically disinclined consumers in pursuit of younger digital-native consumers.
The alienation point isn’t raised often, but is a thorny challenge. A study conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Kasasa found the that the top reason (56%) why consumers would not consider opening a checking account with a local financial institution is limited branch and ATM locations. Lack of up-to-date-technology was also a significant deterrent, but much lower (22%), with a slightly higher percentage of Millennials saying this than older generations.
On the other hand, when Mintel probed what would prompt consumers to switch their primary financial provider, only 18% said “Fewer branches.” It was the fifth most-cited reason. (The top two reasons were “increase in fees,” 58%, and “poor customer service,” 52%.)
Clearly the views of both branch lovers and digital lovers are important for the foreseeable future. “Branches won’t go away full stop,” Mintel Financial Services Analyst Christopher Shadle tells The Financial Brand. “It’s a very polarizing issue split fairly evenly among all generations. Some people love that personal touch and feel more secure knowing that their bank is an actual physical place in the world, whereas plenty of other people are completely fine digitally, putting those things on a cloud and interfacing physically as infrequently as possible.”
Low Consumer Interest in Advisory Services
Much has been written and said about how bank and credit union branches will transition to primarily advisory and consultative roles as branch transaction volume continues to decline. But can they deliver on this promise? Peak Performance Consulting Group President David Kerstein has written that very few financial institutions have brought their branch, call-center, and field sales teams up to the necessary skill level to fulfill this vision.
Mintel’s survey confirms that few consumers are using banks for advisory services. The question didn’t specify types of advisory service, Shadle says, but left that open to the respondent’s interpretation. It is possible, he states, that people might not consider the retirement and investment advice they are getting through the investment arm of a bank, which may have cannibalized some responses. Still, the numbers are very low — less than 10% of all consumers reported using their bank’s advisory services in the past three months.
“As banking brands continually reassess their return on investment for various business functions,” the analyst writes in the report, “some firms may come to the conclusion that traditional advisory services are too costly an offering for how little they are utilized. Banks must seriously re-evaluate what the future of the branch may hold, as most of the traditional reasons for visiting become replaceable or remotely available through technology.” Shadle states that “perhaps the advisory experience of the 21st century is now better disposed to be delivered through FaceTime or Skype than in person.”
Digital Banking: Bright Spots and Challenges
While satisfied overall with their bank or credit union, the majority of consumers do not apply the term “easy-to-use” to any retail banking services that Mintel listed in the survey. Less than half (47%) actually think using an ATM at a bank branch is easy, and that’s the highest-ranked service. Shadle points out, however, that people tend to recall problems with products and services, not when things go well.
Online banking was also considered easy-to-use by 47% of consumers, and mobile banking apps scored 41%, just below drive-through ATMs at 43%. So the four banking services rated easiest-to-use in this survey were all digital.
Mintel probed further about mobile banking apps in particular, uncovering a mixed picture. On the plus side almost as many consumers had used a mobile banking app in the previous three months as had used a bank ATM (46% versus 51%). Also, the same percentage of consumers (46%) consider mobile banking apps “convenient.”
On the other hand, given the popularity of mobile banking apps, it’s surprising that only a quarter of consumers surveyed consider a mobile banking app “trusted” and “safe.” At least mobile banking apps have a clear edge over nonbank finance apps like Mint, as the results show.
Several factors are likely reflected in these numbers, Shadle maintains. First, mobile banking apps are a fairly recent tool for conducting banking. Second, the countless examples of data breaches and compromised personal identities, as well as Facebook’s well-publicized data privacy troubles are constant reminder of consumers’ vulnerability.
“The low numbers for trust and safety could be less an indictment of financial institutions and more of the data security environment as a whole,” Shadle observes. Still, Mintel believes this area represents an opportunity for banks and credit unions that deliver a mobile banking experience that is faster, more secure, and more convenient.


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Green Hill Zone isn’t the only Classic Sonic zone being renewed in Sega’s upcoming 2D Sonic game.
Flying Battery Zone, originally seen as the second zone in 1994’s Sonic & Knuckles (or the eighth zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles), will be featured in Sonic Mania. Not every zone in the game will be a rehash of previous territory—instead, it seems the developers have gone for a mix of old zones with new features and other zones that are completely new.
Though originally set for a spring release on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One, the game has now been delayed until summer. The delay was announced today at the “Gotta Go Fast” panel by Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team.


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Your search for CREDIT CARDS AND MONEY CARDS in Credit Card Industry returned 37 articles
ARTICLES ABOUT THE CREDIT CARD INDUSTRY
The hacker, Albert Gonzalez, pleaded guilty to charges that he stole tens of millions of payment card numbers by breaking into corporate computer systems.December 30, 2009, Wednesday
Two years ago, Nouriel Roubini predicted the current economic crisis. Now he sees things becoming far worse.August 17, 2008, Sunday
Credit card information was stolen when shoppers swiped their cards and the information was sent to banks for approval — the first large-scale piracy of data in transit.March 23, 2008, Sunday
For most of the last decade, consumers in Britain went on a debt-financed spending spree, racking up a record £1.4 trillion in debt ($2.8 trillion) — more than the country’s gross domestic product.March 22, 2008, Saturday
New York City officials announced measures yesterday intended to do away with the obligatory long and often expensive trips by friends and relatives of city jail inmates to deposit money into inmates' spending accounts. Changing the longstanding system of in-person cash deposits at Rikers Island and...October 23, 2007, Tuesday
A biometrics payment company has stepped in to buy the assets of CardSystems Solutions, the credit card processor at the center of this year's biggest data compromise.October 17, 2005, Monday
CAPITAL One, the credit card giant, has always been something of a laboratory experiment.October 11, 2005, Tuesday
The fact that thrift seems out of style may be a a reflection of something strange and backward going on in people's attitudes and behaviors toward money.October 08, 2005, Saturday
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 - Visa USA's new chief executive has proposed creating a private standard-setting agency for the entire credit card industry that would certify that banks and merchants had met certain guidelines but would have little power to enforce them.October 06, 2005, Thursday
Small business-owners are filing antitrust suits against Visa and MasterCard to contest escalating credit card costs and fees.October 06, 2005, Thursday
SEARCH 37 ARTICLES ABOUT THE CREDIT CARD INDUSTRY:
New York Times columnist Ron Lieber finds that there is some cause for concern in the sweeping credit card legislation that passed the Senate on Tuesday.
President Obama declared “enough’s enough” of predatory credit card practices and pressed Congress to pass new limits on rate increases, unfair late fees and misleading policies.
As a college student, Stefan Heise relied on student loans and credit cards to pay for his education. Now out of school, he is more than $80,000 in debt and facing bankruptcy.
With the market experiencing severe turbulence, is this the time to sell your stocks? Ron Lieber discusses your money.
A series about the surge in consumer debt and the lenders who made it possible.
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- 36 Hours in Prague
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The auction closed in time for the finale of the 10-part ESPN docuseries "The Last Dance" about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
The game-worn sneakers, custom made for Jordan in 1985, sold for nearly four times the initial estimate of between $100,000 and $150,000.
Jordan Geller, original owner of the shoes and founder of the world's first sneaker museum, Shoezeum, told FOX Business that the Air Jordan 1s served as the "crown jewel" artifact when they were on display.
"People would come and visit and almost pray to them," Geller told FOX Business. "They would just sit there and look at them in awe thinking 'those are the shoes that Michael Jordan laced up with his own hands and wore on his own feet.' There is just something about those shoes that everybody gravitated towards."
Geller collaborated with Sotheby's amid the Jordan nostalgia incited by the ESPN series, which chronicles Jordan's rise to basketball immortality.
"I've owned the pair since 2012, and I truly cherish them," Geller said. "I never thought about selling them until the ESPN Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls documentary, 'The Last Dance' started airing. Ever since, there has been a surge of interest in Michael Jordan memorabilia." Basketball cards, posters and sneakers have seen a surge in price value.
Geller said that he paid close attention to what was happening in the market and finally decided the time was right to sell the shoes.
The Hall of Famer's sneakers feature the iconic Bulls red, black and white color scheme with red laces, complete with Jordan's signature and clear indication of wear. The pair is slightly mismatched, like most of Jordan's basketball shoes, with a size 13 in left and a size 13.5 in right, according to Sotheby's in New York.
This is not the first shoe-related world record that Geller has set. At one point Geller broke the Guinness World Records for the largest sneaker collection, which clocked in at 2,388 pairs.
The Air Jordan 1s marks his third world record, following Sotheby's first auction dedicated entirely to sneaks in 2019, where Geller sold a pair of 1972 Nike "Moon Shoes" for a world record $437,500. The shoes, created under the direction of Bill Bowerman, made up one of the 12 pairs ever made and debuted at the 1972 Olympic Trials Marathon.


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Network equipment maker Xirrus on Tuesday said its portfolio range of Wi-Fi access points and arrays are now certified for government use.
In receiving the highly sought FIPS 140-2 certification from the US government, Xirrus can now sell its wireless products to government agencies as an assured supplier.
"Government agencies can trust that our Wi-Fi solutions meet the highest criteria levels set by government agencies and exceed regulatory standards," Xirrus' vice president of product marketing Bruce Miller said in prepared remarks.
In total Xirrus' portfolio of 29 products, including a dozen 802.11ac models, are now certified with the standard.
FIPS 140-2 remains a gold standard for many technology companies, as it assures government users working with low-level secrecy classifications that data will remain secure.
The US government is mandated to buy only FIPS 140-2 products.
Other devices, notably iPhones and some Android devices, have also in recent years been FIPS 140-2 certified, allowing government agencies and employees to use these smartphones under certain conditions.


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MetaMask is a cryptocurrency wallet browser extension, and recently teased future support for NFTs.
MetaMask’s integration with the extension will permit users on desktop devices that utilize Chrome and Brave browsers to interact with decentralized applications. In addition, this also implies that said users will no longer have to access other NFT marketplaces, such as OpenSea, to view their NFTs. Furthermore, mobile users of MetaMask are already privy to this NFT feature via their mobile wallet. Some of the NFT offerings they can currently view include prominent brand collectibles like Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks.


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The US Justice Department indicted Volkswagen’s former CEO Martin Winterkorn for conspiring with fellow executives to cover up the diesel emissions fraud. The conspiracy is said to have gone all the way up to the company’s topmost ranks.
Winterkorn had earlier stated that he was not aware of the cheating and would have stopped it if he had known about it. However, prosecutors claim that Winterkorn had known about the issue but agreed with colleagues to continue with the fraud and deception of US regulators.
Volkswagen had admitted to using software that enabled to cheat emission tests in millions of its diesel vehicles. The pollution controls in the vehicles would work in testing labs and then get turned off while on the road causing the vehicles to emit high levels of toxic gases.
Winterkorn, who resigned shortly after news of the scandal broke out in 2015, is currently in Germany, which has a no-extradition policy to non-EU countries. Even though his chances of facing trial in the US are slim, he can still be prosecuted in Germany. German officials are investigating the former chief and are cooperating with US officials on the matter.
Along with Winterkorn, around 39 people are being investigated in the emissions scandal. Winterkorn could get up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to 20 years on wire fraud charges along with hefty fines. Last year, Volkswagen was fined $2.8 billion for defrauding US regulators.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) reported first quarter 2023 earnings results today. Consolidated net revenues increased 8% year-over-year to $8.7 billion, in line with projections. Global comparable store sales increased
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL, GOOG) on Thursday reported a 1% increase in fourth-quarter 2022 revenues, with strong contributions from the cloud business. The company, which owns the largest internet search
Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings results today. Revenue increased 12% year-over-year to $1.14 billion. Net income attributable to Harley-Davidson, Inc. rose 94% YoY to $42 million,


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Daily Craves is proud to announce the launch of the first group buying website in Houston exclusively for women. The website was launched in February, by a local entrepreneur and active community member, Brian Goldstein. Daily Craves is an online platform that allows local businesses to sell products and services that encompass all life stages that women go through – women, brides, bumps (pregnant) and moms at cost savings prices.
The idea for Daily Craves came after Goldstein surveyed women in different life stages and noticed a gap in the way women’s needs were being addressed by current group buying websites. The goal is to offer relevant deals to women throughout their life that are specific to their needs in the areas in which they live, work and play. Interested women can subscribe for free by visiting the website, and entering their e-mail address and selecting the category that best describes their life stage.
Goldstein is also striving to meet the needs of local businesses, allowing them to reach their target audience and custom design their deals by deciding what to sell, how much to charge and how many buyers they want. He is rapidly building local business interest and plans to offer the first deal as soon as the subscriber base has reached its target. Local companies interested in being featured on Daily Craves should visit the website or reply with an email.
Goldstein, along with the input of his wife, designed the website to specifically target women. The deal navigator on the site is a character named Lula, a persona that Goldstein says describes his wife, whose mom has been calling her Lula throughout her life.
To learn more visit our website, follow us @DailyCraves on Twitter and Facebook.


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This was a big blow to automakers, many of which had press conferences on the schedule and cars to unveil. With rollout calendars to stick to, many of them went ahead and sent out press releases, big batches of photographs and slick video shots via email, as they usually do. They even held their live presentations around the same time that their press conferences at the Geneva Motor Show would have been, except now they were livestreamed.
Almost all of the automakers gave their presentations from their headquarters instead of on the Geneva showroom floor. One exception was Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg, which went ahead and did its online presentation from a largely empty Palexpo convention center, home of the Geneva Motor Show.
“Everyone else packed up. We said, ‘That, we cannot do,’ said CEO Christian von Koenigsegg as he prepared to unveil the company’s two new cars. One of them a 1,700 horsepower four-seat hybrid, the other a superfast — top speed estimated at more than 300 miles an hour — hypercar.
“We built this amazing stand. We have these amazing cars. Just to pack up and go home?” von Koenigsegg said to the camera. “No way!”
Most others, though, went home.
Bernhard Maier, the CEO of Škoda, Volkswagen’s Czech-based subsidiary, gamely unveiled the new Škoda Octavia RS iV, a plug-in hybrid performance sedan from the company’s plant in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic.
“We immediately called back our truck driver who was already heading to Geneva with the car,” Maier said into the camera as he stood by the blanketed Octavia. “He just arrived a couple of minutes ago, and now we have it right here.”
This was a car I had actually been looking forward to seeing in person even though — or maybe especially because — it was not some crazy exotic. I’d driven the current version of the Octavia RS and it had left an impression (In 2018, it had carried two people, a week’s worth of luggage and video equipment over mountain passes between Switzerland and France and I had a total blast driving it. What’s not to love?) So I was hoping to at least get a close up and personal look at the newly hybridized Octavia. But I had to make do with looking at my laptop screen instead.
McLaren, likewise, turned around its truck, carrying the company’s latest supercar, shortly before it reached Geneva. Kate Silverton, a BBC personality, helped unveil the British company’s sleek looking new 765LT at McLaren’s headquarters in Woking, UK.
Another British sportscar maker, Morgan Motor Company, turned the cancellation into a social media marketing opportunity. Rather than just turning the delivery truck around, Morgan had its two top car designers drive the completely new Morgan Plus Four convertible all the way back from Geneva through the Channel Tunnel to the company’s headquarters in Malvern, UK. The pair posted Instagram videos along the way.
The online press conferences had many of the same elements as any live auto show press conference. Before the shows started, there was dramatic music over countdown graphics. There were sheets being pulled off cars to, in this case, a light scattering of applause. There was pounding walk-on music as executives approached the stage. Some, like McLaren, had professional presenters doing the introductions. I still thought company executives, like von Koenigsegg and Škoda’s Maier, did it best, though, even on a 13-inch screen.
After it was all over, Roger Ormisher, a spokesman for McLaren, told me he would much rather have had an actual, real-life show. That’s not just becausef the company had sunk a large sum into preparing for an event that never happened. It was the human interaction that he missed, actually talking face-to-face with journalists who cover the industry and its products, he said.
That was the big loss for me, too. A good number of the stories I get at an auto show are ones I just stumble across. They’re based on things I notice as I’m walking by or on conversations with employees and executives who point out things I would never have noticed in a photo or press release.
I was also five time zones away, which did not help. These “live” press conferences weren’t live for me because I wasn’t about to sit up at 3:00 in the morning to watch a car unveiling. I watched them later and relied on photos, press releases and video packages to get all the information.
So, I covered the show — or the faux show — as best I could, considering I was 4,000 miles away from where it all wasn’t happening. Here’s hoping we’ll both be back next year.


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Nvidia’s Avatar Creation Tool Follows Footsteps of ChatGPT and DALL-E 2
Nvidia has not been very clear on how it was helping build the "plumbing" for the metaverse, a grand concept which has been derided by critics as unrealistic.
The graphics chipmaker this week shared insights into how it gives birth to avatars, and provides them with interactive speech and gesture abilities. Avatars are a key asset to help the digital parallel universe get off the ground. The company also made metaverse announcements during a taped keynote speech from Nvidia executives first shown at the CES 2023 show, and later made available on YouTube.
The keynote blended new GPU announcements with reminders of the metaverse software tools already offered by the company. But there was more clarity this time on how those tools, which include Audio2Face and Audio2Gesture, are being used to create the core interactive elements in the metaverse.
AI has become accessible to everyday users with offerings like ChatGPT, which is an AI tool that can generate lengthy narratives from simple questions, and DALL-E 2, which can generate images from text. Nvidia's goal is to build a more complex generative AIs with text, gesture, speech and graphics that will be as easy to use as the OpenAI tools.
Nvidia announced it was providing early access to its Omniverse ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine), with which users can create digital avatars that companies can deploy as animated customer service representatives or chauffeurs in cars.
The creation of avatars is like creating a new character in the metaverse, and giving it intelligence. The avatar can be created by tools like Nvidia's own graphics tools or popular software like Ready Player Me. ACE gives character to the avatar by linking together a whole range of Nvidia’s natural language, text-to-speech and graphic generation tools. The tools, which are offered as microservices, make the avatar interactive.
Once an animation or avatar is created, add-on tools Audio2Face and Audio2Gesture can generate interactive animatronics capabilities from an audio file. For example, these AI tools can help the avatar lip sync or generate hand gestures based on the audio in the file. The Riva speech AI can recognize speech, or generate text to speech and link it up to the animation.
Nvidia also released a few experimental AI plugins that could aid in the creation of realistic avatars. The company's AI ToyBox includes GET3D, which helps transform 2D images into metaverse-ready 3D models. A plug-in from Move.AI for Omniverse automates the transformation of real-world gestures into animation.
The creation of an animation is a part of Nvidia's goal to blend AI and graphics to create a new form of fluid interaction between digital beings and objects. Omniverse ACE relies on a drag-and-drop workflow to create the interactive avatar and how it interacts in a digital world.
These tools are available to content creators in organizations or at home, and will connect into Nvidia's larger metaverse platform called Omniverse, which in many cases requires the power of an Nvidia GPU on a local desktop or server. Omniverse tools will not be able to take advantage of acceleration in GPUs from AMD or Intel.
Nvidia views the metaverse as the 3D iteration of the internet, and an advance from the 2D version of the web for PCs and mobile devices. The company is backing the USD (Universal Scene Description) file format, which are graphics blocks that can be shared and modified. Nvidia also announced a new version of 3D creation software Blender was now available in Omniverse.
The chipmaker also announced new consumer GPUs based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, which is a consumer spin-off of the Hopper GPU architecture. The company also announced enhancements in its automotive and robotics AI platforms.
Header image: Violet, a cloud-based avatar developed using Nvidia Omniverse Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE). Credit: Nvidia.


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NortonLifeLock’s merging with Avast could lower competitiveness in the UK antivirus program sector owing to a scarcity of other significant rivals, perhaps leaving customers with worse discounts.
That’s according to UK’s Opposition Industry Authority (CMA), which on Wednesday explained the two merging organizations as “close competitors”. Both equally NortonLifeLock and Avast create and distribute purchaser-oriented antivirus software program platforms as well as utilities such as digital personal networks (VPNs), password administrators, and product functionality tuning resources.
CMA govt director David Stewart reported that the watchdog will launch an “in-depth phase two investigation” into the merger if the two providers really do not offer you “a distinct-slice solution” addressing the problems within just the future 5 days.
“We are living a lot more of our lives on the web and it is very important that people today have access to competitive cyber security software package when looking for to shield on their own and their families. NortonLifeLock’s proposed buy of Avast could lead to a reduction in competitors in the UK and eventually a even worse offer for shoppers when on the lookout for cyber protection program,” reported Stewart.
NortonLifeLock described the CMA’s choice as “surprising”, adding that the firm “remains confident that the transaction should be approved”.
“We believe this transaction can only gain buyers throughout the globe, which includes in the UK, through amplified innovation and bigger buyer independence and decision over and above massive tech platform companies in the burgeoning Cyber Safety market,” a spokesperson instructed IT Pro.
“Regulators from throughout the world, together with the US Department of Justice, and in Europe the German Federal Cartel Office environment, and the Spanish National Markets and Competitors Commission, have reviewed and cleared the transaction.”
NortonLifeLock “will keep on to constructively interact with the CMA and their review” and has delayed the finalisation of the merger to “mid-to-late 2022” – months just after the original deadline of 24 February 2022.
Previously recognized as Symantec, NortonLifeLock rebranded just after marketing its business security company to Broadcom in 2019. In July 2021, NortonLifeLock and Avast were described to be engaging in state-of-the-art talks in excess of a opportunity merger, with the two businesses confirming the deal in August in advance of the UK takeover code deadline.
Some pieces of this post are sourced from:


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We have been hearing rumors about the possibility of Nokia launching an Android handset. The speculation is finally reaching its culmination as a new WSJ report claims that Nokia will finally unveil an Android smartphone this month.
Since its entry into the smartphone market, Nokia has forged an alliance with the Windows Phone platform and worked closely with Microsoft to make the platform a success. In the past, many have questioned Nokia’s wisdom of not creating an Android smartphone. These critics say that combining Nokia’s hardware with Android’s software prowess can be a winning recipe.
Perhaps the handset vendor has finally taken heed. Although there is no confirmation yet, numerous sources have cited that Nokia will be unveiling a low-end Android smartphone later this month. The handset will be meant for developing markets. And there’s the disappointing possibility that the users of the handset won’t be able to access Google Play store directly.
Rather, the handset will pack services from Microsoft and Nokia, such as Nokia’s Here Maps and Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Access to other popular mobile apps will be possible through Nokia’s own application store.
However, the device is apparently called Nokia X and will pack a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor under the hood, together with 512MB of memory and 4GB of storage space. The display of the handset will be a 4-inch WVGA screen and it will come with a 5-megapixel camera.
If the rumors are to be believed, Nokia will unveil the handset at a press conference at MWC 2014 show in Barcelona on February 24. However, it remains to be seen how successful the strategy of embellishing an Android handset with a Nokia application store turns out to be.


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Wii U Sale At Target
Posted on Tuesday, May 21 @ 08:40:34 PST by Keri_Honea
Today is going to be all about Xbox news to be sure, but Target has made a bit of its own Wii U news. Starting today, Target has cut the price of the basic model of the Wii U down 20%, selling the console for $239.99.
In addition, Target has reduced the prices of the following games:
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Mediaplex Adds Behavioral Targeting
Mediaplex, the technology division of online advertising firm ValueClick, has ventured into the behavioral targeting arena, with a new product, the firm said yesterday. The division of Westlake Village-based ValueClick said that its new product will allow advertisers to segment their qualified customers, based on prior activity on the web. The solution, which is being sold as the firm's Dynamic Behavioral Targeting suite, uses prior Internet traffic to change which banners are being shown to users. Other features of the suite include dynamic optimization of ads based on performance, rich media advertisement support, and reporting tools. Pricing and other details of the new offering was not disclosed. Behavioral targeting is being used by online advertisers to narrow down possible customers; for example, targeting buyers who might be in the market for a new car, based on the fact that they've been frequenting web pages and sites about new cars.


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Ragtrader brings you the latest news in the Australian textile, garment and footwear sector.
26 Nov 2014
500,000 pairs were sold globally in 2014.
“Today we had 40 per cent off for 40 minutes when we reached 400k on Instagram
and I had to counsel a few girls through missing out on a new dress."
This retailer is in serious trouble if Christmas sales disappoint.
Burberry, Armani, Prada and Valentino are part of a new Australian marketplace.
25 Nov 2014
"Myer regards the exploitation of child labour as unacceptable."
Which retail categories are set to boom over Christmas - and is fashion among them?
"As a national Australian fashion retailer, we think we have a real opportunity - in fact an obligation - to promote Indigenous art, culture and design."
Frontline Stores is hitting the trade show circuit.
"Following our expansion into the Southern Hemisphere, we have identified Australia as one of our key new markets".
24 Nov 2014
Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Co, Christian Louboutin, Dior, Harrods, Chopard, Selfridges. Now she's heading here.
Yaffa Publishing Group
17-21 Bellevue Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph: 02 9281 2333
Fax: 02 9281 2750


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This is an original article posted by Arn Net, written by Leon Spencer. To read the original article, click here.
Nearly two months after pausing orders on new hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) services due to a global shortage of the necessary chipsets, NBN Co has started receiving new shipments of HFC modems and plans to begin taking new orders from 24 May.
In late February, the National Broadband Network (NBN) builder said it new HFC service orders would begin again by at least June. Now that a new supply of HFC modems has started trickling through, NBN Co looks set to make good on its promise.
However, the order restart date and the recommencement plan underlying it does come with a qualification – the continued deliveries of stock, which NBN Co started receiving throughout March, with further scheduled deliveries expected in the months ahead.
Meanwhile, the company is working through its approach for the recommencement of new orders and will communicate its detailed plan to internet retail service providers (RSPs) on 8 April 2021.
“We are confident that we will receive regular deliveries of new HFC modems in the weeks and months ahead to enable the resumption of new HFC connections from 24 May 2021,” Brad Whitcomb, NBN Co chief customer officer, said.
“We appreciate customers’ patience during this global chipset shortage that has temporarily delayed some new HFC connections to the NBN network,” he added.
NBN Co said that during the general pause on new orders, it made special provisions using available HFC modems held in reserve to continue to connect premises occupied by medically vulnerable customers.
In this effort, it has worked with retailers to connect more than 230 vulnerable customers since 2 February 2021, with the company continuing to offer priority service to vulnerable customers.
The network builder has also continued to reconnect HFC services for customers who have moved into premises that have been disconnected from the network and for customers living in, or working at, premises where the disconnection date had passed and where no legacy service was available.
More than 47,000 premises have been reconnected to the NBN via HFC technology since 2 February.
NBN Co said it is now using the first new deliveries of HFC modems received in March 2021 as well as the limited stocks in its warehouses for reconnection orders, in addition to premises without a legacy phone or internet service and medically vulnerable customers.
There are currently approximately 31,000 such premises with reconnection orders in progress and NBN Co expects to work through as many of these orders as possible prior to taking new orders on 24 May 2021, the company said.
TelcoHQ eliminates the stress and provides local businesses with a personalized service, curated to you. With better support, specialized knowledge and seamless transitions, we have your businesses telecommunications sorted, with no downtime.


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The staffs at the Michigan Small Business Development Center and at Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women, another key supporter of small business start-ups in the region, use the same word — “energy” — in describing the environment today surrounding entrepreneurs eager to take the plunge.
“Right now in our community, there is a lot of energy going on around entrepreneurial development, particularly in start-ups and helping them grow,” said GROW CEO Bonnie Nawara.
“There’s way more energy now than five years ago … much, much more energy than a decade ago, in starting a small business,” said Carol Lopucki, state director of the Michigan Small Business Development Center, headquartered at the L. William Seidman Center on Grand Valley State University’s downtown campus
“It’s now very cool to start a business,” or at least attempt to, according to Dante Villareal, West Michigan regional director of the MSBDC.
Many new small businesses, and those people trying to start one, “are seen as innovators and entrepreneurs and they’re seen as job creators,” said Lopucki, which is much appreciated in Michigan, where unemployment is still relatively high even as the decade-long recession the state was in appears to be in the rearview mirror.
Entrepreneurs, especially those trying to launch their first small business, “used to feel all alone out there. Often the (local) chamber and a few entities were the only ones helping young companies, but there are so many additional entities starting now,” said Lopucki.
Those individuals trying to take the plunge into business “used to wander around and bump into each other,” she added.
The severity of the recession, especially in Michigan, apparently evaporated a lot of enthusiasm for new business start-ups, and certainly froze the banking industry’s ability and willingness to make loans for start-ups. But now there is increasing help and encouragement available, especially through online networking. A new key site is E-merge West Michigan (e-mergewestmichigan.org).
“All the service providers are now part of (E-merge) and connect with each other to make sure no one falls through the cracks,” said Villareal.
E-Merge West Michigan is a community-based initiative to create jobs by supporting entrepreneurs. More than two dozen organizations are members: chambers of commerce; colleges and universities; GROW; SBDC; the Grand Rapids and Muskegon inventor networks; economic development agencies including The Right Place and Muskegon Area First; and SCORE, a partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration with volunteers who provide free, individual business counseling.
E-merge is focused on, but not limited to, the West Michigan lakeshore region, with links to information and practical tools for people thinking about starting a business, people who are in the process of starting a business, or people who are trying to grow an existing small business.
GROW has been doing just that for 21 years — and not just for women. Two years ago, GROW upped the ante in its goal to help entrepreneurs by becoming the only organization in West Michigan to sponsor U.S. Small Business Administration microloans ranging from $1,000 to $50,000, available to both male and female entrepreneurs.
Nawara describes herself as an “in-the-trenches” business owner who started and ran a printing business for 20 years before becoming CEO at GROW three years ago. She said GROW holds four free one-hour classes each month for aspiring entrepreneurs, with a an average of 20 people in attendance. They get an introduction to GROW and what it has to offer, such as free counseling with business experts, plus lots of advice on other sources of help and education for entrepreneurs.
Nawara said in the last two years, GROW has deployed about $400,000 in SBA microloans and has an additional $700,000 to lend.
The microloans are available to any for-profit business meeting SBA requirements and typically are targeted to those individuals or small businesses that can’t get financing through traditional financial institutions, such as banks and credit unions.
GROW microloans are for people who live in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo, Montcalm, Ionia, Barry, Allegan and Kalamazoo counties. The loans can be used as working capital and for purchase of materials, supplies, furniture and equipment, but may not be used to acquire property. Loans are typically due for repayment within six years.
According to GROW, this is the first SBA microloan program in Kent County since Kent Area MicroBusiness Loan Services ended in 2005.
Each year, GROW works with people who ultimately start an average of about 50 new businesses, according to Nawara.
“I think there has been an elevated interest level” among people wanting to start a small business lately, said Nawara. However, based on her experiences in “the trenches” of business, she is quick to point out that the increasing interest in starting a business “is a great thing, but — not to be a naysayer — that doesn’t necessarily mean every one of those equates to starting a new business.”
It takes a particular skill set and wherewithal to actually start a business, said Nawara.
She cites national statistics that indicate about 35 percent of small businesses don’t last more than five years, and 59 percent don’t last more than 10 years. She said major reasons for failure are “growing too fast,” plus failing to track finances, overspending, lack of reserve capital, poor location choice, an inadequate business plan, failing to change with the times, ineffective marketing and underestimating the competition.
On the positive side, an interesting change GROW is seeing is in the types of businesses being started, particularly those being started by women. In the past, many women seemed to be inclined to start services or lifestyle-related businesses, such as a hair salon or a daycare center. Recently, however, Nawara said GROW has been working with a couple of women who started businesses based on their own inventions. Another is an artist who created a product that is selling, and another produces a product sold at Trader Joe’s stores and exports to Japan.
GROW microloans have been made to a woman who started a limousine service, and another who has a car detailing business that works with major auto dealerships in the region.
One of those inventors GROW has worked with is Deb Tacoma, inventor of a personal hygiene device called the Freedom Wand. Her business was first reported in the Business Journal when it launched a few years ago and it is growing. Recently, Tacoma was part of a Pure Michigan group display at the International Medical and Health Care Trade Show in Dubai, where 350 vendors were on display.


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A White House aide says that the new approach, expected to be announced this fall, will feature "privacy law without regulation."
ASPEN, Colo.--A White House aide today previewed the administration's forthcoming approach to Internet consumer protection, saying it will provide "privacy law without regulation."
"Businesses that are engaged in responsible privacy practices today ought not to face any additional burdens," said Danny Weitzner, associate administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) who's on assignment to the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Weitzner suggested during a discussion at a Technology Policy Institute conference here that: "You can have stronger privacy law, clearer rules, clearer principles established in law, without the costs and downsides of a traditional regulatory structure."
In December, the U.S. Commerce Department outlined proposals for how federal laws regulating companies' data collection practices could be updated, but stopped short of specific recommendations for legislation. An administration-wide white paper is expected this fall.
Lawrence Strickling, the NTIA's administrator (the agency is part of the Commerce Department) suggested to Congress in March that it should enact a "consumer privacy bill of rights" that would mandate broad privacy protections. Some possibilities--Strickling, too, avoided specifics--include requiring companies to describe the purpose for which they're collecting data, and keeping it secure once collected.
That's similar to what Weitzner outlined today. "I think the government has a key role in articulating what consumer rights ought to be," he said.
"The strength of our system is that we iterate quite a bit in trying to answer those questions--(instead of having) a fixed set of regulations, and then scratch our heads for 10 years and worry whether they're the right ones," he said.
While the United States does not have a data collection law as specific as Europe's controversial approach, federal agencies including the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission have existing authority to police privacy violations. So do state attorneys general--who have used state laws to extract concessions from Facebook and Amazon.com. Class action lawsuits, such as one filed against Apple, tend to have a strong deterrent effect.
Victor Nichols, the chief executive of data broker firm Experian North America, who spoke earlier in the day, warned of overzealous federal regulation of companies' data collection and use practices. That can interfere with economic growth, he said.
"We all understand that laws and regulations cannot move as fast as businesses can in response to consumer need," Nichols said. "Industry self-regulation therefore provides the flexible approach...providing consumers with the transparency and choice that they need."


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It’s that time of the year again! The Met Gala which was previously known as the Costume Institute Gala is held every year in the first week of May. This year, the fashion’s biggest event will take place on May 1, 2023, Monday.
The charity event which is popularly known by fans as ‘Met Gala’ is organized annually at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Keep scrolling further to know how to watch the 2023 Met Gala.
How to watch the 2023 Met Gala?
We know all fashion enthusiasts can’t wait to see their favorite celebs at the Met Gala 2023. This year, the biggest fashion event will take place on May 1, 2023, Monday. The red carpet coverage for the soiree will start at 6 pm ET.
The fundraiser was delayed in the year 2021, and it was canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but now, everything is back in full swing. The Met Gala 2023 will be an extravagant affair.
Can you watch Met Gala on television?
The answer to the above question is a big yes. If you want to watch the 2023 Met Gala on television, then you can simply tune into E!. You can head straight to the channel’s Live from E! talk show and watch the Met Gala Live on television.
How to stream the Met Gala online?
On the other hand, you can also see the live stream of the red carpet event online through a couple of ways mentioned below.
1. Watch the fashion’s biggest event on Vogue’s official website
You can stream the 2023 Met Gala on Vogue’s official website. It will be available on the official website of the popular fashion magazine because it is one of the sponsors of the lavish event.
The live stream will be hosted by La La Anthony, Emma Chamberlain, Chloe Fineman, and Derek Blasberg. On the big night, you can visit the official website of Vogue magazine and watch the Met Gala red carpet live.
2. Stream the 2023 Met Gala on E!
All the Met Gala lovers can also watch the fashion event online for free through E!. You can just sign up for a free trial with a live TV streaming service. For example, you can opt for a seven-day trial on fuboTV.
With the help of this free trial, you can see the 2023 Met Gala online for free. You can get access to E!’s celebrity interviews, commentary, and extensive behind-the-scenes coverage. Let us share with you, E! will also have most of the Met Gala coverage online, so you can use fuboTV’s trial to stream the event online.
When we talk about the co-chairs for the big event, it includes Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour alongside actress and screenwriter Michaela Coel, Grammy-winning pop star Dua Lipa, Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz and tennis star Roger Federer.
Are you excited to watch the celebs hit the iconic red carpet? Kindly let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of showbiz.


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“When you’re at war with customers, employees, service suppliers, you can’t build up a business model and Kalanick was at war with everyone,” said Dudenhoeffer. “There is no business model in being at war. ”
Zinke told the Senate Energy Committee that Interior will enforce those parts of the methane regulation that have taken effect
Amazon-Whole Foods tie-up could speed grocery transformation
“We will do everything to achieve as broad an agreement as possible on this in Hamburg,” Merkel said. “In view of the new American administration that isn’t easy, but we must make the effort nonetheless.”
Sales of small cars have dropped sharply in the U.S. and companies are seeking to cut costs making them. Ford’s president of global operations Joe Hinrichs said the move to China will save the company $1 billion, including $500 million for canceling plans to build the Focus in Mexico.
“The growth of this industry and how it’s evolving is something that all of us in aviation need to pay a lot of attention to,” said Michael Huerta. As FAA administrator, he is responsible for the safety of the world’s largest aerospace system and oversees a $16 billion budget and 47,000 employees.
The forecast calls for 119 degrees in Phoenix, where some flights have been canceled because certain planes can’t take off in extreme heat.
Amazon said Tuesday that more than a million pieces of clothing and accessories are eligible and include brands like Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Theory and Levi’s, labels that are big names at department stores. Shoppers receive discounts depending on how much they keep.
“We are going to get this done in 2017. We need to get this done in 2017. We cannot let this once-in-a-generation moment slip,” Ryan says in prepared remarks. “Transformational tax reform can be done, and we are moving forward. Full speed ahead.”
Slants founder Simon Tam tried to trademark the band name in 2011, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the request on the ground that it disparages Asians. A federal appeals court in Washington later said the law barring offensive trademarks is unconstitutional.


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Arlington, Va. – The audio industry’s first-quarter momentum held up in April, when a 16.3 percent increase in factory-level sales to $582 million helped drive up year-to-date sales by 16.6 percent to $2.21 billion, CEA statistics show.
Components, aftermarket autosound, and home systems posted strong double-digit percentage gains in April. Portable audio sales, on the other hand, slipped for the first time following seven consecutive months of growth topped by high double-digit percentage gains in each of the first three months of 2004.
Here’s how each audio category performed in April:
Sales continued to quickly scramble back up the cliff in April, when dollar volume expanded 41.9 percent to a four-year high of $86.9 million following an April 2003 decline of 21.2 percent.
Although cumulative 2004 sales rose 29.8 percent to $344.6 million, components failed to set a year-to-date record. In fact, cumulative sales remained below 2002’s level of $351.9 million.
Sales rose for the second consecutive month in April, when a 31.2 percent gain to $144.4 million helped drive up cumulative sales by 13.7 percent to $475.7 million. Despite the sharp gains, the month’s volume fell below April 2002’s $145.3 million, and cumulative sales were below 2002’s $500.5 million.
March and April’s high double-digit percentage gains followed two consecutive low-single-digit drops in January and February.
Total home audio:
Combined sales of components and systems were up 35 percent in April to $231.3 million. Cumulative sales were up 19.9 percent to $820.4 million.
Sales rose for the fourth consecutive month in April, when a 19.4 percent gain to $194.9 million contributed to cumulative sales growth of 10.6 percent to an all-time-high of $832.6 million. April’s strong gain offset April 2003’s decline of 18.7 percent in percentage terms, but in dollars, April sales failed to break through April 2002’s $200.9 million.
Sales fell 6.2 percent to $155.7 million, interrupting three consecutive months of double-digit percentage growth that enabled the category to post year-to-date growth of 21.4 percent to $555.9 million.


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!>http://www.isuppli.com/images/iphone_shipment.png! Wow, these things are popular. I ordered mine online 5 minutes after the Apple store opened online so here’s a compendium of mostly good, but with three bad things (activations are taking a very long time, AT&T won’t unlock the phone for a new SIM for you, and the headphone port isn’t very standard so it is hard to fit third party headphones in):
Meanwhile, unconfirmed Think Secret reports suggest that while three million iPhones are said to have been manufactured ahead of Friday’s launch, Apple will only release about one million into the channel this week, staggering product availability availability beyond that to avoid any perceived major shortages.
The Times is reporting that cellular service provider O2 has beaten out Vodafone and others to win exclusive rights to offer the iPhone in the UK. According to the report, negotiations are still ongoing with mobile phone retailers like Carphone Warehouse over an agreement to allow sales of the iPhone in their stores after a period of exclusivity with O2. The agreement between Apple and O2 is thought to include a share of revenues generated by iPhone customers, and O2 is expected to make the necessary network configuration changes to support iPhone’s at-home activation and features such as Visual Voicemail. As previously reported, T-Mobile is expected to offer the iPhone in Germany, while Orange is believed to be the front-runner to carry the phone in France.
Well-known hacker “DVD” Jon Johansen has discovered a way to “activate” an iPhone without signing up with AT&T. The hack allows iPhone owners to use the device’s iPod and Wi-Fi features, but due to the lack of an AT&T contract, the device’s phone features still won’t work. In a post titled ”iPhone Independence Day,” Johansen posted Phone Activation Server 1.0, along with several other instructions necessary to run the hack. The hack does not unlock the iPhone for use with other carriers. [Basically iPhones are locked to AT&T, how unfair!]
Teardowns by iSuppli, Portelligent, iFixit, and iResQ have revealed much about the inner workings of the iPhone. As reported by BusinessWeek, Portelligent estimates the component cost for the phone to be in the $200-$220 range, with iSuppli’s estimate of $265.83 in cost for the 8GB model slightly higher.
The most expensive component on the phone, Carey says, is the touch screen, for which Apple tapped a little-known German concern called Balda
Samsung, which supplied the main microprocessor chip. It was stamped with an Apple logo, but with a serial number that matches closely a chip that Samsung sells. Samsung also supplied the NAND-type flash memory that stores data on the phone, including songs, video, and pictures. Samsung’s microprocessor chip, interestingly, is based on a core design that is owned by the British chip technology licensing firm ARM Holdings (ARMHY)
Infineon, a new supplier to the iPod family, was among the biggest winners in terms of semiconductor content. The German semiconductor supplier contributed the digital baseband, radio-frequency transceiver and power-management devices, providing much of the core communications capability of the iPhone.
Discussions on Apple’s support forms now describe quoted wait times of “up to 24 hours” for activation, as well as numerous other issues relating to conversion of Individual Plans to Family Plans. Though 5 of our 7 iPhones activated properly, iLounge’s editors are currently attempting to get activation issues resolved with the other 2, and will update this article as appropriate.
Update: A second AT&T representative has told iLounge that a team of AT&T engineers has been manually working around the clock to process the flood of delayed activation requests experienced last night, which were described as falling into the “change of account type from individual to family” and “number portability” categories. Wait times range from 6 to 9 to 24 hours based on the category of account change; iLounge received a “24 hours” notice on a ported number. More straightforward iPhone accounts are typically set up via iTunes in minutes.
Updates 2 and 3: One of iLounge’s 2 long-activation iPhones was activated successfully after 18 hours. The other took roughly 40 hours, and five phone calls, since the first attempt on Friday night, and has now been fully activated.


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Never Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.
Ken Terry, Contributor
August 16, 2013
3 Min Read
Remote Patient Monitoring: 9 Promising Technologies (click image for larger view)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released final guidelines on the design, testing and use of radio-frequency (RF) wireless medical devices. Although it doesn't promulgate legally enforceable responsibilities, the document is intended to guide both device manufacturers and healthcare providers toward the safe and secure use of wireless medical devices. Covered are devices "that are implanted, worn on the body or other external wireless medical devices intended for use in hospitals, homes, clinics, clinical laboratories, and blood establishments."
The FDA document has no relation to the impending guidance from the agency about how it will regulate apps that turn smartphones and tablets into medical devices. In fact, the draft guidance on RF wireless devices was issued in 2007, before smartphones and tablets became a factor in the industry. The FDA is focusing on the safety aspects of medical devices in hospitals, homes and other fixed-care settings.
[ What's coming in wearable devices? Read 10 Wearable Health Tech Devices To Watch. ]
For example, the guidance states, "Because there are risks associated with RF wireless systems, we recommend that you carefully consider which device functions should be made wireless and which device functions should employ wired connectivity." Among the issues that could compromise transmissions from wireless devices and potentially endanger patient safety, the FDA guidance says, are:
-- Poorly used wireless networks.
-- Lost, corrupted, or time-delayed transmissions.
-- Degradations in wireless transmissions that might be caused by competing wireless signals or electromagnetic interference.
-- Lack or compromise of wireless security.
-- Potential misuse of wireless devices because of lack of or inadequate instructions for use.
The document cautions that although a cellular phone network might be adequate for voice communication, "it might not be sufficient for certain medical functions. Connections lost without warning, failure to establish connections, or degradation of service can have serious consequences, especially when the medical device relies heavily on the wireless connection. Such situations can compromise the wireless transmission of high-priority medical device alarms, time-sensitive continuous physiological waveform data, and real-time control of therapeutic medical devices (such as wireless footswitches)."
The FDA document also addresses the security of wireless signals and data from medical devices. Wireless transmissions should be encrypted to safeguard not only the data but also hospital information systems, it says. Among the areas of vulnerability, it warns, are Bluetooth communications between devices and wireless networks.
The guidelines don't discuss the issue of hackers trying to take control of implanted devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators. Fears of that kind of cybercrime --which, so far, have proved baseless -- were sparked by a letter that the Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board, which advises the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), sent to government agencies last year. The board suggested that FDA take this kind of threat into account in its regulation of monitoring devices.
The FDA statement also makes several "recommendations for premarket submissions for devices that incorporate RF wireless technology." The agency suggests how manufacturers should describe wireless devices in submissions to the FDA and directs them to provide information about any "risks and potential performance issues" associated with a device's wireless functions. In addition, the FDA wants device makers to describe the testing of their products for the range of risks described in the guidance.
The FDA notes that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also regulates wireless technology, so jumping through the FDA's hoops might not be sufficient to obtain approval for wireless medical devices.
Last September, for example, the FCC released its final rule for medical body-area networks (MBANs), which include wearable monitors that send data to wireless hubs in hospitals. The FCC allocated certain portions of the radio frequency band to MBANs, one for indoor and another for outdoor use.
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May 2, 2024
While there are plentiful options in cyber resiliency and business continuity tools and platforms, there isn’t one that can knock out everything from sudden cloud outages to prolonged ransomware attacks in a single punch. What can you do to keep the company on its feet no matter what is thrown at it? Find out in this new virtual event.Reserve Your Seat Now


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Window Widgets, alongside its pioneering Residence Collection brand will be the joint trophy sponsors for this year’s G-Awards, which will be held on Friday 26th November 2021, at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
Now in its 21st year, Window Widgets is not only looking to celebrate this business milestone with their charity supporting ‘Pink Book’ joke campaign, but after a challenging 18 months is keen to support the return of the longstanding industry awards after a hiatus in 2020.
During the course of 2021 not only has the industry and everyone associated been immersed in the implications of COVID-19, but have been challenged by accelerated consumer demand, supply issues and raw material price hikes. This sponsorship of the G-Awards trophies is also recognition of the efforts and achievements both individually and as companies for those that have truly excelled in their respective categories.
Jo Trotman, marketing manager of The Residence Collection and Window Widgets commented: ‘It’s important that the industry backs the G-Awards this year after the enforced absence in 2020, as the recognition of great achievements is fundamentally important to help fuel the premise of being better, right across the industry. We sit within a £multi-billion industry and the awards also reflect our great pride in what can be achieved both on a company and individual level and so as a business we’re proud to support the event trophies.’


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End this depression, but how?
- 16 May 2012
In his new book End This Depression Now! Paul Krugman dismantles pro-austerity arguments. But by "treating the initial crisis as an anomaly caused by irresponsible financial behavior," writes Fred Block, he surrenders "the structuralist high ground to right-wing economists." Dissent Magazine
Here's one: JP Morgan "is the creator of credit default swaps – which caused the 2008 financial crisis, and is the asset class which blew up and caused the loss." The Big Picture
Matthew O'Brien says if we want to get serious about inequality, we have to get serious about fixing financial markets that are divorced from any economic fundamentals — or rules. The Atlantic
Key findings from a new paper show that rarely are countries able to cut spending during a slump without suffering from slowed growth or higher debt ratios. Next New Deal
With corporations around the world set to spend some of the nearly $8 trillion in emergency cash they've amassed, Neil Shah reports that this could help nudge the U.S. recovery onto stronger footing-and make it less vulnerable to Europe's troubles and America's own looming fiscal challenges. Real Time Economics
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- Is the UK economy actually starting to overheat? The indicators say yes...


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Bitcoin lost more than 10% today, following many digital currencies lower after market research showed a decline in investor sentiment.
The price of bitcoin had fallen to as little as $3,570.29 at the time of report, down roughly 10.6% in the last 24 hours and 11.2% from the start of the day, according to CoinDesk bitcoin price data.
Other major cryptocurrencies had suffered even greater losses, with ether, litecoin and bitcoin cash having declined 16.5%, 16.4% and 16.3% over the last 24 hours, additional CoinDesk figures reveal.
[Ed note: Investing in cryptocoins or tokens is highly speculative and the market is largely unregulated. Anyone considering it should be prepared to lose their entire investment.]
These widespread declines took place right after a drop in the sentiment surrounding most of the 10 largest digital currencies, noted…
Continue reading at FORBES.com