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In April 2019, a UK corporate filing stated that Coinbase's non-U.S. revenue grew 20% to €153 million (U.S.$173 million) in 2018 resulting in a net profit of €6.6 million. Coinbase UK CEO Zeeshan Feroz said the company's non-U.S. operations accounted for nearly one-third of the company's overall revenue and Reuters estimated that the company's global revenue totaled "around $520 million" in 2018.
With the largest variety of markets and the biggest value - having reached a peak of 18 billion USD - Bitcoin is here to stay. As with any new invention, there can be improvements or flaws in the initial model however the community and a team of dedicated developers are pushing to overcome any obstacle they come across. It is also the most traded cryptocurrency and one of the main entry points for all the other cryptocurrencies. The price is as unstable as always and it can go up or down by 10%-20% in a single day.
Despite the intricate technology associated with and necessary for cryptocurrency investing, speculation and possession, Coinbase has created an apparatus that makes this process remarkably easy and familiar, almost like buying and selling stocks. This screenshot from the Coinbase site shows real-time cryptocurrency prices and doesn't look too different from your ordinary online stock tracker.
When people talk about the price of Bitcoin, they are referring to the current price at which Bitcoin is changing hands. Since Bitcoin is a purely speculative asset, this price is determined by how little sellers are willing to charge and how much buyers are willing to pay. Even then, the price of Bitcoin can vary across exchanges like Coinbase and Binance or currencies because of market inefficiencies
Bitcoin (BTC) is the world’s first decentralized digital currency and payment system and is by far the most known and valuable cryptocurrency. It was created in 2009 by an anonymous person or group called Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin enables transactions to be sent peer-to-peer without passing through a central authority. The transactions are recorded on a decentralized public ledger called the blockchain and each payment acquires a small transaction fee to cover the cost of the network. The total supply of Bitcoin is 21 million and it’s smallest unit of bitcoin is called a Satoshi, it’s a hundred millionth of a bitcoin – 0.00000001 BTC. The creation of Bitcoin’s is happening through mining. Miners have the task to validate transactions and keep the network secure. Their efforts are rewarded by new minted Bitcoins and transactions fees. Bitcoin can be exchanged for fiat or other cryptocurrencies, products and services. Over 100,000 merchants and vendors accepts bitcoin as a payment.


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The Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) will meet with the Department of Trade and Industry after a minister suggested that web caching is illegal under UK law. In response to a parliamentary...
Companies are challenging Amazon in retail and cloud
Cosmetics firm is undergoing a top-to-toe tech refresh with GDPR compliance thrown in
DFS resorts to cloud to help handle spikes in online demand
Economy and business performance not a problem, reckon small firms
Charity engages Braintree to move away from previous payment system which was in danger of failing and losing millions of pounds of donations, admits CTO

domain: news


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On Thursday shares of leading automaker Tata Motors dropped more than eight per cent following the announcement of company’s fund raising plans to finance the buyout øf ÙK’s luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, he scrip lost 9.43 per cent to an intra-day low of Rs 580 against its yesterday’s closing price of Rs 634.75. It finally settled 8.22 per cent lower at Rs 582.55, while over 6.69 lakh equity shares changed hands.
Yesterday, the company’s board at its meeting had approved rising of Rs 7,200 crore through three simultaneous rights issue. These fund raising proposals are mainly for financing the Jaguar-Land Rover acquisition for about $2.3 billion (nearly Rs 9,848 crore), which is to be completed shortly, Tata Motors said in a filing to the BSE. In March, Tata Motors had said that it entered into a definitive agreement with US car maker Ford to purchase Jaguar and Land Rover. The company had yesterday reported a marginal decrease in its expected net profit at Rs 2,167.70 crore for the year ended March 31, compared to the previous fiscal. But Tata Motors’ was expecting total income of Rs 35,918.96 crore for this year, against Rs 32,514.38 crore in the previous fiscal


text: Kurt Andersen, the co-founder of Spy and former editor of New York and Inside.com, turns 54 today. Also celebrating: CourtTV creator Steve Brill is 58, hedge funder Dave Ganek is 45, and 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft is 63. Tori Amos is 45 today. National Review editor-in-chief Rich Lowry is 40. And Scooter Libby is 58. On Saturday, Kobe Bryant and Strokes singer Julian Casablancas will both be 30. Village Voice fashion columnist Lynn Yaeger will turn 57. Rick Springfield will be 59. DJ Timmy Regisford will be 45. Novelist Nelson DeMille will turn 65. On Sunday, Gawker chief Nick Denton will be celebrating his 42nd birthday. The New Yorker's Adam Gopnik will turn 52. Mel Karmazin will celebrate his 65th. Craig Kilborn will be 46. Dave Chappelle will be 35. Vince McMahon will be 63. Most importantly, Steve Guttenberg will be 50.


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Ridgeview Wines has opened a new Ridgeview Beauty Bar as part of a brand new £15m spa by Exclusive Hotels at South Lodge.
The company, which claims to have produced the world’s first English sparkling wine, will open the bar alongside the spa’s new Botanica Restaurant, which overlooks the swim pond. The restaurant has a focus on health and plant-based plates, using the restaurant on the South Downs as a larder for its Mediterranean inspired menu.
In another first, the Ridgeview Beauty Bar designed by interior spa specialists SPARC, will house the UK’s only sparkling wine Enoflute dispenser to “perfectly” serve Ridgeview bubbles. The bar was launched at a party, which included an outdoor laser show and an edible dessert tree.
Managing director of Exclusive Hotels and Venues, Danny Pecorelli, said: “Working with Ridgeview is the true definition of a partnership.”
Tamara Roberts, CEO of Ridgeview, added: “We are thrilled for Ridgeview to be represented in such a unique way. It’s great working with the whole Exclusive team with their vision and passion. This amazing spa is so beautiful, it’s sure to become a Sussex destination”


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The key to unlocking the revenue potential of bakery is to offer freshly baked goods, according to research by Lantmännen Unibake.
The company’s 2013 Bread Barometer, surveyed respondents across five European countries to reveal that in the UK, freshly baked is seen as the most important reason for buying bakery products. 35% of respondents cited this as their primary reason for purchase – a 20% increase in two years.
76% of respondents said that it was important for bakery products to be freshly baked, while 73% said they were tempted to buy bakery products when they smelled fresh baking in an outlet.
Kate Raison, marketing director at Lantmännen Unibake UK, said: “The Bread Barometer research has provided us with in-depth bakery insight into consumer priorities and eating habits that retailers and caterers can benefit from. There is a clear need for high quality bakery fixtures that deliver a range of freshly baked goods throughout the day in line with demand. To overlook the importance of freshly baked would be to miss out on the revenue opportunity it presents.”
Demand for quality remains high on the list of consumer priorities, with 87% of respondents citing taste as an important factor that drives purchase at the bakery fixture. Taste trumped health for 40% of respondents, whilst price promotions and in-store offers were less of a priority, with 41% of respondents citing quality as more important than price and good offers.
Driven by increasingly busy lifestyles, the trend for eating on-the-go continues to move at a pace, with 61% of consumers stress the importance of easy-to-handle bakery products and 20% eating more meals and snacks on-the-go than they did two to three years ago. The trend is particularly prevalent amongst the younger demographic, as 42% of 18-34 year olds eat more meals and snacks than they did two to three years ago, rising from 35% in 2011.
Breakfast on-the-go also remains a hot revenue stream, with 11% of respondents purchasing breakfast on-the-go at least once a week and 22% at least once a month. Again the 18-34 year-old market sits central to this, with 47% eating breakfast on-the-go at least once every four weeks.


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A study published in Pain Physician suggests that adequate vitamin D supplementation can help reduce and relieve chronic lower back pain.
To prove the connection between this nutrient and back pain, researchers invited 68 adults to participate in the study. All of them reported suffering from lower back pain for at least three months, and are not getting any better even with medication and physical therapy.
Before the experiment, researchers found that the volunteers' average level of vitamin D was only at 12.8 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter). This number was much lower than the 40 ng/mL recommended amount of vitamin D to boost optimal health.
So, for the next eight weeks, participants were given 60,000 IU of vitamin D three times a week, increasing their average levels to 36.07 ng/mL. Meanwhile, to measure their level of pain and disability, a pain visual analog scale was used before, during, and at the end of the study.
Results showed that after the subjects received higher doses of vitamin D, their pain and disability levels significantly decreased. Dr. Babita Ghai, M.D., D.N.B, lead author of the study, commented, "Our findings provide a reasonable justification for advising dietary supplementation as well as therapeutic medication to achieve normal vitamin D levels in patients with musculoskeletal pain."
She added that the natural nutrient has anatomic, hormonal, neurologic and immunologic influences on pain expression, and encouraged further studies on the correlation between vitamin D and lower back pain. (Read: Vitamin D deficiency is widespread among U.S. population, expectant mothers are deficient and giving birth to deficient infants.)
Back in 2015, a research was conducted involving 328 Indian patients with chronic lower back pain. The researchers found that the volunteers were also lacking in vitamin D – 86 percent of the men and 83 percent of the women had lower than normal levels.
Of the participants, 66 percent of the men and 58 percent of the women had vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL, which is a clear indication of vitamin D deficiency. This hinted at the connection between vitamin D levels and chronic lower back pain among Indians. They also noted that the nutrient has an important role in bone metabolism and neuromuscular function.
Another study was done by Mayo Clinic to see the association of musculoskeletal pain with vitamin D deficiency. It involved 150 patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain, aged between 10 and 65.
The researchers were surprised to find out that 93 percent of the volunteers had low levels of vitamin D, with 28 percent of them found to be severely deficient. Because of this finding, the researchers suggested that people suffering from musculoskeletal pain be screened for vitamin D deficiency.
How do you determine if you, or someone in your family, may be lacking in vitamin D? Check the list of symptoms below:
Learn more about the importance of vitamin D to your overall health by visiting VitaminD.news.


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The self-proclaimed “breastaurant" is well known throughout the world for employing attractive young women as their Hooters girls.
The chain then plays this up by having them dress in revealing outfits, for delighted male customers.
The girls are instantly recognisable by their white, often tight, vest, displaying the Hooters logo.
This is then paired with orange short shorts, threatening to reveal everything.
But patrons of a new branch of Hooters are devastated after the girls were told they would have to start covering up.
Jakarta Hooters general manager Sherry Suradji revealed his girls in the Indonesian capital would not be wearing the iconic orange shorts during the Ramadan festival.
He said: “What will be different is the uniform, for example. The top will feature a higher cut, and we’ll wear skirts instead of shorts."
During the holy fasting month, women are required to dress "modestly" and follow customs.
But this is a surprising stance from the American eatery, whose main selling point is their team of Hooters girls.
The popular restaurant chain hit the news at the start of the year by creating a secret code to help women on bad dates escape.


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Health Canada warning consumers not to use unauthorized skin-lightening products
Health Canada is urging Canadians to refrain from using skin-lightening products that aren’t authorized for sale in Canada due to possible health risks.
According to a news release, Health Canada has seized several unauthorized products from retailers that contain prescription drugs such as betamethasone dipropionate, clobetasol propionate, or hydroquinone at concentrations greater than 2 per cent. These products may pose health risks, such as blisters, scarring, skin weakening or deterioration, bone loss, decreased ability to fight infection, and, in the case of hydroquinone at concentrations greater than 2 per cent, possibly cancer.
Additionally, unauthorized skin-lightening products may contain elevated levels of mercury, which can cause mercury poisoning and pose serious health risks—especially to children, pregnant women, and women who are breastfeeding.
While they have already seized several products, Health Canada is concerned similar unauthorized products continue to be sold to Canadians despite their risks.
In order to ensure products have been assessed by Health Canada and are safe for use, consumers are encouraged to check for an eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) or Drug Identification Number (DIN) on the label.
Those who believe they have purchased unauthorized products are encouraged to report them to Health Canada.
- BREAKING: COVID-19 outbreak declared at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga
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- Anyone caught violating the EMCPA will be fined between $750 and $1,000
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- Health Canada warning consumers of products including misleading information regarding COVID-19
- Health Canada Warning Against Use of Cream That Could Seriously Harm Children
- Potentially Dangerous Products Seized from Mississauga Store
- These Sunscreens are Officially Approved by Health Canada
- Health Canada Investigating Burns on Babies Allegedly from Sunscreen


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As of now, MAN Diesel & Turbo is equipping gas turbines with 3D-printed components. To exploit the potential of the technology even further, MAN Diesel & Turbo is currently investing in the “MAN Center for Additive Manufacturing".
Dr Gianmario Scotti, from the Faculty of Pharmacy, has found polypropylene on eBay, and bought a couple of rolls of filament. And after just a handful of developmental phases, the researchers created a microreactor that can be used for mass spectrometry analysis.
Procter & Gamble Belleville Plant partnered with Additive Metal Manufacturing Inc. (AMM) and Canada Makes to explore building new customized parts using additive manufacturing.
Aleph Objects, Inc., makers of the award-winning LulzBot 3D Printers, has announced two major milestones that position it for continued success.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has launched the University Research Facility in 3D Printing (U3DP) to support teaching, learning and research.
Continental, one of the world's leading automotive suppliers, has made a commitment to additive manufacturing of metal parts.
On March 30th 2017, Airbus successfully flew Liebherr-Aerospace’s 3D printed spoiler actuator valve block on a flight test A380.
Wohlers Associates, Inc., a consulting firm focused on additive manufacturing and 3D printing worldwide, has announced a 3-day course on Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), which is being held in collaboration with Materialise, an industry-leading provider of 3D printing software and services.
Premium AEROTEC, the aerostructures supplier, holds a leading position within its sector for Metal 3D printing technology.
FIT, the German additive manufacturing group, has announced the appointment of Kenneth D. Gray as the Chairman of FIT America Inc.
Adidas’s unveils Futurecraft 4D, the world’s first high-performance footwear featuring midsoles crafted with light and oxygen using Digital Light Synthesis, a technology pioneered by Carbon. Futurecraft 4D is a fruition of adidas Futurecraft - the brand’s journey to define the future of craftsmanship through exploring new technology, design and collaboration in order to provide the best for each athlete.
EOS, the global technology leader for industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers, has announced a 3D Printing training course, collaborating with two leading universities in the UK and Germany.
Additive Manufacturing (AM), widely known as 3D-printing, has been identified as one of the key enabling technologies to improve European industrial competitiveness.
EnvisionTEC, a global leader in 3D printers for the in-ear device and monitor market, and 3Shape, a global leader in 3D scanning and CAD/CAM software, have launched a new turnkey system for scanning, modelling, and printing in-ear devices.
The University of Maryland (UMD) has announced that it will lead a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Biomedical Technology Resource Center (BTRC) aimed at advancing techniques to create complex tissues and parts for the body, such as for organs and bone.


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Frntline, a Melbourne-founded startup backed by Beyoncé's father Dr Mathew Knowles PhD, has raised $4.6 million for an international roll-out of its 'TikTok style' educational videos for customer service aimed at Gen Z workers in the retail, hospitality and pharmacy sectors.
Launched in 2021 by serial entrepreneur and founder Mark John, frntline has seen early success in securing high-profile national and international clients such as Coles, L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Swisse, Mumm Champagne and Bondi Sands.
The seed round was led by early-stage technology venture capital fund RealVC, linked to Unlocked founder Matt Berriman, with other investors including Investible and Hoperidge Capital, the family office of Navitas founder Rod Jones.
Drawing on his decades of global experience working across entertainment and video content along with his passion for youth education and mentorship, John set up the company with the 15-25 age demographic in mind, developing the proprietary frntlne Interactive Learning Methodology (FILM).
Completion rates for FILM are tracking at close to 100 per cent, compared to overall very low rates for online training and education courses more broadly in these sectors.
Funds raised will go towards building out frntline's marketing, sales and product development as the startup grows its presence in Australia and expands into several international markets.
"Frntlne was built off the back of my own experience at a retail outlet, ready to spend hundreds of dollars on a DIY home maintenance product only to be faced with several in-store staff who not only had no product knowledge but appeared to be disengaged and happy for me to take my money elsewhere, even suggesting I should go to their competitor," says John, the frntlne CEO.
"While frustrated at the experience, I saw a great opportunity to use my years of working across entertainment, tech and monetised content to create a practical and highly engaging solution backed by scientific research."
John says the company is changing the way retailers and consumer brands deliver their product training.
"Having bootstrapped the business to this point; I am excited for the next phase of frntlne and the opportunity that this funding round will bring in accelerating our product development, the growth of our team and expansion into key international markets including Singapore, the UK and UAE," John explains.
"We are working with a strong group of investors and advisors who have global experience across education, entertainment and technology startups and who truly believe in the potential of our business.
"Most of our clients have been with us for some time including Bondi Sands, who was our first customer back in 2021 when we were still testing the product. We’re really excited to keep building out our client base and taking some of our existing Australian customers global."
The founder clarifies the 15-25 age demographic was chosen because the core demographic in retail and hospitality frontline staff usually skews younger.
"However we know from recent client campaigns that our product is delivering amazing results with a broad range of ages and there is no limit to its application," he says.
The company's advisory board includes education expert Dr David Isaacson PhD, who has been instrumental in working with Mark and the team to develop FILM, as well as Dr Mathew Knowles PhD, the architect behind the careers of his daughters Beyoncé and Solange, as well as supergroup Destiny's Child.
Matt Berriman of RealVC says despite the funding challenges in the market recently, he believes now more than ever is the time to get behind great founders who are embracing technology to not only disrupt global industries, but do so in a way that creates positive change in people's lives.
"At RealVC we are committed to backing exceptional founders with passion, talent and the capability to execute, and Mark John hits all these markers," Berriman says.
"The frntlne business model is set up to deliver quality education, which is critical to ensure our current and future generations have the best possible chance of success, both at work and in life.
"From an investment perspective, the business presents a compelling business model, with strong unit economics and has a huge total addressable market they are targeting, both in Australia and overseas, and we can see frntlne being a great Australian success story in years to come."
Investible principal Jayden Basha says the frntline founder has built a novel, scalable model that has a broad application to frontline workers irrespective of industry or geography.
"The company has earned high praises from their early customers. This opportunity really excites us and we look forward to supporting frntlne’s next phase," he says.
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“Any takers?: Two EV chargers sit unused in White Plains, MD.” Source of photo: http://metablognews.com/wp-content/plugins/rss-poster/cache/d6fff_MK-BP785_CHARGE_G_20111016172708.jpg Source of caption: slightly edited from print version of the WSJ article quoted and cited below.
(p. B1) When McDonald’s franchisee Tom Wolf built his latest restaurant in Huntington, W. Va., late last year, he installed two chargers for all-electric cars so customers could juice their batteries while eating. So far, the charging station has been used a few times.
. . .
Across the U.S., such equipment is proliferating even though it is unclear whether plug-in cars will prove popular.
. . .
Fewer than 15,000 all-electric cars are on U.S. roads, says Plug In America, a group promoting the technology.
. . .
(p. B11) Charging equipment is popping up largely because of subsidies. As part of a $5 billion federal program to subsidize development of electric vehicles and battery technology, the U.S. Energy Department over the past two years provided about $130 million for two pilot projects that help pay for chargers at homes, offices and public locations.
. . .
Opinions vary on demand. J.D. Power & Associates expects all-electric vehicles will account for less than 1% of U.S. auto sales in 2018, or about 102,000 cars and light trucks. Including hybrids and plug-in hybrids the market share is forecast at 8%.
“The premiums associated with these products are still more than what the consumer is willing to bear,” says Mike VanNieuwkuyk, executive director of global vehicle research at J.D. Power.
For the full story, see:
JAMES R. HAGERTY And MIKE RAMSEY. “Charging Stations Multiply But Electric Cars Are Few.” The Wall Street Journal (Mon., OCTOBER 17, 2011): B1 & B11.
(Note: ellipses added.)


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Bruegger's Bagels, which celebrated its 31st birthday this week, opened its fourth bagel bakery in the Denver metro area this morning at 5:30 a.m. The new bakery is in Littleton at the Shops at Riverbend at 5350 South Santa Fe Drive. It's the first opening for franchisee Shawn Carter, who purchased most of the Colorado locations in 2012.
The new Bruegger's is in a 1,780-square-foot building that features indoor seating for 36, as well as an outdoor patio area for 28 guests, a full espresso bar and free Wi-Fi. The bakery will be open seven days a week from 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Vermont-born Bruegger's now has locations in 26 states. The bakery-cafe chain serves bagels, a variety of cream cheeses, sandwiches, soups, and salads. In 2004, the company created the World's Largest Bagel at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, New York. It weighed in at 868 pounds and required 1,100 pounds of dough, 900 gallons of water and a bake time of 10 hours.


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Smirnoff Ice gets a brewery
Guinness buys Pennsylvania facility to produce hot selling 'malternative'
Nov 27, 2001 - Guinness North America has purchased a major Pennsylvania brewery last operated by Pabst Brewing in order to expand production of Smirnoff Ice malt beverage.
Guinness NA, a subsidiary of Diageo of Great Britain, paid $29.8 million to buy the Fogelsville brewery in the Lehigh Valley and will spend another $15 million to prepare the facility for Smirnoff Ice production.
"Smirnoff Ice has been a stunning success," said Paul Clinton, president and chief executive of Guinness North America. "This plant will help Guinness meet the ever-rising consumer demand and will expand our ability to deliver Smirnoff Ice more efficiently and conveniently to our customers across North America."
Schaefer spent $46.5 million to build the brewery on 149 acres of farmland in 1972. Stroh Brewery of Detroit acquired Schaefer in 1981. Then in 1999, Stroh sold the facility to Pabst. Pabst closed the plant in September.
The brewery employed 380 people before it was shut down. Guinness expects to employ 250 when the facility reopens. Former members of Brewery Workers Local 12, a Teamster's local at the Pabst plant, were unavailable for immediate comment.
Guinness will be looking at every job applicant, including the union members, said company spokesman Gary Galanis. "They will be considered equally," he said.
"We're beginning to retrofit the plant now, and we should have our first line of Smirnoff Ice in early February to keep up with demand."
Since its launch in the United States in January, Smirnoff Ice has captured 1.8% of the 200 million barrel annual beer market, said Benj Steinman of Beer Marketer Insights, an industry newsletter.
It's the leading drink in a category called "malternatives" - alternatives to malt drinks such as beer. Smirnoff Ice is a vodka-based drink in other countries. But in the United States, it contains no vodka. It is one of the most successful product launches in beverage alcohol history and is particularly popular with young people and women. Smirnoff Ice outsells well-known beers such as Heineken and Corona, the company said.
In addition to buying the brewery near Fogelsville, Guinness is expanding a plant in Plainfield, Ill., to produce more Smirnoff Ice. Brewing Smirnoff Ice under contract has significantly boosted business for City Brewery in LaCrosse, Wis., and High Falls Brewing Co. in Rochester, N.Y.
"Before this, their production was a hodgepodge, with several different contracts across the country," Steinman said. "It has been their plan to ramp up production quickly at a site like this."
Search The Real Beer Library For More Articles Related To:
Guinness, Smirnoff Ice


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Microsoft (MSFT) will report its first quarter earnings on Thursday, October 20, 2011.
What to Expect:
Analysts are expecting Microsoft to report earnings of 68 cents per share, up 9.7% from a year ago when it reported earnings of 62 cents per share.
The consensus estimate hasn't changed over the past month, but it's up from three months ago when it was 67 cents. For the fiscal year, analysts are projecting earnings of $2.85 per share.
Revenue is projected to be $17.25 billion for the quarter, 6.5% above the year-earlier total of $16.2 billion. Revenue is projected to come in at $74.47 billion for the year.
The majority of analysts (66.7%) rate Microsoft as a buy. That percentage is still below the mean analyst rating of its nearest 10 competitors, which average 67.1% buys. Analysts have become more cautious about the stock recently and the number of buy ratings has dropped slightly over the past three months.
Trends to Watch For:
Revenue has increased for four consecutive quarters. Revenue increased 8.3% to $17.37 billion in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year. Revenue rose 13.3% in the third quarter of the last fiscal year from the year earlier, climbed 4.9% in the second quarter of the last fiscal year from the year-ago quarter and 25.3% in the first quarter of the last fiscal year.
The company has seen net income rise in two straight quarters. In the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year, net income rose 30% from the year earlier. In the third quarter of the last fiscal year, the figure rose 30.6%.
Microsoft's current dividend yield is 2.9% based on Friday's close of $27.27. The company has an annualized dividend of 80 cents per share.
Microsoft develops and supports software products and services for various computing devices. Microsoft's main competitors in the information technology sector are Google (GOOG), Oracle (ORCL), International Business Machines (IBM), Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ), Yahoo (YHOO), Apple (AAPL), Adobe Systems (ADBE), and Intel (INTC).
Recent Price Movement: The stock price has fallen slightly over the past quarter to $27.27 from $27.37 on July 19, 2011.
Narrative Science, through its proprietary intelligence technology platform, turns data into stories and insights.


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Cigna Corp. and Oscar Health last week revealed the first markets for their new cobranded fully insured commercial products for the small group market. The new plans, set to launch in the fourth quarter of 2020, will be available in the San Francisco Bay Area, Atlanta and four cities in Tennessee; Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville. The products will integrate primary medical, behavioral health and pharmacy benefits, as well as a 24/7 telemedicine service, according to both companies. About 12 million people are currently enrolled in small group plans, with Cigna and Oscar both holding relatively small shares of the market, at 43,795 and 18,818 lives, respectively.
Source: AIS’s Directory of Health Plans


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Google Doodle honours eminent Indian artist Jamini Roy on his 130th birth anniversary
Google paid a tribute to the artist by featuring a doodle inspired by his Black Horse painting.
Sand artist pays tribute to victims of London attack
Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a sand sculpture in Puri to pay tribute t...
Music streaming platform Saavn launches 'Artist Originals'
With AO, Saavn is the first streaming company to conceptualise, produce and distri...
Start-up Happydemic offers a platform for budding music artists
Radhika Mukherji and Aman Pandit, Co-founders, specialises in live performances—and you can gift them to your loved ones.
Spotify ensures independent artists are on board with fresh licensing deal
The agreement come weeks after the music streaming service reached a licensing deal with Universal.
Nalini Malani set to become the first Indian artist ever to be exhibited at Centre Pompidou, Paris
With her upcoming show in Paris, Malani will be the first Indian artist to ever be exhibited at Centre Pompidou.
Brazilian graffiti artist Eduardo Kobra paints world's largest mural
Kobra will have used a total of 3,200 spray cans of paint and many liters (gallons) of synthetic enamel ink for the mural.
Noted artistes refuse to join Trump ceremony
Many noted artistes including Elton John and Celine Dion have refused to perform at Donald Trump’s swearing in ceremony.
Talented Odisha boy wins the The Emerging Artist of the Year 2017 Award
Sitaram Swain is now headed to a distillery in Scotland with seven other artists from around the world.
Artist Jehangir Jani's list of fave artists is quite 'schizophrenic'
Jani said that both Eva and Nasreen had that quality of large universes within a small container.
Artists search for the soul of our daily machines
Their obsessions with tech are not new, but now, they are treating it like a new tool instead of a sociopolitical framework.
When 50 artists came together for a cause
Piali Syam, Arun Nanda, and Samir Mondal were among the guests at the art exhibit.
Starboy! Ed Sheeran soars to top of Spotify as the most popular artist
Data on the world's most popular streaming service on Friday showed Sheeran with 42.2 mn monthly listeners.
Pakistani artists are not terrorists: Salman Khan
Actors and terrorists are different and Pak actors come to India with proper documents, says actor Salman Khan.
Kapil Dev presents artist Paresh Maity’s book
Amitabh Kant and Lord Meghnad Desai were also in attendance at the arty fare.


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The first 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has found its new home.
It must be satisfying knowing that you're the first person in the world to own a hotly anticipated car. In this case, we're talking about the track-tuned Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. The first production model has rolled off the assembly line and has been delivered to its proud new owner, Rick Hendrick. Except Hendrick isn't your typical car customer. The Team Chevrolet NASCAR owner paid a staggering $250,000 at a recent Barrett-Jackson auction back in April for the privilege of owning the Camaro ZL1 1LE before anyone else.
It may seem ludicrous paying that much for a Camaro, but all money raised was donated to The United Way charity. Hendrick collected the latest addition to his expansive car collection at the GM Lansing Grand River plant where the Camaro is assembled and drove it off the production line with his 10-year old grandson in the front passenger seat. His ZL1 1LE was finished in gloss black complemented with a set of black wheels and red brake calipers. The impressive collection of first unit cars spanning several decades the ZL1 1LE will be joining include the first Corvette from 1955, 1956 and 1957, as well as the first 2010 Camaro, and the first 2017 Acura NSX.
No doubt Chevrolet has already reserved VIN No. 001 of the upcoming Chevrolet C7 Corvette ZR1 for him, too. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Hendrick said it "felt like Christmas" to drive the car off the production line where it was assembled. "I collect cars, but I'm also a Chevy dealer," he said. "I just want to applaud these folks that build such a great piece. And I wanted to document driving it off the line." "This car is such a performance piece," he added. "It's unbelievable what it will do on the track." He's right, too, considering that the ZL1 1LE recently became the fastest Camaro to lap the Nurburgring with a time of seven minutes and 16.04 seconds.
In case you need reminding, the 1LE variant adds a host of aero-enhancing updates that transform the Camaro ZL1 into a track monster including a carbon fiber rear wing, DSSV (Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve) dampers, Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires, and Brembo brakes. Power is sourced from the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 as the regular Camaro ZL1 producing 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque.


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Things got heated after Jameela Jamil‘s recent body positivity comments.
Model Sara Sampaio called out the “Good Place” actress for attacking her fellow models after Jamil retweeted a video of a runway show, writing, “This looks like the most fun, and not a long-starved terrified teenager in sight. Beautiful.”
Sampaio quickly accused the NBC star of being a hypocrite.
“How about celebrating someone without bringing other people down?” the 28-year-old catwalker tweeted. “Calling runway models ‘long-starved terrified teenager’ is extremely offensive. From someone that is always preaching for body positivity this just screams hypocrisy.”
The TV star, 33, defend her comments, saying that she was criticizing the modeling industry’s unrealistic beauty standards as a whole.
“I didn’t say all models in my tweet so try to calm down,” she said. “But I will say there is a *vast* majority issue with young girls starving themselves, and using drugs and cocaine to control their weight, to meet the very small sample sizes. If you don’t see that, then you are in a bubble.”
Jamil added that she doesn’t “preach” body positivity but instead brings to light the eating disorder culture which she said is “in NO small way perpetuated by the extreme thinness demanded of girls by the high fashion powers that be.”
The Victoria’s Secret Angel promptly shut down Jamil’s defense, saying that she was still dragging women down with her words.
“You didn’t say all models, sure, but you still chose to attack girls just so you can celebrate others,” she wrote. “Eating disorders, drugs and cocaine use aren’t a exclusive problem of models, it’s a huge problem is society as a whole. And when you talk like you know for sure majority of [models] Have eating disorders and drug problems, when that’s not the case.”
She furthered that Jamil shouldn’t speak with authority when she is not an expert on the industry.
“About modeling I can for sure talk with more certainty than you,” Sampaio said. “Sure that happens but it’s for sure not a vast majority.”
Sampaio reminded Jamil to celebrate people of all shapes and sizes without having to hurt other peoples’ feelings.
“It’s very simple to celebrate someone without having do drag other people. And make general negative assumptions about a whole group of people. most of these girls are teenagers! And they don’t deserved to be constantly put in a negative box like you just did,” Sampaio said. “I can say for a fact, while some girls unfortunately might do drugs the majority actually doesn’t! All I point out was that she didn’t need to bring other people down to celebrate others!”
But Jamil stood her ground, saying that Sampaio was misinterpreting her comments.
“@SaraSampaio, you MIDUNDERSTOOD the tweet in the first place… it was Not taking aim at *kids* for being starved and afraid. It’s definitely not *their* fault. Who on EARTH would blame children? it was taking aim at this (unbelievably f–ked) industry. Which is RIGHT to do,” she said.
She added, “Just to be very clear, calling out the fashion industry for needing more size, age, racial, and disability inclusion because media bleeds into our culture, which informs our society, and therefore affects our minds… is *very much so* a hill I’m willing to die on.”
She furthered that Sampaio should reevaluate aligning herself with Victoria’s Secret, saying, “You also proudly work for a transphobic, fat phobic company @SaraSampaio. Victoria’s Secret is a brand that sets out to exclude most women, so I would check yourself on that before you start policing me for calling out an industry wide epidemic of harm to young girls.”
At this, Sampaio defended Victoria’s Secret, saying that the brand had “made mistakes” and “understands that and has been working on changing that,” adding, “I’m also not someone that is going to resource on personal attacks to try to win some stupid twitter feud!.”
Jamil seemingly shut the model down again, saying she hopes Sampaio will start using her platform for good.
“If you’re speaking out against what your company did then GREAT. I look forward to seeing your activism on that with your big profile,” she tweeted. “You seem passionate about speaking out. So best of luck to you on helping young girls and trans people in this business. ❤”
Sampaio ended the rift by saying that she still stands by her comments that “you never need to bash other people to celebrate others” and then not so smoothly change the subject to her Halloween costume.


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Did you think that every automaker’s secrets were revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit? Think again.
At least ten new models will debut at this year’s Chicago Auto Show, which kicks-off this Wednesday, February 8th. Here’s a quick round up of what to expect:
The ILX Sports Sedan will debut, and replace the TSX. The new ILX will be based on Honda’s Civic platform, and share the powertrain choices. Additionally, the ILX will show off three engines, including a Hybrid. The ILX will be targeted towards a younger crowd, and is being called a “gateway” to the luxury brand lineup.
Joining the ILX will be a new RDX. The popular SUV will be redesigned and will show off a wider track, a longer wheelbase and a new V6 engine. The RDX will be showing off some new technologies as well, including Pandora Internet Radio, and a Text-to-Speech SMS voice texting.
See the rest of our Chicago Auto Show preview below:
Ram Trucks will also make an appearance at the show, with the Laramie Limited editions of their pickups, that showcase a comfortable interior decked out in high gloss and leather.
Ford will bring out a convertible of its ultimate pony car, the GT500. The same 650-hp V8 that’s in the standard GT500 will still be here in the convertible, but we’ve yet to hear if the 200 mph top speed will stick around.
GMC’s Acadia will be showing off its new look in Chicago. This 2013 version will be the crossover’s first major styling change since it first appeared in 2006. The Acadia will be the first of many new 2013 GMC models to get a new grille, and will likely be kitted with the new Intillilink infotainment system.
A new Elantra Coupe will be Hyundai’s latest showing at Chicago. This would mark the first time the Elantra has ever been made as a coupe, and will be based on the sedan, and will likely be a bit sportier. Sales could begin as soon as spring.
Additionally, a new version of the Elantra wagon will be seen at the show. The new wagon, will be based on the European Hyundai i30 is expected to launch this summer in North America.
Imagine a Soul with some sport. What you’ve got in mind is Kia’s Trak’ster, a concept that was designed by Kia’s California team, and will be seen and explained in Chicago. Many details of the car are still in limbo, hopefully Chicago will help clear things up.
Fans of the sporty Z cars will be happy to know that the 2013 refresh of the 370Z will be at the Show.
Also, a new version of Nissans commercial truck, the NV will be seen. The NV200 will be a five passenger model to be used primarily as a taxi. The bigger NV1500/2500 and 3000 also be on the floor, including a version for up to 12 passengers.
The 2013 Land Cruiser will be launched this month, and we’ll get a preview of the floor-room model in Chicago. The new model will show off a new headlights, side mirrors, taillights, as well as new chrome side molding.
To stay up to date on the latest Chicago Auto Show news, visit our coverage page here.


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Stocks started the new year on rocky footing as investors confronted the prospect of rising omicron cases, higher bond yields and the Federal Reserve tightening its monetary policy.
These macroeconomic factors can cause confusion for even seasoned investors, particularly as they position their portfolios for the longer term. TipRanks, a financial data aggregation website, provides an array of tools for investors to look beyond short-term market volatility.
Here are five stocks with strong long-term potential that are loved by Wall Street analysts.
After a boom in e-commerce and rapid acceleration in high-tech applications for nearly all industries, specialized semiconductors have been in high demand. The vast majority of the 5nm wafers used in manufacturing the chips are developed in foundries in East Asia, although Intel (INTC) is attempting to fill the domestic void. Led by CEO Pat Gelsinger, the company has pledged $25 billion to $28 billion in investments toward new foundries and several new initiatives, and analysts have taken notice.
Among those analysts is Ivan Feinseth, who recently spelled out a bevy of reasons for his increased bullish stance. In addition to the aggressive expansion in footprint and output capacity, Intel has announced it will take advanced driver-assistance systems subsidiary Mobileye public, which he believes will catalyze upward momentum for INTC. (See Intel Stock Analysis on TipRanks)
Feinseth rated the stock a Buy, and raised his price target to $72 from $68.
According to the analyst, the Mobileye IPO "unlocks potentially tremendous shareholder value, provides additional capital for ongoing investment in key growth initiatives, and furthers the companies partnership in ongoing AV technology development." He expects the IPO to occur sometime during the summer of 2022.
Regarding additional initiatives, Intel will link up with its ostensible competition to develop even more advanced semiconductors. Moreover, the recently announced Intel Foundry Services (IFS) will provide cutting-edge expertise for other firms' manufacturing process.
Feinseth noted his expectation that Intel will regain its formerly dominant position in data center and cloud infrastructure markets.
On TipRanks, Feinseth is ranked as #50 out of more than 7,000 total analysts. His stock picks have been correct 74% of the time and have returned him an average of 37.3% each.
Yet another industry bolstered by stay-at-home trends by the pandemic, educational tech saw several companies' valuations hit highs as their user bases swelled. However, as vaccine rollouts progressed, investor interest moved away to more reopening linked plays. One of these stocks is Coursera (COUR), which has seen its valuation decline about 45% since going public in early 2021. Now, a top analyst sees a worthwhile discount opportunity.
Declaring Coursera as one of his firm's top picks in ed tech for the new year, Ryan MacDonald of Needham & Co. published a bullish report on the stock. In it, he argues that its key businesses are well poised for high performance this year. (See Coursera Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks)
MacDonald rated the stock a Buy, and assigned a price target of $45.
The analyst expects that the company's increased budgets for talent retention will provide its enterprise segment with the ability to continue growing. Moreover, Coursera has invested heavily in expanding its product offerings. The firm added programs such as LevelSets, SkillSets, and Academies, all tools which MacDonald anticipates will better entrench the company with its customers.
Furthermore, COUR is adding more content to its Degrees platform, jumping from 24 to 35 live programs.
The stock itself has "compressed significantly since its March 2021 IPO when education technology companies warranted premium valuations," and now the analyst sees its share price at an attractive entry point.
Out of over 7,000 analysts, MacDonald comes in at #439. His success rate stands at 52%, and his ratings have averaged returns of 30.6% each.
The world's most valuable company by market cap briefly surpassed yet another milestone recently, a $3 trillion valuation. On the heels of its huge product cycle led by the iPhone 13, Apple (AAPL) is experiencing massive demand, and has been executing on record sales. All this, in the face of a global semiconductor shortage mainly affecting smartphone manufacturers.
Reiterating his confident stance on the stock is Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities, who opined that as the chip and component shortages begin to relax moving through 2022, the smoother supply chain will serve as an upward catalyst for Apple. Additionally, he was bullish on its expanding Services segment, as well as its pipeline product innovations on the way. (See Apple Website Traffic on TipRanks)
Ives rated the stock a Buy, and assigned a price target of $200.
The analyst explained that consumer demand is on track to outpace supply by 12 million units, and that Apple has already sold upward of 40 million units this past holiday shopping season.
As far as its Services business is concerned, Ives forecasts an addressable market worth about $1.5 trillion. Vast opportunities exist to monetize through "the Apple golden installed base," and is already positioned to meet $100 billion by 2024.
Beyond its iPhone and more traditional product cycles, Apple has already announced a possible automotive offering targeted for 2025, which could open the company up to grab market share from more nascent electric vehicle players. Ives also detailed that the "highly anticipated AR headset Apple Glasses" will arrive in the back half of the year, providing Apple with exposure to metaverse related revenue streams.
Financial data aggregator ranks Ives at #60 out of more than 7,000 professional analysts. His ratings have been met with success 74% of the time, and they have earned average returns of 51.8%.
In a digitally transformed world, everyone needs a website. However, publicly traded domain registrar GoDaddy (GDDY) has relatively stagnated the last year and a half, until recently. Activist investor Starboard Value acquired a 6.5% stake, and noted that shares were discounted and "represented an attractive investment opportunity," according to its filing.
Disclosing his hypothesis on the matter is Brent Thill of Jefferies, who shared the bullish sentiment with Starboard, and wrote that GoDaddy represents a "top value play among web site builders." Unlike many other tech plays, GDDY underperformed both the S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (NDX), however, the analyst sees this as just another reason to buy in. (See GoDaddy Risk Analysis on TipRanks)
Thill rated the stock a Buy, and assigned a price target of $110.
He said that GDDY is likeable due to its "consistent execution, double-digit organic revenue growth, strong uFCF generation and attractive valuation." Thill maintains his optimism even after shares jumped more than 8% following the acquisition news.
Moreover, GoDaddy's investments in innovation throughout 2021 are anticipated to act as tailwinds as 2022 progresses.
The relatively new CEO of two years has focused the company on launching product innovations, particularly in Hosting and Presence, payment, and "omnichannel commerce solutions."
Thill is rated as #314 out of over 7,000 expert analysts. He has been successful 60% of the time and has averaged returns of 28.2%.
As the streaming wars heated up, Netflix (NFLX) stock cooled down. The last two months have been rather weak for the streaming service and production firm, as investors are shaken off by poor engagement data and concerns over its international profitability. The majority of analysts, however, have remained bullish.
One of which is Stifel Nicolaus' Scott Devitt, who wrote that despite the investor worries, the company has done well releasing popular content, and has a robust pipeline which will see the company moving away from its exposure to solely video product offerings. (See Netflix Hedge Fund Trading Activity on TipRanks)
Devitt rated the stock a Buy, and declared a price target of $660.
The analyst detailed that beyond its traditional business of video content streaming, Netflix has been innovating toward video games and visual effects opportunities. The company is hoping to diversify its revenue streams and differentiate itself from other pure-play streaming entities.
Meanwhile, he maintains a confident long-term outlook on NFLX. From Devitt's calculations, the firm will increase its total subscribers by 50% by 2025, and by 100% by 2030.
In addition to the engagement data numbers and international reach skepticism, Devitt attributes the recent downturn in share price to a rotation away from growth and tech stocks, as well as "heightening investor focus on new streaming competition/utility of alternatives." Although he is not concerned with the underlying fundamentals of Netflix's business.
For his efforts, Devitt currently maintains a ranking of #177 out of more than 7,000 analysts vying for the top spots. His ratings have resulted in success 62% of the time and have averaged him returns of 35.3%.


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Rising gas prices push up inflation for first time in four months
Consumer prices rose in February for the first time in four months as gasoline prices rebounded from a steep fall that had helped to drive down inflation since the middle of last year.
The consumer price index increased 0.2% after a 0.7% drop in January that was the largest decline in more than six years, the Labor Department said Tuesday.
Gasoline prices rose 2.4% in February after falling 18.7% the previous month. The increase in prices at the pump was the first since June.
More broadly, energy prices were up 1% in February following a 9.7% decline the previous month.
Food prices also were up, rising 0.2% after being flat in January.
So-called core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, increased 0.2% in February, the same as in the previous month.
But the long steep slide in oil prices continued to have an effect on annual inflation. Prices did not rise at all for the year ended Feb. 28.
Gasoline prices were down 32.8% during that time, while overall energy prices fell 18.8%.
“Inflation is likely to slow in March as energy prices have fallen this month, but they do appear to be near a bottom,” said Gus Faucher, senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group.
Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet L. Yellen has said the extremely low inflation is just temporary, caused by lower oil prices.
But she and other central bank policymakers want to see inflation moving up toward the Fed’s 2% annual target before enacting the first interest rate hike since before the Great Recession.
Low inflation is a problem in Europe as well. On Tuesday, Britain’s Office for National Statistics reported that the nation’s consumer price index was flat for the year ended Feb. 28.
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Microsoft is planning to introduce a free version of its Power BI business-intelligence tools/service, and will cut prices on its new, fully featured Pro version.
All About Microsoft
Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley's blog covers the products, people and strategies that make Microsoft tick.
Mary Jo Foley
Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 30 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008). She also is the cohost of the "Windows Weekly" podcast on the TWiT network. Got a tip? Send her an email with your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. Confidentiality guaranteed.
We know Microsoft is developing a number of different Windows 10 versions for use on different hardware. How those SKUs will stack up is a work in progress.
Microsoft took a tax hit due to an IRS audit adjustment last quarter, but its ongoing tax dispute with the IRS looks to wage on, possibly for another year.
As Microsoft continues its transition to more of a mobile first, cloud first vendor, its traditional Windows and Office licensing businesses are feeling the impact, as its Q2 FY 2015 numbers show.
Microsoft is using its own Cloud Platform System to power its internal 'Nebula' infrastructure-as-a-service cloud.
Microsoft is privately testing a public-facing version of its Cosmos big-data service, which features new analysis and storage engines, plus a new SQL-IP language.
MIcrosoft is rolling out a new test build of Windows 10 for desktops today, January 23.
Microsoft has acquired Revolution Analytics, a company that develops R programming-language-based analytic solutions for open-source and proprietary big data platforms.
Microsoft has revealed a few new tidbits about Spartan, its new 'modern' browser for Windows 10, and its relationship with IE.
Microsoft's touch-first Office suite, as well as its desktop Office 2016 suite, are inching closer to public preview.
Microsoft is developing new Windows 10 hardware, including a new conferencing system with Perceptive Pixel multitouch displays and augmented reality glasses known as HoloLens.
Microsoft shared a bit of its pricing strategy for Windows 10, and provided he first public demonstration of Windows 10 mobile.
Microsoft has purchased Equivio, maker of a machine-learning platform for the legal industry, for an undisclosed amount.
Microsoft will show off Windows 10 mobile and touch-first Office for Windows at its January 21 Windows 10 event, but the first mobile preview isn't likely until February.
Microsoft is making Windows 8.1 available to its PC partners for anywhere from 'zero dollars' to $15 per copy, according to recently disclosed OEM licensing information.


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Canada removes "Made in Israel"
10:09 - 30/07/2019
Information / Baghdad ..
A Canadian federal judge has ruled out banning "made in Israel" two types of wine produced by settlements in the occupied West Bank. The judge ruled that the label was false and denied Canadians the choice to boycott the products, according to Canada's Globe and Mail.
"Canadian consumers have a constitutional right to put precise marks, because their buying options may be an expression of their religious thoughts, conscience or beliefs," said the decision of the Federal Court of Canada.
The case came to the federal court after David Katenberg, a Canadian resident of Winnipeg, fought a two-and-a-half-year battle to change the posters, describing their presence as an affront to human rights and conscience.
The verdict may have long-term consequences, according to lawyer Dmitry Laskaris, who represented Katenberg. "This ruling will have implications for any decision to buy by a consumer on matters of conscience. For example, animal rights will have the right to challenge inaccurate posters, .
The Canadian government took the position that consumer protection laws were not intended to provide information on sensitive geopolitical issues.
The government representative said that those who want such information in this case can "only look for the name of wineries through Google," asserting that "consumers are entitled to accurate information for reasons of health and safety and not for reasons of conscience."
The judgment means that the Canadian Food Inspection Authority needs to review the markings on the two types of wine produced in the settlements and any other products that meet the same specifications. Ending / 25


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It’s time for another end of the week round-up of Android games that are on sale over on Google Play. This week’s round-up has a lot of developers putting their catalog of game’s on sale, such as most of Radiantgames’ titles, 3 Minute Games with their Lifeline franchise, Playdigious with a few of their games, and more.
Tin Man Games has also put a slew of their gamebooks on sale as well, which are always a good buy. There’s pretty much something for everyone with this week’s round-up, so without further delay, here’s this week’s list of Android games on sale.
Tin Man Games on Sale:
Playdigious Games on Sale:
3 Minute Games on Sale:
Radiantgames on Sale:
Other Android Games on Sale:
Like always, if you spot a game on sale that isn’t on this list, which there probably is this week, than let us know in the comments below so everyone else can take advantage of it.


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Sunday, January 28, 2007
Reader trparky recommends an article on Technet (which, be warned, is rather chaotically formatted). Mark Russinovich, whose company Winternals Software was recently bought by Microsoft, has published the first of a series of articles on what's new in the Vista kernel. Russinovich writes: "In this issue, I'll look at changes in the areas of processes and threads, and in I/O. Future installments will cover memory management, startup and shutdown, reliability and recovery, and security. The scope of this article comprises changes to the Windows Vista kernel only, specifically Ntoskrnl.exe and its closely associated components. Please remember that there are many other significant changes in Windows Vista that fall outside the kernel proper and therefore won't be covered."


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The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) announced that it has suspended making any rate decisions until “economic situation normalises,” the central bank said on March 3.
The NBU has left the prime rate at 10% for the meantime.
"Due to the forced introduction of administrative restrictions, market monetary instruments, in particular the discount rate, do not play a significant role in the functioning of the monetary and foreign exchange markets," the central bank explained.
The National Bank noted that with the normalisation of the economic situation, it would resume regular meetings of the board on monetary issues with decisions on the discount rate and the publication of an inflation report with a macroeconomic forecast.
Ukraine’s regulator was the first central bank to start hiking rates last year to battle rising prices caused by the coronacrisis: March (50bp), April (100bp), flat in June, July (100bp), September (50bp), December (50bp) and January (100bp).
Annual inflation in Ukraine was 10.0% year on year in January, unchanged from the previous month, State Statistics Service reported on February 9. Ukraine’s consumer prices jumped 1.3% month on month in January after growing 0.6% m/m in December, due to increases in prices for food, transportation and utility services.
Food prices jumped 2.5% m/m in January (after increasing 1.2% m/m in December). Prices grew the most for vegetables (20.5% m/m), eggs (3.9% m/m) and fruits (2.5%). At the same time, prices for sugar declined 0.8% m/m and prices of sunflower oil slid 0.5% m/m. Prices for alcohol and tobacco added 0.2% m/m in January (the same as in December).


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The gross domestic product (GDP) of the US, the world's largest economy, accounts for 24 per cent of the global economy, while China, the world's second largest economy, accounts for 15 per cent.
The fact that these two rival countries dominate the global economy to such an extent means that this rivalry affects the whole world. One of the fronts where the war between the two rages on is technology.
Arguing that Chinese technologies are a 'national threat' to military, politics and US citizens' data, the US imposed restrictions on China one after another last year. Accordingly; the US government announced that 36 more companies were included in the trade blacklist, expanding the scope of export restrictions already imposed on China-based technology companies. This means that companies added to the blacklist, known as the 'Entity List', will be restricted from accessing certain US-produced goods, software and technologies that are subject to US export regulations, and will face 'stringent licensing requirements' if they want to access these technologies. Among the companies subject to export restrictions are Yangtze Memory Technologies and Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment, both of which are among the largest chip manufacturers in China and the world.
US vs China: Milestones in the technology war
CHIPS and Science
The 'Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors' Act, or more commonly known as CHIPS and Science Act, is designed to increase US competitiveness, innovation and national security. It was signed into law by US President Joe Biden on 9 August 2022. Aiming to catalyse investments in domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity, the law aims to accelerate R&D and commercialisation of technologies such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, clean energy and nanotechnology, and to create a larger, more inclusive science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce through new regional high-tech centres.
The CHIPS Act calls for $280 billion to be spent over the next decade on domestic chip technology and science to be produced in the US. Of this amount, $200 billion is earmarked for scientific R&D and commercialisation, with $52.7 billion for semiconductor manufacturing, R&D and workforce development, and $24 billion in tax credits for chip manufacturing. Another $3 billion is earmarked for programmes for advanced technology and wireless supply chains.
These subsidies, which promise to provide the necessary support for semiconductor companies to develop and diversify their workforces, offer the opportunity for a step change in digital manufacturing and related workforce skills. It is thought that this approach could be the key to surviving the race to reduce the size and power of chips while improving performance at the same time.
However, utilising this funding comes with a number of disadvantages: New geographic restrictions for manufacturing.
The CHIPS Act prohibits US-based companies that would benefit from the fund from carrying out semiconductor production in countries defined by US law as national security threats, particularly China. These restrictions apply only to new facilities, provided that an existing manufacturing facility does not predominantly produce obsolete semiconductors for the market of any country identified as a national security threat.
According to US government statistics, the US now accounts for 12 per cent of total semiconductor production, up from 37 per cent of global semiconductor production in the 1990s. On the other hand, many US companies are dependent on chips produced abroad.
In early October of 2022, the US announced new rules that are among the broadest export controls ever in its race with China over the control of semiconductor supply. Under these new rules, companies that manufacture supercomputing and artificial intelligence-oriented chips using US-made tools or software and export them to China, regardless of where in the world they are manufactured, must obtain a number of special licences that are very difficult to obtain.
However, the new rules also include a clause preventing US citizens and green card holders from working for certain China-based companies. This means that a significant and substantial pipeline of American talent travelling to China to work will be cut off, and as a result, high-end semiconductor development will be adversely affected.
Alan Estevez, Under Secretary of the US Department of Commerce, stated that the purpose of these new measures, which make it very difficult for China to access advanced chips for the latest technologies, is to prevent China from purchasing US-produced 'sensitive technologies with military applications'. Commenting on the restrictions, Jim Lewis, a technology and cybersecurity expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, said that the measures would 'set China back years'.
On the other hand, these export restrictions are not the first time the US has imposed strict rules against China regarding tech. To see when the restrictions really started to get serious, we need to look back, before the Biden administration.
It all started with him: Trump
After months of speculation, then-President Trump signed a decree in May 2019 authorising the federal government to block the purchase of foreign telecommunications equipment by US-based companies if it is deemed to pose a national security risk. Although there was no statement that this decision was made for a single company, this new authority was seen by many as a move against China-based Huawei, which some US lawmakers saw as a security threat.
In short, this ban meant that China-based technology giants such as Huawei and ZTE could no longer sell their products in the US or work with big names in the field such as Google or ARM for important software and licences.
About a year after this decision was made, Trump decided to extend the validity of the decree until May 2021.
In November 2021, new US President Joe Biden signed the Secure Equipment Act, which prevented companies such as Huawei and ZTE from obtaining network licences. With the new law, which was passed by 420 votes to 4 in the House of Representatives, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was completely stripped of its authority to issue licences to companies on the FCC List of Equipment and Services.'It is time to close this glaring loophole [...] Once we have determined that Huawei or other gear poses an unacceptable national security risk, it makes no sense to allow that exact same equipment to be purchased and inserted into our communications networks as long as federal dollars are not involved.' said FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr.
This decision was officially implemented by the FCC on 25 November 2022.
The US argues that the Chinese government, its main rival for world power leadership, could spy on American networks through equipment from companies like Huawei. Huawei has repeatedly denied that this could happen, while Ren Zhengfei, the company's CEO and founder, has challenged the US campaign against the company, saying it will not stop its international expansion.
In February 2019, the heads of major US intelligence agencies such as the FBI, CIA and NSA warned US citizens not to use Huawei or ZTE phones, while the government also pressured allies to stop using Huawei-made telecoms equipment in national infrastructure.
Cause and effect
In 2016, the Chinese government announced plans to spend $150 billion over 10 years to develop the Chinese semiconductor industry. Until then, the US-China conflict had not started in earnest, but Beijing's announcement set off alarm bells in the US defence establishment. Experts warned that China's plan to increase its presence in the semiconductor sector puts US national security at risk: In a few decades, Chinese firms could be able to produce more advanced microchips than the US, meaning that Chinese missiles, lasers or air defence systems could become the most sophisticated in the world.
To prevent this from happening, the US found the solution in a package of hundreds of billions of dollars of support for its own domestic semiconductor production, as well as a halt to the purchase of equipment from Chinese companies, especially for military and telecommunications, and a halt to the export of chip manufacturing equipment that China needs to buy from the US for chip production. These measures, in addition to supporting domestic chip production, would have dealt a blow to Chinese production and prevented the use of Chinese equipment against the United States.
However, the repercussions of these US measures on the semiconductor industry, which has not yet fully recovered from the crisis and is therefore very fragile, are far more than just affecting China, because the companies that produce chips, export them all over the world, including China, and develop technologies using these chips are being hit the hardest.
According to Brady Wang, deputy director of Counterpoint research in Hong Kong, the export restrictions that came in October cover high-end computer chips such as NVIDIA's A100/H100 and Intel's GPU. The rules, some of which take effect immediately, build on restrictions sent earlier last year in letters to top toolmakers KLA, Lam Research and Applied Materials, requiring them to halt shipments of equipment to wholly Chinese-owned factories producing advanced logic chips.
The US Department of Commerce states that the export controls restricting China’s ability to obtain advanced computing chips, develop and maintain supercomputers, and manufacture advanced semiconductors.
The chip ban is described by veteran China analyst Bill Bishop as a 'massive escalation' in trade and geopolitical tensions between the US and China. 'We are all still trying to understand the impacts of the new controls,” he said in his newsletter, 'and frankly I think many underestimate just how significant they are, both for technology supply chains and future developments but more broadly for the US-China relationship'.
International research firm GlobalData, for its part, says the restrictions "go beyond the semiconductor industry" and are essentially about nothing more than world economic leadership. "It's about the dominance of [artificial intelligence], which underpins what many are calling the fifth industrial revolution, and ultimately global economic leadership over the next few decades," says Josep Bori, the firm's director of thematic research.
Although they have another year to comply with the restrictions, Asian semiconductor manufacturers such as market leaders Taiwan's TSMC, SK Hynix and Samsung are also threatened by them.
Can China use locally produced chips instead?
China consumes more than three-quarters of the semiconductors sold globally, but produces only about 15 per cent of global output.
Experts say that China's equipment makers lag four to five years behind their overseas rivals, which is holding them back from replacing equipment lost from US suppliers such as KLA Corp, Applied Materials and Lam Research. According to Boston Consulting Group estimates for 2021, a country needs at least $1 billion in additional upfront investment to establish a fully self-sufficient domestic chip supply chain.
However, it is assessed that the new restrictions may encourage Chinese chipmakers to try to produce advanced chips using creative engineering solutions with older technologies that are not subject to sanctions. Counterpoint's Brady Wang states that
"the latest US restrictions will greatly slow down China's advanced semiconductor industry and derivative technologies such as artificial intelligence, supercomputers, self-driving training", and this may cause China to direct its production capacity to "concentrate on mature technologies and utilise services outside China".
The 'TikTok' of it all
Along with all these, the US's war with China is also quite fierce on the 'social media' wing. Yes, we are talking about TikTok.
The US government, which has been trying to ban TikTok, which is owned by the China-based technology company ByteDance, is getting closer and closer to its goal despite all the efforts of TikTok to prevent this. As an output of the pandemic, the efforts to ban TikTok, which became popular in a very short time by taking advantage of the distress of people stuck in their homes during the long quarantine period, first coincides with the Trump era.
On 6 August 2020, President Trump tried to block TikTok in the US with a decree banning operations between ByteDance and US citizens, citing 'national security concerns'. Eight days later, Trump 'backtracked' with another executive order that presented ByteDance with an ultimatum to separate TikTok's US business from China within 90 days or sell TikTok to an American firm. ByteDance has been in talks to sell TikTok to Microsoft, Oracle and Walmart, but none of these talks has yielded results. As a result of a series of lawsuits filed by ByteDance and TikTok influencers, this ban was also prevented.
In June 2021, President Biden cancelled Trump's executive order and launched an investigation into the security threats TikTok could pose. A year later, in June 2022, rumours of backdoor access to US user data by employees in China resurfaced. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr sent an open letter to Apple and Google, calling on them to remove TikTok from their app stores due to 'secret data practices'.
Another reason for the stagnation of investigations and actions by US agencies is the role played by opposing factors. Accordingly, the answer to the question of how freedom of expression on the US internet works when hosted by a China-based app raises issues of foreign trade policy, political ideology, international data security and many other issues.
On the other hand, the implications of this turmoil go far beyond TikTok. The reason for this is that any government decision on regulation or a ban on this short video application used by young people will set a precedent for how other giants such as Facebook and YouTube will be dealt with legally and politically in the coming years.
For now, TikTok, which continues to defend that user data is securely stored on Oracle cloud servers in the US, is endeavouring to provide various assurances to US authorities in order to prevent a possible nationwide ban. The last of these efforts came last week.
As reported by sources familiar with the matter, last week TikTok made an offer to the US government to conduct its operations more distantly and to be subject to external scrutiny. Accordingly, TikTok was proposing to expand the role of Oracle, the world's second largest software company after Microsoft, to ensure that TikTok's technology infrastructure is separate from ByteDance, i.e. China, and to create a 'proxy' board to manage TikTok's US division independently of ByteDance. However, according to the latest news, it seems that these efforts of TikTok may not yield results.
Very recently, TikTok's parent company ByteDance published the results of an internal investigation into the company. According to this report, four employees of ByteDance in China had obtained the data of TikTok accounts belonging to two US journalists. The report did not specify the most troubling details, such as what the employees did with this information. In recent weeks, the government's bill to ban the use of TikTok on state-owned devices was passed by the Senate and sent to the House of Representatives for enactment.
On the other hand, the use of TikTok on public devices is already banned in Texas, North Dakota, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Utah, West Virginia, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, Nebraska and Montana.
Considering all these, it is possible to say that the bill will pass through the House of Representatives more urgently. Moreover, it would not be too far-fetched to say that greater sanctions, measures and bans against TikTok are on the way.


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Imposition of tariffs for the export of crude iron ore from next year
Imposition of tolls for the export of crude iron from next year, the Deputy Minister of Mines said: From next year, the export of iron ore will be done with the imposition of tolls. There is no ban on the export of iron ore, but we have the issue of imposing duties on the agenda. He stated that the amount of duties that can be imposed for the export of iron ore has not been determined yet. He described the imposition of these duties as preventing the export of raw iron ore and said: “In this way, added value will be created in the country.”
Regarding the implementation of seven steel projects, he said: “The first project will be launched next week, and by consuming iron ore in the country and converting it to steel, more added value will be created. Preventing the sale of raw materials is one of the most important issues in economic policies.” It is a resistance that, with its realization, we will see the creation of more added value in the economic sectors, job creation and the completion of the production chain.
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Madonna’s Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign recreates scenes from the old school flick, Mamma Roma.
Stefano Gabbana told the press:
“We wanted to continue pushing our current message that shows fashion’s more human nature and our heritage. This is yet another tassel of that mosaic…we believe the campaign is comforting and that people will somehow identify themselves in the images, which again display a more human and approachable side of Madonna.”
Dolce & Gabbana fall winter 2010 – 2011 ad campaign featuring Madonna shot in New York City by Steven Klein


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BANGALORE, India — In Uber’s vision of the future, self-driving cars will whisk us everywhere, eliminating the need for its millions of human drivers.
But as the ride-hailing giant prepares to sell as much as $10 billion in stock to the public this week to help build those vehicles, a low-tech approach to the self-driving future is already emerging in India: motorbikes that customers rent and drive themselves.
Several start-ups — backed by big Silicon Valley venture firms and Uber’s Indian competitor, Ola — are betting that shared “two-wheelers” are better suited to wallets and transportation needs than the cars that are the heart of the ride-hailing industry.
The traditional model of Uber and Ola is reaching its limits, said Vivekananda Hallekere, a co-founder and the chief executive of Bounce, which fields more than 6,000 motorbikes that people can pick up and drop off anywhere in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. The car rides are too expensive for most Indians, the drivers complain about long hours and poor compensation, and the ride-hailing platforms are struggling to make a profit, he said.
“You can’t make it affordable with a driver,” Mr. Hallekere said. “And if users know how to use a scooter, why do you need a driver?”
By focusing on the large swath of people who cannot afford current ride-hailing services, these start-ups are opening up a new front in the global battle to provide shared transportation services. In developed countries like the United States, Uber undercut the taxi industry and created new demand for rides by persuading tens of millions of customers to hop in a car with an ordinary driver summoned by an app. But in developing countries like India, where two-wheeled vehicles outsell cars six to one, Uber and its competitors must figure out a different approach or risk disruption from below.
India, with 1.3 billion residents, is the world’s largest market for motorcycles. About 20 million new ones are sold annually, from low-powered scooters to heavy-duty Harley-Davidsons. Industry players estimate that 200 million people possess a license to drive at least a basic two-wheeler.
On a recent weekday morning, Mallikarjun D., a software engineer, pulled out his smartphone and booked an electric motorcycle on Vogo, a Bounce competitor, for his nine-mile commute to his job at the outsourcing giant Infosys.
Usually he takes the Infosys bus, he said as he put on his helmet and grabbed the bike from a garden that served as Vogo’s neighborhood parking lot. But he was running late, and at a special rate of 10 rupees, or 14 cents, for the full day, he found the bike to be the perfect solution.
“It’s a reasonable cost,” Mr. Mallikarjun said. “And it’s helpful for the environment.”
Vogo and Bounce are slugging it out for dominance in Bangalore, India’s tech hub, where Ola is also based and is watching carefully. Vogo requires people to pick up and drop off their bikes at designated locations, while Bounce bikes can be picked up or left anywhere.
Nomita D. P., who was shopping for school clothes with her 10-year-old daughter near the Jayanagar metro station, said she had been using Bounce for about five months. It is cheaper than an auto-rickshaw, the three-wheeled taxis that are common in India, and more reliable than an Uber or Ola car, she said.
“You wait for a car, and then they cancel,” said Ms. Nomita, a medical editor who works from home. “A rickshaw driver will refuse to take you because you are going in the wrong direction.”
Right now, Vogo and Bounce motorbikes are hard to find. Both companies are racing to get enough on the streets — aiming for around 50,000 apiece — to make their services truly convenient in Bangalore. Other big cities will follow.
The nascent industry is facing other challenges. At the Jayanagar station, the trunks on two of Bounce’s motorbikes would not open, trapping the helmets inside — a common problem. Ms. Nomita’s scooter was missing its rearview mirror. Many vehicles were dirty.
How viable these services will be over the long term is unclear. Like Uber and Ola in their early days, both companies are offering promotions to bring down the price of rides, which requires a lot of spending.
“You want it to be habit-forming for the customer,” said Anand Ayyadurai, Vogo’s co-founder and chief executive, who said costs would come down over time.
There is also the sobering lesson of shared bicycles in India, which were heralded as a great idea but failed to take off. The country’s chaotic traffic and the long distances between public transit and homes and workplaces made shared bicycles unappealing, forcing several operators to shut down.
“It’s a very complicated, very hard business,” said Shailesh Lakhani, a partner at the venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, which has invested in Bounce. “That said, the amount of demand is insane.”
Vogo and Bounce are hoping to cut costs by stocking their fleets with electric motorbikes, which cost less by the mile than gasoline ones. They are looking to another Bangalore start-up, Ather Energy, to supply them. Ather has engineered a premium-priced, aspirational electric scooter that is one of the few to qualify for government clean-energy subsidies, and it is building a network of fast-charging stations.
Yet Ather can make only about 500 scooters a month at its Bangalore factory. The company is lining up a manufacturing partner to vastly increase production, said Tarun Mehta, a co-founder of Ather and its chief executive.
Bounce and Vogo are preparing to ramp up their fight with new funding.
Bounce has raised $18.9 million from venture firms such as Sequoia and Accel, according to corporate filings analyzed by the data firm Paper.vc, and it is raising an additional $80 million.
Vogo has raised $17.8 million from Ola, the American venture firm Matrix Partners and several Indian firms. Ola also plans to provide up to $100 million to help Vogo deploy as many as 100,000 motorbikes and has promised to include the vehicles as an option on its popular ride-hailing app.
Ola’s decision is pragmatic. Traditional ride-hailing is a maturing business in India, much as it is in the rest of the world. Many drivers are unhappy with reduced payments from Ola and Uber, and have periodically gone on strike in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to press for better terms. Riders complain of long waits for cars and rising fares. Public transit systems, particularly metro lines, are improving but will not get people the last mile to home or work.
“How do you create mobility options for the next 900 million?” asked Anand Shah, a senior vice president at Ola who oversees its electric mobility efforts. “You don’t have to look far — you can see what India is choosing.”
In addition to supporting Vogo, Ola offers motorbike taxis in some Indian cities and is promoting wider adoption of electric auto-rickshaws.
Uber has made no moves toward motorbike sharing. But it has recognized the potential of cheap vehicles that customers drive themselves. Last year, it bought Jump, which rents out electric bicycles and motorized stand-up scooters in two dozen major cities in the United States and Europe. In February, Uber said more customers in Sacramento, California’s capital, had rented its Jump vehicles than had summoned traditional cars.
Uber declined to comment, citing the quiet period ahead of its initial public offering.
Scooters, bicycles and mopeds have the potential to steal some market share from the Ola and Uber car services, said Chandrasekar Iyer, who is studying disruption in the auto industry as a fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute in the San Francisco area. But Mr. Iyer, a consultant at Tata Consultancy Services, predicted that the ride-hailing giants would not stand idle.
Vivek Durai, a co-founder of Paper.vc, which closely monitors privately held companies in India, said the big money was beginning to flood in.
“There is a deep hunger to solve this,” he said. “People need flexible options for transport.”


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China chasing U.S. lead in 3-D printing
- Many more 3-D printers are being sold in China
- Chinese government this year rolled out 10 research centers devoted to 3-D printing
- But nation%27s old-line workforce must be retrained
SHANGHAI — Manufacturers hoping to use 3-D printing technology to slash labor costs and bring some production back to the U.S. from China didn't foresee this: China is furiously developing its own 3-D printing industry.
3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is still in the early stages in China, and the world's second-largest economy is far behind the U.S. But China has made significant strides this year in its effort to modernize its reputation as a center of cheap mass production. Some American industry officials say the U.S. should step up its investments to maintain its advantage.
Here at DF Robot's production facility in the Zhangjiang Business Park, a roomful of humming 3-D printers and robots substitute for a traditional factory's clanking presses and churning milling machines. One printer spews layer after layer of green molten plastic onto a canvas until an iPhone case takes shape in seven hours. Soon after, the versatile printer molds a pair of black high-heel shoes — a more complex task that takes 26 hours.
"Since 2012, we have seen a strong increase in demand for our printers," says Ricky Ye, CEO and founder of DF Robot, which both manufactures printers and uses them to make product prototypes on a contract basis.
3-D printers look like document printers but crank out 3-dimensional objects. Based on a digital design, they lay down hundreds or thousands of layers of powdered metal or plastic until parts or entire products are sculpted.
Since the 1980s, U.S. manufacturers largely have used the printers to quickly create prototypes. In recent years, a growing number have turned out limited runs of actual products, such as surgical tools and medical implants, as well as certain parts in airplanes, cars and other machines. Entrepreneurs and hobbyists are also snapping up inexpensive "personal" printers to make jewelry, toys and other trinkets.
In China, 3-D printers are making prototypes and quirky objects for consumers but — apart from artificial teeth and dental implants — lag in end-user part production. That's the more critical sector that has the potential to transform manufacturing.
Whether deployed in China or the U.S., 3-D printing can yield significant reductions in labor costs. Just a few employees oversee dozens of automatic printers, matching the production of several hundred or thousands of workers in standard factories.
3-D printers also cut waste, reduce lead times for product rollouts and are better than conventional factory machines at customizing objects. But they're expensive and not adept at mass production, making them most suitable for limited runs of niche products.
In China, about 17,000 mostly personal 3-D printers are in operation, estimates Terry Wohlers, president of consulting firm Wohlers Associates. The U.S. has about 47,000, and nearly half are industrial, he says.
Yet China is closing the gap. The country's stock of 3-D printers has grown more than sevenfold since 2008, Wohlers says. He says national interest in the technology intensified early this year after President Obama proclaimed in his State of the Union address: "3-D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything."
"The comment more than lit a spark in China — it started a bonfire," Wohlers says, adding that Chinese sales of 3-D printers have surged.
Their growing popularity is laying the foundation for wider usage of 3-D printing in manufacturing. Wohlers says the Chinese government and industry ultimately intend to use the technology to make high-tech parts and "high-value finished products."
For now, even the spread of personal printers has huge potential, says Ye of DF Robot. "It takes forever to produce a prototype or a mold," he says. "Once you have a 3-D printer at home or in the office, you can speed up the innovation process. Many more people will be able transform their ideas into real products."
China's government, meanwhile, is sowing the seeds for industrial production, opening a 3-D research center this year and planning nine more. With Chinese labor costs rising sharply the past few years, the country has been losing production to factories in Vietnam and Bangladesh that pay lower wages. 3-D printing can help preserve China's reputation as "the factory of the world" while expanding beyond labor-intensive assembly lines, Ye says.
Developing the industry, however, will require retraining a work force of old-line factory employees. "We will need less unskilled workers if we use 3-D printers more frequently," Ye says.
Also, few Chinese engineers have the technical know-how to build the printers, says Jack Wu, the China representative of EOS E-Manufacturing Solutions, a German company that operates a research facility in Shanghai. Entrepreneurs and manufacturers, meanwhile, must be educated.
"There are customers that buy the most expensive 3-D printer and only use it once a week," says Kim Francois, head of the Chinese unit of Belgium-based Materialise, which builds printers and does contract printing and research. "Of course, such an investment will never pay off."
Francois teaches Chinese elementary and high schools students how to use the printers. "This is the next generation of Chinese entrepreneurs," she says. "If they get to use 3-D-printers early in their lives, they will potentially become much more innovative than their parents."
3-D, she adds, can help China transition from a "copy culture" that makes products designed elsewhere to one that turns out more domestically designed goods.
Wu thinks China will move swiftly to try to close ground with Western nations. "Companies, schools, universities and individuals will start using this," he says.
U.S. officials are taking notice. Ralph Resnick, founding director of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Youngstown in Ohio, says China's advances underscore the need for the U.S. to continue to invest in the technology.
"I think China's initiative has the potential to continue to make China more competitive," Resnick says. As other countries develop 3-D, "we have an innovation edge that has been slipping."
Davidson reported from McLean, Va., and Trentmann reported from Shanghai.


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At World Options, we’re really excited that winter is finally on its way out, which means we are all looking forward to long, sunny evenings and warmer days. Daylight Saving Time begins on the last Sunday of March every year which falls this weekend on the 31st March, this commences the start of British Summer Time.
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A recent new report from Business in the Community has revealed that many small businesses are leaving themselves vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Digital correspondence has changed the way we live our lives and changed our expectations of fast communication. In a world full of technology and emails, sending a document to another country might be considered a bit outdated.
FedEx is the first of the ‘big 4’ world leading carriers to join the delivery robot craze, by officially announcing the launch of its SameDay Bot
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We give a big shout out to the amazing women who are part of World Options
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Part 3 in our series - How to save on shipping costs


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DIY chain Homebase is being put on sale once again following a recent major overhaul to revive its fortunes.
The group’s owners – turnaround specialist Hilco – are looking to secure the deal after getting Homebase back on track and amid a booming home improvement market.
It comes just over two years after the DIY and garden centre firm was sold to Hilco for the nominal price of £1 after a disastrous spell under the ownership of Australian group Wesfarmers.
“Now is the right time for us to be starting conversations with potential new owners to accelerate our plan.”
Wesfarmers bought the chain for £340 million in 2016 but its attempts to import its Bunnings home improvement brand to the UK by converting Homebase stores failed dramatically.
Hilco has since carried out a widespread overhaul, shutting under-performing outlets, axing head office jobs, securing rent-reductions and slashing costs to recover from steep losses.
It is understood the sales process will kick off in the coming days, with initial details set to be sent to prospective buyers – including other retailers and private equity.
The group is thought to be hoping to secure new ownership by next Easter.
A stock market listing is also said to be one of the options on the table.
The move comes as DIY stores have enjoyed buoyant trading as Britons have turned to home improvement projects during the coronavirus lockdown.
If a sale is achieved, it would see the fourth owner for Homebase in just five years.
The chain now has 151 shops with around 5,600 employees.
But at its peak it had 250 stores and 12,000 staff.
Homebase returned to profit in 2019 with underlying earnings of £3.2 million against losses of £114.5 million in 2018
It also bought retailer Bathstore out of administration in July last year.
The group now wants to expand, with plans to open around 15 new stores over the next two years in cities and regions where it does not already have a Homebase store.