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Continuing its quest to become the Amazon Web Services for biomanufacturing, Ginkgo Bioworks has launched a new spinoff called Motif Ingredients with $90 million in funding to develop proteins that can serve as meat and dairy replacements.
Now, with Motif, Ginkgo is tackling the wild world of protein replacements for the food and beverage industry through the spinoff of Motif Ingredients.
It’s a move that’s likely going to send shockwaves through several of the alternative meat and dairy companies that were using Ginkgo as their manufacturing partner in their quest to reduce the demand for animal husbandry — a leading contributor to global warming — through the development of protein replacements.
“To help feed the world and meet consumers’ evolving food preferences, traditional and complementary nutritional sources need to co-exist. As a global dairy nutrition company, we see plant- and fermentation-produced nutrition as complementary to animal protein, and in particular cows’ milk,” said Judith Swales, the Chief Operating Officer, for the Global Consumer and Foodservice Business, of Fonterra, an investor in Ginkgo’s new spinout.
To ensure the success of its new endeavor Ginkgo has raised $90 million in financing from industry insiders like Fonterra and the global food processing and trading firm Louis Dreyfus Co., while also tapping the pool of deep-pocketed investors behind Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the climate focused investment fund financed by a global gaggle of billionaires including Marc Benioff, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Reid Hoffman, John Doerr, Vinod Khosla, Jack Ma, Neil Shen, Masayoshi Son, and Meg Whitman.
Leading Ginkgo’s latest spinout is a longtime veteran of the food and beverage industry, Jonathan McIntyre, the former head of research and development at another biotechnology startup focused on agriculture — Indigo Ag.
McIntyre, who left Indigo just two years after being named the company’s head of research and development, previously had stints at Monsanto, Nutrasweet, and PepsiCo (in both its beverage and snack divisions).
“There’s an opportunity to produce proteins,” says McIntyre. “Right now as population grows the protein supply is going to be challenged. Motif gives the ability to create proteins and make products from low cost available genetic material.”
Ginkgo, which will have a minority stake in the new company, will provide engineering and design work to Motif and provide some initial research and development work on roughly six to nine product lines.
That push, with the financing, and Ginkgo’s backing as the manufacturer of new proteins for Motif Ingredients should put the company in a comfortable position to achieve McIntyre’s goals of bringing his company’s first products into the market within the next two years. All Motif has to pay is cost plus slight overhead for the Ginkgo ingredients.
“We started putting Motif together around February or March of 2018,” says Jason Kakoyiannis*, a business development employee at Ginkgo and a director of Motif, of the company’s plans. “The germination of the business had its inception earlier though, from interacting with companies in the food and beverage scene. When we talked to these companies the strong sense we got was if there had been a trusted provider of outsourced protein development they would have loved to work with us.”
The demand from consumers for alternative sources of protein and dairy — that have the same flavor profiles as traditional dairy and meats — has reached an inflection point over the past few years. Certainly venture capital interest into the industry has soared along with the appetite from traditional protein purveyors like Danone, Tyson Foods, and others to take a bite out of the market.
Some industry insiders think it was Danone’s 2016 acquisition of WhiteWave in a $12.5 billion deal that was the signal which brought venture investors and food giants alike flocking to startups that were developing meat and dairy substitutes. The success of companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods has only served to prove that a growing market exists for these substitutes.
At the same time, solving the problem of protein for a growing global population is critical if the world is going to reverse course on climate change. Agriculture and animal husbandry are huge contributors to the climate crisis and ones for which no solution has made it to market.
Investors think cultured proteins — fermented in tanks like brewing beer — could be an answer.
“Innovative or disruptive solutions are key to responding to changing consumer demand and to addressing the challenge of feeding a growing world population sustainably,” said Kristen Eshak Weldon, Head of Food Innovation & Downstream Strategy at Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. “In this sense, we are excited to partner with Motif, convinced that its next-generation ingredients will play a vital role.”
Breakthrough Energy Ventures certainly thinks so.
The investment firm has been busy placing bets across a number of different biologically based solutions to reduce the emissions associated with agriculture and cultivation. Pivot Bio is a startup competing with Ginkgo’s own Joyn Bio to create nitrogen fixing techniques for agriculture. And earlier this month, the firm invested as part of a $33 million round for Sustainable Bioproducts, which is using a proprietary bacteria found in a remote corner of Yellowstone National Park to make its own protein substitute.
For all of these companies, the goal is nothing less than providing a commercially viable technology to combat some of the causes of climate change in a way that’s appealing to the average consumer.
“Sustainability and accessible nutrition are among the biggest challenges facing the food industry today. Consumers are demanding mindful food options, but there’s a reigning myth that healthy and plant-based foods must come at a higher price, or cannot taste or function like the animal-based foods they aim to replicate,” said McIntyre, in a statement. “Biotechnology and fermentation is our answer, and Motif will be key to propelling the next food revolution with affordable, sustainable and accessible ingredients that meet the standards of chefs, food developers, and visionary brands.”
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Jason Kakoyiannis as Jason Kelly, Ginkgo’s co-founder.


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Earnings fell a penny short of the 34-cent estimate in a survey of Wall Street analysts by First Call.The Dublin, Ohio-headquartered fast-food chain posted a third-quarter net income of $42.9 million, or 33 cents a share vs. $53 million, or 39 cents in the year-ago period.
Wendy's reported $485.2 million in revenue vs. $525.5 million last year. The shortfall came from a reduction in gains from franchising and fewer company-operated restaurants, the company said in a press release.
Retail sales were $388.9 million vs. $425.2 million, down primarily due to the closing of 60 underperforming, company-operated Wendy's restaurants during the first-half and the sale of more than 210 company units to franchisees over the past year. Wendy's International Inc. operates a mix of proprietary and franchised fast-food restaurants.
Wendy's repurchased 3.1 million in common shares for $65.6 million during the quarter, bringing the year-to-date stock repurchase program to about 8.7 million shares or $198 million. The company plans to repurchase up to $350 million in stock by year-end 1999.
Written By Steve Gelsi

domain: news


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Yahoo Inc. is in talks to buy the video distribution platform News Distribution Network for about $300 million as the company seeks to better compete on video with rival Google Inc., according to the Wall Street Journal.
WSJ cited two sources close to the deal who say preliminary discussions are under way, although a spokesperson from NDN denied the acquisition talks to the paper.
If Yahoo was looking to buy NDN, it would be Yahoo's second biggest acquisition since Marissa Mayer took over as CEO, after the $1 billion Tumblr buy in 2012. It fits with recent rumors that Yahoo is on the verge of unveiling a major video platform to rival Youtube and has been trying to get some of Youtube's biggest content channels to make the jump over to the still-technically-vaporware service.
NDN isn't exactly like Youtube — its business model is taking video news content from local TV networks and making it available as web video to editors at sites like the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg. But it is a major video distribution platform with robust partnerships and an existing audience of about 51 million unique viewers a month, which places it just ahead of Yahoo's 44 million monthly viewers as the fourth largest video network on the Internet, according to comScore. Google is the largest with 158 million viewers, so Yahoo and NDN combined would be a somewhat distant second post-merger, assuming there wasn't substantial cannibalization or loss of audience.
Yahoo is clearly serious about video — its most high-profile media hire, Katie Couric, was brought on with a seven-figure annual salary to anchor a flagship video interview product, and it also partnered with hit shows like Saturday Night Live as a way of getting more content to feed its machine.
NDN is also not the first video site it has courted. Yahoo was said to be looking to buy Dailymotion for $200 million last year, but that deal fell apart when France Telecom, which owns Dailymotion, balked at the idea of an American company owning one of France's biggest technology companies. Yahoo was also among the possible suitors for Hulu when that was still rumored to be up for sale, a deal that probably would have ranged into the billions of dollars.


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On Wednesday, July 18, eBay Inc. reported strong results for the second quarter of 2012, with revenue up 23 percent to $3.4 billion, compared to Q2 2011. Net income on a GAAP basis was $692 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, and non-GAAP net income was $730 million, or $0.56 per diluted share.
These results demonstrate the company’s bold commitment to innovation, especially in the area of mobile commerce, where eBay Inc. continues to hold a decisive lead. The company is also expanding its reach into new and emerging markets around the world.
The company delivered solid performance in every area of the business. eBay Marketplaces posted its strongest quarter since 2006, increasing engagement among existing customers, while adding new buyers and sellers. PayPal continues its strong growth, with increased focus on consumer experience and innovative global payment solutions. GSI continues to build its portfolio of large retailers. And X.commerce – eBay’s open commerce ecosystem – is empowering merchants of all sizes to compete in a challenging global marketplace.
Highlights from Across the Business
Marketplaces, PayPal and GSI turned in strong growth for the second quarter. Here are some of the highlights:
The Marketplaces business achieved its strongest organic growth rate in core GMV since 2006. In Q2, core GMV accelerated two percentage points on an FX-neutral basis to 15 percent.
Consider these other Marketplaces milestones:
Sold items increased 20 percent compared to Q2 of last year, with strong growth in active buyers
U.S. GMV, excluding vehicles, increased 14 percent over Q2 of last year
International GMV, excluding vehicles, increased 16 percent on an FX-neutral basis year over year, driven by strong growth in Europe and the APAC region
Downloads of eBay’s suite of mobile apps have surpassed 90 million globally since the launch of mobile in the third quarter of 2008
“eBay had a great Q2 — the best we’ve seen in years,” said eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe. “Our multi-year focus to transform and reposition this business for the future is paying off. We’ve improved trust, enhanced value and selection, built better product experiences and become more customer focused.”
"As a business, Marketplaces managed to deliver ahead of budget on GMV, revenue and operating income," said Global Marketplaces President Devin Wenig, who noted that performance was very strong in North America and across Fashion and Parts & Accessories vertical categories. He also pointed out that Asia's Marketplaces results were outstanding, with pronounced improvement in Korea and excellent results from eBay Australia.
"In Europe, there was continued strength in the U.K., and solid double digit growth in Germany," Devin added. "We also saw Italy up 16 percent, after site improvements that directly led to that result."
eBay Marketplaces continues to lead in the area of mobile commerce, where volume is expected to double in 2012 from a year ago.
In addition, Marketplaces is boosting its cross-border business, delivering a seamless and borderless multichannel shopping experience to merchants of all sizes and customers around the world.
eBay Marketplaces is making great strides in local and social commerce, leveraging a portfolio of innovative apps, including RedLaser and Milo, to drive local commerce, and integrating social features to create more personalized shopping experiences.
StubHub also enjoyed stellar performance in Q2 thanks to a continued focus on selection and social integration. Ticket sales for the quarter reached $575 million, up 38 percent over last year. The business also opened its doors to global shoppers, launching its first international website in England.
PayPal Delivers Again
In the second quarter, PayPal’s revenue increased 26 percent year over year, driven by strong product innovation and a focus on global commerce. For the third consecutive quarter, more than half of PayPal’s revenue came from outside the U.S.
There are now 113.2 million active registered PayPal accounts, a 13 percent increase over the second quarter of 2011, and PayPal’s net total payment volume (TPV) grew 20 percent year over year to $34.5 billion. Simply put, more people are paying with PayPal, and more merchants are integrating PayPal payments both online and offline. Here are several notable milestones for PayPal in Q2:
Merchant Services TPV grew 26 percent on an FX-neutral basis, driven by PayPal’s expansion on global merchant sites, and increased share of checkout
Sixteen large, brand-name U.S. retailers have announced their intent to work with PayPal on point-of-sale initiatives
Bill Me Later’s TPV was up 39 percent in Q2, driven by strong penetration on and off eBay
PayPal continues to deliver solid performance due to its commitment to innovation and global expansion. In particular, PayPal Mobile continues to drive significant growth around the world.
Among the key success drivers this quarter, PayPal increased its penetration on eBay (up 420 basis points year over year) and benefited from strong merchant and consumer adoption.
Merchants are also responding favorably to PayPal’s initiatives in the offline payments arena. In Q2, PayPal announced 15 retailers in addition to Home Depot who will be implementing the point of sale product. Bill Me Later also continues to grow rapidly.
PayPal Here – which enables small merchants to accept payments using their iPhones or Androids – is also expanding to new markets around the world, helping sellers of all sizes compete to win in local and global marketplaces.
GSI Commerce Steps Up
eBay Inc.’s GSI Commerce business, acquired in the second quarter of last year, contributed $221 million in revenue for Q2 of this year, and generated $674 million in global ecommerce (GeC) merchandise sales during the quarter. Same store sales rose 21 percent year over year, which reflects strength in ecommerce sales from GSI’s retail clients.
During the Q2 2012 Earnings Call, eBay Inc. SVP and CFO Bob Swan noted that GSI Commerce is becoming more profitable. “GSI’s profitability is improving as we capitalize on the synergies we laid out at the time of the acquisition,” he said.
GSI represents a key facet of eBay Inc.’s strategic vision, enabling the company to partner with large retailers and supporting global, multichannel commerce.
Mobile Success Dials Up
Mobile shopping and payments are the headline story. eBay Inc.’s investments in mobile technology are paying off. Mobile volume is expected to double in 2012 versus a year ago. The company’s mobile apps have been downloaded more than 90 million times.
Consider these milestones:
Sellers are listing 1.9 million items on mobile devices each week
A woman’s handbag is purchased every 30 seconds on eBay Mobile
More than 8,200 cars and 340,000 car parts are sold each week through eBay Mobile
Mobile continues to attract new customers – 600,000 new customers in Q2 made their first purchase with eBay Inc. on eBay mobile
eBay Inc.’s portfolio of mobile apps is enabling multichannel commerce around the world, allowing customers to shop anytime, anywhere and from any device, while helping merchants of all sizes compete more aggressively in both local and global markets.
eBay Inc. looks forward to strong continued performance and growth. The company’s unwavering commitment to innovation, engaging selling and buying experiences and global expansion into new and emerging markets are strengthening the company’s position as the most trusted online marketplace in the world.


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Java Zero-Day Exploit and Ruby on Rails Vulnerabilities
- — Jan. 11, 2013, 10:27 p.m.
During the past two days there has been a lot of activity and concern around vulnerabilities in two different widely used technologies: Java and Ruby on Rails. With this post, Trend Micro wants to help people understand the situation, the risks, and how we are protecting our customers. Additionally we want to let customers know [...]Read the full article
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I’m dating myself, but I remember when holiday shopping involved pouring through ads in the Sunday paper, placing actual phone calls from tethered land lines to research product stock and availability, and actually driving places to pick things up. Now, holiday shoppers can do all of that from a smartphone or tablet in a few seconds, but there are some security pitfalls to be aware of.


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USPS releases information on pricing and services
The United States Postal Service recently released the new pricing and services it will offer for the coming year. The new prices and services will be available beginning Jan. 27 2013.
One of the new features is the First-Class Mail Global Forever Stamp which allows consumers to mail letters anywhere on the globe for $1.10.
The price for First-Class, single-piece, one ounce letter mail will increase by one cent to 46 cents in 2013. This will allow customers to mail letters anywhere in the United States.
Additional pricing changes include letters over one once being charged 20 cents per extra ounce. One ounce letters to international destinations will be $1.10. Mailing post cards will now cost 33 cents.
Prices for all products will increase by 4 percent, except mailing services, such as regular letters or advertising material, will only increase 2.6 percent.
Also included in the new services are free tracking to all competitive packages, including Retail Priority Mail and Standard Post (formerly Parcel Post). Customers shipping Critical Mail will now have the option of receiving a signature upon delivery of the package.
The domestic retail pricing of Priority Mail Flat Rate Shipping includes small boxes to be shipped at $5.80, medium boxes at $12.35, large boxes at $16.85, large APO/FPO boxes at $14.85, and a regular envelope at $5.60. Legal envelopes are $5.75, and padded envelopes are $5.95.
The postal service relies only on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations and does not receive tax dollars.
For more information about current USPS pricing, visit www.prc.gov. Additional information about new pricing is available online at pe.usps.com.


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Articles tagged ‘quattron’
Sharp is finally ready to ramp up their 4-Color AQUOS Quattron series to the 3D stage. The new 3D AQUOS LE925 will carry an X-Gen LCD panel with side-mounted LED scanning backlights. Apart from the typical active-shutter formula, Sharp has also engineered a unique feature not commonly found with other manufacturers. Read on to find out!
Sharp's Quattron LED televisions has nothing to do with quantum physics or Tron. Rather, they are a new generation of LCD panels woven with four primary colors in each pixel. Join us as we check out these slim and sexy Full-HD beauties at the launch.
- Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch in Singapore today
- Signeo SEA announces launch of BackBeat Pro wireless headphones and Moktak NFC speakers
- Trade-ins of Samsung phones tripled last week ahead of new iPhone launch
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 G1 Gaming card unveiled!
- New NVIDIA GeForce GTX 900 series graphics cards launched!
- Smartphone with a 1-inch camera sensor? Panasonic has it
- Samsung to launch Galaxy Note 4 in October, Galaxy Note Edge in Q4
- Logitech unveils G910 Orion Spark mechanical keyboard


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More revenue from new digital residential
customers helped Time Warner Cable witness big net income gains for the fourth quarter 2011.
Net income for the company was at $564 million for the quarter, with revenue up 4% to $5 billion. Total revenue from the company's residential businesses was up 2.6% to $4.3 billion. Total revenue for 2011 rose 4.3% to $19.7 billion.
Growth came from residential high-speed data revenues -- the number of subscribers and increases in average revenues per subscriber. Residential voice also climbed, but revenues had a slight decrease per subscriber.
The unexpected rise in its results push up the company's stock price over 7% in mid-day Thursday trading.
Overall digital phone, Internet and video customers continued to climb -- as its older analog basic cable customers went in the other direction.
The company also added 117,000 high-speed data residential customers and 37,000 phone subscribers, in line with analyst estimates. Time Warner's biggest number of customers added 5,000 -- 0.2% rise -- now totaling 2,628,000. The company lost about 129,000 basic video customers in the period, below the 141,000 analysts were expecting.
Time Warner says there was a decline in overall video subscribers and lower revenues from premium channels, as well as lower video-on-demand revenues.
Business services grew 37% to $409 million. At same time, local cable advertising sales slipped 10% to $242 million. For the year, Time Warner posted $880 million in advertising sales, at virtually the same level as in 2010.


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The FPAA hosted a group 30 people that included lieutenant governors and secretaries of state from several U.S. states. The group was in Nogales on November 29 where they also toured the Mariposa Port of Entry and Border Patrol operations.
The event included a discussion with FPAA members about the importance of trade for the entire United States, an overview on the economic impact of the border by the chairman of the Port Authority, Guillermo Valencia, an overview from Chris Ciruli about importing produce and the FPAA members’ importance in providing fresh produce to North America, how items crossing the border in Nogales are important for each state across the U.S., and a tour of a local produce warehouse.
The Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Carlos Manual Sada, also attended the event and talked to the participants about the importance of the Mexico-U.S. relationship, the enhanced economic viability of both countries, and more.
The FPAA would like to thank all the members that attended the event to personally speak with the lieutenant governors and secretaries of state, the members that send pallets of produce for displays at the event, and that provided information and feedback in preparation for the event.


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GM recalled nearly 100,000 vehicles on Dec. 17, after finding a fault that could cause the seatbelt to fail.
The automaker warned the buckle anchor could break in the event of a crash, meaning the belt would not act as a restraint.
The recall affects 2011 models of the Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain.
GM advised customers to return the vehicles to their dealers for repairs.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010


text: Wal-Mart has denied a New York Post article saying it is trying to discourage Hollywood studios from selling their movies on Apple’s iTunes Store. According the report, the retail giant has warned every major studio that it will retaliate against them if they work with Apple amid concerns that Wal-Mart’s DVD sales will suffer. “Customers want to watch movies and they want to be able to make the choice when and how they want to view them,” a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. “While we recognize there are various current and potential providers of this service, we are not dissuading studios from conducting business with other providers.” The Post claims that a Wal-Mart executive told studios there would be “serious ramifications” if they signed with Apple. “They threatened to hurt us in terms of buying less products,” one Hollywood source said. The Post also claims Wal-Mart sent “cases and cases” of DVDs back to Disney when it heard of the studio’s deal with Apple.


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Tesla, as a result of purchasing SolarCity and their ongoing litigation, is headed to the US Supreme Court. Interestingly, the case headed to the Supreme Court is an off shoot of the original case filed.
In a class action lawsuit, Tesla says Salt River Project (SRP) is acting in a monopolistic manner by imposing unfair fees on potential solar power purchasers. Salt River responded that they can’t be sued in a class action – and that’s what has reached the Supreme Court.
In the original case, filed in March 2015, attorneys for Tesla contend SRP’s new pricing plan approved last year amounts to a “substantial penalty” on customers.
“Because solar customers are unable to completely disconnect from SRP’s grid — they still need power in the evening hours and at other times when their energy demands exceed what their solar energy systems produce — they cannot escape SRP’s penalty,” the lawsuit contends.
That penalty, according to Tesla lawyers, is about $600 a year, an increase of about 65 percent over prior rate plans. That compares with an average 3.9% increase for residential customers who buy all their power from SRP.
“Customers recognize that SRP’s new pricing plan leaves them with no choice: After the effective date of SRP’s new plan, applications for distributed solar energy systems in SRP’s territory fell by 96 percent,” the lawsuit states.
“SRP’s penalty on solar customers is harmful to consumers, and harmful to competition,” Tesla said, “Competition is eliminated, consumers are hurt, and the environment is harmed.”
SRP responded to original lawsuit by claiming immunity from litigation because they are a state regulated agency.
This is now the third court to look at whether SRP is liable to be sued for antitrust claims. The first court ruled in the fall of 2015 that an antitrust claim could move forward, however, threw out monetary claims.
Next, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in June of this summer that Tesla’s suit can move forward against the utility. SPR appealed that decision the following September, and is now prepared to take their argument to the US Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court announced on Friday it will hear arguments in a legal fight between SPR and Tesla.
Concurrently, there is an FBI investigation into Arizona Public Service, a different Arizona state utility, funneling dark money into the election campaigns of state corporate commissions that regulate their own industry – and then, once their person was elected, directly guiding their actions.
Arizona has some of the best solar resources on the planet – dry air and great sunlight – yet the state only got 1.8% of its electricity from the sun over the last 12 months.
Considering residential solar? Understand Solar will connect you with local contractors. Tweet me to pick apart quote.
For more electric vehicle, autonomous transport and clean technology news, make sure to meow us on Twitter, Newsletter, RSS or Facebook to get our latest articles.
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The Next Economic Superpower?
After the corona virus chapter ends, will the new world situation be propitious or dreadful for India? The answer to this depends on how China will fare in World 2.0. The question is whether China will struggle under the blow of ‘humiliation’ and a global economic slowdown; or will it rise like a phoenix and become far more powerful than it is today?
As the Chinese return to work, they do so in an environment filled with uncertainty. Despite growing into one of the world’s biggest economic superpowers, the crisis is now precipitating a shift of the balance of power to places one might not expect. There are already signs that nations around the world are moving away from producing in China and are looking for alternatives and we might witness the creation of a new economic superpower, right in front of our eyes.
Known for giving acute headaches to the likes of the US and Japan for many years, How did China become a superpower in the first place?
In the 1970s, when China began shifting its economic policies away from communism and towards capitalism, they started building economic zones where massive ports and factories were built. In the 1980s, China’s economy exploded as many Fortune 500 companies began manufacturing in China because China could make quality products but for substantially lower prices. This was because of meagre wages, business conducive tax laws and import-export efficiencies which made the products so competitive in the international market that many companies which produced their goods elsewhere eventually went out of business. It was at this point when things became “Made in China” and that phrase became so popular throughout the world. By 2010, one in every three products on earth was manufactured in China. Over 40 years, it had made its mark on the global platform and became the second-largest economy behind the United States.
But how did the Chinese do what nobody else could? How did they manufacture superior quality products at such cheap prices? Was it low-cost labour available in plenty? Why did the West shift its entire manufacturing base to China?”
That is a massive increase seen in the average wage of a manufacturing worker and what this means today is that the costs of making goods in China have become a lot more expensive.
Despite being known as a country with cheap labour available in abundance, these cold hard numbers tell us an entirely different story. Over the years, the cost of manufacturing goods in China has shot through the roof. China sourced manufacturing has been slowing over the past decade, but the country remains the largest manufacturer in the world. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the famous trade war with the US in 2019, global players with stakes in China's manufacturing architecture, amidst China's nationwide lockdown found themselves stranded. They realised that it was not prudent to put too many eggs in one basket. A Tokyo report suggests that roughly 37% of these global companies are willing to pack up, as they search for new bases to outsource their manufacturing activities.
That brings us to the next question, as China’s manufacturing sector continues to shrink who will be the biggest beneficiary of this shift out of China wave?
Will India Surpass the USA and China?
The United States and China dominate conversations when it comes to the strongest economies in the world but India is changing up the focus based on its incredible economic growth over the past decade and its limitless potential for the future but is it realistic to think the 5th largest economy will surpass the chart-toppers?
India roughly has the same population as China but while it is touted as India’s strength it is slowly turning out to be a colossal problem for China. The underlying reason for this disparity lies in the demography of the population in both countries. China and America both have relatively old populations, the median age in the USA and China is 38 whereas in India is 28 years old. Nearly 65% of Indian population is below the age of 35. So you can infer that average Indian is about 10 years younger than an American or a Chinese.


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Nouveau En 5 dernières minutes
South Nouveau En 40 dernières minutes
By Marc Nouveau En 45 dernières minutesDans les 2 dernières heures
Arla Foods, the world’s largest producer of organic dairy products, has launched its first branded organic milk in Saudi Arabia. This is as part of the farmer-owned company’s ambitious business strategy to become the number one organic dairy brand in the Middle East and North Africa by 2020. A recent report
Trump is the best friend Africans have had in a long time.
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As with the ‘hummus wars’ that have long roiled the Middle East, and West
With the rain falling, the ball got wet and it became extremely difficult for bowlers to grip the ball.
The Guptas arrived in South Africa from India in the early 1990s and built up a business empire with interests ranging from mining to pay television
Connor Wilson, South


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Dying Light 2 is set to release this year, but a majority of the game is still a mystery. Even after multiple AMA videos from the game’s developer, Techland, there is still a lot we don’t know about the game. That’s all going to change soon though. Techland has announced a Dying Light 2 stream, which should reveal plenty of new information on the game.
The Dying Light 2 stream will take place on May 27, at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET. This stream’s announcement has been teased over the course of the past week on Twitter, with the Dying Light account posting short videos every day. The stream’s announcement video itself is just 14 seconds long and shows a full day passing in-game. Blacklights light up a brick wall, revealing text that reads “Are you dying 2 know more?” Anyone interested in learning more about Dying Light 2 can watch the stream on Techland’s Twitch channel.
What do we know about Dying Light 2 so far?
To give fans some insight into Dying Light 2 ahead of its launch, Techland has released a couple of AMA-style videos, answering popular questions. From those video’s we’ve learned a decent bit about the game, although a majority of it remains secret. What we do know so far is that Dying Light 2 will take place a few years after Dying Light 1. Players will fill the shoes of Aiden Caldwell, one of many survivors in the now zombie-ravaged world.
— Dying Light (@DyingLightGame) May 25, 2021
Combat and traversal in Dying Light 2 will also be extremely similar to Dying Light 1 with some exceptions. Firearms will almost be completely absent from Dying Light 2. Instead of finding high-powered rifles and pistols, players will be able to build their own DIY shotguns. However, being handmade, those weapons will break quickly. The game will also have two main factions for players to side, with each having its own philosophy and main story ending.


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Esports is an industry on the rise. Become a professional video game player is now a viable career path and this is an industry supported by millions of eager fans who all want to see their favorite players compete. If you thought that traditional sports were the arena for truly fierce rivalries, than you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen two groups of tuned in esports fans root for their teams.
According to industry analysis firm Newzoo, the esports industry is set to grow even more this year. Esports looks set to bring in revenues of over $900 million in 2018 – a +38.2% year on year increase – as it draws more and more fans, more and more sponsors and more and more games establish themselves as esports titles with competitive scenes worth taking notice of.
Esports used to fly under the radar but not anymore; let’s take a look at where this industry is heading by focusing on three current and upcoming trends in it.
More Mainstream Adoption of Esports
With more and more money being involved in esports, the industry is expected to see even more mainstream adoption. Just as gaming is no longer a hobby for a niche audience, esports will begin to establish themselves as something that the wider public audience wants to take notice of.
We are already seeing this in small ways just by looking at the sponsors that esports events are drawing in. For example, car manufacturer Toyota recently announced its sponsorship of the Overwatch League, an esports initiative that has only been in action for a few months. Over 10 million people watched Overwatch League in its debut week, something which may have influenced Toyota’s partnership with the league. If other esports tournaments are able to replicate that success and if Overwatch League is able to sustain that momentum, then additional major sponsors are likely to get involved too.
We are also seeing traditional broadcasters get involved. ESPN now has an esports vertical on its website where it reports the latest esports news and it has also broadcast esports matches on television too. More than 360 million unique viewers watched the League of Legends World Championship last year, watching the action through online livestreams. Traditional broadcasters, eager for a slice of that lucrative audience, are expected to further embrace esports on their platforms.
New Ways to Engage With Esports
As the esports industry grows, so too do the ways that one can engage with it. New opportunities are emerging for casual fans, players and brands to get involved, building new services and platforms based on the industry’s newfound wants and needs.
One prime example of this is the emerging esports coaching industry. As aspiring esports players want to make the jump to the professional scene and as more fans want to up their games and be on the level of their favorite pros, more people are turning to esports coaches. There are esports camps like GameCoach and more technological solutions such as Xsolla which allow players to book time with coaches and receive coaching through online means.
Because esports is, by its very nature, incredibly competitive, it is only natural that we will see more and more betting brands introduce opportunities for esports betting, both on its own or in combination with other markets. We’ve also seen an eagerness on the part of traditional betting brands to embrace esports, with one such company being Betway, which currently allows its users to place bets on a range of popular multiplayer games. Games such as Riot Games MOBA League of Legends, Valve’s first-person shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 are just some examples of games that gamers can place bets on. Traditional sports have had betting for years and the existence of esports betting lends real legitimacy to the competitive gaming industry and as esports continues to raise its profile, there will be a greater number of esports betting opportunities.
Additionally, we are also seeing a trend of esports degrees offered at universities and colleges around the world. These degrees may focus on player management, event management or how to be a player (e.g they teach students how to harness and improve their skills). In fact, there is a National Association of Collegiate eSports in the US, as well as scholarships at universities including Stephens College and Robert Morris University, the very first US college to offer video gaming scholarships to students. Esports has given rise to all new career paths, and so it makes sense that there are educational institutes that are now supporting that.
New Games Joining the Fray
IMAGE SOURCE – Pexels.com
The esports industry will also continue to grow as more high profile games are released, with their developers and publishers encouraging their players to get involved in the competitive scene, also fostering it with specific game modes and specific initiatives. That’s what makes this a trend – many games are not just falling into esports accidentally.
In most cases, the companies behind these titles are actively working to develop their games’ esports potential as they recognize how lucrative an esports scene could be for them. This also includes pledging huge prize pots towards official esports tournaments. For example, Valve has raised over $20 million for the Dota 2 International tournament.
One particular game that could be a major tour de force regarding esports is Battlefield 2018, the yet unnamed first-person shooter in the Battlefield franchise that is set to be released this year. The last game in the series, Battlefield 1, saw 21 million players thanks to its action-packed multiplayer. Although publisher EA and developer DICE have yet to formally announce a new Battlefield game, if its multiplayer is just as entertaining we could see esports teams and a new group of professional Battlefield players emerge.
Epic Games’ Fortnite Battle Royale has also come out of nowhere to be a huge success. This action-packed game mode tasks players with being the last player (or team of players) standing, putting them on a huge map full of loot that gradually gets smaller. Fortnite has over 40 million players, with some of the best already forming esports teams. For instance, FaZe Clan has a team for the game.
There is so much money involved in esports and indeed, there is such a lot of interest around it too from hardcore gamers, casual viewers, and even non-traditional gaming brands. When you combine these factors it means that there is a significant amount of potential growth for esports and there are lots of reasons to see it grow. Esports may not have been a mainstream talking point some years ago, but this industry is officially one to watch.


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Amazon, Alibaba, Ebay and other ecommerce giants have been warned that the upcoming US – China trade deal will dramatically clamp down on counterfeit goods. Peter Navarro, the White House…Read More
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Unhealthy processed foods such as these are a potential health threat since increased consumption fast food also has many social implications, often acceptable in peer meals and attempt to educate children on healthy food choices super-sizing meals to get more. Children and adolescents who eat fast food at least three times a week are also more likely to develop eczema, according to one study eczema is a skin condition that causes irritated patches of. Total food consumption by normal weight children rose by 84 per cent after seeing the snack food advertisements however, the amount rose by a higher 101 per cent for children who were overweight.
Unhealthy food advertising does increase food intake in children, new research confirms the analysis showed that unhealthy food advertising exposure significantly increased food consumption in. Obesity in children increases the more hours they watch television children’s exposure to tv ads for unhealthy food products (ie, high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks, fast foods and sweetened drinks) are a significant risk factor for obesity. Concern about rising levels of childhood obesity, coupled with unease about the influence of united states’ fast food and soft drink companies on consumption of food and beverages in france, led the french government to take action on junk food advertising in 2004.
Snack food consumption showed trends similar to those of fast food consumption in children snacking was defined by study participants as the consumption of nonmeal foods the proportion of snacks from home foods decreased from a high of 764% in 1977–1978 to a low of 648% in the 1994–1996 survey ( 9 . Fast food consumption is associated with a diet high in calories and low in nutrients, and frequent consumption may lead to weight gain (larson et al, 2011 pereira et al, 2005 powell & nguyen, 2013. Children’s exposure to fast food tv ads is increasing, even for ads from companies who have pledged to reduce unhealthy marketing to children children see more than just ads intended for kids more than 60% of fast food ads viewed by children (2-11) were for foods other than kids’ meals. The current research only examines the impact of activation of the overweight stereotype on children's consumption of unhealthy foods a useful extension would be to examine the effects of stereotype primes on children's healthy eating. Advertising to children is the act of marketing or advertising products or services to children as defined by national legislation and advertising standards it is often the subject of debate, relating to the alleged influence on little children's consumption.
Overall, children between the ages of 2 and 11 ate less fast food than adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 on a typical day, fast food accounted for 87% of the calories eaten by younger. Keywords fast foods, junk foods, children, review introduction food is essential for growth and development of a child a child cannot live without food ‘good food means the right kind of food for good health it is nutritiou’s. The analysis showed that unhealthy food advertising exposure significantly increased food consumption in children, but not adults television and internet advertising were equally impactful.
Junk food is not a healthy food to the health which every kid and children must know because they generally love to eat junk food essay on junk food is a common topic given to the school students during essay writing competition in order to make them aware about junk food. Many studies have suggested that consumption of unhealthy foods is a major contributor to childhood obesity, while health experts believe junk food drives increasing rates of diabetes, high blood. Junk food is a pejorative term for food containing a large number of calories from sugar or fat with little fibre, protein, vitamins or minerals the term can also refer to high protein food like meat prepared with saturated fatfood from many hamburger joints, pizza places and fried chicken outlets is often considered junk food. Parental consumption of fast foods was found to influence fast food consumption among children (p=0024) as many as 68(227%) and 206(687%) children were not eating vegetables and fruits respectively every day.
Junk food can be appealing for a variety of reasons, including convenience, price and taste for children, who do not always understand the health consequences of their eating habits, junk food may appear especially appetizing. If there were ever a reason to cut back on kids' consumption of cake, cookies, pizza and soda, nutrition experts say a new study highlights just how unhealthy young people's diets really are. Children who are heavy television consumers are exposed to increased levels of advertisements for unhealthy foods, and these advertisements subsequently lead to an increase in unhealthy food consumption (jordan & robinson, 2008 jordan, a, & robinson, t (2008.


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Economic surge in Mass. predicted for 2014
The Boston Globe - 05/22/2013
The Massachusetts economy is expected to grow slowly before accelerating in early 2014, benefiting from a boost from an unexpected sector — manufacturing — according to an economic forecast released Wednesday by a group of regional economists.
Although Massachusetts is in the midst of a slowdown in hiring, the five-year forecast by the New England Economic Partnership shows the state’s economy adding jobs at a significant pace beginning next year. Employers will add about 30,000 jobs this year, about 50,000 next year, and more than 70,000 in 2015, according to the forecast.
The state’s unemployment rate, 6.4 percent in April, is expected to average 6 percent in 2015 and fall to about 5.2 percent by the end of 2017, the report said.
“The outlook for the future is much better than it has been and that has a lot to do with restoring confidence and consumer demand,” said Alan Clayton-Matthews, a Northeastern University economics professor and director of the New England Economic Partnership, a nonprofit forecasting group of academic and business economists. “By 2015, we’ll be in a growth spurt phase of the recovery where people’s spending catches up to their wants. The jobs, they’ll be there and people will be willing to spend, which begets more jobs.”
The New England Economic Partnership issues forecasts twice a year for the region and each of the six New England states. The forecasts sometimes have proven more pessimistic than the eventual performance of the economy, and sometimes more optimistic.


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PURCHASE, N.Y., April 15, 2003 –The results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study testing the benefits of Diachrome™ were presented yesterday at the Experimental Biology 2003 meeting in San Diego. The study showed that the company’s proprietary ingredient combination, Diachrome (chromium picolinate and biotin), significantly improved cholesterol profiles in people with type 2 diabetes. Improvements in cholesterol profiles are of great importance to the 17 million people with diabetes in the U.S. for whom the leading cause of death is heart disease.
In this study, 34 participants with type 2 diabetes were randomized to receive a nutritional beverage fortified with Diachrome, or the same beverage without Diachrome, for 12 weeks. The group receiving the beverage containing Diachrome revealed significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, and increases in the healthy HDL form of cholesterol, compared to the control group.
“The cardiovascular benefits seen in the study are significant for people with diabetes,” states Dr. Vijaya Juturu, Nutrition Scientist, Nutrition 21, Inc. “In light of the fact that so many Americans have type 2 diabetes and are at risk for cardiovascular complications, we are encouraged by the cholesterol improvements achieved by those participants who received the beverage fortified with Diachrome,” added Dr. Juturu.
Many experts in metabolic research speculate that Western diets rich in highly refined carbohydrate-laden foods and beverages are contributing to the epidemic rise in the worldwide incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes associated with insulin resistance. It is estimated that 95 million Americans have some degree of insulin resistance and that 800,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year.
Clinical markers for the metabolic syndrome (sometimes called insulin resistance syndrome) established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) include elevated LDL, decreased HDL and elevated triglycerides. While earlier studies have demonstrated that Diachrome can attenuate glycemic response to carbohydrate-rich beverages in people with diabetes, these new findings indicate that Diachrome fortification may also reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease. “Both findings should be of importance to formulators and manufacturers in the $136 billion U.S. carbonated soft drink and juice markets who are concerned about the metabolic impact of sugar consumption, particularly in populations at risk for these diseases,” says Gail Montgomery, President and CEO of Nutrition 21, Inc.
Nutrtion 21 provided funding for the study and supplied the proprietary Diachrome™ ingredient system used in the fortified beverage formulation.
About Nutrition 21
Nutrition 21 is a leading developer and provider of nutritional products whose health benefits are substantiated by clinical research. The market leader in nutritional chromium, Nutrition 21 currently holds 35 patents for nutrition products, 22 for chromium compounds and their uses. More information is available at www.nutrition21.com.
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Creative Lodging Solutions LLC (CLS), a national travel company based in Lexington, KY, will expand to a new facility in Fayette County and add 120 new jobs.
“It’s always exciting to see a business grow its global presence in Kentucky,” said Kentucky Gov. Beshear. “Creative Lodging Solutions’ innovative services are having a big impact on national business travel. I’m proud they’ve decided to expand their roots in the Commonwealth, providing more jobs to Kentuckians.”
CLS currently employs 134 people and is expected to almost double its workforce in the next four years. The company also plans to invest nearly $5.5 million in the project.
“I am committed to growing our business in Kentucky and appreciate the assistance we have received from the state of Kentucky and economic development,” said Mike Tetterton, owner and president of Creative Lodging Solutions.
Founded in 2002, CLS provides customized lodging programs for corporate clients nationwide, specializing in long-term and project-based stays for business travel. CLS was crowned the 2011 Small Business of the Year by Commerce Lexington Inc. and was recently designated by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce as one of the Best Places to Work the fifth year in a row.
To encourage the investment and job growth in Fayette County, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1.7 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
“Creating jobs is our top priority,” said Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. “When a local company grows, it’s always a sign that we’re doing our job – creating the environment that attracts new companies and encourages local companies to grow.”
“It’s great to see a company expanding in Lexington,” said Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, of Lexington. “Doing this shows a commitment to our community and its people – and an investment in its future.”
“Commerce Lexington is excited to celebrate Creative Lodging Solutions’ expansion in Lexington,” said Bob Quick, Commerce Lexington Inc. president and CEO. “We have enjoyed working with this dynamic headquarters and appreciate the jobs they are creating in our community. Congratulations to Creative Lodging Solutions on their success.”


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Data analyzed by Finbold indicates that Chinese firm Huawei is leading in active 5G-ready devices with a share of 26.9% globally during Q4 2020. Samsung ranks second with a share of 25.1%, while Apple accounts for 19.5%.
Vivo, another Chinese firm, controls a share of 11.8%, with Honor accounting for 6.9% of the active 5G-ready devices.
The Finbold analysis also compared the share of 5G-ready devices between Samsung and Huawei from August 2020 to December 2020. The findings show that Samsung dominated the share for the four months before December.
In August, Samsung’s share was 45.2% against Huawei’s 10.2%. As of September, the South Korean manufacturer share increased to 48.1%, with Huawei accounting for 10.1%. The dominance continued in October, with Samsung taking a share of 48.6% while Huawei accounted for 9.5%.
In November, both players saw their active 5G-ready devices share drop as Samsung accounted for 44.9% against Huawei’s 8.6%. As of December, Huawei flipped the status to rank top at 27%, with Samsung accounting for 25.1%.
Huawei leverages on pandemic to emerge top
The report explains circumstances that potentially contributed to Huawei emerging as a dominant force in active 5G-ready devices. According to the research report:
“Like other industries, most of the manufacturers were impacted with Covid-19 disruption that affected global supply. However, Huawei appears to have sustained the downturn after China controlled the pandemic early, unlike competitors in the west which entered the pandemic’s second wave towards Q4.”
The growth of Huawei might soon be challenged since competitors are increasingly launching new 5G devices. For instance, Apple, with just one active 5G-ready device, ranked third.


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Reports indicate that fantasy sports firm FanDuel is holding discussions with a view to going public. However the fantasy sports company will not do an IPO but rather a reverse merger with special purpose acquisition company Platinum Eagle Acquisition Corp. Earlier this year Platinum raised approximately $300 million in order to acquire another firm.
This comes months following the announcement by the founder and chief executive officer of FanDuel, Nigel Eccles, that he would be stepping down to pursue other opportunities. The chief financial officer of FanDuel, Matt King, will be taking over as CEO.
Though the deal terms were not clear two years ago FanDuel disclosed that its fully-diluted value was $1.2 billion. If the reverse merger indeed occurs it will help in solving FanDuel’s financial issues. Currently the fantasy sports firm is backed by the NBA, NBC Sports, Comcast Ventures and KKR & Co. In seven funding rounds FanDuel has raised more than $416 million
The fantasy sports company was founded in 2009 in Scotland and in 2011 set up its headquarters in New York. Currently the user base of the app is more than six million with most of the users being male. About 90% of the users are millenials with about 65% being under 40. On average the users of the app are known to spend around 8 hours on the app per month.
Fantasy sports market
Last year FanDuel was on the verge of a merger with rival fantasy sports firm DraftKings but the move was cancelled after opposition from federal regulators. This was on the grounds that the resulting entity would have control on over 90% of the daily fantasy sports market in the United States. At the time the acting director of Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition, Markus Meier, hailed the cancellation saying it was in the benefit of fans of fantasy sports.
“For years, the vigorous competition between DraftKings and FanDuel has spurred innovation and favorable pricing. If this merger had been allowed to go through, those benefits would likely have been lost,” said Meier.
Though it came onto the scene three years after FanDuel’s founding, the Boston, Massachusetts-based DraftKings, has managed to beat its older rival with regards to revenues and entry fees. But even after cancellation of the planned merger Eccles insisted that the deal would have benefited the broader industry as well as consumers since it would have boosted product development and investments.


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The EU’s GDPR regulation appears to be encouraging data breach reports with almost 60,000 reports being filed since the privacy law came into force on the 25 May, 2018.
According to multinational law firm DLA Piper’s GDPR Data Breach Survey, the data breaches ranged in severity from minor breaches to major cyber-attacks affecting millions of people.
Breaches were reported in all the 26 countries analysed, however the Netherlands, Germany and UK were responsible for the majority of breach notifications with 15,400, 12,600 and 10,600 disclosures, respectively.
Italy, Greece and Romania had the lowest per capita rate of breach reports suggesting varying levels of reporting and compliance.
Ross McKean, partner at DLA Piper, said: “The GDPR completely changes the compliance risk for organisations which suffer a personal data breach due to revenue based fines and the potential for US-style group litigation claims for compensation.
“As we saw in the US when mandatory breach notification laws came into force, backed up by tough sanctions for not notifying, the GDPR is driving personal data breaches out into the open.”
The Survey also revealed that since May last year, 91 fines have been issued for GDPR violations but not all were related to exposure of personal data. The €50 million fine issued by the French data protection commission (CNIL) to Google emerged as the largest fine issued so far. The company had been held to account for processing personal data for advertising purposes without obtaining the permission required under GDPR.
The GDPR imposes strict measures for the protection of data and organisations found in breach of the GDPR can be fined up to 4% of annual global turnover or 20 Million Euros. Fines depend on the severity of the breach and if organisations have taken steps to show they are compliant.
The report stated that: “Regulators are stretched and have a large backlog of notified breaches in their inboxes. Inevitably the larger headline grabbing breaches have taken priority when allocating resources, so many organisations are still waiting to hear from regulators whether any action will be taken against them in relation to the breaches they have notified.”


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Japanese startups from the Aromajoin company have developed the AromaPlayer program and the Aroma Shooter device for its use. With their help, it will be possible to smell the subway from Half-Life: Alyx or a frosty morning in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR in real time.
Aroma Shooter does not use gas or liquid. Instead, developers rely on solid-state cartridges. In total, more than 100 different flavors are announced – from ocean breeze to coffee. So far, only the desktop version of the “aroma shooter” is ready, but fundraising will soon start to create a wireless version for VR / AR devices. The concept of this prototype was presented at the exhibition. The device is attached to the player’s neck.
AromaPlayer also now allows you to create a scent playlist for any YouTube video. Users have already published their selections of flavors for many games. For example, the Resident Evil 4 remake trailer smells of wet earth and Spanish sage.
True, so far only owners of tight wallets can add smells to their entertainment. The desktop version of the device with six cartridges costs $998. New fragrances are sold separately for $54 each.
Developer Supermassive Games told EDGE magazine that the upcoming The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR for the PS VR2 helmet will have a certain type of enemy that reacts to the blinking of the player's eyes.
To do this, the creators of the game use a headset system that tracks the user's eyes. In The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, there will be mannequins that stand still, but when they blink, they approach the player, change their position, and even come to life.
Read more: The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR Coming February 2023 for PlayStation VR2
You blink, and the mannequins are already standing differently. They blinked again and it happened again, but one of them is now alive. Thus, the players will blink "tactically" - at the very moment when they are ready to shoot.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR will release on February 22, 2023, alongside the launch of the PS VR2 headset.
Creepy Jar Studio has published a trailer dedicated to the release of the VR version of the Green Hell survival simulator on Steam. In the video, the hero travels, hunts, makes a fire, and also admires the human remains hung in the jungle and a terrible-looking festering ulcer on his own arm.
Green Hell VR is the most challenging and authentic survival game for VR. It faithfully recreates the dangerous conditions of the Amazon jungle. When you find yourself alone and in a predicament, you will never feel safe. To survive, you will have to face your weaknesses. The fight against hunger, thirst and fatigue will become an integral part of your journey. Attacks of wild animals and tropical dangers can overtake you at any moment. Since you won't get any help from the outside world, you'll need to use your skills to craft tools and weapons, learn how to build shelters, and heal wounds.
The transfer of Green Hell to VR was handled by Incuvo Games. Previously, she was noted for the horror ports Layers of Fear and The Blair Witch. At the end of last year, People Can Fly bought the studio.
The game is available on Steam, where it supports Valve Index, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift helmets. You can also play Oculus Quest 2 in Green Hell VR .
Enthusiast wim.buytaert.1988 released a massive modification based on BioShock for Half-Life: Alyx. The project was called Return To Rapture Chapter Two.
Players will once again return to the underwater city of Rapture and explore its secrets through 24 unique levels. The mod will offer users new types of enemies, abilities, weapons, animations and a soundtrack.
Wim.buytaert.1988 estimated that the modification could take 15 hours to complete. A year ago, the first part of Return To Rapture came out. It was not so large-scale - it had only 8 levels.
You can download Return To Rapture Chapter Two from the official Steam Workshop page.
Inner Sloth continues to develop its brainchild in every possible way. During The Game Awards 2021, the team announced Among Us VR - a version of the acclaimed game for virtual reality helmets. VR adaptation is being handled by Schell Games, a studio specializing in digital space.
The essence of the game remains the same: a group of four to ten gamers find themselves in a closed location, and there are traitors among them. It sounds familiar, only now you can face your killer face to face, which is definitely scary. Among other things, it will become more difficult to notice an impostor who has crept up - the latter only plays into the hands of the latter. Judging by the teaser, so far only The Skeld card will take on 3D form.
Among Us VR will support the following VR platforms:
Meta Quest 2,
The release date of Among Us VR will be announced later. In the meantime, the regular 2D version of the game will soon land on PlayStation and Xbox - wait for December 14th.
The media write that Sony held a closed presentation of its new virtual reality helmet and revealed the characteristics of the device. Eyewitnesses report the following:
The helmet is still called NGVR, next generation virtual reality. It has no official name yet.
Display - HDR OLED with 110 degree field of view. Compared to the Valve Index, the most sophisticated device among popular VR headsets: Valve uses an LCD with a field of view of about 109 degrees.
Resolution - 2000 × 2040 per eye. Valve Index has 1440x1600 per eye.
NGVR uses Flexible Scaling Resolution along with Foveated Rendering. The helmet tracks the user's pupils and lowers the resolution at the edges of the view to avoid wasting computing resources.
Tactile feedback is built into the helmet, which should reduce motion sickness and improve immersion in the game.
NGVR controllers also have capacitive touch sensors - they can track the distance to the thumb and forefinger.
Sony is going to focus on hybrid AAA games that can be played on a regular screen or in VR. Users will be able to choose which version they want to download. Something similar to the PlayStation already exists - for example, optional VR exists in HITMAN 3, No Man's Sky and Resident Evil 7.
There was no talk about compatibility with games for the first PSVR, but some projects of that generation should have improved versions for NGVR.
The helmet itself was not shown at a closed presentation. The launch plans are going to be revealed in early 2022.
It is possible that Sony will remain the last major company to actively support and release games for home VR devices, rather than standalone ones like the Oculus Quest. Valve won't have a big stream of games, and Oculus is about to release its last big VR exclusive on PC.
A release trailer for Sniper Elite VR, a spin-off of the sniper series of the same name, has appeared on the PlayStation channel. The title was developed by Just Add Water.
The game will take place in Italy, before the events of Sniper Elite 4. The player will have to help the Resistance suppress the forces of the Nazis and destroy their submarines in Sicily. Controls and some mechanics, like X-Ray, will be adapted for VR, and the gameplay itself will be in the first person.
Sniper Elite VR is out for PSVR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and SteamVR. The PSVR version will support DualShock, Aim and Move.
Facebook continues to add promising teams to its Facebook Oculus division. The corporation announced the acquisition of Downpour Interactive, which is best known for its multiplayer VR military simulator Onward.
We've had great success with Onward on the Oculus platform over the years, first on the Rift and then on the Quest. Joining the Oculus Studios family will give Downpour Interactive the opportunity to develop the game further. We will also be able to deal with new projects in the future. As for Onward, it will continue to be supported on all current platforms. We already have interesting ideas for new updates to it.
Dante Buckley, Downpour Interactive Founder and CEO
We are working to accelerate the development of our VR games. Therefore, the corporation invests in third-party content, expands development teams, purchases equipment, and much more. We have terrific groundbreaking plans that we want to pursue over the next few years. Therefore, we are very pleased that Downpour Interactive has joined our team.
Mike Verdu, Facebook VP of Content for AR and VR
Previously, the Facebook Oculus division has already joined Beat Games studios (creators of the musical rhythm game Beat Saber), Sanzaru Games (developers of the action RPG Asgard's Wrath) and the game design team from Ready at Dawn (released the adventure game Lone Echo). Each of the groups will continue to develop their individual titles, while participating in the development of new VR projects for Facebook.
If in our overly calm time you feel a desire to plunge into a hellish abyss, then you can try Agony - a game filled to the brim with blood, nudity and other shocking elements. Studio Madmind announced today that Agony will also receive a VR version.
According to the authors, they always wanted to make Agony VR not just an add-on for the main game, but a full-fledged adventure in virtual reality. New gameplay mechanics and solutions await for helmet owners, including the use of motion controllers.
In the production of the new version, the team is assisted by the Ignibit studio, a developer of VR and AR applications.
Recall that the original Agony was born in 2018 and did not win the love of users and critics - it turned out that shocking images quickly cease to impress, and in terms of plot and gameplay, the game has nothing to offer. StopGame.ru verdict - "Prohodnyak".
Madmind is also working on the action game Succubus. Judging by the demo, similar problems are outlined there - a lot of provocative shots, little meaning and gameplay depth.
A preview trailer for VR Skater, a VR skateboarding simulator in which two controllers act as skaters' legs and arms, has been released. It all looks pretty intriguing.
In the video, you can evaluate how the gameplay of the title takes place - the player sees only the controllers that act as the feet of the skater, and in rare cases, the hands. With their help, you can play different types of board clicks - from the usual ollie to varials, kickflips and other tricks.
Naturally, it will not do without falls, and if the trick does not work out at all, then it will be possible to throw the board. The main thing is that the controller does not fly away somewhere either.
VR Skater is coming soon to PlayStation VR2.
Studio Supermassive Games has announced that it is forced to postpone the release of horror The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR. Now the title will be released on March 16, and not on February 22 at the same time as the start of sales of the PlayStation VR2.
The developers thanked the fans for waiting and promised to provide them with the best gaming experience. Additional time will be spent polishing to the desired condition.
The game will have its own story that will take players on a multi-level adventure with a ghost ship, witches and vampires. The gameplay of The Dark Pictures: Switchback will be built on the features of the PS VR2 helmet.
Players will have to dodge various objects falling on their heads, and try not to blink, otherwise the enemies will get very close.
Meta has informed owners of the original Quest virtual reality headset that support is about to end. New features will no longer appear on Quest VR headsets of the first generation.
Starting March 5, Quest 1 owners will not be able to use the social features of the Horizon Home app: they will not be able to visit friends and receive guests. They will also not be able to create their own groups or join others.
Read more: Apple will introduce AR/VR headsets this year
In 2024, the company will stop working on fixing critical bugs in the operation of headsets. Then they will stop receiving updates. However, owners will be able to continue using their devices and using apps that are compatible with them.
Read more: Townscaper VR Coming to Meta Quest VR Platform
Last year, the company released an expensive version of the Quest Pro. Work is also underway on an affordable Quest 3 model, which should go on sale in 2023.
Apple plans its long-awaited AR/VR headset to lead the 2023 lineup of new offerings, Bloomberg reported over the weekend.
According to the publication, the headset has been in development for seven years, and Apple hopes to announce it in the spring and launch it in the fall.
Read more: Apple expects to ship 1.5 million AR/VR headsets in 2023
The headset will "most likely" be called Reality Pro and will abandon iOS and macOS in favor of its own xrOS operating system.
It is reported that several third-party developers are already working with hardware and are preparing the first wave of applications.
In addition to the headset, Apple also plans to update the Apple Store iPhone app with AR. The idea is that customers can point their phone's camera at the item and see more details on the price or specifications on the screen.
Apple announced its interest in AR and VR in job ads back in 2014 and plans to launch products have changed several times over the past six years.
PlayStation VR 2 is coming, but what will virtual reality on PS5 be like, and how will it improve on the first iteration? Here’s everything we know about PS VR2.
Despite originally saying they had “no plans” to update VR on the PS5, Sony announced PlayStation VR2 (or PS VR2) just a few short months later. Now, we’ve now got a full look at the hardware in all its glory. the specs behind it, and some of its shiny games too!
Read more: Resident Evil Village for PS VR2 releases February 22, 2023 as free DLC
Now that we know PlayStation VR2 is not just a virtual reality, here’s everything we know about Sony’s plans to bring an updated VR experience to PS5 in one place.
PS VR2 could be a game-changer for PS5.
PS VR2 release date
PS VR2 is set to release on February 22, 2023, for the PS5.
The Sense controller charging station for the PS VR2 Sense controller will also launch the same day.
Pre-orders opened on November 15, 2022.
PS VR2 price
The PS VR2 costs $549.99 / €599.99 / £529.99 / ¥74,980, including tax.
This price includes the PS VR2 headset, Left & Right PS VR2 Sense controllers, a USB cable for controller charging, stereo headphones, three pairs of earpieces, and printed materials.
What does the PS VR2 look like?
On February 22, 2022, the PlayStation Blog finally let potential consumers see the new piece of technology.
The redesigned headset shares a lot of similarities to the original model, but now the front has a “circular orb shape representing the 360-degree view that players feel when they enter the virtual reality world.” According to Sony, the new headset has also been “inspired by the look of the PS5 family of products,” so gamers are to expect some familiar comfort in certain aspects.
Read more: Horror The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR will have enemies that react to the player’s blink
As well as the headset, the actual controllers themselves have probably had the biggest overhaul. The old-school PS3-era Move controller aesthetic has been ditched in favor of a sleek new look. It would be fair to say that they look a lot more like the Oculus controllers, but given how well-liked the Oculus setup is, this isn’t a bad choice.
Here are some other features mentioned by Sony about the PS VR2 headset:
Added roundness to the PS VR2 headset
An adjustable headset scope
A lens adjustment dial
Its “slimmer” with a slight “weight reduction”
The headset has a clever new vent for airflow
On the front and back bands of the PS VR2 headset, there are tons of PS button symbols like on the PS5 DualSense controller
With a new era of VR comes a new design.
PS VR2 technology and specifications
VR gaming on PC has come on leaps and bounds since PlayStation VR was released on the PS4 in 2016, meaning that PS VR2 has had to make several big changes to keep up and stay competitive.
Sony has already announced that the PS VR processor will not be returning for PlayStation VR2. Instead, the headset will connect to the PS5 console using USB-C.
The company has also confirmed that the new headset will feature a fully 4K HDR display, thanks to OLED technology improving each eye lens, with a complete 110-degree field of view to boot.
In an update, Sony confirmed that the headset will offer a transparent view mode that will allow users to see the space around them while wearing the headset, as well as a safety-focused grid feature to keep people from banging into walls and furniture. It’s similar to systems seen on headsets like the Meta Quest, but it’s a big improvement over PS VR1.
The new controllers will borrow features from the DualSense controller, such as adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and better tracking. This will not only improve the experience of PlayStation VR2 but help it feel like a worthwhile companion to the PS5.
The new PlayStation VR2 controller will also be called the PlayStation VR Sense, keeping it in line with the DualSense controller on PS5.
What new wonders and immersive worlds can Sony’s newest take on VR offer?
Games on PS VR2
One of the most exciting things about PS VR2 is the improvements over PS VR 1 that will allow more PlayStation users to experience the back catalog of games. However, Sony has since looked to quash this idea, suggesting the new-gen VR unit won’t support games from the previous hardware.
“PlayStation VR games are not compatible with PlayStation VR2 because PlayStation VR2 is designed to be a truly next-generation virtual reality experience,” Senior Vice President of Platform Experience Hideaki Nishino said.
So while that’s the case for launch, there’s always a chance individual developers may port their efforts to the new hardware. Thus, we could still see plenty of original PS VR 1 titles make the jump to PS VR2 down the line.
While it’s still early days yet, and plenty more is sure to be revealed in the near future, below is a quick look at every confirmed game for PS VR2 thus far:
After The Fall
Among Us VR
Cities VR – Enhanced Edition
Crossfire: Sierra Squad
Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate
Hello Neighbor: Search & Rescue
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Jurassic World: Aftermath Collection
Kayak VR: Mirage
Kizuna AI: Touch the Beat!
Moss: Book II
No Man’s Sky
Pistol Whip VR
Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Samurai Slaughter House
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge
Stranger Things: The VR Experience
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR
The Light Brigade
The Tale of Ongoro
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution
Zenith: The Last City
We also know for certain that original games are a big focus for various PlayStation Studios. “20+ major first-party and third-party titles” have been confirmed for launch and while it’s unclear what will round out the list, it’s only a matter of time until we find out.
Capcom announced that Resident Evil Village will be released for PlayStation VR2 on February 22, 2023 as free downloadable content for all users who own Resident Evil Village or Resident Evil Village Gold Edition.
"VR Mode" supports the entire campaign and takes the award-winning experience to new heights. A deeper and more immersive adventure awaits with PlayStation VR2 as Ethan Winters' journey takes full advantage of the headset's advanced features. The VR mode uses a 4K HDR display, eye tracking and 3D audio to make Resident Evil Village more realistic and rich than ever. Immerse yourself in the richly detailed VR village atmosphere, including the ornate halls of Dimitrescu Castle, and prepare to feel like a real dwarf in front of the huge characters and creatures that lurk within.
In addition to immersing yourself in the world of Resident Evil Village with the PlayStation VR2 headset, players will be able to control their environment in new ways with the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers. They embody Ethan's famous bouncy arms and allow for intuitive in-game actions. Players can raise their hands to defend against enemies that get too close for comfort. Weapons also look perceptibly more realistic in VR mode with new gameplay elements that enhance immersion, such as dual wielding and natural motion controls for reloading firearms and swinging knives.
A trailer for Horizon Call of the Mountain was revealed at The Game Awards 2022, showing off some of the other vehicles players can look forward to in the upcoming VR game.
Horizon Call of the Mountain will release on February 22, 2023 and will be available worldwide with PlayStation VR2. This is one of over 20 launch games that will be available with the next generation VR headset. A more detailed gameplay showcasing exploration, climbing, and combat can be viewed here. Stay tuned for announcements and coverage of The Game Awards 2022 as the main show begins soon.
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What on earth did Jerry Doyle say this time to get him trouble? Here's the scoop.
Babylon 5 Books released a direct-to-fans edition of "CNN Documents Babylon 5". The official edition will be released on Amazon.com later this year.
Internally B5books.com referred to it as the Fan Edition because they included a "bonus" disc of video of Jerry Doyle and Claudia Christian commenting on the disc 1 and 2 footage in a picture-in-picture style. Basically it's a video of Garibaldi and
Ivanova recording the audio commentary.
Apparently these two went a little too far because it's likely that the official release will not include this disc because the language is too "colorful."
"We have no idea what will happen" says Captain Jaclyn, head of Babylon 5 Books. "We warn people that the language is adult." She adds "But the real shame is we've gotten such positive feedback from the fans on how much love they disc 3 because it funny
and clearly uncensored.
Babylon 5 Books is expected to sell out the remainder of their 'uncensored, fan edition' of 'CNN Documents Babylon 5' shortly. Once news got out that there is the likely possibility that the 'official release may not contain this Disc 3 sales went
berserk," added the Captain.
Screenshots of Jerry Doyle and Claudia Christian and their "colorful" commentary for the "CNN Documents Babylon 5".


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With digital media rewriting the rules of marketing, manufacturing and distribution, it’s never been easier to form a business, whether it’s a one-man start-up or an international conglomerate looking to move in a new direction.
The UK’s small and medium-sized manufacturers are being urged to take part in the latest National Manufacturing Barometer to help shape future government policy, and highlight current trends and opportunities.
The Apprenticeship Levy, which came into force in April, obliges firms with wage bills in excess of £3m to pay 0.5% of that bill towards funding the creation of three-million new apprenticeships. It is not a popular measure, but Kate Maddison-Greenwell believes that if fully embraced, it can be beneficial for all.
A national understanding and appreciation of all things manufacturing will never happen while widely-held and wholly incorrect perceptions of what industry looks like persist. Jonny Williamson busts the top five manufacturing myths.


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In operation since 2014, Pendulum Summit is a world-class business and self-empowerment summit that invites some of the best and brightest minds of business, leadership, and culture to share their greatest learnings and insights under one roof.
Taking place at Dublin's Convention Centre, this year's event boasts a number of high-profile keynote speakers including Olympic champion Michael Johnson, performance guru Dr. Joe Vitale, race car driver Susie Wolff, and award-winning journalist Conor Pope.
Speaking on the Pendulum stage, Pope brought the audience back to the beginnings of his career, reminding everyone that one of his first consumer-related articles was a short review of a particular brand of sausages.
A small task that he gave his full attention to.
Using self-deprecating humour, the Galway man managed to turn a short review of breakfast foods into a series of must-reads, which eventually led to the award-laden career he enjoys today.
Following his presentation, we caught up with Pope to discuss the ways in which companies let consumers down, the industries most complained about, and how we stay positive despite it all.
As Consumer Affairs Correspondent for The Irish Times, host of RTÉ's The Price of Everything, and regular contributor to Pricewatch on RTÉ Radio 1, Conor Pope has become a trusted source of information and an ardent defender of customers across the country.
"I think it's important to always remember where you come from," Pope told RTÉ Lifestyle. "One of the reasons I started with the backstory [of my career] is because I've never set myself up as an expert in a particular area.
"I don't have a personal finance background, I don't have a consumer advocacy background, but what I do have is that sense of outrage when somebody has been let down or disappointed.
"I do have a really good platform," he continues. "In fact, I have a couple of good platforms because I have both The Irish Times and The Ray D'Arcy Show on RTÉ, and I think it's important that I use those platforms well because there are just so many people who are just so badly let down all the times."
Speaking on the many ways in which consumers may be let down, Pope says that the underlying issue is often that many companies put too much of their energy into caring for new customers rather than existing ones.
"I just can't understand why they so persistently let people down because it actually costs them money to do their job badly. If people were better at customer service they would save themselves money, they would keep customers happier, they would get more customers.
"It's just this blindspot that too many businesses have," he adds. "They think 'all we want is to acquire new customers and we don't really give a rashers about the customers we have', and it just infuriates me the way people are so routinely let down.
"Big businesses don't seem to care, and they should care because we're giving these people money, but more than that, they should care on a human level because they're dealing with people who are very upset, and they should just try and look after them."
While there was an uptick in complaints raised against the travel industry during the height of the pandemic, in general terms, Pope says that the telecommunications industry is a big area of issue for consumers.
"It's because the internet has become so central to our lives that if we don't have broadband or we don't have access to our telephones, it really negatively impacts our lives. It's not a service that someone can say 'I don't have my phone right now but I'll get it again next week'.
"This is kind of a lifeline that an awful lot of people have to the outside world, to their friends,' and to their family. It's incumbent upon businesses to ensure that they have that lifeline."
Watch RTÉ Lifestyle's interview with Conor Pope at the top of the page now.


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Swisslog lands Coca-Cola contract
Coca-Cola Malaysia is banking on an efficient intralogistics future. As part of a major EUR 100 million investment scheme to expand its site and raise capacities at its plant in Bandar Enstek, the beverage producer has mandated Swisslog to build a state-of-the-art fully-automated warehouse.
The project will enable Swisslog to introduce its innovative Powerstore pallet shuttle technology to Southeast Asia. The halal-certified Bandar Enstek plant serves as the Coca-Cola corporation’s central production site for the Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei markets.
The logistics building plan is linked to the company’s aim to increase its overall warehouse density and to unite the current storage sites in Singapore and Brunei under one roof. (mw)