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January 5, 2007
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Click here for previous Free News reports in 2006.
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The History of Shrimp Farming in West Texas
By Granvil Treece
At one time, six shrimp farms in West Texas with almost 200 acres of ponds contributed significantly to the state's overall production of farm-raised shrimp. The challenge of operating in such a remote area, however, took its toll, and today only one farm remains.
In 1972, two Ward County, Texas, gravel pit operators, Hal Brown and Dean Phipps, asked the local county agent to help them explore the possibility of using saline ground water for aquaculture in some of their gravel pits.
In 1973 County Extension Agent Johnny Harris, with the assistance of Dr. James Davis and Dr. Jack Parker of Texas A&M University (both retired), stocked some shrimp in West Texas.
Early experiments were crude and little data were obtained-- other than survival rates, which indicated the biological feasibility of shrimp cultivation in West Texas.
Stocking continued and gradually a body of information was accumulated that supported commercial shrimp farming in West Texas.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Vernon Holcomb, Jack Parker (not the Jack Parker mentioned above) and Charlie McKaskle all tried pilot-scale shrimp farms in West Texas. Holcomb's farm was in Stanton; Parker's in Crockett County near Iraan; and McKaskle's in Martin County. McKaskle produced commercial crops of shrimp in 1989 (810 pounds per acre) and 1990 (2,166 pounds per acre). The 1990 crop was from 4.2 acres of ponds, which yielded 9,100 pounds of shrimp. The farms closed for different reasons. Holcomb's aquifer dried up during a drought year. Parker's farm produced an average of 1,068 pounds per acre in 1989, but could not get viable seedstock the following year and the bank took the farm.
In 1991, Durwood Dugger conducted a feasibility study for the Pecos County Water District No. 3 entitled "The Feasibility of Aquaculture in Pecos County and Far West Texas".
In July 1992, Texas A&M University (TAMU), the Texas General Land Office, and Pecos County Water District No. 3 jointly opened a R&D Center in Imperial, Texas. Redfish and shrimp were grown at a pilot facility consisting of six, one-acre ponds. The R&D facility had some problems sealing its ponds the first year, but produced 1,140 pounds of shrimp. This pilot helped pave the way for a commercial group (Triton) from Florida to try shrimp farming in West Texas. In 1993 and 1994, Triton produced commercial crops of shrimp, but decided to sell the farm. C.E. Selinger of Odessa and a group from India purchased the farm from Triton and reopened it as Pecos River Aquaculture in 2001. Currently, the farm is leased, but not in production.
Production averages from the various farms in West Texas ranged from 3,000 to 4,500 pounds per acre. The highest production was with the Super Shrimp (Litopenaeus stylirostris) in 1996 at the Regal Farm, where 6,000 pounds per acre were produced.
The aquifer used by shrimp farms in the Imperial area is the Cenozoic Alluvium, water remaining from the Permian Sea. Salinity varies from 10 parts per thousand to 15 ppt. There are no fresh water zones in the area, and no discharge water leaves any farm. The water is too salty for agricultural uses. Red clay soils can be found in the area for lining ponds.
Bart Reid and Permian Sea Organics
Over the years, Bart Reid has played a pioneering role in West Texas shrimp farming, and today his farm in Imperial, Permian Sea Organics (formerly Permian Sea Shrimp Company), is the last of the shrimp farms. Reid has 64 surface acres of ponds, filled with a combination of tap and irrigation water from Pecos County Water District #3 and water from the aquifer. He is one of two shrimp farms in the USA that can sell USDA Certified Organic Shrimp.
In 2005, Reid stocked 20 acres and produced 20,000 pounds of shrimp. He stocked at low densities and raised the shrimp organically, feeding only 24 thousand pounds of feed, while the shrimp utilized the natural productivity in the ponds for additional nutrition. The survival for the 2005 crop was 70%.
Reid avoids chemicals and antibiotics, does not crowd his shrimp and uses organic feed. Marty Mesh, executive director of Florida Organic Growers (FOG) in Gainesville, Florida, said FOG certified the farm as "USDA Organic" because Reid followed all the rules. Reid thinks the "organic" label will help his products compete with the foreign shrimp flooding into the United States from Asia and Latin America. He says he can charge $5 a pound wholesale for his organic shrimp, compared with $2 for conventional shrimp.
Groundwater quantities are still unknown in West Texas and are a source of uncertainty to any operating farm. However, marketing the shrimp appears to be the biggest uncertainty and one of the biggest challenges. Some of the shrimp can be sold fresh at harvest to local markets, but that market is easily saturated. The organic certification of the shrimp opens up new markets as far away as California. Reid also sells his shrimp over the Internet or directly from his shrimp store and restaurant in Imperial.
If you have Google Earth (free, but you must download it from Google's website) installed on your computer, you can view Permian Sea Organics at latitude 31°, 16', 16.93" N; longitude 102°, 40', 48.35"W.
Information: For a list of West Texas saline groundwater references, contact Granvil Treece, Aquaculture Specialist, Texas A&M University, Sea Grant College Program, 2700 Earl Rudder Freeway South, Suite 1800, College Station, Texas 77845 USA (phone 979-845-7527, fax 979-845-7525, email firstname.lastname@example.org, website http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu).
Source: Texas Aquaculture Association Website (http://www.texasaquaculture.org/index.html). Update on Inland Shrimp Farming in West Texas (http://www.texasaquaculture.org/id227.htm). Granvil Treece. Site visit on September 13, 2006.
In 1996, a 19,000-hectare shrimp farm was proposed for the Rufiji River Delta, just south of Dar es Salaam. Touted as the largest shrimp farm in the world, it was to be located in a mangrove conservation area. In 1998, the Tanzanian government granted the permits for the farm. Then the Tanzanian and international environmental communities sprang into action. After two years of public protest, investigations and a lawsuit brought by the Lawyers' Environmental Association of Tanzania, the project was halted. The experience resulted in the development of a national investors guide for mariculture that favors small to medium-sized shrimp farms, an increased level of oversight and routine monitoring.
In 2005, a commercial shrimp hatchery (Alpha Group, Ltd.) received permits to begin operations on Mafia Island, a large coastal island about 125 kilometers southeast of Dar es Salaam, with a target production of 50 million postlarvae (Penaeus monodon) a year. It was designed to supply seedstock to 112 hectares of ponds on the island. Although there are strong markets for shrimp in Tanzania, particularly within the tourism industry, most of the Alpha Group's shrimp production will be exported.
Source: World Aquaculture (the quarterly magazine of the World Aquaculture Society, http://www.was.org). Editor-in-Chief, Robert Stickney. Aquaculture in Tanzania. Michael A. Rice, Aviti J. Mmochi, Lugazo Zuberi and Rebecca M. Savoie. Volume 37, Number 4, Page 50, December 2006.
Prices to Soar
Biosecurity Australia has recommended that the Federal Government ban the import of raw, frozen shrimp and that it implement costly new quarantine measures for processed shrimp. The price of shrimp in Australia will probably skyrocket if the new import regulations are adopted.
Harry Peters, chairman of the Seafood Importers Association of Australia, said that if the regulations were adopted, shrimp would become the food story of the year in Australia in 2007. On December 26, 2006, cooked shrimp were selling for $16 to $35 a kilo at some seafood stores in Perth, Western Australia. Peters said the price would likely jump to between $55 and $78 a kilo when the new measures were activated in 2007.
He said: "The controls would effectively prevent the importation of frozen raw shrimp and add such onerous testing costs to processed shrimp that volumes would be dramatically reduced and prices would certainly rise significantly. In fact, with only one or two laboratories capable of doing the tests, trade would cease within weeks."
Enjoy your prawns this holiday, says Hope Kearney, a shrimp importer in Sydney, New South Wales, because next year you may not be able to afford them. Kearney said seafood lovers have yet to realize how their affair with shrimp will be affected by import regulations being considered by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service.
Louis Lynch, owner of Seafresh Fish Markets, a retail chain in Perth, Western Australia, said the changes would hurt consumers and retailers. "With these restrictions you'd be taking an enormous amount of product out of the marketplace," he said. "Prices would really go through the roof."
Scott Walter, chairman Australian Prawn Farmers Association, said the proposed regulations would be beneficial because they would protect farmed and wild shrimp in Australia from exotic shrimp viruses.
Sources: 1. TheWest.com.au. Prawn price could soar with import changes (http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=31&ContentID=17190). Ronan O'Connell. December 27, 2006. 2. The Sydney Morning Herald. Prawn excuses raw, say traders (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/prawn-excuses-raw-say-traders/2006/12/25/1166895241043.html). Steve Meacham. December 26, 2006.
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah
On December 21, 2006, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, visited departments and projects within the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, which actively promotes, facilitates and accelerates economic diversity in Brunei.
He visited a forestry research center, a manufacturing plant, some traditional farms--and a 495-hectare shrimp farming project, which hopes to produce 2,500 metric tons a year by 2009. The Fisheries Department provides all the infrastructure (roads, power, water supply, telecommunication and fencing) for the project and entrepreneurs lease the ponds. The seawater supply system is currently being constructed and is expected to be completed in July 2007 at a cost of $7.5 million.
Sources: 1. Borneo Bulletin. MIPR receives Crown Prince (http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/fri/dec22h26.htm). Liza Mohd and Sonia K. December 22, 2006.
HQ Sustainable Maritime Industries, Inc.
On December 20, 2006, HQ Sustainable Maritime Industries, Inc., which farms tilapia and some shrimp, broke ground on an organic, aquatic feed mill on Hainan Island. It will purchase nongenetically modified corn and soy from China and elsewhere. Scheduled for completion by the fourth quarter of 2007, it will produce approximately 100,000 tons of organic feed a year, mostly for tilapia, but also for other finfish and shrimp. The feed mill will serve HQSM's 3,294 acres of cooperative farms. The farms will be required to purchase feed from HQSM's mill and to sell their production to HQSM's processing plant.
Norbert Sporns, CEO of HQSM, said, "As the world grows more dependent on aquaculture for safe food...we are proud to be selected to assist the Aquaculture Certification Council in vetting and rolling out the Best Aquaculture Practices."
HQSM holds HACCP certification from the USA/FDA and the "Code Assignment of Quality" from the European Union, giving it access to those markets. It owns a nutraceuticals and health products company, which is HACCP certified, and produces and sells products subject to stringent laboratory tests certified by China's Ministry of Health. The plant produces nutraceuticals that are used in its feeds. In addition to its headquarters in Seattle, Washington, USA, HQSM has offices in Haikou, Hainan (http://www.hqfish.com).
Information: Norbert Sporns (phone 206-621-9888, fax 206-621-0318).
Media Relations: Daniel Stepanek (phone 212-896-1202, fax 212-697-0910).
Source: MarketWire.com. HQSM Breaks Ground on Organic Feed Mill Hainan, China/100,000-Ton-Per-Year Facility Completion Expected by Q4 2007 (http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=197016). December 20, 2006.
Official Shrimp Production in 2006
In 2006, Indonesia's production of farmed shrimp jumped 18.5%, to 327,260 metric tons.
Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service). Indonesia's shrimp and seaweed production drive 21 percent aquaculture growth. Ken Coons. Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 781-861-1441, email email@example.com). December 28, 2006.
French Oil Company Blows the Whistle on Shrimp Farming
On the island of Borneo, in the province of East Kalimantan, French oil giant Total dominates the business community in the immense Mahakam Delta, where it extracts natural gas. A study financed by Total shows that shrimp farmers have caused an ecological disaster in the Delta. More than 800 square kilometers (300 square miles) of mangroves have been converted into shrimp ponds, resulting in water pollution, salinization and the general degradation of the environment.
During the 1997/1998 Asian financial crisis, the Indonesian rupiah plunged to a quarter of its value, so shrimp farms, which export for dollars, suddenly became very profitable. Shrimp farmers and thousands of workers from Java and Sulawesi moved into the Mahakam Delta and developed shrimp farms. "Since the economic crisis of the years 1997/1998 people have been cutting all the mangrove, opening new shrimp ponds, without any restrictions or law enforcement," said Muhammad Najib, in charge of environmental problems for Total.
"The productivity of shrimp farming has fallen because of the damage caused to the natural environment," said Bahteramsyah, environmental official for the Kutai Kartanegara district. He estimates only 20 percent of the original mangrove swamp remains. Total's activities in the Delta have nothing to do with this looming disaster but the oil giant fears it will bear the brunt of the social consequences because of its high profile in the region.
Total president director Philippe Armand says, "We fear that we will be totally wrongly accused of being the source of the problem." Total has decided to take the initiative and has earmarked two million dollars over five years to promote sustainable management of the Mahakam Delta.
The company has replanted more than three million mangrove seedlings, organized a symposium on the risks posed by shrimp farming, and it is training the villagers in more environmentally friendly methods of shrimp farming.
If you have Google Earth (a free download from Google), you can view the farms at latitude 0°45'57.66"S; longitude 117°26'13.75"E.
Source: BruneiDirect.com. Tiny Shrimps Causing Big Problems (http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Dec06/261206/nite02.htm). December 26, 2006.
In 2006, 1,200 hectares of shrimp farms around the southern port city of Chabahar on the Iran/Pakistan border produced 2,500 tons of shrimp, up 40% from last year. In 2008, 1,500 more hectares will come on stream. All the shrimp is destined for export markets.
Source: GROWfish (Gippsland Aquaculture Industry Network, Inc., http://www.growfish.com.au/default.asp). GROWfish eNewsletter (firstname.lastname@example.org). Chabahar shrimp production up 40% (http://www.growfish.com.au/content.asp?contentid=8109). December 12, 2006.
Norwegian Lobster Farm, located near the city of Stavanger on the island Kvitsøy, produces juvenile lobsters for sea ranching and for stocking lobster farms. It also produces some plate-size (20 centimeter) lobsters for restaurants and sells technology and equipment for lobster farming.
Information: Asbjørn Drengstig, Tormod Drengstig, Ivar Kollsgård and Rudolf Svensen, Norwegian Lobster Farm AS, Postboks 391, 4067 Stavanger, Norway (phone 47-51-32-59-00, fax 47-51-32-59-01, email email@example.com).
Source: Norwegian Lobster Farm AS Webpage (http://www.norwegian-lobster-farm.com/about.htm). December 27, 2006.
Strong Currency Hurts Shrimp Farmers
"The baht's strength has significantly hurt Thai people, especially farmers who are the majority of the population," said Surapon Vongvadhanaroj, chief executive officer of Surapon Foods, Pcl., Thailand's largest shrimp exporter. "We can't compete with Vietnam, China and India as long as our currency is gaining at twice the pace of those countries."
Source: Bloomberg.com. Thai Military Government Backs Down; Investors Revolt (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aAotzS4ejBVo&refer=home). Lee J. Miller. December 20, 2006.
California--Shrimp News International
If you missed the two Free News reports over the holidays (December 22 and 29, 2006) , you can check them out here.
Source: Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, January 4, 2007.
Mississippi--Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory will open its new marine aquaculture visitor center at Cedar Point in the fall of 2007, the first of six buildings on a 225-acre campus that will eventually house breeding programs for shrimp, blue crabs, red snapper, spotted sea trout and striped bass.
Source: SunHerald.com. A look ahead at South Mississippi's environment (http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/business/16309990.htmResources). Mike Keller. December 24, 2006.
Missouri--Global Aquacultue Alliance
St. Louis...The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), an international trade association dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture worldwide, has announced the selection of Wally Stevens as Executive Director, effective immediately.
Stevens will fill the position left vacant by the resignation of Jim Hirt.
Stevens most recently served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Slade Gorton and Company, a leading seafood distribution and marketing company headquartered in Boston, USA, a position he held for 16 years before retiring in 2006. Prior to joining Slade Gorton, Stevens was President of Ocean Products Inc., an integrated salmon aquaculture business based in Maine, USA. Among his many accomplishments, Stevens served as Chairman of the National Fisheries Institute, where he is credited with the creation of the successful Future Leaders Program.
Information: George Chamberlain, Global Aquaculture Alliance, 5661 Telegraph Road. Suite 3A, St. Louis, MO 63129 USA (phone 314-293-5500, email firstname.lastname@example.org).
Source: Global Aquaculture Alliance. News Release. Wally Stevens Selected Executive Director of GAA. January 5, 2007.
On December 27, 2006, the Vietnam Ministry of Trade announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare would begin inspecting 100% of the raw frozen shrimp from Vietnam. Recently, Japan discovered chloramphenicol residues in frozen shrimp exported by the Nam Can Seafood Import/Export Company in Ca Mau Province. The director of a Vietnam exporting company said that in the past, it took him only 3-5 days to get customs clearance for a batch of goods. Now, he says, it will take 45 days.
Source: VietnamNetBridge. Japan begins inspecting 100% of Vietnam-sourced shrimp (http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2006/12/648578/). Ha Yen. December 28, 2006.
Halts Wild-Caught Shrimp Exports to Japan
The Shrimp Sub-Committee of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has sent a dispatch to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announcing that Vietnam would stop exporting wild-caught shrimp to Japan because it was the wild-caught shrimp that contained antibiotic residues.
Source: VietNamNetBridge. Vietnam halts exporting sea shrimp to Japan (http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2006/12/648907). Tuoi Tre. December 29, 2006.
Click here for previous Free News reports in 2006


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hyundai was developing a hybrid super car a few years ago, it could have cost close to $150,000 dollarsthat is, some $2.9 million pesos. It would have a carbon fiber chassis, a combustion engine and at least one electric motor. However, the top executives of the brand canceled it since said price would be too high for a Hyundai model.
This information became known thanks to Top Gear, who interviewed Albert Bierman, former director of the high-performance division of the Korean firm, Hyundai N. He even revealed that there would be a variant powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology. At the end of the day it was considered that allocating so much budget to a product that might not sell well would be a high risk, so they canceled it and decided to focus everything on models such as the Elantra N, Kona N, i20 N and other models that already have earned a good reputation.
For now, Hyundai seems to focus again on that high-performance entry segment, as well as on electrification, which will eventually debut high-performance models to continue the history of Hyundai N. Situations like this have occurred in many brands.
For example, in the 90s Volkswagen developed the W12 Nardó, a super car with 12 cylinders and all-wheel drive that could be a watershed, however, with a Volkswagen emblem its success could be doomed by having a high price. So the idea was passed on to other brands in the group such as Bentley and Audi, but at the end of the day it was assigned to Bugatti.

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Interview with Femeconomy
BOYCE Family Office Director, Lea Boyce, was interviewed by Femeconomy on topics ranging from Covid-19 to family communication to multi-generational engagement.
Femeconomy educates consumers and businesses on how purchasing decisions can impact gender equality and the importance of diversity in business leadership. BOYCE Family Office are proud members of Femeconomy. Click on image to read the interview.


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The Queensland Government has directed the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) to review irrigation prices for water supply schemes operated by Sunwater and Seqwater. The review will recommend irrigation prices for the four-year period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2029.
Sunwater and Seqwater are due to submit their pricing proposals to the QCA by 30 November 2023.
The QCA has released a guidance paper for the businesses to assist them in preparing their pricing proposals.
QCA Chair Professor Flavio Menezes said that it was important that the businesses take greater ownership of their pricing proposals.
“We encourage the businesses to undertake meaningful engagement with customers and other affected stakeholders in developing their pricing proposals,” he said.
“We advise stakeholders to contact the water businesses to find out how they can get involved early on, while the pricing proposals are being developed.”
The QCA’s formal consultation process will begin after the QCA receives the businesses’ pricing proposals.
“We understand how important this review is to stakeholders, and we plan to hold initial stakeholder workshops in early 2024,” Professor Menezes said.
The QCA will provide stakeholders with further information about the workshops closer to the time.
Stakeholders will also have opportunities to comment on the businesses’ pricing proposals and the QCA’s draft report, which is due by 30 June 2024.
The QCA has published a stakeholder notice and a stakeholder guidance paper with more information about the review. These are available on the QCA’s website.
Media enquiries: Cole Lawson Communications, 07 3221 2220.View project


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Finland’s Tuomas Katainen became world-famous after blowing up his Tesla Model S. The news and video of the incident went around the world’s technology media and provoked mixed speculation among the general public.
Katainen bought the Tesla Model S in 2013. “Well, when I bought this Tesla, the first 1,500 km were good,” Katainen was quoted as saying. The Verge. But then, one after the other, various indications of errors and problems began to light up on the dashboard. Recently, the situation has become unbearable.
Kataynen took his Tesla to a mechanic, who discovered that the only way to repair the car was to replace the entire battery pack. That would cost the Finn at least 20,000 euros.
Probably every proud Tesla owner could understand the bitterness and disappointment, given that the base price for the new 2013 Tesla Model S starts at $ 57,400. The repair would cost more than a third of the price of a new car!
Kataynen was furious, took his Tesla from the service station and told the mechanic that he would “blow up the whole car”. And that’s exactly what he did.
He joined the Pommijätkät group, a community of pyrotechnics and explosives enthusiasts. Her bombers hit 30kg of dynamite on the car and parked it in an old stone quarry in Jaala, Finland. The angry owner put a photo of Elon Musk in the car, attached to a crash test dummy, equipped with a helmet and a thick winter jacket.
Katainen detonated the explosion from a nearby bunker and the car exploded into a fireball, and then debris was scattered throughout the quarry. Asked if he has ever had so much fun with his Tesla, Kataynen’s answer is: “No, I’ve never had so much fun with Tesla!”


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NCC Reviews Call Tariffs: Nigerians To Pay More For Phone Calls
There are indications that Nigerians might have to pay more for phone calls and telephone services in Nigeria in 2017.
On Thursday, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) commenced a review of the Mobile Voice Termination Rate in the telecom sector.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Dambatta, made this known while speaking at the stakeholders’ forum on cost based study.
Prof. Umar Dambatta said the Commission deemed it necessary to review the rate set in 2013 in view of the current market realities.
According to the NCC Vice Chairman, the review was consistent with the Commission’s principle of ensuring participatory regulation in the telecom sector.
Prof. Dambatta highlighted the importance of the exercise.
He pointed out that the telecom market requires a sound and functional interconnection regime to be able to fine tune the regulatory regime.
NCC Reviews Call Tariffs: Nigerians To Pay More For Calls
According to him, this would help lead the Nigerian telecoms market towards full competition and effective regulation.
When completed, the NCC Vice Chairman stated that the scale of changes will inevitably affect the unit cost of providing services.
This includes interconnection and may lead to differences between regulated interconnection rates and underlying costs.
For the average Nigerian, the move by the NCC will result in differences between on-net and off-net retail tariffs, making off-net a bit more expensive.
In November 2016, the Nigerian Communications Commission had attempted an upwards review of the internet data charges by mobile telecoms service providers effective December 1 2017.
The move, however, was met with huge outcry from the public leading to the move being shelved by the industry regulator.
With the NCC’s latest move, Nigerians would ultimately be required to pay ore for telephone services as providers would be compelled to jack up prices.


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'Death Stranding' Release Date, News, Updates: Hideo Kojima Will Announce New Details During Panel in PSX 2016
"Death Stranding" is one of the most anticipated games that Hideo Kojima will be releasing. The title was first revealed during this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). More details will be announced about it since Hideo Kojima will have a panel discussion during PlayStation Experience (PSX) 2016.
Recently, Hideo Kojima started his own game development studio called Kojima Productions, and the first game that they are creating is "Death Stranding." According to the reports of IGN, Hideo will have his own panel during the PSX 2016, and he will also be joined by special guests who were not yet revealed.
Since Hideo Kojima first announced "Death Stranding" in E3 2016, only few details have been revealed. It was reported that the game will feature one of the actors from "The Walking Dead," Norman Reedus. Moreover, the action title will have a solo campaign and an online multiplayer mode as well. There is also a possibility that it will feature a female protagonist.
The schedule for the panel of "Death Stranding" was announced on the PlayStation Blog. It is expected to start at 1 PM PT on Saturday, Dec. 3, and it will also be followed by an autograph-signing session by Hideo Kojima from 2-2:45 PM PT. Moreover, there are two more panels that will commence on the same day, but it is still unannounced. "Horizon Zero Dawn" is also expected to have discussion during the PSX 2016 on Dec. 4.
Aside from the panel discussions of "Death Stranding" and other games, attendees will also be able to try out over 100 titles at PSX 2016. There are playable demos for titles such as "Watch Dogs 2," "Sniper Ghost Warrior 3," "The Last Guardian," and more within the event. PSX 2016 will be held at at the Anaheim Convention Center from Dec. 3-4. The tickets for the event are still being sold at the website of PlayStation.
There is no definite release date yet for "Death Stranding," but the game is expected to launch in 2019. It may also be playable for the PlayStation 4 and PC platforms in the future.


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Holly’s Pet Shoppe, Spa and Boutique opened its doors at the end of April. Although a new business, the owner, Holly Buckner, has groomed dogs and cats in Reno County for more than seven years.
Holly’s Pet Shoppe is on the corner of 17th Avenue and Lorraine Street.
Buckner began grooming pets in 2015 when she decided to change her career path to fit her passion for caring for animals.
“I grew up always wanting to be a veterinarian, and then I worked as a vet tech from 2012 to around 2015 and decided at that point that veterinarian wasn’t for me,” Buckner said. “We did some grooming at the clinic, but when I parted ways with the vet clinic, I saw an opening for grooming.”
More:One of Hutchinson’s food trucks turned restaurant: How El Patio got started
Creating the spa experience for pets
Buckner described her spa as an all-in-one location for pet owners to get their pets groomed and shop for pet supplies.
“What we aim for here is an upper-scale salon — that we are treating it as a legitimate spa day,” Buckner said. “We have put in different practices and products that lean toward that.”
The products sold at Holly’s Pet Shoppe generally come from either Kansas or other locations in the United States. The DubDog Designs collars are made in Mission.
Buckner’s seven years of experience, has taught her to respond to unique needs.
“Pet parents are pretty understanding about the process that’s needed to be done. So, for example, if they’re matted, they need (to be) completely shaved, and they’re usually pretty understanding of that,” Buckner said.
The road to creating Holly’s Pet Shoppe
In January, Buckner purchased the storefront at 1625 N. Lorraine St. and has since created her dream of an all-in-one locally-owned pet shop.
Since the beginning, she accepted her regular grooming clients but now looks to expand and catch the attention of more pet owners in Hutchinson and has already achieved her first monthly goal.
“I set myself a monthly goal, and we’ve already hit our $14,000 goal,” Buckner said.
More:Haven High School Internship Program allows students to try out a career
Buckner plans to expand her spa for cats too, hoping to hire and train a groomer at her salon to only groom cats in a separate room from dogs to reduce stress.
“I want to have a dedicated space for cats because I haven’t seen that in Hutchinson yet, and cats need regular grooming, too,” Buckner said.


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Placing a safe bet that Americans want to lead richer lives (who doesn’t?!) Rainbow Media has changed the focus and name of its Mag Rack video on demand offering and next month will unveil a slew of free VOD series promising viewers benefits and tangible results, CableWorld reports in its Feb. 19 cover story.
Now in 11 million households, Mag Rack will cease on March 29th to be replaced by Rainbow’s new free On Demand franchise called lifeskool. As Rainbow’s new VOD flagship brand, it will launch with original series "to educate and inspire" in 12 categories including children, finances, automobiles and video games, says EVP/GM Dan Ronayne.
Rainbow’s "skool" brands aim to entertain as well as teach viewers. To that end, lifeskool will co-exist with the On Demand sports instruction videos already grouped under sportskool, Mag Rack’s spin-off (and more widely distributed) VOD channel. sportskool will continue to offer tips from Mia Hamm, Jim Walton and other sports gurus in 23 million U.S. homes (a reach that makes sportskool nearly ubiquitous in cable’s VOD universe).
Guitar Xpress, Mag Rack’s popular guitar instruction series, will form the basis of a third school (er, skool) launching in the fourth quarter: musicskool. In addition to teaching viewers how to become guitar gods, musicskool will offer video instruction in piano, bass, drums and home recording.
All three skools will be available in HD for operators interest in high def content on demand. To recoup its expanded investment in original and exclusive On Demand programming, Rainbow also plans to sell single sponsorships to the skool series.
With VOD advertising in its infancy and VOD barely in knee pants, some advertisers feel VOD ads can be effective in reaching niche audiences, says Magna Global SVP Brian Wieser. Many national advertisers feel VOD’s numbers are too small for national campaigns. Kagan Research estimates U.S. cable VOD households will reach 53 million by 2010.
For more details on Mag Rack’s rebranding—including podcasts with skool instructors John Lithgow and Bode Miller—check out Seth Arenstein’s cover story in this week’s issue of CableWorld.
Click here to check out some lifeskool clips and watch Seth’s video interview with Rainbow’s skools administrator Dan Ronayne.


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There is a need for greater co-operation and coordination of action of regional bodies with regard to the issue of protecting the health and safety of consumers.
Industry Minister, Donville Inniss, who is also responsible for consumer matters expressed this view as he gave remarks today at the opening of a consultation on the CARICOM Rapid Alert System for Exchange of Information on the Dangerous Non-Food Consumer Goods, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Mr. Inniss said he was aware that persons in the region needed to be vigilant as they sought to safeguard consumers amidst the plethora of products offered to them.
???I am also aware that the manufacturers and distributors owe the consumers a duty of care. In all this, however, each consumer must make informed choices when purchasing goods.???
The consultation which was sponsored by the CSME Unit and the European Union, seeks to protect consumers from unsafe products produced in or imported into CARICOM.
Pointing out that as early as 2002, regional governments and NGOs were expressing concerns about the presence of unsafe goods in the marketplace, the Minister noted that trade liberalisation and globalisation have brought both benefits and challenges.
He said: ???This consultation will go a long way in helping regional governments ensure that items purchased by citizens are safe and of the expected high quality by ensuring that those products which do not, are identified and intercepted before harm is done to unsuspecting consumers.???
The Minister therefore called for a CARICOM approach towards consumer protection, stating that it was necessary given the similarity of products offered within the region and the fact that we are increasingly net importers.
???This new system, then, is designed to ensure that regional governments possess, and are able to manage mechanisms for effective market surveillance. It is also intended to ensure that the human and technical services available to them optimise public safety.???
He added that Government would continue to be vigilant as the many products offered here increasingly evolve and this was critical to achieve long-term and sustainable success.


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Apple will soon be testing advertisements within iTunes, according to a report by Ad Age. The move is “sure to entice advertisers interested in reaching millions of devotees of the service.
But it could be worrisome to the service’s users, who unplug from ad-supported media when they plug their earphones in,” says Ad Age. “That may be why Apple’s current plans call for the ads to appear only in the lower-left corner of the iTunes library while users listen to podcasts… But it’s a big step for the service, which has so far limited ad intrusions to audio spots embedded in some of the podcasts offered via iTunes.
ESPN Radio, which supplies some of iTunes’ most popular ad-supported sports podcasts, is working with the service on the new advertising offering.”.


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A group of youngsters is igniting an organic farming revolution transforming the lives of local farmers in a remote village in Idukki in Kerala. The group led by a mechanical engineer and a physics graduate has been empowering the farmers to take up organic farming and market their produce directly to customers through an online platform.
Idukki native Annu Sunny, 31, and Raipur native Bhavesh Sawariya, 31, who met at a fellowship programme in 2015, decided to launch the movement as they shared a deep concern for the environment and well-being of the local farming community. As Annu Sunny hailed from Nedumkandam where she grew up seeing the struggles of small time farmers, the duo decided to start their ground level work at Makkuvalli village situated inside forest in Nedumkandam.
“We started conducting training sessions on organic farming techniques and educating the farmers about the benefits of chemical-free cultivation while promoting sustainable agricultural practices. We have been able to empower around 85 farmers to follow zero chemical residue farming,” Annu Sunny told “Open Digest“.
Soon six other youngsters of the locality- Rinu, Sonu, Anna, Dinny, Dolly and Deepu joined the movement to take it to a next level. The group didn’t stop at educating the farmers, they launched an e-commerce portal graamya.in to sell the locally grown organic produce of the farmers. “We source the produce from the farmers and sell them directly to the consumers ensuring fair price for the farmers,” said Annu Sunny.
The group is extremely happy that their movement has started to yield positive results with farmers enthusiastically embracing organic farming recognising its positive impact on health and environment. Anu recollects that though their movement was initially launched at creating sustainable tourism models, they decided to take up natural farming as a mission after realising the harsh truth of the huge quantity of chemicals that go into farming of cardamom and other spices in the hilly ranges of Idukki.
“We are getting tremendous support from organisations like Organic Farming Association of India,” she said. Apart from supporting the farmers through Graamya, the group has also launched a natural tea farming venture called Palartea which follows the natural process of tea making.


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As you may know, “If you build it, they will come” is a phrase popularized in a sports movie. But the concept might also apply to the grocery business as the following developments indicate.
According to a recent SupermarketNews article, Uber Technologies Inc. announced plans to acquire majority ownership of Cornershop, a leading online grocery provider in Mexico and Canada. The acquisition is planned for early 2020, subject to regulatory approval.
“Whether it’s getting a ride, ordering food from your favorite restaurant, or soon, getting groceries delivered, we want Uber to be the operating system for your everyday life,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO, Uber. “We’re excited to partner with the team at Cornershop to scale their vision, and look forward to working with them to bring grocery delivery to millions of consumers on the Uber platform.”
The Cornershop app or website enables customers to order groceries for delivery. Cornershop employees then go to participating grocery stores to pick and pack their orders. Customers are called at the end of each shop, and they can approve any replacements or request another item to be added to the cart.
In another report, Giant Food of Landover, Md., a chain of 163 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. announced the launch of an enhanced service they call “Giant Delivers.”
This refreshed version of a previous delivery program is part of Giant Food’s “The Little Things Are Giant” platform, “which is all about helping customers save time so they can get back to what matters most.”
The article went on to say that next-day home delivery from Giant Delivers is now available to over 6 million shoppers living in over 300 ZIP codes across the Washington, D.C., metro area. Same-day delivery is available within the downtown D.C. area, “offering a new way to fit shoppers’ busy schedules, especially those needing a last-minute ingredient or dinner solution.”
Giant’s grocery delivery service is available without commitment or subscription and offers customers the option to sign up anytime for unlimited deliveries for a one-time annual fee of $99, making weekly grocery delivery orders more convenient and affordable than ever, the article said.
Clearly the call for online grocery shopping options coupled with the convenience of quick home delivery continues to increase… and more supermarkets as well as related businesses are stepping-up to meet the demand.


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Offline Gmail for iPhone! How does it sounds? Cool.. right? Yes, if you are a iPhone user, then this feature (Offline Gmail) may soon be rolled out for you if the talk with Google engineer turns out to be true. This guy named Vic Gundotra heading the engineering team at Google demonstrated offline Gmail for iPhone at the World Mobile Congress (WMC).
If you are a Google loyalist and follow their activities, you must be aware of the fact that recently they launched Offline Gmail for PC users and there were really good review of this feature that worked using Google gears. But for iPhone, report says, offline Gmail will work using HTML5’s AppCache and Database standards.
Here is what an article at Tech2 reads:
As of now reports are saying that Gundotra had stated that this was just a "technical concept" right now that essentially depends on HTML5’s AppCache and Database standards, that would have the application as well as all the user data on the handset.
Though, there is no official release about support for Offline Gmail for iPhone users, but the above report points that this feature will surely be rolled out for iPhone users in the days to come. 🙂
Related reading: Check Gmail without Internet Connection
[Image & Info Via Tech2]


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Ramping up infrastructure and food supply chain is critical to stimulate domestic consumption and get the economy back on track, the Department of Finance (DOF) said in a statement Tuesday.
“Build, Build, Build infrastructure modernization program is the best driver of economic growth, and, hence, should be restarted subject to compliance with minimum health standards, once the mobility restrictions are lifted and the coronavirus outbreak is contained,” said DOF Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.
To reinvigorate consumer spending, Dominguez said the government should promote the manufacture of products that have “strong and inelastic demand,” notably by businesses involved in food production and logistics.
Dominguez added the government should also support the whole value chain of food production, including the establishment of food markets for efficient distribution—similar to the fruit and vegetable markets established decades ago in Japan—where farmers can directly sell their produce to consumers.
“We have to stimulate demand, and that’s with ‘Build, Build, Build’ and push[ing] food production,” Dominguez said during the Monday night meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) presided by President Duterte.
Dominguez pointed out that the infrastructure program “remains to be the best driver of economic growth because it has the best multiplier effects in terms of employment and shared prosperity.”
The department assures that government is finishing up an economic recovery program to help businesses get back to their operation.
“It would be useless to provide relief to businesses if demand remains weak and consumers lack the means to buy their goods and services,” Dominguez added.
Dominguez remained optimistic that the economy can get back on its positive growth trajectory, even though first-quarter growth contracted by 0.2%, because the Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to impose strict community quarantine measures, in step with President Duterte’s priority goal of saving lives and protecting communities.
Infrastructure and food supply chain are part of the department’s proposed five priority measures along with government support to the entire food value chain, mass hiring of contact tracers, and urgent passage of the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA) to reopen the economy.


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- Redmi A2 series was launched earlier this year in international markets.
- The Redmi A2 series features a MediaTek Helio G36 SoC.
- Both phones feature a dual-camera setup on the back.
Xiaomi has teased the launch of a new Redmi smartphone. The company has confirmed that it will refresh the Redmi A-series lineup in India with the launch of the A2 series. The Redmi A2 series was launched earlier this year in some European markets. It includes two devices, namely the A2 and A2+. The devices are a successor to the A1 series, which was launched last year in India. Redmi’s new A-series is an entry-level focussed offering. Xiaomi launched two smartphones under the A1 series last year in India, both of which were priced under Rs 10,000. The upcoming Redmi A2 is also expected to be priced in the same category.
Let’s take a look at the Redmi A2 launch, specifications, features, and other details known so far.
Redmi A2 India Launch: What You Need to Know
Xiaomi will launch the Redmi A2 as one of the company’s most affordable smartphones in India. The A2 will launch in India on May 19. The teaser post calls the A2 as “Desh ka smartphone,” which translates to “A smartphone for the country.” The entry-level smartphone has a water-drop notch at the top of the display, as seen in the teaser image.
The official event microsite confirms some key features of the phone. The A2 has a dual-camera setup on the back, next to which is an LED flash module. The camera module design is the same as the outgoing model. It also has a fingerprint scanner, which is found in the A2+.
The devices get a new octa-core processor and a beefy battery. The devices also boot the latest Android 13 software out of the box.
Since the phones have already been launched in international markets, the specs are no longer a mystery.
The A2+ is identical to the A2, except that the former has a fingerprint scanner. Both phones sport a 6.52-inch IPS LCD with an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels. The display has a 20:9 aspect ratio and a standard 60Hz refresh rate support. The bezels around the display are slightly thick, which is common among phones in this price range.
There is a MediaTek Helio G36 processor under the hood. The SoC was launched in internal markets with 3GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 32GB of eMMC 5.1 storage. We can expect Redmi to launch a higher RAM variant of the A2 series in India.
The phones pack a 5000mAh battery and offer 10W charging support. There is a charger in the box. Unfortunately, the phones continue to feature a micro-USB charging port. On the back, there is a dual-camera setup. The phones feature an 8MP primary camera and a QVGA lens. For selfies, there is a 5MP front camera.
The A2 and A2+ were launched in three colour options — Light Blue, Light Green, and Black. Both models have a faux leather rear panel with textures on it. They weigh about 192 grams and measure 164.9 × 76.75 × 9.09mm. What are your thoughts on the upcoming Redmi A series smartphones? Let us know in the comments below.


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Almost immediately after the unveiling of the 2016 Ford Mustang GT350, speculation regarding its full performance potential has begun in earnest. And if estimates by Car & Driver’s initial figures are accurate, then the most recent iteration of the Shelby Mustang could be a literal giant killer in its segment when it arrives to dealer lots sometime next year, striking fear into rivals such as the Chevy Camaro Z/28 as well as foreign stalwarts such as the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911.
While it is officially known that the GT350 will arrive with a naturally-aspirated flat-crank V8 engine and a six speed manual transmission, Ford has so far not released official performance figures for the new engine nor performance data such as 0-60 mph and quarter-mile times. Instead, The Blue Oval has stuck with its rather vague claim that the mighty pony makes “over 500 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque.”
Based on 5.2-liter engine’s high 8,200 RPM limit found in the Mustang Shelby GT350, as well as the 505 and 707 horsepower wielded by the Chevrolet Z/28 Camaro and Dodge SRT Hellcat, respectively, the Mustang should make about 510 horsepower, which would put it slightly above the Z/28, but far short of the Hellcat and its monstrous muscle. Unlike the Hellcat, though, the Stang would be able to not only hook up better, but also make much more efficient use of the extra oomph — which should be welcome to those interesting in taking their pony to the tracks or having fun on twisty roads, rather than rocketing down the road in a straight line.
But despite C&D’s best efforts at deciphering the GT350’s mass, the pony’s curb weight is still a murky mystery. That said, the publication believes that the Shelby GT350 will be a mere 10 pounds heavier than the V8-powered Mustang GT, which tips the scales at 3,800 pounds. The minimal weight will most likely be the result of the pony’s advanced dampers and powertrain.
Lastly, C&D even tackled the swirling debate about how fast the newest iteration of the GT350 could be in terms of track times. Making note of the possible 510 horsepower on tap, as well as the 3800-pound curb weight of the car, C&D estimates that the naturally-aspirated screamer is capable of hitting 60 mph in a brisk 3.9 seconds, with the quarter mile rocketing by at an equally-swift 12.1 seconds.
It’s important to remember, though, that since Ford has yet to share the official numbers for its 2016 GT350, C&D’s findings are not solid proof and are educated assumptions. Even so, they do offer a compelling look into what the Mustang Shelby GT350 could possibly accomplish. Based on these preliminary findings, it appears that Ford has a formidable contender in its stable. Wouldn’t you say?


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» Angka Keluar Hari Ini Singapore Pools
Angka Keluar Hari Ini Singapore Pools
Angka Keluar Hari Ini Singapore Pools on Technology News and Updates AdmaTechnology.com at Friday, April 25, 2014
Toshiba Singapore Digital Products and Service Group (DS) today introduced the Canvio Portable Hard Drive Slim, with a capacity of 500GB.
In a press release received AdmaTechnology, Saturday (2/2), Canvio Slim is one external 2.5-inch hard drive form [...]
Raise money for children with cleft lip.
Today many people are using Google Maps to find directions to a mall, offices, and other locations in the city, a man wearing this app to walk 5.000 miles or 8046.7 kilometers.
Armed with the Google Maps application [...]
An average of 377 of every 1000 people who live to age 15 years will die before reaching the age of 60 years
Man who live in the tropics tend to die sooner, 7.7 years younger than other humans different hemisphere, according to a study initiated by the [...]
Among users of Android smartphones again got good news. This time, an application that has been available only on devices with iOS platform, will also be present on the platform bearing the green robot.
Snapchat, an application that allows you to transmit [...]
Casio introduces intensified digital camera products. Vendors who are familiar with the calculator’s current product offering premium grade camera at a price of Rp 3.9 million or about $390 U.S. dollars, is kind Exilim, the ZR 700 and ZR 1000.
Hewlett Packard (HP) as one of the printer manufacturers claim the new printer, the HP Officejet Pro X Series X476 and X451 Color MFP, the fastest printer in the world.
Recorded in the Guinness World Records, the printer is capable of printing 70 pages [...]
Jakarta – SpeedUp launched “Pad 8″ tablet equipped with HD Display and SpeedUp Studio.
This tablet lets users enjoy more than 850,000 original music content both local and foreign artists.
“The tablet is different from our other [...]
Stylish phone with a sleek body parts excellence and performance backed-powered phones.
Continuing the successful launch of the previous series, the LG Optimus L3, LG Optimus L5 and LG Optimus L7, LG Mobile Indonesia is taking the stylish range of phones [...]
Nikon will launch a digital single-lens reflex (SLR) digital D7100 with a 24.1 megapixel sensor in a number of countries in March 2013.
The camera called Nikon D90 replaces it has a 51-point auto-focus and shutter speed reaches 1/8000 second to 30 seconds.
Electronic Arts announced Saturday game four-person co-op shooter called Fuse, which will be launched on May 28 in North America and May 31 in Europe.
Fuse is the first multiplatform game from Insomniac Games for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, but not [...]
Many Japanese game lovers prefer to search for information about the price of PlayStation 4 (PS4), rather than the design of the console and software support.
The poll Famitsu, Japan’s leading game magazine, mentions 1064 respondents finding out [...]


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A Peterborough shoplifter who was caught on camera stealing from a shop in Werrington whilst in breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) has been jailed.
On 18 February, Joshua Turner, 21, entered Tesco, Staniland Way, Werrington and picked up two bottles of Courvoisier brandy worth £36 each and placed them in a Tesco carrier bag before leaving the shop without making any attempts to pay.
Turner, of no fixed address, returned to the shop the following day and stole bottles of vodka and brandy worth a total of £82.50 by concealing them inside his jacket
He was arrested for unrelated matters in London Road, Fletton, on Friday (23 February) and further arrested whilst in custody for the theft offences and being in breach of his two-year CBO, which states that he must not enter any Co-Op, Tesco, or TK Maxx in Peterborough.
He was made subject of the order last month after being convicted of two counts of theft from a shop, burglary with intent to steal and failing to provide a sample for a class A drugs test.
Turner appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on Saturday (24 February), where he was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison after admitting two counts of theft from a shop and breaching a criminal behaviour order.
He was also ordered to pay £154.50 in compensation to Tesco.
PC Matthew Amos, who investigated, said: “having the CBO in place, we have greater powers when it comes to tackling Turner’s offending, he is a prolific offender with almost 40 convictions for theft offences in the last three years.
“Reports of shoplifting from businesses are extremely beneficial, particularly when tackling our prolific offenders, therefore I would like to encourage them to report shoplifting of any value.”
Anyone with information about Turner breaching the CBO should contact police via the web chat service or report online. Those without internet access should call 101.
CCTV footage of prolific thief who has been jailed after admitting to two counts of theft and breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order


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- 30 Mar 2010:Nokia has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Novarra, a web browsing company based in Chicago. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2010 and following the acquisition, Novarra will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nokia.
- 27 Mar 2010:No Tech Day is a time to set aside the luxury gadgets for 24 hours "to raise awareness of how much we all rely on and use gadgets in our everyday life, and think what life is like for people in the developing world who do not have the same access to technology and energy."
- 24 Mar 2010:HTC has announced the launch of its e-commerce site. Consumers can now browse and purchase from a range of HTC phones and accessories, as well as activate their new handset by selecting a rate plan from one of the four nationwide US operators.
- 8 Mar 2010:
- 4 Mar 2010:
- Corning has announced that its Gorilla glass was selected as the protective cover glass for the docomo Prime series N-02B by NEC. NEC, a mobile phone leader in the Japanese market, is offering this touch phone with a 3.2-inch display.
- 26 Feb 2010:
- 24 Feb 2010:
- 23 Feb 2010:According to a report by Asahi.com, Toshiba is developing a new technology that can turn cell phones into virtual secretaries. Like many of Japan's mobile-related technologies, this will probably be available only in its home country initially.
- 22 Feb 2010:
- 3 Feb 2010:
- 1 Feb 2010:
- 14 Jan 2010:The settlement could lead to improved cameras in Samsung mobile phones.
- 4 Jan 2010:
- 14 Dec 2009:
- 7 Dec 2009:
- 3 Dec 2009:
- 27 Nov 2009:
- 25 Nov 2009:Today's announcement will impact approximately 220 employees in Japan. Nokia last week announced it plans to reduce some of its R&D activities in Finland and Denmark.
- 20 Nov 2009:Nokia plans to align its R&D operations in Finland and Denmark. Up to 230 employees at the Oulu site in Finland and around 100 employees at the Copenhagen site in Denmark will be affected, Nokia said. The number would represent about 2 % of its R&D personnel globally.
- 17 Nov 2009:
- 2 Nov 2009:
- 20 Oct 2009:
- 16 Oct 2009:Nokia has reported a loss for the July to September quarter after sales sank by almost a fifth.
- 11 Oct 2009:Samsung sees size and power benefits in phase-change memory (PCM), a memory type that is being pushed as a replacement for memory that goes into devices like mobile phones today.
- 2 Oct 2009:
- 23 Sep 2009:South Korean telecom regulators have approved the sale of Apple's iPhone in a market currently dominated by local handset manufacturers. Officials at KT, the country's number-two mobile service provider, said they plan to start selling iPhones next month.
- 15 Sep 2009:
- 2 Sep 2009:
- 1 Sep 2009:South Korea's exports fell for a tenth consecutive month as global demand for the nation's automobiles, mobile phones, textiles and steel faltered.
- 28 Aug 2009:
- 26 Aug 2009:
- 21 Aug 2009:
- 14 Aug 2009:The world's Number-2 handset maker is focusing on improving its weaknesses - low-priced phones and high-priced smartphones
- 12 Aug 2009:
- 7 Aug 2009:
- 17 Jul 2009:The world's biggest mobile phone maker saw a 66% slide in quarterly profit as the economic downturn hit demand for handsets. Rival Sony Ericsson also reported a quarterly loss and warned that the rest of the year would remain difficult for the company.
- 16 Jul 2009:ZTE has said it had won 34% of China Mobile Communications's third-round 3G network expansion tender.
- William Ogle, who was most recently chief marketing officer at Samsung Telecommunications America, will head marketing, advertising and brand strategy for Motorola's flagship business.
- Conquer Electronics' Innovation - Industrial Micro Fuses
- OSTAR Takes the Lead to Drive Smart Medical Applications
- Chilisin expanding via process capacity to handle surging orders for 0201 high-frequency chip inductors
- Last Mile to Conquer: Tatung's Bendable Optical Cables Cleverly Resolve Problems Related to Optical Fiber Establishment
- You know EverFocus! But do you really know EverFocus?
- AccuTouch Five Wire Resistive Touchscreens
- Getting the Most Out Of Your Next Generation Digital Security Surveillance System
- Embracing the New Generation Intel Atom Family with DDR3 Memory Support
- Got The Message? Ensuring efficient and reliable delivery of content across a mission critical digital signage network
- Emb' Store On-Demand Software Service for Embedded Computing
- Digitimes Research: GTAT woes disrupt sapphire industry
- Digitimes Research: Enterprise segment to benefit, but PC segment to suffer from HP spin-off
- Digitimes Research: MediaTek, Rockchip to join Chromebook market
- Digitimes Research: China 4G smartphone demand fails to surge; CoolPad, Lenovo, Xiaomi unlikely to achieve 2014 targets
- Digitimes Research: Microsoft to release new inexpensive notebook solution; unlikely to receive full support from vendors
US-based Cree will invest US$83 million to take a 13.32% stake in Taiwan-based Lextar Electronics,...
Karbonn, the second-largest India-based handset vendor, is looking into in-house production. Digitimes...
Sales of handsets in the India market reached 61.07 million units in the first quarter of 2014, with...
With increasing competition from AMOLED, TFT LCD display manufacturers are beginning to look to quantum...
- Smartphone and tablet industry: The view from Taiwan - May 2012
Taiwan-based companies have a long and successful history of involvement in the supply chain for mobile devices, which for the purposes of this article consist...
- Taiwan motherboard industry overview - May 2012
The year 2011 saw the motherboard industry reverse its trend of declining shipments year-on-year, to post a slight 0.2% growth. This upturn in fortunes was expected...
- Notebook market overview - Jun 2011
The notebook industry in 2010 experienced several major events that significantly changed the industry's ecosystem for the year and the industry is also believed...
- LCD TV overview - Jun 2011
Growth of the global LCD TV market was not as strong as expected in 2010 as the market continued to feel the aftershocks of the economic recession that had hit...


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At Google’s I/O developer conference, the company unveiled a new tool that will give users more control and visibility into how their ads are personalized across Google’s apps and sites later this year , including Google Search, YouTube, and Find Feeds in Google Apps.
With a new three-dot menu that will appear on all ads on different sites, users will be able to interact with ads in a variety of ways. They will be able to like or share it, block it or report it, see who paid for it, and find out why they were targeted by it.
If users do not want to see such ads, they can use the embedded tool in this menu or visit the new “My Ad Center” center to inform Google of this preference. To enter the hub, users simply click on the “Customize more ads you see” menu option for a new experience.
Within the new “My Ads Center” hub, users will be able to learn more about how ads are personalized and control how their data is used, Google said. It is specifically designed to process ads that appear on Google-owned and operated sites such as Search, YouTube, and Discover, but does not extend to the Google Display Network.
On the hub’s home screen, users will be able to toggle ads on or off in various categories — like fitness, vacation rentals, skincare, and more — by clicking on the plus and minus buttons for various categories. For example, if you want to see fewer beauty ads, you can just click to remove them from your lineup.
You can also browse the screens that show your favorite brands and click to add or remove them from your personalized ad collection.
Another screen allows users to restrict ads on more sensitive topics, such as those about alcohol, gambling, and Expansion through April, dating, pregnancy, parenting and weight loss. These types of ads may be popular with some users, but may be harmful to others.
For example, if someone is trying to conceive, they may not want to see any pregnancy or parenting related ads. Previously, Google allowed users to adjust these advertising preferences in the “Ads Settings” section of their Google Account dashboard. But now these toggles have been merged into the new My Ad Center tool.
Most notably, the new My Ad Center hub includes a large button at the top of the screen that gives users the option to turn off personalized ads entirely.
But Google believes most users won’t take more extreme steps.
“We believe that personalized advertising is valuable and useful — just like personalized movie recommendations, personalized news recommendations, personalized business recommendations,” said David Temkin, director of privacy and trust for Google Ads.
He also explained that, for the first time, this feature gives users control over what ads they see, not just sensitive ads, and makes the process easy to navigate.
Of course, the tool follows a series of changes affecting the advertising industry.Google The idea of the theme was introduced earlier this year, a way for browsers to understand the interests of users as they move around the web. The system was introduced following complaints from EU antitrust regulators that Google plans to use a different method to deprecate cookies, an approach they say will bolster Google’s market power. With topics, Google categorizes the sites users visit by categorizing them as one of 300 topics. The theme-based system began testing in March along with other related privacy tools.
As part of these trials, Google has said it will provide tools Users can delete interests assigned to them through this topic-based monitoring of browsing activity. This new My Ad Center tool combines Google’s existing tools to more specifically customize the types of ads you show.
My Ad Center Hub is still in development, so the preview available today at Google I/O may change now and when the product goes on sale to the public later this year.


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Semi conductor giant Intel has had discussions with chip maker Nvidia over a possible acquisition, according to several reports. The reports claim that with Intel's long-time chief executive Paul Otellini...
Auth0 will continue as an independent entity, being integrated into Okta’s platform over time
Intel accuses VSLI of patent trolling, says it will appeal
The move comes about two months after the departure of leading Black researcher Timnit Gebru from the company
The chip is optimised for low-precision workloads with a range of machine learning and AI models, IBM says
Lynch who faces extradition to the US, owns about 40 per cent of the UK cybersecurity company valued at £4 billion


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Another Humana chief to retire
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Humana's (NYSE: HUM) Bloem, who also was a senior vice president and the company's treasurer, will retire on Dec. 31. The company has begun searches for successors for both the CFO and treasurer roles, it announced Monday.
As Business First reported, Bloem is the third Humana C-level executive to leave in recent months.
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If you’ve followed the Apple story, you likely know of two key names, with one shared first name – Steve. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were the brains behind Apple, co-founding the company in 1976. Like all savvy consumers, Mr. Wozniak was recently on the lookout for a new credit card to accompany his Amex Centurion “Black Card”, and he and his wife both applied for the Apple Card from Goldman Sachs.
They share all assets, have identical income and virtually everything in their financial snapshot is equal – so why was Mr. Wozniak approved for a card with 10x the limit of his wife on equal footing? Apparently, he’s not the only one offering up the question, and similar patterns have emerged so many times, that New York State has opened up an investigation into discriminatory practices. Is the Apple Card and its AI approval technology sexist? It just might be…
The Apple Card launched as a “revolutionary” financial product this year, even though in reality it was basically picking up on preexisting ideas. Still, like all things “Apple”, it launched too much fanfare, and the diehards had to get their hands on one. After all, it’s made of Titanium.
But quickly, a pattern emerged. Men with equal, or worse off credit scores or incomes were being approved for greater spending limits than their female counterparts. Now, according to the BBC, New York’s Department of Financial Services has opened up an investigation, since any “discrimination” with a financial product violates New York law.
The same thing happened to us. I got 10x the credit limit. We have no separate bank or credit card accounts or any separate assets. Hard to get to a human for a correction though. It’s big tech in 2019.
— Steve Wozniak (@stevewoz) November 10, 2019
Discrimination In Artificial Intelligence
If you’ve ever spoken to a bank, you’ve probably heard a human say “let’s see what the computer says”. That’s because virtually all approvals for credit products and other services are determined by AI factors, modelled by engineers.
What’s interesting, is that patterns emerged where the approval algorithms show bias, including with Apple’s own co-founder Steve Wozniak and his wife, who share all assets and have virtually identical financial snapshots. In the case of the Apple Card, they’re far from alone.
It’s impossible to say whether the algorithms, which were initially created by humans, were biased from the start, or whether the machine learning creates bias over time. Unfortunately for banks like Goldman Sachs and its Apple Card, it doesn’t matter whether the bias is the fault of the humans or the computers. Any and all discrimination is treated equally, and now New York State is on the case.


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GREENFIELD, WI – The Greenfield Plan Commission will discuss new proposals for veterinary clinics, a greenhouse and nursery, a dog boarding business and a new crab restaurant at its meeting on Tuesday.
Each proposal is at a different stage of approval. To be discussed Tuesday: survey maps for Anne’s Acres, a special use permit for Banfield Pet Hospital, signage for the crab of the day, and site maps for veterinary specialists in the Midwest. The Planning Commission will also discuss a temporary permit for Spirit Halloween.
Here’s a look at each of the new activities on offer for Greenfield:
This proposed nursery and garden center would be established at 8711 West Forest Home Avenue. The garden center would specialize in spring annuals such as petunias, geraniums, impatiens, zinnias and others, according to the Planning Commission minutes from July 13.
The garden center would also sell fall moms, winter spruces, and Christmas trees. The center will employ four people full time. Eight people will be hired as seasonal employees. The garden center could branch out into community events – community classes for spring planters and holiday spruce planters have been hinted at as an idea, according to city documents.
Three greenhouses will be built for the new business. Two other greenhouses are possible, according to city documents.
Banfield Animal Hospital
The pet hospital, part of a national chain of more than 1,000 clinics across the United States, is looking to join other businesses at a shopping center at 5005 76th Street. The clinic would be the first of its kind in Greenfield and Wisconsin, according to city documents.
The veterinary clinic focuses on nutritional counseling, vaccinations, parasite control, dental care and behavioral counseling. It doesn’t allow overnight boarding – For emergencies, the clinic works with local partners to provide 24-hour emergency services for pets, according to city documents.
The business would be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. A dog waste station would be set up outside to handle potential pet waste in the area due to the business.
Crab of the Day
Crab Du Jour is getting closer to opening its Greenfield location. The Cajun seafood restaurant and bar is slated to open soon at 4838 76th Street in Greenfield. The restaurant takes over from the old TGI Friday’s.
The company is part of a national chain with already a location in Brown Deer. Its online menu includes Po’Boy sandwiches, crayfish, lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops and of course several types of crab.
Midwest Veterinary Specialists
Midwest Veterinary Specialists is offering to purchase what was once Accommodating Petz at 6815 West Layton Avenue. The building is said to house two veterinary companies run by Dr Mary Sarah Butler, according to city documents.
The veterinarian would function as a specialist veterinary hospital that focuses on orthopedic and neurological conditions. He is also said to have rehabilitation therapy and sports medicine.
A separate company called Animal Urgent Care, LLC is also reportedly operating in the building for routine and urgent animal health issues such as fractures, blood tests, trauma, emergency surgery, according to city documents. .
Spirit Halloween, the national costume and accessory retailer that pops up in empty malls across the country around Halloween, is offering to use the former TJ Maxx location at Spring Mall this year, city documents show .
Spirit Halloween would take up space in August and depart on November 15. The store would be located at 4200 76th Street.


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Lisk's current price fluctuates around $2. Over the past few days, the LSK rate has increased by almost 25%. Are there specific reasons for such a big price change?
A huge demand for LSK?
At the moment, this cryptocurrency, with the market cap of 267 947 889 USD. is on the 34th position in the CoinMarketCap ranking. And even though current increases are nothing compared to ATH on the 7th of January 2018, Lisk has not seen such price levels for a long time.
Yesterday's session on LSK was opened at 1.70 USD, and closed at 2.24 USD and it seems that token's rate is still growing. When looking at the monthly chart, it can be seen that the gradual increases began at the end of January. What is interesting is the fact that it was in July, 2019, that this particular cryptocurrency was for the last time at the level of USD 1.8. In the 7-day range, the LSK rate gained 72.35%. And at over January the increase equaled 89%.
Potential causes of increases
Although a great number of people is looking for reasons why this cryptocurrency experiences such strong increases, it is not as easy to enumerate them as it may seem. It is possible, though, that one of them is the progress towards the Lisk 3.0. During this update, improvements will be made to the altcoin's ecosystem.
Some time ago, LSK was also listed on a popular Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, Coincheck, which launched a stakeout service for it. And although it is part of the test phase, the platform has promised LSK owners that it will share the profits with them. The size of the profits depends on the amount of assets held on the particualr account. There is a possibility that all this translated into the price of this cryptocurrency.


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These days, social networking sites provide constant entertainment, and headlines are dominated by celebrity news most of the time. So, brands need to put extra efforts in creating content to attract people towards their published material. The best way to generate traffic for content is to create content according to editor's advice. Plus, big data … Continue reading Top seven tips to manage your brand’s editorial content
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Car Nicobar is an island that's part of India's chain of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The small island offers idyllic beaches, friendly people, and dense vegetation that can force tourists to extend their stay. It is also home to the Indian Air Force's base which was completely destroyed with almost everything on the island due to … Continue reading Tourists return home from Car Nicobar with a rewarding experience
SEO campaign managers fail to comprehend the meaning of a press release copy A press release means an announcement, newsworthy item or statement made by the concerned organization. It can be information regarding a new product, service, event, or even about someone’s appointment in the company. Organizations may also issue a press release to share … Continue reading Are digital marketing agencies dumping keyword stuffed articles in the name of press releases?
Several researchers have already proved how working from home can help in decreasing stress as well as increase productivity. Companies also end up saving a lot of money spent on office infrastructure. More and more organizations are allowing their employees to work remotely. Here are five aspects that you would experience at some point once … Continue reading Five lessons you would learn when you start working from home


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Both models have undergone through changes involving new graphics and paint finishes and will be available in an all new battle green color with highly stylish and aggressive graphics, the company said.
Commenting on the launch YMIL Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Roy Kurian said: "The launch of the special edition of the FZ series is a clear illustration of how the market has responded to our motorcycles in this series. Our strategic intent is to provide customers with stylish new variants of the FZ series to match his personal style."
Yamaha is confident that these variants will be instrumental in catapulting its sales to a new level during the festive season, the company said.
The FZ series, which has 5-speed gearbox was introduced in 2008 and is popular among the youngsters.
"These bikes have been instrumental in catapulting our sales to an all new level. We are confident that these variants too will be an instant hit among the biking enthusiasts," Kurian said.


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June 25, 2012 2:13 PM
This is the first Wii U box design reveal, according to Amazon. It shows the Darksiders 2 Wii U box art, and it looks pretty good.
May 24, 2012 12:08 PM
There’s a big reason why we haven’t seen many Wii U videos, screenshots, and other media from some …
April 18, 2012 11:19 AM
List of confirmed Wii U launch titles.
March 30, 2012 10:54 PM
The Nintendo Wii U is as powerful as the current generation consoles, according to Darksiders 2 developer Vigil …
March 23, 2012 12:53 PM
Darksiders 2 will be a launch title for the Wii U, THQ recently announced. So far only a …


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Video: Kurzgesagt details the "antibiotic apocalypse" in their latest video and it's a doozy. Basically, our willy nilly use of antibiotics to treat illness and our irresponsible antibiotic use in animals have created bacteria that have become superbugs. These superbugs are now immune to those antibiotics, which could lead to a pandemic. Luckily, it's not all bad! As bacteria evolves, we get smarter too. So it's a race to stay ahead of the doom, basically.
Smart Video Reveals How Antibiotics May Have Created A Dangerous Apocalyptic Scenario
Trending Stories Right Now
The Nintendo Switch looks like it might be complete weaksauce when compared to the best consoles from Sony and Microsoft. But the real question is. Does that matter? Probably not.
It doesn't matter if you want a computer the size of a card, a thumb drive or dice box -- there's a manufacturer out there that has you covered. You can now count ASUS in that mix, with the launch of its "Tinker Board", a Cortex-powered mini-machine aimed at the Raspberry Pi crowd.


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There’s no question that efforts to monetize the Facebook mobile platform considering that spring of this year have yielded huge income numbers for the social media giant. But they’ve also been a boon for brands that made the correct campaign choices. This is specially challenging, as mobile ad CPM prices and onsite ad rates increasing more than the past numerous quarters have made marketing on Facebook far more pricey than ever. While this news initially broke in April thanks to a report by TBG Digital, newer numbers have supporter their findings and suggest the trend is continuing. What does this mean for the little firm hoping to leverage social advertising for a lot more expense-efficient advertising?
It indicates that everybody will want to be far more judicious about their Facebook ad campaign choices and concentrate on the techniques with verified ROIs. On the 1 hand, Facebook mobile advertisements are “outperforming desktop ads in click-by way of prices by 14 times” according to a July TBG Digital report. This is strong, specially considering it is an aggregation of sponsored stories – the highest CTR yielding ad sort – and standard advertisements. On the other hand, Facebook earns a lot more than 10 occasions as much for mobile advertisements served as it does for desktop, at $ 9.86 per thousand views (CPM) as of mid July. That boon comes at a price to advertisers, clearly.
The introduction of Facebook mobile advertisements in mid-summer reversed trends of falling click-via rates that had raised concerns earlier this year, as they juxtaposed currently-climbing Facebook ad prices. This roller-coaster of ad effectiveness remains unpredictable, which adds one more complication for interested organizations and brands. And recent claims by a lot of advertisers on Facebook have further complex the situation, suggesting that “bots” are responsible for a large number of the clicks their advertisements are receiving.
The other key variable is the variety of ad. This gets back to the initial point, that companies need to pay close focus to the effectiveness of their marketing investments on Facebook. Sponsored stories, also named “earned media,” offers the best ROI on the web site. These types of advertisements aim to get “likes” by featuring the ad in users’ news feeds with a larger layout that tends to make it far more likely for users’ pals to see the ad and also “like” it as effectively as pay a visit to the internet site. This variety of marketing is drastically outperforming conventional Facebook ads, but has a higher initial cost and relies on currently-existing branding to be as successful as possible.
So just at the surface, there is a lot going on with Facebook mobile and advertising successfully on the social media platform. Businesses looking to remain competitive and get new site visitors from this tool should be wary of investing too considerably up front, and as an alternative focus on testing and monitoring to determine which kind of marketing delivers them the best ROI.


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Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.
I fancy there were several red faces at Microsoft on Thursday.
Angry red, I mean.
It's never a good day when a respected organization like Consumer Reports un-recommends your Surface products and declares that they have an estimated 25 percent chance of breaking down within two years.
As my colleague Dan Ackerman explained in his excellent analysis, there's been no widespread evidence that Surfaces are poorly made. And this survey didn't seem to cover any Surface models made in the last two years. In other words, it didn't include the current Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models released in 2017.
Moreover, Consumer Reports' conclusion was based on a survey of 90,741 tablets and laptops bought by its subscribers. How many of them actually owned Surface devices isn't clear.
"We never divulge the exact number. But we can say that the minimum number of responses needed for any brand to be included in our analyses is 300," a Consumer Reports spokesman told me.
Microsoft may have a problem -- and not just because Apple's estimated breakage rate in the same Consumer Reports survey was 10 percent. That was the lowest among all the major players in the laptop industry. By sharp contrast, Microsoft's rate was the highest.
Redmond's corporate vice president of devices, Panos Panay, vigorously -- angrily, it felt -- defended the Surface's product quality in a blog post Thursday.
"In the Surface team we track quality constantly, using metrics that include failure and return rates – both our predicted 1-2-year failure and actual return rates for Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book are significantly lower than 25 percent," he said.
He didn't specify how much lower, however. He did say that incidents per unit were now well below 1 percent.
Both sides can present figures. But rationality only goes so far. The bigger issues for Microsoft are the impression left and the potential that it will last.
When Consumer Reports un-recommended Apple's laptops because of alleged battery issues at the end of 2016, the bitterness was short and sweet. Within three weeks -- including, one imagines, aggressive Apple lobbying -- Consumer Reports was suddenly happy. All it had taken, apparently, was a software update.
That's what Microsoft must hope for too. It needs a very swift replay review and a call of "safe."
Otherwise, the negative whispers will spread and the brand will get tarnished with a touch of rust-bucketyness. Once that happens, a brand often ends up in a defensive posture.
That would be painful for Microsoft, as it's just become a confident aggressor.
After all, the Surface brand has become a genuine competitor, one that, with the Surface Studio last year, made Apple's laptops look as alluring as the Gap collection, circa winter 2010.
Microsoft may have a slightly harder task here.
It's not as if it can ask all of the Consumer Reports subscribers to think again about whether they really had issues with their Surface devices or whether they were partaking of an ill-advised carafe of Touriga Nacional at survey time.
One temptation may be to suddenly release ads that trumpet the Surface's reliability. This might be a mistake. When you protest even a little, it may already be too much.
Redmond will, no doubt, spend the next weeks and months tracking its data and poring over its focus group research. (Oh, you know there'll be focus group research after this.)
It will hope that this August news will disappear like a mere after-dinner belch.
Next best would be reports of markedly increased Surface sales.
Luckily, we're heading into the NFL season, where the Surface plays center.
The coaches hold it, the players look into it and now even the referees are staring at replay reviews on it.
It would surely lift Redmond's spirits if New England Patriots' coach -- and notorious Surface-loather -- Bill Belichick suddenly declared that the product was 10 times better than a MacBook or an iPad Pro.
And at least five times better than the paper which he preferred for much of last season.
Correction, Aug. 11 at 9:20 a.m. PT: Fixes the difference between the estimated breakage rates for Microsoft and Apple products.
Tech Culture: From film and television to social media and games, here's your place for the lighter side of tech.
Batteries Not Included: The CNET team shares experiences that remind us why tech stuff is cool.


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Already faced with a price tag $20 more expensive than in the US plus the cost of import tax, the news is likely to come as a shock to those who based their order on Amazon's promise there would be "no additional fees for international customers".
In fact, while books in the US cost around $9.99, us Brits will have to fork out $13.99 for the same title – working out at around a 40% premium.
Amazon has addressed this issue stating that both higher operating costs in the UK and higher VAT rates on ebooks than regular books have forced the price hike.
The Kindle is due for international release on 19 October – let us know below is this news has put you off, and be sure to check out our ereader group test for some suitable alternatives.
Via: The Guardian


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Co-working offices. Pop-up shops. A plug-and-play hackathon venue. A bouldering wall.
The latest tech space? No — a San Francisco shopping mall.
This week, Westfield Corp. announces the spring launch of Bespoke — 35,000 square feet of co-working, demonstration and event space to be built out within Westfield San Francisco Centre, set amid the mall’s 200 traditional retailers and restaurants.
The Bespoke project comes at a time when mall developers are weathering the rise of nimble online retailers — and struggling for relevance with the next generation. Westfield hopes to appeal to both shoppers looking for entertainment and to retailers — startup and established — hungry to test prototypes on their target customers.
This is the first project of its kind from Westfield Corp., the mall’s owner, which has gained an international reputation for investing in technology. After two years of planning with partner Forest City, the national real estate developer, it’s an experiment in the hotbed of retail-tech fervor. And it’s an approach that experts say is thus far unique.
“No one is doing this at this point,” says Mark Evans, managing partner of BrandGarage, which connects startups with brands like L’Oreal and Home Depot. “It really is being done out of the fact that they are part of the Silicon Valley culture, the ecosystem. I haven’t seen anyone across the country or world do this. It’s pretty phenomenal.”
Bespoke is a local idea
While Westfield Corp. operates 40 malls around the world, Bespoke is a local idea. It’s the brainchild of Westfield Corp.’s co-CEO Steven Lowy working with global chief digital officer Kevin McKenzie, who runs Westfield Labs — a team of about 60 on Level 5 of San Francisco Centre.
Two years ago, Labs was formed to experiment with ways to link the digital shopper with the physical world, and Bespoke — its most high-profile project to date — was tailored to the types of startups with which Labs often meets. These might include developers of wearable tech, location-based apps and user-generated content platforms, and online-only retailers and “traditional” retailers looking to innovate, McKenzie says.
Bespoke’s planned work space includes mall-facing “conference rooms” that transition into pop-up storefronts, turning the mall into the ultimate retail laboratory and its 20 million yearly visitors into its test subjects. Shoppers will be able to test unreleased products, while entrepreneurs will be able to observe valuable real-world reactions without the commitment of a traditional storefront.
“It’s always really interesting when classic brick-and-mortar companies start leveraging technology more,” says Hackbright Academy co-founder David Phillips, who says Bespoke would be an ideal location to hold classes for Hackbright’s all-women’s engineering school. “You’d be able to build and test product right within walking distance from where you’re sitting.”
The name Bespoke is a nod to the heritage of retail, explains Westfield Labs Global Vice President Lindsey Thomas. It’s also a term currently favored in the developer community, as the trend in technology is toward tailoring to the individual.
A first for retail
“Being in the Bespoke community, you are instantly a part of the retail marketplace, and that’s never been available before,” McKenzie says.
Another key feature is a 18,000-square-foot event facility.
“The event space is the most exciting for me, because my business focuses on connecting big brands with startups and consumers,” says Evans, of BrandGarage. He compares the interactive demonstration area to The Exploratorium. “It’s something that draws consumers into the mall to see what’s new, what’s next.”
Brite Lite Immersive Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Justin Gelinas, who has worked on tech-meets-design projects at events like the Golden Globes, Super Bowl and New York Fashion Week, has found major demand for event space. “Union Square is a hot spot for that. The event space will solve a really big problem in having unique ways to tell stories and launch products.”
Amid reports that suggest mall foot traffic is down in recent years, is this just a pie-in-the-sky idea created in hopes of rescuing an outdated shopping trip?
“This is absolutely not a Hail Mary,” says Jesse Tron of the International Council of Shopping Centers. Bespoke, he says, comes at a time when malls are no longer just a place “where you buy stuff. No one is building 1980s malls anymore — but that’s evolution.”
Rather than using foot traffic numbers, mall operators now look at factors such as occupancy as indicators of health, he says. Currently shopping centers are at 92 percent, which is the pre-recession level.
Today’s consumers are looking for an “omni-channel” experience, says retail consultant and Brian Brands founder Brian Kelly. He sees major opportunity for online-only companies to add dimension by expanding into physical retail locations. Recent examples include e-tailers Warby Parker, Bonobos and Birchbox.
And that’s one way Bespoke comes in. One of the challenges with startups, McKenzie says, is that while they know how to build business online, taking it to market offline isn’t frictionless. “Our job,” he says, “is to make it as easy to set up shop as it is to build a store on eBay.”
Bespoke reflects a trend of treating the mall as an entertainment destination, says retail strategist Lynn Switanowski, founder of Creative Business Consulting Group. What was once an elaborate food court has now extended into movie theaters and bowling alleys. “The traditional mall concept is kind of old school,” she says.
Test new products
In addition to observing retail-tech startups toiling in Bespoke’s shared office spaces (which are just beyond Level 4’s historic dome), visitors will be able to test products before they hit the market and attend fashion shows and speaker sessions behind the demo area’s 30-foot digital walls.
Still, skeptics might wonder, in a time when innovation insanity is at its peak — when tech incubators and pop-up shops have become the rule — why another tech-based co-working space matters.
“It’s natural to think, 'Why wouldn’t we fill it with just more stores?’” McKenzie says. “But culturally, the company has decided to make space to rethink these experiences that we put in our space.”
In a city in which innovation is everyone’s middle name, it’s only natural that Westfield would dress the part.
“It’s the mall of the future, if you will,” Evans says. “And part of the process is a view into the sausage-making. It’s a window into Silicon Valley.”
Maghan McDowell is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org


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MOD Pizza has raised another US$160 million in financing led by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). The fast-growing pizza chain’s total fundraising is now up to US$339 million. The Seattle-based company has plans to grow to around 1000 locations over the next five years from its current 433 sites.
Scott Svenson, MOD Pizza’s co-founder and CEO, said that the deal was “further validation of our belief that profit and positive social impact can coexist.” MOD was founded 11 years ago and has become one of the fastest-growing chains in the United States.
As a part of the deal with CD&R, Ken Giuriceo, a CD&R partner, and Paul Pressler, another CD&R partner will join MOD’s board of directors. Svenson said, “We are incredibly energised by the opportunity to work with CD&R to scale the MOD brand while continuing to build our people-first, purpose-driven culture.”
In response, Giuriceo, said, “MOD has clearly proven that building a business around a meaningful and authentic purpose can align and inspire the team to produce incredible results. The company is poised to continue its rapid growth, and we are thrilled to join their talented team of industry veterans to further develop and strengthen the MOD business and brand.”


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The latest Penneys clothing range 'trend' has sparked a hilarious debate online.
The fashion retailer recently unveiled one of its new AW/21 ranges and it has received a major reaction online.
Named the 'Urban Commuter' range, it features a quilted bucket hat, quilted bib and quilted shoulder bag.
However, it was another item in the range that sparked the hilarious debate on social media.
Featured in the display is the range's quilted trolley bag, causing quite a stir among Penneys fans online.
Here's some of the hilarious reactions to the trolley.
One Penneys fan wrote: "Wow, gonna be some stylish grannies down the post office next week."
"With the current petrol situation it's a winner," another replied.
Another commented: "Bringing it to the other half's house like a suitcase, shipping everything out of it."
While another reply read: "Finally granny trolleys are in Style! Oh Happy Days."
What do you think of them?