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Tecno Spark 7T is a budget smartphone released from the smartphone company Tecno. Mahalaxmi Mobiles, the authorised distributor of Tecno Mobiles in Nepal has released this budget phone in Nepal recently.
Tecno also recently launched a mid-range phone Camon 17P and also has a premium phone named Phantom X. Tecno is gradually releasing smartphones in the Nepali market and will continue to do so in the coming days as well. Not long ago, companies like Vivo, Samsung, Realme and Xiaomi have also launched budget smartphones here and it will be interesting to see which phone will perform well in the market. In this sense, Tecno Spark 7T has a daunting task ahead, but let’s know about the details of the phone for now.
|6.52-inch IPS LCD 570 nits
|Android 11, HIOS 7.6
|Mediatek Helio G35 (12nm)
|Rear: 48MP, AF
Secondary AI camera
Front: 8MP, dual-LED flash
|Loudspeakers and 3.5mm headphone jack
|Nebula orange, magnet black, and jewel blue
|Rear-mounted fingerprint, proximity, accelerometer
|Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz Bluetooth, MicroUSB 2.0, GPS supported, FM radio enabled
Design and display
Tecno Spark 7T has a glass front, a plastic back and a plastic frame. It has a glossy back and is susceptible to fingerprints. The sparkling glossy back houses the camera module on which the LED flashlight is also housed together. Just beside the camera module is the fingerprint sensor. At the front, it has a dot notch that houses a selfie camera. With a width of 76.1mm, the phone is 9.5mm thick.
There is a 6.52-inch IPS LCD display on the phone that has a maximum resolution of 720*1,600 pixels. The screen-to-body ratio of the phone is 81.8%, meaning it has more bezels on the screen than its competitors on the market.
Tecno Spark 7T houses a 48MP dual camera on the back with quad-LED flash. The company claims the newly added AI lens on the back brightens the overall dark environment and helps to capture the pictures quickly. The rear cameras are accompanied by the quad-LED flash.
At the front, there is a single 8MP selfie camera which is accompanied by a dual-LED flash. Both cameras on the front and rear can record videos in 1080p at 30fps.
Performance and battery life
Tecno Spark 7T runs on HIOS 7.6 based on Android 11. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G35 (12nm). It also has an Octa-Core CPU and the graphics are handled by PowerVR GE8320.
Giving the power to the phone is a mammoth 6,000 mAh Li-Po non-removable battery. This power should be enough to have a standby time for up to 30 days. The battery backup can be great for YouTube streaming, watching your favourite movies, and gaming as it should provide a substantial amount of power without worrying about charging.
Storage, connectivity and other features
Tecno Spark 7T only has a single variant at the moment. The 4GB RAM variant comes with 64GB of internal storage. The memory of the phone can be expanded with a MicroSD card by up to 264GB.
The phone has a dual-sim setup and also supports Wi-FI 802.11 b/g/n. There is also Bluetooth connectivity, FM Radio and micro USB 2.0 for further connectivity. For audio, it has both loudspeaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Tecno Spark 7T also has plenty of features for the users. It has a Bluetooth Audio Share 2.0 for instantly sharing your audio and the Inervation app to create movies out of your photo. There is also an inbuilt voice changer app on the phone that you can use for fun. For security, there is a peek proof mode on the mode that will prevent people from peeking on your phone’s display when you are using it. The phone also offers a customised app lock feature, with which you can lock any app of your choice. The phone also includes a child mode to limit their use of content.
The price of Tecno Spark 7T is Rs 16,490.
Given this price range, Tecno Spark 7T competes with smartphones from Samsung and Xiaomi. Budget smartphones like Realme Narzo 50i, Vivo Y1s, Poco C3, Redmi 9c and Samsung’s Galaxy M01s are already in the market competing in this price category.


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Read the full story from Food Navigator. Yesterday (11 December), MEPs convened to discuss Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plans to achieve climate neutrality
Read the full story in Food Business News. Food and beverage manufacturers began responding to consumer demand for less processed products with shorter ingredient statements
Read the full story at FoodBev Media. Jose Cuervo has used fibrous material left over from the tequila-making process to develop a sustainable alternative to
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune. McDonald’s coffee bean remnants are getting a second purpose in life in the form of car parts.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune. Imagine bananas that never go bad. To Aidan Mouat, CEO of Chicago-based Hazel Technologies, it’s not so
Read the full story in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods. While there is still a sizable gap in the availability of sustainable products, a number of

domain: news


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Search Results for 'Subaru Tecnica International'
5 results found.
The newly-redesigned Subaru Impreza has gone on sale here. The Japanese carmaker says it offers Subaru’s promise of driving fun, all-around safety, and above-average resilience.
Subaru has launched its Subaru XV Crossover and Impreza, the first new models to be built on its latest global platform.
The new Ford Fiesta ST is Ford’s fastest and most dynamic small production performance car ever - now that's saying something.
The new Ford Fiesta ST is Ford’s fastest and most dynamic small production performance car ever - now that’s saying something! It employs a precision-tuned and driver-focused powertrain and chassis to deliver the ultimate Fiesta driving experience.
The new Cosworth Impreza will go head to head with Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution X FQ-400.


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Why Podcasting Survived and Thrived in a Post-Pandemic 2022
2022 has proven that podcasts are resilient and adaptable. Whilst growth was predictable and expected throughout covid, this year, a dip in listenership and production seemed inevitable, especially with a recession looming. However, we continue to see the podcast industry grow and diversify, with 2022 seeing Australia overtake the US as the most advanced podcast market in the world with 78% of Australians listening to podcasts monthly. (The Infinite Dial 22). Why is this? What trends have driven consumption this year? How has Spotify taken the crown as the top streaming service? Read on to find out, plus our predictions for 2023.
Entertainment over Information
After a tough couple of years filled with lockdowns and covid upheavals, 2022 saw listeners turning to lighter subject matter, with more podcast episodes being released between June and August 22 using words like “love”, “marriage” and “summer” in their titles when compared to the previous two years (Acast). In 2020 we were much more caught up in serious talk of Covid-19, important stories around the Black Lives Matter movement, and general business news as the world was turned upside down. 2021 was much of the same, with words like “Covid”, “Black Lives Matter”, “The Future” and “Business” trending in podcast episode titles. Proving how diverse the podcast genre can be, the entertaining aspect of podcasts can be as compelling as the medium's ability to educate and inform.
As the volume of podcasts available continues to expand, subject matter becomes more diversified and niche. Some podcast hosts have even started second podcasts to focus in on particular areas of interest that have emerged from their first venture. This means that more specific audiences are targeted, with a deeper level of interest as the subject matter is highly interesting and relevant for them. For example, podcast founder and host Lauren Shippen started a show called “The Bright Sessions,” a science fiction podcast that follows a group of supernatural therapy patients. Going even deeper into a particular element of the show, she also created Dashboard Diaries, which explores all things Tumblr. Niching down of podcasts helps both retain existing listeners and attract new ones to the medium.
Spotify Goes Premium in 2022
After increased competition in the streaming market, Spotify has solidified its position as the #1 audio network in 2022. Despite predictions that entertainment subscriptions were in for a rough ride in 2022 due to macroeconomic pressures,
in Q3 2022, Spotify added 7 million net Premium subscribers to its user base, taking its total global paying subs audience to 195 million.
Ad revenues were up by +3% YoY at constant currency in the quarter – an increase that Spotify said was “led by podcasting” (Music Business Worldwide).
Spotify also noted that podcast consumption rates “grew in the double digits” YoY and “podcast share of overall consumption hours reached an all-time high” (Forbes). Part of this success was due to securing exclusive podcast content. Notable successful launches from Spotify this year include Meghan Markle’s Archetypes, which reached #1 in the podcast charts in more than six countries and the growth of Aussie larrikins The Uninspired Unemployed, which was consistently in the top 10 most listened to podcast charts all year.
Additionally, Spotify acquired Podsights (a leading podcast advertising measurement service) this year and launched a new platform bundle for Megaphone podcast publishers, offering free access to both Podsights and Chartable.
Podcast Ads Expand
In Q3 2022, ARN’S iHeart reported that spending on Australian podcast advertising had grown by 33% year on year. Advertising spend across the TV & Film podcast category grew the most rapidly by 285% from this time last year. Other podcast genres to exponentially grow in investment year on year were History (up 115%), True Crime (up 91%), and Sports (up 62%) (Radio Today).
The top advertisers in podcasting for AU were reported to be Amazon, McDonalds, Calm and Airbnb.
Why are top Australian companies choosing to advertise on podcasts and why are we seeing such strong growth figures in a year when most of the world has gone back to work and has less time for entertainment? Listeners tend to pay more attention to, remember, and consider the brands mentioned in podcasts. They also pay more attention to ads that run on podcasts compared to other places (like TV, social media, etc.). Research from Spotify shows that 4 in 5 listeners have taken action after hearing audio ads during a podcast (Spotify).
What’s next for 2023?
The audio landscape in Australia has grown exponentially over the last few years and 2023 should be no different. There are more audio publishers and content than ever before.
As a result of these new audio services and the increase in opportunities, the PwC Entertainment and Media Outlook Report 2021-2025 has estimated that the Australian streaming audio and podcast ad market was worth $599 million in 2020 and forecasts that the sector will experience a very healthy CAGR of 12% between 2019 and 2025, to reach $921 million in 2025 (IAB Audio Buyer’s Guide 22).
Put simply, the podcast industry shows no signs of slowing down in its production of quality content, appeal to listeners and effective advertising campaigns.
The future of podcasting is lively and filled with innovation and potential. 2022 should have been a slow year for the industry, with rising interest rates meaning tightened budgets and a majority of the population returning to the office in some capacity, meaning less time for entertainment. However, podcasts have evolved to become hubs for global conversations on many varied issues with voices spanning to all corners of the world and across all social groups. It’s through those conversations that we can keep up that feeling of connectedness and belonging, regardless of borders or boundaries, lockdowns or recession. We predict that 2023 will be the biggest year yet for podcasting, as innovation and more data allows us to get further insights on the attention sweet spot and how best to entertain and inform audiences, through both podcast content and ads.


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Saddle Club ‘fun’ set
Posted: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 4:28 pm
The Messenger. 07.23.08 Obion County Saddle Club will host a St. Jude fun show Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. at the Obion County Fairgrounds. There will be an auction of homemade baked goods and donated items. For more information, call 886-0471, 335-1907 or (270) 627-6061. The public is invited to attend, a spokesman said.


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Brad Johnson, an expert on skeletal muscle growth in cattle, helped lead a study examining ways to increase marbling in beef without increasing overall fatness.
There are few things in life more enjoyable than a thick, juicy steak cooked to perfection.
But in a time when the public seems to search for cuts of meat with the least amount of fat, finding meat with just the right combination of leanness and flavor can become quite the quest. An expert at Texas Tech University, however, is part of a study that might have found the answer.
College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources professor Brad Johnson, the Gordon W. Davis Regent's Chair in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at Texas Tech, partnered with Texas A&M professor Stephen B. Smith to discover the key to finding the most palatable, preferable cut of meat is in its marbling, and they have discovered a way to increase marbling without increasing external fat.
The key, Johnson said, is isolating a receptor in marbling adipocytes, which are fat cells juxtaposed to muscle tissue. Activation of that receptor, called G-coupled Protein Receptor 43 (GPR 43) produces lipids, and lipids are the key ingredient in marbling.
"We feel if we can regulate this receptor in marbling, we can increase marbling without making the cattle fatter," Johnson said. "As the cattle make fat, the feed efficiency goes down and for consumers we trim off all the excess fat. But if marbling is what consumers want, we can increase marbling at different times in the feeding cycle without making the cattle fatter, and that would be a huge benefit for the beef industry."
Marbling vs. backfat
Though they might look the same on a ribeye cut, there is a distinct biological difference between backfat and marbling, and it affects the palatability of beef.
The key is in the composition of the adipocytes that make up the backfat and marbling. Subcutaneous adipocytes are more commonly known as backfat. Intramuscular adipocytes are more commonly known as marbling fat and are visible as the lines between sections of beef tissue, or the red meat.
What Johnson and Smith have done through biological and biochemical means is isolate the adipocytes and grow them in culture systems. In those experiments, Johnson and Smith discovered differences between subcutaneous adipocytes and intramuscular adipocytes.
Marbling adipocytes are much smaller in size and diameter than subcutaneous adipocytes, which tend to clump together. Another difference is metabolic, or which energy source they use to produce backfat or marbling. Backfat adipocytes use acetate, which is a volatile fatty acid produced in the rumen of cattle. Marbling adipocytes, however, require glucose, which Johnson said is a premium energy source for both animals and humans.
The biggest discovery is the GPR 43 receptor in marbling adipocytes that increase the production of lipids, which increases the production of marbling without increasing fat.
"At the end, it's all triglycerides, it's all adipose tissue," Johnson said. "But, in fact, from a mechanistic standpoint, the end result is you have a pile of marbling and a pile of backfat. But it's how it gets to that point which is different. Marbling needs glucose to metabolize. Backfat can do it with acetate."
Market for marbling
The push from consumers to have more marbling and less fat, Johnson said, comes from the revelation that marbling appears to be very high in a healthy fatty acid called oleic acid. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid that in humans has been shown to decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and possibly increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. It also has been linked to lowering blood pressure.
"Generally, if you can avoid backfat and consume lean tissues that have marbling, it contains a lot of oleic acid, which is beneficial for human health," Johnson said. "That story has to be told many times to consumers as it can cause many to see any fat as being negative to their diet."
Johnson said several cattle breeds in Japan, Korea and China are bred to have very high marbling content. To compare, USDA choice beef usually is about 6 percent intramuscular fat, where Japanese Wagyu cattle produce about 30-35 percent intramuscular fat. He added high-end steakhouses in the U.S. have a huge demand for prime steaks with marbling, and those usually have about 6-8 percent marbling.
Asian cattle, however, are fed for much longer periods of time, close to three years in fact, where U.S. beef breeds are usually raised and harvested for meat between 18 and 22 months of age.
Johnson said the longer cattle feed, the more they are able to replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats, such as marbling. Cattle release an enzyme called stearoyl-CoA desaturase, which takes steric acid, a saturated acid, and saturates it to form double bonds to convert it into oleic acid.
"As the animal matures, it gets fatter, has more days on feed, it increases the activity or this enzyme," Johnson said. "So, in fact, we are creating more monounsaturated fat. The best way to get more oleic acid is to feed cattle longer."
Johnson said the genetics of cattle breeds used in the U.S. simply won't allow for marbling comparable to Asian breeds, although dairy breeds such as Holsteins, which make up about 20 percent of the beef cattle industry, do marble very well and without much backfat. U.S. beef producers would have to introduce Asian breeds to have cattle with high marbling, but because they feed so long it would not be economically feasible.
How to increase marbling
Johnson said one of the keys for U.S. beef producers to increase marbling and oleic acid synthesis in beef is grain feeding or corn feeding and the most detrimental thing that can be done is grass feeding, or grazing.
"What happens in the rumen when animals consume grass or roughage, their fermentation pattern is such that it reduces marbling even more," Johnson said. "They have fewer amounts of oleic acid for beef. Grain feeding very much promotes marbling deposition. That's one thing we do in feedlots that does promote marbling.
"The reason it is still very interesting is, as important as marbling is for quality-grade beef in this country, from an economical standpoint, even in today's conditions, there's generally not enough premium for high-marbled beef that the added pounds pay the bills. It's still more advantageous to put on more carcass weight regardless of high quality or average quality beef."
So the key becomes increasing marbling through genetics and further studies like the one Johnson and Smith published. That will be done through more efficient feeding to increase the production of oleic acid, but only as long as it is economical to the producer.
"My whole goal was to be able to get high-marbled beef without having to spend a lot of money on feed," Johnson said. "That's still my goal from a sustainable beef producing standpoint. If we can get a high quality, healthy product on fewer days on feed, I think that will be very favorable. We've got some commercial partners where we have found specific ligands in feed additives for the receptors and trying to mitigate marbling by activating those receptors."
And you'll know it happened by the next bite of that juicy, Texas-fed ribeye.
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Kriya, a prominent player in the FinTech sector, has made headlines by securing a substantial £50m debt facility.
This significant financial boost comes from Viola Credit, a long-standing debt partner of Kriya.
Kriya operates at the forefront of the FinTech industry, offering innovative B2B payment solutions. With a primary focus on streamlining the payment process, Kriya provides PayNow and PayLater options, catering specifically to B2B retailers and marketplaces. These services are designed to facilitate smoother online checkouts and offline orders, offering flexible payment terms such as 30 or 60 days, and even allowing for payments to be split over several months.
The essence of Kriya’s service is to enhance the check-out experience, thereby helping merchants to not only attract but also retain business customers, ultimately fostering larger sales volumes and aiding buyers in managing their cash flow more effectively.
The newly acquired funding will be instrumental for Kriya in doubling down on its existing services. The plan is to significantly scale the volume of payments processed and to expand the support provided to merchants, not just within the UK but also to exporters dealing in multiple currencies across 45 different markets. This expansion includes the facilitation of transactions in major currencies such as GBP, USD, and EUR, marking a substantial stride in Kriya’s growth and operational reach.
Kriya CEO Anil Stocker shared his vision, stating, “We’re seeing big changes in how forward-looking merchants think about their B2B sales journeys from marketing to and onboarding new types of buyers through new channels, to smoothing the checkout process by offering different payment options and PayLater features that help their buyer’s cashflow.”
Ido Vigdor, General Partner at Viola Credit, also commented on the partnership, noting, “Over the last 12 years Kriya has successfully supported businesses by delivering products like B2B invoice finance, business loans and credit lines. This new evolution of offering embedded B2B Payments to merchants allows them to reach even more small businesses by removing fiction in the purchasing process. We’re happy to continue and deepen our relationship with Kriya with this additional financing capacity as they scale their B2B embedded financing product.”
Keep up with all the latest FinTech news here.
Copyright © 2024 FinTech Global


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A huge tip from a customer
Like so many small businesses being forced to adapt to social restrictions amidst the novel coronavirus shutdowns, this Arkansas steakhouse has been struggling to make ends meet—but thankfully, one of their regular customers gave them a much-appreciated financial windfall.
Despite the difficulties of remaining open during the COVID-19 shutdowns, the Colonial Steakhouse restaurant in Pine Bluff has managed to stay open by maintaining a team of four employees to offer curbside pickup for three days of the week.
Last week, one of the restaurant’s regular customers decided to leave a hefty tip for their takeout order—and the staffers were stunned by the amount.
The customer tipped the Colonial Steakhouse $1,200—which was the customer’s entire stimulus check issued by the federal government to relieve the financial burden of the pandemic.


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How You Like Me Now? Tristan Thompson Buys Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches For Everyone In Line With Him
The Great Chicken Sandwich Wars that have captivated the hearts and minds of America doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Unless you’re vegetarian or vegan, it’s impossible not to be impacted by this! That goes for NBA players too!
After Popeyes announced its new sandwich, it sparked an online debate on who makes the best chicken sandwich. Chick-fil-A or Popeyes?
The debate has gotten intense, but it’s mostly social media fun, with everyone trying to get their jokes off. Read: passive-aggressive.
Fast food giant Wendy’s even got in on the action via Twitter:
The rush to Popeyes locations across the country has led to longer-than-normal wait times and chicken sandwiches selling out at some locations.
In an Instagram post captured by Baller Alert, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson appears to order his meal and is asked by another customer to pay for everyone else's as well.
Thompson must have been in a good mood or feeling particularly generous and it looks as though he obliged and took care of everyone waiting.
Certainly a nice gesture, and it likely made the wait OK for everyone since they all got a free meal.
You have to wonder, with all of this free advertising and attention Popeyes has captured in the public consciousness, maybe they, too, will be generous and do something nice.


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MUJI, everybody’s beloved minimalist Japanese lifestyle brand is expanding from being a mere retailer for home goods and lifestyle items — it is set to open its very first hotel in Shenzhen, China in late 2017, while the second hotel will be on home ground in Tokyo, Japan, opening in Spring 2019.
The 10-storey hotel in Tokyo will be the first of its kind, set in Ginza district — it will be made up of a global flagship store that will take up the bottom six levels of the building, and the hotel rooms taking up the rest of the four levels above.
The four-storey hotel in Shenzhen will feature more than 70 rooms artfully decorated with MUJI furniture and products (duh), with an emphasis on recycled wood. Imagine waking up to everything MUJI in your room. #staycationgoals
The Shenzhen MUJI hotel will also have a restaurant, fitness centre and, of course, a store on the first floor.
For MUJI lovers, prepare to make a trip down to either Shenzhen or Tokyo once the hotels are up and running. Kick back and enjoy being in MUJI heaven while you’re there!
Dates: Opening late 2017 (in Shenzhen), Spring 2019 (in Tokyo)
We're hiring lifestyle writers!


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Authorities and politicians have always talking about the planet’s biggest polluters. They’ve claim there are big polluters, who pumped smoke into the air and dumped dangerous toxins into rivers and lakes. They've razed forests and farmland and produced enormous quantities of greenhouse gases every year and change our planet’s climate.
Environmental destruction in the name of big business is nothing new or unusual. People are so used to it, in fact, that it’s newsworthy when companies work diligently to protect the environment. Some are talking only about, but some make a huge progress on that front, while others are just starting to be more environmentally responsible and don’t know where to go.
It’s not enough, research suggests, especially as manufacturers in China, India, Indonesia and the U.S. continue to produce millions of tons of greenhouse gases each year. But it’s just a start. Read and study our site to get an idea, what we are doing and working on to save the planet.
WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME "MOTHER EARTH"
"climate change" and "global warming"...
© 2012 – 2022 by Volksgrun.com


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- change ups
Shopping centers, openings/closings, technology and innovation
Senate Fiscal Agency projects the law will bring in $50M in new revenue annually.
LANSING — Many businesses across Michigan will benefit from a new law that subjects online retailers such as Amazon and Overstock.com to the same 6 percent sales tax that “brick-and-mortar” businesses collect from consumers. Read More
The region’s beer industry ranks highly among readers of an international website dedicated to rating beer. Read More
Grand Rapids has been bestowed a beer city title by a major brand in the media and travel industries. Read More
Sheldon Cleaners is opening a café/creperie in one of its Grand Rapids locations.
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) At first it was just going to be a little coffee shop in one of their dry-cleaning/laundry locations. Then the Cares brothers decided to have a little fun. Read More
LANSING — Governor Rick Snyder has vetoed bills to prohibit e-cigarettes from being regulated as tobacco products under Michigan law. Read More


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It’s no secret that with new technology comes new headaches for manufacturers and integrators alike. While HDMI 2.1 supports dynamic HDR and 48G bandwidth, integrators have started to notice some complications.
To help CEDIA members navigate the ever-changing video landscape, CEDIA Expo Virtual played host to Joel Silver, CEO and lead developer, Imaging Science Foundation (ISF), and Matt Murray, CTO at AVPro Global Holdings, as they took aim at some of the audience’s burning video performance and distribution questions.
The panel got off to a quick start with an immediate audience question about the most common HDMI pain points Silver and Murray have noticed in video systems.
Silver said he recently thought about this exact question and referenced some feedback the ISF has received: “[One] of the things we came up with [via] feedback from hundreds of dealers: You need to be able to stop the bloodshed of having to go back to homes and figure out what’s going wrong.”
He suggests integrators change every screen in a house to support 4K HDR, but concedes that this is often not the easiest solution to pitch clients.
“You’ve got to optimize the source, but you’ve also got to manage the output of the distribution system. That may mean you’re downscaling to different TVs that may not handle 4K and HDR or Dolby Vision,” suggested Murray.
Another attendee piggybacked off of the HDMI question to ask about troubles with lip-sync functions not staying tight on multiple displays in a home, which both Silver and Murray admitted is a hard thing to truly fix in the short-term.
“We’re seeing video appear before audio by wide margins and that’s a difficult thing to address. My company is currently working on products that have audio delay adjustments,” said Murray.
“I can give you a couple of tips to deal with this right now. One thing you can do with EDID [Extended Display Identification Data] is you can prevent some of the high, strenuous codecs from coming into the system, so there are some tricks you can do there to keep the customer happy and get the lip-sync on and get you going.”
While Silver didn’t have any concrete advice for integrators right now, he did provide some hope for the future. “The 2.1 system includes ALS [auto lip-sync] that will resolve this in the long-term. It will be resolved by design, which is spectacular and very much needed,” said Silver.
Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 Present Major Opportunity for Integrators
Another major area of focus during the panel discussion was on the future of 120 FPS video, and how gaming is poised to become the first category to not only embrace but deliver 120 FPS video over 4K consistently.
According to Silver, originally the 2020 Toyko Summer Olympics were slated to be the debut of 8K and 120 FPS content to the wider commercial audience. Due to COVID-19 delaying the games until 2021, consoles like the upcoming Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are about to break the mainstream barrier of entry for people all over the world.
“It’s an interesting psychological thing. Everyone assumes high frame rate is being pushed by the gaming community to be able to see things in a more realistic type environment, but it really boils down to efficiency and processing so that the gaming experience gets better. When you press a button and it happens in real-time is where we’re trying to get to,” said Murray.
“The high frame rate dramatically decreases latency. We’re seeing 120 frame rate measured latency from the time signal is generated to the image coming to the TV at 20ms, where 100ms or more is normal.”
While Silver showed enthusiasm for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 having 120 FPS capabilities at 4K, he seemed disappointed that the technology didn’t hit the sports world first.
“The fact that it hits gaming first is regrettable, I would have preferred it being the Olympics, but it’s coming. Sports at 120 is a whole other ball of wax [like when we] went from SD resolution to HD resolution: Everyone sees it. This is more important than the transition from 4K to 8K, and most 8K TV sets have silicon to support 120,” added Silver.
Thanks to a savvy follow-up question from the audience, Silver took some time to offer advice to integrators looking to build gaming rooms or sell video systems around these next-gen consoles.
“Make them big, make them immersive audio, make them dark, and have some fun! When you’re looking at a good [racing] wheel and some good pedals on a screen that gives you 1.5 picture heights worth of size, this is immersive audio and immersive video. [As for] building rooms around them? As I get younger clients, gaming systems are universal.”
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"We have been wrong..."
That was the bombshell line leading off a note on Snap from Morgan Stanley on Tuesday morning.
Snap's lead initial public offering underwriter downgraded the company to a neutral and lowered its price target by 42% to $16. The bank's bear case for the stock is $7.
"We have been wrong about SNAP's ability to innovate and improve its ad product this year (improving scalability, targeting, measurability, etc.) and user monetization as it works to move beyond 'experimental' ad budgets into larger branded and direct response ad allocations," Brian Nowak, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, wrote in a note to clients Tuesday.
Morgan Stanley's equity research team has a complex history covering Snap. As Business Insider reported in April, the bank issued a correction on it's first research note on Snap, changing a range of important metrics in its financial model but not the original $28 price target.
Nowak is not giving up hope on the company. Most of his reasons for the downgrade are related to a slower than expected schedule of improvements. Snap has been sluggish in attracting new users, releasing new features and satisfying advertisers.
"We move to [neutral] and will monitor four areas of innovation which could improve SNAP's ad product and advertiser demand," Nowak wrote. "For now, though, we are 9%/12% below Street '17/'18 revenue and 16%/76% below on adj EBITDA."
The note included four distinct areas that are holding Snap's growth back. They are as follows:
1. Poor ad completion rates: The initial draw of Snapchat was that advertisers could place their ads in between content created by its users. This felt more personal than many other platforms, and Snap promised advertisers access to the desirable millennial consumer bracket. The problem is, Snap has failed to deliver on those promises. Completion rates for ads on Snapchat have been lower than expected, according to Morgan Stanley. This has made advertisers hesitant to continue advertising on the platform when rivals like Instagram and Facebook offer higher completion rates.
2. Lower return on investment: When an advertiser spends money on an ad, they are hoping to see a tangible benefit to buying said ad. On Snap's platform, advertisers are seeing a lower return on their investments than rival platforms. According to Morgan Stanley, this means advertisers are not increasing ad budgets on the platform.
3. Snap's delay in bidding platform rollout: Snap has developed an automated bidding platform for advertisers to place ads within Snapchat, but the product has been rolling out slower than expected. Nowak doesn't expect the technology to be fully operational by the end of 2017, or early 2018. This is delaying advertisers' ability to buy ads on Snap's platform easily.
4. Increased competition: Instagram and Facebook have been replicating new features of Snapchat faster than investors expected. Both of the rival platforms, both owned by Facebook, have copied Snap's flagship "stories" feature. Instagram has been offering advertisers free lens, according to Nowak. The free ad placements are eating into Snap's main source of revenue. Sponsored lenses account for 50% of Snap's revenue according to Nowak.
Those four problem areas, if improved, don't have to hold Snap's growth back forever.
"It is important to remember that this isn't the first time we have seen developing ad platforms struggle and need to evolve and improve their offerings. Google Search, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, among others have all gone through growing pains...as the key now is SNAP's ability to execute and improve its ad offering," Nowak said.
Snap's stock price has fallen 34.85% since opening for trading. Shares have dropped below Morgan Stanley's price target briefly on Tuesday, but are currently trading around $16.00.


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The Strathmore University in Partnership with Standard Chartered Bank Kenya has launched the Fourth Cohort of the Women in Tech 2020 program.
Women in Tech program has so far supported and guided over 40 female led startups in Kenya through training, mentorship, coaching and Funding over the last three years.
Apart from the Kes 1 million seed funding each of the top five participants receive, the teams are taken through a 12week incubation mentorship and training through the Bank’s Employee Volunteering program. Through the incubation, all the entrepreneurs are offered expert training in the areas of idea conceptualization, strategy formulation and marketing which is key in moving the businesses from incubation to sustainable ventures.
The Fourth Cohort will focus on scaling women owned businesses who are building technology apps and technology enabled solutions, ranging from but not limited to Internet of things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Augmented and Virtual reality, 3D and 4D Printing, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Blockchain and Biometrics and other IT areas.
Standard Chartered Chief Operating Officer, Peter Gitau, had this to say, “Since the launch of the Women in Technology Program in 2017, over 1,100 entrepreneurs have applied to be a part of the program, 120 start-ups have been shortlisted with 30 taking part in the incubator program. 15 outstanding start-ups have benefitted from the seed funding of Kes 1 million each to grow their businesses. To date, over 75% of innovations in different cohorts have attracted additional funding from both development partners and equity investors ranging from USD 50,000 – USD 150,000, and their businesses have grown revenue and sales in double digits”. As a bank we are committed to supporting small business through provision of finance, especially during this pandemic, and most importantly with the necessary business management skills through our Financial Literacy programs.”
The call for applicants is now open for women led small and medium businesses leveraging on technology and new business models to drive change and grow communities. The deadline for applications is 15th December 2020, if you would like to apply, click here.


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Updates from ODOT
Grade Separation Project
No updates are currently available.
Wellingtons' 15th Annual Village-Wide Yard Sale is Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. during Father's Day weekend. The sale event encourages people who live in Wellington to have yard sales on the same weekend since many shoppers like to look for bargains at multi-locations in one area.
This annual event motivates a lot of local people to de-clutter their closets while making a few dollars.stated Mike Eppley, Executive Director for Main Street Wellington, Inc.
Lots of shoppers are attracted to Wellington each year to find good bargains in children’s clothes and toys, furniture, tools, decorative items and more.
The Wellington Enterprise coordinates the sales listings for the yard sales. A locator map is scheduled for the June 13th edition of the newspaper. Signage is placed around the Village on Thursday to direct shoppers to locations which placed listings in The Wellington Enterprise.
To contact The Wellington Enterprise, call 440-775-1611. To contact Main Street Wellington, call 440-647-3987.


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Saint Romain (France) and Istanbul (Turkey); March 22, 2022 – TraceParts, a world-leading supplier of 3D digital content for engineering, has announced a strategic partnership with Normsoft, who support manufacturers in leading their digital transformation plans and developing their content marketing activities to help them achieve growth in the international markets.
Normsoft is headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey, with offices in Bursa and Izmir. The company helps Turkish part manufacturers accelerate their growth.
Normsoft’s expertise in software, business development and the education sector (through collaborative partnerships with different universities) represents a major asset in Turkey’s digital transformation and industrial manufacturing markets.
Aylin Terzi, Digital Marketing Consultant at Normsoft, explains the company’s corporate purpose:
Turkish manufacturers offer quality products at affordable prices, but the costs for their maintenance and support services are still high. Until now, they had failed to grasp the importance of providing affordably priced support services in addition to quality products.
We’re delighted that Normsoft is now working with us in Turkey to market TraceParts’ services for generating leads among manufacturers and distributors of standard parts. explains Gabriel Guigue, Co-Founder and CEO of TraceParts.
Helena Tomić, Marketing Specialist
Flomatic, a leading manufacturer of valve solutions for clean waterworks, water systems and wastewater applications, has recently called upon the services of TraceParts, one of...
KWS Manufacturing is a company that specializes in manufacturing bulk material handling equipment. The company has decided to put its components catalog online on the...
It's here! The completely reworked version of TraceParts Analytics is available with immediate effect to TraceParts parts catalog clients. Supporting manufacturers and distributors of industrial components for decades, we...


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Imagine you’ve had a long day, have barely slept at night and need to take a long trip on the road the next day. There’s a good chance that you’ll be yawning by the middle of the trip; and while on the road, even taking your eyes off of it for a single moment could possibly prove to be fatal. Research conducted at the Oregon State University in Corvallis, USA suggested that taking your eyes off the road for just 2 seconds increased the risk of accidents from 4 times to 24.
Being distracted while driving is a major cause of fatal accidents on the road in countries like the UK, contributing to almost a quarter of them. According to the European Commission, it was cause for close to a third of the car crashes while fatigue caused a fifth of them. This is why the executive branch of the European Union is planning to make new safety technologies mandatory in the continent in the next couple of years, especially with regards to the distraction and drowsiness of drivers.
In response to this, Bosch, a German engineering and tech company, has announced that it has developed a monitoring system to be built into the cars that will make use of cameras and Artificial Intelligence to detect whether the driver is distracted or is getting drowsy. For the latter, they’ve employed an algorithm that judges the driver’s drowsiness based on their eyelid position and blink rate. The system will then alert the driver, recommending a break or even reduce the speed of the vehicle. The kind of alert system, be it a blinking light on the Head-Up Display, a beeping sound or a vibrating wheel, will be left to the automotive brands and their consumers to customize.
Bosch, however, is no pioneer in this field. The technology was introduced with the 2018 Cadillac CT6, the system being developed by Australia-based Seeing Machines, a leader in computer vision tech. Another company called Smart Eye Automotive Solutions, this one being Swedish, has developed a similar system for the Geely Auto Group, a Chinese automotive giant. This technology, better known as Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS), is part of a more comprehensive sensor-based tech called Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) which also has other uses, including autonomous driving and recognition of drivers.
The use of cameras and face-recognition tech has stirred a completely new controversy though, with the collection of personal data of drivers and passengers becoming a major issue. Bosch, however, has assured that the data collected will only be processed by the system in the car and not be saved or passed on to any party, including to Bosch itself. In the event that the automaker wishes to collect and store data, they will have to take consent from the owner of the vehicle first. Driver Monitoring Systems are only part of the solution though, and more increasingly innovative solutions, including changes at the level of policy and regulations, are being looked into by governments across the world.


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LOS ANGELES – Leading automakers from Japan and Europe have unveiled their latest luxury models at the ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show, one of the key exhibitions in the U.S. market with the lucrative upper-end segment particularly treasured by foreign automakers.
Honda Motor Co. displayed an upgraded compact sedan, set for release next year, from its high-end Acura division soon after the show opened to the public Nov. 21. Daimler AG grabbed attention with the global premiere of the Maybach sedan, a flagship brand the German automaker is reviving after a roughly two-year hiatus.
The California show, scheduled to run through Sunday, is being held at a time when the U.S. auto market is experiencing strong growth on the back of an economic recovery and demand fueled by low auto financing costs, thanks to the government’s ultra-easy monetary policy. Sluggish gas prices are also stimulating consumer appetite for cars.
Dealers are expected to sell more than 16 million new cars in the United States in 2014 for the first time since 2007.
In 2015, sales of new cars could slow somewhat as the U.S. central bank is poised to start lifting interest rates. But American Honda Motor Co.’s Executive Vice President John Mendel was bullish at the show.
“I think the planning assumption for us is probably closer to 16.6 million,” he said. “My listening to dealers and those kind of things, it could be more, but it will be better than 2014.”
The high-end segment of the U.S. market is where foreign manufacturers are enjoying strong demand, going after fat profit margins. In the January-October period this year, their luxury car sales were up 3.5 percent to 796,598 units.
The 2016 model upgraded ILX sedan from Honda’s Acura unit features LED lighting for headlights and a 2,400cc engine with a max 201 horsepower.
Optionally available is a safe driving support system programmed to detect the car in front or passersby with a millimeter wave radar located inside the front grill and a camera in the upper section of the front window. It consists of a collision mitigation brake system that automatically activates the brake if a collision is likely, and a road departure mitigation unit that works to minimize accident risks when the car veers sideways.
“Top to bottom, from dynamic design to luxury features, and leading-edge safety technology to sport sedan athleticism and sophistication, ILX is now a true gateway to Acura’s performance luxury sedans,” said Michael Accavitti, American Honda Motor senior vice president for the Acura division.
Toyota Motor Corp. presented the LF-C2, a concept convertible model for its Lexus upscale division. The Lexus’ signature spindle-shaped grille is marked by a mesh theme aimed to create a futuristic flair in design.
The car is 4.7 meters long and 1.8 wide, a size close to the RC model put on sale in Japan in October. “It may be released as a convertible version of the RC in the future,” said a journalist covering the auto industry.
Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti luxury car division unveiled the Q80 Inspiration Concept for the first time in North America.
Michael Bartsch, Infiniti Americas’ vice president said it is a “stunning” design and “a powerful statement about the DNA of the brand.”
He indicated that new models in the offing from the division will likely follow the concept in design. “You can see elements of that in the Q50 (a main sedan now being marketed) and in what is coming down the line in terms of what is touchable in the next 24 months.”
Among European cars, the Mercedes-Maybach S600 was Daimler’s centerpiece exhibit at the show. It is modeled on the top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz S600 with increased interior comfort. The legroom pitch is doubled to around 33 cm in the back seat. Leather is used lavishly for interior upholstery.
Installed with an engine with 6,000cc in displacement, the German car generates a maximum 523 horsepower. Mercedes-Benz Japan Co. said the car is scheduled for release in Japan in the coming months, possibly in the first half of 2015.
Porsche AG unveiled for the first time the 911 Carrera, a high-performance sports car with a maximum 430 horsepower, and other models. The German automaker logged a roughly 11 percent year-on-year increase in U.S. sales in the January-October period.
At a Nov. 19 news conference, Bernhard Maier, member of Porsche’s executive board of management, was optimistic about demand for the company’s car in the U.S. market. “There are more Porsche sports car friends in America than anywhere in the world. There are more Porsche sold in America than any other market,” he said.
Audi AG’s Audi Prologue concept features a hexagonal front grill, unlike the trapezoid of its existing models. The headlight shape also looks sharper.
It is the first full concept car under the direction of Audi’s new head of design Marc Lichte. The company said the frontal design will be followed in new generations of the flagship A8, the A7 and A6 sedan.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
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Barton Marine will be attending the CWM FX London Boat Show early next year, commencing on January 9th to the 18th. Come and meet the team to discuss your winter project or top tips on how to get the best out of your deck hardware.
Barton Marine is exhibiting on stand B021, along with sister company Swobbit. On display will be the new carbon tiller extensions, re-designed pillar fairleads and the PVC winch handle pocket, all of which will be available to purchase through chandlers at the Show.
Subscribe to the monthly newsletter giving you all the latest information about products and events from Barton Marine.


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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- What's happening in small business today? 1. Indiegogo is partnering with Google and Stiftung Entrepreneurship. Crowdfunding platform Indiegogo announced a partnership with Stiftung Entrepreneurship, a German foundation that fosters entrepreneurship, and Google ( GOOG), to launch the Gründer-Garage initiative -- an online competition for German-speaking entrepreneurs to finance innovative ideas through the Internet. The competition is part of the broader initiative by Indiegogo to build out its international platform, beginning with Germany. Indiegogo plans to roll out a local website in the German language and will be broadening its funding and payments options beyond the U.S. dollar to include euros for participants of this competition. Candidates will be offered training materials and coaching by Stiftung Entrepreneurship to develop their idea into a solid business plan and then will seek their own capital through self-administered crowdfunding campaigns on Indiegogo. Indiegogo's "gogofactor" -- a proprietary merit-based formula which tracks campaign activity -- will be part of determining the winning campaigns. Google will match campaigns that successfully reach their funding goal until 150,000 ¿ (approximately $185,000 by today's exchange rates) in prize money is depleted. The companies will publicly recognize these campaigns at the Entrepreneurship Summit in Berlin in October. "This is an exciting opportunity to empower some of the best creative and business talent," said Danae Ringelmann, co-founder of Indiegogo. 2. House votes to extend Bush tax cuts. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to approve all of the Bush tax cuts, which is likely a symbolic move, given that taxes and spending are top priorities in this year's presidential campaign, according to the Associated Press. The House measure has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate or surviving an Obama veto, AP says. Instead, the vote was to send a message just three months before election day. President Obama is looking to increase the tax rates on the country's highest income earners, which may include small business owners who file their business income on their personal tax return. Republicans are in stark disagreement with the president, rejecting the idea to raise tax rates on anyone as the economy continues to struggle. 3. Is Chick-fil-A's CEO smarter than you think? It may not seem like a wise position to take if you answer this question in the affirmative, but it's all about knowing your customers and Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy's outspoken remarks against same-sex marriage last month may have been the smartest marketing move of the year, says Charles Gaudet of Predictable Profits. "All too often, companies try to stay away from taking a bold stance, choosing to play it safe by communicating a message that will appeal to the masses. The problem with this approach is that it doesn't make you unique, stand-out or give your customers something interesting to talk about," Gaudet argues. Chick-fil-A, on the other hand, is known for its deep-rooted Christian values and principles (the restaurants are closed on Sundays because employees and customers should be in church). Cathy's opinions essentially stuck with the company's foundation, even with the controversy from opponents and praise from followers, Gaudet says. Either way, the company had tens of millions in free publicity over the past few weeks as mayors spoke out against the fast-food chain's expansion plans and the subject became common household and water cooler debate. -- Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York. To contact Laurie Kulikowski, send an email to: Laurie.Kulikowski@thestreet.com. To follow Laurie Kulikowski on Twitter, go to: http://twitter.com/#!/LKulikowski >To submit a news tip, email: firstname.lastname@example.org.
Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


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October 14, 2014 - Industry News
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating six complaints it has received alleging steer tire failure involving Michelin’s 2014 XZA 295/60/R22.5 tires used on auto-haulers.
Tags: Michelin, Safety, Truck Tires, Investigation, Tires, NHTSA, Auto Haulers
April 27, 2014 - Industry News
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its preliminary report about the April 10 crash between a FedEx Freight truck and a bus in California killing 10.
Tags: Accidents, California, Investigation, NTSB, Fleets, I-5, Interstate 5, FedEx
We offer e-newsletters that deliver targeted news and information for the entire fleet industry.
The expert, Mark Betner from Citgo will answer your questions Ask a question
Air System Maintenance: Focusing on the Compressor
Video: Driver Shows Off Patriotic Volvo Truck
Santa Uses Webtech Wireless
Ultimate Test Drive Video: Freightliner 122SD Road Test
Peterson Strobes Rated For Emergency, Maintenance, Service Vehicles
Peterbilt’s 2015 Calendar For Sale Now
Recovery Charger Handles 6 Batteries At Once
Freedom Pre-filters Keep Out Debris


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Here are the stores that will start liquidating items on April 17: reports that the department store chain is just the latest to close a large number of stores across the country.
JC Penney will be closing up to 14% of its stores in an attempt to stay competitive with online behemoths like Amazon — and to save a whopping 0 million.
Widely believed to be responsible for her murder, Temple leaves society in disgrace and becomes a partner in the Fallen Angel club.
He doesn’t remember what happened that night 12 years ago, until Mara returns asking for his help.
That's because ever since the news got out, shoppers have been flocking to those stores, boosting sales for the company."This is not an uncommon response when you announce a store closure," a company spokeswoman said.
"Local shoppers will come out for a variety of reasons — some out of nostalgia and some who are just looking for a great deal." Liquidation sales will begin May 22 instead of April 17, and stores will close on July 31.
Having gotten that out of the way, Sturgis is the great equalizer of the motorcycling world.It’s just not spring without some podium-worthy advice. The first cutting of alfalfa is four days ahead of last year but five days behind the five-year average.Albert Lea High School seniors were advised last weekend to always maintain goals, grit and gumption. Rain has slowed the alfalfa hay harvest and crop spraying in Minnesota, according to the U. Most of the corn crop has emerged with corn condition rated 73 percent good to excellent, up 3 percentage points from last week. Eighty-eight percent of the soybean acreage has emerged, 13 days ahead of last year and 11 days ahead of average.The Rochester Post-Bulletin noted that last weekend was the 25th anniversary of Paul Wellstone’s announcement that he'd fight incumbent Independent-Republican Sen. Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger said homeowners at the 1900 block of Sixth Avenue Northwest reported the suspect allegedly walked through their home at about a.m.Saturday and stopped in the kitchen before he walked out.


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The Hon. Minister of International Trade and Industry, Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed will be leading a Trade & Investment Mission to Europe from 7-13 March 2010. The Hon. Minister will be accompanied by a group of leading Malaysian businessmen and senior government officials.
In conjunction with the mission, a seminar on “Trade & Investment Opportunities in Advanced Engineering and Life Sciences in Malaysia” will be held on Friday, 12 March 2010 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham B40 1PP, United Kingdom.
The event is jointly organised by the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA) and Malaysia External Trade Corporation (MATRADE) in collaboration with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Midlands World Trade Forum (MWTF).
The Hon. Minister will deliver a keynote address at the seminar, which will focus on current economic environment in Malaysia; latest prevailing business environment and opportunities in the country; facilities and incentives offered by the government and advantages of Malaysia as a strategic hub for operations in the region. Participants of the seminar will also have the opportunity to hold dialogues with the Hon. Minister; establish networking with Malaysian businessmen as well as the opportunity to explore potential business collaboration or alliance in Malaysia and UK.
Invitations are now open. If you would like to attend this event, please contact MIDA London:MIDA London
Workshop on sensor data management in September
16.08.2018 | Fraunhofer-Institut für Optronik, Systemtechnik und Bildauswertung IOSB
A look inside chemical reactions
01.08.2018 | Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
There are currently great hopes for solid-state batteries. They contain no liquid parts that could leak or catch fire. For this reason, they do not require cooling and are considered to be much safer, more reliable, and longer lasting than traditional lithium-ion batteries. Jülich scientists have now introduced a new concept that allows currents up to ten times greater during charging and discharging than previously described in the literature. The improvement was achieved by a “clever” choice of materials with a focus on consistently good compatibility. All components were made from phosphate compounds, which are well matched both chemically and mechanically.
The low current is considered one of the biggest hurdles in the development of solid-state batteries. It is the reason why the batteries take a relatively long...
New design tool automatically creates nanostructure 3D-print templates for user-given colors
Scientists present work at prestigious SIGGRAPH conference
Most of the objects we see are colored by pigments, but using pigments has disadvantages: such colors can fade, industrial pigments are often toxic, and...
Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles present new research on a curious cosmic phenomenon known as "whistlers" -- very low frequency packets...
Scientists develop first tool to use machine learning methods to compute flow around interactively designable 3D objects. Tool will be presented at this year’s prestigious SIGGRAPH conference.
When engineers or designers want to test the aerodynamic properties of the newly designed shape of a car, airplane, or other object, they would normally model...
Researchers from TU Graz and their industry partners have unveiled a world first: the prototype of a robot-controlled, high-speed combined charging system (CCS) for electric vehicles that enables series charging of cars in various parking positions.
Global demand for electric vehicles is forecast to rise sharply: by 2025, the number of new vehicle registrations is expected to reach 25 million per year....
17.08.2018 | Event News
08.08.2018 | Event News
27.07.2018 | Event News
21.08.2018 | Ecology, The Environment and Conservation
21.08.2018 | Life Sciences
21.08.2018 | Power and Electrical Engineering


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FDA Shutters Illegal Online Pharmacies with Criminal Ties
In partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took action this week against more than 9,600 websites that have been illegally selling potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription medicines to consumers. These actions include the issuance of regulatory warnings, as well as seizure of offending websites and more than $41 million worth of illegal medicines worldwide.
The action occurred as part of the 6th annual International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), a global cooperative effort to combat the online sale and distribution of potentially counterfeit and illegal medical products.
As part of this year's international effort, dubbed Operation Pangea VI, the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, seized and shut down 1,677 illegal pharmacy websites. The joint effort ran from June 18 to June 25.
Fake Drugs, Fake Claims
The FDA said many of the 1,677 Web sites appeared to be operating as a part of an organized criminal network that falsely purported its Web sites to be "Canadian Pharmacies."
These Web sites displayed fake licenses and certifications to convince U.S. consumers to purchase drugs they advertised as "brand name" and "FDA approved." The drugs received as part of Operation Pangea were not from Canada, and were neither brand name nor FDA approved.
The Web sites in question also used certain major U.S. pharmacy retailer names to trick U.S. consumers into believing an affiliation existed with these retailers.
"Illegal online pharmacies put American consumers' health at risk by selling potentially dangerous products. This is an ongoing battle in the United States and abroad, and the FDA will continue its criminal law enforcement and regulatory efforts," said John Roth, director of the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations.
"The agency is pleased to participate in Operation Pangea to protect consumers and strengthen relationships with international partners who join in this fight."
The FDA provided a list of some of the medicines that were sold illegally by the websites targeted during Operation Pangea VI, including the following details:
Avandaryl: FDA-approved Avandaryl (glimepiride and rosiglitazone) is used to treat type 2 diabetes and to minimize potential associated risks, including edema caused by fluid retention, worsening the condition of the heart, or heart failure. Avandaryl must be prescribed by a certified healthcare provider and dispensed by a certified pharmacy with a medication guide explaining the potential risks.
Generic Celebrex: "Generic Celebrex" sold online is not an FDA-approved product. FDA-approved Celebrex (celecoxib) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory product used to treat the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and to manage acute pain in adults. To minimize the potential associated risks, including gastrointestinal bleeding, heart attack, or stroke, in some people with long term use, Celebrex must be dispensed with a medication guide explaining the potential risks. (continued...)
Posted: 2013-07-04 @ 12:01am PT
Great Move from FDA and Interpol to curb fake pharmacies , FDA says as much as 97% of online pharmacies are Fake!!!
Posted: 2013-07-03 @ 7:54am PT
This move should help protect consumers from scammy websites. I applaud them!


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The battle over Warrnambool Cheese & Butter (ASX: WCB) has taken another unexpected turn, with news that New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra (ASX: FSF) has hired a broker to buy 10% of Bega Cheese (ASX: BGA).
Bega, of course, is bidding for Warrnambool, along with competitor Murray Goulburn, and Canadian dairy giant Saputo Inc. Along with the three bidders, another dairy focused company, Lion, has taken a 10% stake in Warrnambool, reportedly as a blocking bid.
Now, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) is reporting that Fonterra has hired broker Goldman Sachs to buy 10% of one of the bidders, Bega Cheese. The AFR reports that Goldman was offering to buy shares in Bega at $4.95 a share, a more than 12% premium to the $4.41 close today.
What motive Fonterra has for taking a stake in Bega remains to be seen. Maybe Fonterra fears that Bega could be a takeover target itself, and it's buying a stake so it has a seat at the negotiating table, should an offer for Bega eventuate.
A potential long shot could be that Fonterra wants to push up the share price of Bega, to make Bega's bid for Warrnambool more attractive, and therefore more likely to succeed. Bega today received the consent of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for its takeover of Warrnambool. At the same time, the ACCC raised concerns over Murray-Goulburn's bid for Warrnambool.
Bega is offering 1.2 of its shares plus $2.00 cash for each Warrnambool share. At the price Fonterra is willing to pay of $4.95, Bega's bid is valued at $7.94 per Warrnambool share. That's only slightly less than Saputo's $8.00 cash per share bid, and may mean that Bega is currently sitting in the box seat.
The one major hurdle that all bidders will have to overcome, is that they will need to deal with major shareholder Lion, who is reportedly keen to see Warrnambool stay as a separately listed entity.
As I wrote yesterday, there are more twists and turns still to come, and the battle for Warrnambool appears far from over.


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Connecticut raises modified food concerns
Connecticut has taken the first step to require producers to label food that has been genetically modified. WAMC's Lucas Willard reports...
The legislature's Environment Committee voted 23-to-6 to approve the legislation on Wednesday.
Lawmakers who say they want to protect consumers prevailed over other legislators who said the new packaging rules would drive up costs.
The federal government and states do not require labeling for all genetically modified foods. Connecticut is among nearly 20 states considering a requirement. Backers say genetically engineered foods pose allergy and other health risks and labels give consumers valuable information.
The state Department of Agriculture opposes the legislation. Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky said in an interview that it's the responsibility of the federal government to set national standards.


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America has seen one of its most expensive homes put on the market at $125 million. The luxury home owned by billionaire Donald Trump is in Palm Beach Florida. For this magical price tag you get extensive marble flooring, 24-karat gold fixtures in the bathrooms, fountains, a large pool and 475 feet of oceanfront out the back. The home which covers 80,000 square feet is spread over several buildings.
Sara Clemence, an editor for Forbes.com who wrote its listing report, said properties at the top end of the market have been moving upward for years, but the recent 100-million-plus listings are significant.
Why Mr Trump is selling his home is not clear at this stage. Trump's property, Maison de l'Amitie, was bought for about $41 million in 2004 and if he achieves his asking price he will be set for a tidy profit.
Last week saw the American billionaire announce plans for a new golf development costing up to £1 billion. The development which will include two championship courses, 250 luxury homes, a golf academy and a five-star hotel is intended to be located in northeast Scotland. The huge luxury golf development would drive tourism to the area and have a positive affect on the local economy. However at this time planning permission has not been submitted. The intended site is on the Menie estate, Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.
Huge selection of Millionaire homes for sale at Homesgofast.com


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Free weekend parking to 'boost Havering's high streets' for Christmas season
- Credit: PA
Drivers can benefit from free weekend car parking in Havering over Christmas and New Year.
Havering Council has said all the car parks it runs will offer free car parking at weekends from November 27 until January 2, 2022.
Parking fees will be suspended on Saturdays from November 27 to January 2 inclusive.
The scheme aims to support businesses in the high street and town centres over the festive period and runs alongside the already in place, free parking on Sundays, which will continue.
Cllr Damian White, leader of Havering Council, said the free parking offered will help to give shops a “much-needed boost at what is one of the most important times of the year”.
He added: “The retail and hospitality sector has suffered a lot because of the restrictions we have faced with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Not only does free parking support and encourage our residents to shop local – it will hopefully provide a shot in the arm to Havering businesses after what has been another challenging year.”
- 1 Car park killing: John Avers the 'best friend' of hitman, court hears
- 2 Construction company asks to make changes to approved 40-flat development in Romford
- 3 Plans to convert hotel into housing rejected despite residents' support
- 4 Aklu Plaza submits plans to convert third floor into banqueting suite
- 5 'Pupils love coming here': Romford primary school retains 'good' rating
- 6 Man and woman arrested following Hornchurch stabbing
- 7 Rainham road closed as tactic to stop flytipping
- 8 Romford's South Street reacts to BBC licence fee announcement
- 9 Tribute paid to father one year after death in council hostel
- 10 Mum-of-two honoured by US president Joe Biden
Charges remain as usual for on-street parking bays.


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The majority of homeowners in the UK would miss out on the potential for financial rewards presented by cuts in the base rate of interest, according to Lloyds TSB.
While around 15 per cent of mortgage borrowers across the country signed up to an interest rate tracker deal when buying their home, many others have ruled out the option and would not benefit from a cut in the cost of borrowing.
However, the financial services firm points out, many homeowners and credit consumers have seen their debt management difficulties worsen in recent months after not protecting themselves against rises in the base rate of interest.
Alison Burns, director of network mortgage sales at Lloyds TSB comments: “Having witnessed five rate rises in two years, it’s not surprising some consumers are reticent to take a gamble on rates not rising again.
“By ruling out a tracker homeowners are missing out on the opportunity to capitalise on future rate drops.”
Earlier this year, a report from the Consumer Credit Counselling Service predicted that homeowners around Britain would be “on the rack” financially throughout 2007.


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Following the report of a profit at Ford
The North American market is seeding the soil of the carmakers' problems. Both GM and Ford are finding that they'll have to resort to some of the tricks that led them to the straits they're in if they hope to grow sales.
In particular, General Motors launched financing deals this past weekend on its line of pickups and SUVs to keep it competitive with incentives that Ford, DaimlerChrysler
The top U.S.-based carmaker saw its net income more than double to $1.4 billion this quarter, helped by a stronger showing in Europe, where adjusted net income climbed 65% to $236 million on the basis of firmer pricing. Market share outside North America also increased to 9.4%, up 20 basis points from last year. Here at home, though, market share continued to slide.
Despite the improved numbers, U.S. carmakers still have deeply ingrained structural issues that need to be resolved. Just as with Ford, General Motors is looking at a union-run, independent trust fund to finance its health-care benefit obligations. While the $1 billion pact that Goodyear
GM will benefit partially from the sale of its Allison Transmission division for $5.6 billion, though it is hard to determine when the deal will be completed, because its buyers have had trouble obtaining financing. With union talks coming up, GM may find itself strapped for cash.
Yet investors can take some solace in knowing that GM was able to post $78 million in adjusted profits in North American continuing operations, even if volumes were lower. It's certainly better than the $94 million loss the company recorded last year. Automotive net losses in the region, too, narrowed to $39 million from nearly $4 billion a year ago -- a reflection, no doubt, of the sharp restructuring the carmaker has been attempting.
Despite appearances to the contrary, profits are not yet the norm with American car manufacturers -- it remains a deeply troubled industry.
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Fool contributor Rich Duprey owns shares of Ford and Goodyear but does not have a financial position in any of the other stocks mentioned in this article. You can see his holdings here. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Artificial intelligence fueled Google’s latest product extravaganza, with AI the highlight of new Pixel smartphones and an updated digital assistant.
At its Made by Google event this week, Google unveiled the new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro smartphones powered by the company’s new Tensor G3 chips that leverage AI to boost performance. But the real showstopper was the announcement of Assistant with Bard, the tech giant’s new AI-enhanced digital assistant.
“It combines Bard’s generative and reasoning capabilities with Assistant’s personalized help,” Sissie Hsiao, Vice President at Google and General Manager for Google Assistant and BardGoogle said in an official announcement. “Bard aims to bring slick AI capabilities to your personal conversations, like a next-gen ChatGPT.”
“You can interact with it through text, voice or images — and it can even help take actions for you,” she added.
Google plans to begin rolling this dual dynamo into Android and iOS devices over the next few months, letting users benefit from its multimodal capabilities. Google bills it as “a more personalized helper,” able to lend a hand with Gmail and Google Docs.
The major AI push comes amid increased antitrust scrutiny for Google surrounding its search and digital advertising dominance. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently testified, “Everybody talks about the open web, but there is really the Google web.”
Nadella suggested that Google’s growing integration of AI could further concentrate its power, making competition in search “even harder in the AI age.”
Although Google is moving fast, it’s essentially keeping up with the competition. Microsoft has just integrated GPT-4 into Windows and Bing, and OpenAI has just released the most advanced AI-image generator to date and is giving ChatGPT multimodal capabilities.
“Better than real life”
Google’s new Pixel phones also get exclusive AI camera tricks like Best Take, which uses algorithms to combine the best elements from multiple photos—for example, wide-open eyes and broad smiles across several people in a group shot—into one optimized composite image.
“It’s like this enhanced reality that’s better than real life,” said Youtuber Dave2D, sharing his early thoughts. “We’re creeping towards this AI-generated stuff that’s like very impressive technically, but makes you go ‘Hm, should we really be doing this?”
Other AI-powered features include the ability to reduce noise in videos, an image optimizer that reduces blur and imperfections, and a segmentation model that lets users delete elements from a photo and edit it in ways that only a pro image editor could before.
With the Pixel stable priced at $700 for the base model and $1,000 for the pro version, Google needs to deliver serious AI firepower. Google also promises seven years of software updates, which could ignite a race among rival mobile makers to stretch their update timelines.
For now, the jury’s out on whether Google’s aggressive AI pivot will be enough to maintain its edge. But make no mistake, the tech world is hurtling towards an AI-powered future faster than you can say, “Hey Google.”


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Which are the hottest real estate deals in BICICLETA?
The real estate industry is awash in holiday cheer this season as the country begins its annual holiday shopping season.
But the holiday season is also shaping up to be a great opportunity for the real estate sector.
As real estate sales and sales activity spike this holiday season, there’s a lot to look forward to.
Here’s what you need to know about the holidays.


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Macau residents can now apply for a week long pass to travel as much as they want to Guangdong, China.
Three construction workers died when scaffolding at the casino suddenly collapsed.
Macau casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group reports Q1 earnings plunging 93% as COVID-19 decimates customer traffic.
The scaffolding was being used in conjunction with the casino’s Phase 3 construction.
Galaxy Entertainment Group reports revenue and earnings decline in 2019 as VIP gambling slowdown and "periods of fluctuation” take their toll.
Undettered by their failure in Osaka, Galaxy says they will keep trying for an integrated resort, possibly in Yokohama.
After years of Limbo, it appears the Galaxy Boracay’s future is officially dead after LWRC pulled out of the deal.
Macau casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group reports falling revenue and rising earnings as VIP turnover falls but gamblers play unlucky.
Japan is expected to make huge strides toward the launch of its IR industry in 2020 and there is an unending supply of operators hoping to join the space.
Galaxy Entertainment has been working on Phase 3 of the casino operator’s Galaxy Macau venue for some time and the initial completion had already been pushed back


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New branch of Donkervoort Automobielen B.V. at Bilster Berg Drive Resort.
Great news from Lelystad: Donkervoort Automobielen B.V. is expanding to Germany and with it taking further steps to strengthen its German activities. The new establishment, called Donkervoort Automobielen GmbH, will open at the Bilster Berg Drive Resort in the spring of 2014. This brand new luxurious test and event circuit, situated in the German federal state North Rhine-Westphalia, was recently elected as the Circuit of the Year 2013.
With this step Donkervoort is sure it will be able to comply with the increasing request for service, sales and events from Germany. “By expanding we also hope to have taken the first step in the further expanding of the European Donkervoort network”, according to Joop Donkervoort, Founder and Managing Director of Donkervoort Automobielen.
More details will follow in the near future.
Image: Luuk van Kaathoven – Octane Magazine Netherlands


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Get news and tips on saving money, living frugally, budgeting and retirement planning.
A new survey reveals that more consumers are using their smartphones for banking functions.
A quick summary of the latest findings from the Federal Reserve.
We've Got You Under Our Wing
Shoppers can take advantage of limited-quantity 'lightning deals' starting at 6 a.m. each day.
Can the company keep disgruntled customers despite the decision to cancel plans for a $5 per month debit card fee?
The second-biggest U.S. bank was under pressure to make the change as rivals backtracked from plans to charge customers for using their debit cards.
Some of the best coupons for natural and organic products to be found online.
If your budget is scarier than your neighbor's Halloween party, check out these easy-to-follow budgeting tips.
Obama said he plans to speed up a plan to cap student loan payments at 10 percent of income, bringing it forward to start in 2012 instead of 2014.
It's time to start thinking about stocking stuffers and teachers' holiday gifts. For a limited time, all Envirosax are 50 percent off and shipping is free when you order $50 worth of product.
Pending changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program will help more homeowners reduce their monthly mortgage payments.
Credit Karma helps you save money on your Halloween festivities.
Are you fed up with your bank? If so join this viral movement and boycott big banks.
Adults facing mortgage default or foreclosure were also more likely to have trouble paying for food and medication.
An increase in 401k contributions and personal exemptions are just two of the many changes scheduled for next year.
A look at some of the ways charitable giving does more harm than good.
Business guru blogs about the latest in green biz.


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Fashion chiefs urge Rishi Sunak to reverse decision on Tax Free shopping
A raft of fashion chiefs has written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to urge him to reverse course on plans to drop Tax Free shopping for tourists once the UK formally exits the EU on 31 December.
Joining in the call for the move to be ditched are Paul Smith, Superdry, The White Company, Marks & Spencer, Ted Baker, Charles Tyrwhitt, Hackett, Johnstons of Elgin, jeweller Annoushka Ducas and Fortum & Mason, who argue that it will make the UK less attractive to high spending tourists who will spend their money in other European destinations where tax free shopping will continue to be available.
"This will be a hammer blow for the British fashion industry. Tourists spend billions of pounds in towns and cities across the country, sustaining our vibrant fashion and tourism industries, and helping our arts and culture sectors to thrive.
"Removing an incentive for international shoppers to come here will affect jobs and livelihoods throughout the UK at a time when we are already facing severe pressures brought on by the COVID-19 health crisis," the letter reads.
If Sunak continues with his plans, tourists from outside of the EU will no longer be able to claim back VAT in both retail stores and airport stores, where sales of luxury goods account for 75% of all sales. Equally UK tourists will no longer be able to claim back VAT when travelling outside of the EU.
International shoppers will still be able to claim back VAT in-store but they will not able to take the items away there and then and must have them delivered to their home address, which would mean they would be liable to import duties or taxes in their home countries.
The Government argues that the VAT reclaim scheme is costly to run and that they believe that the full tax relief is often not passed on to the customer in airports. Equally they say that UK tourists buy Duty Free items at airports and then bring them back into the country putting high street retailers at a disadvantage.
However it is argued that ditching Duty Free would not only make the UK less attractive to tourists but could end up costing the Treasury billions. More than £28bn was spent by overseas tourists in Britain Lin 2019 and £2.5 billion of VAT was reclaimed by them, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research. The Centre has forecast that the proposed move could actually cost the Treasury £3.5bn.


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An alert has been issued to consumers after a razor was recalled.
Gillette, the personal care and shaving company owned by Proctor and Gamble recalled their Venus Simply 3 disposable razor as of June 27. 87,000 units of the recalled product have already been sold in the U.S. and 2,700 units in Canada.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission detected a safety hazard during an investigation. During manufacturing the blades of the razors were misaligned, thus making the consumer more prone to cuts during use.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends replacing the razor.
“Shoppers who notice a potential hazard or defect in a product they have purchased should reach out to one of the various agencies that handle product safety investigations. Resources for additional reporting information can be found here.
For questions or more info:
Call Gillette at 800-362-1258 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday or online at www.gillettevenus.com and click on Safety Notification for more information.


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Located in Kadawa, outskirts of northern city of Kano, Africa’s biggest tomato plant was launched in March 2016 and faced lack of materials and price dispute between the company and farmers late 2017 which saw its shutdown.
Dangote's tomato plant resumes production in a move to cut paste imports from China
Aliko Dangote has reopened his Tomato Processing plant in Kano in a move to cut paste importation from China and make Africa's populous sufficient in local production.
In a report by Bloomberg, the factory picked up production last week with a production capacity of 1,200 metric tons of tomato paste daily.
Abdulkareem Kaita, managing director of Dangote Farms Ltd., in an interview with Bloomberg News said the factory can process about 100 tons of tomato paste per day and will ramp up output as tomato supply improves.
“Our major challenge is the scarcity of the tomato that would be sufficient for our daily production.
“The local tomato growers could not meet our production demand; we also could not agree with the farmers on the price of tomato per basket,” Kaita told Bloomberg.
Dangote to develop own farm with special tomato strain
To solve issues that forced its earlier shutdown, Dangote will develop own farm within the plant district with special tomato train and assist farmers with the seeding. This will help the factory to meet up with production demand.
According to the report, the company also said it has reached a deal with farmers to buy tomatoes at local market prices.
Nigeria to ban the importation of Tomato Paste this year
Last month, the Nigerian government said it is going ahead with the ban on the importation of tomato paste before the end of 2019.
Audu Ogbeh, Nigeria's minister of Agriculture, stated this at a meeting with local farmers in Kano. He said the aim was to encourage massive production of tomato.
Despite being among the largest producers of tomatoes in the world with millions of tomato farmers across the country, Nigeria import average of 150, 000 metric tonnes of tomato paste from China and other parts of the world annually.
If it works out, it will be a huge relief for Nigeria and help President Muhammadu Buhari's diversification policy at creating jobs and growing the non-oil sector of the economy.
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:


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1/3/18: SEE UPDATE BELOW!
4/21/17: SEE UPDATE BELOW!
Ok, 2016 has been terrible. Really, really terrible. Both personally and publicly, some amazing people and animals died. We’ve had an election to end all elections. Everyone hates 2016, right?
Remember when memes went around saying so-and-so died, and then we realized it was just someone playing a prank on everyone, and ha ha, just a prank, no, Sly is not really dead.
Yes, there has been some bad news this year, but there has also been an explosion of Real Bad news, and that Real Bad news is fake news. Because it’s hard to discern fake news from fact-based news, and because politicians have seeded suspicion of traditional journalism outlets, facts have become subjective.
Double You. Tee. Eff.
Saying Sylvester Stallone is dead was fake news, something someone made up to punk us all. And when we realized that he was still alive, we shrugged it off.
But now the pranks have taken a more sinister turn. They’ve been engineered to breed anger, hatred, mistrust, deep divisions, and even violence. One of the reasons people create fake news is simply economic; they want to drive ad revenue. Their sites are heavily pocked with ads, using Google Adsense and other ad networks. Each time someone clicks on an advertisement link, or each time the advertisement is seen, those websites make money.
This is where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes in.
I’ve written before about the basics of SEO, but here’s a short recap. Google (or whatever search engine you prefer) pushes websites to the first page of the search results according to how popular the website is and how well its text matches the words people use when they search. There are tons of other factors that go into this, but that’s the gist.
When I say popular I mean that lots of other websites, social posts, etc. link back to a website. Google reads these links as signs that this website is important. The more people link to this site, the more Google pushes that site to the top of search. What Google doesn’t take into account is whether or not the site tells the truth. For better or worse, we often “fact check” information by Googling it. A Google search in 2012 for “Is David Bowie dead” would’ve shown us the truth that no, David Bowie is not dead. But a Google search today regarding inflammatory untruths doesn’t necessarily do that.
Here’s an example. There’s been a rumor going around that a town in Sweden banned Christmas lights because Muslims were offended by them. This validates some people’s beliefs that 1. there’s a war on Christmas and 2. Muslim refugees are a threat to western ways of life. This is indeed, you guessed it, fake news. But look what happens when you Google it.
Snopes is the first website that comes up, and if you click on it you’ll see that the story is false. But in the title and the description that show up in the search results, there is no indication of the veracity of the story. In fact, nowhere on the entire first page of search results do we see that this is false.
So, for the person who’s looking to quickly confirm his or her bias, boom. Confirmed. Sweden has banned Christmas lights so they don’t offend Muslims. There’s no need to open up Snopes. In fact, Snopes itself seems to have confirmed it in the search results.
And here’s another problem. Snopes is a well-respected website with a lot of clout in Google search. See how they came up at the top? That’s all well and good, but because Snopes is linking out to these fake news stories as it debunks them, it helps push those websites up in search. Get it?
Google has claimed to be neutral, but over the years its algorithm has proven that even a robot is biased. Another example. Let’s say I want to buy Scrabble for my sister for Christmas. I search online for “where can I buy Scrabble.” I know that there are probably tons of local toy stores, game stores, and book stores that carry Scrabble. But look what Google shows me:
Target, Walmart, Walmart, Walmart, Amazon, Amazon. It’s no wonder local stores are closing. Of course more people will link to Target, Walmart (Walmart, Walmart), and Amazon (Amazon) than to the Tattered Cover or Skylight Books (my two favorite bookstores, by the way). They are enormous beasts. And because more people link to them, they show up at the top of search results. The small businesses stand no chance against them, even though many of us would prefer going to our local toy store a billion times more than wading through the exhausting maze of Walmart.
Google’s algorithm is inherently biased against small businesses. Though they’ve tried to mitigate this by adding local results to some searches, in most cases small businesses lose, and they lose big.
Despite its goal to be an unbiased receptacle of all the world’s information, Google can’t help but be far from neutral since Google alone determines what information is worth seeing.
One study shows that 91% of internet users do not go past the first page of search results. This means that I now know I can buy Scrabble at Target, Walmart, Walmart, Walmart, Amazon, and Amazon. But that’s all I know. As the average internet user, I’m not going to wade through page after page of search results. So Google has handed a big gift to these giant corporations in the form of my small gift of Scrabble to my sister.
I could obviously go on and on about this, but let’s step back for a second. If you do any sort of online or tech stuff, you probably know what an algorithm is, and forgive me for the shaky explanation that follows. For those of you who don’t, let me try to explain. An algorithm is, in a way, a mathematical calculation designed to yield a result.
If this, then that.
Initially Google used a basic algorithm like “If links and keywords, then high search rankings.” Then suddenly a professional field of SEO popped up, where people figured out that this algorithm was easy to trick. If I get thousands of websites to link to my website, and if I fill my website with keywords, no matter how unnatural looking, then my website will pop up higher in search.
People began to create millions of junk–ok, let’s just call them fake–websites in order to link back to their own website so that they could sell their products, services, or ad space (sound familiar?), no matter how crappy said products, services, and content were.
Google caught on. Then Google’s algorithm became more sophisticated. If links from well-respected sites, i.e. sites that also have tons of links, if lower bounce rate, if naturally placed keywords and high-quality writing, if a lack of previous black-hat SEO, if local reviews, then higher search results.
And Google hasn’t stopped there. Its algorithm is constantly learning how to better evaluate the strength and importance of a website, but in the end “if links and keywords, then higher search rankings” still wins. Social media plays into this as well by sending visitors to these websites, which in turn gets other websites to link to them.
This is why the fake news sites pop up high in search. The algorithm is still, in many ways, that simple. I type a query into the search bar, and Google’s algorithm chooses the search results based on what words I used and how they appear on websites and what sites have the most links and/or attention.
There is no truth in these results, just information. When we used libraries to research, we had librarians to help us determine what information was true and what information was false. Today’s search results ensure that tabloid news and fact-based research are worth the same, and sometimes tabloid news is worth even more.
Remember when we were all in on the joke? When we saw Batboy at the check out stand and we knew what that area of the grocery store meant? When the real magazines were in the magazine aisle, and the fake news had its special spot at the front so that we could flip through it and snicker as we stood in line? When it was just entertainment, and we all knew it?
There’s no more special spot for the tabloids. Batboy is just as real–if not more real!–as the New European bat, and there are a few million people who are pissed off that there’s a Batboy lurking in a cave nearby. The question is, when Google’s unbiased search results confirm that the dangerous and terrifying Batboy is real, what will people do with that information?
It makes me scared for Batboy.
As of 4/21/17, Google has added a fact check feature that shows when a site is a fact-checking site, but it still doesn’t add that to results from lying sources.
Marist College declared “fake news” to be one of the most annoying words or phrases of 2017, and we couldn’t agree more. I wrote this blog more than a year ago, and since then the term “fake news” no longer means “factually incorrect reporting,” but it is simply something that one disagrees with. Maybe it’s propaganda. Maybe it’s politically biased. Or maybe you don’t like it because it makes you and/or your team look bad. Instead of “fake news,” I encourage people to use “unconfirmed” or “conspiracy theory” or “propaganda.” Fake news no longer means anything.