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A startup called Caavo thinks it has a solution to the too-much-TV problem, with a device that brings together all the different streaming boxes and TV services you subscribe to. The company, which has raised $15 million in funding, provides a universal remote with voice control and a unified TV interface so users can search and discover all the TV content available to them.
Before we talk about Caavo, though, let’s discuss the problem. For TV lovers, never before has there been so many TV shows, so many networks, so many video services, so many streaming boxes. And yet, though content is abundant, never has it been more difficult to find something worth watching.
This is not a new refrain, but it is one that has only become more pronounced with time.
The preponderance of original content from digital distributors like Netflix and Amazon has made having a streaming box or connected TV a necessity. But not every streaming box has every app, meaning sometimes two or three connected boxes are necessary to access everything you might want to watch. Add a set-top box or DVR to the mix, maybe a gaming system or two, and you’ve quickly run out of HDMI ports to plug things into.
For the modern TV addict, though, that is the least of one’s worries. Having to switch inputs and launch different apps on different boxes is routine, while constantly swapping remotes has become the bane of one’s existence.
Cavoo’s device has eight HDMI inputs, which should satisfy all but the most fanatical TV watchers. Once plugged in, the system automatically recognizes what type of streaming box or game system it’s connected to and adds them to its navigation.
Users tell Cavoo which streaming services they have subscribed to, and can even designate which device they’d prefer to access each on. (e.g. if you prefer to watch Netflix on your Xbox but like Amazon on your Fire TV.)
Once everything is set up, users can search or navigate their content through a voice-activated universal remote. To launch a particular piece of content, they just tell the remote to “watch” it. If it’s something you’ve already been viewing, Caavo will pick up where you left off, or show you which services or apps you can watch it on.
A Neutral Approach
The Caavo founding team brings deep expertise in both hardware and media services, with decades of experience at companies like Jawbone, Sling, Microsoft Xbox, Harman and shufflr.tv.
The company was founded by the late Blake Krikorian, who helped introduced the concept of place-shifting to the TV industry through the creation of Sling Media. Before passing away last summer, Krikorian brought together a team that includes co-founders Andrew Einaudi, Ashish Aggarwal and Vinod Gopinath.
Together they hope to make it easier to navigate an increasingly fragmented media landscape and allow users to quickly and easily find what they want to watch.
To build the product, the Caavo team has raised $15 million from investors like Jason Krikorian at DCM, David Sze at Greylock, as well as Sky and Hearst Ventures.
Jason Krikorian, who founded Sling along with his brother Blake, told me that the idea of a unified ‘god box’ has been around for a while — and that is was one of the product ideas they were thinking of building. The problem has only gotten worse since then, though.
One of the reasons the problem hasn’t ben solved yet, is that every device manufacturer is jockeying for Input 1. Before building anything, Caavo’s founders talked to MSOs, device manufacturers and service providers to show how they’re going to make content more easily available to users.
“Caavo’s approach is very purposefully trying to be neutral to all of these services and allowing the consumer to get faster access to all the content they want to get access to,” Krikorian said.
Meanwhile, Caavo marks the first media investment Greylock’s Sze has made since putting money into Vudu back in 2006. For his part, he said he was interested in what Caavo was doing after seeing how big and complex the problem is, and how much worse it’s gotten since then. He believes the time isright for this type of product in part because the industry has gotten more fragmented.
“I think it really is a matter of timing and fragmentation in the volume of apps and content sources that you have today… Two years ago you didn’t have amazon making original programming, or netflix making original programming,” Sze said.
The Caavo device and remote will sell for $399, with pre-orders starting in June. The company is planning to do a limited run of 5,000 and expects to ship to initial customers in the fall.


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JPMorgan, the global investment bank with millions of customers, has unveiled a new innovation lab in Greece that will specialize in creating blockchain solutions. The lab will primarily concentrate on developing applications using the bank’s 2020-launched platform, Onyx.
Meet Tyrone Lobban: The Blockchain Head at JPMorgan
Tyrone Lobban is the Head of Blockchain Launch and Onyx Digital Assets at JPMorgan, where he is responsible for the bank’s blockchain initiatives, including developing blockchain-based solutions using the Onyx platform. He has over 15 years of experience in technology and financial services and has worked for several major financial institutions, including Barclays and Citigroup, before joining JPMorgan. Lobban is a well-known figure in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, and he has spoken at several high-profile events on the topic of blockchain technology and its potential applications in the financial sector.
The forthcoming innovation lab will join the Blockchain Launch group, which creates blockchain software for the bank’s customers using Onyx’s technology. Tyrone Lobban shared that the firm is recruiting four new professionals for the venture, comprising two full-stack software engineers, a mobile app engineer, and a technical manager.
JPMorgan’s Blockchain Adoption Boosts Efficiency, Security, and Transparency
JPMorgan’s adoption of blockchain-based solutions is not a recent development. In fact, the bank has been utilizing this technology for a while now. In 2022, Lobban confirmed that the institution was leveraging blockchain to settle a staggering $1 billion on a daily basis. The adoption of blockchain technology has enabled the bank to enhance the efficiency, security, and transparency of its operations. It has allowed the bank to streamline various processes, reduce costs, and provide better services to its customers. JPMorgan’s success in leveraging blockchain serves as a testament to the transformative potential of this technology in the financial sector.
Lobban also noted that this fresh team will have a significant responsibility in investigating and devising digital identity solutions with the objective of expanding the capabilities previously tested by the bank. Among the use cases covered by Onyx’s blockchain launch team services is digital identity.
Regarding the importance of digital identity going forward, Lobban stated: “We believe that Digital Identity is key to unlocking scale for Web3 and can enable entirely new interactions and services for web2 and Web3 alike.”
JPMorgan Aims to Stay Competitive with Digital Identity Solutions
JPMorgan’s renewed focus on digital identity solutions is indicative of its continued efforts to remain competitive in the rapidly changing financial landscape. As traditional banking models are being disrupted by emerging technologies, JPMorgan is striving to position itself as a leader in the space by leveraging cutting-edge solutions such as blockchain-based digital identity wallets. According to a January report by the Mobey Forum, a non-profit research organization, banks have a unique opportunity to participate in the future digital identity framework by incorporating this service into their existing digital wallets.
How Digital Identity Solutions Drive Bank Success and Growth
Through implementing digital identity solutions, banks can enhance customer security, improve user experience, and create opportunities for new revenue streams by offering personalized services. This solution allows banks to access a significant amount of customer data that can help them gain deeper insights into their preferences and needs. With this data, banks can tailor their services to better meet the needs of their customers, helping to retain their loyalty and compete with other players in the financial industry. Therefore, the adoption of digital identity solutions is a smart move for banks looking to thrive in the ever-changing financial landscape.
JPMorgan’s Digital Identity Push: Staying Ahead of the Curve
As blockchain technology continues to mature, there is a growing need for digital identity solutions that can help facilitate secure and efficient interactions in the online world. JPMorgan’s push towards digital identity solutions not only aligns with the emerging market demand, but also serves as a stepping stone for the bank to explore new use cases for blockchain in the future. By staying at the forefront of blockchain-based innovation, JPMorgan can set itself apart from its competitors, enhance its brand reputation, and foster new revenue streams that can sustain its growth in the long run.

domain: news


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On January 2, 2020, the United States agency FDA (Food and Drug Administration) opened the new year with a ban.
American stores have thirty days to stop the sale of certain fruit and mint-flavoured vaping products.
Meanwhile in Canada, essentially all provinces and territories are also looking at making their own similar bans or having tighter regulations in 2020. The main reason?
To protect young people from getting access to these products.
So why is there concern around vaping, especially for youth? And what exactly is vaping anyway?
What is vaping?
Vaping is the act inhaling and exhaling an aerosol that is made by a vaping device, such as an e-cigarette (electronic cigarette). An aerosol is a vapour that has solid particles or liquid droplets suspended inside of it.
How is the aerosol created?
Inside the battery-powered device, a liquid is heated until it becomes a vapour. This vapour is usually flavoured and also contains chemicals, such as nicotine.
What is nicotine?
For hundreds of years, some humans have inhaled and exhaled the smoke produced by burning tobacco leaves, using either pipes or cigarettes. And the key ingredient in smoking was nicotine—a stimulant that produced an energetic feeling.
But in the 20th century, more and more studies emerged to show that smoking was very harmful to people's health and could lead to certain cancers. By the 1980s, governments faced huge pressure to better regulate smoking. This included banning smoking in public places and buildings, and making cigarette companies put clear warnings on their packages.
How does vaping factor into this?
After learning of the dangers of cigarettes, many smokers were eager to quit their habit. But cigarettes — in particular, nicotine — are also highly addictive, making it extremely challenging to stop smoking.
Vaping first became popular in the early 2000s as possible way of helping people quit. Because vaping didn't burn anything, it released far fewer dangerous chemicals. The idea was that smokers could use vaping as a less harmful way to still get nicotine, while they worked on ultimately quitting altogether.
Did it work?
Yes and no. There are definitely examples of people who used vaping to eventually quit.
But vaping also became popular as a habit on its own. Because it didn't burn anything, vaping aerosol could come in all kinds of appealing flavours that cigarettes never could. In addition, whether from a cigarette or a vape, nicotine is still an addictive substance.
Why are bans happening now?
When vaping first became popular, there was very limited research into how it affected the body. But now that the habit has been common for a while, alarming studies are showing that vaping has its own serious health concerns. These include lung disease and even deaths.
Another problem? The ability to make vapes that are fruit-flavoured means that many young people who might have avoided smoking due to the smell or taste could be more open to trying vaping.
What are the bans currently?
The short answer? If you're under 18 anywhere in Canada or the U.S. it is illegal to buy any vaping products. Also, all vaping is banned anywhere that smoking is already banned.
In the U.S., as we mentioned, there are now bans on fruit and mint flavoured vaping liquids.
Beyond that, it seems that both federal, provincial, and state governments will be spending 2020 making their own laws regulating vaping. These include restrictions on advertising and where vapes can be sold.


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Invalid clicks on Google AdWords ads have consistently remained under the 10-percent mark, and are generally in low single-digits, Google revealed today. In addition, the amount of invalid clicks that are not proactively detected and are caught by advertisers is less than 0.02 percent, according to Google’s Shuman Ghosemajumder.
This revelation is the latest in a series of moves designed to offer more transparency to advertisers, said Ghosemajumder, Google’s business product manager for trust & safety. Google has come under fire from lawsuits, click fraud reporting firms, and advertisers in recent months, all looking for more granular details on the level of invalid clicks occurring in the AdWords system.
To understand the significance of the “single-digit” and 0.02-percent figures Google revealed, it’s important to look at how Google detects invalid clicks, including click fraud. Two proactive measures detect and remove clicks from an advertiser’s account before they are billed: real-time filtering and offline analysis by Google’s click quality team.
In the first case, proactive filters catch invalid clicks in real time. This method keeps the clicks from being billed or showing up in advertisers’ metrics. This is the ideal situation, since these clicks in effect never occur, in advertisers’ eyes. Not all of the clicks removed here are fraudulent; some are questionable, or have been deemed invalid by Google, such as the second click of a double-click. Filtered clicks make up a majority of the “less than 10 percent” figure that Ghosemajumder is talking about, a level which he says has been consistent since AdWords was launched.
As a result of removing these clicks, Google is purposely deciding to promote network quality over revenue, Ghosemajumder says.
“When we proactively remove these clicks, we forego a significant amount of revenue,’ he says, noting that every 1 percent of clicks removed would equate to $100 million in annual revenue for Google. “We’re providing hundreds of millions of dollars in proactive protection,” he says.
The second proactive detection method, offline analysis, is done by Google’s click quality team after the click has been recorded. These are the clicks that show up on advertisers’ statements as click quality adjustments. Clicks that are detected at this stage are still not billed to the advertiser, but they do show up in click metrics, so they affect ROI measurements.
Most of Google’s efforts here are focused on clicks from the AdSense network, since publisher partners have the most incentive to commit click fraud. Ghosemajumder did not share a specific breakdown of filtered clicks compared to ones that are found by Google’s team, but he notes that the team finds a “much smaller” proportion of invalid clicks than those that are pre-filtered.
Invalid clicks that are not detected proactively can still be dealt with when an advertiser reports apparent fraud to Google. The number of invalid clicks that are found through these investigations has remained below the 0.02-percent threshold since AdWords began, Ghosemajumder says.
“We’ve appealed to advertisers to over-report anything suspicious, and we still haven’t seen a spike,” he says.
Ghosemajumder admits that many advertisers have said they would like to see Google make the process of reporting easier. To satisfy them, Google is undertaking several more click fraud-related initiatives in coming months. Among these are IP Filtering capabilities for advertisers, enhanced invalid click reports, educational initiatives, and an improved reporting format. The first three initiatives are expected to roll out this month, while the improved reporting format will come later this year, he said.
More details on these efforts, and analysis of the moves can be bound in today’s SearchDay.
A lot of cool stuff is happening with email today. As an email marketer doing your job day in and day out, ... read more
Despite the fact that it faces growing competition from Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, Google-owned YouTube is still one of the most popular ... read more


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Dell and Marvel Studios have teamed to show off how technology plays a role in Marvel’s upcoming film, Ant-Man and The Wasp.
“What’s great about this partnership is that it allows our on-screen tech to become a bit more tangible to viewers,” said Mindy Hamilton, Marvel’s Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships & Marketing. We might not be able to replicate Hank Pym’s advancements quite yet, but we hope that the film inspires people to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible just like our heroes do.”
In the film, Dell’s latest laptops like the G5 15 and the XPS 13 will be seen on the big screen.
“We are thrilled to team up with Marvel Studios on Ant-Man and The Wasp and demonstrate the superpowers of technology,” said Gerri Tunnell, Senior Vice President, Client Solutions Marketing at Dell. “There are a lot of similarities between our brands and fan bases. For example, our goal is to empower our customers, from gamers to visual effects artists, with high-performance technology to drive human progress just like Ant-Man and The Wasp rely on tech to make the world a better place.”
In addition to featuring some of Dell’s products in the film, their computers are used by some of the VFX companies that Marvel hires for Ant-Man and The Wasp. VFX studio, DNEG uses 300 of Dell’s Precision workstations as well as Dell EMX PowerEdge servers and hundreds of Dell monitors.
By using Dell’s machines, DNEG is able to create effects like Ant-Man and The Wasp shrinking, or Ghost phasing in and out of walls.
Dell has also pledged more than $50 million towards science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) since 2014 via partnerships and collaborations. Dell will be using their partnership with Marvel Studios and appearance in Ant-Man and The Wasp to help encourage members of the Boys & Girls Clubs to explore STEM.
Dell and Marvel will also be debuting a 3-episode video series about teaching kids about STEM in fun and engaging ways, starting June 27th on Marvel.com.
Dell is also launching a global ad campaign that incorporates the G5 15 Gaming laptop throughout print, digital ads and out-of-home placements in the US and Canada.
If you’re a fan of Ant-Man and The Wasp, there will be an exclusive custom comic book that features Dell’s computers. The comic will be available digitally on marvel.com/dell. Physical versions of the custom comic will be given as a collectible at San Diego Comic-Con and other promo events.
Ant-Man and The Wasp releases on July 6th, 2018.


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A California federal judge has lifted a $300,000 sanctions order against Apple Inc. for missing a document production deadline in the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against Qualcomm ruling that a magistrate judge cited unclear authority in issuing the order, according to Law360.
In December Apple was ordered to pay $25,000 each day it failed to produce evidence related to an FTC case against Qualcomm. In the legal battle, Apple sued Qualcomm, the world’s dominant supplier of baseband processors, alleging the chip supplier demanded unfair terms for its technology. However, Qualcomm denies the allegations and says Apple wouldn’t have an iPhone business if it weren’t for fair licensing of the company’s essential tech.
Qualcomm claims it went out of its way to offer alternative licensing (which Apple rejected), and that, in suing Qualcomm, Apple is motivated by reducing the cost to make iPhones.


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Rohit Kumar from I&M presenting on enterprise security and cyber defense at #CIO1002015
In the current age of digitization organizations are heavily dependant on cyber technology with geographic boundaries being collapsed.
In this digital era organizations are facing threats from the virtual world wherein crimes are perpetrated by cyber criminals who are leveraging on evolved eco system like the Dark Net.
Through the entrant of companies like Seacom, EASSy and TEAMs in the African market there has been advent of high internet speeds , internet and mobile access penetration across the region have also gone up and automation of Government and corporate processes have gone up posing more risks especially to the financial sector.
“We live in an increasingly networked world from personal banking to Government infrastructure. With this in mind more and newer risks have come up and protecting the networks we use is no longer optional,” said Rohit Gupta, CIO I&M Bank during the CIO 100 Symposium in Naivasha that saw over 100 IT experts attend.
In Africa alone, statistics as at January 2015 show that out of 1.1 billion Africans, 298 million people are active internet users, another 103 million have active social media accounts, 900 million have mobile connections and another 85 million have active mobile social accounts.
With such statistics we realize that there is great data explosion and with it comes with risks like cyber attacks and crimes, a battle that most companies are fighting with.
Cybercrime is quite high in the financial sector. In fact in first six months of 2014, Kenya’s Commercial bank lost $9.4 million to fraud.Over the last few years the global cybercrime landscape has changed dramatically with criminals employing more sophisticated technology and greater knowledge of cyber security .
With the rise of cybercrime businesses are increasingly facing impacts not only on the financial from but also irreversible damage to their brands and market reputation. As a result of this there is a significant need for corporate to recognize cyber threats and craft cyber response plans.
in the financial sector the value to the attacker would be internet banking and brokerage too. The value to the attacker would be internet banking and brokerage . Phishing attacks of online banking accounts or cloning of ATM cards are common occurances.
The increasing use of mobiles for online banking and financial transactions has also increased vulnerabilities to a great extent, according to Gupta who also observed that the root course of most attacks in the cyber attacks today could be monetary gain and attacks that have gradually evolved into cybercrime syndicates siphoning off money through illegal cyber channels.
Write to us email@example.com


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Vehicle infotainment systems have been a hotbed of development activity for automakers, but efforts have met with mixed success amidst numerous complaints of software bugs and ease-of-use issues. After some research, General Motors has decided to team with Google to integrate more of that platform’s features into future infotainment systems.
Starting in 2021, General Motors will offer options for Google-based voice assistant, embedded navigation, and in-vehicle applications to compatible Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles. Broad deployment across all GM vehicle brands is expected to roll out in the following years, according to the company.
“We are re-envisioning the future in-vehicle customer experience, and this is just the first step. The integration of select Google technology and services into our vehicle infotainment systems will foster a more connected and efficient driving experience,” said Santiago Chamorro, vice president for Global Connected Customer Experience, GM, in a statement. “We will continue to offer our own unique infotainment features that only GM can deliver, such as service recommendations, vehicle health status, in-vehicle commerce and more, with the Google applications and services complementing our offerings.”
Integrating Google’s Voice Assistant will provide drivers a more familiar way to control functions such as making a call, playing a favorite radio station, or regulating vehicle functions such as heat and air conditioning. General Motors expects the same driver familiarity through offering embedded navigation based on Google Maps and in-vehicle applications through Google Play Store.
Although General Motors will not do away entirely with its own features in future infotainment systems, the decision to lean heavily on Google signifies a shift away from more proprietary systems whose steep learning curves and temperamental behavior often frustrate users. Like many automakers, GM has in recent years phased in Apple Car Play and Android connectivity in its vehicles to enable users to perform some tasks through a familiar interface.


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Electric motorcycles have become a popular option for riders in the market for a street bike, and soon the machines could start making their way further into motorsports as well. The M1-Grand Prix series will welcome these fuel-efficient bikes with open arms. The league recently teamed up with the Hollywood Electrics dealerships to set up […]
Zero Motorcycles is known for its electric bikes, but its latest offerings are bringing a new level of safety to the streets. In 2013, the manufacturer will be providing a new lineup of Police and Security machines – both the S and DS will be available for the police. Developed specifically with security workers in mind, […]
Brammo, a 5-year-old startup electric motorcycle company from Oregon, announced that it received $13 million towards their goal of $45 million in the funding round.


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Bud Light sales have been hit the hardest in North and South Carolina as the beer brand has dealt with a multi-month fallout after it promoted transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, according to a report from data company, Union.
Between April and June 30, Bud Light’s sales shared fell by 12.5 percent, or 6.9 points, from 19.4 percent to 12.5 percent, according to the firm in a report on July 19. The report noted the boycott saw the least impact in California.
The report found that in the same time period, Miller Lite’s sales share increased by about 3 points to 16.4 percent overall in those two states.
After the Carolinas, Bud Light’s sales share dropped 5.1 points in New York and New Jersey. It now stands at 10.5 percent from 15.5 percent, while Miller Lite’s sales share has increased to 5.1 percent, according to the firm.
Notably, Bud Light lost more ground in those two northeastern states than it did in Texas, which saw a 2.4 percent decline to 5.6 percent, it found. Miller Lite’s sales share increased to 12 percent in the Lone Star State.
In California, where the transgender influencer is from, the boycott had a near-negligible effect on Bud Light’s sales, according to Union.
“Bud Light’s sales impact varies across markets,” it said. “Notably, the brand lost more share in markets where it was most entrenched. Looking at a representative selection of Union markets, North and South Carolina showed the biggest sales share decreases, while in California, the boycott’s impact was practically negligible.”
Union also wrote that the dollar sales share of Bud Light has declined “in all of Union’s top markets, and not necessarily representative of politically conservative demographics, with New York and New Jersey losing almost as many points as Texas.”
The Light Group, a Hoboken, New Jersey-based restaurant group, said that other beer sales have increased in the midst of the Bud Light backlash.
“We saw our numbers go up across the board for those specific brands,” Brandon Bovino, chief operating officer at The Light Group, told Union. “We haven’t seen customers mad at us for carrying [Bud Light], more so customers commenting on purchases from other customers.”
Chris Dimattia, the owner of Recovery Room Tavern in South Carolina, said he used to sell 10 cases of Bud Light per week on average. Now, he sells as few as one case per week, marking a 70-to-90 percent drop in sales.
The manager of another bar in Charleston, Blind Tiger Pub, also indicated that Bud Light’s sales are “almost non-existent” since the boycott. “At first I thought this might blow over pretty quick, but I think it is pretty apparent that this isn’t going anywhere for a long time,” manager Clayton Dukes said, noting that the low sales caused him to swap Bud Light with Michelob Ultra, another Anheuser-Busch-owned beer.
Other Sales Figures
Recent industry data show that sales of the light beer dropped 23.6 percent in the weekly period ending on July 8 as compared with the same period a year ago, according to Bump Williams Consulting, citing NielsenIQ data.
Over the same period, sales of Coors Light increased by 30.2 percent, Miller Lite jumped 25.2 percent, and Modelo Especial was up 20.7 percent. The most recent Bud Light drop is smaller than the two weeks prior, when it declined by 28.5 percent and by 27.9 percent, respectively, the data show.
However, a report from the Daily Caller, citing industry data, found that other Anheuser-Busch brands have suffered, too, as Budweiser saw a 6.6 percent drop in sales in the week ending July 8.
The sales slump started when Bud Light made a beer can with the transgender influencer’s face on the front before it was posted the can on social media, declaring the two were partners. Anheuser-Busch executives later told analysts in May that there was no official partnership and that one can was made.
Brendan Whitworth, Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. CEO, has avoided publicly and explicitly defending the Mulvaney promotional materials. However, he also hasn’t apologized or described the collaboration as a mistake.
When he was asked about the transgender controversy, Mr. Whitworth told CBS News: “Over the last month, we’ve talked to over 100,000 consumers and their feedback is very clear.
“The feedback is to reinforce what Bud Light has always meant to them, which is good times, goodwill, and easy enjoyment.”
Responding to a decline in weekly sales last week, a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch told news outlets that for the year-to-date period, Bud Light is the “No. 1 brand in the industry” in terms of both dollars and overall volume, at an “8.7 share.”
“The Anheuser-Busch portfolio continues to be the leader of the category as the No. 1 brewer at 35.6 share in the latest week,” the spokesperson said.


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German consumers are supposed to save the Eurozone – and the global economy – but economic expectations “completely collapsed” last month and now dropped again.
16 search results for "dead-cat bounce"
They had it coming.
Why are these trends so long and so big — both, up and down?
Why is anyone still lending this government any money?
“Shadow margin” is a hot business for brokers. Now they lick their wounds.
They did the same in January 2000 just before the dot.com crash.
It would be comic if the facts behind it weren’t so ugly.
No one is immune to the crippling effects of a crumbling currency.
Blood on the Bourse.
To worst level since the Financial Crisis, as US manufacturing swoons.


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Barbadian Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley, along with officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development and the BIDC, is expected next month to lead a team of Barbadian businessmen to Guyana to coincide with the holding of that country?s premiere trade and investment Exhibition, GUY-EXPO.
In a release from the Guyana Consulate in Barbados, the investment mission by the Barbadians will take place immediately prior to the exhibition, starting September 21. Among the aims are to carry out market research and to explore investment opportunities in the CARICOM nation state. Among the sectoral possibilities expected to the looked at are fish farming and livestock rearing.
Invitations have gone out, through the BIDC, to agencies including Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Barbados of Coalition of Service Industries, Barbados Manufacturers Association, the Small Business Association and the Barbados Agricultural Society.
The Barbadians would then be invited to stay on for the show which starts the Thursday 27th. At least six Barbadian firms, including BICO and Pine Hill Diaries, will be at this year?s event, GUY-EXPO 2007. The exhibition is held under the auspices of Guyana?s Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce in collaboration with the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-INVEST).
Guyana Honorary Consul Norman Faria, who will once again be attending the show, said EXPO organizers expect a ?in excess of 200? exhibitors this year, up from the 186 last year. These were mainly Guyanese but, along with the Barbadian exhibitors, there were booths from South America and India.
Among the products and services on show will be forest products (wood, furniture, handicraft, etc), pharmaceuticals, seafood products including salted fish, textiles, information technology, canned food and others.


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In spring 2022, bakeries began receiving government subsidies for bread production.
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
“Bread will rise in price!” – a popular Telegram channel recently shared its forecast. And this news has been actively discussed in recent weeks in the media. The Ministry of Agriculture, of course, immediately denied this information: it claims that there is no basis for it. And, in fact, grain prices have been falling all year and only in recent months have they started to rise. The Ministry of Agriculture is confident that the domestic market will be fully supplied with Russian cereals and baking flour. “The current gradual increase in cereal prices will not have a significant impact on the cost of bread and bakery products,” the department trusts. They admit that a price increase is possible, but that it will correspond to the level of inflation.
But it is enough to look at the Rosstat website to be convinced that, in fact, bread in Russia is becoming more and more expensive. They just don’t always make a splash. Thus, the price increase in January-July 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 amounted to 5.61%. And a year before it was even higher: 15.78%.
EVERYTHING AS ALWAYS
Should we expect further growth this year? Komsomolskaya Pravda asked this question to the president of the Russian Union of Enterprises of the Baking Industry, Alexei Lyalin.
– Let’s start with the fact that there is an annual indexation of prices for bakery products. It occurs within the limits of food inflation, which is usually higher than ordinary inflation. And it is not very clear why so much interest in this topic suddenly arose this year,” says the expert. – It is difficult to give exact figures on the adjustment of bread prices at the end of the year, because much will depend on the situation of other prices: those of cereals, packaging, fuel, etc. Furthermore, the situation is different in different regions. In some places, raw materials and supplies for production have already been purchased; For example, everything was delivered to the Arctic and other hard-to-reach regions several months in advance. There are good reserves in the southern regions of the country and in large cities, for example, Moscow and St. Petersburg. In this case, the price adjustment will be within the limits of inflation (the expected inflation in Russia for this year is 6%, this figure was recently announced by the Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov – Ed.) And there are regions where there are few own raw materials, where prices depend largely on the current prices of flour, fuel, etc. These are, for example, Tver, Veliky and Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir; here prices can rise faster.
WHY CAN’T YOU AVOID PRICE INCREASES?
According to Alexey Lyalin, manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain prices, because they are affected by rising transportation costs, employee salaries, as well as the cost of raw materials and packaging.
– You know how the price of fuel is growing this year (wholesale prices for diesel fuel, which agricultural producers use in their work, have increased by about 50% over the past two months – Ed.), so participation The percentage of delivery in the cost of bread has already reached 38%! – the specialist explains the situation. – In addition, there is a critical shortage of personnel in the sector. There is a particular shortage of drivers. People simply don’t come to work for us, because delivering bread always requires night shifts. And often – enormous distances. In Tyumen, our drivers travel 1000 km per shift! To retain people and attract new ones, you need to pay them well. And wage growth in some regions has already reached 50%. And in general all expenses are going up. Cars, for example, have already tripled in price in the last two years. And the price of one packaging unit immediately increased by one ruble, which is reflected in the retail price of bread.
Manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain prices.
Furthermore, according to the expert, the baking industry consumes a lot of energy, but the bakers do not obtain any benefits:
– The national average price of electricity for our companies is 10 rubles/kW. In hard-to-reach regions, the price can reach up to 50 rubles per kilowatt, and in the Central Federal District the average is 7.3 kW/hour. Restaurants, for example, pay the same amount. But we produce a socially significant product!
In spring 2022, bakeries began to receive state subsidies for bread production in the amount of 2.5 rubles. per 1 kg (previously they were worth 2 rubles) – this measure was supposed to help producers maintain the prices of their products during difficult periods. The bakers asked the Ministry of Agriculture to triple payments to 7.5 rubles per kg. But in the middle of this year, according to Alexey Lyalin, the subsidies stopped being paid completely. The government explained this by lack of funds. Subsidies from the federal budget to the credit rate for the purchase of flour by flour producers were also canceled; now payments are maintained only in certain regions. No one yet knows when and if these programs will come back online.
“We need a federal program to support the baking industry,” Alexander Lyalin is sure. – Now it is poorly modernized, there are few modern companies. The profitability of our industry is very small, only 1.5%, even the best factories have a maximum of 9%. And compare this to the average trading margin, where it ranges from 30 to 110%!
BY THE WAY
What is “social bread”?
Many Russians barely feel the rise in prices, because for a few years now there has been something called social quality bread, the price of which has been kept at minimum levels. For example, a loaf of white bread weighing 350 grams can be bought in almost any supermarket for 17-20 rubles, and a loaf of black bread (650 grams) for 20-22 rubles. Despite the fact that the production cost of a kilo of bread has already exceeded 80 rubles.
“The expression “social bread” is not a term, but a slang concept,” explains expert Alexey Lyalin. – This is usually the name given to the most popular varieties of bread, usually two varieties: a loaf of rye and wheat bread and a loaf of wheat. But the minimum prices for this type of bread are maintained only by bakeries, which suffer losses in their production due to administrative pressure. And it was always necessary to redistribute the economic losses from the production of “social bread” to other types of products within the plant. But this could be tolerated as long as our people became richer and more actively bought various types of bread, as well as cakes, pastries, etc. But now the structure of consumption has changed, our citizens try not to buy unnecessary things, save on everything, as a result, the consumption of cheaper varieties is growing. And factories are forced to increase their production so that there is no shortage of social varieties. But this undermines the economics of companies.
“KP” educational program
TOP 5 unusual varieties of bread
the most rare
Injera bread is made with teff, a grain that only grows in Ethiopia. Ynjera looks like thick pita bread and is used as both food and utensil. Other dishes are placed on it, as on a plate, and their pieces are used as cutlery, collecting food with them.
The most controversial
The trend of eating insects continues to spread throughout the world. Cricket flour, rich in iron and protein, has become especially popular. For example, in Finland, the Fazer company produces bread from a mixture of regular and cricket flour. True, the proportion of insects in it is still small – only 3%. But the problems have begun.
the most sincere
Dedas Puri (translated from Georgian as “mother’s bread”) looks like an ordinary lavash made from yeast dough. But Georgian women bake it especially for their son or daughter before a long trip. And to be close to the child on the way, the mother, before sending the cake to the oven, leaves a print of her palm on it.
The most technologically advanced
Canned bread became known during World War II, but is still in demand. For example, B&M Baked Beans (USA) bakes its Boston Brown bread directly in tins. This bread is crustless, but retains its freshness and flavor for several years.
The most laborious
It takes 36 hours to prepare the popular German variety Pumpernickel from coarse rye flour with whole rye grains. The grains must rest in hot water, then bake at a temperature of 200°C and then “languish” for a whole day… Tired confectioners have invented a shorter cooking method, but it also takes between 12 and 16 hours.


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Ben WoodsEurope Editor
Ben is a technology journalist with a specialism in mobile devices and a geeky love of mobile spectrum issues. Ben used to be a professional Ben is a technology journalist with a specialism in mobile devices and a geeky love of mobile spectrum issues. Ben used to be a professional online poker player. You can contact him via Twitter or on Google+.
Users of Apple TV devices in the US have access to three new channels from today, including content from the well-known and wide-ranging series TED Talks.
Alonside TED, the other two new channels are Tastemade, which is dedicated to food and travel, and Young Hollywood, which offers up celebrity news and interviews.
The new channels won’t be enough to push an undecided buyer into purchasing the device, but an ever-expanding offering probably wouldn’t hurt the sales of a the rumored second generation Apple TV, which is said to be expected to be revealed in June replete with Siri integration.
The additions follow news earlier this month that Apple TV would be the exclusive partner for HBO’s new streaming service.
➤ Apple Adds New Apple TV Channels TED, Tastemade and Young Hollywood [MacRumors]
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The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11th March 2020, after the outbreak that was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic affected world economy including the pharmaceutical sector. The health crisis unleashed in the world because of this pandemic and the attempts of various countries and organizations in the world to contain it have also fuelled the greatest economic crisis in modern history. This significant fall in world trade in goods and services have been triggered by the interruption and break down of local and global supply chains, generating high levels of unemployment worldwide, exacerbating social inequalities and dramatically increasing extreme poverty in the world by more than 90 million.
The pharma industry plays a pivotal role in the provision of quality healthcare services, especially during pandemics, when supply chain can be overwhelmed or shut down due to the various reasons. The Indian domestic pharma industry is highly dependent on imports, with more than 60% of its API requirements being imported.
The study is focused on this pandemic’s effect on normal manufacturing activity in terms of inventory and logistics management in pharmaceutical industries restricted to West Bengal, India more precisely in M/s EIPWL, which has been selected as a model for this study. Five specific products of M/s EIPWL have been selected for this study. To manufacture of these products, 2 basic raw materials along with 3 excipients are imported and other raw and packaging materials are being procured form different states of India. Capturing yearly data of marketing department requirements’ visa-vis production of respective products for the last 5 years has been started. The study is trying to find Time Series data analysis of demand and production of the respective products and production loss owing to shortage of supply and input materials. So far it has been observed that shortage of manpower and inventory due to disruption of supply chain in pandemic situation is responsible for antagonistic effect of normal activity in production and inventory management.
Basu, Shubhabrata and Rimu Chaudhuri. "Effect of COVID 19 pandemic on Pharmaceutical Industry in terms of Inventory and Logistics Management." (2022). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nsc_research/89


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The founder was convinced of the Norwegian crypto exchange
As the founder of a car company, Huy Le (30) is interested in – and good at managing – money. According to Huy Le, the key is long-term planning, savings and investment. He has previously invested in the stock market.
“But now I want to invest more money in crypto".
Convinced of the Norwegian cryptocurrency exchange
“When you run a business, you have to be extra smart with your money. All of a sudden, you can earn a good deal of money, before it stops for a long period of time. So, it’s important to put it aside in some way,” Le explains, and adds:
“First of all, you need to set aside and save money to live, for food and the most necessary things. If you’re able to not use the rest, you may want to find a way to invest the money in the long run.”
For Le, the stock market has proven to be a valuable tool for long-term investments. He has also recently invested in crypto.
Unsure at first
But it took time before he felt safe, Le admits.
“I use the stock market to save money and invest money in long-term stocks and index funds. It yields higher returns than if the money had been put in a regular savings account, but I do not ‘trade’ actively, so to speak,” says Le.
He heard about cryptocurrency for the first time in the fall of 2017, mostly due to Bitcoin’s extraordinary increase. From January 1, 2017, to the same time in 2018, cryptocurrency had seen an increase of 1,376 percent.
“Although, it did feel a bit like a bubble, and there was a lot of uncertainty about whether it would continue to increase.”
When he first chose to invest, it was through Firi.
“The problem was a lack of security.
My problem with cryptocurrency was really a lack of credibility and security. As it was such a new phenomenon, I didn’t want to risk it with a supplier I wasn’t sure about,” Le explains. He explains why Firi made the decision easier.
“I saw that Firi were registered with the Norwegian Financial Conduct Authority (Finanstilsynet), that they used Norwegian BankID and that they had a team in place you could contact for any inquiries. After that, it didn’t feel as alien.”
After just over a year of crypto investment, Le has participated in a new surge of crypto resurgence. At the same time as bitcoin reached a milestone reaching a value of over 50,000 dollars in February, other cryptocurrencies such as ether and XRP have experienced a great increase.
Learn more about investing in cryptocurrency now.


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Assassin's Creed III Animation Director Moves Over To Naughty Dog
on May 05, 2014 at 08:23 PM
Jonathan Cooper, former animation director on Assassin's Creed III and lead animator on Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, has moved over to Naughty Dog. According to Cooper's LinkedIn account , his new position at Naughty Dog is simply that of animator. Before leaving Ubisoft and following Assassin's...
Report: Co-Founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi Leaves Q Entertainment
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Tetsuya Mizuguchi, co-founder of Q Entertainment and director of the recent Child of Eden, has reportedly left the studio he helped create. The report of Mizuguchi's departure comes from CVG , which received details of his departure from an anonymous source within the company. According to the report...
Mortal Kombat Producer Announces Departure From NetherRealm Studios
on November 17, 2013 at 12:26 PM
Hector Sanchez, a producer at NetherRealm Studios, announced his departure from the developer on Twitter earlier this week. Sanchez served producing roles on the most recent Mortal Kombat, as well as Injustice: Gods Among Us. In his tweet announcing his leaving, Sanchez said his time with NetherRealm...
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Zynga's chief game designer, Brian Reynolds, former creative director at Big Huge Games, has left the mobile game developer. News of Reynold's departure comes from Polygon , which received this official prepared statement from Zynga's president of games, Steve Chiang: "Brian has a long...
[UPDATE] Capcom Talks About Inafune Departure
on November 02, 2010 at 03:42 PM
The departure of legendary game designer Keiji Inafune sent shockwaves through the community of Capcom fans, and the company has finally commented on his exit. In a Q&A regarding the company's most recent financial report, Capcom stated the following: "We have been thinking about radical...
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Subaru has teased us as far back as the 2018 Geneva Motor Show (with the Viziv Tourer Concept) on the arrival of a second-generation Levorg since the original was unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. More than half a decade on and at the very same motor show, Subaru pulled the covers off the all-new Levorg Prototype.
That said, do not let the ‘Prototype’ in its name shake you. The car seen here is pretty much what you can expect to see in the production version which is slated to go on sale in Japan sometime in the second half of next year.
The Levorg’s exterior has been applied with the “BOLDER” design concept, which in this case certainly makes for a more aggressive fascia. Beneath the skin, it’s based on the more dynamic Subaru Global Platform which utilises the ‘full inner frame’ construction method that claims to increase body rigidity and controllability.
Under the bonnet is a newly-developed 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder boxer engine with ‘lean-burn technology that balances acceleration and environmental performance’, says the brand. No figures have been released on this new engine yet apart from its “strong torque”.
Elsewhere, the all-new wagon will come with the brand’s next-generation EyeSight safety suite which includes a wide angle stereo camera with four radar sensors located in the front and rear bumpers. Moreover, those 360-degree sensors expand the range of its cross traffic AEB. Additionally, its adaptive cruise control system gleans satellite and GPS data to ‘read’ the road ahead and adjusts itself accordingly.
For the first time in a Subaru (for the Japanese market), the new wagon will come with Advanced Automatic Collision Notification system which notifies emergency services with your coordinates and sends help after you when it detects a big impact.
As mentioned, the all-new Levorg will be going on sale later next year in the Japanese domestic market first before making its way everywhere else. Watch this space for more on the Levorg and happenings from the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show.


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It's a common refrain from dealer networks: Give us more products to flesh out our lineups.
But unlike most of its leather-lined competitors in the luxury segment -- particularly Mercedes-Benz and BMW -- Acura has substantial gaps in its lineup.
"As a dealer body we're looking for, when a customer comes in the doors, the ability to show them something more than four vehicles," said Jim Morino, owner of Acura of Lynnwood in Lynnwood, Wash., and chairman of the Acura National Dealer Advisory Board.
That includes the ILX and TLX sedans and the RDX and MDX crossovers (the larger RLX sedan and the NSX supercar are considered nonstarters by many dealers because of their low volumes).
The question is how to fill those gaps.
The leading candidate would be a U.S. version of the CDX small crossover that Acura sells in China. "The dealer body has requested that we get something like that for the American market," Morino said.
Acura also plans derivatives of existing platforms over the next several years, but it remains to be seen whether that's something like a coupe variant or a high-performance line, Morino said.
Regardless of what Acura introduces, the vehicle will need to sell. Acura dealers care less about what the product is than how well it will sell -- 25,000 vehicles a year is the bare minimum.
Said Morino: "We really don't want to invest the capital in something that's going to be another 10,000- to 12,000-unit-a-year vehicle."


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SulNOx Group PLC - Trading Update
Announcement provided bySulNOx Group Plc · SNOX
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF REGULATION 11 OF THE MARKET ABUSE (AMENDMENT) (EU EXIT) REGULATIONS 2019/310
16 January 2024
SulNOx Group Plc (the "Company" or "SulNOx")
Trading Update: Record quarterly revenues, up 84%
(Aquis Stock Exchange: SNOX)
Q3 Trading Update (to 31 December 2023)
· Unaudited Q3 revenues of
· Unaudited 9 months revenues were
· Q4 has also started positively, with invoiced sales of
· Unaudited cash balance of
Around half of the revenues in Q3 came from shipping clients. Today the Company has 11 shipping companies trialling the product with a combined fleet size of >800 vessels and a further 3 companies with another c.600 ships having agreed to paid trials. The pipeline is very strong with c.30 other shipping companies in discussion regarding trials, which we expect to convert in the coming quarters - combined their fleets are a further c.4,000 ships and includes many major companies.
The Company has been granted a Ukrainian patent to add to the US, European, Eurasian, Chinese, South African and Georgian patents already secured.
SulNOx is gaining considerable momentum in raising its profile, both with commercial audiences and the investment community. Notable coverage has been achieved in recent months across trade media for our target sectors, as well as in national newspaper business pages. We believe that this exposure has led directly to inbound interest from potential corporate customers.
In recent days SulNOx has been featured in the "Midas" stock market column in the Mail on Sunday newspaper and online within "This Is Money", the financial section of MailOnline. The full article can be read here:
Radu Florescu, Chairman of SulNOx Group commented, "Q3 was a remarkable quarter in many ways. SulNOx has demonstrated our significant fuel saving capabilities with several large-scale shipping companies facing new costly regulations focussed on reducing emissions from fossil fuel consumption. Q3 also marked our products taking off in
- Ends -
For further information please contact:
SulNOx Group plc
Allenby Capital Limited
(AQSE Corporate Adviser)
Nick Harriss / John Depasquale
Tel: 020 3328 5656


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Virtual and augmented reality may not be available to everyone yet, but it is very possible that gear like the Oculus Rift will become more popular in the very near future. To see what we can expect over the coming years, we thought we’d take a look into how VR could potentially influence each and every one of us:
Right now, introducing VR into our already robust gaming systems can be a costly endeavor. However, we do have access to semi-immersive VR glasses/goggles and data gloves that can be purchased at a reasonable cost. The glasses serve as display devices, much like wearable computer monitors, and work with the input from data gloves so that the user can interact with what they see.
As the technology develops and becomes more accessible, prices are sure to fall and more people will be able to enjoy a fully immersive experience. This means that players will get to engage with online games in an entirely new way. For example, as explained in Jeffrey Lande’s article The Future of Online Poker , the game could potentially look very different.
“A virtual reality poker game will not just mimic a live poker game,” Lande says, “but also augment it in many ways to improve social interaction, with customizable avatars and interactive props.” He adds that the spectator experience in VR poker will allow everyone who is interested in poker to interact with players and other members of the audience like never before. This will be the case in most online games, particularly at online casinos like bgo, games providers including Big Fish and even at online bingo sites such as Game Village or Swanky Bingo.
One of the areas VR will have the most influence on is business, as there are so many directions brands, companies and the media can take it in. Firstly, brands will most probably place advertisements within VR systems, creating story-driven experiences that could potentially change the relationship between them and their audience from passive to active participants.
Meanwhile in the office, teleconferencing will surely be transformed as flat-screen monitors and projectors are replaced with VR that may one day allow users to project their entire bodies. It’s possible that the human component will become so strong that it will eclipse the technology, so that it feels that a VR individual is really in the room. This will then have an impact on remote workers and telecommuting, as one could simply enter an office without actually being there.
Finally, e-commerce sales will undoubtedly go up, as consumers will be able to see the products as though they already owned them. Patrons will “see” if clothes fit well and whether furniture will work in their homes. Plus, real estate sales are sure to benefit due to similar reasons, as potential buyers will be able to inspect the property via their VR devices without having to book a viewing.
Healthcare providers around the world are already adopting VR technology to improve surgery, treatments, robotics, education and numerous other areas of the medical field. Arguably the largest benefit of VR in healthcare is that medical staff are able to adopt new skills and perform complex tasks by running simulations on programs such as HumanSim rather than practicing on living patients.
VR is also being used to perform diagnostics alongside long-established equipment like MRI machines to aid specialists, and surgeons have to students via VR headsets. Following the surgery, patients are also able to use VR technology to lessen their pain as the a VR system that distracts patients from their discomfort.
As for psychological care, VR is being used to help treat phobias, PTSD and anxiety through carefully constructed simulations. Usually, these systems are used in exposure therapy where the patient is placed in an environment that is likely to trigger uncomfortable reactions. However, since it is only VR the patient always has a professional with them and is never unsafe.
As time passes and technology progresses, each of these systems is sure to improve and transform the way healthcare is provided. Like in the iGaming and business industries, there is no limit to how much VR in the healthcare system can impact our daily lives. Needless to say, we live in a very exciting time.


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Phong Le – Chief Financial Officer of MicroStrategy – revealed that his firm will continue investing in bitcoin despite the recent plunge of the asset’s USD value.
In line with the prices of most crypto assets, the shares of the Nasdaq-listed company have also been on a downtrend since the beginning of 2022.
The Price Is Not an Issue for MicroStrategy
It is safe to say that the first 25 days of the year have not been kind to bitcoin. The cryptocurrency has lost more than 20% of its USD value during that period, which propelled skepticism in the space, and many started wondering whether and when its price would go up again.
The executives of the business intelligence software MicroStrategy, however, are not concerned. In a recent interview, the CFO of the company – Phong Le – asserted that the company will keep increasing its BTC holdings this year and that concept is not related to the asset’s short-term price movements:
“Our strategy with bitcoin has been to buy and hold, so to the extent we have excess cash flows, or we find other ways to raise money, we continue to put It into bitcoin.”
Furthermore, MicroStrategy has plans to purchase bitcoin-backed bonds if the market becomes more liquid. Le expects this to happen in 2022 or 2023:
“We are constantly looking at other ways to be additive to our shareholders as it relates to bitcoin.”
A few days ago, Michael Saylor – a prominent BTC bull and CEO of MicroStrategy – expressed the same viewpoint. He asserted that the Nasdaq-listed company had adopted a bitcoin standard, according to which it would keep converting its cash flows into BTC. In addition, the firm will purchase portions of the digital asset with debt, as well, Saylor reassured.
MicroStrategy’s BTC Holdings
The tech company is one of the largest bitcoin whales and often uses price dip opportunities to buy more of the asset. Its latest purchase came at the end of 2021 when it acquired another 1,914 BTC worth $94 million (at the time of the transaction).
The whole stash of the company stands at 124,391 BTC, which calculated at today’s prices equals approximately $4.5 billion. MicroStrategy’s average price on its purchases is around $30,159 – nearly $6,000 less than the current price of a single coin.
Asked whether he is concerned that such a considerable amount of the company’s portfolio is allocated in bitcoin, Saylor answered:
“It actually gives me great comfort. I don’t really think we could anything better to position our company in an inflationary environment than to convert our balance sheet to bitcoin because we basically built a balance sheet on a non-sovereign store of value that’s not a currency derivative.”
He opined that the leading cryptocurrency is so valuable because it is a “scarcity, and they are not making any more of it.” In his view, it is “the best investment opportunity of our lifetime.”
MicroStrategy’s Shares Nosedived
The cryptocurrency industry is not the only sector deep in red in the last few days. Global markets and shares of some renowned companies have also fallen significantly.
At the end of last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission rejected MicroStrategy’s bitcoin accounting strategy. Following that, the firm’s shares dropped by nearly 18% in 24 hours – the company’s biggest intraday collapse since February 23, 2021.
Currently, a single MSTR share trades at around $370, 32% less than the USD value at the beginning of 2022.
Binance Free $100 (Exclusive): Use this link to register and receive $100 free and 10% off fees on Binance Futures first month (terms).
PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to get 25% off trading fees.


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Apple’s design boss Jony Ive gave a rare live interview at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment in San Francisco Thursday night.
At one point, a member of the audience asked Ive what he thought about Xiaomi, a Chinese startup that makes smartphones with a remarkable similarity to iPhones.
Ive, speaking broadly about Xiaomi and other companies that make products that look similar to Apple gadgets, called it outright theft.
“I don’t see it as flattery. I see it as theft,” Ive said. “I have to be honest. The last think I think is ‘Oh, that is flattering…all those weekends I could’ve been home with my family…I think it’s theft and it’s lazy. I don’t think it’s OK at all.”
Ive said he and his team spend so much time designing products that it’s frustrating to see others swoop in and copy those ideas.
Ive has reason to be critical of Xiaomi. Xiaomi phones are only sold in China and a few other countries, but they’re incredibly popular. In fact, Xiaomi sells more phones in China than Apple does. That’s because Xiaomi phones are high-quality devices, but cost at least half as much as an iPhone.
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PFCs, chemicals in environment, linked to lowered immune response to childhood vaccinations
Unregulated chemicals and petroleum based plastics, films, clothing, food and beverage packaging, as well as drugs and cosmetics and their packaging is KILLING millions!
~ Uncle Russ
A new study finds that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), widely used in manufactured products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and fast-food packaging, were associated with lowered immune response to vaccinations in children. It is the first study to document how PFCs, which can be transferred to children prenatally (via the mother) and postnatally from exposure in the environment, can adversely affect vaccine response.


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AMD ships first Fusion chips, announces new APUs for laptops, desktops and tablets
AMD has its first Fusion processors to customers. Those first APUs, or Accelerated Processing Units, will be available starting January in ultra-thin laptops that AMD claims will deliver nine hours of battery life. This was one of several announcements AMD made at its annual analyst's day earlier today.
Earlier today AMD shipped its first Fusion processors, which combine a CPU with a discrete GPU on a single chip, to customers. Those first APUs, or Accelerated Processing Units, will be available starting in January in some 100 different designs including ultra-thin laptops that AMD claims will deliver nine hours of battery life.
This was one of several announcements AMD made at its annual analyst's day earlier today, which was streamed live online (the full presentations are available here). Other highlights included demonstrations of next-year's Llano quad-core laptop APU and Zambezi 8-core desktop platform, updated laptop and desktop roadmaps through 2012 with some previously unannounced products that will extend to tablets, and a shift starting late next year to 28nm process technology.
The APUs that began shipping today are part of the Brazos platform using low-power Bobcat cores and a DirectX 11 GPU. This includes the single-core Ontario (rated at 9 watts) for netbooks and dual-core Zacate (18W) for ultra-thin laptops. Because AMD is using TSMC's existing 40nm manufacturing process--the same one used for Radeon GPUs--it was able to move these APUs from design to production in about half the typical time. These will be followed in 2012 by Krishna and Wichita, APUs with one to four CPUs that will be targeted not only at netbooks and ultraportables, but also tablet PCs. These will be manufactured using a 28nm "half-node" process and CEO Dirk Meyer said production of low-power 28nm APUs would start by the end of 2011.
To provide a better idea of the performance of Brazos, Emilio Ghilardi, a senior vice president and AMD's Chief Sales Officer, compared the HP Pavilion dv2 released at CES in January 2009 to the equivalent 12.1-inch ultra-thin version with Brazos that will be announced a CES in January 2011. The original dv2, which had an AMD Athlon Neo processor, "very little graphics capabilities" and a battery life of about three hours. The same system with Brazos will now have the graphics capabilities of a mid-range discrete GPU and a battery life of nine hours, he said. It will also cost "significantly less" than the original dv2, which started around $600. Rick Bergman, also a senior vice president and General Manager of the Products Group, demonstrated an ultraportable laptop with a Zacate APU playing back smooth HD video. He also showed a Llano system simultaneously playing an HD video and a DirectX 11 game, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.
For mainstream and performance laptops--where AMD traditionally plays--it will continue to sell the existing 45nm CPUs and discrete GPUs until Llano begins shipping in the second quarter of 2011. Llano will have a two to four higher-performance (and power) Stars CPUs integrated with a higher-performance DX11 GPU. Llano is not only the first 32nm processor from AMD and GlobalFoundries, but also the first product to use new materials (metal gates and a high-k insulator), and the challenges of manufacturing this are what have pushed it well into next year. AMD will stick with the same 32nm recipe for this mainstream segment in 2012, but it will introduce a new platform, Trinity, that will have two to four Bulldozer cores, the same CPUs that will be used in next-generation processors for high-performance desktops and servers. AMD will start shipping Trinity APUs to its customers next summer.
AMD will use the same platforms for much of its desktop line in 2011 and 2012. The low-power Ontario/Zacate and Krishna APUs will also appear in all-in-one desktops and small-form factor PCs. And Llano and Trinity will extend to mainstream desktops. Performance desktops are different story, however, since those systems will continue to require the performance of a discrete GPU. Next year AMD will introduce Zambezi with four to eight Bulldozer cores followed in 2012 by Komodo with eight updated Bulldozer cores. Komodo will also be an APU with an on-chip DirectX 11 GPU, but systems with APUs will continue to work with discrete GPUs as well, and the two GPUs will share graphics processing and GPU computing work. Both Zambezi and Komodo will be manufactured using GlobalFoundries' 32nm process with high-k and metal gates. Bergman also provided the first demonstration of a desktop running both a Zambezi 8-core processor and AMD's upcoming Cayman (Radeon HD 6970) discrete GPU, which he promised would be the must-have platform for gamers next year.
The basic Bobcat and Bulldozer designs that serve as the foundation for these platforms will be around for at least three generations. But during the day's presentations, AMD executives talked a lot about how they planned to develop the CPUs, GPUs and the peripherals that connect them over time to deliver a better user experience with Web browsing, (using browsers such as Internet Explorer 9 that support GPU acceleration), digital video creation and consumption, and of course 3D gaming. By increasing the "attach rate" for discrete GPUs--in other words, selling a lot more laptops and desktops with powerful graphics--AMD also hopes to give software developers a lot more incentive to develop more applications that exploit the power of GPUs using standards such as OpenCL and Microsoft's DirectCompute. The GPU will eventually become what Meyer and others described as a "first-class citizen" in the PC, seamlessly and intelligently sharing work with the CPU to deliver a better user experience in devices of all shapes and sizes.


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Based upon 2017 projected earnings NKE is selling at 20.7 times earnings while SKX is selling at 11.1 times earnings. As pointed out SKX has faster sales growth Time for some PE expansion for skx
If AAL fails to rally and ends up one year from to-day at exactly the same price as currant, it will have outperformed a 10 year US Treasury bond by 10 basis points. Yes AAL has a higher yield than the 10 year Treasury.
In an interview on Bloomberg the CEO stated that Sketchers plan to open 500 new stores next year.


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Six Liquids That Could Drip From A Vehicle
Employed automobiles are promoting for much a lot more these days then they utilised to. In difficult economic instances men and women are seeking for top quality employed automobiles and foregoing new vehicle purchases. The Nismo version gets the new grille and bumper style from the 2016 automobile , however its elements ar created of automobilebon-fibre and presently produce a lot of downforce than the other Nisan road car ever. Stories end up on Demand’s eHow, Cracked, Trails or LiveStrong sites but Demand also provides the sites of USA These days, The San Francisco Chronicle and the Houston Chronicle with news (Shaver, 2010). Witnesses told police investigators they saw Supansa’s choose-up drive onto the center island with no warning and head toward Jones’s vehicle. It really is decade-old news that the net assists details – some of it excellent, some of it rumors – spread quick.
As a portion of capitalism’s emphasis on high-efficiency, sociology and phycology professors, Croteau, Hoynes, and Milan (2011) have argued that the corporate news media owners demanded substantial returns on their investments” (p.59), which developed profit pressures. Having just suffered a fair bit of harm to my car wiring and insulation, the technician who checked that hadn’t carried out harm i couldn’t see, recommended utilizing WD40.
Though various news stations could adhere to a different set of ideological values, MSBC may possibly be more liberal whilst FOX might be much more conservative, individuals are exposed to the identical news content on the Big five news media networks. The region that saw the biggest development in the quantity of employed automobile sales was the north east, where sales have been up 8.three% year-on-year. BMW lately unveiled their i Vision Future Interaction Concept Auto at the Customer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The other benefactor of the news business, say professionals, was the U.S. Supreme Court: Its Citizens United selection permitting corporations and unions to get political ads for candidates helped increase political advertising spent on neighborhood television to an estimated $two.two billion, a new high for a midterm campaign year. As pointed out above, the eVerito is the second all-electric Mahindra auto following the e2o.
I will show the class pictures of traffic on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, and also various photographs of automobile crash accidents in Thailand. The non-profit club, which was founded in 1937, had spent much of it’s time as a social club for vintage auto enthusiasts. Watch- what you wait for- as some thing distinct could come about, and it proved true on this stormy evening as a man began walking toward Healy’s vehicle shooting. So just to be safe, if you see a paper stuck on your back window, never get out of your vehicle to take it off.


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An Australian-designed engine has powered the test flight of the world’s first electric commercial aircraft.
While the history-making flight in Canada was only 15 minutes, the entrepreneurs behind the project say it signals the start of the third era in aviation—the electric age. And they are determined to build on this first step in their quest to have the world’s first all-electric commercial fleet.
The successful flight of the ‘ePlane’, a six-passenger de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, took place from the Harbour Air Seaplanes terminal in Vancouver.
The engine was a 750-horsepower magni500, supplied by Gold Coast firm magniX, that was unveiled at the Paris Air Show in June 2019.
Earlier this year, Harbour Air announced its partnership with magniX and the company’s intention to build the world’s first completely electric commercial seaplane fleet. The two companies will now begin the certification and approval process for the propulsion system and retrofitting of aircraft.
CEO of magniX Roei Ganzarski said it was in December 1903 that the Wright brothers launched the aviation age with the first flight of a powered aircraft.
‘Today, 116 years later, with the first flight of an all-electric powered commercial aircraft, we launched the electric era of aviation,’ he said.
‘The transportation industry and specifically the aviation segment that has been, for the most part, stagnant since the late 1930s, is ripe for a massive disruption. Now we are proving that low-cost, environmentally friendly, commercial electric air travel can be a reality in the very near future.’
Harbour Air CEO and founder Greg McDougall flew the aircraft.
‘Today, we made history,’ he said. ‘Canada has long held an iconic role in the history of aviation and to be part of this incredible world-first milestone is something we can all be really proud of.’
That’s one serious power plant! I hope I’m alive to see battery technology emerge from the caves -:)
Exactly. Me too.
The batteries are the Achilles heel of all these projects.
As with the future of the electric automobiles, it is looking increasingly likely that batteries might well not be the way to go for mobile electric vehicles, including aircraft. Hydrogen Fuel Cell power is shaping up to be the energy source for the long term.
With hydrogen liquid storage, and the ability for fuel to be pumped from a tank or a tanker once again, we are seeing the limits of the endurance of vehicles powered by Hydrogen to be governed by the tank capacity of the vehicle conserved.
In this case, the flight of the Beaver would probably have been as impressive with energy sourced from liquid hydrogen as it was with the energy sourced from Lithium batteries, but with the potential for much greater range.
It certainly is a fantastic achievement. I think we all agree that the batteries are now the limiting factor. Hydrogen is indeed a real alternative. I would assert that compressed hydrogen is the way to go, rathe than liquid. Both Toyota and Hyundai are selling hydrogen powered cars using compressed hydrogen and a small fuel cell. Very safe and proven technology. The hydrogen tanks are made from carbon fibre and are literally bullet proof. Exciting times for the aviation industry!
I’ve seen this motor first hand and it is very impressive. Unfortunately last time I checked, the energy density of batteries was still roughly 40x less than petrol. And the other downer is that you don’t get to burn off the TOW like one does with liquid fuels, ie you have to carry the deadweight of the flat battery all the way home with you. So despite the fantastic efforts of MagniX at Arundel, Gold Coast, it’s difficult for me to see an unsubsidised, viable commercial application in the near or even medium future. I wish them well all the same, they are having an excellent, world leading crack at it in an excellent facility.


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Honest Ed's closed its doors forever just after 5 p.m. tonight, December 31, 2016. There was no formal send-off, just an unceremonious darkening of half the ground floor lights to let people know that the nearly 70 year old story was finally over. Fittingly, the place was busy until the bitter end with people taking a last look at what was a Toronto institution.
I didn't think I'd return after visiting a couple days ago and seeing the store cleaned out, but something pulled me back to pay my last respects. The entire area around Bathurst and Bloor was buzzing with folks snapping final photos of the garish exterior to mark the passing of a giant.
The lights still illuminate the massive sign for now, which was especially dazzling this evening as light rainfall rendered the street a mirror, reflecting back whatever remains of the 30,000 bulbs that once boldly announced Ed Mirvish's retail extravaganza.
At about 10 minutes before closing, a staff member took to the PA to ask that customers take their purchases to the cash. From then on the speakers played a fuzzy selection of old Ed's radio ads promising outrageous deals and rock bottom prices, the only official bit of nostalgia from the store that didn't have a price tag on it.
As the clock hit 5 p.m. it seemed as though the people who weren't buying one of the remaining hand-painted signs or sturdy shopping bags were standing in place waiting for something important to happen. It didn't. A few words were spoken by former staff members and then people filed out in an orderly fashion.
The real scene was outside where the late dusk sky activated the flashes on the smartphone and mini-cameras that were busy capturing the remains of the grand old building. As the sign pulsed above and the flashes sparked below, the street became a stadium full of fans witnessing the sprawling store's last stand.
This was a spectacle worthy of the Honest Ed's we knew and loved.
by Derek Flack via blogTO


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16th Battery Experts Forum a great success
Europe's biggest conference for battery technology sold outKarlstein am Main, )
Exhibition area for companies of the entire value chain
The exhibition was also strongly represented with approximately 60 percent growth in exhibiting companies and a threefold space. Renowned international companies from the battery industry were among them - including the leading cell manufacturers such as LG Chem, Murata, Samsung, Panasonic and BYD, which is an absolute unique selling point of this event. From cell and battery manufacturers to OEMs and users, new design, production and manufacturing solutions including battery systems, materials and components, as well as testing and recycling processes were presented. Outside, a number of e-vehicles, including modern e-bikes from ZEG and Rotwild, as well as the new e-scooter from Metz, were tested. Even large-sized e-vehicles such as the electric bus from Solaris or the latest prototype of the ACM City Taxi were an eye-catcher.
Extensive conference program
With around 100 speakers, the presentation program of the conference was even more extensive and diversified - six parallel sessions covered the three days of the event. At the Press Lounge, journalists had the opportunity to meet with experts at an exclusive appointment - among them well-known representatives such as Prof. Dr. Günther Schuh and Sven Bauer - their valuation and need to build a German cell manufacturing experience. Conclusion: Germany, the government as well as the industry, must start with it and not continue to shed light on opportunities and risks. It is agreed - the construction of a German cell production is a learning process and is only getting to a profitable and functioning business after starting and some optimization processes.
The Battery Experts Forum will also be launched in Frankfurt in 2020. The date will be announced shortly as "Save the Date".


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The Omega Group has been formed from the partnership between Blyth and Hartlepool based Omega Plastics and Washington’s Signal Plastics.
As a result of the merger, the expanded company is projected to turnover in excess of £9m in 2016 and headcount is scheduled to rise from 80 to more than 100 across the three sites. Omega Plastics and Signal Plastics will retain their individual trading names and each will continue to provide their existing customers with rapid and production tooling and plastic injection moulding services.
Omega Group will be led by Dave Crone, group managing director; Gary Powner, Omega Plastics managing director; Alan Franklin, Signal Plastics managing director and Julian Jamieson, operations director at Signal.
Commenting on the merger, Dave Crone said: “Both of our businesses had proved successful in their respective markets but there were sufficient complementary overlaps in our products and processes to make a strategic alliance of the two almost inevitable. Omega Plastics will continue to provide first class design, tooling, moulding and assembly with the added benefit of specialist high volume moulding provided by Signal Plastics.
“This combination of our resources and expertise means Omega and Signal are now even stronger together.”
Omega Plastics was formed in 2006 and was originally based at Team Valley, Gateshead. In 2007 the company moved into the purpose built 10,000sq ft factory in Blyth that it retains today. Five years later and in order to increase production capacity Omega opened a second 10,000sq ft facility in Hartlepool.
Since its launch in 2007, Signal Plastics has moved three times into increasingly larger premises. In January 2016 the business will move to a new 42,000sq ft facility in Washington.
Alan Franklin, managing director of Signal Plastics said: “Like Omega Plastics, our business has experienced sustained growth in a relatively short period. The merger has provided the stability we need to complete our latest move to a much larger site and to make further investments in the plant and machinery that will increase our production capability. We’re also aiming to create more than 20 new jobs over the next year and together with our colleagues at Omega we will be sharing best practices and offering improved career development opportunities to our workforce.”
The Omega Group will continue to provide bespoke rapid and production tooling products as well as plastic injection moulding to customers across a range of sectors including automotive, electronics, FMCG, medical, personal care and bio-tech.


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British Heart Foundation Lifts Supporter Engagement 586% with Personalised UGC
It’s hard enough for charities to stand out in an overcrowded marketplace, let alone convince consumers to donate their hard earned money. How do you prove to consumers that their donation will be going to a good cause?
For the British Heart Foundation, whose mission is to raise funds for cardiovascular research (the UK’s single biggest killer), user-generated content (UGC) provided the vital social proof to convince people it was worth raising funds for.
Integrating user-generated content into every campaign
From websites and contests to event screens and email marketing, the British Heart Foundation seizes every opportunity to harness user-generated content to drive users to action and donation pages on their websites.
While branding and engagement is great, the ability to drive actual conversions on social media is the key to making a real impact. Athar Abidi, Social media Manager at the British Heart Foundation, brought in Stackla as a central platform to manage user-generated content across the many campaigns they run each year, involving different agencies and teams, and making sure that that UGC is directly driving a campaign objective.
“User-generated content help us draw supporters into a deep, trusted relationship. We get them involved and engaged by sharing their content in a two-way conversation.”
Athar Abidi, Social Media Manager, British Heart Foundation
The Big Stitch
The British Heart Foundation has 730 charity shops in the competitive high street charity retail sector throughout the UK. In July, they ran a pilot campaign where user-generated content was used to showcased the quality of their stock, as well as drive footfall and sales for local stores.
Jumping on the upcycling trend, the charity asked it’s style-savvy shoppers to buy an item from a store, personalise it, and post “before” and “after” pictures with the store tag showing on social media using the hashtag #TheBigStitch. All entries went into a drawing to win a night out at a West End show.
The British Heart Foundation engaged micro-influencers – those who have built niche audiences of 5-10K around blogs, Twitter, forums etc. – to promote the campaign and amplify reach. Using Stackla, they were able to whitelist influencers and automatically pull in their images and content.
- Surpassed 152 percent of campaign goals
- Generated PR coverage despite limited PR budget
- 20 percent of all pageviews for the campaign microsite went to the dynamic UGC photowall
The campaign was small with a limited budget but by harnessing user-generated content they were able to provide compelling proof of concept, driving footfall and sales. The British Heart Foundation already has plans to roll out the same campaign even bigger and better next year.
“By using innovative technology like Stackla to harness all this content people are generating, we’re creating the sense of a “movement” which will bring any charity campaign to life.”
London to Brighton Marathon
The British Heart Foundation organises Europe’s biggest charity bike race every year. Although more than 18,000 runners participate annually, only a few fundraise for the BHF. The challenge was how to use social media and UGC to engage with and celebrate participants, while also encouraging fundraising.
On race day, they placed a Stackla-powered Jumbotron on Brighton Beach displaying pictures posted by participants with the event hashtag. This encouraged more participants to upload photos and amplify the message. The hashtag #LondonToBrighton became the trending hashtag in Brighton the entire day.
People love to see and share their selfies on the big screen. Capitalise on this to turn your audiences into amplifiers and advocates, and get tons of great content in the process.
This year they ran an innovative campaign, sending tweets to individual participants with a personalised video that pulled in their user-generated content, curated in Stackla, and asked them to register again for next year’s event. By directly engaging with individuals rather than en masse, the campaign helped improve retention.
“Repurposing user-generated content and sending it back to the user gives you a second bite of the cherry with the opportunity to include your branding and core messaging. It’s a way to show that we’re not a huge, faceless organisation and that they can trust us.”
— BHF (@TheBHF) June 26, 2017
As a result, the personalised tweets featuring UGC generated:
- Over 35,000 impressions
- More than 2,600 total engagements
- A 7.55 percent engagement rate against a benchmark of 1.10 percent – a 586 percent engagement uplift!
After proven results using Stackla’s platform to integrate user-generated content into their website, event screens and emails, the British Heart Foundation is now looking at adding social commerce to the sale of their running gear and merchandise online.
To hear more about how nonprofits like the British Heart Foundation inspire and engage supporters with user-generated content you can view the on-demand webinar here.


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Obsidian has revealed the first three DLC packs for Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
As we march towards Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire’s release next month, Obsidian has revealed the post-launch content planned for the upcoming RPG, with three expansions lined up for release from July to November this year.
The DLC road map starts with the Beast of Winter expansion, sending your party to an island where one of those sketchy doomsday cults is getting up to no good. There you’ll deal with an ancient secret (obviously), a mysterious dimension, and devilish challenges. The Beast of Winter DLC will be with us in July.
The September offering, titled Seeker, Slayer, Survivor, will be more combat-oriented, with your party facing off against skilled, savage adversaries while poking around for ancient relics on yet another island. I’m sure island life is supposed to feature a lot more bikinis and drinks sipped out of coconuts, and less swords and death? Still, should be fun. Just not the kind of fun I imagine when someone says “Our party is off to an undiscovered island”.
Closing the planned DLC trilogy is The Forgotten Sanctum, which is all about wizards, moral ambiguity, and big decisions to be made with far reaching repercussions. This final expansion arrives in November. The three DLC packs will be available individually, or as part of the Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire season pass.
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire will be launched on 8 May for you PC master race types, while console gamers will have to wait until later this year.


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Apple's top-of-the-line M1 Max chip, which powers the company's new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, outperforms a $6,000 AMD desktop GPU at certain tasks in Affinity Photo's benchmarking suite.
According to Andy Somerfield, lead Affinity Photo developer, the M1 Max is the fastest GPU he has evaluated using the benchmarking software. Apple's integrated graphics solution notched a "Raster (Single GPU)" score of 32891, edging a score of 32580 put in by AMD's W6900X, a 300-watt card that was tested as equipped in a 12-core Mac Pro.
In a multi-day Twitter thread, Somerfield chronicled Affinity developer Serif's integration of GPU compute support for apps like Affinity Photo, imaging editing software that started life as a desktop title and has since branched out to iOS and iPadOS. Specifically, Serif saw promise in early Apple Silicon designs on iPad, which for the first time allowed the app to tap system GPU assets for certain processes.
Somerfield says Apple's latest chip, M1 Max, ticks the three boxes that make a GPU "ideal" for Affinity Photo: high compute performance, fast on-chip bandwidth, fast transfer on and off the GPU. M1 Max's compute performance and data transfer rates are especially well suited for the task, making MacBook Pro a good choice for users of the app.
"The #M1Max is the fastest GPU we have ever measured in the @affinitybyserif Photo benchmark. It outperforms the W6900X - a $6000, 300W desktop part - because it has immense compute performance, immense on-chip bandwidth and immediate transfer of data on and off the GPU (UMA)," Somerfield said in a tweet Monday.
While not specified, the developer is believed to be referencing an M1 Max with 32-core GPU, Apple's most performant specification.
As noted by 9to5Mac, which spotted Somerfield's post, the W6900X comes equipped with 32GB of GDDR6 memory capable of 512GB/s data transfers.
In addition to outstanding GPU performance, M1 Max achieved chart-topping "Vector (Multi CPU)" and "Combined (Single GPU)" scores, metrics important for Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher, respectively.
The results offer a glimpse into the promise of M1 Max, potent potential that is coming into stark relief as more publications get their hands on the new hardware. Earlier today, AnandTech published an in-depth assessment of both chips, finding that the new designs build on M1's foundation to deliver impressive real-world improvements.
Last week, Geekbench 5 scores showed M1 Max is at least three times faster than the original M1 when it comes to Metal compute.


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San Francisco, New York, London, Paris — and now Orlando. UberX, the popular venture-backed ride-sharing application, went live in Orlando June 4. The Orlando Magic’s Victor Oladipo was “rider zero” in Orlando, said UberX Orlando General Manager William Guernier.
As far as actual numbers, Guernier would only say that there are “hundreds and hundreds” of registered drivers and “tens of thousands” of users registered. The ride-sharing is set to cover Orlando initially.
“Really, the city of Orlando and the close outlying areas,” Guernier said. “As our supply grows, our coverage areas will expand. Our plan is to have Uber be available everywhere in Florida.”
On the marketing front, Uber is free until June 20, and if you download the app and share it on social media, you can get $10 off a ride (as do the people who use your code). The company also will partner with events, offering free rides to and from them.
So what about the lack of permitting from government officials?
“Ride-sharing is a bit of a new paradigm,” Guernier said. “It didn’t exist when the rules were crafted. … Just because there’s no regulation surrounding something doesn’t mean that it’s not allowed.”
Guernier said the company still is looking for more drivers, and typically tries to make sure there are enough so that customers can get a ride in five minutes, but a few enough that “drivers are making a good living.”
Other Uber Technologies products eventually are expected to start in Orlando, too, Whatever you do, though, don’t refer to UberX as a taxi. “UberX is a ride-share application, not a taxi,” Guernier said.