text:
Bitcoin is now at around $7,500, a steady upsurge from $5,000, the price recorded at the beginning of May. And this is causing a frenzy in the crypto community. Analysts are struggling to find the cause(s) of the sharp upsurge.
It however, remains a mystery, the reason for the aggressive appreciation of crypto figures. According to Lukeman Otunuga, a research analyst at FXTM, analysts haven’t found a major news factor behind the sharp $1000 jump.
So it has been fan’s turn to weigh in with competing theories. We have researched and compiled some of the theories running around in Reddit’s crypto community. Some can be very compelling, while others are farfetched. Anyways, here’s some of them;
Bitcoin’s Mainstream Appeal
News of Fidelity’s plans to begin buying and selling bitcoin for its institutional customers in the coming weeks is common knowledge. The firm is the largest asset manager in the world. Another major firm, Ameritrade, an online broker TD already introduced the trading of bitcoin back in December. And last but not least, Etrade, a securities brokerage is preparing its platform to make it crypto enabled for its users.
Other crypto enthusiasts think that the rising bitcoin figures are a result of other users migrating from other cryptocurrencies and investing into bitcoin.
A Reddit user going by Gonzales82 says that people realize that the idea behind bitcoin is far more substantial than any held by other altcoins. People are already migrating, and there is evidence to support this.
If you had a look at exchange data, you could not fail to notice a peculiar rate of conversion of altcoins to bitcoins. Data being recorded is proving that investors are possibly shifting funds from other cryptocurrencies for bitcoin.
Token Analyst Cofounder Sid Shekhar seems to be the support of the theory. She recently admitted that more bitcoin was being transferred out of exchanges than going in, perhaps a sign that people are storing more of bitcoin and getting rid of other coins.
Bitcoin’s Integrity Tested After Binance Hack
Last week, there was a hack on Binance and hackers made away with $40 million worth of bitcoin. In efforts to recover the funds, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao proposed a blockchain rollback to reverse the transactions. But his suggestions were quickly watered down by a fierce backlash from many cryptos divides. This may have bolstered bitcoin’s image as a legitimate and fueled demand for the same.
Claims by bitcoin advocates of bitcoin being scarce and censorship-resistant became tangible when the notion of tampering with the chain was run down in hours. This possibly made an appeal to a lot of people why bitcoin was valuable than any other altcoin.
Proceeds From Bitfinex Scandal?
Sanderson22, another Reddit contributor was also of the opinion that bitcoin was profiting from yet another scandal; Bitfinex.
Recently, a New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Bitfinex exchange owner for draining over $700 million from its reserves that backed tether to cover $850 millions of missing funds. The Bitcoin price rise could be as a result of people running away from Tether to Bitcoin.


text:
South Park: The Stick Of Truth delayed until 2014
Obsidian's new role-playing game based on Trey Parker and Matt Stone's insanely successful TV series South Park has been delayed a bit more.
South Park: The Stick Of Truth is a Japanese-style RPG featuring Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as they quest to save the world using their typically obscene abilities.
The script is penned by Matt Stone and Trey Parker themselves to ensure authenticity. The announcement comes with the first proper gameplay footage in the form of a seven minute video with a new 2014 release date at the end.
South Park: The Stick Of Truth is now due out on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on March the 4th in North America and March the 7th Europe and the UK.
- Report finds that the 100 USD tier of Assassin's Creed: Unity's microtransactions is completely unnecessary
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD gets a new trailer
- Bungie deconstructs their latest Destiny patch, hints at what is coming next
- DayZ creator Dean Hall could join UK studio Improbable
- Shadow Of Mordor arrives on last-gen consoles
- David Braben apologises for ditching Elite: Dangerous's offline mode, outlines refund criteria
- Microsoft celebrates the 1st birthday of the Xbox One with free access to Sunset Overdrive
- Hacker group leaks account details for thousands of PSN, Origin, Windows Live and 2K Game Studios accounts
- RedLynx promises online multiplayer is coming to Trials Fusion early next year

domain: news


text:
The company said the new-look site reflects the increasing demands from the trade for up-to-date content across a range of topics.
It includes detailed areas on training and licensing issues, as well as a suite of multimedia content such as explanatory videos of licensing law from the firm's top lawyers.
The site is mobile and tablet friendly, featuring a fully responsive web design, which enables content to be easily viewable, such as breaking news and assets designed to assist operators.
Poppleston Allen’s managing partner, Jonathan Smith, said: “This new website has been well over a year in the making and represents a significant investment for the firm. We’ve spent a lot of time investigating what people want from a website and what that want in terms of information relation to licensing.
"To that end, the website now hosts a vast library of information for the licensing trade, and professionals working across various licensed activities. Amongst the many improvements, and in order to make this huge resource more user-friendly, we’ve introduced a system of ‘content tags’ on all pages, whether they be information, news, FAQs, or hot topics. This means you’ll always be just one click away from any other important pages on the same subject.”
Visit the new website at http://www.popall.co.uk


text:
Academy Partners University of Essex
The Supply Chain Academy has this week confirmed a new partnership arrangement with the University of Essex, which will include the development and delivery of a unique new programme designed for supply chain leaders and their teams.
Working in partnership, the Supply Chain Academy and Essex Business School will jointly offer and deliver high quality business led executive education in the East of England, while developing their ‘Orchestrating Competitive Advantage through your Supply Chain’programme for 2018.
The Supply Chain Academy (SCA), continues to work towards professionalising the supply chain sector, which is evidenced by their recent leadership in the world’s first Degree Apprenticeship for supply chain management. To continue along their path of achieving this, SCA have built strong partnerships with leading credible educational institutions, professional business lobbying groups and other business partners both in the UK and globally.
Established since 1964, the University of Essex is one of Europe’s leading universities and ranked 22nd in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, A member of an elite group of ‘dual intensive’ UK universities, the University of Essex is gold rated for teaching excellence (TEF 2017) and in the top 20 for research excellence (REF2014).
Commenting on the new partnership, Professor Rajwani – Head of Executive Education at Essex Business School and faculty member of the SCA – said: “The University of Essex always explores new ways of thinking and pushing boundaries. We are excited to be working in partnership with the Supply Chain Academy.”
Alex Mortimer, Director of the Supply Chain Academy and Visiting Lecturer at the University of Essex added: ‘Professor Rajwani and his colleagues are very comfortable in linking academia to strategic business practice. The University of Essex has the right attitude for partnership and we are excited to be working together.’
The Supply Chain Academy is owned by the Uniserve Group – the UK’s Leading Independent Logistics and Global Trade Management Provider and is the only worldwide learning centre that focuses solely on the supply chain.
Offering high level insight and tuition for executives through exceptional facilities, the Supply Chain Academy is proud to be part of this partnership and is looking forward to contributing to helping the sector overcome challenges.
For more information on the partnership, or how the Supply Chain Academy can benefit your business, please contact Alex Mortimer (Director at the SCA) on 01708 259450 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.
Outstanding business-led courses for managers and aspiring managers from the global go-to supply chain specialists.
Award Winning Airfreight
Our record breaking (five times) BIFA Airfreight Award winning team eagerly await your enquiries.
The Supply Chain Academy
Delivering outstanding global supply chain capabilities to business.
18th March - Heavy Snow delays the Anglo Welsh Cup Final as Sunday's match was called off. ==== While we don't expect many Irish supporters to agree, as they close in on a St Patrick Day's Grand Slam against England, the major rugby game of note for Uniserve Group...
Uniserve Group member, the Supply Chain Academy, have confirmed two new thought leadership events this week that are focused around innovation in the supply chain. The first of these events, being held in May at the IOD's prestigious Pall Mall headquarters, is aimed...
Bath Rugby recently hosted a Uniserve Group event at their prestigious Farleigh House training headquarters, which was attended by staff, customers and a number of their own familiar personalities. Speaking at the dinner were Bath's Director of Business Development...


text:
Friends bracelets are one of the more colourful ways to make a statement.
Now, it’s the lightest colour and has the power to light up your life.
The chevronics friendship lights have been created by the Queensland Government and are now on sale.
The lights are created from light and can be attached to a chevronic bracelet or the back of a chevrron bracelet.
It comes in several shades ranging from bright white to a deep purple.
They can be worn with chevrons bracelet, chevran bracelet, necklace, or just as an accessory.
The bracelet is also a great way to give a gift, particularly if you are looking for a chevrequere to make for a friend.
Chevron light source News: 7 News Now.
The Queensland Government says the chevronels lights are the light of the chevreqrion, and are meant to be worn by the chevrans.
They are also available to buy in packs of 100, as well as for purchase online.
The light has been designed to mimic the chevtronic, meaning the lights are made from different materials.
It has been said that it is intended to be wearable in different circumstances.
Cheverron lights are currently available online, as are the friendship lights, which are the same colour as the chevs chevrrons.
The Friends bracelet is the light that has been most popular.
The Australian Business Traveller reported on how the light can be used to make chevrrons bracelets, chevronic bracelet, or chevrontrist necklace.
A friend bracelet is currently the most popular item in the market, with a sales surge over the past year, according to sales data from BrandX.
In a 2016 survey by the BrandX, the friend bracelet was the most sold item in Queensland, with $5.5 million sold.
It was followed by the friendship light, which was a $1.9 million sale.
These are the most common colours in Queensland.
The friendship lights are being produced in China.
The brand also has an international line of products, including a cheverequere.
The products are manufactured in the same facility in Guangzhou.
BrandX spokesperson Sarah Kurn said the company would continue to develop the product lines and would continue offering international shipping options.
“BrandX has partnered with the Chinese government to help promote international shipping, and we are currently developing international shipping solutions for our international customers,” she said.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S21 case images confirm polarizing new design
Samsung is expected to announce its latest Galaxy S-line on January 14 and we’ve already seen several renders that gave us an idea of what the Galaxy S21+ and S21 Ultra might look like. Now, we have some protective cases for both models which further confirm the new camera island which wraps around the side frame of both models.
November 5, 2020
These images show a four-cam setup on the S21 Ultra though previous images showed a fifth sensor which is speculated to be a 3D ToF sensor. According to the most recent rumors the S21 Ultra is expected to pack a 108MP main cam alongside a 40MP selfie cam. The S21+ opts for three cameras that are physically separated from the LED flash which has its own separate cutout. These new cases also raise questions about drop protection on the top right side where we have the camera cutout.
In related news, the S21 Ultra appeared in an NFC certification listing bearing the SM-G998U model number.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra NFC certification
Samsung’s upcoming midrange Exynos 1080 chipset was also spotted on the Bluetooth SIG confirming it supports the latest Bluetooth 5.2 standard.
Exynos 1080 Bluetooth certification
- 25 Nov 2020
Superb case! Will sell like hotcakes!
- 09 Nov 2020
Fantastic case. You just pray you won't drop your phone and that if it drops, it won't land on the upper right corner!!
- 08 Nov 2020
great case, protects your phone 3 times in 4.


text:
Here are our weekend picks to keep on your radar:
Starting Friday, Dec. 4 through Thursday, Dec. 31, our fishy friends over at the Adventure Aquarium (1 Riverside Dr., Camden) hosts a month-long Christmas Celebration including seasonal scuba diving, holiday photo ops and more.
For seasonal design at its finest: On Saturday, Dec. 5 the Chestnut Hill Community Association brings back its yearly holiday tradition with a morning of decorated house tours featuring the area's historic homes, cottages and more. Things get started at 10 a.m.
Get some early holiday cheer during a Christmas Festival at Peddler's Village (Route 202 & Route 263) on Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6 that features a weekend full of seasonal treats, a visit by Santa Claus and a parade. Things get started both days at 10 a.m.
If you haven't started your holiday shopping yet now's the time. Boutiques located in Northern Liberties will offer great sales on their specialty products on Saturday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 6. How it works? Customers will receive additional percentages off at each store they visit. The more you shop the more you save, it's that simple. More information can be found here.
On Saturday, Dec. 5, celebrate the grand opening of the PSPCA's newest location (1546 Frankford Ave.) with an afternoon full of animal-themed events. Things get started at noon with family fun time featuring a scavenger hunt, craft activities and seasonal treats to enjoy. Following the kid-friendly activities will be a 21-and-over quizzo game at 2 p.m. featuring food, drinks and prizes.
For an autograph opportunity: Fairly new Jazz Club, South (600 N. Broad St.) invites local food and travel writer Beth D'Addono for an evening of conversing about her newest book entitled The HUNT New Orleans. Things get started at 4 and run until 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Parents and their children can meet Kris Kringle at City Tap House University City (3925 Walnut St.) during a Brunch with Santa on Sunday, Dec. 6. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the restaurant will offer free meals for children under 10, as well as holiday pictures. Proceeds from the day will benefit the Ronald McDonald House.
Picks from the Inquirer's Michael Harrington
For more Things to Do, check out our calendar for the most up-to-date happenings.


text:
Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus Wednesday said it plans towork with chipset maker Qualcomm on 5G trials in India. Premium device makerhad displayed its first 5G prototype smartphone powered by Qualcomm'sSnapdragon 855 mobile platform at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona thisweek.
In a statement, OnePlus said it will be "amongst thefirst OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to launch smartphones powered bythe Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile platform in India, and plans to work withQualcomm on 5G trials".
However, it did not provide any details further.
"We have been loyal to Qualcomm's 800-series Snapdragonchipsets since the release of our very first flagship device. This strongpartnership with Qualcomm makes us believe that we could bring the best 5Gdevice to the world," OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau said.
OnePlus said it began research on the new-age 5G technologyin 2016 and a year later, it started working with Qualcomm on OnePlus' 5Gdevice development.
In October last year, OnePlus rolled out the world's first5G tweet by connecting a prototype device to a 5G non-standalone network.


text:
Surprise! Americans would generally rather receive marketing information from brands via postal mail than over the internet or by email, per survey results from Epsilon. (Actually, that’s not a big surprise: Epsilon found the same thing last year.) That general preference for postal mail extends even to smart device owners, although they are more likely than those who don’t own such devices to prefer receiving information online or over email.
Looking first at the general sample, the survey finds that across 18 different categories, postal mail is preferred in 15. The biggest gap is for sensitive health information: 42% would want to receive such information via postal mail, compared to 11% over the internet and 8% via email. Privacy concerns no doubt play a role. Similar gaps emerge for information from financial services, mail order shopping, insurance (more on email marketing for insurance here), and food products, although the gaps are narrower. The only 3 categories where postal mail is not favored are: hobbies or interest (26% choosing the internet, 24% postal mail); travel (32% choosing the internet; 22% mail); and online sites to shop at (32% the internet; 19% email; and 12% direct mail).
When segregating by smart device ownership, the general preference for postal mail remains across most categories, though the trends shift. According to the report, tablet users in the US in particular are roughly 50-60% more likely to prefer receiving information via email and the internet.
3 in 4 Say They Get a Lot of Emails They Don’t Open
Further data from Epsilon’s “2012 Channel Preferences Study” indicates that 73% of American respondents to the survey agree that they get a lot of emails that they simply don’t open. That could be a result of clutter: a recent report found 4 in 10 respondents saying that more than half of their new emails are from marketers. Indeed, 70% of the Epsilon survey respondents said they’re getting more emails than before.
That email volume may explain preferences for postal mail. But it’s not just negative attitudes towards email that might be pushing respondents to favor postal mail. In fact, 6 in 10 say they enjoy geting postal mail from brands about new products. Only 4 in 10 could say the same about getting emails from brands.
When respondents were asked why they prefer postal mail to email or online information, the ability to read the information when convenient was the leading reason given, by 73%. (One wonders why that same ability isn’t present for online and email, too.) The next-most popular reason was the ability to refer back to the information when needed, cited by 61% of respondents.
Interestingly, among those who prefer digital channels (email/online) to postal mail, those same 2 reasons topped the list, though in the opposite order, and with less enthusiasm. 45% said they preferred the email/online route because they could refer back to the information when needed, and 42% cited the ability to read the information when convenient.
Direct Mail More Trusted Then Email
Overall, trust in brochures, flyers, and direct mail is fairly low, but still beats out email. 16% of US respondents gave a top-3 box score (on a 10-point scale) to their trust in those sources, compared to 12% for email. That landed email at the bottom of the list. When breaking down the responses by gender, women came out as more trusting than men on both counts: 19% compared to 13% for brochures, flyers, and direct mail; 14% compared to 10% for email.
The most trusted information sources were doctors and nurses, pharmacists or other healthcare providers, and friends and family. Newspapers, company websites and online search engines comprised the next tier of trust, getting the vote from about 1 in 5 respondents.
About the Data: The Epsilon report on channel preferences for the receipt of marketing information is based on the completed responses of 1,991 U.S. and 3,816 Canadian consumers to an online survey conducted in June 2012. The survey is representative sampling of U.S. and Canadian consumers. This article is based on responses from US consumers only.


text:
Jim Bunnell has been named as the sales head for the United States at Cadillac, which is aiming to increase its sales through a new approach under new global chief Johan de Nysschen. Effective October 1, 2014, Bunnell will replace interim Cadillac sales head Kurt McNeil, who subbed in for resigned chief Bill Peffer.
McNeil is currently General Motors’ vice president of sales operations for the US. Bunnell is currently serving as vice president of sales for Chevrolet and Cadillac in Europe. He joined GM in in 1979 and had held sales and product planning roles at Pontiac and GMC. His appointment means he will be fourth sales head at Cadillac in a little more than two years.
He will report to de Nysschen. In his new role, Bunnell will be in charge implementing strategies for retail sales and customer experience initiatives, GM said in a statement. De Nysschen said in the statement that Bunnel’s addition to Cadillac’s leadership team is one of the key steps the brand are taking to strengthen the focus and alignment of its organization.
He cited Bunnell’s strong experience in leading auto sales and service organizations. De Nysschen recently remarked that Cadillac should build off a solid base of customers who are willing to shell out more money for its vehicles, even if it means sacrificing some sales volume.
US sales accounted for around 73 percent of Cadillac’s global volume in 2013. It dropped 5 percent in the first eight months of 2014, while all luxury brands posted a combined 8 percent surge. Howard Drake, chairman of Cadillac's National Dealer Council, remarked that Bunnell is a "dealer guy" who will serve as a recognizable face to the dealer network. [source: GM]


text:
MIT.nano has announced that UpNano US Inc., a company that manufactures and supplies high-precision and high-resolution 3D printing instruments for academia and industry, has joined the MIT.nano Consortium. This engagement, initially planned for two years, will include locating one of UpNano’s NanoOne 1000 instruments in MIT.nano.
“We’re thrilled to welcome UpNano to the MIT.nano Consortium,” says Vladimir Bulović, the founding faculty director of MIT.nano and the Fariborz Maseeh (1990) Professor of Emerging Technology. “Not only is UpNano’s 3D printing technology an exciting addition to MIT.nano’s growing toolsets, but the company brings a global perspective on academic research and industry application that will be immensely valuable to the MIT.nano community and our consortium members.”
UpNano US Inc. is the Boston-based U.S. subsidiary of UpNano GmbH. Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, the company is a global distributor of 2-photon polymerization-based (2PP) 3D printers.
The NanoOne platform includes a compact multiphoton lithography device with custom control software that supports a range of photopolymer materials. This system combines the high precision of 2PP with the possibility to dynamically change the dimensions of the focal point on demand. The result is a printer that is both high resolution (producing feature sizes from 150 nanometers to 40 millimeters) and quick (up to 100 times more rapid than other 2PP systems). The speed of the system supports faster prototyping, shorter development cycles, and even small-scale serial production.
Additionally, an UpNano application scientist will be stationed at MIT.nano this fall to support research activities, including training, use of the NanoOne 1000, and collaboration with MIT researchers.
“UpNano is very excited to provide support to the important scientific mission of MIT.nano and affiliated researchers,” says Bernhard Küenburg, co-founder and CEO of UpNano. “From next-generation display materials, and micro-scale systems for biological study, to new material and design options for microelectronic devices, MIT researchers are at the forefront of many of the world’s most urgent challenges. We look forward to working with them to extend this research to even smaller dimensions and enable them to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible.”
In MIT.nano’s quarterly industry consortium meetings, UpNano will provide advice to help guide and advance nanoscale innovations at MIT alongside the 10 other consortium companies:
- Analog Devices
- IBM Research
- Lam Research
- Oxford Instruments/Asylum Research
MIT.nano continues to welcome new companies as sustaining members. For more details, visit the MIT.nano Consortium page.


text:
Research results released Monday show that China accounted for 37% of all admissions to European films outside of Europe itself. At the same time, the number of tickets sold to European movies in North America dropped from 29.8 million to 27.1 million in 2017, or 28% of the total. Latin America accounted for 24% of the European export market.
The Audiovisual Observatory said that a sizable year-on-year increase in admissions in China and ongoing decline in admissions in the U.S. were responsible for China becoming the biggest export market. Ticket sales to European films in the Middle Kingdom grew from 21.2 million in 2016 to 35.8 million in 2017.
“This occurred despite the fact that the Chinese market remains accessible only for a highly limited number of European films, fewer than 30 first releases, and does not (yet) offer


text:
A new study based in the United States found that Android users have higher brand loyalty than their iOS counterparts.
As reported by TechCrunch, the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners study said Android loyalty has been rising since 2016 and is currently the highest it has ever been.
Android loyalty at the end of 2017 was 91%, with iOS brand loyalty ending the year at 86%.
The research found that most users choose an operating system, learn how to use it, and stay with it.
In 2014, iOS users had higher brand loyalty than Android users, although Android overtook iOS by the end of that year.
The research firm noted that Android has a larger user base than iOS, and the absolute number of users who switch to iOS from Android is at least as large as the number that switch from Android to iOS.


text:
Panera Bread Recalls Cream Cheese Over Listeria Fears in Tampa
Tampa Bay customers who bought the affected cream cheese brands should throw them out, the company says.
Panera Bread said Sunday it is voluntarily recalling cream cheese products from its bakery-cafes nationwide after one variety showed the Listeria contamination. Both 2-ounce and 8-ounce varieties with an expiration date before April 2, 2018, are subject to the recall. The recall only affects cream cheese sold in bakery cafes in the United States, and doesn’t affect any other of Panera’s food products.
The affected brands are Plain Cream Cheese, Reduced-Fat Plain Cream Cheese, Reduced-Fat Chive & Onion Cream Cheese, Reduced-Fat Honey Walnut Cream Cheese, Reduced-Fat Wild Blueberry Cream Cheese.
The chain said samples of one of its varieties from a single day of production tested positive for the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, and that tests on cream cheese samples manufactured the day before and after were negative.
Listeria Monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. It’s also particularly dangerous to pregnant women, as it can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
Healthy people usually only suffer short-term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
“The safety of our guests and associates is paramount, therefore we are recalling all cream cheese products sold in the U.S. with an active shelf life. We have likewise ceased all manufacturing in the associated cream cheese facility,” Blaine Hurst, Panera’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Only one variety of 2-ounce cream cheese from a single day yielded the positive result. Our intent is to go above and beyond for our guests. You should expect nothing less from Panera.”
Customers who bought the cream cheese should throw it away and call the company at 1 (855)-6-PANERA or visit the customer help website, for information about how to claim a full refund.


text:
We are super excited to announce that Harvest Hunt will be at EGX 2023!
EGX takes place in London between the 12th-15th of October and is a HUGE event celebrating everything gaming with tons of AAA to indie games to play, panels, cosplay championships, career/networking talks and more.
We will be showcasing Harvest Hunt on those dates at the Rezzed Zone a space for all indie games!
If you are around, why not come over and play the demo and leave us some feedback? We are bringing brand new merch and goodies for all of our players and restocking some of your favourites from previous events, like our unique in-game cards!
Hope to see you there!


text:
PLANS TO ATTACH VAT to the trading of Bitcoins are to be scrapped by HM Revenue & Customs, the department has confirmed.
The levy will also not be applied to the creation – or so-called ‘mining’ – of the virtual currency, new guidance said, but income and corporation taxes will still be charged.
In the last year, the value of Bitcoin has grown significantly from $150m (£110m) to $10bn at its peak.
Today, the market stands at around $7bn and regulators are keen to clarify its status, with some tax authorities concerned over the scope the virtual currency affords for money laundering.
As a result, Russia has made Bitcoin transactions illegal, while China has banned its banks from handling Bitcoin trades.
But HMRC has taken the view that Bitcoin transactions are legitimate.
“Bitcoin may be held as an investment or used to pay for goods or services at merchants where it is accepted. In the UK, there are already a number of outlets, including pubs, restaurants and internet retailers, that accept payment by Bitcoin,” it said in its guidance on Monday.
It added: “Income received from Bitcoin mining activities will generally be outside the scope of VAT on the basis that the activity does not constitute an economic activity for VAT purposes because there is an insufficient link between any services provided and any consideration received.”
MTD represents 'the single most significant change to the UK’s system of taxation in recent times', says Knill James partner Nick Rawson. So, how prepared are SMEs for digital tax reporting?
The SME community voices concern about the chancellor's measures in the Spring Budget
Following chancellor Philip Hammond’s Spring Budget speech, we explore the key takeaways for businesses and individuals
Unincorporated businesses under the VAT threshold given an extra year to prepare before MTD becomes mandatory


text:
Apple Inc. (AAPL) is one of the most famous and powerful brand names, associated with cult-like consumers worldwide who have waited in long lines for hours to buy its latest devices. What many people don't know is that Apple has quietly become a major supplier to large corporations such as IBM Inc. (IBM), Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) Microsoft Inc. (MSFT) and Lowe’s Companies Inc. (LOWS). These customers have developed new systems to use everything from the iPad to iPhone to perform sophisticated corporate tasks.
According to a report in the New York Times, the company has achieved this by embracing a strategy of partnerships and sales to target a diverse clientele from ranging from airlines to home improvement.
British Airways uses iPads to manage internal as well as customer-facing operations. It has developed 40 custom iPad apps across 17,000 iPads to make it easy for employees to perform tasks ranging from changing of passenger manifests to rebooking passengers. Similarly, Lowe’s Co.s Inc. (LOWS) uses five iPad apps to perform tasks such as providing customers with a 360-degree view of products to streamlining checkout operations.
In May of this year, Apple inked a partnership agreement with SAP SE (SAP) to “fast-track” iOS projects for SAP environments. This could translate into substantial earnings for Apple because SAP is the world’s leader in supply chain software, a market that racked up sales worth $9.9 billion in 2014.
Blue Chip Customers
All of this is in addition to the company’s sales and development agreement with IBM Inc. (IBM), a partnership that has already yielded 100 applications, and its deal with Cisco Inc. (CSCO) to make it easier to use Apple’s devices within corporate networks. The agreement is meant to establish a “fast lane” for Apple’s iPads and iPhones within a business network, enabling easy video and data transfer.
A majority of the company’s enterprise apps are developed on iPads. The device, which was first introduced in 2010, has suffered from flagging sales. The enterprise push has helped revive sales of the device for Apple. Even Microsoft Inc. (MSFT), Apple’s competitor in the enterprise space, has jumped onto the iPad bandwagon and released updated versions of its popular productivity software as apps for the device.
During an earnings call last year, Tim Cook said that the enterprise operation was not to be “underestimated,” saying that the business had revenues of $25 billion in 2015.


text:
That may be true — although Lowery can be found easily enough online — but the Copyright Act requires streaming services to get a mechanical license before they use a song. Indeed, in the event that Lowery’s case goes to trial, Spotify’s decision to set aside money for future royalty payments could potentially demonstrate either that the company has been acting in good faith or that it knew it did not have mechanical licenses for at least some of the songs it was streaming.
“The law is pretty black and white,” says Donald Passman, a veteran music business lawyer and the author of All You Need to Know About the Music Business. “If you’re using someone’s songs, you have to pay them.”
Rather than argue these cases in court, streaming services will probably try to prevent classes from being certified — Spotify already filed a motion to dismiss Lowery’s case on jurisdictional grounds. The high cost of federal litigation would make it impractical for the vast majority of songwriters to pursue legal action on their own.


text:
Good Afternoon DB Readers! Since today is Wedding Wednesday, we decided to share a recent TV segment on CTV that was filmed in one of our Canadian stores! 12-12-12 is the last iconic date of the century, and many brides are choosing this special date to get married! Here are some stats as to why brides are marrying on this date:
- According to the David’s Bridal “What’s on Brides Minds” survey, 43% of American brides have considered planning their wedding on iconic dates and the trend seems to have staying power.
- David’s Bridal estimates that more than 7,500 American brides will marry on 12/12/12 compared to 485 on 12/12/11—a 1446% increase over the prior year.
- Regardless of the fact that 12-12-12 falls mid-week, on a Wednesday, thousands are still choosing to marry on this iconic date.
- 381 brides in Canada are getting married on this date, and possibly more that we don’t know about!
Be sure to watch the video on CTV as to why these brides are getting married on such an iconic date!


text:
MacGregor Launches Breakbulk Optimizer
Cargo specialist MacGregor has introduced a new cargo solution, the Breakbulk Optimizer, designed to optimally plan the stowage of multiple different cargoes.
The cloud-based application is designed to significantly increase vessel utilization rates and combines MacGregor’s expertise in cargo handling systems with Navis’ expertise in loading computers and stowage planning.
“The utilization rates of breakbulk and general cargo vessels tend to be relatively low and fleet-wide key performance indicators are rarely known or recorded … The new solution can easily accommodate last-minute changes and enables customers to identify predefined key performance indicators at a ship, voyage, rotation or fleet level,” said Tommi Keskilohko, director of customer innovations at MacGregor.
MacGregor is part of Finnish company Cargotec group which makes cargo-handling machinery for ships, ports, terminals and local distribution worldwide.
Photo: Loading breakbulk. Credit: MacGregor


text:
GOOD Meat, the cultivated meat division of food technology company Eat Just, Inc., recently announced (June 21) that it has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its first poultry product, cultivated chicken, to enter interstate commerce. This landmark clearance means the firm’s chicken, which is made directly from animal cells, can now be sold to American consumers.
This watershed moment for the burgeoning cultivated meat, poultry and seafood sector, and for the global food industry, comes on the heels of the USDA’s approval of GOOD Meat’s label – and four months after the company received its “no questions” letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The March milestone indicated the FDA accepted the company’s conclusion that its cultivated chicken is safe to eat and allowed the USDA to begin its part of the regulatory process outlined in a 2019 agreement between the agencies.
“This announcement that we’re now able to produce and sell cultivated meat in the United States is a major moment for our company, the industry and the food system. We have been the only company selling cultivated meat anywhere in the world since we launched in Singapore in 2020, and now it’s approved to sell to consumers in the world’s largest economy. We appreciate the rigor and thoughtfulness that both the FDA and USDA have applied during this historic two-agency regulatory process,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of GOOD Meat and Eat Just.
GOOD Meat won multiple regulatory approvals for its chicken in Singapore in 2020 and 2021, and in January 2023 received a key clearance that paves the way for greater scalability, lower manufacturing costs and a more sustainable product. Since its Singapore launch, the company’s chicken has been featured on menus at fine dining establishments, popular hawker stalls, via the foodpanda delivery platform and most recently by reservation at Huber’s Butchery, one of Singapore’s premier producers and suppliers of high-quality meats.
In the United States, under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), all meat and poultry sold commercially must pass inspection to ensure that it is safe, wholesome and properly labeled. To accomplish this, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) places inspectors in slaughterhouses and processing plants — and for the first time in history, will assign inspectors to GOOD Meat and other cultivated meat and poultry facilities that follow.
As part of the USDA’s approval, GOOD Meat received a grant of inspection for its demonstration plant in Alameda, California, as has its contract manufacturing partner, JOINN Biologics. The comprehensive vetting includes facilities and equipment; standard operating procedure for sanitation; and the systematic approach to identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards known as HACCP.
Immediately after receiving the grant of inspection, production started for the first batch of cultivated chicken that will be sold to celebrated restaurateur and humanitarian Chef José Andrés. Andrés, who is owner of José Andrés Group, which operates more than 30 restaurants across the country, previously shared that a yet-to-be-disclosed restaurant in Washington, D.C. would be the first in the country to serve GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken.
About Eat Just, Inc.
Eat Just is a food technology company with a mission to build a healthier, safer and more sustainable food system in our lifetimes. The company’s expertise, from functionalizing plant proteins to culturing animal cells, is powered by a world-class team of scientists and chefs spanning more than a dozen research disciplines. Eat Just created one of America’s fastest-growing egg brands, which is made entirely of plants, and the world’s first-to-market meat made from animal cells instead of slaughtered livestock. The company has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies,” Entrepreneur’s “100 Brilliant Companies,” CNBC’s “Disruptor 50” and a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. JUST Egg has been named among Popular Science’s “100 Greatest Innovations” and Fast Company’s “World Changing Ideas” and the history-making debut of GOOD Meat was heralded as one of 2020’s top scientific breakthroughs by The Guardian, Vox and WIRED.Array


text:
With "Grand Theft Auto V" keeping gamers' interest levels in the series high, a lot of attention is being focused on the next installment. So far, the next installment in the series has been dubbed "Grand Theft Auto 6" and recently, a smattering of information about it leaked and revealed that it could have a female lead.
The existence of a female lead in "GTA 6" was reported by Express, which states that actress Eva Mendes is being considered for the role and is close to inking a deal related to it. If this particular information about a female lead is true, it could be a welcomed change in the gaming franchise. However, it is not a major surprise as many other games have also been focusing on female protagonists and the idea of using them is no longer considered to be very risky to a big budget game.
Additionally, Rockstar Games, the developer, has already begun hinting at the inclusion of a female protagonist. Dan House, one of its co-founders, even went so far as to state that they would consider using a female protagonist as soon as they identified a suitable game for one. As for the male characters in "GTA 6," there are rumors that Ryan Gosling would be roped in to star opposite Mendes.
As for the current status of "GTA 6," Rockstar Games has not provided any official information about it but if rumors are to be believed, it appears that a huge map is being created for it. The map is thought to be in the shape of the United States, and even though it is expected to be filled with fictional locations, it has already managed to pique the interest of gamers.
The other rumors about "GTA 6" have focused on the game's release and all indications point to an arrival in 2018. While 2018 is a still a while away, fans have been busy with "Grand Theft Auto V." More importantly, a DLC titled "Executives & Other Criminals" was released recently for the online version of the game, which came with a super yacht.


text:
Ford's Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant made its one-millionth Mustang pony car today.
2014 Corvette Coupe Order Guide RevealedApr 16, 2013
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe order guide just leaked -- and we've got the details.
Spied: BMW 2 Series and Facelifted M5 SedanApr 16, 2013
We caught BMW's 2 Series coupe and freshened M5 sedan testing somewhere in Europe.
Dubai Police Force Adds Lamborghini, Ferrari to FleetApr 15, 2013
Dubai police should be able to catch speeders even quicker now, thanks to a new Lamborghini Aventador police car.
Report: 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Convertible ApprovedApr 15, 2013
Even more variants are coming to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Feature Flick: Peugeot RCZ vs. Mountain BikeApr 15, 2013
Peugeot Italy decided to race its RCZ coupe against an unlikely challenger: a downhill mountain bike.
Feature Flick: Hot Rod Celebrates its 65th Anniversary with Homecoming 2013Apr 14, 2013
Check out Hot Rod Unlimited's video of the 65th Anniversary Celebration with more than 300 custom cars dating back to 1948! Watch it here.
Fiat Prices 2013 500eApr 12, 2013
The 2013 Fiat 500e reaches showrooms this summer with a base price of $32,200. The price includes the 500e Pass program.
2014 Cadillac ELR Gets “Regen On Demand” Button For Better EfficiencyApr 12, 2013
Steering-Wheel Paddles Allow Drivers To Recharge Battery In 2014 Cadillac ELR.
Priced: 2014 Audi R8 Starts at $119,150Apr 12, 2013
The 2014 Audi R8 has been priced -- the entry-level model will start at $119,150. Learn more here.
Feature Flick: Fast Lane’s Host Gives Us HopeApr 11, 2013
We're excited for Jason Harper's new show, Fast Lane.
Feature Flick: Hennessey Camaro ZL1 At The Texas MileApr 10, 2013
On this week's "J-Turn," Motor Trend's Jessi Lang takes a Hennessey Performance-tuned Chevrolet Camaro to the infamous Texas Mile.
Feature Flick: Lapping the Mercedes SLS AMG Black SeriesApr 9, 2013
Check out the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series and SLS AMG Electric Drive on this Feature Flick here!
Feature Flick: Nissan GT-R Hits 183 MPH on IceApr 8, 2013
Nissan's GT-R hit 183 mph on a strait of Russia's Lake Baikal, setting a national ice speed record.
Should Cadillac Build a 2014 CTS Coupe?Apr 8, 2013
Does Cadillac need a coupe based on the 2014 CTS to compete globally? Tell us what you think in this Rumors post.


text:
Back in June, Steve Jobs spoke to the Cupertino City Council, trying to get permission to build a second campus of Apple, its shape reminiscent of a spaceship of foreign origin. And yesterday at the city site Cupertino.org published a series of PDF-files, describing the massive building.
Future building project was presented personally CEO of Apple on the day after the World Conference for Mac and iOS-developers. Jobs called it a “space ship” and said the company will use the experience gained during the construction of more than 300 retail Apple Store , to create a real “monument.”
Four-story building with underground parking will be a place of creativity for more than 12,000 employees Apple. Also, according to Jobs, the new campus the company plans to open a large hall for large-scale presentations and events such as mentioned earlier WWDC, and a separate cafeteria that can accommodate up to 3,000 people at one time.
In addition, the main source of energy for the “space” the headquarters of Apple should be a natural gas and solar panels mounted on the roof of the building clean.
Here’s direct links to these PDF-files:
Entry A plot plan and location Floor Plans Rendering
Incoming search terms:
- apple future building
- future building
- apple building project
- apples future building
- future of apple
- future underground buildings projects pdf
- future apple campus render
- apple building company
- floorplans for spaceships
- futur building apple


text:
The finance industry stands on the brink of a revolution. The open banking initiative could significantly speed up the process of applying for a financial product by allowing lenders to access statements and consumer information digitally, removing the need for borrowers to produce countless documents and reducing time and costs incurred when assessing affordability.
Those of us who have been in the industry for some time have witnessed how technology has revolutionised the market over the past two decades. However, I believe the impact of open banking will be the most significant development the industry has ever seen.
It is not just about speeding things up; it will open the entire market, boosting competition and ultimately giving borrowers complete control.
The initiative is the brainchild of the Competition & Markets Authority, after a retail banking market investigation concluded that older and larger banks did not have to compete hard enough for customers’ business, and smaller and newer banks found it difficult to grow. This meant many people were paying more than they should for their banking activities and were not benefiting from new services.
Open banking enables personal customers and small businesses to share their data securely with other banks and third parties, allowing them to compare products on the basis of their own requirements and manage their accounts without having to use their bank.
HSBC has already implemented the initiative. The bank will start testing an open banking platform with 10,000 UK customers from next month, with participants able to add accounts from up to 21 banks.
There will, of course, be issues to iron out. Governance structures will need to be set up and attention given to assessing companies that will be accessing customers’ information, to ensure they are credible. The Open Banking Working Group, which includes industry experts from banking, open data, consumer and business communities, is working to address these issues.
However, although there are risks, this is a development the industry needs and one that will change the financial services world completely.
David Edwards is commercial director at Personal Touch


text:
With Dubai rolling out the red carpet to invite the world to Expo 2020, it’s only fitting that one of the world’s most popular celebrities is the first to lead the way.
Emirates has tied with Marvel star Chris Hemsworth in a new global campaign to invite the world to Dubai for Expo 2020, which starts on October 1. The campaign illustrates the ultra-futuristic themes and experiences in store for visitors at Expo 2020.
The ad, which is now screening on-board Emirates flights, showcases Hemsworth touring Dubai’s beaches and taking in the city’s famous skyline before heading to the Expo 2020 Dubai site, bringing to life the event’s flagship mobility, sustainability and opportunity pavilions, as well as providing a glimpse into the celebration that awaits at the participating country pavilions.
“In 2019, I partnered with Emirates and Expo 2020 Dubai to help bring awareness to what is a really important event for the world. We all have the power to shape a better future, and the last year and a half has shown us that the possibilities are endless when we put our minds together,” Hemsworth said in a statement.
“At Expo 2020 Dubai, the world will come together in the spirit of collaboration to provide real-life solutions that will benefit future generations. If you’re able to travel and you feel it’s safe, I sincerely hope you can make it,” he added.
The actor shared the video across his social media platforms.
“We partnered with Emirates to produce a bold and exciting campaign that we believe will resonate with audiences around the world, and inspire them to come and experience Expo 2020 Dubai for themselves,” Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai said in a statement.
“In addition to impressive marquee pavilions that immerse visitors in the themes of mobility, sustainability and opportunity, and 191 amazing country pavilions, there will also be an unforgettable celebration of music, art and culture with a packed entertainment programme, unique culinary experiences, and much more. It’s truly shaping up to be an event not to be missed,” she added.
Conceptualised and filmed pre-COVID in time for the original opening date of Expo 2020 Dubai, the ad aims to convey the energising spirit of innovation, creativity, and the drive to create a better future, all key themes of the global event. Taking a layered approach to storytelling, the ad is supported by a myriad of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) animations and visuals to illustrate what the event would look like, as it was filmed while the Expo 2020 site was still under construction.
The ad shows the transition and interactions between people and a fantasy world of future possibilities — including re-creations of interactive jungles and forests and a Mars mission, all representing just how much humanity has to offer during the event.
The musical soundtrack for the campaign, ‘Pure Imagination’, was reworked, modified and reinterpreted by a 70-piece orchestra and features a children’s choir. Children play an important role throughout the ad, coming from different cultures and backgrounds, and highlighting the role they will play as tomorrow’s leaders.
The ad has been directed by two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Robert Stromberg, whose film credits include ‘Avatar’, Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, and Disney’s ‘Maleficent’. The graphics were brought to life by multi-Oscar award winning visual effects and production company MPC (Moving Picture Company).
Hemsworth is easily one of the most recognised celebrities from Hollywood, having cemented his popularity playing the god of Thunder Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor has just wrapped up the shoot for the upcoming ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, which is releasing in cinemas next year.
Emirates is the partner and official airline of Expo 2020 Dubai, and recently launched an exclusive offer for customers: those travelling through Dubai, any time during October 1 and March 31, 2022, will be eligible to receive a free Emirates Expo Day Pass for every flight ticket booked with the Dubai-based carrier.
The offer is applicable across all classes and extends to tickets booked through Emirates for flights on flydubai and customers travelling to anywhere on Emirates’ global network with a connection time of at least six hours in Dubai.


text:
A Tesla Cybertruck in 1:2 scale recently competed in a series of tug-of-war matches against several vehicles, including a full-sized Ford F-150 pickup truck. Just like its full-sized, brutalist big brother, the smaller Cybertruck outperformed its competitors, though it needed some help to beat the formidable F-150.
James Hobson of the widely popular YouTube channel The Hacksmith has been working to create a mini-Cybertruck since early December 2019.
Typically, Hobson and his team at Hacksmith Industries are using their time to create real-life replicas of Marvel Comic weapons, like Thor’s hammer and Captain America’s shield. The Cybertruck convinced them to revisit automotive builds, something they had not attempted since replicating the spy car from the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger.
The Hacksmith team’s presentation of the completed 1:2 scale Cybertruck included a sci-fi feel much like Tesla’s actual unveiling of the real fully-electric pickup in November. Hobson even called a member of his team, who he initially referred to as “Franz,” to come into the frame to slam the replica’s side door with a sledgehammer, just as Tesla Chief of Design Franz von Holzhausen did at Tesla’s Cybertruck event.
After the remake of the Cybertruck event was over, the towing and tug-of-war tests began. The mini-Cybertruck went up against a 2,250-lb 2016 Chevy Spark, a 1,200-lb 2014 Polaris RZR and eventually a 4,650-lb 2010 Ford F-150 XLT.
It easily dominated the first two vehicles but the mini electric pickup needed the help of extra weight via cement blocks, Olympic weight lifting plates, and other heavy items to increase its traction when it faced off against America’s most popular truck. With these weights, the mini Cybertruck actually defeated the F-150, pulling the screaming beast of a pickup silently like its larger sibling during Tesla’s video demonstration.
The Cybertruck then hit a local drive-thru window and a 1:2 scale village to fit in with its surroundings. Simply put, its functionality is as effective as a normal pickup — it just happens to be half of the size.
The Hacksmith‘s remake of the Cybertruck is a testament to the vehicle’s appeal to pop culture. Since its unveiling, the Cybertruck has become an icon of the 2019 automotive scene, and it has become widely popular even beyond the EV community. This is one of the reasons why The Hacksmith opted to temporarily depart from its typical subject matter of Superhero-inspired replica items just to build a vehicle that is so insane, Tesla critics could not believe it was actually unveiled.
Watch The Hacksmith‘s 1:2 scale rebuild of the Tesla Cybertruck take on several vehicles in tug-of-war competitions below.


text:
Selected Illinois waterways will open ahead of the regular trout season for catch-and-release fly fishing, the Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday.
The new catch-and-release season will open Oct. 4 with the regular trout fishing season starting Oct. 18. The department stocks about 50 Illinois lakes and rivers with approximately 80,000 trout before the season opens.
The catch-and-release waters are located in Apple River State Park in Jo Daviess County, White Pines State Park in Oregon County, Siloam Springs State Park in Adams County, Gridley Lake in Cass County, Horton Lake in Hancock County and IDOT Lake in Sangamon County.
Most adults must have a fishing licenses and inland trout stamps to fish during either the catch-and-release or the regular season. Licenses and stamps are available at many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets.
The daily limit is five trout per angler.


text:
It allows glitch-free Netflix streaming. It hosts electronic drug-design and style equipment of the form that led to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The Seahawks use its computing electric power to analyze sport info. It stores a electronic repository of King County’s archives. And even The Seattle Occasions relies on it to make positive the internet site doesn’t crash in the course of surges of reader targeted visitors.
What is it?
It truly is Amazon Net Services (AWS).
The massively successful Amazon division, which opened for company 15 decades back, isn’t going to have the very same customer cachet as two-working day shipping and delivery or Primary Online video. “Cloud computing”? Gobbledygook to numerous.
Yet the worth of AWS to the business, people and the global net overall economy is difficult to overstate. Internally, the division is Amazon’s cash cow, building up 59% of the firm’s $22.9 billion income before desire and taxes in 2020, in spite of accounting for just 12% of Amazon’s income. AWS infrastructure also supports Amazon logistics, aiding route far more than 2.5 billion deals each and every calendar year to the appropriate deal with (most of the time), not to mention approximately all of Amazon’s other operations.
On a wider scale, the launch of AWS revolutionized the economics of web-centered organization by creating a $300 billion sector, cloud computing. Just about just about every big corporation and government company in the country takes advantage of some variety of cloud-computing products and services, according to study organization IDG.
Amazon will elevate AWS CEO Andy Jassy to guide the company when founder Jeff Bezos methods down later on this 12 months — a advertising that in aspect acknowledges the centrality of cloud computing to Amazon’s small business design, field observers say. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also led Microsoft’s cloud-computing division ahead of acceding in 2014 to the leading publish at the Redmond-based mostly software program large.
Meanwhile, AWS booting Parler offline in January about what Amazon has claimed is the social network’s incapacity to moderate violent information has highlighted the tremendous sway cloud-computing platforms — together with AWS, Microsoft’s Azure and Google Cloud System — maintain more than their clients.
Cloud-computing expert services are “gateways,” stated University of Washington Information and facts College professor Chirag Shah. “With out them, it’s really tough to be alive as a small business.”
Origins of AWS
As AWS has developed, it has developed its personal icons and quasi-legendary origin tales — many woven deep in the fabric of Seattle.
Just one doable starting off place for the tale is at the McMenamins Six Arms on Capitol Hill circa 2005, when AWS senior technologist Allan Vermeulen sketched the original style concepts for a vital cloud-computing support — the provision of unlimited, shell out-as-you-go knowledge storage — on the back again of a serviette while ingesting a Hammerhead Ale. (Vermeulen retired from the business this thirty day period.)
The seeds for what would become AWS, however, experienced been planted years in advance of, in Amazon’s realization that scaling up computing electrical power and featuring world wide web-centered expert services to application builders ended up among the its strengths.
In the early 2000s, Amazon computer software engineers complained that they had been spending as well significantly of their time making and sustaining electronic infrastructure.
“‘Look, you guys imagine these tasks really should get two to 3 months full, but we are investing two to a few months just on the storage remedy or the database option or the computing remedy,'” Jassy, in a 2018 New York Magazine job interview, recalled engineers declaring to him. “They felt like they were being reinventing the wheel with every undertaking.”
In section to deal with its possess escalating pains, Amazon centralized the approach of building responsible, price-effective data facilities and presenting companies like databases administration, so its own teams could focus on designing merchandise to draw more individuals to Amazon.com.
Amazon was concurrently producing its very first forays into promoting electronic infrastructure as a services. The business commenced partnering on web style and design with retail partners, like Focus on, in 2001, inevitably providing important retailers tools to construct their personal e-commerce sites on Amazon’s platform.
In March 2002, Amazon released a function qualified at affiliate entrepreneurs — third events who gain little commissions anytime buyers order an Amazon.com product by way of back links on their sites — making it possible for them to receive in depth products details that they could incorporate into the code of their have internet websites.
Virtually instantly, program builders came up with ground breaking means to show the ballooning Amazon catalog on their web sites, recalled Colin Bryar, the previous head of Amazon’s affiliate promoting application. A single game challenged shoppers to title the creator, movie or recording artist centered on cover art that flashed on the screen. A further page allowed consumers to develop digital bookshelves of their beloved Amazon items.
“Actually hrs just after releasing this characteristic, I understood that we have been on to anything significant and that our experiment would significantly exceed our expectations,” Bryar mentioned in “Operating Backwards,” cowritten with an additional former Amazonian, Invoice Carr.
Amazon hosted a meeting later on that year that brought significant users of the product info to the company’s headquarters, then in the previous Pacific Health-related Heart on Beacon Hill. Eight persons attended. A single would be a part of Amazon that yr, and go on to grow to be the cherubic confront of AWS for legions of computer software developers all-around the planet.
Jeff Barr, who bought his begin in computing operating as a teenage janitor at the Retail Personal computer Store in Greenlake, is now AWS’ explainer-in-main. Recognised for a signature purple-haired seem he sported involving 2017 and 2019, and his deep love of Legos, Barr is the writer of 1000’s of weblog posts evangelizing new AWS functions, at minimum one employing Lego dioramas as visuals.
“When we gave [affiliate marketers] accessibility to net services, they could develop their have actually great graphical visualizations of the catalog,” Barr claimed. “They’d mail us targeted visitors, we would deliver them money. It developed a virtuous circle for the first time in the internet expert services room.”
Amazon began putting the parts of what would grow to be AWS together in 2003.
That summer, executives gathered for a retreat at Bezos’ Medina manse to brainstorm new company instructions for Amazon. The firm’s strengths in the as-still-unnamed world of cloud computing before long arrived to the fore, Jassy claimed in a 2017 College of Washington converse. Amazon was presently giving restricted software program equipment to developers and businesses. And the corporation was fantastic at fast making the electronic infrastructure it wanted to operate its increasing enterprises.
Jassy, nearing the finish of an 18-thirty day period stint shadowing Bezos in a chief-of-personnel-like part, proposed that Amazon get started a new, 57-particular person division providing electronic infrastructure. By that autumn, AWS had been greenlighted, with Jassy at its helm.
Jassy, a gregarious supervisor with a notable like for chicken wings, put his personal mark on the corporation. Not an engineer by trade, Jassy has guided the growth of new AWS products and services, former AWS workforce say, by nurturing an Amazonian society of customer obsession.
In 2004, the division unveiled examination versions of what would develop into some of its foundational products. By 2006, AWS experienced officially opened for company.
“The Lego of the IT globe”
AWS rolled out its first mass-market product or service, Basic Storage Provider, or S3, on March 14, 2006. To several at Amazon, that working day marked the start of AWS.
Guided by Vermeulen’s back-of-the-napkin blueprint, streamlined in a brainstorming session in a rented space at the Washington State Convention Middle, and made, Amazon main technological know-how officer Werner Vogels stated, over the study course of a lot of “extended, dark evenings” at the Pacific Medical Middle, S3 enables builders to store and retrieve “any total of information, at any time, from any place on the website,” the business wrote in its preliminary news release.
“Storage for the world-wide-web was — I you should not want to say noticeable — but so apparent that if we experienced it, customers would uncover it beneficial,” Barr claimed. In these early times at Amazon, he shared an place of work with Rudy Valdez, who now prospects Amazon’s solutions architecture and coaching division. “He was practically calling up buyers and indicating, ‘Hey, I’m Rudy from Amazon, would you like some storage?'” Barr mentioned. Numerous bit.
Inside two months, the quantity of objects — assume of them like data files — stored on S3 had exceeded Amazon developers’ anticipations by a factor of 100. Now, objects are stored on S3, an ocean of info underwriting innovations in fields from weather forecasting and genomic exploration to promotion and facial recognition.
In the 12 months, Amazon experienced introduced the other know-how at the heart of Amazon Web Companies: elastic compute, or EC2, supplying developers entry to on-demand from customers computing electricity they could use to method and review info, among the a host of other capabilities. The plan for the products experienced been close to given that 2003, when a rookie Amazon engineer, Benjamin Black, and his manager, Chris Pinkham, circulated a memo advocating that Amazon start selling access to a world-wide-web-primarily based app permitting developers to run software package on computer systems they didn’t very own or retain.
Created mostly in South Africa by a modest crew led by Pinkham, EC2 was a innovative engineering — for software program developers, akin to replacing snail mail with e-mail. Quickly, you could software a personal computer from anyplace.
The dawn of cloud computing, heralded in a 2006 New York Moments post proclaiming that the web was “getting into its Lego period,” essentially modified the economics of opening a personal computer-dependent enterprise. Early world-wide-web entrepreneurs most likely expended 70% of their engineering time and work developing knowledge facilities and designing and maintaining primary infrastructure software package, Vogels believed, and only 30% of staff energy producing new goods.
AWS flipped that ratio on its head. To begin with, shoppers needed only an email address and a credit card to entry data storage, computing power and databases providers, producing it simpler for men and women to get started firms on-line with a minimal infusion of funds. Backed by AWS, app-primarily based startups like Lyft and Airbnb proliferated.
Amazon’s head commence in cloud computing has created it rough for rivals to catch up. Microsoft launched its cloud-computing division in 2010, followed by Google in 2011. Even though AWS’ early lead has shrunk in the latest yrs, Amazon nevertheless dominates, commanding 31% of market place share by profits, when compared with Microsoft’s 20% and Google’s 7%, in accordance to current market exploration organization Canalys.
Since 2006, Amazon has rolled out hundreds of other AWS purposes — so lots of, in actuality, that even AWS engineers won’t be able to keep up, mentioned Corey Quinn, the founder of AWS consultancy Duckbill Group.
“Even technically inclined folks sense daunted by what this factor is,” Quinn mentioned. “We are extensive given that previous the position the place I can communicate to Amazonians and make up providers and not get identified as out on it.”
There are databases administration companies, device understanding instruments and web web hosting. There are also equipment to converse to satellites in orbit, a 3D race car simulator and an experimental quantum computing technological know-how.
“Amazon is the Lego of the IT entire world,” Vogels reported. “We developed quite smaller making blocks. So it permitted builders to stack matters together.”
For several years, AWS has constructed enormous off-web page info facilities, locations exactly where “rows and rows of servers” extend into the significantly distance, Vermeulen explained in a 2014 interview. But the long run of AWS, Vogels mentioned, is neighborhood. The corporation has introduced a suite of components created to convey AWS into users’ homes and workplaces — enabling superfast mobile purposes that operate on 5G — and out into the field wherever info assortment is using spot.
Cloud solutions have not erased each individual computing disappointment. For a solution created to give developers overall flexibility and preference, it is really usually excruciatingly hard to migrate from a single cloud-computing service provider to a further, Shah reported.
“Your services are tangled with the AWS language. You happen to be utilizing exclusive proprietary databases that AWS has,” he mentioned, using AWS as an illustration to explain complications frequent amongst cloud platforms. “It’s not easy to pack factors up and go to a various service provider” like Azure or Google. And though AWS touts its capability to save consumers income, cloud computing can be astronomically high priced.
Meanwhile, the degree of electrical power that cloud-computing titans maintain about their shoppers, as evidenced by Amazon’s choice to consider Parler offline, is relating to, Shah stated. “You might be handing another person your full enterprise to run. Can you truly trust them?”
Quinn, while, stated it is unlikely that a cloud-computing company like AWS would act from “any fair corporation.” Parler, he claimed, was pretty significantly an edge situation.
Soon after all, he reported, “The National Enquirer tried to blackmail Bezos and is nonetheless an AWS consumer.”


text:
Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox.
Mutant transaction attacks trigger trading halts at major exchanges. Also, new bitcoin-seeking Trojan targets Mac users.
Mathew J. Schwartz, Contributor
February 12, 2014
5 Min Read
(Image: zcopley)
The world's biggest bitcoin exchange Tuesday ceased offering withdrawals after it was subjected to what site administrators said was a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack involving "mutant transactions."
BitStamp, which handles the world's biggest volume of bitcoin trades, said in a statement Tuesday that failsafe controls in its trading software "suspended processing bitcoin withdrawals due to inconsistent results reported by our bitcoin wallet, caused by a denial-of-service attack using transaction malleability to temporarily disrupt balance checking."
Just what are transaction malleability attacks involving mutant transactions? According to a statement released Monday by Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange MtGox, transaction malleability involves a "design issue" that's well-known in the bitcoin community, but which "has been largely ignored," that could allow an attacker "to alter the hash of any freshly issued transaction without invalidating the signature, hence resulting in a similar transaction under a different hash."
That analysis refers to the bitcoin ecosystem's reliance on the so-called bitcoin blockchain, which is meant to serve as a single record for all bitcoin transactions, including lists of which bitcoin addresses sent funds to other bitcoin addresses. All of those transactions are verified -- digitally signed -- using hashes, which in theory should be impossible to spoof.
[For more on recent DDoS activity, see DDoS Attack Hits 400 Gbit/s, Breaks Record.]
"But here's where malleability comes in," according to an overview of transaction malleability attacks published by CoinDesk. "The user's digital signatures used as part of the hash to 'sign' the transaction are meant to be in a certain format. That format wasn't always properly checked."
As a result, attackers can sometimes use a digital signature that's good enough to be accepted, but which produces an entirely different -- and still valid -- hash. Then the race is on, with the attacker attempting to get their mutant transaction committed to the bitcoin blockchain before the legitimate transaction gets added.
"Of course only one of the two transactions can be validated," according to MtGox. "However, if the party who altered the transaction is fast enough -- for example with a direct connection to different mining pools, or has even a small amount of mining power -- it can easily cause the transaction hash alteration to be committed to the blockchain." At that point, the attacker can cash in the on bitcoins they never owned.
While these mutant -- or malformed -- transaction attacks have been seen before, the volume of such attacks recently spiked, triggering denial-of-service conditions at multiple exchanges, starting Friday at MtGox, which halted bitcoin withdrawals after experiencing what it said was a technical issue.
Bitcoin exchange BTC likewise announced Tuesday that it had also temporarily suspended trading, and that some previous trades might take time to clear. "Due [to] DDOS on bitcoin network there is a delay possible with crediting of transactions madden between 10-11 February. Be patient please," BTC tweeted.
How can transaction malleability attacks be stopped? Gavin Andresen, chief scientist at the Bitcoin Foundation, said that the problem doesn't stem from some fundamental bitcoin security flaw, but rather relates to how bitcoin software has been implemented by bitcoin developers, exchanges, and digital wallet providers. "The issues that MtGox has been experiencing are due to an unfortunate interaction between MtGox's highly customized wallet software, their customer support procedures, and an obscure -- but long-known -- quirk in the way transactions are identified and not due to a flaw in the bitcoin protocol," he told the BBC.
MtGox echoed that assessment, saying that its developers are "working with the bitcoin core development team and others to mitigate this issue." Likewise, BitStamp said that "blocking the vulnerability should only require code-level improvements by exchanges," and said it was confident that "everything will be back to normal shortly."
Of course, these mutant transaction attacks are hardly the first hurdles to hit either the infrastructure used to process or store bitcoins, or bitcoin users themselves.
On the latter front, Apple-focused security site SecureMac Sunday warned that it discovered variants of the OS X malware CoinThief available for download via CNET's Download.com, as well as via MacUpdate.com.
"The malware is being distributed disguised as price tickers for bitcoin and litecoin -- another type of cryptocurrency -- which have been available on download.com since early December," SecureMac lead developer Nicholas Ptacek wrote in the alert. The latest variants of CoinThief -- named "Bitcoin Ticker TTM for Mac" and "Litecoin Ticker" -- are similar to previously seen versions, except for the addition of a new browser extension for Firefox.
Ptacek said that the malware had been downloaded just 57 times via Download.com, and 365 times via MacUpdate.com. As of Wednesday morning, furthermore, the malware had been excised from MacUpdate.com, but remained available for download via Download.com.
SecureMac first posted a warning about CoinThief Friday, saying that it had been billed as software -- named both as BitVanity and StealthBit -- for sending and receiving payments to bitcoin stealth addresses, and was available for free download, either as source code or a precompiled binary, from the GitHub code repository.
But the malware instead used malicious browser extensions to sniff all Internet traffic "looking specifically for login credentials for many popular bitcoin websites, including MtGox and BTC-e, as well as bitcoin wallet sites like blockchain.info," Ptacek said. "When login credentials are identified, such as when a user logs in to check their bitcoin wallet balance, another component of the malware then sends the information back to a remote server run by the malware authors."
Multiple thefts have been reported as a result of installing the malware, including Reddit user "allinfinite," who claimed to have lost about 20 bitcoins, which would have been valued at about $20,000, to the malware.
As of Monday, according to VirusTotal, only one antivirus product was detecting the malware, and only on Windows systems. By Wednesday, however, 16 out of 49 antivirus engines were detecting the malware.
Having a wealth of data is a good thing -- if you can make sense of it. Most companies are challenged with aggregating and analyzing the plethora of data being generated by their security applications and devices. This Dark Reading report, How Existing Security Data Can Help ID Potential Attacks, recommends how to leverage security data effectively in order to make informed decisions and spot areas of vulnerability. (Free registration required.)
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
Securing Code in the Age of AIApril 24, 2024
Beyond Spam Filters and Firewalls: Preventing Business Email Compromises in the Modern EnterpriseApril 30, 2024
Key Findings from the State of AppSec Report 2024May 7, 2024
Is AI Identifying Threats to Your Network?May 14, 2024
Where and Why Threat Intelligence Makes Sense for Your Enterprise Security StrategyMay 15, 2024


text:
UPDATE 1-Ontario Teachers' fund invests in online retailer Zalando
* Ontario Teachers' takes 2 percent stake
* Dane Anders Holch Povslen maintains 10 pct stake
* Zalando managing director says IPO not on cards for now
FRANKFURT, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) has bought a 2 percent stake in Europe's biggest online fashion retailer Zalando, continuing a push into e-commerce investment for the fund.
Berlin-based Zalando, which has brought on board several new investors over the last year as it seeks to fund expansion, said on Wednesday OTPP took the stake as part of a 4 percent capital increase at the group.
Danish fashion magnate Anders Holch Povslen, who bought a 10 percent stake in Zalando in August, also took part in Wednesday's capital increase to keep his share at 10 percent
Zalando managing director Rubin Ritter declined to give the amount paid by OTPP for the 2 percent stake.
He told Reuters the new investor would not change Zalando's strategy, but that the fresh funds from OTPP would allow it to work on expanding its market share and reaching break-even.
Zalando last year made a loss before earnings and tax of around 80 million euros ($108 million) on sales of 1.15 billion. Continued...


text:
HONG KONG — Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong's biggest airline, said Wednesday that profit fell 61 percent last year, hurt by persistently high jet fuel prices and weakness in the world's major economies.
The airline warned of a challenging outlook for 2012 as it posted a profit of 5.5 billion Hong Kong dollars ($709 million) for 2011, down from 2010's record HK$14 billion. The 2010 profit which was boosted by some one-time gains. Earnings per share fell to HK$1.40 from HK$3.57.
A "double whammy" of steep fuel prices and slumping cargo demand hit profits, Chairman Christopher Pratt said. He said 2012 is "looking even more challenging" than 2011 because of uncertainties including weakness in Europe and the United States, an unsettled Middle East and a forecast slowdown in China.
Cathay said high prices for jet fuel — its biggest expense at more than 40 percent of total costs — had a "significant effect" on operating results.
Fuel costs rose by HK$12.5 billion, or 44 percent, in 2011 from the year before, reflecting both higher jet fuel prices, which rose to an average of $130 a barrel, and that it flew more routes. The airline managed to offset some of that with a HK$1.8 billion profit from fuel hedging contracts, which cover about 20 percent of its fuel costs.
"We worry about high oil prices," said Pratt. "Any increase in the cost of fuel eats into our profitability in a very, very direct way."
Cathay executives said fuel prices have risen further but said that deliveries of new, more efficient aircraft over the next few years will help bring down the fuel bill.
High fuel costs also hurt profitability at its air cargo division, as fuel surcharges weren't enough to cover the gap.
The air cargo division, which accounts for 26 percent of revenue, shipped 8.6 percent less freight last year. Demand for air cargo shipments from Cathay's two biggest markets, Hong Kong and mainland China, started falling in April and remained weak for the rest of 2011, buffeted by the slumping global economy that cut consumer demand for electronics and other Asian manufactured goods.
The company said European demand was particularly weak. The division also faced increased competition from Shanghai-based airlines.
Air cargo shipments through Hong Kong were also hit by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011. The tsunami destroyed a swath of factories producing auto and high-tech components in northern Japan, disrupting manufacturers that relied on shipping those parts through the city for use in China.
Natural disasters and political instability cut travel demand to some of Cathay's major destinations. Demand for travel to Japan was "heavily affected" by the tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis, although it recovered by October. Flooding in Thailand and unrest in the Middle East also hurt demand for travel.
Cathay and its subsidiary Dragonair carried 27.6 million passengers last year, 2.9 percent more than in 2010, but the amount of seats filled fell by 3 percent as passenger growth failed to keep pace with added capacity.


text:
Brixton sheds its shady side
The market’s international influence also includes a multitude of worldly wares. At Collectibles, an antique crockery boutique in Granville Arcade, Brixton-born proprietor Sonia Williams praises the restoration initiative for giving her and her sister the opportunity to expand their hobby from a weekly trestle table selling finds from markets and auctions to a viable retail business. Inside the shop, all manner of dainty cups, saucers and cake stands sell for a fraction of what they would cost in other parts of London. Space is also given to handmade bags by Japanese artist Mizuyo, who had never before sold her work in a shop.
On Granville Arcade’s Fourth Avenue, African Queen displays a kaleidoscope of colourful West African fabrics. Similarly, Rachel and Malika’s next door harbours a sumptuous collection of global garnerings, such as hand-stitched Rajasthani throws, North African wood carvings, South American woven mats and chairs gathered on a recent trip to Senegal.
The spirit of social enterprise that gave birth to Brixton Village is still inherent at the Brick Box, a cafe and experimental arts hub on Granville Arcade's Second Avenue. Most recently, the Brick Box has been given a six-month trial to transform the Angel Pub, an old public house located just a few minutes' walk away on Coldharbour Lane, a road that once had an unsavoury reputation for street crime. The aim -- to host events that create and nurture an artistic community at the venue – is a promising sign that a small-scale initiative to populate a declining market is now filtering out further afield.


text:
It’s another day in Dubai land where we stop and ask, “What were they thinking?” In a huge step backwards, (citing security fears) the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) will suspend Blackberry services from October 11, 2010 until an “acceptable solution” is developed and applied.
The UAE objects to Blackberry data being exported offshore and managed by a “foreign, commercial operation.”
TRA said Blackberry data services are the only ones operating in that method. They added:
Today’s decision is based on the fact that, in their current form, certain Blackberry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the UAE.
Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) typically manages the services on its own encrypted networks, rather than leaving the local government control the content – with this UAE is not happy.
I don’t own a Blackberry device but I did? I would be mad. There is an estimated number of half a million Blackberry users here and the service suspension caused a lot of uproar via Twitter. What is more fishy about this one is that a mere weeks before this chaos, telecommunications company Etisalat has slashed BB rates and offered BB devices at discounted prices. What was that for, to clear stocks!?
Blackberry is a staple to both business and personal communication needs so banning services such as BB Messenger, Email and web browsing is absolutely absurd. Hopefully a solution will be met with BB maker RIM and a more sensible announcement will come up real soon. And hopefully, not one of those “you readers misunderstood it” type of announcements that happens every time a stupid news like this comes out.


text:
Powercast long-range wireless power technology gains three additional FCC approvals
The Powercast Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) announced that its radio-frequency (RF)-based long-range over-the-air wireless power technology has received three new certifications from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – totalling seven since 2007 – adding retail applications to the company’s existing FCC approvals for deployments in consumer, commercial and industrial environments. Powercast’s technology works in the far field to charge multiple devices over the air, without range limitations from the FCC, and without wires, charging mats or direct line of sight needed.
Two of Powercast’s three new certifications clear updated versions of its FCC-Part-15-approved PowerSpot and Powercaster far-field transmitters, now under FCC Part 18, to provide wireless power over distance in on-shelf retail applications. Examples include wirelessly illuminated product packaging, interactive end cap displays, and electronic paper displays (EPD) such as electronic shelf-edge labels.
The Part-18-approved transmitters can provide continuous power to many devices, such as Powercast’s Batteryless RFID Retail Price Tag with an E Ink screen, launched in 2018. Retailers can place a Powercast wireless power transmitter on a shelf to power electronic marketing features like illumination, sound, or colour changes that are designed into packaging or displays to showcase products on a shelf. Retailers can also use these transmitters to charge or directly power any enabled consumer devices that they place on the shelf for sale, such as smart watches, headphones, or computer peripherals, ensuring customers go home with their new devices fully charged and ready to use.
These updated, Part-18-approved transmitters (FCC IDs: YESTX91513 and YESTX91511B) use, respectively, Powercast’s existing PowerSpot and Powercaster three-watt (EIRP) hardware platforms with modified firmware. They are therefore available immediately from Powercast, and in the coming weeks from distributors Mouser, Digikey, and Arrow Electronics.
Powercast worked with the FCC to gain these additional Part 18 approvals as part of its partnership with PPG. The companies are jointly developing ultra-thin and wirelessly powered printed electronics products that provide indefinite illumination and other electronic marketing features without wires, batteries, charging ports or contact with a power source.
The third new FCC approval is a re-certification under Part 15 of Powercast’s original Powercaster transmitter (FCC ID: YES TX91501B), which has been redesigned with updated components to enable large-scale manufacturing.
“We are proud to announce our fifth, sixth, and seventh long-range wireless power FCC approvals,” said Charles Greene, Ph.D., chief operating and technical officer of Powercast. “From our first Part 18 far-field approval in 2007, we have worked with our customers to provide deployable solutions that meet their real-world requirements.”
Greene continued, “We’ve enjoyed working with the FCC over the years to bring tangible RF wireless power to various applications, and now to on-shelf retail applications. We have a great relationship with the FCC because of our no-nonsense approach to deploying effective RF wireless power solutions. The FCC has never restricted the distance over which our technology can operate, differentiating it from other wireless power-over-distance technologies. Powercast plans to maintain our approach as we continue to lead the deployments of RF wireless power.”
Caption: Powercast long-range wireless power technology gains FCC approval to power on-shelf retail applications like wirelessly illuminated product packaging, interactive end cap displays and electronic paper displays (EPD) such as electronic shelf-edge labels (photo: Powercast)


text:
A remastered of the title published on Nintendo 64, that is GoldenEye 007could be revealed in the coming weeks, according to a recent rumor.
This rumor was born from the journalist of VentureBeat Jeff Grubb, who has stated on his show Giant Bomb GrubbSnax to believe that it is likely that Microsoft will announce the revivalrather than the original Nintendo publisher:
I think Microsoft will announce it first. I think this game is coming very soon, I think within the next two weeks.
Goldeneye 007 it was famously a legal nightmare from the day of its publication, with the rights holders Nintendo, Microsoft and MGM all theoretically required to approve a new version of the work.
However, 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, which has led many to speculate that the most iconic video game in the franchise’s history may be re-released. as part of that celebration.
Among the evidence supporting this scenario are two of the members of Rare, who in January were spotted unlocking Xbox achievements of their own Goldeneye 007.
For the uninitiated, last year it was confirmed that Microsoft had to shelve an already complete remastered from GoldenEye for Xbox 360, following some licensing issues.
A working build of that deleted remastered GoldenEye 007 was leaked on file sharing sites in early 2021, allowing those with access to the file to play it via a modified console or PC emulator.
Chris Tilston, one of the masterminds behind the canceled project, put it this way after the full remastered build was released online:
It’s a bit bittersweet. It means that people can see the work that has been done, but it also masks some of the problems that have occurred behind the scenes.
Accompanying Tilston’s frustration was Mark Edmonds, another creative behind the project:
The strangest thing I find is: why now? Why release it after all this time? Someone must have had this file all those years. It seems strange.
We do not know how reliable the source behind this indiscretion related to the new remastering project of GoldenEye and therefore, until the arrival of hypothetical official confirmations, we reserve the benefit of the doubt.
#GoldenEye #remastered #revealed


text:
The BRC stated that empty shops have reached a new high as vacancies in the town centre are at a record level since the monitor was first set up back in 2011. October was the worst month for vacancies in shopping centres and at the high street within the UK reporting 11.3% of vacancies with Wales, the North, and Yorkshire reporting 20% of empty shops.
The Local Data Company; which is in charge of compiling and tracking store vacancies, published figures that show that the amount of empty shops in the country jumped up to almost 15% during February which was the highest number in the past four years. The LDC numbers had showed that the situation was starting to level off until now.
The BRC monitor also took a look at footfall which was down by about .4% during the month of October when compared to the figures from last year. Despite the small fall, they are better results then what was seen during the previous quarter when they dropped by almost 3%. A breakdown shows that the high street was hurt the most whereas out of town shopping and shopping centres only saw a small drop.
The worst hit locations were the south west, the east, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Greater London and the West Midlands was also not hut that bad.
Stephen Robertson, the BRC director general, stated that this new high in shop numbers has set off alarm bells for those in the business world because this is the worst vacancy rate that has been recorded and reveals that there are plenty of challenges in front of retailers and their customers. He added that retailers are continuing to fight against rising costs and decreasing sales and there is no end in sight.


text:
The family of six has vowed not to do any discretionary spending for the month of February.
Shelley Dunning said the family plans to eat a lot of rice and frozen meat, so they went to Costco on Jan. 31 to stock up on other foods like butter, pasta, nuts, and peanut butter and jam. The only miscellaneous thing the family plans to spend money on is fresh milk for the kids.
Bob Dunning clarifies that the family is just vowing against discretionary spending, like a coffee or movie tickets here and there.
And what about gas for the family’s car? The family plans to walk. That’s a good thing because the national weekly gas price average jumped 4 cents to $3.48 for regular for the week ending Feb. 6, up 35 cents from a year ago. Fortunately, Bob and Shelley both work from home.


text:
Industrial Control DesignLine - News
Startup Casts a Better IoT Network
Startup IoT Freeway claims it has a better wireless network for the Internet of Things but needs money and partners to support development and deployment.
TSVs to Split More Chips: Re-Integration is the Focus
At the 3D TSV summit, the speakers agreed on one thing: in many fields including consumer, 2.5D integration will remain cost-competitive with real 3D vertical integration. And this could lead to major shifts in the electronics manufacturing landscape.
Quantum Entanglement Now On-a-Chip
Uncrackable encryption and quantum computers enabled by tiny 20 micron source of entangled photons according to Italian scientist at di Universit? degli Studi di Pavia.
UMC Boosts Capex to Capture More 28nm Orders
UMC''s large capex increase to capture more 28nm orders indicates the company is optimistic about strong demand this year. Analysts believe UMC needs to fend off the competition in China which appears to be catching up.
The Problem with Big Data
There is a lot of potential in Big Data, but only if we dial down the hype and focus on building solid analytic foundations.