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For years, many Texas winemakers felt they couldn’t meet consumer demand without occasionally sourcing fruit from out of state. This always resonated as inaccurate to Chris Brundrett, the owner of William Chris Wine Co. and a board member for the wine industry advocacy group WineAmerica. “I can show you the vineyards and we can do the math,” says Brundrett. “We have more acreage than the  NASS [National Agricultural Statistics Service] survey shows.”
Brundrett learned firsthand the importance of having accurate wine industry data. Due to uncertainties in supply, he struggled to get Texas winemakers behind a new, quality-minded labeling law that would require winemakers to source grapes from within the state. After six years of working towards an agreement, the law finally passed in 2021.
The NASS, which falls within the United States Department of Agriculture, has “in the past completed vineyard surveys to see what grapes are in the ground, how much per state, and the percentages of hybrid grapes versus vinifera,” says Michael Kaiser, the vice president of WineAmerica. However, the report has been pared down in recent years to “basically just reflect tonnage dollars,” says Melissa Hansen, the research director for the Washington Wine Commission. In 2017, NASS vineyard surveys were left out of the 2018 Farm Bill altogether.
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Some states still commission or pay NASS for reports, or work with NASS regional offices to compile their grape crush reports, like California. Other states, however, are taking a different approach. “Since the [NASS] report doesn’t offer the detail we need, we are currently beefing up our in-state grape report to collect that information,” says Hansen.
WineAmerica’s 2022 Economic Impact Study predicted the U.S. wine industry would have a $276 billion impact on the economy that year, and Texas ranked second in statewide impact, after California. “But without accurate data, the study lacked the right numbers,” says Kaiser. WineAmerica encouraged Brundrett and other industry leaders to rally state representatives to support surveys at the federal level, and to pursue in-state grape reporting, if it did not already exist.
Kaiser says that states with a state-funded wine board or wine commission to oversee such reports tend to have the most abundant and timely data—or they have the infrastructure to advocate for it. In 2021, Sam Filler, the executive director of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, encouraged growers to participate in a new survey, writing that current data is needed for “business decisions, research priorities, marketing messaging, and for tracking economic impact.” In California and Washington, growers and winemakers pay an assessment fee per ton of grapes or per gallon sold, respectively, funding production of a state grape report.
WineAmerica is spearheading an effort to restore funding for NASS vineyard surveys in the 2024 Farm Bill. In the meantime, states like Texas are tapping into state and industry resources to get the data they need to continue to grow. This past March, the viticulture and enology team at Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension sent its second vineyard survey and crush report to winemakers and grape growers, in the hopes of capturing more accurate numbers. Survey questions were created in collaboration with a committee built from Texas’ industry organizations, including, among several others, Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association, Texas Wine Growers, and Texas Hill Country Wineries.
As many state programs do, AgriLife Extension is allocating resources to collect data over the phone, in the hopes of boosting participation. Professor and viticulture specialist Justin Scheiner, Ph.D, is hopeful the report’s value will be self-evident to growers and winemakers as it’s produced more routinely. Texas’ nascent effort to establish consistent reporting of what varieties are planted, in what quantity, and where, presents an opportunity to consider why such reports are not only essential for knowing what’s in the ground, but also for their transformational impact on the economic growth of a wine region, whether it’s emerging or established.
How Growers and Wineries Leverage Grape Reports
The 1976 Claire Berryhill Act mandates California grape growers and wineries submit annual reports detailing varieties purchased and the district they were purchased from. The California Department of Food and Agriculture produces the state’s grape crush report, in collaboration with the NASS Pacific Regional Office, says Natalie Collins, the president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. Collins says the data “correlates what’s in the ground, what’s been grown in the past, and what’s selling. It’s a game of supply and demand, and the data backs up smart business decisions.”
“Even if new growers slip through the cracks and some bigger players manipulate the data a bit, the report offers an immense amount of useful information,” adds Stuart Spencer, the executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission. According to Spencer, growers refer to the report to determine where their prices are relative to others, track down varieties easily, and gauge if there is too much of one variety planted. Spencer also suggests that the wine industry relies on state funding for research institutions like the University of California extension programs that work on issues like smoke-affected vineyards, and reports demonstrate industry strength.
When Allison Van Arnam planted vines at VanArnam Vineyards in Washington’s Yakima Valley in 2009, she relied on state grape reports to compare annual data statewide when deciding what to plant. Like others, she synthesizes the state’s report with perspective from the Washington Winegrowers Association community, as well as fellow growers and wineries.
“It’s very useful legislatively to show our impact. It offers an understanding of how big our industry is and how much agriculture we affect.” – Skip Causey, Virginia Vineyards Association
At Dineen Vineyards in the Yakima Valley, co-owner Marissa Dineen says grape reports support strategic thinking for distinguishing one’s wines—like those made from Cabernet Sauvignon, which is prevalent locally—in a premium market. “From our location, we get more of a diurnal shift,” says Dineen. “While others get their balance from tannins, we get ours from acidity—so we intersect terroir with the grape report.”
The Breadth of Economic Impact
“It’s very useful legislatively to show our impact,” says Skip Causey, the president of the Virginia Vineyards Association. “It offers an understanding of how big our industry is and how much agriculture we affect.”
“It’s a political dance all the time of trying to get more funding as budgets go up and down,” adds Spencer. “Crush reports offer data points that provide leverage to demonstrate the size and scope of an industry when you are advocating at the state or federal level.”
In rural counties, where vineyards are often located, tourism dollars and taxes from wine sold support local economies. A good example of this is Fredericksburg, Texas. Local officials communicate the number of wineries and vineyard acres to the state government, which demonstrates “true statewide economic impact while making the connection that wine is agriculture,” says Dr. Scheiner.
Kerry Shiels, the winemaker at Côte Bonneville Winery in Yakima Valley, says that economic impact is about more than grapes and wine. “The wine industry is revitalizing,” she says. “People move home because there’s more to do. Wineries bring musicians and painting classes. People stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, and shop in local stores. All those things add economic value.”
Shiels also suggests that reports offering a spread in pricing give farmers a tool to advocate for a fair price for premium grapes, and not settle for what they can get on the market. “If you’re growing a world-class crop, it’s important to get paid for it,” she says. “When we don’t, that’s when you can’t find local produce anymore.”
Spencer describes one challenge in Lodi as the dominance of large grape buyers. “We’re trying to diversify our winery base here to see a broader spread of price points,” he explains. “That indicates we’ve got producers willing to pay a higher price for quality winegrowing. If everybody’s paying the same price, there’s less incentive.”
Practical Applications of Planting and Crush Data
For grape growers and winemakers, reports clarify misconceptions and illuminate industry trends. “In Virginia, people plant hybrids to try to get more tonnage,” says Causey. “Hybrids and vinifera are both coming in at 2.5 tons per acre though. Vinifera is on average about $2,600 a ton, hybrids average $1,600. To find [out] the tonnage per acre is about the same kind of pops the bubble on moving towards hybrids.”
Shiels similarly suggests the report can reflect the maturation of a wine region. “Are acres coming out because a grape fell out of style, or because they were planted in the wrong spot, and we’re getting smarter?” asks Shiels. “It’s easy to say more acres equals growth—but sometimes fewer or different acres equals better quality.”
“Two years ago, we found out Cabernet Franc bypassed Chardonnay, and Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Petit Manseng are getting ready to pass Chardonnay,” says Causey, as an example of this data at work. “So more investment is going to the grapes that are growing well in Virginia.”
In the greater southeastern U.S., industry growth depends on determining which Pierce’s Disease-tolerant varieties best resist other common fungal diseases, as well as which popular varieties are prone to winter injury or have flaws that can be pinpointed sooner. “Having a point of comparison over time ultimately supports sustainable production,” says Scheiner.
“You have to have courage to look at where your gaps are and understand the market,” says Brundrett. “The data allows us to propose to a legislator, ‘if you put $2 million in this program, we can market Texas-grown wines—rather than wines that are not produced here—research climate challenges, and support a sustainable agrotourism region.’”
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Amy Beth Wright is a creative nonfiction writer and journalist covering wine, food, and travel. She contributes to Wine Enthusiast, Fodors, and The Alcohol Professor, among other outlets. Keep in touch on Instagram @amyb1021 and Twitter @AmyBethWright. Visit amybethwrites.com to read more of her work.


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The Dow posted its best win streak since July, ending the session Wednesday up 122 points. All three major averages closed in the green. The S&P was up 15 points and the Nasdaq rose 42 points. Some context for you -- it was the 35th day in a row of triple-digit swings. We haven't seen that many consecutive days of that kind of jump in four years.
Oil fell for the first time in four sessions, closing down after inventory reports showed a bigger-than-expected increase of 3 million barrels of crude. Final price? Down 1% at $48.71 a barrel.
GoPro (NASDAQ:GPRO) fell to an all-time low, tumbling more than 7%. Wednesday's decline comes after Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) slashed its price target for the wearable camera maker from $62 a share to $35.
Yum Brands (NYSE:YUM) endured its worst hit in 13 years, diving 18% after the company missed estimates on its after-the-bell earnings Tuesday. It also lowered its full-year guidance.
The owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell blamed weak sales in China and a stronger dollar. Yum's bad news hit other restaurant stocks as well: Dunkin' Donuts (NASDAQ:DNKN), McDonald's (NYSE:MCD), Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI), Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK), and Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD) all saw red.

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Emirates continues to register strong growth despite regional and global economic challenges.
According to Emirates Regional Manager for East Africa, Hendrik du Preez, the airline reviews their operations across their networks from time to time to be sure they are staying agile.
“We scale our operations to meet demand, Kenya is no different. We continue to invest in initiatives and infrastructure that will secure our future success,” said Mr. du Preez.
While Emirates’ business strategy is to grow organically, the airline constantly considers a wide range of commercial opportunities and pursues strategic cooperation and innovations that make commercial sense and improve customer comfort and convenience.
“Previously in Kenya, for instance, all bookings made on the Emirates website required customers to either make online payments via debit or credit card or physically visit the Emirates office. However, Emirates has introduced a mobile money payment option, which allows customers to pay through their mobile money wallet and immediately receive their tickets,” Mr. du Preez added.
Emirates SkyCargo recorded a strong performance globally and continues to play an integral role in the company’s expanding operations, and contributes 14 percent of the airline’s total transport revenue.
“Nairobi is one of our most important freighter stations in the region evidenced by the fact that we operate daily freighter flights to transport flower exports from the region. Our Boeing 777 freighters can carry up to 100 tonnes of cargo allowing uplift of a large volume of cargo. Heavy and outsized objects are also easily transported on our freighters,” said Mr. Saeed Abdulla. Emirates Cargo Manager for East Africa.
In the 2017-18 financial year, Emirates SkyCargo carried 27,000 tons of Fresh flowers from Kenya mainly to Amsterdam – the hub of the global floriculture market. Aside from flowers, other products such as fresh vegetables, green beans, fruits, meat, and fish are also exported from East Africa
Additional to freighters Emirates also operates 14 passenger flights a week out of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International airport.


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Amazon's Anticipated Android Tablet Could Ship 5 Million UnitsBy Channel Insider Staff | Print
The e-commerce giant is expected to introduce a tablet based on Google's Android "Honeycomb" operating system in October.
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) could sell anywhere between 3 million and 5 million Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android tablets in the fourth quarter, making it far and away the most successful slate provider on the open-source platform, according to Forrester Research.
The e-commerce giant is expected to introduce a tablet based on Google's Android "Honeycomb" operating system in October. To compete with Apple's iPad, which has sold more than 30 million units to date, Amazon is expected to leverage its expertise in content distribution.
The company will sell applications from its Android Appstore, movies through Amazon Instant Video and MP3 downloads supported by the Amazon Cloud Player storage service for consumption on its media tablet.
Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps, who has first predicted an Amazon tablet in March, said that while she believes the e-tail giant could find success with a tablet, the company would have to price it under $300 and make sure that it has enough devices to meet consumer demand.
"Even though Amazon taking on Apple is a bit like David taking on Goliath (compare the market cap, profits and cash position of the two companies), Amazon's willingness to sell hardware at a loss combined with the strength of its brand, content, cloud infrastructure and commerce assets makes it the only credible iPad competitor in the market, Epps wrote Aug. 29.
Epps' report comes two weeks after Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin said the Amazon tablet might cost $300 to make, but Amazon would discount it by $51 to entice consumers to buy it. Amazon could make up the difference in movie rentals, music downloads, Kindle book sales, other application purchases and advertising.
Amazon, using its one-click buying method as an easy-on-ramp to customers to make purchases through its Android Appstore and regular e-commerce offerings, could make back the $51 difference within six months and make a profit between 10 percent and 30 percent over the last 18 months of the device's accounting period, Bajarin noted.
To read the original eWeek article, click here: Amazon.com Tablet Could Ship 5 Million Units


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Oracle, based in Redwood City, California, purchased RightNow Technologies Inc. for $1.5 billion in October 2011 to gain customer-service expertise. Armonk, New York-based IBM bought DemandTec Inc. in December 2011 to add Internet-based tools to help businesses adjust promotions based on buying patterns.
SAP AG spent $4.3 billion last October buying Ariba Inc., which allows companies to trade products online via the so-called cloud. The Walldorf, Germany-based company purchased cloud-software provider SuccessFactors Inc. a year ago.
“If you look at the companies that LivePerson competes with, there are only two public companies left. The other ones have been bought,” Jon Hickman, an analyst at Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. in New York, who has a buy rating on the shares, said by phone yesterday. “LivePerson might have the same fate, and get taken out by a big software company.”


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Nokia is preparing to launch a 6-inch Lumia 1520 Windows Phone. We got a brief look at the phone last month thanks to a leaked image, but Verge reader KaZ has supplied a number of new photos of the device. The images compare the Lumia 1520 to a Sony Xperia handset, and they show just how big this 6-inch 1080p handset is. KaZ claims the device has 2GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 6-inch 1080p display, 32GB of storage, and an SD slot.
The rear of the device includes a camera with a hump that's similar to Nokia's Lumia 925, and it also matches a press render that leaked earlier this week. Microsoft's latest Windows Phone 8 update, known as General Distribution 3, can be seen running on the device with an additional column of Live Tiles on the Start Screen for 1080p resolution support.
It's still not clear if this particular handset will include a stylus, like Samsung's Galaxy Note 3, or whether Microsoft and Nokia have made significant improvements on the software side to support large-screen Windows Phones. Details of Microsoft's upcoming GDR3 update, which will ship with the Lumia 1520, leaked earlier this week. The update includes a Driving Mode feature designed to mute calls and texts automatically when paired by Bluetooth to a car. Rotation lock and improved multitasking changes will also be included, alongside support for custom sounds on text, voice mail, email, and reminders. Nokia is expected to launch the Lumia 1520, codenamed Bandit, on AT&T in the coming weeks.
Update: We've added more pictures to the gallery, including a look at the nano-SIM tray and comparisons to the iPad mini.
Update 2: The gallery has been updated again to include photos of the camera in action. The Lumia 1520 takes photos at 5-megapixel and 16-megapixel resolution simultaneously.


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Chinese developer Giant Network has revealed a new mobile game called Pascal’s Wager.
The company previewed the game at Apple’s September conference, where gameplay of the dark fantasy action title was shown off on the iPhone 11.
Pascal’s Wager appears to take inspiration from games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. The title refers to a philosophy argument made by French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal, which refers to how humans gamble with their lives over the existence of God.
Tipswork founder Yang Yang presented the demo stating how the game is aiming for a “console experience” on mobile.
Pascal’s Wager can be pre-ordered exclusively on the App Store from next month and is set to launch worldwide. No release date or price was given.
During the same conference, Apple announced that its mobile game subscription service Apple Arcade will launch on September 19th for $4.99 a month.


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With the race for bigger screens and smaller bezels, many companies tried to find new ways to achieve them. Some like Apple tried incorporating a notch, which was adapted by most, but companies such as Vivo and Oppo went a step ahead and concealed their cameras altogether, only for them to pop up when needed. Sure this made sure that the screen was almost bezel less, but it also meant incorporating mechanical parts. Also Read - Vivo Y12A powered by Snapdragon 439 SoC launched: Price, specificationsAlso Read - Vivo V21e 5G launch on June 24; company accidentally reveals in a tweet
And bugs affecting mechanical parts always elevate a simple situation into something more serious. And the new bug affecting the Vivo Nex is doing just that. According to a video posted on Weibo by Abacus News, the selfie camera pops up when the user prompts compose new message on Telegram. This happens when the camera hasn t even been prompted by any action. Users have also complained of the same result while using the Ctrip app and Tencent’s QQ browser. Also Read - Vivo V21e 5G India launch expected soon, specs leaked: Here's what to expect
The video clearly shows that the camera pops up when the new message action is prompted on Telegram and is retracted when the app is closed. While in the cases of Ctrip app and Tencent’s QQ browser the camera only pops out partially and Tencent has put out a statement on the same saying that launching the QQ browser prompts the camera though it does not record anything.
This makes it a problem of the Tencent s QQ browser s Android API and not with the smartphone. Security for users of connected devices has become a primary concern, and this present problem throws up flags. Vivo has yet to comment on the present problem with its Nex smartphone lineup.


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Yellow Card, the African cryptocurrency exchange, has raised a $15 million Series A financing round led by some of blockchain’s biggest venture funds, underscoring the growth potential of digital assets on the continent.
It has been reported that the fundraiser, which was described as the largest ever by any African cryptocurrency exchange, will enable Yellow Card to scale its operations across Africa and onboard new talent. The Series A came around one year after Yellow Card successfully raised $1.5 million from various investors.
However, the investment round was led by Valar Ventures, Third Price, and Castle Island Ventures with additional participation from Square, Blockchain.com Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Polychain Capital, BlockFi, MoonPay, and others.
The report said that Yellow Pay launched in 2018 in Nigeria before expanding its operations across the continent. Its headquarters are currently listed as Atlanta, Georgia, though the company’s main focus appears to be creating a pan-Africa cryptocurrency platform. Africa continues to be a major source of growth for the cryptocurrency market as locals find novel ways to combat inflation, stringent foreign exchange policies, and capital controls.
Likewise, peer-to-peer trading platforms such as Paxful registered significant growth in Nigeria after the central bank moved to block remittances in the local naira currency. As Cointelegraph reported, Nigerian crypto exchange Quidax reported more than $3.2 billion in lifetime transactions as of May, underscoring the rapid adoption of cryptocurrencies in the country.
Unlike many advanced industrialized economies, where crypto plays an important role as an investable asset class, users in the so-called global south increasingly view Bitcoin (BTC) as a vehicle for savings, remittances, and even transactions.
Thus, according to a new report from analytics firm Chainalysis, BTC adoption in Africa surged 1,200% over the past year.


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The Nurgle team will be available Tuesday November 22nd on PC. Shortly after in the same month on PS4 & XBox One. Most of the features and bug fixes of the update are already available.
Nurgle Patch Notes
- The Nurgle team will be available Tuesday November 22th around 7PM (CET) on PC!
- It is now possible to reconnect in a game after a crash during the inducement phase (except in friendly match).
- Season 2 of Cabalvision Official League Champion Ladder has started! More info here.
- Lord Borak the Despoiler has now a unique skin.
- Fix of a bug when a goblin was eaten by a troll when using Throw Teammate.
- Fix of a potential crash when displaying a team roster during inducements.
- Fix of a camera issue when blocking with the auto focus off.
- Fix of a camera issue during the kick-off when having the auto focus off.
Discuss about this update HERE.


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Until recently, Lesley Kennedy, a founding partner of the new Denveralamode.com website, served as fashion editor and deputy features editor for the Rocky Mountain News, earning a reputation for stylishness and accessibility during her nine years at the tabloid. But this experience didn't help her land another newspaper gig when the Rocky shut down in February amid the worst print-journalism job market in living memory -- and Joe Mahoney, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and assistant multi-media editor for the paper, found himself in the same situation. "So we met for coffee at this place on Colorado," Kennedy says, "and we thought, 'Let's start a blog -- throw some stuff up there to stay creative.'"
Within five minutes, the pair had lined up a model, a location and everything else they needed for a photo shoot -- and before much longer, local trendsetters like publicist Wendy Aiello began encouraging them to broaden their ambitions for the project. "She said, 'You should make this into a business. It shouldn't just be a little for-fun thing,'" Kennedy notes. "And we thought, why not? At its best, it could turn into a new venture. And at the worst, we'd have something for our résumés."
Taking the site from the idea stage to reality has proven to be a challenge. "I've had to figure out all these areas that, as a journalist, I've never had to deal with -- marketing, and marketing yourself," Kennedy says. "But we've had a really good response from the Denver fashion and beauty community," in part because the amount of local-scene reportage has diminished of late -- and not only because of the Rocky's demise.
"It's really hard to find any local fashion coverage these days," Kennedy believes. "There's a little bit in 5280 and a little in Denver magazine. But the Post has cut back so much. Instead of doing fashion on Thursdays, they're running Bill Husted's 'Bar and Grilled' articles -- which I like. But that doesn't leave a lot of space, and a lot of the bodies to cover things are gone." Indeed, she feels that "fashion stories are getting shortchanged" due to industry-wide cutbacks and the like. "So I think we're filling a void."
At the same time, Denveralamode.com isn't meant to be all things to all people. "We're trying to keep things really niche," she says. "We'll be adding men's stuff eventually, but right now, the site is really targeted toward Denver women 35 and older -- probably with kids and families." In other words, people like Kennedy, who's 36 and has two kids of her own. Occasional features will target younger surfers: She mentions a "Style Spy" feature that spotlighted attendees of the recent Westword Music Showcase. But for the most part, "we're not going after the club crowd...
"We're trying to use models who are a little older, with a little more accessible bodies -- not ones with super-skinny waists, but ones the average woman can relate to," she adds. "And we're using as many local stores, local stylists and local makeup artists as we can. I know for myself, I always like to see pictures of what people are wearing in my city, in Denver. And that's what we're trying to show." An example: "My Fashion Life," a feature in which stylish locals such as media personality Denise Plante take a picture of their outfit each day for a week.
Thanks to Kennedy-Mahoney connections, lots of area fashionistas are pitching in to help the site gain its footing, and they're not charging for their services at this point. But Kennedy hopes to start earning revenue soon via "advertising on the site, advertising on our e-letter [called the "Sundae Scoop" as a nod to the à la mode theme] -- pretty much anywhere we can put it," as well as through partnership deals with businesses. "We're going to make our prices really accessible, and we'd like to have the site become almost like a directory, where businesses can list sales or upcoming events."
The site is certainly eye-catching, with a clean, user-friendly design and lots of multi-media functionality courtesy of Mahoney. And while Kennedy's journalism background hasn't helped her land a new print gig, she's hoping it'll pay dividends online. "I think Joe and I bring a level of credibility -- and instead of taking jpegs from people's websites or taking little pictures with a point-and-shoot, we've got original stuff by Joe. I think our images and multi-media really elevate the site."
According to Kennedy, whipping up Denveralamode.com has been "a lot of fun" so far. Especially compared to sitting around waiting for the phone not to ring.


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By: Jean-Michel – chief technology officer at Total Processing.
The UK’s contactless payment limit has just increased by more than half, from 45 pounds to 100 pounds. For many small businesses, this presents an opportunity to offer something new for customers. The increased limit will allow people to pay for higher value transactions such as a family paying for their weekly food shop or filling up their car with fuel.
For small business owners, the news is overwhelmingly positive. The limit has increased by 100% and it’s easier than ever to integrate contactless payment technology. Mobile wallets and other mobile payment systems enable SME’s to provide your customers with the option of paying through their phone or watch instead of pulling out their wallet or card.
But there’s still a question to be answered: why would people want to pay in this way when they can already pay in so many other ways?
Firstly, low-touch payments boomed during the coronavirus pandemic and experts see the trend accelerating. Contactless payments can be useful to people in two main cases. The first is the customer who wants the fastest possible way to pay. Studies show that we’re getting increasingly impatient when paying for things and we don’t like queuing. That’s why even if we have the exact change, we tend to opt for contactless payments rather than putting down our wallets and waiting for change or stopping and rummaging through our wallets to find their card.
The second case is for those customers who need to make a payment of an amount below the value of their card’s credit limit – and don’t want to carry around lots of cash.
Credit and debit cards had previously had very low limits below £20 and for security reasons, many people don’t like carrying around enough cash to pay for more expensive items. This was bad news for small business owners, as it means that they would lose out on a lot of potential business from people who can’t pay through their cards.
But the news is good for the shops and businesses that accept contactless payments. With a large contactless payment limit, they can offer customers both a quick and secure way to pay.
And in case you’re wondering: in order to take advantage of this new limit, you’ll need to upgrade your terminals and equipment. Some retailers will want to roll out terminals that support all card types – mainly Visa or Mastercard – but some will still only offer contactless payments only with Visa or Mastercard. It’s worth checking what kind of payment technology you can expect on your new terminal before upgrading it.
This increase in the contactless payment limit is also a reminder that small business owners need to stay current with the payment industry. In the UK, we’re moving rapidly towards a cashless society. Our new rules on high-value notes and our new chip and pin technology means that more and more businesses will soon be accepting contactless payments (and trying to encourage customers to opt-in).
But it’s not just convenience that will play into this trend; it’s security too. As contactless payments become more common, they’re making us less vulnerable to fraud.
Don’t be afraid to switch over to a smart card payment system that keeps you in the loop and protects your data. There’s a lot of flexibility in how you can do this – from replacing your traditional magnetic stripe card terminal with a contactless one to building an e-payment system around your current tablet device.
So now, as ever before – if you have the right equipment – it’s easy for small businesses to accept contactless payments from their customers. The contactless payment limit increase won’t change that.
Does it come at a cost of increased risk?
One of the questions that many people asked was whether the increased limit would increase fraud risk. Spokespeople for Visa and Mastercard answered, “Visa and Mastercard offer fraud protection through contactless payments at contactless terminals with chip technology”.
So, though there is some new fraud risk, this is still mitigated by the security of using Chip and PIN technology. It’s worth noting that Chip and PIN technology only protects against card skimming.
The most effective way in which this could be prevented would be if banks had to give permission for whatever action is being taken on the card or if cards had to have embedded chips that were impossible to read. However, this is not how contactless cards are set up currently.
It also stands to reason that if, for example, a person had their card stolen they may not necessarily report it at the same time as having the chip read.
The same risk stands, but it could be said that thieves may be more inclined to steal more cards now the contactless limit is 100% higher.
How can SME’s accept contactless payments?
Contactless payment terminals are now as cheap as traditional card terminals and they’re now working in tangent with mobile payment apps. This makes it easy for small businesses to upgrade to a system that supports contactless payments from any credit or debit card.
There are a number of different types of contactless card readers available. They all come with different costs and features, so you’ll need to consider your business size and industry while choosing. Contactless payment terminals can be connected to either a tablet device or mobile phone with an app, or fitted to the countertop itself, where you can accept all cards.


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China is losing a good portion of its forex Reserves in, what is considered to be by many people, an attempt to raise the value of the Chinese Yuan. China, which got hit by hard monetary issues through most of 2016, still continues to struggle to completely offset its economic woes.
After a series of attempts by the Government of China to put a halt to the capital outflow crisis, things have continued to worsen economically for China. With the forex reserves at six-year low with only $3 Billion, China seems to be heading in a bad economic direction.
In assessing the relationship between Bitcoin and the problem of reduction in the Forex reserves of China, Coinidol.com spoke to Eugene Lukianov, founder of Notibuyer, a mobile personal assistant, on how bad economic climate can be good for Bitcoin. He commented:
“Bad economic climate right now plays in favour of Bitcoin’s acceptance by more people involved in it on the highest level as well as on lower levels, because old approach does not work anymore, effectiveness falls down to the bottom and intermediaries (banks, governments etc.) do not cope with time challenges. So the time of new economics have come, a healthier, transparent and peer to peer. And in this case, a good and new economic climate plays in favor of Bitcoin.”
Unemployment, reduction in wages and closure of many companies can arise as a result of bad economic conditions. Coinidol.com spoke to
Ammar Arsyad, the CMO at
Remitano UK, a global bitcoin exchange platform, about whether widespread Bitcoin activities could help minimize the effects of these impacts. He responded by saying:
“Bitcoin will thrive as a new economy as long as there is demand for it. As the bitcoin industry continuously grows with the demand of users and corporations adopting and the blockchain technology, bitcoin will be here to stay. As for the question of will it provide a significant economic support in situations of economics crisis. The answer can be both yes and no. Yes, it can provide support as long as there is a demand for it and a supply that can support the demand. No, if the economic crisis undermines the buying power for the demand. Such as the current situation affecting the China market. Ultimately people still prefer to have cash in hand as a medium. But Bitcoin will continue to thrive regardless because the whole ecosystem surrounding the technology will provide self-sustainability in the long run.”
On the importance of foreign reserves for the economic stability of a country, Coinidol.com spoke to Parastar Doctor, Deputy manager at DoorstepForex.com, an online Foreign Exchange Marketplace. He said:
“Countries of the World trade with each other, during this trade the payment is made and received in multiple currencies. Example: If the USA and India trade with each other and India exports tea to America. America cannot pay India in US$, they would need to pay India in India's own currency i.e The Indian Rupee. For this purpose, USA would have vast reserves of INR with them, so trade between India and The USA would be smooth and seamless.”


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Lessons from Larsen: OpenCoin CEO Recalls His Past Ventures
Chris Larsen has spent several decades in the financial services industry, playing a key leadership role at disruptive companies E-Loan and Prosper, where he had to navigate a tricky and fast-evolving regulatory obstacle course. He will likely draw upon these skills again in his latest role as CEO of OpenCoin.
Before joining OpenCoin, a virtual-currency venture in the same realm as Bitcoin, Larsen headed Prosper, an eBay-style marketplace for peer-to-peer loans. Prosper launched in 2006, and by 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission took notice of the company and determined it was offering unregistered securities. Prosper went quiet for nine months to retool the business a "good learning experience," Larsen says.
With OpenCoin, "I feel good about where we are," he says. "We got into it with the idea that this was going to someday be a mainstream product and for that you need a good regulatory relationship."
OpenCoin's main function is maintaining Ripple, an online system to facilitate peer-to-peer payments and loans in digital currencies. Similar virtual-money startups expressed some concern about the potentially costly and time-consuming compliance ordeal of meeting regulators' requirements.
"All these processes are hard and the rules are complex," Larsen says. Plus, registering with the proper regulator "can be a lengthy process and can be expensive, there's no question there."
Larsen founded E-Loan in 1997 and sold it in 2005. A year later, when Prosper Marketplace launched, the new company presented itself as a welcoming venue for borrowers who had been turned away by the mainstream financial system. To lenders, Prosper offered bank-like profits to anyone willing to trust a fellow consumer with a personal loan.
In many ways, Prosper represented the lending equivalent of the Wild West that the current Bitcoin payment system represents today. It was largely based on trust, and appealed to people who were fed up with the state of the mainstream financial system.
Prosper underwent many changes to its business model over the years, and its most abrupt change when it stopped facilitating new loans for an extended stretch to work with regulators. When Prosper reopened, the people who funded loans were recast as investors and were treated as such under the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules.
The long transformation paid off, Larsen says, and the process of working with regulators will also be worth the effort for virtual currency companies seeking legitimacy.
"If the [virtual currency] industry is getting to the potential that everyone hopes it will, then [regulatory compliance] is well worth it for all the players to engage constructively," Larsen says. "The whole category is heating up on every level; the macro is it's really good because the industry is being recognized and of course the industry will have to work with regulators."
FinCEN's recently issued guidance on virtual currency companies affects OpenCoin, but it doesn't establish new regulation. The guidance clarifies that companies involved in virtual currencies must be regulated as money services businesses.
Other companies with limited-use virtual currencies, such as Facebook with Facebook Credits and Amazon.com with its planned Amazon Coins, may also have to consider the FinCEN guidance. These companies developed virtual currencies for use on their own websites, whereas OpenCoin and Bitcoin are meant for general commerce.
Plus now that FinCEN has provided clarity on virtual currencies' legality, the community could see increased investment and merchant partnerships.
"If merchants and mainstream users are going to adopt [virtual currencies], they're going to have to feel there's a legal place for it," Larsen says.
Since the Ripple system is still in beta, Larsen is guarded about going into detail about the project. Ripple was conceived by software developer Ryan Fugger, who has since moved on from the project and doesn't speak for Ripple or OpenCoin.
"Ripple is fundamentally open," its website says. "Anyone can build on top of it anyone can use it."
In this way, ripple is designed to be self-policing, Fugger says.
"Since, like in Bitcoin, all transactions on the new ripple.com system are visible to all servers, authorities won't need to enforce registration of ripple service providers in order to obtain transaction information for example, date, amount, source, destination and intermediary addresses," he says. But like Bitcoin, the names of individual users would be masked.


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German gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 1.7% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to Q2 of the year.
Source: Federal Statistics Office
DAX up +0.23%, EUR USD up +0.20%
The latest figures signal that the German economy continued to bounce back over the summer, after the GDP growth of 2% in Q2 of 2021.
Economic output in Q3 of 2021 was 1.1% lower compared to Q4 of 2019, the last quarter before the COVID-19 pandemic started.
The figures also show that even though domestic demand posted strong growth in Q2 of 2021, the growth only applied to private consumption in Q3 of 2021.
Meanwhile, the government reduced its consumer spending by 2.2%. There was also less investment than in Q2.
Investment in equipment dropped by 3.7% as the investment in construction activities declined by 2.3%.
Trade with foreign countries dropped quarter-on-quarter. In Q3 of 2021, exports of goods and services dropped by 1% compared to the last quarter.


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Ricohet gets the real message of the anti-Black Friday crowd.
The average Black Friday shopper isn’t throwing punches or trampling the infirm. A big chunk of today’s activity won’t even be for gifts, but rather clothes, bedding and appliances for which families can’t pay full retail. And most lower-income folks waiting all night for that PlayStation aren’t doing it because they’re greedy. It’s because they want to put a smile on the face of their child and possibly assuage the guilt that they couldn’t afford one before today.
And illuminates the disdain some have for those joining the shopping deal.
Retail stampedes are not my idea of fun. I start Christmas shopping early in the year buying mostly from vacation destinations.
How many Black Friday shoppers at K-Mart or Wal-Mart take a vacation, let alone have multiple destinations?


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Activision takes free "Call of Duty" online to China
By Malathi Nayak
(Reuters) - Activision Blizzard, the biggest U.S. video game publisher by market capitalization, plans to offer its popular 'Call of Duty' title as a free-to-play online game in China in a bid to expand its footprint in Asia.
The video game publisher announced a partnership on Tuesday with Tencent Holdings Limited, an Internet and wireless services provider that will have an exclusive license to operate the shooter game in China.
Shooter games have been hugely successful in China. Chinese gamers have popularized the trend of playing free online games and paying small amounts to purchase virtual goods like weapons and maps over game play on consoles. Tencent's users form the largest online community in China, according to a company statement.
"We're really enthusiastic about China as a market opportunity," Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick told Reuters.
"It's unique content developed for the Chinese audience, developed for the Chinese model and a brand new game."
Activision's announcement comes in the wake of the departure of Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO of media and telecommunications company Vivendi, which owns a 61 percent stake in Activision.
Levy's departure has revived speculation that Vivendi is looking to sell its stake in Activision Blizzard, valued at $8.1 billion.
Activision, based in Santa Monica, California, had hinted over the last year and in its earnings call in May that the multiplayer, free-to-play, microtransaction-based 'Call of Duty' game for China was in development. Continued...


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- 1.CMA CGM's swoop to take nearly 25% of CEVA is 'a banker's dream'
- 2.Analysis: Damco a prime takeover target if Hapag-Lloyd looks for a forwarder
- 3.Analysis: CEVA Logistics IPO priced for a big 'pop' on day one?
- 4.'Encouraging start' to 2018 for Panalpina as profits leap in Q1
- 5.Flexport has ambitions to become a top-10 forwarder
- 1. Luiz on Flexport has ambitions to become a top-10 forwarder
- 2. Alex Lennane on Analysis: CEVA Logistics IPO priced for a big 'pop' on day one?
- 3. firstname.lastname@example.org on Analysis: CEVA Logistics IPO priced for a big 'pop' on day one?
- 4. email@example.com on Analysis: Damco a prime takeover target if Hapag-Lloyd looks for a forwarder
- 5. Alan on Analysis: Damco a prime takeover target if Hapag-Lloyd looks for a forwarder


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The Jewish Heritage Support Fund, through its president Abraham Fruchthandler, on May 27, filed a permit application to convert a retail store space into a synagogue in the 10,520-square-feet building at 1609 Avenue M in Midwood, Brooklyn.
The plans call for a change in use of the 2-story, 25-foot-tall building. The fund bought the building in 2015 for $4 million.
Fruchthandler is a major real estate owner through his FBE Limited.
The plans are stated as: change of use from retail to house of worship. Interior renovation at cellar, first and second floors as per plans filed. Obtain new certificate of occupancy.
The ground floor of the building is currently listed as a beauty parlor, clothing store, and eating and drinking establishment. The project will convert it to a synagogue and rabbi’s office. The second floor offices will be converted to a banquet hall and accessory warming kitchen.
Fruchthandler has been active on multiple fronts as of late, last week the developer signed a loan agreement with Signature Bank valued at $38.5 million for 1 parcel, including the tax class multifamily, semi-fireproof (without stores) (D1) and containing 200 residential units at 883 East 180th Street in Tremont. The deal closed on May 18, 2020 and was recorded on May 22, 2020.
The work will be done by Rise Architecture, per the filing.
Direct link to DOB document. LINK


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Penang’s Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone was set up in 1972 and attracted multinational E&E companies, earning the state the sobriquet ‘Silicon Valley of the East’
Photo by Patrick Goh/The Edge
TECHNOLOGY companies have come back in favour with investors in the last decade. And unlike the dotcom era of the late 1990s, the bottom did not fall out.
Perhaps the difference between the tech sector in the 1990s and 2010s is that investors this time have a better understanding of the tech stocks they are buying.
The previous dotcom era saw investors rushing to get in without checking the fundamentals, business models and financial performance of the tech companies.
In fact, when the dotcom mania reached Malaysia’s shores, a number of companies renamed themselves as dotcoms. They also announced all sorts of internet-related ventures, and this was happily lapped up by punters to send stock prices soaring.
The bubble eventually burst in March 2000 after many companies failed to get off the ground, let alone generate a profit, leaving many investors facing steep losses.
Fast forward to the 2010s and expectations of exponential growth in the demand for semiconductors due to the growing deployment of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things has once again created keen interest in the tech sector.
In fact, companies with compelling technology and business models such as, Facebook, Amazon.com , Apple, Netflix and Google parent Alphabet have been grouped together as the co-called FAANG stocks.
And as smartphones become an integral part of our daily lives, there has been clear evidence of growing demand for semiconductor and semiconductor-related products and services.
Therefore, investors are bullish about the tech sector’s prospects, mainly due to its long-term earnings sustainability, underpinned by the diversification of products and customer base. The internet and digitalisation have created a lot of new businesses, raised productivity and made thousands, if not millions of people wealthy.
Reuters says in a Dec 23 report that the “FAANG-tastic Five” is one of the 10 trends that have upended traditional economic and investment models in the past decade.
If the FAANG companies were a country, they would be the fifth largest in terms of economic output, outgunning the UK and snapping at Germany’s heels, the report says.
“With a US$3.9 trillion market value (versus around US$100 billion in January 2010), Facebook, Amazon.com, Apple, Netflix and Alphabet are not only at the vanguard of history’s longest share bull run but have transformed how humans work, shop, consume news and relax,” says Reuters. “And in the slipstream of the five pioneers, other tech titans are rising, from China’s BAT grouping of Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent to sector disrupters Uber, Airbnb and Deliveroo.”
For perspective, FAANGs comprise 7% of the MSCI global equity index today, up from 1.6% in early 2010.
Closer to home, semiconductor and semiconductor-related companies listed on Bursa Malaysia have ridden the tech wave in the last 10 years.
This is evident from the 10-year performance of the Bursa Malaysia Technology Index, which has more than doubled from 18.36 points in December 2010 to close at 37.69 points last Thursday (see line chart).
Penang, the bedrock of the country’s tech sector
Since the 1970s, Penang has attracted multinational corporations (MNCs) such as Advanced Micro Devices, Agilent Technologies (formerly Hewlett Packard), Renesas, Intel, Osram and Robert Bosch to set up their manufacturing facilities.
This has spurred homegrown outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies such as Unisem (M) Bhd, Globetronics Technology Bhd, Inari Amertron Bhd and Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd (MPI) that provide outsourced services, including assembly, packaging and testing, to the MNCs.
The OSAT companies and other MNCs, in turn, created a need for automated test equipment manufacturers such as ViTrox Corp Bhd, Elsoft Research Bhd, Aemulus Holdings Bhd, MMS Ventures Bhd and Pentamaster Corp Bhd.
The third group of companies that have emerged nationally include the likes of JF Technology Bhd and FoundPac Group Bhd, which design and manufacture high-performance test sockets and other materials for OSAT companies and semiconductor firms.
So successful has Penang been as an electrical and electronics (E&E) hub that it is being touted as “The Silicon Valley of the East”. The E&E sector also contributes significantly to the domestic economy.
In the new decade, most tech companies are banking on the automotive segment to drive future growth.
Having relied for over a century on the internal combustion engine, the global automotive industry is being upended by battery-powered cars. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been pledged to develop a new generation of electric cars.
It is said that the car will become “the world’s biggest mobile device” in the future, with the automotive sector driving the electronic devices needed in the world. In addition, cars will need a lot of sensors as the future of the sector is all about autonomous driving and going electric.
This presents huge opportunities for semiconductor-related companies whose stocks have risen in the past decade. For those who are excited about the optimistic outlook, any correction presents an opportunity to accumulate shares of these locally listed tech firms.
As smartphone manufacturers are gearing up for their new devices to hit the market almost every year, those supplying inputs such as semiconductor chips, processors, sensors and wireless components are in for a good run.
With more advanced features to be incorporated in the development of new smartphones and other devices, semiconductor players and those along the supply chain might also benefit from higher sales orders.
Take Pentamaster Corp Bhd, for example. It has delivered a strong earnings performance in recent years, mainly contributed by the strong demand for the group’s smart sensor test equipment and solutions, particularly from the telecommunications segment.
This is given the increasing prevalence of the smart sensors adopted in the latest smartphone upgrades, as well as smartphone peripherals that include wearable items, such as wireless headphone products and watches.
Another catalyst for the growth of the semiconductor industry is the development of smart devices and electronic components for the healthcare and automotive industries.


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Monday, September 06, 2010, 06:30 pm PT (09:30 pm ET)
Microsoft begins Windows Phone 7 media blitz with new teaser adMicrosoft has posted its first teaser video advertisement for the upcoming Windows Phone 7.
The one-minute ad, posted on the official Windows Phone UK YouTube channel, was created for a Secret Cinema showing of 'Lawrence of Arabia,' and spoofs the iconic mirage scene from the film.
With the Windows Phone 7 launch just months away, Microsoft has begun ramping up publicity for the new mobile OS. Windows Phone UK is partnering with Secret Cinema to bring "a new level of connectivity" to the Secret Cinema experience and raise awareness of Windows Phone 7.
Microsoft is expected to spend over $500 million on marketing at launch.
The Redmond, Wash., company faces tough competition when it comes to marketing, as its rival Apple has consistently been recognized as a leader and innovator in marketing its products. In December 2009, Apple was recognized as "Brand of the Decade" by Adweek.
On Topic: General
- Apple Stores offering free 'Hour of Code' development classes this Wednesday
- Apple joins Google, Microsoft, others in support of government surveillance reform
- Apple honors Nelson Mandela on company homepage
- In lieu of a Retina Thunderbolt Display, Apple now selling 4K IGZO Sharp LED monitor
- First look: Using iBeacon location awareness at an Apple Store


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Mark Rein excited by Move and Kinect
Epic vice-president Mark Rein has high hopes for the MOve and Kinect.
Rein explained that if developers embrace the new motion controllers and experiment with them then they will be very exciting indeed.
Rein told GamesIndustry.biz at GameHorizon: "Wait until you see what people are going to do with these things. We're involved tangentially in both technologies actually. The Kinect adventures game is Unreal Engine 3 and that sorcery game that Sony has, that's also Unreal Engine 3. So we have Sony and Microsoft, first-party, both doing cool things with our technology and I wouldn't discount anything."
Kinect posed the most interesting possibilities for Rein. He added: "There's no doubt in my mind that Kinect is very much an experiment to see where they should go with this stuff. I mean, this device [a prototype Android tablet] has a camera. If you had the rest of the Kinect sensors on here, this'd be great. You could prop this down on a little stand, and play Dance Central right here. What would be wrong with propping this on the table and standing here in an environment with friends and doing a dance?"
- Thomas Was Alone gets a release date for PS4 and Wii U
- New Warframe update adds space-flight to the gameplay with Archwing mode
- New poll indicates that people believe online gaming is “the least welcoming space” for women
- CD Projekt RED releases The Trail, the opening cinematic from The Witcher 3
- New Project CARS trailer pulls up to the starting grid
- Far Cry 4 dev says linear games will suffer in the new world of gameplay video sharing
- Almost 1,100 developers, students and journalists sign the new #gamediversity petition embracing diversity in games
- Felicia Day breaks her silence about #Gamergate, is almost immediately doxxed
- Ubisoft announces PC specs for Assassin's Creed: Unity and they're killer


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Montreal’s LightSpeed, a leading software company that helps retailers reinvent in-store shopping, and Chicago’s Braintree, the fastest growing payments platform for online and mobile commerce, today announced a partnership agreement to launch a flexible monthly payment option for retailers. A first for the retail industry, this new Monthly Maintenance Plan, is designed to help retailers manage their overall cost structure, with a level of flexibility that frees up cash flow.
“After an exhaustive search for the right partner to launch this new initiative, Braintree stood out as the obvious choice due to its unmatched capabilities in next-generation commerce,” said Dax Dasilva, founder and CEO of LightSpeed. “We have been amazed by Braintree’s professionalism, and by the company’s ability to integrate its payment platform truly at the speed of light.”
Pricing for the Monthly Maintenance Plan will be $40 per month for the first User, and $20 per month for each additional User. The new plan is available to all customers who renew their Support Subscriptions.
“We are thrilled to partner with LightSpeed, and introduce payment options to their client base in a flexible and seamless manner,” said Bill Ready, CEO of Braintree. “By enabling monthly billing, we hope to allow LightSpeed to continue to deepen its relationship with retailers around the globe.”


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The Economist profiles Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan
What will come first: a man on Mars or automation of clothing production?
In 1970 the president of the Blue Jeans Corporation predicted that there would be a man on Mars before the production of apparel was automated. Almost 50 years later, Raj Rajan thinks “that a system which can turn cloth into clothing without the need for tailors is just around the corner.”
Raj and his Atlanta-based SoftWear Automation were profiled in a fascinating article in The Economist. “Removing the need for cheap human hands to assemble garments will permit factories to set up shop near customers in rich countries,” allowing fast delivery and experimentation by producers and easy personal fittings for the mass consumer. How fast will that happen? It may see its beginnings within two years, says Raj.
Website Bonus Feature
"Sewing clothes still needs human hands. But for how much longer?"
Robot tailors are on their way
Science and technology
Aug 24th 2017
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Bank customers in the UK are getting a raw deal in terms of service compared to some of their European counterparts, according to a global report out today.
A study of the banking sector in 17 countries found British consumers suffer from long queues in branches and limited customer information.
The UK’s banks were ranked just 11th out of the 17 leading nations for overall service.
The study by consultancy firm Booz Allen used mystery shopping techniques to look at the experience of customers using branches, call centres, online services and other banking facilities.
The report’s authors found long waiting times at British branches and a lack of relevant information for the consumer.
Call centres suffer from difficulty in accessing a human being, no indication of waiting time and slow connection to an adviser.
UK banks are also failing to provide sufficient product information online and do not provide tailored offers, the study found
Fabienne Konik, principal at Booz Allen and author of the report, said: “UK banks are not performing well in terms of customer service and they are failing to make the most of virtually every sales channel that could expand their businesses.”
The study noted a move away from the branch structure in the UK.
Only 39 per cent of UK consumers prefer purchasing current accounts in branches compared with a global average of 63 per cent.
Booz Allen said the trend away from the branch is being led by mass affluent consumers, who tend to be time-poor and are 30 per cent more likely to prefer using online services.
Overall, the study found Hong Kong to be the strongest country in terms of retail banking, followed by Switzerland and the United States.


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Spooky action has invaded the world of Minecraft. Google’s Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab last week released a version of the popular computer game designed to teach players about the weird principles of quantum mechanics.
In regular Minecraft, players explore a 3D world made from blocks of different materials. They can use the pieces to build any structure imaginable, from a small wooden hut to a replica of Star Trek‘s USS Enterprise. Players can also modify the game to bring in new content, such as different types of blocks, or to alter gameplay, like adding in natural disasters. In 2011, a group at MIT created an addition to the game that lets users 3D-print their virtual creations.
Google’s modification, qCraft, adds blocks with a quantum twist. Some can have multiple possible properties and will change their appearance based on when they are observed, linked to the quantum concept of superposition. Pairs of blocks can also be entangled, so that the appearance of one will influence that of another no matter how far apart they are in the virtual world.
The Google team acknowledges that the Minecraft mod is primarily a teaching tool that relies on analogies to highlight quantum effects. “qCraft isn’t a perfect scientific simulation, but it’s a fun way for players to experience a few parts of quantum mechanics outside of thought experiments or dense textbook examples,” ‘the team announced.
In the real world, Google’s lab has reportedly been busy using a quantum computer to refine the controls for its wearable computer, Glass.


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HTC Legend has just recently hit Amazon’s virtual store and now we learn that the device unveiled at MWC 2010 last week has just cleared the FCC. It’ll be made available by Sprint in the US and till there’s an official launch date announced, you can check out the video below, detailing the handset’s aluminium unibody construction:
The construction gives the handset a clean look and durability and it will also keep it pretty light. HTC Legend keeps the HTC Hero form factor, since it’s Hero’s successor and a pretty appealing Android device. It packs a 3.2 inch capacitive AMOLED display, a 600 MHz CPU and a 5 megapixel camera.
As you can see, there’s also an optical trackpad on board and a 1300 mAh battery under the hood.


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Intel's latest Sandy Bridge based processors helped the new Apple MacBook Pro family outclass their predecessors by as as much as 53 per cent according to a benchmark test published by Macworld.
Macworld, which publishes its own proprietary benchmarking test, showed that the new quad-core 15-inch MBP is 50 per cent faster than the entry level 13-inch MBP which is a dual core model.
It is also interesting to note that while the jump from the 2.3GHz Core i5 to the 2.7Ghz Core i5 is not linear (i.e. an increase in clock speed doesn't generate a comparable increase in score), the opposite was true for the quad core processors, going from 2Ghz to 2.2Ghz.
The new 13-inch MBP was just over a third faster than the model released last year but fatally proved to be a poor gaming platform as the integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 video module failed to keep up with last year's Nvidia graphics card.
It was the 17-inch model however which appears to have gained the most in terms of performance. The 2.2Ghz Quad-core model was a whopping 53 per cent faster than its predecessor thanks partly to its new AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card with 1GB dedicated memory which makes it better at games.
Macworld also tested the new MBPs against the existing Apple iMac all in one desktop line and found out that the laptops were quite competitive (and even faster) when compared to their desktop counterparts.


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As per the latest update on 6th April 2022, it is required to carry a negative RTPCR test report to board the flight to Bali, Indonesia. The test should be conducted before within 48 hours of travel. Initially, there was a rule that every international tourist arriving at Bali Airport will have to get tested on arrival. However, as per the update on 6th April 2022, there will be no test conducted on arrival even for International tourists.
Bali is one of the most scenic destinations around the world. Who would not want to capture the picturesque amazing spots of the destination? "Photoshoot in Bali" is the most desirable "Keyword" related to Bali that is not directly linked with tourism. Yes, everyone would want to get their moments captured in a camera so that can be saved forever.
In 2019, a record number of Indian tourists travelled to Bali. However, after the introduction of covid 19 pandemic, the beautiful destination closed its doors to international travellers. In March 2022, Bali is now open to foreign travellers obviously with few terms and conditions. In this article, we will discuss the factors to choose the best flight from India post-pandemic.
Post covid just like other tourist countires, Seychelles also closed its doors to international travellers. However, in 2021, Seychelles allowed tourists from around the world to enter the country. In this article, we are going to discuss Seychelles covid and Visa Requirements for Indians.
Sri- Lanka at present is facing its worst economic crisis. The crisis has become so sensitive that the country is facing a scarcity of Fuel, Milk, Cooking oil as well as electricity and whatnot. The local public has started showing their anger at the local administration. Many believe that tourist arrival can make the situation better in Sri Lanka and the administration gave few relaxations for that. But is it, too late now? Is it safe to travel to Sri Lanka now for vacations, Let's find out in this article?
In 2022, the Fifa world cup is going to be organised in Qatar. With the contender ship of Fifa world cup, Qatar saw the impeccable infrastructure since last decade. The building, Stadiums, Airports, Roads and super bridges are built so quickly that they also attracted controversy. However, the inauguration is coming closer day by day, fans have already purchased the tickets for matches. It is absolutely important to book hotels and transport early, especially during this world cup so you don't miss the show due to unavailability issues. For transportation there are various options during the Qatar FIFA world cup, however, getting a car on rent and self-drive might prove to be the best. The best car rental company for the Qatar Fifa world cup is going to be unavailable soon as people this time have already started booking it. Also, Read - Should you hire a self-drive car on rent in Qatar?


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Hundreds of stores at the high street giant – headquartered in Worksop – are to close by the start of October, and hundreds more local distribution jobs will go this week.
The GMB Union announced the news following confirmation from administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on Monday (September 11).
It follows talks to rescue the retailer collapsing and means about 350 stores – including 15 in Nottinghamshire – as well as about 11,000 jobs nationwide will be lost within weeks.
In a statement to members, the union said: “There is now no prospect of saving the remaining store estate in its entirety and all Wilko stores will close by early October.
“[Distribution centres are] to close on Friday, September 15.
“Although separate bids may be made for leases of groups of sites, these deals will not secure jobs, although the option to take up new employment with the bidders for these sites is something we are now pushing for.
“This is not the news our members or the GMB had been hoping for or working towards.
“We share the sorrow and anger of every Wilko team member today.”
It said the second set of store closures will be confirmed by PwC on Tuesday (September 12).
These closures will take place between September 19-21 and will involve 124 stores.
Some staff will be asked to work two extra days after their stores have closed, as well as a “small number” of distribution staff in both Worksop and Newport to “assist with decommissioning” for up to 14 days, the union added.
It follows confirmation of at least 520 Nottinghamshire jobs being lost last week at Wilko’s Worksop headquarters.
This included 220 distribution jobs, 286 support centre roles and 14 positions at Kin Ltd – a subsidiary firm of Wilko based at the Bassetlaw hub.
Recruitment agencies say the Worksop distribution centre employs more than 1,800 people, meaning the site could lose more than 1,500 further jobs this week.
Wilko also has 15 stores across Nottinghamshire including in Arnold, Bulwell, Beeston, Carlton, Clifton, Giltbrook, Hucknall, Kimberley, Mansfield, Newark, Nottingham, Retford, Sherwood Sutton-in-Ashfield and Worksop.
It’s unclear whether any Nottinghamshire stores will be included in the next round of closures due to be announced by the administrator.
However, Bassetlaw District Council has already pledged to offer support and guidance to affected Worksop Wilko workers impacted by closures at the headquarters.
Redundancies were last week described as “really, really sad” for the town with concerns the area could be significantly affected by Wilko’s collapse.
The company’s demise follows the fall of a rescue bid by HMV owner and Canada-based entrepreneur Doug Putman to save at least part of the retail group.
Mr Putman’s initial bid could have saved about 300 stores and between 8,000 and 9,000 jobs.
However, reports suggest this bid was later reduced to about 100 stores before collapsing due to rising costs and administration.
A statement issued by Mr Putman said: “It is with great disappointment that we can no longer continue in the purchase process for Wilko having worked with administrators and suppliers over several weeks to seek a viable way to rescue it as a going concern.


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By Lisa Walls-Hester on Friday 31 March 2017
How much can users save with the HSBC SmartSave app?
HSBC has published the results of its SmartSave app trial which reveal its customers have saved an average of £126 in just two months through the micro-saving app.
The app, HSBC SmartSave, is a personal finance management tool developed with fintech start-up Pariti and launched as part of the Financial Conduct Authority's Regulatory Sandbox initiative.
The trial started in December and results from the pilot proved that by applying simple and smart algorithms to save a little at a time, the app has helped regular customers who signed up for the trial to save on average £63.17 a month (or £126 over the two-month trial), which is the equivalent of £758 a year.
The SmartSave app allows users to choose between four different rules that help them save without even noticing. Algorithms identify when it’s safe to save and through a combination of nudges and auto rules, helps customers set aside their spare change.
Raman Bhatia, HSBC’s Head of Digital UK and Europe, said: “Customer insights show that people, particularly millennials, would like to save more, but can see savings as a sacrifice. We want to support our customers by offering them simple, smart solutions making it easy for customers to save, and less of a chore. The findings from the trial proved that putting away small amounts of money can truly lead to significant savings.”


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SubZero owners to open steakhouse in Liluma's place
The owners of SubZero Vodka Bar in the Central West End plan to open a steakhouse in the space now occupied by Jim Fiala’s Liluma.
Derek Gamlin said the new restaurant would concentrate on steaks and whiskey, including a private label whiskey. “We’ve been wanting to do another restaurant for quite a while now,” he said. The brothers opened SubZero, at 308 N. Euclid Ave., nine years ago. “When the opportunity came up, we decided to take it.”
Liluma will remain a silent partner, Gamlin said. The restaurant will retain Liluma’s 14 employees, and the Gamlins will add additional cooks and wait staff for a total of around 50. Ian Craig, executive chef at SubZero, will oversee the kitchen at both restaurants.
Derek Gamlin estimated start-up costs for the restaurant of $1.1 million, including construction. Plans call for expanding the restaurant to 3,000 square feet from 2,000 by taking over adjacent space formerly occupied by Massage Luxe. The new restaurant will also have an enclosed patio with fireplaces, and three private rooms in the basement. “It’s going to be quite an overhaul. It will be a brand new restaurant,” Gamlin said.
He projected $1.5 million in first-year sales, and said he hoped to increase sales by 20 percent each year, as he’s done at SubZero.
Food and beverage, retail, hospitality, agriculture
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As Nova Scotia prepares for the upcoming April 1st ban of cell phone use while driving, a great reminder is the recent $5.2 million verdict that was recently reached in Fulton County, GA (USA). The personal injury case was a car accident caused by mobile phone use behind the wheel.
“According to the complaint filed in 2006, an employee of International Paper Co. rear-ended Debra Ford, while talking on her cell phone. Her cruise control had been set at 77 mph in a 70 mph speed limit zone. The impact of the car accident caused Ms. Ford’s car to overturn, which pinned her arm between the vehicle and the pavement. The plaintiff’s arm had to be amputated just below the shoulder.”
By now majority of the carriers give you headphones included with your cellphone, smartphone purchase. Otherwise, here is a link to get yourself a Bluetooth:


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Q3 2017 EPS Estimates for Treehouse Foods, Inc. (THS) Decreased by SunTrust Banks
Treehouse Foods, Inc. (NYSE:THS) – SunTrust Banks lowered their Q3 2017 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Treehouse Foods in a research note issued on Thursday. SunTrust Banks analyst W. Chappell now anticipates that the company will earn $0.80 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.91. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for Treehouse Foods’ FY2017 earnings at $3.26 EPS, Q1 2018 earnings at $0.73 EPS and Q2 2018 earnings at $0.70 EPS.
Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Treehouse Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Treehouse Foods in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Stephens raised shares of Treehouse Foods from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Wedbush lowered shares of Treehouse Foods from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 15th. Finally, BidaskClub lowered shares of Treehouse Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.40.
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: This story was published by American Banking News and is the sole property of of American Banking News. If you are accessing this story on another publication, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of US and international copyright and trademark law. The correct version of this story can be accessed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2017/08/07/q3-2017-eps-estimates-for-treehouse-foods-inc-ths-decreased-by-suntrust-banks.html.
Treehouse Foods (NYSE THS) opened at 74.48 on Monday. Treehouse Foods has a 1-year low of $62.64 and a 1-year high of $100.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $81.93 and a 200 day moving average of $81.83. The firm’s market cap is $4.24 billion.
Treehouse Foods (NYSE:THS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Treehouse Foods had a negative net margin of 3.90% and a positive return on equity of 6.50%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in THS. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Treehouse Foods by 2.2% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,445,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,367,000 after buying an additional 31,440 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Treehouse Foods by 2.3% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 229,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,451,000 after buying an additional 5,142 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Treehouse Foods by 8.2% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 427,437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,186,000 after buying an additional 32,354 shares in the last quarter. Israel Discount Bank of New York bought a new position in shares of Treehouse Foods during the first quarter valued at $140,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Treehouse Foods by 2.0% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 215,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,266,000 after buying an additional 4,308 shares in the last quarter.
In related news, CAO Thomas Emmet Oneill III sold 14,430 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.50, for a total transaction of $1,103,895.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 130,708 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,999,162. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Erik Thomas Kahler sold 5,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.34, for a total transaction of $452,238.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,289,514.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 28,330 shares of company stock valued at $2,183,843. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.
Treehouse Foods Company Profile
TreeHouse Foods, Inc is a consumer packaged food and beverage manufacturer. The Company’s segments include North American Retail Grocery, Food Away From Home, and Industrial and Export. The Company manufactures a range of shelf stable, refrigerated, fresh and frozen products. Its product categories include beverages, salad dressings, snack nuts, beverage enhancers, pickles, sauces, cereals, pasta and dry dinners, cookies and crackers, retail bakery, aseptic products, jams and other products.
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Lordstown Motors makes a traditional truck ad for its electric truck, and it’s refreshing. And Panasonic says that the cells it currently supplies to Tesla are going to get a big boost in energy density. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
A Panasonic executive has revealed that the cells the company supplies to Tesla for the Model 3 and Model Y will get a 20% energy boost in five years, and that the cells might go cobalt-free in just two to three years.
Ohio’s Lordstown Motors has released a video spot that closely resembles a traditional American pickup-truck ad, with the Endurance electric truck being used by farmers and construction workers. Is this a turning point for EV marketing?
GM has announced its first investment in fast-charging infrastructure, with a collaboration with EVgo resulting in 2,700 new charging connectors at 100-350 kw.
There’s a fresh first drive review of the 2020 Tesla Model Y over at our companion site The Car Connection.
And over at Motor Authority, Fisker is now promising four electric vehicles by 2025, including a pickup truck.


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SEMI Opens Visitor Registration for SEMICON Japan 2007
Exhibition to be Held December 5-7, 2007, at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan
TOKYO, Japan – October 1, 2007 – SEMI today announced that visitor registration for SEMICON Japan 2007, an international exhibition of semiconductor equipment and materials, is now open at www.semiconjapan.org. The exhibition will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on December 5-7.
SEMICON Japan will mark its 31st anniversary, and it is expected to have more exhibition boots than the last year's record of 4,538 booths, to become the biggest in its history.
"I'm honored to say that SEMICON Japan will be held on a scale unprecedented in its history this year. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the relevant parties' continuing help,” said Dennosuke Uchida, general manager of SEMI Japan. “At this year’s upcoming SEMICON Japan, visitors will be able to see many new products and technologies aimed at outstanding growth in the semiconductor industry, and also meet many people from around the world."
This year's SEMICON Japan will largely consist of four parts; equipment and components in the front-end processes, related facilities and materials in the same processes, end-to-end composites across the front-end and post-processes, and equipment, facilities, components, and materials in the post-end processes.
The Innovation Hall will focus on emerging technologies, and will be specially set up in the Event Hall of Makuhari Messe again this year. The hall will consist of five pavilions including MEMS, Nanotechnologies, Process Technologies, Organic semiconductors, and Ventures. In addition, two stages will be set up for the Special Seminars associated with each pavilion, and for exhibits and technical presentations from exhibitors.
SEMI Feature Zone will also be provided in the Innovation Hall. This corner with the slogan "Toward an EcoTech Future,” will demonstrate how the semiconductor device users, semiconductor device manufacturers, and semiconductor equipment and materials suppliers have addressed environment protection activities.
SEMICON Japan 2007 will offer numerous events in addition to the main exhibition:
In addition to the popular Exhibitor Seminars, SEMICON Japan 2007 will feature a new presentation corner called SEMICON Japan Release Presentation. This will be located at the central entrance on the 2nd floor of the 5 Hall. The presentation contents shall be limited to the new products or technologies released after SEMICON West 2007. "Exhibitor Seminars" and "SEMICON Japan Release Presentations" are free for attendees, and require no additional advance registration. The presentation agenda will be available next month at the SEMICON Japan's Web site.
Moreover, two new programs are planned including "Process Booth Tour," targeting young employees of the device manufacturers, and”Let’s Go to SEMICON!” targeted at students. The former is a expert-guided booth tour, which will be carried out in collaboration with the Society of Semiconductor Industry Seniors. The latter is intended to encourage students to join the semiconductor equipment and materials industries by showing them the current state and attractiveness of the both industries through experts' seminars, booth tours, or others.
The SEMI Presidents Reception, which brings together about 400 senior executives every year, will be held in Imperial Hotel Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo on December 5, 18:30 - 20:00. An annual award ceremony of the Akira Inoue EHS Award will also be scheduled on this occasion. The award is granted annually in SEMICON Japan, and was established in honor of the great deeds by the late Mr. Akira Inoue, an ex-president of Tokyo Electron and a member of SEMI Board of Directors. The award will be presented to a person in the semiconductor or academic circles in recognitions of their outstanding contributions to the EHS Environmental, Health, and Safety areas of the industry and society. This year's winner will be announced on December 4, 2007.
The SEMI Technology Symposium (STS) 2007 will be held at the International Conference Hall in Makuhari Messe from December 5 to 7. STS is the biggest symposium from SEMI, and provides a forum for both the device manufacturers and equipment and materials suppliers from around the world to exchange their outlook on technology trends, and for presentation of current technical trends, technical issues, and practical technologies around the semiconductor process/device technologies by first-line engineers. It will mark its 26th anniversary this year.
This year STS will be comprised of nine technical sessions, a keynote speech entitled "Welcome to the Era of Equivalent Scaling," by Paolo A. Gargini of Intel, and a special session of the ITRS Public Conference by ESIA (European Semiconductor Industry Association), JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association), KSIA (Korea Semiconductor Industry Association), SIA (Semiconductor Industry Association), and TSIA (Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association).
In addition, various events are planned concurrently, including technical and market seminars:
SEMI Standards – International Standards, one of the most important activities at SEMI, will house more than 70 Standards meetings, as well as several programs providing explanations of the current 11 standards and related technical information. An award ceremony will be held to individuals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the International Standards activities. The SEMI Standards Friendship Party will be held at Hotel New Otani in Makuhari, Chiba, on December 6, 18:00-20:00.
Attendee registration for co-sponsored events at SEMICON Japan is also available at the SEMICON Japan 2007 Web site: www.semiconjapan.org.
Additional information about SEMICON Japan 2007 exhibition and programs is available on the SEMI Website at www.semiconjapan.org.
SEMI is a global industry association serving companies that provide equipment, materials and services used to manufacture semiconductors, displays, nano-scaled structures, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and related technologies. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose (Calif.), Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.
SEMICON Japan 2007 at a glance
- Date: December 5 (Wed.) - 7 (Fri.), 2007
- Venue: Makuhari Messe (in Chiba, Japan), http://www.m-messe.co.jp/
- Produced & Sponsored by: SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International)
- Web site: http://www.semiconjapan.org/
Registration for entry to SEMICON Japan 2007
Visit the SEMICON Japan Web site >> http://www.semiconjapan.org/
- Registration period for entry to the exhibition: October 1 (Mon.) - December 7 (Fri.), 2007.
- Acceptance period for participation in the co-sponsored events: October 1 (Mon.) - December 7 (Fri.), 2007
*On reaching the fixed number, the acceptance will be closed.
Scott Smith/SEMI US


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Android app security and performance will be a big focus for Google over the next couple of years, as proven by recently announced Play Store policy revisions.
Universally criticized for mediocre camera performance, the first-gen Essential Phone continues to get better. And yes, there will be a second-gen handset.
In theory, Netflix now supports Android Oreo's Picture-in-Picture functionality for enhanced mobile multitasking. In practice, you can't use it yet.
With the latest version of WhatsApp for Android, iOS and Windows Phone, it's possible to delete embarrassing messages within seven minutes of their sending.
Uber's latest global Android and iOS app update enables a feature that should have probably been available for a long time: in-app chat.
The already intuitive and versatile Google feed in the search giant's Android and iOS app is getting a major update focused on personalization.
If you want to help someone who doesn't own a smartphone or that simply refuses to use the Uber app get around, a new feature makes it hassle-free.
In a mutually beneficial move, Facebook and Apple have joined hands to greatly improve Siri support for WhatsApp.
Fitbit still has some work to do to ensure Pebble watches will work 6 or 12 months from now, but cloud reliance is gradually being decreased.
Usually, it's the underdogs that take inspiration from market leaders, but Facebook isn't afraid to go the other way around and follow Snapchat's suit.
Microsoft's Cortana works even better and more naturally on Android devices after the latest app update, with extensive lock screen support.
After refreshing the looks and improving the user experience of Cortana on Android devices months ago, Microsoft finally does the same for iOS users.
Android and iOS instant messaging app Viber adds Secret Chat functionality to a bag of tricks also including encryption and "secret messages."
Frames, effects, stickers, easy photo and video sharing, all available for just 24 hours. This Facebook Messenger Day thing sure sounds familiar.
Well, Allo there, Android Auto, and nice to finally be able to communicate properly behind the wheel without taking one's eyes off the road.
Far from the world's most popular instant messaging mobile app, Google Allo today improves GIF, emoji and Google Assistant support.
Live Photos shot with the past couple of iPhone generations can now be easily converted and shared on Instagram, which also supports wide color capture.
If you're on Android and use Google Keyboard, check for updates to version 5.0 and then see how your fingertips handle different key heights.
To better compete against Google Translate on more platforms, the Microsoft Translator app is updated with several new features on Android.