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It’s not everyday you hear about an unusual collaboration between big companies. Even rarer is when the result of such a pairing is actually worthwhile. Here’s one for the books: Formula One and Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape (BAPE) has now unveiled a special edition F1 car covered in the iconic camo print.
BAPE fans will know this isn’t the first of the brand’s collaborations with cars — it also came out with a camo-coated Mercedes vehicles in years past, giving the designs of the 300 SL, AMG GT S, and Benz G-Class extra sizzle. This time, it’s Formula One’s turn. It also just so happens that the car you see above also marks the 25th anniversary of the clothing powerhouse. BAPE, as you may know already, uses Shark hoodie and camouflage prints heavily. It had previously hinted at the F1 collab, and thus comes the BAPE Formula One race car.
Here’s Tanya Wilkinson, a marketing executive at Formula 1, on the momentous ride:
“Both brands have such a unique heritage and identity and we are excited to be collaborating with BAPE to celebrate their 25th anniversary. We have made a promise to our fans to bring them closer to the sport and this collaboration with BAPE acts as a vehicle to help us do that.”
The camo-decked BAPE Formula One race car is merely the beginning of a promising partnership, it should be noted. BAPE’s collaboration with the international auto racing league might also involve special edition capsules in the future. Nothing is set in stone, of course. However, Billy Choi, BAPE’s managing director, noted that “there are many possibilities to build on the partnership in the future.”MORE INFO HERE
Photos courtesy of Formula One and BAPE


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Google has officially launched cardboard camera app on Play Store, which enables you to capture three-dimensional panoramic Virtual Reality (VR) ready pictures and view them using cardboard viewer.
In order to capture 360 degrees panoramic photos in virtual reality using cardboard camera app, you need to move 360-degree in a circle. The captured images will look like 3D when viewed inside the Cardboard.
The Cardboard Camera app captures VR images, which produce real 3D effects. You will be able to view objects clearly depending upon its exact location. The app includes few sample images, and you view the effects by selecting one of the images. If you select an image, you will be prompted to view inside cardboard.
The Cardboard Camera app enables you to capture not only VR images but also sounds. It is possible to record and embed sound into photos you have captured. Be prepared to free up 100 MB of space before installation.
“With Cardboard Camera, anyone can create their own VR experience. So revisit the mountaintop that took hours to hike, or the zoo where you saw (and heard) the monkeys, or your birthday party with the cake out and candles still lit,” said Carlos Hernandez, Software Engineer, Cardboard Camera.
There are rumours circulating among geek circles that Microsoft is also working on a Google Cardboard rival called VR Kit.
According to a report on The Mirror Online, the cardboard camera app can be installed in KitKat. However, we are unable to install the app using our PhoneMax Glam KitKat phone.
Google Cardboard Camera is now available on Google Play in 17 different languages.

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Five-story office building in downtown Huntsville coming late 2022, early 2023
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The skyline in Huntsville keeps growing and growing! Right now, construction is underway on a five-story office building, 225 Holmes, in the heart of downtown.
In February, Prince Holdings and Bank Independent broke ground on the new complex, located at the corner of Greene St. and Holmes Ave. in downtown Huntsville. Tim Singleton with Bank Independent says construction is on track and their vision is really coming to life.
“It’s the first Class A office building in downtown Huntsville in a couple of decades, so we are very excited about this,” Singleton said.
The 77,500 square foot building will offer some much needed office and retail space in a bustling area of Huntsville. Offices will be scattered throughout the building, along with some outdoor venues for community organizations to use. There will also be a new restaurant on the first floor.
“The plan is for there to be…along with the bank branch…other retail offerings on the first floor to mix with the rest of this area,” Singleton said. “There is lots of really vibrant and cool retail along the street level in this whole corridor. We want to continue with that.”
The building is located directly across the street from the city’s newest parking deck, which also influenced their decision to build.
“The city has done a beautiful job with the parking deck here at Greene and Holmes,” Singleton said. “It’s already open, there is retail on the first floor and the parking lot is already available for people to use.”
There will be a topping off ceremony for the 225 Holmes building in February. The project is on track to be ready for occupancy in late 2022 or early 2023.
Copyright 2021 WAFF. All rights reserved.


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Meizu 17 will be released in April at the earliest. What to fight with Xiaomi?
Meizu 17 5G Specification
Recently, major mobile phone manufacturers have released a new generation of products, which can be described as immortal fights, which are extremely fierce. Meizu, who has been silent for a long time, has also begun to move. It is suspected that its first 5G phone will be launched in April. In the news released by Meizu ’s official Weibo, they expressed the fans’ unswerving enthusiasm for the past 17 years and also revealed that Meizu ’s new products are hard-won. In addition, no information about new products was revealed between the lines. It is not difficult to see that this time Meizu 17 may be the selling point of feelings. As the pride of the once-made domestic mobile phone, Meizu now needs to rely on emotional propaganda. How exactly did it fall into this field?
We all know that Meizu has had a glorious past. At first, with the first domestically produced smartphone “Meizu M8”, it won the hearts of the people and opened the way for the development of smartphones. This mobile phone was hailed as the “domestic machine emperor” that year, which successfully established Meizu’s leading position in the domestic smartphone industry. However, Meizu, which has a bright future and a good situation, was confused and lost to a stubborn “core”.
Huang Zhang stubbornly believes that the optimization of his own system can make up for the lack of processor performance. Take the solution using MediaTek chips. As everyone knows, no matter how the system optimizes, it can’t hide the phenomenon of heat, freeze, and flashback. It is incredible that even in its own high-end flagship PRO series, MediaTek processors have been used. The classic slogan “One core is in trouble, the nine cores are on the lookout” is also here. At this point, Meizu began to decline.
Successive years of losses have forced Meizu to make changes. After reconciling with Qualcomm, Meizu 16 finally used Qualcomm processors across the board, and the performance of the product has also been greatly improved. Although this phone has an excellent consumer reputation, due to insufficient supply in the early stage, sales have failed to exceed the Xiaomi Mi 8 series over the same period. The use of MediaTek chips throughout the year has led to a lot of loyal fans in the past putting themselves into the arms of other manufacturers. Today’s Meizu is a human being. How many people from the old Meizu are still holding on?
“Meizu 17 years, thank you” is the theme of this new Meizu product, and “pursuit comes from love” is the signature. True, Meizu’s design and system have its own unique charm, but the embarrassing performance in recent years has wiped out the enthusiasm of many fans. Once proud of domestic products, Xiaomi also regards as the biggest competitor a few years ago, but now it has fallen into the selling point of feelings, which is really embarrassing. So, will you still pay for feelings this time?
So that was the Meizu 17 5G Specification. We hope you like it.
Also, Check Redmi Note 7 vs Redmi Note 8 Comparison


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Cars worth £34,000 stolen from Suffolk dealer
PUBLISHED: 16:34 05 April 2019 | UPDATED: 16:34 05 April 2019
Three cars worth more than £30,000 have been stolen from a family car dealership in Suffolk in a night-time robbery.
A white BMW M140i worth £21,000, a black Ford Focus worth £6,750 and a white Ford Focus worth £6,250 were all stolen from Simon Shield Cars in Lower Farm Road, Great Bricett, near Wattisham, overnight.
The robbers forced entry to the garage through a back door before rifling through drawers and cabinets.
A key cabinet was broken into and three sets of keys were stolen for the cars.
The thefts happened between 7pm on Thursday, April 4 and 7.30am on Friday, April 5.
Simon Shield, who owns the dealership said: “I was a bit stunned to be honest when I saw the cars had gone.
“I got to work and noticed that two of the cars weren’t on the forecourt. I first thought that they had been taken to the garage but when I got closer I notice that the door had been forced open.
“I went into the office and saw that they they had gone through all the drawers and the cabinets and took the three sets of keys for the cars before taking off.
“I have been here for 23 years and I’ve never had anything like this. The shop is right next to the entrance to Wattisham Airfield where they have 24 hour armed guards.”
The stolen BMW was the most expensive car that was being sold at the dealership at the time of the theft and Mr Shield thinks that at least one of the cars may have been stolen to order.
“I think that they might have been targeting the BMW but I don’t know why they took the two Fords when we also have Mercedes and Audi’s,” he said.
“The police have been really helpful.
“They have looked around the local estates and the country roads to see if they have been abandoned.
“There has not been any personal damage to me, but for a small business like ours it is a really big hit to take.
“We do have insurance but £34,000 is a lot to lose for a long period of time.
“It is really damaging for our business.”
A spokesperson from Suffolk Constabulary said said anyone with information or any witnesses is asked to call police on 101 quoting crime reference number 37/19217/19.
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This article is more than 1 year old
Customer comment and contributions no more as Microsoft pulls the plug on Office 365 UserVoice forum
No obvious replacement yet either
Microsoft has demonstrated its commitment to customer feedback by, er, shutting down some of its UserVoice forums.
Office 365 looks to have been the victim of last week's cull, although other forums, such as those for Outlook and Skype, continue to be active and a place where Microsoft thought-leaders can ignore customer pleas. (As a case in point: two of the top five requests in Skype Ideas – one of the forums' feedback tools – concern the resurrection of Skype 7. Both received polite brush-offs.)
The UserVoice forums are a handy way for companies to collect feedback on their products, and Microsoft is not the only software biz making use of the platform. Others, such as Box, are also fans.
Back in 2018, Microsoft's Jim Naroski put together an exhaustive list of forums available, from Access to Yammer.
It's probably time for Jim to make an update. While the likes of Excel and Word continue to listen to the bleatings of users, Office 365 has abruptly been shut down (as noted last week by Twitter user Marc D Anderson and first reported by Petri's Brad Sams), making all the content contributed by customers over the years suddenly unavailable.
The torture garden of Microsoft Exchange: Grant us the serenity to accept what they cannot EOLREAD MORE
Those pondering if the forum had merely fallen victim to Microsoft's ongoing efforts to crush the Office 365 brand under the boot of Microsoft 365 are currently to be disappointed. No renamed forum is currently available.
The Register asked Microsoft to explain the decision and direct us to where customers might post and discuss ideas for the suite in lieu of the UserVoice forum. The company has yet to respond.
Customers wondering if they might make a contribution via their Cortana-enabled smart speaker have also been silenced thanks to an update rolled out to turn the assistant into little more than an expensive Bluetooth speaker.
The move likely signifies a shift from the UserVoice way of doing things, and we fervently hope that all the feedback (and voting) will not have been simply flushed away.
The lack of warning or obvious replacement is, however, a bit ominous for the prospects of Microsoft's other forums. ®


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by Anton Shilov
12/16/2011 | 03:46 AM
The future of Hewlett-Packards webOS remains largely uncertain as different analysts have different opinion on the matter. If some claims that the webOS platform is dead, then other believe that it can be used for many new devices, not only tablets, but for other consumer electronics as well.
Many have concerns about closed Apple iOS eco-system, security of Google Android as well as efficiency of Windows 8 operating system on tablets. Technology Business Research believes that webOS could become a player in the mobile device landscape if neither Microsoft Windows 8 nor Google Android offers a clear winner for commercial tablets. TBR believes enterprise clients have a bias toward working with HP over consumer?oriented organizations, such as Apple and Google.
In TBR's view by releasing webOS to the community, HP can leverage the community's creativity, as third parties will be given the tools to customize and extend webOS, potentially creating a viable competitor. While HP will not need to invest much of its own resources into the platform, it benefits if the platform evolves and is adopted more or less widely. HP is unlikely to face competition in webOS from major vendors, and HP has a chance to reap significant rewards with minimal risk.
Meanwhile, according to International Data Corp., despite HP's announcement last week that it would contribute webOS to the open source community, the market tracking firm does not believe the operating system will reappear in the media tablet market in any meaningful way going forward.
But TBR argues that webOS is built on a scalable operating environment that is well suited for multiple form factors. As a result, webOS could quickly penetrate the market for smart TVs; webOS may also be well suited for automobiles, for which its web app functionality can be stripped down into a minimalist user interface; besides, webOS is generally positioned to capitalize on touch?screen varieties.
Hewlett-Packard officially said that it would release a new breed of tablets based on webOS operating system in 2013. While there are a number of industrial examples when multiple companies could develop a viable open-source operating system (Android is the best example), at present HP simply has no partners to co-develop webOS and without significant investment from HP, the operating system will quickly lose its competitive position against platforms like Apple iOS, Google Android or Microsoft Windows. Moreover, without smartphones running webOS, the platform


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Businesses across various industries must recognize the significance of complying with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in light of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) recent children's privacy enforcement activities.
Enacted in 2000, COPPA establishes strict guidelines that prohibit commercial websites and online services from collecting, using, or disclosing personal information of children under 13 years old without obtaining verifiable parental consent.
In a notable case, the FTC, in collaboration with the Department of Justice (DOJ), fined Microsoft $20 million for alleged COPPA violations through its Xbox video game platform. According to the agencies, between 2015 and 2020, Microsoft collected children's personal information during the account setup process without obtaining proper parental consent. Even if children did not complete the sign-up process, Microsoft retained their information for longer than necessary. Additionally, the FTC discovered that until 2019, Xbox included a pre-checked box allowing Microsoft to share children's data with advertisers.
This enforcement action against Microsoft aligns with a broader trend of increased scrutiny by the FTC regarding the collection and handling of children's data. Earlier this year, the FTC proposed a $25 million fine against Amazon, alleging that its Alexa voice assistant service retained children's voice recordings and location data despite parents' requests for deletion. The FTC has also targeted education technology providers, such as Edmodo and Chegg, for their data collection practices involving children.
Janis Kestenbaum, a partner at law firm Perkins Coie, suggests that these recent actions may signify a shift in FTC enforcement orders. The FTC is not only focused on the proper deletion of children's data but also on businesses' training and vetting of third parties involved in data processing. Compliance with COPPA requirements, including obtaining parental consent, must be consistently maintained throughout the data collection process.
Jason Williams, CEO of Kidoz, a contextual mobile advertising network that adheres to COPPA regulations, emphasizes the importance of incorporating COPPA requirements during the initial planning and design phases of a platform or company. By proactively integrating COPPA compliance into their processes, businesses can avoid costly and labor-intensive attempts to retrofit compliance measures later on.
Looking ahead, companies will face new challenges with the upcoming California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2024. This act expands online privacy protections to children under 18 years old. While transitioning from adult-oriented services to platforms that cater to both adults and children can be particularly complex, Williams views the California act as a significant step forward in safeguarding the privacy rights of children. He emphasizes that individuals under 18 should have the assurance that their online activities remain anonymous and are not commercialized.
As the FTC continues its active enforcement of COPPA, businesses must prioritize compliance efforts to effectively protect children's privacy and mitigate regulatory risks. By understanding and adhering to COPPA requirements, companies can maintain the trust of their users and avoid substantial financial penalties and reputational damage.
By fLEXI tEAM


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General Motors Co. and Lithium Americas Corp. have announced they will jointly invest to develop the Thacker Pass mine in Nevada, which is the largest known source of lithium in the United States and the third largest in the world.
Under the agreement, GM will make a $650 million equity investment in Lithium Americas, which represents the largest-ever investment by an automaker to produce battery raw materials. Lithium Americas estimates the lithium extracted and processed from the project can support production of up to 1 million EVs per year.
Lithium carbonate from Thacker Pass will be used in GM’s proprietary Ultium battery cells. Lithium is a key material in lithium-ion batteries and stands up well to repeated charging and discharging (including enabling fast charging), delivers higher energy density, and offers more usable capacity than other battery types.
GM is launching a broad portfolio of trucks, SUVs, luxury vehicles and light commercial vehicles using the Ultium Platform, including the GMC HUMMER EV Pickup and SUV, GMC Sierra EV, Cadillac LYRIQ, Cadillac CELESTIQ, Chevrolet Silverado EV, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, BrightDrop Zevo 400 and BrightDrop Zevo 600.
“GM has secured all the battery material we need to build more than 1 million EVs annually in North America in 2025 and our future production will increasingly draw from domestic resources like the site in Nevada we’re developing with Lithium Americas,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. “Direct sourcing critical EV raw materials and components from suppliers in North America and free-trade-agreement countries helps make our supply chain more secure, helps us manage cell costs, and creates jobs.”
“The agreement with GM is a major milestone in moving Thacker Pass toward production, while setting a foundation for the separation of our U.S. and Argentine businesses,” said Lithium Americas President and CEO Jonathan Evans. “This relationship underscores our commitment to develop a sustainable domestic lithium supply chain for electric vehicles. We are pleased to have GM as our largest investor, and we look forward to working together to accelerate the energy transition while spurring job creation and economic growth in America.”
GM’s investment will be split between two tranches. The funds for the first tranche will be held in escrow until certain conditions are met, including the outcome of the Record of Decision ruling currently pending in U.S. District Court. If those conditions are met, the funds will be released and GM will become a shareholder in Lithium Americas. The escrow release is expected to occur no later than the end of 2023. The second tranche investment is expected to be made into Lithium Americas’ U.S.-focused lithium business following the separation of its U.S. and Argentina businesses and is contingent on similar conditions, including Lithium Americas securing sufficient capital to fund the development expenditures to support Thacker Pass.
Production at Thacker Pass is projected to begin in the second half of 2026. In connection with the closing of the first tranche investment, GM will receive exclusive access to Phase 1 production through a binding supply agreement and has the right of first offer on Phase 2 production. Lithium Americas expects Thacker Pass to create 1,000 jobs in construction and 500 in operations.
GM has announced four U.S. cell plants with annual capacity of 160 gigawatt hours, including the Ultium Cells joint venture plant with LG Energy Solution in Warren, Ohio, which is in production, and additional JV sites in Spring Hill, Tennessee and Lansing, Michigan that are scheduled to open in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The first three Ultium Cells plants are expected to create 6,000 jobs in construction and 5,000 in operations.
GM is currently building EVs in two Michigan plants, one Tennessee plant and one Ontario plant, and its suppliers are investing to create a robust North America-focused supply chain for EV raw materials, processed material and components, with major projects under way in California, Texas, Ohio and Quebec.


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FOREIGN franchise brands are eager to set up businesses in the Philippines to take part of the country’s impressive economic growth and take advantage of its expanding consumer sector, officers of a franchising organization noted.
Based on the figures of last year’s expo of the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), some 45 foreign brands were keen on entering the Philippine market and were seriously looking for potential partners in the country.
PFA president Alan Escalona, in an interview yesterday, said the industry is expecting tougher competition this year, as more international brands eye the Philippines as their next business destination.
He said many foreign brands and concepts are looking for local partners or master franchisees.
“Every year from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, US, Canada, Europe, they talk to us, always wanting to have local partners,” said Escalona.
The latest is the entry of Smashburger in the country through Jollibee, whose wholly-owned subsidiary Bee Good! Inc. completed the purchase of 40 percent stake of SJBF LLC, the parent company of firms comprising Smashbuger from Smashburger Master LLC (Master).
Smashburger is an upscale burger chain headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It has about 339 restaurants (184 company-owned and 155 franchised) worldwide in 35 US states and seven foreign markets.
Another new entrant is Panda Express, a fast casual restaurant chain that serves American Chinese cuisine that has about 100 branches in the US.
“We expect more foreign brands to enter the Philippines this year,” said Escalona. The association is targeting 60 foreign brands to participate in this year’s national franchise expo.
Escalona was in Cebu yesterday for the PFA’s general membership meeting.
From April 8 to 10 this year, PFA will be holding Franchise Visayas 2016, featuring a franchise summit, franchise seminars and a franchise expo at the Activity Center of Ayala Center Cebu.
Kenneth Lim, PFA director for Visayas, said part of the PFA’s direction is to establish its foothold in the Visayas-Mindanao area, following the accelerated developments in retail, tourism, and information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) sectors in the region.
“We would like to make Visayas-Mindanao as part of our growth factor,” said Lim, who owns the homegrown brand Dessert Factory, which now has four branches in Cebu.
“Big malls are expanding in the Vis-Min area, which is already an indication of growth. Although there is still a lot of money in the National Capital Region, the industry has already become saturated and the next source of growth is now outside Luzon,” said Escalona, president and chief executive officer of Fruit Magic, referring to the opening of two big malls in Cebu last year.
Lim said there is a lot of potential for franchising to grow in Cebu, as brands and concepts popping out are all prepared to be franchised.
After the Cebu leg, PFA will mount the 24th Franchise Asia Philippines on July 20 to 24 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila.
The capacity building event that will have over 1,000 local and international delegates will come with information and updates about regional and global franchising. The conference is also a venue for networking opportunities and strategic partnerships.
The bulk or 32 percent of the exhibitors’ profile last year came from the food sector followed by service-related businesses (20 percent), retail (17 percent), and international businesses at 15 percent. The expo last year logged over 40,000 visitors.
Escalona said mounting franchise expos is the association’s strategy to promote and sustain the growth of franchising as a tool for economic development. It helps members in their national expansion efforts.
“Franchising is still one of the best ways to propagate and increase the number of stores because you use other people’s money, time and management,” said Escalona.
The country’s franchising industry registered double-digit growth last year, backed by the strong growth of the IT-BPO sector and the strong inflow of overseas remittances.
“Franchising has become a byword now. When people know you have a brand or business the next thing they’ll ask from you is if the business is franchisable. The definition of franchising is clearer now,” Escalona said.
Filipinos, he added, are now open to franchising, especially among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), unlike years ago.
“Because of the excess of funds of Filipinos, particularly those working abroad, they are now learning where to invest their hard-earned money. A good number of them now buy a franchise business because of its proven success rate at 90 percent,” said Escalona.
He noted that most of the OFWs choose the P500,000 franchise package or investment because they find it more attractive and effective.


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With the UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and the Bharat QR code, now effectively merged, banks and fintechs should find it a lot easier to convince smaller merchants to go digital. That’s because the QR mode costs a fraction of what a PoS (point of sales) machine does. While the PoS machine can set the merchant back by anywhere between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000, the QR-mode costs just Rs 50. Though a potent one, the combine is not going to be easy to change mindsets of smaller vendors; transaction volumes, so far, have been fairly subdued. Some incentives for both merchants and consumers, may do the trick. The total volume of digital transactions so far in 2017-18 is nearing 10.5 billion — worth Rs 1,284 lakh crore — these include transactions via IMPS, NEFT, UPI, debit and credit cards at POS, mobile wallets and mobile banking.
The UPI — across platforms including banks, BHIM, PhonePe, Paytm, Google Tez —has clocked in volumes of 735 million for a total value of Rs 85,290 crore. Both banks and fintechs, which have spent the better part of the year trying to figure out the best way to connect small merchants with consumers, are more or less convinced the UPI-QR route should work well. UPI was launched in August 2016 while Bharat QR was rolled out in January 2017. To be sure, merchants are now a lot more comfortable with digital transactions after the government’s decision to reimburse the banks, fintechs and others involved in the payments process, for the merchant discount rate (MDR) for transactions of up to Rs 2,000. However, consumers clearly need to be nudged.
Fintechs such as Google Tez drummed up business by offering customers freebies and incentives; that was in the UPI peer-to-peer (P2P) payments space. Similar incentives, for merchants, could well be seen in the coming months. While the government is understood to have indicated to banks they should be looking to enroll ten million merchants by March 2019, it’s important the volumes increase meaningfully else banks don’t stand to gain. Industry players say the number of merchants acquired for UPI payments so far is anywhere between 85,000 and 90,000. Sudhakar Ram, founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Benow, said it added 29,000 merchants in 2019. “Our focus is on the neighbourhood kiranas and other small facilities, Ram said. While Benow works in and around Mumbai and Hyderabad, it is looking to foray into Nashik.
The presence of several small banks in southern India and their connect with merchants has led to a concentration of QR-enabled small merchants in the region. Chennai-based M2P Solutions, which works with around 10 such banks down south, has on-boarded 15,000 small merchants so far. Madhusudanan R, founder, M2P Solutions, said the firm was targeting the CASA (current account savings account)-holding merchant customers of these banks. “We typically approach the top 50 such account-holders in each branch,” Madhusudhan explained. The western part of the country too is slowly becoming a hub for QR-enabled small merchants though the model may be a little difficult to replicate in other parts of the country. That’s because, as Harshil Mathur, CEO and co-founder, Razorpay, points out, in the north, the larger banks are more popular. “While you have regional banks, they don’t have as strong a network as the south does,” Mathur explains.
Given it may not be financially viable for the larger banks to reach out to the smallest of merchants, much of the country’s northern population will need to wait a little longer before they can use UPI to buy vegetables. Most UPI-enabling entities say they see only a few hundred transactions a day though they are hopeful volumes will pick up. Vinay Kalantri, managing director, TMW, which recently bought out merchant-acquirer Trupay, believes it’s still early days. “Once people see the benefits of digital payments, that’s when you’ll see a big jump,” he notes.


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- News tagged "supercomputer"
Wednesday, 6 Apr 2016
Purpose built and engineered for deep learning, the NVIDIA DGX-1 is a rack-mounted server that can deliver 170TFLOPS of FP16 processing throughput, boasts numerous Pascal based Tesla P100 GPUs, and much more. Check out who was it designed for and its full set of specs!
Friday, 31 Jul 2015
President Obama issues an executive order in an attempt to build the world's first exascale supercomputer
President Obama has just signed an executive order for the creation of a National Strategic Computer Initiative (NSCI). This is in hope of putting his country ahead in the global supercomputing race. More details after the jump.
Thursday, 10 Apr 2014
3M has announced the implementation of a fully functional supercomputer developed in collaboration with Intel and SGI that uses a revolutionary two-phase immersion cooling technology pioneered by 3M.
Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013
nCore HPC has rolled out their BrownDwarf supercomputer that features a heterogeneous ARM- and digital signal processor-based (DSP) system, capable of carrying out high-performance computing tasks at significantly reduced power levels.
Monday, 1 Apr 2013
The IBM Roadrunner, formerly the world's fastest supercomputer, and the first computer to break the petaflop barrier of performance, has today been declared obsolete and will be taken offline.
Thursday, 21 Mar 2013
Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) is upgrading its Piz Daint supercomputer with NVIDIA Tesla K20X GPUs, with the assistance of Cray, the supercomputer company. After its upgrade, Piz Daint will be the first petascale supercomputer in Switzerland.
Wednesday, 26 Dec 2012
A team at the University of Southampton in the UK has built a supercomputer out of Raspberry Pi computers and Lego. They've also published a guide on how to make your own Raspberry Pi supercomputer.
Monday, 19 Nov 2012
Intel has shipped its 60-core Xeon Phi coprocessor to selected customers. First unveiled in June this year, the coprocessor comes in the form of a PCIe expansion card and operates independently of the host operating system, courtesy of its own Linux operating system that manages each x86 core.
Friday, 13 Jul 2012
AMD has been granted US$ $12.6 million under the FastForward program. The program is a joint effort between the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy to advance research of exascale computers that are a 1000 times faster than current supercomputers.
Wednesday, 20 Jun 2012
At the International Supercomputing Conference 2012, Intel announced that Xeon Phi is the new brand name for all future Intel Many Integrated Core Architecture (Intel MIC Architecture) products. Read on to find out more details as Intel unveils the first of such processors.


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- MAP Asia Pacific Ltd
World Bank Group invests in a start-up tackling the $2.5 trillion food waste problem
Apeel, a food science start-up backed by Oprah and Katy Perry, is launching a new initiative to help the world’s smallest-scale farms waste less and get more of their crops to market.
The company, which makes natural coatings that extend the shelf-life of supermarket staples like avocados and lemons, has raised $30 million in new funding from investors to help with the new effort as well as its expansion to more grocery stores around the world and introducing a wider variety of crop coatings.
Among those new investors is the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group, which is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. This year alone, IFC has invested $22 billion in private companies like Apeel, and their buy-in adds to a roster of heavy-hitting investors for the agritech company, including Andreessen Horowitz, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.
In conjunction with the IFC, Apeel’s new programs for smallholder farmers will lead to the establishment of supply chains in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mexico, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. Apeel’s technology will also be used to improve domestic supply chains, reducing food loss without the use of refrigeration, which will allow farmers, retailers and consumers within developing countries access to new market opportunities previously out of reach without cold infrastructure or means for rapid transport.
“Innovative technologies can change the course of development in emerging markets and save livelihoods, economies, and, in this case, food,” said Stephanie von Friedeburg, interim managing director, executive vice president, and chief operating officer of IFC. “We are excited to partner with Apeel to invest in a game-changing technology that can limit food waste by half, enhance sustainability, and mitigate climate change.”


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Everything You Need to Know About the Launch of Vivo V17 Pro
Vivo V17 Pro has finally launched in India on September 20 for Rs 29, 000. The successor of Vivo V15 Pro, Vivo V17 Pro is going big on cameras. The smartphone will be boasting six cameras where two of those are positioned inside a pop-up camera mechanism on the front and the rest four cameras will be stationed on the back panel aligning vertically.
Until now we have all witnessed many phones with a single pop-up system, but the vivo V17 Pro is here to startle you with the dual pop-up camera setup, the first of such smartphones in the world.
Get ready to shell out some money because the smartphone is already available for pre-booking on Flipkart. The sale of Vivo V17 Pro will start on 27 September.
The launch of Vivo V17 Pro has revealed that the device is packed with Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor that also runs the predecessor device Vivo V15 Pro. The Vivo V17 Pro will be paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It will come up with two gorgeous colour variants such as Glacier Ice and Midnight Ocean. It will use Gorilla Glass 5 at the back.
Other features of Vivo V17 Pro includes a 6.44-inch E3 Super AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio.
When it comes to the camera, Vivo V17 Pro’s 13 MP supports 2X optical zoom and up to 10X digital zoom. Its rear camera also features a Super Macro Mode. You can take pictures from 2.5 cm apart from the subject. Added to this, the rear camera also hosts AI Super Night mode. Vivo V17 Pro comes up with 48 MP quad-camera setup. Its selfie camera is protected by Sapphire and can handle 40 kgs laterally. The 8 MP lens placed on the front also permits wide-angle selfies. It has also revealed to feature a 32 MP + 8 MP pop-up selfie camera. With these outstanding features and specifications, Vivo V17 Pro is sure to capture the attention of millions.


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The head of the car company Elon Musk visited the plant near the village of Grünheide near Berlin on Friday. In a meeting with employees, he mentioned, among other things, a plan to produce a 25,000-euro vehicle there, a Reuters source said. Currently, the German plant produces the Model Y.
The average retail price of electric cars in Europe in the first half of 2023 exceeded 65,000 euros (almost 1.6 million CZK), research company Jato Dynamics reported. In China it was just over 31,000 euros. On the Czech version of its website, Tesla offers the cheapest car, the rear-wheel drive Model Y, for CZK 1,097,750. In their reactions, some users of the X network believe that the mentioned price of 25,000 euros does not include tax.
Musk had long planned the production of a more affordable electric car, but in 2022 he declared that the automaker had not yet mastered the necessary technology and postponed the plan. In September, sources told Reuters that Tesla was approaching an innovation that would allow it to cast almost the entire chassis of an electric car in one piece. It would be a breakthrough that would speed up production and reduce costs.
The best-selling car in the EU this year won’t even be European with an internal combustion engine
The American automaker wants to increase the number of delivered cars tenfold to 20 million by 2030. To do this, it needs mass market expansion. But demand for electric cars was negatively affected by the weak economy and high interest rates. Tesla and other automakers have responded in recent months by cutting prices in an effort to boost sales.
At the German plant, Tesla intends to double the capacity to one million cars per year. The last time it published data on the number of cars produced was in March. It was 5,000 electric cars per week, which roughly corresponds to 250,000 cars per year.
During Musk’s visit on Friday, Tesla management informed workers that the carmaker will increase the wages of approximately 11,000 employees at the German plant by four percent effective from November, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. Tesla will also pay a bonus of 1,500 euros in December to compensate for inflation. From February, the company will increase the annual wages of production employees by an additional 2,500 euros.
The German trade union IG Metall said in 2022 that wages at Tesla are about 20 percent lower than those at other automakers based on collective agreements.


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Due to the unknown effects that genetically modified plants can have and the intellectual property issues around them (basically Monsanto sues everyone), Peru has joined other counties in banning GMO foods. This good to see since there are so many unknowns around growing and consuming GMO products.
Peru has said “no” to genetically modified foods — a 10-year ban on GMO foods takes effect this week. Peru’s ban on GMO foods prohibits the import, production and use of genetically modified foods. The law is aimed at safeguarding the country’s agricultural diversity and preventing cross-pollination with non-GMO crops. It will also help protect Peruvian exports of organic products.
Peru isn’t the first country to ban GMO foods or place restrictions on their use. Earlier this year, Russia suspended imports of Monsanto’s GMO corn after a French study linked the corn to cancer; France also has a temporary ban on the corn. Ireland has banned the growing of GMO crops since 2009. Japan and Egypt also ban the cultivation of GMO crops. In 2010, Switzerland extended a moratorium on genetically modified animals and plants, banning GMOs until 2013.
Read more here.
Here’s a good story about how poor farmers in Kenya have shunned expensive chemical fertilizers for cheaper organic ones.
The organic fertiliser is sprayed onto maize two weeks after planting, and a month later.
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services through Kenya Agriculture Research Institute have tested the fertiliser’s components and given an analytical report.
Mr Mosbei said the use of organic fertiliser, apart from rejuvenating soil quality, saves farmers about 70 percent of the cost of production.
“Whereas it takes a farmer in the North Rift 100kg of DAP and 50kg of top dressing to plant an acre of maize, all they require is only eight litres at Sh300 per litre for the same acre,” said Mr Mosbei.
“The organic fertiliser enriches the soil with minerals and maintains an ample PH level for the minerals required by plants for optimum yield,” added Mr Rono.
Read the full article.
The so-called “green revolution” of farming saw the rise of industrial farming which has arguably done more harm than good. Now, the tides are turning back to a more natural way to grow food. Farmers in a few West African countries have used pesticide-free farming and have found it to be rather great!
To grow healthy crops, IPPM promotes soil improvement and alternatives to chemical pesticides such as the use of beneficial insects, adapted varieties, natural pesticides and cropping practices. Marketing and food safety issues are also part of the training programme.
“Trends in agriculture over the past decades in West Africa have seen an increasing use of highly toxic pesticides in higher-value, frequently irrigated crops. There is a general lack of knowledge in the region of the negative impacts of pesticides on the production, economy and health of communities and the environment,” said William Settle, FAO Senior Technical Officer.
“Simple experiments in the field, as practised by the Farmer Field Schools, have given smallholders the means to produce in a more environmentally friendly way, to substantially increase yields and earn a better income,” Settle added.
“Capacity building at community level is key to the sustainable intensification of food production, which will contribute to increased food security and improved livelihoods in the region, an important step towards achieving the first Millennium Development Goal, reducing hunger and povert
Keep reading the rest here.
England’s topsoil contains a lot of carbon and if things go unchecked it may erode away.Thankfully, the British government is going to release a plan of action to make sure that the topsoil will be protected by a sustainable action plan. Of course, the soil is also good for growing corps and the protection of this soil is great for farmers.
The BBC can tell you a bit more about the plan.
Mr Benn said: “Soil is one of the building blocks of life. Good quality soils are essential for a thriving farming industry, a sustainable food supply, and a healthy environment.
“Britain’s soils hold more carbon than all the trees in Europe’s forests – and their protection is critical if we are to successfully combat climate change.
“This is an important step in increasing the value we place on soil, and will safeguard this vital resource now and in the future.”
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesman said: “England’s soil has suffered over the last 200 years from the impacts of intensive farming and industrial pollution, and today is under threat from erosion by wind and rain, a loss of organic matter and nutrients, and pressure for development.”


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The company has added Weaver JCB in Indiana to its growing grid
The new company will be called Toyota Material Handling, Inc. (TMH).
The Roto R50.35 S-Plus features a 115-foot lift height and is now available in the U.S.
The company has restructured its training to align with the new ANSI standards
John L Grove founded JLG on June 9 half a century ago, with the world’s first boom lift
Manny Mendez joines importer and distributor of Merlo telehandlers and VF-Venieri equipment
China-based Zoomlion looking at European acquisition deals
Dawson named MD of Power Towers. Brian King becomes chairman of low-level access development
Peter Bennett, managing director of PASMA, has been awarded an OBE in the UK’s New Year’s Honours List for his work in access
Skyjack has received the 2018 Supplier of the Year Award from German cooperative PartnerLift
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I was surprised that in your recent article on supermarket loyalty “Loyalty cards are missing the point” (MW June 18) you also missed the point by assuming that data is all that counts in loyalty programmes.
Of course, data collection and manipulation are important but, as the loyalty debate rages on, many people seem to have lost sight of what exactly it is that retailers are striving to achieve. At its simplest, it’s a change in consumer behaviour.
The big question is how to secure it at a positive return on investment. No-one has yet, to the best of my knowledge, proved that the use of loyalty data is really paying its way compared with all of the other variables at the retailer’s disposal.
It would have been interesting in your article to look more closely at Asda, the only major supermarket retailer without a loyalty card scheme.
Asda has clearly recognised that loyalty only counts once people are in store and, as a result, it is concentrating its efforts on building traffic.
One of its primary tools is The Asda Magazine, the UK’s largest monthly title with a circulation of more than 4 million, which has a strategically targeted distribution designed to build traffic within the fiercely contested battleground for secondary shoppers.
You headlined another article in the same issue “Supermarket strategy stalemate calls for imaginative solutions” and that’s exactly what The Asda Magazine is.


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Automakers have invested time and money in creating parts that work together and say they should be compensated for their efforts. Legislation in the House and Senate would cut the period during which original equipment manufacturers have exclusive rights to manufacture, market and sell their parts.
Two weeks ago, automaker Chrysler Group LLC sued parts manufacturer LKQ Corp., seeking damages for what it alleges was infringement on 10 patents for the design of car repair parts.
The lawsuit was part of a recent trend by original equipment manufacturers — commonly known as OEMs — to defend their patents. Some lawmakers are concerned that the aggressive litigation against makers of aftermarket parts will reduce competition, driving up the cost of repairs and insurance for consumers.
At issue is how long OEMs should be able to legally enforce design patents on the parts used to repair vehicles damaged in a collision. Currently, OEMs can defend their design patents for 14 years.
House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa — who made his fortune in the auto alarm business —introduced a bill (HR 1663) that would cut to just two and a half years the period during which OEMs can enjoy exclusive rights to manufacture, market and sell their parts.
Joining the Republican as an original co-sponsor of the bill was fellow Californian Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat. Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse and Utah’s Orrin G. Hatch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined forces to introduce a companion Senate bill (S 780).
Issa said the effort to limit exclusivity by the OEMs “crosses the ideological spectrum and it has gained strength as members and the public better understand the issue.”
A 2012 incarnation of Issa’s bill never advanced beyond a Judiciary subcommittee hearing, but aides and lobbyists working on the issue say concern is growing as the OEMs become more litigious. Companies have been making aftermarket parts for years, but only in the past decade have automakers been so aggressive about flexing their legal muscle.
A milestone in the controversy was a 2008 court decision affirming that seven design patents on parts for the F-150 pickup truck had been infringed by aftermarket parts makers.
The automakers say they have invested lots of time and money in creating parts that work together and should be compensated for their efforts.
“Removing design protection promotes unfair copying to the detriment of U.S.-based designers, manufacturers, workers, and dealers,” a coalition of groups led by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers wrote in opposition to an earlier version of the bill. “It is a license for ‘free riders’ to deprive innovators of any reward for the commercial risk that has been taken and potential employment of workers needed.”


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Spirent is looking to cash in on IT managers' fears about the ability of their web infrastructure to fend off attacks and cope with user demand.
The firm has launched Avalanche and Reflector, crash test simulator tools that can be used in test or production environments to handle the transfer of large amounts of traffic over the internet.
Both are designed to test the network and application infrastructure simultaneously, in order to give a more realistic picture of the effects heavy traffic will have on a system or the threat posed by denial of service (DoS) attacks or email viruses.
"Our products can be used to benchmark a network," said David Hill, EMEA vice president of Spirent's performance analysis organisation.
"They can identify where problems due to user capacity are going to start and test it to destruction."
Alan Newman, marketing director at Spirent, explained that Avalanche is designed to simulate an unlimited number of users, while Reflector tests devices that filter traffic, such as firewalls.
"We address emerging trends in web services regardless of standards," he said.
"You can custom build DoS attacks and test multiple products using your own capacity and mix of traffic, including email and web use."
The network technology company has traditionally sold its simulator products to OEM vendors like Cisco and Lucent, but is now targeting enterprises.
Spirent also offers integration with Mercury Interactive's Loadrunner load-testing tool, and Network Associates' Netasyst sniffer technology to help make the most of its test results.
'We are making good progress on 10nm,' claims Intel
Engineer calculates that Chengdu's plan to replace streetlights with artificial moonlight would cost $100bn
Research could also apply to other 'space weather' events involving hot, fast-moving plasma
Dark matter holds the Universe together - and gravitational waves could help identify it


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'Shrek' studio Dreamworks remakes itself with a flurry of deals
By Ronald Grover and Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc, the studio that built one of Hollywood's largest film franchises on the back of a green ogre named Shrek, has suddenly become one of the entertainment industry's busiest dealmakers.
In the last year, Dreamworks has bought a YouTube network aimed at teenagers and picked up a company that controls such iconic characters as Lassie and Casper the Friendly Ghost. It acquired the rights to the Troll toy franchise and in June, signed a deal to produce a TV series for streaming video service Netflix Inc. It also plans to build a $3 billion entertainment complex with partners in China.
And Dreamworks isn't finished.
"There will definitely be more deals," Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg said in an interview. "I have never seen more opportunities to build our brand in our 19 years in business."
Katzenberg will not say what else is on his list, or whether he prefers to buy or partner with other companies.
One thing still percolating, he says, is a Dreamworks cable channel, "but there's nothing out there right now for us."
A few years back, Dreamworks considered selling itself to a larger media company in hopes of converting its cable channel to one featuring Dreamworks movies or TV shows, according to news reports at the time.
Dreamworks' acquisition spree comes at a time when the animated film market has become so saturated with studio-backed fare that the studio's most recent entry, "Turbo," debuted with two other animated films already in the market. Continued...


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POPSUGAR has revealed the inspiration and first box spoilers for the POPSUGAR November 2015 Must Have Box. POPSUGAR Must Have delivers a monthly lifestyle subscription box for women tat features over $100 worth of the latest beauty, fashion, home and fitness finds.
The POPSUGAR November 2015 Must Have Box was inspired by: “Gratitude. Friends & Family. Festivities. Gifting.”
It definitely sounds like November’s POPSUGAR Must Have Box is gearing us up for the holidays. What do you think could be in the November POPSUGAR Must Have Box?
November POPSUGAR Must Have Box Spoilers
We have our first POPSUGAR November Must Have Box spoiler! Every November Must Have Box will include a Tarte Cosmetics Beauty & the Box Eye Shadow – a $22 value!
A perfectly portable shadow box with four gorgeous eye shadow shades inside.
POPSUGAR has also shared that November’s POPSUGAR Must Have Box includes a Capri Blue Mercury Jewel Box in Rain – an $18.95 value!
Your home will be glowing with this gorgeous candle — that also doubles as a jewelry holder — from Capri Blue Candles.
POPSUGAR Must Have boxes often sell out. Order your November Must Have Box before it sells out!
POPSUGAR Must Have Box Promo Code
For a limited time, save $5 off new POPSUGAR Must Have Box subscriptions when you use POPSUGAR Must Have promo code MUSTHAVE5 at checkout.


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Trump says US-China relations remain’very Powerful’
Trade war: President Donald Trump says US-China relations remain”very strong” despite both nations being embroiled in a trade war.
Mr Trump said talks between Washington and Beijing will continue even after a deadline passed on Friday for them to achieve an agreement.
Because of this the US increased tariffs to 25 percent from 10% on merchandise from China.
China says it”deeply regrets” that the US action and would need to take”necessary counter-measures”.
However, Beijing also confirmed on Friday that further discussions would take place following two days of what was described as”honest” and”constructive” talks.
The most current US move increases tariffs on $200bn (#153.7bn) worth of Chinese imports.
What has Trump explained?
In addition to the tariffs implemented on Friday, Mr. Trump said a procedure had started to place the whole 25% tariff on an additional $325bn of Chinese products.
The tariffs taken in could be used to get US agricultural products, which would subsequently be used for”humanitarian assistance”, Mr. Trump said.
The president tweeted that, based on the outcome of future negotiations, the tariffs “may or may not” be eliminated.
Mr Trump earlier said that he was in”no hurry” to reach a trade agreement following two days of bilateral talks.
Only recently, the US and China seemed to be close to end weeks of tensions over trade.
The following US-China battleground
Critics pointed out on Twitter which it’s not China who’ll pay the taxes, but US importers, and finally its own consumers.
What’s China’s response been?
China’s Commerce Ministry confirmed the most recent US tariff increase on its own site.
“It’s hoped that the united states and the Chinese components will work together… to solve present issues through co-operation and appointment,” it said in a statement.
Chinese stock markets rose on Friday, with the Hang Seng index up less than 1% and the Shanghai Composite greater than 3 percent greater.
What’s going to be the effects of the tariff increase?
The US-China trade warfare has weighed the international economy over the last year and created uncertainty for consumers and businesses.
Despite the fact that Mr. Trump has downplayed the impact of tariffs on the US market, the rise is very likely to affect some American businesses and consumers as companies may pass on some of the prices, analysts said.
Deborah Elms, executive director at the Asian Trade Centre, said: “It is going to be a major shock to the market.
“Those are all US companies that are suddenly facing a 25% increase in price, and then you need to bear in mind that the Chinese will retaliate.”
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire cautioned that the trade dispute escalation threatened jobs across Europe.
“There is not any greater threat to world development,” Mr Le Maire told CNews.
BBC economics correspondent Andrew Walker stated the direct effect of the trade dispute could be on the US and China.
There might also be broader implications, he added, stating a softening of demand in the US and China could damage suppliers everywhere in the world.
Who will pay the purchase price?
Mr Trump’s tariff increases have taken many companies in China and America by surprise, fuelling their worries about investment and supply chain viability.
Chinese exporters say passing on costs to their US clients may be the only way to compensate for dwindling profit margins.
“The US importers will need to absorb it and move it on to customers,” Herbert Lun, a Chinese haircare electronics manufacturer, told the Financial Times.
America’s farmers are suffering also. Shipments of soybeans – among the most valuable US agricultural export crops – to China have slumped.
A combination of high tariffs and depressed farm commodity prices are placing US farmers under increasing stress, economists say.
Davie Stephens, a west Kentucky farmer and president of the American Soybean Association, told local press that farmers are”in a desperate situation”.
Why are the US and China at odds?
China has been a frequent target of Mr Trump’s anger, together with the US president criticising trade imbalances between the two nations and Chinese intellectual property rules, which he states hobble US companies.
Some in China see the trade war as part of an effort by the US to curtail its increase, with Western governments increasingly worried about China’s growing influence in the world.
Both sides have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars worth of one another’s goods.
This past year the US imposed a 10% tariff on $200bn worth of Chinese goods – including fish, handbags, clothes and footwear.


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Algoriddim's music-mixing djay app has been a hit on both Mac and iOS for a while now, so it's not brand new by any means. But the iPhone version has just been updated with some new features, including compatibility with the iPhone 5's wider screen. And while a lot of developers have been...
In the uproar over iOS 6's move to Apple's homegrown Maps service, the driving theme is user frustration (not to say outright anger). Even the most ardent apologists have to acknowledge that Maps has serious issues, and the company's critics are having a field day. Some of the challenges may be...
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Telling people your intention to start a business can also generate more commitment to see it through. “I also told everyone when I planned to start hiring people. I knew it would make me do it, otherwise I’d be failing myself.”
Jack now has 14 freelance students creating video content for clients and over the past 12 months, he’s helped more than 20 small businesses with their marketing and advertising output. In July, he’ll be hiring students to train as part-time account managers.
Use your network to your advantage
“Ask your friends to do you a favour and share your posts on Facebook and Twitter when you launch to get the word out,” says Peter Donoghue, 23. “But remember that social media will take a lot of time. You can’t just follow people, like some things and expect your account to grow organically, you’ve got to put the work in.”
Like Jack, Peter always wanted to be an entrepreneur. But he didn’t want to study business at university. “I did business studies at school and I was bored to tears,” he says. Instead he applied to do Computer Science at Strathclyde University and built a blog so that he’d have a project to put on his CV. His blog, The Retro, which covered his interest in music, developed into an e-commerce site selling turntables and vinyls and more recently a subscription service.


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Sony just made what might be one of the biggest surprise announcements at this year’s CES: a car. Called the Sony Vision-S, it’s an electric concept sedan that is meant to showcase the Japanese tech conglomerate’s many different strengths, from entertainment products to camera sensors and more.
In fact, the Vision-S features 33 different sensors inside and outside of the car, multiple widescreen displays, 360 audio, and always-on connectivity, with some pieces coming from industry players like BlackBerry and Bosch. It’s also powered by a “newly-designed EV platform” — which appears to have been engineered by automotive supplier Magna — that Sony says will be able to power other vehicle types, like SUVs.
The outside of the vehicle has some strong Porsche vibes, especially around the headlights, and inside profile it somewhat resembles the Lucid Motors Air. Inside, the Vision-S features a dashboard-spanning screen much like the one that Chinese EV startup Byton is putting in its cars, with screens for rear-seat passengers in the headrests.
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“This prototype embodies our contribution to the future of mobility,” Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said.
The company announced the car at the tail end of its CES press conference, where it also unveiled the logo for the upcoming PlayStation 5. Sony only spent a minute or two discussing the car before ending the press conference, too, and so it left tons of questions unanswered. Does Sony (or Magna) intend to put this into production, or is it just meant to be a reference car? Will Magna let other companies build their own prototypes or reference cars on the platform?
Source: The Verge


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Black Friday is upon us, which means it’s a great time to start your holiday shopping. Don’t worry if you don’t know what to buy — Cult of Mac is here to help you choose the best gifts for the iPad lover in your life.
You’ll find the best headphones, speakers, game controllers, and keyboards in our iPad gift guide for 2019. And there’s something to suit every budget.
So, when you’ve finished scoffing down that turkey, check out the roundup below.
You can now play PlayStation 4 games on your iOS device. Sony has finally brought an official Remote Play app to iPhone and iPad, giving gamers the ability to connect to their console and play almost anywhere.
Epic Games is giving Fortnite players a new tool that will allow them to merge multiple accounts.
The merge will combine all item purchases, V-Bucks, game stats, and Save the World campaign access. It’s perfect for those who were forced to set up a second Epic account to play Fortnite on the Nintendo Switch, or because they were locked out of their original.
You might soon be able to team up with friends on PlayStation 4 when playing Fortnite on rival consoles.
Sony has finally said that it is exploring the possibilities of a cross-play “solution” that it hopes will make everyone happy. Microsoft and Nintendo are already allowing gamers to play together, regardless of the device they’re using.


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China Mobile to invest $73.2 mln in mobile reading center in Zhejiang
Beijing. September 23. INTERFAX-CHINA - China Mobile Communications Corp. (China Mobile) will invest RMB 500 million ($73.2 million) over the next five years in its Zhejiang Province-based mobile reading center, which is currently under construction, according to a Sept. 23 China Mobile announcement.
The center will enable China Mobile to develop and operate its new mobile reading business, conduct research on related technologies and establish partnerships with content providers and device manufacturers.
China Mobile will inject RMB 50 million ($7.32 million) into the center by the end of 2010, according to the announcement.
Zhong Tianhua, general manager of China Mobile's Zhejiang subsidiary, said that China Mobile hopes to allow the download of reading material directly onto the mobile reading devices of its subscribers through its TD-SCDMA network.
China Mobile organized a mobile reading summit on Sept. 23 in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, and participants included over 30 major publishers and press groups, eight major online literature portals and a number of well known writers. According to the announcement, the telecom operator hopes to ink agreements on content cooperation with at least 10 of the summit attendees.
Interfax reported on Sept. 11 that China Mobile is dedicated to accelerating the development of its mobile reading business, with the launch of two eBook readers in as many months.
In addition, China Mobile signed an agreement with the Zhejiang provincial government in March to invest RMB 50 billion ($7.32 billion) in the province over the next five years, which will be put towards TD-SCDMA network rollout, Internet data center construction, a TD-SCDMA industry park and other related facilities.
China Mobile announced that it would commence construction of its mobile reading center during the same month.


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Just in case you're worried about a hurricane crashing through your town or maybe you're losing sleep over what global apocalypse Donald Trump's next tweet may cause, you can relax now. Costco is here for you. The wholesale store is offering pallets of food that can feed a family of four for up to a year. And at the bargain price of $5,999, you can order online and get free shipping. Free shipping!
Costco says on its website:
Enjoy the comfort in knowing you have the essential foods your family will need to survive an emergency or natural disaster!
As an added bonus Costco will deliver the 1,800 packages of food right to your door and the contents are “packaged discreetly for privacy in shipping.” No one needs nosy neighbors knowing that you have plenty of food when it all hits the fan. Also, no one needs people laughing and calling you a paranoid prepper behind your back. Win-win!
If the cost has you worried, just remember the GOP recently passed a HUGE tax break and, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan, that money is already rolling in. In a tweet that has since been deleted, Ryan bragged that a secretary who earned an extra $1.50 a week could cover her annual Costco membership for the year.
The way we figure those numbers, it should take that secretary just under 77 years to save up enough for a Costco Premium Food Kit for a family of four. If her family is bigger than that? Well, in tough times you have to cut loose some dead weight. Sorry, Grandma. No food for you!
News of the doomsday kits has some folks wondering what Costco knows that we don't:
costco rolling out the doomsday kits is really scary because 1. costco has always been an apocalypse prep store but now they no longer feel the need to hide it and 2. they clearly know something we don't— STRETCH💪: 3 DAYS🚷 (@JLIord) March 9, 2018
No Nathan, you're not paranoid. You're onto them!
Costco just started selling $6000 doomsday food kits, Elon Musk has been selling flamethrowers, and Amazon Alexa's have been laughing acting out of the control of Amazon developers... am I paranoid or uh... are we at the inception of an apocalypse?— NATHAN. (@nathanxia) March 9, 2018
Hey, you gotta have some fun while planning for the apocalypse.
Fun game: watch people come out of Coscto and try to figure out if they're a frazzled parent or a put-together doomsday prepper.— Kate Sidley (@sidleykate) August 29, 2017
Doomsday food *kids* sure are pricey.
Doomsday kids sure are getting expensive.— ScienceBasedSecretSocietyCathⓡⓔⓢⓘⓢⓣ (@C_doc_911) March 9, 2018
I'm skeptical. That would have to be one very large kid.— Frank Anderson (@frankoanderson) March 9, 2018
Some people were not seeing the humor at all — and neither will you when the fire and fury rain down!
If indeed, a time for a need of this kind, is upon us......it would be every man and woman for themselves. It will be a serious battle for survival....and no matter how much food you have....it will become a fight to the death, for others to obtain it.— Sanjosemailman (@SANJ0SEMAILMAN) March 9, 2018
We're pretty sure you can "prep" by going to multiple stores. Who needs one-stop apocalypse shopping?
Ooh... super sleuth-y! We never thought of that.
Oh come on! Who is going to make sure you pay your bill after the world blows up? Pay now or no food for you!
Now's your chance. They even deliver.
First we have to figure out what a BOB is and then we'll figure out what to do with our packages.
Problem is, if it's doomsday, chances are you won't remain in one place very long, at least probably not a year. How are you going to haul 1,800 packages in your BOB's. 🤔— Connie's 140 Characters (@demylenatedaxon) March 10, 2018
Or you could just be like Jessie and use the kit like a normal person.
*Buys Costco’s $6,000 doomsday-prepper food kit to avoid grocery shopping for a year.*— Jessie (@mommajessiec) March 9, 2018


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During three days of the exhibition KyivBuild 2013 was visited by 16900 expert of construction industry
The Ukrainian authorities and the country’s construction industry signed a strategic partnership and development agreement covering the next five years at the opening of KyivBuild 2013 on 20 February.
Signatories of the agreement included the head of the Kyiv City Government Olexander Popov, Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services Dmitry Isaenko, directors of professional construction organisations, and the organisers of the exhibition.
The document aims to develop economic relations in construction and to attract investment from inside and outside Ukraine. By signing it, the industry’s key players have joined forces in a strategic partnership, with its main device being Ukraine’s largest annual construction industry – KyivBuild.
Among the other signatories of the agreement were: Executive Director of the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine Sergey Grabar; President of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine Vladimir Gusakov; Vice-President of the Association of Ukrainian Cities Miroslav Pitsyk; President of the All-Ukrainian Union of Manufacturers of Construction Materials and Products Ivan Saliy; Vice-President of the Ukrainian Security Industry Federation Anatoliy Dolinniy; CEO of the Ukrainian Green Building Council Stanislav Shulga; and CEO of Premier Expo (the organisers of KyivBuild) Anatoliy Sushon.
Exhibitors at KyivBuild 2013:
Eugen Ristea, strategy and marketing director of Ceramica Iasi (Romania):
- Results are over our expectations, that’s very good. We’ve got a lot of new useful perspective contacts. We were looking for potential partners here in Ukraine, to find new distributors and create import-export division. I hope all our new contacts will close with signing the partnership contract.
Our company is just building its Ukrainian business. We started from Chernivtsy region: it’s close to the border, there’s convenient cargo transportation by rail and relatively low tariffs.
Olga Gala, Export Department of Prosperplast (Poland):
- We even could not expected for such a success. Lots of visitors and a great interest to our production plastic products for landscape design. We regularly participated in major trade fairs in Germany (Cologne, Frankfurt), and, to be honest, there had been much less visitors’ traffic at our stand.
Our Ukrainian partners and representatives are completely satisfied with the results of the exhibition. We’ve collected a bag full of business cards from potential clients during three days!I think we will participate in the 2014 KyivBuild edition as well!
Sergey Neverovskiy, Director of Wanit Fulgurit GmbH in Ukraine:
For our company, KyivBuild is one of the most important marketing events of the year. The results of the exhibition allow numerous conclusions on the market situation and specific predictions to be made for the year ahead, which means that the most recent event in February gave optimistic and reasonably forecasts for this year. Interest in ceramic tiles was stable, as we predicted, but we were surprised by the interest in fibre cement cladding from professionals and specialised firms, of which there are quite a lot not just in Kyiv but in other regions as well. On the whole, we would rate KyivBuild as one of the most effective promotion channels for our products.
Aleksandr Lebedko, Manager of Detskie i Sportivnye Ploschadki, Inter Atletika Group:
The exhibition was of the high standards that we had expected. We especially liked the fact that KyivBuild 2013 was held alongside an exhibition of Italian furniture in the neighbouring pavilion – this helped us to attract a larger audience, who were also target visitors for us. Our goal was to make new business contacts and promote our product line, and we achieved this thanks to the constant flow of visitors.
Andrey Avramenko, Director of Sovremmeniy Fasad:
Our company is the official distributor in Ukraine of KMEW fibre cement panels from Japan. This was our first appearance at KyivBuild, so we cannot compare it to previous years, but I can confidently say that exhibiting at KyivBuild 2013 was hugely successful. The number of visitors to our stand was in excess of 400 over the three days. Directors were even involved in the discussions who had only initially come to the opening of the exhibition. I’d also like to mention the good job of the organisers, who were always happy to help.
Vitali Krumius, Sales and Marketing Manager, and Vadim Grechin, Technical Consultant, Wienerberger:
"The company exhibited at KyivBuild for the first time this year, and we were very happy with how it went: the exhibitor numbers and mix were encouraging, and everybody managed to secure work at their stands. The visitors were exactly our potential clients, such as construction companies, property developers, and also investors in housing construction, and they came from every region of Ukraine. I would like to mention in particular that the exhibition was clearly designed according to the separate sectors of the construction industry."
Aleksandr Redka, Director, Aiss Group:
"We take part in every high-profile exhibition and forum related to our field. This year, KyivBuild was particularly lively, and its results fully justified the participation costs. Out of the visitors to our stand, half we had invited and the rest were new clients. KyivBuild is an occasion to showcase our latest developments, and we ordered and transported new technology especially for the event."
Mariana Penzyakova, Overseas Business Development Manager, Elidizia:
"We brought three types of modern building materials to the exhibition: flexible brick slips, self-levelling floors, and three-layer insulating panels with decorative trim. Our technical managers gave informative demonstrations of how to use the new products in masterclasses from the company's exhibition stand, and the visitors were extremely interested in our products. We were pleased with the exhibition, as we had received a number of promising proposals from potential dealers in Ukraine already on the first day of the event."
Galina Gudenko, Sales and Marketing Manager, Dormash Group:
"Dormash Group exhibited at the event for the first time this year, and we presented concrete mixing machinery and other examples of our flagship products. In terms of visitors, this exhibition is ahead of its competitors. Around a third of those visiting our stand were from our key market, which is a good sign for our industry sector."
Vladimir Dikun, Sales Manager, Everlast:
"We were satisfied with the exhibition: we had a successful and agreeable space in front of the pavilion to present our technology, and the visitors could see the products right there and then.
Our company supplies the Ukrainian market with tanks and trailers for long-distance freight, and we have much to offer consumers. Our customers are medium and large companies in the oil trade, road construction, and large-scale transport of food products and fertiliser sectors. The exhibition took place in February, and it has given us enough orders and work to keep us busy the whole summer.
"KyivBuild is an excellent opportunity to meet with existing partners and source new ones. Personal, face-to-face contact, which this event offers us, is very important in our business. At the exhibition, we can immediately gauge the reaction of customers and get direct feedback, which is essential both for developing the business and for assessing and adjusting marketing and sales strategies."
Vlada Kopecka, Senior Export Manager, TechniStone:
"We exhibited at this year's event alongside Merx, our Ukrainian partners. For our company, the exhibition was a massive success. It was encouraging to see the interest of our key audience in our stand, and we would like to thank the organisers for the steady flow of visitors, who were exactly those with an interest in our products- stone processing companies, architects, and end consumers. We were particularly please with the number of visitors, especially compared with European exhibitions."
KyivBuild is a leading construction industry exhibition, supported by the Ministry for Regional Development, Building and Housing of Ukraine and the National Union of Architects of Ukraine. The event presents developments related to the entire construction cycle, from the architect's idea to achieving the goal, and is a reflection of key development areas of the domestic and international construction industry's latest achievements.
KyivBuild has been the leading exhibition in Building for more than 15 years showcasing all the developments and achievements in the industry.
Not only has KyivBuild increased quantitatively over the years, but also in terms of quality and variety of products and services showcased. The exhibition comprises of 6 specialised trade events, covering the entire spectrum of products and services within the building and interiors industry.


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‘Star performer’ in sales – 332 Portland homes sold in 2018
A HOME is selling in Portland on average nearly once every day as the city bucks a statewide trend.
Statistics provided to the Observer by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria show it was notified of 332 homes sold in Portland last year, an increase of 34, or about 11 per cent, on 2017.
That number – made up of 328 private sales and four auctions – is double the number in 2015.
It is also in sharp contrast to statewide figures that saw 20 per cent fewer sales reported to REIV in 2018, continuing a downward trend during the past five years, and follows the boom in Portland sales in 2017, which were 72 per cent higher than the previous year.
There were also 33 reported sales in Heywood in 2018, down two on the previous year, but in line with the longer-term average.
While sales in Portland were up, the median price fell by $21,000, or about 8.5 per cent, to $226,500, the lowest figure since 2014.


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Only serious offers will be considered, it says. “Don’t waste our time.”
An apparent group of hackers posted an alert on Insecure.org on Saturday claiming responsibility for what would be a massive security breach at T-Mobile. The threat states that the group contacted T-Mobile’s competitors, but the companies didn’t show interest in buying the data, so it is now for sale to the highest bidder. The subject of the auction is described as “databases, confidental [sic] documents, scripts and programs from their servers, financial documents up to 2009.”
The post includes a list of servers as proof of the break-in that looks as if it was pasted from a spreadsheet (notice the familiar Excel “#N/A”). The servers also do have real operating systems and real-looking IP addresses, but there is nothing yet to confirm that this is a true breach and T-Mobile has not made a press release on their web site.
The list could have been composed by a dedicated forger, or could be from any large company, but aspects of it look legitimate or very well thought out. The location for many of the servers is “Bothell” where T-Mobile has a data center in Washington State. It also makes reference to the T-Mobile product CallerTunes, and several conceivable business partners like Oracle Identity Management, Teradata, and SAP. (Some Googling of random sections of it at least prove that it wasn’t lifted wholesale from another Google-indexed site.)
Of course, only T-Mobile can confirm that the information is theirs. All we can say for now is that the post took a lot of work of some kind, and the hacker’s grammar is not terrible.
Stay tuned for any T-Mobile reaction and further developments.
UPDATE: I asked T-Mobile Public Relations for a comment on the matter and they replied:
“The protection of our customers’ information, and the safety and security of our systems, is absolutely paramount at T-Mobile. Regarding the recent claim, we are fully investigating the matter. As is our standard practice, if there is any evidence that customer information has been compromised, we would inform those affected as soon as possible.”
UPDATE: Confirmed. T-Mobile has identified the document but doesn’t think there’s much of a threat to customers.
“To reaffirm, the protection of our customers’ information and the security of our systems is paramount at T-Mobile. Regarding the recent claim on a Web site, we’ve identified the document from which information was copied, and believe possession of this alone is not enough to cause harm to our customers. We continue to investigate the matter, and have taken additional precautionary measures to further ensure our customers’ information and our systems are protected. At this moment, we are unable to disclose additional information in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, but customers can be assured if there is any evidence that customer information has been compromised, we would inform those affected as quickly as possible.”
UPDATE: The company now says that no customer or company data was “compromised.” For those of you who’ve only heard this word in action movies (I’m included) here’s the definition I think they’re referring to: “to reveal or expose to an unauthorized person and especially to an enemy.” In other words, “that wasn’t our spreadsheet after all.”
“Following a recent online posting that someone allegedly accessed T-Mobile servers, the company is conducting a thorough investigation and at this time has found no evidence that customer information, or other company information, has been compromised. Reports to the contrary are inaccurate and should be corrected. T-Mobile continues to monitor this situation and as a precaution has taken additional measures to further ensure our customers’ information and our systems are protected. As is our standard practice, customers can be assured if there is any evidence that customer or system information has been compromised, we would inform those affected as quickly as possible.”
UPDATE: The New York Times thinks those were file names in the hacker’s post. File names don’t have IP addresses all to themselves generally, and it’s not that important what operating system the file is “on.” Also, we don’t really bother to write down what city the file is in.
The post also included a list of apparent file names to [sic] as proof of the breach.
The sic is mine. That’s right. I sic-ed the New York Times.


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Kenyans will have to be patient a little longer before they can start living the promise of Kenya Kwanza government about accessing cheaper maize flour.
The product which has been on an upper spiral scale since last year has been retailing at an average price of ksh 200- ksh 230 for each 2 kg packet.
President William Ruto had promised that his government will bring down the prices to Ksh150 per packet.
Agriculture cabinet secretary Mithika Linturi had also said that the government allowed 28 millers to import duty free maize and instructed them to reflect the same in their retail prices.
However this prices never reflected on the retailing unga prices in the market, causing an uproar in Kenyans. The cheapest brand is Umi which is retailing at 159 shillings.
The social media outrage has forced millers to come out and address the issue. United Grain Millers Association (UGMA) chair Ken Nyagah said that small millers did not receive the duty-free import licence from the government. Hence not all brands could lower their prices.
He further said that millers who got license to import duty free maize have managed to buy and import the cheaper corn that will set foot in the country in two weeks time.
“We have managed to get maize at a cheaper price from COMESA member countries, and we assure consumers that in less than weeks, we shall have been able to bring down the price of unga to less than KSh 150 per 2kg packet,” Nyagah said.


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Researchers in Hong Kong on Monday, August 24, reported what appears to be the first.
UNITED STATES (El Financiero) – New tensions between the two powers come just as the.
China’s government threatens the U.S. with a ‘counterattack’ after Donald Trump announced sanctions and restrictions.
(Bloomberg) — Just as early bets on an emerging-market recovery start fueling appetite for stocks.
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong anti-government protesters marched through Christmas-decorated shopping centers on Wednesday,.


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Cops: Woman Shoplifted Ingredients and Cooked Meth Inside Walmart
The chemical concoction was found inside a soda bottle in the woman's purse after a Walmart employee confronted her about stealing cosmetics from the store.
Later the store's security and police discovered a 20-ounce bottle containing the drug. The Walmart was then evacuated. No one was injured.
A Walmart spokesperson said it was against company policy to cook meth on Walmart property.
A Walmart spokes-idiot emphasized Walmart would cheerfully refund the cost of any ingredients paid for by the customer prior to their use in making the meth.
The trend of cooking small quantities of meth for personal use--referred to as "one-pot" batches-- is on the rise, the paper reports.
"There are lots of one-pot cooks," St. Louis County police Lt. Mark Cox told the paper. "But taking it into Walmart is very unusual."


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Equinox Fitness Club will be coming to the Villa Marina Marketplace after signing a lease for a 30,000-square-foot space at the sprawling entertainment and retail center.
Chicago-based property management and leasing firm Jones Lang LaSalle said in a statement that the addition of Equinox marks a major milestone in the $25 million redevelopment of the 419,000-square-foot Villa Marina Marketplace, which is in Del Rey with a Marina del Rey postal designation.
“As an anchor tenant at Villa Marina Marketplace, an upscale Equinox Fitness Club will serve our high-income consumers in the Marina del Rey trade area,” said JLL senior Vice President William P Huelsman.
New York-based Equinox will offer a retail store, cafe, children's club, a Wi-Fi lounge and a full service spa. The gym is scheduled to open in spring 2012.
"Our goal has always been to meet the needs of the discriminating fitness consumer who demands quality and value. If there was ever a market for Equinox, it’s clearly Marina del Rey,” said John Klein, Equinox Fitness Club's vice president of real estate.
Equinox currently has nine fitness clubs in Southern California and operates gyms in Northern California, New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Connecticut, Florida and Washington, D.C.
The redevelopment of the whole Villa Marina Marketplace is scheduled to begin this fall with an expected completion in summer 2012. The remodeled center's design will combine a sense of the beach with upscale stores and restaurants, including Gelson's, Sports Chalet and Barnes & Noble.
Jones Lang LaSalle manages the largest third-party retail portfolio in the country, including more than 300 malls, strip centers and mixed-use centers. The international firm has a retail portfolio of 269 million square feet of property under management and leasing worldwide.
Jones Lang LaSalle reported net income of $1.5 million in its first quarter 2011 earnings report, compared with net income of $200,000 for the first quarter of 2010. Revenue for the first quarter of this year was reported at $688 million, an increase of 18 percent compared with the first quarter of 2010.
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Privacy and technology journalist Kashimir Hill is in the middle of publishing a fascinating series of articles called “Goodbye to the Big Five,” in which she reports on her experiences trying to function on the internet without the products or services of Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Apple. To do so, she uses a custom-built virtual private network created by activist and technologist Dhruv Mehrotra.
The VPN completely blocks her access to the millions of IP addresses controlled by these companies. This has a much more extensive impact on online life than simply abandoning their branded products. In the case of cutting off Google access, for example, ride hailing apps like Lyft and Uber become useless, because both apps depend on Google Maps. Spotify’s music is hosted in Google Cloud, so it too becomes inoperable. And even seemingly independent sites like The New York Times are affected; because each page on the site tries to download Google Analytics, Google Pay, Google News, Google ads, and Doubleclick, the experience is slowed down considerably.
Particularly notable for design audiences is the proliferation of Google Fonts use across the web.
Many of the sites I visit want to load Google fonts—a free, open-source resource the company released in 2010—which are downloaded from Google’s servers and then cached in the browser. Having quick access to a variety of fonts that would not otherwise be available on your computer generally helps sites load faster, but it has the opposite effect for me during the block.
Given that Google has so many ways to track people’s digital activity already, I’m disturbed to see how ubiquitous the use of Google fonts is on the web, but the company has promised that it won’t use them to track a site’s users. So there’s that.
To Google’s credit, they don’t seem to be exploiting this situation. Hill also writes:
‘Of all the shady shit Google does, this one doesn’t seem that shady,’ says Dhruv, when I consult him about it.
Shady or not, it’s eye-opening to realize how broadly influential Google is in the user experience of the internet. Google Fonts is hardly an insubstantial product, but relative to its other pursuits, it barely seems like it takes much effort from the company. And yet in less than a decade it has turned into one of the most important providers of type in the world. (Full disclosure: this site uses Libre Baskerville served from Google Fonts.) The fact that the company has operated the service with a relatively neutral hand is commendable, but who’s to say how long that will last? The implications for the design world are far reaching if Google ever decides to turn its Fonts service into a revenue bearing business.
Read the first several installments in Hill’s series at gizmodo.com.


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Post office customers are waiting longer in queues than a year ago, with one in five standing for more than 10 minutes before being served, according to a new study today.
Consumer Focus visited more than 400 post office branches and found average waiting times of six minutes seven seconds, compared with five minutes 40 seconds a year ago – an increase of seven per cent.
Just over one in five people waited more than 10 minutes, while two out of five waited at least five minutes, the research showed.
The consumer group said many branches appeared to have “struggled” to accommodate increased numbers following the closure of 2,500 post offices in recent years.
Also, 56 per cent of counter positions were open in post offices visited, fewer than last year.
Andy Burrows of Consumer Focus, said: “Customers are unlikely to be surprised to hear that queues at post offices are getting worse.
"Queues have continued to creep up and it seems that post office closures have added to the problem.
“Customer experience is crucial to the long-term health of the network. Post Office Ltd will only be able to fully realise the potential of new business opportunities, such as new banking products, if customers’ experiences in branches are improved.”


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As of this time, there has not been a recall of Taxotere related to cavities. Yet, the investigation into this drug, from a legal standpoint, continues to be at their early stages. It often takes many years; tens of thousands of several hours of legal professional time; and the expense of many thousands of dollars before all the facts come out there that will lead to a recall.
Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at December 2015 failed to confess that Taxotere could lead to permanent baldness, also this warning will then be set on exactly the Taxotere tag. To get taxotere hair loss lawsuits current taxotere lawsuit information you can browse online.
At the moment, there haven’t been any massive collection settlements between Taxotere and also the possible connection to everlasting hair thinning. Litigation enjoys that takes quite a few decades to eliminate, together with groups of attorneys spending tens of thousands of dollars hoping to ascertain exactly what happened, and the way that it might have been averted.
Ordinarily, enormous collections of settlements usually do not come about till now as some circumstances are tried in front of a jury, and also producer will be equipped to more fully comprehend its monetary hazard.


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UK FinTech Investment Increases07.19.2022
By Veronica Glab, Head of Engagement, Innovate Finance
In the first half of 2022 total capital invested in FinTech globally reached $59 bn – flat year-on-year. The UK FinTech sector continues to grow with investment reaching $9.1bn – a 24% year-on-year increase from H1 2021.
The UK remains second globally in FinTech investment, behind the US.
'Levels of investment in UK FinTech continue to increase despite global slowdown' according to new @InnFin research
🇬🇧 24% overall year-on-year investment increase in the UK
🚀UK remains 2nd globally in FinTech investment, behind only the US
— Innovate Finance (@InnFin) July 19, 2022
On the back of a record-breaking 2021, the levels of investment in UK FinTech continue to increase despite global slowdown. Founders and enthusiasts were optimistic that FinTech investment would continue to hit previous records this year.
2022 has so far demonstrated that we continue to live in unprecedented times. Geopolitics have shown that tectonic shifts do not occur in a vacuum and the substantive reaction in the FinTech investment landscape is no exception.
Total capital invested in FinTech globally in the first half of 2022 reaches $59bn – flat year-on-year – across 3,046 deals analysed.
The global slowdown in investments comes with some notable exceptions, mainly the UK, which has reported a 24% growth in FinTech investment compared to the first half of 2021. While these results pale in comparison to the 217% YoY growth of UK FinTech last year, the country maintains its strong position as the second in the world for the amount invested, more than the rest of Europe combined.
Overall, the US received the most investment in the first half of 2022, bringing in $25bn in FinTech capital, with the UK firmly in second place with $9.1bn, rounded off by India ($3.9bn), Germany ($2.4bn) and France ($2.3bn).
The rest of the report can be read here
Source: Innovate Finance
Clearstream plans to expand D7 offering to other countries.
The platform uses machine learning and AI to automate fixed income portfolio construction and management.
As rates and volatility rise, the need to optimise the value of collateral is greater than ever.
This opens the door for the delivery of the first live intraday repo market.
Cloud-enabled infrastructure delivers a 10% performance improvement for participants.