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Key point: It turned out to be a clever business move.
A Russian arms maker has developed a Russian-ized version of America’s AR-15 rifle.
Promtekhnologiya LLC, which produces ORSIS-brand rifles and carbines, has redid the AR-15 (known as the M16 in the U.S. military) with a heaver 7.62-mm round used by Russian weapons such as the AK-47 rifle and RPK machine gun.
“The analogue of the American AR-15 rifle was tested in the ‘Russian’ caliber of 7.62x39 mm,” according to the TASS news agency. “The bullet of a cartridge is twice as heavy as the bullet of an American automatic rifle cartridge 5.56 and, therefore, has great energy at all distances of practical shooting.”
“Weight parameters and recoil parameters have not increased compared to the smaller caliber,” the company added.
Promtekhnologiya claims test results have been promising. At the moment, the total shot during the tests for the resource exceeded 17,000 shots,” the company said. “At the same time, the accuracy and accuracy indicators remained within the declared norm of 1.5-2 MOA [angular minute] with target ammunition at a distance of 300 meters. The rifle also passed climatic tests.”
Promtekhnologiya has also developed an automatic-fire version for military use. The company suggests that the Russian rifle is actually superior to the American version in some respects. “The company emphasized that the rifles in the new caliber are produced at facilities in Moscow and are equipped with high-precision ORSIS barrels of their own production. ORSIS barrels significantly increase the accuracy and resource of the product compared to the original American-made rifle.”
This isn’t Promtekhnologiya’s first foray with the AR-15. In September, the company began mass production of the ORSIS-AR15J rifle, an AR-15 in 5.56x45 mm caliber.
There are American companies already produce the AR-15 in a 7.62 x39 version. Not surprisingly, opinions are split as to which nation make the better AR-15. “No doubt Peoples Collective Steel Stamping and Tractor Factory No. 261 has quality control in place, but it in no way matches that of a modern American injection molding plant,” quipped one American writer in 2014.
Ironically, Russia has complained about the U.S. military’s copying of Russian weapons. In 2018, U.S. Special Operations Command launched a search for manufacturers who could produce copies of Russian machine guns such as the PKM and NSV models. The idea is that many groups that America supports around the world, such as the in the Middle East, use Russian-made weapons. So instead of scrounging around the arms market looking for new weapons, why not have American manufacturers produce them in the United States?
In truth, there are guns have become weapons of the world. The most famous is the AK-47, which has been copied by China, numerous other nations, and many a gunsmith in a Middle Eastern bazaar. Kalashnikov itself has a U.S.-based operation – Kalashnikov USA -- that allows Americans to buy AK-47s made in America.
It turned out to be a clever business move. In 2014, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, which led to the U.S. and the European Union banning weapons transactions with several Russian defense companies. But having a U.S.-based manufacturing company, that’s independent of the former mother company back in Russia, enables AK-47s to be sold in America.


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“With WordPress powering 38% of all websites on the internet, a need for a versatile and easy to use WordPress plugin has never been greater” - Yoni Luksenberg, CEO of Elementor
LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) September 23, 2020
MarTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top marketing, sales and advertising technology products and companies, today announced that Elementor, the leading WordPress website building platform, has been selected as the winner of the “Best Overall Website Building Platform” award in their third annual MarTech Breakthrough Awards program.
Elementor is a WordPress based platform that serves as a drag and drop website builder with the added advantage of being open source, and open to community contributions. Elementor’s web builder enables top-notch design quality without the need for code or the help of a developer. The Elementor platform includes dozens of widgets, an expansive template and add-on library, a theme builder, and a unique mobile editing toolset.
“With WordPress powering 38% of all websites on the internet, a need for a versatile and easy to use WordPress plugin has never been greater,” said Yoni Luksenberg, CEO of Elementor. “Elementor is for professionals, and it offers users a seamless and intuitive experience. It is a testament to our team and our endlessly supportive community that we are recognized as a “breakthrough” MarTech company in the 2020 MarTech Breakthrough Awards program.”
MarTech Breakthrough Awards’ mission is to honor excellence and recognize the innovation, hard work and success in a range of marketing, sales and advertising technology-related categories. This year’s program attracted more than 2,750 nominations from over 15 different countries around the world.
“Elementor is delivering an entirely new way of designing websites to the largest web creation environment in the world with WordPress,” said James Johnson, Managing Director at MarTech Breakthrough. “Their recent introduction of Elementor V3.0s’ design system, demonstrates a commitment to continued innovation and we look forward to seeing their growth trajectory continue forward. We extend our sincere congratulations to the entire Elementor team on their well-deserved “Overall Website Building Platform” award in the 2020 MarTech Breakthrough Awards program.”
Elementor is the leading website builder platform on WordPress. Serving over 5 million websites, Elementor's code-free, open-source platform, empowers web professionals including web developers, designers, and marketers in 152 countries worldwide. Elementor's mission is to radically simplify web building, enabling web professionals and agencies to unleash their creative and business potential. For more information visit elementor.com or follow us on Facebook.
About MarTech Breakthrough
Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the MarTech Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence in marketing, ad and sales technology companies, products and people. The MarTech Breakthrough Awards provide a platform for public recognition around the achievements of breakthrough marketing technology companies and products in categories including marketing automation, AdTech, SalesTech, marketing analytics, CRM, content and social marketing, website, SEM, mobile marketing and more. For more information, visit MarTechBreakthrough.com.

domain: news


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The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce will host Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer in Nashville this week.
On July 9, Doer will discuss trade and investment opportunities during a luncheon at Hutton Hotel.
Canada is the United States' largest customer and export market for 34 states, including Tennessee.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Association, Tennessee posted $8.7 billion of merchandise exports to Canada in 2013, representing 27 percent of the state's merchandise exports.
Wednesday's event will begin at noon, including registration and networking. A luncheon, including a keynote address and Q&A session, runs from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.


text: Semaj Janelle is planning the release of hot new single "Trapp Music." The release is being released in streaming stores now. Semaj Janelle has very high confidence, that the single will do well. Semaj Janelle is planning on a few more single releases after "Trapp Music." Semaj Janelle feels she has the chance to bring back R&B, in a new Hot Style!!!


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Fiserv Study: It’s A Mobile World
In its fifth annual study of bill payment habits of U.S. households, Fiserv Inc. found that this is the era of the “omnivore” bill payer – multiple methods are proliferating – but in the fast track is “mobile bill pay. It is growing very fast,” said Eric Leiserson, an analyst.
In 2012, 8% of online households paid at least one bill with a mobile device, up from 6% in 2011, per the Fiserv research.
An unexpected statistic, said Leiserson, is that 3% of infrequent Internet users and those who never use it also had paid at least one bill with a mobile device.
“People may be realizing that with a smartphone they have a computer in their pocket even if they don’t have a home computer with broadband,” said Leiserson.
The broadest trend in the 2012 Fiserv survey is that multiple bill pay methods are still winning fans. Leiserson pointed to in person payments, phone payments, online payments, paper checks, mobile payments, and phone payments as all claiming usage.
Indeed, he pointed out, three consumers in four use at least two of those methods every month and at least 20% of consumers change the ways they pay their bills from month to month, depending on funds availability, payment due date and the amount owed.
“Payments are increasingly fragmented,” said Leiserson, who indicated that still more fragmentation, not less, is probably the future.
As for why mobile is rising, the survey from Wisconsin-based Fiserv pointed out that consumers who are using mobile payments say that “mobile as a payment option saves time (50%); offers anytime access (44%); and is most convenient when on the go (43%).
When asked what mobile billing and payment capability they are most interested in, nearly one in three respondents indicated they are very interested in viewing and paying bills from their smartphone.”
Of those who access the Internet at least once weekly, 73% say they pay at least one bill online monthly, according to Fiserv.


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One would think that summer vacations would slow down the interest in crypto, but it’s actually the opposite.
According to Glassnode, last week the number of active Bitcoin entities rose by 30% to 325k per day, and the users with 100-10k BTC have been accumulating more bitcoins than ever.
On the NFT side the craze continues so much that OpenSea marketplace registered $95M worth of transactions in the last two days (the total volume of the whole 2020 year was $21M). Much of it came from the renewed interest in CryptoPunk NFT collectibles series, with some Ethereum whales paying hefty prices: Gary Vaynerchuk spending the equivalent of $3.7M on CryptoPunk #2140, an unknown whale going on a $6M shopping spree for 100 NFTs…
Many many dollars are being converted into crypto, and we think it is only the beginning.


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Btcc bitcoin china
(ICOs) means that China has lost its impetus in the Bitcoin space. 6, references edit "Bitcoin Market". Mining Pool, Mobi wallet software, and its own cryptocurrency exchange. Btcc is one of Chinas largest Bitcoin companies. Read our guide on the best Bitcoin cryptocurrency wallets. In the end, it can be concluded that the state of Bitcoin in China is not very healthy. The company has since set up a new base of operations in Hong Kong, and will now have the capital to continue its brand remake. Thats not surprising as the Chinese governments crackdown on Bitcoin led to the closure of 88 cryptocurrency exchanges and 85 ICO platforms since the end of 2017. We may receive advertising compensation when you click certain products.
In October last year, a news source in China carried a story stating that Bitcoin is protected by law as a property according to a court ruling. The btcc Bitcoin exchange, formerly known. A quick check reveals that there are not many options where you can spend the digital currency in the country. "China Bitcoin exchange restores deposit facility".
Btcc bitcoin china
Individual miners receive quick payouts and are compensated for each share solved. Pro Bitcoin Exchange, bTCCs pro exchange is one of its newest products. BTC China, has been acquired. A b c d Hill, Kashmir. 1, founded in June 2011 as btcchina, it was China's first bitcoin exchange, and most of its customers are thought to be from the domestic market. On a P2P platform like LocalBitcoins, sellers will post their offer and the transaction will be carried out directly between the related parties without the involvement of any third-party, using Alipay or any other specified platform as the payment method. Reuters since major stack holder from India smcapl. Its USD trading also marks btccs first entry into the.S. 5, on, the exchange resumed accepting yuan deposits, after further studying the pboc statement and other rules. However, spending Bitcoin in China isnt very easy. However, that doesnt mean that Bitcoin itself in China is legal, which gives rise to a weird scenario in which usage and owning the digital currency is considered legal according to the court ruling, but trading in the same isnt.
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International Business Machines Chief Executive Arvind Krishna is betting on the well-practiced gambit of a corporate divorce to revive the former corporate icon. But tech history shows the outcome can be disappointing.
The plan to spin off the unit that manages clients’ information-technology infrastructure and had around $19 billion in annual sales would likely represent one of the biggest corporate separations in recent years, according to Dealogic data. But like many others, it comes with execution challenges.
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BEcause Tempts Consumers with a Taste of Luxury for Danone
Posted by: BEcause Brand Experience
Date added: Thu 19 Jul 2012
In line with Danone’s television advert featuring Britain’s Got Talent judge, Amanda Holden, the yogurt is being handed out by bare-chested male models at four London train stations and Westfield shopping centre, operating from a glamorous Greek-inspired stand.
The campaign was unveiled at Paddington Station on Monday, and will visit Clapham, Liverpool Street and Marylebone stations over the week. From Friday 20th the activity will move to Westfield shopping centre for the weekend.
Anna Bradshaw, Account Director, BEcause comments:
“Danone has developed Oykos to be wonderfully thick and creamy – a real taste of luxury! With this sampling activity we want to show people on the go that we all have time to be swept off our feet and indulge in a little luxury.”
Danone first launched Oykos in May this year and is available nationwide.
Other articles by BEcause Brand Experience:
Yorkshire Tea staged its first piece of major experiential activity with a press event aboard the Orient Express this week, designed to allow journalists, bloggers and loyal brand fans to celebrate the joys of a proper brew together.
Mon 29 Apr 2013
Brand experience agency BEcause has launched a 190 day experiential sampling campaign designed to encourage consumers to try Danone’s new yogurt brand Danio, a new range of super thick and super tasty strained yogurts.
Fri 05 Apr 2013
LEGO®, the global toy brand, has appointed brand experience agency BEcause to mastermind a 9 month experiential roadshow centred around its new Legends of Chima range.
Tue 19 Feb 2013
British Gas has completed an Autumn roadshow in partnership with regional water companies as part of the brand’s on-going mission to promote energy-saving products and techniques for the home.
Thu 01 Nov 2012
Brand experience agency BEcause has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Katie Penfold as Business Director and Carl Bowler as Commercial Manager.
Thu 25 Oct 2012
By: Jonathan Williams
By: Jonathan Chadwick
By: kitten mitten


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DURHAM — Arpio has disclosed an $8.2 million seed round of funding. According to the SEC filing, the company had raised a total of $7.98 in equity funding from 27 investors as of last Friday, with another $250,000 remaining.
Arpio is a SaaS solution that provides disaster recovery for Amazon Web Services (AWS), with a specific focus on recovery in cloud environments. The company has grown quickly since its founding in 2021; according to its website, the company has tripled its revenue in the past year.
The Arpio press release announced the funding led by S3 Ventures and Companyon Ventures, as well as TDF Ventures and CreativeCo Capital. The company has also received funding from YCombinator, Uncorrelated Ventures, Valor Ventures, and the Triangle Tweener Fund.
Eric Engineer, Partner at S3 Ventures notred:
“With increasing cybercrime, regulation, and customer requirements, business continuity is now top-of-mind for cloud customers of all types and sizes. When we analyzed the cloud disaster recovery space and spoke to users, it became clear that Arpio is the market’s most comprehensive and easy-to-use solution. They are democratizing DR — providing push-button access to modern, sophisticated automation that is otherwise out of reach for most teams.”
Arpio co-founders Doug Neumann and Shaw Terwilliger started the company after experiences at Microsoft and Bandwidth showed a need for disaster recovery support in the market. The company plans to use the round of funding to expand its AWS service coverage, increase automation, and prepare go-to-market strategies.


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Well, little has happened at the building – perhaps too little. A curious reader happened to look into the box late last week to see what kind of suggestions were in there. Turns out, there was only a shutoff notice from PGW.
We talked to building owner Freddie Renzulli yesterday and he said he’s aware of the notice and that he’s going to take care of it. The ownership of the building is still tied up in a court battle between Renzulli and his family and another appeal was just recently filed, so he’s in a holding pattern for another couple of months.
Meanwhile, he’s working on finishing renovating the apartment upstairs and he’s gotten some great suggestions for the storefront. Those ideas include a small specialty grocery store, a used book store and a Federal Street doughnuts.
The doughnut idea is … well, a bit of a pipe dream – kind of like our dream it could one day be a wine boutique (there or anywhere else). And Renzulli said he’s not sure a used book store will be profitable enough to support his family of five. So, we’ll see. No matter what it becomes, it might be a while.
UPDATE: Here’s another suggestion (from our friend Pennsporter). Leave a note.


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Floyd Mayweather Jr. calls himself “Money” and even inspired a lifestyle brand called “The Money Team”. He calls himself so, because he has a lot of money.
A testament to that is Mayweather’s new supercar purchase – the Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita supercar which costs USD 4.8 million (around PhP 224.8 million).
The said supercar is one of only two Trevitas ever made.
Indeed, Mayweather knows how to grab everyone’s attention as he recently posted about this purchase on Instagram.


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7NRG announces The Basketball League sponsorship
7NRG, a UK-based CBD sports supplement brand, is joining forces with The Basketball League, or TBL, in the United States.
The London-based company, which announced its sponsorship of the professional league, will formally be known as the official CBD-infused nutrition shake of the TBL, the brand said.
"We are excited to be the first CBD infused sports nutrition shake to sponsor a professional sports league across the United States," CEO of 7NRG, Joel Grayson, said. "Our partnership with the TBL will be the beginning of a global shift in how professional athletes utilize CBD in their fitness regime which could potentially extend their careers."
Containing 0% THC, 7NRG’s goal is to educate athletes on natural and safer ways to build endurance and speed up recovery times stemming from damage that their sport can cause over the years, the company said.
"Using a product that is holistic, clean and a natural source, that could potentially assist with recovery from inflammation and pain caused by extensive wear and tear on the body is a plus for any athlete," Evelyn Magley, CEO of The Basketball League, said.
In addition, the company hopes to change the view of CBD use among professional and amateur leagues across Europe and the United States, the company said.
"Partnering with the TBL puts 7NRG in a unique position during one of the most exciting times in U.S. history with CBD being one of the hottest topics in sports." 7NRG's U.S. director, Treyous Jarrells, said. "Not only does the partnership add credibility to the brand but it also creates a sense of certainty for athletes and sports organizations that may have uncertainties when pertaining to our product line."


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Bella’s is gone; The Deli remains
On Jan 18, 2007, just short of five years ago, Bella’s opened its Italian doors. Located in a prime location on First Street in Nederland, the sandwich shop featured quality Boar’s Head products and Udi’s baguettes for the bread.
Hot meatball and Italian sandwiches ran out the door. Bella’s was a favorite place for people on the go to grab a sandwich for their hike or bike ride, sit on the picnic table next to the co-op and watch a stream of tourists flow down First Street, window shopping, people watching looking for a place to eat lunch.
Location is everything. For Ross Alper and Steve Sabella, business was going well, but Sabella left after about six months and Ross has been on his own.
“I didn’t even think of shutting down then,” Alper said. “I just kept going and we did become successful. There were, however, a few winters when we barely made it.”
Over the years, Bella’s was known as a place to come for great conversations, a central social spot. Alper said that people having a bad day would come to Bella’s and the bad day would go away. The Cuban sandwiches were the hot item for the past year, with marinated pork breast, ham and Swiss cheese, it is hot, melty and spicy with crunchy, soft bread wrapped around it.
Keeping afloat has been rough. Alper said he almost shut down a few years ago in January, when business was defunct. “It is different when you have a child,” Alper said. “For the first year Annabelle stayed with me, a working dad. We almost found a buyer, but the sale fell through. Then we told ourselves we just had to hang in there until the Frozen Dead Guy Days, which is always profitable.”
Last year, on Saturday, FDGD sales doubled Bella’s best day. Bills were paid and Bella’s was able to move forward. As of the beginning of the year, Jan. 1, Alper and the Deli at 8236 First Street were on their own, and he is now making long-range plans. The business, Alper said, needed a new life. With the new name comes new life. Having made it to five years at the end of this month, Alper said he plans to propel himself to doing well.
Although the deli has done well as a takeout, eat elsewhere place, an eating area has been added in the front and in the back, perfect for enjoying bowls of homemade soup.
“Bella’s used to be an Italian Deli,” Alper said. “Not it is a deli that has been born from Nederland and its music. It defines what Nederland is all about.”
After popular demand, The Deli will sell half sandwiches as well as a children’s menu. The shop will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Alper said he hopes to bring in a breakfast crowd.
Much of the Deli’s business is contained in the made-on-the-spot sandwiches. Another option the Deli offers is buying the meat or cheese by the pound to take home. Udi’s baguette bread is also for sale, so you can construct your top quality sandwiches at home.
Bella’s may be history but the Deli at 8236 is carrying on the good mood food tradition.


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Such as for example, inside the an increase research away from exports in this several months, the total amount in the take off ran out of $cuatro
Instance growth in frequency from inside the stop truly likes Brazil; because of this it is unignorable you to definitely Mercosur are very important into Brazilian savings. One-5th of Brazilian are built good exports are intended to possess Mercosur. Including, Argentina is the largest visitors out-of vehicles manufactured in Brazil, having Uruguay as the 3rd-prominent petroleum importer from Brazil.
Yet not, over the last twenty five years on the partnership, Mercosur has not negotiated any agreement towards planet’s biggest erican nations. It’s disadvantaged the newest Mercosur bloc specifically as global field will continue to open up.
Once the 1991, 25 years adopting the pact came to be, there have been 253 FTAs into the globe; Mercosur try element of only a couple of him or her (Mercosur–India FTA and you can Mercosur–Israel FTA), and therefore along with her show just one.69% from Brazilian exports ().
Recently, just after particular stressed months out-of local retraction, general announcements have been made about your significance of the newest FTAs for the the latest Mercosur arena, triggering a state out of crisis. Brazilian negotiators when you look at the compliance into National Export Plan enjoys increasingly wanted so you can exploit the other-bloc countries, and one of one’s regions that is section of Brazil’s aspirations bundle try Canada; one of the most unlock in the world economies.
Mercosur/Canada Free-trade Contract
Mercosur and Canada stored exploratory conferences in past times to evaluate new feasibility regarding starting authoritative FTA transactions, immediately after which resulted personal meetings to raised see the Brazilian individual markets needs. However, resistance (mainly off Argentina) avoided after that really serious said.
Towards 16 Summer 1988, Canada attempted to start transactions having Mercosur to cultivate regional and you may bilateral effort from a good investment and you can trading cooperation contract. Then plans did not improvements.
Next, a combined whenever Canadian Best Minister Paul Martin are seeing Brazil. The guy noted that broadening change and you can financing flow perform further bind Canada and you can Brazil-building the possibility of a totally free exchange contract. The two nations offered to bring the new extension away from exchange relations one of Mercosur and Canada because of the negotiating better sector accessibility on the aspects of merchandise, features and you will investment; context of one’s production of another Free-trade Section of the fresh new Americas (FTAA).
Following within the 2005, a joint report revealed talks amongst the delegations off Mercosur and you can Canada. Into the elizabeth year, an alternate fulfilling happened to develop a good FTA among them events, just before big government limits out-of Argentina stagnated the latest dialogue.
Again, in an attempt to start an alternative dialogue throughout the an agreement anywhere between Mercosur and Canada, a special discussion began once more this year. During the time https://datingranking.net/hiki-review/, the new bilateral trading within functions got exceeded the level of US$7.six million, rendering it possible connection a robust possible trading extension.
Discussions continued when you look at the 2012 which have Argentina even more accessible to the deal, being facing the true odds of a great 55% boost in trade which have Canada.
In summation, after delivery brand new talk this year, just three group meetings took place between Mercosur and Canada. Today the career out of Mercosur is much more positive to your arrangement due to the fact earlier in the day enjoy from inside the 2012.
The year 2016 is not more than yet ,, and you may 2017 guarantees the possibility of high improvements in another type of era out-of FTAs.
So it good condition is actually dependent on some products, including the the fresh new open Argentinian regulators, the brand new Brazilian Federal Export Package, the TPP being negotiated ranging from significant countries, and you can European countries carrying out trade traps to own a potential FTA which have Mercosur.
Another essential basis is the fact exports is actually complementary (not opposition), therefore negotiations can be much much easier as compared to most other deals you to Brazil is now facing, such as those on the Eu.


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Dubais philosophy for shopping malls is a simple one: Bigger is better. On 5 July, the emirate released details of its latest potential worldbeater, the Mall of the World, which will be built on Sheikh Zayed Road on the Police Academy site.
The idea is not a new one. Dubai has launched the worlds largest mall before, and while Dubai Mall has been a success, others, such as Mall of Arabia in Dubailand, and another major shopping centre at Bawadi, which were planned before the 2008 real estate crash were never built.
Mall of the World is not a new project either, as it was first launched as part of the Mohammed bin Rashid City development in late 2012. It is unclear when Dubai Holding decided to move what was expected to be an integral part of its new city to a more central location directly opposite, and just a few hundred metres away from, one of Dubais largest existing shopping centres, Mall of the Emirates.
One possible explanation could be economies of scale. With Mall of the Emirates, a metro station and countless hotels in the Al-Barsha area across Sheikh Zayed Road, the Al-Sufouh tram terminus nearby to the south, and the Madinat Jumeirah and beach hotels to the west, the new mall will connect existing tourism venues to create a major new destination.
The owner of Mall of the Emirates, Majid Al-Futtaim, will be hoping that is the case. It is expanding the mall and building new hotels at the development.
Other mall owners are hoping the same, as every major mall is currently being expanding, including Emaar Properties Dubai Mall, Nakheels Ibn Battuta, Al-Ghurairs Burjuman, Al-Futtaims Festival City, and MAFs City Centre. Nakheel is also building major new malls on the Palm Jumeirah and Deira Islands, and Meraas is planning a new retail centre on the Bluewaters Island.
With so much new capacity being built, the bigger is better philosophy should refer to Dubai, not the malls, because there is only one thing that can sustain so many major shopping centres, and that is a much bigger market.


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Battery graphite company Renascor Resources nets supply deal with one of Asia’s largest traders
Link copied to
Battery anode company Renascor Resources (ASX:RNU) has signed a supply deal for its spherical graphite product with one of Asia’s largest battery chemicals trading companies.
Japan-based Hanwa has initiated an offtake deal with Renascor Resources under a non-binding memorandum of understanding between the two companies.
“Our memorandum of understanding with Hanwa is a further significant step toward Renascor constructing, in Australia, the first integrated, in-country mine and purified spherical graphite (PSG) operation outside of China,” managing director, David Christensen, said.
The off-take deal is for the purchase of 10,000 tonnes per year of purified spherical graphite over a term of 10 years, with the annual delivery amounts yet to be decided.
The deal with Hanwa represents about one-third of Renascor’s projected production from its planned battery anode material operation in South Australia of 28,000 tonnes per year.
To date, Renascor Resources has received commitments for 100 per cent of stage one production from its Siviour plant after executing off-take deals with two Asian anode companies.
They are Shanxi Minguang New Material Technology Company and Jiangxi Zhengtuo New Energy Technology Company.
Both companies have rapidly advanced through initial production processes and will start more advanced product testing of bulk samples of PSG product.
The Siviour project is a vertically-integrated battery anode material manufacturing plant located on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, and the company is also building a PSG manufacturing plant in Port Adelaide.
The company’s Siviour graphite deposit in South Australia is one of the world’s largest outside Africa with 3.8 million tonnes of reserves and will be developed using an environmentally-friendly hydrofluoric acid-free purification process.
Renascor Resources is currently in talks with several more potential customers for offtake deals for its PSG product that include anode and battery companies.
The talks are to secure additional offtake agreements to allow the company to expand production capacity at its Siviour plant in a stage two expansion.
“As a result of an increase in inbound enquiries from globally-recognised anode and battery companies for Siviour PSG, we are now considering an expanded stage one production capacity or an additional stage two PSG production capacity,” said Christensen.
The spectacular growth in EVs and lithium-ion battery markets has spurred incredible demand for battery anode products such as PSG from anode manufacturers.
PSG product demand is expected to grow at a rate of 29 per cent annually this decade through to 2030, marking an increase to 2.4 million tonnes from a current volume of 200,000 tonnes.
Hanwa is one of Asia’s largest traders in battery chemicals and has a market value of ¥140bn ($1.7bn) and recorded sales of ¥1,700bn ($21bn) in the 2020 financial year.
“We are particularly pleased to be working with Hanwa, a leading Japanese global trading company, providing access to the Japanese anode market, which is the largest market for PSG outside of China,” said Christensen.
The Japanese trader has a long tradition of trading with some of the world’s largest metal and chemical producers and operated a dedicated Battery Team for the supply of graphite.
Renascor Resources will hold further talks with Hanwa in relation to price, product quality and other aspects for the supply deal following product validation tests.
Approximately 85 per cent of global lithium-ion battery anode production is currently based in China, and the remaining 15 per cent is located in South Korea and Japan.
Meanwhile, another battery materials company Galaxy Resources (ASX:GXY), has announced the result of test work to develop a simplified flow-sheet for its Sal de Vida project.
Previous test work undertaken by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation at its facility in Sydney showed lithium carbonate quality from Galaxy Resources’ project in Argentina is approaching battery grade specification.
“Successful production of battery grade increases Galaxy’s revenue generating potential and widens the customer base. Off-take discussions will now be advanced with interested customers,” chief executive, Simon Hay, said.
“The lithium market is rebounding after a three-year period of decline and Galaxy Resources is well positioned to reap the benefits of recovering prices,” said stockbroker Argonaut in a note.
Another graphite anode company, Mineral Commodities (ASX:MRC), has recently finished a pre-feasibility study on its plan to build an active anode materials plant in Norway.
The company’s Skaland graphite project in Norway has one of the world’s highest grades of the material at around 30 per cent carbon with a resource of 1.78 million tonnes.
Mineral Commodities’ new plant in Norway will produce natural graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries using an environmentally-friendly and low emissions production process; either a caustic roast process or a carbochlorination process.
Neither process uses hydrofluoric acid (HF) and the plant will have an initial capacity of 10,000 tonnes per year starting in mid-2022.


text: People.com Lifestyle Sleep by Sleep! NKOTB Releases New Throwback Collection Inspired by Their Popular '90s Sheets "When we meet fans [now] we always hear them say to us: 'You were my first concert' and 'I used to sleep on you!'" band member Danny Wood tells PEOPLE exclusively By Sonal Dutt Sonal Dutt Instagram Twitter Sonal Dutt is the food and lifestyle director of PEOPLE, overseeing the food, travel and home editorial team. She launched People.com's first lifestyle-focused vertical and celebrity recipe mobile app in 2013. Previously, she was the executive lifestyle editor at Every Day with Rachael Ray and Senior Lifestyle Editor at Woman's Day, and held editorial positions at InStyle, For Me and Details. The Virginia native graduated from James Madison University with degrees in Communications and English, and has a master's degree in Magazine Journalism from New York University. Her passions include cooking, boybands and NFL football. People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 22, 2021 12:00 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: courtesy of New Kids on the Block Fanny packs and white platform sneakers aren't the only '90s trends making a comeback this year. On Tuesday, New Kids on the Block unveiled a new line of merchandise inspired by their vintage bedsheet pattern, which decorated millions of teenage girls' bedrooms during the peak of NKOTB mania in the early 1990s. The current collection includes everything from coffee mugs to blankets, and is adorned with old-school portraits, autographs and handwritten doodles by band members Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood. "The line is really inspired by the fans," Wood, 52, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Over the years, we've watched as they've taken those old bedsheets they had as kids and made them into dresses and jackets. During the pandemic, one girl even turned those sheets into face masks and donated all the money from the sales to my foundation, which helps breast cancer patients. The guys and I have always leaned into the nostalgia of the New Kids so we said, 'Let's embrace this and do our own products with that nostalgic feel.'" Debbie Gibson and Joey McIntyre Teaming Up for Las Vegas Shows Coming This Summer courtesy of New Kids on the Block As part of the first Blockhead Bedsheet collection, the band will offer collage-print oven mitts ($24), coasters ($10), pint glasses ($15), coffee mugs ($15), aprons ($40), dishtowels ($20), face masks ($15) and a throw blanket ($50), all available on the NKOTB shop. Wood says fans can expect additional pieces to be added to the line soon. "I gave my granddaughter the blanket, and I have pictures of her all wrapped up in it," says Wood, who is father to three adult children, son Daniel Jr. and daughters Vega and Chance. "I think our fans — and their kids and the baby Blockheads, too — are going to love it, at least that's what I'm hoping." Inside Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny's McCarthy's Chicago Home: 'There Is No Greater Symbol of our Love' During the height of their pop idol fame, the boy band's vast line of licensed merchandise was a money-making machine of posters, buttons, hats, shoelaces, lunch boxes, watches, dolls, charm bracelets and everything in between. At the time, JC Penney also created more than 700 in-store shops focused only on selling New Kids merchandise — including their now retro neon bedding. courtesy of New Kids on the Block courtesy of New Kids on the Block "If you asked the five of us what we thought of those bedsheets back in the day, we would have had some expletives to describe them probably," says Wood, who says he still has one of the original bright pink NKOTB sleeping bags. "But now when we meet fans we always hear them say to us: 'You were my first concert' and 'I used to sleep on you!' Or sometimes they'll say, 'I used to sleep on your face!' if they're trying to be extra funny. So we've now embraced things like those sheets because it's just fun for everyone." NKOTB's Jonathan Knight Says He & Fiance Might 'Just Elope' After COVID Cancelled Their Farm Wedding For Wood, it was also important to take control of the group's image and marketing following their reunion in 2008 — something he says the band wasn't able to do during their early years. "I took an active role when we got back together to be more involved in the business side and not let some of the things that happened to us back in the day happen again to us now," he says. "We were young guys in our 20s and people were making so much money off our faces and our name and we didn't even know certain products were in the store." "The tipping point for me was when they started selling these stuffed [plush] dolls that were supposed to look like us but they looked like murder dolls. They were so creepy. Mine and Jordan's had horrible rat tails. Donnie's had a little mullet," says Wood, with a laugh. "We only found out about them when we walked into a Toys R Us and saw them there. That has never left me, so now we're in charge of our images, our name and everything that we've worked so hard for." New Kids on the Block. John Lamparski/Getty How CNCO Honors New Kids on the Block in New Song: 'They Were Super Iconic' Although Wood and his NKOTB bandmates have spent most of the last 16 months at home with their families, they've been using that time to make plans for their post-pandemic projects — including a return to live performances. They've added two outdoor concerts to the summer schedule, including full-capacity shows at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., on Aug. 4th and a rescheduled hometown performance at Fenway Park in Boston on Aug. 6th. "We're looking forward to getting back out there on stage," says Wood, who explains the band has been in constant communication during the pandemic. "We know a lot of people have been having a tough time through all of this, and it's our chance to bring some happiness to our fans. And for us too." Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.


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Page Maker: Zedrick Señeres
Photos by: Nelson Robles Jr.
COURTYARD by Marriott Iloilo recently held a bridal fashion show dubbed “Marry Me at Marriott.”
Western Visayas’ first international hotel gave Ilonggos the chance to witness the Philippines’ highly sought annual bridal show that usually takes place at Manila Marriott Hotel.
This year, Courtyard by Marriot Iloilo brought “Marry Me at Marriott” in Iloilo City to showcase the creations of famed Filipino designers such as June Escario, Michael Leyva, Francis Libiran, and Iloilo’s pride, Aisha Peñalosa who likewise surprised everyone with her elegant collections intricately made from our very own textiles, Piña Jusi, accentuated with jewelries designed by Regine Sarabia Espinosa.
Cheers and congratulations Courtyard by Marriott!


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Networking vendors have been looking ahead to the massive scalability that 100 Gigabit Ethernet technology will offer as Internet bandwidth consumption continues its unabated rise. The race to 100 GbE picked up in earnest when the IEEE signed off on the standard in June, and now Brocade is looking to get in on the action.
Brocade is out this week with its MLXe core router, the latest upgrade to its flagship product, offering speeds of up to 15.36 terabits per second. The MLXe router, which Brocade says relies on some in-house “secret sauce,” will compete with comparable offerings from rivals Juniper and Cisco. Enterprise Networking Planet takes a look.
The promise of 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) is massive scalability to help meet the growing demand for Internet bandwidth. It’s a promise that networking vendor Brocade (NASDAQ:BRCD) is aiming to deliver on with its new MLXe core router, which can deliver up to 15.36 Terabits per second.
The MLXe core router promises increased density over Brocade’s previous generation MLX core router and can scale to 32 x 100 GbE ports. With the MLXe, Brocade is positioning against the Juniper T1600 and Cisco’s CRS-3 for a greater share of the core routing market.


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If your life depends on technology, you better read her report cover to cover. Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker’s yearly Internet Trends report is the ultimate compilation of essential tech statistics. Encompassing everything from funding climate to smartphone adoption to the tech giants to cutting-edge inventions, the Mary Meeker Internet Trends report has it all.
Indian cricket fans were eagerly awaiting for IndVsAus match – a mauka for India get into finals. But, on this day in-spite of Indian Twitterati’s tweeting about the match, some brands managed to make noise by conducting contests and trended on this day on Twitter.
Below is the analysis of two hastags –


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Fresh milk that lasts 90 DAYS: Scientific breakthrough means Aussies could soon be able to keep milk in their fridge for months
- Aussies will be able to drink fresh milk that’s been in the fridge for three months
- A Queensland food tech company is behind the world-first innovation
- The Queensland government has given Naturo $250,000 in funding for the milk
- The patented technology is set to revolutionise the $585 billion dairy industry
Australians will be able to drink fresh milk that’s been in the fridge for three months, thanks to a food technology company’s world-first breakthrough.
Naturo Pty Ltd, from the Sunshine Coast, is behind the revolutionary innovation, which is set to bring in a fortune in exports.
The patented technology is able to kill the bacterium that makes untreated milk harmful to drink, and allows for refrigerated milk to stay fresh for 91 days.
The innovation has been given the green light after being independently tested and validated by industry regulator Dairy Food Safety Victoria, who approved the process as healthy and safe.
Naturo founder and CEO Jeff Hastings is behind the revolutionary innovation, which will bring in a fortune in exports, and has already received $250,000 in funding from the Queensland government
‘The primary difference between our milk and pasteurised milk is the fact that we don’t “cook” the milk to make it safe for human consumption,’ Naturo founder and CEO Jeff Hastings told the Courier Mail.
Mr Hastings says Naturo’s milk is closer to the original state, and has been proven to be better than regular milk in terms of nutrition.
‘Pasteurisation heats milk to a minimum of 72°C for at least 15 seconds to make it safe whereas we are able to kill pathogens without relying on heat.’
He said that heating pasteurised milk makes it safer, but kills alkaline phosphatase activity, which helps with liver function and bone development.
Another issue with pasteurised milk is that heating it reduces the Vitamin B2 and B12 levels, Mr Hastings said.
But despite the impressive breakthrough, Mr Hastings said the same taste is still guaranteed
‘Our milk tastes like milk straight from the cow. It is safer, better for you and lasts longer,’ he said.
The innovation has been given the green light after being independently tested and validated by industry regulator Dairy Food Safety Victoria, who approved the process as healthy and safe
Only a small amount of standard Australian milk – which goes off after two weeks – is currently exported by plane to Asian countries like Japan and China, where it can sell for up to $13 a litre.
Milk is one of the biggest exports of the dairy industry, which is worth $585 billion.
Australia produces more milk it consumes – meaning large amounts can be exported.
Naturo has already received a quarter of a million dollars in funding from the Queensland government, but now they’re looking for potential sites for a pilot plant investment.
Jeff Hastings – who is a qualified agricultural engineer – says Naturo’s milk is closer to the original state, and has been proven to be better than regular milk in terms of nutrition
The plant will need to be capable of producing 10 million litres of milk a year.
Naturo plans on employing 32 full-time workers at the plant to allow them to establish their own brand of products, and eventually increase production in the future.
Mr Hastings – who is a qualified agricultural engineer – said the opening of new markets for Australia’s fresh milk will bring ‘a healthy return’ for struggling farmers.
He’s already thrown his hat in the ring of global business, recently commercialising technology that produces ‘no-browning’ cut avocados.
The company has the potential to be shipped all over the world.


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Accounting the most stressful part of running a small business
UK micro-businesses spend ten weeks of the year working on financial according to research from digital business bank Starling.
In a new report, the app-based challenger bank shines a light on the working practices of 5.6 million of the UK’s smallest firms.
Studying more than 1,000 British micro-businesses, it found that the average company clocks 79 man hours each week, with an average of 17 hours spent solely on financial admin tasks.
That’s a whopping 19% of their total time - or just under 10 weeks each year - spent doing some of the most mundane jobs that small business owners can do.
The research also found that the smallest businesses were disproportionately affected, with sole traders spending almost a third (31%) of their time on financial admin and companies with 1-4 employees spending a quarter of their time on it.
Accounting represents the most time-consuming finance task, with firms spending more than one week each year trying to stay on top of their books.
Around a third (32%) of micro-business owners also named accounting as the most stressful part of running a business.
Jason Bradley, Business Development Manager of said: “Nobody gets into business because they are passionate about the books. But the simple fact is that you won’t stay in business for very long if you don’t stay on top of your accounts.
Software, apps and other technology has made it easier than ever before to manage business finances. Starling is a great example of a company that has totally disrupted what was quite a traditional industry, making business banking easier and more enjoyable.
Cloud-based accountancy software companies like FreeAgent and Xero have done a similar thing. Cloud software takes slow and painful processes and makes them easy to stay on top of, wherever you are.
I can’t say that using FreeAgent will save you ten weeks each year, but if you use it with a specialist accountancy provider like CloudAccountant.co.uk I can promise that it will make your life more worry-free.”
UK micro-businesses account for around 96% of all businesses in the country. They employ almost nine million people and generate nearly a trillion pounds in revenue each year.
are online accounting specialists. For more information and advice, speak to a member of the team today. Call: 0808 281 0303 or email firstname.lastname@example.org


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While GSM-iPhone owners have had the pleasure of an untethered jailbreak for the latest iOS iteration, 4.3.2, Verizon CDMA-iPhone owners haven't been so lucky -- until now. Sn0wbreeze 2.6.1, a Windows-only utility brought to you by the folks from iH8sn0w, is now able to install an untethered...
The Chronic Dev team of eager iOS hackers at GreenPois0n has announced an untethered jailbreak for the current Apple TV in the form of RC6 of the eponymous utility. This new build features contributions from the NitoTV team to enable the tetherless feature. Up until RC6, most iOS 4.2 jailbreak...
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BANGKOK (AP) Asian nations have actually profited handsomely through the growth that is impressive tourists from Asia within the last ten years, however the specter of a quickly distributing virus has raised issues over industry prospects.
Some 150 million Chinese tourists traveled abroad in 2018, a wonderful leap from Asia’s 10.5 million worldwide tourists in 2000.
Tourism is really a major supply of nationwide income for most nations, and Chinese site site visitors now generally top the maps with regards to figures and investing.
A way of measuring just exactly how touchy senior officials have grown to be in regards to the situation had been seen Friday into the Thai money Bangkok, where Public wellness Minister Anutin Chanvirakul ended up being overseeing the handout of face masks at a busy section on the sky train elevated transportation system.
Anutin, waving some masks in their right hand, reported that no body should refuse them since they avoid transmission associated with the virus.
Additionally the damn tourists, ” he told reporters. “they must be kicked out from the nation. Chinese and Asians, they all accept these masks. These damn Europeans. Just how can we realize that they’re maybe maybe not spreading the illness? They might have now been checked out other urban centers before arriving at Thailand. It is a thing that all Thais have to support. Out of the country if we see people like this, we should kick them.
He later on stated on their Facebook web web page which he had become upset due to the mindset of some foreigners, whom acted disrespectfully toward him along with his peers.
A downturn will strike people that are many.
Some observers, like Prof. Lisa Wan regarding the class of resort and Tourism Management in the Chinese University of Hong Kong company class, are fairly confident the tourism industry will jump straight back soon.
Making use of the SARS epidemic being a guide point, she noted a preliminary razor- razor- sharp decrease in Asia’s GDP development ended up being mainly offset by greater development in listed here two quarters, leading to about 10% yearly growth.
“Since Asia could be the earth’s biggest outgoing travel market, the international tourism industry will probably recover right after the outbreak, ” she stated.
The tourism industry in Thailand accounted for 15.5per cent of total work 5,834,000 jobs in 2017, based on a written report issued year that is last Bangkok Bank.
Recently, the lines to find yourself in Bangkok’s Grand Palace, a top-tier tourist attraction, have now been sparse.
Your day that individuals heard the headlines (in regards to the virus), the tourists had been gone, stated Arisara Chamsue, whom operates a nearby store. “the amount has fallen. And I also is only able to make a tenth or two tenths of the thing I generally make. “
She stated this example reminded her for the 2003 outbreak of SARS, a another coronavirus from China that wreaked havoc that is similar.
Thailand, a lengthy established tourist market, is within the top rank for Chinese site site visitors, whom comprised 11 million, or 27%, associated with the total 40 million tourists to check out the nation a year ago.
“It is understandable why the tourism industry is in a panic through the unexpected tremendous impact, ” Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan told The Associated Press.
Being a local tourism powerhouse, Thailand has seen its means through many crises. SARS, bird flu, bombs together with 2018 sinking of a yacht from the southern resort area of Phuket that killed 47 Chinese tourists — they turned into blips in a lengthy upward bend.
Nevertheless, the federal government estimates that through the end of January until June, Thailand will totally lose 300 billion baht ($9.7 billion) in tourism earnings from Chinese tourists, Pipat stated.
The issue is severe in Phuket, among the nation’s top holidaymaker destinations.
“The tourism industry may be the only revenue stream for Phuket province, ” said Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, the president for the Phuket Tourism Association, incorporating that tourism to Phuket alone contributes 400 billion baht ($12.9 billion) yearly into the Thai economy. “consequently, if you have a challenge, it’s going to influence a myriad of company such as for instance air companies, resorts, restaurants, etc. “
Things will also be a little sluggish on Bangkok’s famous backpacker road, Khao San path.
Laksinat Prommawan, a masseuse, stated Monday she typically might have possessed a customers that are few by noon, but just one had resulted in all early early early morning.
Japan held the runner-up place to Thailand this past year in hosting Chinese travelers, with 9.6 million creating about a 3rd of international arrivals.
The province of which Wuhan is the capital since the beginning of February, Japan has banned the entry of Chinese from Hubei. The info showing any impacts can be available just later this month.
“It is nothing like there aren’t any Chinese after all, ” Tomotsugu Mizukami, spokesman for the Kyoto City Tourism Association, stated Monday in a phone meeting. “But the end result is actually noticeable. “
A year ago, about 6 million Chinese visited Southern Korea, making Asia its biggest supply of foreign tourists, in accordance with the state-run Korea Tourism Organization.
In present times, major shopping districts as well as other spots within the money Seoul well-liked by Chinese tourists had been fairly peaceful.
Aesthetic stores, clothes shops and restaurants in those areas reported of sharply sales that are declining as much South Koreans may also be avoiding crowds and staying in house.
Product product Sales during the Lotte emporium in Seoul’s bustling Myeongdong community on Feb. 1-2, the initial week-end following the nationwide Lunar brand brand New 12 months vacations, fallen by 30% set alongside the same week-end just last year, in accordance with shop officials.
Small but growing amount of Chinese people to Australia 1.43 million in 2018, probably the most of every nationality contributed as much as 20 billion Australian bucks ($13.4 billion) towards the country’s tourist industry.
The halt to team trips from Asia will surely cost the Australian tourism industry at the least AUD $1 billion ($671 million) over 8 weeks, investment bank UBS Australia warned the other day.
Nevertheless, if travel disruptions are extended, or expand to pay for independent travelers, the price might be much greater, it included.
Australia has a sizable specialized niche of international site site site visitors: worldwide training is Australia’s 3rd export https://bestlatinbrides.com/russian-bridess that is biggest and Asia is Australia’s biggest way to obtain international pupils, with 200,000 attending Australian universities.
“we have had an economy that is soft the drought, the bushfires and today this virus. It really is bad news together with bad news, ” PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia chief economist Jeremy Thorpe told The Sydney Herald newspaper morning.
Research by the organization estimates the increased loss of Chinese tourists and pupils may cost 20,000 Australian jobs.
Tourism is the reason about 10percent of the latest Zealand’s economy and it is the united states’s earner that is largest of export bucks. Simply over 400,000 tourists from China go to each 12 months, 2nd simply to the amount whom result from Australia.
Brand New Zealand this temporarily closed its borders to foreigners traveling from China week.
“It is nevertheless too early to understand exactly what the long-lasting financial effect associated with coronavirus could possibly be, and it also could be a while we are closely monitoring the problem. Before we all know the entire level, ” Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis told AP. “the us government is using this really really, and”
Associated Press authors Preeyapa T. Khunsong and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok, Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, Southern Korea, Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia and Nick Perry in Wellington, brand New Zealand contributed for this report.


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Digital trends are constantly evolving and changing, with new technologies emerging and older ones advancing at an accelerating pace. While we can’t tell you exactly what’s going to happen in 2022, there are some trends we think will be important to watch, as they promise to change not only the way we work but also the way that organizations function as a whole. Here are six big digital trends to watch in 2022.
Everything will be connected
In a few short years, the internet of things will connect billions of devices around the world. And as 5G technology rolls out, those connections will be faster and more reliable than ever before. This will have a huge impact on businesses and consumers alike. Here are six digital trends to watch in the coming years:
1. The rise of 5G
2. The growth of the internet of things
3. Increased connectivity
4. More powerful artificial intelligence
5. Virtual reality and augmented reality going mainstream
6. The rise of blockchain
7. Chatbots taking over customer service
8. VR/AR becoming mainstream
New Educational Systems Will Take Off
It’s no secret that the pandemic has forced many educational institutions to change the way they operate. What may be less apparent is that these changes are here to stay, and will likely accelerate in the coming years. Online learning, for example, is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years. This means that more and more students will be getting their education digitally. And as this trend increases, so too will the demand for new educational systems that can accommodate it. So if you’re thinking about starting a business in the education space, now is the time to do it. Other digital trends to watch out for include the rise of 5G, the increasing popularity of streaming services, and the continued growth of e-commerce. As technology continues to evolve at an increasingly rapid pace, businesses need to keep up with these changes in order to remain competitive. If you’re interested in investing in one of these six trends but don’t know where to start, consider researching them online or reaching out to someone who specializes in them.
Drones, Robots and Self-Driving Cars Will Change Everything
In just a few years, the world will be transformed by drones, robots and self-driving cars. This technology will change the way we live, work and play. Here are six big trends to watch in 2022:
1. Drones will deliver our packages.
2. Robots will clean our homes.
3. Self-driving cars will take us where we want to go.
4. Virtual reality will become mainstream.
5. The internet of things will connect everything around us . And that’s just the beginning!
6. The internet of things will connect everything around us. Connected devices will collect data about their surroundings and feed it back to a cloud, which can process it and respond to events in real time, providing services like climate control or security alerts or maintenance reminders.
Virtual Reality Will Impact Our Lives
It’s hard to deny that virtual reality is having a moment. Though it’s been around in some form for decades, recent advances in technology have made it more accessible and realistic than ever before. And as the costs of hardware and software continue to drop, VR is only going to become more popular. But what does that mean for the average person? Here are six ways VR will impact our lives in the next few years. In five years, about 10% of global workers will be using VR to do their jobs at least half the time. There’s no need to leave your desk when you can get your work done from anywhere with a headset on. With augmented reality (AR) also on the rise, there’s even less need for workers to interact with their physical surroundings – at least until they need information that isn’t yet digitalized.
More consumers will be choosing goods over services because AR/VR/MR platforms like Amazon’s Echo Show and Microsoft’s Hololens make purchases much easier. Consumers won’t even have to wait weeks or months for deliveries; they’ll get everything they want right now – all through a headset or computer screen!
Blockchain – We are only at the beginning!
As we become more and more reliant on technology, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. Here are six digital trends to watch in the coming year that will have a major impact on business.
Mixed Reality – Mixed reality is one of the most exciting emerging technologies of our time. Augmented Reality – AR is still a very young industry with tons of potential for growth. Machine Learning – ML can be used to produce some truly incredible results. But what is ML? Artificial Intelligence – AI has already begun transforming many industries, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement Virtual Reality – VR has made significant strides this past year and will only continue to grow over time The Internet of Things (IoT) – IoT is impacting every aspect of our lives, from how we work to how we travel . Voice Technology – Voice commands will continue to play an increasing role in our daily life. Advanced Analytics – Advanced analytics will help businesses make smarter decisions by mining huge data sets. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) – these are artificial machines which are able to perform intellectual tasks that humans can do. Quantum Computing – Quantum computing may enable us to break through barriers which were previously thought unbreakable or may provide solutions to problems which previously seemed unsolvable
How will we stay safe?
We’re all more than aware that the world is rapidly transitioning to being an increasingly digitized one. Every day, we rely on technology to help us with everything from communicating with loved ones to ordering our morning coffee. And as we continue to become more reliant on technology, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. The following are two digital trends to be aware of by 2022.
1) Voice search will lead the way: In a recent study, 70% of participants who used voice search found it faster than typing and 50% said they used voice search because their hands were occupied.
2) Tech will be more customizable: As tech becomes smarter and more personalized, consumers want to tailor their devices and software so they’re unique.


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Discover more from Sustainable Supply Chains
Stranded at sea, labor dynamics and Amazon's union vote
After spending almost four years aboard the MT Iba, the five-member crew is finally able to go home.  The ship’s owner, Alco Shipping Services, fell into financial trouble and stopped paying wages 32 months ago. With the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas, ships are governed by the state they are registered in—their “flag state.” The majority of ships sail a flag from open flag states or “flags of convenience” including Panama, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Bahamas, Malta, Cyprus, and several Caribbean island nations. This system of open registration, combined with minimal international law, makes it hard for authorities to force owners to take responsibility of abandoned vessels. A ship’s crew, however, can be held liable for abandoning a vessel resulting in situations like the MT Iba. To survive, the crew relied on donations of food and supplies from The Mission to Seafarers. The charity also helped mediate negotiations with the ship’s owner who wanted to sell the vessel. After 43 months at sea, the crew settled for $165,000 in collective back-pay and disembarks to a changed world.
The maritime trade can be hard work with extended deployments in the best conditions. The coronavirus pandemic is not those conditions. There are more than 1.2 million seafarers in the trade, and in a typical month roughly 150,000 change over at ports around the world.  The pandemic severely disrupted this process with port closures, disembarkation restrictions, a reduction of air travel, restrictions at border crossings, and consulate closures affecting visa processing. At its peak last year some 300,000 seafarers—20 percent of the global workforce—were stranded at sea waiting for relief from deployments beyond their contract dates. Meanwhile, shipping companies, labor unions, and maritime authorities are navigating a variable patchwork of pandemic-related restrictions, and significant disruptions to global trade flows.
The pandemic has had a significant impact on the U.S. labor market as well, and there are signs of improvement. Last week’s total unemployment insurance claims fell 0.1 percent from the previous week.  And while there were still 730,000 new unemployment insurance claims last week, this was down from 861,000 the week prior. Last month’s unemployment rate improved as well dropping 0.4 percentage points to 6.3 percent. Job gains were seen in education, and professional and business services.  National unemployment figures for February will be released next Friday.
These totals, however, do not reflect the true impact of the pandemic on jobs. Leisure, hospitality and retail in the U.S. continued to shed jobs in January. There were losses in health care, transportation and warehousing as well reversing trends from last year.  Some of those losses are due to business disruptions. Some are employees leaving the workforce due to a lack of childcare. According to an analysis of the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, 1.2 million people in 35 states cited lack of childcare—school or daycare—as the reason they left their job between April and December last year.  This trend increased by 36 percent over the period showing the increasing toll of school and daycare closures.
The lack of childcare options and other economic disruptions has had a disproportionate impact on women. In the U.S., women left the workforce at four times the rate as men in September.  An analysis of Indeed job postings across 22 countries shows a significant gender gap in job postings last year as well.  Postings for jobs with low female representation fell 37 percent and ended the year down 18 percent. Postings for jobs with high female representation, in contrast, fell almost 43 percent and ended the year down 25 percent. There was a similar gap based on skill level with low-skilled postings dropping almost 45 percent at the height of the pandemic compared to a 35 percent drop for higher-skilled jobs.
The near-term impacts have long-term implications. Remote work, e-commerce and automation trends have accelerated over the past twelve months. According to a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute, this acceleration means more than 100 million workers may need to switch occupations by 2030.  That is 25 percent higher than previous estimates. Job growth is expected to be concentrated in high-wage occupations including technology, health care, management and business/legal professions. The report looked at labor markets in eight countries including the U.S., Spain, U.K., France, Germany, Japan, China and India.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also released a new report assessing the long-term impact of the pandemic on jobs in the U.S.  A number of industries are expected to benefit from structural labor market changes. Employment in research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences is projected to more than double previous estimates. And employment in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing may grow by as much as 20 percent by 2029.
The BLS also expects telework to be offered on a more permanent basis in those jobs where working from home is feasible. This will help drive employment growth in computer manufacturing and services, IT support services and cybersecurity. It also has significant ramifications for food service, transportation, construction and a number of other industries. Prior to the pandemic, air transportation, transit and ground transportation and nonresidential construction jobs were expected to grow between 4 and 6 percent. The new assessment revises all of these down with jobs in nonresidential construction potentially falling 4 percent—a net adjustment down 8 percent—by 2029.
Long-term employment trends in retail may be significantly impacted as well. The report estimates there may be a decline between 4.4 and 7.2 percent from 2019 levels with as many as 1.1 million jobs permanently displaced by 2029. These impacts are attributed to trends that were already in motion and have been accelerated by the pandemic including the growth of online shopping, continued consolidation of big-box stores and a reduction of the overall physical retail footprint.
The shift to online shopping has been a boon for online retailers like Amazon. The company hired over 425,000 people between January and October of last year—pause and let that figure sink it. By December it employed 1.3 million people worldwide and generated over $125 billion in net sales, its largest quarterly revenue ever.
Amazon’s growth has not come without challenges. By October the company had nearly 20,000 employees who had tested or were presumed positive for COVID-19. And frustrations with working conditions reached a boiling point at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama where 5,800 workers are voting on whether to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
Less than 11 percent of American workers are represented by unions—down from 35 percent in the 1950s. Many Amazon warehouses in Europe operate under union agreements, but the company has long resisted unionization efforts in the U.S.  In Alabama, concerns about the pace of work, risk of injuries and risk of COVID-19 escalated last summer. By November warehouse workers notified the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) their intent to unionize and by mid-January had gathered 3,000 signatures in support.
To request an election, the NLRB typically requires 30 percent of a facility’s employees to sign a card supporting it. The Bessemer workers easily exceed that threshold and so the election was announced. In response, Amazon petitioned to delay the vote rejecting a mail-vote and safety concerns with in-person voting. (Sounds familiar.) The petition was denied by the NLRB and ballots were sent February 8.  The election closes March 29, and if successful could pave the way to organize Amazon (and other) fulfillment centers in more pro-union states like California, Minnesota and New York.
We all seem to have a favorite word to describe the state of the world these days. “Dynamic” is mine today.
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What I’m Reading
The Lion, the Polygamist, and the Biofuel Scam by Vince Beiser in Wired
Semiconductors and the U.S.-China Innovation Race by Foreign Policy Analytics
The Social Cost of Carbon, Risk, Distribution, Market Failures: An Alternative Approach by Nicholas Stern and Joseph E. Stiglitz in NBER
How the WTO Changed China: The Mixed Legacy of Economic Engagement by Yeling Tan in Foreign Affairs
Who Should Stop Unethical A.I.? At artificial-intelligence conferences, researchers are increasingly alarmed by what they see. By Matthew Hutson in The New Yorker.


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Despite the Monthly Outcry, Facebook Should Advocate for More Data Collection
Facebook collects a ton of user data. Its users don't like that.
This tension is on full display yet again this week, after Facebook revealed a secret program that altered the news feeds of some users to see whether more positive or negative posts could make people more happy or unhappy. The anger at such secret manipulation may well pass, as it has when Facebook has been accused of mistreating its users in the past, but the news highlights a huge issue for Facebook, for other social networks and for digital advertising as a whole. Data collection actually benefits users. But every time a company like Facebook does something genuinely deceptive, it makes consumers more skeptical of any effort at all to record what they do online.
If Facebook and its peers could just get out of their own way, they could make a convincing argument to consumers.
The information that consumers don't want marketers to have is the same stuff that could make advertising genuinely helpful to them. Without meaningful data, marketers run badly targeted ads, which consumers say they dislike. The vast majority of people who see a paid message have no interest whatsoever in buying the product or service it's trying to sell. While there are benefits to playing the long game, using advertising to maintain awareness rather than to compel an immediate purchase, digital platforms are uniquely suited to define what customers want, right now. Call it intent targeting.
Facebook, and every other tech company that collects and sells user data, should publicly embrace and pro-actively advocate this kind of data collection instead of trying to play it quiet, afraid of causing the next uproar. Meanwhile, the industry needs a champion to advance the not-so-radical concept that advertisers want to help consumers engage in commerce, not bother them with off-target sales pitches. Consumers need to be shown affirmatively that better-targeted advertising means less advertising -- precisely what they say they want.
Fortunately, this concept has the benefit of being true. Every marketer out there knows that if they're wasting users' time, they're wasting their time, too.
It isn't tough to show how data collection enables better, consumer-centric advertising.
Facebook already knows that I am a 33-year-old man who lives in Manhattan. But, using data collected from across all the media I use, one piece of software could recognize, for example, that I play basketball four times a week at The Reebok Club on the Upper West Side, that I look for a new pair of basketball shoes to buy about once every four months, and that I tweet about my love for Adidas kicks but am currently playing in my first pair of Under Armours.
This is probably why I frequently get served ads for Nike sneakers, which I wouldn't buy because they don't fit my feet well. The software that delivers ads to my screens knows what I like, but it doesn't have the data required to profile my intent because the full scope of my online usage isn't being captured all at once and sold cohesively.
If users recognized digital advertising as legitimately helpful content, then they wouldn't care whether information that corresponds to their buying intent is delivered through paid media, which companies can control, or earned media like news coverage, which companies can't control.
On the client side, marketers can only make the connection between who I am and what I want to buy if they have mounds upon mounds of data about my online behavior to sift through for signals. That's the real barrier, because the engineering talent necessary to turn seemingly countless pieces of data into a few accurate predictions of intent seems to exist already. More data collection would eliminate some off-target advertising that is based on demographics rather than on intent.
To convince users that relinquishing data is actually in their best interest, tech companies need earn their trust. Until they do, the digital advertising ecosystem is missing an important piece of the puzzle.


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NEWS - Thursday, March 18, 2004
Xbox to Drop to $150 end of March?In an effort to narrow the gap with Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft will cut the U.S. price of the Xbox by $30, to $149.99, at month’s end, sources told Video Store Magazine. “Xbox is dropping their price [between March 28 and April 1],” a game publishing executive close to the retail community said. “That’s verified. They’ve changed ad prices, they changed everything — that price is coming down.” Asked for a response, an Xbox spokesperson said, “Microsoft does not comment on rumors and speculation.” Xbox has been running a solid but distant second to PS2 in the console market, but may be concerned about Nintendo’s GameCube, which is in third place but has picked up considerable market share since cutting its hardware price to $99 last fall.


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Microsoft is making a couple of significant improvements to Outlook 2016 for Mac. Specifically, it's adding Outlook to the list of MacOS applications with Touch Bar support and it's making add-in support available to production builds.
Microsoft now offers the Mac to Surface Assistant, a small tool for transferring files, programs, and settings from MacOS to Windows 10. Users can move their pictures, music, and more, along with archived files from cloud services.
Are big phones weighing heavy on you? Consider the Apple iPhone SE. This compact smartphone fits the power of an iPhone 6S into a small four-inch package and was rated the "best compact smartphone you can buy" in our review.
WebMD's Pregnancy health app will soon offer more than medical advice. The company's tapping Apple's ResearchKit to recruit participants for the Health Pregnancy Study, a long-term effort to track symptoms and impacts.
Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up fast. Here are the latest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.
A man died from electrocution recently when the charger connected to his iPhone touched the bath water he was in. A safety body warned that “people need to be aware of taking an electrical appliance into the bathroom."
According to a new report from MacRumors, customers that purchase a new Apple smartphone now have up to a year to add on AppleCare+ to their delicate devices. So if you doubt your ability to protect your phone, this may be the time to act.
It seems as though YouTube is opening up live-streaming to a much wider range of people, according to recent reports. A number of users with less than 10,000 subscribers are reporting being able to live-stream through YouTube.


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UK government body pushes 10Mbps broadband minimum for the poor
Thu 20 Oct 2016
The Local Government Association (LGA) has proposed a social tariff, to ensure that a minimum broadband access of at least 10 Mbps is available to all UK citizens at an affordable price.
The LGA, which represents over 370 local councils throughout England and Wales, has proposed that the government ensure qualifying applicants are able to request a new connection be provided at an affordable cost, should their current broadband fall short of the minimum 10Mbps requirement.
Last November, Parliament announced that it would begin work on a Universal Service Obligation (USO), which would grant all citizens the right to request broadband service with a minimum 10Mbps. At the time, Prime Minister David Cameron said, “Access to the Internet shouldn’t be a luxury; it should be a right – absolutely fundamental to life in 21st century Britain.” The LGA’s proposal would ensure that the service is affordable for all citizens as well.
Research by Ofcom in 2014 showed “marked relationships between socio-economic deprivation and [poor] broadband availability in cities”. Similar results have been found in rural areas, which means that the demand for increasing broadband service to a minimum level may be high among people with lower incomes.
British Telecom currently offers a subsidized phone and broadband package to qualifying customers, but the LGA proposal would require all providers to offer similar services as part of the UK government’s Universal Service Obligation (USO), expected to be finalized next month. The LGA has included the social tariff proposal as part of their submission to the government, in anticipation of the Autumn Statement on November 23.
Mark Hawthorne, Councillor and Chair of the LGA’s People and Places Board said, “Good digital connectivity is a vital element of everyday life for residents and can help them cut household bills, shop online for cheaper goods, stay in touch with distant relatives, access their bank accounts and even run their own businesses. As central and local government services become more digital, the USO will need to provide faster and more reliable speeds and, for our most vulnerable residents, a subsided connection at an affordable price.
The LGA recently began the Up to Speed program, which allows any user to test their broadband speeds and maps the results for analysis. They discovered that the quality of connectivity varies greatly from one area to another, and have called for greater transparency in actual download speeds for customers.
Current regulations allow providers to claim ‘high-speed’ download availability in their advertising and marketing if they can prove just 10% of customers are able to achieve those speeds. The LGA is pushing to change this, asserting that it is misleading and does not represent the actual experience of most customers – particularly those in remote or rural areas.


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SOUTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Lawmakers in South Carolina are pushing to eliminate the long-standing tampon sales tax.
Most products that line shelves across the state are stamped with a sales tax.
Items that do not have the tax are deemed as necessities, including groceries, medical supplies, and prescription medications like Viagra.
“I know that basic necessities like food aren’t taxed because everyone needs it,” Mary Dawkins said. “It’s a basic right, so I think feminine products fall under that category as well.”
S.C. is one of 22 states with sales tax on menstrual products. Advocated for removing the tax, saying the state makes about $4.5 million annually.
“It’s really a discriminatory tax,” said Period Law legal director Suzanne Herman. “I mean, you are talking about something that only people who menstruate are paying as opposed to the other half of the population who will never need to buy these products, but menstruators cannot go to work or school with dignity without them.”
A bill introduced to the S.C. House in January passed unanimously this week.
It exempts tampons, pads, menstrual cups – anything used for a menstrual cycle from sales tax.
“It is time for South Carolina to join the other states,” said executive director of Project Period, Karen Dudley-Culbreath.
The Period Project is an advocacy group headquartered in S.C., fighting for all states to eliminate sales tax on menstrual products.
“It further burdens those already living in poverty, giving another level of poverty, being period poverty,” Dudley-Culbreath said.
Once out of the House, the bill will go to the Senate for a vote; it will head to the governor’s desk for a signature if it passes in the Senate.


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Franchise new car auto dealers in Rockland County, working through the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA), donated 35,000 face masks to residents to keep safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is part of a donation of half a million masks GNYADA is making to the 12 downstate counties, including New York City.
Auto dealers, which collectively throughout the downstate region contribute over $20 million annually to charitable causes, including community organizations in Rockland, are once again racing to the aid of their neighbors.
On Tuesday, May 5, GNYADA delivered 35,000 3-ply paper masks to the office of Rockland County Executive Ed Day. The county executives will then distribute them to individuals who need them, including seniors, essential workers, and other vulnerable populations.
Since Gov. Cuomo announced that New Yorkers are required to wear masks in situations where adequate social distancing is not possible, the need has become clear, and auto dealers have been eager to help.
“When New Yorkers are in need, time and again, franchise new car dealers and their employees are always there for the communities where they live and work. Auto dealers are the brick-and-mortar backbones of Main Streets and neighborhoods throughout the region, supporting little leagues, hospitals, schools, senior centers, and many charities large and small,” said GNYADA President Mark Schienberg. “During this extremely challenging time, when so many New Yorkers are suffering, losing loved ones, losing jobs, and struggling, car dealerships are once again here to contribute.”
“This donation of 35,000 surgical masks by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association will be utilized to great effect during our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rockland County Executive Ed Day. “My gratitude to the members of this organization as they help us ensure the health and safety of those who are most at risk during this crisis.”
April is the time of year when GNYADA and the auto industry would have been hosting the 120th annual New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, which was converted to overflow hospital space. The popular event is now rescheduled to take place in late August and early September.
Franchised new car dealers collectively are the fifth largest retail employer throughout the downstate region, helping to support 71,280 jobs, contributing $2.5 billion in local and state taxes, and supporting a total payroll of $4.5 billion, according to an economic impact survey conducted in 2019.
New car dealers have been declared essential businesses. Service departments must fix cars and perform roadside assistance not only for other essential workers like doctors and nurses, but also for ordinary people who need to go to the grocery stores, the pharmacy, and carry out the necessities of daily life.


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The industry leaders sought optimizing registration and tax processes alongside compliance guidance that can further level the playing field for early-stage ventures. With targeted support, startups can become the job creators fueling a self-reliant India.
India also observes the National Startup Day on 16th January every year to celebrate the occasion to drive innovation and business growth in the country. From agritech pioneers building robust supply chains to fintech disruptors making digital finance accessible – startups sit at the epicenter of transformation. Nidhi Aggarwal, Foundеr, SpacеMantra however, highlighted that “beyond laurels, we must channel policy efforts into seed funding access, incubation hubs, and market connectivity to empower startups to improve more lives.”


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Apple has been quiet on the number of subscribers that its recently launched Apple TV+ streaming service has been able to get. But, if a recent report from the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, Apple TV+ subscriber numbers could be better than even Hulu and Disney+.
Apple TV+ ahead of Hulu and Disney+
Citing numbers of an analytics company (Ampere Analysis), the WSJ report says that Apple TV+ subscriber numbers stood at around 33.6 million in the last quarter of 2019. This is huge considering Apple launched the service on Nov. 1.
If the analytics company claim is true, Apple TV+ is bigger than Hulu and Disney+. As per the report, Hulu has about 32.8 million users, while Disney’s streaming service has about 23.2 million users. Two streaming services ahead of Apple are Netflix with 61.3 million users and Amazon Prime at 42.2 million.
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These estimates are based on a phone survey taken prior to the launch of Apple TV+ services. The analytics company carried out a 10-minute phone interview about the streaming services, such as Apple TV+ and HBO Max.
“When we first polled awareness of Apple TV+, prelaunch, we found it had pretty strong awareness,” Ampere Analysis research director, Richard Broughton, told Cult of Mac. “There were some strong initial metrics in the run-up to the launch of Apple TV+.”
Furthermore, the analytics company said that about 38% of the respondents had heard about Apple TV+. This is impressive considering the service was only announced the beginning of 2019.
However, it is still too early to talk about who will eventually win this streaming war as Disney+ is also relatively new and is currently available in selected countries. Also, one may argue that since Apple is giving away Apple TV+ to the buyers of new Apple devices, the real Apple TV+ subscriber numbers could be less.
Apple TV+ subscriber numbers: are they real?
On the other hand, there are those who believe giving free access to the service does not take away from the success of the service.
“If that’s even close to accurate I’d say Apple TV+ is a roaring success. Yes, of course, surely most of those customers are using it free of charge for the first year. But that’s the point of this ‘buy any Apple device, get a free year of TV+’ promotion,” says Apple commentator John Gruber.
Even though Apple’s content library is small compared to the other services, the company’s interconnected ecosystem makes up for it. A subscription fee is not the sole criterion to measure the success of the service. Instead, similar to Amazon Prime Video, which assists in selling Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ is an add-on that makes Apple devices more tempting. Apple is currently offering free access to the service to anyone who purchases a new iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple TV box.
“Even if Apple was to encourage just 10% of their device base in the U.S. to replace devices six months sooner than they would … have done per year, you wind up with a figure of about $400 million in terms of the content spend Apple can afford,” Broughton said.
Ampere’s survey also suggested a similar thought. As per the survey, around one in five people would replace or upgrade to a new device to get access to the Apple TV+.
Apple TV+: other details
Though it is still too early to tell the future of Apple TV+, the service has gotten off to a good start. If the service continues to add new and interesting content, it would surely dominate the video streaming space.
Apple recently teased a video of its upcoming Beastie Boys Story documentary, which should arrive on Apple TV+ in the spring. The documentary would hit the IMAX theatres on April 3, and arrive on Apple TV+ on April 24. This documentary is based on the Beastie Boys Book, which came out in Oct. 2018.
Apple TV+ came out on Nov. 1 and costs just $5 a month. It is even cheaper than Netflix’s cheapest subscription plan of $9 a month. Even Disney Plus costs $6.99 per month. Apple’s streaming service is ad-free and is available in over 100 countries.
Subscribers can access it via the pre-installed TV app on an Apple device, such as iPhone or iPad, or through smart TVs and set-top boxes from companies like Roku, Samsung and Amazon. Moreover, Apple is also streaming shows on its website for those using Safari, Firefox or Chrome.


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The American technology giant “Amazon” opened the first supermarket without cash, human or self-service in Seattle. The “Amazon Gou” shop uses cameras on the ceiling and electronic sensors to identify each customer and monitor the products they place in the basket.
Purchase is done in the end when the customer leaves the supermarket and the money is removed from his credit card. This system was tested by employees in the past year.
Before entering the shop, customers must activate the “Amazon Gou” smartphone application. Sensors on the shelves monitor what products the buyers take, which they may return.
One employee said the system initially had problems identifying buyers of similar physical substance and children moving products to the wrong places on the shelves.
“Amazon” has not announced whether it will open up more such actions.


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NVIDIA announced their new SHIELD Tablet K1 last month with the promise that Android Marshmallow would follow close behind. Last night the company published a video on their YouTube channel on their website (seen below) which details what we can expect in this update. Along with Google’s additions (Doze, Google Now on Tap, App Permissions, etc), NVIDIA is updating their camera app to take better advantage of the tablet’s power.
In case you missed it, the SHIELD Tablet K1 brings the NVIDIA K1 processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 8″ display all for just $199, $100 less than the SHIELD Tablet that came before it. Marshmallow should begin rolling out to this tablet during the month of December, although exact dates are yet to be revealed.


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Connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles at GamesBeat Summit 2023 this May 22-23. Register here.
Gaming is growing, but mostly in Asia. Market researcher Newzoo is reporting today that Asia-Pacific will account for 82 percent of the $6 billion in global game revenue growth in 2014.
The industry is expected to grow 8 percent to $81.5 billion this year. Because of its faster growth rate, the Asia-Pacific region will grow its global market share from 42 percent to 45 percent, or $36.8 billion of the total.
The total revenues include all sectors of games including, PC, online PC, social, mobile, and console games. Latin America represents just 4 percent of the global market share, but it will grow 14 percent to $3.3 billion this year thanks to rising gross domestic product and online connectivity in the region.
North America will grow modestly to $22.2 billion in 2014, or 27 percent of total. Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) will be $19.1 billion, or 24 percent.
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Globally, the computer screen will be the dominant way people play games in 2014, accounting for 40 percent of the worldwide market and growing 9 percent from a year ago. The TV screen will take 29 percent market share and $23.4 billion in revenues, down 1 percent from a year ago. Handheld console devices will drop 20 percent in 2014, offset by a 37 percent growth in tablet revenues. Overall mobile will grow 19 percent in 2014 and account for 27 percent market share, or $21.8 billion.
Massively multiplayer online games will grow 16 percent to $17.8 billion in revenue. Gamers will spend $2.4 billion more on MMOs in 2014 than in 2013.
Casual web games and midcore PC/Mac games will grow modestly. Mobile will reach 1.2 billion gamers.
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